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Published: January 13th 2007
The Classic Shot
They finally shut off the fountains in the early afternoon, so I pushed my way through the hords of Indian tourists and finally got the reflection photo.India is a place that shows you many faces. At the same time both compelling you and dissuading you from wanting to experience all the sights it has to offer. A place rich in history. People ho at times baffle you with their warm, outgoing, hospitable nature. While at other times people who lie, cheat, scam, swindle and plenty of other adjectives you can think of. Since arriving here over two weeks ago the country has caused a broad range of emotions to surface in me. From extreme happiness to outright disdain. From extreme patience to utter frustration. Thar's what makes India great. It's real, it's in your face, it's not sugar-coated, sweet smelling, it doesn't shield you from the harder side of life. Every moment here provides you insight into how a billion people live out their daily lives. Enlightening us westerners, who've for the most part, have been sheltered from the things seen here on an everyday basis.
All that being said, had I wrote this blog a couple of weeks ago, the intro would have taken on a completely different tone. One of animosity and at times sheer horror. Combined with many great experiences, they have fused
Rajasthani Statue
You see these liknesses all over Rajasthan. creating the view I'll express here. While also helping to form the approach I take everyday as I continuing to bounce around the sub-continent.
I arrived in Delhi on Dec. 22nd from Kathmandu. Flying Druk Air (Royal Bhutanese Airlines). The flight was delayed over 2 hours, the Maoists decided they'd continue to protest the appointments of ambassadors by the Prime Minister without consulting the Maoists first. Trying to close down the airport with a 'Bandh' (General Strike). It was the second bandh I'd experienced during my last few days in Nepal. Trying to blockade the airport entrance by sitting on the road and sidewalks. I guess Nepal went out with a bang for me, having to hop over barbed wire fences, while Nepalese soldiers tried to quell the protest with water canons. I was happy to see the Airbus A320 looked relatively new. The more I fly these no-name airlines the more I feel my luck is running out. Maybe I've rolled the dice a few too many times. One funny thing did happen at the Kathmandu airport. We walked from the gate to a bus that would drive us to the plane. That all sounds normal right? Except
Spices
Walking around the bazaar in Agra I passed this same sight over and over again. Burlap sacks overflowing with everything you need to be an Indian Chef. for the fact the plane was only about a hundred feet from the bus. Needless to say it was the shortest bus ride in history, taking an entire 10 seconds. I really couldn't stop laughing.
Arrival delayed by a few hours, I decided to stay overnight in Delhi, instead of making a bee-line for Agra. I was warned by many fellow travelers to spend as little time possible in Delhi, a city accurately described as, dirty, smelly and polluted beyond belief. Having already visited China, I'd thought I'd seen the worst pollution this planet has to offer. Been proved wrong yet again, India has given me a glimpse of what air can 'taste' like. My nose has never burned walking around a city before. But hey there's a first time for everything. Let me tell you, Global Warming is not being caused by the USA not signing the Kyoto Accords. It's being caused by countries like India who have more 2-stroke engines roaring around than I've ever seen, industrial growth unchecked by environmental standards and an economy growing at an insatiable rate, fuelled by a growing middle class that has gotten a taste for the finer things in life,
"The Good Life" and who certainly don't plan on letting clean air get in their way of, nice big cars (SUV's), big houses, plasma screen TVs with Satellite, expensive western clothes, fast-food. All the materialistic things many of the Westerners being emulated will tell you ruin your life.
I found Delhi interesting, ended up spending a couple of nights there, it being holiday season, trains were difficult to book. Didn't do any sightseeing, spent my time wandering around main bazaar, chatting with some of the pushiest shopkeepers I've encountered yet. Met a lovely Kashmiri fellow, who refrained from trying to sell me anything, while at the same time sharing some stories about his life experiences. He'd grown up in a war-zone, he reeled off a list of family members caught in the crossfire between Islamic Militants and the Indian Army. Crossfire not in the mountains, but right on the streets, in broad daylight, while children come and go to school, while old women shop for vegetables. basically while most people go about their daily lives there are bullets whizzing by. It was interesting to here from a devote Muslim that he'd rather Kashmir remain a state within India, not
More New Friends
SO many people in Bundi ask you to take their photos, then give you their address' to send them the pics. The guy on the right showed me an entire album he's built up. be given autonomy and certainly not be ceded to Pakistan. He explained how arms and fighters are funneled across the border to help destabilise the region, using Kashmir as a pawn to justify the development of larger, stronger, better armed and more capable armed-forces and in the end nuclear weapons. At the age of 28 I looked at this 31 year old, who looked like he was 45, asking myself 'why the thing human beings seems to do best is kill each other?'. Sitting there for 2-3 hours, drinking a few 'chai', chatting of all things politics. Even though one thing I've learned on the road, there are three subjects that you just don't talk...politics, religion and sports. But somehow a Jew from NY and a Muslim from Kashmir were able to hold a civilized conversation about life, religion, politics and the world in general. Maybe there's hope for the world yet.
