A great Holi-day

When we were planning this trip last year, there were so many places we wanted to visit before we arrived in London. Nepal was a definite, China a close second, but when it came down to the logistics and cost, India was the ideal choice. We went to a slide night for World Expeditions talking about Nepal. They said if you are going to Nepal, you might as well spend a few days in India to see the Taj Mahal. That was the final selling point.

We had heard all the stories about India and the common thing people said was you will either love or hate it… be prepared for something out of this world… Well, we were stuck in between - we didn’t love but we didn’t hate it. I guess we were much closer to loving it though, as we already have plans to come back one day.

We warned about the chaos to expect at the airport, the heat and the retched smell. Maybe Nepal had prepared us well, as we stepped out of the plane onto the tarmac, I breathed heavily - but no rotten stench. Then after an hour in line to clear through customs, it was out the front door to a waiting taxi - but no chaos of people trying to get our business - perhaps it was because it was about 8pm. Then the taxi ride blew us away. We were expecting to see more of the same as Kathmandu, but were surprised to see proper 4 lane highways, lots of green trees and nice cars on the road. Perhaps for most visitors to India, the initial taxi ride would be very scary, no one seems to stay in their lane and there is lots of tooting. But we were now accustomed to it - in fact, we really looked forward to taxi rides!

Then we reached our destination of Karol Bagh and that’s when the madness appeared. It took about 30 minutes to get from the airport to here, but then another half an hour to actually navigate through Karol Bagh’s street markets to find our hotel. As we arrived at the hotel reception, we were about to experience our first taste of dodgy India. The hotel we had paid good money for were “overbooked” so we were shipped a few streets away to another hotel. 1 minute in there - they were also booked out - and we were over to another hotel across the road. Guess what! BOOKED. Finally we arrived at the fourth hotel in 10 minutes where they did have a room - but it was a very dodgy room - without airconditioning (I didn’t sleep that night at all). At least we got a free breakfast Woo-hoo.

The next day was the start of our tour and we met the rest of our group of 12. Mai from our Nepal trip was also onboard for this one as was Damian from Ireland, Lisa and Julie from England, Shera from the US, Jennifer from England (but originally from France and Scotland), her friend Virginie from France now living in Italy, Ruth from New Zealand but originally from England and Peter and Sylvia from Switzerland. Again we were lucky to have such a great group of people, all very friendly and easy to get a long with. We also met our tour leader Abi, who we could tell was going to be a lot of fun.

Our first day was an introduction to Delhi. The first order of business was lunch! We headed around the corner and into a really nice restaurant where we all had our first taste of traditional Indian food. It was the first time also that we got to know everyone’s hygiene habits - a hand towel before every meal. Shelley and I felt bad, the only hygiene we were used to was washing our hands with disinfectant when we needed to.

We headed out into the madness and to the Delhi train network. The network is literally only a few years old and made London’s underground look very, very average. Nice big stations, plenty of trains, air conditioning, the only problem was that every train that stopped was crammed full of people. This was the first time on the trip that Abi would be stressed trying to keep everyone together. It felt as if we were on a school excursion. Abi would lead the way with his hand in the air and we would follow.

Eventually we made it to Old Delhi - one of the 7 cities that make up Delhi. The madness that presented itself when we appeared from the underground is more like what we had expected all of India to be. The smells, sights and very loud sounds is what everyone had told us about. It was dirty and busy, but we loved it. Straight away we all jumped on pedal carts and were whisked directly into a traffic jam (mostly of other carts). It took about 15 minutes to go all of 500 metres. At one stage I looked towards the street stalls and saw a boy of about 10 either try to steal something or accidently knock over something. He ran off but the stall owner quickly caught him - but had 2 hands around his neck and lifted him 4 foot off the ground - back to clean up the mess. Punishment looks harsh here.

Eventually we arrived at a huge mosque (sorry, the name has left me). I thought I was OK in wearing long shorts that covered my knees, but unfortunately I had to wear a hand-made skirt made from a blanket (see the photo). The place was huge and many locals came up to us for a chat and photos.

