Delhi And Departure

After our stay in Shimla expired, we once again traveled in the toy train, only this time we were descending. We then took yet another train to Delhi, capital of India. Once there, we embarked in a rickshaw, our five carry-on suitcases loaded in the back or crammed on our lap. This was our main form of transportation when we were not on a train. One hour, many misunderstanding as to our destination, and two rickshaws later, we arrived at our hotel. Mercifully, this had air-co, although the advertised pool we were all looking forward to was very green with algae. This was our last stop in India, and the next day we would fly to the Netherlands to visit my grandparents there. CONFUSING EXPLANATION OF OUR FAMILY ORIGIN: My dad was born in Canada, but raised in America. My mom was raised in Berlin, Germany but her family moved to the Netherlands when she was 15. This was so that my grandparents could run a Christian retreat center, named Stokerhorst. Almost 30 years later, they are just now beginning the process of retiring. Before my mom went to university, she spent a year in Florida working as a nanny. She met met my dad there, and they eventually got married and moved to Canada where my dad was a pastor. Now we live in Malawi as missionaries. END OF LONG EXPLANATION. So, after a night in Delhi, we took a flight early the next morning to the Netherlands, where we would visit our grandparents for a couple of weeks. We have such stopovers whenever we are travelling from Canada to Africa (or Asia), as most airlines allow for a free stopover in Europe in between such flights. It was with mixed emotions that we left India. We had generally a good time, but we frequently became sick from the foods we ate, and the constant travel was tiring. So, we were all looking forward to being in the Netherlands and having a rest -plus good food and company- but somewhat sad to leave India. And thus concludes the annals of our trip to India, which took place roughly one year ago. Our trip there was one of the coolest things I've ever done, and will never forget.

Of Monkeys, Monkey Thieves, And Monkey Deities

Probably the singularly largest attraction of Shimla is a large, orange statue of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. It is the second tallest statue in India, sits at the highest altitude in the world, and surpasses Christ the Redeemer in Rio. Our journey to the summit it sits, and our experience their was one I won't soon forget. The only way to access the top is to hike their, so hike we did. The climb was one of the most arduous I've ever done. It seemed as if it went straight uphill. The weather was muggy, and we had all been or were suffering from sickness obtained from the food we ate. But, when we eventually neared the top, it was worth the climb. As we left all signs of civilization behind-save the path under our feet - we entered a forest, the likes of which I'd only ever seen in movies. Immense trees ascended upwards until they were lost from view in the mist that prevailed during our entire stay. Moss blanketed the ground, and hugged the trees. As we approached the temple, the monkeys and baboons that curse Shimla became more prevalent. We had previously been warned to remove all jewelry and accessories from our bodies, and we proceeded to remove our watches. My mom, however, forgot to remove her glasses.What first impressed us upon entering the temple complex was the number of monkeys. They were everywhere present, and made me somewhat nervous. I don't mind monkeys of any sort in game parks, zoos, or anywhere other than my yard where they keep their distance, but these guys were too bold. Before any of us could say anything, one brazen baboon that had been standing six feet behind my mom, leaped in one bound up onto her shoulders. It stole her glasses in a flash, and scampered up a tree. My dad yelled and chased it as far as the tree, but -for obvious reasons- was not able to continue pursuit. We were all pretty shocked. My mom later said that she thought one of my siblings had jumped on her back. We were left to stare up at the monkey with the glasses. If monkeys are the sacred animals of Hanuman, I'd have to say they don't live up to it. Thankfully for us, one of the vendors knew what to do. He coaxed the monkey down with pieces of fruit, and, in taking these, the monkey was forced to drop the glasses. They were mostly unharmed, except that the ends of the of the things that rests on your ear was chewed up. I'm personally not sorry they did, because it adds to the story when I tell it to friends. Those glasses are probably the greatest souvenir we got during our trip. After that incidence, we continued our tour. The center piece of the temple is definitely the statue, which stands taller than Christ the Redeemer in Rio. It is painted a bright orange from tip to tail, a color that is did not appeal to me. In his hand is a huge scepter with a round ball at the end. Hanuman is the monkey god, and one of the principle Hindu deities. He is known for lifting mountains and commanding an army of monkeys. He generally appears -as in the statue- in mostly human form, save for the tail and hairy face. Our visit to the top of that peak was one I'll never forget, and I hope it has impressed you as well.

