The next few days..........
Well each day seems to merge into the next with the near-relentless lazing about. Yesterday Carolina and I walked to Gokarna to get supplies and just to have a look around and change of scene. We followed the path through some woods, across a beach and into town. I bought some whiskey (not the cheapest brand because the cheapest brand was for sale in a plastic bottle!). We watched a big cow fall into a large concrete drain. It tried to get back out but couldnt and looked a bit stressed. But the locals soon helped it out by its horns and it was ok.
I scoured the beach bars for somewhere to watch the cricket and the football. Finally found a functioning TV at the Jungle Bar so have spent a fair bit of time in there.
Each evening a group of random guys (English and Israelis) get together and jam and make up songs. It was kind of fun from a distance but my hut is very close to them so not much chance of sleep before 1am. So i decided if you can't beat them, join them. They have 2 guitars, a tamborine, a small drum and maracas and its really entertaining. Wouldnt mind a night off it but then i will just get annoyed cos i cant sleep.
Last night, watched The Princess Bride, then had 2 milky sugary chai with dinner and football. Lazy lie-in this morning, then swim and frisbee. Finished the book 100 years of solitude.
This is definitely one of the best beach destinations I have been to. Not too many people, but just enough to keep the place a bit lively. I can see why people stay here for months.
29.12.10
25.12.10
Goa and Om Beach
Monday 20th December
Late breakfast, then said goodbye to the guys I have been hanging out with. Local bus to Mapusa, then another to Panjim, arrived at lunchtime. Started walking into town and a guy on a bike offered a good price for a room in his guest house. Its more like a home and possibly the cleanest place I have stayed in in India (though thats not saying much). Feel asleep in the arvo, then went for a long walk along the side of the river, had Bhel Phul, then back into town for some dinner. Checked out the band in the square; they were an Indian Christian Rock band playing power ballad versions of Christmas Carols, so I didnt hang around.
Tuesday 21st December
I seem to have been struck down by lazitis, slept in far too late. Went to catch a local bus to Old Goa. The bus station is a horrible mish mash and hard to get into or escape from. Anyway, the bus took about 20 minutes and dropped me off right by the main sights. Looked around the Se Cathedral which was ok, then to the red-stone Basilica of Bom Jesus where lies St Francis Xavier, (Goa's patron saint). Finally to the Church of St Francis of Assisi with some old faded paintings depicting his life.
Bus back to Panjim. Sorted out bus ticket from Gokarna to Hampi for the New Year, expensive! Went to the Church of our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, a huge white church in the town centre. The inside was lovely but some grumpy dude wouldn't let me take a picture.
Being an ex-Portuguese colonial state with a catholic influence, Goa is gearing up for Christmas. Today I heard English christmas hits coming from some houses and some of the shop windows have Christmas images sprayed on them.
Had Bhel Phul by the river again, then more wandering, dinner and home.
Wednesday 22nd December
So, five days earlier than planned, I headed to Om Beach, leaving Goa state for Karnataka. I got on the local shuttle bus from Panjim to Margao at around 10am, and then almost immediately onto a bus all the way to Ankola, with a half hour wait at Karwar. At Ankola got another bus 20kms to Gokarna, arriving about 3:30pm. So it took a bit longer than expected. Had Bhel Puri for lunch and bought a big bottle of whiskey for 260rupees ($6) and got a tuk-tuk to Om Beach. The reason for coming to Om Beach is to meet up with Herman and Carolina, my Chilean friends from the Africa trip. It was great to see them again, they have been here for 4 weeks, just relaxing. It will take me a bit longer to acclimatize to doing nothing. We put on the Hindi music CD that I bought in Bundi and it still sounds good.
Thursday 23rd December
There were no spare beach huts last night so I slept on the Chilean's floor. And at 9am grabbed an available hut. Its 150 rupees a night ($3) and has power so I can charge phone and laptop. Have to use communal bathroom outside which is ok. Apparently my hut was only recently put up. The huts are in a garden space away from the beach as opposed to being in a line facing the beach in other similar places. It is really nice here, hopefully I can get used to doing nothing.
Spent most of the day reading in my hut, and chatting to the Chileans. The sun is very intense and there is no shade on the beach so didnt go down there until 4pm. Swam and played frisbee. You have to keep an eye on your stuff cos the cows come along and will try to eat anything; plastic bags, towels, anything is on the menu and they dribble everywhere. Its quite funny to watch when its someone else's stuff! By huge coincidence, we bumped into Tim, a guy who we had met in Africa, who had been doing the same route but on a motorbike. Small world.
Friday 24th December
Another day of doing nothing. It seems to be mainly Israelis here, not sure they celebrate Christmas. Most people seem to be in one state or another, a few strange goings-on. Chileans celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve so we went out and ate more food than usual to mark the occasion. I had chicken tikka, chips and salad. And then veggie momo's which are like Japanese gyoza, or chinese dumplings. Finished off the whiskey from last night and made a start on the vodka.
Christmas Day 2010
Breakfast of homemade avocado, onion and tomato in a chipati, and coffee, courtesy of the Chileans, they are good like that. Put some christmas songs on but its all pretty low key here. Last night we tried to get into the small dance party in the next cafe along but the grumpy Inidan guy wouldnt let us in. The party broke up soon after anyway.
Late breakfast, then said goodbye to the guys I have been hanging out with. Local bus to Mapusa, then another to Panjim, arrived at lunchtime. Started walking into town and a guy on a bike offered a good price for a room in his guest house. Its more like a home and possibly the cleanest place I have stayed in in India (though thats not saying much). Feel asleep in the arvo, then went for a long walk along the side of the river, had Bhel Phul, then back into town for some dinner. Checked out the band in the square; they were an Indian Christian Rock band playing power ballad versions of Christmas Carols, so I didnt hang around.
Tuesday 21st December
I seem to have been struck down by lazitis, slept in far too late. Went to catch a local bus to Old Goa. The bus station is a horrible mish mash and hard to get into or escape from. Anyway, the bus took about 20 minutes and dropped me off right by the main sights. Looked around the Se Cathedral which was ok, then to the red-stone Basilica of Bom Jesus where lies St Francis Xavier, (Goa's patron saint). Finally to the Church of St Francis of Assisi with some old faded paintings depicting his life.
Bus back to Panjim. Sorted out bus ticket from Gokarna to Hampi for the New Year, expensive! Went to the Church of our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, a huge white church in the town centre. The inside was lovely but some grumpy dude wouldn't let me take a picture.
Being an ex-Portuguese colonial state with a catholic influence, Goa is gearing up for Christmas. Today I heard English christmas hits coming from some houses and some of the shop windows have Christmas images sprayed on them.
Had Bhel Phul by the river again, then more wandering, dinner and home.
Wednesday 22nd December
So, five days earlier than planned, I headed to Om Beach, leaving Goa state for Karnataka. I got on the local shuttle bus from Panjim to Margao at around 10am, and then almost immediately onto a bus all the way to Ankola, with a half hour wait at Karwar. At Ankola got another bus 20kms to Gokarna, arriving about 3:30pm. So it took a bit longer than expected. Had Bhel Puri for lunch and bought a big bottle of whiskey for 260rupees ($6) and got a tuk-tuk to Om Beach. The reason for coming to Om Beach is to meet up with Herman and Carolina, my Chilean friends from the Africa trip. It was great to see them again, they have been here for 4 weeks, just relaxing. It will take me a bit longer to acclimatize to doing nothing. We put on the Hindi music CD that I bought in Bundi and it still sounds good.
Thursday 23rd December
There were no spare beach huts last night so I slept on the Chilean's floor. And at 9am grabbed an available hut. Its 150 rupees a night ($3) and has power so I can charge phone and laptop. Have to use communal bathroom outside which is ok. Apparently my hut was only recently put up. The huts are in a garden space away from the beach as opposed to being in a line facing the beach in other similar places. It is really nice here, hopefully I can get used to doing nothing.
Spent most of the day reading in my hut, and chatting to the Chileans. The sun is very intense and there is no shade on the beach so didnt go down there until 4pm. Swam and played frisbee. You have to keep an eye on your stuff cos the cows come along and will try to eat anything; plastic bags, towels, anything is on the menu and they dribble everywhere. Its quite funny to watch when its someone else's stuff! By huge coincidence, we bumped into Tim, a guy who we had met in Africa, who had been doing the same route but on a motorbike. Small world.
Friday 24th December
Another day of doing nothing. It seems to be mainly Israelis here, not sure they celebrate Christmas. Most people seem to be in one state or another, a few strange goings-on. Chileans celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve so we went out and ate more food than usual to mark the occasion. I had chicken tikka, chips and salad. And then veggie momo's which are like Japanese gyoza, or chinese dumplings. Finished off the whiskey from last night and made a start on the vodka.
Christmas Day 2010
Breakfast of homemade avocado, onion and tomato in a chipati, and coffee, courtesy of the Chileans, they are good like that. Put some christmas songs on but its all pretty low key here. Last night we tried to get into the small dance party in the next cafe along but the grumpy Inidan guy wouldnt let us in. The party broke up soon after anyway.
19.12.10
Mumbai and Goa
Monday 13th December
Long lie-in. The hostel is really sociable and there are always other travellers to hang out with and eat with, but I often prefer to go sightseeing by myself, at my own pace. So at lunchtime I set off for a long walk around Mumbai. From the Gateway of India I headed up Mahatma Ghandi road and turned off to go see the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue which is a bright pastel blue. I had not been in a Synagogue before so after passing the army officers and presenting my passport, I went inside. It was similar to a church but more like a southern America (baptist?) church than an English church. There was an American Jewish couple and the rabbi(?) and a local woman. The rabbi opened a cabinet and inside was a canisiter inside of which we could see the Torah, which is a handwritten scroll of the Old Testament. A part of the scroll is read out each day until, they told me, the end is reached at the end of the year?
I moved on to the restored St Thomas' cathedral which is the oldest English building in Mumbai; construction began in 1672. There were a few locals praying. Some of the colonial memorials are elaborate but I wasn't sure about the words stating their noble and courageous lives defending Britain against the locals.
Stopped for Dal fry and chapatis for lunch. Walked past the Central Terminus again and under a large underpass and got directions to Crawford Market. Its mostly fruit and veg but there is also a dirty meat market, the chicken shop was sorting through the chickens on the concrete and they had all sorts of animals in cages; cats, dogs, ducks, mice, geese, many types of bird. I guess they are to be sold as pets, but anyway it was quite disturbing.
I walked down to the street market known as Fashion Street and after much searching found a t-shirt to replace my ripped one. The market guys were friendly and laid-back, not pushy, and we had some banter.
So, after 5 hours of walking I arrived back at the hostel. Sat around for a bit then went for dinner with Eimer who is going home tonight after a year on the road. Went to the Sports Bar at 11pm. Played pool and won four games with different doubles partner. Then stuffed up badly. Then my partner, an older Indian guy, was too drunk to even see the ball so it got a bit silly, as the losers have to pay for the game. And the bar wouldn't stay open and let us watch the footy at 1:30am. Boo.
Tuesday 14th December
I had plans for today, but as soon I got up I realised I had Bombay belly again so I couldn't go far. Pretty annoying really as there is still much to see in Mumbai. Had street food with Auusie Tim which was good but a ripoff; not enough food to feed a small child. We then went to the popular 'Leopold's' restaurant which is featured in Shantaram; mostly tourists and overpriced menu. I asked for chai and they laughed at me and I could only get English tea. Feeling ok.
Wednesday 15th
Food poisoning seems to come down to luck. Tim and I ate the same food last night; i was fine and he spent the night vomiting. Today my mission was to go for a long walk and see as many of the sights as possible. I walked to Churchgate station and got the 4 rupee train to Mahalaxmi station. On the other side of the station are ghats used for laundry so heaps of peope washing clothes in open baths, smacking the clothes into the concrete baths, and lines and lines of washing. Three small girls followed me for a while asking for money. They were mostly playful and kept pinching my back. Then a local shooed them away.
I then walked around the outside of the racecourse looking for the Nehru Centre but missed it and briefly looked around a western style mall with a rolls-royce showroom. Walked back and found the Nehru Centre which was excellent, and free. They had lots of photos and excerpts from inspirational speeches made by Nehru, the first Indian Prime Minister, and by Gandhi. I enjoyed the history lesson. There were also parts on natural history and larger exhbits about significant events in India's fight for independence from the British.
More walking and a banana milkshake. With help from a friendly local, I found Mani Bhavan. This a house on a normal street, where Gandhi would stay when he visited Mumbai. He directed many peaceful campaigns from here. I was struck by a stamp collection on the wall. The stamps were all from 1969 to commemorate 100 years since Gandhi's birth - but they were from many different countries around the world, such as Congo, Chile, Italy. So I was amazed to see that he was so revered in so many disparate countries. I walked around the exhibition which included photos and letters he sent to Hitler, asking him not lead the world into war, and to American presidents and Russian leaders. His wife died in prison and yet still he insisted on passive resistance.
I walked down to Chowpatty Beach. Its fairly clean on the sand but no swimming as the water is toxic. Mumbai is actually an island joined to the mainland by roads. I walked down the side of the peninsula, past a jain temple, and again with local help, found the Banganga Tank which is like a whole other small town on the edge of Mumbai, like a fishing village, or being in the countryside. There is small bathing lake and ghats with houses and temples around the outside. And from there I walked down some narrow side streets towards the sea. I tried to be unobtrusive as I walked right past people homes but they smiled back at me and didnt seem to mind. I went out onto the rocks, dodging the human poo. Would have liked to see the sun set from there but sunset was still an hour or so away. So i walked back to Chowpatty Beach and ate Bhelpuri and then walked back to Colaba, past India Gate and to the hostel. A 9 hour and very rewarding day in Mumbai.
Taxi to train station with Aussie Tim. Chatted to local guy who travelled 40 hours from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Mumbai for an interview and 3 hours later was doing the same trip home. I hope he gets the job.
Thursday 16th December
Pretty good sleep on the train and woke up in the state of Goa. Got off at Thivim , fewer tourists around than I expected. 200 rupees for a taxi so I got 20 rupees local bus to Mapusa and onto the Anjuna. Met Scotish John who brought me to 175 rupee dorm room. Walked down to the beach, past all the stalls selling travellers garb. A row of bars along the beach with quite a few Russian and Inidan tourists. Its a fairly average beach and everyone was lolling around sweating. Not too impressed but on my way back stumbled across The Ashes on a big screen so sat and watched the game with some English guys. Out for dinner and movies (Wall Street2 and Shrek4) with London Pete.
Friday 17th December
Watched some of the cricket while having breakfast. Then walked to Vagator Beach and Chapora Fort, and back. Nice walk and at least I did something before watching the cricket for the rest of the afternoon.
Mostly sat in the cafe, drank Chai Masala and watched the cricket. The food here is excellent and I have drunk heaps of Chai Masala. In the evening, Ian and I had dinner at the beach, a bit expensive. Came back to the movie place.
Saturday 18th December
Hanging out with London Pete and Portuguese Ruth. Watched the cricket and some of the football in the evening but disappointed that the games were off because of the snow in England. Pete is an older guy who has travelled much more than me and has some good stories and we have some good banter.
Sunday 19th December
Missed the end of the cricket, and there's no football. So just hanging round today, will probably move on tomorrow.
Long lie-in. The hostel is really sociable and there are always other travellers to hang out with and eat with, but I often prefer to go sightseeing by myself, at my own pace. So at lunchtime I set off for a long walk around Mumbai. From the Gateway of India I headed up Mahatma Ghandi road and turned off to go see the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue which is a bright pastel blue. I had not been in a Synagogue before so after passing the army officers and presenting my passport, I went inside. It was similar to a church but more like a southern America (baptist?) church than an English church. There was an American Jewish couple and the rabbi(?) and a local woman. The rabbi opened a cabinet and inside was a canisiter inside of which we could see the Torah, which is a handwritten scroll of the Old Testament. A part of the scroll is read out each day until, they told me, the end is reached at the end of the year?
I moved on to the restored St Thomas' cathedral which is the oldest English building in Mumbai; construction began in 1672. There were a few locals praying. Some of the colonial memorials are elaborate but I wasn't sure about the words stating their noble and courageous lives defending Britain against the locals.
Stopped for Dal fry and chapatis for lunch. Walked past the Central Terminus again and under a large underpass and got directions to Crawford Market. Its mostly fruit and veg but there is also a dirty meat market, the chicken shop was sorting through the chickens on the concrete and they had all sorts of animals in cages; cats, dogs, ducks, mice, geese, many types of bird. I guess they are to be sold as pets, but anyway it was quite disturbing.
I walked down to the street market known as Fashion Street and after much searching found a t-shirt to replace my ripped one. The market guys were friendly and laid-back, not pushy, and we had some banter.
So, after 5 hours of walking I arrived back at the hostel. Sat around for a bit then went for dinner with Eimer who is going home tonight after a year on the road. Went to the Sports Bar at 11pm. Played pool and won four games with different doubles partner. Then stuffed up badly. Then my partner, an older Indian guy, was too drunk to even see the ball so it got a bit silly, as the losers have to pay for the game. And the bar wouldn't stay open and let us watch the footy at 1:30am. Boo.
Tuesday 14th December
I had plans for today, but as soon I got up I realised I had Bombay belly again so I couldn't go far. Pretty annoying really as there is still much to see in Mumbai. Had street food with Auusie Tim which was good but a ripoff; not enough food to feed a small child. We then went to the popular 'Leopold's' restaurant which is featured in Shantaram; mostly tourists and overpriced menu. I asked for chai and they laughed at me and I could only get English tea. Feeling ok.
Wednesday 15th
Food poisoning seems to come down to luck. Tim and I ate the same food last night; i was fine and he spent the night vomiting. Today my mission was to go for a long walk and see as many of the sights as possible. I walked to Churchgate station and got the 4 rupee train to Mahalaxmi station. On the other side of the station are ghats used for laundry so heaps of peope washing clothes in open baths, smacking the clothes into the concrete baths, and lines and lines of washing. Three small girls followed me for a while asking for money. They were mostly playful and kept pinching my back. Then a local shooed them away.
I then walked around the outside of the racecourse looking for the Nehru Centre but missed it and briefly looked around a western style mall with a rolls-royce showroom. Walked back and found the Nehru Centre which was excellent, and free. They had lots of photos and excerpts from inspirational speeches made by Nehru, the first Indian Prime Minister, and by Gandhi. I enjoyed the history lesson. There were also parts on natural history and larger exhbits about significant events in India's fight for independence from the British.
More walking and a banana milkshake. With help from a friendly local, I found Mani Bhavan. This a house on a normal street, where Gandhi would stay when he visited Mumbai. He directed many peaceful campaigns from here. I was struck by a stamp collection on the wall. The stamps were all from 1969 to commemorate 100 years since Gandhi's birth - but they were from many different countries around the world, such as Congo, Chile, Italy. So I was amazed to see that he was so revered in so many disparate countries. I walked around the exhibition which included photos and letters he sent to Hitler, asking him not lead the world into war, and to American presidents and Russian leaders. His wife died in prison and yet still he insisted on passive resistance.
I walked down to Chowpatty Beach. Its fairly clean on the sand but no swimming as the water is toxic. Mumbai is actually an island joined to the mainland by roads. I walked down the side of the peninsula, past a jain temple, and again with local help, found the Banganga Tank which is like a whole other small town on the edge of Mumbai, like a fishing village, or being in the countryside. There is small bathing lake and ghats with houses and temples around the outside. And from there I walked down some narrow side streets towards the sea. I tried to be unobtrusive as I walked right past people homes but they smiled back at me and didnt seem to mind. I went out onto the rocks, dodging the human poo. Would have liked to see the sun set from there but sunset was still an hour or so away. So i walked back to Chowpatty Beach and ate Bhelpuri and then walked back to Colaba, past India Gate and to the hostel. A 9 hour and very rewarding day in Mumbai.
Taxi to train station with Aussie Tim. Chatted to local guy who travelled 40 hours from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Mumbai for an interview and 3 hours later was doing the same trip home. I hope he gets the job.
