Two Travelling Sisters

Friday, December 13, 2013

After a couple days in Mumbai and no luck booking a train, we jumped on a sleeper bus headed for Udaipur.

I freaked myself out the night before by reading horror stories about transportation gone wrong in India. Seeing the dirt covered double decker bus that we climbed into, my worries definitely didn't dissipate. The "sleeper beds" above the seats were very dirty, kinda run down, and the windows didn't fully close. I climbed up into the berth hoping immensely there were no bed bugs and lice, spread out a scarf, and settled into my space for the next 20 hours.

Off the bus went weaving through the small streets and big highways of Mumbai. Fancy high rise buildings juxtaposed the endless slums as the city slid by in a seemingly endless fashion. Two hours later and we were just hitting the outskirts of the city.

The bus pulled to the side of the road, and the engines cut off for the next hour. As the bus was loaded with supplies, I peered out the window and looked to see where we had stopped. We were beside an underpass for a highway. Under the bridge a variety of people had made the space their home. Families huddled around small fires. Animals roamed freely. I most vividly remember fire crackling, chickens eating garbage, and naked children running around with broken toys.

For an hour I sat and observed life under the bridge. It was fascinating and upsetting. I sat in the upper storey of the bus and peered down at a life I am thankful never to have experienced. So much poverty, sickness and hardship. The obvious disparity of Mumbai's rich and poor. Looking down I was reminded of what really matters in the end: food, shelter, and friendship. As the children ran, laughed and played I thought "if these kids can be so happy here, then maybe one day the rest of the world can be this happy too."

Caitlin

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Mumbai Dinner: Channa Masala, Alu Gobi, Lemon Coconut Rice

Monday, November 25, 2013

Back in Hostels - Shared 4 Bed Mixed Dorm

First Experiences

The beginning of a trip is always a blur of sights, sounds and smells. I look back at my first day in Mumbai and remember mostly bold colours, sharp scents of flowers and trash, and a general haze over the small minute to minute details. The first day is this strange blend of good and bad. I can vividly remember the shape of the smoke from the morning incense lit during prayer, the sound of the taxi horn slowly weakening from overuse as it endlessly honks, and the taste of curry and cilantro in my afternoon masala dosa. I remember moments when time seemed to slow, the first sharp breath taken as I exited the airport and the heat hit me, the instinctual tightening grip on the handle of my bag as I weave through the crowd, and, of course, the look of the deep, dark, foreign eyes that linger on my face and seem to stare into your soul.

Somehow you constantly feel exhilarated, sad, and exhausted all at the same time. You are mesmerized and intrigued by all around you but also sharply and intensely miss home. You wonder if you made the right choices. You wonder how the city or country might change you. And you wonder, what influence, if any, can you have in this new strange place.

I find it best to throw yourself immediately and intensely into a new place. If you let jet lag get the better of you you will curl into a ball on your hostel dorm bed and never leave the room the entire day. It will dampen your spirits and likely leave you more tired than when you walked off the plane. So, I drop the bags off and walk. I don't take a map, just look at landmarks. I take a handful of coins and find some food. I walk into the first decent place and order something I can barely pronounce. Yes, it takes all my inner strength to push myself that far out of my comfort zone, but with every trip it becomes easier and I become braver.

I spend the first day observing. I focus on words - how they are formed, how local dialects shift pronunciations and what speed the sentences are delivered at. You become consumed by interpreting mannerisms, hand gestures that are new and ambiguous, and wondering whether the clothes you have packed are appropriate. You listen far more than you talk and spend the better part of your evening reflecting on and appropriately changing your behaviours and interactions so that you better mesh with the people around you.

And at the end of the day you crash into bed - generally a thin foam mattress covered with what is a hopefully clean sheet. You are instantly asleep. It doesn't matter how many people flick on the lights in the dorm room, or snore loudly, or arrive drunk at 3:00am. You are exhausted and you sleep. The next morning you wake up and for the first terrifying seconds you have no idea where you are. Then, you remember that you are travelling and smile because that means it's gonna be a good day.

Caitlin

Thursday, November 21, 2013

India Bound

Hi Everyone!

It's been a couple of years, but our backpacks are once again coming out of storage and we are getting ready to travel together again! This time Ali and Caitlin are heading to India. Together we will spend about a month traveling and then Ali is planning on staying alone I'm India for an additional couple months to focus on her yoga practice and training.

We leave for Mumbai tomorrow! I'm leaving from New York City and Ali leaves from Vancouver. We have brief stops in Europe and then fly into Mumbai. We meet in the middle of the night and try to coordinate at the airport terminal :) might be tricky to find each other!

We are going to try to keep you all posted on where we go and what we experience. Ali is really the better writer here, so her words will draw you in and try to help you experience a country of history, colours and taste. My pictures that I post will help complement this as I will help try to capture moments we experience and the beauty and culture of the country!

Thanks for reading, talk to you all soon!

Caitlin