Delhi and Delays

For no reason in particular, I have ended up with very few photos of our time in Delhi. I guess it is because many places we have been while here have been strictly no-photography, such as the Metro, the National Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art and even the park in the centre of the city.
As you probably know, due to the unfortunate weather in Heathrow, our flight home on the 20th was cancelled. We have since rebooked a flight on the 23rd. Peter and Jamie's posts below were written the night before our initial departure date, whereas mine was written on the 22nd.

Delhi Gate, a memorial to the soldiers lost in WW2

Delhi has long been a significant capital in India and was the seat of power for the Muslim Mughal Empire prior to the British, with the Red fort and Jama Masjid mosque both being fantastic testament to Mughal power, wealth and architectural talent. In particular Jama Masjid was interesting because it is a grand building on the same scale as the great European cathedrals but with very few of the trappings and decorations that I am used to in major centers of worship. None of the golden hordes which fill European churches and also none of the dramatic imagery like that of Christ or of the Hindu Gods and their stories. Instead it establishes itself mainly with its shapes, clean and beautiful masonry and delicate patterns Embedded in the walls.
The old city where the Mughal Empire centered has an entirely different feel to New Delhi, composed of straight lines and roundabouts, built by the British. New Delhi monuments are grand and spectacular, built to impress but with cold efficiency always in mind they lose out on the haphazard charm and romance of Old Delhi’s busy streets.
New Delhi’s National Gallery of Modern Art gave me a glimpse of how Indian art changed and grew with the arrival of art from other continents. The Indian paintings from the early period of British influence were a stunning combination of European realism and bold colours and caricature figures of Indian art. The impact of Picasso was also interesting, having a clear and dramatic impact, almost immediately in a much more globalised world.
Two days ago we ventured into the south of the city on Delhi’s super modern super fast metro to find a modern, lotus flower shaped Baha’i temple. A small modern religion who have taken concrete and shaped and painted it to built an extraordinary temple where the petals of a lotus flower form the entire walls roof and structure.
It feels strange to have reached the end and I am certainly not looking forward to British winter, we are all just hoping the snow doesn’t mess with our flight too much.

Jamie

The Lotus Temple

Delhi’s Metro is one of the most notable things I’ve seen here. It’s fast, clean and train come every minute or two. When we first used the metro a train entered the platform moments after another one had left. It superior to our underground in some way but has two problems: First of all everyone walks through a metal detector and is searched on entry, and has to wait for their bags to go through an x-ray scanner. It’s not too bad off-peak but during rush our long queues of people form at the entrance and it slows everything down. The other problem is the pushing; when the trains arrive at the station people trying to get off sometimes have to use considerable force to stop themselves being taken with the crowd getting on. It’s ridiculous; everyone rushes because they want to get a space but they cram themselves into the part of the carriage by the doors when there would actually be plenty of space for everyone if they all spread out. This isn’t always the case and on occasion it is actually necessary to push trying to squeeze off or onto the train if it’s packed but If everyone trying to board just waited for everyone to trying to alight first then there’d be no chaos at all.
I mentioned that you’re searched as you enter the metro, you’re also no allowed to take pictures inside, which is also the case at eh central park oddly enough. The security we’ve seen around India is really quite something. At the Red Fort, not only were you and your bagged search twice on entry, but there are armed guards situated around the site and two sandbag bunkers with mounted machine guns facing the entrance!
The many people putting on English accents and acting like their interested in us and our travels before suddenly turning the conversation to try to sell us drugs is extremely irritating, although we’re much better at just completely ignoring them now we’ve been here a few days.
Delhi is a great place and I’ve enjoyed my stay here a lot, I haven’t said much good about it up to now but it’s pro’s certainly outweigh its cons. New Delhi is extremely different from the rest of India; its grand buildings are somewhat intimidating and its main square looks like it could be a London high street.
Today’s been a good day but also quite a sad one, there’s lots I’m going to miss. Having my last cup of Chai from a street stall tomorrow morning will be momentous occasion, it’s slightly different from that which you get in restaurants and it’s much more enjoyable outside, standing around the chef with the locals whilst everyone drinks Chai, about to start the day.
I’m really looking forward to going home tomorrow, hopefully we won’t be held up too much by the snow. Unlike Jamie I’m actually looking forward to the weather at home, Winter’s awesome!

Peter

Unfortunately, we have reached the end of our travels, finally landing in the capital of India, Delhi. And, as I've said many times before, it is a place quite unlike any I have been before. Still present is the feel of large Indian cities similar to those we have visited previously; Mumbai, Jaipur, Panjim, Varanasi and others, but it is a city of contradictions. This maybe purely due to the commonwealth games earlier in the year, but New Delhi is by far the cleanest place we have been in India. As the others have said above, there is the brand-spanking-new Metro system and the central shopping area Connaught Place, which made me constantly feel like I was walking around Covent Garden back home.
We are staying in an area of Delhi walking distance from New Delhi train station, called Paharganj. Filled with craft shops and budget hotels, it seems like a fitting place to stay for our last few days, giving us easy access to souvenirs to casually browse. However, it has earned a reputation for being popular with budget travellers and backpackers, and as a result the number of touts trying to sell you scarves, rickshaws and drugs are immense. Still, I like the place, and have spent a number of hours wandering up and down the main street and the surrounding area.
The Baha'i temple was fascinating. It is a modern religion that basically teaches that all major religions are essentially correct, and that they are all part of the bigger picture of the one true God. They invite people of all religions to worship in their temple, and avoid having any specific idols or images to worship to. It all sounds very nice and positive, though their self-proclaimed prophet Bahá'u'lláh from the 19th century sounds a bit full of himself. Their temple however was beautiful, and was one place that I took hundreds of photos of.
We leave India behind tomorrow (weather permitting) to travel home to negative temperatures in London, and although we are all very sad to go, we are definately looking forward to being home. The journey has been incredible, and amazing way to spend three months, and we have seen so many truly unforgettable sights. It feels like only yesterday we were stepping onto the plane at Heathrow, nervous and completely oblivious as to what to expect once we landed. I can't really believe I'm going to be home tomorrow.
I very much hope that you have enjoyed this blog, and that it has allowed you to see India through our eyes. Its been great fun writing it, and I have had immeasurable pleasure in taking the photographs.
Thanks for reading.

