India

A very belated, but very happy Happy 2009 to everyone. We have now passed the one-year anniversary of our blog, the ninth month of our marriage, and the seventh month of our global adventure. Needless to say, 2008 was a year to fulfill even our wildest dreams. We are very thankful to have enjoyed such a life-altering time over the past year and are heavily indebted to our friends and especially our families for their support and love in both the most ecstatic of moments and the lowest of times.

The year that began with chest deep powder in Telluride came to a close on warm Anjuna Beach in the south Indian province of Goa. Yes, against the advice of the U.S. State Department and our own trepidations as well as those of others, we left Istanbul and arrived in the mayhem that is New Delhi, India in the early morning of December 18. India is a land of contradictions: beautiful and hideous, educated and ignorant, friendly and conniving. We experienced both sides of this divide during the three weeks we spent in India, which though shorter than our original plan, was enough to get a flavor of the country, if not a full inspection.

The first order of business in New Delhi, after getting our bearings and catching up on some sleep, was obtaining a visa for Vietnam at the Vietnamese Embassy. After a lengthy bout of haggling over an originally absurdly priced taxi to the Embassy, we found the location and went inside. As seems to occur at all of the embassies we visit, we were lacking a couple items that were not listed as required on any Embassy or other website. The following day, we returned to the Embassy with all necessary paperwork and put in our application, leaving our passports, which is always a slightly dicey situation.

With the visa applications sorted, we set out to explore the city over the weekend, and couldn't make any further plans until we knew whether our visas were approved. Our hotel was a hit and miss affair. It was in a quieter, less touristy district of town, which was nice. The staff was attentive, but also annoying in that they constantly tried to rip us off for various reasons. When we woke up the second morning to the sound of hammering and sawing right next to our door, we bolted and got put up by the owner at a nicer spot for the same price as we were originally paying.

We bombed around the city, utilizing the relatively new Delhi Metro and tuk-tuks, which are three-wheeled scooters. We were definitely the only white people that we saw on the Metro, so we, and especially Lauren, were the object of a lot of staring. We strolled around Connaught Place and the Sunday market in the Karol Bagh neighborhood. The air in New Delhi is atrocious. Just from being out in the open, we developed pitch black, gritty boogers. Gross. New Delhi is also incredibly loud. At first we thought we were crazy, as we swore that the car horns had to be louder than in any other place we visited. As it turned out, the Indians modify their horns with high-decibel, ear-splitting versions. The piercing headaches and black snot notwithstanding, we enjoyed taking in the sights and smells of the city.

We did have one incident which sort of defined the disgusting side of India that I referred to earlier. On Christmas Eve, we were walking down the street back to our hotel, just minding our own business. All of a sudden, a car sped past, rolled down its window, and somebody puked out of the window, covering us in upchuck. Seriously, we were victims of a drive-by vomiting. What a country!

On Monday, we returned to the Vietnamese Embassy in the afternoon and were delighted to find out that our three-month, multiple entry visa had been granted. This was good news, as we had wanted to book a train to Udaipur for the following day so that we could spend Christmas in a more subdued environment. Unfortunately, pretty much every single train leaving Delhi in the days preceding Christmas was fully waitlisted, so waitlisted that not even extra payment could have gotten us a seat. That was a bummer, but we had a wonderful Christmas anyway, made even more special by the treat of being able to Skype with our families on Christmas Eve and Day and hear our niece Maggie sing us "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Wearing my Christmas colors at lunch in the backpacker district of New Delhi, Pahar Ganj.
For Christmas dinner, Mom and Pops Voboril "remotely" treated us to dinner at the very luxurious and delicious Bukhara restaurant. We resolved to stay vegetarian throughout our stay in India, which was a mission accomplished. Although this did not prevent subsequent stomach ailments, it was a challenge for two die-hard carnivores and bacontarians. Fortunately, India is a great place to be vegetarian, with dal and naan and paranthas galore.
Lauren with Indian Santa. This particular Santa wore a lot of make-up and couldn't keep his hands off T.J.'s butt. He was perhaps a little too in the spirit of Christmas.
In the lobby of the Maurya Sheraton, which housed the Bukhara restaurant. It was a chill place to unwind after a huge Christmas dinner.
The Sheraton lobby was exquisitely decorated and well-guarded by a bevy of Indian police. Owing to rising tensions with Pakistan, the whole of India was a bit on edge. It was unnerving to read the daily headlines, which made it appear as if war with Pakistan was imminent. Thankfully, nothing happened and we hope that cooler heads will prevail in the end.