Thursday 16th December
Pretty good sleep on the train and woke up in the state of Goa. Got off at Thivim , fewer tourists around than I expected. 200 rupees for a taxi so I got 20 rupees local bus to Mapusa and onto the Anjuna. Met Scotish John who brought me to 175 rupee dorm room. Walked down to the beach, past all the stalls selling travellers garb. A row of bars along the beach with quite a few Russian and Inidan tourists. Its a fairly average beach and everyone was lolling around sweating. Not too impressed but on my way back stumbled across The Ashes on a big screen so sat and watched the game with some English guys. Out for dinner and movies (Wall Street2 and Shrek4) with London Pete.
Friday 17th December
Watched some of the cricket while having breakfast. Then walked to Vagator Beach and Chapora Fort, and back. Nice walk and at least I did something before watching the cricket for the rest of the afternoon.
Mostly sat in the cafe, drank Chai Masala and watched the cricket. The food here is excellent and I have drunk heaps of Chai Masala. In the evening, Ian and I had dinner at the beach, a bit expensive. Came back to the movie place.
Saturday 18th December
Hanging out with London Pete and Portuguese Ruth. Watched the cricket and some of the football in the evening but disappointed that the games were off because of the snow in England. Pete is an older guy who has travelled much more than me and has some good stories and we have some good banter.
Sunday 19th December
Missed the end of the cricket, and there's no football. So just hanging round today, will probably move on tomorrow.
12.12.10
Ellora and Mumbai and Bollywood
not so long this time.......
Wednesday 8th December
So today I went to Ellora Caves. I got on the local bus and it smelt bad; someone had thrown up on the floor at the front of the bus. Nobody seemed to care. I headed for the back seat. Then, when we were nearly there a kid on the back seat puked on the guy next to him, all very unsavoury. I have seen quite a few Indians be sick on buses, not sure why.
Anyway, the Ellora Caves were amazing. As you go through the main entrance you can see that a temple complex has been carved into the side of a cliff. It was started in around 760AD and continued for maybe 200 years. And all they had was hammers and chisels. The temples and the bridges between them and the life-size elephants are all cut in this way. You can go into the temples and the design of the animals and the gods is intricate.
There are about 30 other caves, good but not as impressive as the main one, excpet for the Buddha Cave. You walk in through the entrance and there is a huge Buddha statue inside a kind of catherdral, the ceiling is ribbed and there are small statues along the side, and around the back of Buddha where it is dark, so they must have cut them out of the rock, in the dark. It was fantastic. The main temple and the Buddha in the cathedral were defintely highlights of this trip.
I sat under a tree for a while and read my book, and had one last look around before heading back. I got in a jeep/taxi and it was soon filled with 17 people. The police stopped us but just asked the driver for his ID and waved us on. He drove like a maniac!
Back in town I had chicken masala from a locals restaurant. It was far too spicy but I was having a good chat with the owner and didnt want to just leave it. He gave me some chicken fat soup which I didnt finish either or my heart would have stopped. I think that was the first time I have eaten meat in India.
Had nothing to do but wait for the bus for 3 hours. Didnt sleep well on the bus from Aurangabad to Mumbai.
Thursday 9th December
Arrived in Mumbai at 6:30pm. The taxi driver ripped me off but I was too tired to argue. I had heard that Bollywood reps recruit foreignors as extras for Bollywood movies here in the district of Colaba, but was still surprised when, before I even got out of the taxi at the hostel, a round smiley face Indian guy stuck his head in the window and said "Do you want to be in a Bollywood movie?". I told him maybe another day.
I am staying at the popular and cheap Salvation Army Red Shield Hostel. Its a pretty shabby old building with 8 bunks in each dorm, pigeons in the bathroom and at least one mouse in the kitchen. There are many bathrooms, but finding one that is not locked and has running water is a challenge in itself. Of course, you get what you pay for. And they do give us breakfast - bread and jam and a hard-boiled eggs, and chai. The Indian staff can be heard singing carols, including Away in a Manger.
Anyway, as I was starting to suspect, the meal last night was too spicy for me, and/or I got food poisoning, so I spent the day in bed and on the toilet. Made it out to a nearby restaurant in the evening for a couple of samosas.
Friday 10th December
By lunchtime today I felt mostly better and headed out into Mumbai. First stop was India gate which is a large stone archway to mark the arrival of George VI in 1911. It's impressive and I think I remember Michael Palin standing there in one of his shows. A popular tourist spot. It is good to be near the ocean again, the Arabian Sea.
Mumbai is more like a European city with wide boulevards and British and other architecture. It is not as franctic as other towns and cities in India, there are are no tuk-tuks and no cows and less hassle. I like the atmosphere. I headed to the Central Train station, partly to see it for itself as it is a grand old colonial building, and also to book my train ticket to Goa since the trains are booked up well in advance around this time of year. I got a ticket for next wednesday which isnt quiet as soon as I hoped but not too bad.
I walked back to the hostel and then went with American Crystal to the bus ticket agents, near the train station. It was late afternoon, blue skies and nice to walk through the city. Passed a large park full of people playing cricket.
Saturday 11th December
Today we went to Bollywood. There are casting agents all around Colaba looking for foreignors as extras, so it was easy enough to arrange. We were about 40 travellers on an old school bus and they drove us to the studios to be extras. Somehow the driver got lost so it took longer to get there than it should have. We had heard that the Bollywood experience can be a bit hit and miss, but they treated us really well and we had a very entertaining day. They gave us, for breakfast, corn flakes with milk, hot chips and jam and egg sandwiches, and chai. Then they gave all us guys dinner suits, tie and shoes to wear on set, and the girls got dresses and had their hair and make-up done, about which they were very happy.
The movie they are shooting is called 'Rascals'and the studio set was made up to be aboard a cruise ship where there was an International Naval Ball, so there was a band and lots of sailors. The two main male actors are apparently very famous Bollywood stars but obviously I didnt recognise them. The scenes included a fight and some introductions. We were given soft drinks to hold as if they were booze and were told to just chat so it wasn't much acting. Now and again we had to face the front and applaud the main characters as they entered the room. We had to have specific instruction on how to clap properly! And of course we each tried to make sure we were in shot once the Director called 'action'.
We had a lunch break and they gave us garlic bread, pasta, sweet and sour vegies and more chai. Then we went back to the set to continue. We spent quite a bit of time just sitting at the side chatting and then moving into the middle of the studio when the Director needed us. The movie is released in May 2011 and maybe I will make it into the final cut. Even if I don't, it was a great day, being involved in the movie was fun and the other travellers were cool. We got back to Colaba at 8pm and had dinner and went to the pub to watch football.
Sunday 12th December
Today, Crystal and I went to Dharavi Slum. Other travellers didn't want to come because they thought that it would be voyueristic, looking at poor people. But I had been told by another traveller who had actually done the tour, that it isn't really like that, and it isn't.
We met our guide at the station and he took us on the train for half an hour and we got off the train and crossed over the railway bridge to the slum. The guide said it would be better not to mention Australia as there is some resentment towards Australia because of the bashing of Indian students in Melbourne last year.
Anyway, I was a little nervous as we approached because you might expect a slum to be a little unsafe, but it was fine, especially as our guide grew up there and the people there know him (well, not all 1 million of them know him). We were asked not to take photos, which was fine. The slum is basically a city within a city. They have 3 main industries which are recycling (mostly plastic), pottery and making leather goods, and they have the machinery and skills required to make small successful, enterprenurial businesses. They export the finished products in and outside of Mumbai. Around these industries of course are other businesses such as supermarkets, cinemas, banks, fruit markets and taxis. There was a sense of community with Hindus and Muslims sharing the same space, and we didnt get hassled like in many other parts of India. Its just another way of life in India, like the countryside or the city. The word 'slum' conjures up the wrong image of the place.
There were obviously some problems. Some houses dont have toilets so people have to queue for the poorly maintained public toilets and if they dont want to do that, then they just go on a rubbish heap. And some parents dont send their kids to school, they often get them to do work. The government is responsible for clearing the rubbish heap but never does.
The guide took us up to the roof of one house where we could see over the slums, and the nearby hospital that they cant really afford to visit. As it was sunday, there was no school so lots of kids running around and shouting 'Hi' to us. We played cricket with the guide's friends. The guide made sure we got back on the train ok.
Wednesday 8th December
So today I went to Ellora Caves. I got on the local bus and it smelt bad; someone had thrown up on the floor at the front of the bus. Nobody seemed to care. I headed for the back seat. Then, when we were nearly there a kid on the back seat puked on the guy next to him, all very unsavoury. I have seen quite a few Indians be sick on buses, not sure why.
Anyway, the Ellora Caves were amazing. As you go through the main entrance you can see that a temple complex has been carved into the side of a cliff. It was started in around 760AD and continued for maybe 200 years. And all they had was hammers and chisels. The temples and the bridges between them and the life-size elephants are all cut in this way. You can go into the temples and the design of the animals and the gods is intricate.
There are about 30 other caves, good but not as impressive as the main one, excpet for the Buddha Cave. You walk in through the entrance and there is a huge Buddha statue inside a kind of catherdral, the ceiling is ribbed and there are small statues along the side, and around the back of Buddha where it is dark, so they must have cut them out of the rock, in the dark. It was fantastic. The main temple and the Buddha in the cathedral were defintely highlights of this trip.
I sat under a tree for a while and read my book, and had one last look around before heading back. I got in a jeep/taxi and it was soon filled with 17 people. The police stopped us but just asked the driver for his ID and waved us on. He drove like a maniac!
Back in town I had chicken masala from a locals restaurant. It was far too spicy but I was having a good chat with the owner and didnt want to just leave it. He gave me some chicken fat soup which I didnt finish either or my heart would have stopped. I think that was the first time I have eaten meat in India.
Had nothing to do but wait for the bus for 3 hours. Didnt sleep well on the bus from Aurangabad to Mumbai.
Thursday 9th December
Arrived in Mumbai at 6:30pm. The taxi driver ripped me off but I was too tired to argue. I had heard that Bollywood reps recruit foreignors as extras for Bollywood movies here in the district of Colaba, but was still surprised when, before I even got out of the taxi at the hostel, a round smiley face Indian guy stuck his head in the window and said "Do you want to be in a Bollywood movie?". I told him maybe another day.
I am staying at the popular and cheap Salvation Army Red Shield Hostel. Its a pretty shabby old building with 8 bunks in each dorm, pigeons in the bathroom and at least one mouse in the kitchen. There are many bathrooms, but finding one that is not locked and has running water is a challenge in itself. Of course, you get what you pay for. And they do give us breakfast - bread and jam and a hard-boiled eggs, and chai. The Indian staff can be heard singing carols, including Away in a Manger.
Anyway, as I was starting to suspect, the meal last night was too spicy for me, and/or I got food poisoning, so I spent the day in bed and on the toilet. Made it out to a nearby restaurant in the evening for a couple of samosas.
Friday 10th December
By lunchtime today I felt mostly better and headed out into Mumbai. First stop was India gate which is a large stone archway to mark the arrival of George VI in 1911. It's impressive and I think I remember Michael Palin standing there in one of his shows. A popular tourist spot. It is good to be near the ocean again, the Arabian Sea.
Mumbai is more like a European city with wide boulevards and British and other architecture. It is not as franctic as other towns and cities in India, there are are no tuk-tuks and no cows and less hassle. I like the atmosphere. I headed to the Central Train station, partly to see it for itself as it is a grand old colonial building, and also to book my train ticket to Goa since the trains are booked up well in advance around this time of year. I got a ticket for next wednesday which isnt quiet as soon as I hoped but not too bad.
I walked back to the hostel and then went with American Crystal to the bus ticket agents, near the train station. It was late afternoon, blue skies and nice to walk through the city. Passed a large park full of people playing cricket.
Saturday 11th December
Today we went to Bollywood. There are casting agents all around Colaba looking for foreignors as extras, so it was easy enough to arrange. We were about 40 travellers on an old school bus and they drove us to the studios to be extras. Somehow the driver got lost so it took longer to get there than it should have. We had heard that the Bollywood experience can be a bit hit and miss, but they treated us really well and we had a very entertaining day. They gave us, for breakfast, corn flakes with milk, hot chips and jam and egg sandwiches, and chai. Then they gave all us guys dinner suits, tie and shoes to wear on set, and the girls got dresses and had their hair and make-up done, about which they were very happy.
The movie they are shooting is called 'Rascals'and the studio set was made up to be aboard a cruise ship where there was an International Naval Ball, so there was a band and lots of sailors. The two main male actors are apparently very famous Bollywood stars but obviously I didnt recognise them. The scenes included a fight and some introductions. We were given soft drinks to hold as if they were booze and were told to just chat so it wasn't much acting. Now and again we had to face the front and applaud the main characters as they entered the room. We had to have specific instruction on how to clap properly! And of course we each tried to make sure we were in shot once the Director called 'action'.
We had a lunch break and they gave us garlic bread, pasta, sweet and sour vegies and more chai. Then we went back to the set to continue. We spent quite a bit of time just sitting at the side chatting and then moving into the middle of the studio when the Director needed us. The movie is released in May 2011 and maybe I will make it into the final cut. Even if I don't, it was a great day, being involved in the movie was fun and the other travellers were cool. We got back to Colaba at 8pm and had dinner and went to the pub to watch football.
Sunday 12th December
Today, Crystal and I went to Dharavi Slum. Other travellers didn't want to come because they thought that it would be voyueristic, looking at poor people. But I had been told by another traveller who had actually done the tour, that it isn't really like that, and it isn't.
We met our guide at the station and he took us on the train for half an hour and we got off the train and crossed over the railway bridge to the slum. The guide said it would be better not to mention Australia as there is some resentment towards Australia because of the bashing of Indian students in Melbourne last year.
Anyway, I was a little nervous as we approached because you might expect a slum to be a little unsafe, but it was fine, especially as our guide grew up there and the people there know him (well, not all 1 million of them know him). We were asked not to take photos, which was fine. The slum is basically a city within a city. They have 3 main industries which are recycling (mostly plastic), pottery and making leather goods, and they have the machinery and skills required to make small successful, enterprenurial businesses. They export the finished products in and outside of Mumbai. Around these industries of course are other businesses such as supermarkets, cinemas, banks, fruit markets and taxis. There was a sense of community with Hindus and Muslims sharing the same space, and we didnt get hassled like in many other parts of India. Its just another way of life in India, like the countryside or the city. The word 'slum' conjures up the wrong image of the place.
There were obviously some problems. Some houses dont have toilets so people have to queue for the poorly maintained public toilets and if they dont want to do that, then they just go on a rubbish heap. And some parents dont send their kids to school, they often get them to do work. The government is responsible for clearing the rubbish heap but never does.
The guide took us up to the roof of one house where we could see over the slums, and the nearby hospital that they cant really afford to visit. As it was sunday, there was no school so lots of kids running around and shouting 'Hi' to us. We played cricket with the guide's friends. The guide made sure we got back on the train ok.
7.12.10
Madhya Pradesh
Sorry, its a bit long; i have been in the countryside....
Wednesday 1st December
December already! Today, I left the state of Rajasthan and entered the state of Madhya Pradesh. I said goodbye to the guys at the Rainbow Cafe again. Tuk-tuk and bus and tuk-tuk to Kota station. Slightly painful conversation with older local guy on the bus who is also an English teacher, but it took him a long time to get warmed up, i couldn't understand him for a lot of the time. And I certainly wasn't taking any prisoners today, having made this trip the other day, so i just told the tuk-tuk drivers what i knew to be a fair price and walked off if they were unreasonable, and got a fair price in the end.
Not so much staring at me on the train today which was good, and a Spanish couple that I had seen in Bundi were in the same carriage so chatted to them. It was a long 7 hour journey, arriving here in Indore at 10:30pm, but easy walk to LP recommended hotel. Its a proper hotel and not too bad, has a fan and a TV, although I dont think the bathroom has ever been cleaned.
Thursday 2nd December
Today I headed to Mandu. I took a tuk-tuk to the bus station, straight onto a bus to Dhar for 3 hours with the locals. At Dhar, straight onto a bus to Mandu, one hour. Mandu is a small town in the Inidan countryside, population 9000. The countryside looks good I am looking forward to exploring tomorrow on a bicycle. The people on the bus today, countryside people, just treated me like another passenger, as opposed to the city folk who like to stare. I would have expected it to be the other way round really. Have seen only 5 tourists today, so i feel like i am off the tourist trail a bit, although the guys who hawk for passengers at each bus station today knew exactly where I was headed before I even spoke to them.
Friday 3rd December
Lazy sleep in. Deep fired spicy potato for breakfast - very filing. Hired a pushbike again. Again it had no gears and it was like being stuck in 5th gear, had to push it up some of the hills. First I headed north through a couple of 'gates' - stone archways - and down to a lookout across a forested canyon, and a big dinosaur. Some guy showed me a scar on his leg and asked me for money; it wasnt much of a scar! Stopped at a lookout over a lake and the valley and read my book for a while in the peace and quiet.
I came back through town past monuments and tombs. Most of the architecture here is Afghani. Out to Baz Bahadur's Palace where I, honestly, got mobbed by guys, about 18 years old, wanting to take my picture with them. I was a bit annoyed because I just wanted to enjoy the palace but let them take one of them take a picture.
I moved on to Rupmati's Pavillion which is on the top of a cliff with a view across the plains. I sat there for a while enjoying the view until some other guys started being annoying so I left. Of course I shouldn't complain too much about people wanting to take photos of me cos I sometimes take pictures of the locals if they have not noticed me, but if they can see that I want to take their picture, I always ask first.
Anyway, went down to the Lohani caves which were not much to look at. Played cricket for a while with some older kids, then back to the Caves overlooking a valley, for the sunset. It was red for a while then disappeared behind the haze. Chatted to some Germans and a guy from Quebec. Maggi noodles in the only cafe here. Couldnt find any local food.
Saturday 4th December
Buses, a tuk-tuk and a truck today. I left Mandu on the bus at 7:20am; just a couple of old guys, a couple of kids and me on the bus. They dropped me at Ooneera to get my next bus to Dhamnod. While waitng at the tollgate for a Dhamnod bus to come through, one of the trucks offered me a lift to Dhamnod. So I heaved my bag and myself up into the high cab where there was the driver, his mate and another guy sleeping behind. They didnt speak much English but were very friendly and the trucks are much better suited to the bad roads than the buses are. We passed some nice scenery, and stopped at a roadside cafe for chai; no greasy spoon, but we didnt have to pay so maybe it is like a 'stop, revive, survive' place. we then passed two turnoffs to Dhamnod before they dropped me a couple of kms away in a smaller town, which was fine. I got a tuk-tuk to Dhamnod, then straight on a bus to here, Maheshwar. About a km walk to the hostel but friendly locals gave good directions.
Got a couple of samosas for early lunch and walked back up to the main road. Sat on a step to eat a samosa, and a couple of guys came out to chat. We talked about the cricket, which they had been watching on TV, and they invited me in. Turned out to be the guys house and we sat in his living room with his son and daughter and watched some of the one-day match between India and NZ. The son is studying to be a software engineer and his daughter is studying 'home science', which means cooking and making religious decorations for the house.
Walked back and to the 16th century fort, which leads down to the ghats and the holy and mighty Narmada River. A few people were bathing in the river (which is said to be cleaner than most rivers), while others washed clothes and some went out on boats. It was a nice place to sit and people-watch. I got surrounded by school girls and we had our photo taken together (another 15 minutes of fame). Chatted to a self-proclaimed guru (not sure how you qualify) and an Austrian guy. We smoked a chillum with the guru but I only had a couple of puffs. The guru came with me towards town and I wondered if he was just going to follow me around, but then he wandered off his own way.
After a cat nap, and setting up mozzie net in my room, walked down to the ghats again where there were a few candles on the water. Another walk around the welcoming town and then to the 'restaurant' that the Austrian guy recommended. It's more like a small village hall with a few religious posters on the walls. There were others waiting and they invited me to sit on the plastic mats on the concrete floor and wait. They then served us together. Thali, but mostly chapati and rice. I was sat next to another holy man so I was especially careful of my etiquette, using only my right hand to touch the food. The only thing he said to me was "Are you from Japan?". And I ate rice with my hands for the first time; a bit mucky. French lady with her son.
