India ... a country of contrasts.

Wealth and poverty, happiness and sadness, unity and division, optimism and despair. Contrast would be the best way to describe the world's largest democracy and second largest nation, home to 1.2 billion people. It's probably safe to say, that we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Which is lucky, because I'm not sure we would have been brave enough if we had.

The 5^th India trip led by our beloved Father Marty set off from Christchurch 6^th December. A group of 28 travellers ready for adventure. We were four students from St Kevin's in Oamaru, four from Villa Maria, twelve from St Thomas', one from Boys High and seven adults, including our leader Marty Taylor. After tearful goodbyes from family, we set off into the greatest unknown any of us had ever experienced. For most of us it would be the longest time we had ever been away from home, and promised to be one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.

Delhi

The first time we left the airport in Delhi, was when it really hit you. The air was like a wall, thick with pollution and damp and hotter than anything we were used to back home even at 11:00 at night. And, straight into one of the perhaps most memorable parts of the trip, the taxi rides. These first forty minutes were perhaps the most exciting of our lives. My taxi group was at one point driven to a petrol station and told to get out of the car while the driver refuelled, and we standing confused and nervous on the side of an Indian road in the middle of the night while he negotiated a price with the owner of the station. Definitely not what we had expected. By the time we had walked down the filthy, beggar filled Main Bazaar, avoiding dogs, cows and tuktuks hurtling down the road even in the small hours of the morning, we were ready to finally collapse on our comfortable hotel beds. What we got were probably closer to planks than mattresses, but we collapsed anyway!

The next day we got our first taste of what India really was and what it really meant to be here. The number of people in the street, the dirt, the smell of the public urinal just outside our 'Hotel' and the noise of hundreds of people trying to hawk their wares can't be understood by anyone who hasn't experienced it, so I won't even try to explain it. We walked through packed streets filled with rats and dogs, learnt the art of haggling, and saw things that will stay with us forever. But, all too quickly, we had to leave Delhi for our next stop, Varanasi.

Varanasi

Varanasi was our next major stop on the trip, where for the first time we could relax and have some time to ourselves to think about what we had seen and experienced. It was also the time when we first got to see the Ganges River, the spiritual home of over one billion Hindus all over the world.

There is no way to overestimate the importance of the Ganges to the people of India. It carries water for drinking and irrigation, is an extremely important religious symbol, cleans and drains the surrounding areas, as well as providing a place for the burying of the dead. The city of Varanasi is famous for its cremation chambers and temples, and is one of the holiest places in India, with much of the Hindu religion based on it. As a group we went out to the Ganges and watched a sunrise over the river, then let small prayer boats and sent them along the river with candles inside them. All around us were Indians washing themselves in the river as a religious sacrament and spiritual journey. But for us, the journey didn't stop here.

Kolkata

Kolkata was the next and longest stop on our trip around India. Here we were to work in the houses for the poor and disabled set up by Mother Teresa herself, and follow in her works to help the poor of Kolkata. The various houses that we worked in, such as Prem Dan, Kalighat, and Daya Dan, gave us a chance to really see what it was like on the other side, and how bad it really could be, something most of us had no idea about.

Something else most of us had no idea about was having to be up at 5am every morning to walk through the streets of Kolkata to reach Mother Teresa's for mass by 6am. This trip was part of the fun of Kolkata, and always produced a few people who were up late and would have to find their way to Mass on their own, through the alleys of the Muslim Quarter. The sight of cow carcasses hanging off hooks, covered in flies and surrounded by dogs put many people off their lunch after a morning's work.

Though the nuns were doing everything they could, and trying to provide as much as they could for their residents with the help of many volunteers, it was still a sad place, not a happy existence for the men and women inside. There were piles of washing to be done, the whole compound needed to be cleaned out with heavy buckets of water every day, massive pots of daal and rice had to be served every day, and we were even asked to shave some of the patients.

The patients simply sat around, flies on some, talking to each other or sitting in silence in the burning sunlight and humidity of Kolkata. The sight of so many people in such depressing conditions affected the whole group, and everyone agreed that it was one of the saddest things they had ever seen. However, the work of the nuns was inspirational, and without their help none of their patients would still be alive.

The work of the Sisters of Mercy, as well as the Christian Brothers in the area really showed the depth of human compassion. For citizens of a wealthy western nation, we rarely got to see just how much work was needed and was done in these areas. The whole city of Kolkata opened our eyes to the issues many people face outside of our safe little country, and really drove home the new perspectives we first experienced in Delhi.

