Visit To Haji Ali Mosque and Tomb

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Visit To Haji Ali Mosque and Tomb So we decided to visit the Haji Ali Mosque and tomb. It is on a little islet off the coast of Mumbai. It looks really beautiful like a palace floating out on the water. You get to it by a boardwalk over the ocean to it. During high tide the whole boardwalk floods and it is inaccessible. I read that there are many beggars lining the boardwalk, many of them maimed and dismembered. I also read that Thursday evening and Fridays were popular days to go. So wanting to see the Mosque in its full splendor we decide to go on Thursday evening when Del gets off of work. We take a cab and first stop at the Haji Ali Juice Center. Getting our of the cab, the area is bursting with energy. There are vendors all around and people everywhere. The driver dropped us on the opposite side of the road so we go through an underground tunnel. There are beggars in the tunnel and people going to a fro. We come out on the other side where all of the action is. We eat some spicy pizza and have some juice at the juice center before heading down an ally to make our way to the boardwalk to the mosque. There is a small mosque on our right and I look inside it is underground. I see men washing their feet in a line of sinks before going in. We pass through a metal detector and head to the boardwalk. There are so many vendors and people! The vendors are selling mostly plastic china garbage so we keep walking. There is a lot of trash in the water. We see a family of goats and stop to say hi. As we walk we can see the lights of the mosque over the water and it is beautiful. Drake is asleep and Del and I pass him back and forth, he is getting so heavy! There are many beggars but none really say anything to us. One guy is under a blanket and repeating a chant. As we get close to the mosque there are food vendors and chai vendors. You enter  a courtyard before entering the mosque and it is so beautiful people are stopping to take pictures. When we get to the mosque there is a man taking care of everyone's shoes. So we take off our shoes and leave them with him. There is a front entrance for the men and a side entrance for the ladies. Del has Draven and Drake and I see him go in. He talks with the holy man in there and explains that Draven and Drake are boys. I cover my head and walk toward the side entrance. As I walk in I am overwhelmed by the smell of powerful incense. There is a man with a small hand broom brushing everything off.  The tomb is roped off and it is covered by a red shroud in the middle of the room. Standing there surrounded by all these women in this holy place I became overwhelmed by emotion and began to cry a little. There is something amazing and holy about this place and though I do not practice Islam, I am so grateful to be having this experience. The awareness that all religions should be treated with respect and honored came to my understanding. I look at the men's side and I see Draven and Drake. I also see a man reach over and grab the shroud and bury his face in it with such emotion and intensity. The whole experience was beautiful.  I walk out and get my shoes and give the man a tip. We go and sit on the courtyard wall and relax with some chai tea. People come up to us to say hi and then we start to head back. This is when all the beggars start to ask for money, on the way back. We walk down the boardwalk and take one final look back at this beautiful place that I am grateful to have been able to visit.

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Ellora and Ajanta Caves by Train

