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.
28.11.10
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.
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