India Travels #1: Delhi, India: A Riot of the Senses

Monday, January 8th
Delhi, India

Wle're arrived safely after days of traveling! It took us two days to get to India and we arrived in Delhi taking a taxi through the chaos of traffic. Imagine the 101 filled with rickshaws, tuk-tuks, taxis, buses, and bicyclists in a mad dash with one another. Basically, all the oncoming traffic heads down the middle of the road straight into you until both vehicles swerve inches away from one another at the last possible second. On our way here yesterday, our taxi driver nearly hit a cow and then a military captain riding a bicycle. From all that we've read and heard, if you're in an accident here and you're able to walk, it's advised that you get out of the car as fast as possible and run as far from the accident as possible to avoid the mobs of people who attack the driver and passengers...no matter whose fault it is.

We stayed in the Paharganj district of Delhi which is cheap, seedy, and full of tightly packed shops, street vendors, and random cows. The noises and sounds and smells are overwhelming but, to us, not unlike what we've experienced in Kathmandu, Nepal from prior trips. Within just steps, we pass garbage, excrement, dogs, cows, carts filled with pomegranates, oranges, and grapes, men hawking and spitting, make-shift urinals, vendors frying pastries. All overhead are a tangle of unprotected electrical wiring. Our hostel was about $10/night with a lukewarm shower and a staff of several men and young boys who were extraordinarily helpful. Mom and I were so prepared to be hassled in India that the kindness of strangers really impressed us. One man out of the street kept yelling to get my attention and tell me I had dropped our guidebook. Another young street boy selling postcards yelled after Mom to warn her that her skirt was getting caught in the rickshaw wheel. And one morning after a fit of coughing from my flu, a man in our hostel tapped on our door and gave me a bottle of cough syrup and a spoon, "Please madam, take two spoons."

It's dirty and poor and rich in the senses. It's wonderful!

As so happens in the magic of our travels, we had nearly forgotten that a very good friend of my mother's cousin lives here in Delhi. "An," a 34-year old Indonesian, is finishing his Phd in sociology at the university here and happened to have the day off. He arrived on our first morning here carrying two dozen pink and yellow roses (shit, I can't remember the last time that happened!), turkish apricots, welcome postcards from Indonesia, a platter of fresh oranges, grapes, and apples, and a tin of imported Danish cookies.

Mom and I were immediately stoked.

He treated us like princesses for the rest of the day. We had had no plans for the day except to rest but we found ourselves whisked away on rickshaws through the tangle of human traffic and into the maze of Old Delhi where the Muslims settled over 600 years ago. We explored the largest mosque in all of India and walked beneath the exquisite marble archways of a the Red Fort, build by Jah Shahan, the Muslim emperor who also commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal just a few hours from here. It wasn't difficut to imagine peacocks, elephants, and courtesans strolling among the grounds beneath the giant banyan trees only centuries ago. The architecture felt strangely familiar to me and only renewed my interest in traveling to the Middle East.

In the afternoon, we walked through the labyrinth-like spice market lined with centuries-old cobblestones....passing tiny shops stacked with saris, blankets, and giant bowls of fresh cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, and dried fruits. The smells of earth, antiquity, urine, and frying spices all mix freely and I couldn't help but think of the old Indiana Jones movie where he comes across a turbaned guy at the end of an alley in a comical face-off.

All the food here is incredible. Half the time we have no idea what we're eating but it's damn good. I hinted I liked what I saw in one small stall and within seconds An was standing among a group of men before a giant vat of oil and fried triangles of dough. He brought us each a small tin foil plate with deep fried triangles of bread filled with layers of spicy potatoes and paneer (Indian cheese) and swimming in a sweet red relish and a mint sauce.

Damn good!

Mom and I stopped again in front of a "sweet" shop much like the old fountains of our youth where drinks are served in pewter glasses and the table tops, floor, and walls are made of an alabaster marble.

We nibbled on sweets made from sweet milk, cardamom, and pistachios and sipped on Masala Chai, a hot, sweet, milky tea made with peppercorns, cinnamon, black tea, and cardamom and sold throughout India.

Several men sat cross-legged in front of giant skillets of sizzling oil, dropping swirls of dough into the oil of one and rounds of popadoms into another. Young, grinning boys ran back and forth between customers with glasses of hot chai and piping hot popamoms....customers would dip the popamom rounds into various chutneys.

At sunset, we visited India's largest mosque, strolling across the main square in our socks, as is customary to show respect. Clouds of black pigeons peppered the sky above the fountain and young girls in saris strolled past the mosque walls.

For dinner, An took us to a special restaurant in South Delhi which specializes in food from Hyderabad, India. For only $3 we were given a giant metal tray and several men came by our table filling it with chapatis, white rice, lemon scented rice, popadoms, baba ganouj, spicy potatoes, spinach and tomatoes, curd, a sweet rice-based jelly dessert, a darkened lemon chicken which fell off the bone, and a half-dozen other spices and curries to mix in with our food. At any moment we looked up and pointed to a dish we'd especially liked, an older gentleman would snap his fingers "godfather-like" and a young man would be at our table spooning more of it on to our plates.

Needless to say, our first day in India was beyond anything we dreamed and we were grateful to An for being such an incredibly gracious host.
"Christ," mom said at the end of the day, "I'm giving this boy my home wherever I live."

