2 Months in review

Seriously? Two months already?  It's amazing that time is going so seriously fast. In two months, I've covered more than 10,000 kilometers (6213 miles), have been to 8 states and have spent more money than originally planned for.  Good thing the next 3 and a half months I'll be based at the school and will be going on school related travels.  Highlights of the past two months:

Bangalore-I felt the most at home while there. Met a very handsome and kind man named Sanjay in Bangalore.

Kerala would have been better if I was not sick pretty much the whole time. I would love to stay on a houseboat again but with a group of people. Ladies- I am calling a girls weekend in Kerala!!!

Delhi- I have spent most of my time in the Delhi area.  Delhi is not on my list of favorites thus far.  My experiences have been smelly (MUCH more than other places I've been too), foggy/smoggy and down right dirty. I've met a few kind people but as a whole, people in Delhi are seriously rude!  The teenage children seem to be the worst.   One redeeming quality about Delhi is the Metro.  The trains are really clean, nice and they have two separate train compartments for ladies only. Its very easy and CHEAP to get around with the metro.  Traveling distances by trains is also very easy and cheap.

Khajuraho- Kama Sutra temples.  Need I say more?  Lol. The temples were really nice. I spent Christmas viewing the temples.  I stayed in a very nice hotel thanks to a friend of Sanjays.

Greater Noida/Dardi/Bishara- Staying at the school is a very rich experience for me.  I would not have said before this experience, that I grew up in and was educated in a super high class or even classy environment. However, witnessing first hand the lack of simple, basic, seriously kindergarten basic, common sense has made me appreciate my roots and background in a whole new light.     I've stood over top of a 40+ year old kitchen lady to make sure she washed her hand and that she used soap.  I've walked into a classroom full of children on a chilly day to open the windows so the children were not sitting in the dark. (the school does not have electricity so sunlight is necessary in order to see in the classrooms). The list could just go on and on.    I say that the staff and teachers are perpetually 5 year old kindergartners that need consistent supervision and guidance!  This is definitely not a one person job!


I've thought a lot about what I packed and what I could have done different.  As a whole, I came adequately prepared for the weather, illnesses and alike.  However, I still wish I would have packed my laptop and not brought the tablet.  All my techy friends will be disappointed to learn that the only thing I'm using the tablet for is to charge my blackberry.  (My wall charger broke about 2 weeks after my arrival).   And occasionally I listen to music.

My top 10 packing list items:
-bugshield sleeping sack
-hand sanitizer
-REI fleece
-head lamp
-outlet converter
-winter socks
-Nature Valley peanut butter granola bars
-10 pairs of underwear (I hand wash all my clothes but since it's winter here, things take days to dry.)
-Chaco sandles
-toilet paper

5 things I could have left in Boston and saved space and weight in my pack:
-swimsuit
-slash proof cage for pack (I could have saved money in addition to the added weight)
-rain jacket
-water purifiers
-tablet


Next adventure: New Years in the Himalayas!  I'm very excited about this trip. I'll see S-N-O-W in India.

Kerala

Kerala!

South India is so beautiful.  I booked a trip through a travel agent with the help of the grandparents in Bangalore through their travel agent.  The itinerary was scheduled as such:

Day 1- Arrive in Cochin and stay at Times Square Hotel

Day 2- Fort Cochin and site seeing

Day 3- Alleppey for a one night stay in a house boat

Day 4- Thekkady

Day 5- Munnar

Day 6- Munnar

Day 7- take train to Goa for two days

 Mumbai for two weeks then another village in north of Mumbai near Surit for a few weeks with a return to Delhi in late December.

 