A Walk In The Jungle

During our stay in Shimla, we took an amazing hike on a path through the jungle. It started with a steep descend, and then a walk besides a river. The trees and vines were shrouded by mist. It was the sort of place where you'd expect a tiger to spring at out at you, and it looked like something out of the Jungle Book. Our destination was a waterfall, and this was also beautiful. The climb up and down was a bit tiring for all of us because we were feeling somewhat sick, but it was worth it.

Himalayas... Has a Nice Ring to It

From Jaisalmer, we took yet another train on-route to Shimla, stopping over in Delhi, the capital of India. Here we got a rickshaw to transport us from the train station to the hotel were we crashed for the day. Then it was off for Kalka, a small town at the foot at the of the Himalayas. We arrived there at about three or four O'clock in the morning, tragically interrupting the beautiful sleep we'd been having on the plastic covered pullout beds that the train offered. After that we tried to sleep for the half an hour before the"Toy Train" arrived. The "Toy Train", could not be christened better, the tracks it requires being less than two feet wide, and the cabs small. Dawn was just beginning to break when we borded, and the crisp night air, instead of warming with the coming of the sun, grew colder as we threaded our way up the worlds tallest range of mountains. Also as we climbed, the scenery became more beautiful, green, and lush. During our ascent, we passed under over a hundred tunnels! Of course, Shimla is still the foot hill of the Himalayas, for-despite an impressive altitude of 2,200 meters- it pales in comparison to Mount Everest's 8,000 meters. Still, during our entire stay there we rarely took of our jackets, whereas we would never have dreamed of wearing long clothes (if we could help it) in Delhi. Shimla is not too warm for snow either, we saw pictures of the "Toy Train" with a good foot of snow on it's roof, giving a sharp contrast to lower India. Our hotel there was decent, and there wasn't much to complain about, accept that we were all more or less sick. The food was pretty good, and their were an abundance of fast food restaurants. Shimla was one of the neatest places I've ever been, and the most fascinating place in India I visited, with perhaps the exception of our camel tour. For more on our Shimla experience, click on the following links:
A Walk In The Jungle
Of Monkeys, Monkey Thieves, And Monkey Deities

Journey By Camel, Jaisalmer

I'm sitting on a camel, journeying through a desert that's, surprisingly, not as hot as I had expected. The Thar desert, to be exact. I'm wearing a round camo hat for shade, and sunglasses. Even though it's not as hot as I'd expected, the sun is still very bright. As we really start to enter the desert, the sparse houses of shepherds start to disappear along with any vegetation that might sustain their hardy goats. However, even here there is still coarse grass and shrubs, and occasionally a weathered tree.
 After touring Jodhpur, we traveled by train, to Jaisalmer, yet another city to start with "J". Jaisalmer is on the verge of the Thar desert, and is very dry and filled with camels. The city holds a Middle Aged citadel, a feature Rajasthan is well known and famed for.
The safari begins in a jeep that would take us further into the heart of the desert. We aren't the only ones in the car though, a young British couple is also coming. We all get a little worried when my younger sister Sarah started feeling sick in the car, especially because none of us ever get car-sick. The road we are on is steadily growing worse, transforming from a nice paved road into two tire tracks in the sand. Then the Jeeps (one for supplies and one for passengers) stop in a sort of clearing. nearly a dozen camels are harnessed here, ready for us to ride. We would take maybe a three hour ride to a group of dunes, where we would camp for the night, then ride back the next morning. However, very sadly for all of us, Sarah feels to sick to ride the camels, and has to accompany the jeep to our camping site, along with my Mom. Asides from what I mentioned above about our journey, we saw a desert fox, and got to trot on the camels, which was really cool. Camel riding is not at all like horse riding. The main difference being that camels sway back and forth, no matter whether you're galloping or walking. As I ride these beasts, I like to imagine what it would be like to ride into battle with them. Soon we approach our campsite, already prepared by the guides in the Jeep. Sarah is not feeling any better, and my parents are worried. Probably the first thing me and my brother Jonathan do after dismounting and checking on Sarah, is to explore the dunes. Then we start jumping off the sheer faces of sand into more sand below, which is awesome. As it gets dark we have supper (rice and curry) and then brush our teeth and use the washroom (a.k.a. the bush), before going to sleep under the stars. The next day is the same, except in reverse. My Dad had gone with one of the guides to get some medicine from a pharmacist in a village several kilometers away (in the desert!) the day before, and Sarah was feeling better for it, but not good enough to ride. Our trip back was similar to the one there, but this time my Mom came riding, and my Dad went with Sarah in the Jeep. Before we left in the trucks, Sarah got to pet the camels and take a short ride, but we all felt awful for her. Back in Jaisalmer we took a train to our next amazing destination, Shimla.
Altogether, our camel safari was an amazing experience, and one I'll never forget!

