TONY NUCCIO

The Coolest Thing You Can Do In Los Angeles!

Tony Nuccio — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:32:15 +0000

If there is something everybody should do once in their life - it is to take a helicopter tour of their own city.

This past weekend we did just the same and went flying with Celebrity Helicopters’ very own Robin Petgrave. Our flight was something that we probably won’t ever forget and included dropping our jaws to all the Celebrity homes, flying directly over the sky scrapers in Downtown, cruising around the Peninsula in Palos Verdes and munching on Crickets… yes, Crickets.

With Celebrity Helicopters you can pretty much customize any tour you want in Los Angeles and decide what you want to see. Robin flew us from his location in Compton, CA to Santa Monica where we had lunch at the very exotic asian cuisine- Typhoon. I’ve never formally seen Insects and Amphibians on a menu before so this was definitely a first. Maybe I have seen it before, but not in a place where you least expect it… c’mon, ‘aviations peoples’ and insects??? - who would’ve known.

So we sat down at Typhoon located at the Santa Monica Airport and commenced our brunch with mimosas accompanied with Crickets. Now, I must say I like Crickets… they were delicious. Would I do them again?.. hmm.. I think I’d try the ants or another insect on the menu first. But, we had a really nice lunch at Typhoon restaurant - which IS just a really tasty cuisine to eat in Santa Monica… I am definitely going back. The asian food is well done and the Filipino Pork Adobo was perfect. The Adobo was so good.. I wanted to tell all my Titas to go there and watch the chefs because Typhoon’s was not dry… hehe.

After lunch Robin landed and picked us up to fly us around Santa Monica, Venice Beach and deep into Brentwood. We saw Muscle Beach, Venice Beach, Santa Monica Pier, Will Rogers Beach, the California Incline and the large condo high-rises adjacent to Will Rogers beach where Britney apparently has a condo.

When we flew into Brentwood we cruised over the Riviera Golf Course & Country Club and over some of the celebrity homes like Bill Cosby’s. Most of the homes and properties we surveyed were breath-taking to see from the sky. Robin, however, told us these were “nothing” compared to what we were about to see in a minute.

As we zipped by the Getty Center, 405 Freeway, UCLA and Westwood…. we flew east into Bel Air and deep into Beverly Hills where we saw Mansions of the rich and famous. In Beverly Hills we gawked at the mansions of David Beckham, Aaron Spelling, Prince, Tom Cruise, Ellen, Lionel Ritchie and the Playboy Mansion to name a few. We saw so many mansions we were almost disgusted in a good way. I mean these homes were so massive and beautifully-kept that we felt our humble homes were probably much smaller than Tom Cruise’s servants. It was a horrible feeling - but we loved it.

Amazed with what we saw in Beverly Hills, Robin turned up the chopper another knot and whirled us over to an area that just blew our socks off - the MEGA MANSIONS of BEVERLY PARK. Now the Mansions in Beverly Hills were huge but they looked like the slums when compared to Beverly Park. Beverly Park is apparently an enclave nestled DEEP into Beverly Hills and is where Denzel Washington, Rod Stewart, Eddie Murphy, Saban, Vanna White and a bunch of other Celebrities call “home”. I certainly did not call these “homes” because they looked like Hotels and Resorts when cruising over them. How can Eddie Murphy’s 77,000 Square Foot MEGA MANSION be called a home… it was sooooo huge…. but definitely not the prettiest home in The Park… maybe I am just jealous.

After feeling like the Paparazzi parlaying in The Park, we cruised over the Sunset Strip, Hollywood Bowl, Universal City, Hollywood Sign, Mann’s Chinese Theatre over to the Silver Lake area. We cruised right above Dodger Stadium and through the sky scrapers in Downtown we felt like the Dodgers… because we were dodging buildings. I will never forget when Robin pulled the helicopter sideways directly over the US Bank Library Tower… it was a crazy feeling hovering sideways above the tallest building in LA. It was a thrill.

