Photos...http://www.kodakgallery.com/
Journal...
December 18 - 20
In our flight from Atlanta to Dubai to Delhi, our longest delay was on the Tarmac at ATL airport. Really, the trip was easy and straight forward. I prefer this route over the Atlanta - Paris - Bombay itinerary I took five years ago.
The food on the Emirates flight was the best. They had some nice chicken curry with chowpatties. They also had a place to charge your laptop or iPod!
In the Delhi airport, going through immigration, Sona and I split up. She went through the Indian line and I went through the foriegner line. Neither of us knew the address of the location we were staying at. We both got asked by the officials. My official asked me where my wife was when I told him that my inlaws booked the place. He told me that next time we can go through the line together.
The place Sona's family aranged for us is a four story apartment building about 30 minutes away from the Delhi airport (with no traffic at 4 AM). We're comfortably on the first level above the garage.
The streets are bussling outside with comers and goers. There's a vegetable cart vendor right outside the window selling his wares. Plenty of trucks and two-wheelers zooming back and forth.
We had a nice, relaxing morning. Mom made nice chai and salad with saussage for breakfast. The girls have gone shopping. Meanwhile, Papa and I plan to go to the Lotus Temple.
It turns out that the Lotus Temple is closed on Sunday. I took a few photos from outside the gate. Nearby, there was a 1.5 km queue to get into this tiny Hindu temple. No idea what the draw was, but everyone was disciplined staying in line. That's rare for India.
We met with Vishal's sister Mona and his brother-in-law Nikunj. He is an Indian Air Force hellicopter pilot. He has an accomodation from a Kashmere rescue mission from 2005 (the same time I was last here) where he rescused 32 soldiers from behind enemy lines under the further threat of an avalanche. He had recently completed a UN mission in the Congo. This week he is on the way to the Andamans Islands through Chennai.
Papa treated us all to coffee and chai at Khan Market. It's an upscale retail area near many of the government and diplomatic offices. It's near the Lodi district area. There are some Lodi Gardens we drove by that I would like to go back and see.
Dec 21 ~
Last night we had a nice dinner with Suni's inlaws. Suni's husband's name is Vishal. His parents names Renu Aubree and Khera Uncle plus Krish and Karan. There was very nice paneer and really great sweets. Rasgullas and carrot halwa and gulab jamun. They gifted Sona and I some excellent gifts; ties, cuff links, ceramic plate, and a very nice jewelry box.
This morning (6:49 AM) Sona, Mama, Suni, and Sara and I are all in a taxi on the way to the Taj Majal. It is Sona's and Sara's first time. Suni, Mama and I will be going for the second time. It's about a four hour drive. We've been going for about 30 minutes now.
With one stop at a tourist friendly (with tourist prices) road house, we made it to the Taj at around 11:00 AM. Our tour guide, Suchin, helped us organize an electric car to take from the parking area to the "VIP" entrance. Here are the things that were different / new at the Taj since I had visited almost exactly five years ago.
- The electric cars are new. Last time I took a cycle rickshaw.
- You purchase tickets away from the entrance. Last time I bought my ticket right outside the gate.
- We went through the East (aka VIP) entrance. Last time I went through the West entrance.
- We had a guide inside the site. Last time I explored by myself (with my driver who spoke no English).
- They sold us shoe covers for 10 Ruppies. Last time I simply threw my shoes into a big pile with everyone else's.
- They had built wooden steps over the marble ones. Appently, when it rains, lots of people used to slip there.
- It was 20 Ruppies for Indians, but 750 Ruppies for foriegners. I don't remember the difference being that much this time.
- They had added barriers ao that you could not walk to the very edge of the Taj on the river (back) side.
- The car ride through Agra seemed to have a lot more traffic, people, and general busy-ness. I could be wrong, but I remembered it being a litle quieter and rural last time.
Things that were the same...
