Samosas and other Indian Moments

I’ve heard that when in India, you oscillate between loving it and hating it; this week, there was, as they say, a whole lotta lovin’. There were so many moments when I was able to block out the smell of garbage and urine that so frequently overwhelms the senses and realize how beautiful India is. On Saturday Bianca and I were ‘sick’ (I got food poisoning and she had to accompany me to the hospital). We just really wanted a day off, and with Christmas and New Years just around the corner we really weren’t in the mood to sit in our basement office all day doing nothing. Winters in Jaipur bring chilly temperatures of about 7 or 8 degrees at night but during the day it averages around 26 degrees, and it is always sunny – perfect weather to cruise around the city in a cycle rickshaw. We ate 5 rupee roadside samosas, perfected our bargaining skills at the bazaar, and had a classic ‘I love India’ moment as our rickshaw was driving over a bridge with the sun setting and the radio blasting out a Hindi song similar to ‘Africa’. To one side I saw a beautiful fountain decorated with peacock sculptures and to the other, a father with his four daughters packed like sardines onto his motorcycle.

Being ‘sick’ for a few days, and having days off for Christmas and New Years, we enjoyed a week of sleeping in, relaxing, and or course, shopping. We discovered a restaurant called Little Italy, where the pasta tastes exactly like it does at home and where the service is second to none. We sat for over an hour in a bookstore reading our horoscopes. We drank chai in a fabric shop, picking out colours for our custom-made kurtas. We tried out our Ayuverdic mud mask which left our skin feeling tingly and refreshed. We discovered an oasis at the Jal Mahal Hotel where for only 170 rupees you can have access to their pool and soak up the sun. And we celebrated Christmas, Taichi’s farewell, Martin’s birthday, and New Years.

I’ve heard that when in India, you oscillate between loving it and hating it; this week, there was a whole lotta lovin’

I think after being here for almost a month, I’ve gotten over the smells, the dirt, the creepy men and the urinating in public, and now I’m beginning to open my eyes to all the beautiful things India has to offer. Whether it’s the generosity of the Indian people, or the way that a rickshaw will speed along weaving dangerously in and out of traffic but will slow down when there’s a cow on the road, I feel that I can now really appreciate all that is here. Whilst there are still some things I adamantly don’t agree with, such as the caste system and the widespread traditional views on the role of women, I can now look at the culture here and instead of judging it, appreciate that it is merely different.

In other news, I’ve developed a little bit of an obsession with buying scarves… and bangles. And even though I don’t usually like wearing jewelry, I can’t help myself when I walk into a jewelry store and there’s all these earrings, pendants, rings and bracelets there and the owners make you sit down and sip chai while you browse through all the beautiful pieces they have. I’m also quickly developing my skills in bargaining and have learnt from Bianca, who is a professional in this field, that usually the most direct approach gets the best results – i.e. telling the shopkeeper to his face that he is a liar when he quotes you a ridiculously high price and informing him what it’s really worth. Having gone shopping almost every day last week with all the time off we had, I’m now grateful that this week I will have to work, as I really need to save money! Especially since I will be traveling three week-ends in a row starting next week!

Also, since Bianca has gotten sick three times now after eating chicken at restaurants, I’ve decided to become vegetarian for the rest of my stay here (except that doesn’t include McChicken burgers and Fillet-o-fish burgers at Maccas). I still haven’t gotten used to the spicy food and don’t think I ever will, as every time I eat something overly spicy it just comes out the other end. And whilst everyone has told me to stay away from roadside food, I’ve found that it is actually the tastiest, cheapest, and safest food you can get. It’s almost always deep-fried, never costs more than 10 rupees, and is delicious. My favourite at the moment is the samosa, but near our house there is a man who makes what we call ‘tiki’. It’s basically like a hash brown that he mashes up, mixes with chickpeas, and pours three different types of sauce over. I’m also determined to learn, by the time I leave, how to properly make chai, as I’ve also developed a bit of an addiction to it!

So now that it’s Monday morning of my 5^th week here (how time flies!) and I figure I’d better knuckle down and make some progress on my report. I’ve got quite a bit of traveling to do these next 3 weeks, which, though exciting, is a little worrying since I don’t know when I’m going to get a moment to relax! Can’t wait to see more of Rajasthan though, and having realized how many beautiful places there are to visit in India, I am definitely coming back later down the track! Varanasi, Amritsa, Mumbai, Chennai, the entire states of Gujarat and Kerala… and I’ve heard Kashmir, whilst probably not the safest place to travel to at the moment, is absolutely beautiful.