Post #4 - Temples, Forts & Tombs

Namaste All,

We've arrived safely in Delhi and we couldn't be happier to be here.  We hit our first snags of the trip getting to and leaving from Agra.  We were wait listed on our overnight train from Udaipur, and ended up being wait listed passengers 1 & 2, meaning we were the next two to get beds.  However, Shauna gave the ticket collector her best pouty face and sweet talked our way onto the A/C Chair class.  This meant we got on the train we wanted, except it was more like an airplane ride rather than sleeping properly.  While this was a nuisance it was nice to get on the train and not have to pay for another night in Udaipur.  The other and more frustrating snag was getting out of Agra.  We originally had an 8:25am train to Delhi.  We got up with plenty of time and waved good bye to the hotel's owner as we made our way to the rickshaws.  To our shock, there were none to meet us as all of the roads were closed due to a marathon that morning.  Really, a marathon?!  We didn't see one person running.  The whole city simply shut down.  No one cared to point this out to us, especially our hotel's owner.  After figuring out a bus to Delhi, we returned to the hotel and told him we couldn't get out due to the road closures.  He said, "Oh yes they are all closed, did you not know that?!"  Pat mumbled something or other and we slept off our frustration for an hour.  We ventured out a second time to catch a 12:00pm bus to Delhi.  Upon arriving at the scheduled departing station 20 minutes early, we were told through a series of awkward encounters that our bus was not here for this day only.  We could only assume this was because of the damn marathon, and we were told it was at another station.  A nice girl who spoke English well enough told us it was 3 or 4 kilometers away and to simply get in another rickshaw.  It turned out the second station was about 12 kilometers away and it took us a good half hour (at some point on dirt roads the rickshaw could barely navigate).  Our patience wearing thin, our rather luxurious bus was still waiting for us as we arrived panting and moaning.  Thankful for us time means nothing to Indians.  Add the fact that Pat got "Delhi Belly" for the first time the night before and one can imagine how happy we were to be leaving Agra.  Oh yes, we cannot leave out the fact the Shauna got no sleep either between Pat's trips to the toilet and the loudest packs of barking dogs in the world.

With all of bad news out of the way, we are happy to say there are plenty of good things to write about as well.  After checking out of our Udaipur hotel, we took a day trip into the countryside and saw some of the most impressive sites we've seen.  We had a driver named Ganesh, who was ridiculously friendly and navigated the sometimes frightening roads like a pro.  He is now 32 with three children, but was married at 15.  His wife was 12.  Ganesh is from one of the villages we drove through and in a lot of ways this life seems better than those in the cities.  From our brief tour, we would certainly want to live here if we were low caste Indians.  The pictures won't do it justice, but the countryside is gorgeous, with field after field of chapati grain, mustard oil plants and soy plants.  The villages are not picturesque like in France, but they have a definite calm and peaceful essence to them.  It's a simpler life where things run much as they have for the last 1000 years.  They were still using oxen to run a water wheel from a stream, for example.  Again we were celebrities to the villagers, and we have some great pictures to support this.  Look at the school children around Shauna.  Amazing.
Besides the beautiful drive and avoiding the sacred cows in the road (there were a couple close calls), we saw one of the two best Jain temple complexes in the country and one of the most impressive forts.  First up was Kumbhalgarh Fort, built in the 15th century and only falling once to the great Mughal emperor Akbar.  Next was Ranakpur, arguably the best work done by the orthodox Jain Hindu sect, who are known for their intricate detail.  This may be our favorite site so far, and the pictures here without a doubt don't do it justice.  The temples are set deep in a wildlife sanctuary and so the backdrop is beautiful as well.  The roads rival those on the 101 in California, but with only one lane for two-way traffic and dealing with crazy Indian drivers.

The next two days were spent in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.  We woke up before the sun to be at the East Gate by 6:30am.  We were about the 15th and 16th people in when it opened and we were rewarded with some great pictures without the hoards of "package" tourists.  When you look at the pictures they will seem superimposed, and it was actually the same when looking at it in person.  Really, really impressive.  This was the first of three tombs we would see that day, but was by far the best.  Agra was the home to the 200 year-old Mughal (Muslim) dynasty of India, starting with Babur.  It seems they all loved to be buried in grandiose tombs, as the Taj and "Mini-Taj" attest.  The fort Akbar built (Agra Fort) is quite impressive as well.  It's always the Taj people come here to see, and it does not disappoint.  We ended the day in this quaint garden across the river from the Taj and saw sunset fall over it.  We were told sunset was nicer than sunrise, but we felt the opposite.  Maybe it was too hazey that day, who knows.          