Sunday 5th December
So I have been here for four weeks now and spent about $400 which is good going. I expect the next four weeks will be more expensive with the festive season and all that. Up at 6am and down to the ghats to people watch. Not that many people and many were just washing their clothes, but some were swimming and there was some singing and praying. Definitely a spiritual place, even as a non-believer.
The chemist helped me to get on the right bus this morning, to Omkareshwar. Almost 3 hours, mostly standing, squashed against smartly dressed Indians. Walked to guest house then for a wander. Down to the ghats and coloured boats. Across the old bridge to small cave temple. Up 238 steps to some other temples and a new 30 metre Shiva temple. Met some local guys and walked up and down to the Siddhanatha temple. Got a photo of a very happy dude in just a jock strap. Had chai with the guys at a chai stand. A cow was behind us as we sat, with his head almost in our circle. Meanwhile, a lady came past, patted the cow and then touched her chest with the same hand. She then gently held the cow's tail and brushed the end against herself. I wonder: if cows are sacred and holy, do they know?? The guys went to another temple but I didnt want to pay tourist price to get in so came back. Cold shower, and Thali for dinner.
My room had some nasty-looking flying wasp/ant type things so i killed two of them. But bad karma. I am sure that the third one I had seen was the one I acccidently trod on with bare feet. The bugger stung me. I think it was after revenge. A got a red mark on my foot but nothing in it. It throbbed and stung for about 15 minutes and I made sure the staff knew what had happened. They gave me another room, underneath the renovation with bits of plaster falling down in the corridor; and I had to pay a deposit!
Monday 6th December
The plan today was to get as far as I could on the way to Aurangabad. Not sure of bus and train connections so didnt know how many hours or days it might take. So, up at 6:30am (on a monday morning!) and the bus left Omkareshwar at 6:45. As hoped, the bus arrived at Khwanda at 9:30am. Went to the train station and helpful staff got me on a train an hour later to Manmad and from there to Aurangabad, arriving at 6pm. So it was quite a successful day.
The ticket office gave me an unreserved seat, which means a free-for-all at the front or the back of the train. (if you can find him, you can ask the conductor for an upgrade, but I just wanted to get on the train). So I found myself in a compartment about the size of a small lounge room, with two occupied bunk beds and about 30 people sitting on the floor. After standing for a short while and trying to stop my bag falling into the toilet cubicle, a guy, Ahmed, gestured for me to sit on the only bit of available floor space, which was very kind of him. I didn't get stared at much and the ladies giggled (maybe cos they realised I had my t-shirt on inside out before I did), and Ahmed and a girl and I chatted a bit and Ahmed gave me his Indian Railways map. It was a bit uncomfortable on the floor but I enjoyed the company. Changed at Manmad for Aurangabad. Later realised that nobody had checked my ticket today; I could have travelled for free.
Lots of tuk-tuks at the station, but no hassle. Stubbornly walked a km in the dark and the dust from the station to the youth hostel. Back to the noise and pollution of India. Dormitory room, only 1 other guest. Went for a walk and found a Korean guy and helped him find the hostel. At the internet cafe they take your passport details; this is since the terrorist attacks, apparently. At the hostel, watched some of India's "Who wants to be a millionaire'; at first I thought it was Slumdog - der. The questions were on the screen in English but I had no idea about the answers.
Anyway, so today I have crossed from Madhya Pradseh state to Maharashtra state.
Tuesday 7th December.
After omelette and bread for breakfast, went to the local bus stand hoping to go the Ajanta Buddhist Caves, a well-known tourist destination. The tourist bus is 400 rupees which seemed like an unnecessary rip-off. At the bus stand, a guy led me to a large private minibus going the same way for 100 rupees so once it was full, off we went. But after an hour it got a flat tyre. Unfortuntely, the spare tyre was also flat, as well as bald so we were stood around for ages. Eventually I got 50 rupees back and decided to head back to Aurangabad. I felt a bit slack not going on to the caves but it was midday by then, and I will still go to the Ellora caves tomorrow, which are supposed to be even better. I hitched a lift back with a brother and sister. He works in a factory, she is beautiful and has a husband in the army and 2 children. They dropped me off a km from my hostel, which is fair enough.
Wednesday 1st December
December already! Today, I left the state of Rajasthan and entered the state of Madhya Pradesh. I said goodbye to the guys at the Rainbow Cafe again. Tuk-tuk and bus and tuk-tuk to Kota station. Slightly painful conversation with older local guy on the bus who is also an English teacher, but it took him a long time to get warmed up, i couldn't understand him for a lot of the time. And I certainly wasn't taking any prisoners today, having made this trip the other day, so i just told the tuk-tuk drivers what i knew to be a fair price and walked off if they were unreasonable, and got a fair price in the end.
Not so much staring at me on the train today which was good, and a Spanish couple that I had seen in Bundi were in the same carriage so chatted to them. It was a long 7 hour journey, arriving here in Indore at 10:30pm, but easy walk to LP recommended hotel. Its a proper hotel and not too bad, has a fan and a TV, although I dont think the bathroom has ever been cleaned.
Thursday 2nd December
Today I headed to Mandu. I took a tuk-tuk to the bus station, straight onto a bus to Dhar for 3 hours with the locals. At Dhar, straight onto a bus to Mandu, one hour. Mandu is a small town in the Inidan countryside, population 9000. The countryside looks good I am looking forward to exploring tomorrow on a bicycle. The people on the bus today, countryside people, just treated me like another passenger, as opposed to the city folk who like to stare. I would have expected it to be the other way round really. Have seen only 5 tourists today, so i feel like i am off the tourist trail a bit, although the guys who hawk for passengers at each bus station today knew exactly where I was headed before I even spoke to them.
Friday 3rd December
Lazy sleep in. Deep fired spicy potato for breakfast - very filing. Hired a pushbike again. Again it had no gears and it was like being stuck in 5th gear, had to push it up some of the hills. First I headed north through a couple of 'gates' - stone archways - and down to a lookout across a forested canyon, and a big dinosaur. Some guy showed me a scar on his leg and asked me for money; it wasnt much of a scar! Stopped at a lookout over a lake and the valley and read my book for a while in the peace and quiet.
I came back through town past monuments and tombs. Most of the architecture here is Afghani. Out to Baz Bahadur's Palace where I, honestly, got mobbed by guys, about 18 years old, wanting to take my picture with them. I was a bit annoyed because I just wanted to enjoy the palace but let them take one of them take a picture.
I moved on to Rupmati's Pavillion which is on the top of a cliff with a view across the plains. I sat there for a while enjoying the view until some other guys started being annoying so I left. Of course I shouldn't complain too much about people wanting to take photos of me cos I sometimes take pictures of the locals if they have not noticed me, but if they can see that I want to take their picture, I always ask first.
Anyway, went down to the Lohani caves which were not much to look at. Played cricket for a while with some older kids, then back to the Caves overlooking a valley, for the sunset. It was red for a while then disappeared behind the haze. Chatted to some Germans and a guy from Quebec. Maggi noodles in the only cafe here. Couldnt find any local food.
Saturday 4th December
Buses, a tuk-tuk and a truck today. I left Mandu on the bus at 7:20am; just a couple of old guys, a couple of kids and me on the bus. They dropped me at Ooneera to get my next bus to Dhamnod. While waitng at the tollgate for a Dhamnod bus to come through, one of the trucks offered me a lift to Dhamnod. So I heaved my bag and myself up into the high cab where there was the driver, his mate and another guy sleeping behind. They didnt speak much English but were very friendly and the trucks are much better suited to the bad roads than the buses are. We passed some nice scenery, and stopped at a roadside cafe for chai; no greasy spoon, but we didnt have to pay so maybe it is like a 'stop, revive, survive' place. we then passed two turnoffs to Dhamnod before they dropped me a couple of kms away in a smaller town, which was fine. I got a tuk-tuk to Dhamnod, then straight on a bus to here, Maheshwar. About a km walk to the hostel but friendly locals gave good directions.
Got a couple of samosas for early lunch and walked back up to the main road. Sat on a step to eat a samosa, and a couple of guys came out to chat. We talked about the cricket, which they had been watching on TV, and they invited me in. Turned out to be the guys house and we sat in his living room with his son and daughter and watched some of the one-day match between India and NZ. The son is studying to be a software engineer and his daughter is studying 'home science', which means cooking and making religious decorations for the house.
Walked back and to the 16th century fort, which leads down to the ghats and the holy and mighty Narmada River. A few people were bathing in the river (which is said to be cleaner than most rivers), while others washed clothes and some went out on boats. It was a nice place to sit and people-watch. I got surrounded by school girls and we had our photo taken together (another 15 minutes of fame). Chatted to a self-proclaimed guru (not sure how you qualify) and an Austrian guy. We smoked a chillum with the guru but I only had a couple of puffs. The guru came with me towards town and I wondered if he was just going to follow me around, but then he wandered off his own way.
After a cat nap, and setting up mozzie net in my room, walked down to the ghats again where there were a few candles on the water. Another walk around the welcoming town and then to the 'restaurant' that the Austrian guy recommended. It's more like a small village hall with a few religious posters on the walls. There were others waiting and they invited me to sit on the plastic mats on the concrete floor and wait. They then served us together. Thali, but mostly chapati and rice. I was sat next to another holy man so I was especially careful of my etiquette, using only my right hand to touch the food. The only thing he said to me was "Are you from Japan?". And I ate rice with my hands for the first time; a bit mucky. French lady with her son.
Sunday 5th December
So I have been here for four weeks now and spent about $400 which is good going. I expect the next four weeks will be more expensive with the festive season and all that. Up at 6am and down to the ghats to people watch. Not that many people and many were just washing their clothes, but some were swimming and there was some singing and praying. Definitely a spiritual place, even as a non-believer.
The chemist helped me to get on the right bus this morning, to Omkareshwar. Almost 3 hours, mostly standing, squashed against smartly dressed Indians. Walked to guest house then for a wander. Down to the ghats and coloured boats. Across the old bridge to small cave temple. Up 238 steps to some other temples and a new 30 metre Shiva temple. Met some local guys and walked up and down to the Siddhanatha temple. Got a photo of a very happy dude in just a jock strap. Had chai with the guys at a chai stand. A cow was behind us as we sat, with his head almost in our circle. Meanwhile, a lady came past, patted the cow and then touched her chest with the same hand. She then gently held the cow's tail and brushed the end against herself. I wonder: if cows are sacred and holy, do they know?? The guys went to another temple but I didnt want to pay tourist price to get in so came back. Cold shower, and Thali for dinner.
My room had some nasty-looking flying wasp/ant type things so i killed two of them. But bad karma. I am sure that the third one I had seen was the one I acccidently trod on with bare feet. The bugger stung me. I think it was after revenge. A got a red mark on my foot but nothing in it. It throbbed and stung for about 15 minutes and I made sure the staff knew what had happened. They gave me another room, underneath the renovation with bits of plaster falling down in the corridor; and I had to pay a deposit!
Monday 6th December
The plan today was to get as far as I could on the way to Aurangabad. Not sure of bus and train connections so didnt know how many hours or days it might take. So, up at 6:30am (on a monday morning!) and the bus left Omkareshwar at 6:45. As hoped, the bus arrived at Khwanda at 9:30am. Went to the train station and helpful staff got me on a train an hour later to Manmad and from there to Aurangabad, arriving at 6pm. So it was quite a successful day.
The ticket office gave me an unreserved seat, which means a free-for-all at the front or the back of the train. (if you can find him, you can ask the conductor for an upgrade, but I just wanted to get on the train). So I found myself in a compartment about the size of a small lounge room, with two occupied bunk beds and about 30 people sitting on the floor. After standing for a short while and trying to stop my bag falling into the toilet cubicle, a guy, Ahmed, gestured for me to sit on the only bit of available floor space, which was very kind of him. I didn't get stared at much and the ladies giggled (maybe cos they realised I had my t-shirt on inside out before I did), and Ahmed and a girl and I chatted a bit and Ahmed gave me his Indian Railways map. It was a bit uncomfortable on the floor but I enjoyed the company. Changed at Manmad for Aurangabad. Later realised that nobody had checked my ticket today; I could have travelled for free.
Lots of tuk-tuks at the station, but no hassle. Stubbornly walked a km in the dark and the dust from the station to the youth hostel. Back to the noise and pollution of India. Dormitory room, only 1 other guest. Went for a walk and found a Korean guy and helped him find the hostel. At the internet cafe they take your passport details; this is since the terrorist attacks, apparently. At the hostel, watched some of India's "Who wants to be a millionaire'; at first I thought it was Slumdog - der. The questions were on the screen in English but I had no idea about the answers.
Anyway, so today I have crossed from Madhya Pradseh state to Maharashtra state.
Tuesday 7th December.
After omelette and bread for breakfast, went to the local bus stand hoping to go the Ajanta Buddhist Caves, a well-known tourist destination. The tourist bus is 400 rupees which seemed like an unnecessary rip-off. At the bus stand, a guy led me to a large private minibus going the same way for 100 rupees so once it was full, off we went. But after an hour it got a flat tyre. Unfortuntely, the spare tyre was also flat, as well as bald so we were stood around for ages. Eventually I got 50 rupees back and decided to head back to Aurangabad. I felt a bit slack not going on to the caves but it was midday by then, and I will still go to the Ellora caves tomorrow, which are supposed to be even better. I hitched a lift back with a brother and sister. He works in a factory, she is beautiful and has a husband in the army and 2 children. They dropped me off a km from my hostel, which is fair enough.
1.12.10
Bundi
Saturday 28th November continued
After lunch, 4 of us rented bicycles and headed out of town. The bikes are very old and the handlebars are at a 90 degree angle compared to normal. We bounced along the narrow streets, ringing our bells at people as much as possible to get revenge for all the tooting we have to endure each day! We passed alongside the lake and then out into the country, past people working their farms. Occasionally there was no sound of close or distant horns and engines and you could hear the birds sing. But quite often tuk-tuks and tractors, with colorful decoration and booming music would whistle past us.
We made our way to Akoda, a very small village. We asked where we could buy some food and a guy ushered off the street and round the back of his house to his garden and yard. He sent his wife off to get some groceries and it was clear that he wanted us to be his guests. He spoke a bit of English and we exchanged pleasantaries, then I asked if he had a cricket bat and ball, which he did have. The ball was old and the bat was battered but we played in his garden among the cows, the poo, the straw and buckets. We even got the two Irish guys and Belgian girl to play. The guy didnt speak much English but he knew all the cricket expressions like "slip", "owzat", "the nets". Oh, and he chucking the ball rather than bowling!
We sat in the small courtyard and his wife made chapatis on an open fire, and she cooked us some spicy sauce with some veggies. His mother came to visit as did a really old guy who I think was like a village elder. Their hospitality was fantastic. They invited us to stay the night but we preferred to head home (bearing in mind the previous night's curfew!). So off we went into the dark, no lights. At times we couldnt see a few yards ahead. On the main road, cars and tuk-tuks coming up behind us help to light the road, but when something came the other way it blinded us for a few seconds. Lets say it was an adrenalin rush when the tractors and tuk-tuks stormed past us in the darkness with their vehicles booming to Hindi music. Still, it only took an hour to get back and we were well-satisfied with our day out.
We had moved hostel and this time I decided to just ignore the curfew if there was one, and nobody came to get me so I slept on the soft cushions in the cafe.
Sunday 28th November
Cute labrador puppy trying to grab my shorts off me as i am trying to get into them this morning. Came back across to the hostel and slept in. Back to the Rainbow Cafe for breakfast and to hang out with the cool kids. Had a bit of a wander with the guys and had 2 samosas. Slept in the hotel.
Monday 29th November
Sleep in, then sat around at the Rainbow Cafe then said goodbye to my new friends. I know its a cliche but the last few days have been cool, hanging out with other travellers who are relative strangers and swapping stories and taking it easy and wandering around the nice town. Then it was time to leave Bundi. I got a tuk-tuk to Bundi bus station, then on the local bus to Kota, 45 minutes away. Managed to squeeze into the corner with my bag acting as an airbag. At Kota got another tuk-tuk to Kota train station, where they told me my ticket had been cancelled. Its a long story, but i wasnt that surprised. Tried to book another train to Mumbai but they are all booked up for ages. So i dragged myself all the way back to Bundi, partly to get my train ticket money back, and to hang out at the Rainbow cafe while i think about what to do. Another long story, but it took some wheeling and dealing to get my money back. Another evening of sitting round drinking. My whiskey was certainly the worst drink, though not too bad with sprite.
Tuesday 30th November
Woke up again to Hindi music playing in the cafe; a version of Give Peace a Chance, man! Booked the train to Indore. Slight change of plan but i reckon I will see more of the countryside this way. At lunchtime Ciaron and I got the pushbikes and rode out to the countryside. The family that fed us the other day had asked us if we could printout and bring them some of the pictures we took of them. So we did. Unfortunately there wasnt a colour printer so the pix are black and white and they didnt seem to impressed. Oh well, they gave us pappadums and chai then we left. We cycled on and took a turning to a temple and a waterfall. A few red-faced monkeys around; they are the aggressive ones. Went a bit further and stopped in a small village and had chai. As often happens, people appear from nowhere and sit and stare at you from a few metres away. They didnt speak English so we watched them watching us then we then cycled all the way back home, up a few hills on a bike with no gears, lots of pain in the legs! Had a spin around the crazy part of town to get some booze. We dealt with the mad traffic really well; you just have to go for it.
After lunch, 4 of us rented bicycles and headed out of town. The bikes are very old and the handlebars are at a 90 degree angle compared to normal. We bounced along the narrow streets, ringing our bells at people as much as possible to get revenge for all the tooting we have to endure each day! We passed alongside the lake and then out into the country, past people working their farms. Occasionally there was no sound of close or distant horns and engines and you could hear the birds sing. But quite often tuk-tuks and tractors, with colorful decoration and booming music would whistle past us.
We made our way to Akoda, a very small village. We asked where we could buy some food and a guy ushered off the street and round the back of his house to his garden and yard. He sent his wife off to get some groceries and it was clear that he wanted us to be his guests. He spoke a bit of English and we exchanged pleasantaries, then I asked if he had a cricket bat and ball, which he did have. The ball was old and the bat was battered but we played in his garden among the cows, the poo, the straw and buckets. We even got the two Irish guys and Belgian girl to play. The guy didnt speak much English but he knew all the cricket expressions like "slip", "owzat", "the nets". Oh, and he chucking the ball rather than bowling!
We sat in the small courtyard and his wife made chapatis on an open fire, and she cooked us some spicy sauce with some veggies. His mother came to visit as did a really old guy who I think was like a village elder. Their hospitality was fantastic. They invited us to stay the night but we preferred to head home (bearing in mind the previous night's curfew!). So off we went into the dark, no lights. At times we couldnt see a few yards ahead. On the main road, cars and tuk-tuks coming up behind us help to light the road, but when something came the other way it blinded us for a few seconds. Lets say it was an adrenalin rush when the tractors and tuk-tuks stormed past us in the darkness with their vehicles booming to Hindi music. Still, it only took an hour to get back and we were well-satisfied with our day out.
We had moved hostel and this time I decided to just ignore the curfew if there was one, and nobody came to get me so I slept on the soft cushions in the cafe.
Sunday 28th November
Cute labrador puppy trying to grab my shorts off me as i am trying to get into them this morning. Came back across to the hostel and slept in. Back to the Rainbow Cafe for breakfast and to hang out with the cool kids. Had a bit of a wander with the guys and had 2 samosas. Slept in the hotel.
Monday 29th November
Sleep in, then sat around at the Rainbow Cafe then said goodbye to my new friends. I know its a cliche but the last few days have been cool, hanging out with other travellers who are relative strangers and swapping stories and taking it easy and wandering around the nice town. Then it was time to leave Bundi. I got a tuk-tuk to Bundi bus station, then on the local bus to Kota, 45 minutes away. Managed to squeeze into the corner with my bag acting as an airbag. At Kota got another tuk-tuk to Kota train station, where they told me my ticket had been cancelled. Its a long story, but i wasnt that surprised. Tried to book another train to Mumbai but they are all booked up for ages. So i dragged myself all the way back to Bundi, partly to get my train ticket money back, and to hang out at the Rainbow cafe while i think about what to do. Another long story, but it took some wheeling and dealing to get my money back. Another evening of sitting round drinking. My whiskey was certainly the worst drink, though not too bad with sprite.