After we cruised through Downtown LA, we passed USC, The Olympic Colosseum, propelled through LA’s historic South Central area (where The Los Angeles Riots took place) onto The South Bay…what I call the “Gem of Los Angeles”.

Now the South Bay is where I grew up but still amazes me how beautiful yet taboo it remains today. Many people hardly see it when they come to Los Angeles and the people who live in LA hardly know about it. That’s why I think taking this helicopter flight was so cool - because my two friends who lived in LA discovered a new area they didn’t know was so beautiful.

We coasted down from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach to Redondo Beach to Palos Verdes. Hovering alongside Palos Verdes (or “PV” as I grew up calling it) was certainly a “cliff-side experience”. In PV we saw beautiful homes in the $10-20 Million price ranges that crowned the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean. We also saw the new exclusive development called “Terranea”, The Trump Golf Course, nude people in the bushes at the nude beaches, Portugese Bend and just the beauty of the blue waters contrasted with the green landscapes… We even saw Dolphins hanging out with the Surfers… it was too good to be true.

After we cruised through PV, we headed into the Port of Los Angeles where we saw Cabrillo Beach, San Pedro Marina, Ports O’Call Village and Vincent St. Thomas Bridge. As we passed through the logistics industry which houses all the imports and exports for the region we even had a documentary experience noticing the shipping containers at the port, train tracks, and shipping yards. We noticed MANY containers just waiting to be consumed by America and also MANY cars just waiting to be purchased - all imported mostly from Asia.

After Terminal Island we whirled by the World Cruise Center, snapped photos of the Queen Mary and headed into Long Beach where we saw the Aquarium, Long Beach’s Downtown Sky Scrapers and the yachts parked in the marina. After Long Beach we headed back to the Compton Woodley Airport and thanked Robin for our amazing and truly “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.

We really enjoyed our helicopter sightseeing tour of Los Angeles with Celebrity Helicopters. Our flight was almost an hour long but we saw so many sites that it felt our tour was much longer. Celebrity Helicopters has many tours which go to different parts of Los Angeles and different tours which have different features.

Some of the tours Celebrity Helicopters offers:

Beach Cities Flight - strictly the South Bay Area where you see all the beaches from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, Port of Los Angeles to Long Beach Marina. This is pretty much the later portion of the tour I flew for only $99 Per Person*. For more information, www.celebheli.com/beachcities/

Celebrity Homes Tour - this is definitely one of the coolest tours where you can see all the Celebrity Homes and whirl through Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Universal Studios, and through Downtown Los Angeles. This is pretty much the first half of the tour I flew with them. Only $169 Per Person*. For more information, www.celebheli.com/celebrityhomes/

The VIP Grand Tour - this tour basically includes both the Celebrity Homes Tour & The Beach Cities Tour into one really cool tour. For only $50 more with “The Hollywood Style Upgrade” you can really make it happening with a bottle of Champagne and hours devours . Only $249 Per Person*. For more information, www.celebheli.com/vipgrand/

The Deluxe Night Tour (www.deluxenight.com) - they pick you up from your home with a mini-limo, take you to a really nice restaurant called Da Vinci’s in Long Beach… then pick you up with the helicopter for a 35-minute night flight before you land back in Long Beach and feast on an all-inclusive cuisine. Starting at $299 per person and includes a ride to and from the restaurant, dinner, flight, t-shirt, keep-sake photo and champagne. Perfect for Valentines Day or a special occasion. For more information, www.deluxenight.com

The Custom Tour Package - go anywhere your heart desires from Catalina to Malibu. Propose to that special someone and do it in a very unique and special way. For more information, http://www.celebheli.com/customtour/

*The “Hollywood Style” Upgrade - Don’t forget to upgrade your tour for only $50, which includes Champagne, Hors Devours, a T-Shirt and keep-sake photo.

