The Valley of Flowers

My first of 3 days spent in Gangaria (the small little town at the base of the valley of flowers) was quite interesting. Thanks to a lovely language barrier, I was under the impression that where my guide dropped me, I would be taking a taxi straight to my hotel followed by hiking after. So I loaded up my super heavy backpack as well as my travel back pack and set off in the Jeep. However, the Jeep stopped at the start of a 10km trek that could only be made by foot or horse. I had about 20 guys surround me asking me what I would like to do and all laughing at me for bringing such a heavy bag. They didn't get that I was feeling just as confused. So after a lot of discussion, i realized that my best option was to load that poor horse up with both myself and my bags. I felt so bad for the poor creature. But that was a long ass trek! It took us 4 hours on horse back up some really steep inclines. What also amazed me was that the guy who was in charge of the horse just ran along side them as if it was nothing.

The sites along the way were absolutely beautiful and when we arrived to the city, it was a perfect day. The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and all you heard was the sweet clamour of bells whilst the horses ran everywhere. I thought it might be too late to start a hike since I feared coming down the mountains in the dark so instead I had some lunch and then went to sit near a waterfall and take it all in. The only downside to my plan of peaceful mediation and appreciation was my white mug. Everyone kept coming up to me asking for selfies. I climbed up on a big rock to avoid the paparazzi and they just skipped on up to sit next to me. I try to just be happy and friendly since they mean no harm but it really gets a little frustrating when I am trying to just relax and think.

Day two was a whole different ball game. It started out raining so I didnt start my trek until about 10:30am. And let me tell you, that trek was the hardest physical activity I have yet to do in my life. I hiked over 9km all uphill to the top of a mountain to reach Hathi Parvat (a very famous and holy site for the Sikh community). Let's just start by saying that when you are offered a horse dozens of times on the journey, you should take the offer. It is probably for a good reason. I, however, was thinking that I had all day to trek up there as nothing else was on my agenda, so I would take my time and enjoy it. Not to mention my boney ass was still so sore from the horse ride up to my hotel.  So I decided to hike it. I was joined by an Indian couple from Delhi for part of it but the wife was struggling hardcore so I had to leave them behind. Unfortunately, as I was making my way I was informed that the temple closes at 2pm and that I would need to seriously hustle if I was to make it. Trying to tell a girl who never exercises at home to hustle up a crazy steep mountain is an absolute joke. But I had it in my head that I was going to make it so I refused to give up. Fueled by sweet cookie biscuits, water, and alot of pitbull, I hauled ass. At one point the couple from Delhi passed me on horseback with the look of defeat. Cheaters.

The journey started off beautiful until I was in this immensely thick fog with my visibility limited to 5 feet in front of me. I kept praying that it would clear up before I got there so I could at least enjoy the view. I had a feeling I would be underwhelmed by the temple. As I reached the top, there were floods of people coming back down and everyone was shocked I was walking on foot and going so late. Many said it would be impossible to make it on time, others cheered me on telling me to just move quickly! So the last 15 minute stretch I cranked my gears and would you believe I made it by 2pm!! I was the last one!! And let me say, I could not stop laughing. The temple looked like a basement room with different mismatching rugs all over the floor, posters hanging in every other direction, and a make shift shrine in the middle. And the lake used by people to purify and cleanse their souls was so foggy it was basically invisible to me. I took some pictures with the guards cause they were adorable, washed my hands in the holy lake, and then headed back down about 5 minutes later...laughing for a good portion of it. I was just amazed at the agony I put my body through for all of that. And no view whatsoever!! It was comical. But I was actually incredibly proud of myself. I even passed people on the way down who had started their hike 5 hours earlier. Everyone praised my speed. I felt like a superwoman poser...but I savored every moment.

On the way back down I was asked by these 3 people if I could help one of the men by holding his hand. He had slipped and hurt his knee and was thus hobbling his way back. Part of me wanted to pretend I didn't hear them since all I could focus on was getting some food and face planting in bed. But I stopped to help him down about ⅓ of the mountain. My body was aching so bad and the pressure he put on my left wrist (my weak side) made it feel like it was going to snap. But we all pushed through it and as a token of thanks they bought me dinner and candies. Score! They also all gave me their contact information for when I return to India.