Ok, so my blog is officially out of order but I wanted to post about our weekend escape to the caves/temples of Ellora and Ajanta. Del has Sundays off and he came here to work so any weekend excursions need to be done pretty quickly. You can book trains in advance and they are much cheaper than flying so they get booked up quickly. So I booked two overnight trains to get there and back. We left Saturday night and came home Monday night, to Auragabad. The town is the gateway to the caves. So our train was to leave at 11:00pm and arrive at 4:00am. We take a cab to the train station known as VT to the locals and the place is crazy! There are people sleeping on the floor and goats and lots of people. You go through a metal detector and your bags go through a scanning just like at the airport. The place is huge and crazy. We got there early and found on an electric board what platform our train is to arrive on. So we go there, Drake is asleep and really heavy! We find our train and think we find the first class car. So they are supposed to put a paper on the train that tells you which berth is yours. Eventually the paper gets posted and we know which berth we are in. On first class there is a little room with a locking door and 4 berths, two lower and two upper. We get one lower and the two upper. There is a man in the other lower berth, a bigger man that we find out is an engineer. We get  Drake settled and Draven, Del and I look out the window and watch as the train leaves. Draven eventually falls asleep. Del and I don't really sleep the whole night. We look out the window at the different villages that pass by and see people living in these little metal huts along the train tracks. So I sleep a little, but I am so concerned we are going to miss our stop as there is no announcement and the train stops for about 2 minutes. Del goes walking around and comes back to tell me that the doors of the train are left open and he was able to hang out in the dark and there were a million stars. He said it was so awesome he howled! We watch out the window together for most of the night until a giant fart roars in the silence, coming from our Engineer friend, we just laugh quietly. So we arrive at Auragabad get a taxi to our hotel which is really nice with a pool. We sleep a little, go to breakfast and then get a car and driver to visit the caves. The first caves are 2 hours away. We get about 10 min from the hotel when Drake proceeds to vomit all over the back seat. I mean, not a little a lot. It goes all over including the drivers door panel. Del asks the driver to take us back to the hotel. I ask Del if we should cancel the trip, he says no that whatever bothered Drake is out and we should clean him up and head back out. So we stop on the way back and get Drake a coconut from the roadside stand. When we arrive at the hotel, Del gives the driver a big tip and tells him to have the car cleaned and come back and pick us up in 20 minutes. The driver says he needs at least an hour and a half to clean the car, as he checks his shirt for vomit, and that don't call him, he will call us! The driver did pick us up and we headed to the caves. The driving in Auragabad was a little crazier that the driving here in that the cars go totally into head on traffic when passing. The little villages we drove through were amazing and the caves were too. I will post pics. I had a bad stomach for one day, diarreah and had the pleasure of using a pit toilet. I forgot my toilet paper with Del and couldn't really go back so I went "Indian Style" with a hose. The biggest adventure was on the way back. Our train was supposed to leave at 11pm and was 2 hours late. When it got there we were trying to find our car, the train man with the papers started to lead us away from our car when the train started to leave. We had 2 sleeping kids and 5 bags (we did a little shopping in Auragabad). So I jump on with Drake sleeping in the Ergo and the backpack. Del jumps on just to throw his bags on and was about to jump off and get Draven when the porter picked him up and handed him to Del before he jumped on himself. Seems this is a common occurrence, but it really shook Del up, he was angry which is understandable. So we were waitlisted and ended up with one upper bunk in first class for the kids and I and Del had a bunk in second class, but believe it or not, we all slept soundly! In the morning I watch out the window, many people live along side the tracks and I see several people squatting on the tracks tacking their morning crap. We finally arrive in Mumbai and all I can say is that if your stomach is queasy in the morning like mine is, do not make the mistake of looking down at the tracks in the morning, I almost vomited, but was able to control myself. Needless to say, I am headed to Goa tonight by myself with the kids on another overnight train. We are tired of the city, honking, smog, and spicy food and are ready for our little hut on the beach!

Adjusting to the time difference and taking a cab

Our first few days in India, I think I was high on all the newness of everything. The time change was difficult because the kids were waking up at 12:30am and then either going back to sleep around 6am or not at all. We were all tired to say the least. Del was already adjusted and he was trying to sleep as he had to work the next day, but with two wide awake boys, it was a little crazy. I think all of the warnings and bad things I read made me more paranoid than necessary. Driving and crossing the street in this town took a little getting used to. The first couple of times in the taxi, we all would just laugh because it was nothing less than insane compared to the driving we are used to. I mean, traffic lanes mean nothing. There is constant honking and the drivers stop in the middle of the intersection. They get 1 inch from each other. Don't really slow down for pedestrians, just honk while coming within an inch of the person crossing the street. Red lights sometimes matter sometimes don't. My favorite pass time is to stand in front of the chai wallah and just watch the street. Someone inevitably will walk a cow down the street, another person will come by carrying something on his head, very entertaining. So we figured out the taxi situation pretty quick after getting ripped off a couple of times. There are two types of taxis, older and newer. The older ones have these boxes on the outside that display a number then there is a rate card that translates it into a fare of which you have to ask for. My sister in law actually downloaded an app on my i phone that does the translation for you. The newer taxis have electronic meters inside that display the conversion and amount of rupees owed. So we get into an old cab and blindly trusted the driver to tell us how much we owed. He told us 120 rupees which we paid. The next cab tried to tell us 180, we had gone about half the distance so we knew something wasn't right. Del said that the last taxi had only cost us 100. He said, "ok, then 100".  I asked him for his rate card and Del noticed the whole meter was broken. Del laughed and gave him 40 rupees. The driver protested and Draven said, "take it or leave it". So the driver took it. After that, I started taking the newer taxis with the electronic meters. I figured out pretty quick that it costs 16 rupees a kilometer and one taxi I got in the driver had not reset his meter. I noticed because it was higher than 16 rupees. I quickly told him to do reset, and I try only to use the newer cars. Another time there was tremendous traffic, there always is but this time it was more than usual. We had an older driver who I could tell was slightly stressed. He kept saying to Del,"much traffic sir". We finally arrived at our hotel. The ride came out to around 60 rupees of which Del gave him a 100 and told him to keep the change. The driver immediately made the most wonderful chuckle. A 75 cent tip absolutely made his night!  Funny thing is, that with the first driver, "ripping us off", it amounted to an extra $1.00. So really it was like, who cares? Another time, we were entering a temple and there was a couple of people trying to sell us flowers, and it can be a pretty high pressure sale. After negotiating a price, the vendor did not want to give Del his change. He got pretty mad, ripping his bill out of the vendors hand, giving back the flowers and stomping off. It was a pretty big display. When we were climbing all of the stairs to the temple, Del said, "I think I just got mad over 50cents". So small losses in figuring some things out.

