A Train Ride Away

I wrote this while riding the train to Sawai Madhopur. Although this was almost two weeks ago, I felt I should post it anyways. 

I am currently sitting on the top bunk of a sleeper car, heading from Mathura to Sawai Madhopur. I am accompanied by six other individuals, I make seven, split between six beds. An Indian woman sleeps on the lower bunk to the side of me, across the aisle - a white uniform sheet covering her round body. An Indian man sleeping on the lower bed directly across from me, whose irritated manner gave away his displeasure of us joining his company. Laura, Israel, Olivia and I sprawled between the last of the beds – Laura, Israel, and I slept on the three tops bunks, Olivia on the last available bottom one. A rat makes the seventh of our company, who occasionally scurries amongst the bags. 

India is not one for the faint of heart. Although India is dramatically different from the comfortable setting of the United States, I feel like I have eased into the way of life here. My adjustment period happened the moment I stepped out onto my first Delhi street, like that I was in it. 

Although very discouraged by many, I am incredibly happy with the decision to take the train across India. The scenes the Indian country side has to offer are incomparable. Drifting out of the New Delhi railway station this morning, we were immersed into a new world. Men were distributed across the side of the tracks, doing their morning business – bare assed and all. No shame or concern for the passing train as they splashed water on their privates and washed themselves with their left hands. 

The train station is a world in itself, where the homeless of the tracks make a living. As a white American, I have discovered that we are perceived as a walking bank. Children of every age surround us with their hands outstretched, each with their own routine, begging for food, water, an empty bottle. If we do cave, and share our water or hand them a rupee, then we are suddenly surrounded. They ascend upon us like hawks on a newly skinned carcass. This greatly discourages us from giving these children of the tracks anything. It is unbearable to feel so helpless to help them. 

A Deck of Cards

I started this blog for my family, but also for myself, to record my trip in India. When sitting down to blog though, I simply do not know how to put Delhi into words. Not just that, but I feel like I could write a book simply on the past two days. Instead of trying to record every moment in India, I would like to just describe brief moments in my day. 

Laura and I returned from dinner tonight to settle into our hostel, and returned to a room filled with vibrant music reverberating off of the bare corners of our cozy room. We both fiddled with the window until we could look out upon an alleyway, filled by a massive red and yellow tent.

Of course, without hesitation I exclaimed, "Let's go!" and ran for my shoes and money belt; we eagerly headed out the door. We wandered through the alleyway and slowly approached the tent. Every corner of the giant colorful space was occupied by a person. At first we stood outside, gazing in through the sheer curtains, but a young man beckoned us in and we quickly found our way to two chairs next to the "dj booth", gazing upon a crowd of people.

The tent was divided by a walkway. On one side, the women sat. On the other side, the men. On the stage, three statues dressed in flowers towered above the crowd. A man stood in front of the crowd singing and dancing and speaking. The young boy who ushered us in tried to explain the event to us. Over the blaring music I had trouble understanding him but in my attempt, here is what I understood of the event:

  

The event was in sorts a spiritual festival. They sang for their lives - blessing and giving thanks for what they had, and for what was to come. The festival happened frequently and welcomed any and everyone. Sky krishna (the boy explaining this) described it to me by saying, "Do you know cards? How life is like cards? We bless the cards we have, and the cards that will come."

Laura and I spent over an hour taking part in the festival; we clapped with them, and I attempted to sing. The brief glimpse into what the Indian culture has to offer swept my heart away. 

If someone were to ask me if I believed in love at first sight - I would now respond yes. That is how I fell in love with India. 

 

My first Day in New Delhi!

I have arrived! I am currently writing this in my tiny hostel, enjoying the unusual and out of place quiet as Delhi slowly wakes up.

Travel Time
I woke up at 6am on Thursday, May 24th in Seattle, Washington. My flight for LA departed at 830am and I arrived in L.A., California at 12:15pm. I then spent the next nine hours in the L.A. Airport, waiting to depart for London. My friend Laura Aldrich met up with me, and we set sail for London, England at approximately 9:20pm. I slept for about five hours on this flight. We landed in London at 3:45pm London time, and then boarded the Heathrow Express and explored Paddington Square. By explore I mean, we bought fish and chips (a traditional English meal) accompanied by an English Pale Ale. We headed back to the airport slowly, only after drinking one last Starbucks, and set sail for India at about 10:00pm London time. I didn't sleep at all on the plane to India, I was much too excited. We landed in New Delhi, India around 11:30am India time. All in all, I spent over 40 hours traveling, and I only slept for five of those hours. 

