Delhi bound, then Deli bound

Our time in Dharmsala has come to an end and it was an incredible way to spend the last couple weeks our trip- the mountains, the yoga, the hiking, and great friendships with other travelers. A couple of the highlights for me were practicing conversational English with a group of monks at the Tibetan refugee center and SEEING the Dalai Lama! While Dan was on his trek, it was the 51st anniversary of the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala so he gave a special puja (prayer ceremony)and the public was welcome. I had a seat on the path from his home to the Temple so he walked right by me! Here are the photos from our time in Dharmsala.

We left one Tibetan area for another and are staying in the Tibetan area in Delhi until we fly home tonight. We've had the chance to prepare ourselves mentally for leaving and are feeling good about coming home. I am excited to hug and kiss my dad and Ralph and eat tuna and smoked white fish on rye from Star Deli!

Thank you to everyone who has followed us on this adventure. All of the comments on our blogposts and pictures and the emails have meant so much. Knowing that we had the support and encouragement from our friends and family made it easier to leave everything we had at home to go on this adventure. We are taking so much away from this experience, and while our time in India was not always easy, there is not one moment of the trip we regret. We intentionally focused more on the good and beautiful than the sad and hard in this blog. We were able to give our professional skills to our projects while also being able to travel and see so much, yet only a small fraction of this vast country. We will be back in India one day because we have a lot more to do, see, and give.

This is the last post of this adventure, but not our last adventure.
Namaste,
Kate & Dan

P.S. I meant to blog about this earlier, but never did. While I was here I read some great Indian literature, but at one point I took a break from fiction to read 'Half the Sky' by Nicholas Kristof, a gift from Edwina Davis a few months before we left. This book is filled with stories, facts, and calls to action on the topic of oppression towards women, throughout the developing world. It is sorta like 'chicken soup for the soul' meets the issues of women's oppression throughout the world, and a significant part of the book focuses on India. In addition to learning about the history, culture, and religion of India during our time here, I learned a lot about the social issues from our NGO, from my time in the field, and in talking with other AJWS volunteers. Of the many problems Indians are facing, like much of the developing world, is sex trafficking. I am sharing this article, courtesy of Dan Berman, if you want to know more about this horrific, abusive industry, and an example of hope. So this is my plug for Kristof's book- let me know what you think.

Himalayas!

Going about your business in Dharamakot and Mcleod Ganj is really difficult what with all these beautiful snow-capped mountains as a backdrop. Since Kate was more into yoga than trekking for five days, I took to the streets to find other like-minded travellers. A few hours later, and without too much difficulty, the party was all set to go the following morning - 2 guides, 3 porters, 3 Germans, 1 Canadian, and a fellow from Portugal.

Everyone was really excited yet nervous because we would be the first group to be going through the mountain pass this year as their had been lots of snow.

The first two days of hiking were not too difficult and were meant mainly to acclimate to the elevation. The third day however, was the most difficult day of hiking that I have ever done. We broke camp at 5am to begin climbing towards the summit but were slowed by lots of snow, the elevation sickness, and the blinding sunlight reflecting off the snow. The warm sun turned the snow into mush, and handholds being few and far between, each step was a half step backward. Thankfully the weather was clear and the view from the summit was breathtaking.

inISRAELdia

Dharmsala is a nothing town; all of the action is four kilometers up the mountain in McLeod Ganj. Walking into McLeod Ganj is like walking into Tibet- curries and paranthas are replaced with Tibetan breads and cookies and theemptuk soup with lots of noodles, veggies, and tofu...oh how I have missed tofu!

Two kilometers farther up the mountain is Dharmakot, a small, quiet mountain town with fun cafes and cute shops. We moved up here after a couple nights in McLeod Ganj because it is closer to all of the things we are doing (yoga, hikes, etc) and has more spectacular views. If McLeod Ganj is little Tibet, Dharmkot is little Israel. Two out of every three people we meet are Israeli, the shop signs are in Hebrew, and all of the menus offer schnitzel and hummus.

We initially only planned to stay here for a couple days but we have been here almost two weeks are going to stay until we head to Delhi on Friday. I am taking another yoga course and Dan is on a five day trek in the mountains with some new friends and a guide. When he gets back on Wednesday we will post some pictures (yes, we got the camera charged!) from this beautiful part of our trip!

week one of our travels

We are in Dharmsala, home to his holiness, the fourteenth reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. We have not seen him or his house yet, but we plan to. We love it here- the incredible mountain views of the Himalayas, the people, our hotel room and its incredible balcony, and all of the yummy Tibetan food.

We arrived here Wednesday night and since then our days have been filled with wonderful things! We start each day with a two kilometer trek to the Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Center where we are enrolled in a five-day course. Then we dine on delicious Tibetan foods, more hiking to explore the nearby mountain villages, naps, lots of reading, followed by another delicious meal. Have I mentioned that we really like it here?

Before arriving we spent a day exploring Delhi with our friend, Ben, and a couple of his friends. We saw the site of Gandhi's cremation and dined at the Sikkim Bhavan. Sikkim is near the Chinese border and each Indian state has its own building in Delhi, sort of like an embassy. Check out this NYT article for more info.

Then we took off for an overnight bus to Amritsar (oy, an experience) where we saw the sight of the Amritsar massacre, the Sikh Golden Temple, and visited the India/Pakistan border. Yes we went to the border...but it was a really interesting and safe experience. It is a very popular thing for Indians and travelers to do when visiting Amritsar. Each night the Indian and Pakistan border patrol do this fun but bizarre ritual where on their respective sides they march a hundred meters to the gate, open it, shake hands, and then slam the gate closed. The hour long event was a weird, but fascinating, display of Indian patriotism with singing, dancing, and chanting.

From Amritsar we took one of twenty trains in the world through the mountains to where we are now. The train itself was an adventure. Dan and I were in separate cars because each car was filled to double its capacity. I was befriended and fed by a group of Indians on their way to see their guru. It turns out there were over 100 of them on the train and Dan was befriended by members of the same group in his carriage.

So now we are in Dharmsala and really having an incredible time. It is still very much India but so different from all of the other places we have been, and the Tibet influence is incredible. As I write this Dan is across the road at a jewelry shop making me a ring we designed.

Our next planned stop is Rishikesh, though since it means leaving here, we may not go.

We have some photos from Delhi, Amritsar, and the train ride.

a typical day

When we first arrived in India and in spurts for a couple days after, I thought ‘what the fuck have we done?’ We left our wonderful and comfortable lives to come to a developing country where nothing is familiar or easy. We don’t understand the language, the food is spicy, and we only know each other. Then I reminded myself that my adventurous side needed to overrule my cautious, fearful side. Before we left I thought I would have a harder time adjusting here, but surprisingly it happened pretty fast. I credit that to having the AJWS orientation a day after arriving and knowing three other westerners in Lucknow. This place actually started to feel like home.

