Delhi: Round 2

After a 3:40am wake-up call, Melisa and I were on our way from Bombay to Delhi. We spent the entire day traipsing around the city, which is comprised of two parts: Old and New Delhi. Old Delhi is a section of town that is very densely populated with residents, business and historic sites. It dates back centuries. New Delhi is pretty much everything surrounding Old Delhi. New Delhi was designed in the early 20th Century by a British architect after the British decided to move the capital from Calcutta to New Delhi in 1931.

The first thing we saw in Delhi today was Humayun's Tomb. The tomb was built by a Mughal emperor's widow over a twenty year span and serves as the base model for the Taj Mahal. We then went to Connaught Place and spent the afternoon exploring the crowded and pungent streets of Old Delhi, including the old mosque and the spice market.

Humayun's Tomb

Delhi has a lot more to see than Bombay, but, like Bombay, is very densely populated and spread out. There are a TON of people. Everywhere you go you'll see more and more people. Yet, Delhi seems a lot dirtier than Bombay. As you walk the streets, you get the occasional sniff of sewage. Some people eat, sleep, bathe and urinate in the streets. Animals, namely cows and goats, reside along major thoroughfares.

The Gateway of India

Paige, Brett, Alex and I spent the day walking around Bombay. We first started at the Taj Mahal Hotel - the same one that was partially destroyed in a terrorist attack last November. The Taj sits right on the water next to a giant arch called The Gateway of India. Bombay was called the gateway of India by the British, because it served as the chief shipping and trading center during British rule. Our plan was to travel to Elephanta Island (there aren't any elephants there), but we came to learn that most things in Bombay were closed because it was a Muslim holiday.

Although a bit disappointed that we couldn't go to the island, we continued walking. We happened to stumble across one of the docks where a lot of the seafood comes in and is cleaned. This is not a tourist site and the proprietors were very adamant about the no photography policy. Fortunately, I was able to snap a beauty. The concrete pier was full of Indian women and children cleaning tiny shrimp (yes, "tiny shrimp" is redundant, but they were smaller than usual) in squalid and unsanitary conditions. The smell was absolutely horrendous. Men were bringing in squid off their wooden fishing boats and gutting large fish right on the pier. We were definitely the only white faces around. It was definitely interesting to see and, needless to say, but the four of us probably won't be eating seafood anytime in the near future.

Bombay Docks

Bombay has been an interesting place to visit. Although, in the grand scheme of things, there really isn't a lot of history or culture in the city. While it has been called the gateway of India, in terms of history, Bombay is relatively new and insignificant. It is one of the largest cities and most important commercial centers in the world, but Bombay is definitely lacking on the sights.

In the morning, Melisa and I are flying to Delhi to start our week-long trek through Rajasthan and northern India.

Of Turbans and Horses

Today was the wedding of someone I know through school. The ceremony, according to our invitation, was supposed to begin at 10am. Alex and I arrived at 9:55am, thinking we might be a few minutes late. However, when the clock struck ten, only four people were present: all Type A American business school students. In reality, there's this thing called Indian Standard Time. While that is the official name of India's time zone, it means that everything begins two hours later than scheduled. Wish we had known that.

Prior to the ceremony, which began shortly after noon and lasted for a couple of hours, we were instructed by the groom's family to cover our heads. The family had professional turban wrappers on site, as you can see. The family, and most Indians, have been very friendly and have tried to get us to try and do everything that is Indian tradition.

Rajasthani Wedding Attire

Next, we lined up in the procession with the groom. The procession, which lasted about an hour, consisted of the groom's side of the wedding. It also included him riding a horse and holding a golden sword. Unlike American weddings in which the procession is very formal, this seemed, in some sense, like an exercise in chaos.

The Groom

Upon arrival at the altar, the two families exchanged pleasantries. After that, there was some type of ceremony involving fire. Not really sure what happened. Despite a few hundred people encircling the altar, the only people actually paying attention to the ceremony were the families and the silly gringos with their cameras (...guilty). We were quite surprised by that.

The Ceremony

Originally I had heard there would be about 2,000 people at the wedding. In actuality, there were probably only about 300; a good size wedding nonetheless.

The reception is this evening and is "Western formal" - so no need for the turban any more. Phew. Those things are hot. As George Costanza would say, "It just bottles in the heat." The reception will be at the same venue, but because these are Jains (which is its own branch of religion), there will be no meat or alcohol at the reception. But that's okay, because a few of us are going to have a cocktail hour before.

Bombay Sapphire

After a harrowing taxi ride on Friday night (which probably eclipses my experience in St. Petersburg), I made it to Bombay (which was renamed Mumbai in 1995). The city is HUGE. With a population around 25 million people, it seems like the city sprawls forever. The airport, which is about 25km from downtown, is an endless distance away, due to lack of infrastructure and overpopulation. Yet, no matter what the distance, nothing is more than a $5 taxi ride away... with most short distances being under $0.50.

The city is a bustling place. Traffic is non-stop, vendors crowd the streets and everyone has somewhere to be. The population ranges from men in business suits to the destitute who live on the highly-trafficked streets. Everything is unsanitary by American standards - Bombay makes the streets of New York City look pristine. Wow, I never thought I would say that. Nonetheless, Bombay is still an interesting place. European-style architecture dominates the downtown, as Bombay was the center of British trade for a number of decades. Palm trees line the streets and the sea is nearby. The smells of the city change rapidly - one second the air is full of fresh fruit sold by vendors, the next, a whiff of sewage. Despite the downsides, the constant 80 degree and sunny climate cannot be beat.

