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Published: March 1st 2014
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The night passed without incident....a pre-ordered breakfast of Indian stuff arrived 20 minutes late, we part consumed, then set off. Stopped to visit a couple of tombs on the outskirts of town then on to Gulbarga.
In 1991 a man called Michael Kent wrote a detailed description of the Deccan sights, an interesting book though one which will detain no-one unless they David's interest in these matters. He mentioned that in Gulbarga, a foul and unpleaceable odour emanated from the fetid green moat. The moat has long since dried up but we can report that same odour now seems to engulf you wherever you go in the town.......more 14
th century battlements, mosques etc, but we had to flee because of the stink.
The day however gets better because unbeknownst to us or our driver, Narendra Modi, the national leader of the BJP, the Hindu extremist-ish party, was holding an election rally in Gulbarga this very day. We had to go down the road where seemingly several hundred thousand of his flag waving supporters were massing. Lots of older gentlemen in Nehru caps and dhotis, lots of energetic youths, all of whom peered into our car looking and pointing at the two whities. David decided to respond with the wave perfected by H.M.Queen. Just the hour in a traffic jam then.......eventually we hit the road to Bijapur, across another 100 miles of featureless Deccani countryside. You have to earn your history and culture around these parts.
Bijapur. A name that resonates through medieval India history, but let's be honest, it is another dusty dump of a town these days. We check in to the Shashinag Residence, “the best hotel in town”. Oh dear God, standards are plumbing new depths here. James, we have now found a hotel lower than the Gaddafi era hotel we stayed in at Benghazi.........toilet window needing to be papered up, light fitting to be replaced.....probably built in the 80s and has not been dusted since. .....what a sh*thole. The people running it clearly know not the first thing about hotel management, though the resident biologist has cultured an interesting green algae not previously known to man in the “swimming” pool.....what a sh*thole. Some Indian youths were spotted disporting themselves in the pool this afternoon......a fleet of ambulances have just arrived at the hotel and a number of youths removed on stretchers....unrelated I am sure.
To our amazement we stumble into two other Europeans, who sadly turn out to be curt nodding and heel clicking East Germans, probably a shot-putting couple, who speak no English apparently other than “two beers” which they keep repeating frequently.
Dinnertime. We stumble into the “food bazaar” in the basement – perhaps they meant food bizarre? Anyway for once we are pleasantly surprised that the food is edible and some 24 hours on the bowels remain closed, so that is a positive. £3.20 for a lavish dinner including a litre of premium Kingfisher.
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Sarah Pillay
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Sara you are so articulate. I read am transported straight there with the smells the heat the multitudes etc. You should be a travel writer. Enjoy and more details please