The Ride Home

Well, after 25 hours in transit including stopovers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Taipei, Taiwan in a state of exhaustion with a stomach ailment from the food, sweaty and smelly, cramped seating, sleep deprivation and timeline confusion, we finally arrived home.

Going through Customs, was easy compared to waiting for our luggage. After 250 passengers managed to pick up their luggage and 3 of our 4 bags, mine was nowhere to be seen. After all we had just been through and overhearing 2 women say they had a friend whose luggage was lost, and still having insurance, only got $50 for her lost bag, I was panicked.

Tired and upset, I practically collapsed into the Malaysian airport representative's arms when I couldn't find the I.D. tags for our luggage. I wanted, I NEEDED my luggage. I think he thought I was a hysterical maniac, because he kept reassuring me that it was all under control. He was notified that my luggage missed a stopover conversion in Kuala Lumpur and was put on the next Singapore Airlines and would be delivered by day's end.

Smile, he kept insisting as I crumpled away in total disarray. Was he kidding?

But it was delivered by the following day on Christmas Eve. I was finally relieved and could now believe that we were finally home as I kissed my suitcase and unravelled my belongings and gifts I bought and packed away.

We hardly moved for the next three days and still are somewhat jet lagged and now in our own time zone, but very happy to be back at home and anxious to drive the streets of Los Angeles, a joy to behold and really appreciated.

Just so you can also complain a little less about our traffic here, I have attached a short video of our final car ride in Varanasi to the airport. So, you too can also appreciate that L.A. congestion has a whole new meaning. --Linda

P.S. And as an added feature, I have included a short video of our pedal rickshaw ride in New Delhi, another way to get around.

P.S.S. A short video of our morning boatride along the Ganges River has also been posted at the end of the previous blog on Varanasi.

The Holy City of Varanasi

Our last stop - the City of Varanasi. We’re here for a short stopover, but what a stop it was. This is the oldest and holiest city in India and is bursting with energy. We thought we’d seen crowds before, but Varanasi is as chaotic as anything you can imagine.

This city on the banks of the Ganges River is inhabited by about 3 million residents, not including cows and monkeys everywhere you look. In fact we were walking down an alley and passed by a cow on the way to devour his meal on trash that lies in the street awaiting pickup. This holy city doesn’t stop. It is hectic, but purposeful. Attached is a short video of our experience on the Ganges River.

The Ganges River is sacred to this community. People make a pilgrimage to bathe and purify themselves twice a day, everyday beginning at dawn and again at sunset in the river. It is one of the few cities in the world that has outdoor cremations, which we observed on our early morning boat ride in the river along the waterfront. Of course, this creates a polluted waterway, but this Hindu spiritual city thrives on this river.

Our guide showed us the Sarnath Museum which houses the artifacts of the holiest of locations for all Buddhists. It was here that Buddha found his inspiration and gave his first sermon. Buddhists from all over the world come here to pray to this site. We walked through the museum/park and absorbed the peaceful ambiance and the Buddha relics that were excavated, some over 2,000 years ago. It is where the Indians and the British discovered the buried remains that displayed some of the main teachings of Buddism and the original column with the statue of the 4 headed lion and the wheel of Buddhist knowledge on the top. Today this symbol represents the National emblem of India and is displayed in many capacities, including their paper currency.

The hotel here was a complete conundrum to the life in the city. It was one of the most elegant hotels we’ve stayed at. It really didn’t make sense considering the people here live on the barest of necessities. But the entire hotel staff is so proud of their jobs and work diligently to please tourists that they beam with pride being able to help you in any way they can.

As I said before, the most pleasant experience has been interacting with the Indian people, even the shop owners and workers in the bazaars and stores who say anything to try to convince you to buy their goods, but this is the pulse of the city and its life force. We have now completed our wonderful journey in the ancient and holy city of Varanasi, the spiritual center to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. This has been a high point of our trip and something we have looked forward to. We have only to return to New Delhi and fly home.

Lauren's Guide to Bargaining

During my time in India, I have found there are a few tricks to bargaining. Personally, I absolutely love to haggle, and I am that much more satisfied when I have bought something knowing that I got it at a discount. These are a few of my tips on how to bargain. First, always assume that something is marked up because you are a tourist. Never buy anything at the first price. Personally I casually suggest a little less then half and act like I don’t want whatever it is they are selling. Even if you absolutely have to have whatever it is, remain nonchalant. It will be extremely difficult to get the best price if they know you love/have to have the object. However do not start haggling for something you don’t intend to buy, it is bad luck. I was once cursed and yelled at by an old lady for doing that…I wouldn’t recommend it.