I arrived into Cochin on the 17^th of November and checked into my hotel.  I was so excited to be in Cochin that I wanted to go out and see everything right away. I had heard so much about it. However, it was dark out so I was advised to stay in and not go out alone.  I stayed and ordered room service.  It was tasty, Chicken and rice.  This was the second time I’d had meat while in India.  When I woke in the morning, I knew I did not feel very well but still wanted to go out and see Fort Cochin.  My driver took me around to see some sites but I desperately needed to go back to my hotel room quickly around 12:15.  I gave my driver the rest of the day off and told him to come back the following day around 8am because we I needed to be in Alleppey. I slept most of the day that I was not getting sick.  The drive to Alleppey was nice, well from what I was awake for, that is.   We arrived slightly early for the houseboat which was nice because we took off before the mad rush of people.  I had a captain (whom did not have any teeth and spoke no English what so ever but we talked as if we could understand each other) and a cook.  I told them that I was alone and not feeling well so no need to prepare lots of food but they were wondering why I was a woman traveling alone without my husband and kids.  I wanted to say, “thanks for reminding me” but I did not want to be rude.  Being on the boat with fresh air was actually really nice.  We docked on the side of the river for the night, which was right next to a small village.  A young girl (14) and her little cousin (6) ran out of their house waving at us.   They were really excited to see that I was American.  The girl spoke English very well and asked about George Bush and Michelle Obama.  She said that she is in the 12^th class and next year wants to study Engineering and be strong like Michelle Obama. She talked a lot about different places in the world she’d like to see before she gets married at 18 and had her own kids.  I reassured her that the world is a wonderful place because we are all different and that she too is different and can leave her village if she worked really hard and she wanted to leave.  Being on the houseboat was an experience that I will never forget. 

Thekkady was really beautiful as well. It took about 4 hours to drive from Alleppey to Thekkady through tea plantations, hills and bumpy roads. None of which is helpful if one has the feeling to vomit.  I stayed in a hotel that was more of a bungalow than a hotel room.  I actually really liked this place. It was called Hotel Ambadi.  The staff at this place was very attractive and friendly. Wait, I should change the order of that.  It was like they only employed male models or something.  Anywho, while in Thekkady, I went to the Elephant Camp and rode an elephant.   We went on a trail around a spice farm.  The man leading my ride, pointed out some spices along the way.  At one point, the elephant stopped, turned sideways and began to make a yelling sound.  I was worried that the she was going to charge or run or do something scary but the man told me that she does not like dogs and is yelling at the dog by the fence.  Actually, with all that noise, the dog went running away.   After the elephant ride, I saw a sword fighting show and traditional Kerala dancing.  Both were interesting but I bet I would have enjoyed them more if I had known some history first and didn’t feel so sick.   The next morning I went to Periyar Tiger Reserve for animal viewing and boat ride.  Boat ride was 1.5 hours long but could have been cut down to a 10 minute slide show of the animals in the area.  We did not see anything but two nests in a tree in the middle of the lake.   They should advertise the boat ride as a relaxing ride instead of animal viewing. Once we got back to land, I did see monkeys.  But monkeys are everywhere here.  And, I have to mention that I was on a tiger reserve and saw nothing of anything of tigers beside the sign was pained in black and orange pattern. 

Next was Munnar.  Getting from Thekkady to Munnar was painful.  I had to ask the driver to stop a few times so I could step out for fresh air. I was already not feeling well then dealing with car sickness was just not fun.  I pulled the usual ‘Debbie’ and slept a lot while traveling from one place to the next.  Actually the driver asked me if I was okay because he has never seen anyone sleep in the car so quickly.  We passed so many tea plantations and one had women clipping the leaves. We stopped and I took some pictures.  They offered for me to try.  They trim them with scissors that have a bag on one side.  Please note that being a leaf trimmer at a tea plantation is not for left handed folks, only right handed scissors.  We also stopped at a spice farm and I had a private tour with a lady who was so wonderful. She was so knowledgeable about the spices and different home remedies.  Currently I’m experimenting with one and I’ll let you know if it works.   Well I did not see or do anything in the two days I was in Munnar because it was very clear that I was really sick.  I could not keep anything in or down for days. The hotel that I stayed in had construction going on.  It was so blasted loud during the days.  I don't normally complain about things but this was just too much.  They were working on the kitchen below my room, both rooms on either sides as well as building another floor above.  When I complained about the noise they just kept saying "its the construction that's the problem."  I requested that they take an early and long lunch but the manager did not like that idea.

I made the choice to cancel the rest of my southern trip and head back to Delhi to see a doctor.  Walking up to the ticket counter at the airport to catch the next flight is insanely expensive.    

Bangalore to Delhi to Kerala

So much has happened since my last posting.  I’ve run into some computer problems.  First, I brought my Xoom tablet to India (big mistake) and secondly, blogspot had some sort of problem/freeze that could not be corrected on the tablet. Well, I’ll try to sum up the past month in a few postings. 