Me and Johnny jumping off a dune.

One of the many dung beetles that was ferrying away the camels droppings.

Mehrangarh Fortress

One side of the palace wall, probably the zenana (housing for the women of the palace in Muslim society).

Mehrangarh fortress towers above the Blue City, Jodhpur. Built 400 feet (122 meters) above the city, and walls up to 21 meters (69 ft) thick and 36 meters (118 ft) tall, it would be an imposing obstacle for any opposing force.  It is enclosed by multiple walls, that contain seven gates, and each wall is covered in cannons. Dimensions aside, it is an impressing fortress. It contains the royal palace, and the whole thing has now been turned into a museum. The museum contains an impressive collection of peacetime and wartime objects from the Mughal reign.

Part of the palace, viewed from below.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur was our third stop in India, right after visiting Jaipur. It was sure an adventure! Unfortunately, all of us seemed to have a stomach bug on and off, something that seemed to be following us around all of India. The hotel we stayed at was decent (not by an Americans standards, but by a world traveler's standards it was reasonable). However we were all disappointed in it though, as its website had claimed it had three pools, numerous playgrounds, that it offered bikes and segways, the rooms had kitchenettes, etc, etc. It did not have any of these (although there was one pool, it was dark green with algae). The nice thing was that it had a full selection of TV channels (not the norm, just in case you were wondering) so that anyone who felt sick could stay at the hotel and watch Man vs. Wild or some other such show. The best part of being in Jodhpur was definitely touring Mehrangarh fortress. Overall, Jaipur was a cool city. For more on Mehrangarh fort, click below: http://christopherinafrica.blogspot.com/2014/09/mehrangarh-fortress.html

Jaipur

 After we visited Agra, we traveled by train to Jaipur. There was a lot of neat of stuff in Jaipur, awesome forts, a cannon that is considered by many people to be the largest in the world, intricately designed palaces, and India's largest historical armory. We also got to ride on elephants in Jaipur! We got a pretty decent hotel in Jaipur, and enjoyed the fact that it had a pool. For more information on what we did in Jaipur, click on the following links:
http://christopherinafrica.blogspot.ca/2014/03/weapons-galore_6.html
http://christopherinafrica.blogspot.ca/2014/03/the-wind-and-water-palaces.html
christopherinafrica.blogspot.ca/2014/03/jaigarh-fortress-home-of-jaivana.html
http://christopherinafrica.blogspot.ca/2014/03/amber-fortress.html
http://christopherinafrica.blogspot.ca/2014/03/feeding-elephants.html

Feeding Elephants

After we rode on elephants at Amber, we went to a different place in Jaipur where you feed elephants (you could also ride them, but we skipped that because we already had at Amber). The elephants were all very friendly, except for a male the Indians told us to stay away from. The caretakers for the elephants gave us sorghum stalks to feed the elephants. Some of the thicker stalks I could barely break over my knee, however the elephants could crush a stack of twenty of them using only their jaws. We never really think of elephants as having potentially dangerous jaws, but believe me, the way they crushed those sorghum stalks, they could break bones with their mouths. Elephants have really tough, leathery hides, that have to be at least a centimeter thick. No wonder Indian civilizations in the past used them as steads of war. A common siege tactic in past Indian warfare was to strap metal plates on the elephants wide heads and have them try to batter down the gates of the fortress being attacked. As a result, at least on of the archaic strongholds we visited had long, dagger-like blades fastened to its gate to keep charging elephants at bay. After the elephants had finished the stalks of sorghum we gave them, they would wave their trunks around us in a comical way, looking for more food we might possibly be hiding from them. Feeding and observing these Indian elephants  was a very unique experience I'll never forget.

Me next to an Indian elephant.

