Western India is mostly desert and in Rajasthan, camels are very important beasts of burden. So, Froody and I had to take a camel safari in the Thar desert. Actually, we only spent one day and one night in the desert, but after 5 hours of camel riding, it was plenty.
While in Bikaner (former capital of Rajasthan), we stayed here at Vijay's Guesthouse. We had a good time and Vijay was a jovial host, sharing drinks with us on the veranda in the evenings. He was our guide of a day and took us to the neighboring sights, including the Karni Mata temple. It's also known as the rat temple and it's someplace I've been wanting to see for ages. It isn't as big as I thought it would be, but it was crawling with rats! We went in the late afternoon when the crowds were less and the rats were more active. Vijay said he's seen the white rat, but that was 17 years ago. We didn't see it, but enjoyed seeing rat-enthusiasm taken to the extreme! Everyone was praying to the rats. There was one very holy inner-sanctum we weren't allowed into, but I peeked in and saw a woman bowing in front of a shrine, with rats pouring out of it. Vijay said that here Western tourists aren't very common, so some people show Froody (and Pietr) a lot of interest.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
India- Not So Bad?
Well, now that I've been out of the hospital for a couple of weeks and we've got our tickets for our next stop-HONG KONG-India isn't so bad. I mean, I still grumble every time I see someone pissing or pooping (which is quite a bit), but at least I'm able to see the good stuff, too. Like birdwatching in Keoladeo National Reserve, where we hired a guide for the three days we spent there. He was very knowledgeable and showed us over 70 different species of birds.
The tiger safari in Ranthambore wasn't that bad, either. We saw several large mammals, like the sambhar deer and black faced-langur monkeys. I saw a wild tiger. Froody would have, too, but I think he was busy trying to take pictures of it.
This is what 1.2 billion people feels like. Actually, this is the mela (festival) our friends took us too. Froody and I even tried out a McDonald's. No beef, of course. Froody got a chicken royale. This looks better, though: a thali bought at a restaurant where we were the only western tourists.
Internet use in Delhi is more than what it seems. Anyway, our last day in Delhi before heading for Rajasthan was spent walking around the presidental palace and hanging out at the India Gate. Pretty, isn't it?
The tiger safari in Ranthambore wasn't that bad, either. We saw several large mammals, like the sambhar deer and black faced-langur monkeys. I saw a wild tiger. Froody would have, too, but I think he was busy trying to take pictures of it.
This is what 1.2 billion people feels like. Actually, this is the mela (festival) our friends took us too. Froody and I even tried out a McDonald's. No beef, of course. Froody got a chicken royale. This looks better, though: a thali bought at a restaurant where we were the only western tourists.
Internet use in Delhi is more than what it seems. Anyway, our last day in Delhi before heading for Rajasthan was spent walking around the presidental palace and hanging out at the India Gate. Pretty, isn't it?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Oh, India. Where Danger Lurks Inside Every Meal and Snack
I expected some adventure on this trip, but I didn't think there was danger in each mouthful. Froody and I just spent another week in the hospital. This time I had a bacterial infection and Froody had that plus giardia. bleh. I felt as pathetic as I looked. That IV really, really hurt! These infections have kind of extinguished what little remaining enthusiasm I had for India. One of the two things I am looking forward to is the Kari Mata, India's infamous rat temple. Gosh! I just realized that going someplace infested with rats, with floors made extra gooey and gross from thousands of rats running around, probably isn't conducive to maintaining good health. Froody and I are also determined to see the Himalayas. But I am heartily glad knowing we leave soon.
So, here are some of the pictures Froody's taken these past couple of weeks.
* View on the train to Agra.
* A pair of rose-ringed parakeets. These birds are everywhere, but we love them anyway.
* Some remaining blue tile on a mughal-era tomb, the Chini-Ka-Razza.
* Sandstone and marble gate to the Itimad-Ud-Daulah, aka the Baby Taj. We loved the detailed inlay work and how quiet and peaceful it was around the monument.
* Our driver brought us to a "marble institute" where we got to see how the tiny semi-precious stone pieces for the inlay in the Taj Mahal was made. Yup, it's still made the same way and looks like a lot of difficult, painful work. It surprised me how much Froody liked the marble work, and we bought a couple of souvenirs.