Goa

After the trials of Kolkata, Goa was a place where we could simply relax and enjoy ourselves, to recover from the emotional rollercoaster we had been on up until then. Before we arrived though, we had to spend two nights over the New Year on a train, stacked in three levels of beds squeezed in with Indian families. This was 32 hours straight on a train travelling hundreds of kilometres across India. It wasn't exciting, but gave us a good idea of the great expanse that fills the centre of India, and also showed us how life can be in the country. Great university buildings would rise from the ground in the middle of nowhere, small village shantytowns covered in tarpaulin and small farming plots were everywhere. Most of the time we slept or played cards, and waited and waited to be able to get to Mumbai, then move on to Goa.

Goa is a beach resort on the southwest coast of India. Formerly a Portuguese colony it has retained many elements of Portuguese culture and architecture. We enjoyed 3 days straight at beaches around Goa, swimming, building sand castles and just relaxing and enjoying life. The group took this chance to act like teenagers and tourists again with both hands. Men and women selling maps or cheap jewellery would follow us, and show us their goods while we laid back and sipped cool drinks bought from nearby beach restaurants. Everyone slept, or tanned, or played, or just chatted and rested, exhausted after our weeks in Kolkata working and getting up far too early for comfort. On our last day in Goa we boarded a tour bus and were shown around the area by a guide, seeing all the history of the area, and visiting some amazing temples and sites.

Mumbai

Mumbai was the last stop on our trip, and only lasted a couple of nights. After arriving here from Goa it was time to do some serious shopping and finally organise a present for mum. After the poverty of Kolkata, and the relatively quiet streets of Goa, Mumbai was a clean and wealthy place to stay, easing us back into a more western culture. The group did some last minute shopping and used up all of their leftover rupees on souvenirs. We also visited a few tourist locations and landmarks in the area, such as the Gates of India, and the Taj Hotel. Finally, tired and missing home, we boarded the bus and made our way to the airport for a flight home.

The India trip of 2009 has brought a group of diverse people together into one cohesive group, unified by the amazing experiences they have shared. Some rose to the occasion, some broke under the pressure, but every single person came home different to when they had left. The friends made in India will stay with me and every one else who went for life. Not only the friendships, but the confidence and sense of perspective that came with the trip, seeing the other half of the world and truly understanding what life is like for some. We may have left, but India will stay inside every one of us, and any member of the group would happily return tomorrow if they had the chance. I urge anyone who can go to go; I promise you won't regret a thing.

Sam Moffett

INDIA IMMERSION TRIP 2007/8

Our journey began on a day like any other in Christchurch when our group of 22 eager travellers came together at the airport about to partake on the adventure of a lifetime. After a quick 11 hour trip (a matter of opinion I guess) we were in Singapore to stay one night. As a way of attempting to prepare us for what we would experience when we got to the subcontinent, we were put up in a hotel located in Singapore's 'little India'. There can be no doubt that exploring little India in Singapore was a bit of a shock to the system. Strolling down narrow lanes with the sound of the Muslim call to prayer echoing in your ears is certainly nothing like Colombo St. However nothing could fully prepare us for New Delhi.

We could tell that we really were in a completely different world as soon as we stepped off the plane in New Delhi and were immediately thrown into the mayhem of India as we spilt up into our taxi groups and attempted to make our way to our hotel. Nothing is a more wild and exhilarating ride than attempting to run the gauntlet of New Delhi traffic in an old Morris Oxford taxi with no seat belts. Eventually we arrived at our destination, the Hotel Namaskar. It wasn't exactly the Ritz by anyone's standards, in fact it was probably the worst hotel that we stayed at, but it was a roof over our heads and that was all we needed.

Over the next few days we explored New Delhi the best we could and took in all that it had to offer, visiting the Red Fort, New Zealand High Commission, India Gate and St Columba's Christian Brothers School. Despite being advised to delay buying stuff till the end of our trip, for some of us the attraction of the road-side stores was too great. Many of us had our first encounter with bartering, with varying degrees of success. We even encountered New Delhi's more bizarre elements with Cameron (a chap from St Kevin's) having his ears cleaned by a roving ear cleaner (if you ever find yourself in New Delhi sometime in your life beware of the chaps in red hats with cotton buds in the brim). However these more comical elements were overshadowed by some of the tragic scenes that hit us in New Delhi. Everywhere you will find beggars and vagrants simply sleeping in filth on the streets along with the stray dogs. A particularly tragic memory of mine is that of a woman with no legs trying to re-bandage her weeping wounds. That is an image that will always remain imprinted on my mind.

