Before I knew it, it was nearing the end January and it was time for us to leave on our two week trip up North to run our half marathon. I trained for 11 weeks, along the way posting weekly blogs on my progress (www.21k4kids.com). While the students prepared for their exams, we prepared for our trip by packing the warmest clothes we could find, which for me were two long sleeved shirts and a fleece zip-up. I never anticipated that I would be cold in India so I brought nothing from America useful to combat the cold.
We started our journey on yet another train ride in sleeper class, a mode of transportation that I am beginning to loathe. Drew, Kirsten, Addaia and I jumped on a packed bus to Surat and had to stand with our packs on for 30 minutes, about 29 minutes more than I could handle. Meghan stayed in Bajipura to finish some work and was scheduled to meet us in Chandigarh on the 30th. We arrived at the station, hopped onto our train and settled in. The scheduled 24 hour train ride turned into 30 hours as dense fog reduced visibility to zero. During the long periods of time we spent sitting on the tracks my sanity decreased as the hours increased.
Finally, we arrived in Delhi to my friend’s familiar face. We checked into a hotel, washed the train grim from our bodies, and headed out to the Defense Colony for food and choice beverages that can’t be found in Gujarat. We spent the next few days bumming around Delhi, drinking coffee, eating western food, and watched New York I Love You, which made us all a little homesick for America.
For the next few days we headed off to Jaipur, about a four hour drive from Delhi in the state of Rajasthan. Jaipur is known as The Pink City, named so after the Prince of Wales demanded that the city be bathed entirely in pink. Jaipur is home to many ancient forts and palaces that mystify and take your breath away. We toured the City Palace and Ajmer Fort, a fantastic fort perched on a hill. Jaipur was originally a walled city and remnants of the wall can still be seen from Ajmer Fort on the distant hills and at first glance, it reminded me of the Great Wall. After sightseeing, it was time to head back to Delhi. As night fell, so did a thick blanket of fog, again reducing visibility to zero. The four hour trip stretched into a painful 9 hours and we didn’t make it back to Delhi until 4am.
After Jaipur, our group split up. Drew and Addaia left for Chandigarh to meet some friends and Kirsten and I hung back in Delhi for another day of fun in the capital. Then, on the 29th we got on the Delhi subway, stopped at the Interstate Bus Station and searched for a bus to Chandigarh. We found one leaving at 3:30 and we didn’t arrive in Chandigarh until about 9pm. Having not reserved a hotel beforehand, we were stuck haggling rickshaw drivers to take us to unknown hotels. After looking at three hotels out of our price range we were directed to The Blue Moon Hotel in Sector 12. At this point, we were so tired that we gladly accepted his ‘bargain’ of 1,000rs and were happy to find a modern room with a hot water shower!
We spent the day before the race walking around Chandigarh to get a feel for the city. The Lonely Planet described it as a boom town, but Kirsten and I thought it was more of a bust. The city was a planned city with the heart being sectioned off into numbered ‘sectors.’ We headed to Sector 17, which was supposed to be the most interesting sector, but we were disappointed by what we found. We hired a rickshaw to take us into another sector so we could carb-load at Pizza Hut. We gorged on pizza and pasta until we were happily satisfied. At the hotel, we laid out our running clothes, shoes, and bib numbers so they would be ready when our alarm went off at 5:15am, then, we burrowed ourselves into our thick fleece blankets.
The alarm went off. It was here. Race Day. We shivered as we slipped into our running clothes and laced up our shoes. I stuffed some money into my shorts for a ride back after the race and we went down to the lobby, hoping to easily find a rickshaw at 6:00am. It proved more difficult than the front desk man said it would be the day before. We were growing more and more anxious as we stared down the empty road bathed in darkness. Finally, a rickshaw pulled up to our hotel to drop some people and we jumped in. We shivered violently as the cold morning air blew against our bare legs while the rickshaw flew down the road. After about 7 minutes of driving we came to a police barricade and were not allowed to pass. We jumped out and pleaded with the officers, who only gave us directions on how to walk the half kilometer to the starting line. Just then, a car pulled up with a fellow runner in it. “Would you like a ride?” asked the driver. “Yes, please!” we answered back between our clattering teeth. Being a native of the city, the driver of the car knew some handy shortcuts and got us to the starting line just in time to meet up with Meghan, Drew and Addaia. We huddled, said a prayer, and we were off and running.
