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Dhobi Ghats
Women washing their clothes in the river at a Dhobi Ghat, which means a 'washing place'.Singh narrated as our car struggled over the pot-holes into Jaipur. We overtook large lumbering trucks which are an awesome sight. They are brightly decorated in a very tacky way and continuously belt out interesting compositions via their horns. No toot is ever tame. Every journey becomes a soap opera and comparatively a western motorway is just plain boring!
We stayed in Jaipur for a couple of nights. This is the capital of Rajasthan but not as busy as Delhi. Still, it was equally as frenetic and tough to negotiate. The city is quite large and consists of an old city with a city wall encircling it and the urban sprawl which goes beyond these walls. We dropped our bags, took in a few minutes of air-conditioned bliss and began our exploration.
The first site we made our way to was the Amber Fort. This was an amazing site, set outside the city. The Fort itself is perched on a hill top which, in 45 degree heat, was tough to climb. Especially as we had to dodge elephants and their awkwardly placed dung piles. Inside we were greeted by the usual touts and beggars, which we have already started
to become immune to. The fort is a majestic place. Its history and magnificence are immediately apparent. Local women in bright saris mill around with spices balanced on their heads within this maze of a fort. Certain sections are a little derelict which contrasts to some of the more regal areas of the complex.
On the same day we went to see the Old Palace which, from the outside looks very impressive. However because India is hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010 a lot of its key landmarks are being renovated which, for the Pink City means everything is being repainted pink.
In the afternoon we went to see a Bollywood movie at a very famous cinema built in the mid-70's but looked brand new. An indication of how much Indians value this national treasure. It was spotless and we were genuinely surprised to see it looking so pristine. The film was called 'You, Me and Us' and although it was in Hindi, we actually really enjoyed it. There are a few English lines in it and you get the gist from most of the scenes. Bollywood films feel like elaborate soap operas with dramatic song and dance
sequences.
We were also treated to a special Indian desert which can only be found in Jaipur (so we've been told) called 'Kulfi' which was amazing. The taste is hard to describe but it's like a mini milk ice cream with tastes of caramel and pistachio. Jaipur was also significant as it was where we discovered traditional Indian Thali - a mixed plate of Indian food including roti, curry and dhal. A classic and delicious piece of Indian fare.
After Jaipur we stopped at a small town called Pushkar. This is a very holy city and contains the worlds only Brahma Temple.
Our hotel was in a very picturesque location by a hillside with a rose garden and enjoyed the occasional wandering monkey. Our guide had arranged (without really giving us an option) for a 'Priest' to take us through the markets, show us the Ghats, temple and holy lake. He would also give us a 'blessing' and a 'Pushkar Passport' which is a red ribbon around your wrist. All of which sounded a little suspect from the outset. Our Priest turned out to be a young scruffy man whose only semblance of theology was a religious
earring hanging from one ear.
The temple felt very old and our Priest encouraged us to go up, ring the bell and pray. We declined. Instead we walked around and dodged a few monkeys. The centrepiece is painted red and beneath the statues and vines feels very holy indeed. Incense burns around local people praying by the central idols which are adorned with bright flowers.
We followed our Priest to a ghat, which is essentially some stairs leading to the holy lake. He told us about the lake and its historical significance and the legend behind it. Then he tried to bless us. We almost ran a mile, knowing the potential cost involved. We were meant to give about 100 rupees per family member - dead or alive. They also encouraged us not to leave anyone out - clearly that would be cruel. You can image how expensive this could have been! We declined again and chose not to be blessed, putting a small donation in the wrong tin and probably insulting our Priest with a tip of 100 rupees. Surely, as a Priest he should be doing it all purely for the love?
We spent some
more time in Pushkar enjoying our hotel surrounds and the warren of bazaars which encircle the holy lake. After the calm of Pushkar we travelled to Jodhpur, another busy, typical Indian city in Rajasthan. The journey from Pushkar was a very bumpy one, which made sleeping the 4 hour journey very difficult as our heads bounced around.
Our hotel in Jodhpur was very central and from here we could explore the magnificent fort called Meherangah and the local markets.
The audio tour for the fort was very enjoyable, with lots of detailed information and great views of the city below. Jodhpur is also nicknamed the Blue City as, quite obviously a lot of the buildings are painted blue which is meant to deter mosquitoes. The Fort was huge, and you can really understand how it had never been breached - even when battered by charging elephants! This was yet another example of the wonderful exuberance of Indian architecture. The fort sits 400 ft above the city and contains many intricately designed courtyards and palaces to explore.
Afterwards we made our way to the local market which was a good experience - it was very busy and hectic
- based around a central clock tower. As usual, as pretty much the only white people there we attracted a bit of attention with people asking us if we wanted spices every 20 seconds. We walked around dodging the traffic, beggars, rickshaws and cows ready for the next stop on our trip - Ranakhpur.
Ranakhpur was very nice - our hotel was peaceful and quiet and provided the perfect place to relax by a pool amongst surrounding mango trees. We even managed an hour of sunbathing. After this we went to explore a nearby temple which is made up of 1444 columns. No two columns are alike, we didn't have time to check this claim however. It is called the Jain temple and is truly stunning. The inside is cool in contrast to the searing heat outside and the carvings are wonderfully detailed. Carvings of elephants and other deities adorn many corners with saplings spewing from various cracks in the temple adding to the ambience. Outside the temple is equally as impressive.
Our last stop in Rajasthan was Udaipur - India's most romantic city where we spent 3 days. From here we were to catch a train to
Ahmedabad thus cutting the umbilical cord from our friendly driver, who we had grown rather fond of. Udaipur was nice though, not quite as developed as the other towns and the pace of life noticeably slower.