And as of today, the volunteer part of this adventure comes to an end. We finished our projects (success!) and are saying goodbye to wonderful co-workers who have been so kind and giving. It will be hard to say goodbye to Lucknow but we are excited to head north to explore the mountains and rituals...and we will get a break from these 100 plus temperatures! Although we are leaving, and today marks the last of the 'typical days' we experienced during the last three months, this is what our days looked like:

Morning: We wake up at 7am to our annoying, but able Target alarm clark. I go walk/jog in the park behind our house while Dan does chin-ups on the terrace and prepares breakfast. Breakfast was porridge with bananas and sultanas but since the weather has warmed up we switched to granola and warm milk with bananas and sultanas. We shower, clean-up the house and head out by 8:30am.

Our commute consists of a ten minute walk down A-Block road to Ring Road where we catch an auto or tempo (auto preferred, but we take whichever comes first). At Mahiyov, pronounced Mariyon and we can't figure out why) we switch a tempo that takes us down Sitapur Road to Cheeta Meel. Cheeta Meel means six mile; at home we live off seven mile. Weird. From Cheeta Meel we walk another ten minutes to the office. Our commute costs 12 rupees for each of us, each way. That is a total of 48 rupees, about $1. It is much longer and riskier than my four mile commute down Woodward at home, but it is when we really get to experience the sights and sounds of India.

Day: We sit in separate offices and work on our projects. The first cup of chai is delivered like clockwork at 10:30am. I sit in an office with four other women , all of whom who work on the Governance Resource Team. At least one team member is always in the field so our office is pretty quiet. I sit next to the administrative assistant, Anita, who says she doesn't speak a word of English but I am suspicious. Anyway, she is really nice and always gives me snacks. By 11:30, we are both in need of a snack so we usually bring in veggies or nuts or a cheese sandwich (a new addition since we discovered real bread and cheese here). Lunch is at 1:30 and my office is the place to be. See here for more info about lunch. I do the Times of India Sodoku puzzle after lunch and before it got so hot, we would take a walk around the beautiful grounds here. We work through the afternoon and the second round of chai comes at 3:30.

Evening: At 5:30 we head out and either go to the lovely market behind our house to buy ingredients to experiment with Indian cooking, go to yoga with Molly (and Trudi, but she left), or head into the city center for dinner or shopping. We head home, sometimes Skype, read and head to bed for our next day in India.

The work week is six days here, with the second Saturday and every Sunday off. With all of the holidays and festivals, we rarely actually work a six day week. On Sundays I usually go to the Kerela Ayruvedic Spa to get pampered and Dan finds a soccer/tennis/basketball game to join. We explore the sights and markets of Lucknow. Our lives were really full here. We were lucky to be placed in a city that has a lot to offer, but is not overwhelming in size.

And now I can’t believe that the volunteer portion of our journey has come to an end and in three short weeks we will be home. But first we have some traveling to do. We are off to Uttarkhand to hang out in Haridwar and Rishikesh for some yoga and hiking and to Dharmsala in Himachal Pradesh to hopefully hang out with the Dalai Lama. We will post stories and pictures from our travels as much as we can but in the meantime here are some pictures of the things we see everyday!

Transportation

Getting around Lucknow is always an adventure. This album contains all kinds of photos that relate to transportation around Lucknow. It includes a few of my favorites like the 'Spice Caravan', the elusive four-on-a-motorcycle photo, and one that captures the essence of being packed into a Tempo (van-ricksaw)

Enjoy!
Dan

You went to a deli for Passover?

My dad and I have the same sense of humor....and the same nose. When saying goodbye on gchat last week he said "wait, you're going to a deli for Passover?" I had made the same joke weeks before. Oy.

So yes, we went to Delhi for Passover. Not the corned beef type, the capital of India type. A city with more green open space that I have seen anywhere else in India, cleaner, more expensive, sometimes with a feel of a cosmopolitan European city, not the developing world. We had a great time sightseeing and shopping with Molly and Orna, a fellow AJWS volunteer who joined us from Mumbai. The highlight of the trip was the seders, and the seder preparations. We had plans to cook at a friends house but when he fell ill, we went to Plan B. While eating breakfast in our hotel's restaurant, I had a thought...and the hotel kitchen staff were glad to have us! Dan, Molly, and Orna bought all of the ingredients from the nearby produce market and we were off. Orna made a delicious mango charoset and when the rest of us started preparations for salad, lentils, and curried eggplant, the chef took over with his professional chopping skills. The whole restaurant staff watched the action. Holidays and traditions are a big deal here so when they learned it was a holy time for us, they were incredibly welcoming and helpful.

Our fellow volunteer and friend Abby, who is based in Delhi, arranged seder at her friends home for all of us. We had all the essentials, including matzoh that Abby and her friend Noah procured from a synagogue in Mumbai. The seder was a mix of the traditional elements and contemporary readings including the story of Susannah Heschel's orange on the seder plate and AJWS'version of dayenu. We sang funny well known songs with Passover lyrics that Noah's dad wrote and talked about our own family seder traditions. Oh, and I found the afikoman.
Fot the second seder Molly, Dan, and I hosted at our hotel's rooftop restaurant. Abby and our new friends Rachel and Kyle came and instead of doing the seder we talked about concepts that Elie Wiesel raises in his hagaddah and how they impact the work and life we are experiencing in India. Nice food, nice discussions, nice people.

I took time during the seders appreciating where I was and the people I was with- such a a unique and wonderful experience! For me Passover is a holiday full of tradition. I have spent almost all of my Passovers with my New York family and every year I cherish the laughter, the spilt wine, the tambourines, and finding the afikoman. But part of what comes with being away on this adventure, is missing those things at home. I missed my family a lot and I know that Dan and I were missed as well, but as they say, next year in New York.
Here are the photos!

...and now, the debrief

Last week, after lots of research, design, and interviewing, I finally delivered the workshop that has been the central focus of my work here. The two-day workshop, given to 20 of my co-workers, was a mix of blank language-barrier-induced stares, and the rewarding moments for which all experiential/participatory facilitators dream of.

Professionally, this has been an incredible journey for me. Marked with indecisiveness, uncertainty and unproductivity for a few weeks in February and culminating with incredible days that whizzed by full of inspiration, creativity and bouts of non-stop feverish writing.