First Day in India

This will be a short post as it is 2:28 am, the kids and I are still on LA time while Del, now sleeping is on India time. I finally got Draven to sleep sometime after the sun had come up on our first day.. Drake had lots of sleep on the plane so he was basically up all night. I was so excited to get out, so while Del and Draven slept, Drake and I took a little walk to see what we would see. I put on my special Salwaar Kameez minus the wrap that comes with it, and headed out with Drake. After a quick Namaste to the hotel staff we stepped outside and were immediately greeted my the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. It was a little like walking around some beat up town in Mexico with tons of traffic and honking. There were quite a few vendors as we walked and the first one I saw was selling bananas. I saw a woman making some kind of dough balls and had them displayed on a paper on the street in front of her. We kept walking and saw a woman with a cow. Another woman went up to the cow. The owner gave her some hay to feed it which she did then gave it a rub on the head and a coin. We walked further, not daring yet to cross the street. I started to get looks right away and wondered if it was because I didn't have my wrap with my Salwaar. I was given a big warm smile by an older woman in a Sari. Then we saw people dressed in all different ways. One man walked his dog in very american cargo shorts. A woman in jeans and a salwaar shirt, or kurta? We passed kids in smart uniforms hair done nicely walking to school. And then I found him, the man I was secretly looking for, the Chai Wallah. He was standing in front of his set up, filling up a little glass for a customer. There were many men standing around drinking this wonderful steaming hot beverage. I ordered one and the wallah handed me a glass steaming full of my first Massala Chai in India. As I drank, I watched him crush up the mix for the chai while sitting on the floor in front of his set up. I saw where to put your dirty glass and watched how he rinsed it in a bucket of hot water before serving the next customer. It was a social meeting spot for these men as they chatted. I felt someone staring at me and looked over to find a man just staring out of the window of his car. After awhile it all was a little overwhelming for Drake who was quite sleepy in the Ergo and he asked to go back to the hotel. We did and after sending Del off, we took a little walk with the stroller to find a nearby bookstore. Lots of cars and honking and with the help of a traffic director we bravely and hurriedly crossed the street, dodging the honking cars to make it safely to the bookstore, where Drake promptly fell asleep and stayed so until night. Needless to say we are still working on adjusting to the time change. Pictures to come tomorrow. Del has the day of tomorrow and we are going to hit up some of the most popular tourist destinations.