After our short stay in New Delhi we were up far too early in the morning in order to catch our train to Agra, the beginning of the 'longest day'. The trip was a nice two hour break from the hectic nature of Indian life. One could stop for a while and gaze out the window through the smog at the red sun rising over the endless fields of rice paddies that surround New Delhi. The serenity was to end however when we arrived in Agra and were whisked away by bus to see the Taj Mahal. Nothing can really prepare you for the Taj. When one walks though the gateway and you see it just sitting there you're just blown away by the grandeur. Photos were, of course, a must and we jostled with the crowd that was steadily increasing to get the best snaps possible. After an in-depth tour around the grounds that the Taj inhabits (there are a lot more impressive things there than just the Taj) led by a guide with a distinct lack of patience, we were off again by bus to explore the Agra Fort and eventually head to a late lunch. One aspect of India that must be expanded upon as it was quite surprising is the food. The majority of the people who came on the trip expected to eat nothing but curry and lose a sizeable quantity of weight; this couldn't have been further from reality. At nearly every place we dined at whilst in India there was the option of 'western' or Chinese food as well as the traditional Indian curries. One could travel throughout India and eat nothing but western food if you wanted. As for the weight issue, due to the fact that food was so cheap we ate like kings, so let's just say that we were rather disappointed when we got home and stood on the scales!

After our foray to Agra we took our first overnight train to Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India. When we arrived Mr Taylor was elevated to a priestly status when we met our eccentric guide for the Varanasi leg of the journey, Mr Desparti. This chap, who always referred to Mr Taylor as 'father Marty' was an enthusiastic chewer of a thing called beetle nut and this practice had stained his teeth a rather gruesome looking deep maroon colour. We were guided by Mr Desparti, and his bus, to our accommodation for the next few days in Varanasi. This period was to be a short chill-out period before we moved on to our main destination, Kolkata. During our time here we visited the sacred Ganges River and watched the sun rise over the desolate plain to the east of Varanasi, quite a haunting and peaceful experience. Another feature of our stay in Varanasi was the violent illness that a sizeable proportion of the group encountered. Still, it's experiences like that that are all part of the fun of travel.

From Varanasi we continued to travel east to Kolkata, our home for the next two weeks. By this stage we had all become acclimatised to India but things we saw in our first few days in Kolkata still had the power to move us. The poverty here was even more apparent than in New Delhi. Every day as we made our way to Mother Teresa's 'head office', the Mother House, we would pass many homeless people who would have lived their whole lives knowing nothing but the street. These people are not troubled in the slightest by the superficial aspects of western society. For them the main priority is mere survival.

Whilst in Kolkata we had the most free time of the entire trip and people made the most of it shopping, exploring, enjoying a meal at the wonderful Blue Sky Café (strange name considering one never saw any blue sky in Kolkata due to smog), or simply sleeping. Free time aside, our main occupation during our stay in Kolkata was of course working in the diverse range of Mother Teresa's homes for the destitute and the dying. This was a really rewarding experience for all of us. One can really gain a huge amount of joy by giving care and support for those who need it. Over time working in one of the homes you really gained a connection to the people there and goodbyes were hard for some people when the time came to leave all too soon.

Our exit from Kolkata marked the beginning of our 33 hour train odyssey across the entire subcontinent to Mumbai. We were all anxious at the beginning of this trip due to the fact that we were travelling second class whereas on previous trips groups were in air-conditioned first class. However as it turned out this was to be one of the most fantastic parts of the trip as one could chuck open a window sit back and watch the world go by as the wind played with your hair. For the braver among us there was also the option of leaning out the door as the train made its way along. These moments of serenity were often punctuated by the appearance by large numbers of salesmen or beggars who made their way though the carriage with loud cries of "CHAI, TEA, COFFEE, CHAI. . ." or some sort of other sales pitch!

On our arrival we one could tell that Mumbai was a very different city than Kolkata. It still has the filthiness that is constant throughout all India but Mumbai had a more cosmopolitan western feel to it. However more time in Mumbai was to come later as we were off south down the west coast to the beach paradise of Goa. Goa was formerly a Portuguese colony and this can be seen quite clearly in the Catholic influence in the area. One can't go more than a kilometre before running into another Catholic church built in the Spanish missionary style. However our main desire in Goa was to experience its top notch beaches which we did with avid enthusiasm.

When our time in Goa was up we made our way back up to our final destination of Mumbai. Mumbai's reputation as the sophisticated financial capital of India could be recognised when one saw the numerous sky scrapers that stood on the water-front. During our stay here we visited the Gandhi museum and this was an insightful window into the life of one of the greatest men of all time. As we were now in the last throes of the trip, many people took our stay here as their chance to go mad shopping. However a misunderstanding of flight times meant that we were actually leaving a day earlier than we originally thought. This led to some intense speed-shopping, made only more interesting and intense by the fact that all goods had to be bartered for! But as all great things have to come to an end so did the India trip. As we reluctantly made our way to the airport we carried with us not just our luggage and recently bought treasures but also our experiences, our revelations and most importantly our memories.

Article by Jeremy Moyle & Louis O'Brien