I've been thinking a lot lately about the kind of house I would love to own one day. At this point in time, on a part time youth worker's wage with a hell of a student loan debt accumulating as I work my way through my second degree, it is nothing more than a pretty little daydream. But I've started making a bit of a wishlist anyway, because a girl can dream, right?!
So this is the house that Krista built:
I want a roof that shelters us from the storms of life, but never holds us down.
I want walls adorned with photos and pictures and memories of moments past, and bursting with the wonderful stories they have seen played out within them.
I want floors that will lay a foundation of creativity and imagination - whether in the form of molten lava or shark infested waters in childhood games, a place to study or read or draw, or a skating rink for little feet (and big) clad in socks.
I want a door that is always open to our friends and family and loved ones, new and old, in times of sadness and times of joy.
I want windows that will fill our lives with sunshine and light, and let our own light shine back out into the big wide world on dark nights.
I want a garden full of growth and the magic of nature and the miracle of life, shaded by big old leafy trees which are good for climbing and swinging from and building cubbies in and under and around.
I want a kitchen stocked with nourishing food and a never ending supply of tea and lovely conversation, and plenty of space for dancing and baking and general goodness and cheer.
I want a big old wooden dining table loaded with delicious food and conversation and surrounded by hearts full of love and laughter, always.
I want a living room with deliciously snuggly couches which can be turned into the foundations of an impenetrable blanket fort at a moments' notice, and a record player which provides a beautifully warm and mellow soundtrack to our everyday life.
I want bookshelves full of stories and words and novels and picture books and comics and records and atlases and invitations to see whole new worlds and believe in the dreams they fuel.
I want a big old bathtub which can be filled with bubbles so high you can't see over them, a place to escape and relax and soak away the troubles of the day or reflect on the magic that is life.
I want a bed full of sweet dreams and the comforting arms of a man who loves me, and Sunday morning sleep ins and a place of shelter on those days where you just can't get out of bed.
I want a home that is full of love and laughter and light, a place where dreams and imagination and creativity flourish, where each person knows they are loved beyond measure, and where everyone belongs.
This is the house that Krista built.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
An Indian Adventure: Arrival Lounge // Back To Reality
21/12/2014
Namaste, India. Thanks for the incredible adventures and the life changing experiences. It's a strange combination of sadness and joy that fills me, as I get closer and closer to home. Over the past month, I've seen the worst of humanity and I've seen the best of humanity. I've had my heart broken a million times over, and I've had my spirits lifted by little glimmers of hope and understanding. I have laughed til I cried; and cried til I laughed. I've been overwhelmed and mindblown and just plain confused at times.
I've got chapped lips, dirty fingernails, messy hair, blistered feet, a sunburnt nose, and a hell of a lot more freckles than when I came to India... but I also have a heart and soul full of adventures and memories, and a mind full of stories and plans.
I've managed to find a sense of clarity amongst the chaos and confusion of this country, and I feel like I'll be coming home more 'Krista' than I've ever been before.
Namaste, India. Thanks for the incredible adventures and the life changing experiences. It's a strange combination of sadness and joy that fills me, as I get closer and closer to home. Over the past month, I've seen the worst of humanity and I've seen the best of humanity. I've had my heart broken a million times over, and I've had my spirits lifted by little glimmers of hope and understanding. I have laughed til I cried; and cried til I laughed. I've been overwhelmed and mindblown and just plain confused at times.
I've got chapped lips, dirty fingernails, messy hair, blistered feet, a sunburnt nose, and a hell of a lot more freckles than when I came to India... but I also have a heart and soul full of adventures and memories, and a mind full of stories and plans.
I've managed to find a sense of clarity amongst the chaos and confusion of this country, and I feel like I'll be coming home more 'Krista' than I've ever been before.
An Indian Adventure: Varanasi // Kolkata
17/12/2014 [Varanasi]
Our day started bright and early again this morning, with a sunrise boat ride down the Ganges. It was an incredible feeling, standing up at the bow with the cool breeze in my hair and the early morning sun warming my face. It was fascinating to watch the everyday hustle and bustle of the morning rituals that take place on the banks of the river - everything from religious ceremonies to bathing to washing laundry (and livestock).
Our whole group had breakfast together this morning - these moments are some of my favourites. We all get along so well, and have some really interesting conversations together. We ate at a little cafe called Open Hand, which supports people who are the victims of sexual abuse and people living with HIV - as well as delicious food, they sell lots of handmade goods, so a couple of us stayed and did some shopping. We then wandered further into town and found ourselves on one of the highest rooftops in the city, so we sat up there in the sunshine and ate lunch with a beautiful view over the Ganges. We had some great conversations about life and love, and about decision-making and risk-taking.
My lunch buddy then decided to keep walking towards a temple further along the river, and I headed back towards our hotel by myself. As I walked, a man followed me for a couple of kilometres and kept touching my bum and muttering in Hindi - he was scaring me a little bit, and he just laughed at me when I told him to go away and stop touching me. Thankfully I soon bumped into a couple of girls from my group, and he wandered off .
We went on another boat ride down the Ganges at sunset, which was beautiful - we watched a daily religious ceremony from our boat, and our group leader explained about religion and the role that it plays in the caste system, which was really interesting. Moments later, we were setting off fireworks and eating chocolate cake, as a surprise for one of our group members who has a birthday coming up. At one stage, the wooden boat accidentally caught fire but the boat drivers simply threw whatever was on fire into the river, and continued to light the next round of fireworks!
The party continued back at our hotel - I am going to miss nights like these, where we all squeeze onto a bed, drinking beer singing along to songs on an ipod, laughing and chatting and playing games and just enjoying each others company. I feel like maybe I've finally found a place that I belong, after a lifetime of searching and hoping - and it's not even an actual 'place', it's a feeling.
18/12/2014 [Varanasi - Kolkata]
I hung out by myself for a while this morning, before bumping into one of the guys from our group and heading to Open Hand for breakfast with him and most of our group slowly joined us as the morning progressed. I realised today just how close we are to finishing our travels together - we head to Kolkata tonight, where we will have one more day and one more night together before we all go our separate ways.
I've decided that I really do love Varanasi - I love the craziness, the strange sights, the energy and the spirituality of this city. I spent some time on the balcony of my hotel room today, just watching the world go by. Sometimes I think maybe I would have seen more of the 'real' India if I was invisible, or at least blended in with the locals a bit more. I would have loved to have gone off the beaten track a bit more to meet people who genuinely just wanted to chat and to share their stories, rather than hassling me to buy things. I crave a deeper connection with the people of India, but unfortunately I just don't think it's possible in this kind of context because we are on the move so much.
We were supposed to be taking a 15 hour overnight train to Kolkata this evening, but it was delayed by over 14 hours which meant most of us would miss our connecting flights scheduled for Saturday morning. Obviously this would have been pretty disastrous, but thanks to our group leader's quick thinking and problem solving skills, he organised for us to take a private bus for the 16 hour road journey instead.
A few hours into our drive, we stopped at a little roadhouse where we had a delicious thali feast for dinner. The owners had a 'pet' owl which they kept tied up and didn't appear to treat very nicely, which made me really sad. I don't think I'll be sleeping very much on this journey... it makes me a little anxious knowing that we only have one driver for the entire 16 hour journey, and Indian roads are terrifying at the best of times!
