Hello all,
Ok so after been sick for the last week I had pretty much decided that I couldn't face going to Culcatta, and would do a massive skip to greener pastures, aka Rishikesh. It was only after meeting and speaking to gorgeous blue/green eyed Frenchman, (previously mentioned) who had just arrived from there that I decided to 'suck-it-in' for 2 more days and just go.
What can I say say about Calcutta? ....on arriving at the train station, rather than being surrounded and bombarded with rickshaws there where hundreds of bright yellow taxis. Driving through the city I was amazed at how incredibly clean it was, how controlled the traffic was and the massive, all be it run down, green parks that we passed. My hotel, which kind Frenchman found in his guide for me (bit dubious about trusting good old lonely planet these days) was clean and friendly. Setting off to find some lunch...I was pleasantly surprised to be able to walk around the small streets quite easily, with minimal hassle. There where loads of shopping stalls and even an ' India styled shopping mall. I was impressed, this was not the city of squalor and poverty I had been envisioning. Calcutta is by far now one of my loveliest Indian cities.
After lunch I set off to try and find the Victoria memorial. (Built to commemorate Queen Victoria's 1901 diamond Jubilee. Stated in the guide:"Had this been built for a beautiful Indian Princess, and not a dead Colonial queen , it would surely rate as one of India Greatest Buildings" I was approached by an old guy who offered to take me there in his Rickshaw and I happily agreed. I was mortified when I realised that he actually owned one of those pull rickshaws, no horse, no donkey, no bicycle, just an old man and his old legs. (As far as I'm concerned it's slave labour) and I felt incredibly pompous and hypocritical sitting there been pulled by this poor man......especially when he would attempt to start running to keep up with the traffic....by the time he dropped me off I felt compelled to double his asking price of a mere RS20 just to ease my conscience....
Lesson 3: When in India....make sure you are dropped off right outside the entrance of you destination.
Old Rickshaw man gave me a big toothless smile and pointed around the corner. I think telepathically what he meant to say was:
"This is the main road, I'm not allowed on the main road, your destination is around the corner, across the suicide main road, around the massive park, across the road on your left, walk for another 5minutes and there it will be! Hope you have an umbrella? Oh and thanks for the tip! " And he was off.
Some 25 minutes later after asking about 6 people, and getting caught in a torrential storm.(You would think I have an umbrella by now:-) .I eventually found the VM. Nevertheless I was still smiling, The VM was stunning, the city was beautiful, the people were friendly and I got to take photo's of a foal for Hannah. (aka Utlah- sorry babe your alias is out:-)
After the VM I went to look at St Paul's Cathedral only to discover that it was closed between 12- 3. Was sitting down outside the church, minding my own business, when I'm approached by really chatty, friendly Indian women. She sat down and offered to take me to the local village area. Before I could even answer she had then started telling me her entire life's story. She is a nurse, but she only gets RS400 a week. She was married and had a daughter in collage. (collage is very expensive you know) She was waiting for the church to open because she desperately needed to get money from the church to buy her husbands medicine. Now I have to be honest, immediately alarm bells were going off and I just wanted to get away. But not been brought up to be rude...I struggled to find an opening/ or a pause, at which I could make my escape. I got told how the church continually refused to help her with the money, as did the Mother Teresa House.....she hadn't eaten in 2 days, and her shoes were falling apart. Her husband couldn't work because of the sever pain caused by his brain tumor!! "What could she do?" "What could she do?" She implored me.
At this point a man walked over who she introduced as her husband. He didn't really look like he had a brain tumor....but seen as Im hardly a qualified physician I decide I had no right to make that call. I then made the fateful mistake of asking..."How much is the medicine!" Within seconds she had whipped out the prescription sheet for me....RS450.- Mmmmmmmm...So he was literally only 6 pounds away from a pain free existence....how could I not help? I figured if she was waiting to get medication from the church (thought there might be a health centre in there....) then they would know straight away if she was scamming...so I would be pretty safe. So yes, I agreed to go into the church and get the medicine for her. No sooner as there words were out my mouth was she shouting to her pain infested husband that she was going to get medicine and walking down the road calling me to follow. At this point, yes I should have voiced my objection, but no I didn't- I simply followed meekly. Its OK I rationalized....we are going to go to chemist and actually buy the stuff so the money wont be wasted. First chemist we arrived at this women walked in and shouted rudely at the man who was talking to someone else, once she got his attention and had handed him her prescription he took one look at it, shook his head, gave it back to her and waved her out the shop. She then said to me: "He doesn't have it, we go to next place" And again we set off. There was something about the pace that she was walking and her manner with people that she passed that just made me feel uneasy and for the next 10 minutes we walked I was overwhelmed and in complete turmoil as my inner voices went to war!(lets just call them Irrational Angel and Common Logic!)
Angel: "Gayle stop being so tight arsed, its only 6 pounds for goodness sakes, what ever happened to giving with an open heart?"
Common Logic: "Gayle you are a bloody idiot! 90% of your gut says this women is scamming you,so why are you falling for it? "
Angel: "Brain TUMOR! What if the man REALLY does have a brain tumor? You are in Calcutta Gayle , I bet Mother Tersa wouldn't have thought twice about about helping poor man with a brain tumour! Shame on you!"
Common Logic: "ahhh yes very mature and now you compare myself to the most compassionate person in the world? You fall short miserably! You know she is probably going to go and simply resell the medicine! You know this Gayle!! "
Angel: "That's not really the point and you know it.....even if she is scamming you she still needs the money more than you do......how dare you be so selfish?"
Common Logic: So in a country filled with people begging for help you are going to help the person who is literally lying to your face? So much for your 'love of honesty Gayle!!"
Angel: "Brain tumour! Brain Tumour!Brain Tumour!!! "
So while my inner dialogues were battling it out she then started talking to me about how she has a sister in Canada and wealthy family in Delhi, but she would never dream of asking them for anything.
Angel: "How noble!"
Common Logic: (fuming)" No of course not but you will ask a complete stranger (namely ME!)simply because I am white???? "
It was at this point that I have to admit....good old Common Logic won and I decided in all good conscience I really wasn't comfortable giving her all that money, so I handed her RS100 and marched my 'tight arse' out of there. Needless to say she wasn't very happy, and I then had to deal with the annoying voice of angel berating me the entire way home. She was eventually silenced when I stopped and spoke to a chemist about it, and he said without a shadow of a doubt that she would have simply gone and sold the medication again, and the reason the first chemist wouldn't give it to her was because the prescription was probably out of date! So Yeah for Common Logic. It took a while but she prevailed..... eventually!
Now there is point to this whole story....(I promise) and no its not to shine a light on two of the many voices that continually run through my head on a daily basis. (Alas its hard being me!:-)
I have spent the last couple of days thinking about how, this, has to be the absolutely worse thing about traveling India. Its not the dirt, the constant staring (or the spiting) or even the poverty itself....its the sheer guilt you feel every single time you are confronted with some one begging for money. Its the knowledge that your days spending money could possible feed this person for an entire month or that while you are here on holiday enjoying the sights and experiences, people are scavenging for food and money simply trying to stay alive.
Its also the continual awareness that the tourist industry itself plays such a massive part in maintaining and perpetuating the status quot in India,. As the guide book says : It would probably be better to donate your money to a reputable charity, so it could be put to good use. But for me, personally, although I am sure Im not alone ....giving money has very little to do with actually improving their life style, its simply a means to an end in helping to relieve the overwhelming guilt that I constantly feel for simply having money. And yet every time I give, I'm then compounded with the double guilt that I am actually making the problem worse.
Let me give some examples:
While waiting for my train to Calcutta a scruffy station child (one of the hundreds that sleep in the station) came up to me begging for food......for about 5 minutes, continuously...when that didn't work...she dropped to her hands and knees started touching her head on my foot over and over again, all the time looking up at me and motioning for food. I tried ignoring her at first, then asked her to stop, then firmly insisted that she stop.....but eventually I just went and bought her something, only to have another 5 children come crawling out of the wood works 30seconds later all wanting something too! When I wouldn't buy for them all one of the older girls got really angry and started shouting at me. What can you do?
When I was going for ride with Santos in Bodghaya, he took me to a very old holy shrine, but as with most religious shines it was surrounded with beggers. Most of them where incredibly old and frail. As we walked in there was a little old lady sitting by the shine that could have easily been 90 or above. I dont think I have ever seen someone so thin and fragile looking so I gave her a little money. But as always one of the others saw and as a result I had 4 old people all heart breakingly hobbling after me the entire way down the road and once we were on the bike, they started angrily shouting at us as we drove off (had I given them something then the other 12 or so beggars around the side would have also started)
Or how about the little boy that walked up to me with a bleeding arm today begging for money for the doctor ( I doubt he needed a doctor for that little scratch) but never the less he was a persistent littler bugger and he then proceeded to follow me for almost a block. I eventually gave him some money just to get him to go away.
And there in lies their lessons: "Hound Foreigners and eventually they (well the weak one) will give in and pay up! "
So yes.....this for me has been the hardest part of India, knowing deep, deep down that I am actually part of the problem. Am I being too hard on myself.....mmmmm yes probably.....but at the same time it has made me so much more aware of how my actions are completely controlled by my emotions....and that awareness alone, I think is priceless.
and now im shattered...so this will have to be continued tomorrow.....as will my replying to my messages...Midget so glad you are well, but I have my own theories...you will just have to wait and see.
Loads of Love from India
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Do this one in sections......
Ok so I now find myself in the awkward position of having all the time in the world to write and a mood like thunder with no inclination whatsoever to say anything remotely positive. My glass is not half empty, its completely drained and I smashed it too. If someone would be kind enough to airlift me out of India tonight...I will be waiting, bags packed, International Hotel, Bodhgaya. I don't care where you take me, as long as its not too hot, its clean, there are no cars, no hooters and I can eat anything else other than toast and strawberry jam, oh plus I will not have to smile, be friendly or make conversation with ANYONE for for at least 2 days.
Yes allas it is true I have turned into one of those rude travelers that's simply walks past and through all the 'hellos' with head down, no smiling, no eye contact no chit chat...I have turned into an ice maiden and I fear the wind might change soon and I will be stuck in this mode forever and ever.....so will someone please come rescue me, because that seems to be what happens in all the movies I have been watching 24/7 for the last 2 days on my 24/hour movie channels. Have you ever noticed how pretty much 90% of movies have 'love stories' in them somewhere? And the guy always gets the girl, in some way or another, even if its the wrong girl.....or the wrong guy...and for a 35 year old single woman, alone in India and sick its enough to send you stir crazy!! Its true...TV rots your brain...I am living proof!
OK so I suppose I could edit all of this and save my pitiful writing for a better. brighter day, but unfortunately for you all my blog seems to have turned into my online diary and so far, for 20 odd years I have always documented my life....journalling seems to be the only way of neutralizing the negativism.....and seen as I have desperately been trying to sit down and write for the last 3 days or so...you are just going to have to bare with me or log off.
For those of you that don't know, or who aren't fortunate enough to be on my mummy grapevine, yehaa I've been sick again....so i do have a reasonable excuse for all this daytime TV watching.....
But I think I need to start at the beginning.....
I think my last blog ended off with Aline (lovely french girl, lives in Australia) getting on a train for Khajuharo. Those of you who know me will know that I hate pre planning my trips, but just this once I decided to prebook my next train from Khajuharo to Varanasi. (two days would be enough...I never seem to spend more than two days anywhere) well as luck would have it....ironically enough...Khajuharo turned out to be one of the loveliest, cleanest, most relaxed cities that I have been in India...one of those places I could have easily spent a week in.
Khajuharo is famous in India for two things, some of the most beautiful temples in the world but more so for the Kama Suta calvings that cover them. (Say no more.) When we arrived at the train station we were picked up by Banti, 23yrs old who very proudly pointed out,first thing, that Khajuhro was the city of 'love' and asked rather cheekily if we were looking for Kama Sutra...I replied very politely that we were not.
On arriving at the hotel, Aline and I decided (after a little persuasion on my behalf) to share a gorgeous room at a very good price so I was incredibly happy...best room I had stayed in so far and it over looked a gorgeous little garden restaurant. ( I was a bit confused as to why she seemed so hesitant to share...I mean honestly...I'm a complete stranger but what harm could I do? me?) Never the less we went for breakfast and started chatting to the restaurant owner, a really sweet guy called Shumi. What can I say about Shumi? Lets see here we have a lovely, kind, charming, single man. He owns 3 restaurants in Khajuharo, a hotel and a sweet shop....and yet we very soon discovered his obsession with finding Western women. I can't for the life of me figure out why so many Indian men are so interested in getting us Western girls? They clearly have no idea how difficult we can be?
After making it very clear that we were not viable candidates....he then decided that I would be his love Guru, renamed Gita and Aline, renamed Amber would be my trusty helper...and together we would teach him the great skills of catching a Western women. Lessons would commence that night over dinner at his other restaurant.