Such is the irony of life that the worst bout of Delhi belly that I could imagine befell Lauren as a direct result of a meal consumed at the most expensive restaurant in the city. In the wee hours of Boxing Day morning, the bathroom became Lauren's semi-permanent abode. At the risk of being too graphic, the volume of vomit and diarrhea that exited Lauren's body over the next three days was horror-movie level frightening. She was in agony and it was painful to watch. Fortunately, our room was comfortable and the television showed a decent amount of Western channels, so we hunkered down to wait out the sickness. In consultation with the neighborhood pharmacist, I put Lauren on a regimen of antibiotics, anti-nausea medicine, and rehydration salts, washed down with the occasional light meal. Slowly but surely, her condition improved, but for the first 36 hours we were terrified, as neither of us had ever seen a sickness of that magnitude. It made her e. Coli in Morocco look like the sniffles. In the end, the saving grace were small servings of vegetable noodles, which apparently had a healing effect and would become a sentimental favorite of Lauren for the duration of our Indian sojourn.

Sadly, Lauren was still not fully recovered by the time our friend Adam Greene arrived to meet us in New Delhi. Adam was my law-school classmate and currently resides in Charlotte, where he fits in hours of work between trips to the golf course. India was the 96th country that Adam has visited: he is a well-seasoned traveler. For Adam's arrival, we switched accomodations to a hotel in the Pahar Ganj district to give him an even more colorful view of the city. With Lauren recuperating in our room, Adam and I set out on a sightseeing tour of the New Delhi.

In front of the Qutub Minar minaret.
Birds and an arch in the Qutub Complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Humayun's Tomb, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the resting place of the second emperor of the Mughal empire.
Lahore Gate, the only entrance to the Red Fort, constructed of brilliant red sandstone and the site of a terrorist attack in 2000 that killed three people. Adam and I were definitely on our guard here, especially from the pickpockets, who were allegedly ubiquitous, though we fortunately never saw one in action.

After a long day of sightseeing, we returned back to the hotel to check on Lauren, who was fortunately in a much better way. Still, she wanted to make sure that she was 100%, so after much deliberation and soul-searching, opted out of the next day's journey to Agra, site of the Taj Mahal and other monuments.

Adam and I woke up at 4:45am to catch the early train to Agra. It was supposed to be a two hour trip, but turned into a five hour journey on account of the heavy fog that enmeshed the city and slowed the train to a slow crawl. Upon arrival in Agra, we secured a tour guide and driver for the day. With a few things to see and limited time, it was the way to go.

The first stop of the day was at the Taj Mahal, which we entered from the southern gate pictured above.
The Taj Mahal is a stunning piece of architecture.
Obligatory tourist "I'm holding the Taj Mahal" shot.
Though I missed Lauren terribly and wished she could have seen the Taj Mahal, I still enjoyed visiting such a beautiful place with such a good friend.

In addition to the Taj Mahal, we also visited a couple of other places, including the Agra Fort (which was way sweeter than the Red Fort in New Delhi) and Akbar's Tomb, a picture of which is shown above.

After our tour of the other sites in Agra, we headed to a garden on the other side of the Yamuna River to catch a view of the Taj Mahal from another angle. By this point, the sun was beginning to set, casting a cool light on the white marble.

We had planned to catch the train back to New Delhi at 8:15pm. But, with the delay in arrival in the morning and the onset of evening fog, there was no telling how late our train would be in departing or arriving in New Delhi. As we had a sick Lauren back at the hotel and a morning flight to Goa the next day, we decided not to take any chances. After some extensive negotiating, we secured a taxi to take us back to New Delhi, a distance of just about 200kms, which should have taken two hours, putting us into town at around 8 in the evening. Of course, after falling asleep in the car and waking up two hours later, I found to my dismay that we were not yet half way home. A thick fog kept traffic speeds to a minimum, and with the sorry state of the Indian highway, it was slow going. To make matters worse, Adam's cellphone wasn't getting a signal and we had no other way of getting in touch with Lauren, who we had promised to call. Finally, we got back to the hotel at 11pm, much to the relief of Lauren, who was understandably worried sick about us. However, her condition had markedly improved, which was great timing, as flying with a stomach bug is no fun.

The next morning, we headed to the airport and caught a Spicejet flight down to Goa, which is south of Mumbai on India's southwest coast. Goa was a formed Portuguese colony, which is evidenced by the presence of quite a few Catholic churches and cool architecture. Our hotel was located on Baga Beach, which was about an hour from the airport. On the taxi ride to the hotel, we were happy to see that Goa was a gorgeous place, providing a much-needed respite from the filth of New Delhi and Agra. It also helped that our hotel was a cool little spot, five minutes from the beach and surrounded by lush vegetation.

