Anything is possible in India...

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‘Anything is possible in India’…. and ‘what you need to drive safely in crazy India is…. good breaks, a tooter and good luck’… which was the wisdom of our driver, Mr Kamal. Needless to say…. it became our slogan for our trip....

Floris arrived with Qatar Airways in Doha early in the morning and after a great day (museum of Islamic art and lunch at the souq) he and I took a nap and soon it was time to take the taxi to the Doha International Airport. At the airport we were pleasantly surprised that we got a seat on the almost full DOH - DEL flight. I am pleased to say that we had a great crew serving us during the flight.

We arrived at 3am in Delhi and at immigration the immigration officer started to verbally abuse me because I could not show him my yellow fever injection certificate. This was after Floris went through immigration without a glitch. He threatened to send me back and left his booth with my passport. He then turned around and came back and said that next time I need to show him the yellow fever injection card, stamped my passport and we were in INDIA.

Next we needed to book a domestic flight to Varanasi but we could not find the domestic section of the airport. Finally we found out that we needed to take a bus to the Domestic Terminal. It was about a 10-20min ride to the domestic terminal and we bought our DEL - Varanasi tickets, but the flight would only depart at 2pm that same day. As we were very tired, we went to the nearest hotel, The Airport Hotel, to sleep. The room was acceptable but the bathroom was old and unkempt, but at least, it was usable. We left again at 12pm and had lunch at the airport. With SpiceJet we flew with a small 737-200 Boeing to Varanasi (It is regarded as a holy city by Buddhists and Jains, and also regarded as the the holiest place in the world by Hindus (the center of the earth in Hindu Cosmology). It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and probably the oldest of India). Soon the one and a half hour flight was over and the adventure really started... The arrival hall was not nearly big enough to fit all the passengers in of the few flights that had arrived and there was only one baggage belt (it did not rotate but just suddenly stopped and bags were dumped). When you saw your bag you have to get to it as fast as possible and just grab it…..!

We took the public bus to an area in town where a few hotels were and, followed an Indian whom we had met on the bus, Ravi, to a possible hotel. The hotel was full and unwelcoming and, with Ravi’s advice, we joined him in an auto rickshaw down to the Ganga River where more hotel options were available. We thought it was an adventure to ride in the public bus form the airport but the auto-rickshaw was the craziest ride ever. Cars, auto-rickshaws, bicycle- rickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, cows, dogs, goats, children and more…. were driving, riding, walking slowly, eating, spitting and pooping at any side of the street while people were constantly hooting and sometimes shouting at each other to get out of the way, this was how everyone get from a-to-b, 24/7, in India.

The auto-rickshaw driver stopped in a very narrow street, full off cows and dogs pooping and eating, to show us the hotel. Floris waited with the luggage in the auto-rickshaw while Ravi and I went to see the rooms. When I saw the room and heard the price, I immediately said yes and soon we were very comfortable in a clean air-conditioned room. Our room had a balcony with a view of the Ganga River right next to the hotel. 30 Min later, we went on the sunset boat trip on the Ganga River. They took us down to the Harishchandra Ghat to see where locals burn the bodies of their loved ones and then we went up to the Dasaswamedh Ghat where we watched the Agni Pooja (worship to fire) ceremony. After dinner with a fellow Japanese traveller, we headed straight to bed and slept like the dogs we saw earlier that day sleeping in the middle of the streets during busy local traffic.

The next morning we were up at 5 and jumped on another boat trip to watch the sunrise. We went all the way up to the famous Assi Ghat where you could see all the locals taking sacred baths, saying prayers, washing saris, dogs drinking, children playing…. all part of the start of a new day. After breakfast we went to an area called Sarnath where we saw some temples, ruins and a museum. We asked the auto-rickshaw driver to drop us at a shopping area near the hotel and we walked to the Ganga while shopping and trying to avoid busy people, animals and poop. We bought some saris, shirts and beads. We eventually reached the Ganga River and found our way through the maze of narrow streets filled with cow dung, sleeping dogs, vegetable stalls, small shops, restaurants etc. all the way back to the hotel. We had a lunch-dinner at the Bread for Life and it was very good considering the ‘where in the world’ we were. Later that evening we had an appointment with a travel agent to see what he could offer us in support of planning the rest of our trip. After a long negotiation we paid the deposit and we had to trust that Mr Deepak would deliver what he had promised.

