Hi everyone -
I'm in Udaipur, India right now, being the last stop of our tour of Rajastan. It will be nice to get out of the desert, but everyone tells us that the rest of India is just as hot and much more humid. We'll see what happens.
When I last wrote, we were relaxing in Pushkar (the land of no eggs, meat, or alcohol and surprisingly great). From there, we journeyed west to Jaisalmer - famous for it's great fort which people actually still live within. We actually stayed in a guesthouse inside the fort which was really a neat experience. Looking directly out my window, I could see the outermost walls of the fort. Looking down however, I could see a giant garbage dump where cows and dogs and all manner of animals scavenged for food.
In Jaisalmer, we signed up for a camel trek into the desert with a night spent sleeping under the stars on a sand dune. Forgetting everything I learned from my last camel trek in Morocco, I signed up for a two-day/one-night trek. What I learned from the camel trek:
1. The desert is really, really hot and dry.
2. Oasis does not mean palm trees and a pool of water. It means 5 trees somewhat near to each other, a lot of camel dung, and moving every ten minutes to escape the blazing sun.
3. Any camel the guides call "Tiger" and then start laughing should really should be named "Pokey".
4. Good company and beer make any conditions bearable. Deanna, our long-lost friend Tim, and new "Britisher" friend Josie were a lot more fun than I was.
5. I can't go one day without drinking Pepsi. We walked into a village in the desert, completely parched and having only (by this point) hot water to drink. He offered us luke-warm Pepsi at a 400% markup and it was money well-spent.
6. Buying a cowboy hat doesn't make you a cowboy. In fact, it just made me look stupid. Deanna and Tim's actually look quite good. I had more of the "Jackie Chan in Shanghai Noon" look.
7. Riding a camel hurts.
From Jaisalmer, we took a bus to Jodphur...famous for...another fort. In Jodphur, the majority of the houses in the town are painted blue - which makes for a very impressive sight from the fort walls high above the city. There are so many forts in Rajastan that it begs the question of what they were actually protecting? Many of the forts (e.g. in Jaisalmer) were never taken over but mainly I think because it's completely in the middle of nowhere, protecting nothing strategic(the middle of the desert). Still, the Rajput people had a code of honor and chivalry in a similar vein to the more famous knights in Europe. In fact, there was a tradition that when the fort was certain to be taken, the men would don saffron (death color) robes and ride out for the final battle and certain death. Meanwhile the women would commit ritual suicide - leaving no survivors to be ruled by the victorious invaders. That's conviction.
From Jodphur, we moved on to Udaipur. Udaipur is famous for a beautiful lake and many palaces either around the lake or on islands in the middle of the lake. The city was immortalized in the James Bondfilm Octopussy, in which the villainess's base was filmed at the Lake Palace. Unfortunately it hasn't rained in this area for three years, so instead I can see a vast field of dirt, trash, and grazing cows surrounding this beautiful palace. Normally, you can only approach this palace (now a 5-star hotel) by boat. Today we just walked across the "lake" and asked if we could take a look around. The answer...only if you spend a minimum amount at the bar (equal to just more than two nights at our current hotel). I sensed that the employees of the hotel were sad that their lake which once kept the rifraff (ie. me) out no longer serves its noble purpose. Luckily, all the guest houses show Octopussy every single night - so we could get a sense of what it normally looks like).
Okay - from here we head into Gujarat and to the former Portugese island of Diu. It's a small beach island and happens to be the only place in Gujarat where you can buy alcohol...whew!
I hope everyone is doing well.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
04/12/05: Anything that doesn't kill you...
Hello all,
When last I wrote, we were leaving Varanasi for Khajuraho. Khajuraho is famous for some incredibly detailed Hindu temples - especially the finely detailed facial expressions. The temples are also famous for having a lot of erotic carvings - many of the positions in the Kamasutra are carved around the temples...current scholars think that it may have been a "how-to" for the Brahmin (priest-caste) students who studied at the all-boy schools in the area in preparation for marrying them off. Which is an interesting theory considering they actually show images of villagers shunning those practicing bestiality...a good lesson. Very interesting place.