The Wind And The Water Palaces

The Palace of the Winds, or Hawa Mahal, is an amazing example of Indian architecture. It is visible from across the busy street, and rises five stories above it. Its front is covered in scores, perhaps even hundreds of ornate windows. It's built out of red and pink sandstone and is connected to the City Palace, home of the largest historical armory in India. The Water Palace, true to its name, is in the middle of a lake. Some ancient ruler built, I'm guessing he built it in the lake so that it would be cooler. Both palaces were very amazing feats of architecture, especially since they were built before cranes and other modern machines.

The Water Palace.

Us standing in front of the lake that holds the Water Palace.

Close-up view of the windows on the Wind Palace.

The Wind Palace viewed from across the street.

Jaigarh Fortress, Home of Jaivana

Side view of Jaivana.

Jaivana viewed from the front.

After we visited Amber fortress, we saw Jaigarh fortress. Jaigarh is home to Jaivana, one of the worlds largest cannons. Jaivana was only used once, however when it was fired it covered a distance of 35 kilometres! It uses a shot that weighs 50 kilos! Although I don't believe it, legend says that the impression that the shot left created a pond that can still be seen today. Jaigarh fortress was never attacked, so Jaivana was never used. However, I can only imagine how much damage it would have caused had it been used on an invading army. It would have gotten pretty expensive if you used Jaivana several times, shooting off all that metal! Jaigarh fortress was pretty neat too. It had a armory, and other interesting stuff.

Amber Fortress

Yup, another fortress. But our mode of transportation to get into this fortress topped them all. Normally we just walked into a fortress, but here we rode on elephants into the fort! Amber fortress is on top of a large, steep hill, and has a winding road leading up to it. Our taxi driver dropped us of at the bottom of the hill, where elephants and their drivers were milling around. All the owners of the elephants belonged to the same group, or corporation of elephant owners that give rides on their animals for a fixed price. Once we had chosen a elephant (or maybe they chose one for us, I can't remember) we climbed up this staircase to get on the elephant's back. It was literally just a staircase in the middle of the parking lot- or what ever you want to call it- with a drop-of at the end. So, once we had climbed the stairs, we got on a basket on top of the elephant. I was on a elephant with my sister and mother, my dad and my brother were another elephant. The road that winds it's way up to Amber fortress has a wall on the side facing away from the fort, probably to keep carts and elephants and other types of transportation from falling of the sheer, cliff-like drop below. Elephants sway from side to side- unlike camels, who sway back and forth. As our elephant ambled up the road, it brushed against the wall, and, as it swayed to the left, tipped the basket we were sitting in so that it was almost hanging over the wall and gave us a dizzying look at the fifty-foot drop below us. It was pretty freaky- feeling, like you were getting tipped off a cliff. Thankfully our ride soon decided to walk more in the middle of road, and we got to the top of Amber fortress without further incidence. To get off the elephant we went through a similar procedure as we did to get of off of the it. Getting off of  a elephant could be compared to getting off of a boat- like a boat, the elephant sways and moves about as you're getting off it, and the stairs we stepped onto could be compared to a dock. After we said goodbye to our mounts, we went to a ticket window to buy passes into the palace part of Amber (the courtyard where we were dropped off by our elephant riders was open to everyone, but a small fee was required to get into the main part of the fort). The palace was amazing. The wealth in the palaces of India surpasses almost anything else I have ever seen. The palace walls inside Amber fortress were beautifully painted, and had gold leaf on several spots. Underneath the grounds of Amber fortress, a tunnel led to Jaigarh fortress, just a a couple of kilometers away. Amber fortress was another amazing India experience.

An Indian elephant and his rider at Amber, notice how decorated the elephants trunk and head are.

Me and my Dad and siblings in the palace of Amber fortress

The palace garden.

Me next to a Indian elephant (note, this picture was not taken at Amber).

Weapons Galore

A Katar.

One of Jaipur's highlights for me, was the Weaponry Museum. The largest in all India, it had weapons of  all types, Katars, Khandas, daggers, crossbows, wickedly curved swords, straight swords, pistols, rifles, and all types of other neat weapons. About half of the weapons were ornately decorated with precious gems, or coated in gold or silver. I felt like a little boy in a toy store- I wanted to pick everything up and "play" with it.

More weapons at the art museum.

A collection of swords at the museum, the one in the middle is a Khanda.