The temples were absolutely incredible, and you could spend hours just looking at the stone carvings, all completely different and mid bogglingly intricate. ( Not to mention mildly entertaining if you know anything about Kama sutra)(mum, dad....I know NOTHING!:-)
Dinner that night was with Shumi, and a friend he had brought along, and was amazing. I know I said I would never take photo's of food...but I simply had to!!! He had made it himself and clearly put loads of effort into it. (I have to admit it was simply the most incredibly thing I have eaten here, so maybe there is something to be said for stepping out of your 'food' comfort zone)
Most of the evening was centred around us trying to convince Shumi that he might actually be limiting himself by refusing to even look at Indian women....but I have to admit I think our attempts were futile.
Now let me digress a little to tell you about every teachers worse nightmare...those tiny little things that attach themselves to your scalp and then lay eggs and have hundreds of babies in your hair....itch like hell and are bloody hard to get rid off. (if you are a teacher we only need to hear the word 'lice' and we start itching)
Anyway...after our lovely meal we sat in the garden telling jokes.....them translating theirs...and us not laughing! And us telling them ours and them not laughing.....( mmmmmmmm I guess any one who has ever heard me try and tell a joke wont be surprised with that:-)
But never the less.....we were all laughing at the fact that we weren't laughing...
I started to feel something in my head. At first I just convinced myself that it was my lice paranoia playing up....(I had found two flees on me after our little play with Pinkie at the station...so had been mildly paranoid since then ) but it persisted to the point that I thought I was going mad... I could feel things running on my head...after about 5 minutes of scratching madly I discovered to my horror...two black bugs that looked like mini beetles. And so I made a my first acquaintance with what the Hindu people called Gandhi. We very quickly excused ourselves, due to my over bearing need to got and comb my hair. (just in case)
Once up stairs I flicked over my head to start combing, only to see hundreds of Gandhi just keep falling out of my hair and onto the ground in front of me. At this point Aline started screaming: They are in your hair!!!(she really didn't need to point that out!) .....and was trying to push me out onto the balcony....I started screaming as I tried to push my was back into the room, combing frantically to get them all out. After Alines initial shock she then seemed to be unable to stop her self from laughing, (I needless to say was at this point still unable to see the funny side) With in the space of 20 seconds our entire room was filled with Gandhi. Horrible, black, evil....light guzzling little Gandhi.
It was at this sad time that I found out my true colours....I ran down stairs to call one of the hotel guys who came up to clear them out. I then being the big girl that I am, locked myself in the bathroom for the next 30 minutes refusing to come out until they were all gone. Yes, I always thought that faced with adversity I would be rather brave.... puke, blood, and other bodily excretions...I have cleaned them all at school without out so much as a blink....but that night I discovered: I don't like bugs!!! I hate bugs...flying ones, crawling ones I don't care, I hate them all. And as far as I am concerned they must all die! It was at that low point that I realised I NEVER want to go bush trekking, or jungle climbing or anything else that will bring me into any close proximity to bugs. My first hand eye witness Aline says that there were hundreds of them all over the bed, floor, our bags and while Hindu, "all-creature-loving" hotel man attempted to brush them gently outside, she STOMPED on the little buggers!!! (much to his dismay, much to my delight)
An hour later I was still hunting lost Gandhi to terminate them with my shoe, while swearing profusely at them in Hindi, when my exasperated but trusty Gandhi slayer Alline tried to convince me to go to sleep because she had set a trap for them in the bathroom! (Gandhi flock to the light, but being rather stupid bugs they often fly into the wall and fall to the ground.( at which point I would be waiting to whack them) ) Alinne had left the light on in the bathroom and filled the floor with water!!! Brilliant! We would drown them all!!
Needless to say Aline couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire "fright night" experience, and I caught on towards the end, but I do think the entire experience has scared me for life. We figured out that as she had opened the balcony door earlier, I had just flicked over my head and caught all the Gandhi in my hair as they were flighing in droves towards the light! Yuk!!
After eventually falling a sleep I woke up at 4pm and violently threw up every single inch of my gorgeous dinner. (See what happens when I move out of my food comfort zone! )
The next day was Banti day. Ever thankful that I wasn't sick again I set out with the hotel driver that I mentioned earlier. He took me on his bike to a smaller outside village. While we were there we went and sat with some villagers and they talked while Banti translated the odd thing or two for me. Two of the girls there couldn't have been older that 22, had both been both married to alcoholics that used to beat them and that had now left them. And so these beautiful gorgeous women are now unable to remarry, have no jobs, no money and the added bonus of their husbands pimping them out as prostitutes when they need money for drink.
When we got back Banti and I went for chai and I got to hear his life's story. In love with a girl since primary school, who is a different caste to him. Her father found out that they were dating, beat her with a pole...and arranged for her to be married to someone else. If traveling India is hard....it can't even touch the surface of how hard it must be for so many people that actually live here.....
It just makes me incredibly thankful that although I'm still single, at least I have hope, and the right to chose my own path in life , whatever or whoever it may be.
In the afternoon Banti and Shumi said that they wanted to take me to see the river. Sounds lovely I said as long as we were back by 6 so I could catch up on some blogging I was happy. I was leaving that night to catch a train to Varanasi. Lesson Number 1: When Indian boy says he "just wants to take you up the road"...ASK how far it is???? We set off in high spirits....they let me drive the tuk-tuk which was fun and I got to wave at loads of gorgeous Indian children on the way. At one point we stopped for something only to have about 8 little boys all clamoring around us laughing, hands outstretched begging for money, biscuits anything. Shumi had half a packet of biscuits that he threw to one of them. Within seconds one of the other boys had thrown the child on the ground and they were rolling around fighting over 2 biscuits....after a couple of minutes the poor child came back to the car with two hand fulls of crumbs and the biggest tears I have ever seen pouring down his face. The other boy was also crying and obviously complaining that he wouldn't share. Crumb boy then reluctantly handed over one handful of crumbs. 40 minutes later we were still driving, and then we hit what can only be described as the worst road in India....and this continued for another 40 min. An hour and a half later we reached the river...which in all fairness was beautiful. It was also very clearly a nice scenic and romantic spot, which set the seen perfectly for the boys carefully thought out proposition. Wouldn't I please stay for a couple more days. I could stay in Shumis hotel, eat at his restaurant and Banti would be my personal chauffeur...all for free. I wouldn't have to spend a cent....AND they would re-buy my ticket to Varanasi when I wanted to go. As flattered as I was I had to explain that if they were this attached to me after one day...then just IMAGINE how heartbroken they would be after 2 more days...(Lesson 2: When in an awkward position use humour to deflect the issue!) So proposition made and rejected...15 minutes later we set off for the 1.5 hour drive back home. I arrived back after 8.30 pm...just in time to grab my stuff and head off to my next train.
Varanasi- also known as Kashi (city of life) is one of the holiest places in India and its a particularly auspicious place to die. Hindus believe that dying here liberates them from the cycle of birth and death, making it the heart of the Hindu universe. Lonely planet says: "Brace yourself. You are about to enter on of the most blindly colorful, unrelentingly chaotic and unapologetic discreet places on earth. Most visitors agree that its a magical place but its not for the faint hearted. Varanasi takes no prisoners. But if you are ready for it, this may just turn out to be your favourite stop of all. "
I was READY!!!! I was ready!! I was strong...and definitely 'not one of those weak, faint hearted people the guide was referring to. I couldn't wait to get there. Having spoken to loads of other travelers who all loved it I was determined to stay put here for a good couple of days.
After another fantastic overnight train ride I couldn't help noticing how clean and refreshed I felt. Wouldn't even need to shower when i got to my hotel...could just head straight out! Bonus!
And then I got off the train. The first thing that hits you is the absolute stench. The train tracks are covered with faeces and people are simply sitting squatting on the edge of the track using it as a toilet. People are everywhere. I noticed a guy clock me as I got off the train and then proceeded to follow me rather unnervingly. As we were climbing the stairs we walked passed an old man, and I instantly thought he was lying rather still....as I walked passed I realized he was dead. His one entire hand was already half decomposed, literally just skin left and his eyes open and completely white, flies every where. By the time I finally exited the maze of a station I wanted to cry my eyes out. ( mmmm...so very strong) Stalker man then approached me to offer me a lift...obviously thinking following me was a 'good' tactic in gaining my trust..
I phoned my hotel for the pick up service and 10 minutes later we were slap bang in the middle of a massive traffic jam. Cars, Bicycles, Rickshaws, smoke, everyone shouting at everyone, hooters blaring. We arrived at the edge of the old town that is built around the many River Ghats in Varanasi and had to walk the rest of the way, 2km of winding fifthly roads with 18kg on my back. By the time we arrived at what can only be described as one of the filthiest hotels I have seen so far I was dripping with sweat, and could barely stand. Took one look at my room and decided that there was no way in hell was going to stay there. After another hour of walking from hotel to guest house with another couple I met along the way...we eventually settled on the 2nd place we had been to.
(It took that long for it to sink in that most accommodation, our price range, is pretty awful in Varanasi. )
The one good thing about our rooms was that as awful as they were (I still have bruises from that rock they call a matress) we did have beautiful views of the Ganges.
Our hotel was right next to the biggest of 2 Burning Ghats. (photo 2)Basically people pay thousands of Rupees to be cremated on the Ganges and their ashes are then put into the water. These cremations are done in public throughout the day...with constant parades of people walking through the streets carrying their loved ones to the ghat. A ceremonial ritual is then carried out before they are publicly cremated.
(A word about the Holy Ganges; The many ghats are flocked to daily for swimming, bathing or washing of clothes. In Varanasi there are 32 points were raw sewage from the town flow directly into the river! Water that is safe for people to swim in should have less than 500 faecal coliform bacteria in every litre. On testing water from the Ganges, samples show 1.5 million per litre. The river is so heavily polluted in parts that the water is actually septic! Shocking stuff hey!!
Sitting down to eat some lunch, finally in the hotel...the beautiful views from the rooftop hotel where slightly marred by the smoke from the cremations.
I struggled my was through my meal, feeling mildly nausea's and decided I needed to go have a shower and a sleep.
I must add at this time that over the last couple of weeks my appetite has been waning considerable.....much to my delight of course. Was very excited to discover my super human ability of surving on 1.5 meals a day and no snacks...add the mild diarrhea, and you have : The worlds best diet ever. (But as is always the case , if it seems too good to be true then it generally is.) Heading out into Varanasi later that evening and the next day ....I struggled. I was finally in my exciting city of choice and I absolutely hated it. The winding little streets are like filthy mazes. Everywhere you look are piles of rubbish.....I watched in amazement as people order food from the stalls simply drop the cups and papers on the floor afterwards. I dont think I ever saw A dusbin while I was there) The stench of rubbish and smoke just seemed to permeate into every inch of my body, I felt constantly nausea, weak and could no longer even bring myself to eat anything. I tried to explore, I really did, I tried to find the great German bakery mentioned in the guide, I found the sign , the door, but no bakery inside? I went on a 5am boat ride to experience the beauty of the Ghats...I just felt sick. I hung around and watch a cremation ceremony...I just felt sick.....I even tried to get past the burning Ghat and explore the other ghats....but got so absolutely lost I had to turn back in tears. And the whole time: Gayle Gremlin is screaming in my head: "You call yourself a traveler?' 'Whats wrong with you women???" "Tough it UP!!!" Eventually after a day and a half of this nausea, physically exhausted and emotionally drained I was forced to declared defeat and accept the fact that maybe I was just not going to get the full "Varanasi experience" in the state that I was in...and just maybe I should get out of this hell hole and try to get better! I crawled back to my grotty hotel, spent half a day arguing with my hotel guy who states he sells train tickets but then seems unable to actually do that....."not possible, not possible" His final suggestion was that I just go to the train station and wait for a bus!! He had no idea what time the bus left...so I could be waiting there the whole day ( Later I found out that the bus left 4am...thank goodness i never took up any of his pearls of wisdom! )
Eventually I got so frustrated with him that I stormed out to find SOMEONE who could actual help me! (It has never been so hard to get out of a city before!) And low and behold....a couple of streets up I did. Clearly it "is possible" to escape Varanasi...if you find someone that actually knows what they are doing. By the time I got home and crawled into bed (or should I say onto the rock), I was dry gagging from nausea and having eaten nothing the whole day..... and had to admit that I wasn't super human...and yes just maybe I had been a complete idiot for not dealing with this a couple of weeks earlier when it had started.
And so I arrived in Bodhgaya almost 6 days ago....and have pretty much spent the whole time resting and just getting better (and writing this blog in sections) Being the drama queen that I am was totally convinced on day 1 that, yes I was going to die of starvation in my room, and like that poor man on Varanasi station, nobody would know who I was or where I had come from...and Id be buried somewhere in India with only "Tall, White women" written on my tomb. The doctor I saw said i needed to eat rice and bananas but I just couldn't stomach the stuff......eventually I started ordering toast....and pretty much just ate that for 3 days.