Next up:
travel to the Indian Hill Station of Darjeeling....

all our love,
Rachel and her surprisingly docile Mama Chihuahua

Book Review: Getting Stoned With Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by bestselling author J. Maarten Troost
Review: **** (four out of five stars)

This excellent follow-up to "The Sex Lives of Cannibals" details Troost's decision to quit his high-powered and tedious job in Washington D.C. and take up life again in the Pacific....

Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.

Travel Series Review: "Long Way Round"
Starring: Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
Appearing on Bravo (USA) and Sky One (UK)

While many celebrities book their tickets to visit Caribbean spas for facials and yoga retreats (not that there's anything wrong with a little R&R, mind you), Ewan Macgregor and best friend, fellow actor, Charley Boorman, set out on an adventure most people in their right mind would pay not to go on...Sponsored by BMW, they set out to cover roughly 20,000 miles around the world by motorbike, through largely rough and unpopulated areas. While supported at occasional border crossings, they were for the most part alone. Crossing Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia on outrageously slippery, flooded, and muddy roads and non-roads.
The first episode was slow in the beginning and in need of more hip editing cuts, but eventually the momentum of their journey carries you. Equally admirable is the fact that you rarely see Charlie or Ewan fight. They both have three characteristics which make for the perfect adventurers: a healthy sense of humor, a sense of wonder, and dogheaded persistence to finish what they set out to accomplish. Although the last episode seemed rather hurried, I found myself wanting more. And just like them, I found myself yearning the harder parts of the journey....the mosquitoes and swollen river crossings over the urban pavement...if at the very least to be reminded of the vigor that only a healthy adventure can bring to one's perspective of the world. I would heartily recommend this to any motorcycle enthusiasts, adventurers, and around-the-world travelers.
You can buy the series on Amazon.com or rent it on Netflix. Their homesite is:

www.longwayround.com

This year, Charley set out to ride the 2006 Race to Dakar, arguably the world's harshest cross-country dirt bike race in which riders cross the Sahara Desert. You can access his team's home page at:

www.racetodakar.com

"Bakespace Takes a Bite out of the Myspace Market"






Myspace's overwhelming success has inspired countless spin-offs, some more successful than others. I've recently become a member of Bakespace, a website blending the concept of myspace networking with the passion of cooks and bakers, whether professional or amateur. With over 5300 members, you can create a page and profile of your own, sharing recipes from around the world for dishes like cashew crusted chicken, sauteed spinach with lemon, or unique twists on the simple classic, hot chocolate.
Check it out at:

www.bakespace.com

And since it is Halloween, I've included an excerpt from Babette's (founder of Bakespace) latest Bakespace newsletter detailing some of the diverse traditions for celebrating Halloween around the world.

HALLOWEEN AROUND THE WORLD

Halloween is one of the world's oldest holidays, dating back to pagan times. In many countries food plays a central role in how the holiday is celebrated. Here's a sample of how the world is celebrating tonight:

* Ireland
In Ireland, a traditional food eaten on Halloween is barnbrack, a kind of fruitcake. A muslin-wrapped treat is baked inside the cake that, it is said, can foretell the eater's future. If a ring is found, it means that the person will soon be wed; a piece of straw means that a prosperous year is on its way.

* Austria
In Austria, some people will leave bread, water and a lamp on the table before going to bed on Halloween night. It was once believed that these items would welcome the dead souls back to earth.

* China
In China, the Halloween festival is known as Teng Chieh. Food and water are placed in front of photographs of family members who have departed.

* Mexico, Latin America and Spain
Among Spanish-speaking nations, Halloween is known as "El Dia de los Muertos" -- the day of the dead – and is celebrated over a three-day period that begins the evening of October 31. A feast is held that includes loaves of bread called "Bread of the Dead." Inside the loaves are sugar skeletons or other items with a death motif. This gift is more prized if the skull or skeleton is embossed with one’s own name.

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all."
Helen Keller

I've become addicted to Youtube and, in an effort to keep up with the digital age, I've created a new podcast section for my writing and photography website. I've just posted a short slideshow of my adventures (with Mama Chihuahua) travelling through North Vietnam as well as a short music video of the rock n'roll band, "King Bee," that I play with. The Vietnam slideshow is one which I've presented at the "What Color Is Your Jockstrap?" travel anthology booksignings in California, Indiana, and Arizona over this past summer.

If you view the "King Bee" video on Youtube, please take the time to rate it. The higher the rating we receive, the higher its status will be in the Youtube search engine. Check the videos out on my...

Podcast Page

I've also organized my travel blog links on this site so you can browse previous blogs by country instead of by date. You can find them alphabetically by country in the margin to the right.

Thanks again and stay tuned for more website developments this month.

Haven't been posting much this summer through the whirlwind of traveling to Arizona, Indiana, and a recent sailing trip out to the Channel Islands for some R&R. The Vietnam Slideshow and "Jockstrap" Booksigning parties in Flagstaff, AZ and Santa Barbara, CA were a smashing success and I'm having lots of fun creating multi-media presentations with the added elegance of my new Epson multi-media projector.
Mama Chihuahua and I are planning our next trip over the winter to either North India or Morocco. In the meantime, I'll be hunkered down working on several magazine stories of the culinary persuasion. I'll be updating here once a month this fall.
Several of my Vietnam photos are posted now on my website's

Vietnam Page.