Yucky flooded roads (Delhi)

Earlier in the day, we went to Dilli Haat, a market area that sold lots of crafts.

I was always told that monsoons are the worst in Mumbai, but my worst rainfall experience was in Delhi. And it was the most rainfall Delhi had experienced for the season thus far. And we deliberately went out and trudged through the grungy water that was nearly knee high. It was... kinda gross. Jennifer's friend was in Delhi, so we were going to meet him for dinner. During evening rush hour, getting from south Delhi to Connaught Place is a challenge in itself, and the extreme rain wasn't any help. Getting a rickshaw was nearly impossible. Heavy rain meant less drivers who wanted to deal with the ridiculous traffic and flooded roads. We had our pants rolled up and were walking through the water, trying to find a rickshaw. We headed in the direction of a busy street in search of a rickshaw, and they were few and far between, and those that did pass already had passengers. So there we are standing in the rain waiting and waiting. And we had no umbrella. Or did we? Actually I think we did, but I was so wet, I don't think it really made a difference. Anyway, after failing to get a rickshaw, we decided to postpone the dinner. So we returned to our host's dry apartment and probably watched a few episodes of Friends on Star World.

Road trip! (Agra)

Well, we didn't end up leaving Delhi until the afternoon.

The drive from Delhi was around four hours. There were fruit stands along the way.


Once we got to Agra, we passed the Agra Fort (but didn't go inside), and also got to see our first glimpse of the Taj from a distance.

Our next mission was finding a hotel. We went to the touristy area that is within walking distance of the Taj Mahal to try to find something. That was an adventure. The streets definitely didn't see a lot of cars. The streets were narrow, just barely enough room for the car. We were getting a lot of attention, as everyone we were passing was staring at us. We passed a couple of cows too. I found it to be a little funny, but I don't think our host who was driving thought so, as he was concentrating on driving the car down the narrow streets. We also got a bit lost, as the streets continued to wind. Asking for directions for the main street didn't always work out, as I guess people didn't know which main street.... because there was nothing they would consider a "main street"?

Anyway, so eventually, we got out... and I say we got out, because it seemed like we were trapped and circling an area trying to find a main road for quite some time. We went to a few of the popular touristy hotels/guest houses to get a room, but they were either booked or they weren't very appealing.

So instead we drove a little bit away to find a hotel room elsewhere. After checking out a few rooms, we finally decided on a room. It felt like a long day, so it was good to finally find a place. We were probably driving around Agra for over an hour... we were also being followed a few times--hotel workers trying to convince us to stay at their place. They are very persistent.

The next morning, we had breakfast at a rooftop restaurant that overlooks the Taj Mahal. Good view, but excruciatingly slow service. It claims to be listed in the Lonely Planet as one of the top restaurants in Agra. I wonder about that.

Anyway, after breakfast, we made our way to the Taj Mahal. We entered the grounds, and there was so much space! I don't think I quite imagined it as such.

So we wandered around. It was so hot. I felt like it was the hottest day I had experienced in India. We made our way closer to the Taj Mahal itself. There was a little white girl about eight years old who became a celebrity. A bunch of Indian women wanted a picture with her.

We stayed in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal itself for a bit, venturing inside and walking around it. Then we continued to wander the grounds.

Then I saw a group of people passing by us and saw one kid with a Michigan State shirt on. Of course, having been in India for quite some time, I hadn't seen anybody wearing any college apparel on in awhile. Being a Michigan fan, I yelled "GO BLUE" to him, and the whole group turned... and then I heard my name!!!! It was someone I hadn't seen in over five years!!! Out of all places, we run into each other at the Taj Mahal! Crazy! It turns out the whole group was from Michigan State.

After that, we continued to wander some more. The weather was becoming gloomier by the moment. We started headed to the exit when suddenly it started down pouring. We ran to the nearest place we could find shelter and stood around for awhile, waiting for the rain to let up. It was quite the site though, because literally everyone was running for shelter.

Eventually the rain died down, and we started making our way back to the car, and then back to Delhi.

I'm a pro! ...not really (Mumbai)

It felt good to be back in Mumbai a second time around! I felt like I actually knew what I was doing! Taking the local train was a breeze, hopping (or pushing my way) onto the crowded train was nothing new. I was able to play tour guide for Jennifer (hahaha!!!) More like, "This is the Gateway of India, and that's the Taj Mahal hotel." But hey, I was easily able to get us to Colaba from Bandra! YES!!! What can I say, I was proud!

The rest of our time in Mumbai was spent meeting up with people I had met the first time around, going to malls feeling like we were back in the US (haha), and we also made a trip to Sanjay Gandhi National Park to see lions (among other things.)

