Month: April 2007

In the past, traveling to Israel always seemed like a strange concept to me. Why would anyone want to go to a place that is in the news every other week for people being blown up by a suicide bomber as they sip on a double espresso at their neighborhood coffee shop with dogs running around, babies in strollers and people just trying to enjoy life? It seemed like this was a normal phenomenon for Israelis. What I found was something that I was not expecting. However my trip to Israel didn’t start in Israel, it started in Moscow…..

Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport. My flight to Tel Aviv was on El Al Airlines, Israel’s flagship airlines that flies all over the world. Since Israel probably has the most enemies outside of the USA, if not more, they have very tight security. Prior to getting to the check-in counter, your checked luggage must be x-ray, tagged, and only then you can approach the counter and get your boarding pass. After answering a series of questions such as why I was going to Israel, if I had family there, if I was a Jew or practicing any religion, I was cleared to get my bag screened. Once my pack was launched out the side of the x-ray machine, security personnel asked me to open every pocket in order to swab the insides. This was the familiar explosives swab that is performed at random in airports around the world. However this time the machine kicked out a non-descript red screen that flashed ‘Contaminant’ and ‘TNT’ with a series of numbers listed next to each. Immediately I knew I was in for it. I looked at my watch and was thankful that I was over 2 hours early. Let me be the first to say that when traveling to Israel from Russia, this is the last thing that you want to see flash across the screen. What followed was their supervisor bringing me to the ‘back room’ for further inspection. After being told to empty every single item out of both of my bags into 3 large plastic bins, I was asked to leave the room and wait outside for their inspection of my gear to be completed. For the first time flying on a commercial airliner, I was glad I didn’t have my parachute. Once the full inspection was complete, and after I plugged in every electronic component that I had, which included 2 cell phones, camera battery charger and laptop, I was cleared to head to the gate. During the time of the inquisition, another of the staff had checked me in.

To the gate… After having every item I’ve been carrying for the past 4 months inspected thoroughly, my next boondoggle was the standard airport security check. Sending all metal items through the x-ray, I stepped through the metal detector and into the full body scanner. Turning 90 degrees to my right in order to match the footprints on the floor of the scanner, a technician instructed me to raise my arms above my head in three languages. Upon doing so, a large arm about 8 feet tall whipped across in front of me and behind me simultaneously. I was cleared to step forward. When I looked back at the screen I could see what looked like one of the screens from Total Recall, there was my body, as viewed through the eyes that don’t lie. A full body image highlighting every bump and contour, not hiding anything at all and for all the world to see. What better way to see if someone is carrying something under their clothes. Once clear of airport security I had to traverse gate security. After answering a few questions and handing over my ticket, I was asked to come to their special room where I had to empty all of my pockets, take off my shoes, unbutton / zip my pants for a full inspection. A full body pat down and handheld metal detector was under way by a Ruski that in my opinion now owes me dinner! After sending my things through the x-ray that’s at the gate all over again, I was finally allowed to rejoin the masses and board the aircraft. When we finally started to taxi out, I noticed that we were being followed by an El Al security vehicle that acted as an escort and was with us until we made the final turn onto the runway from the taxi way. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt safer on a flight.

Tel Aviv. Once clearing passport control without any stamps added to my passport, I walked out to see Uri’s smiling face waiting for me. He picked me up in his Rav 4, one that was identical to the one he had in Boston. Off we went back to his place in town where I met Tali, his Fiancé that will be his wife on June 1st, and his 3 year old Boston Terrier, Bluto. They lived on a street that reminded of the Boulevard in Providence. There were always people walking, riding bikes and taking their dogs for a stroll. A few blocks down they even had a coffee shop in the middle that seemed to be crowded no matter what the time of day. Having a lot of work keeping him busy, Uri dropped me off with Yonatan and Ella. Once again on this trip, I’ve had the complete luck with timing as they just happened to be here visiting for a few weeks so that Yono could sort out his new Visa. I had arrived on Memorial Day in Israel. Everything was pretty much closed as they remembered those that have been lost over the years in the wars and other terrorist attacks. One of the things that they do is sound the warning sirens for one minute twice that day and everyone stops and takes a minute to remember friends and families less fortunate. Yonatan, Ella and I walked to the sidewalk overpass on the highway where we stood as the horn sounded. Cars in both directions stopped as their occupants stepped out and stood in the road to remember. I was a bit surreal to see traffic on a major road come to a complete halt as people stopped, stood and thought about friends they used to know.