As great as it was, I am glad that it is over. I will spend my last days here at work making revisions and additions to the Facilitator’s Handbook that I will be passing on to our organization. My hope, and that of the Executive Director, is that this workshop will be adapted for other local organizations.


Enjoy the pics.

hot, yoga

It’s hot here. The only reprieve seems to be in the middle of the night, but living on the third floor where the air is stagnant, we don’t get that. I know, I know…I will get no sympathy from anyone in Detroit, New York, Montreal, or anywhere else where you are jumping for joy at the signs of spring. Our Indian friends tell us this is unseasonably warm, just as they told it was colder than usual in January. I am sure they are as warm and uncomfortable as us, but they don't look it. No sweat, no clothes sticking to every part of their body. They even wear their hair down! I stuck mine up in a bun-ponytail thing last week and have no plans to take it down until we hit the pavement in Newark. Even with the 100 degree temps, we still love it here.

Unrelated to the heat, though it would be related if I was doing bikram yoga, I naively thought that everyone in India would be doing yoga all the time everywhere. Not the case. Finding a yoga studio near our house proved to be impossible. So we made up our own thing. The Satsang Bhavan Ashram (commonly called Papaji) is just a short ten minute walk from our house. We knew they had a really nice space and yoga mats because Trudi would meditate there in the morning. And we knew they had delicious food because we had my birthday lunch their. So we asked if they had anyone who could teach us yoga...long story short, they did but she is away until summer and she is the only one who can teach there...except me. They were fine with the idea of someone with no teaching experience teaching. So our group of me, Molly, Trudi, and Dan voted me in as the instructor. I have been doing yoga for 10 years but I have never taught before. Turns out the internet has lots of great lesson plans and the best thing about being the instructor is that you get to do the poses you want to do! Thus yoga and yummy organic dinner became part of our routine. We were doing it two or three times a week, though since Trudi went back to New York, we have only done it once. After Passover we will pick it up again. Also I am very much looking forward to a week long yoga course in Rishikesh at the end of our trip!

We are off to Delhi this afternoon to reunite with other AJWS volunteers for Passover. Lots of stories and pictures when we return...

sunset

We never make it home before dark, but with today marking the end of the festival of Navrati, we had the day off. Being home for sunset meant we were able to enjoy this view from our terrace: And in this photo Dan is spinning the sun like a basketball on his finger. Boyz got skillz.
Here are some pictures from the last couple weeks!

videos!

We shot some videos that will give you insight into the sounds and happenings of India. That's all I have to say about it- check them out. Make sure to have your volume turned on!

In totally unrelated news, Mayawati, Uttar Pradesh's Chief Governor, bussed in two million BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) "supporters" to Lucknow on Monday. These "supporters" are villagers from throughout the state who just wanted a free trip to Lucknow. She is supposed to be an icon as the first dalit woman Chief Governor, but really she is infamous for her ludicrous and unnecessary spending, including a slew of statues and monuments in her honor. You can read about her garland worth half a million rupees($10,000 usd- a fortune by Indian standards) here.

International Women's Day

Cholapur Village, outside of Varanasi, is one of many locations throughout the world that celebrates International Women's Day. This tradition, in its third year, started with the launch of the Vidya Gyan scholarship program, the project I am working on during my time here. I spent last week in Varanasi doing field research (interviews, observing, data collection, etc) so I had the honor of attending the celebration.

Under a white tent in one of the village school yards, about 500 students, parents, grandparents, school teachers, principals, and community leaders gathered. The program was a blend of speeches from community leaders, dances performed by the scholarship program participants, and chants of empowerment.

It was really incredible and having the honor of attending is without doubt one of the highlights of my time here in India. The energy of the girls in this program is amazing- they are all poor, most have uneducated families, and they all deal with discrimination for their caste or religion. The confidence they possess to perform and share their stories is a result of being in the scholarship program. In addition to receiving financial support for their studies, they also attend daily two hour coaching sessions for tutoring, talk about issues they are facing, dancing, singing, and arts & crafts. Puja is a Class VIII (8th grade) student in her third year of the Vidya Gyan program. With the help of the coaching sessions she realized her talent and passion for Indian dancing. At last year's celebration she danced for the first time in front of a crowd. When she returned home that evening her father and brothers beat her and the Vidya Gyan staff had to intervene. This year her performance was the program finale!

Throughout the event the MC would yell 'Mahila Ekla' and the crowd would chant back 'Jindabad,' which translates to 'Women's equality is immortal.' I was asked to share a few words with crowd (with the help of a translator, of course) and I ended by having the crowd chant "Women Unite." They yelled with energy and enthusiasm; I wish I could have bottled it- such an incredible moment.

I am not sure if the pictures will do the event justice, but you can check them out here. I will post the rest of the pictures from my visit in the next week.

In Indian current events, this Women's Day was particularly significant because the lower house passed the Women's Reservation Bill which will secure one third of all parliament seats women. The bill passed after seven representatives were physically removed from the legislative assembly. You can read more about it here.

an Indian recipe

One of my goals for this trip is to expand (read: create) my repetoire of Indian recipes. My co-workers, Tanvi and Priyanka, gave me a couple to try and now I am on my way. To date I have prepared aloo kisabzi (potato and spices), tehri rice (rice with spices), curried bringal (eggplant in a tomato curry sauce), and bhoondi rhaita (curd with balls of grain). Feeling good about what I already have under my belt, I was ready to tackle my favorite dish, dal makhani (black lentils in a creamy spiced sauce). The problem is that Tanvi and Priyanka have never made it so they could not share a recipe. So I went to the internet. I found a slew of recipes and chose the one that was the 'healthiest'...the creamy sauce usually comes from ghee, butter, milk and oil; this recipe only calls for the latter two. After making it I slightly altered the recipe I found online and here it is! Please let me know if you make it (ahem, Sara J and Lisa C) and how it turns out.

Dal Makhani
1/2 cup whole whole black lentils (urad)
1 tablespoon kidney beans (rajma)
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
3 cloves of garlic grated
1 small piece of ginger grated
1 teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
2 teaspoons coriander powder (dhania)
3 chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon salt

1. Wash and soak the lentils and kidney beans overnight
   
2. Combine lentils and kidney beans and 1/2 teaspoon of salt with 2 cups water and cook in pressure cooker on medium for two whistles.
3. Add the milk and 1 cup water and let simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally
4. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the onions, ginger, and garlic and saute until onions are golden brown
5. Add the chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, rest of the salt and tomatoes with 1/4 cup of water and saute for 5 to 7 minutes
6. Add dal mixture and simmer for 1o minutes until it is thick and creamy
7. Serve hot garnished with coriander

Notes:
I took this picture from the internet.
If you don't have a pressure cooker, a pot will do. Try simmering the lentils and kidney beans for 20 minutes, or until soft.

