Namaste!
We're writing this in a very much relaxed state. Both Pushkar and Udaipur have been a welcome break from the insanity that is India.
We arrived in Puskar on Saturday night. Being second in pilgrimage importance only to Varanasi, Pushkar is an extremely holy place for Hindus. It is a tiny community, sitting around a small "lake" named after the god of creation, Brahma. It's also a funky place, as you're just as likely to share a lunch with a French or Israeli hippie as you are with a Brahmin. Apparently some hippies came here in the 60s and never left, and they have definitely made their presence felt along with all the spirituality. While there is no alcohol allowed in the town at all, the place is rife with marijuana. It comes in many forms, but the funniest is in the "special lassi" which we've heard has surprised many a tourist after drinking.
We stayed at the Om Hotel, which as the name suggests put us in a better state of mind after the chaos of Jaipur. The nucleus of the hotel was an open courtyard of grass. The guests all had rooms lining the courtyard, which also served as the hotel's restaurant. We ended up eating all of our breakfasts and lunches there as we couldn't seem to get out of the hammocks or stop chatting with the other long-term guests (more like tenants). The calm vibe of Om was palpable. The guests ranged from a mid-50s couple from Vancouver Island to a Spanish couple (and their adorable boy) who got married in the Shiva temple on the day we left. Sadly we had our tickets booked and we couldn't take them up on their offer to help celebrate the occasion later on that evening. Many of the other guests (I think all of them except for us) were staying in Pushkar anywhere from a month to six months, and many were repeat visitors. The owner of Om was a very religious man who came into the courtyard and chanted the bhajans (prayer-songs) every morning while showering us with a cloud of incense. His son, Deepak, was the head chef who learned how to cook in Paris where we're assuming he met his wife, who was in the room next to us with their little boy. They spend six months a year in Pushkar and the other six outside Paris. Everyone was amazing. We wanted to stay at least for the wedding festivities but we couldn't get out of our train reservations.
I know we talked a bit about Indians' fascination with Pat's blond hair, but things have gotten crazier since the first blog. We are now both being mobbed by friendly Indian passersby, and it's literally feeling like a Brangelina scenario. It's hilarious for several reasons, but mainly because it's us and we're nothing to write home about. One day we climbed up this steep mountain to the Savritri temple on the outskirts of town. A small family of 50 Indians happened to be starting the trek at the same time we did, and we pretty much walked step for step. At first we thought it was just walking the same speed, but as they stopped and waited for us to finish chugging our water, we knew we were famous. Once we reached the top, we tried to take in the beautiful views but weren't immediately able as we took a picture with literally every single member of the family. It was a lot of fun but towards the end we were definitely hoping another family wasn't coming up right behind them.
Interesting side note: Indians (especially men) of all ages love Justin Bieber. Pat had never heard him before and was shocked when Shauna pointed out a group of five or six 20-somethings jamming out to "Baby" on the train.
Our next stop was Udaipur, a beautiful city also surrounding a lake (actually four lakes, and they are proper lakes, unlike Pushkar which was more like a pond). Udaipur is by far the most aesthetically pleasing city we've been to so far. There is the Lake Palace ( now a five-star hotel) which sits on a small island in the middle of the lake but looks like it's floating. This is featured in Octapussy for all you 007 buffs. The City Palace is also impressive, not to mention the nicest winding streets and alleyways we've seen so far. We stayed at Jagat Niwas, which is right on the water and has the most spectacular views of the above mentioned from the rooftop restaurant. For some reason the rooms are not expensive compared to the others in the area, so we really lucked out for our three nights here. Besides doing the two main attractions and taking a boat ride, we really just walked around exploring the tiny streets and pretty lake views. The local women wash all their clothes on the ghat steps leading into the lakes. The lakes do not exactly meet EPA standards as they are filled only by the monsoon rains between July and September. That means it's standing water for nine months out of the year. Add the garbage and waste the people nonchalantly throw into them, and you've got a less than sanitary washing machine.
A funny story from lunch today. Shauna ordered a glass of wine, and after one sip put the glass down and asked Pat to try it. He could hardly get it down and told Shauna the it was skunked and to ask for a fresh glass. Shauna called the waiter over and explained the wine had an overwhelming vinegary taste and might have gone bad. The waiter responded "Vinegar!? Not possible, I open this fresh". Two minutes later he returned to the table carrying the bottle he had just opened. We took one look and soon realized why it tasted as it did. It was made in India. I'm not sure about any of the readers out there but we've never been in a decent restaurant in the States or anywhere else and seen a bottle of wine imported from the subcontinent.
That's it for now, we're off on a cool day trip tomorrow to see some of the best Jain temples in the country as well as one of the most important forts from the middle ages. From there we're catching an overnight train to Agra for the Taj Mahal, so the next blog's pictures should be pretty sweet.
Before signing off, we would like to petition to change India's tourism slogan. In lieu of Incredible !ndia, we suggest Flatulent !ndia.
Until #4.
S&P.
We're writing this in a very much relaxed state. Both Pushkar and Udaipur have been a welcome break from the insanity that is India.
We arrived in Puskar on Saturday night. Being second in pilgrimage importance only to Varanasi, Pushkar is an extremely holy place for Hindus. It is a tiny community, sitting around a small "lake" named after the god of creation, Brahma. It's also a funky place, as you're just as likely to share a lunch with a French or Israeli hippie as you are with a Brahmin. Apparently some hippies came here in the 60s and never left, and they have definitely made their presence felt along with all the spirituality. While there is no alcohol allowed in the town at all, the place is rife with marijuana. It comes in many forms, but the funniest is in the "special lassi" which we've heard has surprised many a tourist after drinking.