From Delhi it was off to Agra and drum roll please...the 'Taj Mahal!!!' So out of the train station, already knowing about all the scams auto-rickshaw drivers try and pull. I head to the prepaid rickshaw stand hoping to avoid any hassle. Still after leaving the station
Kids of Bundi
Just a few kids I met walking around Bundi. the driver refuses to take me to the guest house I ask to go to. He says,
"It's in the pollution zone, no-vehicles allowed!" After going back and forth for 20 minutes, and considering I already paid the taxi-stand, I decide to stay at the guest house anyway. Ended up seeing the guy and calling him a liar two days later after I found the other hotel outside the pollution zone. His response.
"Why shouldn't I lie?" and I respond
"It's not healthy for the afterlife!" He made a nasty face, then walked away in a huff. Back to the Taj, it's stunning! But having travelled so long, I've seen so much, I've ceased to be blown away. I was at the Taj on Christmas Day and it was packed with Indian Tourists. They are incredibly pushy, just shoving people out of the way, no excuse me, no pardon. Just flat out rude. I even flipped out on one guy after he pushed me out of his way four times, while I was waiting in a line. As I've gotten used to India, I've calmed back down and my moments of craziness have disappeared. Had some time to kill in
Looking a Bit Disheveled...
But the Taj still looks great! Agra before my train to Jaipur so I headed to the bazaar and the Jami Masjid (Friday Mosque). Watched the students memorizing the Koran, just reading it from beginning to end, over and over again. No math, no sciences, no languages, a nice well rounded education. By the time my train finally arrived (all trains in India run late, I've waited up to an extra 2 hours) I was ready to leave Agra. Had heard
"Looking is Free!", "Where are you from? Come in my shop!", "Rickshaw?", "Want a guide?". "Where are you going?". Agra was the first city I've visited where I should have listened to everyone who said go to the Taj on a day trip from Delhi.
Jaipur, turned out to be a polluted, medium sized city. It is poorly laid out, with all the guest houses on one side of town and all the sights on the other side of town. I took a couple of long walks, trying to find some hidden gems the guidebook might have missed, maybe a nice place to sit and read. All I found was traffic, pollution, a Subway and a coffee place. They did have good coffee, so
Bandh at the KTM Airport
So Nepal went out with a bang, almost litaralley. More like a blast, a water canon blast that is... that was a bonus. The City Palace was nice, covered with intricately carved marble, a textile museum, armory, art museum and some amazing B & W photos one of the Maharaja's sons took back in the mid-nineteenth century. There was a beautiful temple called 'Monkey Temple', you can watch the monkeys swim, play around and just chill. There is even an old observatory in Jaipur, the Maharaja back in the 1700's was an astronomy buff and built himself a bunch of astronomical instruments, sun dials, and different tools for tracking celestial bodies and their orbits. The even had a sundial calibrated for each astrologial sign. Not being a big believer in that crap, I glanced quickly at the sun dial marked with a large scorpion. The observatory was well worth the visit. Wanted to leave Jaipur after three nights, but got a case of 'Delhi Belly' so had to stick it out another night.
Decided to head to Sawai Madhpur, home of Ranthambore National Park and a sight of Project Tiger. Made the mistake of going the day before new years eve, every hotel inflated their prices. The town is a hole, nothing to do at all. Got up
Passengers Trying to Get In..