We spend the next two days in Delhi followed by Varanasi.  We're writing this post from an amazing guesthouse after sleeping for 11 hours with the soothing sounds of our first rainfall of the trip.  It was exactly what we needed after a tough night in Agra.  Shauna says it was the perfect Valentine's Day treat, for all you girls.  Pat hates V-Day.  

Much love,

S&P

Pictures #3 - Pushkar/Udaipur

Blog #3 - Pushkar & Udaipur

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. 

Pictures #2 - RNP/Jaipur

Blog #2 - Rathambore NP & Jaipur

Hello S&P followers!

We left Mumbai on Sunday night towards Rathambore National Park on our first overnight train.  This was a fun experience that lasted about 16 hours, and if the others go as this did then all will be good.  Shauna and I were on the upper berths while a family of four bunked below us.  We were in a 2nd class A/C car, which was pleasant enough but well below what you would find on Amtrak and certainly anywhere in Europe. 

We arrived in Sawai Madhopur, the closest station for the NP.  We stayed at the most wonderful resort ever, Khem Villas, and their amiable driver greeted us at the station.  Immediately opon entering the premises, we knew we had chosen well.  This will probably be the last of our luxury stays for quite some time, but it was worth every penny.  After the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, being greeted with hot eucalyptus towels and cold lemonade was a godsend.  After almost 24 hours without a meal, lunch was served in the open terrace.  All meals were included (not to mention vegetarian), and everything was freshly prepared that day.  Khem Villas has a huge garden on the edge of their property where all their comes from.  To say the food was delicious is an understatement.  Fresh green salad and vegetables are amazing (not dunked in ridiculously hot spices, anyway). Don't forget that back home while we bounce around the subcontinent for the next three weeks.
Each day went something like this: You wake up at 6:30am to room service serving tea and coffee.  You shower up and hop on your jeep for the morning safari (Khem Villas provided blankets and a hot water canteen to keep you warm, something no one else in the jeep had and envied us for).  You were back by 11 and had a late breakfast.  You then have a few hours to relax on their pristine property before going on the afternoon safari at 2:30pm.  Returning at 6pm, you again relax by the camp fire and exchange life stories with the other guests over drinks before dinner is served between 8-9pm.  We would go back out to the fire after dinner to enjoy what was the best night sky we have ever seen.  Period.  Absolutely no electricity for hundreds of miles will do that, but we were still shocked to see the stars so bright they were blue.  We averaged a shooting star every three to five minutes. 
Unfortunately, we did not see the main attraction; the Bengal tiger.  We went in three times, but there are 10,000 acres and only 40 tigers.  Being wild and lazy, they can be tricky to spot.  Nevertheless, we were not disappointed but rather encouraged that these beautiful animals have the space and protection not to be gawked at should they choose.  Also, the park itself was awesome.  You'll see some pics but it really is a beautiful place.    

We left RNP on Thursday for Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan often referred to as the Pink City.  In many ways Jaipur is even crazier than Mumbai.  The traffic is more congested, and the crap on the street is not cleaned up as fast.  We went into the old city and saw the main sites, with the main Hindu temple (Hawa Mahal) being the prettiest structure.  The following day we rented out a rickshaw (wallas) and rode out to Amber Fort, easily the most beautiful man made thing we've seen so far.  Pictures to follow.
The two best stories to tell from here are about the fun and danger in riding on the rickshaws and Shauna attempting to wear shorts in public. 
First the rickshaws, just to keep up the suspense about Shauna.  They are nothing more than glorified scooters by Piaggio.  Looking back now, it is defintely a dangerous move to get on one in that traffic, but then again they are the "school buses" for all the local children.  We're talking about 10 8 year olds (in uniform) packed into something the two of us could hardly fit into.  It was a cool experience though and at the moment we're still breathing.
Then there was shorts-gate.  It was hot when we left RNP, and it was a travel day.  Shauna wore shorts thinking we weren't doing much in the way of site seeing.  We ended up just dropping our stuff off and getting into the city before dinner.  It ended up being 4 hours of Shauna being glared at like the town hussy.  It was hilarious but also kind of disturbing.  Men would literally drive by on their motorbikes and rickshaws, stop short on the street and pretend to park on the side of the road to let us walk by again.  Women looked on in horror as men salivated at what seems to be six inches of skin between the knee and thigh they have never seen before.  Suffice it to say the lesson was learned and Shauna will not be wearing shorts until we hit Thailand.  

