HOLY COW(S) in INDIA!!!

March 11, 2008
From the minute I woke up I could smell the burnt trash smell that comes along with the country. The outside decks were covered with plastic because of all the pollution, dirt and dust in the air. Cardboard was duct taped down on the carpeted areas... a great first impression.
We arrived in Chennai this morning and it took the ship a long time to be cleared by customs, security, etc. so everyone was frenzied and running around like mad people trying to make their plane flights. I had an afternoon flight and our bus took off on the crazy streets with lines in the road that no one pays any attention to. Horns are used as blinkers, friendly reminders and for no reason at all. The ride to the airport was a good introduction to the way all of India was going to look from here on out: trash everywhere in the streets, sidewalks, fields. Dirty kids in clothes that looked to be weeks old begging on the streets. People "relieving" themselves in fields right next to the road. Goats, pigs, cows and monkeys randomly all over. And, mosquitos of course!
The plane ride to Delhi was 2.5 hours and accompanied by the nicest airline attendants ever. We were handed cold, scented towels during takeoff to clean up with. A full meal, followed by tea and then candies and mints to finish. The US has some serious work to do.
Our hotel was absolutely beautiful and had a bunch of shops in it so we spent the afternoon buying fun stuff! All of our meals were included with our hotels. The spicy Indian food was a great change from ship food and surprisingly very tasty. I especially liked the desserts (no surprise there)! It was a late night and the beds were amazing!

March 12, 2008
4:00 AM wake up call! Tea at 4:30 and on the bus at 5:00. We were dropped at the train station which was already filled with venders and travelers... our first experience with being mauled by venders which was overwhelming for so early in the morning and not expecting to have to fight our way through a station which was apparently shelter to a ton of homeless people that sleep on the hard cement ground. Our train ride was 2 hours to Agra, we arrived at our hotel by 8:00 AM and served breakfast then went to an old fort of a Mongolian King.
The King had 3 wives and the only one who gave him a son was the Hindu one therefore she was the favored wife (he already had a bunch of girls). Everywhere in India men are favored over women. It is a huge problem here because there are so many gender-selected abortions and the gender ratio is terrible which leaves men unmarried and therefore lower in the caste system. Anyway this king made three different chambers in his fort for each wife and the Hindu one was the biggest and most beautiful. Everything was very weathered down and the most impressive part was how large the fort was.
After lunch we asked to be brought to a market and our tour guide brought us to a place where the locals buy their clothes and products-not exactly what we were going for. We were gawked at and haggled by beggars and felt very uncomfortable.
Just to make it clear when I say that there are poor people this is what it looks like: at least two of the people are deformed in some way, either with elephantitis feet, spine deformities, or the most common which people dont have feeling or control of their legs so they use their arms to get around and drag themselves on the ground. Everyone is very dirty and the kids just scream to get your attention and then put their hands to their mouths or make the gesture of a pen, comb or toothbrush. The things we take for granted. All they want is a pen to play with and we stand there with our digital cameras and take pictures. -If i would have known I would have brought a Costco sized bin of Bic Pens to make these children happy. These people poop on the street and the students on my bus complain about having to move all of their stuff into their new apartments when they get home. Some of them will never realize how fortunate they are to have STUFF to move into a HOUSE.
The entire country is so trashed I just dont understand. Who started this throwing of the trash and where did they get the idea that it would be okay. The air is so dirty my snot is black. Students from the ship have to take their inhalers all day long because they cannot breathe through this air. Who is to blame and what can be done?

March 13, 2008
The big day. We started early again, 6:00 AM and went to a different fort called the Agra Fort, it was much bigger and much more beautiful than the one we saw yesterday. Stone and marble walls with intricate designs carved into every crevice you could see. The man who built the Taj Mahal was imprisoned by his grandson and kept in this fort until he died (8 years). They imprisoned him because he wanted to build another building to mirror the Taj and he was using up all of the city's money.
Now it was time for one of the seven wonders of the world: the Taj Mahal! The security is very tight, they frisk you down and wont allow anything but cameras. As you walk through a large arch the Taj becomes more visible through the cloudy day and gave me the chills. It didn't seem possible that I could actually be looking at one of the most beautiful buildings in all the world. I can't believe it only took 22 years to build with how much work was put into it. The inside is not nearly as special as the outside. It is dark and small. The tombs are chambered behind tall marble walls. The outside could have been stared at for hours. There really is no way to explain how extravagant this place is. No words, no pictures, nothing can do the Taj Mahal justice except for seeing it itself. The vibe was so serene and although it is a tomb only good vibes came from the love that was put into it.
After lunch we went to Mother Theresa's Ashram to visit the orphan kids. We knew it was going to be sad, but we showed up with stickers and crayons hoping for the best. Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw. One section was for older people with downs-syndrome and other forms of retardation, the other section was for the children. The sick, deformed, diseased poor and orphaned children. We dont see people like this in the states because they are kept in places specially for them, these people have nowhere else to go. The nuns watch over them with loving-care, but that is not enough. There may not be cures for everything, but their coughs and sniffles need more. The back room had the children in the worst shape, unable to do anything but sit with their bone diseases and smile at nothing. It was heartbreaking and an eye-opener to how much our medical world can do, but in our world.
We finished our day off with a little more shopping and dinner then went to the train station to go back to Delhi. It was a late night.

