2 weeks before the cricket starts!


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Asia » India
February 19th 2011
Published: February 19th 2011
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Jodhpur, the Blue City...Jodhpur, the Blue City...Jodhpur, the Blue City...

...from the roof of our guesthouse

Jodhpur



After a slight trouble finding our platform at the New Delhi train station, we found our carriage and berths and awaited our 20:55 departure. The facilities were far better than any of us had predicted and we settled upon the bottom bed, which acted as our seats until we wanted to go to bed. There were 6 people permitted in our berth - 3 on each side - and a local woman sat opposite us, later to be joined be a middle aged man, who took it upon himself to get an early(ish) night, started snoring and releasing other noxious gases, all of which was quite amusing. Before departure, we took it upon ourselves to lighten the assigned drinks cabinet - a spare suitcase now containing duty free spirits and mixers - and unwisely left the heavy handed Bear to pour measures of vodka into half empty Sprite bottles. I plugged some speakers into the iPod and the journey began, pulling out of the station on time. We made light conversation with the lady opposite us, until she obviously got bored of our patter and retired to the top bunk. Bear poured another ‘subtle’ round of Sprites and we passed the time with various conversation, none of which I can remember having any real impact on my life, the trip or that particular journey. With me finishing the last of the vodka, Bear opened the rum and poured Mikey a rum and coke…actually it was a coke and rum…the look on Mikey’s face (who is a seasoned alcoholic - his words, not mine) told a thousand stories! We all went to bed around midnight and all had a surprisingly good sleep, waking up minutes before the train rolled in Jodhpur, our intended destination.

We checked into the Blue House guesthouse on Mikey’s assurance that the room was big enough, the facilities adequate and the view from the roof spectacular. To his credit, he was right on all three fronts, especially the last one which really did exceed mine and Bear’s expectations. Jodhpur is situated 125 metres beneath the Meherangarh Fort which was built in 1806 and from the roof of the guesthouse, we had a perfect view of the imposing structure. We all agreed that the view from their down would be equally impressive, if not better and happily tucked into some breakfast, not saying much, just staring
Jodhpur...Jodhpur...Jodhpur...

....festival
at the view. Quite spectacular!

All 3 of us were still slightly tired (hungover) but decided to shower and head out for a wander. We had no plan in mind, but headed towards the Clock Tower and walked around the surrounding market, being enticed into a tea/spice shop to sample the local produce. The owner spoke pretty good English, laughed and wiggled his head through his sales pitch and allowed us to try the 3 teas he specialises in - Masala, Mint and Saffron - all of which were very nice. We continued our walk, along narrow lanes and successfully (just) avoided the speeding auto rickshaws, motorbikes, cars and cows. I had thought that being smaller than Delhi, Jodhpur would be less crowded, less hectic and less crazy…I’ve never been more wrong! It was just as chaotic as Delhi and to the untrained eye, as equally over populated. It did have a charm about it that all 3 of us seemed to pick up upon and I enjoyed aimlessly wandering round.

The highlight of this little jaunt was accidentally stumbling across a festival procession that was in full swing. We had turned a corner and heard a lot
Jodhpur...Jodhpur...Jodhpur...

...festival
of noise coming from an end of a street that had been closed off. We walked to the end of the road and came face to face with thousands of Indians singing and dancing down the road. Floats containing people dressed in costume passed by, fire eaters entertained spectators and young boys smashed fluorescent strip lighting tubes over their heads - what the relevance is I have no idea. We tried to find out the significance of the procession but also drew a blank on that too. What was equally as entertaining was the attention that the 3 white faced individuals from the western world had created. We were instantaneously surrounded by a group of teenagers who were eager to shake our hands, have pictures taken and practice the little English they knew. It was surreal! The crowd grew and more handshakes were demanded; all harmless fun but strangely intimidating too. This went on for a good 20 minutes before the novelty wore off and we were left alone for a while, still attracting a number of bewildering looks from the locals. We scanned the crowd and we were the only white people there. Surely they must have seen western
Jodhpur...Jodhpur...Jodhpur...

...festival
people before, but then again maybe they haven’t…who knows? Whatever the case, it was a first in my life to have my hand shaken so many times in such a short space of time and to have my picture taken with random strangers. It was novel for a time but I hope its not like that the whole way around India. If that was my first taste of being famous then you can keep it mate, I’m not interested at all…although I’d happily take the pay cheque!