I am off to Varanasi for the week to conduct interviews in the field for my project. I am most excited to celebrate International Women's Day with the girls tomorrow! A blog post and pictures will follow!

a colorful Holi

I am trying to think of the western equivalent for the Indian festival of Holi; I don't think there is one. Its color, music, color, dancing, reunions with families, color, and the celebration of the beginning of spring. We made plans to spend Holi with Trudi and Molly in Mathura and Vrindavan, about 300 kilometers from Lucknow. Our trip was consumed with seeing the sights of these ancient cities and 'playing' Holi. Here are some of the highlights:

Saturday
On our drive in we passed the Jaigurudev Temple and after noticing its resemblance to the Taj and the crowds of people around, we had to visit. As we took in the beauty of this newish temple and watched as people gave their offerings and prayer, a guy in his mid-teens approached us to offer a tour and some history. We told him to take us where the crowds of people were going. He led us through a closed door (sometimes being a Westerner in India is equivalent to VIP status) and walked us around the balcony...and there they were. Thousands of people all sitting on the floor in their bold colors facing an empty raised stage. Our 'guide' informed us that the guru of this temple was still alive at 109 years old and all these people had gathered to hear him speak. We stood on the balcony overlooking these crowds feeling a little guilty that they were down there fighting for a view and shade and we were up above with both. Our guide, who we later learned went by Prince, offered Dan a view from the top of the minaret. The rest of us joined and after a scary walk up the unfinished staircase, we realized that the thousands sitting below us was actually more like tens of thousands stretching out in all directions waiting for their guru to arrive. We were yelled at to come down from the top of the minaret and found out the guru was not going to speak today, but would tomorrow. Rather than listen to the ‘sub guru’, we walked toward the temple exit and discovered the nine-foot door was closed, with a lock across it the size of my arm. The door opened for a brief second and crowds of people swarmed the entrance, with the 'security guards' trying to unsuccessfully keep them out. Fearing that we would be trampled in the stampede that ensued we looked to Prince who said with confidence "I will arrange for your security," which he did by sneaking us out a side entrance and escorting us to our car.

We spent the rest of the day exploring Krishna's birthplace in Mathura and looking for the Vishram Ghat for aarti, with no luck.

Sunday
Erev Holi. We woke up at the crack of dawn to make our way to Govardhan to see the 6am aarti. Like the aarti the night before, we missed it. Our driver drove us as close as he could but when the road turned into a parking lot, he suggested we walk the rest of the way. Just as we were about to get out of the car, something was thrown at us. I thought it was rocks and dirt; it was pink powder, of which I would see a lot more of. We started our walk, weaving through the buses, cars, people, and cows to Govardhan. Our hope was to make it to the mountain that legend says Lord Krishna raised above his head with his pinky finger. The walk there became stressful- between weaving through the traffic and defending ourselves from the color, it was tough. Throwing color is one thing, but trying to get it in the Westerners eyes, ears, and mouths, and down their shirts...well just sucks. We made it to the water and had an incredible experience of watching people submerge themselves in the river and explored the temple there. By our walk back to the car, we got pretty good at defending ourselves from the color. Rule of thumb- if a bus full of people in it and on top by, duck and cover.

We spent the afternoon back in Mathura to see the Holi Gate and the Dwarikadheesh Temple. On our walk from the gate to the temple we took a detour at an astrologer/jeweler who told Molly he saw yellow sapphires in her future and then tried to sell her yellow sapphires. Good shtick. As we made our way down the alley like street, we passed a group of Americans who were covered from head to toe in color and warned us that if we kept walking that way, we would be too. We were torn- we wanted to play Holi but we also wanted to watch Holi. We knew that the parade of color was coming towards Holi gate so we made a plan to invite ourselves to a second story balcony with a great view of the gate. Our plan worked! We had a great view of the festivities below, which turned out to be a parade, complete with floats (read: 20 Indians piled on the back of a truck throwing color). A woman came over and asked Molly and I if we could come have our picture taken with her. As westerners, we get this request often and didn't think anything of it, until she pulled out the powder. The three of us were surrounded by six or seven photographers as they instructed us to put color on each other and snapped away. We watched the entire colorful parade from our view above and had a great time. The colors, the music, the dancing, the 'floats, the laughter...all amazing. Dan went down and joined in with the party a couple times. We learned after we left that the building from which we were watching belonged to the Congress Party, the political party currently in power in India. Score!

Monday
The hotel manager told us that the photos of me and Molly made it into three newspapers. Apparently they really like the idea of Westerners playing Holi. We later found out we also made it into the online edition of the Hindustand times, a national paper- here is the link! We decided to put our Holi clothes back on and make our way to Vrindavan, the city where Lord Krishna grew up. Our driver took us as far as he could and then it was up to us to venture through the streets to see the sights. We got out of the car and instantly were covered in color. We saw a temple about 100 meters away and headed for cover, but not before we were attacked with color, hugs and gropes. It was intense. I like the 'game' part of it, but I did not like feeling targeted. Apparently most women only play with their families, not out on the street. We made it to the temple where no color throwing was allowed and realized we were at ISKCON, the Hare Krishna temple. My previous experience with Hare Krishna was limited to airports and I came with some judgments. I tried my best to push those thoughts aside and embraced the chanting (Hare Krishna, Hare Hare Krishna), the dancing, and the sights of the beautiful temple covered in fresh colorful gerber daisies. At 1pm, the game of Holi ended. It was as if a national truce was called. We took a bicycle rickshaw tour of the rest of Mathura and saw the Madan Mohan Temple and the Banke Bihari Temple.

Our trip was action and color packed; incredible and overwhelming, at times. Holi might have ended days ago but the evidence of this national “color war” can still be found on people still stained with color as well as the dogs and cows who were only innocent bystanders in this holiday. Here are the pictures!

and the winner is....

Matilda Mountain!

Thanks so much to everyone who played our little game! By the way, Matilda, our winner, is 1...yes a 1 year old got all the right answers on her first try!.

It means a lot to us that you are following our blog. We had a really incredible few days in Mathura and Vrindivan to celebrate Holi...pictures and a post are on the way.

is that your final answer?

Today's post isn't just filled with stories that make you say "aaahh" or pictures that make you say "oooh", and it won't have those hilarious captions either. Today's post is a competition, a contest, a bout!

