No matter how much one plans for an adventure, one is never quite prepared for the full reality of the place. After 30+ hours of travel we arrived at 4am into the New Delhi airport where we were thermally scanned for H1N1 accompanied to the tunes of Christmas (even though India is majority Hindu). Due to a surprise midnight phone call, we were met at the airport by the lovely Geela, who was to remain our prince charming throughout our time here in Delhi. We were whisked away to meet with Rashid Shaw, who was to become our friend and Kashmiri muse. Despite a list of to-dos and must-sees, we soon found ourselves on his schedule, being treated like royalty: dining at the lovely (though bizarre) New Delhi Golf Course, where peacocks and 400 year old tombs share space with the traditionally dressed golfers and being escorted to some of the amazing sites to be found within this chaotic city that seems endless and never ending. We have been on the ground less than 48 hours and are consistently awed at the levels of contrasts to be found. So many of the cliches ring true: poor and rich, young and old, ancient and modern, the seekers and the enlightened fill this city's teeming streets.
Trials: We seem to have yet to encounter any (though with the fact that Geela will soon be moving on, we expect to find ourselves embroiled in them soon).
Journeys: Weaving our way through the absolute swarm of traffic (comprised of men, women, children, camels, cows, horses, rickshaws, bicycles, buses, cars) with our new friend, Clara, we found ourselves in the Muslim slums to experience New Years Eve at the holiest Chishtiya Sufi shrine: Nizamuddin Dargah. In order to enter this vast complex of winding, cobbled streets we had to take off our shoes and navigate the filthy streets barefoot. This required de-Westernization on our part and a complete acceptance of the local custom. We soon found ourselves the only Westerners in the middle of a vast complex of tombs and shrines swelling with the devout, all congregated around a group of Qawwali singers who only sing on spiritual nights. Complemented with the rare blue moon and the many enraptured Sufis made this the most amazing NYE we have ever had the opportunity to experience.
Irreverancies: As we commonly assume that India is the land of outsourcing and technological advances, we have yet to find an internet cafe that can dial-up more than a page a minute and are sorry to say that photos will have to wait for another day.
More trials, journeys, and irreverancies to come! Happy New Year!
o
Trials: We seem to have yet to encounter any (though with the fact that Geela will soon be moving on, we expect to find ourselves embroiled in them soon).
Journeys: Weaving our way through the absolute swarm of traffic (comprised of men, women, children, camels, cows, horses, rickshaws, bicycles, buses, cars) with our new friend, Clara, we found ourselves in the Muslim slums to experience New Years Eve at the holiest Chishtiya Sufi shrine: Nizamuddin Dargah. In order to enter this vast complex of winding, cobbled streets we had to take off our shoes and navigate the filthy streets barefoot. This required de-Westernization on our part and a complete acceptance of the local custom. We soon found ourselves the only Westerners in the middle of a vast complex of tombs and shrines swelling with the devout, all congregated around a group of Qawwali singers who only sing on spiritual nights. Complemented with the rare blue moon and the many enraptured Sufis made this the most amazing NYE we have ever had the opportunity to experience.
Irreverancies: As we commonly assume that India is the land of outsourcing and technological advances, we have yet to find an internet cafe that can dial-up more than a page a minute and are sorry to say that photos will have to wait for another day.
More trials, journeys, and irreverancies to come! Happy New Year!
wow. just wow. i cannot wait to hear more ry! and to see some images of your journey! maybe by the time I get over my fear of flying, you'll go back to India and take me! happy new year to both my beloved cuzzies. xoxoxo cuz karen
ReplyDelete