Regardless of what budget you’re on or what occasion it is for - birthdays, weddings, honeymoon, tourist, hot date - taking a helicopter tour in Los Angeles is something I highly recommend doing whether you’re visiting or if you live here. It’s a fun time you won’t forget

For more information on Celebrity Helicopters Sightseeing Tours please visit their site at www.celebheli.com/tours/ or you can reach them at 1-877-899-2099.

A helicopter tour is definitely the coolest thing you can do in Los Angeles…. and Celebrity Helicopters definitely made us feel like we were Celebrities!

Thank you Celebrity Helicopters.

Sleeper Train Journey Through Himachal Pradesh

Tony Nuccio — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 01:31:29 +0000

From Delhi To Pathankot To Dharmsala To Palampur To Being Zapped To Sherab Ling

Himachal Pradesh

The Sleeper Train

The sleeper train to Pathankot was another first for me, even in Europe I had not taken an overnight train so I was really excited. The beds on the train and the train itself were everything I expected and actually probably a bit nicer.

While at Old Delhi train station we had our entourage of very heavy luggage filled with wines, whiskies, too many clothes, and just the usual belongings. We didn’t hire a Sikh to help us to the carriage but we should’ve because one of our bags was almost 100 pounds. I was wondering how one of those lil’ Sikhs will carry our bag on top of their head, it’s amazing how they can manage to carry anything on their heads.

Once we were situated on the train, Ben showed me the mini parantha’s with curried potatoes served-up right next to the train. The way they cooked the paranthas was truly humanly-mechanical and was just a show in itself. The cook had his systems down, tossing the little piece of dough high in the air and it landing perfectly on the grill. The home-made plates he served our curried vegetables to dip the parantha was made out recycled cardboard like the one a 12 pack of Diet Coke comes in at the supermarket. No tissues to clean our mess, because tissues are scarce in India not like how we just waste them in America. So just eating our dinner was just a fun experience trying to manage the hot ingredients spilling, the mess as a result and then trying to just clean our hands, or rather rubbing it into our clothes or just making a nice lotion out of it!

On the train we had company from a very cute Indian family traveling to north also. They had two little girls that were really shy at first but later became really playful playing little tricks on Ben while he was trying to sleep on the train. The family had brought their own dinner - Dahl, Curry, Paneer, Basmati Rice - and some other goodies all contained in metal camping-like canisters I’ve never seen before. The family was really generous and had offered us to try some of their food but of course we had already eaten our hearts out on some train station food a half an hour before.

It was great getting intimate with an Indian family and learning what they do in Delhi and more about their lives. For this experience and actually during most of the trip in India I had many flashbacks of Italy and how the two cultures are very similar in their way of living, sense of brotherhood, and strong family ties. Indians were very welcoming and compassionate, just like my Italians.

After getting chatty with the family and everyone getting ready for bed, tucking into their thin bed sheets over the hard vinyl surface of the train beds, I pulled out my 998 page novel “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts and soon began to rock away into the north of India.

Palampur

About 6 in the morning, when the sun was just starting to rise, Ben and I woke up and stood outside an open train door to see the beauty of the misty fields and the early morning life of the north. It was really something special and was completely not what I had expected. Goods Carrier trucks alongside the roads of dense green fields of crops, backyards of homes along the tracks with chickens howling into the early morning… This was India.

After we got off the train in Pathankot, we headed by car through the marijuana infested land of Punjab and into the rolling winding hills of the Himachal Pradesh state. We stopped through Palampur, picked up a shawl from a local shop and bought some goat at the local meat market. This local meat market in Palampur consisted of a few stands with vendors sitting in the company of a dead goat dangling from their shop’s ceiling. With bugs flying around the area and the wonderful scent of blood in the air Joanne and Ben carefully chose which shop to purchase the mutton and watch the spectacle of them slice it apart.

The entire slicing of the goat was very interesting as the butcher had used the space in between his toes to hold the knife as he tore away the skin of the carcus. Blood everywhere and goat-bit-pieces too, he carefully chopped and wrapped the pieces into newspaper and put it in a plastic bag and handed it to us.

