The golden triangle by kt

Wyatte said this morning that he thought we were all growing up a lot on this trip and it is true. When we met up with team one, I could see subtle changes in some people. It was really good to meet up.

First, our team met up at Pizza Hut because we were starving after our train ride and in need of some familiar food. The plan was to split up, exchange our money, go to the bank/ATM, and all that jazz before meeting up at the restaurant. We split up into 3 groups, the first 2 groups got to Pizza Hut just fine. Smitha and Tamer got a wee bit lost and we had fun chiding them for that. Especially since we suggested just meeting at Vai's house and they were hesistant to do that because they were afraid we would get lost.

Ironically enough, we arrived on time, they got lost again and arrived a hour later, and team two arrived 2 hours later due to traffic and transportation issues. What can I say? We are quickly learning the concept of Indian Standard Time, which is almost worse than Deaf Standard Time. When you combine the two, forget it lol.

Once we all were under one roof, we exchanged greetings and proceeded to enjoy a delicious Indian meal courtesy of Vai's family. They were all very generous and kept offering dish after dish even though our tummies were already filled to the brim. The samosas were delicious as well as were the various dishes that I cannot recall the names of at the moment. We enjoyed spending time at the house, looking through the wedding albums, discussing the upcoming wedding of another cousin in Jaipur (Bharat's twin, I believe), and just interacting with the family. Their coffee is also to die for and I don't even like coffee.

At 1am, we all boarded an air conditioned bus for our trip to Agra. Mission: to see the sun rise over the Taj Mahal. Successful? Negative. We did get there after sunrise though, DST and IST! I can't even begin to describe the Taj. It was just majestic, made from cool, slightly transculent, white marble, it is truly a wonder of the world and I'm glad that I got to see it as well as the other members of both teams. I was surprised that it was covered with red fortlike walls and flanked by mosques as well. I also kept seeing Stars of Davids. The place was crawling with monkeys, there were even mama monkeys carrying babies on their stomachs. That would be monkey babies, not human babies, just to clarify. The Taj had only 3 monkeys inside though and someone said that they're specially trained to keep the other monkeys out, I don't know if that's true or not.

After the Taj, we began our bumpy ride to Jaipur, and we all came to hate the AC after it wouldn't stop dripping on us. The Golden Triangle is in the desert and consequently, it was very hot and humid. Jaipur seemed to be in the mountains and is also known as the pink city. It is well known for the shopping and cultural events that it possesses. My favorite part was hotel OM tower, which is a 5-star hotel owned by Vai's brother, Vikas. We were actually able to shower in a tub, with a shower curtain, with hot water, and without the use of buckets. The beds were very comfortable, and the views from our windows were beautiful. Both teams were able to stay there thanks to the generosity of the family. That night, we split up to do some shopping. Negotiating was tiring, so we headed back to the hotel and ate dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top of the tower, more on that later. It seemed like nothing at first, but then we all started feeling a bit disoriented and vertigo- like. Afterwards, we all met at the rooftop pub, Amigos, for drinks among... well, amigos. We were also able to meet Vikas for the first time.

The next day brought about plans to meet for breakfast at 8, which many of us opted to skip. The beds were THAT comfortable. Most went to see the Amer fort, but unfortunately I missed that. I wasn't too bummed though because I got a chance to catch up and have lunch with Greg at McDonald's, and when we returned and sat around in the lobby waiting for everyone to return, Vikas asked us to come up to his office for a chat. I had fun doing just that. Seriously though people, here is a deaf business owner in another country, a successful one to boot. That is an accomplishment and proof that one can do whatever they aim to do if they set their mind to it.

The Business part of me was intrigued and I asked questions about the hotel, the design, communication with the staff, etc. Apparently, the revolving restaurant design was inspired by the grandparents' visit to Niagara Falls. Small world. I also remarked how the hotel employees all seemed so deaf friendly and most knew a bit of sign, additionally most weren't afraid to whip out paper and pencil if needed. I wish we saw that in more places!

What followed was a hurry to get on the road, we actually said goodbye to some of the members of team one as the bus was slowing rolling into traffic with us half on it. DJ, Avi, Greg, and Anthony all decided to stay in Jaipur longer, while the rest of us completed the last leg of the Golden Triangle.

The bus ride was very bumpy and all of us were propelled out of our seats at one time or another. Sleep was impossible. Soon, our conversation turned to ghosts and our encounters with the paranormal, a conversation that I regretted having later due to it putting my nerves on edge. First, we dropped Alim off at the airport and said goodbye as the bus was rolling away in a hurry. Then due to the narrow streets in Delhi, we had to be dropped off in the middle of an area that was really... Wow.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of women and the increased amount of staring. We were also followed on one occasion or two and a guy actually had the nerve to inappropriately touch a girl in one of our groups before running off laughing with his friends.

We were all more than relieved when we finally reached Hotel Namaske! Ok, after our comfortable stay at OM tower, this was a huge downgrade even though it wasn't that bad. It was just a bit seedy and a return to showering with buckets and no water pressure.

While checking in, I saw a mama dog and her baby puppy playing in the alley that the hotel was situated at, and well, I am a sucker for puppies. I ignored Smitha's warnings about the dogs in India and approached them. They were so friendly and attention-starved, they kept jumping on me and playing with me and tugging on the cords of my shorts and my bracelets. I would have taken both home if I could have, seriously.

The next morning revealed a whole 'nother side to the area when the shops opened. We were in heaven, Smitha compared it to Kako San road in Thailand, and I apologize if I just butchered the spelling of that road. Unfortunately, Lizzie and Kenny were unable to join us having left that morning for London.

First, we visited a deaf women's organizaton that was right by our hotel. We bought them out, I think. We were really impressed with their crafts and their handiwork, as well as their strength and determination in running a business in a male dominated society. So, we were more than happy to do our shopping there and spend our money there as well, and they seemed thrilled to meet us and talk with us.

After a lunch at Pizza Hut, we split up to do some shopping. At 7:30, a meet-up at the hotel led to a send-off for the rest of group one. So, we hiked to the nearest taxi stand with all of their backpacks amidst the still-full Main Street Bazarr. Luckily, our hotel was right by the train station, so we secured India's version of a van, loaded up people, shed a few tears and waved goodbye.

Then, bam! A display of Indian drivers at their best when an auto rickshaw drove into the van as it was backing up. What we did not expect was the scene that occurred afterwards with Tamer having to break up a near-fight. Oy vey.

The excitement did not end there! We met up with Smitha and Alf and went to grab dinner. We gave feedback on the reunion between team 1 and 2, then headed back to the hotel to continue our meeting. I saw the two dogs again and they remembered me, so I played with them until Alf came out and told me that she just saw them playing in a public urinal not far from the hotel.

I decided to heed Smitha's warnings about dogs in India and proceeded to wash my hands in scalding hot water, or rather, the hotel's version of scalding hot water: barely-lukewarm water accompanied with lots of hand sanitizer.

The power decided to go out, then the generator decided to stop working, then the wind decided to get very calm. It grew very hot and we all had yet to sleep and pack for our flight back.

We survived though! We all agreed that a 3 hour flight beats 35 hours on a train any day! At the airport, a dog kept stepping on my flip flops and was begging for attention, and I couldn't resist. Neither could Tamer. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only dog person in the group, and the dogs in India aren't all that bad. Some are pretty cute :)

Sorry for the long entry. I've actually been writing this for a week now, I can never find time to actually finish and post it. We, the bloggers, also owe updates about the first two days of our workshops. Until then, farewell from the Don Bosco house!
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