Bombay University

On Saturday night, I traversed up to Worli to go to one of the wedding events. This event, which was probably the fourth or fifth event of the wedding was more or less a talent show for the bridal party, family and friends. A number of people, all clad in flashy saris and kurtas, danced and sang onstage, while all the onlookers enjoyed Indian fare - which was entirely vegetarian because this is a Jain wedding. A few people from school were there, so I got to hear about their travels through India and what to expect.

The wedding is all day on Sunday. It should be interesting.

Delhi: Round 1

The morning (which began at 6am due to the jet lag) started out with me consuming the last of my smuggled beef jerky - which is probably the last bit of bovine I'll have for two months. I spent a few hours today cruising around Delhi with a personal driver. The first stop was Qutb Minar (see picture below). It was pretty impressive. The site is a mosque and dates back to the 12th Century. I also made my way over to the Lotus Temple and walked around Lodi Gardens and Tombs (where I think I saw a wild monkey). There's a lot more to see in Delhi, especially in the older part of the city, but I will be back with a friend in a few days to catch what I missed.

Qutb Minar, Delhi

In driving around Delhi, I noticed a few things. First, there is absolutely no regard for traffic laws - if there are any, that is. Drivers swerve in and out of lanes, bicycles run rampant on the freeways and traffic horns are non-stop. The streets are littered with taxis, auto-rickshaws, conventional automobiles, large trucks, bicycles, carts, animals and pedestrians. Quite crazy. Second, I came to learn that cows are indeed sacred in India. In a bustling metropolis such as Delhi, I must have seen about a dozen free-range cows meandering throughout the city. I guess I'll need to keep an eye out for landmines in the future. Third, Delhi appears to be growing by leaps and bounds. It seems like the city is building new highway and railway systems. Because the city is so old, the government decided to build up - the highways are entirely raised. No wonder why India is importing so much concrete and steel. Finally, it's apparent how poor some of these people really are. It looks like a significant percentage of the population lives in cramped and dismal quarters. Everything is dirty and dust covered. Bathing habits are suspect - well, except for the people I saw washing themselves on the street.

The next stop is Bombay, where I am meeting up with some people from school and will spend the next three days. There are about ten Americans that traveled to India to go to a wedding which will take place this Sunday. I am looking forward to exploring Bombay and going to an Indian wedding.

Welcome to India

I made it!!

My trip didn't get out to the best start. The plan was to fly from Detroit to Chicago and then on to Delhi. However, American Airlines decided it would be fun to cancel my flight to Chicago the morning of and not tell me. Thankfully, I happened to check my flight status this morning and get put on an earlier flight to O'Hare. Crisis averted.

After a grueling six hour layover at O'Hare - all while watching the snow fall and worrying of another flight cancellation - my 7:15pm flight to Delhi left at 8:45pm. Then I got to sit on a Boeing 777 for 16 hours. Total travel time from Detroit to Delhi: 26 hours. Awesome.


The next challenge is to adapt to the 10.5 hour time difference in India. Yes, you read that right, ten and a half. Based on what I've read, India geographically covers approximately two time zones, but the government decided to split the difference and create a single time zone - hence the half hour. Seems pretty silly to me. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how well my sleep schedule adapts to this (literally) day and night difference. The furthest time zones I've ever visited are Hawaii and Moscow, which are seven and eight hours different from the Eastern Time Zone, respectively.

I got into Delhi at about 10pm local time, so I didn't get a good look around. However, my lungs are now caked in smog... should make tomorrow's excursion around the city that much more fun. The taxi drivers are also a bit sketchy.

Merry Christmas!

Also, for anyone interested, USA Today did a review of my exact flight...

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2006-07-31-long-haul-india_x.htm

The adventure begins...

This is my first experience with blogging, so bear with me. Seeing as how I will be spending the next several months living in India and traveling abroad, I thought documenting my experiences via blog would be both interesting and rewarding.

The main reason for traveling is to study abroad. One of my biggest regrets from undergrad was not spending a semester overseas. As a graduate student, I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. As such, I am spending the third quarter of my second and final year of business school in India. The school itself, the Indian School of Business, is globally a top rated institution and is located in Hyderabad – the six million person city that most Americans have never heard of. (Another key benefit of going to India in the winter, is to take advantage of their dry season—when it is 80 degrees and sunny EVERY day!! So long winter.)

During my six weeks at the school, I plan to take advantage of the weekends—my weekends are especially long, Thursday through Sunday, given my course schedule—by traveling to various cities and locations throughout India. After my studies are done in India, I have approximately one month until classes start back at the University of Virginia. During that time, I plan to explore Southeast Asia and then meet up with classmates in Egypt prior to a weeklong class in Bahrain.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
You might ask why I opted to use “Elephant Parade” as the title of my blog. The answer is simple: during my travels, my primary goal is to see and ride an elephant. There really is no rhyme or reason as to why I want to sit atop a pachyderm—it just seems like it would be a memorable experience.

I will be abroad from December 23 until March 14. During that period, I will travel more than 30,000 miles by plane and visit six countries on two continents.

Current Location: Detroit.
Next stop: Delhi.