- The touts are horrible. They come at you from every angle, all at once. The tour guide does nothing to help. I took to yelling NO to scare them off. That seemed to work quite well.
- The Taj is beautiful to behold. It was great to share with Sona. This was the whole purpose of the journey back, of course.
Once we left the Taj, Sona and the girls wanted to go to a marble / stone cutting shop. We saw a demonstration of how it is done. Even Sara got a chance to try. We then sat through the sales spleel and had to walk through the guantlet of various jewelry and other nick-knack vendors.
There was a bit of drama when the driver claimed that we had not paid for the trip to FS. The next five minutes consisted of some quick phone calls to Vishall and some intense arguing. Soon, everything was sorted.
Having sufficiently experienced Agra and the Taj Majal, it was time to make our way to FS. En route, we had the challenge of finding a hygenic place for lunch.
Not far ouside the city, we stopped at what looked like a descent roadside cafe (they call them dhobas here). After seeing the bird poop in the chairs, and me having sat in it, I think Sona and I were sufficiently turned off by the place. While Suni, Sara, and Mama ordered lunch, Sona and I stayed in the car and made do with the sausages, bread, and fruit Mama had brought for breakfast.
Arriving at FS this time was quite different from my arrival five years ago.
- They had a designated parking area for tourists that was new. Last time, my driver took me directly to the main gate.
- They arranged it so that you must take an autorickshaw between the parking area and the gate. They scam you with fake negotiations between the tour guides who force themselves on you and the drivers.
- The touts were just as bad here as the Taj. Last time, I don't recall being bothered at all. This time, you couldn't stand for five seconds without being accosted by annother guy selling post cards or jewelry.
- The "guide" took us to his kronies to give them a chance to sell Suni and Mama some clothes to donate to the holy man who lived in the palace. This was a new scam. The last time I was here, I went directly into the tomb and simply bought some string to tie for a wish.
- Sona noted that they expected her to make an "optional" donation inside the tomb. They were quite upset with her when she didn't.
We had thourouhly had enough of the tomb area. The next stop was the palace next store which I had never been to before. This made the trip to FS worthwhile. It was a beutiful palace, restoreed (work in progress in some areas) and well maintained, especially the flower gardens. We spent the rest of the evening here.
Heading back to the car required us to get into the autorickshaw again. This time, as expected, they didn't take us directly back to our car. Instead, they took us to an area where we had to walk by more shops. So annoying. The whole setup was disgned to give touts as many opportunities as possible to accost you.
The car ride home was delayed twice by crossing some train tracks. They don't have the rail road crossing timed vey well with the coming of the trains. (I think they may be manual. An individual is signaled somehow to raise / lower the beam.). We waited quite a while for the the train to pass each time. In the meantime, the locals are walking their motorbikes under the beams and accross the tracks. Very dangerous, but common from what Mama says.
Eventually, even with the intense Agra - Delhi traffic, I fell asleep for most of the rest of the trip home. Meanwhile, Sona played A/C policeman. The driver kept turning the A/C off and setting the flow to outside. This was bothering us all, but Sona kept him in line. We had a comfortable ride home with one last, quick stop for fruit.
December 22 ~
We made no plans this morning. It was a chance for everyone, especially Sona, to sleep in a bit and catch up on some rest. Mama made a light breakfast for Suni, Pspa, and me. I relaxed and read The Thirteenth Tale - a book Sona read a while ago that she's now lending me.
Around 10 AM, Sona woke up and joined us. Just about the same time, Sumi came in with Krish. Sumi had a great plan to take an autorickshaw to see Humayan's Tomb. So, Sona, Suni, Sumi, Krish, and I all squeezed into a auto' and headed out for some Delhi adventure.
H's T was a great sight seeing stop. The place was filled with school children, some who wanted to take their picture with me. I refused this time. The place was also lacking touts, only one or two. That was great. Finally, the place was beautiful. We explored the various tunnels and tombs.