* Next day we went to the Jama Masjid in Fatehpur Sikri fort. The Jama Masjid is a huge mosque. The fort had a palace and other rooms full of beautiful carvings. Oh, better pic of the gate.
* The. Taj. Mahal. It's one of those place I NEVER thought I'd ever see. It's more beautiful than I expected. It's a tomb for one woman, the favorite wife of Shah Jahan.
* Also saw some Egyptian vultures when we were there.
* Froody ate all of this huge thali- metal plate with different types of breads, rice, and sauces.
So, here are some of the pictures Froody's taken these past couple of weeks.
* View on the train to Agra.
* A pair of rose-ringed parakeets. These birds are everywhere, but we love them anyway.
* Some remaining blue tile on a mughal-era tomb, the Chini-Ka-Razza.
* Sandstone and marble gate to the Itimad-Ud-Daulah, aka the Baby Taj. We loved the detailed inlay work and how quiet and peaceful it was around the monument.
* Our driver brought us to a "marble institute" where we got to see how the tiny semi-precious stone pieces for the inlay in the Taj Mahal was made. Yup, it's still made the same way and looks like a lot of difficult, painful work. It surprised me how much Froody liked the marble work, and we bought a couple of souvenirs.
* Next day we went to the Jama Masjid in Fatehpur Sikri fort. The Jama Masjid is a huge mosque. The fort had a palace and other rooms full of beautiful carvings. Oh, better pic of the gate.
* The. Taj. Mahal. It's one of those place I NEVER thought I'd ever see. It's more beautiful than I expected. It's a tomb for one woman, the favorite wife of Shah Jahan.
* Also saw some Egyptian vultures when we were there.
* Froody ate all of this huge thali- metal plate with different types of breads, rice, and sauces.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Traveling. Is. Work.
I know. You're sitting there, reading this and you're thinking, "No way is what you're doing work." I know you are and it's OK. But I'm here to tell you that long-term traveling is work. Really. It must be, because Froody and I are tired a lot the time.
Part of it is doing all the actual stuff you wanted to do in that country. Sometimes this requires getting up early- butt-early according to Froody. You get up early to catch a plane, train, or sunrise. Or safari or tour. Or bus. Or check out because you checked in at 6:30am and the hotel has a 24hr check in/out policy.
Part of it is all the learning you do. Where is the hotel? Where are the restaurants? How much should a taxi/tuk-tuk/rickshaw cost? How do you say "hello," "good-bye," and "thank you" in this language? What is the exchange rate? How do you get there? Is this a large or small bill? Where is the bus station? What are we doing here? How badly are we being ripped off? Are we still on budget?
Part of it is just dealing. It gets tiring saying "no thank you" all the time. And I feel bad because I'm probably offending 1 in 50 people who are truly trying to help and not sell me something. Not to mention dealing with all the cultural differences, like giving up my personal space and wondering where all the women are. Or trying to make room for the mother and two boys seated next to me on the train. (Mom only bought one seat, so she's half on mine.) And, it's hard having beggars grab me. And, it's hard when the child beggars are not begging for money but for whatever food you just bought. And begging for money.
And dealing with each other. Sometimes Froody gets grumpy and it takes all my energy
not to get angry with him. Sometimes I get cranky and it takes all my energy not to take it out on Froody. Sometimes we get on each other's nerves and there's nowhere to go to get away from each other.
Froody and I like to blog and that takes time. So does uploading all the pictures Froody takes. So does packing up in order to leave the hotel. So does writing postcards. And if we decide not to do anything, we feel guilty because shouldn't we be seeing the sights?
Anyway, this is a lot different than a regular vacation. But, I'd do it again. :-)
Part of it is doing all the actual stuff you wanted to do in that country. Sometimes this requires getting up early- butt-early according to Froody. You get up early to catch a plane, train, or sunrise. Or safari or tour. Or bus. Or check out because you checked in at 6:30am and the hotel has a 24hr check in/out policy.
Part of it is all the learning you do. Where is the hotel? Where are the restaurants? How much should a taxi/tuk-tuk/rickshaw cost? How do you say "hello," "good-bye," and "thank you" in this language? What is the exchange rate? How do you get there? Is this a large or small bill? Where is the bus station? What are we doing here? How badly are we being ripped off? Are we still on budget?
