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.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
An Indian Adventure: Jodhpur // Udaipur
5/12/2014 [Jodhpur - Vishnoi]
This morning we took tuk-tuks up to Mehrangarh Fort, which has a stunning view of the 'Blue City'. Many buildings in Jodhpur are painted beautiful shades of blue, because this is a cooling colour during summer, and acts as a natural insect repellent, which I found really interesting. It was cool to see firsthand why Jodhpur is often referred to the Blue City, because last night during the drive to the hotel we didn't see much blue... so I was a little confused about how it got this name, and had fairly low expectations! However, with our view from the Fort, there was no longer any question about the origins of 'Blue City'.
We took an audio-guide tour of the fort, which is huge and beautiful. The tour was quite interesting (but very long-winded at times), and gave an fascinating insight into the history and culture of this area and it's beautiful architecture and design. After the tour, we walked down the steep hill into the Old City, where we wandered around the streets eating samosas and drinking the best lassis I've ever tasted.
A small group of us then jumped into a Jeep and headed out to Vishnoi, which is a small traditional village on the outskirts of Jodhpur. Our first stop was at the home of a pottery family, who showed us how they make pots, vases, and decorative pieces using a large wheel. We then stopped in to visit a farming family, where we learned about local agriculture in the village and how it impacts life in this community. We drank homemade chai with the lovely man who was the head of the house - he spoke to us about the different crops that they grow, and the importance of family in these traditional communities. He is raising his grandsons and caring for his daughter-in-law, as his son has passed away. Our final stop was at the home of a man who is the head of a weaving cooperative in the village. He showed his loom (which is so large that it takes two people to work it), and his beautiful work in progress. He then brought out a beautiful collection of completed works by himself and other members of the cooperative - there were so many beautiful weavings, with intricate patterns and striking colours. I ended up buying a beautiful rug which was handmade by a mother and daughter - it was gorgeous , and I knew I needed to have it the moment I laid eyes on it!
We then started our journey back towards Jodhpur, stopping along the way to watch some antelope prancing around in a field and to take in the amazing sunset over the fields. Our Jeep driver dropped us off in the city, where we decided to have street food for dinner. We found the infamous 'Omelette Man', who makes really delicious omelettes right there on the street. He also made boiled eggs, which he cuts in half and coats in spices, onion and chilli - they are so simple and so yummy!
I've been finding myself getting very frustrated with all the people who try to con you over here - it feels never ending. I try to remind myself that at the end of the day, they are desperately trying to make a living for themselves and their families... but sometimes it's really hard to remember that, and it gets frustrating. We stopped in at a tea and spice shop, where a couple of our group members bought a few bits and pieces. The shop owner was over friendly and asked lots of questions, and even hugged me for an awkwardly long time, which was weird... then when we tried to leave, he gave us 'gifts' and made us go to look at his 'friends' shop - he followed us there to make sure we went, because it turns out he actually gets commission from the shop owner if he sends tourists there to buy things. We eventually managed to escape, and decided to head back to our accommodation because it had been a huge day.
We found a tuk-tuk and managed to squeeze five of us into it - the driver purposely hit every bump and pothole on the drive home, as hard and as fast as he could, which made for a very painful and uncomfortable ride.When we finally reached our destination, he tried to charge us more than he had originally said, and then kept laughing at me and making fun of me for being so fat - he insisted on telling me again and again that I was the size of two people. I tried really hard not to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much his words hurt, but as soon as I was in the safety of my own room I had a bit of a breakdown. I think it was mostly because I was so incredibly tired and overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted, and at that moment I felt so very far away from home and everyone that I love. After a while, one of the girls from our group knocked on my door to check that I was ok, which started a whole new flood of tears, which was pretty embarrassing - but she was so kind and lovely and just hugged me until I started to feel better. A couple of the other girls also drifted in, and we ended up sitting around chatting and laughing for a while, and I felt so much better by the time I went to bed.
Overall, Jodhpur has probably been one of my least favourite cities so far, so it will be nice to move on to our next destination tomorrow.
6/12/2014 [Jodhpur - Udaipur]
We were up bright and early this morning to begin our journey to Udaipur. Originally we were going to catch another public transport bus, but we ended up organising a private vehicle so we could take the trip at a more leisurely pace and stop to see some of the sights along the way (and for toilet breaks, too!). So on the way, we stopped at a Jain temple in a tiny village where we ate lunch - this actually proved to be quite a challenge for me, as I was feeling a little off-colour and not particularly hungry. However, they have a no-waste policy, which meant that I HAD to eat every single morsel on the plate that they had loaded up for me. I eventually managed to struggle my way through the thali plate with some help from my other travelers! I was definitely feeling a bit green around the gills by the time I finished.
After exploring the temple, we boarded our bus again and started heading up into the mountains - it was so lovely to finally see some greenery, and it reminded me of home a lot (except for the wild monkeys on the side of the road!). Along the way, we saw a royal wedding procession, in all it's finery and splenndour.
We finally reached Udaipur around 3pm this afternoon, and it was immediately clear why it is known as the 'City of Lakes'. Our accommodation for the next three nights is right on the lake, with a breathtaking view of the water and islands. During our orientation walk, our group leader took us up to the rooftop of one of the hotels which was used for filming scenes in the movie 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. We then took a sunset boat ride around the lake, and it was really beautiful to see the stunning architecture illuminated by the colourful sunset. We cruised past several weddings, too - December is the peak time for weddings in December.
