Snapshots of India

Our 2 ½ week travel component has come to a close. We visited several cities and have seen and experienced many things that will take weeks to process and unpack. I just wanted to give you a small taste of what I have been up to.

            We left Coimbatore traveled by train to Cuddapah which is in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Here we learned about a program that is working with farmers to help them learn their rights and to teach healthy farming methods to small village farmers who are facing suicide as an alternative to the deep debts and struggles.

            From Cuddapah we went to Hyderbad which is a predominately Muslim area. We were able to visit Charminar which is a large arch that offers a terrific view of the crazy busy city. We shopped a bit along the roadside, visited a large mosque and went to a Muslim women’s house for delicious byiriyani and a good time of discussion. That afternoon we kicked back and were able to relax and have fun doing flips, headstands, and climbing random buildings.

                                                                     The Charminar

                                                            View from the Charminar

                                                            Group pic in the Charminar

                                                               Group pic at the mosque

                                                         Posing on the roof top of a chapel

            From Hyderbad we traveled the 28 hour train ride up to Varanasi which is along the Ganges and the center of Hindu religion. Our hotel offered a great view of the Ganges river from where we were able to watch people perform different rituals as well as watch the trash and putrid waste and a dead buffalo float down the river. The first night we went on a boat ride down the Ganges and we watched a celebration be performed along the banks.

 The next day we went up and down the crowded ally-ways, trying to avoid cows, cow poop, bicycles, carts, sewage, and the thousands upon thousands of people to get in some good shopping. In the afternoon we went on a tour around the city to see the different ruins of palaces along the Ganges, the holy cremations, and several famous holy sites. The man that toured us was an American Christian who has been living in India for 15 years, spoke Hindi like a boss, and had some deep insights into how one can be a Christian Hindu- a Jesus follower. That evening a friend and I decided to ride a bicycle rickshaw for the experience…with which the language barrier, it was indeed an experience.

                                                 Group pic after our city tour with Jeremy

            From Varanasi we traveled to the quiet village of Dehradun at the foothills of the Himalyas to visit a drug rehabilitation home for Tibetan boys that our director Kirk had lived and worked at. We also heard from a Buddhist monk and visited the monastery.

                                                  Group pic at the Buddhist monestary

                        Me infront of the foothills of the Himalyas and the town that my Dad lived in

On Saturday we went white water rafting down the Ganges which was incredible! I’m hooked!

                                                                      Before rafting

                                                                       During rafting

                                             After rafting with our whole group plus guides

            From the quiet and restful Dehradun, we traveled to Delhi and Agra for the classic tourist trip of seeing the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. It was stunningly beautiful!

            We took our last train ride to Mumbai where we did a little sight-seeing, ate our last Indian food, debriefed, and made some more memories together before boarding planes to leave.