The last 2 days have been so much better.....and I am please to report I am even smiling again. My first day here I met a really sweet man called Santos who has pretty much been my hero. He found me almost about to murder a poor Rickshaw guy who had insisted he knew where the health clinic was but then stopped half way and asked me to get out because he was clueless.
Santos stopped to ask if everything was ok: I sobbed: "Just you tell him not to say he knows where he is going when he doesnt, Tell him. tell him!!"
Santos: "Ok ma'me don't shout a the man because you are sick! (Shame on me!)
Anyway Santos and his trusty 250 then became my chauffeur for the next couple of days....taking me to the doctors in the mornings and the evenings and driving me to the odd sight when I felt up to it! (another brilliant example of the hospitality westerners are shown here!)
Bodhgaya is another very important spiritual town that attract Buddhist pilgrims from the around the world. It was here 2600 that Siddhartha Gautamu attained enlightenment beneath a bodhi tree and became the Buddha. The entire town is filled with Buddhist temples and Monasteries from around the world, (my plan had been to actually stay in one of them when I got here). There is also THE BIGGEST Buddha statue I have ever seen , 25 meters high!
Yes allas it is true I have turned into one of those rude travelers that's simply walks past and through all the 'hellos' with head down, no smiling, no eye contact no chit chat...I have turned into an ice maiden and I fear the wind might change soon and I will be stuck in this mode forever and ever.....so will someone please come rescue me, because that seems to be what happens in all the movies I have been watching 24/7 for the last 2 days on my 24/hour movie channels. Have you ever noticed how pretty much 90% of movies have 'love stories' in them somewhere? And the guy always gets the girl, in some way or another, even if its the wrong girl.....or the wrong guy...and for a 35 year old single woman, alone in India and sick its enough to send you stir crazy!! Its true...TV rots your brain...I am living proof!
OK so I suppose I could edit all of this and save my pitiful writing for a better. brighter day, but unfortunately for you all my blog seems to have turned into my online diary and so far, for 20 odd years I have always documented my life....journalling seems to be the only way of neutralizing the negativism.....and seen as I have desperately been trying to sit down and write for the last 3 days or so...you are just going to have to bare with me or log off.
For those of you that don't know, or who aren't fortunate enough to be on my mummy grapevine, yehaa I've been sick again....so i do have a reasonable excuse for all this daytime TV watching.....
But I think I need to start at the beginning.....
I think my last blog ended off with Aline (lovely french girl, lives in Australia) getting on a train for Khajuharo. Those of you who know me will know that I hate pre planning my trips, but just this once I decided to prebook my next train from Khajuharo to Varanasi. (two days would be enough...I never seem to spend more than two days anywhere) well as luck would have it....ironically enough...Khajuharo turned out to be one of the loveliest, cleanest, most relaxed cities that I have been in India...one of those places I could have easily spent a week in.
Khajuharo is famous in India for two things, some of the most beautiful temples in the world but more so for the Kama Suta calvings that cover them. (Say no more.) When we arrived at the train station we were picked up by Banti, 23yrs old who very proudly pointed out,first thing, that Khajuhro was the city of 'love' and asked rather cheekily if we were looking for Kama Sutra...I replied very politely that we were not.
On arriving at the hotel, Aline and I decided (after a little persuasion on my behalf) to share a gorgeous room at a very good price so I was incredibly happy...best room I had stayed in so far and it over looked a gorgeous little garden restaurant. ( I was a bit confused as to why she seemed so hesitant to share...I mean honestly...I'm a complete stranger but what harm could I do? me?) Never the less we went for breakfast and started chatting to the restaurant owner, a really sweet guy called Shumi. What can I say about Shumi? Lets see here we have a lovely, kind, charming, single man. He owns 3 restaurants in Khajuharo, a hotel and a sweet shop....and yet we very soon discovered his obsession with finding Western women. I can't for the life of me figure out why so many Indian men are so interested in getting us Western girls? They clearly have no idea how difficult we can be?
After making it very clear that we were not viable candidates....he then decided that I would be his love Guru, renamed Gita and Aline, renamed Amber would be my trusty helper...and together we would teach him the great skills of catching a Western women. Lessons would commence that night over dinner at his other restaurant.
The temples were absolutely incredible, and you could spend hours just looking at the stone carvings, all completely different and mid bogglingly intricate. ( Not to mention mildly entertaining if you know anything about Kama sutra)(mum, dad....I know NOTHING!:-)
Dinner that night was with Shumi, and a friend he had brought along, and was amazing. I know I said I would never take photo's of food...but I simply had to!!! He had made it himself and clearly put loads of effort into it. (I have to admit it was simply the most incredibly thing I have eaten here, so maybe there is something to be said for stepping out of your 'food' comfort zone)
Most of the evening was centred around us trying to convince Shumi that he might actually be limiting himself by refusing to even look at Indian women....but I have to admit I think our attempts were futile.
Now let me digress a little to tell you about every teachers worse nightmare...those tiny little things that attach themselves to your scalp and then lay eggs and have hundreds of babies in your hair....itch like hell and are bloody hard to get rid off. (if you are a teacher we only need to hear the word 'lice' and we start itching)
Anyway...after our lovely meal we sat in the garden telling jokes.....them translating theirs...and us not laughing! And us telling them ours and them not laughing.....( mmmmmmmm I guess any one who has ever heard me try and tell a joke wont be surprised with that:-)
But never the less.....we were all laughing at the fact that we weren't laughing...
I started to feel something in my head. At first I just convinced myself that it was my lice paranoia playing up....(I had found two flees on me after our little play with Pinkie at the station...so had been mildly paranoid since then ) but it persisted to the point that I thought I was going mad... I could feel things running on my head...after about 5 minutes of scratching madly I discovered to my horror...two black bugs that looked like mini beetles. And so I made a my first acquaintance with what the Hindu people called Gandhi. We very quickly excused ourselves, due to my over bearing need to got and comb my hair. (just in case)
Once up stairs I flicked over my head to start combing, only to see hundreds of Gandhi just keep falling out of my hair and onto the ground in front of me. At this point Aline started screaming: They are in your hair!!!(she really didn't need to point that out!) .....and was trying to push me out onto the balcony....I started screaming as I tried to push my was back into the room, combing frantically to get them all out. After Alines initial shock she then seemed to be unable to stop her self from laughing, (I needless to say was at this point still unable to see the funny side) With in the space of 20 seconds our entire room was filled with Gandhi. Horrible, black, evil....light guzzling little Gandhi.
It was at this sad time that I found out my true colours....I ran down stairs to call one of the hotel guys who came up to clear them out. I then being the big girl that I am, locked myself in the bathroom for the next 30 minutes refusing to come out until they were all gone. Yes, I always thought that faced with adversity I would be rather brave.... puke, blood, and other bodily excretions...I have cleaned them all at school without out so much as a blink....but that night I discovered: I don't like bugs!!! I hate bugs...flying ones, crawling ones I don't care, I hate them all. And as far as I am concerned they must all die! It was at that low point that I realised I NEVER want to go bush trekking, or jungle climbing or anything else that will bring me into any close proximity to bugs. My first hand eye witness Aline says that there were hundreds of them all over the bed, floor, our bags and while Hindu, "all-creature-loving" hotel man attempted to brush them gently outside, she STOMPED on the little buggers!!! (much to his dismay, much to my delight)
An hour later I was still hunting lost Gandhi to terminate them with my shoe, while swearing profusely at them in Hindi, when my exasperated but trusty Gandhi slayer Alline tried to convince me to go to sleep because she had set a trap for them in the bathroom! (Gandhi flock to the light, but being rather stupid bugs they often fly into the wall and fall to the ground.( at which point I would be waiting to whack them) ) Alinne had left the light on in the bathroom and filled the floor with water!!! Brilliant! We would drown them all!!
Needless to say Aline couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire "fright night" experience, and I caught on towards the end, but I do think the entire experience has scared me for life. We figured out that as she had opened the balcony door earlier, I had just flicked over my head and caught all the Gandhi in my hair as they were flighing in droves towards the light! Yuk!!
After eventually falling a sleep I woke up at 4pm and violently threw up every single inch of my gorgeous dinner. (See what happens when I move out of my food comfort zone! )
The next day was Banti day. Ever thankful that I wasn't sick again I set out with the hotel driver that I mentioned earlier. He took me on his bike to a smaller outside village. While we were there we went and sat with some villagers and they talked while Banti translated the odd thing or two for me. Two of the girls there couldn't have been older that 22, had both been both married to alcoholics that used to beat them and that had now left them. And so these beautiful gorgeous women are now unable to remarry, have no jobs, no money and the added bonus of their husbands pimping them out as prostitutes when they need money for drink.
When we got back Banti and I went for chai and I got to hear his life's story. In love with a girl since primary school, who is a different caste to him. Her father found out that they were dating, beat her with a pole...and arranged for her to be married to someone else. If traveling India is hard....it can't even touch the surface of how hard it must be for so many people that actually live here.....
It just makes me incredibly thankful that although I'm still single, at least I have hope, and the right to chose my own path in life , whatever or whoever it may be.
In the afternoon Banti and Shumi said that they wanted to take me to see the river. Sounds lovely I said as long as we were back by 6 so I could catch up on some blogging I was happy. I was leaving that night to catch a train to Varanasi. Lesson Number 1: When Indian boy says he "just wants to take you up the road"...ASK how far it is???? We set off in high spirits....they let me drive the tuk-tuk which was fun and I got to wave at loads of gorgeous Indian children on the way. At one point we stopped for something only to have about 8 little boys all clamoring around us laughing, hands outstretched begging for money, biscuits anything. Shumi had half a packet of biscuits that he threw to one of them. Within seconds one of the other boys had thrown the child on the ground and they were rolling around fighting over 2 biscuits....after a couple of minutes the poor child came back to the car with two hand fulls of crumbs and the biggest tears I have ever seen pouring down his face. The other boy was also crying and obviously complaining that he wouldn't share. Crumb boy then reluctantly handed over one handful of crumbs. 40 minutes later we were still driving, and then we hit what can only be described as the worst road in India....and this continued for another 40 min. An hour and a half later we reached the river...which in all fairness was beautiful. It was also very clearly a nice scenic and romantic spot, which set the seen perfectly for the boys carefully thought out proposition. Wouldn't I please stay for a couple more days. I could stay in Shumis hotel, eat at his restaurant and Banti would be my personal chauffeur...all for free. I wouldn't have to spend a cent....AND they would re-buy my ticket to Varanasi when I wanted to go. As flattered as I was I had to explain that if they were this attached to me after one day...then just IMAGINE how heartbroken they would be after 2 more days...(Lesson 2: When in an awkward position use humour to deflect the issue!) So proposition made and rejected...15 minutes later we set off for the 1.5 hour drive back home. I arrived back after 8.30 pm...just in time to grab my stuff and head off to my next train.
Varanasi- also known as Kashi (city of life) is one of the holiest places in India and its a particularly auspicious place to die. Hindus believe that dying here liberates them from the cycle of birth and death, making it the heart of the Hindu universe. Lonely planet says: "Brace yourself. You are about to enter on of the most blindly colorful, unrelentingly chaotic and unapologetic discreet places on earth. Most visitors agree that its a magical place but its not for the faint hearted. Varanasi takes no prisoners. But if you are ready for it, this may just turn out to be your favourite stop of all. "
I was READY!!!! I was ready!! I was strong...and definitely 'not one of those weak, faint hearted people the guide was referring to. I couldn't wait to get there. Having spoken to loads of other travelers who all loved it I was determined to stay put here for a good couple of days.
After another fantastic overnight train ride I couldn't help noticing how clean and refreshed I felt. Wouldn't even need to shower when i got to my hotel...could just head straight out! Bonus!
And then I got off the train. The first thing that hits you is the absolute stench. The train tracks are covered with faeces and people are simply sitting squatting on the edge of the track using it as a toilet. People are everywhere. I noticed a guy clock me as I got off the train and then proceeded to follow me rather unnervingly. As we were climbing the stairs we walked passed an old man, and I instantly thought he was lying rather still....as I walked passed I realized he was dead. His one entire hand was already half decomposed, literally just skin left and his eyes open and completely white, flies every where. By the time I finally exited the maze of a station I wanted to cry my eyes out. ( mmmm...so very strong) Stalker man then approached me to offer me a lift...obviously thinking following me was a 'good' tactic in gaining my trust..
I phoned my hotel for the pick up service and 10 minutes later we were slap bang in the middle of a massive traffic jam. Cars, Bicycles, Rickshaws, smoke, everyone shouting at everyone, hooters blaring. We arrived at the edge of the old town that is built around the many River Ghats in Varanasi and had to walk the rest of the way, 2km of winding fifthly roads with 18kg on my back. By the time we arrived at what can only be described as one of the filthiest hotels I have seen so far I was dripping with sweat, and could barely stand. Took one look at my room and decided that there was no way in hell was going to stay there. After another hour of walking from hotel to guest house with another couple I met along the way...we eventually settled on the 2nd place we had been to.