A few of us girls have decided to rotate the single room between us, to give us all some alternating solitude and company. I'm really grateful for this, as it sometimes made me feel a bit isolated being the only one in a single room. So I'm looking forward to sharing a room for the next few nights with a girl who has a very beautiful soul.
This morning we took tuk-tuks up to Mehrangarh Fort, which has a stunning view of the 'Blue City'. Many buildings in Jodhpur are painted beautiful shades of blue, because this is a cooling colour during summer, and acts as a natural insect repellent, which I found really interesting. It was cool to see firsthand why Jodhpur is often referred to the Blue City, because last night during the drive to the hotel we didn't see much blue... so I was a little confused about how it got this name, and had fairly low expectations! However, with our view from the Fort, there was no longer any question about the origins of 'Blue City'.
We took an audio-guide tour of the fort, which is huge and beautiful. The tour was quite interesting (but very long-winded at times), and gave an fascinating insight into the history and culture of this area and it's beautiful architecture and design. After the tour, we walked down the steep hill into the Old City, where we wandered around the streets eating samosas and drinking the best lassis I've ever tasted.
A small group of us then jumped into a Jeep and headed out to Vishnoi, which is a small traditional village on the outskirts of Jodhpur. Our first stop was at the home of a pottery family, who showed us how they make pots, vases, and decorative pieces using a large wheel. We then stopped in to visit a farming family, where we learned about local agriculture in the village and how it impacts life in this community. We drank homemade chai with the lovely man who was the head of the house - he spoke to us about the different crops that they grow, and the importance of family in these traditional communities. He is raising his grandsons and caring for his daughter-in-law, as his son has passed away. Our final stop was at the home of a man who is the head of a weaving cooperative in the village. He showed his loom (which is so large that it takes two people to work it), and his beautiful work in progress. He then brought out a beautiful collection of completed works by himself and other members of the cooperative - there were so many beautiful weavings, with intricate patterns and striking colours. I ended up buying a beautiful rug which was handmade by a mother and daughter - it was gorgeous , and I knew I needed to have it the moment I laid eyes on it!
We then started our journey back towards Jodhpur, stopping along the way to watch some antelope prancing around in a field and to take in the amazing sunset over the fields. Our Jeep driver dropped us off in the city, where we decided to have street food for dinner. We found the infamous 'Omelette Man', who makes really delicious omelettes right there on the street. He also made boiled eggs, which he cuts in half and coats in spices, onion and chilli - they are so simple and so yummy!
I've been finding myself getting very frustrated with all the people who try to con you over here - it feels never ending. I try to remind myself that at the end of the day, they are desperately trying to make a living for themselves and their families... but sometimes it's really hard to remember that, and it gets frustrating. We stopped in at a tea and spice shop, where a couple of our group members bought a few bits and pieces. The shop owner was over friendly and asked lots of questions, and even hugged me for an awkwardly long time, which was weird... then when we tried to leave, he gave us 'gifts' and made us go to look at his 'friends' shop - he followed us there to make sure we went, because it turns out he actually gets commission from the shop owner if he sends tourists there to buy things. We eventually managed to escape, and decided to head back to our accommodation because it had been a huge day.
We found a tuk-tuk and managed to squeeze five of us into it - the driver purposely hit every bump and pothole on the drive home, as hard and as fast as he could, which made for a very painful and uncomfortable ride.When we finally reached our destination, he tried to charge us more than he had originally said, and then kept laughing at me and making fun of me for being so fat - he insisted on telling me again and again that I was the size of two people. I tried really hard not to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much his words hurt, but as soon as I was in the safety of my own room I had a bit of a breakdown. I think it was mostly because I was so incredibly tired and overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted, and at that moment I felt so very far away from home and everyone that I love. After a while, one of the girls from our group knocked on my door to check that I was ok, which started a whole new flood of tears, which was pretty embarrassing - but she was so kind and lovely and just hugged me until I started to feel better. A couple of the other girls also drifted in, and we ended up sitting around chatting and laughing for a while, and I felt so much better by the time I went to bed.
Overall, Jodhpur has probably been one of my least favourite cities so far, so it will be nice to move on to our next destination tomorrow.
6/12/2014 [Jodhpur - Udaipur]
We were up bright and early this morning to begin our journey to Udaipur. Originally we were going to catch another public transport bus, but we ended up organising a private vehicle so we could take the trip at a more leisurely pace and stop to see some of the sights along the way (and for toilet breaks, too!). So on the way, we stopped at a Jain temple in a tiny village where we ate lunch - this actually proved to be quite a challenge for me, as I was feeling a little off-colour and not particularly hungry. However, they have a no-waste policy, which meant that I HAD to eat every single morsel on the plate that they had loaded up for me. I eventually managed to struggle my way through the thali plate with some help from my other travelers! I was definitely feeling a bit green around the gills by the time I finished.
After exploring the temple, we boarded our bus again and started heading up into the mountains - it was so lovely to finally see some greenery, and it reminded me of home a lot (except for the wild monkeys on the side of the road!). Along the way, we saw a royal wedding procession, in all it's finery and splenndour.
We finally reached Udaipur around 3pm this afternoon, and it was immediately clear why it is known as the 'City of Lakes'. Our accommodation for the next three nights is right on the lake, with a breathtaking view of the water and islands. During our orientation walk, our group leader took us up to the rooftop of one of the hotels which was used for filming scenes in the movie 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. We then took a sunset boat ride around the lake, and it was really beautiful to see the stunning architecture illuminated by the colourful sunset. We cruised past several weddings, too - December is the peak time for weddings in December.
