Northern India and the Taj Mahal

Jaipur: The Pink City

After one last dinner at rising star, began a crazy night getting packed for our 3 day trip to Northern India. I was sure to trace over my henna to prevent it fading so quickly, and I caught a couple hours of sleep before we loaded up the van and headed to the airport at 1am. I couldn’t sleep on the bus or the plane for some reason, although I was exhausted, so I watched about 5 episodes of Downton Abbey with Alyssa.

At last, we arrived at the “Pink City”: Jaipur. Soon after we had arrived, I learned why it was called the pink city- because every single building was pink! (salmonish pink) Our tour guide that was with us for the 3 days in Northern India was named Raj, and we also had a tour guide for the time we were in Jaipur. After going to our hotel to drop off all of our luggage, we headed to the town where we saw the world’s largest sun dial that could actually tell time within two seconds! In the same observatory, we saw some giant horoscopes and more clocks. Our tour guide said that Indians would actually arrange marriages based off of the horoscopes!

Dinner in Jaipur was amazing! It was definitely the best food I had had the entire trip. For one, it wasn’t vegetarian. The curry was really thick and hearty which was unlike the soup curry we had had in Southern India. Thick curry with some cheese filled naan- Delish!! And, to finish up they always have sugar crystals, coconut, and licorice seed. YUM J

The Jaipur city palace of Prince Albert of Whales was next on the list. It was really quite impressive. The detail was awesome! I couldn’t figure out, though, why there were pigeons everywhere! There were hundreds of pigeons and people were feeding them! We learned that pigeons are there for good luck. The more pigeons you have, the more luck you carry. So, people were selling pigeon food on the side of the streets.

We visited a textile stamping/block printing store where they make the most beautiful fabric! They did it all by hand. The dye was made from all-natural coloring. Everything in India is so intricate and beautiful.

While in the fabric store, the salesman wanted me to look at the saris (traditional clothing for women). I told him no, but he said I should just try one on. How could I say no to that?? I loved it so much that I was tempted to buy it, but I was able to practice some self control.

Our hotel that night was at the Ramada inn. I had never felt as spoiled in my life! They had western toilets and real showers!! The mattresses were thick, and the floors were really clean. Oh the things that you learn to appreciate when you have gone without. We planned to have game night that night, but I think we were all a little too exhausted because one by one we drifted off to sleep.

A Day to Ride Elephants

This morning, we woke up with more excitement than we could contain. We knew what was in store, and it seemed too good to be true. After a delicious breakfast of omelets and fresh fruit, we hopped onto the bus with big smiles.

First, we stop to look at a famous pink building . . . which didn’t mean much to us either- but it was pink like the rest of the buildings and looked really beautiful. We learned that the building had so many windows so that religious women could look out and be involved with the city events.

After taking a picture in front of the building, it didn’t take long until we were distracted by the shoe shop across the street. Those who didn’t buy shoes, found a snake charmer!!! . .  who made them pay two hundred rupees for the picture they took with them. Of course, I was in the shop buying beautiful shoes with sequins, embroidery, and velvet!

Elephant Rides

Riding elephants was one of the coolest things I had ever done! The elephants were painted and dressed up. It was a beautiful there! Our driver told us that all of the elephants were female because the male elephants are too aggressive. Our elephant was so cute!

The whole ride, I just couldn’t believe I was there. The scenery was breathtaking, and the trail led up to a huge palace! It was called Amber’s palace, and we were able to walk around to see the amazing details and architecture.

Amber Palace

Once we got off of the elephants, we began to wander through the hallways and corridors of the palace. The design was perfect, and it fascinated me that people had lived like that. There were sides of the palace that were dedicated to summer months and those for winter. The stone walls in the summer rooms were designed so that they let cool air through and act as a cooling system. They had water running through and hooks where hammocks had once hung. The winter quarters were insulated and had been used so that they were lined with silk and warm fabrics. There were rooms enough for the king, twelve queens, and the guests. We took many pictures with the room of mirrors. The details were breathtaking. On the walk down, salesman swarmed around us to try and sell their various goods. I bought a sandalwood that is either made out of tiek or sandalwood- it’s debatable.

This was the water palace that really looked like it was floating in water. It was beautiful.

We had a chance to ride the camels..... and we took it!

Fort Agra

Fort Agra was so huge. 80% of the fort was currently occupied with soldiers, and we toured the other 20%. Here, they also had summer and winter rooms, giant bathtubs in the middle of the common areas, and incredible architecture.

This room was designed so that two people could stand in opposite corners and communicate.

