twenty-four – day eleven: delhi and heading home

Our hired driver arrived in the late morning to drive us first to Old Delhi.  Emily and I wanted to visit the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India.  Our driver dropped us off at the end of a street filled with stands selling everything you could think of which led up to the stairs to the mosque. 

We ascended the stairs to enter the mosque.  As we approached, we were stopped by a man who was manning the entrance.  He told us that it was 400RS to enter the mosque; however, we knew from our Lonely Planet book that the mosque was free.  We told him this, and he changed his tune.  It became instead just 200RS for a camera.  This was unsurprising as most places in India charge you to take photos.  Although I had my camera, I didn’t really want to take pictures inside the mosque.  I only wanted to walk around and appreciate the architecture and tranquility of the sacred space.  Unfortunately, the men guarding the entrance had other ideas.  I explained that I didn’t want to take pictures and put my camera away.  They said that I was lying and that I would take pictures and so I must pay the 200RS.  I insisted that I would not, showed them that it was put away, and Emily and I tried to enter.  They blocked our path and yelled at us again that we were lying about the camera and that we must pay 200RS.  Emily and I had passed a state security officer at the bottom of the stairs, and so we decided to walk back down to check with him about the situation.  He said that there definitely was not an entrance fee but that there was probably a charge for the camera.  I explained that I didn’t want to use the camera; I just wanted to go in.  He said it wasn’t a problem and sent us back up the stairs.  Just to be safe, I slipped my camera into a hidden zippered pocket in my pants (thank goodness for fabulous travelling pants from REI!), and Emily and I tried again.  The men again yelled at us about the camera and demanded to check our bags and pockets.  We turned them inside out and showed them that we didn’t have a camera.  He again yelled that I must have it, and I lied, telling him that our driver was at the bottom of the stairs and that I left my camera with the driver.  He finally bought the story (after telling Emily that it would be a 1000RS fine if she used her iPhone to take photos) and reluctantly allowed us to pass – but not before insisting that we put on these ridiculous hospital gown looking robes to cover ourselves, even though we were dressed more conservatively than some of the Indian Muslim women in the mosque.  Once inside, we noticed that they made all foreigners, men and women, wear these robes.  We assume that the robes served as an easy identifier of foreigners to the mosque workers so they could demand to see a ticket of proof of the 200RS paid if someone was taking pictures.  To be honest, I don’t even remember what the mosque looked like inside or if I thought it was beautiful.  I was too pissed and annoyed by the treatment by the men at the gate.  This was not an auspicious start to our few hours in Old Delhi.

After exiting the mosque through a different gate than the one through which we entered, we walked to Nai Sarak Marg – a street famous for its stationary stores.  Every single store on this street sells stationary: wedding invitations, envelopes, cards, everything.  Emily and I looked around a few stores before stopping into one to buy some envelopes with blank inserts.  When we returned to the street about 20 minutes later, a huge traffic jam had developed and total gridlock ensued.  The sidewalks had also become packed with people, mostly men, and the walk down the street quickly became uncomfortable.  A man sitting on a curb tried to grab at Emily, and we walked as fast as possible back towards our driver’s parking spot.  Needless to say, Emily and I did not have a positive experience in Old Delhi.

After the craziness of the morning, we decided to play it low key for the afternoon.  We went to the National Museum of India, which was fantastic, and then got lunch at McDonald’s.  Yes, McDonald’s.  It was surprisingly good.  I had a McAloo Tikki and we split a large fry.  We then spent the rest of the late afternoon at Humayan’s Tomb, the mausoleum of a Mughal emperor who died in the sixteenth century.  It was quiet and serene and a welcome change from the craziness of the streets of Delhi. 

Emily and I spent a lot of time walking around the ground of Humayan’s Tomb and then we just sat for awhile on one of the walls, talking.  Before long, it was time to head to the airport.  Emily’s Kingfisher Air flight to Mumbai was at 9:40pm, and my Air France flight to Paris was at 1:45am.  Fortunately, we were in the same terminal (although through different security and gate areas) and so we were able to grab dinner at the in the airport at Costa Coffee.  When she left to pass through security on the domestic side of the terminal, a wave of sadness overcame me and my eyes filled with tears.  I probably won’t see her again until September, and I felt as though there was so much we didn’t talk about.  I cherish the time we spent together in India – not only because it was just the two of us travelling together without significant others or family or because it was such a unique and memorable experience.  No.  I feel privileged to finally see my sister in the country that is such a significant part of her life.  My sister lives and breathes India.  It is an integral part of who she is, and if I am allowed only one thing to be grateful for, it is to have been given a brief glimpse of that piece of Emily’s life.  I appreciate having the opportunity to share in the experience that is India with Emily and of connecting with her on a different level than I have done in the past.  It is a feeling I will treasure forever.

