Wondering in India Part 1

R and I went to India over Easter. We spent the week in New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur which is the Golden Triangle in Rajasthan. India is at once beautiful, ugly, magnificient yet shabby, ancient yet young.

In India, I felt uncomfortable amidsts the dirt, dust, insects and the rubbish. I worried incessantly about falling sick from drinking tainted water or eating contaminated food. All my physical concerns disconnected me from the spirit of India especially during the first couple of days when we got from New Delhi to Agra in a car after being told it was not possible for us to get train tix without booking. So we had a nice ride in a car where we experienced India with a Guide whilst driven around in a sedan. It was the “bubble” India experience.

As we got into the groove of India, R and I told our driver we didn’t want a guide and he can have the day off. He was shocked! We arranged for a meeting time and place and we set off on foot to ‘wonder’. That was the first of a few wonders.

This gave us a true taste of India and we happily ‘got lost’ and by doing so experienced some of our best India moments:

- Meeting the snake charmer

- Wondered into the Sari bazaar

- Given a flower from a flower merchant

- Palm reading by a supposedly famous astrologer/palmist

- Being taken by tuk tuk driver to a ‘shopping mall’ which was another souvenir emporium where we

-Admiring Indian arts and crafts

-Wondering around one of the biggest bazaar in Asia and buying lots of lovely Kurtas (flowy soft Indian shirts)

-Bringing home some lovely pashminas and hand madebedspreads in a sari shop

-Walking in the electronic districts where there are shops upon shops selling mobile phones with not a tourist in sight

-Smiles of random strangers who allowed me to take their pictures

R and I always travel with a part of the trip unplanned. During our honeymoon, we had the first 3 day planned and just decided to just flow with the rest of the two weeks. We invited a couple of wedding crashers and it was so much fun to have company. We even ended up spending a night at the tiny Split airport in Croatia. I love the freedom to just figure it out as we go.

Before we left for India, R asked me if I cared that he has only booked accommodation for our first and second night. We just flowed with it and it felt like life always meet us half way because we were always at the right place at the right time.

In this I should trust even more so when I return to the routine of the everyday.