In Palampur, I really experienced a north Indian city without the western tourists flocking (compared to Dharamsala). There were really dated and ‘vintaged-out’ fruit and veggie shops, shawl sellers, good looking Kashmiris loitering, and a fizzy lemon drink place I will never forget. Everything was so new and so intense, I can’t even begin to recapture the experience or tell people about it… It was something special.

The Roads Of Himachal Pradesh

Taking a sports utility vehicle from the Pathankot train station through Palampur to Dharamsala to Sherab Ling was definitely a FIRST for me! I’ve never been more scared in my life, but of course my company (who have been here many times before) were relaxed like airplane stewards in extreme turbulence. Extreme turbulence doesn’t even come close to describing the intensity of my nervous system while doing the drive up in Himachal Pradesh, it was crazy.

To put the roads into detail.. Imagine huge “goods carrier” trucks that kick up dirt and blow out thick black smog passing in the right lanes then blocking your view of living another day, then add a cow in the road every now and then, turn up the Indian music a little louder, then pass other vehicles around blind windy corners, add some rain, a monkey or two crossing the street, a bunch of sharp turns, guard rails? (you’re dreaming!), people on the side of the streets waiting to cross, everyone honking for any reason repeatedly, no seat belts, the driver high on betelnut paan, and just include about every dangerous thing you want to add into the mix… It was crazy.

So while I sat in fear of my life (because this was a first time for me). My travelmates sure slept like they were flying first class on Singapore Airlines, for real!

Zapped By The Karmapa

After Pathankot, we really lucked out and was able to meet the His Holiness the Karmapa who was under house arrest in a nearby village. At first I was not certain who was who in the Tibetan Buddhist scene because I was fairly new and to be honest it took me a few times to even remember the name “The Karmapa”. Well now that I am completely schooled’ on who is who from the great people I had met while traveling I now know who this important political figure is!

Anyhow, so this Karmapa, (the REAL Karmapa and the one recognized by the Dalai Lama) is placed under house arrest because he had fled from Tibet years ago. To control his interests, China has forced him under house arrest by Indian military. There is a FAKE Karmapa in which has been appointed by the Chinese government and is NOT recognized by the Dalai Lama. This FAKE Karmapa has political control of the money of Tibet and other political powers in which have corrupted the Chinese rule and take-over of Tibet. The FAKE Karmapa is a true imposture and it VERY sad to see the West and the rest of the world uneducatingly adopt him as the REAL thing as he is only a corrupt political figure appointed by China and does not have an ties to the real Tibetan Buddhist faith.

The REAL Karmapa, the one in which I received a blessing from is a young man only 21 years old and is a reincarnated lama whose lineage dates past the Dalai Lama’s lineage. The Karmapa is known to have some sort of “zapping” powers and an energetic aura about him that make him the great person he is acclaimed to be.

When going to the Karmapa’s monastery, Ben and Joanna had noticed changes to the new buildings that were constructed and the way in which the Karmapa had been treated. Me being a newbie, I certainly did not notice much. They noticed that instead of giving the Karmapa the respect he deserves they held the visitation is a small room in the monastery which was apparently a small dressing room opposed to the main area giving His Holiness the grandiose he deserves. Apparently the way he is treated is a concern because he is monitored like a little child.

Well going into this room I stood in a long line with some other Ingies(Westerners) practitioners, monks of the Dharma (Tibetan Buddhist faith), and Tibetan refugees most of which were seniors. One by one with passports in our hands we waited patiently in the presence of His Holiness and an Indian Military guard with a gun. I was briefed by Joanna and Ben how to go about making an “offering” with the white cloth but I was so nervous because I had no idea what to do that I walked into the room and did it the wrong way after having practiced it many times outside. When I walked into the room, I made my offering completely the wrong way and he handed me his blessing in which I had taken from his hand. I was really nervous during the visitation and actually had a good glimpse at His Holiness but it was definitely hard. After I walked out of the room, I noticed this weird feeling I had in my body and it felt similar to goosebumps but in a different way. I didn’t really admit it to anyone because I though it was strange but later I learned that he actually has powers to make you feel “zapped”… And I sure was “zapped”.