I boarded my flight at 1am, leaving India feeling exhausted but happy.  It was a whirlwind experience, but one I will never forget.

twenty-three – day ten: agra

We left the Hilton at 5am on Tuesday, March 15^th with a driver who we had hired for the approximately three hour drive each way.  Emily napped on and off for the majority of the journey to Agra.  I was only able to sleep for the first hour or so.  For the next two hours, I stared out the windows as the sun rose over the towns and villages that we passed.  The sunrises and sunsets in India are the most beautiful reds and oranges.  I feel bad saying that they are beautiful, because I know that the vibrant colors are primarily due to the extreme pollution in the air, but they really can be breathtaking.  The land of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh through which we drove was very flat and dotted with trees.  Much of it was farmland occasionally interrupted by smokestacks for small factories or fields of buffaloes or goats.  We passed through dozens of towns and villages along the way, each looking much like the one before.  Trash, grazing animals, and small family-run convenience store/restaurant combinations lined the roads between.  It was a quiet and peaceful drive; we arrived to Agra at about 8:30am.

Our first stop was the most recognized landmark in all of India – the Taj Mahal.  Our driver dropped us at the ticket building and Emily and I hopped into one of the free, state-run carts that drove us to the entrance of the Taj Mahal grounds.  After skillfully sidestepping and avoiding the hawkers, we entered a small gate in the walls surrounding the Taj and approached the Great Gate.  As we walked towards the Great Gate, I got a small glimpse of the very top of one of the Taj’s domes and inhaled quickly and found that I was getting teary.  I realized at that moment that I was about to see one of the most amazing and celebrated man-made structures in the world.  I got the same feeling when I first saw the Great Wall of China outside Beijing.  In each of these moments, I felt both excited and serene, significant and small.  I had a sense of being part of something much bigger, historical and important in some way. 

We entered through the Great Gate and got our first full glimpse of the Taj Mahal.

 

It looks so incredibly large and awe-inspiring from the Gate.  And, then, surprisingly, once you get up close, you realize that it’s remarkably smaller than you thought.  The rooms inside seem undersized for the overall scale of the Taj Mahal and its grounds, although the details are breathtaking.   

For symmetry, there are two identical buildings on either side of the Taj Mahal – a mosque and a jawab.  (Jawab literally means “answer” and was built to mirror the mosque.)  Emily and I spent quite some time wandering around the Taj, walking through the mosque and jawab and gazing across the Yamuna River which runs behind the mausoleum.  

After spending almost two hours at the Taj Mahal, Emily and I walked back to the car lot to find our driver and headed to the nearby Agra Fort.  The Agra Fort is a walled city used by the Mughals in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries.  Although less famous than the Taj Mahal, it is quite impressive in its own right.  It has gorgeous views of the Taj Mahal and the Yamuna River, and the structures inside the walls of the fort are striking.

 

As we left, we came across a few dozen monkeys wandering the Agra Fort grounds.

Before departing Agra, we stopped at the Tomb of Akbar the Great, who died in 1605.  This tomb was a predecessor to the Taj Mahal, and it has the same symmetry.  The buildings are in various states of repair, as restoration work is actively underway, but the majority of the structures have been wonderfully restored to their original state.

 

We departed Agra and headed for home in the late afternoon, finally arriving back to the hotel around dinnertime.  We wandered over to the nearby mall to find a place to eat, as we didn’t feel like spending any more time in a car to find someplace.  We ate at an upscale Indian restaurant, sharing appetizers, and got a slice of chocolate cake at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf before heading to bed. 

Only one day left in India …

twenty-two – a break from india for a minute: god’s april fool’s day joke

For all of you in the northeast of the United States, you know what I’m talking about.  God played quite the prank on us today.  One that he hadn’t pulled since April 1, 1997.  Snow.  

This is what CA's campus looked like today.

I am SO ready for spring.  I would kill for a 55 degree, sunny day.   

Please God.  Bring on the spring!!!

twenty-two: recipes from india

Here are the recipes that we learned to make at our cooking class in Fort Kochin. All recipes are courtesy of Jasmin at Jasmin Villa.  Enjoy!!

Chappati

Combine in bowl:

400 grams of flour (a mix of half white and half wheat is best)

½ tsp salt

Mix together with fingers.

Add 3 tbsp sunflower oil and mix in with fingers.

Add 1-1½ cups of water and mix/knead until it comes together / holds together but not wet.