In Khajuraho, we befriended one of the workers at the hotel whose nickname was "Ganga" (like the river). He was an incredibly nice guy and also managed to make us feel very welcome and provided a lot of information without having a shady "angle" to make money off of us. He invited us to his home for dinner - which was an awesome experience and very authentic in seeing how some of the poorer people live. Ganga's entire family (he, his wife, three kids) lived in a very small hut no larger than 8'x 10'. In the same "complex", his mother and father, brother and sister and all of their kids also resided. They had no running water and no continuous electricity (they actually stole electricity from the city in the evenings) as it was too expensive. As I helped him wash the fish for the curry (on a rock set in the ground!), I couldn't help but think how lucky we have it.
From Khajuraho, we continued our tour through the small town of Orccha and then on to Agra. In Agra, we went and saw the Taj Mahal - and although I knew what it looked like, it was really incredible to see with my own eyes. Many people have told me that no matter what you're expecting, the Taj will match your expectations and for me that really was true.
In terms of the other sights of Agra, I got to view them on Deanna's camera because I felt too sick to tour around the city. I somehow managed to pick-up a chest infection - with a horrible bone-wracking cough - and was too obstinate to pay a visit to the doctor until a bit later. So instead I just suffered through it for awhile (as did Deanna as it's pretty difficult to sleep when someone is coughing up a lung all night). Anyway...I did finally go see a doctor and am feeling much better as the drugs he prescribed (what they are...I have no idea) are starting to kick-in.
From Agra, we headed west into the desert province of Rajastan...definitely a unique part of India. At one point, the entire city of Jaipur was within a wall and all the buildings were painted pink with the exception of royal buildings which were yellow. It's a really neat effect although the city is a bit run-down. We were fortunate enough to witness the Ganguar festival - which celebrates the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. To a person of my limited knowledge that means so very little...but I did get to see 100 elephants, tons of camels and horses in a parade...that counts for something.
We're now in Pushkar, a small town of about 10,000 people surrounding a beautiful lake. The city is so laid back - I almost feel like I'm in a different country here - especially because it's a stictly vegetarian, no alcohol, no eggs served in the city. I think we'll stay as long as we can take the strict diet...
Yesterday was 6 months since we left the US! I thought I'd be home around now, but there's just so much left to see.
When last I wrote, we were leaving Varanasi for Khajuraho. Khajuraho is famous for some incredibly detailed Hindu temples - especially the finely detailed facial expressions. The temples are also famous for having a lot of erotic carvings - many of the positions in the Kamasutra are carved around the temples...current scholars think that it may have been a "how-to" for the Brahmin (priest-caste) students who studied at the all-boy schools in the area in preparation for marrying them off. Which is an interesting theory considering they actually show images of villagers shunning those practicing bestiality...a good lesson. Very interesting place.
In Khajuraho, we befriended one of the workers at the hotel whose nickname was "Ganga" (like the river). He was an incredibly nice guy and also managed to make us feel very welcome and provided a lot of information without having a shady "angle" to make money off of us. He invited us to his home for dinner - which was an awesome experience and very authentic in seeing how some of the poorer people live. Ganga's entire family (he, his wife, three kids) lived in a very small hut no larger than 8'x 10'. In the same "complex", his mother and father, brother and sister and all of their kids also resided. They had no running water and no continuous electricity (they actually stole electricity from the city in the evenings) as it was too expensive. As I helped him wash the fish for the curry (on a rock set in the ground!), I couldn't help but think how lucky we have it.
From Khajuraho, we continued our tour through the small town of Orccha and then on to Agra. In Agra, we went and saw the Taj Mahal - and although I knew what it looked like, it was really incredible to see with my own eyes. Many people have told me that no matter what you're expecting, the Taj will match your expectations and for me that really was true.
In terms of the other sights of Agra, I got to view them on Deanna's camera because I felt too sick to tour around the city. I somehow managed to pick-up a chest infection - with a horrible bone-wracking cough - and was too obstinate to pay a visit to the doctor until a bit later. So instead I just suffered through it for awhile (as did Deanna as it's pretty difficult to sleep when someone is coughing up a lung all night). Anyway...I did finally go see a doctor and am feeling much better as the drugs he prescribed (what they are...I have no idea) are starting to kick-in.
