Day 23 - Kumbh Mela and Public Transportation

Last night I rode the city bus to the train station. Not a bad experience. Ours was not overly crowded, I have seen that many are.The going was slow but we made it to our destination with time to spare so we got off early and walked through the crowded bazaar (market). It was dark and there were still people all over. We made it to the train station and went to our platform.


Now many of you do not understand the sheer number of people in India. A crowd in the US is no big deal here in India. Even at night, the station was filled with people. I was amazed at the brazenness of about 5 men who jumped down from the platform onto the tracks and relieved themselves there on the track. People were sleeping on the cement platform all around. We waited for the train leading us to Haridwar. It arrived and we looked for our car. S3... S3... S3... There is S2... Must be on the other side. S1... Must be back where we came from. S4... By this time the train had stopped and there was a crowd of about 50-75 at each entrance of the car we were to board (S3 labeled as S4). I followed Vinay (my escort for the next 36 hours) as he pushed his way through to the door and then inside. For my size, it was fairly easily to push aside the people to follow. We wedged ourselves into the car and slowly back to my *reserved* seat. When we arrived [arrived is an appropriate word after the ordeal to get there :)] there were 7 people on my seat. 
- I should probably explain something here. My other train rides have been in the 2AC class. That means upper class. I wanted to ride on a lower class berth and this was our opportunity to do so. We rode 'Sleeper Class'. Epic [yes, that word choice is for you Damon and Tara].
We found some space to squeeze into and sat down after some other sat on laps. For some reason all the other foreigners were also in our area. The train started and that is when I became ashamed of foreigners. There were standing next to their beds and then started yelling, and yelling with gestures since that was what really was communicated effectively. GET UP! TICKET! MY BED! GET UP! Slowly the people got up and ironically I was left alone on my bed with Vinay. After our bags were thrown angrily at us by the American woman on the top bunk we laid down. We could no longer sit up because the French woman put up here middle bed no leaving enough room to sit. I positioned myself on my side with my feet hanging over the edge and against the wall. My head was by the window and in the morning I would find my hands and feet covered in mosquito bites. I was able to sleep for about 3 hours. I laughed to myself as I awoke one time to a woman in the isle using my dirty feet (only using sandles -flip flops- for the past week). Even though my feet were in the aisle, I still needed to arc my body to fit on the bed. All the space in the car was occupied with people standing or sitting. Many did not have tickets and for that did, they did not have a reservation. The ticket collector and the police officer did nothing about that. What could they do, kick all 80 extra people off? All the while Vinay lay on the same bed, head at the other end as we 'spooned' our way to Haridwar.


We 'freshened up' in the upper class waiting room where the cleanliness I would compare to a truck stop bathroom. I do not mention these things to degrade in any way India. I only mention these things because that is what I notice. Please remember, I LOVE it here. As I waited for an available toilet, I laughed when someone blatantly walked in front of me in the queue (line). The queue culture here is comical. A line is more of a suggestion than anything else. If you want to go ahead of someone else, do it. If they say something, then consider joining at the back of the line.


We first went to the Ganges. In Haridwar during March until mid April is Kumbh Mela. A short description is as follows: during the creation, 4 drops of the immortal nectar were displaced at 4 different locations. Haridwar is one of them. Kumbh Mela occurs 4 times every 12 years and only once at each location in the same period. Basically, I was extremely lucky to be in North India to make it possible to visit Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world. As many as 60-80 million people will attend each event. In the small city of 100,000 we plunged into the crowd of millions. We reached the water and prepared for the cleansing bath. I naturally was the only white person I could see participating. I changed into my shorts and joined the hundred of thousands of others who lined the banks to immerse into the fridged waters. I watched and mimicked as others slowly entered the water (for the cold temperature) and then plunged into the water several times. I exited rather quickly to then hold our belongings as Vinay did the same thing. 
It did cross my mind- if this Vinay guy (whom I had met 10 hours ago and spooned with all night) was dishonest and left with my things while I was bathing, I would be naked (basically) and alone in a dense crowd of Indians with absolutely nothing. That would have been an adventure to write about!


