India from Kel's Perspective

So... what can I say about India that sums it all up in one small phrase? Chaos? Sensory overload? Anus of the Globe? Home of simplicity, peace, beauty and love? They all seem to fit for some odd reason!
We arrived in Delhi to experience the culture shock that we thought we would get in Kuwait but didn't. People EVERYWHERE.... but it's not the people that are the biggest source of chaos. There are cows, donkeys, goats, dogs, people, sewage, bonfires, bicycles, rickshaws, cars, trucks, motorbikes, pedestrians and a large amount of poor people selling things on any given street here. Horns are constant and the choas is undescribable but yet amoungst it all thepeople are calm and happy.
The poverty is like nothing I have ever seen. On our night tour of Delhi there were people everywhere. If you are white they gather around you like you are a celebrity. We took our shoes off to go into this Hindu temple where people were gathered and when we entered all eyes were on us... the kids gathered around us and just watched and said hello. Harmless... but couldn't help but grab my purse a bit tighter. White people mean money and many of the people have obviously never seen a white person before.
Many sleep in the streets on ragged mats and obviously live there. There are people lining the boulevards and meridians of the streets all sleeping on mats. It's amazing to view from the outside but can be very uncomfortable as soon as you step from your cab. We are getting used to the attention, however, and the shock is not as great now. We took the train from Delhi to Agra Yesterday (another interesting experience) and arrived in the late afternoon. We woke up at 5:30 this morning to go to the Taj Mahal and see the sunrise from it. A truly amazing sight. GORGEOUS monument... truly breathtaking. Our driver took us to the Agra fort and we saw where the old town of Agra used to be enclosed. Lots of forts here from the Anicent Indus Civilization... very interesting for a history buff like me!
Our first stop after the fort was a carpet factory which ended up being the coolest experience we have had here. The man taught us how they make tradtional Indian Carpets and we even got to help make them by tying a few pieces of yarn on with the workers who were very nice. We ended up buying some beautfiul carpets for the house at a very low price. In India, everything is cheap. Our average dinner bill (for a really nice dinner) is $7!
I keep my leftovers and give then to the women in the street who live in tents along the side of the road. The women today was sitting quietly with her little baby and wasn't even begging... she just looked exhausted. I gave her my lunch leftovers and her eyes went wide as she looked at me in a misture of shock and disbelief. Hopefully she enojoyed the meal as much as I did! We are thinking of buying some groceries and bottled water and giving it to her and her family. We haven't exchanged words... just a look of understanding. I feel horrible for her and can't believe that so many people live like her here in India. We have no idea just how lucky EVERYONE in Canada is. We don't have this... even if people live on the street their is somewhere to go and get food. People here have no toilets and no food. There children are forced to sell things to tourists just to get money. It's heartbreaking yet so oddly beautiful.
Amoungst the garbage and tragedy is something undesribably wonderful. I can't put it into words... it just is.
That's a recap of the trip so far. We leave for Umaria and Bandhavgar National Park tomorrow to go on the Tiger safari. Hopefully we get better at aiming for the hole in the bottom of the train floor that serves as a toilet because our train ride is 12 hours... no AC. We are roughing it... but it makes you stronger. Not a trip for the faint of heart or weak of the mind... Ryan's a good candidate to travel with. It's easy to get lost in the poverty but it's nice to have a husband alongside you who sees the beauty in the people and the land as well. It very lush and green... something we don't see in Kuwait!
Til next time!