However, before the games begin, Kate and I just want to express our sincerest thank you to all those who read our blog- all 53 of you listed in the sidebar as "followers", who read our posts and look at our pictures and make us laugh with your wonderful, hilarious and kind comments. Hum jeet gaye (Hindi for 'a special shoutout') to our frequent commenters, Miri and Amanda.

In an effort to express our thanks and appreciation...below are three questions that have been culled from our previous posts, captions and photos. The winner, to be announced in our next post, shall be the first person to correctly answer all three questions in the comments section below. No purchase necessary. A purchase will not increase your chance...we asked ePrize to draft the official rules, but having never run a promotion in India before, they are still working on it. And there is a prize! One lucky BP follower will receive a "super cool gift of indian origin". Best of luck to all!

1. Name the Bollywood film we saw here in Lucknow.
2. Who married whom at the wedding we attended?
3. Name the other AJWS volunteer corps participant from Michigan.

We are off to Vrindivan and Mathura for the weekend to celebrate Holi and can't wait to read your answers when we return!

Birthday Wishes

Just a quick post to wish one of BP's most loyal readers, Sam Langberg, a very happy birthday!

Love,

Kate and Dan

Varanasi

I have been meaning to write about our field visit to Varanasi for a while now, but have put if off because I knew it would be difficult to express. In a country where every routine task is an adventure, it was hard to believe how moving, inspiring and emotional the trip could have been.

Many Hindus believe the city is an auspicious place to die; they patiently wait for death attending prayer services and bathing in the holy Ganges. The belief is that dying in Varanasi enables one to break the cycle of rebirth and go straight to heaven.

While the mention of aid work recalls the image of feeding orphans or digging wells, if you’ve been following along, you know that the reality for us has been quite different. Feeling like a celebrity couple visiting the hunger and poverty-stricken villages of Africa (think Brangelina holding beautiful, snot-nosed babies), we sat with young girls and old women alike. Through our translator we discussed the challenges they face and the ways in which they benefit from our organization’s work. As I’ve mentioned, the conversations were very moving and at times Kate and I had to keep our emotions in check. As one group of girls, with whom we had stayed longer to play games and learn songs, ran out to the dirt road to wave goodbye, our hearts ached as they asked if they could return to America with us.

I’ll stop here as I think the pictures tell a better story…

Taj Ma HolyMoly!

Taking advantage of a long weekend from work, we took the train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.

Brief historical interlude: The Taj, completed in 1648, was built by Emperor Shah Jahan to memorialize his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died during the birth of their fourteenth child. Dan promised that he will do something similar if I die during the birth of our fourteenth child.

The trip was great- a train ride through remote villages with great views, a hotel just a short walk from the east gate, an excursion to Fatipur Sikri, two delicious dinners with our new French friends, Jean-Yves and Anna, and five new pairs of shoes (Agra is known for their leather and the total for all of them was less than $25).

I really loved the Taj, the icon of India. There is so much beautiful marble and inlay work, and the colors change as the sun moves throughout the day. We spent a lot of time just staring at it, and a fair amount of time people watching as well. Fatipur Sikri was beautiful as well, though not as elaborate. We spent a lot of time walking through the well maintained palace imaging what it was like 500 years ago when it was filled with people and life.

We took a lot of photos- check out Dan's captions.

Lucky in Lucknow

Today marks six weeks in India; we are feeling settled in our home and in our volunteer work. We are friends with the two other AJWS volunteers here, and really like the people we work with. Our ob-gyn landlord takes care of us and let's me ask her questions about women's health in India. My next goal, though likely not attainable, is to attend a birth with her. We have had the opportunity to do some really wonderful things...here is a synopsis of some of the events in the past couple weeks...sorry for the length, so much to share!

Sanatkada, a craft store selling fair-trade goods, held a week long fair showcasing all of the vendors they carry in the store. In addition to the beautiful clothes, fabrics, and crafts, each night there was a musical performance and food. During the six day event I was there four days and Dan three...check out the pictures of the dancing, the demonstrations, and the goods. The schedule listed a Rhajisthani and UK fusion folk band for one of the nights. I saw folk and was thinking Arlo Guthrie...this was nothing of the sort...amazing sounds of the Rhajustani instruments, like the morchang, mixed with guitar and incredible beat-boxing from the UK. We will post a sound clip soon. The fair, where many souvenirs were purchased, was great and allowed us insight into all of the great art and culture in Lucknow.

Each night when we returned home from the craft fair we would see groups of men walking with festive carriers all headed in the same direction. Having no idea who they were, what they were doing, or where they were going, Trudi did some research. These men were making a pilgrimage to a 'nearby' shiva temple for Maha Shivarti, Shiva's birthday. The term 'nearby' is relative- the temple was in Barabanki, about 100 kilometers from Lucknow. Our guess is that some of these men could have walked as far as 200 kilometers carrying the traditional offerings of milk and ganga water without taking a break or setting down the offerings. We were told the harder the journey, the more likely the wishes will come true.

This is not something you will find in Lonely Planet or Rough Guide so we knew we had to check it out (though Dan stayed back to get our laptop fixed). Molly, Trudi, and I hired a driver for the two hour drive into the country, passing pilgrims the entire way. We arrived to a small village lined with small vendor stands and followed our driver to the gates of the temple...which were closed. He exchanged some hindi with the guards and the three of us, and only the three of us, were ushered through the door. We made our way the metal baricaded snaked line to the front and were greeted by officers holding bamboo sticks for crowd control. We waited a few minutes at the front of the line with no one behind us when suddenly a crowd lined up behind us.

At this point I felt guilty and uncomfortable- guilty because these men walked hundreds of kilometers to get here. They could only take short breaks and were not allowed to put down their offerings until they arrived. Lined up behind us they were so close, and so anxious to touch the Shiva lingum, give her the offerings, and make their wishes. We drove and weren't here for religious reasons or because we wanted to ask for a healthy harvest or a prosperous year for our poor families. Then I questioned what we were doing here and if we were safe- three western women, shoeless, standing in front of hundreds of charged, screaming men, anxious to give their offerings. I calmed my discomfort by reminding myself that these men were exhausted from their journey, and were all totally stoned from their thandai, a customary drink made with milk and weed.

The guards guided us into the temple and we were invited to touch the lingum (yup, three western Jewish women touching the Shiva lingum on Shabbat). We left the temple and watched the men throw their offerings onto the lingum, screaming 'bombole' with excitement. I bought a souvenir lingum and shiva and we made our way back to Lucknow. I hope this description does the experience justice...it was pretty incredible and unlike anything I have seen or done before. There are pictures of the journey, but out of respect, I did not take any in the temple.