John

You can see all the photos I have posted by clicking on the slide show to the right.

Cities of Pink, Blue and Gold

Rajasthan has a reputation for being colourful, and in accordance with this, Jaipur is known as the Pink City, Jodhpur as the Blue, and Jaisalmer as the Golden Fort. These have been our last three destinations, and they've been great.

The Blue City of Jodhpur

Since last time we have nearly travelled the length of Rajasthan, moving from Jaipur to Jodhpur and now staying in Jaisalmer. Traveling west has taken us deeper and deeper into desert country. Here millet (which is ground to make flour) is the major staple unlike rice in the wetter, southern parts of India. Further the Greens of the south have been replaced by yellows and browns of endless dry plains. Jodhpur was a wash of blue houses all looking up at the ancient fort which dominates the skyline. from Johdpur we took a "village safari" which showed us a lot about local rural life. For me the most interesting thing was learning a little about local customs: in the Bishnoi tradition men all sleep outside and women inside, including married couples and children as little as one year old. I was also fascinated by the traditional buildings built from local material to achieve ingenious results. For the Bishnoi people all wood used had to be dead and collected from the ground as they believe cutting down trees to be sinful, a very practical belief in an area where drought is much worse as a result of tree felling.
Jaisalmer is a beautiful golden town, in which the nicer old homes are built with intricately carved sandstone fronts. Full of hairy-smelly pigs as well as cows, its suburbs stretch wide around the old city wall which originally protected a tiny hill top village closed within. The major draw of Jaisalmer for most is a "camel safari", we took a three night trip out into the desert with camels to ride and blankets for the night. The landscape makes for hot days and cold nights so after tiring days of riding a bumpy camel we slept wrapped up tightly under the stars at night. On the first day , while getting used to the camel, riding was not very pleasant but as things progressed they got much more fun. Our enjoyment was however, entirely down to our 3 wonderful guides Ali, Murad and Suban who cooked us fresh food and generally looked after us. To see sand dunes with my own eyes was amazing, they seemed to randomly slice through the desert landscape. On the third day it was particularly exciting riding fast in a mock chase of some deer we spotted, which of course outpaced us with ease, making graceful leaps carrying them many metres at a time.

Jamie

A Potter Giving Us a Demonstration

Our trip to Amber fort in Jaipur was a fun day out. The palace inside was an interesting maze of winding corridors and staircases around a couple of central courtyards. We got a free ride back from the fort provided we browsed 4-5 shops on the way. From the top of the fort in Jodhpur we had a fantastic view of the old town and were able to spot our guest house in amongst the hundreds of blue washed buildings in sight. It’s believed that the blue wash, made from indigo, keeps homes cool in the summer and repels mosquitoes. The village safari was really interesting, well worth it. We we’re taken to a memorial placed in remembrance of the 363 lives that were taken at the sight by the local Maharajah’s men. They we’re killed because they clung onto the trees there which they believed to be holy and which the Maharajah’s men had been sent to cut down. A few villages later we found ourselves trying out a bit of pottery, being guided by the shop’s craftsman, which was great fun. The potter made it look ridiculously easy as you’ll be able to see if the video uploads. The honey coloured walls of the old hill top village in Jaisalmer are quite beautiful, the inside is less impressive but it does offer some great views of surrounding city.
The 3 night camel safari from Jaisalmer has been one of the most exciting things we’ve done recently. The daytime temperature was fine because we had a breeze when riding the camels and we stopped and ate in the shade through the midday sun. At night we found ourselves wearing a couple of layers of clothing, a sleeping bag, 2 thick sheets and thin bottom one to keep us warm. In the end we were sometimes a bit too hot but we still found ourselves sleeping with our sleeping bags up over our heads and pulled tight leaving just enough room for our mouths and noses to breathe through. The nights were pretty uncomfortable at times but an amazing sky filled with more stars than I’d ever seen before made it much more bearable. Speaking of uncomfortable, the camels shook us around a hell of a lot as when they ran which was thrilling but left us all feeling quite tender below the waist! Once you take your mind off of it, it becomes really enjoyable. Our safari guides were great; they were very polite and eager to please and constantly checked to make sure we were ok. They made the whole safari such a great experience.

Peter

Trekking Through the Desert on Camel-back

We only stayed in Jaipur for a couple of days after our last post (all those weeks ago), but we managed to squeeze in a visit to Amber Fort before heading to Jodhpur. Jodhpur was a lovely place, an old blue city with winding streets that were easy and lovely to get lost in. We stayed at the lovely 'Cosy Guesthouse', possibly my favourite accomodation so far. The kitchen chef even gave me a free cookery lesson! The fort was great, offering fantastic views over the blue-washed city. To be honest I could have stayed for another couple of days at least, but we had already booked tickets to move on to Jaisalmer, our penultimate stop.
I like the feel of Jaisalmer a lot. Although it is slightly busier than I expected, and seems to have very recently turned into a slightly more touristy place than it used to be, I have spent a couple of very enjoyable afternoons wandering the streets of the bazaar and the old town in the fort itself. The whole fort and town is made of sandstone, giving all the buildings the same golden colour. It is famously called the Golden Fort, and in the sunlight really lives up to its name.
Five days ago we embarked on a three-night camel safari through the Thar Desert, where we rode camel back during the day and slept on the dunes under the stars all night. It was an incredible experience, absolutely great fun, and something I'm not going to forget for a long time. Our three guides were invaluable, taking us miles through the desert, cooking us delicious indian curries and chapati and waking us up each morning with a hot cup of steaming chai.
We are heading to Delhi in a couple of days as our last stop on our amazing tour of India, where we will spend our last week before flying home. It is going to be a massive contrast to the calm of Jaisalmer, but I'm excited to see what its like.

John

Please leave a comment below, there are more pictures to the right. Click a picture to embiggen.

Our Morning Chai

This is Where we Slept on the  Second Night.

Murad making Chapati

Two sides of the Golden Triangle

I, John Forster, principle photographer for this trip, have been ill for the last week and a bit. As a result, unfortunately there are very few photos of Varanasi or Agra to show you, and a large gap in the chronology. Hopefully Jamie and Peter will be able to paint a picture to fill in the blanks.

