Todd and Lisa's RTW trip

Well…. today is our last day in India. We finished our yoga class and headed into the mountains for our last couple of days. The yoga course was very enlightening. It may have been a little too much enlightenment, but nevertheless we appreciate being able to study yoga from a teacher who is so spiritual, in the area where yoga is so well renowned. The mountians were beautiful. The snow peaked Himalayas were a spectacular sight. Unfourtunatly it was too cold for us, so we left after just a few days and spent the end of our time in a town called Haridwar. Haridwar is the holiest of holiest Hindu towns so there were all sorts of religious wierdos around (no offense if there are any religious wierdos reading this!!) It was very interesting. The last 2 days we have been in transit to Bombay to catch our flight. We left Haridwar at 6 am and arrived in Delhi at 12. We planned on catching a few sights in Delhi before our next train, but first we needed lunch. We wandered around trying to decide where to eat…… we ended up at Pizza hut… and it was the best damn pizza hut experience we have ever had!!! After pizza hut, we went to a chain coffee shop and got lattes, and then headed back to the train station. We loved Delhi!!
We took a 16 hour overnight train to Bombay. We splurged and took the VIP train. It was so nice (comparatively). They fed us and gave us sheets for our berths (we like that word). We actually got a full nights sleep (thanks vitamin A) and arrived in Bombay this morning. We are currently wasting time –translated to wasting money— waiting to do our last Indian bargain for a taxi to the airport. Thailand here we come!!!!!

It is so strange that our time in India is over. It feels like no time ago we arrived here, ready to catch the first plane out of here. Just a few last thoughts about this country, please forgive us if this rambles on….
This country is like a love/ hate place. It is SO gross at times. The smells on the street, the poverty, the spitting and constant lugie sound. The dirt and filth, the people trying to rip you off, the pollution, the bathing in filthy water.. and did we mention the intense nasty smells that smack you on the nose out of no where when you walk down the street. Serious sensory overload….
But then why did we enjoy it so much here???? It’s so crazy, around all of this filth and poverty there is a wonderful country. We have met welcoming and kind people. We have eaten scrumptous food. We have witnessed holy, god hindu things we can’t describe. We have attended to our deep inner-selves (the words of our yoga teacher). We have been so far to the egde that all we could do was laugh our way back. We even saw a one legged man sweeping the street at 5 am!! We have been crammed into busses, trains and rickshaws. We have seen women mowing lawns with scissors. Honestly, we have had an incredible experience…. and it only makes us look forward to the future. So far we still intend on spending it together!!

Now for “Spotlight on Indian Cuisine”
It’s like we just figured out what all–most– of the dishes on the menu are, and now we have to go!! Our favorites are the Chana Masala (chickpeas in a rich, thick brown curry gravy with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon), Veg Kofta (boiled potatoes mushed into balls with some veggies, then fried and smothered in a tomato, onion, cumin curry sauce), Raita (its really only curd with some tomatoes, cukes and onion sprinked with masala.. but its so damn good!) and of course we LOVE the Chapatis (whole wheat flour and water tortillas cooked in the tandori). Oh.. how could we forget our Masala Chai (milk tea with ginger, cardamon, cinnamon and clove)…mmmmm. Yeah and also the Masala Dosa ( a south Indian dish made with a thin rice pancake that really big and stuffed with spicy potatoes served with a coconut chutney and some spicy red soupy sauce) Ok we gotta go eat dinner…. yummy thoughts!!!

—oh yeah, Lisa had a wonderful birthday, although it started at 6 am doing Yoga. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!! I was unable to score any under the counter booze, but don’t worry we had a good time (wink wink).

Tags: Travel

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 26th, 2005 at 8:40 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.