The 4pm Meltdown

Phew....we are out of Delhi. I must be honest, Delhi was way too much for us. Traffic, construction, people, poverty, anxious energy, filthy streets, lack of sanitation, it was all too much. It is so very true, one is really never ready for India until one arrives and, as we nonchalantly planned our trip, nor were we. Not by a long shot. As two women who have traveled to many places across the world alone and together and who have experienced poverty and the development of countries, we were still not prepared for the stark poverty and the absolutely disorganized chaos of the place. We chose to leave Delhi early on a night train headed for the deserts of Rajasthan to end in Jodphur. As train travel goes the incommodious bunks were rather tight but we shared our berth with a lovely older couple from Jodphur who shared our sentiments on the frantic-ness of Delhi. As the woman put it, "It [cleanliness and order] has to come from within and no amount of money can encourage one to keep the city clean unless one has chosen it". Seemingly so true, but the way in which the everyday Delhiwallah lives makes cleanliness difficult as so few resources are available.

As our train pulled into the station at Jodphur, 4 hours late, we were met by the hotel's driver. And from our lovely hotel, an old haveli, I sit writing this. the Ratan Vilas is a veritable oasis within the equally chaotic (though much smaller) city of Jodphur. I cannot help but feel like an ugly Westerner as I retreat back to my hotel replete with never ending pots of chai, streaming fountains, and beautifully tiled floors all opening upon an inviting courtyard. However, we have realized our limits and in order for us to truly take in India we need someplace to return to in the afternoon that is peaceful and quiet. Hence, the title: the 4pm meltdown. It seems that neither of us is able to bear the non-stop intensity of India past 4 pm. By 4pm we have reached our boiling point and must return somewhere calm. Unfortunately, we are unable to find a calm atmosphere within the city and so must return to our calm hotel. That being said, we have most certainly ventured out each day on our own. We have yet to use drivers (beyond the first two days) and have instead walked or rickshawed our way around both Delhi and Jodphur. We have stood in long and confusing lines at the train stations to buy, change, and re-change tickets. We have wandered and haggled through the cities bazaars, eating amazing street food and taking photos with the locals (I think that at least a dozen locals have asked to have their photo taken with me, on their own cameras, much the same way we wish to have ours taken with them).

India is a wonderfully colorful place. Beneath the layers of dirt and grime and poverty and desperation, there are smiles and laughter.

More to come.....