India Part I: Welcome To India

I tried to write a post about our recent trip to India, but my words seemed inadequate.  India is incredibly special to us.  I have traveled to other countries, and I have admired the diversity, beauty, and uniqueness of each nation, and when I left, I carried good memories with me.  India, however, is very, very different.  It wasn't just about memories.  We grew emotionally attached to the nation.  People can look at India and you can make comments about the air quality, the poverty, the infrastructure, and the standard of living. It is a cultural and economic shock compared to the luxuries of the US.  India is not for everyone.  I get that, but for us, India, and more specifically Wildlife SOS, is a second home – the simplicity of life and the connection to its people made it a very unique, deeply emotional and meaningful trip.  I had fun in my other travels, but I love India.  

India will always, always have a part of my heart.  I can't really say that about any other place.  

Our Arrival

Our arrival in India was a NIGHTMARE. After over 24 hours of traveling, we landed in Delhi early Friday morning.  As soon as we walked out of the airport, we were approached by a man who offered us taxi service. Tired and not thinking clearly, we got into the vehicle after he and three other guys started wheeling our luggage.  He charged us 3,000 rupees (about $45) to take us to the hotel.  I thought it was reasonable since the airport is on the outskirts of the city. As soon as we got in the car, he began telling me the hotel I reserved was in a very bad area.  I disagreed with him and told him I had done my research.  He then told us we would have to cover the toll road.  He asked for 1000 rupees.  He pulled over and stopped in the middle of a very busy, chaotic street (typical of Delhi). He got out of the vehicle to hand the money to a man standing on the street. What kind of toll was that? At this point, I pulled out my currency converter and calculated that toll was equal to $15. Tolls do not cost that much in the US.  How can any Indian afford a $1000 rps toll?   I knew something was not quite right, and I told him so.  He drove us around and said that the hotel was not at the address I provided.  He then took us to a "government tourist office” where we were told that there was a festival and that many of the streets were closed. We were told to get into two autos because the car could not access the streets to the hotel. These two autos drove us around and tried to pull into a one-way street before being stopped by the security guard.  They told us again that they could not get to the hotel because the streets were closed. We were taken back to the government tourist office. At this point, I was so angry and tired.  I told the personnel in the tourist office to call the hotel and ask them to pick us up. They pretended to call.  They told us the hotel directed them to how they can access the hotel. We got back into the autos and were taken to the train station.  I knew our hotel was near the train station.  We got dumped with all of our luggage at the station and were directed to walk over a pedestrian bridge and the hotel would be there.  We ended up walking until we reluctantly found another taxi.  I was so suspicious of everyone at this time, but this taxi fortunately took us to our hotel. It took us 3 1/2 hours to go from the airport to the hotel.  Everyone from the driver to the auto drivers to the security guard to the staff in the government tourist office were all involved in this scam.  They wanted us to go to their hotel.  Moreover, we later learned that there was no festival.  The festival ended two weeks prior to our arrival.  Our phones did not work during this ordeal, which added to our feelings of helplessness.

Our hotel in Delhi.  

Our first meal in India.  Room Service

When we arrived at the hotel, it was 1 p.m. We slept and did not wake up until the following morning at 3 a.m. We had a train to catch from Delhi to Agra.  After what happened, I seriously was thinking of going back to the airport and catching a flight back home.  At this point, I HATED HATED India.  I felt guilty as I was responsible for taking my family here…into this nightmare.

I had arranged a driver for us from Gets Holiday for the remainder of our trip.  They were a Godsend.  I felt completely safe with them.  They picked us up that morning and took us to the train station where we rode first class from Delhi to Agra.  It was their fastest train Bhopal Shatabdi, --a two hour ride.  The exterior and interior of the train was basic and simple by US standards, but for India, it was definitely first class.  The service was impeccable.  We were served everything from meals to beverages. We were even given roses. Things were looking better.  Perhaps this trip to India was not going to be a disaster after all. 

Service aboard the train was wonderful. 

Agra Station

Next Stop:  Agra, India  (Taj Mahal and other adventures)