The Papaji ashram is a short walk from our house and we have been spending a lot of time there doing yoga, eating yummy dinners, and sitting on the terrace...more on that in a later post. Papaji's ashram, because of his followers, is associated with Organic India and the company's tea farm is just a short drive from busy, honk-filled Lucknow through a beautiful lush forest to the tea farm. Dan stayed back to deal with the laptop (yes, again) and I went with Trudi and Molly, Molly's friend Kate (she speaks Hindi so we call her Hindi Kate), and my German colleagues, Gigi and Meran. We spent a lovely day sitting in the sun, exploring the farm, eating falaffel (!!!), and sipping tea. Check out the photos of the grounds, the tea, and the flowers. Raja, our host at the farm, told me "ah, I see heaven in your eyes since you arrived here." He was right!

One of the must-dos on my India list is to attend a wedding...time to check that one off! Dr. Neelam's colleague's son was married on Tuesday night and she got us an invite. If we were Indian, no one would have noticed us there amongst the hundreds of guests, but as Westerners, it was hard to miss us. My perception, based on very short exchange with the bride and groom, is that they were excited to have us there, and even more excited when they learned it was the first time I had worn a sari.

Dr. Neelam's assistant helped dress me in the sari I got from Dan my birthday. Bangles and a bejeweled bindi complimented the sari perfectly.We missed the wedding ceremony, and when we arrived at 9:30pm, we greeted the bride and groom and their families, gave them the flower bouquet gift we brought them, and took a photo together...this is the tradition. Then we ate- delicious gourmet versions of typical streetfood like pani puri and aloo chat, Chinese food, Italian food, a spread of traditional Indian dishes and breads, and desserts. We were introduced to many of Dr. Neelam's doctor friends and I received many compliments of my sari and Dan on his traditional Indian vest. The venue with the lights and flowers was really beautiful- here are some photos.

All of the photos referenced in this post are in this album.

today's lunch

We have a lunch routine. Everyday at 1:30 I turn around in my chair and ask my office-mates if it is time for lunch. Tanvi, a self-proclaimed chatterbox with pretty good English, checks the clock and says 'yes!' I walk downstairs and grab my tifin from the reception desk.

A tifin is a container made of metal used to store food. The trend in India is to either bring your own tiffin from home filled with food made that morning, or to order tifin at work, which gets delivered. I usually do the latter, but today I did both. Everyday my tiffin is the same- the top compartment has once warm chippati, sliced red onions and a green chili pepper, the middle compartment is filled with yellow dal, and the third changes daily, but always has potato. Today was potato and capsicum (green pepper).

So I grab my tiffin, Dan grabs lunch from the messhall (it is a long and uninteresting story of why we both don't get tiffin), and we sit at the table in my office with the four to six others. Tanvi gets half my onions and Anita gets my chili pepper- she hates when any food is thrown away. Everyone makes a little dish with the lid of their tiffin and scoops a bit of whatever they brought onto each person's plate. Its perfect- instead of only eating the (boring) food in my tiffin, I get to try the homemade food of my coworkers- various vegetable dishes, partathas stuffed with aloo (potato), mattar (peas), or spices, and noodle or rice dishes....always something different, and usually something delicious.

Today, like everyday we gathered around the table. Dan wasn't with us today because he went into town to get our laptop fixed (sigh..sorta a mess). The conversation started in English as everyone talked about what they did for the three day weekend. As everyone shared, I grabbed my tiffin container I brought from home filled with steamed, unseasoned, gobi (cauliflower). As I opened it, the conversation about our weekends stopped and they all stared at my steamed, unsalted, unseasoned gobi. There were a lot of questions about what it was and why I brought it. After explaining that I was on rice and chippati overload and needed something bland to eat with my spiced foods, they exchanged words in hindi and stared at my gobi some more. They didn't know what to say - spices are the essence of Indian cooking so the idea of me purposely cooking something bland was a foreign idea to them. My love for gobi- steamed, raw, sauteed, seasoned- is unconditional. The gobi was a great addition to my dal and I am going to do the same tomorrow.

The conversation switched to the bombing in Pune. Though there had been warnings of an attack on Valentine's Day, I am still shocked that it happened. Perhaps it is naive of me, but I really didn't think an attack happen while I am here. Dan and I are fine, our friend in Pune is fine, and we don't know anyone who knows anyone who was in the attack. We then started talking about the Mumbai attack and somehow ended up talking about my sari for tomorrow's wedding.

Then lunch ended. Like everyday, we all reassembled our tiffins, cleaned off the table, and returned to our desks for the afternoon.

Once our laptop is fixed we will be able to post the blogs and pictures from our trips to Agra and Varanasi, last weekend's pilgrimage, and everything else that has been keeping us busy. Crossing our fingers that the only Apple tech in Lucknow can fix it!

many posts to come...

There is so much to share from the past week- the Sanatkada craft fair, a pilgrimage to the Shiva Temple is Barabanki, our first attempt at Indian cooking, and our trip to Varanasi for a field visit of my project...but the blog posts, pictures, and video will have to wait until next week. In just a couple hours we are off to Agra for the weekend to see the Taj Mahal!

Until we can post more, here is one photo from our trip to the Cholapur Village in Varanasi.





Unrelated, we were told there were 3,000 weddings in Lucknow last night. It is auspicious to have your wedding during this time- we are going to our first one on Tuesday!

cows playing chicken

On the way to work today I saw a cow and a bull, or maybe it was a bull and a bull, race towards each other in a game of chicken. The cow/bull that won got to eat the pile of greens and garbage on the ground. This scene shocked me, but not as much as it would have four weeks ago. I am telling you, there is always something to look at here.

I decided that I have not been doing enough Indian cooking, in fact, the only Indian cooking I am doing is making porridge and I can only consider it Indian cooking because I am using a pressure cooker. Today at lunch I announced that I would like my co-workers to share a recipe a day; they love this idea. Tanvi was up first- she gave me the recipe for Allo KiSabzi (potatoes with spices) and was amazed that we haven't bought any spices, or oil for that matter, yet. That will change with my next visit to the market. I have a full list: jeera (cumin), haldi (turmeric), dhania (cilantro)...and the list goes on. I will work hard to perfect this recipe and all of the others that I gather so I can make them for all of you when I return.

Here are some photos from the last couple weeks!

what are we doing here?

Today we complete our second week of work (India has a six day work week). These two weeks have laid the groundwork for the next three months- we reviewed the organization's annual reports, met the team, and worked with our counterparts (supervisors) on the details of our projects and the path they will take.