19/12/2014 [Kolkata]
Well, we arrived in Kolkata in one piece, thank goodness! It was a very long and painfully uncomfortable night, so I nearly kissed the ground when we finally reached our destination - and really, if I was going to kiss the ground anywhere in India, it would probably be in Kolkata. It is actually so clean here, compared to the other cities we've been to - there are no stray animals, no poo in the street, and no piles of rubbish lining the gutters.
We had about an hour to get into our rooms, settle in and have a shower, before we headed off on our orientation walk. My room was not available yet, so I had to hang out in one of the twin rooms which meant there wasn't a chance to shower, so I was feeling pretty gross and tired by the time we headed off for our walk. We had planned to take taxis into town because it was too far to walk - but it turns out the taxi drivers are all on strike today. We really aren't having much luck with public transport here so far! We eventually managed to catch a public transport bus - these buses rarely come to a complete stop, so you have to jump on and off as they continue to drive along, which is terrifying and exhilarating all at once!
We went to check out Victoria Museum, which was a bit weird at first - it had a strange art exhibition in the entry wing, which didn't appear to relate to the building or the city or... anything much! However, further inside there were some really interesting exhibits related to the British Indian empire and religion. We then headed back out into the city to try ti find Park Street, which is apparently infamous for its shopping and cafes. Unfortunately we got rather lost, and ended up wandering around for ages. We were all very tired and 'hangry' (you know when you get so hungry that you actually become angry?) by this stage, so we swooped on Pizza Hut when we saw it! It felt weird to eat in such a Western franchise, but we were all so hungry and exhausted and cranky that we decided to eat there anyway. At one stage, the Pizza Hut staff all busted out a strange dance routine, almost like a flash mob... I'm still not sure what that was about!
Later this evening we went to the Planetarium, which was a little underwhelming - it sounded much cooler than it actually was! But we only paid the equivalent of 80 Australian cents, so I honestly didn't expect to be mindblown anyway. After the Planetarium, we headed out for our final dinner as a group - most people have very early flights tomorrow morning, so we all said our goodbyes tonight. It's a bittersweet feeling, knowing that I start my journey home tomorrow.
20/12/2014 [Kolkata - Mumbai]
I woke up at 3am to say my final goodbyes this morning - there are only four of us left now! We went back to sleep for a few hours before heading to a bakery on Park Street for a delicious breakfast this morning. After breakfast we walked for a couple of kilometres until we found Mother Teresa's house and the attached museum. We spent an hour or so browsing through the museum, paying our respects at Mother's tomb, and seeing the bedroom that she lived and worked in for most of her life.
The taxis were back in action today (thank goodness), so we asked one to take us back to our hotel. He got hopelessly lost, and actually had no idea where we wanted to go (it turns out he couldn't actually understand the directions or street names on the card that the hotel provided us with, as they were in English and he couldn't read them). We ended up having to navigate for him, and then he tried to charge us extra which was pretty cheeky.
Once we finally made it back to the hotel, it was time for me to say goodbye to the other three as they were heading off to Science City and I was heading off to the airport to start my journey home. I had a pretty long wait at the airport, but I didn't really mind because it gave me plenty of time to reflect on my adventures and experiences over the past few weeks. From Kolkata I fly to Mumbai, then on to Singapore where I have a 12 hour stopover, before finally arriving in Brisbane in the early hours of Monday morning.
Our day started bright and early again this morning, with a sunrise boat ride down the Ganges. It was an incredible feeling, standing up at the bow with the cool breeze in my hair and the early morning sun warming my face. It was fascinating to watch the everyday hustle and bustle of the morning rituals that take place on the banks of the river - everything from religious ceremonies to bathing to washing laundry (and livestock).
Our whole group had breakfast together this morning - these moments are some of my favourites. We all get along so well, and have some really interesting conversations together. We ate at a little cafe called Open Hand, which supports people who are the victims of sexual abuse and people living with HIV - as well as delicious food, they sell lots of handmade goods, so a couple of us stayed and did some shopping. We then wandered further into town and found ourselves on one of the highest rooftops in the city, so we sat up there in the sunshine and ate lunch with a beautiful view over the Ganges. We had some great conversations about life and love, and about decision-making and risk-taking.
My lunch buddy then decided to keep walking towards a temple further along the river, and I headed back towards our hotel by myself. As I walked, a man followed me for a couple of kilometres and kept touching my bum and muttering in Hindi - he was scaring me a little bit, and he just laughed at me when I told him to go away and stop touching me. Thankfully I soon bumped into a couple of girls from my group, and he wandered off .
We went on another boat ride down the Ganges at sunset, which was beautiful - we watched a daily religious ceremony from our boat, and our group leader explained about religion and the role that it plays in the caste system, which was really interesting. Moments later, we were setting off fireworks and eating chocolate cake, as a surprise for one of our group members who has a birthday coming up. At one stage, the wooden boat accidentally caught fire but the boat drivers simply threw whatever was on fire into the river, and continued to light the next round of fireworks!
The party continued back at our hotel - I am going to miss nights like these, where we all squeeze onto a bed, drinking beer singing along to songs on an ipod, laughing and chatting and playing games and just enjoying each others company. I feel like maybe I've finally found a place that I belong, after a lifetime of searching and hoping - and it's not even an actual 'place', it's a feeling.
18/12/2014 [Varanasi - Kolkata]
I hung out by myself for a while this morning, before bumping into one of the guys from our group and heading to Open Hand for breakfast with him and most of our group slowly joined us as the morning progressed. I realised today just how close we are to finishing our travels together - we head to Kolkata tonight, where we will have one more day and one more night together before we all go our separate ways.
I've decided that I really do love Varanasi - I love the craziness, the strange sights, the energy and the spirituality of this city. I spent some time on the balcony of my hotel room today, just watching the world go by. Sometimes I think maybe I would have seen more of the 'real' India if I was invisible, or at least blended in with the locals a bit more. I would have loved to have gone off the beaten track a bit more to meet people who genuinely just wanted to chat and to share their stories, rather than hassling me to buy things. I crave a deeper connection with the people of India, but unfortunately I just don't think it's possible in this kind of context because we are on the move so much.
We were supposed to be taking a 15 hour overnight train to Kolkata this evening, but it was delayed by over 14 hours which meant most of us would miss our connecting flights scheduled for Saturday morning. Obviously this would have been pretty disastrous, but thanks to our group leader's quick thinking and problem solving skills, he organised for us to take a private bus for the 16 hour road journey instead.
A few hours into our drive, we stopped at a little roadhouse where we had a delicious thali feast for dinner. The owners had a 'pet' owl which they kept tied up and didn't appear to treat very nicely, which made me really sad. I don't think I'll be sleeping very much on this journey... it makes me a little anxious knowing that we only have one driver for the entire 16 hour journey, and Indian roads are terrifying at the best of times!
19/12/2014 [Kolkata]
Well, we arrived in Kolkata in one piece, thank goodness! It was a very long and painfully uncomfortable night, so I nearly kissed the ground when we finally reached our destination - and really, if I was going to kiss the ground anywhere in India, it would probably be in Kolkata. It is actually so clean here, compared to the other cities we've been to - there are no stray animals, no poo in the street, and no piles of rubbish lining the gutters.
