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Published: July 29th 2008
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Jaisalmer sunset
The desert goes on and on. The horizon here is roughly the border with Pakistan. I left off the last time in Rajasthan, full of a cold (which, incidentally, I still have slightly - I have an irritating cough which probably annoys others (Ross) more than me). Anyway, I had to cram all my sightseeing into one day after spending the previous two days lying in a flu-ish stupor in a room which was like a sauna most of the time. Every time it rains in Jaisalmer the electricity goes off, which isn't very helpful during the monsoon. The locals seem to find it hilarious. I didn't. Electricity going off means no air conditioning, no ceiling fan and subsequent ridiculous temperatures. I was actually wandering around the room pouring cold water over my head which sounds a bit weird but seemed sensible at the time. Also, I was on my own so didn't really care.
As I said, I had to cram all my sightseeing into one day. Taking into account the amount of time I spent arguing with locals over why I wasn't visiting their shops / getting in their rickshaw ("madam you are breaking my heart, you walk by my shop so many times and don't come in"), getting into rickshaws and being
Ankle Bracelet Seller
She managed to get one on my ankle; I couldn't get it off without buying it. I managed to bargain although was probably still ripped off. She consented to a photo as we were apparently friends once I'd paid her. dropped off at the wrong place, wandering round streets avoiding cows and women selling ankle bracelets, I actually only had around 2 hours. I managed to fit in a visit to a museum, even though I originally ended up in a neighbouring house - on the top floor I asked where the museum was and they said "oh, next door". It was obviously a ploy because I took a photo from their rooftop which had an amazing view and then felt obliged to give them some money. The museum itself was worth seeing though, particularly the art work.
I spent the rest of my time wandering round the town of Jaisalmer and the fort itself. Lonely Planet guidebook describes the fort as a "giant sandcastle" which I quite like as it does feel a bit like that. The whole place basically consists of desert, the sandcastle fort and the town. Wandering round the fort is a strange experience - I felt as though I was on a movie set.
I also popped into a Jain temple. I had only vaguely heard of Jainism. I still don't really know much about it as I ended up avoiding the monk
Jaislamer Fort
This is the view of the fort from the rooftop of the fake museum. who was following me round trying to give me a guided tour. I think I'd been in India too long by that point - I was even suspicious of the motives of a monk. The temple itself was as spectacular and bizarre as the fort. I half expected Harrison Ford to swing down from the rafters, followed by Nazis or aliens or whoever chases Indiana Jones these days. One funny moment was an English girl completely freaking out as bats swooped over her head. For some reason I was blase about the bats. I must have been slightly delirious from the heat.
Following the exhausting sightseeing, I decided to check my emails in an internet cafe which randomly doubled as a shoe shop. Inevitably it started raining so the electricity cut out. Kids were leaping about and adults showering under burst drains, as presumably most families don't have showers at home. This was all fine to sit and watch from the safety of the shoe shop / internet cafe, until the owner announced he was off for a shower & then to change his clothes, and asked if I could possibly watch the shop. So there I was, stuck
Jain Temple
Maybe Temple of Doom is more appropriate. in the shoe shop (which also sold chocolate bars and coke), keeping my fingers crossed that people would be too distracted by the rain to want to buy shoes / chocolate / coke. Fortunately this was the case, although I ended up manning the shop for almost an hour.
I think that was it for my Rajasthan experience. I would like to go back as I feel I didn't really have a chance to see much. I set off for the train station, clutching my 6 new ankle bracelets and avoiding puddles the size of small lakes.
The train journey back was pretty uneventful. We were delayed (naturally) by 3 hours and I had to listen to an Indian guy tell the whole carriage that his dream in life is to "visit the country of Switzerland for the beauty, the country of Japan for the samurais and the country of Vegas for the good times". A Japanese girl broke the news that there aren't really samurais in Japan any more (I mentioned Tom Cruise but nobody seemed interested) and the poor guy was absolutely devastated. A life's ambition ruined in one statement.
So that was Rajasthan. I
Train Travel in India
I didn't travel on the roof. Given my experiences it didn't seem like a good idea. met up with Ross fresh from the Himalayas with annoyingly much better photos (and experiences by the sound of it - flu-ish stupors were not involved) than me. We hung around Delhi for another few days, acting almost like locals and feeling smug. We met up with friends we'd made and had farewell dinners. We then boarded the overnight train to Mumbai.
We didn't have long in Mumbai but I really liked the change from Delhi. It was nice being on the coast (even if the smell of sewage is overpowering) and there were far more tourists which was actually quite pleasant. The architecture of Mumbai is strange to see - lots of British style colonial buildings, mixed with dilapidated slums.
I really wanted to see a Bollywood movie and as Mumbai is the home of the film industry, we rocked up to a cinema and bought a ticket for a movie in Hindi. It turned out to be more of a rom-com than a proper Bollywood movie but we enjoyed it nonetheless. I didn't understand 99% of the language, but rom-coms aren't exactly complicated to follow. You will be glad to hear the main male and female
Welcome to Mumbai
For some unknown reason this area is full of men selling giant balloons (we're talking bigger than I am). characters got together at the end and everyone lived happily ever after.
We also went to the Taj Mahal Hotel which looks nothing like the Taj Mahal but which is very fancy anyway. That was pretty much it for Mumbai - we did a walk round the main sights and wandered round the markets but we had limited time. If you have read Shantaram, yes we did go to Leopold's Cafe (not as I expected but very nice). If you haven't read it then ignore that last comment.
On Ross' birthday, 22 July, we said goodbye to India and headed for Hong Kong. Much as India frustrated me, I was actually sad to leave. As I've ranted on about before, the poverty is unimaginable - women with dying babies on every corner, lepers crawling on roadsides, kids with no clothes playing in sewers. I even saw the body of a young man lying in a gutter; people stepped over him. The bureaucracy is unfathomable -Ross ended up staging a sit-in protest in a post office one day over having to get his parcel stitched in white cloth, not the tartan cloth he'd bought. Sadly I missed this moment
Mumbai Waterfront
I just love how the guy on the wall looks like something out of a 70s movie. Well, I think so anyway. of glory. The male attitude towards women is - to me - unacceptable. The number of times I was "accidentally" groped on the street or the number of times men would speak to Ross as though I wasn't present irritated me to the point of near violence (fortunately I'm a pacifist). The heat is impossible, the driving insane, the food made us ill, we were ripped off at every turn and yet...
And yet there is something attractive about India. Although this sounds a bit dramatic and preachy, working in the slum showed up the best of humanity. The fact people can live in appalling conditions, yet be the happiest, most welcoming and most generous people I have ever met is pretty inspiring. It also showed how religion can be used positively and how people with different religious views can live, work and pray together. I'm not religious by any means, but I was impressed by the way in which it works in the slums. India is chaotic, frustrating and exhausting, but in a sort of twisted way I miss it and plan to go back to visit everyone I met.
Food of the fortnight - Nothing very
Cow
This cow took offense as I tried to stop it eating a plastic bag. exciting, although in Rajasthan I had lunch in a cafe called "FREE TIBET!!!" which served Italian food - seemed a bit strange.
Quote of the fortnight - Francois, nice but rather intense flatmate of our friend Alex who worked with Asha: "India is the only country on this earth where you are confronted with poverty, religion, life and death on every corner". Indeed.
Bye.
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