Hello friends at home!
Our group of six arrived back in Bangalore after a week long vacation of rives and mountains. Everyone in the program had a full week to basically do whatever seemed exciting (except go to Sri Lanka or something; I think they're having a civil war) and so a group of us flew to Delhi and then bussed to Rishikesh; a town wrapped around the Ganges River. It was pretty touristy, but often that means local folks aren't as excited by our presence and let us blend in a bit more. The Ganges is an incredible river. It's girth is spanned by a large cable bridge (a favorite hang out spot for the local monkeys!) that allows one to view the sprawling pale aquamarine water as it snakes up behind the mountains. The water itself is clean and Lake Superior cold. The whole group went white water rafting down 18 Kms of the mighty river; it was amazing. The rapids completely swamped and hammered the raft with every intent to throw us into the river. We also spent some time lying on the sandy beaches, body surfing, and cliff jumping (not Brendan though!). Best $8 I ever spent.
Bethany and I awoke before sunrise to sit on the windy banks with a hot ginger chai and watch sleepy pilgrims walking down to the banks to bath. Some came with small cups to fill with icy water and wash upon solid ground, others waded into the water while gripping a long chain anchored on the shore for fear of being swept away in the swift stream. Smiling pilgrims would occasionally approach us and invite us to bath with them with a smiling gesture. So on our second day we decided to do just that. After slugging back a ginger chai for warmth (best chai in India thus far), we raced down to the water and immersed ourself in the great Ganga. The Frigid mountain water numbed the skin, but makes one remember how hot our blood is. It was such an invigorating experience, I would highly recommend it next time you're in the Ganges.
The second part of our adventure took us to the foot hills of the Himalayas (the locals pronounce it Him-ALL-ee-ah) in a little place called Mousserie. The town is nestled into the mountain side and can only be reached by a windy mountain road that invites nausea to even the hardiest of stomachs. We spent our days watching beautiful sunsets and trekking along mountain tops. At the peaks we would find hundreds if not thousands of colorful Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags. Each flag has a prayer that reflects its color that pilgrims come to place in high windy places with the belief that the wind will carry the prayer across the entire land and bless the whole community. It's a very lovely sentiment.
We met with a friend of Katies named Nan who has been living and teaching in Mousserie for a while. She was able to point us to good restaurants (Momos are the food here, basically Tibetan pot stickers!) and good hikes. We also visited a small store on top of a mountain run by a guy who traveled to Switzerland to learn cheese making and then came back to India. The cheese was expensive, but after two months of cheese-like food coming from cans, it was greatly appreciated. They also carried nostalgic foods such as chocolate chips and Western candy, which we quickly invested in.
This blog post could be a novel, but the last highlight that jumps to my mind is the human powered ferris wheel. If Facebook was less silly, I'd put some photos up (and a movie!) but basically for 40 cents we could ride on this small ferris wheel powered by a guy who walked around in the center of the machine. It looked a bit like walking up a staircase, except fifteen feet in the air and in a ferris wheel. A visual is much needed; I'll work on that.
Needless to say it was a great vacation! It was very refreshing after two months of intense social justice learning to take a break and be a tourist. It was uncomfortable though. After being so close to poverty and marginalization it was strange to be another group of Western tourists enjoying the beauties of India and taking advantage of the exchange rate. It really was an incredible week and I don't regret it for an instant, but I'm so grateful that white water rafting isn't the only reason we came to India.
Tomorrow at 6:00 AM we'll be leaving Bangalore for a whole month! Internet access will probably be limited, but I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing each of you soon!
Peace
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Greetings from the Jungles of India!
What an Adventure! A group of us spent this past weekend in the wild forests of Karnataka and Kerala on a Safari expedition. We lodged in the Jungle Inn, which provided us with bumpy jeep tours and delicious Indian food which may have unfortunately made half of us sick...
Our days started early when the sun was just creeping above the tree tops and thick, white mists still hung lazily in the brisk air. Night and morning where prime times to see elephants and other more timid animals. At night we saw lone while elephants eating along the road side, only visible by the headlights of the jeep.
"Wild elephant, very dangerous!" Our guide Chrisna would explain while driving us uncomfortably close to the four ton beast. They're so beautiful, really, and have a face that gives off an air of wisdom and overall indifference to our presence. The males are suppose to dangerous; especially when they're wandering alone because that indicate they were kicked out of the herb for being troublesome. We did get some great photos though! We had a regular we saw 3-4 time we named Ted Kennedy and he had a twisted trunk.