Ben had asked me how it was and of course I responded “it was good”, but in the back of my head I had certainly felt some type of energetic connection from the visit with His Holiness.

First Impressions of Dharmsala

From the Karmapa’s residence we had finally got to one of our destinations, Dharamsala. Dharamsala is where the Dalai Lama lives and is sometimes referred to a “Little Lasa” as it is the epicenter for exiled Tibet. Dharamsala is also a popular destination for those looking to practice or just be around the spiritual presence of His Holiness and the other important figures.

We stopped and dropped some wine off (which we had smuggled in from Bangkok) to a very good friend of Ben, Jane. Jane has lived in Dharamsala for around 15 years and is really keen on the political conflict situation, history, and the pursuit of returning Tibet to Tibet. Her apartment in the hills was quite cozy with a small kitchen decorated in spices and a living room with a library full of informative books on Tibetan history and photography. She was quite surprised to see Ben as it has been many years since he last visited and actually at first I wasn’t sure if she was happy to see him at all since she was so shocked. Well Jane provided quite the welcome and we had many more occasions where we got to know each other such as dinners, walks, etc. She even was a great resource for learning about the current situation and also introduced us to a gentleman from Spain who has brought charges of genocide against former Chinese President Jiang Zemin! More

After meeting with Jane we had met other friends along the way, especially Gupta G from Ways Tours & Travels who had coordinated most of the travel from Delhi onto Sherab Ling and Dharamsala. Gupta G had one tooth missing in the front and smoked cigarettes non-stop, a real cool guy and quite popular in town for travel arrangements. When we arrived at Gupta G’s Ben gave him some whiskey we sneaked in from Bangkok. In India, wine and liquor (especially Whiskey) is sometimes worth more than money or even gold… Especially the good stuff. So Gupta was quite happy to see a new bottle and also to see Ben, who had worked with him years before at the travel agency.

The Shits

After Gupta G’s, I felt the urge to splurge and I wasn’t sure where. Joanna and Ben were hungry but I needed to really go’. So I was warned about poo-ing in India and just expected to be a man and use my hand’ and was forced to in some bathroom without any toilet paper. It was my first orientation to the trip I had expected, but kinda fun in that sick sorta way. Now using my left hand sure would’ve been the wrong thing to do… I was real-Indian now. Afterwards I had some good ole’ curry!..ha.

To Sherab Ling

After a quick lunch of delicious cultured yogurt, Parantha (potato pancake), Indian pickled chutney and warm chai we finally headed 2 hours to Sherab Ling.

Sherab Ling is a monastery where Ben had been a monk for 2 years and is definitely off the beaten track so much that actually the broken roads to get there were very rocky. Seeing prayer flags casted alongside the hillside of trees that had been tapped for sap (to make glue), the sun gleamed over the cascade of broken clouds and onto the golden roof of the Sherab Ling monastery, we finally arrived.

Days In Delhi

Tony Nuccio — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 16:26:23 +0000

Before we left for India we had to make travel arrangements in Bangkok: sorting out visas, buying wines, whiskeys, and foods for Ben’s friends that lived in Dharamsala. Ben, my travel-mate, had lived in India a few years ago he moved there when he was 23 from San Francisco on a whim. He was a waiter then and had heard about India and the Dharma from friends he met in the US. He said he was so inspired to live a different life internationally that he said he picked up the phone and literally called Tibetan refugee camps in northern India and days later he was on a plane. His story is actually very inspirational and one that really impresses many people. He speaks many different languages and that is only the beginning.