So we were in Mumbai a few days, and then we took the Rajdhani Express back to Delhi on the foreigner's quota.

Bought a ticket to Goa, went to Mumbai instead

So Monday morning we went to the train station to buy a ticket to Goa that was departing early in the afternoon. A few hours later we decided we wanted to go to Mumbai instead, so we went back to the station where they told us we could just get the ticket extended once we were on the train by talking to the conductor. (The end of the line was Mumbai.) We also asked around at the station and were repeatedly told when we were on the train, we could just pay the Goa-Mumbai portion of the train ticket..... but that never happened... we told the conductor the first time he came around, but he told us to purchase it later... "later" never happened. From Alleppey to south Goa, where we purchased our ticket to, was about 15 hours, and we reached there early Tuesday morning. We expected someone to check our ticket on Tuesday, but no one ever did. So basically a free 12-hour train ride from south Goa to Mumbai! So, from Alleppey (Alappuzha) to Mumbai we took the Netravathi Express, and rode the train for a total of about 27 hours. Geesh!

Chillaxin in Kerala (Alleppey)

Well, they say Kerala is a relaxing place to be, and we did just that--relax. Being in Alleppey, there was definitely a different kind of atmosphere than any of the other cities I had been to in India.

When we arrived at the bus station in Alleppey, of course we were approached by people wanting us to stay at their hotel. As always, this helps! We don't have to go in search of one. So we stayed at this place that had two really nice and friendly employees. They told us their names were Jay and Boney. Both of them were always smiling and had a positive attitude. They made the place feel homey, and they taught us how to play a few card games (haha.)

The one down side to the area we stayed... we couldn't really find any places to eat! So for the two days we were there, we pretty much ate at the same place for many meals--the Prince Hotel's restaurant. It was like a 10 minute rickshaw ride away.

It was rather gloomy during our stay, and we didn't do much. We did wander around a bit, and walking around, it was just different--not too many people around. We did also find some kids who seemed to be up to a whole lot of nothing, haha.

Time in Cochin... no, Alleppey instead

A few days prior Jennifer and I had discussed and discussed and decided on flying down to Kerala. It was a very early morning flight with a 30 minute stop in Hyderabad. We flew with IndiGo.

We arrived at the airport in Cochin and literally had no idea what to do. We went to the tourist counter, and of course it was an off day and there was no one there. But there was another airport employee who was kind enough to help us out. He gave us a map of the city center, along with some suggestions on places to stay. This information was nice and all, but we still had no idea what we wanted to do. So I called up Ari who had been to Kerala a few months back. He had a few ideas, and then suggested I contact Monalita, a couchsurfer in Cochin. She was also helpful and gave us some suggestions as to where to go and where not to go. Per her suggestion, which was also a suggestion of the airport employee, we chose a hotel. So we finally got in a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the hotel. I really don't even think he fully understood us or the map we showed him.

But that didn't really matter. Because once we started driving through the active part of the city, we decided we didn't want to want to stay in Cochin. We wanted to be in a more laid back place. So we had the driver take us to the bus station so we could catch a bus to Alleppey.

So we got to the bus station, and I went to the ticket counter to ask about the bus to Alleppey. He said it would be coming shortly and told us to stay put. We kept seeing buses arrive (and depart) continuously, and I kept going up to the ticket counter asking if it was our bus (paranoia?) But that was really the only way to figure it out! Eventually came a time in which I went up to the counter and he told us the bus to Alleppey had arrived. So we got on the bus and had a sometimes bumpy two hour ride to Alleppey.

More chillaxin in Delhi

Well, we were able to get train tickets back to Delhi, but Claudio and I were on different trains. Mainly because originally Claudio booked a ticket to Goa and then decided he wanted to go to Delhi... more or less because he didn't realize his ticket to Goa was waitlisted (and he was far down on the list), so he changed his plans. Anyway, his train left a couple hours before my train, but I actually ended up arriving in Delhi before he did since his train was slower, haha. But the extra two or three hours I was at the Jhansi station..... well, I think I would have rather been on the train!! There was absolutely nothing to do, and there was practically no excitement whatsoever. I was SO bored. Plus, at the station, I was the only foreigner... the only girl... the only foreign girl, which calls for many stares. Anyway, I took the Shatabdi Express from Jhansi to Delhi.

This time around, the main things I did in Delhi were check out the Qutab Minar, went to the mall and saw a movie (American of course haha), and went to a film festival. The film I saw took place in a small village in the southern state of Karnataka, and it was in the language of Kannada with English subtitles.