Kate:
I am working on our NGO's initiative to promote the education of Muslim and dalit girls in the rural villages. The two year old program is run in Varanasi, about 200 miles away from Lucknow. My assignment is to create a document/report outlining the scope of the program, highlighting its’ successes and challenges, and analyzing the collected data of the girls’ test scores and participation in the program. Right now I am reading all of the existing program material and the week after next I will visit our NGO’s field office in Varanasi and meet the girls in the program. I am excited and overwhelmed by this project- everything I have read so far demonstrates the success of the program- they are using a grassroots approach of not only working with the girls, but also with the local government (the gram panchyats), the teachers, the families, and in some cases, the girls husbands. The aim is to sustainably create a community that advocates for education and empowers these girls to stay in school, instead of dropping out at age 12 to join their families in the weaving industry. This project is unlike anything I have ever worked on before and from everything I have read and heard about the project, I am in awe of it all.

Dan:
In the next few months, I'll be working on creating and implementing a training program for the management-level staff of our NGO. The Director's view is that many of the newly-hired or promoted managers lack leadership skills. However, when I pressed for specifics, I began to realize he doesn't really know the training needs of his managers. Thankfully, my supervisor is giving me a wide berth to interview the organization's staff and try to get to the root of the issue. Once I've settled on the objectives of the training program, I'll begin researching and designing the workshop. The organization's hope is that my training program can later be used by the facilitators here to benefit other NGOs once I've left.

Aside from our specific projects, we are learning so much about the social issues in India- the caste system, poverty, education for women about childbirth, infant feticide, land rights, and the list goes on and on. We will continue to blog about our work, as well as the other aspects of our lives here- everything is an experience…from eating lunch with coworkers to using the squat toilets to shopping in the market to crossing the street.

all of India celebrated my birthday ;)

India's Republic Day is January 26th. So is my birthday. The whole country lit up in orange, green, and white lights to celebrate Republic Day. Pieces of cake were lit with candles for my birthday. This was a damn good birthday...here is a breakdown of the events:

It all started Monday night with Dan surprising me with an ayurvedic massage at a spa not far from our house. It was glorious and at $10 for an hour massage, I plan to become a frequent client.

We came home and made delicious mashed potatoes (sometimes we just crave 'bland' food) and skyped with Ralphie.

Tuesday morning the skyping continued with Helene, Ben, and Frankie and then Simon and Katy. Simon and Katy sang 'Happy Birthday' and put a candle in a delicious looking cupcake, though there was a small wax spill onto the laptop when they blew out the candle on my behalf.

I started asking Dan for my present at 10:30 Monday night and at noon he finally gave in- he got me the most beautiful sari- a deep blue with gold and silver beadwork. I cannot wait to wear it! Above is a photo of the sari fabric and beadwork.

It has been cold in Lucknow since we arrived and today was the exception- the sky was clear and the sun was shining! Without knowing where Dan was taking me, we left the house (without our fleece jackets!) and went to Papaji Ashram for a delicious organic lunch with Trudi and Molly (our friends and fellow AJWS volunteers based in Lucknow). The amazing meal consisted of biryana, dal, and salad…we had lettuce for the first time since we got here! And we got to sit in the sunshine! Trudi got me beautiful deep red bangles and Molly got me bedazzled bindis.

In the afternoon we headed to Hazratganz, the main area of the city. Earlier in the day there was a Republic Day parade in front of the Legislative Assembly and the city was still covered in orange, green and white. We walked and explored and then the surprises continued with a delicious Indian dinner and live music at Capoors with Trudi, Molly, and our new German friends, Meran and Gigi who are consulting at SSK on disaster relief projects.

We came home and I skyped with Ralph and my dad, read all of the beautiful birthday emails from everyone back home (thank you all!) and went to bed…

Today I am getting lots of birthday wishes at work and we brought in some traditional Indian treats to share after lunch.

It was a wonderful day and many thanks to India for giving me the day off from work and to Dan for a planning such a wonderful, thoughtful day. Here are some pictures.

PS- 'Janam Din ki badhai is happy birthday in Hindi

Movin' day

Yesterday we finally moved out of our NGOs training facility and into our new home! We had the day off for Basant Panchami which allowed us the time to pack, move, and get settled. We are living on the second floor (what would be known back home as the third floor, but here the first floor is called the ground floor, the second floor is the first, etc) of the home/office of a gynecologist, Dr. Neelam. Her office for her practice and the NGO she runs are on the ground floor, she lives on the first, and we are on the second. The place is fine, the terrace off of our living room is incredible. There is a bit of work that needs to be done here- taking the conference room out of our living room, fixing the leaking squat toilet, installing a geyser (a hot water heater), and a bit of cleaning, but we are excited to call this place home.

Our new home is in Indira Nagar (pronounced Indra Nagar with a bit of a rolling tongue on the first r) and coincidentally two other AJWS volunteers live within a 15 minute walk. Bhootnath (pronounced boot-not) market, where we can get all the food and supplies we need, is just a short walk down the road. We also discovered a lovely vegetable market and park right behind our house and a guy selling milk in the morning right next door.

After unpacking and buying a few things for the house, we explored the neighborhood and took an auto rickshaw to Hazratganz, the main artery of the city. We met our friend, Trudie, for coffee and browsed the shops of Hazratganz before making it to Sanatkada, one of our new favorite places. We discovered Sanatkada because the owner, Madivah, spoke at our AJWS orientation about her experience with women and gender in India. After 15 years as Director of an NGO, she left and opened a craft and clothing store that sells fair trade products, many of which are now part of my wardrobe. This week Sanatkada is hosting a film festival and last night they showed a documentary titled 'When Four Friends Meet' about four boys growing up in a slum in Delhi and their perspectives on women, marriage, careers, and friendship. The documentary was insightful since gender-based documentaries are usually about women, and was followed by a great dialogue in a mix of Hindi and English.

Today we had our first commute to work and that experience warrants its own post with picture and video...

This evening I was feeling overwhelmed by our new place- the work that still had to be done, the dirty floors, our lack of groceries and basic kitchen accessories..but then we discovered we have internet here so my frustrations have disappeared!

Aal izz well!

On Sunday we, like many Americans, spent the day at the mall. The experience is not all that different, except for: the language barrier, the spicy everything at the food court, and the fact that people try to simultaneously enter and exit the elevators. Oh, and of course there's also the matter of people staring as if you have an extra set of arms. I realized the other day that they aren't really staring at me, quite the contrary, I seem to pass for a light skinned indian (especially with my mustache!). Kate and our blonde-haired friend Molly, on the other hand, are practically movie stars. While driving by on motorcycles, indian men will actually turn all the way around as they pass us.