March 14, 2008
I didn't think that there was anything better than the Taj Mahal in India but my day today was probably my favorite. It started off with a stop at the Ghandi Memorial where his ashes are buried and an eternal flame is surrounded by acres of beautiful garden. We went to multiple temples around Delhi. A Sikh, Hindu and Baha'i temple. They were all very different and so pretty. Each one I wanted to stay in and just sit and breathe all day long. Just when I was feeling like the world had nothing good in it I was renewed with a peace that I could feel in life. All of the traveling and arrogant people, the poor and the sick, the way of the world- it didn't make sense and still may not but the warmth I felt in these temples with these people... it was uplifting. Each temple had its own designs very different from the next.
The Sikh Temple was small with a huge and colorful shrine where they keep their holy book. We had to cover our heads to go inside and we sat on the ground as the priest-like people chanted and everyone around prayed. Outside was a huge holy-water pool where people splash or drink the water to cure them or keep their health.
The Hindu Temple was very large, all white marble with colorful paintings and statues of the Lord Krishna (G-d of Love) everywhere. You could walk around and still miss parts of the temple after an hour. Women come here a lot to pray that they will find a partner and be blessed with a good arranged marriage. Standing there made me feel all of the love I have and people I miss from back home. It was sad and happy at the same time because I was alone but could feel the love I never want to go away.
The Baha'i Temple was far away but worth the drive. It is in the shape of a lotus flower (the symbol of purity) and surrounded by nine pools of water. Their religion revolves around the number nine. They are currently the fasting growing religion and building nine temples around the world (seven of which are already built). There is no talking allowed when you are inside. A woman was singing at the alter and the acoustics were beautiful. It was definitely the most peaceful temple of the day. Natural lighting from the sun and natural cooling from the pools- it was calming and contenting.
A flight to Chennai and back to the ship around 12:00 AM.

March 15, 2008
Exhausted and dirty I woke up to join my friends for a traditional Indian breakfast at a house in town. (Caroline's dad is in town for business and staying at his friend's house so we went there and used their chauffeur for the day). We were brought to Mahabalipuram (an ancient city of the Pallava kings) where huge amounts of stone were sculpted and shaped into temple prototypes with animals and amazing designs. This was the first hot day since we were much more south and lucked out with the weather everywhere else. How the women wear clothing that completely covers them, I do not know.
We drove back to Chennai and went to an Indian shopping mall. We got henna drawn on our hands and bought scarves and other goodies. We were tight for time and getting anywhere in India takes at least 3 times longer than it should because there are so many people in rickshaws, busses, motor-scooters and on bikes. After changing quickly at the ship we went to a dinner at a very nice hotel and celebrated our last night in India (Caroline's dad's treat)!
Now we are on the ship and taking off toward Malaysia where I will be flying to Singapore. And I cant wait!

FUN FACTS:
-Cows really are holy in India. They do not eat them or even bother them. If a cow is sitting in the middle of the street or walking across the road, the entire city stops around it because they cannot be pushed, shoved or bothered in any way. The McDonalds only sells chicken burgers. In the south you can sometimes find buffalo burgers, but it is hard to come by.
-Exchange rate: 38 rupees = $1 US
-Population: 1.2 billion people in a country the size of Australia
- 55% of population is between ages of 15-25
-Women must have shoulders and legs covered at all times (including us)
-Population is 80% Hindu
-324 district languages in the country, Hindi is the most prevalent
-Tea is served with every meal and now I am addicted
- Everywhere we went we had to take our shoes off, even the Ghandi Memorial which was outside-so basically I picked up every germ alive just by walking in temples, gardens, and random outdoor places my guide said it was to keep dirty things from entering sacred places, but I am almost certain there has to be more to a tradition that started millions of years ago.