Our Indian Car Experience

From Agra, we rented a car to Jaipur, and had some stops along the way. Our first stop was a old, deserted citadel. It had been built by a ruler of the Mughal empire, and was positioned in the middle of a barren, waterless wasteland. Ironically, as soon as the ruler died, the city was deserted because of the lack of water. Apparently the ruler of the empire had envisioned this city in the desert, and once it was completed he forced everyone to live there. Thus, when he died, everyone just left the city, which had only been occupied for seven years. One of the interesting myths surrounding the city, was that a tunnel connected it with Agra fortress. Our guide showed us the entrance to the tunnel, and had us put our hands near a hole in the stone and feel the cool air coming from underground. Of course, who knows whether or not the tunnel led to Agra fortress. The palace was amazing, however, since my memory is somewhat fuzzy (plus the fact that architecture doesn't interest me quite as much as military does) I can't remember much about it. Mainly I just remember how artistic everything was. One part of the palace that I do remember though, is a large courtyard where the emperor killed his prisoners by having wild elephants stomp them to death. Another memorable part, was a large floor for playing a Indian game. It was like a life-sized chessboard, except a hundred times larger. The king apparently used concubines from his harem as playing pieces. He would just sit on his throne and play against a official or someone else who was important, calling out to the players where to move. After we had viewed the ghost-town, we all piled into the car again, thankful that it had AC.

Part of the palace in the deserted city.

One of the buildings in the palace, Sarah, my little sister, is sitting on it's porch.

Our second stop was a ancient step-well that was built over a thousand years ago, so that the people had a source of water. It was a square shape, with staircases running down all the sides. Evening was approaching as we got back in the taxi again. It was amazing how many old strongholds we saw as we drove through Rajasthan (we had started out in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where Agra is located, but at the end of our drive we were in the state of Rajasthan, where Jaipur is located). Ancient fortresses dotted the landscape of Rajasthan, and I developed an itch to explore them. Another new thing we saw during our drive was wild peacocks. Overall our car ride was enjoyable, and it gave us a chance to see the rural side of India.

Me and my siblings in front of the step-well.

Agra Fortress

An ornately decorated fountain in the palace of Agra fortress.

Sarah feeding a chipmunk.

This deserted temple (I'm assuming that's what it is) was on the banks of the river that flows past the Taj Mahal and Agra fortress.

Agra fortress- home of Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal- seems impregnable when viewed from the outside. Once you have passed through the two outer gates, you enter the fortress... almost. After passing underneath the arch of the second gate, you find yourself standing on a ramp, or dug-in road. It slopes sharply upwards, leveling out with the ground at the top of a hill. The purpose of this ramp is that, even after a invading army has taken the second gate, rocks and tree trunks can be rolled down onto them as they enter the fort. Standing at the bottom of the intrenched ramp and imagining that rocks are being rolled down at you is not a very pleasant feeling. Once at the top of the ramp, you find yourself in a garden, with the palace in front of you. Sarah was given some seeds from a kind, old Indian man to feed the chipmunks that live in the garden. Once they got used to her, one of them actually ate out of her hand. Our Indian guide, whom my dad hired to show us around the fort, showed us the palace now. Just the grandeur and immensity of the place was amazing. The .Taj Mahal was visible from the emperor's chamber, so that he could view his wife's resting place from his balcony. Many cannons are visible on the wall of the fortress. Beyond the walls, two moats are visible. The guide told us that these were supposedly filled with wild animals. One was a dry moat, and inhabited by tigers, the other was once upon a time filled with water, and home to crocodiles. I enjoyed seeing Agra fortress, and I think it gave me a good introduction to Indian fortresses.

The gate of Agra fortress, notice how even the walls and towers are ornately decorated.

Me and my siblings in Agra fortress, the Taj Mahal is visible behind us.