We headed back to our digs after what was a draining experience and decided to do bugger all for the rest of the day, deciding we would be up early the next day and make the most of our time. We all killed time in different ways, had a seriously greasy later afternoon dinner before heading out to a bar we had seen on our walk around town. On the way to the bar we witnessed our first road traffic accident, with one motorbike driver t-boning another and knocking him off. Thankfully it was quite a low impact collision, but it happened right in front of us and not something I like to see. We carried on walking as an argument began as to whose fault it was…crazy Indians!

The bar was weird…to say the least! We walked in and were met with a number of Indian male faces staring back at us. There were no tables immediately available and we perched on stools at the bar and ordered some beers - standard procedure in a bar - but the looks kept coming. I think we just need to realise we are going to be local attractions wherever we go. Finally a table became available, we sat down and had a few brews, again telling tales of various cod shit stories before being kicked out at closing time at 23:00. We hadn’t seen a lady all night - much to Mikey’s dismay - figuring that socially it is probably not allowed/accepted for them to be in the bar. I think one of our conversations may have mentioned 2.5 months of inadvertent celibacy!

After breakfast on the roof the next day, we hired a driver for the day who was to show us 4 of the must see sights within Jodhpur. We started at the Umaid Bhawan Palace and museum, construction of which began in 1929 and was completed 15 years later. As you may have realised by reading previous other blogs, I’m not a massive fan when it comes to traipsing around old buildings, but I was genuinely impressed with the red sandstone structure. I liked the design, the way it had been maintained and the gardens were immaculate and litter free, a rarity over here. The museum was also small enough to be walked around in half an hour, another plus point for me. The majority of the palace is now home to a luxurious hotel, which is a shame because it meant that the majority of the grounds were out of bounds. There is no way on my current budget that I could afford a night in the hotel to satisfy my curious nature…and if I could, I hope I’d be cosied up to a smoking hot blonde, getting more for my money than just a tour of the grounds!

From there we were driven to the Umaid Gardens where the highlight here, for Bear anyway, was a theme park ironically called Fun Land. For those of you who know Bear, you will agree that he is notoriously miserable. If moaning was an Olympic sport, he would have more gold medals than Sir Steven Redgrave, Michael Johnson and Michael Phelps put together…and believe me training for 2012 is well and truly underway! Usually the only way to make him smile is to remove his head, turn it 180 degrees and replace it; that is unless you come across a wanky theme park in the middle of India. Seriously, this place was a shocking example of a fun park. It had maybe 3 rides that actually worked (although I would seriously think twice about allowing my child on them) and a dodgem rink complete with 2 cars. I couldn’t believe it, but the eyes of Bear and Mikey absolutely lit up when they saw the 2 cars and almost fought each other to get onto them, even though there was nobody else in the queue - unsurprisingly - and the look on my face showed how interested I was. Anyway, the 2 kids enjoyed their 5 minutes banging into each other from behind and I took photos, like any good father would, before telling them that play time was over and I had some grass outside I wanted to watch grow! Dodgems - the highlight of a 40 and 26 year old - unbelievable!

Next on the to do list was the white marble memorial known as Jaswant Thada, built in 1899. It was a nice building.

We then made the short journey to the Meherangarh Fort, where we opted for the audio tour. I think it was interesting at the time, although please do not quiz me on any of the finer details. The audio went in through my larger right ear, rattled around in my head for a split second before vacating through the left one. I know I should be more interested in the history of these places, but attest to my GSCE History result, I really have a limited attention span! I’m all about the views and the scenery, which from the edge of the fort was remarkable. The vista spanned the whole of the city, which is far bigger than I gave it credit for from ground level and was easy to see why Jodhpur is known as the Blue City. Many of the buildings are painted in a sky blue and is easy to see why it is one of Rajasthan’s most spectacular sights. I could have happily stayed up there for a lot longer than I did…simply beautiful.