Our Flight and Arrival In India

We have arrived! So my wonderful friend Amy dropped us off at LAX for a 12:30pm departure. We arrived in Houston a couple of hours later. I brought along 2 mp3 players, my Iphone, and two India guidebooks, sweaters, and my stroller which I checked and picked up at each gate.  I also brought snacks and my laptop which I never used and will go back in checked luggage on the way home. I also had a backup battery pack for charging and I had planned on recharging in the airports, but we never had enough time between flights. From Houston we had a 10 yes I said 10 hour flight to Frankfurt. The flight was uneventful, except for the delicious vegetarian, Indian food. My back and knees where hurting mid flight as I tried without success to get a little sleep. When we landed, Drake was sleeping. So I put him in the wonderful Ergo carrier on my back and Draven and I walked down the stairs from the airplane and stepped outside. Boy was it cold! The wind was blowing and it woke up little Drake, so glad I had sweaters! When I got to the gate I was told it was changed and after lots of walking carrying Drake on my back and Draven in the stroller, with the help of a kind Indian man on my flight, found the right gate. There was a huge crowd getting on the plane of mostly Indian people and it was just really bizarre. The airline attendant was giving announcements which I could not hear. I was told by another passenger I could board, so I pushed my way through the crowd, went through one of those big rotating glass doors and into a shuttle to the next plane. This would be an 11 hour flight to Mumbai. I have to say the mp3 players and I phones saved us. The kids were totally content watching shows and playing games. With the battery back-up, we had just enough power to get us through. A bollywood soap opera type of movie was playing. I have to say I was a little put off by how American the family was being portrayed. Eating spaghetti and pizza and using silly American slang, just wasn't into it.  It made me wonder about daily Indian life and the influence of media. I spoke to an older Indian woman about it briefly while waiting to use the WC.  I just don't know enough to put anything together about it, but I thought it was kind of lame. As we descended I looked out the window and noticed we were flying over little islands all lit up. It was really pretty. When we arrived in Mumbai, both kids were sleeping so Draven went in the stroller and Drake went on my back and we went through customs. They had a line for infants and handicapped people which they sent me to.  I hadn't completely filled out the forms so I had to step aside, finish it and go up to the desk again. A nice man asked me a couple of questions and I went right through. As I walked through the seemingly small airport, I noticed the shabbiness of it. It seemed old and tired. On to baggage claim. Two men immediately approached me, in competition and asked if I needed help, I said no and they promptly left me alone. My bag came right out, one of the firsts, so I was able to wheel my bag and push the stroller with Draven in it and Drake on my back to go through security. The man took one look at me and waved me through. Now I was walking down a hall, passed money exchange booths toward the exit of the airport. There were windows and I could see many people waiting outside, some sleeping, it was 2:30AM. I wan in India, now where was Del. I had read so much about harassment and scammers that I was a little paranoid of being bothered. You basically walk out and surrounding you in a horseshoe is a short wall with many people staring at everyone coming off, many holding signs to pick people up. I came out by myself, so I felt I was being stared at by a whole crowd, all around me. A man walked up very close to me and said in an Indian accent, "Take your bag, I take your bag, I take your bag" Without really looking at him I said a firm, "No thank you", only to look up and see Del! I don't have to tell you I was so happy to see him. It had been two weeks. So we went out toward the parking garage. Nothing like L.A. The cars didn't really slow down, just honked as we made our way to the elevator. The first one we couldn't get to work so we took the second one. The driver was alseep in the little car, Del said they both were sleeping in there for awhile as they had been there since 11:00. The kids woke a little and we had a very exciting, very fast ride out of the airport. The driving was like NYC only much, much faster, crazier,not really respecting the boundary of lanes and not bothering stopping for any red lights. He did however stop for a dog in the street which I appreciated. Looking out the window it reminded me of run down areas of Mexico I had been in. There were quite a few little fires that people had going and I am still not sure what they were for, our driver didn't speak any English and I haven't asked anybody else yet. We made it to our hotel  and I greeted the doorman with a Namaste my hands in prayer and a little bow. He seemed to really appreciate this and greeted my back the same way. It warms my heart to get this namaste greeting whenever I go down into the lobby, I love it! We got up to our room and were wide awake. Poor Del had to work the next day and didn't get much sleep. The kids finally went to sleep somewhere around 6am, and I was able to do a little yoga and meditation. During my meditation the feeling of being just where I needed to be here in India in this very moment came over me, as well as a feeling of gratefulness for everything, including the opportunity to be here, on the other side of the world with my family, eagerly waiting the exciting adventures to come.

Getting Ready

So, I have guidebooks,mosquito repellent, sleep sacks, wrapped Ben 10 toys, thanks to a good friend, and a good attitude. I am not a clean freak by any means. However, I want to avoid "Dehli Belly". Some things I read about India scared me a little, like getting flashed by a Eunuch. I have lived and worked in some tough neighborhoods, so I feel I have "street smarts" and survivor skills. My husband has been in Mumbai for a week now and he says no one has hassled him so perhaps I will just take India as it comes. I have read of blonde kids getting pinched so I told my 6 year old blonde Draven he may be like a Celebrity there. He liked that but if it is real bad I told him we will put his long locks in a turban and give him some shades to cover his baby blues. After some reading about children being mammed so beggars can use them to tug at the hearts of tourists, I will probably do my best to ignore them instead supporting the economy by just shopping, eating etc. All and all I am going with the intention of having a meaningful life changing experience for myself and Draven and Drake, my kids. I love yoga and meditation, and have been working on easing my way back into it while healingy adrenals. I originally planned on chilling out in Goa after checking out Mumbai, but I cannot leave India without visiting some amazing caves and temples as well. While I like to stay in one area awhile with just three weeks I want to see what I can without rushin myself or stressing the kids. This is going to be amazing!