We departed
Kolhapur in the morning of New Years Day. There are over 20 of us on this trip,
and nearly no one stayed awake to ring in 2017. We had a long journey ahead of
us to Pune (pronounced poo-nay).
This tour is not
for the faint of heart or for those who don't know how to be flexible. There
are numerous days that are full of sitting for hours on buses or trains. And
though I had access to the full day-by-day itinerary, it is not until you are
actually in transit that you realize just how much energy and preparation such
a trip takes. After all, we've committed to two full weeks of traversing
various cities and villages in this country. Driving north to Pune, reality set
in. We are only on Day 4 of this two-week journey and most of the day would be
spent again on the bus.
With so much
travel in mind, you must be prepared for anything-- sickness, bathroom stops
where sanitation isn't really a priority, varying temperatures, mosquitoes, the
exchange of the money. The Ralph Waldo Emerson quote of "life is a
journey, not a destination " must be your mantra here. If you've
never lived without a westernized toilet, this is the opportunity to experience
what it means to squat over a toilet that is fashioned on the ground. You carry
with you your own stash of tissue paper, as it is not customary here to
wipe as we do in the States.
In addition, our
bodies are not fit for handling the foreign bacteria in the water- so that
means utilizing bottled water for everything. We ask for bottles and cans of
soda to ensure they are "pure." Most of the tour has even sworn
off fruit juice after an incident at the hotel where a couple of our group left
breakfast rather ill. In our room, we resorted to placing something
random in our sink to prevent us from using the water to brush our teeth or
rinse our mouth. So, a tray or a kleenex box, or if you're really
adventurous, a toilet paper roll is placed in every sink. We are more
programmed than one would think to just use the faucet. With that said, it is
truly all worth these efforts and preparations, and I'm thankful for all of the
suggestions offered from others who've traveled.
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| Aga Khan Palace - the place of Gandhi's imprisonment |
Arriving in
Pune, we headed directly to the site of Gandhi's imprisonment -- Aga Khan
Palace. Both Arun and Tushar reminded us that Gandhi and his wife
Kasturba were not in the palace itself, but rather in the attached
building. They were each given a room and were not allowed to walk in the
beautiful gardens surrounding the building. We spent some time inside Aga
Khan viewing the artifacts that remained. Since Mat could not film the palace
without permission, he spent time photographing the building and filming
Tushar. This is a place for many to pay homage to Gandhi and also pay
respect to Gandhi's lifelong wife and companion Kasturba. Her ashes are here
just past the open spaces next to the building. People from all over took off
their shoes and solemnly walked around this sacred place where they had her
funeral. Mr. Gandhi was much quieter than usual here. Pune was also
the home to those assailants who organized the attempts on Gandhi's life. This
is his grandmother's resting place and we ended the day with heavy heart.
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