The three of us by the Taj Mahal

Since the last post we’ve done the highlights of Varanasi and ventured into the heartland of Indian tourism: Agra and now Jaipur. Sadly, John has been ill for quite a while, so me and Peter have been left to explore on our own. Near Varanasi we visited a museum which displayed the Maharaja’s (local king) collection. Most interesting was an assortment of hunting trophies, including a tiger skin rug, a mounted tigers head, a bench made entirely out of antlers, a multitude of mounted stags heads and unbelievably detailed ivory sculptures. Some very beautiful treasures but all at a high price.
Next in Sarnath we visited a host of Buddhist temples in the styles of various nation states all built around the spot where the Buddha gave his first sermon. The best temple was Indian in design, funded by a British Buddhist and painted by a Japanese artist. The interior walls were covered with bright and clear paintings telling the story of the Buddha’s live.
Eventually reaching Agra, I was amazed by the number of white people, beyond anything since home. On reaching our hotel I crashed and slept for most of the day feeling pretty ill. I was out of atction all day and half of the next but then managed to head out into the city and off to see what the rickshaw drivers called the 'Baby Taj'. Agra’s red fort was a dramatic contrast of serious battlements on the outside and lavish courtyard on the inside. The Muslim decoration gave it a very different feel from many things we have seen being equally beautiful but far more simple in its design. Hindu building tend to be filled with detailed art and sculpture while this Muslim fort was minimalist in overt decoration.
On the 26th John was finally fully back in action and we finally saw the Taj Mahal. As spectacular as its reputation, a picture can say so much more than I ever could. Everything from the delicate work, with precious stones inlaid in marble, to the grand scale and fantastic shape make it unbelievable.
We arrived in Jaipur yesterday and I walked to the old pink city. Laid on a grid with different streets designated to any particular purpose and with all of its buildings washed in orangey pink
Jamie

Taj Mahal with cool water reflection.

We took a cycle rickshaw out to Ramnagar Fort in Varanasi and whilst I didn't find a lot of the musuem all that spectacular, I really enjoyed the armoury. It was filled with weapons I'd never seen before; we saw a 2 metre long rifle and a spear that had a 6-barreled pistol attached to its head! They had an impressive double-barreled shotgun that, after tip-toeing/ jumping, we found out was actually quadruple-barreled! The museums collection of very detailed items made from ivory was a little unnerving but quite impressive. On the way to and from the fort the cycle rickshaw driver got off sometimes and pulled the bike along which made Jamie and I uncomfortable, we were quick to jump off and push with him if it looked like he was struggling.
We spent quite a bit of time in Agra just laying back and taking it easy as we all felt ill various amounts. When we visited the Baby Taj - built by the grandfather of Shahjehan, the builder of the Taj Mahal- we were initially told it would cost us 80 rupees (£1.14) to get there. Knowing this was a stupid price, we tried to haggle it down and managed to get it to 20 rupees (29p), agreeing to be taken to two shops on the way (which he would receive commission from even if we just looked around for 15 minutes and bought nothing). The shops he took us to were unlike any of the shops we'd seen before; one had 4 floors and a large marble fountain for sale, there was even a 240,000 rupee (£3430) brass cow! We were able to see the marble tables and incredibly impressive carpets being made and precious jewels being put into them. Upon leaving the second shop our rickshaw driver happily told us that if we saw one more shop he would scrap the 20 rupees we owed him and take us back to our hotel after seing the Baby Taj. He also said (in a very jolly manner)
that we were his great friends and that he would drive us around if we brought our families to Agra.
The Taj Mahal was really amazing and whilst they're very nice, I don't think our pictures do it justice. The precious stones inside the tomb that glowed under torchlight were quite remarkable and although the place was steaming with tourists, it was still absolutely fantastic.
Earlier today we encountered a snake charmer with two cobras. He called us over to him and told us to touch them, thoughts about getting bitten flooded my head... There was a little bit of a 'just go for it' moment and before long it was around my neck. Quite exciting considering I'd never touched a snake before.
Peter

A cobra around Peter's neck in Jaipur

Unfortunately, for the last week and a bit I have been variously ill with various different ailments, none of which have been very pleasant. This resulted in me seeing little of Varanasi, and spending rather longer than we'd hoped in Agra. The worst of it was in Agra, with fevers that stopped me sleeping all night or moving all day. Oh well, they cleared up with time and I'm all better now.
The Taj Mahal was absolutely and unbelievably beautiful. The towering white marble archways engraved with black onyx Arabic script; the inlaid orange and green translucent stone flowers; the proud-standing, sky-reaching minarets. They all took my breath away, and as has been said a million times, the photos really don't do it justice. Unfortunately, on the day when we visited (and for the three days preceding) the weather was underwhelming, and we didn't get to see the famous colour-change that the Taj undergoes with the changing sunlight.
We then made the journey to Jaipur, a city five hours to the west in Rajasthan, and part 2 of the tourist "golden triangle" of Jaipur, Agra and Delhi. Jaipur is another busy city, in which the old town is washed in pink paint and aptly named the "pink city". It contains many popular tourist attractions, and we have had to work hard not to be taken for "green" tourists, with rickshaw drivers and shop keepers constantly trying to rip us off.Yesterday we went to Jantar Mantar, an old observatory, with large stone astronomical instruments of varying size and use. The most impressive was the worlds largest sundial, the 27 metre high Samrat Yantra, which can measure local time to an accuracy of 2 seconds.
We also saw Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith (Prof. McGonagall) filming their new film. Which was fun.
We're spending the next few days in Jaipur, before moving on to Jodhpur in a few days. Should be fun.
John

The worlds largest sundial at Jantar Mantar

There is one square in the Pink City in Jaipur that is absolutely FILLED with pigeons. I was about to take a photo of them, when a goat came along and scared them away. I didn't complain, it resulted in some epic pigeon photos. Click to see them bigger. Enjoy.

The view from the roof.

I know we did a blog post recently, but we arrived in Agra this morning, found a hotel, bargained a price, settled down, and then went up to the roof. This is what we saw:

The Taj Mahal as seen from the roof of our hotel.

 Were visiting it properly tomorrow, and I can't wait.