We stayed at the Om Hotel, which as the name suggests put us in a better state of mind after the chaos of Jaipur. The nucleus of the hotel was an open courtyard of grass. The guests all had rooms lining the courtyard, which also served as the hotel's restaurant. We ended up eating all of our breakfasts and lunches there as we couldn't seem to get out of the hammocks or stop chatting with the other long-term guests (more like tenants). The calm vibe of Om was palpable. The guests ranged from a mid-50s couple from Vancouver Island to a Spanish couple (and their adorable boy) who got married in the Shiva temple on the day we left. Sadly we had our tickets booked and we couldn't take them up on their offer to help celebrate the occasion later on that evening. Many of the other guests (I think all of them except for us) were staying in Pushkar anywhere from a month to six months, and many were repeat visitors. The owner of Om was a very religious man who came into the courtyard and chanted the bhajans (prayer-songs) every morning while showering us with a cloud of incense. His son, Deepak, was the head chef who learned how to cook in Paris where we're assuming he met his wife, who was in the room next to us with their little boy. They spend six months a year in Pushkar and the other six outside Paris. Everyone was amazing. We wanted to stay at least for the wedding festivities but we couldn't get out of our train reservations.
I know we talked a bit about Indians' fascination with Pat's blond hair, but things have gotten crazier since the first blog. We are now both being mobbed by friendly Indian passersby, and it's literally feeling like a Brangelina scenario. It's hilarious for several reasons, but mainly because it's us and we're nothing to write home about. One day we climbed up this steep mountain to the Savritri temple on the outskirts of town. A small family of 50 Indians happened to be starting the trek at the same time we did, and we pretty much walked step for step. At first we thought it was just walking the same speed, but as they stopped and waited for us to finish chugging our water, we knew we were famous. Once we reached the top, we tried to take in the beautiful views but weren't immediately able as we took a picture with literally every single member of the family. It was a lot of fun but towards the end we were definitely hoping another family wasn't coming up right behind them.
Interesting side note: Indians (especially men) of all ages love Justin Bieber. Pat had never heard him before and was shocked when Shauna pointed out a group of five or six 20-somethings jamming out to "Baby" on the train.
Our next stop was Udaipur, a beautiful city also surrounding a lake (actually four lakes, and they are proper lakes, unlike Pushkar which was more like a pond). Udaipur is by far the most aesthetically pleasing city we've been to so far. There is the Lake Palace ( now a five-star hotel) which sits on a small island in the middle of the lake but looks like it's floating. This is featured in Octapussy for all you 007 buffs. The City Palace is also impressive, not to mention the nicest winding streets and alleyways we've seen so far. We stayed at Jagat Niwas, which is right on the water and has the most spectacular views of the above mentioned from the rooftop restaurant. For some reason the rooms are not expensive compared to the others in the area, so we really lucked out for our three nights here. Besides doing the two main attractions and taking a boat ride, we really just walked around exploring the tiny streets and pretty lake views. The local women wash all their clothes on the ghat steps leading into the lakes. The lakes do not exactly meet EPA standards as they are filled only by the monsoon rains between July and September. That means it's standing water for nine months out of the year. Add the garbage and waste the people nonchalantly throw into them, and you've got a less than sanitary washing machine.
A funny story from lunch today. Shauna ordered a glass of wine, and after one sip put the glass down and asked Pat to try it. He could hardly get it down and told Shauna the it was skunked and to ask for a fresh glass. Shauna called the waiter over and explained the wine had an overwhelming vinegary taste and might have gone bad. The waiter responded "Vinegar!? Not possible, I open this fresh". Two minutes later he returned to the table carrying the bottle he had just opened. We took one look and soon realized why it tasted as it did. It was made in India. I'm not sure about any of the readers out there but we've never been in a decent restaurant in the States or anywhere else and seen a bottle of wine imported from the subcontinent.
That's it for now, we're off on a cool day trip tomorrow to see some of the best Jain temples in the country as well as one of the most important forts from the middle ages. From there we're catching an overnight train to Agra for the Taj Mahal, so the next blog's pictures should be pretty sweet.
Before signing off, we would like to petition to change India's tourism slogan. In lieu of Incredible !ndia, we suggest Flatulent !ndia.
Until #4.
S&P.
Suddenly Punit's "Beiber Fever" makes sense!
ReplyDeleteAnother great blog. What should we call you? I said "Pauna" but Pat was not impressed. You guys aren't too shabby to look at so enjoy the Indians' fascination with you. Can't wait till you get to the Taj! My mother used to use that in her sayings all the time to express opulence or grandeur. We got the idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite proud that 3 of my 4 kids had no idea who Justin Beiber is. I'll let you guess at the one who knows of him and why. Enjoy--the Om sounds just like the actual state the OM is supposed to put you in!
Wow, S & P:
ReplyDeleteYou're both looking fabulous, sun-kissed and relaxed already!! Great stuff. Seems like some day I'm going to have to make a journey to Pushkar...sounds like my kind of place:)
So what's the deal with the third person writing? I can't tell who's writing as your names, Pat and Shauna are written in the same sentence...
Glad you're having so much fun. Hope you can find some better tasting wine. Or maybe you should just stick with cold beer.
Love,
C
Cecelia,
ReplyDeleteThat's because they are ONE person. Now we have to figure out what to call S & P. You guys DO do a good job with the narrative as far as who is writing what.
That's the way Pauna writes, and you don't want to make Pauana upset!
ReplyDeleteYou know, the alternative to Pauna is "Shat". Just sayin'
ReplyDeleteLaw & Order