It was here that I was especially glad to have a tour guide who watched out for us. We were watched and pointed at everywhere we went, but at the fort, people like to get too close for comfort. Fortunately, our guide didn't stand for that.

We walked past one beautiful field of grass that looked like it should be used for some type of sport, such as soccer. However, it was used for a completely different purpose: a cosmetic market. Each Saturday, the women from the city would come and buy cosmetics. The King sat up in one of the rooms and looked out at the many beautiful women. From there, he chose which beautiful woman he wanted to come live in his palace. He had 365 rooms in his palace filled with 365 harems. The women came to the palace to live a life of luxury, but it wasn’t all luxury. If the King was unhappy with them, he sent them to the “dark room” for hours or even days where they were refused food or water.

We learned about three kings that had lived in the fort. The first had three wives- one of each religion to please the people. (Muslim, Hindu, Christian) My least favorite king had 365 harems, and the last king was the one who built the Taj Mahal in honor of his beloved second wife. 

Intricacy and Detail

We stopped at a famous shop that weaves rugs by hand. I wasn’t all that excited about the store until I stepped foot inside and took a good look. Two men sat on small stools and weaved. Their hands were quick, and their precision was excellent. We learned that they tied each and every small knot in the entire rug and that one large rug can take up to a year to make!! After finishing a row, they pack the thread down and sing a song. The song is like a poem, and it tells them where they should put each of the colors. They make their markers with thread and then begin another row. The weaving was impressive, and the rugs were beautiful. Like I said before, the detail that they emphasize in their work is truly amazing!!

We looked at and admired the many rugs. . . and of course, we liked to imagine that we were princess Jazmine.

The Taj Mahal

On the morning of the Taj Mahal, we woke up at 4:30 so that we could make it to see the sunrise. We stopped to get tickets and the socks to wear inside the Taj, and then we entered through the gates. I can’t even think of words that describe the Taj Mahal and how beautiful it is. (Maybe if I mention San Diego or Vegas LDS temple :)). .  It was built by the Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife, the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal. They had a love marriage (which is uncommon in India because of the tradition of arranged marriage). They had the most beautiful love story.   She was said to be as beautiful as a sunflower. This is why there is a sunflower directly over her tomb in the ceiling. She bore 14 children, and died at age 39 due to complications with the birth of her 14^th child. The Taj Mahal is the only historic monument in the world that symbolizes love.

The king loved Princess Mumtaz Mahal so much that after she died, he had the Taj Mahal built in her memory. The Taj sits as if it is a backdrop and is perfectly symmetrical. It took 22 years and 20,000 of the best artisan craftsmen to build it. The detail was extraordinary. Just one gate that surrounds the tomb took a year to build because the three men had to start over every time they made a mistake. The Taj Mahal weighs 1.4 tons of marble. It is built on a foundation of tiek wood and sits next to the Yamuna river, which is the second holiest river in India. It is said to be sacred in that it frees one from the torments of death.

After Shah Jahan died, he was buried next to Mumtaz Mahal, becoming the only asymmetrical portion of the Taj. His two wives from the arranged marriages were buried outside the walls of the monument.

The marble of the Taj glowed in the sunlight and is said to glow in the moonlight. Beautiful and precious stones are inlaid into the marble to create perfect design of flowers. Stones: Lapis from Afghanistan, mother pearl, jasper, turquoise from Tibet, etc. Carnelian from India is the orange stone- which is my favorite because it illuminates in the light.

After visiting the Taj, we went back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep before going to a special shop which was owned by the same family, 9 generations down, that built the Taj Mahal. Their work is a family secret, and they still inlay the beautiful stones into the marble.

I somehow pulled together enough rupees to buy a souvenir from the shop. I had to convince myself, but I’m pretty dang excited about it!!

After a great day at the Taj Mahal and marble shop, we made a much-needed run to McDonalds for some ice-cream before our road trip to Delhi.

 Delhi: Our Last Day in India

Our last day of India was spent in the streets of India. If we didn’t have enough of a cultural experience up to this point, Delhi definitely did it. We went to the Gandhi memorial, paid 400 rupees for Rickshaw rides and went to the spice market. The smells were enough to make my eyes water and all of us cough. There really is no way to describe the smells and heat of India. I learned about the pepper called Bhut Zaolkia which is the world’s hottest pepper! It actually makes the body burn for days after just one bite!

By the last night, we were completely and 100% exhausted! We also knew that it was our last night to spend as a group, so we made the best of it by gathering in one hotel room and watching Austenland. We even managed to find popcorn for the occasion. We fell asleep soon after the movie in preparation for our long plane rides back to the US.