The first night in Goa, we got some beers and grub on Baga Beach, and took in the sunset before heading to Anjuna Beach to scope out spots for New Year's, which was the next night.
On New Year's Eve day, we hung out at the beach and then took naps to prepare for the long night ahead. We took a cab over to the block of bars on Anjuna Beach and got some dinner and more beers, with Lauren enjoying her plate of vegetable noodles immensely.
As the clock struck midnight, we celebrated with a New Year's kiss, a farewell to a wonderful 2008 and a welcome to new adventures in 2009.
The three of us had a blast on New Year's and enjoyed partying with a very international crowd on Anjuna Beach.
The rest of our days in Goa were very relaxing, with a lot of beach time and some occasional trips to the incongruous Baskin Robbins. The waves were small, but decent for bodysurfing. It was about 90 degrees and sunny every day, but the nights were also pleasant, with a cool breeze keeping the temperature under control. On Adam's second to last night (we stayed six nights, he stayed four), we had a banger of a time, not getting home until about 4 in the morning. I think this last picture was taken sometime around 1am, as we still look pretty put together.

Thrilled with our Goa trip and also happy that nothing came of the many rumors we heard of a terrorist attack around New Year's, we arrived back in New Delhi for two nights to await our flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We had one full day left in the city, which we spent just walking around and taking it all in, on top of stocking up on supplies at the very cheap pharmacies.

A typical street scene in the Pahar Ganj district. Pictures don't really do the crush of people or the cacophony of noises any justice, but this is one of the cleaner streets that we saw in all of New Delhi.
Lauren on the street in Pahar Ganj, with our lodging in the background. The Buff microfiber scarves gifted to us by Lauren's Aunt Kathy and Uncle Joe came in handy in keeping out the polluted air.
Cows are sacred in India, and thus allowed to just wander the streets willy nilly. This particular bovine took a shine to Lauren.

Before we left on this trip, many people asked us what was the one place to which we were most looking forward. Without hesitation, we would reply "India!" It held such a magical place in our minds, for its history, food, and culture, but also because we saw it as a place entirely apart from any other country on Earth. After having visited India, albeit for a relatively short stint, there is no question that it is a place apart. This does not necessarily mean that everything about it is positive or negative. It is in fact a maddening conjunction of the two. The suffocating push of modernity collides with one of the oldest civilizations on Earth and it is clear that, at this juncture, India is still working on reconciling the differences. While India was definitely not our favorite spot on this trip, we are exceedingly glad that we made the tough decision to pay a visit. One thing is for sure, I might miss the scrumptious dal makhani, but I sure don't miss the overpowering stench of urine.

Return to Istanbul

A few days before we left Atlanta on this journey, we were sitting at the computer going over our travel insurance options. One of the riders on offer was insurance against trip cancellation/interruption due to acts of terrorism. Naively believing that none of our planned destinations would be targets for terrorism, we opted to skip this coverage. Five months later, with the world being what it is, crazy and unpredictable, we sat in our hotel room in Tel Aviv and watched the horrid events of the Mumbai terror attacks unfold. We were due to arrive in India three days later and were clearly concerned about venturing to a country rocked by terrorism. On the one hand, it was unstable, but on the other, India was the country we wanted to visit the most. A quandary indeed.

Traveling is, more than anything, an up and down affair. You go to bed with the memory of a gorgeous sunset in your head and wake up vomiting due to a stomach bug. You get robbed one day and the next you're surfing a gentle wave on a beautiful blue sky day. It sure makes you tougher, as your heart and mind become trained to handle the elasticity of each day. Such was the case with our India travel situation. Disappointed by the crimp in our plans, we nevertheless saw the silver lining. As fate would have it, our flight from Tel Aviv to Delhi had a stopover in Istanbul. This allowed us to put our India plans on hold, while spending our holding pattern in an amazing city. We contacted the airlines, who allowed us to extend our layover in Istanbul indefinitely, and headed for the airport. Yet again, we were the victim of tough flight scheduling. Our flight was due to leave Tel Aviv for Istanbul at 6:15am. Because of the tight security in Israel, they advise you to be at the airport 3 hours ahead of time. With the airport 30 minutes from our hotel, that left us with a wake-up call of 2:10am. Man, we were a mess that morning.

In the cab on the way to our same hostel, Neverland, in Istanbul, I expressed to Lauren that I was afraid that our return to Istanbul would knock down the pedestal on which I had placed the city, that it couldn't possibly be as great as I remembered. Sitting here in Delhi (yep, we headed to India after all, although I am currently recovering from a bout of Delhi belly), I can safely say that our second trip to Istanbul reinforced and even strengthened my love for the jewel of the Turkish nation: Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, formerly Byzantium.