A Compilation of Days

After Pikes Place market, we came back to our room to collapse on the bed. The small room my mom had designated as ours quickly transformed into a temporary home. Clothes covered every inch of space, empty bottles of Sierra Nevada cluttered our tiny night stand, dirty running clothes in a pile next to the door. It felt like we had been there for months!

We were awoken to the sound of Derek Koh arriving at our door step. Half asleep, Jennifer and I stumbled downstairs to greet him. My mother, Derek, Jennifer, and I all walked out the door and drove down to Seattle's Mountaineering Club. We planned on seeing a famous climber present on a climb he had just done in India, but the expense of it didn't seem worth it when free climbing was just next door! 

                                       Hannah Lily climbing on the outdoor boulder gym in Seattle!

                                          Derek and Jennifer chatting away while I climbed!

Derek, Jennifer and I then set out to obtain a cup of coffee, and ended up at a Thai restaurant in Fremont I had been curious to try. My curiosity had led us to the perfect destination because not only was the restaurant affordable, it was delicious. Jennifer and I shared a plate of to-die-for pineapple fried rice. And then we ate some of Derek's curry... After dinner, Jennifer and I dragged Derek to the best ice cream place in Seattle, Molly Moon's. 

We ended the night on the roof, each of us with a Sierra Nevada in hand.The sky gave off a reddish glow over the city and each of us sat in awe as we gazed over what seemed to be a magical spectacle that was Seattle at night. 

 Friday

The following morning we woke up early, all ready to race off to Serene Lake. We had packed  a backpack full of layers and laid out our clothes and shoes. At the last minute, we decided to postpone our big hike until Saturday; this way Derek could join and we could be a little more prepared. 

With a few extra hours now ahead of us, we opted to lounge on the couch for a bit before leaving the house. Finally, we made plans to run to the Seattle REI, the original store, and explore while getting the final few items for Hannah's trip. We googled directions, and they seemed so simple- take Burke Gillmans to University Bridge and follow Eastlake until we hit Thomas and the giant REI. Somehow, however, we managed to completely miss University bridge by about a mile. We realized this when we hit a different bridge almost all the way past campus. 

After asking several students for directions ("It's really far THAT way!!"), we turned around and retraced our steps until we found the very-clearly-labeled University Bridge. 

We were so happy to find the bridge, that we stopped and took some pictures as evidence. Soon, we were well on our way South. We stopped at a cute local coffee shop to get some water and make sure we were headed in the right direction. They nice employees happily pointed us to the cold water, and gave us detailed directions the rest of the way to REI. They laughed as we complained at the idea of another hill. We protested, insisting that being Arizonan's make each little hill feel like a mountain. 

Soon, we arrived at the Flagship REI. The entrance was concealed in a little forest, and walking in was an amazing experience; the giant store was filled with thousands of amazing outdoorsy things and hundreds of outdoorsy people!! We marveled at the books, kitchenware, sleepingbags, and miscellaneous supplies. We each selected Nalgene water bottles- 2 for Hannah, one for Jenn.

 After carefully sorting through the many fancy, expensive, backpacking backpacks and ultimately deciding they were a little too pricey, we headed downstairs to the lower level (with quite a bit of elevator trouble) to sort through the "rejects" or sale and returned items. We were just starting to look at the few remaining sale backpacks, when a woman tapped our shoulders and said, "If you are getting a backpack, you should get a Gregory Deva- it will be the best backpack you ever purchase!" After a quick conversation, we went back to our hunt. And, as fate would have it, the very next backpack we picked up was a Womens Small Gregory Deva, marked down from over $300 to $120. Excitedly, Hannah tried on the pack, and proceeded to have the extremely nice REI employee, Ben, test to see if it fit. We learned how to fit a backpack- it's all about your torso length- and watched as Ben filled the pack with weights and pulled all the complicated straps to get it to fit Hannah. Finally, he marveled, "Wow, that actually fits you perfectly!" 

Hannah was thrilled to walk out with her steal of a new backpack, and we headed for Ballard Pizza Company, an amazing pizza shop tucked away in the streets of Ballard. Hannah and Jenn, starved, immediately ordered an entire margarita pizza for themselves, and a slice of broccoli-garlic for Mom. After what seemed like an hour, the pizza came, and we devoured as much as we could. The guys working at Ballard Pizza were so nice, and even gave us a free piece of cheesecake after forgetting to add the basil to our pizza. Happy and full, the three of us proceeded to walk down the street to explore Ballard. 

We stopped at a cute hair salon to get haircuts- we had finally found  a place that charged $30 or less! The lady that cut Jenn's hair went a little crazy and cut off too much- after repeatedly telling Jenn how much she needed a hair cut and how "glad I am that you are letting me cut your hair". Jenn still isn't thrilled with her new hair, but luckily, has fast-growing curls! 