While waiting for a train at Varanasi, we saw a cow, ambling obliviously down the train track's. He resulted in my 3rd favourite photo Ive taken:

A cow wandering the tracks in Varanasi.

We'll do a real post some time soon.
John

Khajuraho to Varanasi

Since our last post, we have moved from Jabalpur to the small village of Khajuraho, home to some must-see erotic temples, and then on to Varanasi, which has been absolutely incredible. Enjoy!

One of the Eastern Temples at Khajuraho

Traveling to Khajuraho we spoke to a small group who told us lots about family life in India. Firstly that most marriages outside of the big cities are still done by arrangement and the husband tends to be about 25, 2 years older than his wife, with this gap being more like 5 or six years in the recent past. For most couples marriage means the wife leaves her home to join the husbands family; we saw a dramatic example of this near Khajuraho a few days later. They said it was surprising that we (being only 19 and 18) were allowed to travel away from our families.
Near Khajuraho we visited a small village set up by the government to accommodate a tribe of gypsy people. The streets were narrow with simple single story homes built using clay mud and cow dung. It was when leaving here that we first heard and then saw a woman, crying, as she was leaving the village to marry her husband to be. She may never have met this man before and will be moving away from home for the first time to a village which may be a far away.
Yesterday morning we arrived in Varanasi. In the old city narrow alleyways run haphazardly between tall buildings, with every major route filled with people, cows and the occasional motorbike trying to squeeze between the endless tiny shop fronts. Varanasi sits beside the river Ganges (believed to be sacred) and pilgrims come from all across India to bathe in its waters. Sadly I doubt any medical doctor would advise this as the river looks disgustingly polluted. People also come hear to die as Hindus believe dying here sends them instantly to Nirvana. There are two Ghats (large stone steps leading into the river) where people are cremated, one of which burns day and night all year long. It felt strange to see strangers’ funerals. While on a boat trip today we saw a body floating in the water; holy men, children, pregnant women, animals and lepers are all thrown in the river without being burnt. The people who live here are so much less removed from death than we are at home.

Jamie

Our own personal tabla performance.

The small gypsy village nearby Khajuraho was quite fascinating. Most of the children were running about, some pulling others along on pieces of cardboard with string and all of them seemed eager to have their picture taken. In the village we saw two pens with hundreds of chicks inside; the people were paid by the government to look after them until they were fully grown, when they would be taken back and sold on.
The day after this, we hired bikes and rode them around Old Khajuraho, something which many people we met during our stay there had told us we should definitely do. The cycle was really enjoyable but tired us out pretty quickly in the heat. We stopped for drinks at small shop in Old Khajuraho around midday and got talking to the owner; she asked about our stay in India and told us about her son who played the Tabla. A few minutes later her son arrived and we were invited into their home to hear him play!
I took some videos of the village and of the Tabla being played which will hopefully be uploaded shortly.
The temples around Khajuraho were quite different from any other we've seen so far; they were designed to look like lotus flowers a local told us. You can see from the pictures just how intricate they are. The western temples were closed off from the rest and there was an entrance fee to see them. They were much larger and more impressive in general as well as being distinctly more sexual than any of the other temples we’ve seen.
Varanasi has been really interesting so far; the ‘burning Ghats’ as they are called were quite shocking and more so was the floating body we saw earlier today. I’ve been trying to avoid contact with the river as much as possible due to the mud, bone ash and whole bodies washed into the river every day, and we’ve all decided not to let our guest house take our clothes to be washed in the river for the same reason.

Peter

Erotic carvings at Khajuraho

Khajuraho was a very nice place, a small village that had clearly built up around the erotic temples in the west, although the main town was very "touristic" as a local guy put it. His name was Pintu, and we met him at a restaurant on our first night. He told us all about his travels around Europe and Asia, and the many many languages he spoke and the many many girls he slept with. To be honest it became quite boring quite quickly, however he introduced us to his much more likeable and bearable friend Babalu Baba (who was also one of the sleaziest looking men I have ever met). They offered to pick us up at 6am the next morning to give us a free yoga and meditation session, show us around the eastern temples and take us to see Old Khajuraho, which peter has spoken about above.
The yoga and meditation was very interesting, although I had nowhere near the flexibility required and my discomfort made meditation rather difficult. Babalu told us at length about the life of the Sadhus, who are poor monks that eat very little, have very few worldly possessions, and spend their entire lives meditating and smoking marijuana. His words about how healthy they are were intermittently interrupted by deep hacking coughs from the Sadhu sitting with us. The rest of the day was very interesting, the temples beautiful and the village scenic, and we finished by sharing a meal and a drink with Babalu and Pintu on a rooftop cafe.
The next day we rented bicycles, cycled round in the blistering heat, and returned to the village a second time. After stopping for some drinks, we got talking to the mother of a large family, who mentioned that her son played the tabla, after talking to her for a while, he returned, and offered to give us an incredibly special private performance in their home. It was one of the most exciting and incredible experiences yet, and I was smiling from ear to ear the whole way through. He was very skilled, and had recently bought some new tablas from a shop in Varanasi. It seemed to me a big investment for a family that appeared so poor. Photos and videos of that coming.
The western temples were something else entirely. Covered from head to foot in erotic sculpture, they were unlike any temples we had seen so far. Unashamedly graphic depictions adorned the walls of otherwise typical Hindu shrines.
Our overnight trip to Varanasi was uneventful, and we have been here for two days already. After watching a (completely tourist targeted) ceremony, we visited the "Burning Ghats" where people bring their dead to burn, following the belief that anyone that dies or is burnt in Varanasi is released from the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation, and achieves instant Moksha (Nirvana). As we watched the fires burn, you could clearly make out the forms of the deceased in the flames, a sight which I doubt I will ever forget. I felt incredibly uncomfortable and intrusive watching them burn, amongst the family members. Apparently the family members re not allowed to cry, as this attachment obstructs the soul from departing.
Even more unsettling than the cremations was seeing a dead body floating down the Ganges when we took a boat ride this morning. It was face down and clearly had been floating for a couple of days, and no-one but us seemed to take any notice of it. The proximity of extreme religion, busy market stalls and death here is incredible. Unbelievable really.
John

Pilgrims praying by the river Ganges

At the riverside in Varanasi, you are constantly approached by friendly men who want to say hello and shake your hand. However, as soon as your palm is in theirs, they begin to give you a hand massage, saying they will do your head, neck, arms and shoulders for Rs.10 (about 14p). Most give up after you say 'no thank you' a couple of times. However, one was so persistent that he kept going even after several attempts at removing him. This was great fun for Peter and I. Less so for Jamie.