The next day was Independence Day. Being a public holiday, everyone heads to the parks and cooks out while we went to Ram’s house in Jaffa for a BBQ. Before getting to his house, Uri, Tali and I walked around the old port city of Jaffa. It was the first time I got to really see them as the couple that they are. After spending a week with them, I think it’s safe to say that they’ve made a good match.

Wanting to see some of the sights in Israel, off we went to the Dead Sea. Uri told me that we were driving a little bit out of the way in order to avoid Jericho. I guess there had been some sniper activity in the past near that town so it was best to drive a little further and go the long way around. On the drive down and back, we saw 5 F-15 jets, 2 Blackhawk’s and a CH-53 chopper. Remembering that the other side of the Dead Sea is actually Jordan, Uri told me that there were a couple of air bases down there which is why we saw so much activity. 

The Dead Sea is actually the lowest point on earth not covered in ice. It’s 1370 feet below sea level. While we were there, an F-15 went right over top at about 500 feet AGL. The thought of reading the altimeter in the cockpit and seeing negative 800 feet MSL in a fighter jet must be a unique experience. Having almost 9x the salinity than ocean water, the Dead Sea leaves your skin with an oily feel while you’re in the water. It also makes you feel like you’re floating on the water. It’s something that’s hard to believe for yourself until you experience it. You just lay back and you’re floating. Nothing you can do will make you go under involuntarily. Just lay back and enjoy a book……..or lay on your stomach and you’re still floating. I was doing barrel rolls on the surface and not sinking an inch! It’s a very odd feeling to say the least. A bit of advice when you get out, make sure you thoroughly rinse off. If you miss a spot, you’ll see it later as it will be all white with dried salt stuck to you.

My last day in Israel we spent at the dropzone. Who was I to say no??? After all, I was visiting 2 skydivers! Uri spoke to the chief instructor and he let me borrow his Katana 97 for 3 jumps. The scenery there is amazing as the DZ is across the tracks from the beach and right on the Mediterranean Sea. If you have a chance…..make some jumps there. A friendly DZ with 2 Caravans it was a nice place to visit!

I will come back to Israel one day as there is so much more to see. As I said to Uri, it far exceeded my expectations and seemed like it would be an amazing place to live. The way of life there in Tel Aviv was something that I hope to emulate else where once I find a place to land. In the mean time however I’m writing this as I sit on the rooftop of the Seven Hills Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey looking out over the city at the Blue Mosque only a few hundred feet to my right and the ocean a few hundred feet to my left. In a few hours I will be seeing a friend I haven’t seen in about 10 years and we plan on traveling eastern Europe together. With no set itinerary and only a flight out of Prague…..who knows what path we’ll choose…..

The traditional Trans Siberian Railroad extends from St. Petersburg across Siberia, never leaving Russia and ends at Vladivostok almost 7 days later having traveled a countless number of miles. While this is the tradition Tran Siberian experience, I chose another, almost more popular route which went from Beijing into Mongolia with a stop over in Ulaan Bataar, continuing on to Irkutsk, Russia where you stop and see Lake Baikal only an hour and a half away. From there onto Moscow which is a 77 hour journey in and of itself traversing 5 time zones. This route is known as the Trans Mongolian Railroad. While not actually having anything to compare it to, I can say already that I prefer this route as it extends to not just one culture and one landscape, but three cultures and landscapes, three currencies, three ways of life and three very unique lands. It also breaks up the monotony of a 6 ½ day venture, which is how long it would take if you didn’t get off. 