(It took that long for it to sink in that most accommodation, our price range, is pretty awful in Varanasi. )
The one good thing about our rooms was that as awful as they were (I still have bruises from that rock they call a matress) we did have beautiful views of the Ganges.
Our hotel was right next to the biggest of 2 Burning Ghats. (photo 2)Basically people pay thousands of Rupees to be cremated on the Ganges and their ashes are then put into the water. These cremations are done in public throughout the day...with constant parades of people walking through the streets carrying their loved ones to the ghat. A ceremonial ritual is then carried out before they are publicly cremated.
(A word about the Holy Ganges; The many ghats are flocked to daily for swimming, bathing or washing of clothes. In Varanasi there are 32 points were raw sewage from the town flow directly into the river! Water that is safe for people to swim in should have less than 500 faecal coliform bacteria in every litre. On testing water from the Ganges, samples show 1.5 million per litre. The river is so heavily polluted in parts that the water is actually septic! Shocking stuff hey!!
Sitting down to eat some lunch, finally in the hotel...the beautiful views from the rooftop hotel where slightly marred by the smoke from the cremations.
I struggled my was through my meal, feeling mildly nausea's and decided I needed to go have a shower and a sleep.
I must add at this time that over the last couple of weeks my appetite has been waning considerable.....much to my delight of course. Was very excited to discover my super human ability of surving on 1.5 meals a day and no snacks...add the mild diarrhea, and you have : The worlds best diet ever. (But as is always the case , if it seems too good to be true then it generally is.) Heading out into Varanasi later that evening and the next day ....I struggled. I was finally in my exciting city of choice and I absolutely hated it. The winding little streets are like filthy mazes. Everywhere you look are piles of rubbish.....I watched in amazement as people order food from the stalls simply drop the cups and papers on the floor afterwards. I dont think I ever saw A dusbin while I was there) The stench of rubbish and smoke just seemed to permeate into every inch of my body, I felt constantly nausea, weak and could no longer even bring myself to eat anything. I tried to explore, I really did, I tried to find the great German bakery mentioned in the guide, I found the sign , the door, but no bakery inside? I went on a 5am boat ride to experience the beauty of the Ghats...I just felt sick. I hung around and watch a cremation ceremony...I just felt sick.....I even tried to get past the burning Ghat and explore the other ghats....but got so absolutely lost I had to turn back in tears. And the whole time: Gayle Gremlin is screaming in my head: "You call yourself a traveler?' 'Whats wrong with you women???" "Tough it UP!!!" Eventually after a day and a half of this nausea, physically exhausted and emotionally drained I was forced to declared defeat and accept the fact that maybe I was just not going to get the full "Varanasi experience" in the state that I was in...and just maybe I should get out of this hell hole and try to get better! I crawled back to my grotty hotel, spent half a day arguing with my hotel guy who states he sells train tickets but then seems unable to actually do that....."not possible, not possible" His final suggestion was that I just go to the train station and wait for a bus!! He had no idea what time the bus left...so I could be waiting there the whole day ( Later I found out that the bus left 4am...thank goodness i never took up any of his pearls of wisdom! )
Eventually I got so frustrated with him that I stormed out to find SOMEONE who could actual help me! (It has never been so hard to get out of a city before!) And low and behold....a couple of streets up I did. Clearly it "is possible" to escape Varanasi...if you find someone that actually knows what they are doing. By the time I got home and crawled into bed (or should I say onto the rock), I was dry gagging from nausea and having eaten nothing the whole day..... and had to admit that I wasn't super human...and yes just maybe I had been a complete idiot for not dealing with this a couple of weeks earlier when it had started.
And so I arrived in Bodhgaya almost 6 days ago....and have pretty much spent the whole time resting and just getting better (and writing this blog in sections) Being the drama queen that I am was totally convinced on day 1 that, yes I was going to die of starvation in my room, and like that poor man on Varanasi station, nobody would know who I was or where I had come from...and Id be buried somewhere in India with only "Tall, White women" written on my tomb. The doctor I saw said i needed to eat rice and bananas but I just couldn't stomach the stuff......eventually I started ordering toast....and pretty much just ate that for 3 days.
The last 2 days have been so much better.....and I am please to report I am even smiling again. My first day here I met a really sweet man called Santos who has pretty much been my hero. He found me almost about to murder a poor Rickshaw guy who had insisted he knew where the health clinic was but then stopped half way and asked me to get out because he was clueless.
Santos stopped to ask if everything was ok: I sobbed: "Just you tell him not to say he knows where he is going when he doesnt, Tell him. tell him!!"
Santos: "Ok ma'me don't shout a the man because you are sick! (Shame on me!)
Anyway Santos and his trusty 250 then became my chauffeur for the next couple of days....taking me to the doctors in the mornings and the evenings and driving me to the odd sight when I felt up to it! (another brilliant example of the hospitality westerners are shown here!)
Bodhgaya is another very important spiritual town that attract Buddhist pilgrims from the around the world. It was here 2600 that Siddhartha Gautamu attained enlightenment beneath a bodhi tree and became the Buddha. The entire town is filled with Buddhist temples and Monasteries from around the world, (my plan had been to actually stay in one of them when I got here). There is also THE BIGGEST Buddha statue I have ever seen , 25 meters high!
So all in all its been a great place to rest and I no longer feel like taking the first flight out of here! Have made friends with the sweetest little boy also called Santos who runs up to me every time I leave the hotel. Bless, the child is continually eating and always trying to get me to try his food. Not going to happen.
And alas...I thought I would be finished by now....but 5 days of blogging...and noooooooooo there is more!!! You see yet again God heard my desperate plea...and yesterday sent me a gorgeous French man with the most amazing blue/green eyes ever! ( I have a thing for eyes!) We met over breakfast and agreed to have dinner last night! I sat in this mildly expensive Indian restaurant grinning from ear to ear. Closest I think I have had to a date....in ummmmmmm about 3 years...and yes.....doubt-ably not really a date but in sheer delirium I happily convinced myself it was! Was simply delighted to be having a great conversation, ( can't much remember what it was about, but it was intellectual, I think I was too busy staring into those incredible eyes ) and eating great food!
And THAT brings me to the end!!!! Well done those of you that got through it all in one setting...you must love me lots!!!
You have my solom promise that I will try and blog more frequently, but that been said its not always easy.
I am also midly concerned about Midget....its been well over a week since here last spamming attempt and I am DEEPLY worried.....so if you see here tell her I love her and to get back to what she does well!
Kate and Angie....thanks for your lovely messages...was going to reply after this ...but think I have had enough of writing today. Kate...my return flight to London is for July next year so best you and Harvey sort out a wedding date by then!:-) Thats a direct order from Cupid!
and Mr Sparrow.....are you out there?
Am heading out to Calcutta tonight. Feeling strong, healthy and happy, once again determined enjoy the India Experience!
Love to you all!
And alas...I thought I would be finished by now....but 5 days of blogging...and noooooooooo there is more!!! You see yet again God heard my desperate plea...and yesterday sent me a gorgeous French man with the most amazing blue/green eyes ever! ( I have a thing for eyes!) We met over breakfast and agreed to have dinner last night! I sat in this mildly expensive Indian restaurant grinning from ear to ear. Closest I think I have had to a date....in ummmmmmm about 3 years...and yes.....doubt-ably not really a date but in sheer delirium I happily convinced myself it was! Was simply delighted to be having a great conversation, ( can't much remember what it was about, but it was intellectual, I think I was too busy staring into those incredible eyes ) and eating great food!
And THAT brings me to the end!!!! Well done those of you that got through it all in one setting...you must love me lots!!!
You have my solom promise that I will try and blog more frequently, but that been said its not always easy.
I am also midly concerned about Midget....its been well over a week since here last spamming attempt and I am DEEPLY worried.....so if you see here tell her I love her and to get back to what she does well!
Kate and Angie....thanks for your lovely messages...was going to reply after this ...but think I have had enough of writing today. Kate...my return flight to London is for July next year so best you and Harvey sort out a wedding date by then!:-) Thats a direct order from Cupid!
and Mr Sparrow.....are you out there?
Am heading out to Calcutta tonight. Feeling strong, healthy and happy, once again determined enjoy the India Experience!
Love to you all!
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Small miracles
OMG ... all of a sudden I have 11 followers!!! How cool is that? A whole 11 followers!!!:-) (although Kelly, I do hope you logging on with two separate accounts wasn't a kind way of boosting my ratings? If it was...I love you!:-)
For those that are new, I must warn you I seem to have the slight problem of a pirate blogger, her name being Midget. Her blatant attempts of bloggeting on my blog have been reported but unfortunately I have been told there is not much I can do ...and yes...she is here to stay! We will just have to love her none the less, rest assured that she is indeed harmless, and rather sweet:-)!!
Bronny hope you are well and not in labor as I write......you have about 4 months to have that baby, loose the baby fat and get bikini beautiful for me visit! Cant wait!
OK so I cant quite remember how long its been since my last blog, but long lengthy delays do not necessarily mean I am sick...just simply that I actually made some friends along the way...about 'bloody' time I think! (sorry about the swearing...but i learnt that word from my dad so you can blame him mum!:-)
Before I start can I just add something. Those that have been following my tales might have remembered my vow not to complain about the transport anymore...well I just have to say...i feel that God has heard my vow and decided to reward me for my efforts. And what I have received was the single most amazing gift ever in India........
Indian 2AC sleeper trains. I traveled up from Agra last night via one of them...my first train journey in India and I cant even begin to describe how amazing it was. I GOT sheets. I got a pillow. I got a clean blanket. I had Air con....I got a working Western toilette (that I still squatted on) and I got running water to wash my hands AND I GOT ........... SOAP!!!!!) I cant for the life of me understand why I have even been traveling in those awful buses in the first place.....probably because Raj booked my first trip on a bus and I just kinda took over from there and repeated the process 6 times no less. I slept through the night, I woke up refreshed, I arrived in Khajuraho this morning and was able to shower and head out for the day with out the usual exhaustion and frustration that I have been experiencing after the bus trips. I have been given a life line and I actually feel like I could start enjoy the traveling part now. So thank you God, from the bottom of my heart!:-)
Ok sorry going to back track now as I just needed to get that out! I arrived in Agra a couple of days ago after another 'lovely' bus trip:-) Agra, home of Taj Mahal, is pretty much like every other city I have seen in India so far....except the touts are even more manic. After been ambushed by loads of men, I eventually chose one, partly because his price was good and partly because he was spitting so much chewing tobacco over me while arguing that his price was the best, that I just wanted it to stop. 'Old Agra' is build around the 3 gates of the Taj Mahal, West, South and East. On Arriving at the east gate I was informed that Rickshaws were not aloud in that area so I would have to walk the rest of the way. The entire walk down that road is just lined with auto rickshaws and cycling Rickshaws and the incessant questioning is ...well....Incessant. "You want ride?" "Where you go?" "where you from?" "You from England?" "You from America?"..."Holland?" "You want ride?" "You want ride?" "What hotel you go?" "you want ride?" And as you are well past them still saying "No thank you" on repeat; they shout : "Maybe later?" "Maybe later?" "Maybe later?" "YOU come back?????" How any of these men actually make a living is beyond me, with so many of them there I doubt they would all get one customer a day. I was again very lucky to get a determined bicycle rickshaw who then followed me the whole way to my hotel.....declaring that it was full and I come back to him afterwards? But being the 'seasoned traveler' the I AM, there was no way I was going to fall for that and simply walked on determinedly.
On arriving at my absolutely gorgeous hotel of choice, I found out, yet again that it was actually full! ( Have begun to click on to the fact that I need to 'maybe' do just a teeny bit more preparation while in India) All was not lost though because another 'lone' traveler had also just been rejected and with one simple but mildly exasperated question...."you traveling alone?" We became best friends.
On walking back onto the road we were approached by two rickshaw men waiting out side the hotel, I signaled that I already had a man waiting and we walked over to him (and his friend that had miraculously appeared) Not sure quite what happened next but before we knew it we were in the middle of 4 rickshaw men all screaming at the top of their voices at each other. At my wits end I turned and yelled louder than I have ever yelled at the two hotel men and they, backed off, mildly shocked that slim, waif like looking white girl could make such a big noise, they let us go with our man (and his semi toothless friend).
Before even finding out each others names, my New Best Friend and I had already agreed on a new hotel and that we were going to share a room.
And thus began my 2 lovely days with Ann from France,who lives in Spain.
Ironically ...I seem to find that as soon as I find one friend I then magically start to pick up more. (Heaven forbid you start speaking to strangers by yourself....but If you have a friend...then that's another story!)
;-) And so it was the next morning over breakfast we picked up Andrew from England, who lives in America! And then we were 3. A strange thing happens to you when you suddenly find yourself thrown together with another traveler, or two....your whole body just relaxes, you no longer have to fend of the advances, all by yourself, you no longer feel obliged to make conversation with every single person that approaches you...because you now have a posse! Its a truly beautiful feeling and well worth waiting for. (its been two weeks of friendlessness you know)
And so we spent the day together visiting Agra Fort, haggling over rickshaw rides, and trying to track down a swimming pool that wasn't too overpriced. All in all a pretty ordinary day.....but just really relaxing and good.