There was one building that Suni and Sona were pushing me to explore. The stairway had no exit, but they insisted I continue. Finally I turned around and found another stairwell that took us to the top of the building. We all had a laugh at my expense.
We finished up the self-tour with some cool drinks. We then organized an auto' for the trip to the outdoor mall area. This required us to switch auto's as the first driver wouldn't take us accross states.
Once at the mall, I managed to find free wifi at the KFC. Meanwhile, Suni fed Krish some fried chicken. The girls joined Sumi for some shopping while I finished up using the wifi.
We all met up at a dhoba where we had Afghanni chicken, X, and X for lunch. It was really excellent! Great choice, Sumi!
We found a auto' driver who was willing to take us all the way back home - without swapping auto's. Once we made it home, it was time for another jet lag nap.
I woke for some good mutton curry. We tried to play some videos on a the new DVD player that Papa had purchased, but it only played MP3s and photos.
We played cards instead. For some reason I had lost all the strategy that I had when we all last played in Atlanta. The girls were all beating me real bad.
Sona's family helped me organize a taxi for tomorrow's trip to Gorgaun to visit with the Saxena's.
December 23 ~
Sona and I woke early to be ready for the taxi at 8 AM. We headed out for the one hour journey accross Delhi. With one stop at a sweet shop for a gift for the Saxena's, we made it to the busy National Media Center intersection. The trouble is we passed it and missed the turn. Because the entrance is right next to the highway, there was no easy way to turn around. Our driver spent the next 15 minutes struggling through horrendous traffic so we could make it back.
We found the house! The Saxena's gave us a very warm welcome inside. We spent some time looking at all of Rahul's wedding albums. He was married back in February. Then, Auntie had prepared a wonderful Indian veg brunch for us. We chatted about the changes in Gorgaun since I was last there, flying planes, and all sorts of other things. Uncle's brother also joined for a bit. He's an engineer at a nearby towel factory.
We took the taxi to our next stop, Qtub Minar. This is tower built many years ago. I saw it when I was here five years ago. We met Suni, Krish, Sumi, and Mama there. They didn't believe that Sona was an Indian citizen, which really upset her. I didn't have to bother with the ticket counter because Sumi had found a ticket lying on the ground at M's tomb the day before. When everyone else arrived, we pretended not to know them. They bought Sona's ticket and all was settled.
What a difference five years makes! Most of Delhi is the same as I remember it. Many of the highways and fly-overs that were under construction then are now finished, but otherwise all looks to be about the same. All except the Qtub Minar. They really turned this into a proper tourist destination. The tower has been restored nicely. What was just dirt and gravel has been turned into beautiful lawns. The columns have been restored and roofs have been added, much like it was supposed to be way back when. It was really nice to visit the second time and see all the improvements.
After the Qtub Minar, all six of us plus the driver squeezed into the tiny Indacar. Sona sat on my lap. The next stop was the Indian version of the strip mall. These are everywhere here. Sumi needed to stop for some food for Krish. She bought us some Thumbs Up soft drinks and some rolls that were kind of like the Indian version of a wrap / gyro.
Once we had some fuel for our stomaches, we made the convoluted trip to the Garden of Five Senses. I'd never been nor heard of this place before. The trip was convoluted becase it seems most Indians are unaware of this place. Furthermore, the expansive construction of the Delhi Metro / Subway had made this place quite hidden and difficult to drive to.
The Garden was nice. We caught part of a children's puppet show. We then took the path though the various plants and trees. I was a bit distracted as I was eating the roll that Sumi had bought for me and enjoying the Thumbs Up. Plus, I had given a stray dog some of the chicken that had fallen from my roll. This was a mistake as now this dog wouldn't stop following us. The dog provided for another distraction. Eventually we made it through most of the garden to a little Indian ice cream vendor. It's nut flavored and semi-sweet. It comes in a small cyramic bowl, wrapped with foil and a rubber band. We all shared tastes from the home made all-natural spoons. They were just small strips of a bamboo-like wood.