I was really fortunate to travel with Ben since he lived in India for a couple years and had everything under control, knowing how to deal with customs, what to bring, where to go, when to go, the language, the whole thing… I was really lucky.

Before In Bangkok

In order to go to India, you must have a visa which can be sometimes a process. The Indian Embassy in Bangkok proved its expected waiting times and confusing instructions, I didn’t know I needed certain things so I made a few trips back and forth. Also there is only a small window of time where you can get the visa processed and when you can pick it up. Everything about visiting the Indian Embassy hinted of ways of India, especially the unfamiliar scents in the air. It was like we were already there.

During our final hours in Bangkok, before we boarded the Air India flight, and rushed to the airport, Ben told me to run a few errands to buy gifts for his friends. I went to a wine store to buy wines and liquors. Then we went to Big C to buy some thai foods for his mates in Dharamsala. We had so much wine, that our Louisse’ Vouttons’ luggage were really heavy. I think his bag alone weighed more than 110 pounds and when we got to Delhi we couldn’t wait to just give it all away.

Smuggling Currencies

We left Bangkok on an evening flight on Air India. Ben was telling me to pay close attention to where they board the plane because they usually board flights to India off to the side of airport in ‘no man’s land’. And they sure did. We took a long bus ride to the Air India airplane which took off into the night. On the plane we were pretty much in India already, with hardly any Thai’s and hardly other foreigners… everyone was Indian. It even smelled Indian. The food was even Indian; curry and dahl.

And then… the bathroom even turned Indian.

Ben warned me… “you better use the toilet now because that room is gonna be stanky, you don’t even know”. Sure enough into the night, that bathroom was a mess and was avoided like it was a threat to my own personal health code.

When we landed into Delhi and walked through the airport it was just an interesting experience all alone. This was my first time being in a country of this kind and the intensity of people just made it an amazing experience. We walked into the customs area and witnessed a shorter line for the foreigners so it wasn’t as bad as I had expected, however the line for the natives was unbelievably long. We witness true line-cutting techniques and were a bit entertained how different their culture was just by something simple like standing in a line.

After customs we went to claim our bags. This was the nervous part because we knew we had some supposed “illegal stuff” on our hands like wine and whiskey. We had about 12 bottles of wine and 3 bottles of whiskey… way over the limit… oops.

So, we saw our bags sitting on the carousel tampered and locks cut off Ben’s bag. The people at the airport had already “sniffed” his bag out [and thankfully not mine]. They were just waiting for us at the checkpoint. As Ben approached they told him to step aside. He had to negotiate with them and pay them off and hand over some bottles. What they didn’t know was that I had most of the bottles in my bag and Ben had more of the bottles in his backpack… so they only found a few of our entourage of bottles. So as I walked away safely, he was getting inspected.

I guess Wine and especially Whiskey are like a currency in India, hard to come across and probably frowned upon. We brought our collection for his friends, especially Gupta G in Dharamsala who has been a long time friend to Ben and has helped us arrange many of our travel plans from the trains to cars through Himachal Pradesh. But also we brought some of the wine for our own consumption.

Demand & Supply

We met with Ben’s friend who lived in Delhi at the airport. We boarded his British car and he took us to city center where he showed us to the mid-range hotel he suggested. On the way to the hotel, we toured through Delhi at night while listening to Indian music. It was an welcoming experience. The traffic and the roads were by far very cool and not something I had expected. The way they drive pretty much started to stress me out and everything from that point, driving-wise, was gonna stress me out. Well when we arrived at the Hotel, we walked up 3 flights of stairs in a historic building to the top floor… the floor of the hotel. Well they called it a “Hotel” but it was more like a “hostel”, and a every expensive one at $30 USD per night. It was definitely an experience.