My night ended with me devouring a shit ton of Indian food and then retreating to my room for a bath. There is no shower head in my room only a cold water tap. Did I say cold? My mistake. I meant to say FREEZING. We are in the Himalayas people...its freezing in the evenings. So the man downstairs boiled a big bucket of water for me and brought it to my room so I could have a bucket shower. So picture me like shmeigal from Lord of the Rings crouched near the ground shivering and pouring little pitchers of water over my aching body. It was a site that would fuel your nightmares for sure.

Though I didn't actually want to ever move again, I set my alarm for 5:30am for my last trek to the valley of flowers. This was the main highlight of my tour. And when I awoke, it was pouring! I was devastated. But still, I got some breakfast and prayed. 8, 9, 10am...still pouring. It was until just around 11 that the rain subsided. I figured it was now or never...best haul ass so as to make it there. I tried not to think about landslides or me just being spastic on the slick trails as they are all loose rocks on the side of high cliffs. Everyone kept asking me on the way if I was going alone and looked at me confused. That was reassuring. But I would meet and walk with different indian groups along the way. This one group of young guys took me under their wing for the first stretch and held my hand as I walked through the water of river/waterfall thing since the bridge was busted. I was so grateful for them. I also spent a long amount of time with this Indian couple and their guy friend they adopted this morning at the start of the hike. They were so nice and it was very pleasant to walk with people as we could all look out for each other.

The hike was absolutely stunning. There were colorful flowers that lined the path and the many of the tree’s bark looked like it had been painted with watercolors. The beginning portion of the hike you pass by waterfalls and a large bustling river. But then as you get higher you see the mountains until you finally round the corner and see the brightest green valley you've ever seen in your life. It was such a feeling! It just looks so pure and untouched by human hands. It truly was breathtaking. I got so excited that I just started quickening my pace. I could even see some of the snow capped mountains in the distance. I felt so blessed to be able to witness this beauty as only a few hours prior I was almost in tears with disappointment from the rain.

I decided to stray away from my group as they went further, opting to climb up some high rocks to sit and admire. I felt so humbled and at peace. With each new trip I take, I continue to just be in awe of how beautiful the world truly is. Being in such places really just makes you tip your hat off to the big man with amazement and gratitude. It was magical.

As is the case with all beauty, it can't last forever. My brief time in that spot taking in the valley was wonderful but fleeting. A huge thick wave of fog started to flood the valley devouring all of its green beauty. This actually made me laugh again ( I swear I am not losing it!). I just felt like God gave me a little gift to take home with me and then said okay, gotta get back to the storm now. So with that I started my trek back. I snagged a few rocks on the way because they all had this beautiful shimmering silver quality about them. It made it feel like it was a magical path to the secret valley of beauty. And although the flowers weren't in full bloom (there are over 400 kinds) there were still so many that I was able to take in. I even made sure to stop and smell them!

With that being said, my body hates me. Every muscle and bone hurts me. I'm pretty sure I broke a bone in my foot and my knees are about as worn out as those of a 95 year old lady with arthritis. If I can move in the morning, I will snag a horse and head out to find Ajay. It will be another 4 hour trek followed by a 7 hour car ride. I actually can't wait to sit for 7 hours….

Haridwar and Josimath

My week of travel has been off to a very interesting start. When arriving in Delhi, I was greeted by a very nice man who walked me over to meet my driver, Ajay. After some discussion in the car, I was informed that what I thought was a group tour...ended up being just me. And while I thought I would have a guide, I in fact only have a driver. So that was a bit daunting and misleading to say the least. But I was in Delhi and with Ajay in the car so I sucked it up, took a deep breath, and braced myself for the next 6 hours alone in the car with this total stranger. Awkward Amy was gushing with excitement.

The ride, however, was really not bad. While his english definitely needs a lot of work, we were able to communicate quite a bit. I learned all about marriage in his country and his life, and he learned the same of mine. At one point, there was an average size turtle crossing a major road. So he stops right in front of it, runs out of the car to grab it (which at this point I am thinking “oh my God he is the sweetest thing ever”) and then runs to the side and just hurls that turtle so hard over the little barrier. I was so shocked that I just started hysterically laughing. He came back and said “why you laughing?” and I couldn't stop. It took me a minute to realize their was a river far beyond that little wall but man was that funny. He was confused but started laughing at me laughing which ended up being a great ice breaker.