For the first leg of our trip, Mr Deepak had arranged for us to board the night train to Agra and so we had one more day/morning in Varanasi which we spent going to the Assi Ghat with a bicycle-rickshaw. One of the interesting things we found was a nice little shop with great ‘bargain-buys’ as gifts to take home. On our way back to the hotel we stopped again at the Bread for Life to get 2 travel snack boxes for our approaching night trip. After lunch, an auto-rickshaw picked us up to take us to Mr Deepaks’ office across town (or that is how the ride felt) and we paid Mr Deepak the rest of the money we owed him and with our train ticket in hand we headed for the crazy Varanasi train station. The train departed at 16:45 to arrive in Agra at 5:45 the next morning. The compartment was old and basic but comfortable. The train’s toilet was a squat toilet which I actually preferred…… one has to touch nothing. We received 2 bed sheets, a pillow and a blanket each. For halfway of the trip Floris and I were the only 2 passengers in our 6 bed compartment but the second halve, at Lucknow, 3 more Indian men joined us. They quickly fell asleep…. snoring.

We slept surprisingly well and were ready to disembark long before we arrived at Agra Cant station. As we disembarked, Mr Kamal (our driver for the rest of the journey) was waiting on the platform with our names on a name board. We loaded our bags into his Trevera Chevy and off we went to the Hotel Ganga Ratan where we had a shower. A guide accompanied us to the Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-Daulah and we enjoyed a view of the Taj Mahal from across the river (view from the back). Like always, our guide took us to a ‘factory’ where they produced coloured stoned laid into marble which is similar to the inlay work on the Taj Mahal. The sales man tried his best to sell their ‘one of a kind’ work to us and we had to work hard to get out without buying anything we didn’t want. For lunch, we walked down the main street to a restaurant called the ‘Only Restaurant’. Once there, we had some excellent traditional Indian cuisine and back at the hotel, with full stomachs, had a much needed nap. Later, we went searching for an internet shop and found a very dodgy place (2 old computers in a very dusty room) aiming to at least type a mail to everyone. All went well and as we exited the ‘internet dust cafe’ we found a carpet weaver and asked him to show us how his loom works and soon we were in his shop not being able to resist his 100% woollen carpets.

The next morning at 5:30 we met up with Mr Kamal and our guide and off we went to be the first in the (foreigner) queue to enter the Taj Mahal at 6am. The security check was thorough and soon we were in awe of the absolute beauty in front of us. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died after giving birth to their 14th child. One year later, in 1632, the construction started and was completed 22 years later.
While wondering around in awe, we met up some Nepalese citizens (whom had driven all the way from Kathmandu on a bus to come and see the Taj who enjoyed taking pictures with us. We could not stop appreciating this amazing piece of architectural wonder but soon it was time to brave the 6 hour, +/- 300km bumpy, hooting and sudden braking trip with road conditions varying between bad and worse to our destination: Ranthambore.
On the way to Ranthambore we passed through a town called Dousa where I saw a lot of shoes being sold next to the road (off course I wanted to shop for shoes). We stopped to look around the dusty road where men were selling shoes and the leather the shoes are made off which was also available to be bought. We soon realized that it was only men’s shoes being sold there while watching locals (men) buy these new shoes. We noticed some worn out shoes lying in the dust and as it turned out, they would walk to the shoemaker and step out of your worn out shoes to literally step into your new shoes and abandon the old ones just there and then. We also passed through Laisot and arrived late that afternoon at the Hotel Tiger Safari Resort. After checking in, Mr. Kamal drove us to the 10th century Ranthambore Fort. Here we really enjoyed the peace and quiet of the outdoors. Inside Ranthambore Fort there are three Hindu temples dedicated to Ganesh, Shiva and Ramlalaji constructed in 12th and 13th centuries from red Karauli stone. There is also a Jain temple of Lord Sumatinath (5th Jain Tirthankar) and Lord Sambhavanath (3rd Jain Tirthankar) within the premises. After a long day, Mr. Kamal dropped us off back at the hotel and we decided to walk down the street to find Noon to Moon Restaurant (recommended by a local). The streets in this small town had no street lights and so we had to rely on the passing motorbikes and cars for light. Needless to say I stepped in some cow poo and we had a great laugh. One also has to watch out for cows lying quietly next to the dark road.