Jamie's unwilling massage.

Please leave us a comment (no account needed), and there are more photos in the slide show to the right.

And then disaster struck...

My camera has unexpectedly and inexplicably broken. Unless I can get it fixed, expect cracks across all future photos. Sad times.
John

Edit: Good news!! It was just the filter that had broken, which a kind man in a camera shop fixed for me, for the grand sum of  Rs.75 (£1.03). This makes John a very happy bunny.

A week around Jabalpur.

The Diwali national holiday over the last week slightly scuppered our plans to travel halfway across India, and having stupidly assuming the festival would not affect our travel plans (or the price/availability of hotels), we stopped in Jabalpur for a few days.

A Festive Diwali Goat

After Anjuna we traveled (by my estimate) around 1500 km, using 3 buses and 3 trains, taking an exhausting 41 hours. While it was long and grueling in parts crossing such a distance made for some epic views. For a couple of hours we followed a wide slow flowing river; beautifully illuminated by the setting sun shinning through a thin mist caught in the river valley. On route we also met and spoke to plenty of interesting people. Those who left the biggest impression on me were a pair of young guys both doing a long journey  from college towards home for the Divali holidays. One a Hindu and the other a Muslim they spoke a lot about the unity in India and how Indians love all religions and nationalities. This included Pakistani’s despite the more than difficult relationship between the two countries. However, when I asked about China I got a very different response: they described China as being an aggressive country and expressed more than distrust. Articles on China have taken up a significant percentage of every news paper we have seen so far.

Most of the past week has been in Jabalpu; an industrious city which seems to live on the back of a motorbike. Within a 5 minute walking radius I am sure there are a good 15 motorbike repair shops. While wandering through the city we passed two men dressed as women, strangely this was not our first encounter with transvestites in India. On a previous train journey we were woken up by a man walking through the train clapping at people and expecting money, most surprisingly his success rate was far higher than most other beggars I have seen. Apparently Indian superstition says that transvestites have powerful blessings and curses and hence one should hand out money on demand in order to please them.

On November 5^th we celebrated Peters birthday alongside Divali but I will leave that to him.

Yesterday we went on a safari through Kanha national park in the hope of seeing a tiger. Sadly no luck there, but it was astonishingly beautiful none the less. With the help of one Captain Das we managed to book a ticket despite a million complications, which we would have failed to work through without his excellent English. On the day, accompanied by Captain Das and his wife, we drove up and down bumpy jungle trails. The landscape with open plains interspersed within dense forest made for great viewing. Small rivers climaxed in serene lakes, and the beds of hundreds of tiny streams crisscrossed everywhere (presumably these were only put to use during the monsoon).

Jamie

Our Safari Jeep (with Captain Das in the back)

One of the weirdest things that's happened to me this trip occurred at the waterfall we saw on a day trip from Jabalpur. I waited for a couple to have their photo taken with the waterfall in the background and then took their position once they'd moved so I could take my own picture. Just as I got in position a group of people behind me greeted me and asked for a photo, but this was no ordinary photo... They handed me their babies one at a time and took pictures of me with them!! How weird is that!?
At the waterfall we also encountered some people offering to jump into the waterfall for a hundred rupees but no one paid to see it and we weren't willing to. We did however see some kids jump about 30 metres into a river earlier which was pretty impressive.
The 5th of november was the main day of celebration of the Diwali festival as well as my birthday and we went to see Gomaal 3, a Bollywood film released that day. It was in Hindi but we still found it hilarious. The largely slapstick comedy, fight scenes and various musical numbers sent the audience wild and we've been singing the theme tune non-stop ever since! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZLSO9Qckbc) We left the Cinema at about 8.30 and entered a battlefield. Loads of people along both sides of the street were lighting firecrackers and as we walked through the town we deafened by some of the loud bangs going off all around us. Everyone was in a cheery mood and many greeted us with "Happy Diwali!". It was great end to a wonderful birthday.
Kanha National Park was really exciting and although we didn't get to see a tiger we still had a great time. On the first night just before we turned the lights out to go to sleep we noticed a massive ant infestation in our room! I got on Johns shoulders armed with ant spray we spent a few minutes trying and failing to get rid of them all but we quickly decided to change rooms as it began to rain dead ants! The safari itself was from 6am to 11am, which meant a 4.20am wake up! We each wolfed down an omelette and some toast before getting into a jeep and making our way to the park entrance. With the jeep going at a high speed that early in the morning it was freezing and we all made use of our jumpers for the first time.
We left Kanha this morning at about 8.30 and endured another bum-numbing bus journey. Our rucksacks can't fit in the rack above our heads and there's no space for them on the floor so we had to keep them on our laps for most of the journey. It was a pretty good journey considering how long it was and how squashed we were because the seats were too small for us.

Peter

Peter With Somebody's Baby

After an epic 40-odd hour journey, we finally arrived in Jabalpur, a small industrial city in northern Madhya Pradesh, where we were to spend the next few nights. To be honest there wasn't much to do here, we had 3 days till Diwali and we didn't want to move on to Kanha till after the festival. An unlimited thali put Peter out of action for a couple of days, and as a result we spent most of the time doing very little; exploring the city, visiting a museum, watching films in the hotel room. However we did make a very interesting and fun trip to the Marble Rocks, a gorge nearby through which a river runs and large amounts of marble are quarried. We spent a very enjoyable day wandering through the marble craft workshops, taking a boat trip up the river (with an exclusively hindi-speaking guide) and visiting the beautiful waterfall at the end.
For diwali, we went to see a screening of a heavily advertised and very popular film released that day, Golmaal 3. We didn't understand a word, but it was an experience never to forget. The entire audience cheered and clapped every time a character came on screen dramatically, laughed their heads off at the jokes, and went absolutely mental during the (ridiculously over the top) fight scenes. We managed to keep up with the plot till the interval half way through, but after that it was anyone's guess what the hell was going on. Leaving the cinema, as Peter said, was like stepping into a warzone. Smoke filled the streets, and deafening bangs were coming from all around. People were throwing fire crackers into the road, and motorbikes and rickshaws tried hard to avoid them. Great fun to watch, and the fireworks and explosions carried on through the night.
We travelled to kanha national park the next day, had a small incident with a large colony of ants, and took a safari the next day (thanks to the trip-saving efforts of one Captain Das). The safari was great fun, and although we didn't see a tiger, the beautiful scenery, deer, monkeys, exotic birds and guar made the trip well worthwhile. We travelled back to Jabalpur the next day.
Tomorrow we are moving on to Khajuraho, the home of some Hindu temples that apparently are not to be missed. Hope you enjoy the pictures and please leave us a comment.