Finished up at the garden, we all piled back into the car (literally). It took a while to get back to the house with all the Delhi rush hour traffic. Once there Sona and I stayed in the car while everyone else jumped out. Papa jumped in and we headed out to find a place to buy chicken and mutton. This proved to be an adventure in itself as no one in that car had any idea where the shop was. We must have asked a dozen people on the street before we found it. Sona took the time to buy some shampoo at one of the many drug stores in the area.
We headed home to finish with the car and give Mama the food we bought. Everyone stayed at the house while I walked the trechourous couple blocks to the nearby IKON hotel office. They gave me the password to the wifi and I was properly online. I spent some time catching up on everything from my trusty iPod.
Reaching home, Mama had made great fried chicken and dall. We relaxed before heading out again. This time it was jumping in an auto' for the night time Govinvraj Market.
We were hoping for a bustling street market, but not much was happening except the permanent shops. The word was that the police had not allowed the night market to take place because of the Christmas holiday. The veg market was open though. Mama and Papa both bought lots of veggies for taking back to Chennai. They say that with the heavy rains in Chennai the veggies aren't the best and are expensive.
We took the auto' back to the guest house. Before bed, Sona, Suni, Sumi and I played cards. I started to remember the strategy now and was doing much better.
December 24 ~
Sona and I woke up a bit later on this day for a taxi to take us across town again. This time we headed to Lodhi Gardens. This was somewhere I saw from the road while riding with Nikunj. It wasn't in any of the guide books or advertised, but we thought we would take a chance. It was worth it! The garden had hardly any people there. Sona and I enjoyed the place nearly on our own. They had a beautiful Bonsai Tree garden, some tomb and mosque ruins, a duck pond, and even a jogging path. The park was clean and provided a nice diversion from the hectic streets of Delhi.
After our walk in the park, we took the taxi to nearby India Gate. Sona wasn't so keen on seeing it up close. Instead, we took some quick snaps from the round-about.
We then headed over to a shopping market area to meet up with Mama, Suni, Sara, Sumi, and Krish. There was some confusion about where we were supposed to meet up, but thanks to the power of mobile phones, we eventually caught up with each other.
The girls shopped for saris while Sara and I relaxed at the next door McDonalds. It's with noting that while I didn't eat at any western eateries (KFC, McDonalds, etc) they make great landmarks for meeting up. They also provide good indoor resting areas.
The next stop was a mens suit, sherwani, and X shop. The girls were keen on buying me an elaborate X for my introduction as Sona's wife at this week's parties. I picked one out, tried it on and was satisfied and ready to go. It wasn't that easy though. I tried on several more before everyone agreed to the one I had chosen.
The girls wanted to do some more shopping. This meant it was time for Sara and I to get into an auto' and head back to the guest house on our own. Once home, I venturedout onto the streets of Delhi to fond the IKON Hotel where they had the free Internet. I got a little lost on the way, but found it. I found my way back with no problem at all.
The evening was then for relaxing and eating.
December 25 ~
We woke for Christmas in Delhi! Everyone had to get up very early as we had a 7:00 AM flight to Chennai. We all got out the door successfully, but beteen the two taxis, we somehow forgot a bag back home. Sona, Papa, and I were in one taxi and continued to the airport. Mama headed back to the house in her taxi.
- Show quoted text -
We all met successfully at the Delhi domestic terminal. It looked incredibly similar to the Bangkok airport. Probably the same architect.
Once at the gate, it turned out that we had more time. Per Sumi's recommendation (she would be joining us later in the evening on a different flight) Sona bought us all chocolate chip muffins at Costa Coffee. We all scarfed these down on the flight.
The first leg of the flight from Delhi to Hyderabad, Sona and I kept ourselves busy wantching Bones on my iPod. On the next leg from Hyderabad to Chennai, I slept and Sona caugh up with Papa.
