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Published: June 18th 2009
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It's hard to know where to start with India, it's certainly unique and Ive definitely never had such a love/hate relationship with a country before. There were so many things to hate about it- the filth, the poverty, open sewers, attitudes towards women, the constant hassle, the relentless staring etc but at the same time there was something about it that just made me love it despite all of these things.
I didnt have a great start in India, before my first day in Mumbai (Bombay) was over I had been shouted at, hissed at, followed, groped and ripped off by a Rickshaw-wallah! The hassle didnt really get much better but I soon learned to block it out and ignore it as much as possible. So I spent a few days checking out the sights of Mumbai and also starring in a Bollywood movie!! Ok, so maybe not starring in, but I was recruited to be an extra which was fun! Before heading north to Aurrangabad where I had my first experience of the delights of Indian local buses on the way to Ellora. It took me at least an hour just to figure out which bus I was meant
to get on as no-one spoke English and I was just repeatedly met with the 'Indian shaky-head wobble' (there is a very fine distinction between the yes head wobble and the no head wobble which I had yet to learn!) in response to my pointing at buses and repeating the name of the place I wanted to go to in a loud voice! But I did eventually make it on to the right bus along with the other 100 people that they somehow managed to cram on and spent the following 40 mins crushed between a pillar and 6 Indian men and being started at with intense curious disdain by the entire bus! But it was definitely worth it when I arrived at Ellora as it was amazing. Over 5 centuries from AD 300 generations of Monks carved monasteries, chapels and temples into a 2km stretch of cliff all adorned with the most amazingly detailed carvings. What is even more interesting is that of the 32 caves 12 are Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain. As I was the only foreigner at the caves I became quite an attraction and often had to stop to shake hands with lines of
people who queued up to say hello, I also gained an entourage of about 8 small indian children who followed me around giggling for the entire 5 hours that I was there!
After a few consecutive overnight bus journeys I made it up to Rajasthan to meet up with a lad who I first met in Laos as I decided that having a bit of male company may take a little of the stress out of travelling in India! Rajasthan was amazing although going to the desert in the middle of summer was perhaps not the best thought out plan as the temperatures got as high as 48'C and travelling on the train with a million people, no AC (I was being cheap and going 3rd class!) and sand storms was just not fun! But still I survived and didnt regret going as Rajasthan is the land of Maharajahs, Castles, Forts and Palaces. My particular favourite was Jaislmer fort which just looks like a sand castle in the sky! The low point however, was probably when we asked the bus driver if he was going to Jaipur, he heard Jodphur, and we ended up going 9 hours in completely
the wrong direction through the desert on a bus without a fan in 45'C only then to have to get straight back on another bus to go back 9 hours to where we started and then to finally do the 6 hours to where it was that we had originally wanted to go!!!
After 3 weeks in the desert Jack left to return to Delhi ready to fly home and I made my way to Agra to see the Taj. Described as the most extravagant monument built for love, surprisingly it did actually live up to the hype and was stunning. Built by Emperor Shah Mumtaz as a memorial for his wife who died during child birth, sadly soon after the taj was completed Shah was overthrown by his son and imprisoned in Agra fort where he spent the rest of his life gazing at the Taj from the window of is cell!
My next stop was Varanasi, one for the most intense places Ive ever visited. Built on the banks of 'Mother Ganga' Varanasi, the city of Shiva is one of the holiest places in India, where Hindu pilgrims come to wash away a lifetime of sins
in the Ganges or cremate loved ones at one of the burning ghats. The entire cities intimate rituals of life and death all take place in public on the ghats. Taking a day to walk the length of the ghats was one of the most fascinating experiences, from pilgrims performing 'puja' (offerings to the rising sun and the river gods), ritual bathing, stoned Sadus (Hindu holymen), commercial laundry washing, people doing yoga, washing their buffaloes, playing cricket or just hanging about, everything happens down at the ghats.
After the assault on the senses that was Varanasi I decided I needed a rest and so headed for the hills and the much more laid back lifestyle of Darjeeling. I had a fantastic time in Darjeeling, surrounded by tea plantations and Tibetan monasteries I wiled away a good few days sipping tea, gazing at the Himalayan vistas and playing on the toy train!
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