A few of us girls have decided to rotate the single room between us, to give us all some alternating solitude and company. I'm really grateful for this, as it sometimes made me feel a bit isolated being the only one in a single room. So I'm looking forward to sharing a room for the next few nights with a girl who has a very beautiful soul.
An Indian Adventure: Jaisalmer // Thar Desert // Jodhpur
2/12/2014 [Jaisalmer]
This morning began bright and early with some yoga on the rooftop as the sun rose - it was another pinch-worthy moment, and also a very good reminder about how unfit I am! After breakfast, we met a local man who gave us a tour of the city, and was a wealth of knowledge about the history and culture of the local area. He took us to the canon point, which was a major defense point for the fort when it was operational, and he also took us to some Jain temples. Jain is essentially an offshoot of the Hindu religion, and the temples were made from beautiful golden sandstone which was intricately handcarved. We also went to an artist's cooperative, where local people make and sell a variety of stunning textiles including silks, patchworks, weaving, embroidery, pashmina and kashmir shawls and more.
We then spent the rest of the afternoon doing our own thing, so we wandered around the market stalls inside the fort. I went back to see the lady who fitted us in the saris last night, and bought some of her handmade jewellery - she was a sweet little lady, and we ended up chatting away for quite a while. As I left, she gave me a colourful scarf as a gift to wear on our camel safari in the desert tomorrow, which was very kind.
This evening we all walked down to a restaurant outside the fort, where we sat on the rooftop and ate another delicious meal together. During our meal, a wedding procession came down the street, dancing and singing and setting off fireworks and celebrating in a very big way! After dinner, we walked back through the streets and alleyways eating kulfi (Indian icecream).
I find myself becoming really drained at the end of most days - I think it's mostly because everything can get so emotionally and physically draining. So most nights, I collapse into bed fairly early and actually sleep pretty well!
3/12/2014 [Jaisalmer - Thar Desert]
We kicked off our morning with yoga on the rooftop again, then sat around eating breakfast and listening to John Mayer, which was a perfect start to the day. We had a few hours of free time this morning, so we basically just wandered around and did some more shopping to make sure we were prepared for our camel safari this afternoon. A couple of us ventured back outside the fort for lunch at a restaurant nearby, which had THE most amazing kofta!
After lunch, we were transported out to a village on the outskirts of the Thar Desert, where we then rode camels for an hour and a half out into the sand dunes. Camel riding is actually pretty terrifying, and not an experience I wish to repeat. However, I did find it quite amusing that despite being dressed in the traditional robes and turban, one of our camel men was wearing bight green Nikes and texting on his mobile phone as we plodded along!
Once we reached our campsite, we climbed to the top of the sand dunes to watch the sunset while we drank chai. We also ran around and took some crazy photos, just for a laugh. As the sun sank even further below the horizon, I lay in the sand with one of the other girls and had a really lovely chat - it was probably the first time on this trip that I feel like I have connected with someone on a deeper level, which was nice. Sometimes I feel like a bit of a loner, because I've been assigned all of the single rooms so I feel a bit out of the loop. So it was nice to connect with someone and feel a little less awkward.
Dinner in the desert was amazing - the camel men cooked us up some delicious thali dishes, which is basically a mixed plate of vegetarian curries. Yum! They also lit campfires for us, so we sat around talking and singing and playing games for a while before heading to bed. We were literally sleeping under the stars, which were so bright and clear and beautiful. It was amazing!
4/12/2014 [Jaisalmer - Jodhpur]
We woke up super early this morning to watch the sunrise over the sand dunes - we've now seen three sunrises and three sunsets in a row, which is pretty awesome. After we ate breakfast around the fire, we rode our camels for half an hour to the nearest village, where our camel safari came to an end.
Back at Jaisalmer Fort, we packed up all our gear, ready to board the public transport bus for the six hour drive to Jodhpur. Not surprisingly, the bus was crazy - we were some of the lucky few who had booked seats, and there were bunks above the seats which could also be used by other passengers for sitting or sleeping. Everyone else stands up, and are crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in the aisle. People jump on the bus as it is moving, and are hauled in by fellow passengers, unless there is not enough room - in which case, they simply hang out the door as the bus speeds along!
The buses here have very loud horns, which play crazy tunes every time they are honked (which is approximately every three seconds!). This was quite funny the first time the driver honked it... but not so amusing by the time we reached Jodhpur six hours later.
Once we arrived in Jodhpur, we had a crazy tuk-tuk ride to our accommodation, which is a sweet little set of villas owned by a local family. They cooked us a delicious traditional family meal, and once we had devoured the feast we all realised just how tired we actually were, so headed up to our rooms. I had my first decent shower in almost a week tonight! I didn't realise you actually had to turn the hot water system on before showering, so it was a cold shower... But I still got to wash my hair and I felt much more human again afterwards!
This morning began bright and early with some yoga on the rooftop as the sun rose - it was another pinch-worthy moment, and also a very good reminder about how unfit I am! After breakfast, we met a local man who gave us a tour of the city, and was a wealth of knowledge about the history and culture of the local area. He took us to the canon point, which was a major defense point for the fort when it was operational, and he also took us to some Jain temples. Jain is essentially an offshoot of the Hindu religion, and the temples were made from beautiful golden sandstone which was intricately handcarved. We also went to an artist's cooperative, where local people make and sell a variety of stunning textiles including silks, patchworks, weaving, embroidery, pashmina and kashmir shawls and more.