Andrew left in the evening at about 10 to get the night train and Anne and I had one more day together. We woke up at 6 am to get to the Taj Mahal. I have to say the size of it is pretty impressive....but I wasn't as blown away by it as I have been with some of the other Jain temples! I would probably say the best part of my day was visiting a bear sanctuary for dancing bears. It was setup a couple of years ago by a lovely women called Geeta and her partner.
Dancing Bears: For years now these sloth bears have been poach as baby cubs from their mothers. They were then pierced through their nose with a burning hot iron and a chain was put through the piercing! At the same time all their teeth were knocked out to render them harmless. They then pretty much spent the rest of their lives chained up and forced to dance for entertainment. Thanks to this women and her partner a law has now been issued banning bear dancing and they have manged to rescue over 450 bears through out India. The bears now live in a natural forest reserve, but come into the sanctuary for breakfast and dinner. Not only does the foundation help the bears but they also work towards rehabilitating the people that have survived on the bears for money, helping them to rebuild their lives and find other jobs.
Its really, amazing when you see people that have worked tirelessly to actually make a difference in the world and have succeed.
Is obviously heartbreaking to see the really older bears that have permanent mental damaged by what was done to them. Geeta said that a lot of them still hear the music in their head that they were forced to dance to. On our way out of the sanctuary there was a really old bear with a lot of scaring, that Anne and I wear trying to get a photo of. One of the guards (Who clearly doesn't work with the sanctuary) started hitting his stick on the the wire fencing. We made him stop but next thing the bear was up on his back legs, swaying miserably, and then as if suddenly realising that he know longer needs to do that...dropped down and charged at as furiously. Poor thing I don't blame him.
The photo above is of him, and you can see all the scaring he has on his nose.
And that brings me to the end of Agra. I left Anne, in the capable hands of Isa (Spanish girl we met at lunch) and Chandor (lovely hotel guy who had me laughing the entire 2 days ( and I got ready to catch my first train to Kahjuraho.
I guess it only natural the first time you do certain things you are nervous....well I was petrified....I had heard some horror stories about the trains and honestly didn't know what to expect. On walking onto the station which is absolutely strewn with people sleeping all over the place...I immediately noticed a girl sitting on the floor, looking marginally more panicked than I was feeling so I walked up to her, said hello and sat down, (Hell I am getting better at this...) And thus began my 2 days with lovely Aline, french but lives in Australia.
After about 10 minutes two more Spanish girls approached us, and we sat in our little huddle of 4 white girls, and a million stares. I have to admit I have got used to the staring now, and am not really bothered by it. I find returning the stare with a smile usually gets a massive grin back, (women and kids- I not really that keen on encouraging the men) and it only re-enforces my belief that people in India are truly amazing! During our wait we all had the privilege of meeting a little girl, called Pinky. From what we could gather, she doesn't have a mum, and sleeps outside the station with her dad and 2 sisters. She doesn't have any idea how old she is and clearly just spends her time making money off travelers. Our train only arrived after 12pm....and she was still running around the station, with clearly no plans of going to sleep. While we were talking to her a drunk man came and sat down right next to all of us, simply staring. She kept saying 'whisky' whisky' and another man approached us and said the man was drunk. Drunk man didn't like the fact that Pinkie was taunting him with Whisky Whisky.
And no amount of us asking her to stop was going to stop her. If stirring was a skill the girl deserved a gold medal. After a while he started trying to hit out at her, to which she simply ran and hid behind us while continuing to shout at him. Luckily for us, he was pretty drunk and soon just passed out.
A few minutes later Pinkie decided it was time to leave us, and she was off...shouting good bye at the top of her voice, grinning from ear to ear and blowing us kisses.
For those that are new, I must warn you I seem to have the slight problem of a pirate blogger, her name being Midget. Her blatant attempts of bloggeting on my blog have been reported but unfortunately I have been told there is not much I can do ...and yes...she is here to stay! We will just have to love her none the less, rest assured that she is indeed harmless, and rather sweet:-)!!
Bronny hope you are well and not in labor as I write......you have about 4 months to have that baby, loose the baby fat and get bikini beautiful for me visit! Cant wait!
OK so I cant quite remember how long its been since my last blog, but long lengthy delays do not necessarily mean I am sick...just simply that I actually made some friends along the way...about 'bloody' time I think! (sorry about the swearing...but i learnt that word from my dad so you can blame him mum!:-)
Before I start can I just add something. Those that have been following my tales might have remembered my vow not to complain about the transport anymore...well I just have to say...i feel that God has heard my vow and decided to reward me for my efforts. And what I have received was the single most amazing gift ever in India........
Indian 2AC sleeper trains. I traveled up from Agra last night via one of them...my first train journey in India and I cant even begin to describe how amazing it was. I GOT sheets. I got a pillow. I got a clean blanket. I had Air con....I got a working Western toilette (that I still squatted on) and I got running water to wash my hands AND I GOT ........... SOAP!!!!!) I cant for the life of me understand why I have even been traveling in those awful buses in the first place.....probably because Raj booked my first trip on a bus and I just kinda took over from there and repeated the process 6 times no less. I slept through the night, I woke up refreshed, I arrived in Khajuraho this morning and was able to shower and head out for the day with out the usual exhaustion and frustration that I have been experiencing after the bus trips. I have been given a life line and I actually feel like I could start enjoy the traveling part now. So thank you God, from the bottom of my heart!:-)
Ok sorry going to back track now as I just needed to get that out! I arrived in Agra a couple of days ago after another 'lovely' bus trip:-) Agra, home of Taj Mahal, is pretty much like every other city I have seen in India so far....except the touts are even more manic. After been ambushed by loads of men, I eventually chose one, partly because his price was good and partly because he was spitting so much chewing tobacco over me while arguing that his price was the best, that I just wanted it to stop. 'Old Agra' is build around the 3 gates of the Taj Mahal, West, South and East. On Arriving at the east gate I was informed that Rickshaws were not aloud in that area so I would have to walk the rest of the way. The entire walk down that road is just lined with auto rickshaws and cycling Rickshaws and the incessant questioning is ...well....Incessant. "You want ride?" "Where you go?" "where you from?" "You from England?" "You from America?"..."Holland?" "You want ride?" "You want ride?" "What hotel you go?" "you want ride?" And as you are well past them still saying "No thank you" on repeat; they shout : "Maybe later?" "Maybe later?" "Maybe later?" "YOU come back?????" How any of these men actually make a living is beyond me, with so many of them there I doubt they would all get one customer a day. I was again very lucky to get a determined bicycle rickshaw who then followed me the whole way to my hotel.....declaring that it was full and I come back to him afterwards? But being the 'seasoned traveler' the I AM, there was no way I was going to fall for that and simply walked on determinedly.
On arriving at my absolutely gorgeous hotel of choice, I found out, yet again that it was actually full! ( Have begun to click on to the fact that I need to 'maybe' do just a teeny bit more preparation while in India) All was not lost though because another 'lone' traveler had also just been rejected and with one simple but mildly exasperated question...."you traveling alone?" We became best friends.
On walking back onto the road we were approached by two rickshaw men waiting out side the hotel, I signaled that I already had a man waiting and we walked over to him (and his friend that had miraculously appeared) Not sure quite what happened next but before we knew it we were in the middle of 4 rickshaw men all screaming at the top of their voices at each other. At my wits end I turned and yelled louder than I have ever yelled at the two hotel men and they, backed off, mildly shocked that slim, waif like looking white girl could make such a big noise, they let us go with our man (and his semi toothless friend).
Before even finding out each others names, my New Best Friend and I had already agreed on a new hotel and that we were going to share a room.
And thus began my 2 lovely days with Ann from France,who lives in Spain.
Ironically ...I seem to find that as soon as I find one friend I then magically start to pick up more. (Heaven forbid you start speaking to strangers by yourself....but If you have a friend...then that's another story!)
;-) And so it was the next morning over breakfast we picked up Andrew from England, who lives in America! And then we were 3. A strange thing happens to you when you suddenly find yourself thrown together with another traveler, or two....your whole body just relaxes, you no longer have to fend of the advances, all by yourself, you no longer feel obliged to make conversation with every single person that approaches you...because you now have a posse! Its a truly beautiful feeling and well worth waiting for. (its been two weeks of friendlessness you know)
And so we spent the day together visiting Agra Fort, haggling over rickshaw rides, and trying to track down a swimming pool that wasn't too overpriced. All in all a pretty ordinary day.....but just really relaxing and good.
Andrew left in the evening at about 10 to get the night train and Anne and I had one more day together. We woke up at 6 am to get to the Taj Mahal. I have to say the size of it is pretty impressive....but I wasn't as blown away by it as I have been with some of the other Jain temples! I would probably say the best part of my day was visiting a bear sanctuary for dancing bears. It was setup a couple of years ago by a lovely women called Geeta and her partner. Dancing Bears: For years now these sloth bears have been poach as baby cubs from their mothers. They were then pierced through their nose with a burning hot iron and a chain was put through the piercing! At the same time all their teeth were knocked out to render them harmless. They then pretty much spent the rest of their lives chained up and forced to dance for entertainment. Thanks to this women and her partner a law has now been issued banning bear dancing and they have manged to rescue over 450 bears through out India. The bears now live in a natural forest reserve, but come into the sanctuary for breakfast and dinner. Not only does the foundation help the bears but they also work towards rehabilitating the people that have survived on the bears for money, helping them to rebuild their lives and find other jobs.
Its really, amazing when you see people that have worked tirelessly to actually make a difference in the world and have succeed.
Is obviously heartbreaking to see the really older bears that have permanent mental damaged by what was done to them. Geeta said that a lot of them still hear the music in their head that they were forced to dance to. On our way out of the sanctuary there was a really old bear with a lot of scaring, that Anne and I wear trying to get a photo of. One of the guards (Who clearly doesn't work with the sanctuary) started hitting his stick on the the wire fencing. We made him stop but next thing the bear was up on his back legs, swaying miserably, and then as if suddenly realising that he know longer needs to do that...dropped down and charged at as furiously. Poor thing I don't blame him.
The photo above is of him, and you can see all the scaring he has on his nose. And that brings me to the end of Agra. I left Anne, in the capable hands of Isa (Spanish girl we met at lunch) and Chandor (lovely hotel guy who had me laughing the entire 2 days ( and I got ready to catch my first train to Kahjuraho.
I guess it only natural the first time you do certain things you are nervous....well I was petrified....I had heard some horror stories about the trains and honestly didn't know what to expect. On walking onto the station which is absolutely strewn with people sleeping all over the place...I immediately noticed a girl sitting on the floor, looking marginally more panicked than I was feeling so I walked up to her, said hello and sat down, (Hell I am getting better at this...) And thus began my 2 days with lovely Aline, french but lives in Australia.
After about 10 minutes two more Spanish girls approached us, and we sat in our little huddle of 4 white girls, and a million stares. I have to admit I have got used to the staring now, and am not really bothered by it. I find returning the stare with a smile usually gets a massive grin back, (women and kids- I not really that keen on encouraging the men) and it only re-enforces my belief that people in India are truly amazing! During our wait we all had the privilege of meeting a little girl, called Pinky. From what we could gather, she doesn't have a mum, and sleeps outside the station with her dad and 2 sisters. She doesn't have any idea how old she is and clearly just spends her time making money off travelers. Our train only arrived after 12pm....and she was still running around the station, with clearly no plans of going to sleep. While we were talking to her a drunk man came and sat down right next to all of us, simply staring. She kept saying 'whisky' whisky' and another man approached us and said the man was drunk. Drunk man didn't like the fact that Pinkie was taunting him with Whisky Whisky.
And no amount of us asking her to stop was going to stop her. If stirring was a skill the girl deserved a gold medal. After a while he started trying to hit out at her, to which she simply ran and hid behind us while continuing to shout at him. Luckily for us, he was pretty drunk and soon just passed out.A few minutes later Pinkie decided it was time to leave us, and she was off...shouting good bye at the top of her voice, grinning from ear to ear and blowing us kisses.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
.....just maybe...
I have decided that nigtbusses in India are like lucky packets....you just never know what the hell you are going to get and the chances are what ever it is, its not going to be too exciting! Leaving Mount Abu on Sunday I arrived on time as per stated on ticket at 6.30...only to discover that the buses "actual" leaving time was only 7.30. A small monsoon had hit Mount Abu so for the next hour I sat watching the floods and reading my book by penlight (Thank you Karrin) It was during this waiting time and the entire oncoming bus journey that I realise my constant need to go the toilet is directly proportional to the availability of such toilet. For example walking around the whole day or lounging at the hotels when the toilet is next door very rarely sees me needing to go. However have monsoon like rain torrenting down and me with no umbrella or put me in a bus for 13 hours, its guaranteed I will need to go 2-4 at least.
