My India…..thus far has been a sheltered and pampered view of the country.  My hotel is a small bubble of an oasis in the midst of organized chaos….

Every morning, I wake up around 5am, have my green tea, work out, have breakfast; which is mostly fruit, but I tried a traditional breakfast of masala dosa.  (It is a rice pancake filled with spicy potatoes, dipped in a hot lentil sauce).  Every day, I see the many flocks of parakeets flying around from my hotel window.  This city has more trees than you can imagine!  I do believe that it has the most of any city in the world!  It’s amazing – to be so crowded and dirty and have such greenery.  It is a sight to see…not to mention the monkeys that I mentioned before.  (Note that food safety is not an issue at my hotel, it’s not the norm for the country, so here you can forgo the usual precautions of not eating anything unless you peel it, using a straw, etc..etc..)

My journal to Agra exposed me to the “real India” yesterday….and in the word’s of Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz, “Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore.”  There is no way that I can accurately paint the picture of how life is lived here for so many people - it felt surreal as I was taking everything in – it was like being thrust into a National Geography Movie; but I will tell you, nothing that you see on TV or in pictures will compare to seeing it all first hand.  It was literally the pages of “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry come to life (Bookworms, in  my view not a lot has changed from the account in that book.)

First of all, imagine a 4 lane road, then picture about 10-12 lanes of traffic at all times – but a jumble of:  packed buses (arms out the window), Tata cars (tiny things sometimes packed with 10 people – the driver having a child or two in his lap), auto rickshaws, bike rickshaws, random Brahma bulls or cows, large trucks, herds of goats, people, little deformed kids, large flat carts drawn by mules, motorcycles with 4-5  people on them, camels pulling very large loads, possibly rabid dogs, pigs, monkeys darting here and there (they’re fast!), women walking with large loads on their head – could be a large bag of something, a bushel, or a bucket, … the list goes on.  I can’t possibly describe it to the detail it deserves! (Steph – you know what I mean!)

Then to that chaos (it’s organized, as I mentioned before – moving, shoving, weaving, darting in and out….) add the sounds (the trucks/cars all have printed on the back “honk please”) constant noise, calls to prayer from loud speakers and the smell.  On the side of the road, this was the National Highway that runs the length of the country to Pakistan, (my guide accurately stated that this country lives it’s life on the streets), there are people dwelling, working, etc., among mounds and piles of garbage.  Could be rotted food, plastic bottles, excrement…you’ll see lean-too structures, huts, tents, buildings, some shopping malls, almost everything amidst the filth.  I saw people sleeping, eating, having a shave, urinating, excreting, just sitting on a mat, shoving for a bit of water in one pipe, bathing under a water truck (water is scare outside monsoon season, not to mention polluted), markets of food (you can’t imagine the flies), street sweepers (most construction/road work is done by hand – the sweepers have rudimentary brooms), road construction by hand (saw 3 men paving the road with a little brush and pepples…like a paint brush).  There are guards with rifles at toll stops, government “highway” patrol with barricades that you have to weave through – and they direct traffic (yes, there are some traffic lights), And if you stop….

Stopping the car is uncomfortable…there was one stop that everyone must take, in order to pay a tourist tax.  The advice was to not make eye contact, don’t take photos and ignore….so when about 10-20 kids with monkeys, various goods, the snake charmer with his cobra (YES – THAT IS REAL), come and start banging on the doors, trying to open them, shaking the car, monkeys climbing on the car – it takes everything you’ve got to maintain your composure. The desperation is so very real and very heart breaking, not to mention scary.  Scary, when you’re in the car ALONE! 

Honestly, I don’t think there is one thing that I DIDN’T see on that drive – (from a leper, to a water buffalo to women walking among the filth in beautiful sarees).  Then when you reach the destination in Agra – the grand Taj Mahal, tomb built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite (2nd wife, I think) who died giving birth to their 14th child, you are completely and utterly speechless.  Amidst the poverty, is this majestic and magnificent work of art!  The Taj Mahal is one of the grandest structures of beauty that I have seen (I’ve seen a few of the wonders of the world)….but the beauty of this is again indescribable.

The security was very high there, a little heightened, I think, with the recent bombings across the country, so I was limited in what I could bring in with me.  When you reach the Taj, you must remove your shoes or wear “booties” to tour the building.  It is really so very amazing – so amazing that my photos don’t even look real.  (The trick is to hire one of the many photographers, with privilege, to take your photos, as they can move the crowds).  It was very crowded when I went, at the heat of the day, (so very hot) and not one foreigner in sight, but myself. (See Bikram yoga story below.)  This monument is such a great pride for this country of poverty, it is maintained immaculately!

As you can tell, this was an amazing adventure for me (or for anyone!) – it was quite a long day of total immersion – 5 hour drive one way (and the traffic was as I described the entire route) on a Sat.  People here don’t have a Saturday holiday…poverty doesn’t have a day off.  Sunday is a religious holiday, however.

Today I will travel to a completely different portion of India (“Little Lhasa”) and will experience the Tibetan side of the country while I begin my yoga training.  So, the adventure continues and what an adventure it is……

God Bless!

Bikram Story at the Taj:

I do not know if this is true – but I didn’t mention I practiced Bikram Yoga until after I was told the story by my guide at the Taj Mahal.  As most of you know, I just HAD to get a yoga posture in front of the Taj Mahal – little did I know that this is/can be considered a criminal offense leading to arrest and removal from the monument.  (It was just a little standing-head-to-knee!)  When I was taking photos, I just quickly said – “wait, take these” and I noticed my guide had this look on his face and he said, “quick, quick!”….then after he tells me the story.

Apparently, Bikram was at the Taj Mahal a couple of years ago (it’s recent) and had a group of about 20-30 people with him on the monument.  They proceded to strip down into their hot yoga gear (that’s not what my guide called it – he said underpants) and practice hot yoga (my guide called it a “demonstration”.)  (Note that this culture is VERY offended by the showing of skin – it was in the 100’s today, and I wore a long sleeve tunic and jeans, which is what everyone wore).  They drew such a large crowd that it caused a small riot – almost, the Indian people were highly offended and found it all very, very disrespectful….so Bikram was arrested and spent the greater part of the day in jail.

This is all according to my guide, I am not sure if it’s really true, but now because of that, you can be arrested for doing a yoga pose, carrying a flag – anything that is considered disrespectful to India.  So, there you have it – I have my “standing-head-to-knee” posture photo with a story (I’ll have to scan it, when I get home in November)…but that one will get framed. LOL!