Hello, layover in the Delhi airport. How are you? I'm fine, just a little anxious to get back to the good old USA, I might be a little happier if you didn't last 9 stupid hours, you know?
So a 9 hour layover in the Delhi airport begins and I am in the middle of my journey back to the states. Funny isn't it? How an entire summer will just fly by?
So two weeks back, Steph, Al, and I ventured to Agra and Delhi. A typical trek for a tourist, but a jam-packed weekend for us three chicas. Our night train to Agra began with a chaotic failure of the travel agency. We arrived expecting three reserved seats to ensure us a good night's sleep and comfortable transport to Agra. However, as it goes in India, this was not so simple. Only one reservation was made, and for the first 4 hours of our train ride, the three of us squished onto the 3x5 foot bed and planned the best way we could all spoon so that we could sleep at least some of the 12 hr train ride. Thanks to a kind conductor, we eventually found 3 open seats, slept with our luggage under our heads (a friend of ours got a money belt taken off her in her sleep on this train), and arrived, semi-rested, in Agra.
The Taj Mahal was beautiful. They say the building was build for the Mughal's queen, resembling the female body, and I completely agree. As we walked down the blunt marble walkways, nearing her, until she loomed above us, I couldn't help hear Katya Kabanova, singing about birds. Is it strange that opera would fill my head in India, where people don't even know who Mozart is?
From the Taj we continued via car to Delhi. What we came upon was so different than I expected, the whole thing felt like a dream and still does when I look back on it. Our hotel, thanks to Steph's parent's reward points, was a brand new crown plaza, and felt like a 5 star resort compared to anything we'd experienced in India. The pool overlooked the rural, dusty, and developing south side of delhi, but was peaceful and breezy, so I took a swim every day and enjoyed the sun.
Our days were pretty lazy, so we could enjoy the room service, and fluffy hotel beds, but fun when we ventured to the busy alleyways, packed with wedding gifts, spices, silver, cloth, and tattoo vendors (these were just guys with needles sitting on a rug on the streets, the cows, rats, and dogs would come up to them and smell the tattoo equipment... a german intern at our office actually came back from delhi with a tattoo...) Again I saw mom, and her friends. They were nice company to see the bahai temple, (like the one in evanston!) and the beautiful Indira Ghandi Museum. She was an incredible woman.
A night of clubbing was bizarre, but it was Al's 21st bday, so it needed to happen. Bromfy was the club of choice, and we were added to the VIP list by our friend.
When we were finally back in Udaipur, things flew by. Our last week at our job, our final presentation, our final morning with our families, Our goodbyes to interns, friends, chaiwalas, fsd workers, and the pups outside our office. Lots of shopping for our friends and families, trying to get rid of the last few rupees in my purse.
So now we are discussing what we want to eat when we get home... Amber is talking about soup, I am thinking about "all you can eat" sushi... I think we are all ready to go home... and I guess We've survived
So a 9 hour layover in the Delhi airport begins and I am in the middle of my journey back to the states. Funny isn't it? How an entire summer will just fly by?
So two weeks back, Steph, Al, and I ventured to Agra and Delhi. A typical trek for a tourist, but a jam-packed weekend for us three chicas. Our night train to Agra began with a chaotic failure of the travel agency. We arrived expecting three reserved seats to ensure us a good night's sleep and comfortable transport to Agra. However, as it goes in India, this was not so simple. Only one reservation was made, and for the first 4 hours of our train ride, the three of us squished onto the 3x5 foot bed and planned the best way we could all spoon so that we could sleep at least some of the 12 hr train ride. Thanks to a kind conductor, we eventually found 3 open seats, slept with our luggage under our heads (a friend of ours got a money belt taken off her in her sleep on this train), and arrived, semi-rested, in Agra.
The Taj Mahal was beautiful. They say the building was build for the Mughal's queen, resembling the female body, and I completely agree. As we walked down the blunt marble walkways, nearing her, until she loomed above us, I couldn't help hear Katya Kabanova, singing about birds. Is it strange that opera would fill my head in India, where people don't even know who Mozart is?
From the Taj we continued via car to Delhi. What we came upon was so different than I expected, the whole thing felt like a dream and still does when I look back on it. Our hotel, thanks to Steph's parent's reward points, was a brand new crown plaza, and felt like a 5 star resort compared to anything we'd experienced in India. The pool overlooked the rural, dusty, and developing south side of delhi, but was peaceful and breezy, so I took a swim every day and enjoyed the sun.
Our days were pretty lazy, so we could enjoy the room service, and fluffy hotel beds, but fun when we ventured to the busy alleyways, packed with wedding gifts, spices, silver, cloth, and tattoo vendors (these were just guys with needles sitting on a rug on the streets, the cows, rats, and dogs would come up to them and smell the tattoo equipment... a german intern at our office actually came back from delhi with a tattoo...) Again I saw mom, and her friends. They were nice company to see the bahai temple, (like the one in evanston!) and the beautiful Indira Ghandi Museum. She was an incredible woman.
A night of clubbing was bizarre, but it was Al's 21st bday, so it needed to happen. Bromfy was the club of choice, and we were added to the VIP list by our friend.
When we were finally back in Udaipur, things flew by. Our last week at our job, our final presentation, our final morning with our families, Our goodbyes to interns, friends, chaiwalas, fsd workers, and the pups outside our office. Lots of shopping for our friends and families, trying to get rid of the last few rupees in my purse.
So now we are discussing what we want to eat when we get home... Amber is talking about soup, I am thinking about "all you can eat" sushi... I think we are all ready to go home... and I guess We've survived
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