India Day 2 - Agra

We got up in order to leave the hotel at 5am to catch a 6:40am train from the station. It was so quiet in the streets, and we were shocked to realize there were cows grazing in the middle of the road! We took tuktuks to the train station (tuktukwalla I think is the full name? They are smaller than smart cars and seat 2-4, although we've seen some with at least 10 Indians shoved in there). They piled all our luggage on top of the tuktuks and slammed on the gas. I was worried our bags would go rolling off as they screeched around the corners but luckily we all arrived with all our possessions! The train station was filled with sleeping homeless people - it was quite sad. Also we noticed all the Indians were carrying their rolly-luggage on their heads, often stacked 2-3 items deep. Crazy!!!

Our train arrived on time and we had assigned seats so we were off to a good start. Apparently our tickets included a meal and bottle of water, and the ride was only 2-3 hours so we didn't have to find out how the washrooms compared with Italian trains (where it's just a hole and you pee directly onto the tracks).

When we left the train station in Agra we were accosted by hordes of Indians, some of whom were being held back by security guards with sticks. There were small children asking for money, and a little girl who must have been 3 carrying a baby. We were told to just say no, keep our hands in our pockets and just walk.

We checked into our hotel and went out for some adventuring - first the Red Fort (it's huge, it's mostly red, except the marble sections) and then the Taj Mahal (it's also huge, there are swarms of people, and it's just a really really really big tomb for a beloved wife. Must have been some wife!

We went to the same restaurant for lunch and dinner and it was really great Indian food. Except for a strange Korma with random fruit in it. Won't be making that mistake again!

India Day 1 - Delhi

Welcome to India!

We arrived in Delhi early Saturday morning, which was a huge relief since BA almost didn't let us fly - they had overbooked and didn't have seats for us. Luckily though we were there 3-4 hours early and they were able to get us seats, and we were even able to sit together. Pheeof!

The first thing we noticed from the plane was the thick cloud of dirt, kind of like a permanent fog. After stepping off the plane, the first thing I noticed was the strong smell. Clean Australian air is going to be so great!!

Leaving the airport was a bit of a fiasco. First of all, I haven't done too much "roughing it" camping - I'm used to having some sort of toilet bowl rather than squatting on the ground. So, my first cultural shock was when I tried to use the washroom before leaving the airport. The washroom itself was very lovely - nice wooden doors, incense burning inside, a bathroom attendant who was keeping everything clean. However when I walked into a stall I found a hole in the ground with a shower head and a small bucket. This was all a bit overwhelming, and I was a bit freaked out about peeing all over my jeans, and after making a weak attempt I decided peeing was overrated and bailed. I then snuck into the "handicapped" washroom which was not at all handicapped accessible (the seat was high and there wasn't a handrail or anything...and it was a washroom / janitor's closet). Much better! Note to self - need to learn to pee into holes in the floor.

Once we got our luggage, we got a prepaid taxi to our hotel, where we were to meet our GAP tour group. There was a bit of an altercation when we got into a cab because a local tried to help us with our bags and we assumed he worked for the cab company, assigning travelers their taxis (they have these people in NYC). He was insisting we pay him and all we had was large bills so we were refusing. Finally our driver was able to get us away. Note to self - don't let anyone touch your bags.

The cab ride was extremely affordable at 250 rupees (less than 7 quid - we got a 63 exchange rate which was absolute crap given the proper rate is 75). The driving is crazy - the technique is to drive wherever you want (lanes are wherever you make them) and keep your hand on the horn. My mother would hate it here.

Once we got checked in to the hotel, we had a nap before meeting the group at 5pm. The group is great - there are 14 of us plus a "tour leader". The others are from Canada, UK, US, Australia and Denmark. They are all similar ages to us and everyone is really easygoing, fantastic! Our tour leader, Bish, took us for an "easy" dinner (Chinese) and then left us on the street corner outside the restaurant. "You all know how to get back right? I have to go pick up my laundry." We got a bit lost on the way back to the hotel, but finally made it. Some of the others got really lost and weren't back for a couple of hours - oops! On the way home, there was some sort of carnival / parade going on in the streets. There were floats with people aboard handing out food and playing loud music, with a lot of paintings of what looked like an Indian Jesus. Not sure what that was all about but someone thought it might be related to the anniversary of Gandhi's death. Our tour leader was MIA though so we weren't able to get any details from him.

Anyway, a good first day in India, and off to bed early since we have to leave at 5am for the train station!

The Big Move

It's finally here! Craig and I have sent all our belongings to a storage container to be shipped in a boat from London to Toronto, and have been living out of our backpacking bags for a few days. We'll be spending the next 6 weeks travelling the long way back to Canada before settling in Waterloo - via India and Australia. The last few days in London were a bit tricky because it's quite warm in India / Australia and it's rumoured to be the coldest winter in London in 100 years. Anyhow, if I've done my job properly over the last few weeks since I finished up with my job, all our services should be cancelled, our addresses all changed and we will be rejoined with all our belongings sometime in March.
We're flying from Heathrow to Delhi this afternoon (after Craig works a full day) to get our first Indian experience.