We then spent the rest of the afternoon doing our own thing, so we wandered around the market stalls inside the fort. I went back to see the lady who fitted us in the saris last night, and bought some of her handmade jewellery - she was a sweet little lady, and we ended up chatting away for quite a while. As I left, she gave me a colourful scarf as a gift to wear on our camel safari in the desert tomorrow, which was very kind.
This evening we all walked down to a restaurant outside the fort, where we sat on the rooftop and ate another delicious meal together. During our meal, a wedding procession came down the street, dancing and singing and setting off fireworks and celebrating in a very big way! After dinner, we walked back through the streets and alleyways eating kulfi (Indian icecream).
I find myself becoming really drained at the end of most days - I think it's mostly because everything can get so emotionally and physically draining. So most nights, I collapse into bed fairly early and actually sleep pretty well!
3/12/2014 [Jaisalmer - Thar Desert]
We kicked off our morning with yoga on the rooftop again, then sat around eating breakfast and listening to John Mayer, which was a perfect start to the day. We had a few hours of free time this morning, so we basically just wandered around and did some more shopping to make sure we were prepared for our camel safari this afternoon. A couple of us ventured back outside the fort for lunch at a restaurant nearby, which had THE most amazing kofta!
After lunch, we were transported out to a village on the outskirts of the Thar Desert, where we then rode camels for an hour and a half out into the sand dunes. Camel riding is actually pretty terrifying, and not an experience I wish to repeat. However, I did find it quite amusing that despite being dressed in the traditional robes and turban, one of our camel men was wearing bight green Nikes and texting on his mobile phone as we plodded along!
Once we reached our campsite, we climbed to the top of the sand dunes to watch the sunset while we drank chai. We also ran around and took some crazy photos, just for a laugh. As the sun sank even further below the horizon, I lay in the sand with one of the other girls and had a really lovely chat - it was probably the first time on this trip that I feel like I have connected with someone on a deeper level, which was nice. Sometimes I feel like a bit of a loner, because I've been assigned all of the single rooms so I feel a bit out of the loop. So it was nice to connect with someone and feel a little less awkward.
Dinner in the desert was amazing - the camel men cooked us up some delicious thali dishes, which is basically a mixed plate of vegetarian curries. Yum! They also lit campfires for us, so we sat around talking and singing and playing games for a while before heading to bed. We were literally sleeping under the stars, which were so bright and clear and beautiful. It was amazing!
4/12/2014 [Jaisalmer - Jodhpur]
We woke up super early this morning to watch the sunrise over the sand dunes - we've now seen three sunrises and three sunsets in a row, which is pretty awesome. After we ate breakfast around the fire, we rode our camels for half an hour to the nearest village, where our camel safari came to an end.
Back at Jaisalmer Fort, we packed up all our gear, ready to board the public transport bus for the six hour drive to Jodhpur. Not surprisingly, the bus was crazy - we were some of the lucky few who had booked seats, and there were bunks above the seats which could also be used by other passengers for sitting or sleeping. Everyone else stands up, and are crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in the aisle. People jump on the bus as it is moving, and are hauled in by fellow passengers, unless there is not enough room - in which case, they simply hang out the door as the bus speeds along!
The buses here have very loud horns, which play crazy tunes every time they are honked (which is approximately every three seconds!). This was quite funny the first time the driver honked it... but not so amusing by the time we reached Jodhpur six hours later.
Once we arrived in Jodhpur, we had a crazy tuk-tuk ride to our accommodation, which is a sweet little set of villas owned by a local family. They cooked us a delicious traditional family meal, and once we had devoured the feast we all realised just how tired we actually were, so headed up to our rooms. I had my first decent shower in almost a week tonight! I didn't realise you actually had to turn the hot water system on before showering, so it was a cold shower... But I still got to wash my hair and I felt much more human again afterwards!
An Indian Adventure: Delhi // Jaisalmer
29/11/2014 [Delhi]
I spent most of my day chilling in my room and up on the rooftop terrace again - my experience with the tuk-tuk driver yesterday has made me a little anxious about being out on the streets alone. I met a fascinating man on the rooftop, who is a professor in architecture from Georgia in America. He approached me as I was eating my lunch on the rooftop, and asked whether I was part of his tour group. Unfortunately we weren't part of the same group, but we ended up chatting for the better part of three hours! He was a very interesting and insightful man, and we talked about everything from culture, to identity, to linguistics (including what kind of accent William Shakespeare would have had), to overcoming racism, and everything in between.
I finally met the rest of my group tonight - there are eleven of us all up, and all but one are from Australia and most of them are from Brisbane, which is awesome. Even more awesome, is the fact that two of them are actually moving to the same region as me when they get home, so I'm hoping we'll get to know each other over the next few weeks and be able to catch up regularly when we get home. Our group leader calls himself 'Mr Bollywood' and is quite a character. He went through our travel itinerary in detail, and it truly sounds amazing! I've pinched myself so many times over the past couple of days, just to make sure that this is really truly happening - my daydream is now coming to life.
We ventured out onto the streets of New Delhi for dinner at a local restaurant, where we had a delicious feast. Most of the time I have absolutely no idea what I'm ordering from the menu, so it's always a bit of a surprise when it turns up - especially tonight, when the curry that arrived was a curious shade of fluorescent green! I was a little bit hesitant about eating it at first, but it was actually so delicious - it was deep fried cottage cheese in a spinach-based sauce, which explained the green colour! It was really nice to connect with my fellow travelers over delicious food and drinks, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know them over the coming days.
