Our last destination in India was the one that we heard the most about. Rajasthan with landscapes looking more and more desert like as we go, women saris that look more colorful like if it was possible, and the people which are a little bit more conservative than the areas we travelled so far. I tried to be even more careful with my dressing, long pants, long sleeves and scarf but i admit i had to cheat a few times. The weather was just too hot.
We arrived in Rajasthan later than what was planned. We were travelling by bus and it got stopped at some point on our way to Jaipur. It really looked like they were waiting for us since we were the second car to be in line. There was two jeeps accross the road and branches with thorns, real thorns i tell you! That stop was also like a divine manifestation! I had spent the last 30 minutes wishing that the bus was going to stop close to a bathroom. I wanted to pee so bad!!! I am not a fast lerner, i had drank at least three cups of tea that morning. I evaluated the time i had to sneak into the field for a quicky and i decided to take my chances. I walked for five minutes to finally get to growing cereals that were pretty scrany but i had not seen anyone so far, so let’s go. In India, you are never alone… As i am crouching, there is a mad dog coming at me and he was followed by his master, a woman… ''Just peeing'' i said and i guess it's pretty obvious. Since I am a lucky girl, the bus is still there when I get back and we spent a good 45 minutes there. Men and women were carrying sticks and seemed to be mad at policemen in particular. I tried to obtain more information about what was going on but my bus partners did not speak much english. What I got from the conversations, well i am not sure if we can call it conversation when few words are used but many signs, is that, there had been an incident involving a young guy. I am not sure if he had been injured or was dead but the policemen either were responsible for it or made a big mistake that let the real suspect get away. What is the real reason? We will never know.
Jaipur
We did not explore much of the streets in Jaipur but we took a rickshaw to cross the Pink City. It is the oldest part of Jaipur so more chaotic and dirty with many little shops and markets directly on the side of the road. We are too tired to pay too much attention to what is happening but many buildings are stunning and most everything is pink.
We really liked the Amber Fort which is enormous. We could go up there by foot, by Jeep or riding the back of an elephant. They were superbs with their face painted up. I had never seen that many at once and certainly not from that close.
Pushkar
The lake is unfortunately dried up which makes the lanscape a bit less inviting than on postcards. It is a small town or more small village. The main road is lined up with stores for tourists. I did shop and bought pants and a blanket for the cold train nights coming up. I also found the anklets I wanted for so long. The prices were much better there.
We expected so much more from that place since it is very popular and talked about. Ah well!
Bikaner
Ah Bikaner and it’s rat temple! In my head, I imagined a floor covered with fat rats and their poop. I thought that they would be so glad to see me that they would be running over my feet and climbing my legs. I was affraid to be walking on one of them and have to buy a golden rat to give to the temple to be forgiven. We had to see the white rat as well since it is good luck. Some people spend hours looking for that rat. We had to take off our shoes like for all the other temples, but this time, we knew that we would be walking on dirty floors. Indeed, the floor was sticky but we see more pigeon droppings than rats. The floor was not covered with rat either, they tended to stay in corners where most of the food was. They clustered especially around bowls of milk and pieces of cookies left by the tourists. They are scared of us and so the risk of walking on one was very slim. I am very glad to have seen it but I imagined an experience rich in emotions which was not. We have seen the white rat and then everybody came once we said : ‘Hey the white rat’. Does it count for them then?
The old city within the fortified walls is worthed because you see beautiful buildins but especially because of the people we met. This is not the most touristic destination and we did see a huge difference in the interaction with locals. People are so welcoming and they are happy to pose to be photographed.They shake you hand and they all have great smiles.
Jailsamer
We arrived in Jailsamer on a night train around 5h30 am. It is cold and we are not quite awake at that point. Rob has a tout trying to get him to absolutely visit his guesthouse. He insisted so much that Rob got fed up with him pretty quick. We still used his car to get closer to the fort and, well, there was little other option at that time of the day! Even if the rooms were really good, there was not a chance that Rob would have stayed there so we started our quest in the dark for another place to sleep. We are surrounded by a dogs gang that do not like us a bit. They yapped so much that they probably have woken up the whole neibourghood. We finally stopped a car to get directions and he took us on board and dropped us off at his friend’s guesthouse. We need to sleep for an hour or two.