Leaving Beijing early in the afternoon, I boarded the train onto what appeared to be the tourist car, kupe` class. This was second class service with 4 berths in a cabin and a door that opened to the isle way with a toilet at either end of the carriage. Upon entering my cabin, I thought I must have been in the wrong place as there were already 6 people sitting in the 4 person cabin. When the Mongolian family saw me they jumped up and made room. Once the extended family cleared out I was still a bit confused as there were 5 of us still in there. I had an upper bunk and made my home, stowed my bag and got settled. I came to realize that the little girl, who had to be under the age of 5 was sleeping in the same bunk as mom. Of course they didn’t speak a word of English. Having passed several other backpackers boarding the same car, I venture outward to see what new friends I could make. As luck would have it there was a tour group full of Aussies and a few from the UK. They were on the Vodka Train tour, drinking their way across Siberia…..or so the brochures would have you believe. Turns out it was just a random group of people from all over Australia, a few couples and a few friends. I hung out with Beth & Brian from Brisbane, Dan from Perth and Gary from the UK. They seemed like good people and when we swapped itineraries with each other we quickly realized that while we would miss each other from Mongolia to Irkutsk, we would be on the same 77 hour train onward to Moscow. That would start a common theme on and off the train of people seeing over and over again as we all traveled along the same tracks heading in one direction or another, swapping maps, currency and tips on where to go or how to get out of being stopped by the police in Moscow…..never give them your passport, seemed to be a common response, just a photo copy! We would swap #’s and attempt to track each other down further on down the tracks. The Aussies also offered me a sanctuary in their cabin away from the family that while very friendly, didn’t speak a lick of English.

Once out of China and cleared of the Mongolian passport control, there was a bogie change. This is where they separate all cars, and lift up each and every car to change the wheels, aka bogies. China runs on a 5′ wide track while Mongolia and Russia run on a 4′ 8″ wide track. This takes only a few hours to our surprise. While some chose to stay on board and get jolted around like ants in a box as the cars were shifted and lifted, most of us went into the train station and raided the general store there. The three clerks at the front didn’t really have a register, nor a system of how they charged people. Since the lines were huge and the store was packed, they opted to process customers quickly in order to clear the store. A mad rush ensued and as I approached the front of the line, the clerk looked at what I held in my hands…..rolled her eyes around in her head as if she were doing some form of complex math, adding and multiplying and coming up with some sort of number that was not even close to how much it should have been. Shrugging and not even thinking about correcting her, I handed her my left over Yuan and exited the station and back aboard the train. 

The next morning we woke to the Gobi desert outside our window. Other travelers had told me that the Gobi, while over 100 km away from Beijing was approaching at an alarming rate of 2 km per year. Good thing they are hosting the Olympics in 2008 and not any later…..Upon arriving in Ulaan Bataar, I was greeted by the driver for the UB Guest House holding a sign with my name on it. Quite a nice sight I must say after a long trip and while backpacking. I jumped aboard a van that was promptly filled with other travelers and off we went. The Guest House left a bit to be desired, but the people made up for it as did the other travelers there, most of whom were in the midst of the same journey that I also had begun. Only having two days in Ulaan Bataar, I headed out to get some Mongolian money from the nearby ATM. When I left the states I did so with not even $100 USD in my pocket and no travelers checks of any kind. As soon as I got to a new country with a new currency I would head to an ATM and withdraw an amount I thought I needed and went from there. It’s been clockwork, up to now. The first ATM walked me all the way through the transaction then spit my card out. Having only had this happen in China, I found an ATM that was on my card’s network and tried again. Same results. After the sixth, seventh and eighth ATM, I began to grow concerned. How was I going to pay for my accommodations, worse, the train ticket onward to Russia? Not wanting to pay the outrageous fares that the travel agents were attempting to charge me for the 3 train tickets, any where from $1200 – $1800 USD, I opted to buy my tickets when I got there. The first leg was $100, the second was $35 and the third was $330. Much better than the travel agents rates. So I went in search of the International Ticket Counter which was located near, but not at the train depot. I made my arrangements, got the price and went to pay….and of course, they didn’t take any kind of plastic. A worker there realized I had tried ATMs all over town and walked me about 4 blocks to a money exchange place where they allow you to charge your credit card and receive cash. 100,000 please! It was a deal and allowed me to survive for a few days in Mongolia. The lesson learned here is that while I have 3 ATM cards with me and none of them worked, they are all Mastercards. Mongolia was Visa only land. Who knew…..