Part of it is just dealing. It gets tiring saying "no thank you" all the time. And I feel bad because I'm probably offending 1 in 50 people who are truly trying to help and not sell me something. Not to mention dealing with all the cultural differences, like giving up my personal space and wondering where all the women are. Or trying to make room for the mother and two boys seated next to me on the train. (Mom only bought one seat, so she's half on mine.) And, it's hard having beggars grab me. And, it's hard when the child beggars are not begging for money but for whatever food you just bought. And begging for money.
And dealing with each other. Sometimes Froody gets grumpy and it takes all my energy
not to get angry with him. Sometimes I get cranky and it takes all my energy not to take it out on Froody. Sometimes we get on each other's nerves and there's nowhere to go to get away from each other.
Froody and I like to blog and that takes time. So does uploading all the pictures Froody takes. So does packing up in order to leave the hotel. So does writing postcards. And if we decide not to do anything, we feel guilty because shouldn't we be seeing the sights?
Anyway, this is a lot different than a regular vacation. But, I'd do it again. :-)
Delhi, Part 2
So, just showing you all some more pix, then I'll be able to tell you what I've been doing this last week.
* Just outside our hotel room were these guys, waving stuff and whistling. We think there are pigeons involved.
* The Red Fort is another major Delhi sight. It's made of red sandstone, but back in the day it was covered with painted plaster, and gold leaf. This is wherethe throne sat in the public audience pavillion.
*The private audience pavillion at the Red Fort. It's made of white marble and used to be covered in semiprecious stone inlay work. A lot of it was looted, of course.
* How cool is this door handle?
* All this was behind the Fort walls.
* Of course, there are sacred cows everywhere. This one was looking very majestic. These are window shopping, which is what I like to do, too.
* Just outside our hotel room were these guys, waving stuff and whistling. We think there are pigeons involved.
* The Red Fort is another major Delhi sight. It's made of red sandstone, but back in the day it was covered with painted plaster, and gold leaf. This is wherethe throne sat in the public audience pavillion.
*The private audience pavillion at the Red Fort. It's made of white marble and used to be covered in semiprecious stone inlay work. A lot of it was looted, of course.
* How cool is this door handle?
* All this was behind the Fort walls.
* Of course, there are sacred cows everywhere. This one was looking very majestic. These are window shopping, which is what I like to do, too.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Delhi Pictures!
So, Froody has been up and at'em for almost a week now, and that means finally seeing Delhi. It's a big city, of course, and is old enough to have a lot of monuments scattered about.
*Froody gets his IV removed at last.
*View from our rooftop restaurant of Main Bazar in the morning.
*Another morning, this time a procession of sorts. None of the waiters could explain what it was about. There's always something going on, even if it's just one man on a drum walking down the street.
*On a walk around our neighborhood we found a Christian cemetary. It must be very new, as none of the dates on the graves were before 1995.
*OBAMA
*Our first walk through Old Delhi was near the mosque, Jama Masjid.
We walked by the poultry market (or what's left of it), some butchers, breads and pasta, and everything else.
*Froody at a small restaurant on Main Bazar. His tummy was ready for a bit more Indian food!
*Humayan's Tomb is part of a big complex with his tomb and several others, and a couple of mosques. It's also known as the Red Taj Mahal.
*I bought myself a salwar kameez, a very comfy, traditional Indian outfit.
*We also checked out the Bahaia Temple, also called the Lotus Temple. It is very beautiful and very modern.
*The Qutb Minar is a 74m tower erected by the Arabs when they conquered northern India and introduced Islam.
*In Islam, representations of people are not allowed, so the muslims chopped the faces off of many Jain and Hindi temples (and lots of Egyptian temples, too) and used the blocks of a temple in the area to build the first mosque in India.
*The Qutb Minar and Humayan's tomb are made of blocks of red sandstone. Some of the patterns reminded us of Petra.
*We also visited Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. The guidebook says that every Friday 30,000 people go to the mosque!
*Imagine tens of thousands of people here, not pigeons.
*Back in the day of Shah Jahar, the women of the royal court would sit here and perform prayer, safe from common, male eyes.
*It's interesting to see the common structures of mosques, be they Indian or Arabic. They all have a place to wash, this one the biggest we've seen, and a mihrab, the niche that faces Mecca.
*This mosque has relics of Mohammed and is made of red sandstone and white marble.
*We climbed a minaret and got some nice views of Old Delhi.