When we finally got up, the view from the rooftop is amazing. The color of the Fort with the surroundings that very much look like a desert. Very small streets lead to the fort entrance and people are nice. I would like to go back there and maybe do a camel safari.
Jodhpur
The blue city. Many of the old city houses are painted in a flashy blue. The view from the fort of the old city is therefor pretty nice. The Fort is supposed to be the best preserved one of Rajasthan and it is really nice. I had a short night though because of bad food and was found in the bathroom most of the night. I would like a few more days in that city for sure.
Ranakpur
What a great place! A friend of ours had advised us to stop in that little place even if the guidebook did not make a big deal out of it. The choice for hotels is limited and they tend to be more expensive but the scenery is worted. And the silence…. We decided to spend one more day there! There is, first of all, a lake which level was a bit low but still looked like a postcard. The pictures are giving justice to the atmosphere and the serenity of the place. We have seen crocodiles
The other attraction that gets people to visit Ranakpur is the presence of beautiful Jain temples. So many carvings in one place is absolutely hallucinating! Wow!
Udaipur
We arrived there in the afternoon and we had to take the plane to Delhi early the next morning. It is too bad because I would have like to walk around a bit more. Zut de Zut! We had time to explore the main street full of shops and I finally splurged on flipflops, jewellery and painting. We had a room with view on the lake and I would have like to take the time to read looking at the landscape. Next time!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Orccha and Bundi
We took a night train to Jhansi. We were a bit better prepared for the cold with long underwears and double pair of socks. I still got the chills and the runny nose though. It was still a short night since the train stopped too many times and people do not always get that they are getting into a ''sleeper'' train! We then jumped into an autorickshaw for an 1/2 hour ride to Orccha. The city is small and is barely mentionned in my guidebook but a friend had mentioned that it was worth it. It is really!! We spent quite a bit of time at the Cenotaphs site while the sun was going down. Beautiful!
The next stop was Bundi which is somewhat similar to Orccha. The paintings of the Palace were were very impressive since the Palace was built early 1600. I also really liked the street markets and the people we met at small stands. They answered questions and made me taste what seemed strange looking like sugar cane sold as big squares and peanuts snacks. That is also where i started to feel that i should start shopping.
The next stop was Bundi which is somewhat similar to Orccha. The paintings of the Palace were were very impressive since the Palace was built early 1600. I also really liked the street markets and the people we met at small stands. They answered questions and made me taste what seemed strange looking like sugar cane sold as big squares and peanuts snacks. That is also where i started to feel that i should start shopping.
Hair Cut (sequel)
I was at a point where my hair was a little messy when i got up. It was time to refresh my haircut. I asked so many barbers if they had a electric clippers but many of them just work out from a booth rather than a real barber shop. I did not want to spent too long on the chair but i almost try the hand clipper. It worked a bit like a scisor with the two big loops that you squeeze. I changed my mind thinking that it could be pulling at my hair a bit.
One of the barber was more insistent and said yes when i asked if he had a clipper. Once i sat down, he started cutting my hair with scisors. We never know how much they understand when you speak english to them so i stayed there thinking it was maybe a misunderstaining. Moreover, he had already made his mark on the top of my head. It takes time and the result is not that satisfying, both sides are not quite even. I start getting up since he looks like he is done but he has to shave my neck. So i pointed out to my neck and he said ‘Yes, yes’ and put some cream on my face. I said ''NO'', i am in a hurry, which was also true. I let him do his thing for 2 minutes so that he can wipe that cream. He put some more instead. I said ''NO'' a little louder, i am in a hurry and I tried to get up. He stopped me putting his hands on my shoulders and continue to massage the cream on me. He does it with lots of determination and I ended up with some cream in my eyes. He wiped my face with a dirty rug that scraped my skin a bit, sprayed water on my skin so I tought, yeah, it’s over! The massage continued. Shit, I will need to be more firm maybe get mad! He used a thread to get cream off it seems of fine hairs. He keeps ''Nice?''. '' i am in a hurry and I don’t want this!'', ''two minutes, two minutes''. I finally got up after 10 or more minutes, it seemed to last forever. The other barber felt that I was really getting pissed off and that I was trying to see through the cream I had in my eyes and he convinced my barber to finally stop. I took out money and to make it worst, I don’t have the correct change. He looks at me and asked for more since I got a super facial! I am fed up at that point and told him that we had agreed on a price and that i said i did not want the face massage. ''OK, OK'' he said keeping all the money i gave him. Euhhh! No mister! I successed in getting some money back but i am so mad that i had to leave before i ended up kicking his ass. I could have taken him believe me! He continues to ask ''Happy? OK?'' Arrrgh! He then said ''Come back later for shoulder massage'' Yeah right.... I was ready to show him the major finger when Rob shows me one of the rug he uses. On it, you can see lices!!! I don’t believe it was the rug he used on me but still, they must all be in the same state. That was the cherry on the Sunday, my body starts itching everywhere and the walk to the guesthouse was pretty quick. I took a shower and changed my clothes! I will have to be more clear next time and maybe more direct, but you never want to be rude which can be useful sometimes.
