Sikkim and Rajasthan

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Leaving Varanasi and the forty degrees heat of the Indian plains, I made my way to the cooler climate of Darjeeling. Darjeeling is located at an elevation of around 2100m in the eastern section of the Indian Himalaya. You may have heard of Darjeeling for it’s famous tea, which is grown in the surrounding hills. On a clear day you can apparently see Mount Everest from a viewpoint above the city. But unfortunately the weather didn’t clear enough to see Everest or nearby Mount Kanchenjunga (8591m), India’s highest, and the world’s third highest mountain.


From Darjeeling I traveled further north into the Himalaya to the state of Sikkim. The state borders Nepal in the west, the Chinese Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and east, and Bhutan in the southeast. Because of this location, the population has an ethnic mix of Nepal, Tibetan, Bhutanese and Bengalis. I found the people much more friendlier in Sikkim and Darjeeling than on the Indian lowlands. General day to day life is a lot less hassle, the not so welcome thought of having to go back down there was always in the back of my mind. I did a few short hikes in
Yak, Sikkim
the area and took a day trip to the high altitude Tsongo Lake (3800m), along with a hundred other jeeps filled with Indian tourists. The lake was nice but the huge number of tourists spoiled things a little.


Reluctantly, I left the cool peace and tranquility of the hills and descended back into the heat and chaos of the plains. It was an overnight journey aboard the Rajdani Express, which took me to the capital. Delhi’s reputation as a hot, dirty, smelly, crowded sprawling mess precedes itself, and a lot of travelers hate it. But I liked it. It’s a big city with all things available that I often miss traveling around in smaller towns and villages like cinemas, a variety of food, accommodation and bars. After a week of hanging around and visiting a few tourist sights, I left for what is probably the most recognizable building in the world.


The building of The Taj Mahal was ordered by The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned it as a mausoleum for his FAVOURITE wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648. For me it was as spectacular as I hoped.
Rajasthani girl
But, unfortunately a lot of budget travelers come away disappointed, partially because of the ticketing price structure. As with a lot of other Indian tourist attractions, there are separate entry fees for foreigners and Indians. The Taj has a ridiculous entry fee structure of 750 rupees (about US$18) for foreigners and 20 rupees for Indians (50cents)!. But foreigners do get bottle of water included with entry fee, 300mls…


Next was Rajasthan. With its loads of tourist “sights”, such as forts, temples, palaces and camel safaris in the desert, Rajasthan is probably India’s number one tourist destination. With the temperature soaring into the forties, I rushed around a few of the towns and cities of Rajasthan with the thought of retreating north back into the mountains. The standout for me was the town of Bundi, which has an abandoned fort and palace, which were ok. But it was the friendly people who bought me drinks, and gave me free rides on their motorbikes in the forty seven degree heat that where a real surprise there. Another sight that’s even more bazaar is the Karni Mata temple not far from the city of Bikaneer. Karni Mata is believed to be
Jodhpurs blue houses
the incarnation of the Hindu goddess Durga.The peculiarity of this temple is that thousands of rats are worshipped here. The rats are seen as holy, and it is believed that the souls of the followers of Karni Mata are in these rats and they must be looked after. Also worth a mention as a “highlight” of Rajasthan is the Meherangah fort, which sits in a commanding position on rock, high above the city of Jodhpur’s sea of blue houses. I gave the camel safari a miss and headed back to Delhi.

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Comments

[Nathan]

Im jealous

[Jeet khesang]

i like
I like this pic so much.