The race proved harder than I thought due to the acclimate weather. I am now a Gujarati Girl, used to hot, dry weather and Chandigarh was cold and wet. I settled into a comfortable pace and tried to focus my attention away from my slowly numbing body. I tried to drink some Gatorade at one of the stations, but found that I could barely swallow it because my muscles were so cold. I also tried to sniff my nose but my face was too numb for it to be effective…yep, I used my sleeve (don’t tell my mom). After some mental and physical battles I made it to the finish line in 1:48, well under my goal time. Our efforts raised over $1,000 for our libraries! You can read a more detailed account here: www.21k4kids.com
After we were all showered and had regained feeling in our extremities, we packed up my friend’s car and headed further North. We drove for about 6 hours into the hills and stopped at Palampur, famous for the production of North Indian tea. We toured a tea plantation the next morning and I couldn’t help myself…I plucked a leaf off the bush and was not impressed with the taste. After sampling tea, it was back into the car for some more driving, this time to Dharmashala, home of the Dali Lama. The drive was beautiful and the roads that were lined with tall trees wound up endlessly into the peaceful hills. We drove further up and stopped at McLeod Ganj, a more bustling center of activity. The girls decided to call this home for the next two nights while my friend, Drew and I continued into the hills to a more secluded place to stay, literally, on top of the mountain.
When I first saw the road we were to drive up, I didn’t even think it was a road. Regulations state that any new roads must be carved out of the mountain by a chisel, which made for a very small, and very rocky road. I closed my eyes at several points during the drive, but couldn’t believe the view at the top when I finally opened them. Stretching out beyond our guest house was an unbelievable sight. Tall, snowcapped mountains on either side made for a dramatic valley below. Wild monkeys could be seen jumping from tree to tree and the air was so crisp and clean. During the drive a leopard jumped in front of our car and it was a thrilling sight. It was hard to believe that this was India.
That night we dined with the Crowned Prince of the region at his estate, which was a great experience. Even though the ruling class gave up their powers in favor of a united India in 1947, many people still look to and recognize the descendants of the Maharajas. Some of these descendants still own great forts and palaces scattered throughout India. Drew and I had a great time talking with the Prince and learning more about Indian history.
The next day Drew and I were feeling a little ambitious, maybe a little too ambitious, as we embarked on a hike further up the mountain. My legs were still sore from the half marathon and the hike wasn’t as easy as I had hoped it would be. After about an hour we reached a small tea stall, the halfway point. I glanced around and looked up on the top of another mountain that was looming above us. I squinted at some small structures on the top. “We had better not be hiking up to that!” I said to Drew. He shrugged his shoulders and we continued on…to that very peak. The higher we hiked, the colder I got. My hands were so cold that I thought they would crack. I pulled them inside the sleeves of my cheap fleece and huffed on. Finally! We made it to the top and were rewarded with an impressive view at 9,059 feet. I couldn’t resist making a snowman out of the patches of snow…a snowman in India! I never would have thought.
Good times must come to an end and we were again packing up the car for the 12 hour drive back to Delhi. Our road trip through North India was a great time and I enjoyed getting to see a side of India I didn’t know existed. As we boarded our 7:45am train I took in one last deep breath of cold, fresh air and then climbed into the top bunk, where I would remain until our 1:30am arrival in Surat. I am excited to plan my next trip through India where I would like to find myself maybe on a beach, or, anywhere for that matter.
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/lyndi.milton
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