One of the barber was more insistent and said yes when i asked if he had a clipper. Once i sat down, he started cutting my hair with scisors. We never know how much they understand when you speak english to them so i stayed there thinking it was maybe a misunderstaining. Moreover, he had already made his mark on the top of my head. It takes time and the result is not that satisfying, both sides are not quite even. I start getting up since he looks like he is done but he has to shave my neck. So i pointed out to my neck and he said ‘Yes, yes’ and put some cream on my face. I said ''NO'', i am in a hurry, which was also true. I let him do his thing for 2 minutes so that he can wipe that cream. He put some more instead. I said ''NO'' a little louder, i am in a hurry and I tried to get up. He stopped me putting his hands on my shoulders and continue to massage the cream on me. He does it with lots of determination and I ended up with some cream in my eyes. He wiped my face with a dirty rug that scraped my skin a bit, sprayed water on my skin so I tought, yeah, it’s over! The massage continued. Shit, I will need to be more firm maybe get mad! He used a thread to get cream off it seems of fine hairs. He keeps ''Nice?''. '' i am in a hurry and I don’t want this!'', ''two minutes, two minutes''. I finally got up after 10 or more minutes, it seemed to last forever. The other barber felt that I was really getting pissed off and that I was trying to see through the cream I had in my eyes and he convinced my barber to finally stop. I took out money and to make it worst, I don’t have the correct change. He looks at me and asked for more since I got a super facial! I am fed up at that point and told him that we had agreed on a price and that i said i did not want the face massage. ''OK, OK'' he said keeping all the money i gave him. Euhhh! No mister! I successed in getting some money back but i am so mad that i had to leave before i ended up kicking his ass. I could have taken him believe me! He continues to ask ''Happy? OK?'' Arrrgh! He then said ''Come back later for shoulder massage'' Yeah right.... I was ready to show him the major finger when Rob shows me one of the rug he uses. On it, you can see lices!!! I don’t believe it was the rug he used on me but still, they must all be in the same state. That was the cherry on the Sunday, my body starts itching everywhere and the walk to the guesthouse was pretty quick. I took a shower and changed my clothes! I will have to be more clear next time and maybe more direct, but you never want to be rude which can be useful sometimes.
Cremation on the shore of the river
I haven’t done all the research to back my story here so… it’s meant to be entertaining even if not 100% accurate.
After death occurs, the deceased is washed and covered with a cloth from head to toe usually (although we have seen some faces of dead people in the streets!). The skull also has to be cracked open to let the soul leave the body. The stretcher on which the deceased is layed, is covered with pieces of colourful cloths that are shinier and look more festive. Numerous flower guarlands are also placed on the body followings prayers and blessings. The body is then carried to the Holy river, The Ganges. This process is supposed to take less than 24 hours.
The bed is made with branches, which is ideally Sandalwood, but since it is the most expensive one, most people only sprinkle sandalwood on the body. Then the cloths are removed from the body and only the sheet stays. The water from the river is then used to wash and bless the corpse before it is place onto the pier. The amount of wood used to make the pier is always different since the cost goes by weight. Of course, there is a minimum required to allow a body to burn completely and they say that it is an art to determine the correct amount. No accelerant is used to help the burning but they do use natural products like coal. They also poored a white liquid on the deceased which looked like cream but i did not get confirmation on that.