Tuesday 30th November
Woke up again to Hindi music playing in the cafe; a version of Give Peace a Chance, man! Booked the train to Indore. Slight change of plan but i reckon I will see more of the countryside this way. At lunchtime Ciaron and I got the pushbikes and rode out to the countryside. The family that fed us the other day had asked us if we could printout and bring them some of the pictures we took of them. So we did. Unfortunately there wasnt a colour printer so the pix are black and white and they didnt seem to impressed. Oh well, they gave us pappadums and chai then we left. We cycled on and took a turning to a temple and a waterfall. A few red-faced monkeys around; they are the aggressive ones. Went a bit further and stopped in a small village and had chai. As often happens, people appear from nowhere and sit and stare at you from a few metres away. They didnt speak English so we watched them watching us then we then cycled all the way back home, up a few hills on a bike with no gears, lots of pain in the legs! Had a spin around the crazy part of town to get some booze. We dealt with the mad traffic really well; you just have to go for it.
28.11.10
Udaipur and Bundi
Wednesday 24th November
It was still raining and horrible today. No sunshine in Udaipur. Still, I took myself up to the Palace which overlooks the lake. I only really wanted to see the view of the lake and managed to avoid paying anything to get that far, just past the small ancient sculptures of Hindu gods. Also up to the Jagdish temple. Walked with Irish Ciaron to other parts of town and to the small lily-covered lake. Sat around chatting at the hostel most of the afternoon. Had dinner at the Lotus cafe, where I thrashed Ciaron at Connect4 before losing to a French girl.
At 8:30pm we got tuk-tuk to the bus station; well, to a bus ticket office. With our backpacks they made us walk across a big intersection and down a dark road, past some pigs and cows sharing a newspaper for dinner, and some men urinating, across another road to our bus. We had sleeper seats again, and although we had been warned it was a very bumpy road to Bundi, it really wasn't too bad.
Thursday 25th November
Bondi in Bundi. We arrived in Bundi at 4:50am. Only tuk-tuk drivers there to meet Ciaron, Irish Eimeir and me so at the mercy of the drivers and whichever guest house they will get a commission from. But of course, thats better than no-one being there. We got to a small guest house and three in a double bed. Had to pay for that night even though it was 5:30am; fair enough i suppose. A few hours kip then went to look for a better place to stay.
Found the Elephant Stables guest house, where they still had large stones with holes in on the lawn where the elephants would have been tied up. A bit cheaper and we can sit outside. There is a kind of festival in Bundi and we went with a Swedish couple to meet the special Tourist Safari. The local tourist office put on a promotional tour for tourists, whereby they took us around some of the main sites, in small minibuses, for free - it was pretty random! First we went to the Parade Grounds, and found ourselves unwittingly ushered into VIP seats behind the honoured guests; not happy about that when the locals have to stand at the sides, but really didnt realise until we were seated. Anyway, there was a brass band, and then a bagpipe band and it was cool - Sikhs in a bagpipe marching band. They marched like toy soldiers with battery packs. Unfortunately there were another 5 such bands after them and it started to sound like a dog being strangled but we couldnt really leave our VIP seats.
Next we were taken in the buses to a small courtyard where they gave us pepsi and interviewed people for the TV, to give their opinion about Bundi and the festival; I managed to stay away from the camera. Next they took us to a Classic Car Collection and to and old disused cinema - very random. Then they took us out to an old Hunting Lodge, with monkeys, and then to a viewpoint at the side of the lake. Finally they took us around to another side of the lake where there was singing and dancing. Again they were ushering the white people to the VIP seats so i just stood on the wall with the locals. I couldn't see much so being right-on didn't do me much good. After, they ushered us all onto one big bus to take us back to our hostels. They dropped us off halfway across a bridge!
In the eveing had dinner at the Rainbow cafe, same menu as the place where we had breakfast. Sat chatting with the Swedes and 2 Israeli girls and English Lizzy and the owner.
Trying to find a train ticket to my next destination was a bit tricky. The trains are very busy.
Friday 26th November
At 8:45am, went to get train ticket for 2 days time but already sold out. The guy said "I told you to come at 8am"; well I don't think he did, but I will try again tomorrow. Had 2 samosas and a chai for breakfast then Cairon and I climbed up to the Fort. The fort has not been maintained so is overgrown with only a few poorly defined paths, and some monkeys, which made a welcome change from the touristy forts we have seen so far. No signs or touts and you have to work it out yourself. We reached the top, and the views of Bundi were great. A couple of aggressive monkeys around, so glad we had taken big sticks with us.
4 of us then headed away from the tourist guest houses to get lunch where the locals eat. We found a small tin shed establishment and got thali and 3 chapatis for 30 rupees, less than a dollar, which would have cost at least twice as much in town. We then went for a long walk, headed out of town, sharing the road with huge trucks, in pursuit of some grog. With some local help we found the grog shop and I got a small bottle of whiskey for 60 rupees ($1.5). We walked back into town and stopped at a Chai shop. Lizzy poured some of her rum into the chai and it tasted good, that might be a plan for my whiskey (once i have checked that it really is whiskey!). So Bundi is a lovely little town, and not touristy. The locals have been friendly and helpful and not trying to drag us into their shops. Happy to stay here a couple more days.
For dinner, Ciaron and I went for local Thali again. I guess it is mainly sauce and lentils and chapatis, but they actually bring more of it around as you eat which is cool. On the way back we joined a marriage procession. The groom rides through town on a horse, surrounded by a crowd of maybe 150 people. There are mobile floodlights ahead shining on him, and his friends dancing on the street. They tried to get us to dance at the front but we were having none of it, it was just fun walking along with them for a while.
Bundi has a curfew. To cut a long story short, the hostel said we had to be back there by 10:30 at night because the police have such a rule for the whole town. Well, other travellers in other hostels said they had not been told that, so we ignored what the hostel said as we were having a great time in the Rainbow Cafe. And guess what? At 10:50, one of the guys from the hostel came and got us! (They made an educated guess as to which cafe we were in). It was ridiculous, but we three grown adults had to go home to our beds at 11pm.
Saturday 27th November
Finally managed to book my train. I am 42nd on the waiting list, which, I am told, means I will get a seat, well, a bed. Lots of people always cancel. I wanted to go straight to Aurangabad but that wasn't happening, so I have to go to Mumbai and double back a bit towards to Aurangabad. Oh well.
It was still raining and horrible today. No sunshine in Udaipur. Still, I took myself up to the Palace which overlooks the lake. I only really wanted to see the view of the lake and managed to avoid paying anything to get that far, just past the small ancient sculptures of Hindu gods. Also up to the Jagdish temple. Walked with Irish Ciaron to other parts of town and to the small lily-covered lake. Sat around chatting at the hostel most of the afternoon. Had dinner at the Lotus cafe, where I thrashed Ciaron at Connect4 before losing to a French girl.
At 8:30pm we got tuk-tuk to the bus station; well, to a bus ticket office. With our backpacks they made us walk across a big intersection and down a dark road, past some pigs and cows sharing a newspaper for dinner, and some men urinating, across another road to our bus. We had sleeper seats again, and although we had been warned it was a very bumpy road to Bundi, it really wasn't too bad.
Thursday 25th November
Bondi in Bundi. We arrived in Bundi at 4:50am. Only tuk-tuk drivers there to meet Ciaron, Irish Eimeir and me so at the mercy of the drivers and whichever guest house they will get a commission from. But of course, thats better than no-one being there. We got to a small guest house and three in a double bed. Had to pay for that night even though it was 5:30am; fair enough i suppose. A few hours kip then went to look for a better place to stay.
Found the Elephant Stables guest house, where they still had large stones with holes in on the lawn where the elephants would have been tied up. A bit cheaper and we can sit outside. There is a kind of festival in Bundi and we went with a Swedish couple to meet the special Tourist Safari. The local tourist office put on a promotional tour for tourists, whereby they took us around some of the main sites, in small minibuses, for free - it was pretty random! First we went to the Parade Grounds, and found ourselves unwittingly ushered into VIP seats behind the honoured guests; not happy about that when the locals have to stand at the sides, but really didnt realise until we were seated. Anyway, there was a brass band, and then a bagpipe band and it was cool - Sikhs in a bagpipe marching band. They marched like toy soldiers with battery packs. Unfortunately there were another 5 such bands after them and it started to sound like a dog being strangled but we couldnt really leave our VIP seats.
Next we were taken in the buses to a small courtyard where they gave us pepsi and interviewed people for the TV, to give their opinion about Bundi and the festival; I managed to stay away from the camera. Next they took us to a Classic Car Collection and to and old disused cinema - very random. Then they took us out to an old Hunting Lodge, with monkeys, and then to a viewpoint at the side of the lake. Finally they took us around to another side of the lake where there was singing and dancing. Again they were ushering the white people to the VIP seats so i just stood on the wall with the locals. I couldn't see much so being right-on didn't do me much good. After, they ushered us all onto one big bus to take us back to our hostels. They dropped us off halfway across a bridge!
In the eveing had dinner at the Rainbow cafe, same menu as the place where we had breakfast. Sat chatting with the Swedes and 2 Israeli girls and English Lizzy and the owner.
Trying to find a train ticket to my next destination was a bit tricky. The trains are very busy.
Friday 26th November
At 8:45am, went to get train ticket for 2 days time but already sold out. The guy said "I told you to come at 8am"; well I don't think he did, but I will try again tomorrow. Had 2 samosas and a chai for breakfast then Cairon and I climbed up to the Fort. The fort has not been maintained so is overgrown with only a few poorly defined paths, and some monkeys, which made a welcome change from the touristy forts we have seen so far. No signs or touts and you have to work it out yourself. We reached the top, and the views of Bundi were great. A couple of aggressive monkeys around, so glad we had taken big sticks with us.
4 of us then headed away from the tourist guest houses to get lunch where the locals eat. We found a small tin shed establishment and got thali and 3 chapatis for 30 rupees, less than a dollar, which would have cost at least twice as much in town. We then went for a long walk, headed out of town, sharing the road with huge trucks, in pursuit of some grog. With some local help we found the grog shop and I got a small bottle of whiskey for 60 rupees ($1.5). We walked back into town and stopped at a Chai shop. Lizzy poured some of her rum into the chai and it tasted good, that might be a plan for my whiskey (once i have checked that it really is whiskey!). So Bundi is a lovely little town, and not touristy. The locals have been friendly and helpful and not trying to drag us into their shops. Happy to stay here a couple more days.
For dinner, Ciaron and I went for local Thali again. I guess it is mainly sauce and lentils and chapatis, but they actually bring more of it around as you eat which is cool. On the way back we joined a marriage procession. The groom rides through town on a horse, surrounded by a crowd of maybe 150 people. There are mobile floodlights ahead shining on him, and his friends dancing on the street. They tried to get us to dance at the front but we were having none of it, it was just fun walking along with them for a while.
Bundi has a curfew. To cut a long story short, the hostel said we had to be back there by 10:30 at night because the police have such a rule for the whole town. Well, other travellers in other hostels said they had not been told that, so we ignored what the hostel said as we were having a great time in the Rainbow Cafe. And guess what? At 10:50, one of the guys from the hostel came and got us! (They made an educated guess as to which cafe we were in). It was ridiculous, but we three grown adults had to go home to our beds at 11pm.
Saturday 27th November
Finally managed to book my train. I am 42nd on the waiting list, which, I am told, means I will get a seat, well, a bed. Lots of people always cancel. I wanted to go straight to Aurangabad but that wasn't happening, so I have to go to Mumbai and double back a bit towards to Aurangabad. Oh well.
24.11.10
Jodhpur and Udaipur
Sunday 21st November
The Germans left for Pushkar and i moved my stuff up to the roof where I will sleep tonight. $2. Shaved, which took ages, and looked for my hat put couldn't find it. Disappeared in a puff of exhaust fumes. Well, at least it gave a purpose to my meanderings around the streets of Jodphur.
The hostel is a bit away from the streets so quite peaceful, but as soon as I got down to the street the motorbike and tuk-tuk horns started ringing in my ears,and you think "here we go again".
Walked to the main square and the clock tower where the market was selling winter clothes; maybe the evenings seem cool to the locals? I ate where the Lonely Planet told me to: at the Omelette Shop which is a stall just outside the square. To be fair the cheese masala omelette in white bread was delicious and the owner managed to mention his LP recommendation in every other sentence, and gets everyone to sign a book saying how good the food is, while the omelette stalls nearby look on enviously. After some more walking i got makhania lassi (buttermilk with saffron), as recommended by the LP. That was also very good. So i had to buy a new hat but didnt really like the ones i found so settled for a cheap baseball cap until i can find something better.
Monday 22nd November
Not much sleep last night. So much for the fun of sleeping on the rooftop - mozzie city. I knew there were a few about but they don't normally bother me but i got fairly hammered. It was too hot to hide in my sleeping bag and even my sleep sack was a bit warm. And they were buzzing round my ears. Then there were a few spots of rain and i thought I would have to grab everything and go downstairs. And then of course, after not being able to sleep for ages, I overslept. Got up at 6:20am, packed up and headed down the hill and got a tuk-tuk across town to the bus station. English couple were there as expected. 7 hours on the bus to Udaipur, slept most of the way. Got our bags out of the boot and they are soaked from the rain leaking into the bus. My bag is filthy and some of my stuff is a bit wet but will soon dry out if the sun appears.
Later.............well the sun certainly didn't appear and it got colder and wetter. But there's plenty of people to hang out with here. Seven of us solo travellers went for dinner down by the water which was cool. I am happy travelling by myself but it can be a bit grim having dinner by yourself so it's good to have others to chat and hang out with in the evening. I just try to avoid all the cliche conversations about where you're from, where you have been, where you are going, for how long etc. cos that gets tedious. It rained in the night and the sound is amplified by the corrugated iron roof of my room.
Tuesday 23 November
Still cold and wet this morning, so i paid the rent for tonight and went back to bed until midday. Ventured out to get my bus ticket for tomorrow night, and got a chocolate brownie and overpriced cup of masala tea. Went for a long walk with journalist Will around the town, met the others and got an Indian snack from the roadside. Came back, read my book and had a cat nap. The hot water for the shower is solar powered and there has been no sun so i chickened out of a cold shower.
In the evening we headed to a restaurant heavily-populated by Israelis. As with many restaurants here, they show the Bond film Octopussy every night because alot of it was filmed here in Udaipur. We kind of recognised it although I havent seen much of the sights so far. The film seems very dated and has lots of stereotypes, but it was so bad it was funny. Excellent huge spring role for dinner. Its still freezing and damp, but I am stubbornly still wearing shorts.
The Germans left for Pushkar and i moved my stuff up to the roof where I will sleep tonight. $2. Shaved, which took ages, and looked for my hat put couldn't find it. Disappeared in a puff of exhaust fumes. Well, at least it gave a purpose to my meanderings around the streets of Jodphur.
The hostel is a bit away from the streets so quite peaceful, but as soon as I got down to the street the motorbike and tuk-tuk horns started ringing in my ears,and you think "here we go again".
Walked to the main square and the clock tower where the market was selling winter clothes; maybe the evenings seem cool to the locals? I ate where the Lonely Planet told me to: at the Omelette Shop which is a stall just outside the square. To be fair the cheese masala omelette in white bread was delicious and the owner managed to mention his LP recommendation in every other sentence, and gets everyone to sign a book saying how good the food is, while the omelette stalls nearby look on enviously. After some more walking i got makhania lassi (buttermilk with saffron), as recommended by the LP. That was also very good. So i had to buy a new hat but didnt really like the ones i found so settled for a cheap baseball cap until i can find something better.
Monday 22nd November
Not much sleep last night. So much for the fun of sleeping on the rooftop - mozzie city. I knew there were a few about but they don't normally bother me but i got fairly hammered. It was too hot to hide in my sleeping bag and even my sleep sack was a bit warm. And they were buzzing round my ears. Then there were a few spots of rain and i thought I would have to grab everything and go downstairs. And then of course, after not being able to sleep for ages, I overslept. Got up at 6:20am, packed up and headed down the hill and got a tuk-tuk across town to the bus station. English couple were there as expected. 7 hours on the bus to Udaipur, slept most of the way. Got our bags out of the boot and they are soaked from the rain leaking into the bus. My bag is filthy and some of my stuff is a bit wet but will soon dry out if the sun appears.
Later.............well the sun certainly didn't appear and it got colder and wetter. But there's plenty of people to hang out with here. Seven of us solo travellers went for dinner down by the water which was cool. I am happy travelling by myself but it can be a bit grim having dinner by yourself so it's good to have others to chat and hang out with in the evening. I just try to avoid all the cliche conversations about where you're from, where you have been, where you are going, for how long etc. cos that gets tedious. It rained in the night and the sound is amplified by the corrugated iron roof of my room.
Tuesday 23 November
Still cold and wet this morning, so i paid the rent for tonight and went back to bed until midday. Ventured out to get my bus ticket for tomorrow night, and got a chocolate brownie and overpriced cup of masala tea. Went for a long walk with journalist Will around the town, met the others and got an Indian snack from the roadside. Came back, read my book and had a cat nap. The hot water for the shower is solar powered and there has been no sun so i chickened out of a cold shower.
In the evening we headed to a restaurant heavily-populated by Israelis. As with many restaurants here, they show the Bond film Octopussy every night because alot of it was filmed here in Udaipur. We kind of recognised it although I havent seen much of the sights so far. The film seems very dated and has lots of stereotypes, but it was so bad it was funny. Excellent huge spring role for dinner. Its still freezing and damp, but I am stubbornly still wearing shorts.
20.11.10
Pushkar and Jodhpur
Thursday 18th November
Day 2 for me at the camel fair. Generally, although it was still fun, it was pretty much the same as yesterday; they had alot of the same performers as yesterday. Saw the same girl doing a tight-rope walk. There was a turban-tying contest for tourist couples which was quite funny, which the police helped to administer, but often the media photographers and other tourists were blocking the view. The guy who was second was interviewed for TV. The same happened in the moustache competition for the locals. I saw some pretty good facial hair but there was no real audience participation and you couldn't always see what was going on.
Had another good long walk through the town, taking in the atmosphere and the colours, and out to where the camels are staying. There was kabbadi, though i wasnt clear on what each team had to do. Went to the excellent evening entertainment of singing and dancing, and chatted to a few locals. They agreed with me that the audience should be more animated when watching such a live show. They said the crowd is "too lazy" which seems a shame. The second part of the show started very slowly and loads of people left, and then I did, and one of the guys followed after me. He was ok, he just wanted to chat. He had come here alone, leaving his family in Gujarat.
Friday 19th November
Packed up, then had a last walk around the camel fair. Pretty much the same as the last two days. There was a pot race, with tourists racing with pots of water on their head and a gypsy dancer with the snake charmers; they are pretty quick to come round for money as soon as they see you watching. Walked through the town, and the crowds and colour. And another falafel roll. A bit sorry to be leaving but don't really need another two days.
Walked around to the bus stand and immediately got on a packed large minibus to Ajmer, jampacked with locals. Maybe 40 people, including little kids, on a bus with 16 seats. Of course i was the only white man. So there we are like sardines then a guy gets up from the back to mingle and collect the money so we all have to try to move out of his way, and try to get him some cash and hold as we weave through the valley. Why couldnt he have collected the money as we got on, or off? Cos it's India!
Got to Ajmer and got a tuk-tuk to the railway station. Hanging with a couple of girls from Quebec then got on the train to Jodhpur. Just 5 hours, a bit of reading, a bit of sleeping and music. Got a tuk-tuk into town with the Quebecan girls and they dropped me off here at Cosy Hotel, which is a proper hostel. The owner said they had no available rooms but I could sleep on the roof. Its very sociable up here on the roof and a German guy had a free bed in his room so we are sharing.
