Life lessons from “organized chaos”
By Sharon & Mac McCollum, 3-time travelers, San Diego, California
In April, we spent 18 days touring the north central area of India with our OAT group and our Trip Leader, Sanjay. After two days exploring the old and new Delhi, where we were impressed at the “organized chaos,” we traveled by bus to Jaipur (enjoying more historical forts and palaces), and Ranthambhore. We stayed at an amazing reproduction of an early 1900s-era palace and took daily tours to Ranthambhore National Park, where we finally got to see a tiger on her morning hunt for breakfast! Then off again to Geejgarh Village where we spent a night in a “5-star” tented campsite. We enjoyed a camel ride through the fields and village, and traditional dancing, singing, and food.
From there, we took the bus to Agra, where we visited the famous Taj Mahal on Sharon’s 66th birthday. Then, a train ride and bus to Khajuraho to view the amazing erotic carvings of the 22 temples of the Chandelas. We flew to Varanasi, one of India’s oldest and holiest of cities. We viewed the religious evening ceremonies on the Ganges River and the early morning sunrise and life rituals of bathing, washing, and swimming—with the emotional cremations that go on 24/7.
We heard two negatives about India before leaving: The food was going to be hot and spicy, and the cities would smell of sewers and urine. Actually, we experienced none of this. The food was great, and in spite of some very warm days, there were no bad smells. Yes, there is trash everywhere in the city streets and on the roadsides, but not in the shops, temples, and homes (even the poorest of homes were swept and cleaned inside and outside). The trash is left out for the wandering cows, pigs, etc. … and eventually picked up. It’s a country doing the best it can with the limited resources available … change takes time.
Maybe to help give you a better perspective of this amazing country, keep in mind the enormous difference in their country population and size compared to ours: The U.S. has over nine million square miles and over 280 million people. India has only a little over one million square miles and over a billion people. Yet, with so many squeezed into so little, we never experienced road rage or angry, impatient behavior … or even an accident! It’s a perfect example of “organized chaos,” and one we think we could all learn from.
In spite of all being seasoned travelers, 12 of 13 got sick with variations of “Delhi Belly,” flu, and TD (you guess what that is!). Yet none of this seems to have diminished our enthusiasm to return to this country. We now feel this is definitely one of our favorite countries we have ever visited. The attitude, values, and perseverance of the people to improve their country was a daily reminder of how difficult it is to change thousands of years of persecution, politics, and traditions—and how easy we have it here in a country that is just a few hundred years old, as we know it.
Experience the Heart of India for yourself with OAT.