(Wild)Life in India

It feels like I'm living in an exhibit at the zoo here, I am surrounded by wildlife. A family of peacocks live in my garden, and i can hear them calling to each other. There are dogs wandering between houses, and lizards both inside and outside. (I can hear the geckos clicking at night, which means they're somewhere in my room but I don't know where. It takes some time before you trust that you're not going to wake up to one crawling on you.) We also have our share of less pleasant creatures, including spiders, scorpions, rats and ants (both of which I've had the pleasure of having inside my house already) and of course, monkeys. It really is a treat to walk through and have peacocks fanning their tails out every day. It almost feels normal at this point because it happens so much, but we all know this is not the case. In fact, I wanted to go look at the full moon on my roof last night (roofs here are flat so you can walk on them), and I went up the steps only to find a brood of peacocks sleeping there already! I wasn't about to disturb them--not yet sure how vicious they are compared to the monkeys.

Don't believe whatever Disney or Aladdin told you; monkeys in India are not cute. They're vicious, full of diseases, and will attack you. I walk everywhere with a slingshot so I can shoot them if need be. Seriously! You get a group of them blocking your way (like i did on my way down the mountain this week-I thought I was going to either die of rabies or be stranded up there) and you have to back away and hope they move along, unless you shoot them. Not to kill, but just to scare them off so they'll get out of your way.

It takes some getting used to, opening your curtains in the morning and seeing a face staring back at you through the screen, but monkeys are not shy.

Something that takes some real getting used to is the ants. They are everywhere. And they can smell food from a mile away, literally. So you have to keep all your food either in the fridge, in sealed glass containers (they'll chew through plastic) or in a dish with water underneath, since they can't swim--yet.

We left one grain of rice on the counter after dinner the first night, and there were THOUSANDS of ants the next morning. They made a steady stream through the kitchen counter and out the front door. 

We had to return some groceries that our delivery man brought that we hadn't ordered, so we left them in a burlap bag on the porch. The next morning, the ants had bitten a hole through the bag, through the packaging on the cookies, and there were only crumbs left. They just swarmed the entire area. It is so disgusting, I really have to try to not lose it when this happens. I hate the way they move! 

It happened again today when I left a bag of cashews in my backpack. I went to retrieve them for a snack and pulled out an ant-infested bag instead. My backpack is currently in the freezer until I can be sure they're all dead. At least they haven't come in the bedroom yet. Then I really wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I already have nightmares every time I come here of waking up to my entire body covered in ants...ahhhh I get the creeps just thinking about it! 

Luckily my obsessive compulsive cleaning habits are paying off, and we've managed to minimize the infestations. It is a content battle, though, and it makes you paranoid--every time I have an itch somewhere my mind instantly assumes it's an ant and it's so much worse.

That's another thing about India-everything is bigger here. The bumblebees, the butterflies, and the insect bites (exhibit A):

I have no idea what bit me but I'm still alive so it can't be that bad, right?

Varanasi, Vara Not So Nice

Hey folks. Was in Varanasi for the past three days with limited Internet so I'll write a recap when i can. Long story short: I hated it. Not sure if I'm just sick of being ripped off because I'm white, or having random people take secret photos of me, or the city itself was the problem. I'm so over it. ANYWAYS. Just wanted to let ya know what's up.

The Taj in 24 Hours

Travel day: Jodhpur to Agra. We took a 12 HR train ride today so we could get to Agra at night, stay over, and be up to see the Taj at sunrise the next day. We literally sat there for the entire day, so not much to write about. When we got out of the train station, many drivers came up asking if we needed a ride (as usual) and one guy was particularly friendly, so James agreed to go with him. I try to stay out of these decisions since I think it'd compromise james' ability to bargain down the price. We asked how much, and the driver said "no problem. I take you first, then you pay as you like." Big mistake. He was super friendly, and told us about all these hotels he knew for a good price, but we knew they do this and have commission deals with the places they mention, so we told him had a reservation at the first place on our list and went there to check out a room. India 101: never book ahead until you've seen a room. There are no assumptions here, including standards of cleanliness.

Turns out the place we wanted was full, and we didn't really know many other places, so we agreed to go look at this place the driver suggested. James went inside to look, and I stayed in the car with the luggage and driver. It was fine for a while, but James was gone for a long time and the driver started getting creepy, telling me about his workout plan and flexing his muscles. Thankfully, James came back shortly after to say the room was fine-we were only here for one night- and I took my bags inside. The driver had been trying to convince us to hire him for the day tomorrow to take us to all the major sights, but we knew his price was obscenely expensive so I let James decline for the both of us. I headed inside at a good moment apparently, because the driver got extremely upset. It didn't help that James paid him 100 rupees for the ride from the station. Sorry buddy, but if you didn't quote a price ahead of time and say "as you like", sometimes you're gonna get tourists who actually know what things cost. Can't scam us, we've been in India too long!

James came inside and relayed this development to me, just as the driver walked in behind him, past the check in counter, and into the hotel restaurant, where he also works. SHIT. we spent half the night terrified our food was poisoned, and the other half waiting to hear the lock on the door turn. I definitely checked to make sure my limbs were still intact the next morning. Lesson learned: be very wary of drivers that seem too nice, because they probably are.