The scenery was also amazing. It was such a change from Kolkata. So much less congested and there were cows everywhere and greenery. It felt nice to have some space.

We arrived in Haridwar approximately 6 to 7 hours later. Though there is terrible poverty in Kolkata, it presented itself much differently in Haridwar. There were small tents made of tarps everywhere with families either sleeping inside them or sitting around outside. Especially near the Ganga river, it was packed with people sleeping outside. Our first stop was to see a bunch of different temples. I apologize if I offend any Hindus here but the temples were super weird and creepy to me. They have over 30 gods and their statues are like large dolls with loads of sequined fabric. Some temples were very plain and simple while others were embellished with mosaics from the floors to the ceilings. I had many people say blessings over me, rub some red ink on my forhead, and pat my shoulders with a padded paddle. It was cool at first (even though I had no idea what they were saying) until I realized that everyone that did that wanted money. So I learned quickly to say no and speed away. One of the temples looked like the rainforest cafe in steroids. I went through a maze of small caves, there were moving animal exhibits, and just very scary paintings. One of which was a woman whose head is cut off and both she and the other women around her are drinking the blood that is squirting out from her neck. Gnarly.

After that I had to say a hard no to anymore temples. But he insisted I visit one more since it was high up on a hill with a great viewpoint if the city. Ajay then brought me to the path and waited in the car while I walked to my death. I say this because he neglected to tell me that I would be hiking the steepest switchbacks for the next couple of hours in the blistering heat. Luckily I was distracted by all of the free roaming cows, pigs, peacocks, and monkeys I saw. It was so cool! And once I got high enough and looked back, it looked like the land in the lion king. Just green land with some random trees and lots of animals roaming around. You just had to be careful where you looked because the monkeys were very sneaky and would snatch anything they could from you. I heard a woman behind me scream so I turned and found her getting robbed by a monkey. He had snatched her water bottle and was tangled in her scarf. Part of me wanted to be a hero...but not that day. I had gotten bit by our monkey in Ghana one too many times to know that I no longer mess with them. Sorry lady.

That evening, Ajay and I went to visit Har-ki-pauri for the Ganga Aarti. This is a ritual that attracts Indians from all over just after sunset. It involves praying, singing, and sending floating dia down the river. Dia are these little bowls made of leaves and filled with flowers and candles. They light them and send them floating down the river to pray for the salvation of their departed elders as well as their families.  The ceremony was really cool but just crazy crowded. Standing out like a sore thumb, I was “lucky” enough to be brought to the very front of the action which meant I was standing on the steps in the water. And with the crowds growing thicker as the ceremony was about to start, I got pushed further in to where the water was above my knees. One more nudge and I would have been caught in the super fast current and vanished. It was a close call. Ajay tried to convince me later on to “shower” in the water like all of the people were doing around me (basically submerging yourself to cleanse/bless yourself while holding on to chains so you don't get pulled away by the strong current). That was another hard no. I laughed at first thinking he was kidding and he just gave me a confused smile and said “I don't understand.” My B.

I retreated that evening back to the hotel since I was crazy exhausted. The guys who ran the hotel were definitely so excited to have me there and knocked on my door every 2 minutes. “Mam, your towel.” “Mam your water.” “Mam, your name please.” “Mam country please.” I think they were also excited to show off the little bit of English they knew which was funny until I had to say “enough.”

Day 2 of the journey was just as long. We hit the road at 7:30am and drove for 9 hours! After our 6 hour drive the day before, our conversation was much more sparse. What the heck else could we talk about!? But we shared our music tastes with each other and enjoyed the views. The drive was through the mountains and it was wild. The mountains are where he is used to driving so imagine little roads right along the cliffside with small little cement blocks every 10 or 15 feet as “protection from falling” and blind turns every 100 feet or so. Dude was flying! And because the driver seat is reversed, when I looked out the window it didn't even look like we were on the road. All I saw was the thousands of feet below me. I told Ajay that and how I trusted him with my life. He laughed and said “It is okay. It is habit” meaning he knows what he is doing. It was bit more frightening seeing as we had to stop a few times because their had been landslides and the rocks or trees needed to be moved. But an adventure none the less!

