'Eve teasing’ -- AKA sexual harassment -- in India

“Eve teasing’ is the strange, light-hearted name Indians have for sexual harassment, according to my Rough Guide. I didn’t know if it would happen to me, but I certainly didn’t expect to get Eve teased by two boys who couldn’t have been more than 10 or 12.

It happened in Agra. I was walking from Agra Fort to the train station to book that night’s ticket when two boys started tagging along. “Hello rupees?” they said. I smiled and shook my head. They asked a few more times, with the same result. Then the shorter one started making light motions toward my genital area.

Move it or lose it on the bus

I was about to take an open seat next to a teenage girl on the bus today when an older woman suddenly appeared, said something in Hindi, and took the seat instead. Um, ok. I found another open seat, the last on the bus, and sat down. I'd been there probably three minutes when an older man came up and said something gruffly. I didn't know what it was, but his body language was unmistakable. I got up and he took the seat.

I'm hoping what he said was something along the lines of, "Move it, young whippersnapper," and not, "Move it, foreign devil."

Volunteering for Asha, a charity that works in the slums

A lane in Zakhira slum.

The reason I’m staying in Delhi for the next few weeks is to volunteer with a charity called Asha, which works in 50 slums across Delhi. I was drawn to Asha (which means "hope" in Hindi) not just because of its work, but because it was specifically looking for a volunteer who could help with writing, and I wanted to do something related to what I do.

More than that, though, I like that Asha actually seems to work. I can’t describe how many nonprofits I’ve worked with that just seemed ineffective (like the giant bureaucracy that is the Red Cross). After a week of touring the slums and talking to residents and health workers, I really do believe Asha’s model brings things like healthcare, empowerment, microfinance and education to people who otherwise wouldn’t have it. I know, I know—I drank the Kool-aid.

Living in Delhi

After two weeks in Rajasthan, I came back to Delhi about a week ago. The plan is to live in Delhi for a month or two while I volunteer. There’s the perspective you have from just being a traveler, and another perspective from actually living in a place.

Delhi was my first stop in India, and I didn’t have high hopes—a friend who’d traveled here mentioned that she just got a bad feeling from Delhi. And the city met all my low expectations. Pahar Ganj, the backpackers’ district, was dirty and filled with people constantly calling out to me. I also got majorly hassled by touts when I ventured to Connaught Place by myself. I was supposed to meet with the charity on Jan. 4, but I pushed back the start date because I had to get out of Delhi.

Now that I’m back, I’m realizing the city isn’t as charmless as I initially thought. When you go places that aren’t in the guidebook, you realize Delhi has big green parks, wide avenues, and night markets where everyone’s not calling out, “Where are you from? Japan?” It has a public transportation system that's far better than those in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., the last two cities I lived in. The metro is beautifully clean, cheap, and efficient, complete with a women-only carriage.

It’s only been one week, but I may just like it here.

Cost of 16 days traveling around India: just under $400 (and that's for everything)

So for 16 days and nights of travel I spent $390. Here's a breakdown of my top expenses.

ACCOMMODATION: Ranged from 200 rupees ($4) in Jaisalmer to 700 rupees ($14) in Jaipur. The higher price was an anomaly, though. Absent that, my accommodation averaged $5.67, mostly for a single.

FOOD: Ranged from 5 rupees (10 cents) for a street snack like a samosa to 300+ rupees for a fancier meal that included overpriced Kingfisher beer. Really, they burned us on the beer.

Monuments, forts, safaris and ziplining in Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan

Days 1-3: Delhi

Landed in Delhi. Had a drink with someone I met on the street to toast the New Year. Saw India Gate, the Rajpath and the Central Secretariat building where the government works. Visited the Gandhi Smitri to see the place where Gandhi died.

Days 4-5: Agra

Caught an early-morning train to Agra (Tues).Wandered around Agra’s Taj Ganj neighborhood. Saw the Taj Mahal, Kinari Bazaar and the Jama Masjid. Skipped Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri (the latter of which is apparently a highlight in India, so I may have to go back). Caught the 7 pm train to Sawai Madhopur, arriving at 2 am on Thurs.

Day 6: Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambhore National Park)

Went on a three-hour safari in the hopes of spotting tigers. With no more spots in the six-seater jeeps (“Gypsies”), I sat in a Canter, a 20-seat open-topped bus. We didn’t see any tigers, but did see antelope, deer, peacocks, crocodiles and birds (including an owl and a Kingfisher). Bookings can be done here or through your hotel for a fee.

16 days in Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan

For anyone interested in planning a Rajasthan trip in India, here’s how I did mine:

Days 1-3: Delhi
Days 4-5: Agra
Day 6: Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambhore National Park)
Day 7: Transit day to Udaipur
Days 8-10: Udaipur
Days 11-13: Jaisalmer
Day 14: Jodhpur
Days 15-16: Jaipur

(Note: I could have EASILY dropped a day each from Delhi and Agra, had my planning been better.)

Highlights:

• Marveling at the Taj Mahal.
• Going on a camel safari in Jaisalmer.
• Flying around Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur on ziplines.
• Relaxing in lovely Udaipur.

Lowlights:

• Getting sexually harassed in Agra by two little boys (more on that later).
• Leaving my Rough Guide behind in an overpriced coffee shop in Jodhpur.
• Arriving in Jodhpur at 4 am with no plan as to what to do until Mehrangarh Fort opened at 9 am.
• Arriving in Jaipur at 2:30 am with no hotel booked.
• Arriving back in Delhi at 1:15 am with no hotel booked (you’ll notice a pattern here).