Maoist trying to keep everyone out... Notice the razor wire at 5:30 for a safari, obviously we didn't see a Tiger, saw some tracks, Deer, many types of birds, languors (monkey), but no tigers or leopards. Really who cares about seeing a deer, I just wanted to see some 'Big Cats!' But it was still lovely and I was looking forward to catching a the train out of Sawai Madhpur. As it turned out I bought the cheapest possible ticket without even knowing it, which meant for the first time in India I didn't have a reserved seat, been going second class, but always had an assigned seat. Had to jump or should I say push my way onto one of the first three cars of the train. This is general class, jammed with locals, all of whom were staring at the 'white guy'. All the locals were making the same face, their expressions blatantly saying only one thing...
"Who the hell is this foreigner and why the hell is he up here?" I stood wedged next to the open door, scenery flying by, wind streaming in, all the while thinking...
"What the hell am I doing here?" It was a great experience though, but it will be my first, last and
Did I mention the Scams?
There are so many people trying to scam, they even have a sign warning you. At least four people approached me before I found my way to the proper office. only time I ride general class. Got off the train in Kota, luckily only an hour after departure, caught the bus to Bundi. A place described by the Rough Guide as "a place people tend to get stuck at"....Exactly what I needed, a nice chill place to unwind.
A short side note...India is a place that most people develop a love-hate relationship with. Spectacular sights and people, great food, amazing history all crossed with at times, smelly air, dirty streets, touts who hassle you nonstop. By the time I got to Bundi, I'd been in India for about ten days. Most of the time fighting the crowds. Like I said Indian tourists tend to be pushy, so needless to say I lost my shit a couple of times. So about the time I got to Bundi I was in the hate stage, needing a place to relax and rejuvenate. As it turned out, Bundi was just what the doctor ordered.
I've been in Bundi for the last eight nights. It's a small town of 80,000 people, has a spectacular palace, with supposedly some of the nicest murals in Rajasthan, Ranging in age from 250-400+ years old. They are
Auto Rickshaw?
Outside the New Delhi train station. in remarkably good condition. I spent hours staring at the walls and ceilings, looking at some of the intricate details on offer. Scenes depicted ranged from the Maharaja hunting tigers to Hindu Gods riding on the back of a tiger. The market and the bazaar offered hours of entertainment. Walking around, chatting with the locals, exchanging addresses, taking photos, all the while not one person hassled me, it was a great change of pace. Easily got offered 5-10 chais per day, the locals just love to invite you to sit down and chat with them. Just incredibly hospitable people.
The town of Bundi is great, but what made my time here perfect was my guest house.
Shivam Guest House
Near Suraj Ji Ka Bad
Telephone: 0946 030 0272
Mobile: 921 491 1113
Montu, Pinky or Thampi It's almost a family stay, a small haveli, all the rooms surround a central courtyard, containing a seating area that reeks of family atmosphere. Everynight I've been here, there have been travelers around to sit and chat with. We all sit together around one long table. Travelers from America, France, England, Germany, Holland, NZ , OZ and more. To top it
Almost at the Taj...
The last gate you pass through before you get your first glimpse of the Wwhite marble monstrosity. all off the food was to die for. Pinky, the daughter, was a fantastic cook, and once her mother got back from Udaipur I got to sample the masters work. My mouth was watering all day long, getting to sample a bit of everything and enjoy the smells that emanated from the kitchen. I ate home cooked Indian every night, didn't even bother to order, would just let Pinky pick for me. It was Thali every night. Thali is a metal dish separated into three or four sections and you are served rice, daal, a curry (aloo gobie, aloo tomato, spinach paneer, aloo & spinach and more), pickle, curd and chappati. And did I mention it's all you can eat, they just keep filling you up. I had to fight them off. It's just like when your grandmother refuses to allow you to stop eating.
I wrote the second half of this Blog sitting in the courtyard , having just stuffed my face, waiting for my overnight bus to Udaipur, sad to leaving Bundi, but at the same time excited to hit the road again. I feel like I'm leaving a sister and two brothers behind, and who knows
Drum Roll Please...
Cross off another world famous monument I've now seen. I might go out of my way in a couple of weeks to stop here again.
At this point I've already been in Udaipur for four nights and I'm about to catch a bus to Jodhpur today...
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Killa Moskowitz
non-member comment
Holy shit
Is the maharaja 12 years old like in Indiana Jones and the temple of doom? Are those the same monkeys that stole my camera in Borneo? Awesome pictures man. I will think of them when I am sitting at my desk at work which, even in New Zealand, is a fate worse than death. Have fun and be safe and stay crazy.