As other posting said that I started out in Bangalore.  I really enjoyed Bangalore!  I met some pretty cool people there.  I’m looking forward to returning to Bangalore for a week or more before my return to Boston in early April.  I was able to travel around a bit while there.  I went to Mysore to see the most amazing palace!!! Then another day I went on a temple/architectural tour to Belaru.   Both trips were fun.  The second trip had a really horrible bus driver with two HORNS! What’s the instance that one vehicle would ever, EVER require two horns! I still can’t think of one example that having two would be required.  To sum up Bangalore in 10 words or less: dogs, polio, really great food, first motorcycle ride (ever), rain (Monsoon)! Okay so 11 words or less.

I first flew up to Delhi on the 7^th of November to visit the school and to drop off some of my stuff.  I was so surprised with the school.  Children as young as two and three sitting for hours in a dark room with the windows closed, looking at a blackboard and pretending to do school work in workbooks.  No books, toys or anything interesting to do.  I was very surprised and knew right away some changes I would make.  I spent the night at the school.  It turned into an interesting night that I never wish to repeat again.  I went to bed around 10:30 and about 12:15 I felt something on me and touch it and it squeaked.  I freaked out and jumped up on top of the bed.  With my headlamp on, I could see so many R-A-T-S! Oh my goodness! I grabbed my shoes from atop the bed and ran out of the room.  Everyone at the school was asleep and no one could be woken up so I spent the rest of the night being eaten alive by mosquitoes while sitting in a school van until someone woke.   5:30 took forever to come.  I survived but don’t wish to repeat this experience.   While on this trip to Delhi, Manish (the owner of the school) arranged a driver and the assistant to bring me around to some sites of the city.  We went to India Gate, Gandhi’s death place, an old fort near the zoo and on a paddle boat ride.  It was a fun day. At India Gate, they were having a kite festival. Wow, I wish I had known as I would have spent so much more time there.  I took a lot of pictures so hopefully I can figure out how to actually post some.  One of my contacts lives at the American Embassy.  I spent 3 nights with her and her family.  Being on the Embassy grounds was like being back in America.  No monkeys, no trash, no horn honking and it was so GREEN!   There was a nice field with all white children frolicking about, playing with Nurf guns and baseballs. It was wonderful being there for a few days but I’m ready for “real” India. Sidenote- Beds in India are seriously HARD as a rock however; the bed at the Embassy was so nice, soft in the right spots and American.  I got some great sleep those nights.

Next, Kerala!!!!

Computer problems

I've had troubles posting to the blog.  Lets see if this works!

MG Road 10.31.2011

Halloween is not a holiday that India does so I had to make my own fun. I went to downtown Bangalore yesterday to MG Road.  It was not as busy as I expected it to be.  I did get down there before the shops opened so I'm sure that was also a factor.  Above the MG road is a brand new metro system.  It opened almost two weeks ago.

Once the shops opend, it was full of men trying to get me in their shops, rickshaw drivers wanting to drive me around site seeing, and begger children trying to take things from my hands.  oh, and the craziest thing happened,  I was passing by a large store and I hear my name being called out, not just Debbie but Ms. Debbie.  Out of a billion people walking the streets, I actually knew someone.  The man calling out to me was a father of a student at the school in Newton.  I knew he was going to be in India at some point but had no idea that he was going to be in Bangalore.  Small world. We spoke for a few minutes but we both were amazed that we saw each other.

later last night, we went to the local market to pick up some veggies and fruit for an extended family dinner. This morning, I plan to walk back down there and have a closer look around.

Sleeping had posed to be more of an issue than I planned. I'll fall asleep for a few hours and be awake for twice as long as I and slept. I sure hope I get over this. I miss sleeping like a rock!

pictures 10.31.2011

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=campingchick3&target=ALBUM&id=5669658039092103777&authkey=Gv1sRgCLrikpGDovKIbw&feat=email

sunday- october 30,2011

Sunday 30th October

Last night was my first night in India. I think that I was so tired from being up for so long that it was hard to sleep. I woke every couple of hours but was able to fall back asleep. The traffic did not stop all night, horns continued to beep but did get sparse in the wee hours of the morning. Around 4am I started to hear some temple chatters/chanting that lasted about an hour. I listened to the chaters as well as the crickets! Yup, India too has crickets! I officially woke this morning around 6:30 and began to read about Kerala(southern India). I will be heading to Kerala on November 14th after a 4 day trip to Delhi. I am planning a day backwaters boat tour, another day in Fort Cochin and one more day traveling to and from a tea plantation. The best spices in the world come from Kerala so I plan to stock up. From Kerala, I've booked a sleeper AC train to Goa.

