My India trip
I'm home for 2 weeks and yet I didn't bother to write down all the details about my India trip. Maybe it wasn't that pleasant at all or it's just me who's expecting too much as usual. I should have recorded things I wanted to share with my friends so I wouldn't have to repeat it over and over again and the details tend to be lesser and lesser because I'm getting sick of repeating haha.. Since today I'm in the mood to repeat. I decided to put the pieces together.
Day 1
We took a flight from Hong Kong to Delhi. Waited in Delhi airport for 9 hours for the connecting flight to Amritsar. It was damn freaking exhausting.
Day 2
Had a good rest and begin the 1st day of Amanda's wedding. Today is Henna day where the bride got to "tatoo-ed" her hands and feet with the traditional drawing on her. In fact, all the ladies done it as well. I thought it would be easy but God know we have to wait for so long for it to dry and they used lemon + sugar to dipped on our skin to preserve it. It was sticky and disgusting. I washed it away after 3 hours. Today is the day where the groom's sister came and perform some ceremony on her too. They gave her gifts and put tumeric powder which is yellow in color all over her. I had my turn on her too hahaha..
Day 3
It was the second day of the wedding. Jalandhar is a town without shopping malls, only bazaar exist. We had to get shoes, bangles, bindi and etc for the wedding. The scariest part is taking this rickshaw ride to the bazaar. I thought I would die there or something. First of all, I felt I was a vacuum cleaner for a while because we were basically absorbing carbon monoxide and dust all the way. Second, since rickshaw is so "exposed", I can feel the cars zooming next to me, cows crossing in front, motorcycles and bicycle going horizontally on the road and humans walking as if they won't die and get hit by any of those vehicles..
Our "driver" lost the others half way. It felt so weird and scary in the middle of nowhere, we stopped by the roadside and Indians looked at these 2 chinese jokers taking a rickshaw with very curious eyes as if we were alien or something wondering why the hell we're there. Didn't they see chinese before? I don't know. But some guys in the bike were waving to us and saying "hello china!" wtf...
Anyway, walking along the bazaar was alright and beggars will come to us because obviously we come from the other part of the world. Of course I didn't give any, not that I'm stingy but I know the whole village will come chasing after me if I gave one of them some rupees.
I insisted to take a toot-toot like those in Thailand to go back to the hotel cos it was so much safer and more people can go at once so that we won't get lost again!!!
Back in the hotel, I seriously need to do some laundry. I couldn't stand my clothes full of dust as I only brought 2 pair of pants. I called the house keeping telling them I have some laundry to do and the fellow hang up the call. I called again and I was told to called the reception. The reception said called the house keeping. I called the house keeping and they bloody asked me to call the reception. I was damn pissed off and finally the asshole asked me: What is laundry?
At night, I was told it was the Sangeet which is the bride's night. But weird, the groom appeared. Haha.. The venue was just right infront of the groom's house cos the bride was not allowed to be in the house yet. It was all about eating and dancing the whole night. It was fun though. Never really experienced this in my entire life. Oh yea, the amount of JBL speakers they used for that function is too much! My lungs were vibrating all night.
Day 4
3rd day of the wedding. This is the day where everything becomes official. We have to go to the temple. Rules to be in the temple: Wear anything you wish but as long as you cover your head, regardless male or female. The Sikh priest will give a speech and chanting on the background and we were given some sweet stuff which tasted like peanuts + sugar at the end of the ceremony. I didn't want to eat but I have nowhere to hide.. So I ate it. It was sweet.
We went back to hotel where we stayed and they have the lunch reception there. It was about dancing and eating and photo shooting.
At night, we went to another hotel for another dinner reception. The final one. Thank God. It ended at 1am.
Day 5
Today they decided to go to Amritsar to see the Golden temple and the Waga border to see flag exchange march at the Indian-Pakistan border.
It was 2 hours drive from Jalandhar and we have to reached there by sunset because the flag exchange thing only happens during sunset. I don't think India and Pakistan like each other that much according to the news. During the flag exchange, I suddenly thought what if something happened they start to shoot each other and shoot us as well.. Luckily it didn't happened. After sunset, we rushed to the golden temple. It was a nice temple but the only thing I don't like is to walk barefooted and to wash my legs in the lake where people bathe in it. I know, it's supposed to wash away our sins but still.. my legs are never the same again..
We have to catch our flight the next day in Amritsar airport. So Ronnie the husband find us a hotel there just to let us rest for few hours. The room was not ok. The toilet was not so clean. Sigh.. Nevermind, last night in India. Not like I have other choice.
Day 6
Got up at 3am and found out the idiot at the reception didn't book the taxi for us. After some minor complains, we're on our way to the airport which looked more like a construction site. Indian airline is noisy. No wonder it fly faster. Jet Airways took 1.5 hour to reached, Indian Airline only need 50 minutes. Whatever, we reached Delhi airport and waited for 7 hours to fly back to Hong Kong.
There was this asshole in the airport which we thought worked for the airport which his uniform looked like the airport personnel conned us! Stupid me got something stuck in my brain or what gave him 300 rupees. He told us we need to pay to get in the terminal. I thought was true. So 1 person = 100 rupees, therefore: 2 persons = 200 rupees! And later this pain in the arse said another 100 for the luggage.. The most stupid thing is I BELIEVED HIM.