30/11/2014 [New Delhi - Old Delhi]
This morning really marked the beginning of the tour for me. We set out on a walking tour of Old Delhi - we had to catch the Metro train, which was a pretty crazy experience. You use little plastic coin tokens to get on the trains, rather than the cards we use at home. There are 'women only' carriages on the trains, which generally seem less crowded and chaotic than the men's carriages. It was a little bit daunting being separated from our group leader, but he made sure that some of the local women let us know when our station was coming up so we didn't miss our stop.
Once we got to Old Delhi, we emerged from the subway out onto a street crammed with people and vehicles and buildings and activity. There's a crazy tangle of electrical wires overhead, and cars and tuk-tuks and rickshaws all jostling for space on the street - if they can't find it, they simply mount the curb. As we wandered through the streets, we saw barbers working on the footpath, people having their ears cleaned out on the side of the road, women washing clothes in the muddy puddles in the gutter and then hanging them out to dry anywhere they could find.
Our first stop was at the Jama Mosque, where we had to remove our shoes and put on robes that covered us from our neck down to our ankles. The architecture inside the mosque was absolutely beautiful - there was lots of intricate carving and towering domes. Just outside the mosque we were held up by a Hare Krishna procession, with lots of singing and clapping and colour. After the mosque, we headed down the smaller alleys and laneways of Old Delhi, and found an amazing little food stall which is famous for its parathas, which they make fresh as you order them. We also found some havelis, which were beautifully colourful houses which used to be owned by the British, and are now owned by wealthy Indians. We also visited a Sikh temple, where again we had to remove our shoes, but this time we had to wear a special head covering which made us look a bit like pirates. The Sikh temple was awesome - we were allowed to join the people inside and watched them praying and chanting, which was really special. They also let us help make chapatti breads in the huge soup kitchen attached to the temple, which serves dinner to thousands of people every day.
We are now on an overnight sleeper train for the 19 hour journey to Jaisalmer... toileting on these trains is quite a terrifying experience!
1/12/2014
It was a rather long night on the sleeper train between the very excited family group of 25 who were heading to an engagement party, and people getting on and off at various stations throughout the night. I was also a bit anxious about our luggage being stolen after hearing some horror stories prior to the trip, so I basically slept with one eye open all night - especially when two men came and sat on my legs (I was in the bottom bunk) in the middle of the night while they waited for their station. That was awkward. The chai man began his rounds at about 5.30am, with very loud cries of 'chayyee-chayyee!!!' as he carted around a massive urn. He was quickly forgiven for the early wake up though, as he had some truly delicious chai!
When we finally reached Jaisalmer, we loaded all our luggage into Jeeps, which took us through the town and up into the Jaisalmer Fort, which is where we'll be staying for the next couple of nights. Inside the fort reminds me of a scene from Aladdin, with all the golden sandstone buildings and streets lined with market stalls selling rugs, clothes, shoes, produce and food.
Earlier in the day, we had befriended the large family group on the train, who then invited us to come to the engagement ceremony that evening. So after a delicious lunch of bharvan tomato (tomato stuffed with vegetables, potato and coconut), a local woman fitted and dressed us in beautiful saris - the boys were fitted for traditional clothing too. Mine was a beautiful jewel greeen with golden embroidery, and I later found out that it was a very expensive one, which terrified me! The lovely lady also lent us some beautiful traditional-style jewellery to accessorise with, which made us feel extra special.
Once we were all dressed up, we headed up to a hill to watch the sunset over the city, which was nice - although the sun seems to disappear behind a layer of smog on the horizon before it actually sets. After the sunset, we headed to the lake, which used to provide the entire city with water. Everywhere we went, people wanted to take our photo. It was a bit overwhelming at times - everywhere you turned, there was someone else trying to take your photo. Some tried to be subtle and sneaky about their photos, others were more blatant about it, and still others wanted to actually be in the photos and pose with us.
We eventually made it to the venue where the engagement ceremony was being held - we were a little early (or VERY early, according to Indian standards!), so one of the staff members took us for a tour around the resort to fill in some time. Finally, the groom and his family emerged (over an hour late - and still no sign of the bride, which was apparently totally normal in terms of timeframes for special ceremonies), so we presented him with our traditional congratulatory gift of local sweets. We were then pulled this way and that for more photos with various family members and other guests, before making a quick exit before the actual ceremony began because it was likely to go for over three hours! Once we got back to our hotel, we spent the rest of the evening sitting around on the rooftop terrace, drinking beer and eating delicious food. Is this real life?!
I spent most of my day chilling in my room and up on the rooftop terrace again - my experience with the tuk-tuk driver yesterday has made me a little anxious about being out on the streets alone. I met a fascinating man on the rooftop, who is a professor in architecture from Georgia in America. He approached me as I was eating my lunch on the rooftop, and asked whether I was part of his tour group. Unfortunately we weren't part of the same group, but we ended up chatting for the better part of three hours! He was a very interesting and insightful man, and we talked about everything from culture, to identity, to linguistics (including what kind of accent William Shakespeare would have had), to overcoming racism, and everything in between.