We had about an hour to get into our rooms, settle in and have a shower, before we headed off on our orientation walk. My room was not available yet, so I had to hang out in one of the twin rooms which meant there wasn't a chance to shower, so I was feeling pretty gross and tired by the time we headed off for our walk. We had planned to take taxis into town because it was too far to walk - but it turns out the taxi drivers are all on strike today. We really aren't having much luck with public transport here so far! We eventually managed to catch a public transport bus - these buses rarely come to a complete stop, so you have to jump on and off as they continue to drive along, which is terrifying and exhilarating all at once!
We went to check out Victoria Museum, which was a bit weird at first - it had a strange art exhibition in the entry wing, which didn't appear to relate to the building or the city or... anything much! However, further inside there were some really interesting exhibits related to the British Indian empire and religion. We then headed back out into the city to try ti find Park Street, which is apparently infamous for its shopping and cafes. Unfortunately we got rather lost, and ended up wandering around for ages. We were all very tired and 'hangry' (you know when you get so hungry that you actually become angry?) by this stage, so we swooped on Pizza Hut when we saw it! It felt weird to eat in such a Western franchise, but we were all so hungry and exhausted and cranky that we decided to eat there anyway. At one stage, the Pizza Hut staff all busted out a strange dance routine, almost like a flash mob... I'm still not sure what that was about!
Later this evening we went to the Planetarium, which was a little underwhelming - it sounded much cooler than it actually was! But we only paid the equivalent of 80 Australian cents, so I honestly didn't expect to be mindblown anyway. After the Planetarium, we headed out for our final dinner as a group - most people have very early flights tomorrow morning, so we all said our goodbyes tonight. It's a bittersweet feeling, knowing that I start my journey home tomorrow.
20/12/2014 [Kolkata - Mumbai]
I woke up at 3am to say my final goodbyes this morning - there are only four of us left now! We went back to sleep for a few hours before heading to a bakery on Park Street for a delicious breakfast this morning. After breakfast we walked for a couple of kilometres until we found Mother Teresa's house and the attached museum. We spent an hour or so browsing through the museum, paying our respects at Mother's tomb, and seeing the bedroom that she lived and worked in for most of her life.
The taxis were back in action today (thank goodness), so we asked one to take us back to our hotel. He got hopelessly lost, and actually had no idea where we wanted to go (it turns out he couldn't actually understand the directions or street names on the card that the hotel provided us with, as they were in English and he couldn't read them). We ended up having to navigate for him, and then he tried to charge us extra which was pretty cheeky.
Once we finally made it back to the hotel, it was time for me to say goodbye to the other three as they were heading off to Science City and I was heading off to the airport to start my journey home. I had a pretty long wait at the airport, but I didn't really mind because it gave me plenty of time to reflect on my adventures and experiences over the past few weeks. From Kolkata I fly to Mumbai, then on to Singapore where I have a 12 hour stopover, before finally arriving in Brisbane in the early hours of Monday morning.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
An Indian Adventure: Agra // Varanasi
15/12/2014 [Agra - Varanasi]
It was nice to have some decent rest again last night - we had a fairly late start this morning and my cold is feeling much better after a good sleep. A few of us went for a stroll through the town this morning, and I enjoyed having a little bit of an insight into daily life in Agra, rather than just seeing the tourist attractions. After lunch, we went to check out the Baby Taj - which was actually built before the real Taj and provided inspiration for its design. It was so beautiful and serene, and I really enjoyed the peace after the craziness of the Taj yesterday! We then moved on to the gardens on the opposite side of the Yamuna River, which mirror those of the Taj Mahal to create the 'perfect paradise'. The weather was a little bit clearer today and there was even a little bit of sunshine around, so we had a really nice view of the Taj Mahal from the banks of the river.
On our way back to our hotel, we came across a little boy who had somehow managed to fall and get his foot stuck between the front wheel and the bicycle frame - the poor little thing was so scared and in a lot of pain from the way his foot was twisted. We stopped to help, along with a group of locals, and it really restored my faith in humanity to see so many people genuinely concerned and trying to help someone in need. Someone had even run to the closest village to collect some tools so that they could dismantle the bike and set him free.
Later this afternoon, we headed off in search of a mall to stock up on snacks for our overnight train journey - it should only take 12 hours, but lately there have been significant delays with the trains due to the fog, so we wanted to be prepared! The mall that we had spotted on the map turned out to be almost deserted and really creepy. I felt like we were going to be chased by zombies at any moment! We eventually found a MegaMart, which is basically an Indian version of Aldi, so we bought an enormous amount of snacks - so many, in fact, that we had to get a tuk-tuk back to the hotel because there was too much to carry. The tuk-tuk driver kept stopping in front of his 'friends' shops and trying to make us go in for a look, but we've been here long enough to know about the commission system now! He eventually got us back to our hotel, where we all ended up hanging out on the rooftop again, just talking and laughing and enjoying each others company.
Last night I accidentally dropped a bunch of my stuff in the toilet - I didn't realise that the front pocket of my daypack was open, so it all fell out when I picked up my bag. I was pretty bummed, because the casualties included my first aid kit, hand sanitiser, face wipes, and my deodorant. Let me tell you, sticking my hand into a toilet to fish out m belongings was definitely not one of my most pleasant experiences here in India! I threw it all straight into the bin, then used HEAPS of my backup hand sanitiser (thanks Mum!) trying to make myself feel clean again. This afternoon, as I was sitting up on the rooftop after checking out of my room, one of the hotel attendants came upstairs and asked who owned the first aid kit and hand sanitiser that he was holding - he had dug them out of the rubbish bin for some reason. I explained that they had fallen into the toilet, which is why I had thrown them away... he simply shrugged, and proceeded to put them on a shelf in the kitchen to keep. Remind me never to ask for a bandaid here!
After dinner we had a short bus trip to the nearby train station - the bus ride turned into a mini karaoke party when the driver randomly cranked 'Sexy Eyes' on his stereo, and we all sang and danced crazily and attempted to do our group leader's trademark 'snake' dance. When we arrived at the station, we were informed that the train had been delayed by an hour or so, so we were taken to a waiting room which smelled like a toilet. While we were hanging out in there, I got chatting to two Italian girls who live in Australia. They were both really lovely and we had a great chat about our experiences in India so far. By the time the train arrived it was quite late at night, so we set up our beds and went to sleep shortly after boarding.
16/12/2014 [Varanasi]
I'm not sure that I slept at all last night. I dozed on and off all night, but I was pretty paranoid about our luggage being stolen, and the random Indian guy sharing our cabin kept climbing in and out of bed, somehow using all of our beds in the process of climbing. The train ended up being delayed because of the fog, so we ended up being on the train for five extra hours. We put this time to good use, by devouring an entire 1kg bag of peanut brittle between us - our sugar highs made for some very amusing games of charades and 'Heads Up'!
The random Indian guy who was sharing our booth turned out to be a bit of a creep - he came and sat next to me on the bench, and put his hand on my knee. When I attempted to move away, he moved even closer and had me cornered between the wall, a table, and him - with his hand still on my knee, which was quite uncomfortable. Our group leader soon came to my rescue though, and arranged for him to move somewhere else so we had no more issues with him.