Heading back to the hostel I met up with a few girls sharing the room and realized quickly that they were part of a larger group about 10 strong…..all Peace Corp volunteers based in and around Mongolia. On the whole there were just over 100 volunteers in the country I learned that night. I had no idea. I found it fitting that the very evening I was out with a group from the Peace Corp in Mongolia, my cousin who met her fiancé in the Peace Corp in Panama was getting married in Texas. How random. The group took me out to one of their favorite bars and drank happily until close…which was a staggering midnight. A large sign on the door at the hostel warned NOT to stay out past midnight as it was not safe. I figured if they took the trouble to post a sign then it was worthy of listening too. 

The next day I ventured out and started noticing the cars. While they drove on the right side of the road, the cars had right side steering wheels. Upon further inspection I realized that I was wrong, they had right AND left side steering wheels. There was no rhyme or reason, but as I stood on the street corner I took notice and counted, it worked out to about 50 / 50. How random I thought, until I mentioned it to a girl at the hostel who told me that Mongolia was a hotspot for stolen cars. They get shipped there from all over Asia and even Europe. It all made sense. Wandering through the Main Square where Dave’s British Pub was located…..owned by a British guy named Dave (who would have thought), I found myself walking into the Grand Khaan Irish Pub. What can I say, I had to check it out. To my surprise they had really good western food. I’ve been splitting my time from the local foods to western foods, avoiding fast food at all costs. So far it’s been working pretty good and allowing me a good balance. 

The train from Mongolia into Russia was a comedy show. Apparently the thing to do was to smuggle in cheaply made goods into Russia and then sell them once you cross the boarder. So much so that about 6 women ran up and down the cars holding arms full of sneakers, button up shirts, bags taped shut full of clothes and whatever else they were trying to smuggle over the boarder. The way they did it was to walk up and down the cars finding the naïve travelers and put these packages and shoes and shirts in their cabins. That way when Russia Customs walks aboard they don’t see a pile of shirts all the same, but one in each compartment and thought nothing of it. While they tried 3 different times to just walk into our compartment, in the end we dropped the stuff in the hallway and slammed the door shut. Watching them running and up and down the different cars was quite humorous I must say. I would also think that attempting to smuggle something into Russia and avoid paying customs is not something that I’d like to try. But nevertheless, it provided entertainment for the evening! 

In the cabin next to mine I befriended 3 Aussies from Perth, all 22 and traveling to Moscow. Turned out we were staying in the same hostel in Irkutsk. We bonded and ended up spending the next 5 or 6 days together. Peter, Chris and Sheryl were all traveling separately but met up in Beijing for this journey to Moscow and then would go their own ways again. What a fun group of Aussies! Of course every time they referenced backpacking right after college, I jumped in and said, “yeah….I did that back in ’97……errrr…..10 years ago.” Making me feel great about my age of course….. Once in Irkutsk we ran out and found the Liverpool Pub. This was a British Pub with a Beatles theme and to our pleasant surprise with live acoustic music, all Beatles songs of course. Walking there our group was 6 strong as we picked up 2 more from the UK staying at the same hostel just traveling in the opposite direction. Singing along and having a great time, we attempted to order food. While they had an English menu, the waitress didn’t speak any. So pointing at the menu didn’t help much. The singer ended up coming over and helping translate. Seeing that he was a pretty good guy after helping us order we started throwing requests out to him. ‘Hey Jude’ we shouted……nothing. Sorry…..don’t know that one…….’OK….how about Imagine?’ …..Sorry, don’t know that one either. Did I mention that he was ONLY playing Beatles songs, and he didn’t know these two songs? Oh well….it was still a fun night and that just added to the experience. The next day we picked up 2 more from the hostel and all 8 of us hopped on a bus and headed and hour and half away to Listvyanka.

