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Published: April 8th 2007
Hey my peeps!!!!
How are you all? How’s the weather (so British)? I feel like I’ve been away for so long.
Delhi
I am used to Delhi now - every time I come to Guwahati (Assam) I stay here for at least 2 days with my cousins. Didn’t really do much here except feel ridiculously jet lagged and catch up with my cousin sisters Rimpi, Roma and Buki.
Rajastan
I arrived on Monday and was due to leave for Assam on the Thursday - I was determined to see Rajastan, albeit for just two days - typical me, over ambitious! Rajastan is the neighbouring state and our first stop, Jaipur is about 600 km. Because of timing and costs and also hassle, my cousins decided it was best if we hired a taxi (5 rupees per kilometre) - at least then there is more flexibility (eew my cousin has just given me a cup of tea and it has loads of cream on top - looks like grated cheese, I need to throw it subtly….). Anyway the point is, we went by car (me, my cousin Roma and friend Babu) because they thought
delhi -
first meal in india - macdonalds!I wouldn’t be able to handle the trains (first class would be just as expensive) or buses - I beg to differ - I would much have preferred to get public transport than have risked our lives at the hands of our maniac taxi driver.
Because time was short we left at 1am the day I arrived. It takes about 6-7 hours drive to Jaipur and the aim was to drive by night so that we could arrive in Jaipur and have the whole day to explore rather than waste the day travelling. Yeah, good idea in theory but in practice kinda sh!te - instead of being able to sleep nicely, we had to take turns watching the driver to make sure he didn’t asleep at the wheel and kill us all! There doesn’t seem to be the same road regulations as there are in the UK. No such thing as give way, overtaking only on the right, staying in lane. Our driver drove through red traffic lights at full speed, drove along road sides or any space available when there was the slightest bit of congestion. Luckily the road from Del to Jaipur (golden triangle) is absolutely beautiful
dhabah
on way to jaipur about 3am, elec went off - we even passed a few call centres you guys often get through whn you call Orange, AOL and National Rail. The driver would have driven under the lorries if he could - that’s what it felt like. After a couple of hours his eyes started to droop and squint and then we were really fearing for our lives - actually I fell asleep - I had my nice travel pillow and just thought close your eyes, whatever happens will happen. I was too shattered to care. We had to stop at a Dhaba (Indian road side café-type place) and Babu insisted on driving for half an hour to let the driver sleep.
Jaipur
We arrived in Jaipur at around 6.30am - pink city. The actual city is nothing special except for all the pink buildings and random monkeys everywhere. Not knowing the city, we got to the Amber Palace by asking directions from various locals - definitely a good idea to be with someone who can speak Hindi. The Amber Palace is a beautiful 15th century Palace built by one of the Maharajas. Got a guided tour and learnt about the extravagant life of the Maharajas and
their 300 wives. By this time (circa 10.30am) my head hurt I was so exhausted and I really didn’t care about the hand painted frescos or the peep rooms the favourite wives used. Also, the heat was becoming quite unbearable. Rajastan is a desert state - freezing at night but when the sun is at it’s highest, it reaches over 45 degrees.
There are hoards of western tourists here and consequently a lot of begging to the point it becomes harassment. Tourists shouldn’t give money, as this develops into an association and expectation of tourist = easy money.
By the time we left the Palace it was sweltering. I am not a naturally sweaty person but by this time sweat was trickling down my back and forehead continuously - no energy to look at the Amber Fort.
Pushkar
Three hours from Jaipur is the beautiful holy city of Pushkar. There is a sacred lake where the pilgrims come to chant and do pilgrimy things. This little town is amazing - it has such a peaceful and serene ambience. There are little windy streets filled with temples, bazaars and tea places with random cows dotted here and
there (no Indian government dare do anything about the roaming cows blocking roads, looting rubbish and generally causing a hazard). Incense sticks burn and in the morning Hindu mantras belt out to the beat of the sitar and tabla. Legend has it that here is where Mahadeva scattered the ashes of his beloved dead wife Parvati.
There are loads of westerners here, mostly Israelis and most signs are in Hebrew which I found quite bizarre. I would have liked to have done the yoga and meditation thing, as there are numerous yoga retreats overlooking the lake - next time hey - I am definitely coming back.
But at night the place is a different place - the westerners are out, literally! We were having our dinner, and this guy was tripping, dancing around the restaurant - no one battered an eye lid. It was hilarious. Hippies walk around bare foot. Everywhere is vegetarian, with Israeli menus - I ate falafel, hummus and pitta.
I did A LOT of shopping here - too much perhaps as I ran out of rupees in the end. I went to the factory that makes the dresses you see at Camden Market
Pushkar desert
beautiful sunrise and Portobello Road - dresses you can buy for 150 rupees (not even 2₤!) that they sell in London for over 30 !! Loads of western exporters come here - I nearly got into a fight with one Frenchi - so rude. But I’ll keep my opinions to myself on this one.
