Caitlin: Leaving India
I was disappointed to leave Ladakh. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the Himalayas, the homey little villages, or the Ladakhis that we met along the way. The ladakhi culture is so unique and beautiful. Being in the mountains on the trek has been my favorite part of the trip so far. This said, I was excited to be on the move again.
We've been doing a lot of traveling in the past week. We came out of the mountains in Marka Valley into Leh. From Leh we flew to Delhi and that same day we caught a train to Jaipur, Rajastan. We stayed there for two nights and then trained it on back to Delhi where we have been doing some serious shopping, packing for the plane home tomorrow in the early morning.
Both Delhi and Rajastan have left me perspiring more than I thought humanly possible, especially without even exerting myself. On the train to and from Rajastan I fell asleep on the leather train seats and woke up drenched in my own sweat. Conveniently, it means visiting the toilet less, because I just sweat out all the fluids I take in.
Rajastan was really fun, thanks to our student planners, Caroline and Katie. They did a great job of arranging tours around the city and to several forts and temples, as well as shopping and an elephant ride. It was surreal to see Camels walking around in the streets. Camels; what funny looking animals.
I like Delhi more each time we return. The heat has been a little hard to deal with, but it can be managed with a little bit of strategy (i.e. shop in the heat, then recuperate at an air conditioned restaurant, back into the heat, then duck into an air conditioned ATM booth, then into the heat for a little while longer, buy an ice cream cone and soon after that the heat of the day should be over). Despite the heat, I feel like I could stay here a while longer; I will miss India when I get home.
There are many things about India that I will miss, especially all the ridiculous things that make you say "We're in India". For example, when your servers at a restaurant are passed out from too much bhong lassi, when your host family talks constantly and openly about your "stomach problems", or when your rickshaw driver takes you all over Delhi before delivering you to the place you need to be.
I just started to appreciate Indian food, although it's a bit too late. I will miss channa masala, curd, and gulab jamon. I am looking forward to our last-night-bash and the Indian food for dinner. I am sure it will be the perfect way to end the semester, although I am sad to say that it is nearly over.
-Caitlin