There is a person that is going to start the fire. It is always a man, usually the oldest son. He must have his head shaved to the skin, keeping just a bit on the top there, if he is Hindu. He also was in the Ganges before getting dressed in white. He will get the flame into a sacred fire from a temple and carry the flame to the woodenbed, no matches here. A body takes about three hours to burn. The ashes will be collected and thrown into the Ganges or the ocean thirteen days after the death, time needed for the family members to be purified.
The women are usually more expressive after death and can not be present when the burning take place. For the soul to leave the body and rise, there should not be any crying going on. Reincarnation is then possible and the pursuit of a better Karma is essential in their religion.
Five types of persons are not burned. Kids, which did not have time to gather enough wisdom to get a better Karma in another life; pregnant women, they are carrying a baby so same reasons than above; Sadhus, they are saints that have already a good Karma, lepers, that are blessed by certain gods, people who die from a cobra bite, it is a sacred animal.
After death occurs, the deceased is washed and covered with a cloth from head to toe usually (although we have seen some faces of dead people in the streets!). The skull also has to be cracked open to let the soul leave the body. The stretcher on which the deceased is layed, is covered with pieces of colourful cloths that are shinier and look more festive. Numerous flower guarlands are also placed on the body followings prayers and blessings. The body is then carried to the Holy river, The Ganges. This process is supposed to take less than 24 hours.
The bed is made with branches, which is ideally Sandalwood, but since it is the most expensive one, most people only sprinkle sandalwood on the body. Then the cloths are removed from the body and only the sheet stays. The water from the river is then used to wash and bless the corpse before it is place onto the pier. The amount of wood used to make the pier is always different since the cost goes by weight. Of course, there is a minimum required to allow a body to burn completely and they say that it is an art to determine the correct amount. No accelerant is used to help the burning but they do use natural products like coal. They also poored a white liquid on the deceased which looked like cream but i did not get confirmation on that.
There is a person that is going to start the fire. It is always a man, usually the oldest son. He must have his head shaved to the skin, keeping just a bit on the top there, if he is Hindu. He also was in the Ganges before getting dressed in white. He will get the flame into a sacred fire from a temple and carry the flame to the woodenbed, no matches here. A body takes about three hours to burn. The ashes will be collected and thrown into the Ganges or the ocean thirteen days after the death, time needed for the family members to be purified.
The women are usually more expressive after death and can not be present when the burning take place. For the soul to leave the body and rise, there should not be any crying going on. Reincarnation is then possible and the pursuit of a better Karma is essential in their religion.
Five types of persons are not burned. Kids, which did not have time to gather enough wisdom to get a better Karma in another life; pregnant women, they are carrying a baby so same reasons than above; Sadhus, they are saints that have already a good Karma, lepers, that are blessed by certain gods, people who die from a cobra bite, it is a sacred animal.
Varanasi
Here is a city that I was excited about. We stayed in the most touristic area around the Gange. The small streets are full of life and of cows. One of them even attacked me, without reason really, if it was not for the red T-shirt…
We get the cultural shock pretty quick. We started by going for a short stroll along the river to get some air and look at the sunset. We took lots of pictures and at some point, I raised my head because i see smoke from the corner of my eye. Some people are carrying a stretcher which was in fact a bambou ladder. As we got closer, we can easily distinguish a body on that stretcher, an old woman covered by colorful cloths. She will be cremated on the side of the Holy river, the Gange. You can follow her story in the next blog.
It gives a shock even if you knew that you were going to see death so openly. We have seen many of those stretchers in the next few days going through the streets. The men carrying it sing prayers and blessings. The body must be taken care of within 24 hours usually unless you keep it on ice. For the people who can not afford the wood to be burnt, there is also a crematorium which cost about 10 times less.
We also explore the Gange’s ghats at sunrise. It is at sunrise that most citizens of the old city take a bath in the river and they also do their prayers and blessings since it is a Holy river. It is also really polluted. Of course, there are already some fires burning bodies right beside people enjoying a morning chat. I feel a bit worry that i am intruding into the intimacy of those people although, they smile and talk to everybody, not caring who is watching. I think i can see worst tourist around me anyway!