Saturday 20th November
After porridge, 3 of us walked down from the hostel and across to Jodhpur fort; it is huge and can be seen from miles around. We walked up through the main gates and got the audio tour. Great views back to the city, which has many blue buildings. There are some magnificent old rooms and old swords and palanquins, for carrying royalty in. The palace was lived in by the same family until Independence, around 1948,when the Raj lost their status. Now the family are involved with maintaining the fort. Then we walked across to Jaswant Thada which is a large marble tomb. We walked down into the city and the narrow lanes. Got an Inidan snack on the way to a restaurant where they served me spaghetti as 'chinese noodles', the only rubbish food so far on the trip. We meandered back through the warren of streets to the hostel. Jodhpur has some chaotic areas, but the back streets are great for wandering round in relative peace.
Day 2 for me at the camel fair. Generally, although it was still fun, it was pretty much the same as yesterday; they had alot of the same performers as yesterday. Saw the same girl doing a tight-rope walk. There was a turban-tying contest for tourist couples which was quite funny, which the police helped to administer, but often the media photographers and other tourists were blocking the view. The guy who was second was interviewed for TV. The same happened in the moustache competition for the locals. I saw some pretty good facial hair but there was no real audience participation and you couldn't always see what was going on.
Had another good long walk through the town, taking in the atmosphere and the colours, and out to where the camels are staying. There was kabbadi, though i wasnt clear on what each team had to do. Went to the excellent evening entertainment of singing and dancing, and chatted to a few locals. They agreed with me that the audience should be more animated when watching such a live show. They said the crowd is "too lazy" which seems a shame. The second part of the show started very slowly and loads of people left, and then I did, and one of the guys followed after me. He was ok, he just wanted to chat. He had come here alone, leaving his family in Gujarat.
Friday 19th November
Packed up, then had a last walk around the camel fair. Pretty much the same as the last two days. There was a pot race, with tourists racing with pots of water on their head and a gypsy dancer with the snake charmers; they are pretty quick to come round for money as soon as they see you watching. Walked through the town, and the crowds and colour. And another falafel roll. A bit sorry to be leaving but don't really need another two days.
Walked around to the bus stand and immediately got on a packed large minibus to Ajmer, jampacked with locals. Maybe 40 people, including little kids, on a bus with 16 seats. Of course i was the only white man. So there we are like sardines then a guy gets up from the back to mingle and collect the money so we all have to try to move out of his way, and try to get him some cash and hold as we weave through the valley. Why couldnt he have collected the money as we got on, or off? Cos it's India!
Got to Ajmer and got a tuk-tuk to the railway station. Hanging with a couple of girls from Quebec then got on the train to Jodhpur. Just 5 hours, a bit of reading, a bit of sleeping and music. Got a tuk-tuk into town with the Quebecan girls and they dropped me off here at Cosy Hotel, which is a proper hostel. The owner said they had no available rooms but I could sleep on the roof. Its very sociable up here on the roof and a German guy had a free bed in his room so we are sharing.
Saturday 20th November
After porridge, 3 of us walked down from the hostel and across to Jodhpur fort; it is huge and can be seen from miles around. We walked up through the main gates and got the audio tour. Great views back to the city, which has many blue buildings. There are some magnificent old rooms and old swords and palanquins, for carrying royalty in. The palace was lived in by the same family until Independence, around 1948,when the Raj lost their status. Now the family are involved with maintaining the fort. Then we walked across to Jaswant Thada which is a large marble tomb. We walked down into the city and the narrow lanes. Got an Inidan snack on the way to a restaurant where they served me spaghetti as 'chinese noodles', the only rubbish food so far on the trip. We meandered back through the warren of streets to the hostel. Jodhpur has some chaotic areas, but the back streets are great for wandering round in relative peace.
17.11.10
Jaisalmer and Pushkar
Monday 15th November, continued. sorry its a bit long again.....
Having returned from the camel festival, it was time to explore Jaisalmer. I crossed the road from the hostel and walked along to the Fort's main gate. The fort was built in 1156 by a Jaiput ruler. It is made of sandstone and looks like a giant sandcastle in the desert. Inside is a warren of narrow streets and some temples and residences, as well as lots of tourist hotels and shops which should have been left outside of the fort. I took the audio guide tour of the palace and wandered round the various rooms. There were paintings, a throne, weapons and a 360 degree view of the sandstone town from the roof.
I walked back down into town and got a curry pokara with extra hot sauce and sat in the market square to eat and people watch. The ladies selling vegies on the ground had to keeping shooing away the cows as they tried to snaffle some lunch. The cow is sacred of course so they try not to upset them. Then i had a good long walk around the narrow backstreets. All of the houses are also made of sandstone and have beautiful sandstone carved windows and doors. The carving is so intricate and must have taken months; it looks like wood. I visited a large haveli, which is a residence for the rich, and has the best carvings on the outside. I had a look around inside, as it was left when last vacated, 100 years ago, i think.
I walked down to the picturesque lake, Sat chilling out, when, as sometimes happens, some locals insisted on having a picture taken with me; this time an extended family. So i posed with them, and then got them to take a picture with my camera. Why not? The attention gets a bit tedious sometimes, but other times its ok and good to be friendly! We had expensive dinner ($5) of Rajasthani Thali, it was good. The girls left for Jodhpur and Matt and I watched some of Superman IV.
Tuesday 16th November
I was glad to have more time in Jaisalmer as it is a beautiful town and alot less frantic than the other cities i have been to. I went back up to the Fort and to the Jain temples. Inside are more amazing sandstone carvings of gods and animals and flowers. Amazing and very India. The Jain religion strongly encourages not harming any creature in any way, moreso than Buddhism, and their icon looks a bit like Buddha but without the chubby tummy.
I had more of a wander around before heading to the bus station where i met Matt and we got the 4:30pm bus to Pushkar. I got a sleeper cabin which is only a bit more expensive than a normal seat and there is room to lie down and stretch out a bit. Listened to footy podcasts and read my book before dozing off.
Wednesday 17th November
The bus arrived half an hour late, at 4am, in Pushkar. The hostel owner met me off the bus which was good of him. Matt disappeared somewhere. On the back of the hostel guys bike back to the hostel. They gave me a room, even though my reservation really starts tonight. Soon after arriving it started to rain and it is still raining now, 7 hours later, which apparently is very unusual. The fair is still going but seems a bit washed out. Had a wander round with some others. We went to the Brahma temple which was pretty crowded with people offering prayers, and then to the lake which has 52 ghats where the pilgrims bathe in the sacred water. Again it really felt like India and the overcast weather added to the atmosphere. Got some lunch and came back.
And then the rain stopped and the sun came out, a bit, and the rest of the day was awesome. Played a bit of cricket in the front yard then I went for a longer walk around the festival, dodging the puddles. Despite the large number of people there is less traffic as there are no tuk-tuks and fewer bikes buzzing around.
In the stadium there was a crowd gathered to watch some girls folding themselves in half (pix to follow). Then I walked to where the camels and their owners are staying in tents while they do business. Some of the camels are dressed up, and there are market stalls where you can buy colorful camel accessories.
Saw my first snake charmer which was cool, although the guy wasn't satisfied with my donation, even though he had to keep prodding the second snake to get it to move. A guy fixed my sandals. There was just so much colour everywhere and so much going on that you didnt know which way to look. They inflated and released an air balloon into the blue sky.
Went back to the hostel where some of the guys were recovering from a 'special lasse', it made them sick. Had falafel roll for dinner. Bumped into Matt; he had not got off the bus as he slept through and ended up in Jaipur and had to come back. The ferris wheels and pirate ship lit up the night sky. I went to the cultural evening in the stadium. On stage they had different singing and music and dancing acts, as well as people balancing stuff on their heads such as a spinning bicycle wheel, a bowl of fire and a woman with a big bowl on top of four stacked glasses. They finished with a big Hindi dance song. To be honest the crowd didnt seem to get too excicted. They only clap for a short time, and quietly after each act. I think thats just how they are. Anyway, I had a great time.
Having returned from the camel festival, it was time to explore Jaisalmer. I crossed the road from the hostel and walked along to the Fort's main gate. The fort was built in 1156 by a Jaiput ruler. It is made of sandstone and looks like a giant sandcastle in the desert. Inside is a warren of narrow streets and some temples and residences, as well as lots of tourist hotels and shops which should have been left outside of the fort. I took the audio guide tour of the palace and wandered round the various rooms. There were paintings, a throne, weapons and a 360 degree view of the sandstone town from the roof.
I walked back down into town and got a curry pokara with extra hot sauce and sat in the market square to eat and people watch. The ladies selling vegies on the ground had to keeping shooing away the cows as they tried to snaffle some lunch. The cow is sacred of course so they try not to upset them. Then i had a good long walk around the narrow backstreets. All of the houses are also made of sandstone and have beautiful sandstone carved windows and doors. The carving is so intricate and must have taken months; it looks like wood. I visited a large haveli, which is a residence for the rich, and has the best carvings on the outside. I had a look around inside, as it was left when last vacated, 100 years ago, i think.
I walked down to the picturesque lake, Sat chilling out, when, as sometimes happens, some locals insisted on having a picture taken with me; this time an extended family. So i posed with them, and then got them to take a picture with my camera. Why not? The attention gets a bit tedious sometimes, but other times its ok and good to be friendly! We had expensive dinner ($5) of Rajasthani Thali, it was good. The girls left for Jodhpur and Matt and I watched some of Superman IV.
Tuesday 16th November
I was glad to have more time in Jaisalmer as it is a beautiful town and alot less frantic than the other cities i have been to. I went back up to the Fort and to the Jain temples. Inside are more amazing sandstone carvings of gods and animals and flowers. Amazing and very India. The Jain religion strongly encourages not harming any creature in any way, moreso than Buddhism, and their icon looks a bit like Buddha but without the chubby tummy.
I had more of a wander around before heading to the bus station where i met Matt and we got the 4:30pm bus to Pushkar. I got a sleeper cabin which is only a bit more expensive than a normal seat and there is room to lie down and stretch out a bit. Listened to footy podcasts and read my book before dozing off.
Wednesday 17th November
The bus arrived half an hour late, at 4am, in Pushkar. The hostel owner met me off the bus which was good of him. Matt disappeared somewhere. On the back of the hostel guys bike back to the hostel. They gave me a room, even though my reservation really starts tonight. Soon after arriving it started to rain and it is still raining now, 7 hours later, which apparently is very unusual. The fair is still going but seems a bit washed out. Had a wander round with some others. We went to the Brahma temple which was pretty crowded with people offering prayers, and then to the lake which has 52 ghats where the pilgrims bathe in the sacred water. Again it really felt like India and the overcast weather added to the atmosphere. Got some lunch and came back.
And then the rain stopped and the sun came out, a bit, and the rest of the day was awesome. Played a bit of cricket in the front yard then I went for a longer walk around the festival, dodging the puddles. Despite the large number of people there is less traffic as there are no tuk-tuks and fewer bikes buzzing around.
In the stadium there was a crowd gathered to watch some girls folding themselves in half (pix to follow). Then I walked to where the camels and their owners are staying in tents while they do business. Some of the camels are dressed up, and there are market stalls where you can buy colorful camel accessories.
Saw my first snake charmer which was cool, although the guy wasn't satisfied with my donation, even though he had to keep prodding the second snake to get it to move. A guy fixed my sandals. There was just so much colour everywhere and so much going on that you didnt know which way to look. They inflated and released an air balloon into the blue sky.
Went back to the hostel where some of the guys were recovering from a 'special lasse', it made them sick. Had falafel roll for dinner. Bumped into Matt; he had not got off the bus as he slept through and ended up in Jaipur and had to come back. The ferris wheels and pirate ship lit up the night sky. I went to the cultural evening in the stadium. On stage they had different singing and music and dancing acts, as well as people balancing stuff on their heads such as a spinning bicycle wheel, a bowl of fire and a woman with a big bowl on top of four stacked glasses. They finished with a big Hindi dance song. To be honest the crowd didnt seem to get too excicted. They only clap for a short time, and quietly after each act. I think thats just how they are. Anyway, I had a great time.
16.11.10
Jaipur and Jaisalmer
An Indian epic....
Saturday 13th November
My cold was a bit better but woke up with a bit of Delhi-belly (it had to happen sooner or later). So while the others went sightseeing i played it safe and stayed home. Watched Popeye cartoons and Spiderman in Hindi with the hotel owner's kid.
The guys came back and seems i missed out a bit but not a whole lot. Jaipur was just crazy and full of locals hassling us to buy stuff or start a conversation that would be about sales. And the rewards didn't really seem worth it.
We checked out and when the girls had finished complaining again about the price of the room, we walked 1km to the station (well, the girls got a tuk-tuk). Note, they are not 3 french girls as earlier stated, they are two french girls and a Perisan girl who speaks french.
The train station staff were really helpful and walked us to the right carriage on the right train on the right platform! So 7 of us piled onto the train with our bags and you just have to keep pushing through the crush else you never get anywhere. My seat was in a seperate block from the other guys and there was an Indian lady in my seat. So i pointed to the number on the seat and she shrugged her shoulders and looked down her nose before moving.
I struggled to lift my bag onto the overhead rack and no-one seemed to help for ages, until one guy grabbed one end and helped. I sat down and everyone just sat there in their seats and stared at me, the white man; I tell you, they just sit there and stare, its often the same in the street, at least until i sarcastically wave at them and say 'hello' in English or Hindi. You can maybe accept it from kids but its the adults too.
So I was very hot and bothered when the train rolled out and for those few minutes i hated India and everything about it. And then i calmed down and it was all good. Had a good chat with a businessman. In this part of India, business is conducted in Hindi, whereas around Mumbai they use English. They asked me to speak some Hindi so I said a few words and the guy sitting next to me burst out laughing which annoyed me, so I said to the businessman "why is he laughing at me?', and the businessman said, 'it's okay, it means he appreciates you'. And he made a point of making sure i understood that it was meant in a positive way, not a negative way.
Anyway, there was some space by the other guys so i went to sit by them. It was fun being on the train and having a laugh. Another Indian guy started asking me about the cricket and was disappointed at my lack of enthusiasm. He said i look like Adam Gilchrist, as opposed to the guy in the restaurant the other night who said i look like Ricky Ponting. Anyway, this guy's family lives in the country and they have a camel which they use for agriculture. I was trying understand whether they consider it like a pet and care about it but it got lost in translation. I asked if the camel had a name but he said all camels are called "The ship in the desert".
When the train stops at a station the wretched smell of urine usually engulfs the train so we usually sit with our t-shirts over our noses while waiting to move on. A bit like at school when someone farted.
The train made a scheduled one hour stop in the night so we grabbed some potato pokara, which also have green chillies in (hot!), and we transferred into the sleeper carriage. My stomach was still unsettled (so why did you eat green chillies?), and i had to squat as the train was flying along. At least my Africa trip gave me some transferable skills. And train loos are surprsingly clean, or maybe my expectations have lowered. Got to bed about 2am.
Sunday 14th November
Arrived at Jaisalmer at 5am. I let the others talk to the tuk-tuk drivers, i was knackered and there is no point 7 of us trying to talk to one guy! We headed for the first hostel listed in the LP and it was fine. Just 200 rupees ($4.5) for a double. While the others went exploring again, i stayed near the bathroom again. But then the girls and Matt arranged to go on a camel safari that afternoon so I got myself together and we left at 2pm for an overnight foray into the desert.
We got in the back of the jeep and the guy put on some Hindi-techno-pop and we zippped out of town towards the desert; the tunes were uplifting and put us all in a good mood. 6 camels and 3 guides awaiting us in the Thar desert. Its not like you imagine a desert, with many sand dunes, though. The Thar desert, which extends to Pakistan, 100kms away, is mostly scrub and small bushes.
I got on my camel first (his name was Mula and he was six years old) and we had already started to wander away from the pack before the others had even got on their camels. But not to worry as my camel mostly had only one speed which i would define as 'quiet slow'. If you smacked him to go faster, he would speed up for a few steps, and then revert back to default speed of 'quite slow'. Just to be clear, when i say smack, its just a slap with the rope, there is no way i hurt the camel, which might be why he didn't make much effort. He would also respond to a guide making a particular clicking sound, and go a bit faster. So i had fun with my poor impersonation of this sound because the camel couldn't quite work out whether or not he had heard the 'go faster' command or not; i watched his ears perk up as he tried to work it out!
Anyway so i ended up at the back with the others waiting for me and Mula. We passed a few villagers attending to their barren-looking gardens and arrived at our destination, a bush next to a small sand dune, after 3 hours, with very sore bums and inner thighs.
So we were bushcamping. Like being in Africa again, but on a smaller scale. At night, the guides shackle the camels with rope around their front legs so they can't wander off too far (maybe not very fair). Anyway the camels disappeared into the night. I helped the guides to make a small fire and the girls helped make chipatis. The food was great, chipatis, spicy dhal, rice, and Indian chai. After dinner we sat around the fire, under the stars and the guides sang Hindi and Bollywood songs; probably sounds cheesy but who cares, it was great. They showed us a few games you can play with sticks in the sand including tigers v goats, which, surprisingly, the goats often win. The guides were great company and very honest, open people.
Monday 15th November
A very comfortable nights sleep in my sleeping bag. Woke at 7am to the morning light on the desert. The guides had made us toast and jam and hard-boiled eggs. And we were soon back on the camels heading back. After about half an hour i was bit over the whole camel safari thing and couldnt wait to get back! You travel in a single-file so you can't really talk to anyone as you go, and the scenery was ok but not spectacular. It was really starting to drag when we finally stopped. Of course, travelling by camel is like flying; the taking off and the landing are the dangerous bits and Mula nearly threw me off instead of letting me down gently.
Anyway, we were soon back in the jeep, with the same music as yesterday, and back at the hostel by 10am. Some people do 4 or 5 day safaris. I am glad we didn't. We had a great time, and 1 night was enough.
Saturday 13th November
My cold was a bit better but woke up with a bit of Delhi-belly (it had to happen sooner or later). So while the others went sightseeing i played it safe and stayed home. Watched Popeye cartoons and Spiderman in Hindi with the hotel owner's kid.
The guys came back and seems i missed out a bit but not a whole lot. Jaipur was just crazy and full of locals hassling us to buy stuff or start a conversation that would be about sales. And the rewards didn't really seem worth it.
We checked out and when the girls had finished complaining again about the price of the room, we walked 1km to the station (well, the girls got a tuk-tuk). Note, they are not 3 french girls as earlier stated, they are two french girls and a Perisan girl who speaks french.
The train station staff were really helpful and walked us to the right carriage on the right train on the right platform! So 7 of us piled onto the train with our bags and you just have to keep pushing through the crush else you never get anywhere. My seat was in a seperate block from the other guys and there was an Indian lady in my seat. So i pointed to the number on the seat and she shrugged her shoulders and looked down her nose before moving.
I struggled to lift my bag onto the overhead rack and no-one seemed to help for ages, until one guy grabbed one end and helped. I sat down and everyone just sat there in their seats and stared at me, the white man; I tell you, they just sit there and stare, its often the same in the street, at least until i sarcastically wave at them and say 'hello' in English or Hindi. You can maybe accept it from kids but its the adults too.
So I was very hot and bothered when the train rolled out and for those few minutes i hated India and everything about it. And then i calmed down and it was all good. Had a good chat with a businessman. In this part of India, business is conducted in Hindi, whereas around Mumbai they use English. They asked me to speak some Hindi so I said a few words and the guy sitting next to me burst out laughing which annoyed me, so I said to the businessman "why is he laughing at me?', and the businessman said, 'it's okay, it means he appreciates you'. And he made a point of making sure i understood that it was meant in a positive way, not a negative way.
Anyway, there was some space by the other guys so i went to sit by them. It was fun being on the train and having a laugh. Another Indian guy started asking me about the cricket and was disappointed at my lack of enthusiasm. He said i look like Adam Gilchrist, as opposed to the guy in the restaurant the other night who said i look like Ricky Ponting. Anyway, this guy's family lives in the country and they have a camel which they use for agriculture. I was trying understand whether they consider it like a pet and care about it but it got lost in translation. I asked if the camel had a name but he said all camels are called "The ship in the desert".
When the train stops at a station the wretched smell of urine usually engulfs the train so we usually sit with our t-shirts over our noses while waiting to move on. A bit like at school when someone farted.