From Agra, we headed west into the desert province of Rajastan...definitely a unique part of India. At one point, the entire city of Jaipur was within a wall and all the buildings were painted pink with the exception of royal buildings which were yellow. It's a really neat effect although the city is a bit run-down. We were fortunate enough to witness the Ganguar festival - which celebrates the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. To a person of my limited knowledge that means so very little...but I did get to see 100 elephants, tons of camels and horses in a parade...that counts for something.
We're now in Pushkar, a small town of about 10,000 people surrounding a beautiful lake. The city is so laid back - I almost feel like I'm in a different country here - especially because it's a stictly vegetarian, no alcohol, no eggs served in the city. I think we'll stay as long as we can take the strict diet...
Yesterday was 6 months since we left the US! I thought I'd be home around now, but there's just so much left to see.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
04/03/05: A brand new experience
Hello to everyone from India!
We arrived in Delhi a few days ago and it's been such a shock...everything is so different from SE Asia (and anywhere else I've ever been). There's just so much to adjust to. First off, Delhi is an absolutely huge city (17 Million and counting) and certainly feels that way. It's super-crowded and you can't even walk down the street without dodging bicycle carts, autorickshaws, beggars, cows roaming, shit and trash in the street and every manner of vendor cart selling food, belts, cold drinks, etc... It's just an assault on your senses - so many new things I haven't seen, new smells (both good and very, very bad), and the very loud sounds of people honking horns and generally trying not to kill anyone in the street.
So far I have seen:
1. Cows drinking from water fountains.
2. Monkeys sitting on cable lines and balconys...
3. Monkeys actually going to the bathroom off the balcony.
4. Dogs having sex in the middle of the street.
5. Goat heads for sale in the market next to the other goat parts.
A real menagerie.
We took a one-day tour around the city and did see some amazing things. The Red Fort, Qutb Minar, Humayun's Tomb are all worthy of the press they get...absolutely stunning and of huge, huge scale. Unfortunately, our guide wasn't the best. He was an older man who was very set in his presentation...wasn't very into answering questions. He also didn't really like to walk...so instead he would tell us "everything we need to know" and then say "be back in 30 minutes"). Towards the end of the trip, he actually asked "are you tired? would you rather see the Red Fort from the outside or the inside? we could just drive by." Luckily, he made up for his lack of guide skills with an extremely nationalistic and obnoxious attitude. "India is best! Where are you from? USA? Here are the reasons India is better than USA! 1. Free education and food here for all. 2. Divorce rate is 0%. I hear that in your country it's 50%. 3. We have 7 holy rivers and 7 holy mountains. Who else has this? No...clearly India is #1." And then he turned to why you can't trust the Muslims. It was quite infuriating.
To get his thoughts on Islam out of our heads, we visited the Jama Masjid - the largest Mosque in India. You can actually climb to the top of one of the minaret's and get a great view of the Red Fort on one side...and from the other three you just look out as far as you possibly can and just see the warren of streets that is Delhi stretching out as far as you can see. Pretty amazing. Also amazing is that the mosque's courtyard can accomodate 25,000 people during prayer. Wow.
From Delhi, we took a train to the ancient city of Varanasi - where they cremate bodies in ghats on the Ganges river - open to public view. Apparently, if you die here, you are released from the endless cycle of death and rebirth...so a very popular place to die. They have a fire burning which is reputed to have been burning for 5,000 years continuously. The cremation ceremony basically starts with the body being wrapped in a colorful cloth depending upon the type/caste of person who has passed, and then dipped in the Ganges for purification, and then laid upon cords of wood and burned for several hours. The ashes are then spread into the river. You can guess how clean the river is... For several types of persons (lepers for instance) the body is not burned...just thrown into the river. The amazing thing is that, being a holy river, 60,000 people a day bathe in the Ganges both from a practical standpoint (get clean) and a spiritual standpoint(purification). It's still rather disturbing to watch cows lazing about in the river upstream of where people are bathing and brushing their teeth. We did witness a Hindu ceremony on the river one evening where (completely not knowing what was going on...of course) we ended up floating candles down the Ganges and then getting a red mark placed upon our foreheads by what I think was a holy man.