Sweet Greetings and Special Moments

So, it has been almost 2 months since I returned from India, and I am still trying to catch up with the blog. I cherish the time that I spent there, and the memories are so fresh in my mind and yet it feels like India was another world- separate from the one I live in now. These people, though, are still in my heart. I love them and the time I spent there. Here are just a few memories from the last days at Rising Star.

Polambakkam leprosy colony

By this part of the trip, the greetings when we arrive at the colony has become one of my very favorite parts. I love holding their hands in mine and seeing their bright smiles. They are truly children of God. The Polambakkam leprosy colony was a nice place with many green trees. We set up our line in the shade as we usually try to do. When we began meeting the people, they gathered together in the front of the colony by the road and sat in a circle. Each of us girls went around in the circle to greet each one of them personally. One specific lady was so darling I could hardly stand it. She loved to chatter, and although I had no idea what she was saying, I just loved listening. She really made me smile. This day I was in charge of clipping toenails- which was a more difficult task than I had ever faced with my own toenails. Their nails had grown very misshapen and thick. Many of them were missing toes or toenails altogether. I clipped one toenail that bled from the very center of the thick nail. Somehow, though, the job was rewarding, and their gratitude made it all worth it.

When I finished working with my patients, I had some time at the end to walk around and see what everyone else was doing. I have distinct memory of Julia interacting with a man named Mari, who was blind. He lived at a leprosy hospital and was here to receive treatment. Julia held his hand and talked to him through smiles. It was a tender scene that touched my heart. I learned later that as Julia, Mari, and the interpreter sat down and talked together, Mari said that he was very depressed- so much that he wanted to die. He didn’t see the value of his life anymore.  Julia spent the rest of the day enforcing how important he was. She later talked to the lady who was in charge of the colony to see about getting Mari moved from the hospital and into the colony. When we were ready to leave, Mari was getting ready to move from the hospital to the beautiful colony.

When we were about to leave and get onto the bus, we were stopped by one of the guys who works at rising star. He told us that there was a man who wanted to give us coconuts as a gift, he was the leader of the colony who had been there many years. Although he was not affected with leprosy, he spent his entire life living among them. When he first moved into his designated home in the colony, there was a tall fence that divided his home from the leprosy colony. Previous leaders of the colony had refused to come in contact with any person with leprosy. However, this man tore down the fence that divided them and welcomed the people into his home. He loved the people and served them intimately.

After we received our bag of coconuts, we got on the bus and went across the street a ways to the leprosy hospital (where Mari was moving from). There, we met several men who were affected with leprosy. We gathered into their large common room where beds were lined up in two rows. We stood at the front and began singing hymns. The room was slightly darker and the light streamed in through the windows. As we sang, I stared into their faces. At first it felt a little awkward, but the singing sounded beautiful because the sound resonated throughout the room so well. I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but our voices sounded beautiful (and I’m not really one for singing). Next thing I knew, there were tears running down my cheeks. As I looked around, I found out that I wasn’t the only one. Several of us were crying. I felt an overwhelming feeling of love for the people we were singing to. I also felt a feeling of love from my Father in Heaven. The Spirit of God was in the room, and I could feel it.

The last week went by in a blur. It started with the Polambakkam leprosy colony and then flew by. The schedule switched around from its original plan, so I know that my memories are out of order.  I’ll just tell of events and memories that occurred this last week.

The night after the Polambakkam colony, we had a break for a couple hours and then we prepared to teach the kids about hygiene. We gathered them into the cafeteria- which is a big pavilion outside. The boys went first and then the girls. The boys were so talkative and anxious that it was hard to calm them down. The group taught them about being gentleman- which isn’t really a thing in India. In their culture, it is common for men to crowd forward to make sure that they are served first. We told them that it is common in America that the women are actually served first.  We told them that the two men in our group (one instructor and coordinator- Craig and David) wait for every single one of us girls to get our food before they get their food each night! They were astonished! We wanted to emphasize the importance of women since they never really hear that in their culture. We also taught them the basics of tooth brushing, deodorant, etc. Next, we taught the girls about hygiene. They were so well behaved it was hilarious. After this, we went to their hostels to do mass nail clipping- they have to keep their nails very short.

I went into their hostels to clip nails, and I made many new friends! The girls loved to surround me and try to do my hair. One specific girl took particularly good care of me as she tended to my hair and then my henna to make sure that it was peeled off appropriately. I talked with a big group of older girls who each told me to repeat their names ten times so that I wouldn’t forget. When I left, they each told me to have sweet dreams. . . about them! One promised me that she would write me a letter and bring it to play time the next day.