The next morning we took another bumpy, hooting and sudden braking trip with road conditions varying between bad and worse to our next destination: Pushkar.
This small town is on the edge of the desert, with a number of foreigners living/chilling there. We were supposed to stay at the Hotel New Park but after arriving, we were abruptly informed that we would be staying at the hotel next door, the Prem Villas. This was more to our taste and the owner and staff was very friendly. We had some time to kill before our camel ride, so we hit the town where we had a great lunch at the Honey and Spice, bought a few pieces of clothing and at 4:30 we were ready and waiting for our camels to come and pick us up at the hotel. The camel guide brought them to the main gate (of the hotel) and off we went on a 3h bum aching ride. After the camel ride we were very happy just to lie down on our beds and not sit on aching bums. After a light dinner we slept like logs and woke up early next morning to go to down town again, and see the 52 Ghats at the Pushkar Lake.

At 8am we were back and Floris had a great massage while I enjoyed my complimentary breakfast on a sensitive bum. At 10am, Mr. Kamal was ready and off we went to Jaipur. The ride was noticeably smoother as we were driving on the national highway. Approaching Jaipur, we could noticed a change in the amount of cars and found fewer animals next to the road. Jaipur is the Capital city of the Rajastan province. We felt intimidated by the big city after all the small ones we conquered. We freshened up at our hotel and Mr. Kamal dropped us off in the “Old City” and by foot we went to Hava Mahal, Jantar-Mantar and walked through a packed fabric/sari market. The large quantities of fabric were so overwhelming, it left us in awe. Mr. Kamal picked us up again and we were saved from the craziness of Jaipur’s “Old City” traffic.
The next morning, bright and early, we drove to nearby Amber Fort where we took an elephant ride further up to the fort. The fort was the ancient castle of the ruling Kachhawa clan of Amber, before the provincial capital was shifted to present day Jaipur. Amber Fort is known for its unique artistic style, blending both Hindu and Muslim elements. Next we went to Nahargarh Fort, then back to Hawa Mahal (to have a look inside with our multiple site entry tickets). The original intention of the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen, since they had to follow strict face cover laws. Last, we visited the Albert Hall, a British Museum where we saw some artifacts from all over Asia. That afternoon we desperately needed an afternoon nap after which we went looking for a super market named Big Bazaar where we bought some local snacks and drinks for the road to Delhi. There is a ban on plastic bags in Rajastan, so your goods are packed into a bag made out of odd pieces of fabric. We got a purple sequenced chiffon bag… and thought it was quite unique! Back at the hotel we enjoyed a chocolate on our ‘balcony’ before ants got hold of us.

The next morning we were on the road to Delhi and Mr Kamal was so excited and he drove much faster than before which was not much faster than a mere 80-100km/h. His family lives in Delhi and was obviously getting very excited to see them... We said goodbye to him at our hotel, East Inn. It was located in a noisy street but we have warm water and a lock on the door. With the metro we went to town and took an auto-rickshaw to the 17th century Red Fort (if you’ve seen one fort - you have seen them all) and then to the India Gate. The India Gate is the national monument of India and commemorates the 90,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their lives while fighting for the British Indian Empire, in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. Again we went looking for a shopping center (to buy some food at a supermarket) but with no luck, so tired and very dirty we returned to the hotel and had some food and rest before our flight back to Doha at 5 the next morning.

We took an auto-rickshaw to the airport where we had to wait to get a seat (it was almost full) but relieved to eventually board followed by a ‘mixed’ relief to leave the craziness of India behind us...

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Photos

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Floris arrive into Doha

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Islamic art museum

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Islamic art museum

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Islamic art museum

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Islamic art museum

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Doha souq

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Airport Hotel in Dehli

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Varanasi arrival hall