We walked around a little bit in the crowd and then went and ate some great food (everyone who is reading this needs to go eat some Indian food, it is so good). I laughed when one man yelled and argued with the waiter for not serving them food quickly enough. The waiter was only serving 50 people... I wanted to tell him, "Come on man, we are in India." Then I remember that he probably already knew that. We then ventured up to the Mansa Devi Mandir temple on top of the hill. We rode an autorickshaw to the base and then a tram ride to the top. It was a long line and as Vinay and I spoke, I laughed to myself as the people around stared once they heard my accent. I could see them with my peripheral vision and some lasted for as much as 5 minutes just looking at me. So funny. 

We then went to the Rajaji National Park whose entrance was a 15 kilometer bus ride away.  There we met a Jewish family from Israel and we teamed up to take a jeep safari into the park. My goal of the safari was to see a wild elephant. Due to the length already of this entry I will summarize: we saw deer, monkeys, and peacocks for 3 hours. At the very end we finally saw an elephant. The driver and guide were terrified. We sped past the beast until I shouted while standing in the back, 'STOP! Its a wild elephant!' I wanted some pictures. We stayed for about 10 minutes with the driver ready to accelerate at any sudden movements from our photo-model. In the car in front of us was a park worker with his large rifle hanging out the window. They had reversed when we did not turn the corner. I think they were all scared because the same elephant had chased vehicles 11 times that month. I saw a wild elephant from about 30 yards away!


Upon returning to the city we went to Vinay's brother-in-law and I slept in the hotel room he managed as Vinay went to visit his in-laws. It was communicated to him that I wanted to meet the family but the invitation was not extended for me to accompany him probably because I was a foreigner. 


I relate this next part to the 1991 video game Street Fighter. If you have played it, cue the music in your head. The Dhalsim music would probably be most appropriate. Let's say you are 'Guile' fighting 'Dhalsim' on his own turf. (For those who have never seen this game, I hope you can still enjoy the poetry of the situation) 
Now I am Guile and my objective is to sleep while Dhalsim impedes me from doing so. 
ROUND 1 - - - FIGHT!
We arrive at the bus station, which is really a large dirt field scattered with buses facing various directions, and look for a bus heading for Delhi. One bus arrives and *extended leg kick to the face* there are about 50 people fighting to get on the bus. Vinay and I respond *with a double sweep of the legs* by pushing our way along the bus to the door and get on the bus. I sit down in my prison for the next 10 hours and 200 kilometers (yes, only about 120 miles). *Yoga Fire* I get scorched by the fact that I cannot fit my legs between the back of my seat and the seat in front of me. I *jab at the air a couple of times* try and make myself comfortable in every way I can think of. The chairs are uncomfortably hard and then *Yoga Teleport and Yoga Flame* The door constantly slides open and lets in countless mosquitos and then slams shut periodically making my attempts at sleep intermittent. *Uwwah Uwwah Uwwwaaaah* I am knocked out of the possibility of sleep for several hours as I remember that the last 3 nights have been spent on trains and I have not slept for longer than 1 hour at a time since before that time. *Dhalsim wins round one*
ROUND 2 - - - FIGHT!
*Jump and spinning downward corkscrew* I watch from my seat as we swerve in an out of the right lane (remember we are usually in the left hand lane). *Full-bodied sideways uppercut* I rest my head on the seat in front of me as its occupant lays on the passenger next to him. I am able to sleep for maybe 20 minutes before the *Jump and spinning downward corkscrew* begins again to pass slower moving trucks and then dodge the oncoming traffic. We repeat this dance *corkscrew and uppercut* until we arrive at our halfway mark and everyone gets off the bus to relieve themselves nearby. *Guile edges a win in round two* I was able to sleep a total of about 1 hour.
ROUND 3 - - - FIGHT!
*Dhalsim trap- Yoga Flame, jump, high kick to the face* I am blitzed by the exhaustion that by this time has all but made me pass out. *Dazed from the attack, Dhalsim casually walks to me and head-butts me in the chest* Just as I am entering sleep I smell cigarette smoke and think, "that is strong to be coming from outside." No, it is just the driver. *Life in the red* It is all I can do to not get off the bus and sleep on the side of the road because of my complete exhaustion. *Retreat to the side of the screen* I debate in my mind the alternative and take action. *Forward jump, SONIC BOOM, FLASH KICK, dazed, back-bending body slam* After removing the towel from my bag I lay on the soiled floor and extend my legs 4 rows of chairs ahead of me and rest my head on the damp towel. I don't care for the filth on which I am staining my clothes with, I am sleeping. Even when people step on me to leave I don't care, I am sleeping. *Uwwah Uwwah Uwwwaaaah* I am sleeping. *Guile wins round three and the match. A total of 3 hours of sleep was heavenly.
---I again apologize to those that did not understand the analogy, I got a lot more involved with it than I anticipated. But I sure had a lot of fun writing that. Brought back all the memories of playing that game.---