But apparently in Delhi, accommodations are very expensive because there is supposedly a limit on Hotel permits and therefore a limit on the supply of hotel rooms. So supply and demand equates to more expensive rooms. Our friend Joanna, who had arrived a few days prior was staying at the Marriot in Delhi and paid around $250 USD per night. Delhi hotels are extremely expensive and there aren’t many cute little backpacker hostels or places to stay (or at-least not during my trip there) where you can relax. Being comfortable is expensive and being uncomfortable is a rip-off, so it’s almost necessary to have a nice hotel… unless you’ve found something that’s cheap and comfortable.. please let me know.

Our hotel room the first night in Delhi was definitely one that I remember. I don’t think I used the shower or toilet.. we just went to sleep and woke up the next day. I will never forget the ceiling fan spinning at one setting of 400-mph like it was about to sheer my head off onto the side of the hotel room walls.

Trained

The next morning in Delhi was great, we went directly to the train station to change our tickets to Pathankot. Going to train station was a real experience watching the Sikhs carry bags, the kids at the train stations, the old British systems, the whole vintage decor of the train station and then… the trash on the tracks…. the scents of urine. This was India.

So we walked into the train office and met some westerners who had also been traveling and living in India, also a few Japanese travelers.

We only planned to be in Delhi for one night but our train times were different from our travel-mate Joanna so we flipped our schedule. I thought that changing train schedules would be a huge dilemma but it wasn’t such a fuss. Of course getting your way in India, requires some insiting and proving them wrong… but they respect you for it.

Around the train station was CNG rickshaws waiting to take people around and bicycle taxi men. Lots of people sitting around and surprisingly, unlike traveling to Cambodia, nobody bothered us. While in India I really expected beggars and hagglers but there was hardly any of that in Delhi or most of my short travels in India.

After we situated our train tickets, we went back to Rawj Chawk?, packed our bags and took a taxi mini-van to the Marriot to join up with Joanna. Joanna had arrived from Bangkok days prior and was relaxed as she treating herself to spa treatments and the like before her teachings retreat in Sherab Ling. We hung out at her hotel room for awhile and then went to lunch at Imperial Palace? hotel where I really saw how nice Delhi gets.

The Imperial Palace hotel is probably one of the nicest hotels in Delhi, and unlike my travel expectations of rough-on-a-shoe-string ‘National Geographic’ romp we went to lunch in a really upscale restaurant wearing shorts accompanied some of the best dressed Indians. The interior design really surprised me because I expected tribes-peoples and one arm beggars, and to see that Delhi too had its really nice touches actually changed how I think. The hotel lobby even had our Louisse’ Vuottons’ and a very nice art that trumped many hotels in Los Angeles.

Delhi’s architecture in general was very cute with touches from British days. It was almost like going to older English times with the British automobiles? on the streets, men wearing spectacles (glasses), the train stations, the language…. and even the Darjeeling tea.

Hindi Hits

One thing I noticed, and LOVED, was how Indians embrace their own culture. When you visit other countries they seem to pin-up or even listen to American music or American television. While in India, I felt that was not common, as they listen to their own culture and pride their own entertainment industry. While I was in taxis I heard all the top Hindi Hits and music that really set the backdrop for the ride around the city. They love their own music and it’s a beautiful thing to see that they listen to …their own music, and watch… their own movies. India was true to themselves, unlike other countries that tend to idolize american entertainment. They didn’t even know who Beyondce’ was… which was GREAT! But I’m sure they know Madonna!

High on Pan

While we were in Delhi’s city center, I saw a group of men get together in a circle to watching their dealer make Pan Masala. “Pan”, best described as a western tabacoo-chew, is a beetle-nut mixture that makes you feel buzzed and high. I wanted some but I didn’t want my teeth to look all crooked so I decide not to try. I probably should’ve.

Basically Pan is a mixture which is wrapped in a leaf. You place the contents in your mouth and keep it around your lower lips while sucking it and spitting the saliva juices that flow. I learned that some spit anywhere, however that there are actually designated places they spit this juice. When I walking through the city I noticed people spitting in particular areas that looked brown with bowel-like juices collecting in small puddles. It’s like someone had diarrhea on the wall, but don’t worry..it’s just Pan spit. Yeah, it was pretty gross, but it was very cool and very India.