I finally met the rest of my group tonight - there are eleven of us all up, and all but one are from Australia and most of them are from Brisbane, which is awesome. Even more awesome, is the fact that two of them are actually moving to the same region as me when they get home, so I'm hoping we'll get to know each other over the next few weeks and be able to catch up regularly when we get home. Our group leader calls himself 'Mr Bollywood' and is quite a character. He went through our travel itinerary in detail, and it truly sounds amazing! I've pinched myself so many times over the past couple of days, just to make sure that this is really truly happening - my daydream is now coming to life.
We ventured out onto the streets of New Delhi for dinner at a local restaurant, where we had a delicious feast. Most of the time I have absolutely no idea what I'm ordering from the menu, so it's always a bit of a surprise when it turns up - especially tonight, when the curry that arrived was a curious shade of fluorescent green! I was a little bit hesitant about eating it at first, but it was actually so delicious - it was deep fried cottage cheese in a spinach-based sauce, which explained the green colour! It was really nice to connect with my fellow travelers over delicious food and drinks, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know them over the coming days.
30/11/2014 [New Delhi - Old Delhi]
This morning really marked the beginning of the tour for me. We set out on a walking tour of Old Delhi - we had to catch the Metro train, which was a pretty crazy experience. You use little plastic coin tokens to get on the trains, rather than the cards we use at home. There are 'women only' carriages on the trains, which generally seem less crowded and chaotic than the men's carriages. It was a little bit daunting being separated from our group leader, but he made sure that some of the local women let us know when our station was coming up so we didn't miss our stop.
Once we got to Old Delhi, we emerged from the subway out onto a street crammed with people and vehicles and buildings and activity. There's a crazy tangle of electrical wires overhead, and cars and tuk-tuks and rickshaws all jostling for space on the street - if they can't find it, they simply mount the curb. As we wandered through the streets, we saw barbers working on the footpath, people having their ears cleaned out on the side of the road, women washing clothes in the muddy puddles in the gutter and then hanging them out to dry anywhere they could find.
Our first stop was at the Jama Mosque, where we had to remove our shoes and put on robes that covered us from our neck down to our ankles. The architecture inside the mosque was absolutely beautiful - there was lots of intricate carving and towering domes. Just outside the mosque we were held up by a Hare Krishna procession, with lots of singing and clapping and colour. After the mosque, we headed down the smaller alleys and laneways of Old Delhi, and found an amazing little food stall which is famous for its parathas, which they make fresh as you order them. We also found some havelis, which were beautifully colourful houses which used to be owned by the British, and are now owned by wealthy Indians. We also visited a Sikh temple, where again we had to remove our shoes, but this time we had to wear a special head covering which made us look a bit like pirates. The Sikh temple was awesome - we were allowed to join the people inside and watched them praying and chanting, which was really special. They also let us help make chapatti breads in the huge soup kitchen attached to the temple, which serves dinner to thousands of people every day.
We are now on an overnight sleeper train for the 19 hour journey to Jaisalmer... toileting on these trains is quite a terrifying experience!
1/12/2014
It was a rather long night on the sleeper train between the very excited family group of 25 who were heading to an engagement party, and people getting on and off at various stations throughout the night. I was also a bit anxious about our luggage being stolen after hearing some horror stories prior to the trip, so I basically slept with one eye open all night - especially when two men came and sat on my legs (I was in the bottom bunk) in the middle of the night while they waited for their station. That was awkward. The chai man began his rounds at about 5.30am, with very loud cries of 'chayyee-chayyee!!!' as he carted around a massive urn. He was quickly forgiven for the early wake up though, as he had some truly delicious chai!
When we finally reached Jaisalmer, we loaded all our luggage into Jeeps, which took us through the town and up into the Jaisalmer Fort, which is where we'll be staying for the next couple of nights. Inside the fort reminds me of a scene from Aladdin, with all the golden sandstone buildings and streets lined with market stalls selling rugs, clothes, shoes, produce and food.
Earlier in the day, we had befriended the large family group on the train, who then invited us to come to the engagement ceremony that evening. So after a delicious lunch of bharvan tomato (tomato stuffed with vegetables, potato and coconut), a local woman fitted and dressed us in beautiful saris - the boys were fitted for traditional clothing too. Mine was a beautiful jewel greeen with golden embroidery, and I later found out that it was a very expensive one, which terrified me! The lovely lady also lent us some beautiful traditional-style jewellery to accessorise with, which made us feel extra special.
Once we were all dressed up, we headed up to a hill to watch the sunset over the city, which was nice - although the sun seems to disappear behind a layer of smog on the horizon before it actually sets. After the sunset, we headed to the lake, which used to provide the entire city with water. Everywhere we went, people wanted to take our photo. It was a bit overwhelming at times - everywhere you turned, there was someone else trying to take your photo. Some tried to be subtle and sneaky about their photos, others were more blatant about it, and still others wanted to actually be in the photos and pose with us.
We eventually made it to the venue where the engagement ceremony was being held - we were a little early (or VERY early, according to Indian standards!), so one of the staff members took us for a tour around the resort to fill in some time. Finally, the groom and his family emerged (over an hour late - and still no sign of the bride, which was apparently totally normal in terms of timeframes for special ceremonies), so we presented him with our traditional congratulatory gift of local sweets. We were then pulled this way and that for more photos with various family members and other guests, before making a quick exit before the actual ceremony began because it was likely to go for over three hours! Once we got back to our hotel, we spent the rest of the evening sitting around on the rooftop terrace, drinking beer and eating delicious food. Is this real life?!
