Day 18: The Zoo!

I visited the zoo with Randy T. and a new arrival from Brian's company, David. I hadn't heard much about the zoo, except that they had a white tiger that was pretty interesting. So, without anything else to do, we went to the zoo to see the white tiger.

Upon arriving at the zoo, we were greeted with a big King Kong statue and then a Tigger wannabe statue pointing down the walking path. For a few minutes, I was scared all of the animals at the zoo would be carved and painted and not actual animals. You never know in India!

After walking down the shaded path, we did find some animals- a pygmy hippo, a giraffe, a zebra, a hippo, an aquarium, and a few monkeys. There was nothing too exciting, and actually the animals looked quite lonely because there was only one of each.

We finally made it to the white tiger exhibit and were amazed to be up close and personal with a white tiger mom and her two cubs. The two cubs were born this June and the three tigers were so awesome to watch. They play-hunted and stalked each other and roamed around in the surprisingly natural and well-kept habitat. We were mesmerized and watched them for a good 30 minutes. I was so in awe I only snapped a few pictures and didn't get any good ones.

Besides the tigers, the other really cool unofficial exhibits were the termite castles. The zoo was in a forest area and I suppose the termites really like all of the trees because there were so many termite mounds. They ranges in size from little like an ant hill to 5 feet tall castles!

There was one more attraction at the zoo that I didn't expect- us Americans! I'm pretty used to people staring a little, waving, snapping photos and wanting to say hi when we go out. At the zoo, we were the main attraction for lots of the kids who parents would push up to us to say "hi, how are you" to practice their English. At the tiger exhibit, I actually had to move away from a group of ladies who kept touching me because one lady wanted to be really close to me the whole time and I was feeling a little weirded out.

On our way out of the zoo, there was a group of guys in their teens or 20s and I could see a few cell phone cameras aimed in our direction taking photos. One guy got up the nerve to come and ask if we would pose for a photo. We said sure and stood there for the photo and then all of a sudden we were swarmed! There were are least 20 people with cameras surround us taking pictures. Then they all wanted to get in the picture with us. So we stood there for a few more photos and then politely said thank you and started to walk away. It was an odd experience, but I'm glad we made someone happy by taking photos with them!

Day 15: Trip to Pondicherry

I had heard about a French colonial town in South India called Pondicherry and was planning to take a weekend trip there for great hotels, great restaurants and fun. My bubble was burst when I was telling some of Brian's coworkers about my plans. After hearing it from a few people, I decided it would be better for me to take a day trip there instead of Brian and I doing a weekend trip. Thank goodness! Kevin and Randy Y. made the trip with me so at least I didn't suffer along!

It was about a 2.5 hour drive to Pondicherry, but it could have been a town right next door to Chennai, because it seemed just the same. Sure, the street names were a little more French and there was a park in the center of town that you could tell had some European influence, but other than that it was a typical South Indian town. I soon realized that the only reason people go to Pondicherry is for meditation and booze.

Just outside Pondicherry is a hippie colony called Auroville, where 2000 residents become one with nature and the truth. They have a visitor's center where we had to watch a video to become idoctrinated before we could get a ticket to see the matrimindir, the center of Auroville. After the video, we were funneled into some shops with handmade crafts and items by the residents of Auroville. I bought a few little trinkets, but mostly things were overpriced and similar to items found in every other Indian store.

The walk to the matrimindir was about a mile and although we were shaded by trees, it was hot! I am so glad I had my sweat rag on this trip! Along the path to the matrimindir, we stopped at the 100+ year old banyan tree, which is the geographical center of Auroville. It was a beautiful tree and probably the most interesting part of the trip.

Once we got to the matrimindir, I was underwhelmed. It's basically a gold Epcot ball sitting in a field. And we looked at. And took a picture with it. And that was it. Fun.

You have to make an appointment to actually go in the ball, but from the movie we had to watch, it is basically a temple inside for meditation that has a hole in the top for sunlight to penetrate. So after looking at the ball for a few minutes, we walked the mile back to the car. I was drenched by the time we got there and was hoping that this wasn't the highlight of the trip.