Tomorrow I am going to downtown Bangalore to MG Road. This road has all the main shopping in Bangalore. After a few hours there, I'll head over to a travel office and book a day trip to Mysore. Mysore is a few hours from Bangalore and it has beautiful temples. The couple that I am staying with is help I helping me arrange the trips around Bangalore and showing me around. This is very helpful to me as they know where to go and how to go about getting there so it saves me time.

For Sunday brunch, we some extended family of Mr. Srinath. His cousins are visiting from Zurich and they are staying in a new hotel and the called yesterday and invited us for brunch. They said that the food was fantastic and now that I've eaten it, I too can agree. Oh my goodness, I ate so much. I knew coming to India that I would have 'real' Indian food and that wold be able taste the difference but oh my goodness the masla dosa was amazing! If I was not with so many people, I would have taken a picture. So we had masla dosa, some curries, chutney, omelette yes, I don't typically eat eggs unless I cook them but when in Rome), some sort of fried bread, a rice pancake looking thing and coffee. Seriously one of the most delicious meals of my life. We ate on the roof top of this hotel that was surrounded with potted plants and green grass. The sky was blue and dragonflies were busy in the air. The hotel was just one turn off the main road but it was so quiet, I could not hear the beeps of the traffic at all. After everyone finished, I took a walk around and took some pictures and I will try and figure out how to post them on the blog.

When we got back from brunch, I took a walk in this little park just across the street. Its very well kept and was busy with locals and stray dogs walking around. Trying to fit in some workouts whilst away is tricky but while I'm with the Srinaths, I'll utilize this park for some morning jogging, before the hustle and bustle and the cat calls awake.

Later today, if it does not rain from the monsoon, we'll go to the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens.

So the shock of actually being in India has not come yet. I have not seen another westerner since London but I did met some British folks at the baggage claim in Bangalore. Other than going to the botanical gardens, my goal for the day is to stay awake.

flight from london to bangalore

This posting is coming all the way from the sky over Istanbul. I am a few hours into my second and final flight to Bangalore India! I have been chatting got up with some older Indian ladies sitting around me. One lady named, Jayamama, invited me for dinner on Sunday (after I take rest, she said). she has give me all her family and friends contacts information in India. She said that a single female going to India alone makes her worried. She asked how my mom felt about me leaving and if she approved. She also told me to call her cousin brother who will drive me around because she trusted him. Its nice that strangers take others under their wing. She was a little dissapointed that I've already booked and prepaid for a hotel room for my second week.

Okay, so for the London airport; still that airport could be so much better. Spending nearly two hours taking tram after tram to get to my gate to then be loaded like canned fish onto another one and driven 20 minutes is crazy! I last was at this airport 8 almost 9 years ago and it still looks like they are throwing money down the drain! The one thing I can say that was positive about that airport is, the bathrooms are super fancy!

Once we were all on the plane and we were going to the run way, the flight attendant made an announcement that that they were going to spray insecticide and is we wish, we could cover our face. The two flight attendant walked around us spraying this stuff everywhere! I don't get it, you board 400+ people onto a closed airplane and spray deadly chemicals. That would never fly in America. Has anyone else experienced this?

Almost time

It's almost boarding time, just 4 more days now. I have one more day of pottery, two dinner dates and one babysitting gig left.  The count down is nearly complete.

Packing and Planning

Yay! Everything is just about set for my upcoming trip.  I will be leaving Boston Thursday, October 27th.  Next week..... So excited!

I've been spending lots of time packing, not only my bags but also my bedroom.  I am subletting my room to a  friend while I'm away.  I literally have taken all my personal items from my room with the exception of my bed, and two book cases and have stacked them all in my closet and in the basement.  My room has a echo right now.

I have just about everything for the big trip, Plastic bags, stomach aids, airplane ears, bug shield liner, anti-theft cage, etc.  I am still awaiting the arrival of my new hiking boots, and two pairs of glasses. 