My second bargaining tip is don’t fall for a cute little kid who is trying to sell you stuff. First they should be in school! However, that cute little boy who you think you’re going to help by buying whatever it is he is selling, is actually working for some old guy behind the scene who knows that you are more likely to buy a book of postcards from a kid than them. He is the one who is making the money while the kid gets very little. My dad fell for this trap numerous times.

My third tip is…and I mean it… DON’T LOOK! In India many of the popular tourist destinations are lined with street carts and people trying to sell you stuff. If you even so much as glance in the direction of someone selling something you will instantly invite them to follow you, where they will repeatedly shout a random price at you. If you are seen even paying attention to the first person you will become a magnet for every merchant in a 10 mile radius. If you do find yourself being followed by 30+ people shouting prices at you, the best defense is to just get in your car and shut the door. You will probably have to endure people tapping on the windows and sometimes if you really seem like a hot target, they will chase the car, but that will only last mile or so. Otherwise just be firm. Look the salesperson in the eye and just say no.

Here is my last and final tip. If you find that the people you are with are making a large purchase (in this case my parents) at any sort of specialty shop, never hesitate to ask for the salesperson to throw in a small item that you want for free. There are different variations of this technique, but they are all about the same. They consist of acting annoyed and uninterested. Sometimes I even walk out of the room (note: this can also be done with tour guides who like the sound of their own voice a little too much). Only slowly do I open up and offer my opinion which encourages my parents to purchase more from the shop thus making the sales person very happy with you. Finally, when they have decided to purchase more stuff in the shop, you are free to ask the salesperson to throw that item in for free (or at a large discount!) in which case they are more obliged to give you what you want.

Bargaining can be a positive and fun experience. Merchants expect you to haggle and they enjoy it as well. It is best to use humor and stay calm and do not rest until you have gotten the price that you want. Sometimes just walking away is the best haggling tool of them all. After following all these tips, be careful not to become too good of a bargainer, in which case you find yourself haggling for a better price without knowing what it is your are bargaining for. This usually happens at the end of a trip after one has had many successful bargaining attempts and you find you have no more room in your suitcase for all the stuff you have bought.

P.S. The video below captures some of the essence of bargaining.

The Rest of the Day in Darjeeling

After we returned from our sunrise visit to Tiger Hill, elated and thankful that we had experienced a very rare, clear day to see Khangchendzonga, we spent the rest of the day touring other parts of Darjeeling. We then went to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the premier center in India for training to conquer the Himalayan peaks.

It was awe inspiring to see old photographs of those who climbed Mt. Everest, from the first ascent by Sir Edward Hillary and Tensing Norgay – both icons of mountaineering – to other ascents by Indian, American, British and a host of teams from other countries. I can only dream about making it to the summit – a trek to base camp maybe – but the summit is a dream for another reincarnation.

We then visited the Zoological Park which is dedicated to the conservation of endangered eastern Himalayan animals including tigers, snow leopards, pandas, mountain goats and others that are rare to see in the wild. They work hard to study ways the endangered animals can thrive in the Himalayas as expanding population and development eat into their habitat.

Our next stop was the Tibetan Refugee Center where exiled Buddhist followers of the Dalai Lama live and work. The center was donated by benefactors in India that allows the Tibetan refugees to create their skilled crafts, which are sold at the center to support themselves.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at a tea tasting shop and sampled many varieties of Darjeeling tea – and, oh yes, purchased several for ourselves and for gifts. It was similar to a wine tasting back home.

On our return to Bagdogra the next day for our flight to Varanasi, we saw several political demonstrations for a separate State of Gorkhaland. Our guide told us that a major gathering at their town auditorium would occur the next day where the question of creating the new State of Gorkhaland out of the current State of West Bengal would be debated. It seems that several parts of India are pressing for breaking away as separate states for political, ethnic and economic reasons. Whether this will make their lives better is still an open question in the Indian political arena, but it is a movement that is sweeping the country.

Sunrise at Tiger Hill

The next day we awoke at 4:40 am to begin our journey to Tiger Hill, the highest point in Darjeeling. From here we could watch the sunrise over 28,169 foot Khangchendzonga. It was breathtaking. The pictures say it all!

The Trip to Darjeeling

The Trip to Darjeeling
Guess what? Another unique road experience – on the road to Darjeeling -- as if we hadn’t had enough already.

We landed in Bagdogra after our flight from Mumbai with a short stopover in Kolkata. Bagdogra is a small agricultural town at an elevation of about 500 feet above sea level, situated in the plains below the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains where Darjeeling tea is grown. We were met by our local tour representative, and our driver Basant – of Nepali descent – who would drive us up to Darjeeling at an average elevation of 7,000 feet. Darjeeling tea is the major crop that is grown on steep hillside plantations all the way up to Darjeeling.

