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One week in Delhi has passed. It was a long sweaty train ride from Jaipur, we got general class tickets and got on the sleeper class carriage again. We thought we would manage fine without own beds since we were travelling during the day, but of course the train was packed with people. A nice man offered us seats, so at least we didn't have to stand. But sitting on a hard bench for eight hours, squeezed between people was not comfortable. Travelling in the night is so much better when it's cooler, less crowded and you can lie down. Although it wasn't the most pleasant of trips, we survived, with sore backs and butts, and got to Delhi in the evening.
We have not really been doing that much here, mostly just walked around town, looking in the many shops and strolling through the small streets.
One day we went to a market area, it was crazily crowded and just too much to take in. We paused and sat down at the Jama Masjid mosque and listened to the prayers. One woman spread out a shawl right in front if us and knelt down praying. For me it felt like we were invading on her privacy, but for them religion is such a big part of their daily lives that they'll kneel down in prayer wherever.
We went to the cinema one evening. I really wanted to go see a Bollywood movie, so we did. It was a pretty fancy cinema, quite alike those at home, except for the staff walking along the rows during the movie, taking orders for food and snacks.
Of course the movie was in Hindi, without any text, but it was quite easy to follow the story anyway. Actually it was a surprisingly good movie and a lot better than I'd expected.
It was about a young woman who was supposed to get married, but her fiancé broke of the engagement just before the marriage. Rani, the head character, was devastated, but decided to use her honeymoon ticket and go to Paris and Amsterdam as planned. She went on her own and got quite a cultural shock, but met nice people on the way and had a good time. Of course her fiancé changed his mind and went after her to try and win her back. When they both got back to India again she gave him back the engagement ring and the movie ended with her walking off happy and independent.
If it would've been a Hollywood movie it would have had a romantic ending. I loved the message the movie sent out, that even in India women can travel and be independent and still have their happy ending. Of course, only the privileged people in India are able to travel and only a handful of those few ever leave the country. But it's still nice to see that popular Bollywood is on the right path.
We tried paan one day, the red areca root that they chew in Asia. In India they wrap it up in a betel leaf along with dried fruit, nuts, spices, coconut, tobacco and some different pastes. I had not expected the taste explosion that occurred in my mouth. It was sweet and minty and nutty and delicious.
Everywhere you see the Indian men chewing the paan and spitting the red juice in practiced jets. And there I sat with Maxi, chewing and spitting far more ungraciously than the locals, smiling my red stained smile. I don't really know what kind of effect it is supposed to give, but I only felt slightly dazed for a while after. I will definitely try it again before I go back home, not for the effect, but for the taste.
This morning Maxi left to fly back home to Sweden. It is weird to be on my own again after having travel company for more than a month, but it is also good to catch up with myself again.
Delhi was nice, I really liked the place where we stayed, it was busy, but not too much.
Now I'm done with big cities for a while. I'm going to Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama resides, and spend perhaps one week up in the cooler mountains. Then I'm going to an ashram in Rishikesh. I'm really looking forward to staying one month in the same place because I hate every time I need to pack my bag and move. It is wonderful to travel, but it's very tiring when you spend hours and hours on the move. Now I've got one and a half month left of my trip and most of it will be spent in downward dog and lotus position.
Namaste ॐ
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