When we eventually arrived at Varanasi, we went for an evening walk along the Ganges River and saw the sacred place where they perform human cremations on the banks of the river. This was a very powerful and moving moment, and one that I think will stay with me forever. You could feel the spirituality in the air, as well as a certain heaviness.
I'm not sure yet whether I will like Varanasi. I get the feeling it's a place you will either love or hate - hopefully it's a place that I love!
It was nice to have some decent rest again last night - we had a fairly late start this morning and my cold is feeling much better after a good sleep. A few of us went for a stroll through the town this morning, and I enjoyed having a little bit of an insight into daily life in Agra, rather than just seeing the tourist attractions. After lunch, we went to check out the Baby Taj - which was actually built before the real Taj and provided inspiration for its design. It was so beautiful and serene, and I really enjoyed the peace after the craziness of the Taj yesterday! We then moved on to the gardens on the opposite side of the Yamuna River, which mirror those of the Taj Mahal to create the 'perfect paradise'. The weather was a little bit clearer today and there was even a little bit of sunshine around, so we had a really nice view of the Taj Mahal from the banks of the river.
On our way back to our hotel, we came across a little boy who had somehow managed to fall and get his foot stuck between the front wheel and the bicycle frame - the poor little thing was so scared and in a lot of pain from the way his foot was twisted. We stopped to help, along with a group of locals, and it really restored my faith in humanity to see so many people genuinely concerned and trying to help someone in need. Someone had even run to the closest village to collect some tools so that they could dismantle the bike and set him free.
Later this afternoon, we headed off in search of a mall to stock up on snacks for our overnight train journey - it should only take 12 hours, but lately there have been significant delays with the trains due to the fog, so we wanted to be prepared! The mall that we had spotted on the map turned out to be almost deserted and really creepy. I felt like we were going to be chased by zombies at any moment! We eventually found a MegaMart, which is basically an Indian version of Aldi, so we bought an enormous amount of snacks - so many, in fact, that we had to get a tuk-tuk back to the hotel because there was too much to carry. The tuk-tuk driver kept stopping in front of his 'friends' shops and trying to make us go in for a look, but we've been here long enough to know about the commission system now! He eventually got us back to our hotel, where we all ended up hanging out on the rooftop again, just talking and laughing and enjoying each others company.
Last night I accidentally dropped a bunch of my stuff in the toilet - I didn't realise that the front pocket of my daypack was open, so it all fell out when I picked up my bag. I was pretty bummed, because the casualties included my first aid kit, hand sanitiser, face wipes, and my deodorant. Let me tell you, sticking my hand into a toilet to fish out m belongings was definitely not one of my most pleasant experiences here in India! I threw it all straight into the bin, then used HEAPS of my backup hand sanitiser (thanks Mum!) trying to make myself feel clean again. This afternoon, as I was sitting up on the rooftop after checking out of my room, one of the hotel attendants came upstairs and asked who owned the first aid kit and hand sanitiser that he was holding - he had dug them out of the rubbish bin for some reason. I explained that they had fallen into the toilet, which is why I had thrown them away... he simply shrugged, and proceeded to put them on a shelf in the kitchen to keep. Remind me never to ask for a bandaid here!
After dinner we had a short bus trip to the nearby train station - the bus ride turned into a mini karaoke party when the driver randomly cranked 'Sexy Eyes' on his stereo, and we all sang and danced crazily and attempted to do our group leader's trademark 'snake' dance. When we arrived at the station, we were informed that the train had been delayed by an hour or so, so we were taken to a waiting room which smelled like a toilet. While we were hanging out in there, I got chatting to two Italian girls who live in Australia. They were both really lovely and we had a great chat about our experiences in India so far. By the time the train arrived it was quite late at night, so we set up our beds and went to sleep shortly after boarding.
16/12/2014 [Varanasi]
I'm not sure that I slept at all last night. I dozed on and off all night, but I was pretty paranoid about our luggage being stolen, and the random Indian guy sharing our cabin kept climbing in and out of bed, somehow using all of our beds in the process of climbing. The train ended up being delayed because of the fog, so we ended up being on the train for five extra hours. We put this time to good use, by devouring an entire 1kg bag of peanut brittle between us - our sugar highs made for some very amusing games of charades and 'Heads Up'!
The random Indian guy who was sharing our booth turned out to be a bit of a creep - he came and sat next to me on the bench, and put his hand on my knee. When I attempted to move away, he moved even closer and had me cornered between the wall, a table, and him - with his hand still on my knee, which was quite uncomfortable. Our group leader soon came to my rescue though, and arranged for him to move somewhere else so we had no more issues with him.
When we eventually arrived at Varanasi, we went for an evening walk along the Ganges River and saw the sacred place where they perform human cremations on the banks of the river. This was a very powerful and moving moment, and one that I think will stay with me forever. You could feel the spirituality in the air, as well as a certain heaviness.
I'm not sure yet whether I will like Varanasi. I get the feeling it's a place you will either love or hate - hopefully it's a place that I love!
An Indian Adventure: Jaipur // Bharatpur // Agra
12/12/2014 [Jaipur]
I woke up feeling pretty yucky and fluey this morning - I'm not sure whether I'm actually getting sick though, or whether it's just the pollution of a big city getting to me. Hopefully it's just my sinuses protesting about the pollution!
We took a local public transport bus to Amber Fort today. Amber is actually the next town over from Jaipur, and is where the royal family of the region used to live and the main town of the area, until the population outgrew the space and Jaipur was subsequently created.The Amber Fort complex was huge and we didn't have a guide, so I got very lost inside! There were great views of the mountains and beautiful gardens and temples from some of the higher windows, and lots of little maze-like corridors to explore.
We then jumped back onto another local bus, back towards Jaipur. Some of us went to check out Jantar Mantar, which is an observatory built by Jai Singh in 1728. I almost didn't go to the observatory, but I'm really glad I did - it absolutely blew my mind, looking at these bizarre sculptures and wondering how they came up with these ideas and concepts so many centuries ago... and these instruments are still accurate to this day!
A group of us then headed off in search of boiled eggs, but after searching the streets for several kilometers we still hadn't had any luck, so another girl and I broke off from the group and went to a local sweets shop instead. We ate our sweets as we wandered around the streets and alleyways as we like to do, taking the sights and sounds and smells of this city. We then found a little Indian coffee house which appeared to be full of locals, so we stopped for a coffee and ended up staying for several hours, just chatting. I really enjoy conversation with this girl - there is very little small talk, and lots of meaningful conversation. Eventually we headed back out into the craziness of the main street, and found an amazing little bookshop where we both spent quite a long time browsing through the eclectic collection of books... I may have 'accidentally' bought yet another book... oops!
We realised that it's a Friday today (it's so easy to lose track of days while you're traveling!), so we all decided to head out for dinner and drinks together. We headed to a bar called the Blackout Lounge, where they had happy hour two-for-one cocktails and really yummy food, as well as a great view over the city. We definitely made the most of happy hour, and had lots of fun and laughs over dinner... but I have a feeling we may pay for this tomorrow morning!
