Incredible India...incredibly frustrating! We have recently arrived at a place called Kovalam. A tropical beach resort town just out of Thiruvananthapuran, at the very southern tip of India. After a few days of relaxing at this beautiful beachside town, some retail therapy, an Ayuveric massage and some Dhara treatment (an oil and spiced milk treatment poured onto the forehead for 45 mins) it is only now that we are able to reflect on our time in Dehli and Agra! We have had some amazing experiences and seen some wonderful things, however it was somewhat adversely affected by having to deal with incompetants, liars, pushy rip off merchants and con artists all the way along whilst we tried to book, plan and manage the balance of time and travels in India. And everyone was ungrateful, even the beggars were not happy enough when we gave them food or money and they always wanted more! Talk about ‘how hard can it be?’ to do the simplest things! The scariest thing is that it is always done under the guise of trying to help us. I don’t know how anything gets done in this place and I can understand why everything only seems to be 80% completed. You always feel short changed and have to compromise all the way as you are constantly being let down or stuffed around. If I hear “No problems, sir” one more time I think I’ll headbutt someone. It is always a problem, it is never done right or as we need it and we have to end up reluctantly accepting it or doing it ourselves under pressure or in a rage at the end anyway! But incredibly, we got it done! Incredible India.
Some of the highlights and sights we have seen include:
New Delhi: The Connought and Janpath markets, Safdarjang’s tomb, Lodi Garden, Lotus temple, India gate (an eternal flame and monument to fallen soldiers), and probably our favourite Humayun’s tomb. This tomb was the first of seven built to honour the emporers that ruled over a 300 year period, the Taj Mahal was the 2nd.
Old Delhi: The Red Fort and Chandni Chowk were highlights. We took a bicycle taxi ride through the extremely busy old spice and silver markets and walked around this old world bustling district buying Niki, Abidas, and Poma branded goods!
Every day was an adventure in our hired sardine can cars (inclusive of suicide driver), taking our lives into our hands. Whilst travelling through all kinds of streets and witnessing the different living conditions, buildings and people was one of the highlights for me, unfortunately not so for Nat. One of the worst passengers I know at the best of times, poor Nat suffered anxiety and extreme fear the entire time of travel, unable to watch at times, and both the boys have the battle scars on their hands and arms to prove it.
Agra: The Taj Mahal. We made it! We set off on our 200km, 3hr drive through the country and arrived 5hrs later deafened by the constant car and truck horns and with headaches from the toxic fumes smoke and dust all the way and well and truly over the bustle. We then fought the afternoon Sunday crowds, in your face hawkers and beggars and took our turn to see this magnificent structure, all the time being pushed and jostled by these impatient Indians. The greatest hightlight was when Nat, after such a long and tiring day, had finally had enough of this one woman who had tried to push in the line in front of us for about the fourth time, and let her have it both barrels. Fantastic, one of the best sprays in a long time, it mirrored how we all felt and was duly applauded by all those around us.
Following on from the initial hotel non-pickup, booking stuff up and downgrade at some dodgy homeless shelter around the corner lowlight, the trip back from Agra managed to top this off and really ruin our time in and around Delhi. After taking six and half hours to travel the “3hr” trip back to Dehli, and under threat of missing our plane out, we somehow finally arrived at the airport. Our driver, attempting to take a shortcut, managed to get us lost for over an hour. We sat in the muddiest, filthiest, rubbish tip back streets of the outskirts of Delhi for what seemed an eternity. (This is where Jack called Pig Heaven as the streets were rife with animals, rubbish, mud and shit). We then proceed to get further lost, our driver lost his English speaking ability, we could not get phone contact with our hotel, and our driver dove erratically trying to make up for the hours lost, overtaking around blind corners and driving way too fast. The trip from hell.
Kovalam beach and its more laid back and less hectic pace has refreshed us and we have managed to finally have a drink again! Approx 8 to 10 days alchohol free when we most need it. Swimming at the beach and eating wonderful food. It has also provided us with the highlight of riding an elephant, including feeding them and being blessed by them (the trunk placed on our heads). Jack also has an entry in Funniest Home Videos as the elephant tried eating my arm!
We all look very much forward now to the Maldives to recover from such “Incredible” adventures before we return to the real world of work and school.....
