Molly Does Thailand

Right, I am leaving for Thailand in 50 minutes! Well, leaving for the airport, that is. And the journey from the airport check in area to the plane is a whole story in itself-- chaotic crowds, ruthless security scanners, confusing airport halls. But then I will be on a plane headed to Bangkok. Although once my plane lands, I have to deal with the confusion of Suwannaphum International Airport. And then I have to find the Other Molly, my traveling companion, who will be waiting for me either at the baggage claim, the Jet Airways terminal, the Thai Cozy Hotel, or at her friend Jirasek's house. Don't ask. But the important thing is, soon it will be me and Molly and Thailand and fun. Can't wait.
I'll try to post from Thailand and if I fail, I will be back online upon my return to Delhi on April 4th.

Fulbright Conference

Last week was our 3-day Fulbright conference at a hotel down in Maharashtra. All together there were about 70 of us, all of different ages and doing a huge variety of projects. Fulbrighters from India and Sri Lanka and, in some cases, their families, plus Fulbright staff from those countries as well as from Nepal and Pakistan. Despite the craziness, there were plenty of really interesting people to meet and projects to hear about, both during the conference sessions and during the downtime, at meals, at the pool, around the hotel. It was great to discuss my experience here with other people having a similar one, whether these people were students my own age or senior research scholars or visiting lecturers.

Some of the performing arts students and researchers sang and danced for us which was AMAZING... I am jealous of these people and their projects and their talents. If I came back to India again on a Fulbright, I think I'd study carnatic music. Or kathak dance. Or Bollywood movies. Or North Indian classical music. Mmm...so beautiful.

After two days of panels and group discussions, we all went to the Ajanta caves on the third day. These are world famous caves cut into the side of a mountain, with beautiful frescoes of the Buddha and scenes from his life painted into their walls and ceilings. There are 30 caves altogether, the oldest of which were built in the 2nd century BC and the newest from the 5th century AD.

The next day we went to the Ellora caves, which are slightly "younger" than the Ajanta caves but no less spectacular. There are 34 of these caves, again dug into the side of the mountain. Some were built by Buddhists, some by Hindus, and some by Jains, depending on who was in power at the time. Many of these caves were built as temples or monasteries, and all of them are filled with stone carvings of religious figures. The variety is amazing-- in this one complex are huge giant Buddha sculptures just one cave over from long stone panels depicting scenes from the Mahabharata.

We were all starving on our way back to the hotel from Ellora, having been too busy admiring the stone carvings to stop for lunch. When our bus passed a roadside stall selling guavas and figs, someone had the brilliant idea of stopping and stocking up on fruit for the rest of the drive. We purchased tons of guavas and washed them off with our bottled water, out of the window of the moving bus. Not the most efficient way to clean roadside fruit, and my stomach has been funny for the past few days. The guava was SO delicious though and I keep buying it back in Delhi, hoping for the same taste. But it's never as good here!

Missed Wedding Opportunity

The title of this blog does not refer to my having been jilted at the altar, but to the fact that I have been invited to a wedding this week and oh-so-sadly will be unable to attend. It will be tragic if I leave India without having been to an Indian wedding, and this might have been my only chance. My friend Masoom, one of my favorite people in the world and whom I met in Mumbai two summers ago, invited me to her sister's wedding in Delhi this Tuesday. Only problem is that I go out of town today for a Fulbright conference and don't come back until Thursday. Boo.

The Fulbright conference is pretty exciting though and I wouldn't pass that up. We're staying in a hotel that looks pretty swanky and has a jogging track-- it's been months since I have gone for an outdoor run (this is an impossible form of activity in Delhi, where you are likely to get bitten by stray dogs or run over by impatient drivers)! And best thing is that the conference takes place in Ajanta, the site of some ancient caves that are supposed to be amazing. I will report on them when I return...

Happy Happy Holi

Today was Holi, the Indian festival of color. Don't ask me the significance behind this festival- I learned it and have already forgotten. But the important part is that everybody runs around throwing paint and water balloons at each other.

Holi officially started at midnight on Sunday, but people began warming up several days in advance. Early signs of impending Holi were Friday afternoon when I got hit by a water balloon, and Saturday morning on a cycle rickshaw in Old Delhi when a group of young boys pelted a barrage of balloons at my rickshaw. This did not prepare me, however, for the craziness of Sunday morning. Gul and I went to the first party around 11am on someone's rooftop terrace. I got totally COVERED in paint-- it was smeared on me, thrown on me, splashed at me, rolled on me, all different colors, all over my face and clothes. Five of us drove from the first party to the next party which was at a "farmhouse" (read: European style villa) just outside of Delhi. There was more paint smearing and bucket-full-of-water dumping and running around with hoses. I looked like a martian by the end of the day and even after two showers, my face is STILL red and purple, so I look like I have a very bad rash. I promise to upload pictures!

In other news, my grandparents stopped by Delhi for a day and a half with a big tour group. They've already spent two weeks traveling around and have about 4 more days to go! I stayed with them at their swanky hotel and ate dinner with them and their group and came on the tour of Delhi during the day. I had a great time with them and it seems they've been having a great time overall, although they have had several episodes of stomach sickness, despite eating pretty much all of their meals in 5 star hotels. Would you believe it though, this weekend was the first time I myself have had stomach sickness in months, and guess where I ate all of my meals-- in my grandparent's hotel. Moral of the story: 5 star hotel food makes you sick!