An Indian Adventure: Departure Lounge // Delhi
I recently set off on my very first solo adventure overseas, and had the time of my life. I came back from India a changed person, and I know that so much of what I learned about the world, it's people, and myself will stay with me forever and a day. I kept a journal throughout my journey, to remind myself of the stories that were shared with me and the memories I have created for myself, and to help me process some of the craziness, heartbreak and joy that I experienced along the way.
27/11/2014 [Brisbane - Delhi]
I can't believe it's finally here - the day I set out on my grand adventure! This has been a lifetime in the making; a lifetime of wishing and hoping and dreaming, and FINALLY building up the courage to just go. It still feels so surreal to be sitting here in the departure lounge at the Brisbane International Airport all by myself, about to embark on my solo journey.
At the moment, it's hard to describe how I'm feeling. It's a strange combination of excitement, nervousness, disbelief, a little melancholy, and a touch of terror; but all of this is underpinned by a certain sense of pride and achievement. This is a huge step for me - I mean, I do quite a lot of stuff on my own these days, like shopping, markets, movies, coffee. I quite enjoy my own company and have learned to function quite well on my own in most situations - but none of that compares to traveling solo to a foreign country where I don't speak the local language, I don't know another soul, and I stand out from the locals like a sore thumb, being overweight, pale and very very blonde!
Adventure beckons...
28/11/2014 [Delhi]
Well, almost 24 hours after I left home yesterday, I have finally made it safely to my first hotel. The flight from Brisbane to Singapore was eight hours, but for the most part it was quite comfortable. I was seated next to a beautiful girl who was heading to Abu Dhabi, and although we spoke very little, I felt like we instantly shared a connection. There was a sense of friendship between us, even though we were both content to sit in silence, lost in our own thoughts for the most part. I was actually a little sa to leave her when we reached Singapore - I had to transfer to a different flight here, and that was quite an anxiety-ridden experience for me!
Our connecting flight was running a little late, which left me with 45 minutes to find out which gate I had to get to, collect a new boarding pass, and actually board the plane. In an airport like Brisbane, this wouldn't have been an issue... but Changi International Airport is HUGE! So huge, in fact, that I actually had to take a 5 minute train ride to the next terminal, before walking/running right to the very end of this terminal, which took about 25 minutes. This got me to the boarding gate just in time, by the time I made a quick stop for a toilet break and lined up to get through security again.
Although this leg of the flight was actually shorter than the previous one, it felt much, much longer. The plane was very small and cramped, the food was pretty terrible, and the headphones for the entertainment system squealed in my ears whenever I tried to use them. I gave up on trying to watch movies, and read for a while before trying to get some sleep. I as exhausted and uncomfortable after such a long day, so I breathed a sigh of relief upon finally touching down on the tarmac at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
My relief was short lived however, as I soon found out that my baggage had been delayed and would not be arriving until some time the next afternoon (hopefully!). I was worn out and frazzled and trying to keep my anxiety at bay by this stage, and on the verge of tears; but the airport staff assured me that they would have my luggage delivered to me as soon as it arrived. So I managed to swallow my tears, took a deep breath, and headed out through Customs and into India!
It was quite daunting, walking out of the airport and into the masses of Indian men who were all waving signs with different names and tour companies on them or jostling for attention and business, all pushing and shoving in their efforts to reach the travelers emerging from the airport doors.I started to feel a bit overwhelmed again at this point... I had no idea how I was ever going to find my arranged driver amongst all this chaos! Thankfully, my driver was standing a little apart from all the others, so he wasn't too hard to spot. I almost hugged him with relief when I spotted him!
The drive to the hotel was very interesting. Line-markings on the road appear to be for decoration more than anything else, and there do not appear to be any road rules, apart from having to beep your horn every 2-3 seconds! Every single car, tuk-tuk, scooter and vehicle is battered and dented, and traffic accidents are no big deal. After about 30 minutes, we reached the hotel - and to be honest, I was shitting myself as the driver came to a stop. It was now close to midnight, and in the middle of the night this neighbourhood looked pretty intimidating. It appeared deserted, apart from a couple of mangy dogs wandering around, picking through the piles of rubbish that lined the streets and piled up against the buildings. There were smouldering messes everywhere, which had been fires used for warmth and cooking in the streets earlier, but were now eerily smoking piles of mess under the orange glow of the street lights. Needless to say, I was quite glad to escape into the relative warmth and cleanliness of my hotel... although it was a little bit unnerving to be ushered into a lift which appeared to be held together by several rolls of masking tape and duct tape. Thankfully, we made it to my floor without any issues!
Hot water is only available between 5am-11am here, and I had nothing to change into anyway, so I collapsed into bed almost instantly. I woke up fairly early - probably because of the noise and chaos on the streets below as the city came to life. It's not deafening noise or anything, just a chaotic symphony of cars beeping their horns, bicycle riders dinging their bells, school children laughing and singing as they skip along, people chattering and calling out to each other across the street, and eagles crying out as they continuously circle just above the chaos of the city. I headed up to the rooftop where they serve breakfast, and ended up spending a couple of hours up there munching on a curry for breakfast and making the most of the wifi connection to let everyone back home know that I was alive and well.
After that, I was feeling a bit brave, so decided to wander down the street. However, my bravery was very short lived... mere seconds after stepping out onto the footpath, a tuk-tuk driver began hassling me. I had no idea how to deal with this attention, so was an easy target - he would not leave me alone, and ended up chasing me down the street shouting at me and pleading with me, and even trying to grab me. So about 60 seconds after leaving the hotel, I was back again! I'm not sure that I'll be venturing back outside again on my own at this stage... but I meet the rest of my travel group tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited about that!