Next we went by foot through all the back alleyways, past amazing stalls that had all types of spices and antiques. Eventually we arrived at another busy street, home to another place of worship, a Sikh Temple. I had seen this place before, they regularly had a TV program that featured the same room (I saw it on one of the many times I was flicking through the hundreds of Indian TV channels). This place of worship required us to wear special bandana’s to cover our heads - bright orange ones. We weren’t allowed to wear shoes or socks, our feet were washed before we went in. The temple was quite big inside and very opulent. We had a quick tour around and then headed back to collect our shoes. On the way out we were treated to weird, warm food creation as a gift of thanks (for our small donation).

Then it was back on the metro and to the central location of Connaught Place. It felt as if we were in a western city - Mcdonalds, Gap, all the big names in this giant shopping circle. Abi left us to our own devices for the evening, and a group of 5 of us decided to enjoy one more western style meal at TGI Friday’s!

The next morning was an early start. As we headed outside of our hotel, we were surprised to see how quiet it was - not a soul in sight. Tuk-tuks had been organised to ferry us to the train station (a tuk-tuk is a three wheeler little buggy thing). The train we were to catch took 3 hours to arrive at our next destination - Agra - home of the Taj Mahal. It was a long trip, but nice to see the countryside, very barren.

When we arrived at Agra, we jumped into a bus and headed to the hotel. Agra seemed to be a smaller but just as mad version of Delhi. The wide streets and green trees were everywhere. The plan was to see the Taj Mahal that evening, but unfortunately it was closed for a few hours. The reason Abi said was that the prime minister of Tasmania was in town - yes Tasmania. Us aussies had a good laugh, it was in fact the prime minister of Tanzania. After dropping our things off at the hotel, it was off to the giant Red Fort, an amazing place. We were taken on a tour of the fort, however they said we only actually saw 25% of it. The carvings and architecture was amazing, it was awesome to think how long this place had been around for. Hearing the ways that they beat the heat by building huge windows, makeshift airconditioning by putting water in the walls. We also got our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal in the distance - it was a great vantage point. At one stage the tour leader said we could go into a special room, but of course had to pay the grounds keeper extra money to do so - another Indian scam we thought. We left the fort very impressed.

Next up was a trip to a local carpet factory where they showed us how they designed, made and then sold the carpets. Of course they spent the most amount of time trying to sell us carpet. Even though they looked great, they were way out of our price range. Perhaps if we had already planned to buy carpets before arriving, we may have bought one. Ruth was the only one that bought something and she received a huge round of applause.

The afternoon we were left to do our own thing. Shelley and I ventured across the road of the hotel to a huge shopping complex. Lots of shops but not many people. That night the group got together again and had another great Indian meal, this time a buffet. I was really enjoying the food, so many flavours and dishes, I had to give everything at least one try. Plus there was always room for seconds.

The next morning was another early one - but for very good reason. It was time to see the Taj Mahal. We had been disappointed that we might have missed out, but Intrepid said that would never happen. We arrived at the front gate at about 6.30am, along with hundreds of other people. The place was amazing, we spent a good 2-3 hours there, but was no where near long enough. And me being a fool with a video camera got scammed once again. You are not supposed to film in the main gardens, so I went to hand in my camera to be stored. A worker then took me to another location where I though the lockers were. In fact, he took me to a few locations and told me to film from these great angles. They were great shots, but then he took me back to where we had started - then asked for a tip for showing me those “special” places. This would be the first of many times I was aksed for tips - the video camera definitely says stupid tourist. The gardens were beautiful, as was the architecture and sheer size of the place, definitely what we had expected and more. We saw large families who had obviously travelled here for a great day out. The different colours they wore was magical, everywhere we looked, bright colours of the ladies sari’s.

Then it was back on a bus and a trip to a giant mosque and another fort. It was quite funny watching one of the groundskeepers shooing away the local kids from our group. Afterwards he asked for a small donation, but we were reluctant as we didn’t quite see the benefit of running after the kids with a stick. It is also here that I yet again got stung for a “videoing” fee - there were no signs at the entrance, only after we went in did they ask for money to film, by then it was too late, I had to pay. From that moment onwards I swear the locals could see me from a mile away and try to come up with some new rule for paying them. We headed into the small town after our tour and had a nice lunch in one of the local café’s, which I think became my downfall later that evening.