13/12/2014 [Jaipur - Bharatpur]
We had another early start and another crazy tuk-tuk driver today - I almost felt like we were in a real-life game of Mario Kart, as our tuk-tuk driver was clearly racing the other drivers and had no qualms about driving straight towards oncoming traffic and careening around corners at high speed! We had a four hour bus ride to our next destination, and found it amusing that one of the 'special features' of the bus was advertised as 'dust free'. It was a very cold and miserable morning, blanketed in grey fog which stuck around for the entire day.
There is nothing much to do in Bharatpur, other than a tour of the local bird sanctuary. I'm not a huge fan of birds (except flamingos of course!), so I crawled into the super comfy bed and snuggled up under the warm doona, as I was feeling pretty awful with my cold - turns out it wasn't just the pollution, unfortunately.
After reading and napping for a few hours, I ventured downstairs to the single room where we proceeded to squeeze nine of us into a queen sized be to watch Aladdin. It was an awesome and relaxing afternoon, and even though we didn't leave the hotel it was nice to just chill out and take it easy for a while. The hotel staff lit a bonfire later in the evening, so we migrated out there for a while before having dinner and heading to bed. It was a pretty uneventful day, but I guess it was a good chance to rest up before we head to Agra tomorrow!
14/12/2014 {Bharatpur - Agra]
We had a fairly short bus trip tp Agra this morning - only an hour and a half, which seemed to fly by after some of our longer journeys lately! Before heading to our hostel, we stopped at the Red Fort which was amazing. Our group leader is an incredible story teller, and he explained the history of the fort and what different sections were used for. I enjoy wandering around these places and letting my imagination run wild, thinking about the stories these buildings must have seen played out over the years. We also stopped at yet another textiles warehouse, which I'm getting tired of - mostly because it makes me feel awkward and almost obliged to buy something. This place was WAY out of my price range though, so I couldn't even be guilted into buying a handmade rug, even though they were very beautiful.
We eventually made it to our hotel - I'm in the single room again because I'm still feeling pretty crappy and don't want to make anyone else sick. My room is actually quite amusing - at first glance, it looks like any other hotel room in India... pretty basic, questionable cleanliness and a tiny bathroom. But when you turn around, someone has got a bit artistic and sponge-painted an entire wall with gold paint and glitter!
This afternoon was arguably the highlight of my trip so far... we spent several hours at the Taj Mahal and it was breathtakingly beautiful, despite the yucky grey day. It was yet another surreal moment for me, standing before the Taj Mahal in all its majestic beauty. There were thousands and thousands of other tourists there, which wasn't really an issue until we decided to have a look at the inner sanctum, which has replica tombs placed directly above where the real tombs would be located underground. It was absolutely awful in there! They let hundreds of people in at once, so everyone is jammed into a small dark room with a single bare lightbulb suspended way up above. It's like being in a pitch black moshpit, without the music; everyone is pushing and shoving and jostling, trying to catch a glimpse of the tombs. All I saw was the sweaty back of an Indian man's tshirt... the perils of being rather short! I came pretty close to having a panic attack in there because I was feeling so crowded and claustrophobic, but thankfully the guards opened the door and let us all back out into the open air before I lost it. So I definitely would never repeat that experience - but to be honest, even if someone had warned me about what it would be like in there, I still would have gone in anyway... some things you just need to learn the hard way. At least I can now say that I've been inside the Taj Mahal!
I am becoming increasingly tired and frustrated with the constant bombardment of attention... the sneaky photos, the not-so-sneaky photos, the filming, the uninvited touching, and the total lack of personal space and privacy. I don't like being a spectacle and I generally shy away from the spotlight in these kind of situations, so I do get overwhelmed and frustrated sometimes. I try to remind myself that I am a guest in this country though, and it's not something to take to heart.
I woke up feeling pretty yucky and fluey this morning - I'm not sure whether I'm actually getting sick though, or whether it's just the pollution of a big city getting to me. Hopefully it's just my sinuses protesting about the pollution!
We took a local public transport bus to Amber Fort today. Amber is actually the next town over from Jaipur, and is where the royal family of the region used to live and the main town of the area, until the population outgrew the space and Jaipur was subsequently created.The Amber Fort complex was huge and we didn't have a guide, so I got very lost inside! There were great views of the mountains and beautiful gardens and temples from some of the higher windows, and lots of little maze-like corridors to explore.
We then jumped back onto another local bus, back towards Jaipur. Some of us went to check out Jantar Mantar, which is an observatory built by Jai Singh in 1728. I almost didn't go to the observatory, but I'm really glad I did - it absolutely blew my mind, looking at these bizarre sculptures and wondering how they came up with these ideas and concepts so many centuries ago... and these instruments are still accurate to this day!
A group of us then headed off in search of boiled eggs, but after searching the streets for several kilometers we still hadn't had any luck, so another girl and I broke off from the group and went to a local sweets shop instead. We ate our sweets as we wandered around the streets and alleyways as we like to do, taking the sights and sounds and smells of this city. We then found a little Indian coffee house which appeared to be full of locals, so we stopped for a coffee and ended up staying for several hours, just chatting. I really enjoy conversation with this girl - there is very little small talk, and lots of meaningful conversation. Eventually we headed back out into the craziness of the main street, and found an amazing little bookshop where we both spent quite a long time browsing through the eclectic collection of books... I may have 'accidentally' bought yet another book... oops!
We realised that it's a Friday today (it's so easy to lose track of days while you're traveling!), so we all decided to head out for dinner and drinks together. We headed to a bar called the Blackout Lounge, where they had happy hour two-for-one cocktails and really yummy food, as well as a great view over the city. We definitely made the most of happy hour, and had lots of fun and laughs over dinner... but I have a feeling we may pay for this tomorrow morning!
13/12/2014 [Jaipur - Bharatpur]
We had another early start and another crazy tuk-tuk driver today - I almost felt like we were in a real-life game of Mario Kart, as our tuk-tuk driver was clearly racing the other drivers and had no qualms about driving straight towards oncoming traffic and careening around corners at high speed! We had a four hour bus ride to our next destination, and found it amusing that one of the 'special features' of the bus was advertised as 'dust free'. It was a very cold and miserable morning, blanketed in grey fog which stuck around for the entire day.
There is nothing much to do in Bharatpur, other than a tour of the local bird sanctuary. I'm not a huge fan of birds (except flamingos of course!), so I crawled into the super comfy bed and snuggled up under the warm doona, as I was feeling pretty awful with my cold - turns out it wasn't just the pollution, unfortunately.
After reading and napping for a few hours, I ventured downstairs to the single room where we proceeded to squeeze nine of us into a queen sized be to watch Aladdin. It was an awesome and relaxing afternoon, and even though we didn't leave the hotel it was nice to just chill out and take it easy for a while. The hotel staff lit a bonfire later in the evening, so we migrated out there for a while before having dinner and heading to bed. It was a pretty uneventful day, but I guess it was a good chance to rest up before we head to Agra tomorrow!