Get on the plane and never been so happy to get away from a country so much before. To summarize this trip, it was alright but given a chance, no way I'm going back to that place again. Other big cities, maybe.. but not possible.. I would treat it as an experience really. After India, life is so beautiful because what more can be worse?
Day 1
We took a flight from Hong Kong to Delhi. Waited in Delhi airport for 9 hours for the connecting flight to Amritsar. It was damn freaking exhausting.
Day 2
Had a good rest and begin the 1st day of Amanda's wedding. Today is Henna day where the bride got to "tatoo-ed" her hands and feet with the traditional drawing on her. In fact, all the ladies done it as well. I thought it would be easy but God know we have to wait for so long for it to dry and they used lemon + sugar to dipped on our skin to preserve it. It was sticky and disgusting. I washed it away after 3 hours. Today is the day where the groom's sister came and perform some ceremony on her too. They gave her gifts and put tumeric powder which is yellow in color all over her. I had my turn on her too hahaha..
Day 3
It was the second day of the wedding. Jalandhar is a town without shopping malls, only bazaar exist. We had to get shoes, bangles, bindi and etc for the wedding. The scariest part is taking this rickshaw ride to the bazaar. I thought I would die there or something. First of all, I felt I was a vacuum cleaner for a while because we were basically absorbing carbon monoxide and dust all the way. Second, since rickshaw is so "exposed", I can feel the cars zooming next to me, cows crossing in front, motorcycles and bicycle going horizontally on the road and humans walking as if they won't die and get hit by any of those vehicles..
Our "driver" lost the others half way. It felt so weird and scary in the middle of nowhere, we stopped by the roadside and Indians looked at these 2 chinese jokers taking a rickshaw with very curious eyes as if we were alien or something wondering why the hell we're there. Didn't they see chinese before? I don't know. But some guys in the bike were waving to us and saying "hello china!" wtf...
Anyway, walking along the bazaar was alright and beggars will come to us because obviously we come from the other part of the world. Of course I didn't give any, not that I'm stingy but I know the whole village will come chasing after me if I gave one of them some rupees.
I insisted to take a toot-toot like those in Thailand to go back to the hotel cos it was so much safer and more people can go at once so that we won't get lost again!!!
Back in the hotel, I seriously need to do some laundry. I couldn't stand my clothes full of dust as I only brought 2 pair of pants. I called the house keeping telling them I have some laundry to do and the fellow hang up the call. I called again and I was told to called the reception. The reception said called the house keeping. I called the house keeping and they bloody asked me to call the reception. I was damn pissed off and finally the asshole asked me: What is laundry?
At night, I was told it was the Sangeet which is the bride's night. But weird, the groom appeared. Haha.. The venue was just right infront of the groom's house cos the bride was not allowed to be in the house yet. It was all about eating and dancing the whole night. It was fun though. Never really experienced this in my entire life. Oh yea, the amount of JBL speakers they used for that function is too much! My lungs were vibrating all night.
Day 4
3rd day of the wedding. This is the day where everything becomes official. We have to go to the temple. Rules to be in the temple: Wear anything you wish but as long as you cover your head, regardless male or female. The Sikh priest will give a speech and chanting on the background and we were given some sweet stuff which tasted like peanuts + sugar at the end of the ceremony. I didn't want to eat but I have nowhere to hide.. So I ate it. It was sweet.
We went back to hotel where we stayed and they have the lunch reception there. It was about dancing and eating and photo shooting.
At night, we went to another hotel for another dinner reception. The final one. Thank God. It ended at 1am.
Day 5
Today they decided to go to Amritsar to see the Golden temple and the Waga border to see flag exchange march at the Indian-Pakistan border.
It was 2 hours drive from Jalandhar and we have to reached there by sunset because the flag exchange thing only happens during sunset. I don't think India and Pakistan like each other that much according to the news. During the flag exchange, I suddenly thought what if something happened they start to shoot each other and shoot us as well.. Luckily it didn't happened. After sunset, we rushed to the golden temple. It was a nice temple but the only thing I don't like is to walk barefooted and to wash my legs in the lake where people bathe in it. I know, it's supposed to wash away our sins but still.. my legs are never the same again..
We have to catch our flight the next day in Amritsar airport. So Ronnie the husband find us a hotel there just to let us rest for few hours. The room was not ok. The toilet was not so clean. Sigh.. Nevermind, last night in India. Not like I have other choice.
Day 6
Got up at 3am and found out the idiot at the reception didn't book the taxi for us. After some minor complains, we're on our way to the airport which looked more like a construction site. Indian airline is noisy. No wonder it fly faster. Jet Airways took 1.5 hour to reached, Indian Airline only need 50 minutes. Whatever, we reached Delhi airport and waited for 7 hours to fly back to Hong Kong.
There was this asshole in the airport which we thought worked for the airport which his uniform looked like the airport personnel conned us! Stupid me got something stuck in my brain or what gave him 300 rupees. He told us we need to pay to get in the terminal. I thought was true. So 1 person = 100 rupees, therefore: 2 persons = 200 rupees! And later this pain in the arse said another 100 for the luggage.. The most stupid thing is I BELIEVED HIM.
Get on the plane and never been so happy to get away from a country so much before. To summarize this trip, it was alright but given a chance, no way I'm going back to that place again. Other big cities, maybe.. but not possible.. I would treat it as an experience really. After India, life is so beautiful because what more can be worse?
posted by Tracy at 12:30 AM
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