I have also come to realise this...as notorious as Indian people are for giving you attention...its usually when you you need it the most that you don't get it! Like for example, when you are standing in the rain with no umbrella and 18 kg of luggage on your back trying to get the guys attention to open the bus boot and he just completely ignores you and just keeps passing other passangers onto the bus. Or when you are so desperate for the toilet that you spend 5 minutes begging the bus driver to let you go at the pick up point and he continues to say no because apparently the next stop is the toilet stop. Why of course, who would have ever thought of making a toilet stop in a town...where there are actual toilets.....no far better to stop in the middle of no where and use what could only be describe as a 'Blare Witch house'in the pitch dark about 400 metres away from the road. At first I though he was kidding, apparently not. So I stumble out the bus and start to make my way down this ditch only to get about 1/6 th of the way down before I come to my senses and decide I am absolutely NOT going to go and squat in some deserted house, or even make it down the ditch in one piece...so yes much to my disgust I had to mid-ditch squat with a couple of very eager faces watching me from the windows. So feeling really exposed I tramped my urine soaked feet ( you try aiming in a ditch) back on the bus and into my already wet, (my window had been left open during the monsoon) crumb filled, mildly smelly sleeper bed. Thank God for small miracles the hooter on this bus was musical and the driver scarcely used it the entire trip.)
So as I said 13 hours later I arrived in Jaipur at what can only be described as the loveliest guest house I have seen so far. Just my luck it was also the only place that was fully booked. I agreed to wait till check out time to see if they had any vacancies. That was only another 3 hours of absolute filth to wait. Honest to God I have never in my life been as filthy and disgusting as I have been in India. It seems almost impossible to keep yourself clean here, even my finger nails have started to turn a putrid yellow colour...which I can only imagine is from all the Marsala I have been eating or due to the fact that I have barely seen communal soap anywhere!!!
So I lugged my tired and frustrated bones upstairs determined that there would be a place for me. While waiting I met an English girl in the lounge who was waithing for a doctor. She said that she had been sick for over a week. It says in the Lonely planet that 70% of travellers get sick in their frst two weeks in India, and realising that Monday was exactly 2 weeks for me I quietly did a little dance of joy! I had made it two weeks without getting sick!! "Go Gayle, you seasoned traveller you!!!!!! :-)"
After what seemed like the logest wait ever, they didn't have a room, but they did have a bed in their dormitory which I happily took. I have never had a problem sleeping in dorms.....until I saw this one. It was like a sweltering hot dungeon. I was sharing it with 6 other English girls, so it looked like a dungeon that a bomb had gone off in. I could barely even sit down there, let alone imagine how I was going to sleep. And the bathrooms where 3 flights of stairs up. Great!
After showering ( in the worst bathroom I have ever showered in in India) I set off to go and try do a little bit of exploring...but I have to be honest my heart was not in it. I was hot, angry and frustrated. Everyone said to me that travelling India was hard. But I scarcely took notice of it. How hard could it be compared to other countries? I mean really? How hard?
Extremely hard! I cant really explain it....but I will try...its the absolute poverty that is surrounding you ALL the time, the permeating smell of urine and rubbish, the visible filth that covers the streets, the insane traffic, the flies, the relentless unwanted attention, the constant spitting (Indian men chew tobacco here) .....it really is just one of the most unforgiving places I have ever been too. I was at this point where I just thought...I cant bare to even take another night bus.....maybe I should just fly straight to Bangkok.....it literally feels like ever city you go to is the same.....even when you are surrounded by beautiful scenery (Mount Abu) the down side is you are still confronted with poverty and filth.
I think the main reason I came to India was to find an ashram, learn self discipline, find some peace and some calm and just get to know myself better, so yes I felt mildly annoyed that things were not panning out the way that I had planned.
So I was walking brewing in my own anger and self pity when a Rickshaw man named Rakesh stopped to ask me if I wanted a lift. He had one of those bicycle Rickshaw's were he cycles you every where. I said no and just asked him to point me in the direction of the main road. Which he did and then proceed to follow me. Maybe he knew my determination would give in, which it did and he ended up giving me a ride. I then literally spent the next 2 hours with him as he peddled me around in the sweltering heat to the bank, tourist office and an Internet cafe (which I didn't use because it was appalling) and finally home all the while chattering happily to me. Half way home he stopped to show me his little tourist book that he had made with pictures of Jaipur sights and random photo's of his family and friends. He also had descriptions which he had written in perfect English, which he was very proud off. He was such a lovely, happy soul and I couldn't believe it when he told me that he worked this job 1-5pm and then went to work as a security guard at a local hotel from 9pm- 9am the next morning, every day. He said he only sleeps 2-3 hours a day in the morning. And yet the man had one of biggest happiest most genuine smiles I have ever seen. I felt mildly shamed as he dropped me off and asked me: "Are you happy? I am very happy to meet you!"
So with a little more determination to make the most of India I went upstairs to have a late lunch. It was here that I met a lovely English girl, Beth and her Chinese husband Bill. The oddest couple I have ever met but both incredibly sweet. They invited me to go to an Indian fair ground that evening that was about 45 minutes outside of the city. After eating my not so tasty pasta I went to shower and change and we set of.
45 minutes later, we arrived and no sooner had I paid to get in than I was in the toilet throwing up. The whole them park was beautiful, but we were at a bit of a loss as to what to actually do there. They had some dancers, some drummers, puppet shows, camel rides.....but I think the whole thing was more geared towards parents with children. I however found a lovely bench with cushions on it and simply lay down. It didn't phase me too much that I wasn't feeling well, because I could have been stuck at the hotel in the AWFUL dorm and that would have been far worse. As it was I literally lay there for an hour as the others walked around and just enjoyed the peacefulness of it all. The odd runs to the toilet were mearly getting rid of my obviously off dinner ( As every seasoned traveller know you don't order Western food in Foreign countries - This I DO know....not to sure why i didn't follow it though??) and soon it would be all out! I was happy! 7.30 came and the couple went to go have their dinner (included in the price) ...I chatted to a little Indian girl from Philadelphia who came an lay on the cushion next to me. She informed me with the cutest American accent that she too was sick...she had a cough. Before I knew it my vomiting was joined by 3 friends 'diarrhea' 'stomach cramps' and 'profuse sweating' By the time the other two came back I was literally soaking and could barely stand.....I had no idea how the hell I was going to get back to the hotel 45 minutes away. We got to the tuk-tuk man who had been waiting for us and Bill asked him if there was a hospital near by. Luckily there was an emergency centre not even 2 minutes away that he took us too. The doctor had this look on his face that said he has seen this a million times over but was never the less very nice. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he gave me a handful of pills to swallow when he knew I was throwing up....I just wanted to scream INJECT ME! INJECT ME!!! He also didn't seem to understand the concept that I was travelling by myself and ALONE, as he kept telling Bill and Beth what medication to give me and when. Trying to explain to him that they were leaving that night on a the 10.30 bus also didn't seem to help.
And here in lies the beauty of the whole night. Our tuk-tuk driver. Bless him! The absolute look of concern on this poor mans face made the entire experience worth going through. While waiting to get into the emergency centre there had been a power cut and I had sat down on the floor still sweating. He came over took Beth's jumper from her and started fanning me. He then came right into the doctors office and while the Doctor was busy giving Beth all her instructions, Tuk-Tuk man came up to me. Felt my pulse, and me head and then just stood there holding my arm. On the drive home we discovered just how fast a Tuk-tuk can really go....and we pretty much made it home in 25 minutes. At one point he pulled off the side of the road at a banana stand, because he had heard that the doctor said I should eat bananas. About 5 minutes from home we had to pull over as I hurled my lungs out again and started crying huge pitiful sobs and he just stood there rubbing my back, tutting away and handing me more water.
When we finally arrived back at the hotel the poor man looked like he was going to cry.... and I had to reassure him that I would be OK.
I then ended up having to take a room in the hotel across the road, because there was no way in hell I was going to be able to sleep in the dungeon. Within 20 minutes of me arriving I had both reception boys and really lovely Hindu lady come and check if I was OK. Wanting to know all my symptoms and to see what medicine I had.
And so I have spent my last 3 days pretty much recovering from it all and hence had no news, or no energy to even write anything.
But all is not lost because I have had a couple of profound realizations while staring at the ceiling for 2 days.
No1: My earache is gone! Yeheeee!
No2: I havent smoked for 2 weeks and have no intention of starting again!! Yeheeee!!
No3: As horrible as being sick in a foreign country can be I came to the conclusion that if if you are going to be sick any where in the world....India is the place to do it. After been sick in Turkey, Costa Rica and Spain....the concern and care given by Indian people is by far the best.
No4: On scanning the hotels second hand book shelf I found a copy of Mahatma Gandis autobiography, My experiments with truth' which I have always wanted to read. A truly amazing book written by an incredibly man, who himself struggled terribly with the uncleanliness of life in India....he however always forced himself to travel 3rd class, simply so he could experience what the poorer people had to live with. I have decided that I'm no Gandhi, and will definitely NOT be travelling 3rd class, but will try my hardest not to complain about travelling from this point on....(well I will will do my best;-)
and last but not least no 4: Maybe simply living the hardship of India, even for a couple of weeks is enough to make you appreciate how amazing our lives are and MAYBE India is not about amazing sights and scenery's...but simply its true beauty are the incredible, caring, happy people you meet on the way.
And that brings me to the end of my epic 4 days of boredom. I woke up today, headache free and ready to eat a proper meal...so I think I will be leaving Jaipur tomorrow night...all going well.
I have also come to realise this...as notorious as Indian people are for giving you attention...its usually when you you need it the most that you don't get it! Like for example, when you are standing in the rain with no umbrella and 18 kg of luggage on your back trying to get the guys attention to open the bus boot and he just completely ignores you and just keeps passing other passangers onto the bus. Or when you are so desperate for the toilet that you spend 5 minutes begging the bus driver to let you go at the pick up point and he continues to say no because apparently the next stop is the toilet stop. Why of course, who would have ever thought of making a toilet stop in a town...where there are actual toilets.....no far better to stop in the middle of no where and use what could only be describe as a 'Blare Witch house'in the pitch dark about 400 metres away from the road. At first I though he was kidding, apparently not. So I stumble out the bus and start to make my way down this ditch only to get about 1/6 th of the way down before I come to my senses and decide I am absolutely NOT going to go and squat in some deserted house, or even make it down the ditch in one piece...so yes much to my disgust I had to mid-ditch squat with a couple of very eager faces watching me from the windows. So feeling really exposed I tramped my urine soaked feet ( you try aiming in a ditch) back on the bus and into my already wet, (my window had been left open during the monsoon) crumb filled, mildly smelly sleeper bed. Thank God for small miracles the hooter on this bus was musical and the driver scarcely used it the entire trip.)
So as I said 13 hours later I arrived in Jaipur at what can only be described as the loveliest guest house I have seen so far. Just my luck it was also the only place that was fully booked. I agreed to wait till check out time to see if they had any vacancies. That was only another 3 hours of absolute filth to wait. Honest to God I have never in my life been as filthy and disgusting as I have been in India. It seems almost impossible to keep yourself clean here, even my finger nails have started to turn a putrid yellow colour...which I can only imagine is from all the Marsala I have been eating or due to the fact that I have barely seen communal soap anywhere!!!
So I lugged my tired and frustrated bones upstairs determined that there would be a place for me. While waiting I met an English girl in the lounge who was waithing for a doctor. She said that she had been sick for over a week. It says in the Lonely planet that 70% of travellers get sick in their frst two weeks in India, and realising that Monday was exactly 2 weeks for me I quietly did a little dance of joy! I had made it two weeks without getting sick!! "Go Gayle, you seasoned traveller you!!!!!! :-)"
After what seemed like the logest wait ever, they didn't have a room, but they did have a bed in their dormitory which I happily took. I have never had a problem sleeping in dorms.....until I saw this one. It was like a sweltering hot dungeon. I was sharing it with 6 other English girls, so it looked like a dungeon that a bomb had gone off in. I could barely even sit down there, let alone imagine how I was going to sleep. And the bathrooms where 3 flights of stairs up. Great!
After showering ( in the worst bathroom I have ever showered in in India) I set off to go and try do a little bit of exploring...but I have to be honest my heart was not in it. I was hot, angry and frustrated. Everyone said to me that travelling India was hard. But I scarcely took notice of it. How hard could it be compared to other countries? I mean really? How hard?
Extremely hard! I cant really explain it....but I will try...its the absolute poverty that is surrounding you ALL the time, the permeating smell of urine and rubbish, the visible filth that covers the streets, the insane traffic, the flies, the relentless unwanted attention, the constant spitting (Indian men chew tobacco here) .....it really is just one of the most unforgiving places I have ever been too. I was at this point where I just thought...I cant bare to even take another night bus.....maybe I should just fly straight to Bangkok.....it literally feels like ever city you go to is the same.....even when you are surrounded by beautiful scenery (Mount Abu) the down side is you are still confronted with poverty and filth.