*Here I am about to go down the wrong street as we walk through more of the market place around the mosque.
*Mmmmmm.....lots and lots of colorful fabrics. This is the bridal section of the market where you can buy fabric for your wedding sari.
*A parade for something, but we don't know what!
*In the mornings, people stop and worship at a temple. This includes chanting and ringing a bell.
*We decided to splurge and eat at a revolving restaurant near Connaught Place. It's nice knowing we can spend USD20 on one meal and then USD5 on the next, and still be on budget.
*Froody gets his IV removed at last.
*View from our rooftop restaurant of Main Bazar in the morning.
*Another morning, this time a procession of sorts. None of the waiters could explain what it was about. There's always something going on, even if it's just one man on a drum walking down the street.
*On a walk around our neighborhood we found a Christian cemetary. It must be very new, as none of the dates on the graves were before 1995.
*OBAMA
*Our first walk through Old Delhi was near the mosque, Jama Masjid.
We walked by the poultry market (or what's left of it), some butchers, breads and pasta, and everything else.
*Froody at a small restaurant on Main Bazar. His tummy was ready for a bit more Indian food!
*Humayan's Tomb is part of a big complex with his tomb and several others, and a couple of mosques. It's also known as the Red Taj Mahal.
*I bought myself a salwar kameez, a very comfy, traditional Indian outfit.
*We also checked out the Bahaia Temple, also called the Lotus Temple. It is very beautiful and very modern.
*The Qutb Minar is a 74m tower erected by the Arabs when they conquered northern India and introduced Islam.
*In Islam, representations of people are not allowed, so the muslims chopped the faces off of many Jain and Hindi temples (and lots of Egyptian temples, too) and used the blocks of a temple in the area to build the first mosque in India.
*The Qutb Minar and Humayan's tomb are made of blocks of red sandstone. Some of the patterns reminded us of Petra.
*We also visited Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. The guidebook says that every Friday 30,000 people go to the mosque!
*Imagine tens of thousands of people here, not pigeons.
*Back in the day of Shah Jahar, the women of the royal court would sit here and perform prayer, safe from common, male eyes.
*It's interesting to see the common structures of mosques, be they Indian or Arabic. They all have a place to wash, this one the biggest we've seen, and a mihrab, the niche that faces Mecca.
*This mosque has relics of Mohammed and is made of red sandstone and white marble.
*We climbed a minaret and got some nice views of Old Delhi.
*Here I am about to go down the wrong street as we walk through more of the market place around the mosque.
*Mmmmmm.....lots and lots of colorful fabrics. This is the bridal section of the market where you can buy fabric for your wedding sari.
*A parade for something, but we don't know what!
*In the mornings, people stop and worship at a temple. This includes chanting and ringing a bell.
*We decided to splurge and eat at a revolving restaurant near Connaught Place. It's nice knowing we can spend USD20 on one meal and then USD5 on the next, and still be on budget.
India: My Thoughts So Far
Just my thoughts and impressions on India so far. The people (ie: men) who work in our hotel are very nice, especially since Froody was sick. They are a good resource and seem to want to offer good services, even referring us to another hotel down the street when we wanted to hire a car.
Hiring a car: That was something I never thought we'd do. It seemed like a very expensive thing to do, but since we wanted to see some sights outside the downtown area hiring a car just seemed the easiest way to do it. We were surprised how cheap it was; only Rs650 (~USD15)for a car and driver for 8 hours. He did a good job, was friendly, suggested a tasty and not too expensive place for lunch, and offered to take us to other places after we were done with our temples. He even told us that if we go to this handicraft emporium he'd get Rs50, which would mean a lot to him and his family, but we didn't have to if we didn't want to. We declined one, but let him take us to another later on.
Different: Obviously, things are done differently here than at home. Like, getting to school. In the mornings and afternoons you'll see these rickshaws full of children going to and from school. That is one hard-working man! Another difference is in all the dogs. They are EVERYWHERE and I think it's lucky that people mostly seem to ignore them, so they don't learn that people are mean and therefore attack you. What's funny about them is that during the day you see them sleeping everywhere, as if their nightlife is so busy that they just crashed where they were. There is a local newspaper printed in English, that's something we haven't seen yet. I found the personals, only here they're called the matrimonials and the ads seem to be written by the family. I think the categories are regional and religious and caste. A lot of the ads include the girl's/boy's age and weight and many include the date of birth and a few include the time. The one requesting brides will also talk about what line of work the father is in. One asked that you reply with a photo, a bio, a horoscope, and a paragraph. The divorced/widowed section is very small and will describe the person as "issueless."