Day 22 - A Day with the Fam

A concept that has been surprising for the families that I am staying with is that I really don't enjoy tourist things as much as spending time with them. My favorite part about India so far has been living with Indians. I don't feel like a tourist and I love it.

People are so funny. I always laugh when people stand up in a hurry when a plane comes to a stop and get out their luggage to wait for the those ahead to finally clear out. The train is similar here. People line up 30 minutes in advance to exit the train when they arrive at their stop. I casually sit in my seat and wait until we stop and the line has subsided and exit moments after those that waited.

I went to the rail museum with Santusht, Poornima, Samanvitha, and Antariksh. I love that family. The two kids are so funny and so much fun to play with. They were so excited to get on the trains and explore. Most of my time at their home is spent either playing with them or talking about cultural differences with Santusht and Poornima. The Indian Rail system is extensive and quite efficient. I enjoy learning about how things work and the trains were intriguing. I just wish that there was a description explaining how engines work, especially on the engine that was dissected to show you how it works.

Afterwards, I accompanied Santusht to take Samanvitha to her dance class. It is a south-Indian folk dance which was pretty cool to see. I am loving the exposure I am getting to such a variety of cultural differences while here in India.

Most of the evening was spent with me asking questions to Santusht and Poornima. Much time was spent discussing arranged marriages. I am learning so much about this culture and I am really enjoying it.

Day 21 - Of temples golden, service to thousands, cheer competitions, and deceitful drivers.

It was a bittersweet day. I saw some amazing things but also experienced some blatant dishonesty. To start things off, Babli purchased some chai (tea) on the train and asked how much it would be. She was told Rs10. The man then served those around her and they each paid Rs5. When she asked about the difference in price he smugly responded, "I didn't think you would have change." Are you kidding me? 

I was met at the train by Vakeel and Amit (Sam). Vakeel works at the Air Force base in Amritsar and it was arranged that he would be my escort. Amit served as our driver. While in Delhi, Santusht and I had a discussion about me traveling in Amritsar alone and my comment was, "I usually travel alone and have no problem but I know that for you it is important for someone to be with me so while I have been here I am willing to do whatever you want." Needless to say, I was accompanied. The care that people here take for me is incredible.

After 'freshening up' (they all call it that here- the British English comes out frequently here) we went to the Golden Temple. It is the most holy place for Sikh followers. Learning about their religion was very interesting. Basically they originated as a military force to protect Hindus from Muslim invaders. The temple was architecturally breath taking. I don't remember the year it was built but it is built in the middle of a large pool and is said to bear 750 kg of gold. I sat and took in the atmosphere of pilgrims washing themselves in the holy water and examined the building. 