The train made a scheduled one hour stop in the night so we grabbed some potato pokara, which also have green chillies in (hot!), and we transferred into the sleeper carriage. My stomach was still unsettled (so why did you eat green chillies?), and i had to squat as the train was flying along. At least my Africa trip gave me some transferable skills. And train loos are surprsingly clean, or maybe my expectations have lowered. Got to bed about 2am.
Sunday 14th November
Arrived at Jaisalmer at 5am. I let the others talk to the tuk-tuk drivers, i was knackered and there is no point 7 of us trying to talk to one guy! We headed for the first hostel listed in the LP and it was fine. Just 200 rupees ($4.5) for a double. While the others went exploring again, i stayed near the bathroom again. But then the girls and Matt arranged to go on a camel safari that afternoon so I got myself together and we left at 2pm for an overnight foray into the desert.
We got in the back of the jeep and the guy put on some Hindi-techno-pop and we zippped out of town towards the desert; the tunes were uplifting and put us all in a good mood. 6 camels and 3 guides awaiting us in the Thar desert. Its not like you imagine a desert, with many sand dunes, though. The Thar desert, which extends to Pakistan, 100kms away, is mostly scrub and small bushes.
I got on my camel first (his name was Mula and he was six years old) and we had already started to wander away from the pack before the others had even got on their camels. But not to worry as my camel mostly had only one speed which i would define as 'quiet slow'. If you smacked him to go faster, he would speed up for a few steps, and then revert back to default speed of 'quite slow'. Just to be clear, when i say smack, its just a slap with the rope, there is no way i hurt the camel, which might be why he didn't make much effort. He would also respond to a guide making a particular clicking sound, and go a bit faster. So i had fun with my poor impersonation of this sound because the camel couldn't quite work out whether or not he had heard the 'go faster' command or not; i watched his ears perk up as he tried to work it out!
Anyway so i ended up at the back with the others waiting for me and Mula. We passed a few villagers attending to their barren-looking gardens and arrived at our destination, a bush next to a small sand dune, after 3 hours, with very sore bums and inner thighs.
So we were bushcamping. Like being in Africa again, but on a smaller scale. At night, the guides shackle the camels with rope around their front legs so they can't wander off too far (maybe not very fair). Anyway the camels disappeared into the night. I helped the guides to make a small fire and the girls helped make chipatis. The food was great, chipatis, spicy dhal, rice, and Indian chai. After dinner we sat around the fire, under the stars and the guides sang Hindi and Bollywood songs; probably sounds cheesy but who cares, it was great. They showed us a few games you can play with sticks in the sand including tigers v goats, which, surprisingly, the goats often win. The guides were great company and very honest, open people.
Monday 15th November
A very comfortable nights sleep in my sleeping bag. Woke at 7am to the morning light on the desert. The guides had made us toast and jam and hard-boiled eggs. And we were soon back on the camels heading back. After about half an hour i was bit over the whole camel safari thing and couldnt wait to get back! You travel in a single-file so you can't really talk to anyone as you go, and the scenery was ok but not spectacular. It was really starting to drag when we finally stopped. Of course, travelling by camel is like flying; the taking off and the landing are the dangerous bits and Mula nearly threw me off instead of letting me down gently.
Anyway, we were soon back in the jeep, with the same music as yesterday, and back at the hostel by 10am. Some people do 4 or 5 day safaris. I am glad we didn't. We had a great time, and 1 night was enough.
13.11.10
Amritsar and Jaipur
Tuesday 9th November
Up at 6:10am. Packed up and walked to Delhi Railway Station. Train arrived 20 minutes early and left bang on time. Easy. Pulled away through the suburbs in the morning mist. Mostly young Inidan guys on the train; only two women and one other tourist. They brought us English tea and biscuits, and later some dhal? The rest of the time i slept in my airplane-style aircon window seat. Arrived at Amritsar on time, lunchtime. Tourist info recommded getting a cycle rickshaw to the hostel. Some important minister was in town so we took the long route but still saw some of those gathering to welcome the minister of whom there were posters everywhere. And there were two large, decorated and painted elephants. A rickshaw carrying about 10 skool kids was alongside my cycle rickshaw through town so we exchanged greetings and they giggled at the white man.
Large room at the hostel. Big, but only, room, on the roof. With map and some local help, i made my way to the Golden Temple. This is the holiest building for Sikhs. Entered from the side and the first glimpse of the temple from the approach was awesome. You have to hand in your footwear and cover your head, they gave me an orange bandana. The temple is in the middle of the lake with a path around the lake enclosed by other white buildings. Very picturesque. Lots of people kneeling down, praying. Not many tourists. Music and praying, from loudspeakers, add to the serene atmosphere. Went into the museum which has lots of paintings of important Sikhs down the years, and important battles. Most of the paintings showed Sikhs being tortured or attacked by the Mughals and the British, and the Indian govt.
On my second circuit inside the complex i wanted to see if i could go inside the temple. It seemed you had to make a donation at a ticket booth. So i did. And they gave me a large metal plate with some food and a large leaf (i think the size of the plate and the food is proportional to the donation and I had been happy to pay a bit more as there is no entrance fee). I wasn't sure what to do with the food but a local who was also going into the temple showed me. I carried it almost to the entrance where they take the plate from you and give you back a smaller portion in another smaller leaf. I figured this was so the food could be shared with those who had less.
There was a small queue for the temple and people pushed to enter the main part of the temple. Worshippers stopped to kiss the steps. Inside was a cordened off area where there were garlands of flowers and notes and coins that people had offered. And also there were four musicians and some singers, singing the prayers that could be heard outside. I enjoyed joining in the ceremony and seeing what they did. We also went upstairs, where the walls are beautifully decorated, and looked down on the musicians and the pilgrims entering.
I left as the sun started to set and stopped for dinner on the way home. Roti, rice and thali. Traffic still crazy on the way home, hard to see the cycle rickshaws in the dark, and a motorbike and I nearly collided.
Wednesday 10th November
Woke up in the night feeling a bit nauseous and coughing. Still feel like i have a bit of a cold and the pollution doesnt help. So stayed in bed till midday!
Walked up to the roundabout and to Ram Bagh garden. At the rear is the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panaroma. Inside the building there are some small dioramas and big paintings depicting Sikh scenes. Upstairs is a large panaroma. In a semi-circle there is one large painting depciting various Sikh victories, and in the foreground are life-size models of Sikh and opposition armies (ususally Afghans) fighting. And some battleground sound-effects of swords clashing, horse bleating and people charging. Fun and impressive. Back out across the garden I had a look at the statue of Ranjit Singh himself.
Had ommlette for lunch then came back to the hostel for time out. Then at 4 walked towards the Golden Temple again, stopping off to walk down some side streets of the main bazaar, mostly textile shops. Very old houses above the shops but they must have been sparkling and new once.
Also looked around the Jallianwala Bagh which is a memorial garden to the 400 Indians killed by the British Army as they held a peaceful protest here in 1919. They also had letters on display from, among others, Ghandi, and Winston Churchill (Minister of War), condemning the slaughter.
Four or five times, local guys stopped and asked to have their photo taken with me. A bit annoying really. I'm sure they have seen tourists before, though there aren't many about.
Got to the temple at twilight and walked around again then sat at watched the palace and the people unti it got dark. A couple of locals came over to chat and have their photo taken with me. I walked a bit more, then everyone had stopped and were looking toward the palace and saying a prayer together. A very serence atmosphere in the dark with people saying their prayers and hanging out.
Had culcha (like a naan) with thali on the way home. Met American Matt who is also heading to Jaipur tomorrow so we might catch up.
Thursday 11 November
Yesterday was a year since we started the Africa Trails trip. Got a tuk-tuk with 2 Germans and met Matt too on the platform. Sleeper carriage a bit more cramped than i expected and no sheets. Sat with Indian family who gave me food and sweets as we went along. Fun with the kids for a while but then i got fed up with them, mainly cos my cold was making me grumpy. Locals just throw their rubbish out of the window. Only upside is the people who live by the tracks could recycle some of it, but its still pretty disgusting. And there was a fixit guy on the train and he sewed my strap back onto my manbag and fixed the zip. Sweet.
I was on the top bunk next to the the ceiling and had my big bag by my head and chained up (though it didnt seem like anyone was going to try to steal it). Anyway, bag on the bed meant short bed and so not very comfortable and my cold got much worse so not a very good nights sleep. And the train stopped quite often and blew its horn really loud each time we left a station. And when we could hear another train thundering towards us I was just praying it was on the other track!
Friday 12th November
When we got off the train in the early morning, seven of us got together. 3 french girls, a pommie couple and an American guy. We were all pretty knackered. We booked train tickets to Jaisalmer then had a long walk to the hotel. 5 of us in one room. $3 each.
We headed into Jaipur. As usual, loads of crazy traffic and noise and some camels and cows and horns blaring continuously. Had spinach and cheese for lunch. Then we walked up to the historic pink city and through the bazaar and eventually to the Hawa Mahal which is a pink sandstone structure built in 1799. Well, I have to say, the inside was not particularly impressive and looked a bit fake. We looked out of the small windows down onto the street (which were there so the ladies of the time could do likewise). We left and went out onto that street and then the pink facade was more impressive from there. We had walked for about 4 hours after a rough nights sleep so we were all exhausted and slightly delirious so got a tuk-tuk back to the railway station and walked to the hotel.
Up at 6:10am. Packed up and walked to Delhi Railway Station. Train arrived 20 minutes early and left bang on time. Easy. Pulled away through the suburbs in the morning mist. Mostly young Inidan guys on the train; only two women and one other tourist. They brought us English tea and biscuits, and later some dhal? The rest of the time i slept in my airplane-style aircon window seat. Arrived at Amritsar on time, lunchtime. Tourist info recommded getting a cycle rickshaw to the hostel. Some important minister was in town so we took the long route but still saw some of those gathering to welcome the minister of whom there were posters everywhere. And there were two large, decorated and painted elephants. A rickshaw carrying about 10 skool kids was alongside my cycle rickshaw through town so we exchanged greetings and they giggled at the white man.
Large room at the hostel. Big, but only, room, on the roof. With map and some local help, i made my way to the Golden Temple. This is the holiest building for Sikhs. Entered from the side and the first glimpse of the temple from the approach was awesome. You have to hand in your footwear and cover your head, they gave me an orange bandana. The temple is in the middle of the lake with a path around the lake enclosed by other white buildings. Very picturesque. Lots of people kneeling down, praying. Not many tourists. Music and praying, from loudspeakers, add to the serene atmosphere. Went into the museum which has lots of paintings of important Sikhs down the years, and important battles. Most of the paintings showed Sikhs being tortured or attacked by the Mughals and the British, and the Indian govt.
On my second circuit inside the complex i wanted to see if i could go inside the temple. It seemed you had to make a donation at a ticket booth. So i did. And they gave me a large metal plate with some food and a large leaf (i think the size of the plate and the food is proportional to the donation and I had been happy to pay a bit more as there is no entrance fee). I wasn't sure what to do with the food but a local who was also going into the temple showed me. I carried it almost to the entrance where they take the plate from you and give you back a smaller portion in another smaller leaf. I figured this was so the food could be shared with those who had less.
There was a small queue for the temple and people pushed to enter the main part of the temple. Worshippers stopped to kiss the steps. Inside was a cordened off area where there were garlands of flowers and notes and coins that people had offered. And also there were four musicians and some singers, singing the prayers that could be heard outside. I enjoyed joining in the ceremony and seeing what they did. We also went upstairs, where the walls are beautifully decorated, and looked down on the musicians and the pilgrims entering.
I left as the sun started to set and stopped for dinner on the way home. Roti, rice and thali. Traffic still crazy on the way home, hard to see the cycle rickshaws in the dark, and a motorbike and I nearly collided.
Wednesday 10th November
Woke up in the night feeling a bit nauseous and coughing. Still feel like i have a bit of a cold and the pollution doesnt help. So stayed in bed till midday!
Walked up to the roundabout and to Ram Bagh garden. At the rear is the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panaroma. Inside the building there are some small dioramas and big paintings depicting Sikh scenes. Upstairs is a large panaroma. In a semi-circle there is one large painting depciting various Sikh victories, and in the foreground are life-size models of Sikh and opposition armies (ususally Afghans) fighting. And some battleground sound-effects of swords clashing, horse bleating and people charging. Fun and impressive. Back out across the garden I had a look at the statue of Ranjit Singh himself.
Had ommlette for lunch then came back to the hostel for time out. Then at 4 walked towards the Golden Temple again, stopping off to walk down some side streets of the main bazaar, mostly textile shops. Very old houses above the shops but they must have been sparkling and new once.
Also looked around the Jallianwala Bagh which is a memorial garden to the 400 Indians killed by the British Army as they held a peaceful protest here in 1919. They also had letters on display from, among others, Ghandi, and Winston Churchill (Minister of War), condemning the slaughter.
Four or five times, local guys stopped and asked to have their photo taken with me. A bit annoying really. I'm sure they have seen tourists before, though there aren't many about.
Got to the temple at twilight and walked around again then sat at watched the palace and the people unti it got dark. A couple of locals came over to chat and have their photo taken with me. I walked a bit more, then everyone had stopped and were looking toward the palace and saying a prayer together. A very serence atmosphere in the dark with people saying their prayers and hanging out.
Had culcha (like a naan) with thali on the way home. Met American Matt who is also heading to Jaipur tomorrow so we might catch up.
Thursday 11 November
Yesterday was a year since we started the Africa Trails trip. Got a tuk-tuk with 2 Germans and met Matt too on the platform. Sleeper carriage a bit more cramped than i expected and no sheets. Sat with Indian family who gave me food and sweets as we went along. Fun with the kids for a while but then i got fed up with them, mainly cos my cold was making me grumpy. Locals just throw their rubbish out of the window. Only upside is the people who live by the tracks could recycle some of it, but its still pretty disgusting. And there was a fixit guy on the train and he sewed my strap back onto my manbag and fixed the zip. Sweet.
I was on the top bunk next to the the ceiling and had my big bag by my head and chained up (though it didnt seem like anyone was going to try to steal it). Anyway, bag on the bed meant short bed and so not very comfortable and my cold got much worse so not a very good nights sleep. And the train stopped quite often and blew its horn really loud each time we left a station. And when we could hear another train thundering towards us I was just praying it was on the other track!
Friday 12th November
When we got off the train in the early morning, seven of us got together. 3 french girls, a pommie couple and an American guy. We were all pretty knackered. We booked train tickets to Jaisalmer then had a long walk to the hotel. 5 of us in one room. $3 each.
We headed into Jaipur. As usual, loads of crazy traffic and noise and some camels and cows and horns blaring continuously. Had spinach and cheese for lunch. Then we walked up to the historic pink city and through the bazaar and eventually to the Hawa Mahal which is a pink sandstone structure built in 1799. Well, I have to say, the inside was not particularly impressive and looked a bit fake. We looked out of the small windows down onto the street (which were there so the ladies of the time could do likewise). We left and went out onto that street and then the pink facade was more impressive from there. We had walked for about 4 hours after a rough nights sleep so we were all exhausted and slightly delirious so got a tuk-tuk back to the railway station and walked to the hotel.
8.11.10
Tewkesbury to Delhi
Said goodbye to Mum and Dad at Cheltenham train station at 8:30am. Changed at Reading, but then train terminated a few stops before Gatwick due to 'slippery tracks', so had to change at Redhill.
Arrived at Istanbul. To cut a long story short, it made life easier that my Turkish multiple entry visa is still valid; got stamped in. Collected my bag and then headed for departures. The passport control guy looked at the entry stamp for a while, shook his head and stamped me back out of Turkey.
On the departures board, the flight to Sharjah said delayed by 30 minutes, but when i checked in they said they were going to leave an hour earlier, otherwise the fog would ground us and we would have to wait 8 hours. At the boarding gate nothing happened for a while. But then they said all flights are grounded and we will have to go to the other airport. They made us all put our passports in a shopping basket so they can get our stamps cancelled! Of course, once they were stamped, it took alot longer to hand back 200 passports one-by-one.
Then they herded us out into the fog and onto coaches and we screamed across Istanbul at 1:30am to Ataturk Airport, so I got to see some familiar sights (well apart from the dark and the fog).
We evenutally took off at 4am instead of 1am so obviously I was going to miss my connection from Sharjah to Delhi. In Sharjah, UAE, the airline's transit desk gave the five of us a voucher to take downstairs to the Transit hotel, but they had no rooms left, so after a bit of waiting around they gave us a lunch voucher while they sorted something else out. The something else was sending us to a hotel near the airport. Everybody needs a visa for the UAE but this is straightforward for UK citizens so I got rushed to the front of the long queue and led down outside, still in my fleece, in the 30 degrees heat, to a taxi which brought me to the 3/4 star hotel.
I thought about heading into the city but fell asleep while thinking about it. Got up at 8pm for dinner which they brought to my room. The other guys weren't around and I didnt have any local currency and it would have been a taxi trip and basically I couldn't be bothered!
Sunday 7th November
Got a 4am wake up call even though the taxi wasn't coming until 5am. 5 minutes in the taxi back to the airport. Security checks again, which has become a bit tiresome over the last few days. Nobody stopped me carrying a bottle of water. The airline gave us a breakfast voucher and we got bread and cheese, a piece of cake, orange juice and coffee. More coffee on the plane and a nap, so when we arrived in Delhi i was a bit wired. 5 of us got pre-paid taxi to the main bazaar, near New Delhi Train Station. The turkish guys went their own way and Manuel and Ivana found hotels. I have a good room with en-suite and football. Had a good walk around. It was pretty calm around here, no beggars or big crowds, just the odd guy trying to start up a conversation that would probably lead to no good. Found the Tourists Train Ticket Office, closed until tomorrow. Thali for lunch, no delhi belly so far. Great to watch 2 footy games in my room........
Monday 8th November
..........but today i swapped hotels to one round the corner, as it is 200 rupees (about $5) instead of 350 rupees (about $8) per night. But you get what you pay for; no TV, showers don't seem to work and they suggested i had a bucket shower, and the bed is pretty hard.
Went to the Tourist train ticket office and wished I had got up earlier as there was a long queue. So i sat among lots of other white people, some of whom were dressed as hippies. I got tickets for my first two train journeys and it was cheaper than i expected.
Met up with Manuel and Ivana and we walked to Connaught Place, vegie spring roll for lunch. Then we took the crowded metro to Old Delhi; busier there than here. We walked to the Red Fort, which i visited 15 years ago, and just had a look at the outside (its shut Mondays anyway).
We then headed toward Humayus Tomb (where Obama was yesterday) but underestimated the distance. We passed through Shanti Vana park, and stumbled across Raj Ghat, where there is a square platform with flowers and a flame to mark the spot where Ghandi was cremated.
After a bit more walking the others heading back and I headed towards India Gate. I thought i was lost but it was just a long way. I stopped on the way for a samosa which i thought i would eat as I walked. But they put it on a metal plate, cut it up a little, poured two types of sauce on it, put some raw onion on it and gave to me with a spoon. So I ate it next to the stall while some locals were eating bigger meals. It was spicy and delicious. Eventually came across India Gate, which looks like the Arc De Triomphe and is a memorial to soldiers lost in World War I, including Gallipoli. It looked good in the late afternoon sun, there were lots of locals around. I walked up to Connaught Square, then got a bit lost and it was getting dark so got a cycle rickshaw back to the train station and the hostel.
Arrived at Istanbul. To cut a long story short, it made life easier that my Turkish multiple entry visa is still valid; got stamped in. Collected my bag and then headed for departures. The passport control guy looked at the entry stamp for a while, shook his head and stamped me back out of Turkey.
On the departures board, the flight to Sharjah said delayed by 30 minutes, but when i checked in they said they were going to leave an hour earlier, otherwise the fog would ground us and we would have to wait 8 hours. At the boarding gate nothing happened for a while. But then they said all flights are grounded and we will have to go to the other airport. They made us all put our passports in a shopping basket so they can get our stamps cancelled! Of course, once they were stamped, it took alot longer to hand back 200 passports one-by-one.
Then they herded us out into the fog and onto coaches and we screamed across Istanbul at 1:30am to Ataturk Airport, so I got to see some familiar sights (well apart from the dark and the fog).
