India

When we told our friends that we were spending two weeks in India, we were met with cautionary tales of 'bolly belly' (ie. when the food just doesn't agree with you), severe abject poverty, and culture shock. I'm here to say that everything you've heard is absolutely... true. We thought we were sufficiently prepared to see the devastatingly poor villages and cities of India but we were not. We also thought that our stomachs had grown accustomed to the joys of traveling through foreign lands with lots of new/strange bacteria. Mine had not! And as far as the cultural differences, our taxi driver asked if our marriage was arranged or a love marriage! Lee promptly responded with "Yes! She arranged the whole thing!"

We started in Mumbai (aka: Bombay) - a city of 13 million people. Our first glimpse of India was in line with everything we expected. The airport scene was chaotic. Even with our late arrival time, there were hoards of people around -- begging, offering taxi tours, and outright staring. That was perhaps the most surprising. Certainly, we are not the most Western-looking people to land in one of the most populated cities in the world. But everywhere we turned, we absorbed very deep, long stares from the locals. But don't get me wrong - you don't feel you're in danger. On the contrary, the people of India are overall spiritual, gentle, and peaceful souls.

We took in the major tourist attractions in Mumbai and spent a great deal of time observing life on the streets. I would be remiss if I didn't touch on the subject of poverty, for it's a glaring reality. If you live in a big city (or even if you don't), chances are you've seen how some people struggle to live on the streets as homeless, drug-addicted, or mentally-ill. But this is an entirely different level of poverty. You see children in the worst possible conditions known on earth. You see their parents trying to provide them shelter on the side of a dirty road with little more than sticks and shreds of cloth. It's heartbreaking to say the least. I think we were both in a solemn mood the first few days. And unlike so many other things in life, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing such horrific images.

Next, we traveled to New Delhi. This was one of our favorite places in India. The city was quite developed and we got a real taste of the culture taking a rickshaw through the narrow streets of Old Delhi. We became intoxicated by the most incredible smells of spices and incense as we managed our way through the old Hindu and Muslim neighborhoods. Despite some minor stomach pains, we also started to venture further into the spicy cuisines. One of the city's best restaurants is Bukhara - where countless employees informed us that President Clinton had dined while traveling through the country.

We also took a day trip to one of the 7 wonders of the world - the Taj Majal. As my mother reminded me, the monument was actually built by the Persians, or Mughals, who conquered India in the 16th century. The king had the Taj built in honor of his late wife (now that's love). The Taj Majal is located in Agra, which we reached by train. The train ride was quite comfortable and we arrived to more hustle-and-bustle as 'tour guides' and taxis competed for our business. We took some amazing photos of the Taj Mahal. Words simply can't do it justice (see below). Eerily, our train departed from the same station where a bombing occured killing dozens of people on a train.

Our next 2 stops took us to the South. We spent my birthday in a beach town called Goa. It was a Portuguese colony and as one friend told us, it can be viewed as "India Lite." We recharged for a few days before heading further south to Cochin in the state of Kerala. There was a whole different vibe in Kerala. It is quite developed (in terms of infrastructure) and very tropical. Lee likes to make comparisons to cities we know. In this case, it's a bit like Miami with its warm climate, palm trees, and backwaters (like the everglades). One of the most interesting attractions in the old city of Cochin is a 15th Century synagogue that still holds services for the 13 Jewish residents. We visited Sarah Cohen's embroidery shop, where we met one of the 13 remaining Jews. Sarah could be your sweet old grandmother who lives in Brooklyn. We also walked the streets of "Jew Town (which is what they actually named the town)." Who knew?

I think the experience of seeing this incredible country is humbling and life-changing. On the one hand, you can't help but feel grateful and lucky to live in a developed country where concerns over plumbing and clean water never enter your mind. On the other hand, you are silently glad you've been handed the opportunity to view life from a different (albeit desperate) perspective. I don't think we'll ever forget our time here but I hope that the situation improves in our lifetime.