Listvyanka is the first main town that you come to when heading to Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is a fresh water lake and is over 5000 feet deep in spots. If you took all of the 5 Great Lakes and combined the water, you would have less than the water that is in Baikal. Having poor timing with Spring around the corner, we couldn’t drive on the lake any more, nor could we boat across as it was all still ice, just melting ice. We ended up renting an apartment for a night in Listvyanka and walking into town for supplies, dinner and of course, Vodka. We also ventured out onto the ice……we just couldn’t resist. It was fun to run around out there, but it was melting and you could see and hear the cracking. Fun, but not for an extended period of time. Getting back to the apartment we found an old cassette player and tons of tapes with Russian music mixed with Western music. That and the Vodka made for a good, loud and fun filled evening. I’m glad that the apartment was made of solid concrete as if we were in the states, the cops would have shown up at 3 am for sure….but not in Russia!

Once back in Irkutsk I ran around with Sheryl and saw some churches and statues of Lenin. It was a town of a little more then half a million. Later on, as someone else noted in the group, it was also very odd for most of us as the locals were all Caucasians. I thought about it and realized that I had been traveling in China, India, Nepal, Thailand, Bali…..all places where being white was the minority. It’s not something I thought about much, but did realize that I had been the minority for over a month, and as I realized this I remembered thinking back to Agra in India when I ventured out to one of the markets that was out of the way and while walking around for almost and hour I didn’t see another westerner. I remembered how good that felt and thought about that then. As far as this trip goes…..being the minority is gone for the time being, but it was an interesting experience to say the least…..

Now I find myself on the 77 hour, number 9 train to Moscow, the Baikal Express, writing this from the dining car as we scream across Siberia. Of course the Vodka Train crew from Australia are here to keep me company. I’m also coming to the end of a month without seeing anyone I know. It’s been nice but it will be good to see Sergey in Moscow, Uri and Yonatan in Israel, and Lauren in Istanbul. Traveling and seeing old friends as you go is a nice thing indeed. Of course so is traveling solo and being forced to meet new people. After all, I didn’t quit my job, sell my house and put all of my belongings in storage so that I could sit around and do nothing. This trip is about change and experiencing new people and new places. It’s about seeing what this world has to offer, finding out how other people from around the world make a living and see how they live. It’s about exploring and going to places that I’ve always wanted to go to but never had the time or the resources. Now I have both. Of course getting back to the states in June, I’ve committed myself to skydiving for most of the summer hopping back and forth between Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and I’m sure other places along the way. I’m already looking forward to September after our National competition when I am free again and ready to roam. I have a feeling that I might go back and spend some time in South East Asia then New Zealand for a few months. Who knows where I’ll end up or what I’ll end up doing. After all, the fact of the matter is that the pockets are not that deep and traveling for all this time, while being a life changing experience isn’t sustainable and I hate to say it, but I will have to work a bit at some point. The good thing right now is that, that is something I only have to worry about in the future, because right now I’m too busy enjoying how small this planet is and thankful for the fact that I can do what I’m doing. I’m thankful that I have a life and live in a country where I can roam free and explore all the little corners of this planet. And that’s exactly what I intend to do……