I stay with a feeling of having been robbed in Varanasi. Many events led to that feeling involving vendors, rickshaw drivers, barbers and ‘guides’ who always take you to a shop. It is a continual task to say ‘No thank you’ to these people but they kept insisting. So…
We met few silk vendors, silk being one of Varanasi speciality. Silk is though to evaluate. There are so many different qualities and I don’t know anything about it. The vendors gave very good demonstrations and I did compare many different pieces of bed spread believe me. I was not conviced in the ned and did not buy anyting at that point. I will look for it somewhere else.
It is also in Varanasi that i took some Tablas lessons. First try at drums so far and i will need lots of practice. I decided to buy a pair of drums to do just that when i go back home. The whole story around those drums gave me a bad taste in my mouth. When we took the first lesson, the teacher was very nice and I could not explain why I had a feeling about him. Rob thought he was great and so I took a second lesson as well before deciding to buy the Tablas. The teacher assured us that it was the best quality but we have not taken the time to look around much to compare or even to get good informations elsewhere. Many little details of the conversation we had with the teacher or littles events while we where dealing the Tablas came back to me afterwards. I was convinced that i had paid too much! On top of that the teacher became more and more a pain in the butt once we had giving him the money. I will one day be able to play…
We avoided a huge line up at the post office the day we were leaving. We had to ship the tablas home since they are heavy! One of the employee let us in through the back door before the office even opened, a little money helped. He also took care of the payment and included another extra fee. He said the size of the box was not standard!! When we look at the official receipt a little later, the amount did not include fees for the size of the box. We had been warned and we need to get over that. Let’s forget it all.
It’s bad for the next persons that we ran into because we were already exhausted of the extortions of money that never end. We got less patient with the people that kept asking for money and try to get their little piece of the tourist pie.Even the music teacher wanted us to buy his super DVD to learn to play tablas better. Dawn it, he just got a huge cut on the tablas, he could have given it to us! I take so much time usually to choose and decide what i want…what happened to me in Varanasi?
I still met old women that were smiling at us so i think i will have to go back at some point to get a better impression of that city that has so much culture and is so unique.
We get the cultural shock pretty quick. We started by going for a short stroll along the river to get some air and look at the sunset. We took lots of pictures and at some point, I raised my head because i see smoke from the corner of my eye. Some people are carrying a stretcher which was in fact a bambou ladder. As we got closer, we can easily distinguish a body on that stretcher, an old woman covered by colorful cloths. She will be cremated on the side of the Holy river, the Gange. You can follow her story in the next blog.
It gives a shock even if you knew that you were going to see death so openly. We have seen many of those stretchers in the next few days going through the streets. The men carrying it sing prayers and blessings. The body must be taken care of within 24 hours usually unless you keep it on ice. For the people who can not afford the wood to be burnt, there is also a crematorium which cost about 10 times less.
We also explore the Gange’s ghats at sunrise. It is at sunrise that most citizens of the old city take a bath in the river and they also do their prayers and blessings since it is a Holy river. It is also really polluted. Of course, there are already some fires burning bodies right beside people enjoying a morning chat. I feel a bit worry that i am intruding into the intimacy of those people although, they smile and talk to everybody, not caring who is watching. I think i can see worst tourist around me anyway!
I stay with a feeling of having been robbed in Varanasi. Many events led to that feeling involving vendors, rickshaw drivers, barbers and ‘guides’ who always take you to a shop. It is a continual task to say ‘No thank you’ to these people but they kept insisting. So…
We met few silk vendors, silk being one of Varanasi speciality. Silk is though to evaluate. There are so many different qualities and I don’t know anything about it. The vendors gave very good demonstrations and I did compare many different pieces of bed spread believe me. I was not conviced in the ned and did not buy anyting at that point. I will look for it somewhere else.