Next stop was the bird sanctuary, an opportunity to get a rickshaw ride through this nice park which was home to all types of birds and animals. It was the first real opportunity on the whole trip that I got to use the long lens on the camera, so I really enjoyed being a wildlife photographer for a few hours. Yet again they wanted money to film, but I had caught onto the scam and only filmed to the front gate, then quickly put it away before we entered. It was a really peaceful journey, a nice change from the normal Indian hustle that we had become accustomed to.

That night we stayed at a traditional Indian village named Bharatpur. It was beautiful and reminded us a lot of the Nepali villages we had entered. Our hotel was an old converted royal guesthouse, Shelley and I scored a room on the top level that had it’s own huge entertaining area. The room was great, very traditional in it’s style with big barn door windows that opened up with a view over the village. In the trees were some peacocks which was a great sight. That night we were treated to another traditional meal with a young family putting on some entertainment with music and dancing. It was another buffet and was great, but I started to feel a bit uneasy. Shelley also got henna on her foot, she had been waiting all tour for that. That night was not good, late in the evening - Delhi Belly struck. Luckily it lasted only a short time, but for the next day or so I was a bit uneasy and had to eat very basic things. I think I was the first of the group to get sick, but I think everyone had their own fair share by the end, not pleasant.

The next morning we got up early and went through a walk through the village to meet the locals, who were waiting by the front door for us to arrive. It was a huge contrast from our Nepal trip group to the one in India, they were a little hesitant whereas in Nepal we all embraced it. A few decided not to venture out, but they missed out on a great experience, even if it only lasted 15 minutes.

Then it back on the bus and off to the Pink City of Jaipur. I was feeling very uneasy in the car, especially on those bumpy Indian roads and swerving in and out. We made it to Jaipur and had lunch in another local café - this time it was just toast. There was more entertainment, but it kind of freaked me out. This kid of about 8 years old performed a traditional dance, but he came right up to everyone and kind of gave the “walk-like-egyptian” dance move right in your face. It wasn’t that that freaked me out, it was his eye that kept winking, haunted me for days, don’t know why.

Our first sightseeing part was to the Amber Palace. It was yet again another marvel, so big and beautiful. On the hills surrounding were huge walls that resembled Chinas great wall and castles in the distance. Many locals were also visiting and it was great to see the contrast of the bright sarees against the pink walls.

Then we made a rush through the old town, passing some more amazing sights (which we were surprised we didn’t stop at - a castle that was in the middle of a lake looked amazing). We eventually arrived at our hotel, which was locked away from the outside city. It was amazing, yet another converted building, but seemed to be even than the one we had stayed at the previous night. It had a pool, restaurant and even a few shops.

That night we were taken to a place that every tourist has to go to - a Bollywood film. The tuk tuk ride there was a Hollywood movie in itself - how we made it alive I’ll never know, that driver was crazy! The cinema we went to was unbelievable, that architecture was amazing - it took a good 15 minutes just to stop and stare at it, a great curtain raiser. Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me. The movie was called Black and White, a story of an Afghan terrorist who plans to blow up the famous fort in Delhi, goes undercover in India to research it, but then fails in his attempts after he has a second thought after falling in love with the people. It was a good storyline, had plenty of action, not a word of English and even a classic Bollywood scene of dancing - highly recommend it!

The next day we had on our own, a chance to go sightseeing through Jaipur. Shelley and I decided to do the normal toruisty things, then do a bit of shopping. We had a tuk tuk driver at our beckon call, the same guy from the previous night, although this time he was much slower - I guess he wanted to clock up as many hours as he could. The first place was the Palace of the Winds, which actually was a disappointment as it was being renovated, although the front looked great. After a few more quick stops, the driver then took us to the shopping district - he must get a commission for every buyer he brings as he seemed to know the shopkeepers quite well. They tried to sell us everything from carpets, to textiles, clothes, statues until Shelley finally found what she was looking for, a ruby ring. She chose the stone, then they set it in a ring for her. After our shopping adventure we decided it was time to head back to the hotel - it was time for a good surprise.

