India – Another world

India is more than just another country, it is another world.

We first got a sense of this other world when we applied for a travel Visa in the dusty basement at the Indian Consulate in Rome (our second attempt to get our Indian visas while on route!) Melissa had to use the washroom and with Linda’s help found one upstairs in the embassy. The white marble washroom was a far cry from the primitive facilities downstairs, it was bright and cheery and had toilet paper. Unfortunately the toilet wouldn’t flush.

Christopher and I, excited about finally finding a parking spot in Rome, were sitting in the basement when Linda and Melissa came back downstairs and told us about their experience – including how a staff member who entered the washroom after them appeared to blame the plumbing problem on Melissa! Oh well.

Our number finally appeared on the board and as we gathered our paperwork Linda joked that she hoped we didn’t meet the woman from the washroom at the wicket. We did. No Visa for you! It was a very Seinfeld moment.

We finally got our Visas for India in South Africa which, as it turns out, has a lot of Indian citizens. Who knew? So applying for our visas was easy-peasy.

On January 2nd we arrived in Cochin in the South of India. We’d booked two weeks at Gramam Homestay on the ‘backwaters’, a system of rivers and lakes that are separated from the ocean by a long sandbar that runs along the coast. Our home was a converted coconut sorting shed that was surrounded by very tall, very productive coconut trees. Romantic with a touch of danger.

The drive from the airport to our house was terrifying. India has 35 times the population of Canada in less than 1/3 of the space and rush hour is all day. The honking of horns and constant jockeying for position gave me the impression that every car on the road was rushing to the hospital with an expectant mother.

From our quiet coconut house on the water we would explore the surrounding historical and cultural sites. We’d usually travel by motorized rickshaw which depending on the driver was either scary or really scary.

Fort Cochin had been quite nastily colonized by the Portuguese at the end of the 15th Century to establish a sea route for trade with the East. Later it was captured by the Dutch and finally ruled by the British. The natural sea port gave Western Europe direct access to the riches of India and Asia. The Europeans introduced Christianity and ‘encouraged’ trade. Many spices, including black pepper, originated from this area and the spice trade is still going strong as is Christianity – judging from the all-night church (with 5:30 AM fireworks) that illuminated the bay across from our house, for 5 days!

After two weeks in Kerela we flew North to Rajasthan which is more arid and cooler than the South. We stayed in Jaipur for two nights at Silver Spurs where, much to Melissa’s pleasure, we were able to squeeze in some horseback riding. Set on the outskirts of town, this beautiful Homestay is in sharp contrast to the dusty, dirty, noisy chaos of Jaipur.

We explored the Pink City for a day visiting the City Palace (where they were preparing for a prince’s wedding), the Amber Fort and the Hand Block Printing museum. We then drove north to the town of Nawalgarh in the Sakewati region where we had booked two rooms at the Rajesh Jangid Tourist Pension.

India is a land of contrasts. On our way to Nawalgarh we passed a wide range of economic conditions ranging from mansions carved out of marble to slum dwellings made out of sticks and plastic sheets, often right next to each other. Our Homestay couldn’t have been more different than our two nights in Jaipur: unheated rooms, vegetarian meals and a strict no alcohol rule. Hours after arriving we were huddled around a small fire in the courtyard longing for the comfort of Silver Spurs.

Our first day in Nawalgarh started with a guided tour of a local Haveli (abandoned mansions built by the wealthy business/trader families that once dominated this region) and the town. We were led through a maze of streets and introduced to an assortment of interesting people. We learned how to make Chai Tea and enjoyed freshly made Samosas. I followed a hunch and left my camera at home. Gradually over the next 10 days we got to know our way around the town and were familiar enough to the locals that we were often acknowledged with a friendly smile and a bobble of their head.

I eventually brought out my camera to take some pics of my new friends who didn’t actually speak any English (other than “Facebook?”). After a week I was even offered a seat in the back of the Chai shop where the town elders sat perched in a cloud of ganja arranging marriages. Best Chai ever.

Our stay in Nawalgarh turned out to be a highlight of our month in India. Rajesh literally unlocked doors for us to private sites including a ‘Golden Room’ that was lined with colorfully painted Hindu frescoes accented with gold foil. Rajesh’s wife, Sarla, shared her kitchen and family recipes and their children taught Christopher and Melissa how to win in a kite war. In the end the warmth of their family more than made up for the chill in the air.

We are proud of our kids and their resilience to the occasional discomforts of travel. In Nawalgarh they were rewarded with experiences that few tourists are able to access. And we rewarded them (and ourselves) with another two nights at Silver Spurs.

Here’s a slideshow of some highlights from India: