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.
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