India - a place where I left a piece of my heart. A place that is calling out to me to return. It was so special that this ended up being a very long cache write-up.
I was scheduled to go to India the summer of 2017 with my granddaughter-in-law on a mission trip to assist widowed and divorced women who are left without support. She had done a number of these trips previously with a friend, a native of India, who as a professor at UW led these trips on alternate years.
I was so excited to be selected as a participant for this trip. You can imagine my disappointment when it had to be cancelled. A few days later a travel brochure arrived featuring a trip to India. I signed up immediately - no hesitation, no pondering, no doubts. Later utox2rox decided to join me.
At a family gathering up in Shoreline, my granddaughter pulled out a big box of her traditional Indian clothes - sets consisting of salwar, kameez and scarf. I tried on many of them and the family selected the three outfits for me to take with me. I wore them most of the time I was there, along with the two new sets I purchased.
To solve this unknown, read on for the values to substitute into the following coordinate formula:
N 47° 0A.BCD W 122° 4W.XYZ
You may read about some of my adventures in India, or simply search for the highlighted letters to get the needed answers.
We arrived in New Delhi a day early and that day I explored the market near the hotel while dodging all types of vehicles weaving around each other while blowing their horns. After a good night's sleep, I joined a few others for a morning visit to Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple built entirely of hand carved stones without the use of any steel.
Meeting the group that afternoon, we were taken on a bicycle rickshaw ride through Old Delhi, founded by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1D39.
That same evening, we visited Raj Ghat (Gandhi Memorial) where I was allowed to leave the group on the upper terrace, remove my shoes, and walk up to the memorial, a special experience for me. The next morning we visited Gandhi Smriti where Gandhi spent the last 144 days before his assassination on January 30, 19X8. Wandering around the area, I discovered that one of my favorite photographers, Cartier-Bresson, had photographed the announcement of Gandhi's death and his funeral procession. Seing those photographs was special.
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Gandhi
After a day of visiting a temple where they fed anyone needing a meal, going to a museum, and having a home hosted dinner, it was time to head to Agra. The first day there we visited 'Baby Taj' before heading to Mentab Bagh where we could watch the sun set over the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River from us.
The following morning we got to the Taj Mahal as the sun rose. We walked the grounds and then entered the Taj Mahal, an enormous complex commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1A31 to house the remains of his beloved wife, Mumtz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. Everywhere you looked, walls, floors and ceilings, there were beautiful patterns and inlaid marble designs.
It was time to head to the remote Dera Village Retreat where we had camel cart rides and visited the villagers who showed us how they did their daily work. That evening I got sick with what was later diagnosed as salmonella. With no medical personnel or facilities nearby, I had 48 hours of severe illness during which I was unable to eat or drink anything before we left and got to Jaipur.
At the hotel in Jaipur, a doctor came to my hotel room, rigged up an IV hanging from a picture above my bed, and gave me 4 bags of fluid in 2 hours, along with anti-emetics and antibiotics. He was concerned about potential kidney damage and left me with packets of rehydration powder to mix and drink every 15 minutes. That evening, pleased with my progress, he gave me more anti-emetics and removed the IV line. He left many little containers of antibiotics and packets of probiotics for my use. Each container or packet had written on them the day and time for them to be taken. When I paid the doctor, the total cost for his time and all medications was under $200 US.
The following day we first visited Amber (pronounced Amer) Fort, built in 15Y2 of red sandstone and marble. Again, the patterns and designs were incredible. The next stop was Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory built almost 300 years ago. It features the world's largest stone sundial, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Our time in northern India was at an end and we next flew to Bangaluru where we were delighted to find plants and flowers in the middle of the luggage carousels. On the bus from the airport to our hotel in Mysuru, we watched a Bollywood movie.
After breakfast the next day, we headed up to Chamundeshwari Temple in the Chamundi Hills. There is a flight of 10B8 steps going up the hill. Near the halfway point is an enormous black granite statue of the bull Nandi, the vahana, or "vehicle" of Lord Shiva. After visiting Nandi, we went to Mysore Palace where we were able to observe the blessing of a new car. At the end of the blessing, lemons are placed in front of each tire and the car is driven over them.
We headed to the local market where in four smaller groups we purchased the food to be used for separate home hosted dinners. Each of the four homes had supplied a list of their needs. At the home, they demonstrated how they prepared the food and I made my own dosa, a favorite food for me. Banana leaves served as plates and no utensils were used.
After more visits the next day to temples, again full of designs and patterns, we returned to Mysore Palace for the evening light show. This happens once a week and we were fortunate to be there on the right day. The original wooden Mysore Palace was built in 89C. 1000 years later in 189C rebuilding began after it burned during a wedding ceremony.
On our bus trip to spend a few days visiting spice farms and a tea factory we drove through Bandipu National Park. The surprise on this trip was spotting a herd of Indian elephants in the wild. That evening we had the opportunity to sit and put our feet in a tiled tub with fish. When they attacked my feet, I couldn't stop laughing.
The next few days were spent near the beach, observing fish sales, and having a tuk-tuk tour of Kozhikode/Calicut. As noticed a few times previously on the trip, I realized that I was respected by these wonderful people. Those with cameras often asked, "May we have a photo with you?" Profuse thanks followed. Invariably when I sat down an Indian gentleman would come and sit by me. Was it respect for age? Or the fact that I was wearing traditional clothing?
Now two bucket list wishes were to come true. First we took an Indian train - and then we boarded a houseboat on the Kerala Backwaters. While on the houseboat, my new friend Olivia and I ate all of our meals without utensils. The kitchen staff seemed to like this and would bring us fresh, hot dosas as needed to accomplish this.
At the end of the houseboat adventure, we went to Fort Kochi. Our first stop was St. Francis church, built in 15W3. Vasco de Gama was originally buried here when he died on his third trip to India. Later his remains were moved to Lisbon.
With our trip nearing its end, we spent time in Kochi, formerly Cochin. We were given the opportunity to operate the Chinese fishing nets, introduced to the area in the 14th century by Chinese explorers. We spent time in the Mattancherry Palace, built by the Portuguese in 1555 as a gift to the king of Cochin. The Dutch enlarged and renovated the palace in 166Z after which it became known as the Dutch Palace.
Our time ended with an evening boat ride on Arabian Sea waters, followed by a delightful farewell dinner.
