Taj Mahavellous!

It's been about five days since I've started the Intrepid Tour, and it's been non-stop. We're in the "Pink City" of Jaipur for the next two days, so finally I have a chance to breathe! Travelling with a group has been totally different - mostly, I don't have to worry so much about catching the right train or wondering where I'm going to sleep for the night.

We have done a lot of amazing things though - things Aggie and I probably wouldn't have thought of doing. After Delhi, we went to see the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort in Agra, which was amazing. The Taj is "stunning"...especially at when the sun goes down and the white marble reflects the colours of the sky. We also went to see some mosques, a bird sanctuary, and last night we stayed in an old fort! Yesterday was probably one of the highlights of the tour so far. We travelled to this tiny village and walked around, meeting all the kids and seeing the industries of the town. It was really amazing to see a small village...there were camels pulling carts of firewood, squealing pigs on the road, women in colourful saris balancing jugs of water on their heads, cobblers making traditional jooti shoes and peacocks flying in the sky. The entire town surrounded a fort that has been in the same family for over 400 years. It was given to them after a war and they are kind of the benefactors/landowners. It was an absolutely magical place, and we had dinner last night underneath the stars, listening to some local musicians. The family is really wonderful and warm, and their little daughter is a real charmer. If anyone is looking for a romantic place to get married, I definitely recommend here!

Personally I prefer travelling on my own or with a good friend rather than as a group. No matter where we go, we attract so much attention, just because we are a group of foreigners...I feel a bit like a travelling freak show! I normally don't like tours at all - most of the time, you are rushed through all the sights, and cooped up in the safe bubble of your hotel room or bus, without any contact with the world outside you. But Intrepid is definitely different, and I really like their policy of supporting local businesses and getting off the beaten path a bit. One thing that I've found really interesting is the idea of "responsible travel". It's a really important issue especially when travelling in a developing country like India, where there is so much poverty. One thing that is really difficult to see is all the beggars, especially the children and the ones who have disfigured limbs, even leprosy. It is hard to know what to do, because you don't want to encourage begging, but at the same time, you don't know what kind of social services are available.

Another problem is the tipping. We give our guide a set amount of money which he uses for tipping along the way, to make sure everyone gets an equal amount and to make sure there is no "over-tipping". At first, I couldn't get used to it, and always wanted to give more. After all, $1 is nothing to me, but it is so much for a rickshaw driver. However, the problem is, tourists have no idea what their money is worth in this country and will give way too much, thinking they are helping, but in fact, they are creating a lot of problems, including fostering greed and jealousy. The vendors and drivers start expecting more and more and they get more and more aggressive. For example, our cycle rickshaw driver at the sanctuary was very kind and knowledgeable, but at the end, when Aggie said "Shukriya" (thank-you), he said, "Shukriya only?" As people get more aggressive, tourists get more defensive, and feel like all Indians are only after their money and can't be trusted. We are currently in the state of Rajastan, the most touristed area in all of India, and the feelings are very different from the north. In northern India, it was much more relaxed, people were much friendlier, and I chatted to tons of local people. But here, I feel leery of anyone who even says hello! I am learning a lot on this trip about travelling. Too often travellers go into a country without thinking about the impact they make, when tourism has really changed the face of the world. Now that there are boats, trains and planes that go almost any corner in the world, we need to start thinking about how to travel as responsibly and respectfully as possible.