We evenutally took off at 4am instead of 1am so obviously I was going to miss my connection from Sharjah to Delhi. In Sharjah, UAE, the airline's transit desk gave the five of us a voucher to take downstairs to the Transit hotel, but they had no rooms left, so after a bit of waiting around they gave us a lunch voucher while they sorted something else out. The something else was sending us to a hotel near the airport. Everybody needs a visa for the UAE but this is straightforward for UK citizens so I got rushed to the front of the long queue and led down outside, still in my fleece, in the 30 degrees heat, to a taxi which brought me to the 3/4 star hotel.
I thought about heading into the city but fell asleep while thinking about it. Got up at 8pm for dinner which they brought to my room. The other guys weren't around and I didnt have any local currency and it would have been a taxi trip and basically I couldn't be bothered!
Sunday 7th November
Got a 4am wake up call even though the taxi wasn't coming until 5am. 5 minutes in the taxi back to the airport. Security checks again, which has become a bit tiresome over the last few days. Nobody stopped me carrying a bottle of water. The airline gave us a breakfast voucher and we got bread and cheese, a piece of cake, orange juice and coffee. More coffee on the plane and a nap, so when we arrived in Delhi i was a bit wired. 5 of us got pre-paid taxi to the main bazaar, near New Delhi Train Station. The turkish guys went their own way and Manuel and Ivana found hotels. I have a good room with en-suite and football. Had a good walk around. It was pretty calm around here, no beggars or big crowds, just the odd guy trying to start up a conversation that would probably lead to no good. Found the Tourists Train Ticket Office, closed until tomorrow. Thali for lunch, no delhi belly so far. Great to watch 2 footy games in my room........
Monday 8th November
..........but today i swapped hotels to one round the corner, as it is 200 rupees (about $5) instead of 350 rupees (about $8) per night. But you get what you pay for; no TV, showers don't seem to work and they suggested i had a bucket shower, and the bed is pretty hard.
Went to the Tourist train ticket office and wished I had got up earlier as there was a long queue. So i sat among lots of other white people, some of whom were dressed as hippies. I got tickets for my first two train journeys and it was cheaper than i expected.
Met up with Manuel and Ivana and we walked to Connaught Place, vegie spring roll for lunch. Then we took the crowded metro to Old Delhi; busier there than here. We walked to the Red Fort, which i visited 15 years ago, and just had a look at the outside (its shut Mondays anyway).
We then headed toward Humayus Tomb (where Obama was yesterday) but underestimated the distance. We passed through Shanti Vana park, and stumbled across Raj Ghat, where there is a square platform with flowers and a flame to mark the spot where Ghandi was cremated.
After a bit more walking the others heading back and I headed towards India Gate. I thought i was lost but it was just a long way. I stopped on the way for a samosa which i thought i would eat as I walked. But they put it on a metal plate, cut it up a little, poured two types of sauce on it, put some raw onion on it and gave to me with a spoon. So I ate it next to the stall while some locals were eating bigger meals. It was spicy and delicious. Eventually came across India Gate, which looks like the Arc De Triomphe and is a memorial to soldiers lost in World War I, including Gallipoli. It looked good in the late afternoon sun, there were lots of locals around. I walked up to Connaught Square, then got a bit lost and it was getting dark so got a cycle rickshaw back to the train station and the hostel.
15.10.10
A wet week in Istanbul
Monday 11th October
After breakfast, went for a long long walk. Aya Sofia, the most famous mosque, is closed on Mondays so went straight to Sultan Ahmet mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles inside. It has 6 minarets, as opposed to the usual 4, and was built between 1606 and 1616. I had a walk around the courtyard, then joined the masses, put my shoes in a bag and headed inside.
For some reason i had not been expecting much so was quite taken aback as i entered and saw the beautiful inside of the mosque; a low square chandelier (probably not original), the stained glass windows, the decorated dome and the tiles, and the size were amazing. Half of the inside is set aside for the locals to pray so it was quite a close fit with so many visitors. I had a good look around, mostly looking up to the walls and ceiling. Very impressed.
I came back to the hostel to put my shorts on (had pants/trousers on for the mosque) then followed the LP walking tour for an hour or so which ended up near the impressive University entrance. Around the side of the Uni were some cobbled streets and I had a sweet deep-fried sugary stick thing that I dont know the name of.
Then I put the LP away and headed towards the water and found myself in the Russian / Central Asian quarter. Many shops signs were in Russian and there were international call centres with only Central Asian call charges listed. This area felt very local and i was glad i stumbled across it. Lots of washing hanging over the street; must be washing day now the sun has come out after 3 days of rain. This was in the districts of Kumkapi and Kadirga.
Got my bearings again with LP and went into a small shop selling kofte, which to me is normally meatballs. But this was different from what i had seen before. He has a big bowl of what looked like paste, and a sauce that looked spicy. He rolled it with some lettuce into a wrap (they call it a sandvich). Anyway, it was delicious. It actually had the taste, heat and texture of Pataks tandoori paste, which is not something you would normally eat out-of-the-jar with lettuce and bread.
Anyway, the kofte guy only spoke English so i got him to write down what is was so i could check later - cig kofte. I got back to the hostel and looked it up online, and in the LP, and it turns out to be raw ground lamb mixed with pounded bulgar (a form of wheat) onion, clove, cinammon, salt and hot black pepper. To be honest if i had known it was raw meat I probably wouldnt have eaten in case i got sick, but glad i did cos it was one of the best things i have eaten on the trip.
This afternoon i walked down to the water again; there were fewer fishermen today of course but still quite a few. I walked about 4kms, past Galata and Ataturk bridges up to Halic Bridge which is also a major highway. I wanted to stand on that bridge to get a view back to the city. When i got underneath the bridge there was a set of stone steps that snaked up to the bridge deck. The steps looked like the sort of steps where drug addicts might loiter, and had lots of graffiti and trash, and I might have turned around but for the police presence across the road at some kind of police station. There were maybe 70 steps up.
Once I got to the top I freaked out a bit because there was only a knee-high barrier between me and the rushing traffic on my left, and a a waist-high railing between me and a 50 metre drop into the water, and the impact of the traffic was making the bridge bounce. I knew I was being a bit irrational but felt pretty uncomfortable up there.
Anyway, got the view and pix I wanted (well they're not great, but nevermind) and descended on the other side. I headed back towards the city sights, not quite sure where I was going but following the water; not many tourists over there! After an hour or so, past all the hardware stores (Husquarva chainsaw, anyone?) I suddenly popped out in familiar territory, next to the Galata Bridge, exactly as planned!?
Had a look round the small fish market. The fish are so fresh, you can see people fishing all day, and some are still bobbing around in the plastic bowls. I headed back over the bridge towards the bazaar and Sultanahmet and the hostel, enjoying the early evening atmosphere again. The forecast is for rain for the next few days which is why i wanted to get out and see a lot today; it might be my last chance.
There are alot of stray cats in Istanbul. Not suprising given how popular fish is here and the amount of scraps they can find. And the locals seem to be friendly towards them. I saw a cat this morning with a damaged front paw, poor thing was limping quite badly. What can you do?
Tuesday
Chat over breakfast with Aussie guy, recommending Berlin, as did Aussie couple in the room. Popped out to get cig kofte again, otherwise just surfing, listening to Radio. Kebab sandwich for dinner and watched England 0 Montenegro 0 on the net. Same old nonsense.
Wednesday
Overslept so missed breakfast so stayed in bed. Burger King for afternoon tea. Skyped with Mum and Dad.
Thursday 14th October
Decided I should finally head to Aya Sofia. I have been leaving it as something to do during this long week. Only a short queue. As you walk through the entrance, the first thing you notice is the enormity of this 'museum', and the height and size of the main dome. It was originally built as a church in 537 by Emperor Justinian and was the greatest church until around 1450 when the Ottomans took over and converted it to a mosque. Ataturk then proclained it a museum in 1935.I don't know much about architecture but it was amazing to think that someone designed and built it so long ago. It looks old too, which is good, lots of the paint has come off and it has some dark spaces. You go up to the gallery to see some large christian mosaics from the 12th century. It wasnt too busy so i took my time and appreciated the vastness and grandeur of this old monument.
Went for another walk down to the Galata Bridge and back, probably for the last time. It started to rain again.
Friday 15th October
Rain again. Breakfast, listening to Chris Moyles, Cig kofte, listening to Radio5.
After breakfast, went for a long long walk. Aya Sofia, the most famous mosque, is closed on Mondays so went straight to Sultan Ahmet mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles inside. It has 6 minarets, as opposed to the usual 4, and was built between 1606 and 1616. I had a walk around the courtyard, then joined the masses, put my shoes in a bag and headed inside.
For some reason i had not been expecting much so was quite taken aback as i entered and saw the beautiful inside of the mosque; a low square chandelier (probably not original), the stained glass windows, the decorated dome and the tiles, and the size were amazing. Half of the inside is set aside for the locals to pray so it was quite a close fit with so many visitors. I had a good look around, mostly looking up to the walls and ceiling. Very impressed.
I came back to the hostel to put my shorts on (had pants/trousers on for the mosque) then followed the LP walking tour for an hour or so which ended up near the impressive University entrance. Around the side of the Uni were some cobbled streets and I had a sweet deep-fried sugary stick thing that I dont know the name of.
Then I put the LP away and headed towards the water and found myself in the Russian / Central Asian quarter. Many shops signs were in Russian and there were international call centres with only Central Asian call charges listed. This area felt very local and i was glad i stumbled across it. Lots of washing hanging over the street; must be washing day now the sun has come out after 3 days of rain. This was in the districts of Kumkapi and Kadirga.
Got my bearings again with LP and went into a small shop selling kofte, which to me is normally meatballs. But this was different from what i had seen before. He has a big bowl of what looked like paste, and a sauce that looked spicy. He rolled it with some lettuce into a wrap (they call it a sandvich). Anyway, it was delicious. It actually had the taste, heat and texture of Pataks tandoori paste, which is not something you would normally eat out-of-the-jar with lettuce and bread.
Anyway, the kofte guy only spoke English so i got him to write down what is was so i could check later - cig kofte. I got back to the hostel and looked it up online, and in the LP, and it turns out to be raw ground lamb mixed with pounded bulgar (a form of wheat) onion, clove, cinammon, salt and hot black pepper. To be honest if i had known it was raw meat I probably wouldnt have eaten in case i got sick, but glad i did cos it was one of the best things i have eaten on the trip.
This afternoon i walked down to the water again; there were fewer fishermen today of course but still quite a few. I walked about 4kms, past Galata and Ataturk bridges up to Halic Bridge which is also a major highway. I wanted to stand on that bridge to get a view back to the city. When i got underneath the bridge there was a set of stone steps that snaked up to the bridge deck. The steps looked like the sort of steps where drug addicts might loiter, and had lots of graffiti and trash, and I might have turned around but for the police presence across the road at some kind of police station. There were maybe 70 steps up.
Once I got to the top I freaked out a bit because there was only a knee-high barrier between me and the rushing traffic on my left, and a a waist-high railing between me and a 50 metre drop into the water, and the impact of the traffic was making the bridge bounce. I knew I was being a bit irrational but felt pretty uncomfortable up there.
Anyway, got the view and pix I wanted (well they're not great, but nevermind) and descended on the other side. I headed back towards the city sights, not quite sure where I was going but following the water; not many tourists over there! After an hour or so, past all the hardware stores (Husquarva chainsaw, anyone?) I suddenly popped out in familiar territory, next to the Galata Bridge, exactly as planned!?
Had a look round the small fish market. The fish are so fresh, you can see people fishing all day, and some are still bobbing around in the plastic bowls. I headed back over the bridge towards the bazaar and Sultanahmet and the hostel, enjoying the early evening atmosphere again. The forecast is for rain for the next few days which is why i wanted to get out and see a lot today; it might be my last chance.
There are alot of stray cats in Istanbul. Not suprising given how popular fish is here and the amount of scraps they can find. And the locals seem to be friendly towards them. I saw a cat this morning with a damaged front paw, poor thing was limping quite badly. What can you do?
Tuesday
Chat over breakfast with Aussie guy, recommending Berlin, as did Aussie couple in the room. Popped out to get cig kofte again, otherwise just surfing, listening to Radio. Kebab sandwich for dinner and watched England 0 Montenegro 0 on the net. Same old nonsense.
Wednesday
Overslept so missed breakfast so stayed in bed. Burger King for afternoon tea. Skyped with Mum and Dad.
Thursday 14th October
Decided I should finally head to Aya Sofia. I have been leaving it as something to do during this long week. Only a short queue. As you walk through the entrance, the first thing you notice is the enormity of this 'museum', and the height and size of the main dome. It was originally built as a church in 537 by Emperor Justinian and was the greatest church until around 1450 when the Ottomans took over and converted it to a mosque. Ataturk then proclained it a museum in 1935.I don't know much about architecture but it was amazing to think that someone designed and built it so long ago. It looks old too, which is good, lots of the paint has come off and it has some dark spaces. You go up to the gallery to see some large christian mosaics from the 12th century. It wasnt too busy so i took my time and appreciated the vastness and grandeur of this old monument.
Went for another walk down to the Galata Bridge and back, probably for the last time. It started to rain again.
Friday 15th October
Rain again. Breakfast, listening to Chris Moyles, Cig kofte, listening to Radio5.
12.10.10
out and about in Istanbul
Friday 8th October
Well it pretty much rained all day, and some thunder and lightning, so stayed in and around bed until mid-afternoon. No-one else staying in the basement, though the tabby cat wanders by now and again. Its like having my own big bedroom. Popped out across the road for an apple and a banana and got soaked. At 3:30 got organised and got the tram as far as Galata Bridge, then walked under the bridge, right next to the water. Paused in the squal to look at the rough water and the bobbing boats, and the mosques surrounded by grey rainclouds. A good moment.
Onto the fenicular to Beyoglu and up Istikal street, past the posh shops to Taksim square and off to Cumhuriyet Street to the Indian embassy. There was quite a queue and they let you in one by one, which adds to the tension if you have some nagging doubt that there might be a problem with your visa, but it was fine. My visa runs until March 8th, which is pretty much what I hoped for.Had a quick look around some side streets, then waited for Gulay at our arranged point. Gulay, my Turkish friend who also lives in Sydney, got stuck in traffic so i was able to people watch for quite a while which was cool. Its a very busy street and people were rushing around trying to avoid the wind and the rain; lots of broken umbrellas.
We met up with Gulay's friend, Meral, and went to a small bar, owned by another friend. Then we moved on to a small bar/cafe and watched the football; unfortunately Germany beat Turkey 3-0. Afterwards, I walked for about a mile in the rain, only to find there was no public transport after midnight, and the rain was lashing down and the water was upto my ankles. But soon after got a taxi home. All good.
Saturday 9th October
Stayed in the hostel. Wet and windy all day....
Sunday 10th October.
Spent the morning listening to podcasts and surfing the web. Then saw that they have changed the forecast for this week from sunny to heavy rain so thought I better get out and about while its not too bad today. Walked through Sultanahmet and down to the shore. Lovely view across the harbour, lots of local guys fishing and one crazy old guy swimming.
Along path under Galata bridge and kept walking along the shoreline to Karakoy, Kabatas, Besiktas and Ortakoy, where there was a small concert, for Breast Cancer awareness i think. Got a chicken and cheese and pepper sandwich which was glorious after the dull kebabs of recent days. Wandered round the back roads, past Besiktas stadium and up to Taksim Square, lots of riot police hanging around. Istanbul has had its fair share of terrorism in the past, so its not surprising. Walked down the famous Istiklal street again and it was absolutley packed with Sunday shoppers, and tourists. Walked all the way down to the shore, rather than taking the fenuicular. Walked through the park to look at Sultan Ahmet mosque at dusk.
Well it pretty much rained all day, and some thunder and lightning, so stayed in and around bed until mid-afternoon. No-one else staying in the basement, though the tabby cat wanders by now and again. Its like having my own big bedroom. Popped out across the road for an apple and a banana and got soaked. At 3:30 got organised and got the tram as far as Galata Bridge, then walked under the bridge, right next to the water. Paused in the squal to look at the rough water and the bobbing boats, and the mosques surrounded by grey rainclouds. A good moment.
Onto the fenicular to Beyoglu and up Istikal street, past the posh shops to Taksim square and off to Cumhuriyet Street to the Indian embassy. There was quite a queue and they let you in one by one, which adds to the tension if you have some nagging doubt that there might be a problem with your visa, but it was fine. My visa runs until March 8th, which is pretty much what I hoped for.Had a quick look around some side streets, then waited for Gulay at our arranged point. Gulay, my Turkish friend who also lives in Sydney, got stuck in traffic so i was able to people watch for quite a while which was cool. Its a very busy street and people were rushing around trying to avoid the wind and the rain; lots of broken umbrellas.
We met up with Gulay's friend, Meral, and went to a small bar, owned by another friend. Then we moved on to a small bar/cafe and watched the football; unfortunately Germany beat Turkey 3-0. Afterwards, I walked for about a mile in the rain, only to find there was no public transport after midnight, and the rain was lashing down and the water was upto my ankles. But soon after got a taxi home. All good.
Saturday 9th October
Stayed in the hostel. Wet and windy all day....
Sunday 10th October.
Spent the morning listening to podcasts and surfing the web. Then saw that they have changed the forecast for this week from sunny to heavy rain so thought I better get out and about while its not too bad today. Walked through Sultanahmet and down to the shore. Lovely view across the harbour, lots of local guys fishing and one crazy old guy swimming.
Along path under Galata bridge and kept walking along the shoreline to Karakoy, Kabatas, Besiktas and Ortakoy, where there was a small concert, for Breast Cancer awareness i think. Got a chicken and cheese and pepper sandwich which was glorious after the dull kebabs of recent days. Wandered round the back roads, past Besiktas stadium and up to Taksim Square, lots of riot police hanging around. Istanbul has had its fair share of terrorism in the past, so its not surprising. Walked down the famous Istiklal street again and it was absolutley packed with Sunday shoppers, and tourists. Walked all the way down to the shore, rather than taking the fenuicular. Walked through the park to look at Sultan Ahmet mosque at dusk.
7.10.10
Istanbul
Monday 4th October
Would have loved to have slept in, having not slept much the last two nights, but things to do. Got my docos together and went to the UK embassy to get a Letter of recommendation, or something, from them for the Indian Embassy, for my Indian visa. Cost over $100. Then off to the Indian emabssy. There was hardly a queue and by 10am i was out of there, Fingers crossed i can collect it on Friday.
Back to the hostel, where Andrew had just got up. We had kebab for early lunch and a wander around the spice market. Neither of us feel like doing too much after a busy couple of weeks. And i am here for another 12 days so i can do my sightseeing when Andrew has gone home. 12 days? Well i thought it would take longer to get the visa sorted so booked my flight accordingly. Nevermind. All good, just sat around surfing. We sat on the hostel roof this arvo overlooking the Bosphorous; an excellent view, blue skies and the sun shining. Its chilly here, alot different from two weeks ago.
Tuesday 5th October
Not much to say really. Slept in late, then went to Macca's for lunch, Andrew's choice, as opposed to my choice of Burger King yesterday; its the only cheap food around except Kebabs of which i have eaten too many in the last couple of months. We had a quick look around the outside of the Blue Mosque. Will have a proper look another day, plus you have to wear long pants. Our bunk is in the hostel basement with 10 other bunks. No wallpaper or even plaster, just the bricks and mortar and some Egyptian art, and Native American arrows on the wall. So, its got character. Its peaceful and clean here and i negotiated a long stay rate with the manager.
Wednesday 6th October
Another long lazy day, by choice. As I say, Andrew isnt fussed about the sights so i will do them by myself next week. So today, i got up for the free breakfast, chatted to an Aussie couple, had a lie down while we waited for the power, and therefore the router, to come back on and surfed until lunchtime. Went out for a kebab and came back for more surfing. The joy of free wi-fi. We just went out to watch the baseball in the pub, Andrew's choice, but it wasnt on, despite the poster outside. So grabbed another kebab and came back. Its drizzling and cold so good for staying in.
Thursday 7th October.
Up for breakfast,despite warm bed and cool surroundings. Said goodbye to Andrew as he returns to Canada today. That makes me the last Af Trailer to leave Istanbul, and the first time I have been 'travelling', or in this case staying in the same place, by myself since Barcelona last November.