14/12/2014 {Bharatpur - Agra]
We had a fairly short bus trip tp Agra this morning - only an hour and a half, which seemed to fly by after some of our longer journeys lately! Before heading to our hostel, we stopped at the Red Fort which was amazing. Our group leader is an incredible story teller, and he explained the history of the fort and what different sections were used for. I enjoy wandering around these places and letting my imagination run wild, thinking about the stories these buildings must have seen played out over the years. We also stopped at yet another textiles warehouse, which I'm getting tired of - mostly because it makes me feel awkward and almost obliged to buy something. This place was WAY out of my price range though, so I couldn't even be guilted into buying a handmade rug, even though they were very beautiful.
We eventually made it to our hotel - I'm in the single room again because I'm still feeling pretty crappy and don't want to make anyone else sick. My room is actually quite amusing - at first glance, it looks like any other hotel room in India... pretty basic, questionable cleanliness and a tiny bathroom. But when you turn around, someone has got a bit artistic and sponge-painted an entire wall with gold paint and glitter!
This afternoon was arguably the highlight of my trip so far... we spent several hours at the Taj Mahal and it was breathtakingly beautiful, despite the yucky grey day. It was yet another surreal moment for me, standing before the Taj Mahal in all its majestic beauty. There were thousands and thousands of other tourists there, which wasn't really an issue until we decided to have a look at the inner sanctum, which has replica tombs placed directly above where the real tombs would be located underground. It was absolutely awful in there! They let hundreds of people in at once, so everyone is jammed into a small dark room with a single bare lightbulb suspended way up above. It's like being in a pitch black moshpit, without the music; everyone is pushing and shoving and jostling, trying to catch a glimpse of the tombs. All I saw was the sweaty back of an Indian man's tshirt... the perils of being rather short! I came pretty close to having a panic attack in there because I was feeling so crowded and claustrophobic, but thankfully the guards opened the door and let us all back out into the open air before I lost it. So I definitely would never repeat that experience - but to be honest, even if someone had warned me about what it would be like in there, I still would have gone in anyway... some things you just need to learn the hard way. At least I can now say that I've been inside the Taj Mahal!
I am becoming increasingly tired and frustrated with the constant bombardment of attention... the sneaky photos, the not-so-sneaky photos, the filming, the uninvited touching, and the total lack of personal space and privacy. I don't like being a spectacle and I generally shy away from the spotlight in these kind of situations, so I do get overwhelmed and frustrated sometimes. I try to remind myself that I am a guest in this country though, and it's not something to take to heart.
Friday, January 9, 2015
An Indian Adventure: Pushkar // Jaipur
10/12/2014 [Pushkar]
This morning began with a walk into town, where we found a cafe that served delicious healthy food. We then headed to check out the Brahma Temple, which is the only one in the world. You aren't allowed to take anything inside, so we had to take it in turns and leave our stuff outside with a buddy while we went in. I was actually a little bit underwhelmed by the temple - I just figured seeing as it's the ONLY one in the world it would be a pretty big deal, but it was pretty basic. I did see a real Baba though - Baba's are religious men who generally live away from civilisation and are completely naked except for the ashes (generally human) that they coat themselves in. The Baba that I saw was wearing a loincloth to cover his front, but had a bare bum!
I lost the rest of our little group, so wandered back to the hotel on my own. This trip has really given me a new appreciation for my own company and independence. Today is Nan's birthday, which had me feeling a little homesick because I had no way to contact her - but this afternoon I received an unexpected phone call from Dad; they were all out for dinner for Nan's birthday, so I got to speak to her and wish her a happy birthday which totally made my day.
Most of the crew went for another hike this afternoon, but a few of us stayed behind and spent the afternoon drinking chai in one of the little grass huts out by the veggie garden. We then walked back into town in search of dinner, and stopped at a little street stall for curry. Unfortunately the man seems to have misunderstood my vehement 'no' when he asked me whether I wanted my malai kofta to be spicy... oh how it burned!
We headed back to our hotel for dessert, where we had seen 'roasted bananas with chocolate sauce' - on the breakfast menu, of all places! As we were drowning our super-hot-curry woes in chocolate sauce and banana, a couple of others from our group wandered in and also ordered dessert. One guy pointed to two items on the dessert menu and ordered both - despite the waiter trying to explain that 'kheer' and rice pudding were actually almost the same thing. He ordered it anyway, so soon enough t very large bowls of rice pudding appeared in front of him - the only difference that we could find was that one was warm and the other was cold. We don't know which one was which though, so it still remains a mystery as to which bowl was kheer and which was rice pudding...
11/12/2014 [Pushkar - Jaipur]
We were supposed to be catching a public transport bus to Jaipur today, but there was actually another Intrepid group staying at our hotel and heading to the same destination, so we ended up sharing a semi-private bus with them (random people still got on and off every now and then). We stopped for chai along the way, where I was charged 50 rupees just to use the toilet - it was only supposed to cost 10 rupees, but the smallest note I had was a fifty and he refused to give me any change. I'm looking forward to using toilets that work and are free when I get home!
Our new hotel seems nice enough, and it's my turn for the single room again which I am grateful for - it's nice to have a bit of a sanctuary to escape to at the end of the day when my energy is well and truly depleted and I tend to get lost in my own thoughts.
We headed out for lunch soon after arriving at out hotel - it had been a long morning on the bus, so we were all starving. A few of us went to a restaurant specialising in South Indian food - we are traveling through North India, and their traditional meals vary quite significantly. None of us knew anything much about South Indian food, so it was a bit of a lucky dip when it came to ordering. I ended up with a huge crispy pancake kind of thing which was pretty good, and most of the others ended up with something similar. One guy really lucked out though - he ended up with a bowl of floury dumpling kind of things floating in salty yoghurt. It looked pretty gross, and apparently didn't taste much better! Unfortunately he couldn't remember what it was called though, so we can't even avoid it next time!
After lunch we went for our orientation walk. We walked through the Old City of Jaipur, which is known as the Pink City because all of the buildings are painted the same teracotta pink colour. Pink is a welcoming colour, so the entire city was painted teracotta pink when the Prince of Wales came to visit in 1876. There are laws in place which mean that it is mandatory to maintain the pink facade even now.
As the sun went down, we stopped at a lassi shop for their delicious youghurty refreshments before heading to the local cinema to see a Bollywood film called 'Action Jackson'. The movie went for almost three hours, and was spoken entirely in Hindi so I have no idea what was actually happening most of the time. The movie was very strange and confusing - there was lots of singing and dancing and stabbing and fighting. Indian cinemas are certainly not quiet like the cinemas back home - people are encouraged to scream and shout and laugh and sing and cheer. It was definitely a very interesting experience!
This morning began with a walk into town, where we found a cafe that served delicious healthy food. We then headed to check out the Brahma Temple, which is the only one in the world. You aren't allowed to take anything inside, so we had to take it in turns and leave our stuff outside with a buddy while we went in. I was actually a little bit underwhelmed by the temple - I just figured seeing as it's the ONLY one in the world it would be a pretty big deal, but it was pretty basic. I did see a real Baba though - Baba's are religious men who generally live away from civilisation and are completely naked except for the ashes (generally human) that they coat themselves in. The Baba that I saw was wearing a loincloth to cover his front, but had a bare bum!
I lost the rest of our little group, so wandered back to the hotel on my own. This trip has really given me a new appreciation for my own company and independence. Today is Nan's birthday, which had me feeling a little homesick because I had no way to contact her - but this afternoon I received an unexpected phone call from Dad; they were all out for dinner for Nan's birthday, so I got to speak to her and wish her a happy birthday which totally made my day.