Seeing The Taj Mahal

I look through the shimmering heat at the colossal building before me. It took 20,000 workers laboring over a period of twenty years to complete the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan, ruler of the Mughal empire, built the Taj Mahal as a burial place for his wife in the 1600's.  The entire building is made out of expensive, white marble. The semi-precious and precious gems that decorate the Taj Mahal come from all over the world: China, different parts of Asia, even Austria! The gardens surrounding the tomb are almost as amazing as the building itself. I look longingly at the fountains and pools of water in the garden, wishing I could saturate myself and get rid of some of the heat that surrounds me. It's so hot that I feel dizzy, I have only felt this kind of heat maybe once or twice or twice before, and I feel a few degrees away from a heat stroke. An hour or so ago, we had stopped at a cafe and ordered the strawberry lemonade from the menu. We were all disgusted with it, it was salty! My dad told the staff, but told they him it was supposed to be like that. I am starting to think Indians who live in this clime might need the extra salt, I know that I am sweating A LOT right now. After showing us around the garden, our Indian guide leads us to the building itself. Since the Indians consider the Taj a holy place (it has a Mosque next to it, plus it is a tomb) we have to either put something like a bag over our shoes, or go barefoot before we can enter it, because Indians consider shoes unclean. Honestly, they have a good reason for it too: feces from human and animals litter the streets, along with dead dogs, rotten food, and a bunch of other nasty stuff I won't mention. The Taj sits on what you might call a tall platform, and we have to climb a staircase to get to the top of this.  On top of the platform, we walk underneath the immense arch of the Taj Mahal, and enter the building. We walk across a grate with a staircase underneath, which the guide informs us is the stairs to the actual resting place of Shah Jahan and his bride. A replication of the couples resting place is on the floor open to tourists, so we get to see what the ornately decorated caskets look like. As we leave the the glorious building, I pitty the peasants who had to build something so colossal, but I am glad I got to see their work of art.

The Taj Mahal viewed from across the river.

Me and my siblings in Agra fort, the Taj Mahal is visible behind us.

Food In India, The Good The Bad And The Spicy

The first thing you have to understand about Indian food is that, whatever non-sweetened dish you order, it will be at least somewhat spicy. India is home to several fast food chains from the West, including McDonalds, KFC, Subways, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and even Chile's, however even these chains we all know so well use Indian spices in all or most of their menu items. Even the Fanta tastes different! Another difference is that you can not get beef in India! Many Indians are Hindus who do not believe in eating beef, so a restaurant that wants to sell beef in India must get a special license from the government. Most people don't realize how hot Indian cuisine really is, the stuff they serve at Indian restaurants in North America is far from the real thing. However, if we asked a restaurant owner with a lot of tourist experience to not make the food too hot, he or she usually understood and downsized on the spices a lot. I found that what the Indians call "curd"(we would call it unsweetened yogurt) can really battle the heat of an Indian meal with it's sourness. Indian cuisine can really be quite enjoyable, just so long as it is not served as hot as the Indians like it (unless you really like it that way of course). We enjoyed the food for the most part during the first three weeks, but after that we mostly felt the need for food closer to what we were used to and ate at some fast food chains. The worst restaurant we ate at was in Shimla , the atmosphere was nice, but the food was horrible, I ordered a lasagne, but what I got was far from that. The cook basically just cooked the lasagne noodles, and then put them in a dish and poured (what seemed like) uncooked meat sauce with ginger over it. He then sprinkled cheese over it and served it. It wasn't even warm. The best Indian restaurant we went to was in Jaipur, and run by a lady who understood tourists and that they do not like their food burning hot. We all ordered an Indian dish, and it was very good. So over all the Indian food was good, just long as the owner of the restaurant knew tourists

Travel In India

Whether riding a swaying camel, trying to get a breath of fresh air while being crammed along with seven other people in a rickshaw, trying not to look at the ground as you sit on a elephant, or riding a train, travel is very different in India than in the West. Most of the travel me and my family did was in trains. Our longest train trip spanned three days! I did a LOT of reading. I also played chess on the computer with my Dad and carried on a few conversations with Indians. Rectangular back cushions on the trains in India can be folded up and attached to another bunk above it  by chains with hooks on the end. Forming three layers of beds, the seats (more like a padded bench really, you do don't get your own seat) the backrest which has been folded up, and a stationary bunk at the top. Before we went to bed, a steward came down the isle handing out blankets, sheets, and small pillows. The problem with sleeping on a train is that while you are asleep, vendors come through the aisle every time the train stops at a station announcing their wares, and often waking you up. The most annoying vendors were the ones who sold coffee from a big container, they would walk down the isle calling out "chai, chai, chai coffee"in a high, nasal voice. We also rode on camels and elephants while we were in India! But I will discuss that more in depth later on.

The toy train ascending to Shimla.