Finally, we decided to relax for a few hours and see The Avengers. Jenn and Hannah purchased movie tickets, and we enjoyed an almost empty movie theater and great movie. Jenn and Hannah set a goal to eat Shwarma, based on a comment made by Ironman at the end of the film.

After the Avengers, we returned home to have "the boys" awaiting us. "The boys" is how my mother always refers to our two dogs, Bear and Willie. Jennifer and I were responsible for Bear on this wonderful evening, and we took him for an exhausting walk! Not only did we make him run for more than half of the walk, we let him lead us all around Gas Works Park. It was a wonderful way to conclude our day. Being out in the fresh Seattle air, enveloped by the greenery that seems to cover every inch of the city, is always delightful. 

Bear ran home, grateful to collapse on the couch after the exhausting work out. Jennifer and I then indulged in leftover pizza and freshly made salad by my mom. We then cuddled into our warm comfy bed and watched Into the Void. Probably not the smartest choice on my part, since the next day we planned to hike into the Cascades! Jennifer fell asleep during the movie, but I had to suffer when the computer died during the last seven minutes of the minutes - RIGHT before the two climbers were reunited. I was quite upset, but also exhausted and ended up simply rolling over and falling asleep. 

Saturday

The next morning, we woke up bright and early at 7:15am and prepared for our hike up to Serene Lake! Derek Koh was a little late, but once our bellies were full of Museli (not my favorite...) we were off. 

We arrived at the base of the hike and parked the car about a half mile down the road. The parking lot was full of cars, and an unexpected amount of people took off down the trail with us. I am not sure quite how to describe the hike.

None of us were prepared for the exquisite beauty and magnificent features the Cascades were about to provide us with. We started the hike, trekking through what seemed to be a tropical forest. Enveloped by every shade of green, we seemed to be in a fortress. The way the sun would leak in through the tops of the trees and so grandly light up the pathway. Every moment seemed to take my breath away. At one point we encountered a fork in the path. Although a sign clearly indicated to take the path to the left, I made the decision to go off to the right. Derek questioned my decision, but I simply responded with, "Have you ever heard of Robert Frost?"

 The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

 And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20

Jennifer and I with the grand view as our backdrop

 

We let the sound of the falls guide us, and although we had gone completely off trail, we finally met up with the regular path and submerged from our back country experience to a view no words could describe. 

I didn't realize how much more this hike had to offer and what else the day had in store for us. I will finish the story tomorrow though! Tonight I need to sleep!

The Urban Side of Seattle

The morning brought sunshine once again. Jennifer and I mosied downstairs and leisurely sat on the couch, attempting to motivate ourselves to take on the day. My mother made us her world famous french-pressed coffee and we so we decided to enjoy the morning with a quick blog session while sipping on our coffee cups.

After about two hours, we finally motivated ourselves to put on our running clothes, and leave for the big open city of Seattle! We ran through Fremont, across the bridge, past Seattle-Pacific University, and then faced the daunting Queen Anne Hill.

We broke up the hill into five sections, and ran each part as an interval. Jennifer was surprised her ability since it was the first big hill she had attempted, none-the-less seen, in a very long time. At the top we walked around the shops of Queen Anne Hill and ended up at a small coffee shop called El Diablo Coffee. We then mosied over to Queen Anne Books and explored the small unique bookstore. On our way down the hill, we ran into my mother and gratefully accepted her offer to drive us back to the house.

One one of the more mild stretched of the hill

 
 After a quick stop at home to clean up, we drove to the famous Pike's Place Market. Parking was easier than expected, and we eagerly began walking through the vendors, checking out the cool things they had for sale! Hannah quickly fell in love with a gorgeous pair of feather earrings, and mom generously bought them for her! 

We insisted on photo evidence of the amazing fish selection

Hannah showing her love for the big fish!

Our second stop was at the amazing fresh seafood counter, where we were bombarded by the wet floors, strong smell of fresh fish, and shouting vendors. Mom treated us to a wonderful crab salad, which we ate in the middle of the market.

Outside the market, enjoying the view

 After a quick and delicious Thai lunch (it would be the first of 2 Thai meals that day for Hannah and Jenn) we made a coffee stop at a French bakery that Hannah and mom loved. Hannah enjoyed a cappuccino, mom and cafe latte, and Jenn an iced cafe latte. We also ordered a giant meringue to split between the three of us.

Inside the bakery waiting for our coffee

Hannah looking fancy with her new earrings!

Candid?

Mesmerized by the amazing singers outside the original Starbucks

 Lastly, we stopped to take some photos in the beautiful sunny weather, with the port as our backdrop.