Tired: I'm done. I told Froody that I was done with 5 months of in-your-face poverty. I'm tired of seeing people peeing in the streets, watching I don't step in poop (animal and human), minding the stray dogs and cats, and ignoring the beggars. It's not that I really want to go home right now, but my empathy has been played out and I'm not strong enough to handle another 5 months of the same (South East Asia). Each morning I have to brace myself for the stink, the filth, and the poverty I'm going to see as soon as I leave the hotel. I need a break.
Life: Life is lived in the streets of Delhi. All kinds of life! People, dogs, cats, monkeys, parrots, pigeons, hawks, oxen, goats, horses, cows, calves, can all be seen in the streets. Also, all kinds of living! You see people excreting every kind of bodily fluid. I saw a young girl just puke out the window of a crowded bus as it rolled to a halt right next to me. And the men spit everything everywhere. You see poor men sleeping on the sidewalks and everyone just steps around them. I've seen older boys bathing in the street- yes, all lathered up in soap with a cloth around their waists. I've seen women working in construction, mainly with a pick-axe or shovel, digging holes as their small children play nearby. You seen people eating, drinking chai, getting a shave, right on the streets. There's men asking my husband if he wants his ears cleaned, their implements sticking out of dirty red turbans.
You can't help but be a witness to life in India.
Hiring a car: That was something I never thought we'd do. It seemed like a very expensive thing to do, but since we wanted to see some sights outside the downtown area hiring a car just seemed the easiest way to do it. We were surprised how cheap it was; only Rs650 (~USD15)for a car and driver for 8 hours. He did a good job, was friendly, suggested a tasty and not too expensive place for lunch, and offered to take us to other places after we were done with our temples. He even told us that if we go to this handicraft emporium he'd get Rs50, which would mean a lot to him and his family, but we didn't have to if we didn't want to. We declined one, but let him take us to another later on.
Different: Obviously, things are done differently here than at home. Like, getting to school. In the mornings and afternoons you'll see these rickshaws full of children going to and from school. That is one hard-working man! Another difference is in all the dogs. They are EVERYWHERE and I think it's lucky that people mostly seem to ignore them, so they don't learn that people are mean and therefore attack you. What's funny about them is that during the day you see them sleeping everywhere, as if their nightlife is so busy that they just crashed where they were. There is a local newspaper printed in English, that's something we haven't seen yet. I found the personals, only here they're called the matrimonials and the ads seem to be written by the family. I think the categories are regional and religious and caste. A lot of the ads include the girl's/boy's age and weight and many include the date of birth and a few include the time. The one requesting brides will also talk about what line of work the father is in. One asked that you reply with a photo, a bio, a horoscope, and a paragraph. The divorced/widowed section is very small and will describe the person as "issueless."
Tired: I'm done. I told Froody that I was done with 5 months of in-your-face poverty. I'm tired of seeing people peeing in the streets, watching I don't step in poop (animal and human), minding the stray dogs and cats, and ignoring the beggars. It's not that I really want to go home right now, but my empathy has been played out and I'm not strong enough to handle another 5 months of the same (South East Asia). Each morning I have to brace myself for the stink, the filth, and the poverty I'm going to see as soon as I leave the hotel. I need a break.
Life: Life is lived in the streets of Delhi. All kinds of life! People, dogs, cats, monkeys, parrots, pigeons, hawks, oxen, goats, horses, cows, calves, can all be seen in the streets. Also, all kinds of living! You see people excreting every kind of bodily fluid. I saw a young girl just puke out the window of a crowded bus as it rolled to a halt right next to me. And the men spit everything everywhere. You see poor men sleeping on the sidewalks and everyone just steps around them. I've seen older boys bathing in the street- yes, all lathered up in soap with a cloth around their waists. I've seen women working in construction, mainly with a pick-axe or shovel, digging holes as their small children play nearby. You seen people eating, drinking chai, getting a shave, right on the streets. There's men asking my husband if he wants his ears cleaned, their implements sticking out of dirty red turbans.
You can't help but be a witness to life in India.
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