It is also in Varanasi that i took some Tablas lessons. First try at drums so far and i will need lots of practice. I decided to buy a pair of drums to do just that when i go back home. The whole story around those drums gave me a bad taste in my mouth. When we took the first lesson, the teacher was very nice and I could not explain why I had a feeling about him. Rob thought he was great and so I took a second lesson as well before deciding to buy the Tablas. The teacher assured us that it was the best quality but we have not taken the time to look around much to compare or even to get good informations elsewhere. Many little details of the conversation we had with the teacher or littles events while we where dealing the Tablas came back to me afterwards. I was convinced that i had paid too much! On top of that the teacher became more and more a pain in the butt once we had giving him the money. I will one day be able to play…
We avoided a huge line up at the post office the day we were leaving. We had to ship the tablas home since they are heavy! One of the employee let us in through the back door before the office even opened, a little money helped. He also took care of the payment and included another extra fee. He said the size of the box was not standard!! When we look at the official receipt a little later, the amount did not include fees for the size of the box. We had been warned and we need to get over that. Let’s forget it all.
It’s bad for the next persons that we ran into because we were already exhausted of the extortions of money that never end. We got less patient with the people that kept asking for money and try to get their little piece of the tourist pie.Even the music teacher wanted us to buy his super DVD to learn to play tablas better. Dawn it, he just got a huge cut on the tablas, he could have given it to us! I take so much time usually to choose and decide what i want…what happened to me in Varanasi?
I still met old women that were smiling at us so i think i will have to go back at some point to get a better impression of that city that has so much culture and is so unique.
We are going Nort
It’s been a few days that we are in Northern India. We took a plane from Trivandrum to Delhi. The train would have taken more than 40 hours, which means in fact, probably more like 60 hours. We slept in the cheapest hotel in the area of Connaught Place which had a shared bathroom. The problem is... the room, toilet and shower are on the roof. We arrived arrived at the airport at 8pm but the rickshaw driver had no clue where the guesthouse was. He asked to many people and we turned around and around and around. Finally, we took the guidebook and told him where to turn. We were at the guesthouse at 10pm! It is 15 degrees. I went to the bathroom and i almost froze my ass off so i decided to wait for a shower, i was pretty sure that there would be no hot water. I got cold in the bed too. I slept with my socks and fleece but it was not enough. We had to get up at 5h30 am the next morning to catch a rickshaw to the train station. It was still really cold, probably closer to 10 degrees. The rickshaw ride lasted maybe 30 minutes with wind coming in…grrrrr!
Finally, we get some sun when we got into Agra. It is nice enough to go around wearing a T-shirt so I my blood start flowing again. We leave our bags to the train station and get a ride to the Taj Mahal. This was a stop that i did not want to miss but I tought, couple pictures and then Red Fort, it was going to be quick. Eh no! The entrance is set up in a way that after a stretch of grass you have to pass through a first huge gate before getting on the ground of the Taj. This first gate does not allow you to see the Taj untill you’re have passed through the gate, and only, when your eyes got used to the light after the dark passageway of the gate. I had such a weird feeling in my belly on the way to the gate, I almost cried in anticipation. Emotional! Once your eyes can see again, the Taj is …there and it was beautiful! I took so many pictures to try to get the perfect one.
The Red Fort is next on the list and will be the last stop for the day. We have to get a night train to Varanasi. A night that i will not forget! I already knew that it was going to be cold, but not that cold. Air was coming in through some doors and windows that could not close completely. My feet and legs were numbs and my nose was running. Of course, i did not sleep much. I will have to get ready for the next train.
Finally, we get some sun when we got into Agra. It is nice enough to go around wearing a T-shirt so I my blood start flowing again. We leave our bags to the train station and get a ride to the Taj Mahal. This was a stop that i did not want to miss but I tought, couple pictures and then Red Fort, it was going to be quick. Eh no! The entrance is set up in a way that after a stretch of grass you have to pass through a first huge gate before getting on the ground of the Taj. This first gate does not allow you to see the Taj untill you’re have passed through the gate, and only, when your eyes got used to the light after the dark passageway of the gate. I had such a weird feeling in my belly on the way to the gate, I almost cried in anticipation. Emotional! Once your eyes can see again, the Taj is …there and it was beautiful! I took so many pictures to try to get the perfect one.
The Red Fort is next on the list and will be the last stop for the day. We have to get a night train to Varanasi. A night that i will not forget! I already knew that it was going to be cold, but not that cold. Air was coming in through some doors and windows that could not close completely. My feet and legs were numbs and my nose was running. Of course, i did not sleep much. I will have to get ready for the next train.
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