Having gotten to Moscow I found my way to the Napoleon Hostel with a friend Emiko from the train. Once I checked in and got settled, in walked Mike from Boston. He is a Merchant Marine that I met in Shanghai…..more proof that it’s a small world. The next day I ran around Red Square, Lenin’s tomb and the Kremlin. Had good timing and caught the changing of the guards with their high kicks and rifle slapping march. Ran down along the river and saw the monstrous Peter the Great statue and cathedrals all over town. That second night I met up with an old friend Sergey who grew up in Moscow. He picked me up and brought me to one of his favorite bars. We parked the car and started down a small ally to find a green, metal, beat up door with no markings or signs other than graffiti. He punched in a combo and opened the door which lead to a small chamber about 12′ x 12′. The inside was covered in paint and designs on the walls, a door at the far wall and again…..no signs other than a biometric scanner to read thumb prints. Sergey placed his thumb on the keypad and after a second or two there was a buzzing sound and the door opened. Down a flight of stairs we went to meet a girl he knew at the bottom. Ducking my head and lifting my feet as if it was a door on a submarine I stepped in and entered the bar. A very eclectic place, the Corkscrew as it was called had to be one of the coolest bars I had ever been in. The theme was base jumping, skydiving and aviation. Tables were made from spent jet turbine covered in glass and seats were out of old airlines and a few ejection seats as well. The walls were covered in pictures from jumps all over Russia. Everything was controlled by a thumb print as it was a members only bar and was actually located in the basement of an old KGB building……I guess in Russia, knowing the right people and making the right payments, you can put a bar just about anywhere! Going to bed early…..around 4:30 am I would highly recommend anyone traveling to Moscow to track down Sergey and experience this for yourself. Oh, and the live band was great there as well!

The last two nights in Moscow were spent couch surfing at Natasha’s place, only 4 metro stops out of town. The last night there she threw a party for couch surfers and friends where I randomly bumped into one of the Aussies from the Vodka Train who is also a couch surfer. I tell ya…..the world keeps getting smaller and smaller every corner I turn. Now I find myself on a flight to Tel Aviv to see more friends. Wait until you hear about the Moscow airport and the security checks….….but I’ll save that for another time….

Catching the next flight I made my way into China, Shanghai. Again, I scaled two of the cities main buildings, Jin Mao, and the Pearl TV Tower. Great sites to be seen from both, but what made the lasting impression was the construction in the new part of Shanghai on the east side of the river. Standing at the base of the Jin Mao tower and just looking around, it was easy to count at least 10 skyscrapers that were under construction and headed upwards at an alarming rate. China, and Shanghai…..might be Communist, but they went and found Capitalism in a hurry! After spending a little time wondering around the Bund area, I grabbed lunch with a co-worker from Analog that I hadn’t met yet in Xintiandia. Dennis told me stories about life in Asia and about how things were over here. It’s quite interesting hearing it from an American who’s been living the life here for some time, and it was good to chat about ‘things at the office’. It brought me back and reminded me that I too once was part of that world. It was also nice because it made me realize that I didn’t miss it one bit. Sure I might miss the friends I had made, but the office and the work was a distant memory and confirmed that I was very happy with my decision to leave things behind and travel for a while. Just around the corner was a landmark revered by the locals. It’s the building where the communist party held their first meeting. Upon arriving there to look at it, there was a bus of Chinese military personnel that had just arrived as well. Smiling and joking with one another, each taking their turn to have their photo taken in front of a landmark of Communism in China. Later I met up with a few couch surfers for dinner at an Arabic restaurant which included a belly dancer every half hour or so. Katie from Ohio and Paul from the UK made the evening pass sharing stories of our travels and future conquests to be had. The next night Paul and some more couch surfers and I went to a show called Era. I likened it to a training camp for Cirque du Soleil. Some very impressive acrobatics going on, but the show lacked what makes Cirque……Cirque. Nevertheless, it was still a show to be seen and allowed us an escape from the bustle of Shanghai.