As we started up the one-lane, winding road for a 3 ½ hour ride over about 90 kilometers, little did we know that we were in for another “exciting” ride. We were travelling in a small Chevrolet SUV passing an assortment of vans, scaled down buses, trucks and cars that looked liked the Indian version of the tiny Smart car. Passing is an art in India where you have to slow down and either move close to the hillside or the steep drop below to squeeze by. Sometimes, there were turnouts of a few feet that made it seem like a “piece of cake.”

Our multi-lingual driver Basant who lived in Darjeeling, was a soft spoken, patient man of few words. He deftly navigated the challenging mountain road to get us safely to our destination – the New Elgin Hotel in Darjeeling. After our first moments of fear, we gained confidence with his driving to get us where we needed to go. It seems like the Indian drivers certainly know how to negotiate their terrain, but we were not ready to give-it-a-go.

On the way up, we passed the “Toy Train” – one of the highest, small-gage railroads ever built. It is a popular tourist attraction to ride the railway to the top, but it takes twice as long as a motor vehicle so we opted for the latter. As we passed the train, we saw a cameraman filming out of an open doorway as the train ascended to Darjeeling. It turns out, we met the camera crew the next morning and learned they were part of a Japanese film crew making a documentary for the Japanese TV station WOWOW about the train ride, Darjeeling and the spectacular view of Khangchendzonga, India’s highest peak soaring at 8598 meters or 28,169 feet, and the third highest peak in the Himalayas.

After settling in at our comfortable hotel, the New Elgin, we ventured out to the Chowrasta, the town square that had an array of shops and restaurants with the City’s main public auditorium nearby. Lauren did some successful jewelry shopping again and we then had dinner at the Glenery – one of the restaurants recommended in our guidebook. We then headed back to the hotel to get some rest before our 4:40 am rise for our trip to Tiger Hill, the highest point in Darjeeling for the sunrise view of Khangchendzonga.

P.S. Check out the short video of the trip down from Darjeeling below.

Bombay, aka Mumbai

Mumbai (Bombay)
I am so glad we came to Mumbai; what a great experience. I always wondered what this City was like and we had that opportunity with our terrific guide, Sudha, who gave us an exceptional tour. Mumbai is just as crowded as the rest of the cities we have seen, but as Bravish described it, it is "controlled chaos." Mumbai is much more cosmopolitan than Delhi. Most of the women wear saris, but the 20 somethings are dressed casually in jeans. Women work in professional fields and are more respected as workers than in Delhi.

I have to say that the best part of our trip has been through our interactions with the Indian people. Our female guide here in Mumbai was smart, informative, warm and accommodating. She demonstrated and explained what makes Mumbai beat. Interestingly, we learned that the beggars who bother you constantly are not respected at all. They are deemed lazy and are only teaching their children the same way of life. In fact, begging is the only education their children get, and unfortunately that is all they can do and become. She encouraged us not to engage with them and, in fact, contributing in that manner only encourages them to beg more. I felt relieved that I didn't have to feel guilty for not responding to their constant pleas and tapping on the car windows as we sat in traffic.

A most fascinating aspect about the Indian people is their tenacity. Everyone works very hard as was demonstrated by Dhobi Ghat, the main laundry service which is a respected and historical outdoor business where hundreds of Indian workers -- men only -- wash and clean thousands of garments by hand everyday as its citizens are all busy and many travel hours everyday just getting to their jobs. The clothing is washed and dried naturally in tubs and carefully dried on rooftops or rope lines, and returned wrapped the same day. It is a respected and honored tradition that has carried on through generations.

She next showed us a Gandhi museum dedicated to the man who taught people to be self reliant, primarily through cottage industries, and preached equality for all and opportunities for woman. Gandhi was a man who clearly espoused all that the Indians deemed important. We then saw another example of Mumbai's life blood, the thriving outdoor Crawford market, selling everything you could think of. We then visited Victoria Station, a hubbub of activity as trains are the major transport for getting people about. In fact, India is a country in constant motion. By whatever means possible, they move about and in astounding numbers. It really is quite remarkable.

We then visited a Jewish Synagogue, Keneseth Eliyahoo. A beautiful building which was very similar to the Orthodox synagogue we saw in Israel. It had three Torahs in the ark that you can see in the attached picture.

Perched at the port on the Arabian Sea, the Gateway of India represents the entrance to the Country and was built to commemorate the 1911 visit of King George V. Across the street was the Taj Majal Hotel that was bombed by terrorists in November 2008 along with several other Indian landmarks and a Jewish center. That event is still very much on their minds and represents their version of our 9/11.

Our last stop was at the Colaba Market, the pulse of the city with blocks and blocks of vendors selling their trinkets, clothing and food. If you haggle hard, you get some very good bargains, just ask Lauren who was ecstatic to be in her element. We watched and admired her determination and Sudha was quite impressed with Lauren's bargaining skills.

I would say that Sudha helped us appreciate Mumbai and India for all it is.