I didn’t feel amazing that night, a combination of a packed day full of sightseeing which was a shock to the system, a lack of sleep and having definitely eaten something that was not sitting well in my stomach. Dinner was reluctantly…and regrettably…forced down at a rooftop restaurant - Nirvana Café - providing excellent views of the illuminated clock tower and the fort. The food was tasty, but maybe a little too rich for me. We headed back and I tried to sleep. Tried was the operative word here, as I knew something was not quite right inside! And so it was, 7 days after arriving in Delhi, I made the walk to the toilet, knowing full well that the next few minutes were not going to be pleasant. I will save you the details, but 20 minutes and a serious set of stomach exercises later, I returned to my sleeping bag hoping that whatever bug I had caught, was now making its way down one of Jodhpur’s sewer systems. I didn’t get much sleep that night and the prospect of a 6 hour train ride was not a thought to be relished!

Jaipur



The train ride went without incident and we arrived in Jaipur on time. We had read that the capital of Rajasthan was far bigger than Jodhpur and were expecting it to be manic, noisy and busy, whit it was and which seems to be a common theme in India. We checked into the Indian equivalent of Fawlty Towers, run by the Indian equivalent of the Chuckle Brothers. They spoke very little English but managed to nod their head to any question we asked - do you have a room for 3? Yes. Does it have a hot shower? Yes. Wifi? Yes. Harem of blonde women wearing very little? Yes. Things were looking good! In fairness, they were nice chaps and tried hard. The funniest thing one of them did, was enter our room when Mikey was out, ask to sit on his bed, make a 5 minute phone call and then start singing. He then shook mine and Bears hand and walked out. Fruitcake!

The first full day we visited the old part of the city, taking in Jantar Mantar, which is an
Umaid Bhawan Palace ...Umaid Bhawan Palace ...Umaid Bhawan Palace ...

...in the distance
observatory that is home to a collection of structures, used to accurately measure time, based on the shadows cast from the sun. The City Palace was next before looking around Hawa Mahal, Jaipur’s most distinctive landmark. Made of pink sandstone and constructed in 1799, the upper levels provide excellent views across Jaipur and up to the fort.

Bear wanted to ride on a rickshaw - a bicycle style contraption with a carriage at the back and a man peddling up front - but Mikey and I doubted the chances of getting 3 sizeable guys on the small machine. Bear however was adamant it could be done and we successfully managed to entwine our legs and squeeze our arses into the confined space, with me sat next to Mikey and Bear sat facing us in front, far too close for my liking! The poor bugger that had to peddle us the 20 minute journey home, certainly earned his fare with that trip! A unique way to travel, another experience, but one I shall not be repeating!

Next day we hired a driver for the day and had him take us to the 3 forts that surround the city. The first one was called Nahargarh Fort, about 8km out of town. The ride there provided more scenic shots and then we were left for an hour or so to explore the fort and its surroundings. The building was quite impressive and the views from the top floor were stunning, a panoramic view across the whole of Jaipur. Next was Jaigarh Fort, which was home to the worlds largest cannon, apparently. Apart from said cannon, there was not much else to see there, although the views again were impressive. The last fort of the day was the most impressive, the Amber Fort, which began construction in 1592. We got there just as the sun was starting to go down for the day, which made the colouring of the building even more pronounced. We had planned to visit this place last because they put on a lights show every evening and we thought it would be a unique thing to watch, however when the sun disappeared, it got bloody cold and we thought the warmth of our taxi was a much better idea. We are shocking tourists at times, but what we don’t know, we cant be disappointed about missing!

Jaipur was alright, but to me just another big city. I didn’t find it anywhere near as attractive or as appealing as Jodhpur and don’t think I would have been too upset had we missed it altogether. I was certainly over forts by the time we left and have made a conscious decision not to bother with any more on this trip!

Agra



The following day was another 6 hour train ride to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal and it was now Mikey’s turn to feel rough. He couldn’t quit pin down what it was that made him sick, although suspects a dodgy samosa or lack of alcohol could be the key. I know which one I think it was. After a while of deliberating which hotel to stay in, due to cost, it was decided the cheaper option would suffice for the first night. We had a decent dinner, a couple of beers and then tried to get our heads down. Bear slept like a baby the whole night, whilst Mikey and I was kept awake by the monkeys outside, who thought it amusing to throw rocks onto the surrounding tin roofs. Coupled with the fact that Mikey was still struggling health wise, it was decided, that we would check out first thing and into a place with 24 hour hot water, a comfy bed and a monkey free back garden!