John

A minor infestation of ants in our room at Kanha

On the way to Marble rocks we picked up one of the most awesome forms of transport I have ever used. The monstrous behemoth that is the three wheeled tempo. The ride was bumpy and loud, but absolutely great fun. I want one.

The monstrous tempo

 Although we didn't get to see a tiger in the flesh, we did get to see the next best thing. A pawprint left by the tiger only an hour or so before.

The closest thing we got to seeing a tiger.

The Ruins of Hampi, the Beaches of Goa.

The evening after the last blog post, was a beautiful one. I feel my last photo didn't quite do it justice, so here is a more accurate depiction.(it also happens to be probably the best photo I've ever taken, which helps.)

Watching boys playing volleyball on the beach in Gokarna.

Since Gokarna we have  been to Hampi and are now all the way back in Goa. About 10 hours to Hospet, half an hour to Hampi, 12 hours to Panjim (Goa's capital) and finally an hour or so to Anjuna beach. Hampi had a large collection of abandoned temples, making the town itself into a tourist hotspot but it only took a little imagination to revert the village to a genuine market town trading goods up and down the river. The temples were beautiful. but i was surprised given their religious nature, to see so many unashamedly sexual sculptures. It appears that while people are expected to dress very modestly, religious depiction does no tiptoeing.
For the journey to Panjim we took a night bus. Had almost reasonably sized bed type things to sleep on. Wide enough to lie on my back with shoulders touching each edge and long enough to lie as long as I didn't stretch. Indian people are on average, shorter than me. The bed was nowhere near long enough for John. Being at the back of the bus meant occasionally a bump would lift us all right off of our beds.
Panjim and Goa generally are odd. Being ex-Portuguese has resulted in it operating a little differently, Christianity is widespread and everything starts later in the day. I'm not sure if it was an effect of local wealth, Portuguese influence or Christianity, but women here seem slightly emancipated compared to their restricted role in the rest of India.
Arrived in Anjuna (a Goan beach town) yesterday morning and saw the flea market. In amongst all the usual tat we found some exquisite hand crafted wooden items. Personally I was much more excited by delicious smelling tea leaves and spices. Some spices were familiar from home but all had a stronger fresher smell than those on supermarket shelves and the tea stall s had leaves infused with all sorts like mango, strawberry and chocolate. No artificial flavours here!
Jamie

Quite bit has happened since my last post so yet again there's so much to tell, I'll try to keep it brief.
Hampi was such a beautiful place as I'm sure you can see from the pictures. As Jamie said it's quite the tourist hotspot but that wasn't a downer on our stay. We met a guy named Thomas on our second day in Hampi, he joined us for lunch and we haggled a shared boat ride downriver with him which was really nice. There are some pictures from the boat ride we've put up.
One day after watching some baby monkeys wrestle (which was one of the funniest things I've seen yet), I gave some biscuits to a group of monkeys and, as expected, was swarmed with in seconds. It was a bit shocking at first when they all ran towards me and surrounded me, screaming and jumping, but once I'd moved away from a nearby 30 foot drop it became much more fun!
The sleeper class bus ride from Hospet to Panjim wasn't too bad; I didn't get much sleep but it was a good experience. There was a guy selling snacks as we got onto the bus and after finding out we were English he immediately said 'Oh lovely jubbly, cheap as chips'! Other sellers have said similar things; we hear 'cheaper than Asda price' quite a bit.
The flea market at Anjuna sold quite a lot of crap but as a whole was nice. The persistence of some of the stall owners was incredible. Lots of them would ask you to promise you'd return before you left the market and some would shake your hand in greeting but then hold onto it while they tried to sell you things! The beach at Anjuna is beautiful and we'll be staying here for another night after tonight before moving up north. We're not entirely sure where yet but somewhere between here and Varanasi.

Peter

Playing with Monkeys in Hampi

The morning after that beautiful sunset, (I slept horribly thanks to hideous sunburn) we set off for Hampi on a direct bus. The area around hampi was truly beautiful. Hills and vegetation scattered around dusty half-desert, with lmassive sand-coloured boulders piled seemingly at random around the landscape. The ruins of the abandoned city could not be in a more picturesque setting.
We were staying in a small (pink and green) guesthouse in Hampi Bazaar, on the river. It was a lively and bustling place, although felt almost exclusively aimed at tourists. We spent the next few days wandering the picturesque ruins and temples in the blistering sunshine, and eating delicious food overlooking the river. As mentioned above, we met a charming French touriste named Thomas, who became our companion for a couple of days, accompanying us on a picturesque (seriously the whole place was picturesque) boat trip up the river and joining us for meals and Chai here and there. He even recommended a restaurant for us! What a nice guy.
We left the gorgeous city of Hampi after three (or four?) nights, and caught a sleeper bus from the nearby of town to Hospet, that would take us to Goa overnight. We shared a small compartment at the back of the bus with a German couple for most of the night. It was cramped to say the least, especially for me with my long legs, which put me at a bit of a dilemma. I couldn't really sleep on my back, as I couldn't lie my legs straight,
which forced me onto my side, an equally uncomfortable position as great concentration was required not to tip over every time the bus turned any sort of corner. The ride itself was incredibly bumpy also, and as we were over the wheels we felt every bump, occasionally being thrown clear into the air. Needless to say me or Peter didn't sleep a wink. (Jamie slept like a baby, that boy is not human.)
Panjim was a nice place, but didn't really have much going on. Odd to see the Portuguese influence so clearly (Goa was owned by the Portuguese until 1961, when it finally became part of India again.), with Christianity everywhere and Portuguese style buildings.Moving on to Anjuna was much more interesting. We got to see the famous flea market held every Wednesday, which attracts tourists from all over Goa to come see the various crafts and spices on sale. Relaxing on the beaches at Anjuna has been as fun as you would expect, the sun has shone and the sea has been warm. You really couldn't ask for more.
However, all this relaxing has made us restless, and so tomorrow we embark on a crazy long journey that is going to take us halfway across India to Jabalpur. We are planning to get way off the beaten track, before coming back onto it to spend some time in the Kanha National Park. We might even get to see a tiger, which would be nice. As a result, this may be our last post for a while, as we can never predict how internet services will be. Till next time,

John

As always, please leave a comment below, and more photos can be seen in the slideshow to the right. 

