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Published: August 22nd 2006
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The KOK...
Was so pleased to see a central reservation again when we arrived in Bangkok! For the first time in a couple of months a chance to sit back, relax and enjoy the drive after the cahotic roads in India. Bangkok... seems ages ago! We were there for a week. Had some really bizarre nights out and did many tourist activities like: visit the Damnoen Saduk floating tourist traffic jam and had a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya river, during which I was summoned to the dance floor to scare the other guests with my atrocious Thai dancing skills! The number of chicks with dicks was alarming. Even before a few beers, it was difficult to distinguish who was what. As I am sure you are aware there is a big sex scene in Bangkok. I found the promoters for the sex shows particularly funny. They use restaurant style menus, with a list of events, in an attempt to usher you into their shows.
Mumbai...
We arrived in Mumbai on the 13th, two days before Independence day. The city was on high alert asa result of the incidents over the last six weeks which meant that
we were restricted in what we could do as many of the attractions were closed to the public. In the main public areas: bus station, shopping malls etc. security was heightened but people continued, as normal, with their daily routines. We stayed clear in the tourist bazaar of Coloba, in the South, near the waterfront from where we visited spots like Elephanta island and the Ghandi house. (I felt a little ashamed to call myself British after reading about the history of the selfish, occupancy of the British in India at the Ghandi house!!) Mumbai has great nightlife and we took full advantage.
Delhi...
The capital city is a city of extremes. Old Delhi reminded me of Madurai: run down, dirty, caught in a time warp, with little evidence of change in the last half century. The place is so backward that you could be walking into a city @ the turn of the century. At the other end of the spectrum is New Delhi: planned, spacious, relatively clean and well organised. All that you would expect a modern capital to be. We enjoyed Delhi but at times it took a lot of effort to do so. We
left there feeling run down and looking forward to a change from city scenery.
Onward...
Early Saturday morning, we took a short train journey to Jaipur, Rajastan. A young Indian nipper sitting in front of us was enjoying our stupid noises and faces. We thought he might also enjoy the taste of western sweets so we presented him with his first ever packet of Haribo, also my final packet of Haribo, as a gift (mum, they have lasted!) and sat back self assured that we had made his day. Not so, instead we were subjected to the trauma of having to sit and watch as the youngster licked once, then dropped each one of our beloved sweets onto the dusty floor. Heartbraking to watch our final few fried eggs come to such a worthless end. (Three second rule does not apply in India for obvious reasons!)
The best site in Jaipur was the Jantar Mantar an observatory, built in 1728 by the Maharaja Jai Singh, which, at first glance, we wrongly mistook as a collection of mammoth, bizarre sculptures. Realising our ignorance, we hired an old guide, who looked as ancient as the observatory itself, to drop some
knowledge. He provided fascinating explanations on how each one worked and how the Maharaja used them to track the annual progress of the sun through the Zodiacs and to calcuate the altitude of the sun, above the equator, at different points throughout the day. The most impressive instrument was a giant sundial with its 27m high gnomon, where the shadow moves some 4m per hour.
We spent the evening at Choki Dhani, eating traditional Rajastani food (photo does not do it justice) and watching various local shows, from the bizarre to the more bizarre; traditional tribal dancers setting fire to their hats, small children spinning on their stomachs whilst balancing on poles some 20m from the ground and that kind of thing. Highlight, certainly for the Duke, was a ride on a rickety, man powered, fairground wheel. The turn was supplied a young lad in the centre who stepped from bar to bar, a bit like a hamster in a wheel.
Next up was the Taj Mahal in Agra. We got there for the sunrise at 6. Any description would do it an injustice. Quite simple stunning, a must see!
We moved onto Varanasi yesterday, the spiritual home
Golden Mount monastery
Luang Phor Dusit in the meditation position of Hinduism. The city is located on the banks of the Ganges river where some 60,000 worshippers come daily for the
puja, Hindu ceremony, and for a holy dip at one of the eighty Ghats, along the 7km stretch of river. The river is so heavily polluted that the water is septic. (1.5 million faecal coliform bacteria per 100 ml. Water that is safe for bathing should be less than 500!!). Amazingly there is a breed of freshwater dolphin that survives in these conditions!
We caught a boat ride of the Ghats first thing this morning (see pics.) including a visit to the Manikarnika Ghat where they carry out cremations throughout the day. Bodies are brought through the narrow streets, wrapped in cloth, on bamboo strethchers by outcasts called doms. They corpse is doused in the holy river before a pile of firewood is neatly stacked over it prior to the cremation. What a sight and smell!
The next part of the trip takes us Kathmandu, Nepal for a couple of days. Then North of Delhi to Dehra Dun where Duke's mum was brought up then onto McLeod Ganj, to visit the Dalai Lama, and finally to Amiritsar, Punjab
to visit the Seehks. Should be a wicked final two weeks.
Hope everyone is well. Looking forward to catching up with you soon. Cheers for all the comments!
The brightness on th camera has fixed itself, enjoy the many snaps.
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Donald
non-member comment
Great to see some quality adventures being had, I bet the ladyboys in Bangkok loved your sparrow legs! Looks like the Ganges has a lot in common with the Clyde except that the Indians have the decency to cremate the bodies before throwing them in! Have fun and stay safe on the rest of trip. PS, bring me back one of those crocodile hats if you get the chance!!