I boarded the flight to Beijing which was supposed to get in around 2 in the afternoon. Being seated next to an American named Bill and across from a Chinese American school badminton team, we proceeded to sit on the tarmac for almost 3 hours while being delayed. First time I’ve ever been served lunch while still sitting at the gate. Bill was living in Texas and was in the import export business. It’s nice to have someone to chat with who has something interesting to say and also has a similar sense of humor. Upon arriving in Beijing and getting into town, my afternoon of sight seeing was shot and having only the next day to see the sites, I had a choice to make. Would I rather see the things around town that made Beijing the town it was, or should I take a full day’s journey up to the Great Wall of China. Which would I regret more, later having missed. It was an easy choice and off to the Great Wall “The Secret Tour” we went. I can not explain in words how amazing this hike was while being up on the wall for almost 3 hours. You can not come to China and not go to the wall. I was quite happy with my decision. It might have been a 3 hour drive each way, but it was well worth it and something that I won’t soon forget.

Upon getting back to Beijing, I still had enough time to make my way over to the ticket office, pick up my train ticket to Mongolia, see the nightly flag lowering ceremony in Tiananmen Square and meet up with another couch surfer who took me out and would not let me leave just having dinner. A bit tired I went to with her to meet up with some of her friends to the Bed Tapas Bar. Down a random side ally and almost only filled with local foreigners, the Bed Bar was a very mellow bar where you remove your shoes and the seats are pillows around large mattresses with tables in the middle. A relaxing place to end the evening in a cozy corner of Beijing.

The next day I board the first leg of my Trans Siberian, aka, Trans Mongolian Train ride. First stop, Ulan Bataar. Seeing that I had a family of 4 from Mongolia that didn’t speak any English in our 4 berth compartment, I spent most of my time a few doors down with some Aussies and Brits on a tour. Off to Mongolia and more adventures……stay tuned!!!!

India is an interesting place indeed. Men of all ages holding hands in friendship is commonplace, westerners sporting dreads from all over the world are just as common as westerners without dreads. Like Nepal, India seems to be a place where hippies have found a home. It’s also a place where shop owners and beggars alike attempt to get your attention by saying, ‘Excuse me Sir, Hello???’. To not even acknowledge seems to be rude, but that’s what you must do if you want to make it down the street and not get sucked into ever shop you pass. A different approach indeed, but still very much in your face. Traffic as well is like it was in Nepal. However here they use their horn…..liberally. Walking out of the hotel with a splitting headache, the last thing you want to hear is a rickshaw or a motor scooter pull up behind you and lay on the horn….you probably aren’t even in the way….but they nail the horn just to make sure you know they are there…..for a good few seconds as well.

My first night in Delhi I went to the train station attempting to buy a ticket to Agra the next day. Walking into the reservations hall I saw a set of windows with not so much a line in front of each as a mass of people. It was loud and crowded so I decided to stand back and watch how things here worked before entering the gauntlet. In front of each window was a half circle of about 20 Indians. There wasn’t any real rhyme or reason as to who was next….it was more of a ‘king of the mountain’ mentality. If you could wedge your elbow in front of the next guy and hold your ground, you earned that spot. This continued until eventually you made it to the front. Being in a cheerful mood, I was ready for my run. Entering in the back it didn’t seem too bad. As people filtered out from in front of the window I started to get closer, I realized I was pushing on the guy in front of me and the people behind me and to the sides were pushing me as well. Elbows started to get wedged in peoples chests saying ‘Hey pal….I’m next’. Of course none of this was verbal, it was just an elbow, a push and a glance and it was your spot…..for the time being. Finally I reached the window and jammed my face and hands around the opening to speak to this elusive ticket master. I told him that I was going to go to Agra on the first train out and the last train back. The Express please, I wanted to see the Taj Mahal and get back in a days time. The man smiled as I’m sure he saw me work for nearly 20 minutes to reach the top of the mountain. Then he said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t sell tickets to foreigners. You must got to the Tourist Ticket office upstairs from 8 am – 8 pm.” I smiled, said thank you and slithered away from the window and the mob, ticketless. Destined to spend the following day in Delhi as the train I wanted to be on left at 6:15 am. But it wasn’t all bad, I knew just where to go the next day and got my tickets early. 