Lots of people use Pan, especially one of our taxi drivers who was going the wrong direction and driving perty’ crazy. He looked about 14, young, and energetic, blasting Hindi Hits while singing to the songs, getting lost into his Pan high.

Returning To Delhi

Towards the end of the trip we returned to Delhi before departing back to Bangkok. Ben was really sick and had the shivers with about 105 degree fever. Trying to situate healthcare in Delhi was to be avoided at all costs, so he patiently waited to get back to Bangkok where some of the best healthcare in the world is available.

During the last days in India Ben decided he wanted to stay at a really nice hotel called Oberoi Maidens because he needed a place to be comfortable while he was very sick. Oberoi Maidens is located outside of the city center and has touches of old british times with antique lifts and a pool area that reminded me of flipping though LIFE magazines from the 1950s. This proved that when India wants to be nice and expensive, it is nice, expensive, historic, and an original to old times. Let me say that the breakfast was included was delicious and INCLUDED.

Most of the final hours in Delhi, Ben had been in the room sleeping while I made trips to the Pharmacy to get medications for a fever and pain. India’s pharmacy was also more accessible and easy to obtain drugs unlike America’s health care system. I asked the man at the pharmacy which drugs would be suitable for his conditions and he had suggested a few medications which I purchased. It costed pennies and to once again compare the cost and accessibility of medications in foreign countries versus in the US, really bothers me.

Well, Ben never got better with the medications and he was bed ridden the final days in Delhi. He suggest that I go see Delhi for the day because I still did not really see the city and the historic landmarks since when we arrived we had been rushed. So I took a rickshaw which took me to tourist trap shops before taking me to the Red Fort and the Old Mosque? where I could spend the day thinking and writing thoughts about my trip to India.

Sitting in these areas was really an experience watching a snake charmer with a dead snake and people sitting on the steps of the mosque. The little market next to the mosque had all sort of things I would consider junk for sale, old shoes, used goods, and used clothes. There were other foods like fresh bread and dahl, things that I just wanted to try.. so I had a few cautious dishes. Thankfully I never got sick.

I went to the Red Fort and just spent the whole day by myself thinking of all the great things I had experienced while in India and how this trip was only just an introduction. I met a few boys on the lawn who dwelled around the Red Fort area and wanted to ask me questions where I was from. I watched the sun set over the Red Fort and caught a rickshaw back to Oberoi Maidens where ben was still sicker than sick.

We left the next day on an airplane back to Bangkok. I will never forget Ben hugging a liter bottle filled with hot water trying to stay warm on the plane. He was shivering the whole time and it was getting scary. Thankfully when we arrived back to Bangkok we went to the hospital where they gave him an IV ran some tests and he was back to normal.

Departing Withdrawals

So many of the people I met while traveling, were in India for the maximum visa allotment of 6 months, some for the rest of their lives. They say that India is realest place on earth and I was definitely convinced from just this small 3-week trip that there is nothing like it. It is the definitive crux of hard core traveling and messes with your mind, body, and soul. It stresses you out. It makes you tougher. It opens your sense. It test’s your stomach and your health. It teaches you how SO many people can live together in a small space and learn to love and learn to live. It really touches your heart to visit such a place and I look forward to a longer 6 month trip. I recommend for anyone wishing to go to India, to go for 6 months because 3 weeks was not enough.

During my time in India I had a really hard time spiritually and before I left for India I was told that it will mess with you ‘inside’. Although I don’t believe that such a place can have a spiritual energy on your soul, I truly felt a spiritual tension while in India. It is hard to tell people how, because not many people will believe it or think you are a ‘crazy’ but there was something deeper than the surface of traveling and I understand how why people say what they do about traveling in India.

You have to do it and see what’s out there in what’s inside you. Can’t wait to go back!