Most of the crew went for another hike this afternoon, but a few of us stayed behind and spent the afternoon drinking chai in one of the little grass huts out by the veggie garden. We then walked back into town in search of dinner, and stopped at a little street stall for curry. Unfortunately the man seems to have misunderstood my vehement 'no' when he asked me whether I wanted my malai kofta to be spicy... oh how it burned!
We headed back to our hotel for dessert, where we had seen 'roasted bananas with chocolate sauce' - on the breakfast menu, of all places! As we were drowning our super-hot-curry woes in chocolate sauce and banana, a couple of others from our group wandered in and also ordered dessert. One guy pointed to two items on the dessert menu and ordered both - despite the waiter trying to explain that 'kheer' and rice pudding were actually almost the same thing. He ordered it anyway, so soon enough t very large bowls of rice pudding appeared in front of him - the only difference that we could find was that one was warm and the other was cold. We don't know which one was which though, so it still remains a mystery as to which bowl was kheer and which was rice pudding...
11/12/2014 [Pushkar - Jaipur]
We were supposed to be catching a public transport bus to Jaipur today, but there was actually another Intrepid group staying at our hotel and heading to the same destination, so we ended up sharing a semi-private bus with them (random people still got on and off every now and then). We stopped for chai along the way, where I was charged 50 rupees just to use the toilet - it was only supposed to cost 10 rupees, but the smallest note I had was a fifty and he refused to give me any change. I'm looking forward to using toilets that work and are free when I get home!
Our new hotel seems nice enough, and it's my turn for the single room again which I am grateful for - it's nice to have a bit of a sanctuary to escape to at the end of the day when my energy is well and truly depleted and I tend to get lost in my own thoughts.
We headed out for lunch soon after arriving at out hotel - it had been a long morning on the bus, so we were all starving. A few of us went to a restaurant specialising in South Indian food - we are traveling through North India, and their traditional meals vary quite significantly. None of us knew anything much about South Indian food, so it was a bit of a lucky dip when it came to ordering. I ended up with a huge crispy pancake kind of thing which was pretty good, and most of the others ended up with something similar. One guy really lucked out though - he ended up with a bowl of floury dumpling kind of things floating in salty yoghurt. It looked pretty gross, and apparently didn't taste much better! Unfortunately he couldn't remember what it was called though, so we can't even avoid it next time!
After lunch we went for our orientation walk. We walked through the Old City of Jaipur, which is known as the Pink City because all of the buildings are painted the same teracotta pink colour. Pink is a welcoming colour, so the entire city was painted teracotta pink when the Prince of Wales came to visit in 1876. There are laws in place which mean that it is mandatory to maintain the pink facade even now.
As the sun went down, we stopped at a lassi shop for their delicious youghurty refreshments before heading to the local cinema to see a Bollywood film called 'Action Jackson'. The movie went for almost three hours, and was spoken entirely in Hindi so I have no idea what was actually happening most of the time. The movie was very strange and confusing - there was lots of singing and dancing and stabbing and fighting. Indian cinemas are certainly not quiet like the cinemas back home - people are encouraged to scream and shout and laugh and sing and cheer. It was definitely a very interesting experience!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
An Indian Adventure: Udaipur // Pushkar
7/12/2014 [Udaipur]
A few of my fellow travelers have been struggling with a lack of caffeine, so this morning started with a search for good strong coffee, after consulting our trusty Lonely Planet guides. After having coffee at a little cafe that was literally on the lake (one step too many, and you'd be in the lake itself), a few of us ventured across the bridge to check out the city on the other side of the lake, where we proceeded to get deliciously lost. We ended up wandering around for hours, which was a great way to immerse ourselves in the day-to-day life of Udaipur. At one point, we heard a very loud explosion and saw a shower of sparks from overhead - unfortunately a poor little squirrel had electrocuted itself on the power lines and transformer box.
We eventually found our way back to our hotel, just in time to make it to our cooking class. We learned how to make chai from scratch, as well as khadai paneer (cottage cheese and capsicum in a tomato-based sauce), malai kofta (balls of mashed potato stuffed with raisins and nuts in a creamy sauce), biryani rice, and chappatis (flat bread) from scratch. We then got to eat all of our delicious efforts, ,which ended up being quite a feast!
This evening we headed to a local restaurant to eat dinner and watch the James Bond film 'Octopussy' - most restaurants and bars in Udaipur show this movie for free at 7pm every single night, as several scenes were filmed here and it is another claim to fame for Udaipur. As we were walking to dinner, I came face to squishy face with a darling little pug, who I had actually spotted from the rooftop yesterday. I was so super excited to meet him, and he was so cute and friendly and cuddly! I can't believe I found a pug in India - I've seen plenty of mangy, flea-ridden stray dogs around, but definitely did not expect to see a beautiful, well looked after pug! At dinner, I had my first taste of the Indian dessert called Gulab Jamun (dumplings in rosewater syrup), which was so tasty! They actually brought out my dessert before my main meal, which was a little odd... but I certainly wasn't complaining!
Unfortunately after dinner I experienced the downside to sharing a room - my roommate and I had come up with a system where we placed our only room key under a chair in front of our room, in case we weren't together - that way, both of us could access our room at any time. My roommate and another girl headed out for a drink after dinner, and I decided to head back to the room because I was exhausted after 3 hours of James Bond. When I got back to our room, I was very dismayed to find that the key wasn't under our chair... my roommate had accidentally put it in her bag, and I had no idea where she was or how long she would be out, so I was locked out. After about an hour, our group leader noticed that I was locked out, and tried to find a staff member to ask for a spare key but had no luck. He then decided to go and hunt down my roommate, which was very sweet of him but not really necessary - I was happy enough sitting outside my room using the wifi. However, he dashed off on a mission, and ended up finding them pretty quickly, and my poor roommate was mortified, despite my reassurances that it really was no big deal. It was a relief to get into the room to use the bathroom though!
8/12/2014 [Udaipur]
We headed back to the cafe on the lake for breakfast and coffee this morning, before dispersing our separate ways. I ventured off on my own today, which was quite liberating! I went to visit a tailor, a jeweler, an artist and a leather worker, before wandering around just taking in the sights and sounds and smells of the city. I started to feel a bit headachey and was worried that it would turn into a migraine, so I headed back to my room to attempt to sleep it off. Most of the group headed out for a hike up a mountain this afternoon to watch the sunset, but I was still feeling yucky and headachey so I took my migraine medication, had a lukewarm shower and had a nap. I woke up feeling much better, which was a relief.
We headed back across the bridge for dinner, where we ate at a little family-run Israeli food stall - as much as I love curry, it was nice to have a meal that was a bit lighter. I ate most of the salad before realising it probably wasn't a great idea, as you don't know whether they wash they actually wash the veggies, and if they do, the cleanliness of the water is generally pretty questionable here. Hopefully it's all good and I don't end up with a case of Delhi Belly... I've managed to avoid it so far, touch wood!
