Scratching the surface of India -part one

We had never been to India and had no idea what to expect. When we told people we were going to India they had strong reactions both positive and cautious. What we learned is India is not a country people feel neutral about, but it turns out we loved India!

Before we left Seattle we had planned a 11 day tour with Intrepid, which I heard many positive things about, partly because we didn’t know where to start in India.

We flew in to Mumbai five days before our tour was going to start in Delhi. We had just left Kenya and our friend Mark (and another friend Tricia) told us about someone they knew who lived in Mumbai and gave us their contact. How can it be that in a city of about 23 million people we would end up a 10 minute tuk tuk ride away from them? Within 1 hour of arriving at our hotel we met Stella! It was just amazing.

Stella and her husband Girish took us under their wing and introduced us to Mumbai. The gracious hospitality that we experienced in Kenya just continued. We visited some beautiful landmarks and went to their church. They even invited us into their home to stay and cooked for us. It was such a blessing to be with them and learn from them on our arrival. And we ate our first local delicious food at one of their local favorites! On Monday I was invited to join a group of women from their church on a retreat. It was an adventure, we took the local train which was a fun experience. (Crowded like I haven’t experienced before on our way back) These women are filled with joy and they took me in like their sister. I had a fantastic day!

After 5 lovely days and so many great conversations we said goodbye to our new friends and flew to Delhi to meet our tour. Jim and I haven’t done a tour before and we were a bit nervous but it turned out to be a great time. There were 12 of us: 4 from UK, 4 Americans (including us) 3 Italians (well one is actually Swedish) and our guide Tem who is from Nagaland, India.

We got along great and had such a wonderful as time exploring what is referred to as the Golden Triangle in Rajasthan. We travelled from Delhi to Varanasi to Agra (Taj Mahal) to a small village Tordi Garh to Jaipur and back to Delhi in 10 days. Every place we went we had local guides to take us places and explain the history and culture we were seeing. India is such a complex country with such rich, diverse cultures all coexisting. One of our favorite stops in Delhi was to see Sheeshganj Gurudwara, a Sikh Temple, where volunteers feed six thousand people daily.

I think the most impactful portion of our tour was visiting Varanasi and seeing the Ganges River. Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It’s also a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, with the Ganges as the focal point. There so many people coming to participate in spiritual rituals and ceremonies right along side others doing their daily washing routines.

India is the most populated country in the world (1.4 billion people) with one of the fastest growing economies and it also holds an ancient heritage with rich diversity of landscapes, languages and flavors.

The architecture, design and colors throughout India were also incredibly beautiful.

Everywhere we go I enjoy watching people just doing everyday life. We loved this portion of our time in India and our group made it so much fun.

Once our tour was over Jim and I felt much more confident to explore on our own. We headed north to a town called Shimla. We took the famous “Toy train” which used to carry the mail up north and is a narrow gauge slow train into the mountains.

After a few days in Shimla we headed west to the Golden City called Jaisalmer near the desert. We stayed in the ancient walled fort which is a UNESCO site. It’s is considered a “living fort” because some percentage of the population still lives within its walls today. We also explored the desert by camel and spent a night under the stars.

Well this was our first 3 weeks in India. We traveled from Mumbai to Delhi to Varanasi and through parts of Rajasthan and north to Himachal Pradesh. We just scratched the surface. The organized chaos of the roads filled with honking tuk tuks and cows and rickshaws all making their way. The smells of spices and Chai stands lining the streets. The beautiful bright yellows, oranges and red colors seen everywhere to symbolize happiness, spirituality, and prosperity. There is so much more to see which is why we hope to return one day.

We met wonderfully kind locals who taught us, and were patient with all our questions and went out of their way to help us. It was so incredible and then we boarded a flight to the southern tip. Part 2 to be continued…

Missing you all and thinking of you often

Jim and Michelle