It was a fantastic 18 days in Istanbul. We revisited old favorite haunts and discovered new ones, while dealing with the administrative details and soul searching inherent in planning for our travels after Istanbul. We spent a lot of time with our hairdresser friends, Ismail and Murat, and were introduced to their friend, Huseyin, a DJ. Unfortunately, on one of the first nights that we were back in Istanbul, Murat went out to get some kebap and was arrested by one of the ubiquitous police patrols conducting security checks. It turned out that he had failed to pay a rather considerable fine stemming from a previous arrest for fighting and was sentenced to 36 days in jail. He was missed for sure, but we also enjoyed getting to know Huseyin, whose easy laugh and excellent English made him a great pal. We will never forget Istanbul and can't wait to go back, but until then, these pictures will suffice:

Ortaköy is a cool little district on the European side of the Bosphorus, with lots of great cafés, galleries, and a Sunday flea market. Here I am in Ortaköy, with the beautiful Ortaköy Mosque in the background and the Bosphorus Bridge in the far background. The Bosphorus Bridge is one of two bridges in Istanbul that connect the European side to the Asian side.
Sunset over Istanbul, as seen from the shore of Ortaköy.
The burning sun cast such a cool glow around the numerous mosques and other landmarks in Istanbul.
After spending a great Sunday in Ortaköy, we elected to take a long stroll home along the Bosphorus. Along the way, we passed this entrance to the magnificent Dolmabahçe Palace.
One day we took a ferry from the district of Eminönü, on the European side, to the little village of Çengelköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul.
On the way, we passed a bunch of landmarks, making the ferry ride more like a really cheap (1.4YTL=$1) Bosphorus cruise. Here is the view of the Istanbul Modern, an excellent contemporary art museum that we frequented on our first trip to Istanbul.
The shorefront and ferry station at Çengelköy.
Plane trees (sycamores) can be found all over Istanbul. Tons of restaurants and cafés bear the name "Çinaralti," which means "under the plane tree" in Turkish. Here is Lauren under one of the plane trees along the Bosphorus in Çengelköy.Lauren with a feline friend in Çengelköy.
Sun setting behind the Bosphorus Bridge.
Closer view.
Lauren blending in with the locals and keeping her ears warm in the cool air of a fall evening in Istanbul.
On our second Saturday night in Istanbul, we planned to go to a club with our friends Huseyin (left) and Izmo (right). Before we headed out, Izmo told Lauren (through Huseyin, his interpreter), that he wanted to style her hair. Here she is at the intermediate stage of her curly hair experiment.
Izmo and Lauren with her spicy new hairdo.
Right before heading out to Line, a really fun club in the hip Beyoğlu district in which we stayed. After dancing until late in the night, Izmo and Huseyin took us to a restaurant for soup. Apparently, eating soup after a big night of partying is the thing to do. In particular, the most popular late night soup is İşkembe çorbası. It tasted pretty good, but the next day we discovered that it is a soup comprised mostly of tripe, also known as sheep stomach. Yuck!!!
Lauren practicing her dance moves.
The day after our late night adventures, Lauren's hair was still curly, but in a more relaxed way.
Lauren really likes cats. That is a massive understatement. On Yeni Çarsi, the road from our hostel to the main thoroughfare of Istiklal Caddesi, there are several crazy cat ladies who maintain a small army of cats. Needless to say, Lauren was delighted by Cat Alley. Here is Lauren with Dark Phillip, a cat that looks almost the same as her cat from home, but a smidge darker.
The boys hanging out at Izmo's apartment. This is the day that I decided to grow a mustache to freak out Lauren.
The whole crew.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the founder of the modern Turkish state and the first president of the Turkish Republic, sort of like a Turkish George Washington. Atatürk is a cult figure in Turkey and there are tons of statues and other monuments to him around Istanbul. Many of these statues do not list his date of death, so as to show that he is still "living" in Turkey. It's a little weird, but he was a pretty fascinating man, so I can dig it. Here I am with a portrait of Atatürk, which can be found in almost every home and business.
Lauren dancing at the club at which Huseyin was DJing, before the crowd showed up. As with most countries, with the conspicuous exception of America, the party in Istanbul doesn't really even get started until 12:30am. However, we hung out at the club before that time to take advantage of the free drinks.
Lauren on the turntables at Club Radio. This was during the Muslim holiday of Kurban Bayramı, which is a massive celebration in Turkey during which they sacrifice goats and cows. It was pretty crazy to see the local news, which showed sacrifices happening on the streets. The animal slaughter notwithstanding, it was a very warm and festive holiday, with everyone in cheerful spirits, probably mostly because nobody worked for an entire week.
Izmo and Lauren getting down.
Even though Turkey is a Muslim country, they still celebrate Christmas, albeit in a lesser fashion than at home. We saw this Christmas tree in the ritzy Nişantaşı quarter of Istanbul.
Lauren hanging off the side of the old-fashioned trolley that runs the length of Istiklal Caddesi.
Huseyin was a hilarious guy and we really treasured our time with him. We look forward to his eventual visit to America.