The view from the roof of this hotel gave our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal and I have to be honest and say that I wasn’t as impressed or as blown away with it as what I thought I would be. Granted we were a couple of kms away but it wasn’t as striking as I had hoped.

Due to the timescale of the first 3 weeks, we had carefully planned our trip to Agra and were to visit the Taj on a Friday, only to find out the day before that Fridays are the only day of the week that it is closed to tourists! What a monumental balls up! Luckily - and this was by pure fluke - our train to Varanasi wasn’t until late Saturday night, so we were able to get there and see it, although in hindsight it would have been slightly amusing to say we had been to Agra and not visited one of the wonders of the world!

We all had the same feeling about Agra…it was a dump. We weren’t sure why we felt that way, but 3 people cant all be wrong and we agreed that we would waste the Friday doing not a lot. Mikey was still feeling a bit delicate and I had been off my food too, so thought the best way to combat our boredom would be to make the most of the rooftop view and have a couple of beers. Due to its size, India doesn’t have the same number of travellers in any one place at any one time and we have struggled bumping into and chatting with other tourists. It was nice however, to get chatting to a couple of English guys and made a welcome change talking to somebody different.

Getting up close to the Taj was far more impressive than the view from our hotel and is obvious to see why it is a wonder of the world. The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his second wife, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. Busy fella that old emperor! The white marble mausoleum was completed in 1653 and is perfectly symmetrical on all 4 sides - it really is an amazing feat of architecture and workmanship, especially when considering the era of time is was built! The classic photos were taken and all 3 of us were suitably impressed by it. The highlight of the visit however, was after having been inside the mausoleum, we sat on a marble ledge at the back of the building, along with many other locals and tourists. After only a couple of minutes, the first of many - probably 20-30 - people came and asked if we would pose in a picture with them. Of course we obliged, thinking it funny at the time, but the more we obliged, the more and more people wanted the same photos. It was bizarre! Some people would casually slide in alongside us and their friend would take pictures from a distance; some would ask politely and other would just run up to us, sit down, have the picture taken and run off again. At one stage we were in a whole family shot - Mum, Dad, brothers, sisters and cousins…it was hilarious! This country really is crazy - a white face and mad hair really does get people talking. I just want to know what they do with the photos? I hope that the 3 of us are now hanging above somebody’s fireplace in their lounge! It was a very surreal hour and my face is still hurting from all the fake smiling!

It was also here where I was approached by a very attractive young lady - don’t be so surprised - who had pretty wild hair and the most amazing eyes. Her English was pretty good and certain words she spoke reminded me of a Welsh Geordie, which shouldn‘t have been funny, but it was! She just wanted to practice her English and we spoke about everything and nothing for quite some time. Her confidence and personality pleasantly surprised me and it was a pleasure to talk to someone who was genuinely interesting, enthusiastic and outgoing. The fact she was stunning looking had nothing to do with it…honestly! Unfortunately, her mum was babysitting her, otherwise the conversation would have gone on longer. I couldn’t get a photo because my battery died, but her smile was priceless and will stay with me for a while! Her name…Simba…shouldn’t laugh, but cant help thinking of a little cartoon lion.

We went back to the hotel, had a few more beers on the roof before setting off for the train station. It had been a good day and the Taj was pretty special. We were all in agreement though, that India was appearing to be a very same same country, in so much that each town is very similar to the other - polluted, over populated and very noisy. I haven’t seen anything of contrast and am hoping that the south offers us something different. I don’t dislike it, but am over the sightseeing aspects already. We are all just wanting the cricket to get underway, so that we have a real interest in being in the country. There’s a week to go!

Varanasi



Had been looking forward to this place due to the things I had heard/read about it, in so much as the river that runs through the city is beautiful and a significant place spiritually for local people. They wash, play, fish and cremate people in this sacred place and I was intrigued to see what it was like.

We had opted to stay in the area known as Meer Ghat and after a 20 minute auto ride and then another hour and a half trying to find a place to chuck the bags, we lucked out and found a guesthouse that was dirt cheap, had a big room, hot water…and a squat toilet. The last part we hadn’t realised until we had paid for the first night and the realisation was met with a mixture of laughter and apprehension! It was bound to happen at some stage, but I’d rather be prepared for these things. Thankfully, the belly had been behaving itself for the last few days and I was confident I wouldn’t need to take full advantage of the facilities. Unfortunately, Mikey wasn’t in the same form of health!