Let stand in mixing bowl for ~1 hour covered with a plate or towel.

Flour surface and knead 3 times.

Roll into balls (whatever size you want, but when rolled out they will need to fit in pan.)

Flatten each ball with palm and roll out (adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking) to ~1/8” thick.

Place on hot cast iron on medium heat until it starts to bubble.  Flip with spatula, drizzle with sunflower oil and cook until bubbly and lightly brown.  Flip back and forth adding oil as needed and flattening down the bubbles as you go.  Cook until both sides are lightly brown.

(Chappati should have a similar texture to soft tortillas.)

Coconut Vegetable Curry

2 tbsp coconut oil (or sunflower)

10 curry leaves

3 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped

1 piece of ginger (garlic clove size), very finely chopped

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp ground coriander

Salt

1 tomato, chopped

5 long beans, cut into bit size pieces

2 small potatoes, cut into bite size pieces

2 small carrots, cut into bite size pieces (rounds cut into quarters)

2 green chilies, sliced lengthwise

1 cup freshly grated coconut (if use dried grated coconut, the mixture’s consistency will be a bit dry and chunky and it may have to be strained.  Can also use coconut milk.)

10 cashew nuts

1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves

In a kadai (or dutch oven), add oil on medium-high heat.  Add curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and onion and sauté until soft.  Add the four dried spices (chili powder through coriander) with salt to taste for 30 seconds.  Add tomato for 1 minute.  Add rest of vegetables for about 1 minute.  Add about 1½ cups of water

and cover.  Cook until soft at a low boil.

Meantime, blend coconut, cashews, and about 1 cup of water in a blender until liquid.

When veggies are soft, stir in cilantro and coconut mixture and serve.

Vegetarian Pulao

2 tbsp + 1 tsp ghee, divided

5 small pieces of cinnamon

3 green cardamom pods

6 cloves

2 small red onion, thinly sliced

10 green beans, cut into bite sized pieces

2 small carrots, cut into thin matchsticks about 1 inch long

1 cup basmati rice

4 tbsp chopped mint leaves

1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

1 tbsp cashews

2 tbsp raisins

Salt

Heat a kadai (or dutch oven) over medium-high heat and add ghee.  When hot, add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for about 30 seconds.  Add onion and fry until golden brown.  Add beans and carrots for 1 minute.  Add rice and stir for 30 seconds.  Add 2 cups of water, mint leaf, cilantro, and salt and stir.  Cover.  Cook for 5 minutes on high flame then lower to low flame for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small fry pan, add 1 tsp ghee over medium heat.  Add raisins and cashews.  Brown the nuts, stirring constantly.  Add to finished rice and serve.

Dal

¾ cup yellow dal  (toordal)

3 green chilies, cut in half

1 tsp turmeric

¾ cup red onion, finely chopped

1 cup water

Salt

2 tsp coconut or sunflower oil, divided

2 tsp mustard seeds

10 curry leaves

Add dal, chilies, turmeric, onion, and water in a pressure cooker until soft (5 whistles).  (This step can be done in a dutch oven until dal is soft.)  Add salt to taste and transfer to bowl.  In a small fry pan, add 1 tsp of oil and mustard seeds for about 1 minute.  Add curry leaves for about 15 seconds and add to dal.  Serve.

Vegetable Raita

Combine the following:

1 medium red onion, finely diced

1 tomato, chopped small

1 cup plain yogurt

Salt to taste

Can add green chili or cucumber, too.

Pappadum

Can buy at Indian grocery.

Poke hole in center with knife before frying.

Add sunflower oil to small fry pan and heat until small piece of pappadum sizzles when added.

Fry each side (turning with a fork) for just a few seconds until puffed and golden yellow.

Okra

Mix together:

2 tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp garam masala

¼ tsp salt

Trim ends off 8 okra and make a small slit lengthwise in the middle of each.  Stuff each okra with spice mixture.  Fry in coconut oil and brown on each side.

Garam Masala

50 grams green cardamom pods

50 grams whole cinnamon sticks

50 grams cloves

15 grams star anise

15 grams mace

25 grams fennel seeds

Toast over a low flame and grind together in a spice grinder.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

twenty-one – days seven to nine: fort kochi and kerala

Emily and I arrived about 10:30am to the Ernakulum train station and took an auto rickshaw to Walton’s Home Stay in Fort Kochi.  Mr. Walton was very helpful by giving us maps with restaurant and site-seeing recommendations upon our arrival.  We dumped our stuff in the room (which was very nice), took quick showers, and grabbed lunch at the Kashi Art Café. 