 

 

The Taj Mahal. On the train out I found myself sitting in a group of tourist. The girl next to me was from Indiana. Turns out she was in a group of about 50 or so that were seeing the sites in Agra for the day just like I was. They were part of the Semester At Sea program, If you aren’t aware, Semester At Sea is just that. It costs about as much as a year of college for one semester, but you pile onto a cruise ship, literally go around the world stopping just about every major port along the way. Classes are held for a total of 24 days but most colleges give full credit for it as it’s the life experiences gained that are the most valuable. Having 4 friends that have done this journey over the past several years, it was safe to say that I was quite envious of these guys and gals and wished I had done it back when I was in school. Woulda, coulda, shoulda…….Oh well. Entering the west gate of the Taj Mahal I bumped into the Semester at Sea group again and befriended a handful of them. We ran around the grounds…..I heard stories from where they have been and where they were going. It seemed like they were having fun and seeing the Taj Mahal is something I’m glad that I did. To be honest I was expecting a little more, but it was still very impressive. I can see why it is the magnate that it is.

On the train back that evening I sat next to a brother and sister from Belmont, MA. Small world. We decided to grab dinner when we got back to Delhi in Connaught Circus which can be a haven within Delhi if you know where to go. During my journey out that day it was hot. In the 90’s I’d say. I was wearing shorts, a T-shirt and my Croc sandals. I must have been asked 3 times by people in Delhi and Agra if I wanted a shoe shine. You just had to laugh. While heading to Connaught Circus the three of us were in an auto-rickshaw. Every single one of these things was banged up and they were all over the place. We witnessed one of the 5 hits between an auto-rickshaw and another that I saw during my stay. Usually just a bump….the two drivers yell, or not even…they just back up and keep moving. I couldn’t even imagine renting a car here, it would have dings all over it after a weeks time.

I woke up around 8 one morning with a ticket to Goa at noon. Goa is a beach town down on the coast….popular with the Israelis, it’s got a pretty big party scene, but also relaxing beaches just to get away for a few days. I dialed 9 on my hotel phone and asked for the hot water to be turned on (a daily event), hoped in the shower and started to get ready. But something wasn’t right. I needed to lay down…….I felt funny. Slowly I started to feel the sweats come on over my entire body……then, as Henry Rollin’s once described it, I heard the voice. It had been a while since I heard the voice. ‘Hello Brian’……”Voice….is that you?” ‘It is Brian, do you know why I’m here?’ “No voice….it’s been a long time….what do you want?” ‘I’m here Brian to tell you that you have about 10 seconds to rise from your bed, get to the bathroom, prop the lid of the toilet open, get on your knees and prepare yourself.’ Oh no…..I remember the voice now. And it was right. It only comes in those last few moments when doubt goes away and you have to make that mad dash, fall to your knees and pray to the porcelain god. The rest of this day was spent repeating this process about 4 times. The flight to Goa, along with checking out of the hotel, were a distant memory as I curled up in my hotel room for about 2 days attempting to feel human after what appeared to be food poisoning. Not an experience I wish to repeat. 

 

 

After recovering for a few days I made my way over to Connaught Place where all of the airline offices are as well as the travel agents. I sorted out my flights and then went to the middle of the circle in Connaught which is essentially a very large round-about. It was a park, a refuge from the madness around. I laid on the grass in the shade and read my book. It might not have been on the beaches of Goa, but it was a nice way to spend the afternoon. A good note to leave Delhi on.