The day culminated with a three hour spectacular Bollywood movie. Indians tend to bring their entire family along to the movies, fail to turn off their cell phones, and generally act much more rambunctiously than Americans. One would think that the subtleties of "3 Idiots" would be entirely lost on us since it was entirely in Hindi. One would be right but we still followed the basic plot, loved the music, and, most of all, the impromptu dance scenes. The song from the movie, Aal izz Well, is played nonstop on the radio, people have it set as their ring tones, and we have caught quite a few people (and ourselves) humming it. The movie proved a great vehicle for conversation with our co-workers on the following day - our first day of work!

After carefully selecting our first-day outfits, we embarked on the ten second commute down the hall to work. We didn't get much work done and spent most of the day chatting with our colleagues. The highlight of the day was going to see our new apartment in the city. The flat is sunny and spacious and located in the Indira Nagar area of Lucknow (pictures to come). We'll be within walking distance to a few street markets and parks and getting to work should only require a few short rickshaw rides. We're both excited to move out of the NGO and into our own place.

Here are some photos we posted and there are more to come: Mumbai and Orientation

Namaste,

Dan

Orientating

We spent the past week with Will and Sunita, the AJWS staff responsible for the Volunteer Corps program in India, and the eight other AJWS volunteers who will have placements throughout India. They took us through a curriculum prepared by AJWS to both acquaint us with India and prepare us for our placements. We learned about the country's history and array of social issues- the caste system, specifically dalits whom I will be doing my work with, access to education, disaster preparedness, the structure of NGOs and Civil Society, and women and gender. Also the practical stuff like how to navigate from city to city and what to do if invited to a person's home for dinner. The sessions were great- a mix of presentations, guest speakers, documentaries, readings, role plays and discussions. I now have a better understanding of all of these social issues and will learn so much more from my work.

Aside from the all of the learning, we also:
*had a cooking lesson to make paneer (easy to make!) and poha, a mix of vegetables, flattened rice, and spices
*ate a traditional Indian feast
*put on my first of many bindis
*put in an Indian nose pin (I had been wearing the same one since I got my nose pierced in college)
*shopped with Sunita for kurtas (dresses or long shirts) and shawls in the markets
*explored the beautiful grounds of our NGO

The only less than ideal part of the week is that it is unusually cold here. I know I will get no sympathy from anyone east of the Mississippi, but we came here prepared for 70 degrees, not 30! This is so strange for Lucknow that they have actually closed the schools and shortened the work day since so few buildings are equipped with heat. Thursday was the festival of Pogal so everyone tells us it is only supposed to get warmer now!

Aside from Dan, me, and our new friend Molly, the other seven volunteers left Lucknow to head off to their NGOs. We will spend this weekend finding a place to live (we have been staying at our NGO's training facility), procuring mobile phones, buying more Indian attire, and exploring Lucknow. Oh, and in an attempt to look less foreign, Dan grew a mustache.

Mumbai!

This post was written on Saturday, 1/9/10, but we did not have internet until now.

The plane descends, skimming the corrugated roofs of Asia's largest slum. Walking out onto the tarmac we were struck first by the smell of the city. Not at all offensive, the air is heavy and carries a sweetness. It smells of incense, spices, smoke and the press of humanity.Though we will spend the majority of our four months in Lucknow, we decided to fly through Mumbai and spend a day and two nights here so we can experience India's largest city before heading north. By beginning in Mumbai, we may have begun with the Indian city that is most overwhelming.

There's so much about India that is shocking. Children bathing in roadside puddles, construction workers scampering up bamboo scaffolding, packs of feral animals roaming for food, cows tied to roadsigns contentedly chewing litter, street-children with babies on their hips begging for money...but India also has an incredible charm. The people are warm, friendly and engaging. When a rickshaw swerves to miss a passing taxi or when a cyclist collides with a merging scooter there's no anger or hostility in their exchange.

Our plan was to make it to Hotel Oasis, but discovered when we called from the airport that due to our late arrival, we lost the room. Luckily there was a desk to make hotel bookings and they helped us to find Hotel Atlantic in Juhu, a beach city close to the airport. We were unsure if we were being cheated by the desk clerks, but gave them the benefit of the doubt and were able to successfully bargain the price down to half the suggested rate. We are trying to get into the routine of bargaining every price, since that seems to be the norm here. A driver picked us up and we made our way to the hotel where we have a room that would be considered seedy in America, but is pretty nice by Indian standards- air conditioning, shower and toilet, and a double bed with clean sheets.

Though we did not go to sleep until after 1am, we were wide awake at 5am. When we made it out of bed and looked out the window, we realized we were a short block from the Arabian Sea. We got dressed and packed our bags and made our way to the beach and were surprised to find many people walking, jogging, and doing calisthenic exercises. We figured we saw enough of Juhu and grabbed the most colorful taxi either of us had ever seen and made our way to Colaba, the 'hip' area of Mumbai that the tour book suggested we visit. Unexpectedly, the hour cab ride was an event in itself. Both of us were glued to our windows and trying to take everything in on both sides of the cab. We saw commuters, vendors, people sleeping on the street. We saw trains stuffed with passengers hanging out the doors and the sale of colorful produce and grains on the side of the road. We saw views of the water, tall skyscrapers and a sea of corrugated tin shacks. We were amazed with everything we took in, and also were amazed by the driving habits of every vehicle on the road.

Our driver dropped us in the heart of Colaba, near the 'Gateway to India' and the Taj Mahal Hotel on the water. We found a hotel and put our stuff down and headed to a delicious breakfast of chai and a masala dhosa for Kate and a cheese, onion, and pepper dhosa for Dan. Three meals later we are still considering it the best meal we have had. We spent the rest of the day walking the entire length of Colaba. We could barely stay awake through dinner so made our way back to the hotel and went to bed.

Due to jet lag we were up at 4am this morning and at 6am we took a morning stroll and stretch by the sea. It was nice to see Mumbai awake as the sky turned from dark to light. We made our way back to the hotel to pack up, had breakfast, and had another interesting (read: scary) taxi ride to the airport via the Sea Link bridge, a new bridge that is not complete, but usable to avoid the traffic of Mumbai.

We've seen and experienced so much in our first 36 hours: the bullet holes left by terrorists at Leopold's cafe (now packed full of tourists), street children who threw fish at us because we didn't give them money, Dan getting a shave by a street barber as locals stared and laughed at the foreigner, and learning the difference between muslim and hindu shopkeepers (the former being more straightforward, less boastful and not as willing to bargain).

Now we are at the airport and we look forward to our flight today as we head to Lucknow – the city that we will call home over the next three months.

Namaste,
Kate & Dan