The next morning we took a camel safari to watch the sun rise - beautiful. You will see the photos, words really can’t describe the serenity of the place. It’s surrounded by the oldest hills in the world apparently. The land is barren almost desert like, but not quite the Thar Desert yet. Our beautiful camels walked us through the sandy and hilly plains where the original gypsies live and where some of the local men come to do a sh!te! We trotted through on our camels and literally, no joke 10-15 men were crouched or about to crouch, water bottles in their left hand at the ready. Only one of them got up from the embarrassment - but it was too late, I already saw his huge logs of sh!te - Sanj would have been impressed!
Ajmer
Babu insisted on going to the ‘Dargah’
Pushkar
clothes factory for Portobello and Camden market - a holy Islamic tomb, where you come to pray and your wish (allegedly) comes true. Babu tells me it is world famous and it would be a sin not to pop in. It’s only 30 minutes from Pushkar but what a difference! I was too lazy to bring my camera, but I wish I had. There are no westerners, women walk around in burkas or wear head-scalves. Luckily Roma and I wrapped shawls around our sleeveless dresses but even then people stared at us like we were aliens. The route to the Dargah was an experience in itself - the alley ways are crammed with market stalls, but of a different kind to the ones in Pushkar. No cute little Portobello-style dresses, but dead skinned goats and tacky jewellery. The roads are filthy.
The actual Majid (?) is beautiful and well kept but so many people around. We had to buy some kind of cloth to put these petals on it. We had a religious guy ‘look after’ us as we didn’t have a clue as to the process. They went to get us appropriate clothes to cover our legs. I even got told off for crossing my
Kaziranga
Our tree house legs whilst I was standing waiting around - personally would have thought it more appropriate to keep your legs closed at a religious place! The tomb itself was mayhem. I laughed at my own hypocrisy as I stood there under the bright tinsel entwined cloth the priest-man had put over us, making my wish as he chanted some kind of mantra. Just ten minutes earlier I had been complaining and scorning at the ridiculousness that ‘your wish would come true’ if you come to this tomb.
The drive back to Delhi took about 8 hours and was never ending. When we reached home there is an issue with payment of the driver. It’s 2am and Roma and I are counting out our money in the dark (why didn’t I think to use my head torch then?) - after all the shopping we don’t seem to have enough. Meanwhile Babu and the taxi driver are arguing about something and next thing we know Babu is kicking the sh!t out of the poor taxi driver because of something he said. Our shopping bags fly everywhere and the resident cow stirs. The taxi driver says sorry and a sum is agreed. What
a headache!
Assam
Okay, so I’m in Assam now, using my uncle’s computer. I cant promise that my mails will be this long in the future (I hear gasps of relief!) because of the inconvenience and internet connections but I hope you enjoyed reading some of my adventures. I’m with my family here and it feels like I’ve never been away. We are visiting relatives and organising (or trying to) wedding stuff which is a bit of a headache. I wish I had a magic wand and everything is all magically arranged exactly how I want it. Yeah right, dream on. Oh and I am so sick of talking about it - it’s the high topic of conversation wherever I go.
Assam is a part of me, it’s as much home as England is. You may have been hearing about some political unrest in Assam. Actually today is ‘Axom Bandh’ i.e. everything is closed because ULFA has declared it. Basically and from my understanding (but I may be wrong), ULFA want Assamese independence. According to ULFA, Assam does not see the fruits of its resources (Assam produces oil, tea, jute and paper) and that its borders
Assam
My cherrub are not sufficiently controlled - it puts the central Indian government to blame.
Personally, I do not feel any threat / tension right now. There is no curfew (we returned at 10pm last night from our relatives), girls and boys walk around freely. Yes there is staring, but we’re in India - I’ve learned to ignore it (although I am so tempted to pull out my tongue and do a goofy face). I have the cutest little cousins and nieces/nephews - one in particular I want to take home - a little Japanese cherub.
Been to Kaziranga twice now to make wedding arrangements. Gutted that I could not go on one single elephant safari. You all know how special this place is to me! The journey itself from Guwahati to Kaziranga is an experience, as you get to see some of the beauty of rural India. There are several viewing points on the roadside where you get to see wild rhinos grazing peacefully on the grassy plains. I can’t stress how peaceful and pure the place is. All around there is greenery, whether it be the thick tree-covered surrounding hills or tea plantation estates. You can even smell the
Assam
typical roadside view, rural assam moistness of the vegetation. And there are lots more western tourists here as this place gets increasingly more commercial. Don’t know if this is a good or bad thing.
That’s it for now, will be in touch soon. Please email me to tell me what’s going on - I don’t want to be totally out of touch with reality!
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Sanjay
non-member comment
Good start!!
Good read Rubes make sure you keep up dating,and leave those poor taxi drivers alone!, Kaziranga looks niiice! cant wait to see it! N-joy kidd take care..