Bobble head dolls on sale at the flea market.

One morning in Hampi we woke up at dawn and climbed up to the top of a hill to see the sun rise over the ruins, which was a beautiful experience to say the least. What also was quite entertaining, however, were the hordes of monkeys (i know more monkeys) that also hiked to the summit, to bother the tourists at the top for food. They resulted in probably the second best photo I've ever taken. Which can be seen below.

Sunrise over Hampi.

More monkeys. =D

 

The long winding road, with a beach at the end.

The day after our last post, the three of us embarked on an epic journey Aurangabad to Goa. Waking up at 4.30am, we got to the train station at Aurangabad at 5.30am before getting a local train to Manmad Junction at 6. From here we were to get a train to Goa, leaving at 10.30am and arriving 9 hours later at 7.30pm. At least that was the plan. 
During a conversation with some Indian travellers that evening, we learnt that there was not 1 more hour to go as we had thought, but 12. The train was due to arrive at 6am the next morning.

The sunset from the train.

Our 12 hour journey had become a 24 hour one. Sleeping on the train was an interesting experience to say the least. The seats folded up to form three-tier bunks, of which we each managed to get one, with a family of four sharing two next to us. Our stop must have passed us sometime during our broken night, and we got off the train at 6am at Magao. Our new plan was simple: Find some accomodation. Sleep.
However, leaving the station, something caught my eye. The train which we were planning on getting in a day or two, that would take us on to Gokarna, left this station at 2pm. So, after a short discussion we decided to go find a beach, stay there for 8 hours, then come back and get the connection to Gokarna.

Our first taste of heavy rain at the station in Magao.

We arrived in Gokarna in the dark, and quickly made our way to the beach we had planned to stay on, named Kudlee. Since then we have done very little, relaxing on the beach, taking walks over hills to more beaches and exploring the small town of Gokarna. Unfortunately, the beautiful sunny weather and clear skies we were expecting  was nowhere to be seen, and instead we have been targeted by high winds and monsoon rains, interspersed by periods of calm sunshine. It's made the walks more interesting, and the chai more appetising, so I'm not complaining, but overall its been very quiet and very restful, which we needed after the effort it took to get here.

The beach we've been staying on for the last week.

We leave tomorrow for Hampi, where we will stay for a few days before heading back to Goa, hopefully for more than 8 hours this time.
That's all for today, we'll post again when there is more to say.
John


As always, please leave us a comment, and there are more pictures in the slideshow to the right.

Locals bringing in the morning fish.

Monkeys, Caves, Temples and Tombs

We have spent the last six days in Aurangabad, a small city in the north of Maharastra. We've seen temples, tombs and caves till they came out of our ears. More details below.


On the train to Aurangabad.


Getting from pune to aurangabad took about 10 hours on the train (most of which we spent sitting still). As is becoming the norm, people were very keen to talk to us. In particular everyone asks which country we are from. This was most peculiar when we were visiting Dualatabad fort and about 70+ school children , on a field trip, wanted to say hello, introduce themeselves and shake out hands all at once. The fort itself was amazing. Having passed a double layer of wall an attacker then faced a short swim and the clamber through pitch black cave all while being attacked by men  and traps.
The next day we went to see man made caves at ellora. The most impresive of which can barely be described and ceased to be a cave because the work was so extensive. Nothing in the picture was built, all of it was hewn from the surrounding rock.
Yesterday we saw a genuine, local market for the first time. The colours and smells were fantastic. It was nice to see people selling their own products which they took some pride in , unlike the knock-off tat we had seen for sale previously. The town was Muslim, almost entirely, reminding me of the historical religious division which seems absent in the fast growing cities we have visited. India's greatest impresion on me is still its busyness. Everyone everywhere is working all the time, roadsides and pavements are permanently clogged with small business operations.
Jamie



The rock-cut temple at Ellora. This whole enclave was once solid rock.


This week's been pretty different from our last. I've gotten used to most things now although it's still supprising when the someone asks us if they can get a picture with us for the first time each day. It's quite funny that you don't hail taxis here, they hail you! Then they tell you where you should go, that it's much further that you can walk and that their price is the best!
The caves at Ellora and Ajanta were incredible, as you can see from the pictures, the most impressive one we saw was in construction for 200 years (10 generations)! The paintings were less exciting due to the damage and the fact we could barely work out what any of them meant, but were amazing none the less.
The apparently impregnable fort at Daulatabad was pretty cool and damn well fortified. Khuldabad was nice too, lots of pristine tombs, and the market there was particularly good. We bought some soap to wash clothes with there but have been decreasingly fond of the smell. It smells baaaad, but we'll get used to it (it's currently quarantined in our bathroom!) We're off to Goa tomorrow which is exciting, up at 5am and probably wont get to our next hotel until around 9pm or so! I'll give you more info asap!
Peter

Being swarmed by schoolkids at Daulatabad Fort.

