Dan and I entered India in a fairly exhausted state. We both had terrible stomach and intestinal troubles develop during our camping trip in the Egyptian Deserts, the previous destination of our three-month Sacred Sites Journey. Serious sleep deprivation occurred as we made our way to our first destination in India, Dharamsala, and it further entrenched our guts in queasiness and our bodies in fatigue. We desperately needed some rest and recuperation, yet our three week itinerary had us moving to different sites throughout India every few days.
We left Cairo in the wee hours of the morning and arrived in Mumbai by way of London, no less. Our around-the-world plane tickets often had us traveling ridiculously circuitous routes during our three month journey. Since we were not pinching pennies, they ended up costing us much more in time and inconvenience than they saved us in fees. We chose never to use them again, though for people on a budget they are surely quite valuable.
As we boarded the plane in London for our first flight to India, it was quite wonderful to see female flight attendants dressed in colorful saris. They greeted us formally with “Namaste” as we entered the plane. They provided excellent service to the passengers, and were even passing candies out to us before we left the ground. We had our choice of nicely prepared meals, though none without strong spices. The planes were usually huge and completely laden with men, women, and screaming young children. They filled and walked the aisles as if to arrive faster at our destinations through their animated activity. It felt rather like the pulsing energy of the bustling city streets of India.
The airport security proved to be intense; we were patted down physically once, and sometimes twice before each flight. The last search of our hand luggage occurred at the gates, after the more traditional terminal search. We had to identify our bags before claiming them. It was quite severe and consistent throughout the whole country. It caught us off guard, as no other country’s airport security had been this tough.
After arriving in Mumbai from London, we then left Mumbai for Delhi the next morning on a three am flight. On this last flight I was wrought with diarrhea. The lines to the bathrooms were terribly long and slow moving on the jet, and I alternated between three different lines for most of the flight just to have the necessary time in each restroom. I prayed through my cramps and exhaustion that if I really got into trouble I could entreat someone to allow me into the front of one of the lines. Thankfully I always made the wait, though sometimes only barely.
INDIA, JAIPUR TEMPLE PRAYERS
In Delhi we were scheduled to have a tour of the city. We sincerely asked our guide if there was anywhere that we could sleep for a few hours instead. He said it might not be possible as the city and the better establishments were quite full, but he went off to make a few calls. One of the best hotels in Delhi was fully booked, but could manage to give us an empty room for four hours. For this luxury we actually paid $250.00, but the prospect of sleep was enticing enough to make it acceptable. The bed was comfortable, but reeked of cigarette smoke. I did manage to doze for a much needed hour or two, though. Dan was out like a light almost instantly. After our guide picked us up from the hotel, we were alert enough to begin to take in all of the sites and smells and sounds around us. It was nearly overwhelming!