We took taxis from the airport to Sona's home. Because it was the first time there as a married couple, Mama performed a Aarthi to welcome us and ward away the evil eye.
Sona's home is BEAUTIFUL. Too many rooms to count. Artifacts from all over the world. The latest addition seems to be the sketches of Nanhi, Mama, and Sona that Papa did. They are over the kitchen table.
Sona had fun noticing how many things had changed since two years ago when she was last home. The rooms had all been expanded and changed. She got acclimated again. Meanwhile, my number one job was to get the wireless Internet going.
I had a couple challenges getting the wifi going, but soon enough I was connected again!
Sona and Suni headed out to the beauty parlor and I caught up on all my email and other things. The evening was more relaxing at home plus a nice walk around Defence Colony with Sona and Mama. While walking around, we met Mama's friend Tasneen. Her husband and son are into cars. They had a half Ferrari (litterally) that they were working to restore. Inside auntie had a full sewing shop going, even on Christmas Day.
December 26 ~<- <- <-
After an early sleep the night before, it was an early rise (letting Sona lie in a bit).
After breakfast, Sona and I "trekked" to the St. Thomas church on top of a small hill. The walk on the road (no real sidewalks here) was hectic. We paused in the center isle with traffic running on both sides. Sona knew what she was doing, but I was nervous.
We took the steps (representing different periods in Jesus' life) to the top. There was a good view of Chennai from the top. We walked to the other side for a great view of the airport. The planes take off almost directly over the hill.
The walk back wasn't as hectic, but probably just because I'm getting used to it. We ate a great veg lunch and then freshened up. The schedule then changed. We had to meet Suni's inlaws. Uncle's knee was bad and so he couldn't make it this evening to Sumi's birthday party.
We took an auto' to auntie's and uncle's place. They were very sweet. They gave us a shoal and some flowers. We had snacks (thattai) and coffee. Suni drove us back to Mama's and Papa's house in her husband's SUV (very nice - rare here in India).
Back at Mama's and Papa's house, it was some brief relaxing before the party. For the party, Papa had set up a stereo and disco lights on the terrace. It was a proper dance floor. Sona and Vishall did the BBQ'ing while everyone enjoyed plus drinks. We danced and played party games until late in the evening. Mama and Papa put on a great party.
December 27
Time for another lie in this morning. Suni took us away for an out to eat lunch. On the way, we stopped at the beautiful home of one of Mama's long time ago house guests. It was Sahbu (uncle) Shabita (his daughter) and Aaliya (his grand daughter).
We stopped at at Sangeeta's for an excellent lunch. Then, we stopped at Suni's place. She has a lovely apartment. Ragu and Suni even spent to cover the terrace. It's a nice place with a cool breeze and beautiful views of the nearby river.
I snoozed while Sona and Suni watched a DVD. Then, it was time to head out again. We started with a stop at Elliots beach. I thought it was busy there until we drove to to Marina beach. Pradeep met us for a nice stroll along the sidewalk.
We then drove to a restaurant Karai Kudi. We had Chettinad Chicken, Appam, Kottu Barotha. Pradeep was gracious enough to treat us!
For the first time since arriving in India, Sona and I had an evening to ourselves at Suni's place.
December 28
Pondecherry / Aurovillo
We woke early at Suni's. Time to get ready for the day trip to Aurovillo and Pondecherry. We passed by several sites that were familar to me: Crocodile Park, Mapalidapuram, and beautiful sceens of the beach. We took a roadside pic nic after passing all of these things. It's a bit hectic for me to pic nic immediately next to the highway. Nevertheless, it was nice to experience something that I know was part of Sona's childhood.
We had to ask directions a few times, but eventually made our way to the Aurovillo visitors center. We got our passes and made the short 1km walk to the visitors viewpoint. It was then that Sona and I learned that we couldn't go inside the structure, only view it from a distance.
We walked back to the visitors center entrance. Everyone browsed the boutiques, but no one bought any of the overpriced items.