After eating sandwiches and fresh fruit, we embarked on a self-guided historical walking tour of Fort Kochi.  Fort Kochi came under Dutch control in the mid 17^th century, and so many of the sites have strong Dutch influences.  We visited the Santa Cruz Basilica and a building that once belonged to the notorious Dutch East India Company. 

We peered through the locked gates into the Dutch Cemetery and stopped inside the St. Francis Church.
 

It was nearing 2pm, and Ayse, Emily’s roommate in Dharwad, was about to join us for the weekend in Kochi.  While waiting near the bus station, Emily drank fresh coconut milk.   

Ayse arrived and after getting her settled into Oy’s Home Stay, we jumped in a rickshaw to explore the historical Jew Town neighborhood of Kochi. 

It was Shabbat, however, so the synagogue was closed, but we walked around and visited the Dutch Palace and purchased spices and teas from a local shop.  We headed back to Fort Kochin where Emily and I checked out the museum at the Bishop’s House while Ayse got a snack at the Garden Café.  The museum was filled with many Christian artifacts, but the most exciting item to me was a Manichithrathazhu lock.  Kerala is the name of the state in which Fort Kochi is located, and the Manichithrathazhu door lock is an old traditional lock which adorned the doors of Kerala’s mansions.  This one in particular paid tribute to the various religious represented in Kochi at the time: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.  

After walking around Fort Kochi a bit more, the three of us decided on Oceanos for dinner, a restaurant specializing in Keralan seafood.  We ordered fish curry, coconut veg curry, and Keralan rice.  Exhausted and full, we went to bed.

On Sunday, we took a tour (with Wilson Tours) on a non-motorized boat through the Keralan backwaters.  Our hosts punted us through the tributaries and canals, as we sat back and watched the shores pass by.   

We stopped at a village where women were making rope from the outside of coconut shells.  It was pretty amazing to watch!

 

We stopped for lunch on a small island and ate a traditional vegetarian Keralan lunch with our hands (in typical Indian fashion) off banana leaves. 

The most interesting part of our day-long trip was after lunch during which we took smaller (8 person) canoes through the much smaller waterways which ran through the villages in Kerala.  

Although the scenery was quite beautiful and seeing the homes of Indians who live there was fascinating, it was yet another voyeuristic aspect of this populous nation.  There is no privacy in India.  Everything can be done and is done in public.  As we drove through villages, towns, and cities throughout my travels in India, I witnessed adults and children bathing, urinating, washing clothes, sleeping, and going about their daily activities all along the roadsides.  As our canoes glided silently by the backwater homes, we passed people bathing and washing clothes in the waters, and I couldn’t help but feel like someone peering into a fishbowl and ogling what was inside. 

We stopped for a short tour of a working spice farm where we saw nutmeg and cinnamon trees, pepper, and two types of basil plants and smelled lemon and mint leaves.  We also saw some wildlife.

After returning to Fort Kochin around 5pm, we took quick showers and headed to Jasmin Villa for a Keralan cooking class.  It was just the three of us - Emily, Ayse, and me – and Jasmin, our teacher.  She runs the home stay and has been conducting cooking classes for five years.  It was a demonstration only class, although we did each take turns rolling out the chappati, but this was fine because the class was so intimate and we could easily ask questions and peer into the kadai.  We learned to make chappati, coconut veg curry, vegetarian pulao, dal, vegetable raita, pappadum, spiced fried okra, and garam masala.  Afterwards, the four of us sat down together and enjoyed the most amazing meal.  For dessert, Jasmin sliced up the most delicious pineapple I have ever eaten. 

On Monday morning we grabbed breakfast with Asye at Kashi Art Café and attempted to watch the men work the Chinese fishing nets. 

Unfortunately, while we were able to see the nets, we weren’t able to see them in action; we were either too early or too late for high tide.  Instead, we went shopping and each bought pashminas.  Emily and I then parted ways with Ayse in order to hop in a taxi to the Kochi airport for our flight to New Delhi.  First, though, Emily and I stopped at the Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town.  What struck me as the most interesting were the dozens of huge chandeliers in the shul.  But the rest of the temple was quite lovely, too.

We spent the rest of our afternoon flying to Delhi on JetLite, and we settled very nicely into the Hilton Garden Inn in Saket courtesy of Dad’s points.  This hotel was the absolute lap of luxury after our week on the road in South India!  We went across the street to the mall food court for dinner.  Although the food court wasn’t glamorous, I did have a delicious dish of channa batura while Emily ate a thali for two by herself.  We went to bed early, as our driver was to arrive at 5am for the next day’s adventures.