A favorite experience while here in India was eating at the Lagar which is attached to the temple grounds. Anyone is welcome to enjoy the complementary food (donations welcome) provided by the army of volunteers that feed 60,000 to 80,000 daily. We joined the line and were handed a divided plate, spoon, and bowl. We were led to the second floor with a group of about 1000 - 2000. The doors to a large room were opened and we sat in lines on matting throughout. I noticed that I was the only non-Indian in the room (as far as I could tell). First we were served chapatis as we held out our hands and they were thrown in. Another volunteer came around with a large bucket and long-handled ladle to slosh some spaghetti-like sweet dish (which I thought was really good). Then some dahl was served in a similar manner. I just loved being there with so many people sitting on the floor as volunteers served such wonderful food. As we were leaving, I saw the HUGE pots that the food was being cooked in. As we exited we saw the women who were cutting the vegetables and then the commotion of about 200 dish washers. 

We then went to Jalliawala Bagh which is where the British opened fire on un-armed non-violent protesters in 1919. 

Here begins the bitter of the day. The driver, Amit, asked if I would like to see his office for his other job. I of course agreed. I love to see where people work. As he attempted to impress me by showing off his driving skills (there was a marked difference than from previous driving he had done) it literally reminded me of a video game. We arrived at his work and I expected to spend about 10-15 mins so he could show me around and explain what he does there. We first sat down in a conference room and were given water. Then I was led into the office of his boss. Then he disappeared. I didn't know where he went. As I began speaking with his boss, it became very obvious that I was being sold life insurance and investing. I frankly told him that I was not interested but figured since I was there I would find out about how it works in India. I spent about 30 minutes in there. When I was done, they didn't really know what to do with me so I got up and then was led to another office. There, two other employees were more or less hanging out. Vakeel was with me the entire time. After being in that office for about another 30 minutes and asking where Amit was and when he would be back with mixed answers I grew frustrated. I was in Amritsar India, I didn't want to be in some office! After some convincing of Vakeel (through the workers there - Vakeel did not speak English very well), I got up and left. I said I was going for a walk. As my escort, Vakeel grudgingly followed. It was 1pm and it was hot. I frequently asked when Amit would be ready and the consistent answer I received was "5 mins". We walked about 3 km before I decided to turn around. We walked back to an air conditioned mall to wait for Amit. In total, I lost about 3 hours while the driver I had hired was out. When he came back, he had even changed his clothes.

We then went to the labynthian Hindu 'Mata Temple' followed by a very peculiar display of patriotism. At the border between India and Pakistan where tensions are high and relations are rough, we spectated at the closing ceremony which is performed each evening. I frankly did not enjoy it. I was hoping for a much different experience. What I witnessed was reminiscent of a high school pep rally complete with bleachers, cheers, choreographed routines, uniforms which would only be able to be worn at such an event, and the audience taunting the competition. Stands were set up on each side of the border and you could see and hear those on the Pakistan side. I was invited by one of the soldiers to have a front row seat but Amit refused because he complained it would be too hard to find me after (as a note, it will never be hard to find me in India - no matter the size of the crowd). That again was frustrating. I stood at the very back and just watched the singular scene. The announcer started cheers and had a dance party in front for anyone to join. The goal seemed to be to be louder and more obnoxious than the Pakistanis. The soldiers did a routine that was obviously for show as they nearly kicked themselves in the head in an attempt to 'intimidate' the Pakistani soldiers mimicking the same moves. Interestingly, the soldiers where as tall as I am. I later learned that is also an attempt to intimidate.

Before going to the train station, we went back to the Golden Temple because I wanted to see it at night. It was pretty cool with the light reflecting off the gold at different angles. Now the kicker: As I boarded the train I paid the driver the agreed amount with a tip. He then corrected me and explained that I owed a substantial amount more. I really didn't care about the money. If I owed him more money, I had no problem paying. The problem was the terrible service (I do not feel I am able to convey well my experience with them) and the intent of lying some more money out of me. After discussing the issue, I did pay him (money I still feel he did not deserve).

On the train back I spoke with a 14 year old kid who was shocked that I would start a conversation with him. I taught him some of my 'tricks' that I showed his 6 year old brother and we talked about him wanting to become an astronaut and answered questions he had about America.