I think the main reason I came to India was to find an ashram, learn self discipline, find some peace and some calm and just get to know myself better, so yes I felt mildly annoyed that things were not panning out the way that I had planned.
So I was walking brewing in my own anger and self pity when a Rickshaw man named Rakesh stopped to ask me if I wanted a lift. He had one of those bicycle Rickshaw's were he cycles you every where. I said no and just asked him to point me in the direction of the main road. Which he did and then proceed to follow me. Maybe he knew my determination would give in, which it did and he ended up giving me a ride. I then literally spent the next 2 hours with him as he peddled me around in the sweltering heat to the bank, tourist office and an Internet cafe (which I didn't use because it was appalling) and finally home all the while chattering happily to me. Half way home he stopped to show me his little tourist book that he had made with pictures of Jaipur sights and random photo's of his family and friends. He also had descriptions which he had written in perfect English, which he was very proud off. He was such a lovely, happy soul and I couldn't believe it when he told me that he worked this job 1-5pm and then went to work as a security guard at a local hotel from 9pm- 9am the next morning, every day. He said he only sleeps 2-3 hours a day in the morning. And yet the man had one of biggest happiest most genuine smiles I have ever seen. I felt mildly shamed as he dropped me off and asked me: "Are you happy? I am very happy to meet you!"
So with a little more determination to make the most of India I went upstairs to have a late lunch. It was here that I met a lovely English girl, Beth and her Chinese husband Bill. The oddest couple I have ever met but both incredibly sweet. They invited me to go to an Indian fair ground that evening that was about 45 minutes outside of the city. After eating my not so tasty pasta I went to shower and change and we set of.
45 minutes later, we arrived and no sooner had I paid to get in than I was in the toilet throwing up. The whole them park was beautiful, but we were at a bit of a loss as to what to actually do there. They had some dancers, some drummers, puppet shows, camel rides.....but I think the whole thing was more geared towards parents with children. I however found a lovely bench with cushions on it and simply lay down. It didn't phase me too much that I wasn't feeling well, because I could have been stuck at the hotel in the AWFUL dorm and that would have been far worse. As it was I literally lay there for an hour as the others walked around and just enjoyed the peacefulness of it all. The odd runs to the toilet were mearly getting rid of my obviously off dinner ( As every seasoned traveller know you don't order Western food in Foreign countries - This I DO know....not to sure why i didn't follow it though??) and soon it would be all out! I was happy! 7.30 came and the couple went to go have their dinner (included in the price) ...I chatted to a little Indian girl from Philadelphia who came an lay on the cushion next to me. She informed me with the cutest American accent that she too was sick...she had a cough. Before I knew it my vomiting was joined by 3 friends 'diarrhea' 'stomach cramps' and 'profuse sweating' By the time the other two came back I was literally soaking and could barely stand.....I had no idea how the hell I was going to get back to the hotel 45 minutes away. We got to the tuk-tuk man who had been waiting for us and Bill asked him if there was a hospital near by. Luckily there was an emergency centre not even 2 minutes away that he took us too. The doctor had this look on his face that said he has seen this a million times over but was never the less very nice. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he gave me a handful of pills to swallow when he knew I was throwing up....I just wanted to scream INJECT ME! INJECT ME!!! He also didn't seem to understand the concept that I was travelling by myself and ALONE, as he kept telling Bill and Beth what medication to give me and when. Trying to explain to him that they were leaving that night on a the 10.30 bus also didn't seem to help.
And here in lies the beauty of the whole night. Our tuk-tuk driver. Bless him! The absolute look of concern on this poor mans face made the entire experience worth going through. While waiting to get into the emergency centre there had been a power cut and I had sat down on the floor still sweating. He came over took Beth's jumper from her and started fanning me. He then came right into the doctors office and while the Doctor was busy giving Beth all her instructions, Tuk-Tuk man came up to me. Felt my pulse, and me head and then just stood there holding my arm. On the drive home we discovered just how fast a Tuk-tuk can really go....and we pretty much made it home in 25 minutes. At one point he pulled off the side of the road at a banana stand, because he had heard that the doctor said I should eat bananas. About 5 minutes from home we had to pull over as I hurled my lungs out again and started crying huge pitiful sobs and he just stood there rubbing my back, tutting away and handing me more water.
When we finally arrived back at the hotel the poor man looked like he was going to cry.... and I had to reassure him that I would be OK.
I then ended up having to take a room in the hotel across the road, because there was no way in hell I was going to be able to sleep in the dungeon. Within 20 minutes of me arriving I had both reception boys and really lovely Hindu lady come and check if I was OK. Wanting to know all my symptoms and to see what medicine I had.
And so I have spent my last 3 days pretty much recovering from it all and hence had no news, or no energy to even write anything.
But all is not lost because I have had a couple of profound realizations while staring at the ceiling for 2 days.
No1: My earache is gone! Yeheeee!
No2: I havent smoked for 2 weeks and have no intention of starting again!! Yeheeee!!
No3: As horrible as being sick in a foreign country can be I came to the conclusion that if if you are going to be sick any where in the world....India is the place to do it. After been sick in Turkey, Costa Rica and Spain....the concern and care given by Indian people is by far the best.
No4: On scanning the hotels second hand book shelf I found a copy of Mahatma Gandis autobiography, My experiments with truth' which I have always wanted to read. A truly amazing book written by an incredibly man, who himself struggled terribly with the uncleanliness of life in India....he however always forced himself to travel 3rd class, simply so he could experience what the poorer people had to live with. I have decided that I'm no Gandhi, and will definitely NOT be travelling 3rd class, but will try my hardest not to complain about travelling from this point on....(well I will will do my best;-)
and last but not least no 4: Maybe simply living the hardship of India, even for a couple of weeks is enough to make you appreciate how amazing our lives are and MAYBE India is not about amazing sights and scenery's...but simply its true beauty are the incredible, caring, happy people you meet on the way.
And that brings me to the end of my epic 4 days of boredom. I woke up today, headache free and ready to eat a proper meal...so I think I will be leaving Jaipur tomorrow night...all going well.
Sunday, 8 August 2010
....I'm still alive!
So just a quick update for all my followers that had a sleepless night last night due to my ear woes, (namely my mum:-) Woke up this morning only to discover I no longer needed to touch my ear to feel pain...it was just plain painful. Checked out of my room, miserable, ate breakfast even more miserably and eventually decided, being the mild hypochondriac that I am , I do indeed need doctors. My friendly taxi Man, Sittarm, arrived as prebooked to take me to my meditation course ( the one I decided to ax yesterday) and I asked him to take me to the Global Hospital instead. He informed me on the way over there that he liked having me as a friend....which I thought was rather sweet, but only just egged on the massive tidal wave of tears that I was holding back. Lets see the whole hospital experience probably took about 10 minutes in total....enough time for the very sweet lady doctor to inform an overwrought Gayle there was no infection and that no, I wasn't going to die. Apparently my ear simply has a cold. (No bite marks mum, just a cold!) I was given a prescription for antihistamine's and some pain killers for which I paid a grand total of RS 31. On leaving the hospital I discovered, much to my excitement that they had a beautiful, secluded garden with a swingy chair in it.
I was able to sit down and simply enjoy the beauty of Mount Abu for a whole hour...it was amazing! So all drugged up and with some much needed RR I felt a lot more ready to face the world. Spent the afternoon at a Mind, body, Spirit seminar which was ok. Nothing to write home about. And then came back home. I think I am ready to leave Mount Abu!
Sittarm is coming to fetch me at 5.30 and we are going to go and visit Satnav on our way to dropping me at the bus station. (heres hoping satnav is still alive!) Im getting the nightbus to Jaipur tonight! My ear is feeling a lot better and there is ever indiction that I WILL make a full recovery!
I was able to sit down and simply enjoy the beauty of Mount Abu for a whole hour...it was amazing! So all drugged up and with some much needed RR I felt a lot more ready to face the world. Spent the afternoon at a Mind, body, Spirit seminar which was ok. Nothing to write home about. And then came back home. I think I am ready to leave Mount Abu!
Sittarm is coming to fetch me at 5.30 and we are going to go and visit Satnav on our way to dropping me at the bus station. (heres hoping satnav is still alive!) Im getting the nightbus to Jaipur tonight! My ear is feeling a lot better and there is ever indiction that I WILL make a full recovery!
Saturday, 7 August 2010
....and now???
I have just realised that today is Saturday, and tomorrow will be two weeks since I left. How do I feel, well if today is anything to go by absolutely emotionally exhausted. Everything is just so intense, and so full on all the time.
I spent most of the day with a sore ear, which I have only just figured out is a Mosquito bite....due to my wonderful googling skills, who needs a doctor?? to be honest it only really hurts when I touch it...but I keep touching it to see if it still hurts, which it does...so that means it pretty much hurts all the time!!
Lets face it after the high of 'Saint Gayle' day yesterday, 'Super Saver of Small puppies' there was bound to be an adjustment falling back into mere mortal existence!
So I started with my meditation course this morning, which wasn't so much a meditation course but a mini teaching from a female monk! She was a lovely friendly old lady who sat me down, gave me a pen to make notes and started to talk. After a couple of minutes she clearly felt I wasn't taking my note taking seriously enough and so she confiscated my pen and paper and started making the notes for me. The talk was for an hour, with the next one at 4pm. I pretty much agreed with most of what she was saying, but I wasn't really allowed to talk much. (A hard feat for me at the best of times.)
I was then told to away and learn all she had told me in time for our next session at 4. Sounded easier enough, after all I had 5 hours. So I found a small cafe where I thought I could get a quiet Chai and read my book (....um...I mean learn my notes) Think again. There was this massive family of about 12-14 sitting at a long table, and before I knew what was happening the girls had all come over to me, sat down and just started giggling.
Then their translator appeared a young boy of about 16 who started filling me in on the entire family history...."Mother", "brothers", "granny", "sister"!!!
And then of course more photo's of all of them!!
It never ceases to amaze me their absolute fascination with cameras.
About 20minutes later they all left, with me promising yet again to send them copies of their photo's....
After that I went to another Jain temple, pretty similar to the Marble one in Janapur and then I only had 4 hours left till my next lesson. What to do, what to do? Sore head, grumpy demeanor and people stopping me every 5 minutes for photographs!
As beautiful as Mount Abu is the relentless curiosity of everyone means you cant simply just sit down and enjoy. So I decided that I definitely was not going to be able to take another 2days of this,
and that I would have to go and make my apologies to my teacher lady. I was really hoping that she wouldn't be there in person, but she was and trying to explain to her why I didn't want to finish the 3 day course wasn't really easy. Eventually she said she would do it quickly for me....which I didn't have the heart to say no to, she was so sweet. So I sat and listened for another 40 minutes or so until at last she said. "Now you ask questions...." I started : "Well its just I feel....." and off she went again explaining what she had already explained 5 minutes before, and 2 hours before that. At this point I simply nodded smiled and listened!! I came away quite proud that I am clearly a lot more knowledgeable about spirituality that I give myself credit for....
And thus brings an end to my day. I tried to be adventures earlier and go and eat in a restaurant I had read about, but when I eventually found it (this city is a maze) I was highly disappointed so ended up going back to the place I went to last night. Felt like having something normal so ordered a pizza with double cheese. What I got was a really tasty squashed bread roll with cheese. Felt even more disappointed and left. Came home, googled ear symptoms....(just to make sure it wasn't fatal) ..thought about how nice it would be to have decent conversation with someone (its been over a week now) (idiots last night don't count) Went up stairs, packed....brushed teeth, sat on bed...looked at time....DAM only 8.30pm. Too early to go to bed, can't call anyone, cant smoke!!!! (Its been a week now too) Eventually decided to come and annoy my loved ones with a mundane, "I don't have anything to say other than "I am bored out of my scull email!!!"
And I do believe that's exactly what I have done!:-)
At times its pretty lonely been a lone traveler...but tomorrow is another day!:-)
Prayers and thoughts for sore ear please!!!
I spent most of the day with a sore ear, which I have only just figured out is a Mosquito bite....due to my wonderful googling skills, who needs a doctor?? to be honest it only really hurts when I touch it...but I keep touching it to see if it still hurts, which it does...so that means it pretty much hurts all the time!!
Lets face it after the high of 'Saint Gayle' day yesterday, 'Super Saver of Small puppies' there was bound to be an adjustment falling back into mere mortal existence!
So I started with my meditation course this morning, which wasn't so much a meditation course but a mini teaching from a female monk! She was a lovely friendly old lady who sat me down, gave me a pen to make notes and started to talk. After a couple of minutes she clearly felt I wasn't taking my note taking seriously enough and so she confiscated my pen and paper and started making the notes for me. The talk was for an hour, with the next one at 4pm. I pretty much agreed with most of what she was saying, but I wasn't really allowed to talk much. (A hard feat for me at the best of times.)