Venkatapuram leprosy colony

We had a great experience at the Venkatapuram colony. I was assigned to administer eye drops. The eye drop line was small, and we often had no line at all, so Alyssa, Madelyn and I spent our time dancing to One Direction and trying to make the people smile. We tried to make friends with the most darling little girl, but she was pretty shy. I made friends with the sweetest man that walked very slowly with his cane. When I tried to take a picture with him, he leaned in to kiss my cheek. The last hour I spent with a woman who had broken her leg falling off of a train. It was heart breaking to see how devastated she was since she was the main provider in her home. I did, however, learn how important and meaningful the small things are. I was able to comfort her by holding her hand and sitting with her on the cement floor of her home.

We spent the afternoon visiting the Barathapuram leprosy colony to see their art school and pearls. The people who are affected with leprosy paint the most beautiful paintings, and I was lucky enough to meet the artist of the painting I bought.

For some relaxation time, we went to the Mudaliarkuppam beach to ride boats. I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out really awesome! We took a ride down a wide river that was surrounded by trees. There were people catching fish with spears and nets in the water, and we made our way to the beach. The waves crashed, and I pondered as I stared at the endless water. Madelyn and I even had a good time throwing sand at the crabs and watching Dave do his back flips. On our boat ride back, our driver told us that he could catch a jelly fish! I didn’t believe him at first, although I had seen so many in the water. Sure enough, he slowed the boat down and steered until he had one in his hand! We all got to pet the top of the jelly fish. It felt just like you would imagine- super jelly.

On our bus ride to the Ramachandra hospital, we looked out the window to see two men yelling at each other. Because it is pretty normal to see men yelling, we thought nothing of it . . . until they started fighting. It was intense, and many of the girls on the bus yelled for them to stop. They kept fighting until many people rushed from their cars to pull them apart. Those men sure had some tempers. 

At the hospital, we got a tour of one of the buildings that offers free service to those who qualify. We saw the labor & delivery floors, neonatal intensive care units, pediatric oncology, etc. We met student nurses who were also about to graduate. It was really neat to see how the hospital functioned. Although they did not have as much as we do in the US, they sure made it work.

It was also interesting to see the mother-in-laws that were there with the women who had just delivered a baby. In America, we are used to having our husbands, mother, and our family there. In India, it is the mother in law who has the honor of holding and caring for the baby after it is born.

After visiting the Ramachandra hospital, we went to the St. Thomas Martyrdom shrine. He had gone to India as a prophet and was killed by a stray arrow there. There were many Christians there celebrating the mission he served in India that converted many to Christianity.

Our amazing instructor, Cheryl, had to leave a day early to catch her flight and it was sad to see her go. She was such an amazing person and good example to me. I’m so grateful I got to know her.

Last day: we treated the Barathapuram leprosy colony which was the colony we visited very first. It was a special experience. I was put at the oiling station where I oiled each patient’s feet to prevent dryness and cracking in their feet which would lead to more sores.

Julia, one of the girls who just got home from a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gave Nava Mani (our clinic nurse) a Book of Mormon a few days before this. Today, Nava Mani told Julia that she had been reading the Book of Mormon. She said that she liked it- “The Father and the Son”. Julia spent the rest of the day as we were working teaching Nava Mani about the Book of Mormon and Joseph’s smith first vision. We sang hymns in the background. It was a pretty special experience that made me cry. God loves all of His children, and it is amazing to see His work go forth. Nava Mani said that she felt the Holy Spirit while Julia taught.

One of the highlights of the day was when a dear sweet woman adored Jaclyn. She told her that she had a beautiful nose. One man took plenty of selfies with us on his phone, the clinic doctor sang a few lines of the backstreet boys, and we ended trip by stopping at pizza hut to buy personal pizzas. We celebrated our good times in India by singing Taylor Swift on the way home.

Time was short on our last day, and we were counting the hours hoping that time would go slow. We took the ukg kids for blood testing at a nearby clinic and then went to our last play time. I took lots of pictures and said many goodbyes. At dinner, we shared our highlights and changes that we had experienced in ourselves and the sweet coordinators bought us an Indian cake to say thank you.

We had quite the scare when Jessie ate some curry that contained fish. She didn’t know that or she wouldn’t have eaten it since she is highly allergic. After many prayers and hopes that Jessie wouldn’t be sent home, she was alright. God was definitely watching out for us.

We had to say goodbye to Craig, our other instructor tonight. We were all on our own from there and off to our 3 day trip. He was so awesome. Goodbyes are hard.