I am usually very organized and plan everything to the T.  I have taken a different approach with this trip.  I am going with an open mind and an open itinerary. I know that I'll start out in Bangalore and leave from Bangalore and there is talk about a week in March in Delhi with a friend or two, and two months teaching at a school north of Delhi.   I am working out plans for the rest of time but nothing is rigid, which is good. I am planning on visiting Kerela,  Goa, Mumbai, Gujarat, and Delhi as of right now. Keeping an open plan will allow me to see and do as much as possible.

About a week away!  Can't believe the time is near!

Here I come....

My visa arrived, I've got my airline ticket and I'm packing like crazy!!!  I am leaving October 27th and my return ticket is for April 9th.  I am scheduling my time in India and looking forward to new experiences!  Now the new challenge- getting all my things in two backpacks! Wish me luck!

Shake Hands India Volunteer Program= $3000 USD

I continue to research, plan and prepare for my upcoming trip to India on a daily basis.  I have been completing one application after the next for various schools, organization and volunteer groups.  I know that I want to get involved with the local ways, the people and their routines.  The best way to do so is to work directly with them.  I have researched many different volunteer programs and I recently applied for Sankalp through WorldWideHelpers.org.  I've been approved for a 2+ month volunteer service near Jaipur, India.  I will be spending one month working in a government run primary school teaching English and one month either doing Street Children Education or Orphanage Volunteer work.  The cost for these programs are over $3000 not including the donation of school supplies.

Living in the Boston area means spending money on everything.  Car payment, insurance, rent, household bills, cell phone, bicycle repairs etc.   If I have $3000 just laying around and nothing in particular to spend it on, what would I do?  Actually, if I weren't going to India, I would probably would just continue to pay bills!

Now comes the time for me to gather the money to cover this additional cost of the program.  Should I take out a loan? Put the entire cost on a credit card? Ask friends for donations?  I don't know.  At times like this, I wish I had a personal financial adviser!  What would you do if you were in my position?

I was searching how one goes about asking for donations and basically what I found was that people got to churches and ask the congregation for their support.  Well, that's not going to work for me.   So I guess that leaves me asking here.  Would you help support my volunteer segment of my time in India?  Below is the link to the webpage giving more detailed information about the volunteer programs and such.  I've also included a link to paypal, that's one way to donate in addition to sending checks via mail.  For paypal,  you can search for me under my email address or my phone number: shivliedeb@yahoo.com or 857-753-5532.

Thank you in advance for any donations!!!

 http://volunteeringindia.org/index.htm
https://www.paypal.com/

Visa

I’ve been preparing and planning for my trip to India for months now but it all falls onto one little stamp in my passport, the V-I-S-A!  I’ve spent weeks debating which visa to get and for how long and what the rules are for changing a visa once already in the country.  It’s actually fascinating to learn so much about it.  I officially applied for a tourist visa for 6 months.

I am stuck between a rock and a hard place right now because I don’t want to buy my plane ticket without my visa in hand. However, if I wait until I get approved the price of the tickets go up and if I plan and go later, my visa is going unused.  For instance, lets say that my visa gets approved on the 11th of October but I plan to leave on the first of November, my visa will still expire April 10th, not April 30th. It’s good for 6 months from date of issue.  I want to maximize my time in India and not cut it short due to expiring visa.  From what I understand, I am able to apply for an visa extension, which I might end up doing.

So can you see my dilemma?   I have spoken with a travel agent in the area about the cost of flights and such.  Currently, my projected departure is October 26th.  With any luck, my visa won’t get denied and I’ll leave before Halloween!

India Bound

I grew up in a small mid-western community and moved to Boston in 2002. I have always had a love for traveling and am taking that bull by the horn.  I grew up with less than the bare minimum and I turned out just fine.  In 2006, I married a man from the North African  country of Algeria.  We were divorced in 2007 and I can say with 100% affirmation that getting divorced was the best thing that has ever happened to me.  In November of 2007, I traveled to Alaska and California in separate trips.  Alaska was so great that I returned for another trip in February of 2008.  In April of 2010, I spent an amazing long weekend in Jamaica.  Still the best $1000.00 I’ve ever spent!  I’ve traveled countless times from Boston back and forth to Michigan over the years.  Currently I am a teacher at a local non-profit school in West Newton, Ma.  I’ve been teaching at this school for just over 2 years.  I am quitting my job, packing up my apartment, and lending my new car to a roommate so I can go to India.  I’ll be exploring, educating, and eating my way through the country for about 6 months!