The Incredible India Trip 2011

a short summary about the trip and itinerary.

About 2 weeks a go, I just finished my trip to India with @qronoz and @justva, and coming back home. But why India? Some people said India is beautiful, another one said it’s just ordinary . Some people expect it to be Incredible, and  some others is just not interested. But to be honest, if it was not because of the airline promotion I wouldn’t be there, and now, I’m glad I’ve been there.

India is, in a word, complicated. It is a complex, diverse and challenging country to travel through, but an eye-opening, and amazing at the same time.  Travel through it can not only broaden your horizons but your mind too. Everyone share a different story and experiences. One is curious to know what another’s India Experience is like as if there is no certainty . And it’s true. Some of them had a bad experiences in India and said they never want to go back again. But another one were falling in love and said  about the opposite. After all, it’s India. In my last few weeks, I have seen more parts of India that have really opened my eyes to what it is like out there. Of course, with a greedy itinerary to see as much as we can see in India, 17 days there was not deep enough to understand 7 cities I visited and whole part of India. Yet, my India trip experiences was more like picking up some pieces in each cities, and shape it to another form of my  own perspective on India.

Though we can still find some similarity while back in Jakarta, almost every senses of my body were stimulated by different kind of experiences I used to have when I was in India. Everyday my ears have to deal with the aggressive honk from the road, a total chaos in general sense , while lost in translation at the same time. My eyes bombarded with vivid and blink colors, together with some old Bollywood scenes in mind. The food was okay for me at the beginning, but not for everyday menu. My skin become dry  and less humid (it was November, early winter in India) and the air feel dustier than back home, I remember  whenever I scratched my skin because of itchy feeling, or try to pick my nose there, my nail turned to be dirty and black. At the first time, I was thinking like maybe I’m the one who’s not clean enough , but then I know, It was not only me. But again, different city, different experiences. And what is written in my post maybe just a little stories and experiences I had. Anything can happen in India.

The Itinerary

My itinerary started from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as our flight connect trough it and spending a day in Kuala Lumpur before the India trip for me was a good decision. It was like a small transition before you see the real Indian as there many Indian blood Malaysian lives in KL. Try to visit little India area, or go to one of the famous hindu temple in KL, named Batu Caves where you can meet, and learn something from them for your journey in India.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Chennai is my starting point in India. Formerly known as Madras, Chennai is the 4th largest city in India and the capital state of Tamil Nadu the southern part of India. It might be not a main tourist destination but I quite enjoyed it. In Chennai, you can visit some sight like St.George Fort, an ex-british colonial area,wandering around the city and get lost. But, marina beach is my favorite spot in Chennai. No..not because the beach is that beautiful, but there you can feel and see how the local people spend their quality time with the family, how their interact each other, their behavior, their favorite local street food, their unique “odong2″(do you know the word in english? :p ) ,decoration of their stroll, and much more. It’s also the second longest beach in the world. After all, it’s another unique beach experiences. On the next day, you can visit one of the UNESCO wold heritage visit in Mahabalipuram/Mamalapuram. A sea shore temple complex, where you can learn and see a story about Mahabarata and arjuna in India version. Spend a full day there and get yourself a tour guide, it’s a worth visit.

It was Idul Adha when I was in Chennai, although it was not as lively as in Indonesia we still can feel the vibe when we visit the near masjid around. In India Idul Adha called a Bakr Eid, most the muslim sacrifice a camel and goat for the qurban. 13% of the people in India is a muslim, in each city we can find a masjid easily, and most of the restaurant serve vegetarian food because of the hinduism influences so no worry about halal food. For me the most interesting thing is to see another spectrum of muslim population in India, where we can see  how the culture and hinduism influences their way differently than what muslim in Indonesia do.

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

As the capital of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad offer us a different experience from Chennai. Well known for the center of muslim study in India, it’s not surprising to know the city was built by the help of Iranian architect on a grid plan. Start your city tour by visiting  Qutb Shahi Tombs, where you can see 7 beautiful pieces of architecture using the domed structure as a tomb of the 7 king from Qutb shahi dynasty, many India muslim come here for ziarah and visit the library/museum inside the complex. Then continue to Golconda fort, the previous capital of the Qutb Shahi kingdom on the top of the hill where you can see the whole Hyderabad city from it. After it don’t forget to visit the icon of the city Charminar, literally means the four minaret, in the middle of city surrounded by a great bazaar where you can shop pearls and bangles. Not very far from it, there is a Mecca Masjid, one of the biggest masjid in India. People said that it was called a Mecca Masjid because of there was a tombs which the stone are brought from Mecca. And if you like to see a palace, don’t miss a Chowmahalla palace that got UNESCO Asia Pacific Merit award for cultural heritage conservation. The last and my favorit: visiting the Birla Mandir Temple in the evening when you can see the sun and the moon is up the same time, priceless!