From here, we're off to Khajuraho - the site of ancient Hindu temples. I'm currently fighting off a bit of food poisoning...hopefully it goes away soon. For all the difficulties of this new country, I am seeing many brand new things and hopefully will be able to get over the culture shock and enjoy the experience.
Best to everyone.
We arrived in Delhi a few days ago and it's been such a shock...everything is so different from SE Asia (and anywhere else I've ever been). There's just so much to adjust to. First off, Delhi is an absolutely huge city (17 Million and counting) and certainly feels that way. It's super-crowded and you can't even walk down the street without dodging bicycle carts, autorickshaws, beggars, cows roaming, shit and trash in the street and every manner of vendor cart selling food, belts, cold drinks, etc... It's just an assault on your senses - so many new things I haven't seen, new smells (both good and very, very bad), and the very loud sounds of people honking horns and generally trying not to kill anyone in the street.
So far I have seen:
1. Cows drinking from water fountains.
2. Monkeys sitting on cable lines and balconys...
3. Monkeys actually going to the bathroom off the balcony.
4. Dogs having sex in the middle of the street.
5. Goat heads for sale in the market next to the other goat parts.
A real menagerie.
We took a one-day tour around the city and did see some amazing things. The Red Fort, Qutb Minar, Humayun's Tomb are all worthy of the press they get...absolutely stunning and of huge, huge scale. Unfortunately, our guide wasn't the best. He was an older man who was very set in his presentation...wasn't very into answering questions. He also didn't really like to walk...so instead he would tell us "everything we need to know" and then say "be back in 30 minutes"). Towards the end of the trip, he actually asked "are you tired? would you rather see the Red Fort from the outside or the inside? we could just drive by." Luckily, he made up for his lack of guide skills with an extremely nationalistic and obnoxious attitude. "India is best! Where are you from? USA? Here are the reasons India is better than USA! 1. Free education and food here for all. 2. Divorce rate is 0%. I hear that in your country it's 50%. 3. We have 7 holy rivers and 7 holy mountains. Who else has this? No...clearly India is #1." And then he turned to why you can't trust the Muslims. It was quite infuriating.
To get his thoughts on Islam out of our heads, we visited the Jama Masjid - the largest Mosque in India. You can actually climb to the top of one of the minaret's and get a great view of the Red Fort on one side...and from the other three you just look out as far as you possibly can and just see the warren of streets that is Delhi stretching out as far as you can see. Pretty amazing. Also amazing is that the mosque's courtyard can accomodate 25,000 people during prayer. Wow.
From Delhi, we took a train to the ancient city of Varanasi - where they cremate bodies in ghats on the Ganges river - open to public view. Apparently, if you die here, you are released from the endless cycle of death and rebirth...so a very popular place to die. They have a fire burning which is reputed to have been burning for 5,000 years continuously. The cremation ceremony basically starts with the body being wrapped in a colorful cloth depending upon the type/caste of person who has passed, and then dipped in the Ganges for purification, and then laid upon cords of wood and burned for several hours. The ashes are then spread into the river. You can guess how clean the river is... For several types of persons (lepers for instance) the body is not burned...just thrown into the river. The amazing thing is that, being a holy river, 60,000 people a day bathe in the Ganges both from a practical standpoint (get clean) and a spiritual standpoint(purification). It's still rather disturbing to watch cows lazing about in the river upstream of where people are bathing and brushing their teeth. We did witness a Hindu ceremony on the river one evening where (completely not knowing what was going on...of course) we ended up floating candles down the Ganges and then getting a red mark placed upon our foreheads by what I think was a holy man.
From here, we're off to Khajuraho - the site of ancient Hindu temples. I'm currently fighting off a bit of food poisoning...hopefully it goes away soon. For all the difficulties of this new country, I am seeing many brand new things and hopefully will be able to get over the culture shock and enjoy the experience.
Best to everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)