The train from Pune to Aurangabad was painful to say the least. 10 hours without a seat on a cramped and dirty train. We made friends with a young indian who Jamie spent most of the time talking to. The train took a lot longer than we expected, due to hour long waits at certain stations, for connecting trains to arrive on the opposite platforms. Lunch consisted of samosas and other indian snacks bought from merchants who would come up to the train at every stop. Dirty and grimy, but hot and tasty as hell.
Aurangabad, though a relatively uninteresting city in itself, acted as a useful launch pad for day trips to the beautiful carved caves at Ellora and Ajanta, as well as colourful muslim tombs at nearby Khuldabad, and the impressive fort at Daulatabad. Our cheapest accomodation yet turned out to be one of the nicest, with a clean room with attached bathroom working out at £2.80 each a night. Everything here is so cheap its still not quite become normal. I bought a genuine leather wallet with zips and decent stitching yesterday for a grand total of 43p.
The caves were beautiful, and it was nigh on incomprehendable that they used to be solid rock, and nothing had been built from the ground. They were used by buddhist and hindu monks and preists as places of worship, and places to live.
Tomorrow we leave for the party capital of india, Goa, albeit a month before the party season properly begins. I'm looking forward to the white sand beaches and coconut lined shores, beautiful sunsets and walks along the coast, but less looking forward to the 13 hour journey getting there. Hope you enjoy the photos!
John

Dyes on sale at the marked in Khuldabad.

A buddhist cave at Ellora.

As we were leaving Ellora, we came across a troop of monkeys playing and begging for food off the visitors. Needless to say, we didnt end up leaving Ellora for at least an hour, as they were endlessley watchable (and incredibly human). Even after deleting every photo I could bear to lose of the primates, I still have 20 of them on my camera memory card. Here's my favourite.

The only thing that could make this better would be a newspaper...

Please leave us a comment, and as always, click on the slideshow to the right for larger pictures.

Our First Impressions of India

 We've been in India for a week. Here's what we've been getting up to:

Arrived in Mumbai to an insane temperature, but the humidity was what made it bad. In the airport I certainly didn't and I don't think the others knew what to do. We got a taxi down to Colaba Causeway (where we stayed) and the traffic was terrifying. Most roads made Picadilly Circus look like a carefully organised high street in a sleepy village. Horns here are used to let people know your coming not tell them you are annoyed. Very few cars have a left wing mirror so when a motor cyclist decides to cut across the bus in front from the left hand side a horn is the only way to pre-warn them. Mumbai is a city full of extremes with slum housing stacked several stories high with each room (largely made from 5 pieces of corrugated iron) right next to sky scraping hotels and offices. We moved on to Matheran quite quickly. It is a small town on top of a hill, rather touristy but absolutely beautiful. Most young people are very interested in us and everyone is very friendly.  Unfailingly the first thing people ask is where we are from and sometimes if they can have a photo with us. Right now we are in Pune, a fast growing business centre which seems very western and rather wealthy. I better shut up and leave something for the others to say.
Having a great time hope you like the photos.
Jamie

The Gateway of India, Mumbai

I don't think Jamie got across just how hot it was in Mumbai; when you shower you're clean and cold for only a few minutes before the humidity bakes you again! It was really fun and a pretty big shock but we've acclimatised quite well I think. Several times day people will come up to you, children included, and ask for food or money. Sometimes they are just skinny but other times they're disabled and it's so much harder to refuse.
Matheran was really beautiful and quite the opposite from Mumbai; pretty cool in comparison (we even turned off our fan one night!) and it's much quieter. A few power cuts a night seemed to be the norm as well as load of thunder and incredible lighting which amazed us but didn't seem to attract the locals attention whatsoever.
Moving on to Pune was quite an interesting journey; up fairly early and after a rickety taxi ride we ended up waiting for one of our trains to depart for 2 and a half hours once we had boarded, lot's of people were very interested to speak to us which was nice (most of the attention we drew up until then was just stares, which we get non stop). When speak to someone on the train, the subject of our ancestors ruling over India came up half way through the conversation to awkwardness and amusement from us. It's kinda embarrassing that most Indians can speak English well and we can just about manage a hello in Hindi.When we arrived there were lots of people trying to get us in their taxi and take us to their hotel recommendations (where they'd receive commission) which we had to constantly watch out for but on the plus side we were able to haggle our taxi ride and hotel room prices to about a third of the price! So much more to write but I'm outta time..
Peter

A view of Mumbai harbour.

Mumbai was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Looming city skyscrapers are placed right next to shockingly dirty slums, there is never a quiet second because of the horns, and there are people everywhere; Jamie said something similar, but Oxford street is empty in comparison. We had a taxi driver take us on a semi tour round the city on our second day there, and saw this one place called fisherman's village. It is a small slum on the coast of Mumbai, where forty years ago a group of fishermen beached their boats and never left. It is an area where the houses are boats with corrugated iron and tarpaulins variously affixed, with a view that stretches across the harbour to the busy city centre, where hundreds of skyscrapers stand.
Moving on to Matheran couldn't have been more of a change. Gone were the car-filled streets, replaced with pedestrian only winding roads through the quiet forest, where the only sounds that could be heard were the wind in the trees, the birds and the monkeys. We spent two days walking around the hill station, seeing incredible landscapes from the various "points" around its perimeter. The photo below of all three of us was taken at "Porcupine Point", the most popular of them all. When we woke after our first night in Matheran, we were met with a completely impenetrable mist that covered the entire hill. Our morning walk to the viewpoints became gazes into the void which, if anything, were nearly as scary and impressive as the views themselves. The weather cleared up for the next two days (barring the terrifying displays of thunder and lightning, which shook the island every night to no-one's amazement but us) and we left again after three nights. Our train journey to Pune was as eye-opening as anything else, and we engaged in an hour and a half conversation with a couple of friendly and talkative Indian men, discussing our plans and home life, as well as receiving detailed recommendations as to what we should see next. Pune is similar to Mumbai, without the deathly heat and with (slightly) less crazy roads. We are leaving for Aurangabad tomorrow, to see the famous Buddhist and Hindu carved caves at Ellora and Ajanta, so I guess we'll post again after that. Till then, we are surviving fine and having a great time, washing behind our ears and only drinking bottled water, we're only one week in out of twelve, and I think its only going to get better. (Touch wood). Over and out.
John

Check the sideshow on the right for more pictures, or the same pictures but bigger ( or go to http://picasaweb.google.co.in/johnpeterjamie/JohnPeterAndJamieGoToIndia# ), and please leave a comment below!

Porcupine point in Matheran.

We were followed throughout our third day in Matheran by a scrawny but very loyal dog, who we lovingly named Jemil. (It seemed the obvious choice really) Here he is in all his canine glory:

Jemil followed us for 8 hours. Good boy!

Jemil can't hack.