The main sights we visited here were the city palace and the Lake Palace Hotel. This is the same 'Floating Palace' that was used in the Bond film 'Octopussy'. Lots of the hotels in the vicinity show Octopussy in the evening whilst serving dinner. Before we saw the palace up close we enjoyed dinner from a roof-top terrace and watched the floating palace disappear into the dawn as its twinkling lights reflected on the calm lake surrounding the structure.
The following day we walked through the city palace to embark on a lake tour and see the floating palace up close. On our way through the palace and under lots of trees we stopped for a respite from the heat. Looking up we noticed every tree was full of hundreds of bats! Scenes of Batman being engulfed by Bats ran through our minds as we swiftly skipped past to board the boat.
The boat begins on a lap of the lake
before going to the floating palace. This was interesting as it brought us up close to locals washing their clothes in the dhobi ghats and going about their daily business which, to them is probably mundane - but to us it was fascinating.
The floating palace is very calm and milky white up close. It is incredible to think of how this structure was perceived and built so long ago.
At night in Udaipur the dogs really rule the street and on our way home from dinner one night we discovered that they each seem to have their own 'patch' which they trot around and bark on occasionally. Thus marking their territory. We took a particular liking to one stray that seemed to escort us through his little patch with a wagging tail just to ensure our safety. So we'd like to think anyway.
Another highlight of our stay in Udaipur was witnessing a wedding procession march by our hotel by the lake. It was a noisy yet colourful affair which was a joy to watch - when people are brought together in India it is a big affair and everyone is made aware of the occasion
by this magnificent eruption of joy.
From Udaipur caught a sleeper train to Ahmedabad, which left at 7.45pm and arrived in Ahmedabad at 4.20am. The train was actually a very comfortable journey in an air-conditioned carriage. We shared it with an Indian man who offered us some traditional Indian sweets which were so sweet they made our toes curl. He was a friendly chap though and we chatted for a period before settling down and falling asleep to the slow methodic clanking of the train.
At Ahmedabad we had to wait 2.5 hours for our connecting train to take us to Mumbai. We were expecting a First Class air-conditioned carriage and were pretty miffed to find out we actually had First Class with no A/C. Indian First Class is not quite what you might think it to be. For example at one point our 6 berth cabin had 14 squeezed in! Perhaps we were just popular.
However this journey was actually a fantastic experience. Indian people are incredibly curious, social, warm and friendly. Passengers chat away to each other like they have known one another for a lifetime. The community spirit is infectious and wonderful to behold.
You would honestly think that they are best pals not people that have just met. In our berth lots of people talked to us about a whole manner of subjects from our journey to politics, sport and the environment. The irony of them talking about the environment and how India is doing its bit as they chuck their plastic packets and glass bottles onto the tracks was slightly hypocritical. It gave us a fantastic insight into the culture though as we watched the sometimes litter strewn countryside chug by at a steady pace.
We got very friendly with a family on the train that spoke very little English. We played cards with their children who kept us entertained for hours. Looking back, we're not sure if it was us entertaining them or vice-versa. Anyway, this lasted until we reached Mumbai and brought to a close a mammoth 22 hour journey without a shower. We enjoyed our final moments with our new friends Frudi and Agash whilst our train slowly crawled into Bombay. We passed slums where people were playing cricket and children were weaving in and our of moving train introducing us to the magnificent metropolis that is Mumbai.
Cow's dinner
Wouldn't trust the milk from these... Stinking of sweat we got into a black cab which took us to Colaba, a central district in Mumbai. All of the taxis in Mumbai are black and yellow vintage cars with tacky carpeted ceilings. They are an iconic sight in the city, which probably explains why they have never been renewed since the 70's!
Mumbai was a refreshing change and felt very civilised in comparison to the other places we had been so far. It was very cosmopolitan and we were delighted to see real pavements and pelican crossings. Not a cow or rickshaw in sight. The central part of Mumbai felt very much like London in a way. You could really see the British influence in the architecture.
We spent the next couple of days wandering around Mumbai, seeing things like India Gate which the British built and then marched through out of India, and the Taj Palace Hotel. We ate in consecutive nights at the famous (if you've read Shantaram) Leopold's Cafe and sampled their delicious tikka masala washed down by a delightfully refreshing Kingfisher beer.
We left Mumbai yesterday and caught a train to Goa. Getting to our train was not easy.
It left from a station that was not in central Mumbai and so we had to make our way out using local trains and tuk tuks to find the station we required. We caught a local train out to a Mumbai suburb and then spent a stressful time asking around trying to find this invisible place. The language barrier here was impossible to overcome and communicating with anyone was near-impossible.
We eventually found it although by this time we were slightly perturbed and sweating profusely. It is these annoyances that make India unique and fun - retrospectively anyway.
When we did eventually board the train the journey was 11 hours but thankfully we had air conditioning all the way. This particular trip was in something called 3 AC - where the whole carriage is open and seats fold down into beds. The scenery was wonderful as we passed lush, thick green forests and hills, local villages and irrigated farm fields. The food served on the trains is tasty too and at each stop the chai walla's can be heard selling their hot sweet steaming cups vigorously. A whole other variety of spicy delicious snacks are also available, as
Dog
Taking a nap after a hard nights work barking. well as a hearty dinner.
We are now really becoming accustomed to India and the contrasting flavours of each town and region which has been a great experience. Goa is next and after the chaotic, dusty and congested cities a week on the beach is just what we need.
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Octopussy
Stu will be soooooo jealous about the Octopussy hotel!!! Sounds like you are both having a wicked time!! Can't believe that there is only one pic of Victoria on her own though (we all know how vain you are really). Am kind of missing you at GT Towers now though Conisbee!!! Speak soon xxxxx