27/11/2014 [Brisbane - Delhi]
I can't believe it's finally here - the day I set out on my grand adventure! This has been a lifetime in the making; a lifetime of wishing and hoping and dreaming, and FINALLY building up the courage to just go. It still feels so surreal to be sitting here in the departure lounge at the Brisbane International Airport all by myself, about to embark on my solo journey.
At the moment, it's hard to describe how I'm feeling. It's a strange combination of excitement, nervousness, disbelief, a little melancholy, and a touch of terror; but all of this is underpinned by a certain sense of pride and achievement. This is a huge step for me - I mean, I do quite a lot of stuff on my own these days, like shopping, markets, movies, coffee. I quite enjoy my own company and have learned to function quite well on my own in most situations - but none of that compares to traveling solo to a foreign country where I don't speak the local language, I don't know another soul, and I stand out from the locals like a sore thumb, being overweight, pale and very very blonde!
Adventure beckons...
28/11/2014 [Delhi]
Well, almost 24 hours after I left home yesterday, I have finally made it safely to my first hotel. The flight from Brisbane to Singapore was eight hours, but for the most part it was quite comfortable. I was seated next to a beautiful girl who was heading to Abu Dhabi, and although we spoke very little, I felt like we instantly shared a connection. There was a sense of friendship between us, even though we were both content to sit in silence, lost in our own thoughts for the most part. I was actually a little sa to leave her when we reached Singapore - I had to transfer to a different flight here, and that was quite an anxiety-ridden experience for me!
Our connecting flight was running a little late, which left me with 45 minutes to find out which gate I had to get to, collect a new boarding pass, and actually board the plane. In an airport like Brisbane, this wouldn't have been an issue... but Changi International Airport is HUGE! So huge, in fact, that I actually had to take a 5 minute train ride to the next terminal, before walking/running right to the very end of this terminal, which took about 25 minutes. This got me to the boarding gate just in time, by the time I made a quick stop for a toilet break and lined up to get through security again.
Although this leg of the flight was actually shorter than the previous one, it felt much, much longer. The plane was very small and cramped, the food was pretty terrible, and the headphones for the entertainment system squealed in my ears whenever I tried to use them. I gave up on trying to watch movies, and read for a while before trying to get some sleep. I as exhausted and uncomfortable after such a long day, so I breathed a sigh of relief upon finally touching down on the tarmac at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
My relief was short lived however, as I soon found out that my baggage had been delayed and would not be arriving until some time the next afternoon (hopefully!). I was worn out and frazzled and trying to keep my anxiety at bay by this stage, and on the verge of tears; but the airport staff assured me that they would have my luggage delivered to me as soon as it arrived. So I managed to swallow my tears, took a deep breath, and headed out through Customs and into India!
It was quite daunting, walking out of the airport and into the masses of Indian men who were all waving signs with different names and tour companies on them or jostling for attention and business, all pushing and shoving in their efforts to reach the travelers emerging from the airport doors.I started to feel a bit overwhelmed again at this point... I had no idea how I was ever going to find my arranged driver amongst all this chaos! Thankfully, my driver was standing a little apart from all the others, so he wasn't too hard to spot. I almost hugged him with relief when I spotted him!
The drive to the hotel was very interesting. Line-markings on the road appear to be for decoration more than anything else, and there do not appear to be any road rules, apart from having to beep your horn every 2-3 seconds! Every single car, tuk-tuk, scooter and vehicle is battered and dented, and traffic accidents are no big deal. After about 30 minutes, we reached the hotel - and to be honest, I was shitting myself as the driver came to a stop. It was now close to midnight, and in the middle of the night this neighbourhood looked pretty intimidating. It appeared deserted, apart from a couple of mangy dogs wandering around, picking through the piles of rubbish that lined the streets and piled up against the buildings. There were smouldering messes everywhere, which had been fires used for warmth and cooking in the streets earlier, but were now eerily smoking piles of mess under the orange glow of the street lights. Needless to say, I was quite glad to escape into the relative warmth and cleanliness of my hotel... although it was a little bit unnerving to be ushered into a lift which appeared to be held together by several rolls of masking tape and duct tape. Thankfully, we made it to my floor without any issues!
Hot water is only available between 5am-11am here, and I had nothing to change into anyway, so I collapsed into bed almost instantly. I woke up fairly early - probably because of the noise and chaos on the streets below as the city came to life. It's not deafening noise or anything, just a chaotic symphony of cars beeping their horns, bicycle riders dinging their bells, school children laughing and singing as they skip along, people chattering and calling out to each other across the street, and eagles crying out as they continuously circle just above the chaos of the city. I headed up to the rooftop where they serve breakfast, and ended up spending a couple of hours up there munching on a curry for breakfast and making the most of the wifi connection to let everyone back home know that I was alive and well.
After that, I was feeling a bit brave, so decided to wander down the street. However, my bravery was very short lived... mere seconds after stepping out onto the footpath, a tuk-tuk driver began hassling me. I had no idea how to deal with this attention, so was an easy target - he would not leave me alone, and ended up chasing me down the street shouting at me and pleading with me, and even trying to grab me. So about 60 seconds after leaving the hotel, I was back again! I'm not sure that I'll be venturing back outside again on my own at this stage... but I meet the rest of my travel group tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited about that!
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