Once in Pondicherry, we saw the beach, which was nothing to write home about. Then we took an autorickshaw to the bazaar, which was fun because it was my first time on one. It cost us 25 rupees (about 50 cents). After getting in one, I am amazed at how many people they cram in there. Randy and Kevin are big guys and there was no way three us us could fit on the bench so Kevin ended up sharing a seat with the driver and hanging half of his body out.

At the bazaar, we saw a million shops that look exactly like any other Indian shops selling saris, bangles, spices, etc. I did ended up buying a few packets of bindis to wear on my forehead.


The coolest thing we did was go into the markets. They had several specialized markets- fish, bananas, fruit & vegetables, textiles, chickens and flowers. I took a photo of the fish market, but the smell kept me out. The fruit and veggie market was pretty cool because they have such different foods here. In the textile market, we saw lots of old men sewing on what we would consider antique sewing machines. My favorite was the flower market. It smelled wonderful and there were so many colors and beautiful flowers. Most of the stalls didn't sell loose flowers, they sell flower garlands, so we got to watch them crafting huge garlands of jasmine, roses, ranaculous, celiosa, mums, marigolds, and more. Garlands like this would cost hundreds of dollar is the US and they sell them for under a dollar!

I also saw a maternity hospital and got a glimpse of some newborn Indian babies. Seeing a pregnant woman or baby are rare here. I don't think people start bringing their babies out until they are about 2 or 3 years old. From what I have seen, people in the villages don't use diapers, strollers and walk everywhere so it makes sense why babies would stay home for a few years. There was a line at the hospital with women and their new babies wrapped in towels or sheets, I could just barely see a few tiny little heads poking out.

On the way home from Pondicherry, we stopped at a great beach resort called GRT Temple Bay for a late lunch. We had some jalapeno poppers and fish and it was delicious! They have a really neat pool lagoon their and beach front cabanas. I need to take Brian there for sure!

Day 14: Saravana Store (aka shopper's paradise!)

Although I have been shopping in several of the malls in India now, I have been wondering where the locals buy their clothes because I know they don't pay the touristy prices I have been paying. Today I found my answer at Saravana Store! A cross between a WalMart Supercenter and Ross, Saravana Store was an exciting place to be! I went with Randy T. and Kevin who are always good sports; if I had to go shopping with two guys, these were the ones to do it with!

The store has seven stories of shopping paradise- you start with ladies casual saris, then on the dress saris and salwars, children's clothes, menswear, food, electronics and household goods and then shoes and accessories. It took us several hours to make it through the store and we skipped three of the floors!

I ended up buying two beautiful saris I can wear at weddings, two salwar sets, two pairs of shoes and a men's kurta- all for less than $100 US!

Almost everyone in the store is local, so they treat foreigners extra special. We were given a personal shopping guide upon entering who helped us navigate through the floors and different sections. He also carried all of our merchandise from floor to floor, which is a luxury because locals have to wait in line and pay on each floor before going to the next. An interesting things is that the store always takes a photo of the shopping guide with the foreigners on the way out of the store. It was cute, so I got a picture on my camera too.

I am sure I'll be going back to Saravana Store soon!

Sightseeing in Delhi

On our second day in Delhi, we visited a Hindu temple with our tour guide, visited the Gandhi museum and went to an incredible mall.

Sightseeing in Agra

After the Taj Mahal, we did more sightseeing in Agra.

The secondary attraction in Agra is the Agra Fort, which was where the king who built the Taj Mahal for his wife spent the last years of his life imprisoned by his own son. The tower where the king lived has an awesome view of the Taj Mahal and it is said that he spent most of his time staring at the Taj thinking of his wife. The fort was pretty neat, but not nearly as cool as the Taj!