That is all for now, look for the pictures.  We're off to Pushkar and Udaipur next, two very spiritual places in the Hindu religion.

Until #3.

S&P    

Pictures #1 - Mumbai

Official Blog #1 - Mumbai

Mumbai made its presence felt immediately.  It was 80 degrees and muggy at 1am on January 28th as we left the airport.  All the rumors of the insane driving proved true at once.  Our driver sped down the highway and later local streets at 100 kilometers an hour or more, weaving back and forth past gigantic trucks and scooters alike as there is no such thing as lanes here.  A taxi in front of us ran over the hind legs of a dog as we entered the city center, and his awful cry was a lot to take being in the country 15 minutes. 
The traffic was not bad coming in being the middle of the night, but that was the last we saw of empty streets.  Mumbaikers seem to have no concept of driver safety of any kind.  One way streets mean nothing, and several times we saw families of 4 or 5 packed onto a tiny scooter with no helmets.  It was definitely surreal to see mothers sitting sideways holding their infant children casually on their laps.  

The other obvious shock was the poverty.  There were whole families sleeping on the streets, many of the babies crawling around naked, which we could only guess were "untouchables".  A step above them, over half of the city's population live in slums, and we took a tour of the largest in Mumbai called Dharavi.  We were told this was a highly sought after slum to live in as it is prime real estate within the city limits and they have various enterprises that generate $650 million a year.  They have "factories" where they collect all sorts of plastics, break them down and turn them into pellets where they can be sold to be made into pretty much anything.  They have another operation where men clean the inside of old oil cans for reuse by dipping them into boiling hot water and chemicals.  These and other profitable businesses filled the whole area with black smoke.  It smelled horrific and we could only imagine what that did to the workers' lungs.  They worked 10-12 hour days, 7 days a week. 
As we crossed over a sludge filled "river" into the residential area of the slum, Shauna had to put her sunglasses on to hide her tears.  Children of all ages, half naked, were playing in mounds of garbage.  We could hardly manage to walk through alleyways which were their filth strewn streets, with home after home on each side. 

The most amazing thing about all of these people was the genuine smiles on their faces.  They were all happy.  The children loved to wave hello and come up and touch us.  There was begging, but not nearly as much as we thought there would be and we never felt overwhelmed by it.  I'm not sure if it was Pat's blond hair or what, but everyone could not get enough.  There were at least 4 photo requests from locals on the street asking if Pat could be in their picture.  They were equally amused by Pat's necessity to apply sun tan lotion.  People stopped and literally laughed out loud as he applied for a good 10 minutes daily.  In general the people were just so freaking friendly.  They took so much enjoyment out of watching us enjoy their culture.  Everyone went out of their way to make sure we were happy, and you could see clearly it brought them joy.  This was especially apparent in the restaurants, and keep in mind we were eating in cheap places. 

Speaking of restaurants, the food here is incredible.  We ate at one "nice" restaurant called Khyber, where we got chicken badami, pani puri, and lamb kebabs with sugar cane juice and mango lassi.  It was all amazing.  We didn't have to eat for the next 24 hours we were so full.  Besides Khyber, however, we ate mostly street food which was also delicious.  From the dal and naan to the tikka and panki chatni, everything we ate went down easily.  We also wanted to give a shout out to Leopold's, where we went to have a cold beer after 6 hours of walking on our first day. 

Aesthetically the city was not gorgeous but it had its moments.  As our guidebook says it's more of a city to be experienced than to sitesee.  Shauna said it perfectly when she observed Mumbai was like Times Square times 2 - everywhere.  There are definitely some cool sites though, such as Elephanta Island where ancient Hindu caves are carved in from the rock.  You'll see these in the pictures along with the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Malabar Hill, and the Taj Mahal Hotel (where we went for high tea one day). 

Although it may seem like a lot of negative, we had a unforgettable experience and are happy we came.  We promise every blog won't be this long but there was a lot going on in the city and we felt it would be a disservice not to talk about it.  Next it's on to Ranthambore National Park to look for some wild tigers, so look for that blog in a few days.

Carpe diem!

S&P