We woke up at 5:30 am to make it to the Taj Mahal for 6 am, when it opens for the day. 750 rupees for entrance is highway robbery, but I guess that's what a Wonder of the World costs nowadays. After dodging the annoyingly persistent guides trying to get our business, we headed to the entrance. Since this was the main attraction and the whole reason we came to Agra, we had packed snacks so we could stay for most of the day. Of course food isn't allowed, and there's no signs to indicate this. Thatd be too efficient. There were storage lockers a 5 minute walk away, and I was not about to waste perfectly good granola bars. I peeled a banana on the way over, only to come face to face with a particularly aggressive looking monkey who was staring me down. I attempted to deak him out, but he bared his teeth and growled, so i hurled said banana in the opposite direction and booked it. I arrived at the storage room only to find out it costs money. Of course. Out of principle, I refused to pay, and ate my granola bars sullenly as I made my way back to the entrance. Bureaucracy...

We finally got into the grounds and began walking when I caught my first glimpse of the domed roof sparkling in the distance. I'm rarely awestruck, but the Taj has to be up there with one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. It's so perfect, it doesn't look real. It looks cartoon-I felt like I had stepped into the world of Aladdin or something.

For those of you that don't know, the story goes something like this: after the Shah Jahan's wife Mehmtez Mahal died giving birth to their 14th child, he was heartbroken. He built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to her. It took twenty thousand workers over 33 years to build the structure. When his son grew up he overthrew the father and imprisoned him in Agra Fort across the river, where the Shah was forced to look at his creation every day until he died there.

After we exhausted our photographic options at the Taj, we got tired of the touristy atmosphere (if it was this crowded at sunrise, I shudder to think of what it must be like during peak hours), so we decided to check out the Agra Fort. My dashing good looks awarded me free admission for being 14 and under, so we wandered around there for a bit, but it wasn't very impressive, especially having seen the fort in Jodhpur and the Taj itself.

We saw signs for a golf course so we decided to check it out. How cool would it be to play 9 with the Taj in the background? Unfortunately, Indian logic proved too much for us to handle, and we decided a thousand rupees plus a mandatory caddie, and no left-handed clubs (I'm difficult, I know) was not worth it.

We pretty much exhausted our options for activities in Agra at that point--it really hasn't got much to offer other than the Taj, so I'm really glad we only spent one day there. I got some postcards and we hung out at a coffee shop, writing while it rained outside. We had dinner at Pizza Hut before catching our first overnight train to Varanasi, where we're spending the last three days before flying to Nepal.

Zip Lining Over Mehrangarh Fort

After a morning of sightseeing on a blistering hot day, we headed to lunch, and keeping my streak alive, ended up at McDonald's. After a quick dip in the pool at the hotel, James and I split up to do our own thing: he wanted to check out some gardens he read about, and I decided to do the zip line course at the fort.

I made it there just in time for the last group at 5 pm, the sunset course.After an encounter with a turtle and a practice run, I was ready to go.

There were six lines total, and it was just epic. The most amazing views of the fort as I flew through the air, high above the walls, watching the sun set on the Blue City. Fun fact: they shot scenes from the upcoming Batman movie at the Fort, so look for it when it comes out! Apparently they turned it into a vampire castle or something...spooky. It was a great way to end my time in Jodhpur, and it was one of the highlights of my trip so far. Now I can't wait for bungee jumping and white water rafting when I get to Nepal!

Jodhpur: The Blue City

Travel day: 8 HR train from Jaipur to Jodhpur. Went sleeper class which is the lowest, and no AC. It was uncomfortable but at least we had the cabin to ourselves. A little alarming to have beggars coming up to you the whole time though. Arrived in Jodhpur at night and went to the first hotel on our list but it was booked so they sent us around the corner. Got a Rs 2750 room for 1500. Day 1 in Jodhpur: we only stayed one day here so we wanted to make the most of it. We went to the Mehrangarh fort in the morning, which was an extremely imposing fortress built High on a hill, overlooking Jodhpur. It was quickly obvious why it was called the Blue City. We went inside and bought our tickets, which included an audio guide. Really interesting stuff; this is one of the only forts in India that was never captured. There is a massive gate built around a corner so elephants couldn't build up speed to ram it open.

Handprints on the wall are from the wives of the Maharaja who were devastated when he died and threw themselves on the wall. The opulence and detailing that went into the construction of the fort is staggering.

It got a little overwhelming at the amount of people there--Indians don't share the same concept of personal space that we do in the West. Furthermore, I'm apparently a novelty item to them. They enjoy taking my photo for some reason...some ask, but most just point their cell phone conspicuously at you and click away. I just want to know why...is it because I'm white? Or do they think I'm Taylor Swift on vacation?

At the fort, in the astrological wing, I got my palm read by the palmist in residence. Kitschy, I know, but it was fun! (if he's right, I will get married twice, end up doing something in the arts but make no money at it til I'm 28 and not famous til my 40s, and die of heart failure at 85-86. We shall see about that!)

After the fort, we walked down the road to the royal Cenotaphs, which are memorials for all the maharajas that lived in the fort at one time or another. White marble contrasts beautifully against the red rocks upon which they are built. a href="http://backpackkat.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/20110824-044401.jpg">