On my first day in India, I had a field class for International Mass Communications that visited a media academy and news/TV station. Part of the reason this program is so cool is exactly that, getting to visit places around the world that directly relate to what I learn about in class, especially a class that deals with international matters.
The next day I fell asleep like an idiot so I didn’t explore like I wanted to before my flight from Kochi to New Delhi. I think that ended up being a blessing in disguise though because the next three days went by in such a blur that sometimes it takes me a minute to remember what happened when.
We got to our Airbnb around 10 and met up with our other friends who got there that morning. We spent a full hour trying to order some sort of food and using the ridiculously fast (aka standard speed at home) wifi. Some of them walked to a store they’d seen earlier, but it was closed when they got there. By the time we sang happy birthday to Dragosh at midnight, I think we’d given up on the idea of food.
By 3 am, the 10 of us were standing outside the gate for the neighborhood we were staying in, desperately trying to get 2 UberXL’s that were willing to take us the 3 hours to Agra in time to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Pro Tip: impromptu photo shoots are the best way to pass time standing on the side of a major rode in a foreign country in the middle of the night.
We did get there, but not until long after the sun rose, much closer to 8 am than the 6:30 that we intended. By that point, we were just happy to be there at all. The moment our Uber driver got us, he told us he’d been driving for 24 hours and asked if we minded him getting us a different driver. We agreed, but then he proceeded to tell us that his brother in law would take us and we were going to go meet him. After about an hour of driving in the opposite direction of the Taj Mahal, asking about 15 times how close we were and always getting a reply of ‘soon’ or ‘five more minutes’, we were all getting a little worried. We had 3 guys and 3 girls in the car, and honestly when your friends that are either A. 6’2” or B. have completed a half Iron Man race as a teenage girl start to get nervous about something possibly happening, you get nervous real quick.
Despite getting there late, it was the golden hour of the morning, the perfect temperature and the most amazing lighting. Seeing the TajMahal in real life is something that, even in early October, I didn’t think I would get to do anytime soon, if ever.
I saw my friend Nick face timing his family, and quickly followed suit because it had not even occurred to me but it was the best idea.Being able to show something so amazing to my parents and brother and Aunt Vicki and Linda was something that I am so grateful I had the opportunity to share.
We spent hours walking around and taking pictures, but every so often I just sort of stopped in my tracks because I just wanted to look at it.
So many people asked us for pictures, my friend Jun said that I looked like a Disney princess. Later, he also told me the skirt I had bought 2 days earlier was completely see through, so maybe that had something to do with it, but who knows really.
Our group was big and had split up at some point, so we took some very concerningly fast and close tuk tuk rides to try and meet up for lunch. It didn’t end up working out, but we got great food before checking out the Agra fort and finding our way back to New Delhi.
The ride back from the Taj Mahal was only a little less stressful than the earlier ride, and a lot hotter and more crammed. Every single person from India on the ship had told us not to take buses, but when we could not find a single Uber or taxi after trying for way too long, that seemed like our option. We fit 6 people into the very back bench of the bus,which stopped at the weirdest times in very rural places and had virtually no air flow at all. My personal favourite moment was when a gecko fell on Jun when he was sleeping and probably scarred the poor kid for life.
We all got back and showered before going to dinner at this place called Informal for Dragosh’s birthday. It had the coolest atmosphere with tables on the ground surrounded by mats to sit on and we had the absolute best time eating and drinking and dancing there. I always think it’s so funny how much American music is played in places like that all over the world. After Informal we went to another place called Café 27 where we saw other SAS kids and Dragosh and I found another room and danced with all locals to traditional music. They showed us how they dance when they go out and that was even cooler than just having fun with each other. It was definitely one of the best things we did in India, by far.
Our second day in New Delhi went a lot smoother. We started at a smoothie place which is by far the clutchest place in the city, it fed us multiple times and we called it the Radisson of India. (We went to the Radisson Red in Cape Town multiple times to finesse some wifi or cheap food, so it only seemed fitting since we didn’t even know the name of the smoothie place.)
I saw Qutub Minar, which is the tallest freestanding tower that’s base is made of brick as well as the tower. It was stunning and Dragosh and I explored for so long that we had to sprint back to the bus so we wouldn’t miss it. The Lotus Temple was stunning on its own, but we arrived right at sunset so that the sun looked like it was being cradled by the top folds of the structure and it was one of the coolest things we got to see. India gate that night reminded me of the way that people in Paris stand around the Eiffel tower just to be there. Everyone was getting food from vendors or simply strolling with their families and, while it was still incredibly busy, it was also nice.
That night after dinner, and drinks, I sporadically bought a plane ticket after calling my aunt, brother, and Brooke. I wanted to stay with the half of the group that was flying out 12 hours later than I was scheduled to because they planned on taking a train to Jaipur the next day and it was something that I didn’t want to miss. It definitely didn’t take me much more than Laila hyping me up for me to be like “dude yeah I’m gonna do it” if that says anything about my decisions. After getting back to our place and sleeping for about an hour and a half we got up and got ready to leave, but I was exhausted and didn’t feel great after having slept for maybe 6 hours during our entire time in New Delhi. I said that I was tired to Dragosh and he told me just to stay at the Airbnb so I was like “cool I’m not gonna do it.”
I went back to sleep for a couple hours and when we woke up,the whole group that was going to the train station was back because the train had been completely sold out for the day. Basically, I like to think that it was just the universe looking out for me and letting me get a couple extra hours of sleep.
It was Nick’s birthday that day, and I think that the best present for him, and the rest of us, was to get out of New Delhi. As great of a time as we’d had, it was definitely overwhelming and a lot to handle. (I did have the best veggie burger I’ve eaten in my life in that airport though, so a win overall, I’d say.)
We got back in the evening and went straight to the biggest mall in India. Picture Mall of America, but with cooler food choices(; By the time we got back to the ship, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so completely exhausted.
On the last day, back in Kochi, some of us did a tour of the Kerala backwaters and got to just relax finally and see some of the local interactions in the area. I got to go to Princess Street which is pretty big and I was worried I’d miss it since I had limited time in Kochi.
India was a crazy experience, and I learned so much about myself as a traveler. That’ll come soon, though.
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