This morning I went to Topkapi Palace, one of the main sights of Istanbul. And it was good for 3 hours of wandering around. It was very busy in places and it was a bit of a crush and like being herded sheep. Also you were not allowed to take photos of any of the old artifacts. I managed without the audio guide and just used my LP to get around.
The palace was first lived in in 1453 and was home for the Ottoman Sultans until 1839. Highlights included some old Ottoman carriages, The Imperial Chamber where the council would meet to dicsuss imperial affairs while the Sultan listened in from behind a grille (why wasn't he invited in if he is the Big Cheese?). There were aso some imperial robes, kaftans and uniforms on display. The kaftans (cloaks) were so big you could have got a small family into one, nevermind one Sultan. They also had some of Prophet Mohammed's hair, his tooth and his sword, as well as lots of information about his life.
And there was a man seated near the exit of one of the rooms and he was, i think, making the call to prayer, or he might have been reciting the Koran. I guess i should have asked him, but it would have been rude to interrupt. But having heard the call to prayer so often in the last few months it was good to actually see a face behind the voice.
Other treasures included huge gold and diamond candlesticks, the Spoonmaker's diamond which is 86 carats and the fifth biggest diamond in the world, and the Topkapi dagger which features 3 enormous emeralds. A gaggle of Italian ladies were practically drooling over the ancient jewellery box that was stuffed with huge emeralds. Just after observing this i noticed they had pinned me into a corner of the room when i had been trying to just stay in the middle of the room, look over people's shoulders and avoid the herding.
The outside courtyard had a lots more room. There were good views of the Bosphorous and the mosques and bridges of the city. Three other pavillions, built at different times, are joined by a marble terrace, and outside and inside they have lovely tiled walls and patterned domes inside.
Well i have plenty of time on my hands while i wait for my Indian visa. Will upload some pix to facebook.
Would have loved to have slept in, having not slept much the last two nights, but things to do. Got my docos together and went to the UK embassy to get a Letter of recommendation, or something, from them for the Indian Embassy, for my Indian visa. Cost over $100. Then off to the Indian emabssy. There was hardly a queue and by 10am i was out of there, Fingers crossed i can collect it on Friday.
Back to the hostel, where Andrew had just got up. We had kebab for early lunch and a wander around the spice market. Neither of us feel like doing too much after a busy couple of weeks. And i am here for another 12 days so i can do my sightseeing when Andrew has gone home. 12 days? Well i thought it would take longer to get the visa sorted so booked my flight accordingly. Nevermind. All good, just sat around surfing. We sat on the hostel roof this arvo overlooking the Bosphorous; an excellent view, blue skies and the sun shining. Its chilly here, alot different from two weeks ago.
Tuesday 5th October
Not much to say really. Slept in late, then went to Macca's for lunch, Andrew's choice, as opposed to my choice of Burger King yesterday; its the only cheap food around except Kebabs of which i have eaten too many in the last couple of months. We had a quick look around the outside of the Blue Mosque. Will have a proper look another day, plus you have to wear long pants. Our bunk is in the hostel basement with 10 other bunks. No wallpaper or even plaster, just the bricks and mortar and some Egyptian art, and Native American arrows on the wall. So, its got character. Its peaceful and clean here and i negotiated a long stay rate with the manager.
Wednesday 6th October
Another long lazy day, by choice. As I say, Andrew isnt fussed about the sights so i will do them by myself next week. So today, i got up for the free breakfast, chatted to an Aussie couple, had a lie down while we waited for the power, and therefore the router, to come back on and surfed until lunchtime. Went out for a kebab and came back for more surfing. The joy of free wi-fi. We just went out to watch the baseball in the pub, Andrew's choice, but it wasnt on, despite the poster outside. So grabbed another kebab and came back. Its drizzling and cold so good for staying in.
Thursday 7th October.
Up for breakfast,despite warm bed and cool surroundings. Said goodbye to Andrew as he returns to Canada today. That makes me the last Af Trailer to leave Istanbul, and the first time I have been 'travelling', or in this case staying in the same place, by myself since Barcelona last November.
This morning I went to Topkapi Palace, one of the main sights of Istanbul. And it was good for 3 hours of wandering around. It was very busy in places and it was a bit of a crush and like being herded sheep. Also you were not allowed to take photos of any of the old artifacts. I managed without the audio guide and just used my LP to get around.
The palace was first lived in in 1453 and was home for the Ottoman Sultans until 1839. Highlights included some old Ottoman carriages, The Imperial Chamber where the council would meet to dicsuss imperial affairs while the Sultan listened in from behind a grille (why wasn't he invited in if he is the Big Cheese?). There were aso some imperial robes, kaftans and uniforms on display. The kaftans (cloaks) were so big you could have got a small family into one, nevermind one Sultan. They also had some of Prophet Mohammed's hair, his tooth and his sword, as well as lots of information about his life.
And there was a man seated near the exit of one of the rooms and he was, i think, making the call to prayer, or he might have been reciting the Koran. I guess i should have asked him, but it would have been rude to interrupt. But having heard the call to prayer so often in the last few months it was good to actually see a face behind the voice.
Other treasures included huge gold and diamond candlesticks, the Spoonmaker's diamond which is 86 carats and the fifth biggest diamond in the world, and the Topkapi dagger which features 3 enormous emeralds. A gaggle of Italian ladies were practically drooling over the ancient jewellery box that was stuffed with huge emeralds. Just after observing this i noticed they had pinned me into a corner of the room when i had been trying to just stay in the middle of the room, look over people's shoulders and avoid the herding.
The outside courtyard had a lots more room. There were good views of the Bosphorous and the mosques and bridges of the city. Three other pavillions, built at different times, are joined by a marble terrace, and outside and inside they have lovely tiled walls and patterned domes inside.
Well i have plenty of time on my hands while i wait for my Indian visa. Will upload some pix to facebook.
4.10.10
Dohuk to Istanbul
Friday 1st October
October already. I realised I had left my 'hunting' knife/fork/spoon set in the taxi yesterday. Its very useful and was a gift from Monty so wanted to get it back. Tried to communicate this to the staff at the hotel since they know the taxi driver. They went away and brought me a plate and fork! After a bit more sign language and another hotel guest's English, they called the driver and he brought it round about half an hour later.
We got a taxi to the garage and waited about 20 mintues for two more people for the shared taxi to Dohuk; that is the longest we have had to wait. This taxi driver was actually quite sensible and we could relax; there were also fewer cars on the road cos its Friday, Islam's holy day. We switched taxis about 50kms out of Dohuk and they delivered us right to the hotel. Dohuk was quiet.
This evening we went to Dream City which is an amusement park about 1km out of town, complete with rollercoaster, ferris wheel, bumper cars and games arcade. Groups of young men, and young women, but not together because thats not really allowed. As often happens, quite a few guys have come up to chat with us, which is good. We sat on the grass and watched the Crazy Disco' which was a sit-down spinning wheel thing. Booming Kurdish/dance music, flashing lights and dry ice. A very entertaining evening.
Saturday 2nd October
After a bit of internet, shopping and a hamburger and chickpea greasy soup for breakfast, we got a taxi from Dohuk to Zahko, for the border crossing back to Turkey. The valley looked great in the clear blue skies. We first had to hand in our passports and get a stamp out of Iraqi Kurdistan. Then after a while, into a share taxi with two Turkish guys. When we got towards the Turkish customs there was a long queue of cars and we had to wait around for maybe two hours which was frustrating; even our taxi driver seemed surprised. They only had a cursory check of our bags. Eventually we got stamped into Turkey, using multiple entry visa from before.
The driver took us as far Cizre, which was great, further than we had expected to go. We considered our options, but since we both felt we had seen enough sights in southern Turkey we decided to head for Istanbul ASAP. At least 24 hours. We waited for 3 hours and then got on the bus at 7pm. At one stop we were surrounded by 8 or 9 young teenagers. They were just curious and laughing at and with us. Cheeky ones ran onto the bus to steal cartons of water, no one seemed to care.
Sunday 3rd October
I couldnt really get to sleep, until about 2:30am. Then we had to change bus at 530am, and get on another at 9am which was a bit grim. But the scenery today has been great, and they have screens on the back of the seats, so been watching MTV this afternoon, mainly Depeche Mode montage. And they give you cake and coffee or cola. We stopped at the bus station in Ankara, and from what I saw, it looked nice. Clean.
We got caught in some heavy traffic and rain around 7pm so we didnt get to Istanbul until 12:30am, lots of stops on the way. But, fair play, the same bus company puts on free shuttles to certain parts of the city, so we got that so far and then a taxi to Sultanahmet, to the hostel we stayed at before. So it took us 38 hours to get from Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan to Istanbul. Phew.
October already. I realised I had left my 'hunting' knife/fork/spoon set in the taxi yesterday. Its very useful and was a gift from Monty so wanted to get it back. Tried to communicate this to the staff at the hotel since they know the taxi driver. They went away and brought me a plate and fork! After a bit more sign language and another hotel guest's English, they called the driver and he brought it round about half an hour later.
We got a taxi to the garage and waited about 20 mintues for two more people for the shared taxi to Dohuk; that is the longest we have had to wait. This taxi driver was actually quite sensible and we could relax; there were also fewer cars on the road cos its Friday, Islam's holy day. We switched taxis about 50kms out of Dohuk and they delivered us right to the hotel. Dohuk was quiet.
This evening we went to Dream City which is an amusement park about 1km out of town, complete with rollercoaster, ferris wheel, bumper cars and games arcade. Groups of young men, and young women, but not together because thats not really allowed. As often happens, quite a few guys have come up to chat with us, which is good. We sat on the grass and watched the Crazy Disco' which was a sit-down spinning wheel thing. Booming Kurdish/dance music, flashing lights and dry ice. A very entertaining evening.
Saturday 2nd October
After a bit of internet, shopping and a hamburger and chickpea greasy soup for breakfast, we got a taxi from Dohuk to Zahko, for the border crossing back to Turkey. The valley looked great in the clear blue skies. We first had to hand in our passports and get a stamp out of Iraqi Kurdistan. Then after a while, into a share taxi with two Turkish guys. When we got towards the Turkish customs there was a long queue of cars and we had to wait around for maybe two hours which was frustrating; even our taxi driver seemed surprised. They only had a cursory check of our bags. Eventually we got stamped into Turkey, using multiple entry visa from before.
The driver took us as far Cizre, which was great, further than we had expected to go. We considered our options, but since we both felt we had seen enough sights in southern Turkey we decided to head for Istanbul ASAP. At least 24 hours. We waited for 3 hours and then got on the bus at 7pm. At one stop we were surrounded by 8 or 9 young teenagers. They were just curious and laughing at and with us. Cheeky ones ran onto the bus to steal cartons of water, no one seemed to care.
Sunday 3rd October
I couldnt really get to sleep, until about 2:30am. Then we had to change bus at 530am, and get on another at 9am which was a bit grim. But the scenery today has been great, and they have screens on the back of the seats, so been watching MTV this afternoon, mainly Depeche Mode montage. And they give you cake and coffee or cola. We stopped at the bus station in Ankara, and from what I saw, it looked nice. Clean.
We got caught in some heavy traffic and rain around 7pm so we didnt get to Istanbul until 12:30am, lots of stops on the way. But, fair play, the same bus company puts on free shuttles to certain parts of the city, so we got that so far and then a taxi to Sultanahmet, to the hostel we stayed at before. So it took us 38 hours to get from Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan to Istanbul. Phew.
1.10.10
Iraqi Kurdistan continued
Tuesday 28th September
A guy working in the hotel reception, who lived in Wolverhampton for 5 years, got us into a taxi to the garage. There, we were joined by two married sisters and off we went to Koya on our way to Sulaymaniyah (Slemani). One reason to go via Koya, is so that the driver doesn't go via dangerous Kirkuk. Anyway, we easily caught another shared taxi in Koya, with a local guy who spoke near perfect English with a BBC newsbroadcaster accent. Has a good chat with him about politics, religion and not touching a girl until you are married; he is engaged. He was good company and when we got to Slemani garage he told the next taxi where to take us. We ended up in a different hotel from planned but its nice and has a proper loo, as opposed to squat loos we have had for the last week.
Went for a walk, and quickly got picked up by a local guy who now lives in Darlington. He took us for a tasty burger, tea at his best friend's tea stall and for a game of pool. At the back of the pool hall were big framed posters of scantily-clad western women, taken straight from FHM and Loaded. An eye-opener. Anyway, i went in-off on the black and lost. Bu he had played dirty and called himself Ronnie O'Sullivan, so i wasn't bitter. At all.
Andrew and I walked to the Slemani museum where they had lots of old pottery and artifacts from as far back as 15000BC. Just a quick look around. Then we went to Amna Suraka (Red Security). This is a complex where Saddam's regime imprisoned and tortured Kurds in the late 80's and early 90's until 1991 when the Kurdish Peshmerga attacked and freed the inmates, in a gun battle; you can still see the bullet marks in the walls, and there are tanks in the yard. We went into one building, and along the dark corridor, know as the Hall of Mirrors, there are 182,000 shards of mirrored glass on the wall, one for every each of Chemical Ali's victims. And it was quite spooky walking in the dark with the occasional flicker of light from the mirrors, it was difficult to see uphead.
There was a film crew in the complex and one of the guys showed us the prison and torture rooms. They had a few dummies to show how the inmates were treated and it wasnt very pleasant. And he showed us some enlarged photos of child victims of Chemical Ali.
We went and sat in the park for a while then came back into town and wandered around the streets and the bazaar. There were loads of people in the early evening, buying groceries and eating kebabs and sitting talking to friends. We had kebab for dinner, the kebabs are better here, mince meat and thinner bread.
Wednesday 29th September
A bit of a sleep in, then taxi to garage, then to Koya. At Koya shared taxi with two Iranian guys. Guy next to me talking Farsi (Iranian) even though we didnt understand each other. We got stopped again today at an army checkpoint. They looked at our passports and did a cursory check of our bags. No worries. Local taxi back into Erbil (Hawler). Cool to be back somewhere familiar after so many new places every day. Another kebab for lunch and around the bazaar. Bought some super-super glue and fixed up my beloved sandals. Watched Starsky and Hutch in our room then out to Ainkawa in a taxi for pizza; anything but kebab, which is the only food you can get in the city centre.
Kawon, the English-speaking guy in the hotel, has organised a day out for us tomorrow.
Thursday 30th September
So Andrew and I left in the organised taxi at 8am, destination being Haji Omaran along the Hamilton Road as far as the Iranian border, a 7 hour round-trip with great scenery and waterfalls along the way, very highly rated by the LP. On the edge of town We passed the lovely Jalil Khayat Mosque, which is like the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
There were quite a few army checkpoints but they checked our passports and waved us through. We stopped a few times to look at Ali Gali Beg canyon below, it got better as went. But when we were about 50kms from Haji Omaran, the army checkpoint stopped us and made us get out of the taxi. They were really friendly and polite but said that we could not go any further, 'its dangerous for you'. They also asked us a few times if we were journalists. And also, the Americans who were hiking and ended up in prison in Iran recently had started out from just south of here. The guy kept looking into our eyes and checking to see if we kept eye-contact, to see if we were being honest. Anyway, he gave me a friendly slap on the arm and said 'sorry', and we turned around. Pretty disappointed since we have missed out on a special place i think. We came back to Bekhal Waterfall where we climbed up the steps alongside the water, with loads of other people. Chat with locals about football and England.
Moved on to Gali Ali Beg waterfall which is Iraq's most famous waterfall, very popular with tourists and featured on the 5000 dinar banknote. In the natural pool under the waterfall, people were going round in full size dinghies. Slightly bizarre, but they were having fun. We came back through a small few towns and stopped for over-priced Kebab. So we were quite disappointed that we didn't make it to the end of the Hamilton Road, it would have been the icing on the cake for our Kurdistan trip. Oh well.
A guy working in the hotel reception, who lived in Wolverhampton for 5 years, got us into a taxi to the garage. There, we were joined by two married sisters and off we went to Koya on our way to Sulaymaniyah (Slemani). One reason to go via Koya, is so that the driver doesn't go via dangerous Kirkuk. Anyway, we easily caught another shared taxi in Koya, with a local guy who spoke near perfect English with a BBC newsbroadcaster accent. Has a good chat with him about politics, religion and not touching a girl until you are married; he is engaged. He was good company and when we got to Slemani garage he told the next taxi where to take us. We ended up in a different hotel from planned but its nice and has a proper loo, as opposed to squat loos we have had for the last week.
Went for a walk, and quickly got picked up by a local guy who now lives in Darlington. He took us for a tasty burger, tea at his best friend's tea stall and for a game of pool. At the back of the pool hall were big framed posters of scantily-clad western women, taken straight from FHM and Loaded. An eye-opener. Anyway, i went in-off on the black and lost. Bu he had played dirty and called himself Ronnie O'Sullivan, so i wasn't bitter. At all.
Andrew and I walked to the Slemani museum where they had lots of old pottery and artifacts from as far back as 15000BC. Just a quick look around. Then we went to Amna Suraka (Red Security). This is a complex where Saddam's regime imprisoned and tortured Kurds in the late 80's and early 90's until 1991 when the Kurdish Peshmerga attacked and freed the inmates, in a gun battle; you can still see the bullet marks in the walls, and there are tanks in the yard. We went into one building, and along the dark corridor, know as the Hall of Mirrors, there are 182,000 shards of mirrored glass on the wall, one for every each of Chemical Ali's victims. And it was quite spooky walking in the dark with the occasional flicker of light from the mirrors, it was difficult to see uphead.
There was a film crew in the complex and one of the guys showed us the prison and torture rooms. They had a few dummies to show how the inmates were treated and it wasnt very pleasant. And he showed us some enlarged photos of child victims of Chemical Ali.
We went and sat in the park for a while then came back into town and wandered around the streets and the bazaar. There were loads of people in the early evening, buying groceries and eating kebabs and sitting talking to friends. We had kebab for dinner, the kebabs are better here, mince meat and thinner bread.
Wednesday 29th September
A bit of a sleep in, then taxi to garage, then to Koya. At Koya shared taxi with two Iranian guys. Guy next to me talking Farsi (Iranian) even though we didnt understand each other. We got stopped again today at an army checkpoint. They looked at our passports and did a cursory check of our bags. No worries. Local taxi back into Erbil (Hawler). Cool to be back somewhere familiar after so many new places every day. Another kebab for lunch and around the bazaar. Bought some super-super glue and fixed up my beloved sandals. Watched Starsky and Hutch in our room then out to Ainkawa in a taxi for pizza; anything but kebab, which is the only food you can get in the city centre.
Kawon, the English-speaking guy in the hotel, has organised a day out for us tomorrow.
Thursday 30th September
So Andrew and I left in the organised taxi at 8am, destination being Haji Omaran along the Hamilton Road as far as the Iranian border, a 7 hour round-trip with great scenery and waterfalls along the way, very highly rated by the LP. On the edge of town We passed the lovely Jalil Khayat Mosque, which is like the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
There were quite a few army checkpoints but they checked our passports and waved us through. We stopped a few times to look at Ali Gali Beg canyon below, it got better as went. But when we were about 50kms from Haji Omaran, the army checkpoint stopped us and made us get out of the taxi. They were really friendly and polite but said that we could not go any further, 'its dangerous for you'. They also asked us a few times if we were journalists. And also, the Americans who were hiking and ended up in prison in Iran recently had started out from just south of here. The guy kept looking into our eyes and checking to see if we kept eye-contact, to see if we were being honest. Anyway, he gave me a friendly slap on the arm and said 'sorry', and we turned around. Pretty disappointed since we have missed out on a special place i think. We came back to Bekhal Waterfall where we climbed up the steps alongside the water, with loads of other people. Chat with locals about football and England.
Moved on to Gali Ali Beg waterfall which is Iraq's most famous waterfall, very popular with tourists and featured on the 5000 dinar banknote. In the natural pool under the waterfall, people were going round in full size dinghies. Slightly bizarre, but they were having fun. We came back through a small few towns and stopped for over-priced Kebab. So we were quite disappointed that we didn't make it to the end of the Hamilton Road, it would have been the icing on the cake for our Kurdistan trip. Oh well.
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