9/12/2014 [Udaipur - Pushkar]
Our day started very early this morning - we were loaded into tuk-tuks for the freezing cold drive to the train station by 5am. We then had a 6 hour train trip to Ajmer, which was long and uncomfortable and more like what I had imagined train trips in India would be like. Once we reached Ajmer, we loaded our gear into a couple of vehicles and started the 40 minute drive over the mountains to Pushkar. The car trip passed pretty quickly (especially compared to the train ride), and it was pretty awesome cruising along with the windows down, listening to Mumford & Sons,
Pushkar didn't appear to be very interesting as we drove through, but later we discovered that we were actually staying on the outskirts of town so hadn't seen the center of town.When we reached our hotel, I was quite impressed - it is definitely the cleanest and snazziest-looking hotel so far! After grabbing a quick lunch at the restaurant onsite, my roommate and I headed back to our room for a nap - we were completely worn out after such an early morning and a long day of traveling.
On a side note - I love that totally bizarre comments like 'there's a monkey in the veggie garden' are just so commonplace and make sense here... it's not something I would expect to hear over lunch back home!
Our group leader then took us for our orientation walk, and explained about the three principle gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion as we walked around the Holy Lake at the center of Pushkar. We sat at a little cafe and drank chai as we watched the sunset over the lake - this whole 'drinking chai and watching sunsets' thing seems to be becoming quite a habit for us! After the sun went down, we decided to explore the city. We discovered a street full of traditional Indian sweets shops, which we promptly christened 'Sweet Street' and proceeded down to taste some of its delicacies. As we ate, we saw more monkeys, jumping on the shade cloth overhead like it was a trampoline.
As we walked back out of town towards our hotel, I had a really great and honest conversation with one of my fellow travelers about the disenchantment and the hopefulness that we've experienced in India so far, and what might be ahead.
A few of my fellow travelers have been struggling with a lack of caffeine, so this morning started with a search for good strong coffee, after consulting our trusty Lonely Planet guides. After having coffee at a little cafe that was literally on the lake (one step too many, and you'd be in the lake itself), a few of us ventured across the bridge to check out the city on the other side of the lake, where we proceeded to get deliciously lost. We ended up wandering around for hours, which was a great way to immerse ourselves in the day-to-day life of Udaipur. At one point, we heard a very loud explosion and saw a shower of sparks from overhead - unfortunately a poor little squirrel had electrocuted itself on the power lines and transformer box.
We eventually found our way back to our hotel, just in time to make it to our cooking class. We learned how to make chai from scratch, as well as khadai paneer (cottage cheese and capsicum in a tomato-based sauce), malai kofta (balls of mashed potato stuffed with raisins and nuts in a creamy sauce), biryani rice, and chappatis (flat bread) from scratch. We then got to eat all of our delicious efforts, ,which ended up being quite a feast!
This evening we headed to a local restaurant to eat dinner and watch the James Bond film 'Octopussy' - most restaurants and bars in Udaipur show this movie for free at 7pm every single night, as several scenes were filmed here and it is another claim to fame for Udaipur. As we were walking to dinner, I came face to squishy face with a darling little pug, who I had actually spotted from the rooftop yesterday. I was so super excited to meet him, and he was so cute and friendly and cuddly! I can't believe I found a pug in India - I've seen plenty of mangy, flea-ridden stray dogs around, but definitely did not expect to see a beautiful, well looked after pug! At dinner, I had my first taste of the Indian dessert called Gulab Jamun (dumplings in rosewater syrup), which was so tasty! They actually brought out my dessert before my main meal, which was a little odd... but I certainly wasn't complaining!
Unfortunately after dinner I experienced the downside to sharing a room - my roommate and I had come up with a system where we placed our only room key under a chair in front of our room, in case we weren't together - that way, both of us could access our room at any time. My roommate and another girl headed out for a drink after dinner, and I decided to head back to the room because I was exhausted after 3 hours of James Bond. When I got back to our room, I was very dismayed to find that the key wasn't under our chair... my roommate had accidentally put it in her bag, and I had no idea where she was or how long she would be out, so I was locked out. After about an hour, our group leader noticed that I was locked out, and tried to find a staff member to ask for a spare key but had no luck. He then decided to go and hunt down my roommate, which was very sweet of him but not really necessary - I was happy enough sitting outside my room using the wifi. However, he dashed off on a mission, and ended up finding them pretty quickly, and my poor roommate was mortified, despite my reassurances that it really was no big deal. It was a relief to get into the room to use the bathroom though!
8/12/2014 [Udaipur]
We headed back to the cafe on the lake for breakfast and coffee this morning, before dispersing our separate ways. I ventured off on my own today, which was quite liberating! I went to visit a tailor, a jeweler, an artist and a leather worker, before wandering around just taking in the sights and sounds and smells of the city. I started to feel a bit headachey and was worried that it would turn into a migraine, so I headed back to my room to attempt to sleep it off. Most of the group headed out for a hike up a mountain this afternoon to watch the sunset, but I was still feeling yucky and headachey so I took my migraine medication, had a lukewarm shower and had a nap. I woke up feeling much better, which was a relief.
We headed back across the bridge for dinner, where we ate at a little family-run Israeli food stall - as much as I love curry, it was nice to have a meal that was a bit lighter. I ate most of the salad before realising it probably wasn't a great idea, as you don't know whether they wash they actually wash the veggies, and if they do, the cleanliness of the water is generally pretty questionable here. Hopefully it's all good and I don't end up with a case of Delhi Belly... I've managed to avoid it so far, touch wood!
9/12/2014 [Udaipur - Pushkar]
Our day started very early this morning - we were loaded into tuk-tuks for the freezing cold drive to the train station by 5am. We then had a 6 hour train trip to Ajmer, which was long and uncomfortable and more like what I had imagined train trips in India would be like. Once we reached Ajmer, we loaded our gear into a couple of vehicles and started the 40 minute drive over the mountains to Pushkar. The car trip passed pretty quickly (especially compared to the train ride), and it was pretty awesome cruising along with the windows down, listening to Mumford & Sons,
Pushkar didn't appear to be very interesting as we drove through, but later we discovered that we were actually staying on the outskirts of town so hadn't seen the center of town.When we reached our hotel, I was quite impressed - it is definitely the cleanest and snazziest-looking hotel so far! After grabbing a quick lunch at the restaurant onsite, my roommate and I headed back to our room for a nap - we were completely worn out after such an early morning and a long day of traveling.
On a side note - I love that totally bizarre comments like 'there's a monkey in the veggie garden' are just so commonplace and make sense here... it's not something I would expect to hear over lunch back home!
Our group leader then took us for our orientation walk, and explained about the three principle gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion as we walked around the Holy Lake at the center of Pushkar. We sat at a little cafe and drank chai as we watched the sunset over the lake - this whole 'drinking chai and watching sunsets' thing seems to be becoming quite a habit for us! After the sun went down, we decided to explore the city. We discovered a street full of traditional Indian sweets shops, which we promptly christened 'Sweet Street' and proceeded down to taste some of its delicacies. As we ate, we saw more monkeys, jumping on the shade cloth overhead like it was a trampoline.
As we walked back out of town towards our hotel, I had a really great and honest conversation with one of my fellow travelers about the disenchantment and the hopefulness that we've experienced in India so far, and what might be ahead.
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