Autorickshow or what we call here as a bajaj, is the main reliable transportation for us back then. Our host help us to arrange it with the driver they know. There’s no huge differences compare to bajaj in Jakarta. But most of autorickshaw there is newer and more like blue BBG bajaj here, except when we were in the Rajhastan, where the auto has bigger space and the decoration element is more Rajhastani.

 Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Known also as Benares, Varanasi is the sacred city for the Hindus in India. It is said that hindu pilgrim come to Varanasi because of the Ganges River. They believe whenever you come and take a bath there, the waters of the Ganges has the power to wash away your sin. That’s why we can see all the time people cleaning themselves and dipping into the water from a series of stairs/step leading down called ghats. It is also believed that if you die in this city your rencarnation is guaranteed. Many believer, when they see their death close, come here to just spend their last days. So it is a very common vision to see old and sick people simply sitting on the ghats or the streets, just waiting to die. There are 10 ghats in Varanasi, each has it own meaning and function. But most tourist visit Dasaswamedh Ghat - the main ghat and site of the large evening aarti everyday; and Manikarnika Ghat - the main cremation ghat where people put the dead body and stuff. So don’t be surprised if you see a dead body floating right next to your boat. For me, in many ways Varanasi symbolise the good and the bad sides of human world perfectly

My train to Varanasi from Hyderabad, is the longest train I have ever experienced in my live. Yes, it was 28 hours journey. But thanks to the Indian Railways system that made it possible for me to sleep nicely along the way because of their sleeper berth. Compare to Indonesia, the railway system in India is much more developed. The class has more variation with a sleeper class as their basic, we can book it online, and even they have their own foreign quota for the tourist. While traveling in India, using train to move from one city to another  is really recommended. It’s not only because it is cheap and comfortable, but also you can have the opportunity to meet and talk with a strangers which is fun .

Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

For the first timer to India, Agra shouldn’t be missed. The reason is, of course, to see  and feel the great masterpieces of  Taj Mahal by yourself, the symbol of an eternal love in Agra. Built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, Taj Mahal has become one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. But it’s not the only sites in the city, there are also Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) nearby. Three of them is beautiful in their on way. Imagining how can they built something like that is always wow.

Jodhpur, Rajhastan.

As a second largest city in Rajhastan, Jodhpur show you another taste of India. Everything seems brighter and saturated there. The sun is overexposed, the women use less pattern dress in a brighter colors, less accessories yet bolder and the man use a turban to cover their head. Whole the city were painted in a blue color,and from what I’ve heard it’s to make the ‘cool’ ambience in those sahara climate. We can enjoy the amazing view of the city from Mehrangar Fort which is located on the top of the hill. Founded by Rao Jodha from the Rathore clan, Mehrangar Fort in Jodhpur has become my most favorite fort to visit during the trip. It is not  as touristic as Agra, with the help from audio tour, the space experiences there is awesome. The delicate sandstone screens and carvings are exquisite. A number of people are employed dress in a period costume and doing photogenic things like playing traditional instruments and smoke opium (real opium).  Too bad my time there is limited, so I don’t have a chance to get lost and explore more.

Jaipur, Rajhastan.

The Pink City, is what Jaipur known for. It is said that In 18th century the previous king had the entire old city painted pink, a colour associated with hospitality, to welcome a princes from Britain. I spent only one day to explore the city of Jaipur by visiting the stunning Amber fort on the hilltop with the the Sheesh Mahal inside, a hall with thousands  of mirror tiles on the walls and ceiling. Then continue to the city palace in the old town, and enjoyed the sunset from the monkey temple. Another three day I spent in Jaipur is to attend and join a wedding ceremony  from the fellow couchsurfer. It was unforgettable experiences and I will tell you the story about it later on the special post.

Delhi.

Delhi is a capital city of India and it was my last stop point for the trip before flight back to Jakarta via Chennai then to Kuala Lumpur. In Delhi, I was living in Pahar ganj area that famous for shopping. Too bad, I was not feeling well back then,  and just spent the rest of my day in Delhi sleeping and eating.