The next biggest attraction in Agra was McDonald's! Ok so not really, but for Brian and me it was! We saw it on the way into town and made plans to go there for lunch on the way back to Delhi. Brian thought they would serve hamburgers, but of course they didn't since 99% of the population worships the cow as a sacred creature! Although they didn't have Big Macs, we did thoroughly enjoy our chicken nuggets, chicken sandwich, veg pizza McPuff and fries. Yummmm!!! Everything was surprisingly similar to the American version and really hit the spot for a taste of home. After we gorged ourselves on three value meals, Brian and I both said that it was the first time we didn't feel guilty one bit about eating such bad food!

After we ate, it was time to use the bathroom before our 4.5 hour drive back to Delhi. I took a photo because it was a Western-style toilet, but obviously there were no Westerners using it because the tape was still on the toilet paper!

Taj Mahal

Seeing the Taj Mahal was #1 on my list of things to do in India. I told Brian I was going to see it with or without him- luckily he took off a day of work to go see it with me!

I am not a history buff and know nothing about geography, so all I knew before making this trip was that the Taj Mahal was somewhere in India and someone put it on a list of the seven wonders of the world. After seeing the Taj in person, it is very clear why. Its beauty cannot be captured in pictures or conveyed in words. You really have to see it to believe it.

We had an awesome tour guide who accompanied us to the Taj. I saw "Slumdog Millionaire" so I was ready to have my shoes stolen and see bunches of little boys trying to work scams at the Taj. The movie was actually pretty accurate. They changed the entrance to the Taj just a few days before we visited so that the ticket counter is about 500 meters from the entrance. They also do not make you remove your shoes anymore; instead, they give you little hospital booties to cover your shoes. There were lots of kids trying to sell us stuff at the entrance- postcards, fans, books, marble carvings, etc. Our guide told us not to buy anything because everything they sold was fake. The little marble carvings they were selling were actually made of soap!

Security is tight at the Taj and we were told to take nothing but our camera, money, water and prescription medications. We entered through the East Gate and waited in separate ladies and gents lines to be scanned by the metal detectors and frisked. Once inside, we were surrounded by the red sandstone walls of the entry court and saw the main gate to the Taj. The main gate was huge and so impressive that anywhere else it would have been an attraction on its own!

Once we crossed the the gate, we got our first view of the Taj. We visited the Taj at sunrise to beat the heat and crowds, so it was nice because there weren't tons of other people there, so we could get some pretty good photos. Our guide gave us some time to take photos and then went to a little shady spot with a great view of the Taj so he could tell us the story of how this wonder came to be.

After telling us about the Taj Mahal being a love story between Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, our guide took us inside the Taj to see their tombs and see the beautiful building close up. The Taj took over 20 years and over 20,000 laborers to build, and after seeing it up close I can tell why! I was so amazed by the detail on the building- the semiprecious stone inlays, the carved floral design marble slabs, the marble and onyx floor, everything!

From close up and far away, we were mesmerized by the Taj. Even when we were leaving, we had to keep looking back for just one more glimpse. I'm not sure if we'll ever make it back there, but we will surely remember this visit forever!

Drive to Agra

The drive to Agra is long. From the clock I could tell that, but I fell asleep before we even made it out of Delhi! Once I woke up, we had an interesting drive. Here are some of the highlights:

• Our guide pointed out "buffalo." I know I'm a city girl, but I know what a buffalo looks like and this creature was surely not buffalo. I came to the conclusion that it was water buffalo- some animal Brian said he had seen on the Discovery Channel that the lions eat. It was ugly!


• When he saw we were a little confusred about the buffalo, our driver Vijay asked us if we drink buffalo milk. Uh...no.


• Vijay also asked us if our marriage was arranged. Brian's repsonse: "No, I chose her." Thanks! :)


• The country autorickshaws have an extra bench which translates into at least 10 more seats! We saw some autorickshaws with at least 20, probably 25 people on them. Most of the time, you can't even tell who is driving!


• Our driver had to pay for a permit to cross the state line and left us in the car and said don't open the window. We had heard about the monkey at the state line, and he was there and did some tricks for us. Brian opened the window to give him a tip, which the monkey attendant did not think was adequete and made Brian give him the rest of his coins!