Next stop was the Pondecherry Beach. We struggled to find a parking space. We eventually settled on a space in a street vendor area. It was nice because it was close to the city park. Unfortunately, they wouldn't allow us to take our pic nic into the park. This meant it was time for mutton curry in the car.
After lunch, we walked into the park for a bit. It seems that both Sona and I were having sour stomachs. We stopped at a public (eg pay) bathroom on the way out of the city. The final stop before leaving Pondecherry was some rice and food shopping for Mama.
The ride back to Chennai was a bit hectic. Both Sona and I were having stomach troubles. We didn't want to miss the lake boat rides so we took a chance and stopped by. This turned out to be the highlight of the day. We all ate some snacks while we waited. We managed to fit everyone in the same boat.
The boat driver asked if we would pay for some extra time. Mama paid an this gave is some extra twists and turns and even more rocking. The kids loved it and so did the adults!
We thought it would be a short ride home after the boats, and normally it would have been. Unfortunately, we ran into some AWEFUL traffic. Eventually, the travel-wery group of is, arrived safely at home. Time for some rest.
December 29
We didn't have much planned today. The day was mostly open with the evening reserved for a party in Sona's and my honor. This would be where Sona and I would be introduced to Sona's parent's friends as a newly married couple.
We spent some time in the morning calling Julius' parents and Rashmi's parents. Rashmi's parents were out of town. We did get in touch with Julius' parents. We invited them to the evening's party at the Sukumarans' house.
I spent some time researching flying / plane rentals in Chennai. I found a company that did rent. The issue was, I learned, I needed permission from the government to fly in India as an American. My research on this was fruitless. The result, no flying for me in India at this time
December 30
Sona and her sisters spent most of the day shopping. They were looking at jewelry and other things. I spent the day relaxing and working at the very lovely and very comfortable "Susho" house.
The intention was to have dinner and see the beach at the race club after they returned. Pradeep was to join us as well. Unfortunately, shopping took longer than anticipated. We ended up staying in for dinner and missing out on the race club with Pradeep.
December 31
More relaxing at the 'Susho' house today.
We took a few hours to head back to the jewelry shop. This time I joined to see what all the hub hub was about.
For the evening's New Years Eve festivities, we headed to the Gandi Nagar Club. They had a live band, a live DJ, great starters, and a very tasty dinner. They even had ice cream for dessert.
It was a bit wired how they had it organized. The dinner area was separate from the sitting and drinking area. Once you got your plate of food, your only two choices were sitting in the senior citzens area or standing and attempting to scarf down the dinner with one hand. We chose to sit in the senior citizen area. We didn't feel too bad. We did have some senior citizens with us.
We took to the dance floor to party the last hour of 2009 away. Nearly everyone joined us. Suni, Sara, Pradeep, Shirley, Sona and even Mama.
They played Final Countdown as we counted down the last few seconds of the year. Then the fireworks started! What they lacked in size and flare, they made up in Quantity. The firewoorks will still going even as we made it to the club house.
Back in Defence Colony, as we drifted to sleep, we could hear fire crackers going off in the distance. Thus, started 2010.
January 1
With the new year underway, it was time for more relaxation at the 'SUSHO' house. Sona's goal for the day was to finish up her last minute shopping for gifts. Meanwhile, I packed up and organized the photos from our trip. How the two weeks flew by.
January 2
Chennai / Delhi / Dubai / Atlanta
It was time for a very early rise (3:30 AM) to bead to the Chennai airport. Our first leg from Chennai to Delhi was scheduled to depart at 6:45 AM.
Due to bad weather in Delhi (fog like you wouldn't believe) our flight didn't actually leave until 8:30 AM. Both Sona and I slept through nearly the entire flight.
It was time once again to claim our bags and move from domestic to international. At Delhi airport they have a special bus that moves people through the airport - literately accross the runways from domestic to international.