On the way back home, we had seen heaps of decorated elephants walking along the main roads - they were heading to the elephant festival, the start of the Holi Festival. Our guide was keen for us to see the elephant festival, but to get back behind the safety of the hotel gates before the madness of the festival took a grip of the city. We went down to a small football ground with a few thousand other people and got to see the elephants close up and also to witness traditional dancing and singing. It was such a privelage to see, only happens once a year.

But the big thing about this festival of Holi is when everyone throws coloured dye at each other - which lasts all night and all day the following day. Shelley was lucky enough to get a face full of it on the way back from the elephant festival. On the drive back, the locals were preparing to light huge bonfires in the streets in celebration. We made it back to our hotel in time to see them light a huge one just outside the gates - it was amazing. Afterwards we were treated to a puppet show in the hotel grounds. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing with another plain meal and discovering the real treat of Indian icecream - probably the best I’ve ever had!

The next day will go down in the memory as one of the best of my travels. Abi had been waiting all tour for this day to come. He had purchased quite a few bags of coloured dye, ready for us to throw at each other. Before we could even say good morning, we were covered in green, pink, yellow and blue dye, luckily I had an old tshirt on - although it was white, it made for a work of art at the end of it all. Abi even went as far as to get water guns and fill a huge bucket of purple dye. As he took a watergun and started to spray the group, I snuck up and stole the bucket of water. The storeman held him as I emptied the bucket on top of him - even with his mobile, sunglasses - everything on him. I didn’t realise that when I did it, but he said anything goes on Holi. The fun lasted a few hours, but we were confined to the hotel grounds. Abi warned us that if we ventured out, the dangers would be really high with many drunks and even people spraying acid (it is a Hindu festival and the Muslims obviously don’t like it). We had showers but realised the dye would stain us for a few days. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool, before heading back to Delhi late in the Evening.

The trip back through Jaipur was amazing, it was almost a ghost town, just remnants of dye everywhere. The train trip was long, but we were glad to make it back - this time in the right hotel!

The next morning we all shared breakfast for the last time as a group and all said our farewells and the traditional swapping of emails. Those of us that had late flights headed back into Delhi for some more sightseeing. Shelley and I hired another Tuk Tuk for the day and headed to the British part of town where all the government houses, parliament etc. were. It reminded us a lot of Canberra and Washington - but Indian style, we hadn’t expected to see anything like that. Then we went back to Connaught place and bumped into Damian and Shera who were on the hunt for last minute shopping. We were just about to go back to the hotel when we took a quick look in one store, at first quickly walking out. Then something caught Sheera’s eye and we quickly headed back into the store. Before we knew it, we were upstairs amongst all the pashminas. An hour later, Sheera had bought 30 pashminas, we had bought 5, Damian about 10. The shopkeeper was unbelievably exstatic, it must have been his biggest sale of the year. We all got free marble elephant statues for being good customers. At one stage I even saw him kiss one of the staff on the cheek - he was drunk with excitement - very funny. We then said our last goodbyes and headed back to the hotel (which yet again was changed - this time to the worst one of all). That night I finally felt up to eating Indian food again, so had my last meal of butter chicken.


The next morning we caught up with Jennifer and Virgini who were actually heading back on the same flight as us back to London. We hopped in separate taxi’s, but we arrived 20 minutes before them. We had one last chance to experience the hustle and bustle of India and realised that we would really miss not only this place, but also Nepal - out thirst for travelling thorugh Asia is now higher than ever.

Looking back on our 5 weeks through Nepal and India, there are so many great momeries, sights and great friends. The locals were great, the food surprisingly fantastic and the atmosphere unbeatable. Travellint to these places just makes you want to see more and more things - Asia, South America and Africa are the only places we talk about now! They do say you either love or hate India - we will be back, so that must mean we love it!

Our next stop - London - or should we say home for the next year or more!

I’ve been slack and it’s taken me almost 2 months to write this blog, but as I do, I’m very saddened to hear of the tragic events that occurred in Jaipur only days ago. You have read what a fantastic time we had in Jaipur and we only hope that the city can quickly recover from these terrorist bombs. I hope it doesn’t deter travellers in the future, it really is an amazing place to visit.


To view video highlights, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVeVm9sENr0

---

---