On the journey we passed by 5 different prayags. These are known as meeting points which means they are where 2 rivers converge. They all had small cities built into the mountains surrounding them with very colorful homes and buildings. I never knew such beautiful cities existed in India. It looked like something you would see somewhere in Italy or Europe. Well, they looked like that from far away across the river. When you drove through them it looked like India. There were cows laying all over the road, horses and donkeys roaming around, and stray dogs everywhere.

At one point we were discussing birthdays and he shared that his was 7-7-84. I then responded with “July 7? As in today? Your birthday is today?” He quickly looked at his phone confused and then was cracking up when he realized. He had completely forgotten. He kept insisting that he never celebrates his birthday and that he is a simple man but I couldn't have it. So I treated him to dinner and a drink which made him really happy. I also was able to touch base with his birthday twin, Lauren (my sister) to wish her a happy birthday as well. But just to reiterate...HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLO!! LOVE YOU!!!

My Last Week in Kolkata

This past week has been an absolute whirlwind. It was my last week in Kolkata and boy did it come and go fast! I feel like I blinked and suddenly my month here was over. But it definitely was an unforgettable experience, to say the least.

Last Thursday was a very special day for me. After attending mass in the morning, I followed the other volunteers back to their dorms for breakfast. Let's just say the grass was definitely greener...especially considering they had this beautiful oasis of quiet greenery tucked away admist a bustling city. It was lovely. It also came hand in hand with a dining room full of volunteers to share breakfast with. About 5 or 6 of us were set to head to the flower market for some slight seeing but that group quickly grew to be 21 people! It was nuts. It didn't last long as everyone had different paces and places to visit. But the flower market was really nice. It is definitely very poor but once you take one photo, everyone wants their photo taken. For a while we had a little possy following us around with curious eyes. My 3 new friends from Baltimore and I then decided to visit the Eden gardens. It was such a peaceful place away from people and horns honking. I was in heaven.

The evening was also one which I will always remember. The group of volunteers from Lebanon decided to host a huge dinner with everyone as it was a big group’s last day. We all enjoyed some delicious food, good music, amazing conversation and a night of weird games and silly dancing. It felt like the first time I could relax and let loose since I have been here so I really cherished it. I also tried to soak up every moment with the volunteers since I knew many of them I might never see again.

Saturday and Sunday were also quite wonderful as well. I got to spend the majority of Saturday with the boys from the shelter which is always a fabulous time. They are all the sweetest well behaved young boys around. We played games, danced, they taught me how to cook...it was awesome. Sunday after volunteering, I joined my friend Thomas from chile for some more sight seeing. We got to check out the Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Academy of the Arts where I purchased my first real painting ever! Super exciting as well as entertaining since I got to meet all of the artists and hang out with them. The only downside was the look of disappointment I got when their artwork was not chosen.

The remainder of the week was filled with a super bad cold requiring me to stay in bed for 2-3 days and really hard goodbyes. The girls from the Soma home and I had our last lesson together, played some Bingo, I gave them a whole bunch of gifts and in turn, I was gifted with an Indian make-over. They also made this really sweet video for me to watch when I am at home and missing them. I have already seen it about a hundred times.

I also gave each of the children from New light their own hand wrapped gifts which consisted of a large pencil case stuffed with school supplies and candy. They loved them. One of the little boys refused to nap unless he was holding his. I was also pleasantly surprised when the staff of New Light presented me with a chocolate cake. It was very unexpected and very appreciated.

Unfortunately, due to my cold, I was unable to say goodbye to my ladies at the Mother Teresa home. This really broke my heart but I knew that to go and say goodbye would be very selfish since they were already at risk for getting sick. Instead, I just sent a whole case of manicure supplies with one of the volunteers. At least they will be looking fresh while I am gone.

And thus concludes my journey to Kolkata. One of the best and hardest times of my life.

Thank you to everyone who donated money or placed an order for the embroidered items. With the money received, I was able to provide bags stuffed with hundreds of condoms, gloves and other medical supplies, books on medical treatment and care, gifts for all of the children in New Light, the boys home, and the girls home, lesson materials and prizes for the classes I would provide on different first aid techniques, protein bars for the homeless on the streets, as well as a monetary donation I will be making with the remaining money upon my return. And to all of you who purchased the items, your money directly goes to the Anchal project which helps to create an alternative source of income to help women leave the sex worker industry. So once again, THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!

Next stop, traveling in the North of India to soak up the majestic Himalayas!! I will check back in soon!