We quickly established that there was little in Varanasi that would keep us entertained and we racked our brains as to what we could do for the next 3 days in order to keep us amused. The river was the main draw, but we quickly realised that it was nothing more than a filthy flow of water. I appreciate the religious side of things, but there is an irony - which shouldn’t be too hard to see - in cremating Grandma in the evening, then washing your hair in the same water the next morning! It is blatantly obvious that thousands of people rely on that particular source of water to survive, and in all honesty I feel sorry for them more than anything that that is the case. Whether its washing, fishing, laundry or boat trips, the river serves as a life source, but the plain fact is that it is highly polluted and seriously unattractive. Along with the alleyways lined with the most cow shit I have seen so far in India, I found it really hard to see any for of beauty in the city at all. I try my best to keep an open mind when travelling, but if we were faced with anything like that at home, we’d do our best to help those people who desperately rely it. I guess that is the difference between here and home, and its amazing how much I appreciate home - even though it’s Essex - so much more after seeing this.

One of the days we went out for a walk around the local area and once again, as is to be expected, the road was chock a block with all sorts of means of transport and no order existed at all. I love and hate this aspect in equal measures - I love it because it is so unique, so mental, dangerous and different, and hate it because I feel like my destiny is taken out of my hands with every step I take! I really feel like it’s an achievement to reach your destination on foot, but I cant stay out for more than an hour! I don’t want to push my luck! Anyway, we were relatively productive during this walk, managing to purchase a cricket bat and a couple of balls, that we had been after since we arrived! We were in Varanasi for 3 and a bit days and I’ll be completely honest and say that my highlight was playing cricket in our room with our new toys! It wasn’t a very attractive display of technique, agility or ability, but it sure beat the hell out of watching an old man being publicly cremated, which we witnessed the next morning! I was pretty glad I’d not had any breakfast as it was yet another surreal sight, although having said that, I felt little emotion about what I was seeing. There seemed to be no family around/close to the burning body and it just seemed as though it was a completely normal way of disposing of the dead. I think the sights we are being exposed to on a daily basis, is numbing much of what we would consider immoral / not normal back home, and the sight of Pops on a barbecue had little impact. I realise how flippant that last comment seems and I’m not trying to be offensive by saying it, but I found it extremely sad that nobody was there to say goodbye or celebrate the person’s life as we would in a western society…but because it was here in India, with the rest of surrealism, it just seems to be another ‘one of those things’! Strange how places can change your train of thought or anaesthetize your feelings!

Kolkata (Calcutta)



My main reason for coming to Kolkata was to see a friend of mine, who I used to play cricket with me in Essex, almost 10 years ago. Devang had represented the Indian national team and was an awesome batsman, and it was good to have the chance to catch up with him in home city.

We hadn’t done much research on Kolkata, but went to the Queen Victoria memorial building, which was very impressive and a good way to kill a few hours. There didn’t seem to be a great deal else to do and we were all looking forward to seeing Dev and being taken to a place that the locals go. We arranged to meet him at a sports club and it was great to see him after so many years. He hadn’t changed a great deal, although had retired from playing cricket, but is still heavily involved in the selection for the state team and is next in line as a national team selector. He is also involved in media and has his own cricket academy, which keeps him busy. As I have said, it was great to see him, but was also the first time we had seen how the more affluent Indians live and socialise, which is very much the same as we do back home. His hospitality was much appreciated and plied us with plenty of beers before taking us to a club, situated at a local 5 star hotel. As you’d expect, it was premium prices, but a stark contrast to the slums and poverty that we have been privy to for the last 3 weeks. It was a very western atmosphere and it was nice to see that ’normality’ (as we know it) exists in this crazy arse country. In a country of over a billion people, there are a number of wealthy people and is obvious to see why India is a country with a booming economy. It is also glaringly obvious to see the disparity between rich and poor, which is heartbreakingly sad and they have a long, long way to go before they are anywhere near the standards we take for granted in England - if they ever get there. Again, it just makes me appreciate fully the life I have had so far, the opportunities I have had and the place where I come from.

Anyway, I am now fully up to date, having just watched India beat Bangladesh in the first game of the cricket World Cup. We head to Nagpur tomorrow (20/02/11) and the first England game is on Tuesday against Holland. Cant wait!



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