While driving in the jeep we saw the untamed jungles of India and a host of animals. Spotted dear with sleek, artistic antlers. Black-faced monkeys who would jump right into your vehicle looking for food if you weren't careful. Giant squirrels the size of large cats (larger than Menchi!). Wild dogs lazing about in the grass waiting for an unsuspecting deer. Monstrous Gaur munching grass in the distance (the worlds largest wild cattle). Birds with so many unique features and calls that I can hardly begin to recite them.
The floral of the jungles was unbelievable as well! The large biodiversity of India ensures a huge variety of plants, flowers, and colors that make them impossible to keep track of. What we call black pepper grows along vine-like plants. The fruit appears as small green berries which have a last like black pepper mixed with lime and have quite a kick in the back of ones throat! We had a nice hike up to a waterfall that allowed us to appreciate and soak in the plant beauty. The one cultural phenomenon that I still struggle with in India is litter. The path to the waterfall had trash containers placed some what frequently, yet where ever people go there is bound to be discarded bottles and wrapped tossed carelessly amongst the green. This is true throughout India; littering simply isn't as much of a concern as we make it to be in the states.
We also got to embark on a hiking tour through the jungles for a few hours. We split into two groups and went with three guides; one of which had a machete and the other a rifle. You never know what might pop up in the forests, although tigers usually don't take much interest to humans. We witnessed a battle between two bull elephants that invoked quite a bit of wonder and fear. The two mammoth creatures interlocked tusked and swung their heads in a slow motion aggression that made little sense to us as onlookers. After a while they began to blare their loud trumpet sounds, which resulted in our guides suggesting that we should probably run away now. Not an everyday experience.
Next week takes us to the Himalayas!!! We're so excited and I'm sure to have many more stories to tell upon getting back to Vishtar. I hope everyone is enjoying the cold and snow back home (I mean that, I'm quite nostalgic for cool weather). Take care and enjoy Minnesota's beauty!
Our days started early when the sun was just creeping above the tree tops and thick, white mists still hung lazily in the brisk air. Night and morning where prime times to see elephants and other more timid animals. At night we saw lone while elephants eating along the road side, only visible by the headlights of the jeep.
"Wild elephant, very dangerous!" Our guide Chrisna would explain while driving us uncomfortably close to the four ton beast. They're so beautiful, really, and have a face that gives off an air of wisdom and overall indifference to our presence. The males are suppose to dangerous; especially when they're wandering alone because that indicate they were kicked out of the herb for being troublesome. We did get some great photos though! We had a regular we saw 3-4 time we named Ted Kennedy and he had a twisted trunk.
While driving in the jeep we saw the untamed jungles of India and a host of animals. Spotted dear with sleek, artistic antlers. Black-faced monkeys who would jump right into your vehicle looking for food if you weren't careful. Giant squirrels the size of large cats (larger than Menchi!). Wild dogs lazing about in the grass waiting for an unsuspecting deer. Monstrous Gaur munching grass in the distance (the worlds largest wild cattle). Birds with so many unique features and calls that I can hardly begin to recite them.
The floral of the jungles was unbelievable as well! The large biodiversity of India ensures a huge variety of plants, flowers, and colors that make them impossible to keep track of. What we call black pepper grows along vine-like plants. The fruit appears as small green berries which have a last like black pepper mixed with lime and have quite a kick in the back of ones throat! We had a nice hike up to a waterfall that allowed us to appreciate and soak in the plant beauty. The one cultural phenomenon that I still struggle with in India is litter. The path to the waterfall had trash containers placed some what frequently, yet where ever people go there is bound to be discarded bottles and wrapped tossed carelessly amongst the green. This is true throughout India; littering simply isn't as much of a concern as we make it to be in the states.
We also got to embark on a hiking tour through the jungles for a few hours. We split into two groups and went with three guides; one of which had a machete and the other a rifle. You never know what might pop up in the forests, although tigers usually don't take much interest to humans. We witnessed a battle between two bull elephants that invoked quite a bit of wonder and fear. The two mammoth creatures interlocked tusked and swung their heads in a slow motion aggression that made little sense to us as onlookers. After a while they began to blare their loud trumpet sounds, which resulted in our guides suggesting that we should probably run away now. Not an everyday experience.
Next week takes us to the Himalayas!!! We're so excited and I'm sure to have many more stories to tell upon getting back to Vishtar. I hope everyone is enjoying the cold and snow back home (I mean that, I'm quite nostalgic for cool weather). Take care and enjoy Minnesota's beauty!
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