I was then told to away and learn all she had told me in time for our next session at 4. Sounded easier enough, after all I had 5 hours. So I found a small cafe where I thought I could get a quiet Chai and read my book (....um...I mean learn my notes) Think again. There was this massive family of about 12-14 sitting at a long table, and before I knew what was happening the girls had all come over to me, sat down and just started giggling.
Then their translator appeared a young boy of about 16 who started filling me in on the entire family history...."Mother", "brothers", "granny", "sister"!!!
And then of course more photo's of all of them!!
It never ceases to amaze me their absolute fascination with cameras.
After that I went to another Jain temple, pretty similar to the Marble one in Janapur and then I only had 4 hours left till my next lesson. What to do, what to do? Sore head, grumpy demeanor and people stopping me every 5 minutes for photographs!
and that I would have to go and make my apologies to my teacher lady. I was really hoping that she wouldn't be there in person, but she was and trying to explain to her why I didn't want to finish the 3 day course wasn't really easy. Eventually she said she would do it quickly for me....which I didn't have the heart to say no to, she was so sweet. So I sat and listened for another 40 minutes or so until at last she said. "Now you ask questions...." I started : "Well its just I feel....." and off she went again explaining what she had already explained 5 minutes before, and 2 hours before that. At this point I simply nodded smiled and listened!! I came away quite proud that I am clearly a lot more knowledgeable about spirituality that I give myself credit for....
And thus brings an end to my day. I tried to be adventures earlier and go and eat in a restaurant I had read about, but when I eventually found it (this city is a maze) I was highly disappointed so ended up going back to the place I went to last night. Felt like having something normal so ordered a pizza with double cheese. What I got was a really tasty squashed bread roll with cheese. Felt even more disappointed and left. Came home, googled ear symptoms....(just to make sure it wasn't fatal) ..thought about how nice it would be to have decent conversation with someone (its been over a week now) (idiots last night don't count) Went up stairs, packed....brushed teeth, sat on bed...looked at time....DAM only 8.30pm. Too early to go to bed, can't call anyone, cant smoke!!!! (Its been a week now too) Eventually decided to come and annoy my loved ones with a mundane, "I don't have anything to say other than "I am bored out of my scull email!!!"
And I do believe that's exactly what I have done!:-)
At times its pretty lonely been a lone traveler...but tomorrow is another day!:-)
Prayers and thoughts for sore ear please!!!
Friday, 6 August 2010
See a man about a dog?
Ok so just had the weirdest dinner with two Americans I met this morning! What is it with some men and their obsession with food??? How can you possibly have a whole conversation over food? Im at a COMPLETE loss?
OK I admit it.....when I travel...I am not particularly adventurous when it comes to food. In fact I'll even admit at times I can be down right plain boring...food simply serves 2 purposes for me....fill me up and not make me sick!! Traveling by myself means I don't have the luxury of eating off someone elses plate if I don't like my meal, or knowing that I will have someone to look after me if I get sick!! After a day out alone, I tend to find a local that I feel comfortable and relaxed in and simply go there! I like my food like I like my music...on repeat till I get bored of it!! SO bloody sue me!!! I am not, and never will be, one of those people who takes photographs of their food....absolutely NOTHING wrong with that mind you...but its just not me. Anyway my 2 new "friends" seemed to think I am missing out on the whole point of traveling, trying to explain to them that I have more interest in people, than food only made things worse and the conversation went from boring to overly condescending and just plain uncomfortable. We arrived back at the hotel and one of them awkwardly said they have to go and finish watching a movie...I felt like saying "DUDE by all means please, GO!!"
Ok rant over...but you do meet some odd people while are traveling....
So mount Abu is absolutely beautiful. I pretty much spent the whole day just walking around....in the rain. I went to visit a spiritual college that run free courses on meditation and decided to do that for the next 3 days. I desperately wanted to go to an Ashram while I am in India, something about waking up at 5 am to mediate both intrigues me and petrifies me....but now that I have found this option am thinking it seems a lot less daunting...and maybe a good first 'baby' step for me. The course is for 2 hours a day starting at 10 am....
Mount Abu is mainly an Indian holiday resort so I had loads of tourist coming up to me today asking if they could take my photo....At one point when I was visiting a Hindu temple there was big group of about 8 boys (well I say boys....18 year olds maybe) and I had to stand and smile with each and every one of them....after wards while I was walking back to the main road one of them came up to me and did the usual spiel, "whats your name?" "where you from? " ......"Can I have kiss?" Ok the last question was a first, and he got a very firm "NO!" " Just small Kiss?" Obviously NOT firm enough! "NOOOOOOOO!!"
I have to say children are like angels for me....most of the conversations I end up having always start with the kids.
I met a family in one of the museums. Grandparents, daughters and grandchildren who are all visiting from Dehli. The Grandmother is a Sufi singer and has traveled all over South Africa singing. They were really lovely and have insisted that when I go to Dehli I go stay with them, which I would absolutely love.
And now for my BIGGEST adventure of the day!!!!! On the way back to my hotel I walked passed this puppy just sitting on the road. I literally didn't think anything of it, because in India you pretty soon get used to the hundreds of dogs everywhere. I had walked past about a hundred meters when the poor thing lets out this massive yelp, which I thought was quite odd. I turned around and tried to call him to me....but he still just sat there starring. On walking back I discovered that he had been hit by a car and neither of his back legs where working. It was the most heart breaking thing to see. The poor little thing was covered in flees, sopping wet and just shivering. No sooner than I put my hand out did he just nusselled into my hand and close his eyes. I sat with him for a little bit and a man passed who muttered something about " no medical, just leave" I contemplated moving him off the road...but even I know moving a hurt dog is not the safest thing to do...especially in India (see I do have SOME common sense) and so I had no choice but to leave him!!!;-( It was absolutely awful. As I started walking away he tried to follow me, by dragging his back legs behind him! But he was too weak and in too much pain to get very far! I walked home absolutely miserable and went to my local for lunch were I was spoke to the owner Phoonam. Imagine my elation when he mentioned that they do have an animal hospital. He explained to me that it was just up the road, next to the petrol pump, a 5 minute walk, so Florence Nightin "Gayle" put her lunch on hold and decided to go puppy saving! I walked for about 5 minutes and still hadn't found any petrol pump. Another two minutes later I stopped a cab and asked him. He pointed in the the direction and offered to take me for RS50 (the going rate in this town....I declined and he then dropped to RS30 and I thought what the hell...I'm on a mission!! I got in the car. We drove down the road, up the road, around a traffic circle, up another road, down another road..and low and behold another 15 roads and 5 minutes later I saw the petrol pump. Lesson learned: When next Mount Abu resident says you can walk there...YOU can't!
So we drove into what can only be described as a huge allotment with a delapitaded and deserted old house on it.
The door was open and there was a medical counter inside it that looked like it was from the stone age. I called out a bit and eventually lovely taxi man, Sittarm, who I think was mildly intrigued by strange white women's mission to save puppy came to help me.....3 more houses down we managed to locate the door that housed the 'vet' We knocked and waited, knocked and waited....eventually heard a muffled voice and taxi man shouted something. It was all rather eery and I half expected a traditionally dressed witch doctor to fling open the door. But alas was simply just normal friendly man eating his lunch. He said he would send his colleague to go with us and he would come in half an hour! So we were sent back to the main house to wait for his friend. Which we did, for about half an hour. Our angel of mercy arrived carrying an Alsatian puppy, that was the most beautiful thing ever....but when he put him down, it looked like his spine had been broken, because his one back leg was completely lame and the other one barely worked. But amazingly this little thing still managed to run around quite happily yapping at flowers and the other 2 dogs that were 3 times his size. I tried to ask what had happened to him and the man replied, direaha. Mmmmmmm....not to sure the affects of diarrhea are that crippling...
And so we had our man and off we set. Sittarm and I had already 'sort of' discussed where I had seen the little thing on the map. We arrived at the road and which was now closed for cars and ended up having to walk the rest of the way. I was desperately looking for clues that I was even on the right road, and praying to God that he was still there, and alive!!
Eventually we rounded the corner and I saw the house that I recognized and there on the side of the road was a wet, cold and still shivering little "Satnav' (I named him on the walk)
The vet's assistant looked at him, and gave him 2 injections., which I could only imagine were for pain or to put him to sleep. I then just sat with him for about 10 minutes until other vet guy came zooming in on his little vet scooter. More discussion, to which I was clueless...and they picked up Satnav and zoomed off!! I can only hope that they will be able to save him, but even if they just put him to sleep...anything is better than simply freezing to death by the side of the road in pain. Sittarm and myself then walked back to the car both feeling mildly elated at our heroic efforts. As my mum said to me the other day, you can't make a difference to everyone but you can make a difference to one! If this is just a glimpse of how Mother Teresa felt her whole life, then she must have been one hell of a happy women!;-)
Am not quite ready for Sainthood yet....but feel free to address me as Saint Gayle, should you so desire!!!;-)
OK I admit it.....when I travel...I am not particularly adventurous when it comes to food. In fact I'll even admit at times I can be down right plain boring...food simply serves 2 purposes for me....fill me up and not make me sick!! Traveling by myself means I don't have the luxury of eating off someone elses plate if I don't like my meal, or knowing that I will have someone to look after me if I get sick!! After a day out alone, I tend to find a local that I feel comfortable and relaxed in and simply go there! I like my food like I like my music...on repeat till I get bored of it!! SO bloody sue me!!! I am not, and never will be, one of those people who takes photographs of their food....absolutely NOTHING wrong with that mind you...but its just not me. Anyway my 2 new "friends" seemed to think I am missing out on the whole point of traveling, trying to explain to them that I have more interest in people, than food only made things worse and the conversation went from boring to overly condescending and just plain uncomfortable. We arrived back at the hotel and one of them awkwardly said they have to go and finish watching a movie...I felt like saying "DUDE by all means please, GO!!"
Ok rant over...but you do meet some odd people while are traveling....
So mount Abu is absolutely beautiful. I pretty much spent the whole day just walking around....in the rain. I went to visit a spiritual college that run free courses on meditation and decided to do that for the next 3 days. I desperately wanted to go to an Ashram while I am in India, something about waking up at 5 am to mediate both intrigues me and petrifies me....but now that I have found this option am thinking it seems a lot less daunting...and maybe a good first 'baby' step for me. The course is for 2 hours a day starting at 10 am....
Mount Abu is mainly an Indian holiday resort so I had loads of tourist coming up to me today asking if they could take my photo....At one point when I was visiting a Hindu temple there was big group of about 8 boys (well I say boys....18 year olds maybe) and I had to stand and smile with each and every one of them....after wards while I was walking back to the main road one of them came up to me and did the usual spiel, "whats your name?" "where you from? " ......"Can I have kiss?" Ok the last question was a first, and he got a very firm "NO!" " Just small Kiss?" Obviously NOT firm enough! "NOOOOOOOO!!"
I have to say children are like angels for me....most of the conversations I end up having always start with the kids.
I met a family in one of the museums. Grandparents, daughters and grandchildren who are all visiting from Dehli. The Grandmother is a Sufi singer and has traveled all over South Africa singing. They were really lovely and have insisted that when I go to Dehli I go stay with them, which I would absolutely love.And now for my BIGGEST adventure of the day!!!!! On the way back to my hotel I walked passed this puppy just sitting on the road. I literally didn't think anything of it, because in India you pretty soon get used to the hundreds of dogs everywhere. I had walked past about a hundred meters when the poor thing lets out this massive yelp, which I thought was quite odd. I turned around and tried to call him to me....but he still just sat there starring. On walking back I discovered that he had been hit by a car and neither of his back legs where working. It was the most heart breaking thing to see. The poor little thing was covered in flees, sopping wet and just shivering. No sooner than I put my hand out did he just nusselled into my hand and close his eyes. I sat with him for a little bit and a man passed who muttered something about " no medical, just leave" I contemplated moving him off the road...but even I know moving a hurt dog is not the safest thing to do...especially in India (see I do have SOME common sense) and so I had no choice but to leave him!!!;-( It was absolutely awful. As I started walking away he tried to follow me, by dragging his back legs behind him! But he was too weak and in too much pain to get very far! I walked home absolutely miserable and went to my local for lunch were I was spoke to the owner Phoonam. Imagine my elation when he mentioned that they do have an animal hospital. He explained to me that it was just up the road, next to the petrol pump, a 5 minute walk, so Florence Nightin "Gayle" put her lunch on hold and decided to go puppy saving! I walked for about 5 minutes and still hadn't found any petrol pump. Another two minutes later I stopped a cab and asked him. He pointed in the the direction and offered to take me for RS50 (the going rate in this town....I declined and he then dropped to RS30 and I thought what the hell...I'm on a mission!! I got in the car. We drove down the road, up the road, around a traffic circle, up another road, down another road..and low and behold another 15 roads and 5 minutes later I saw the petrol pump. Lesson learned: When next Mount Abu resident says you can walk there...YOU can't!
So we drove into what can only be described as a huge allotment with a delapitaded and deserted old house on it.
The door was open and there was a medical counter inside it that looked like it was from the stone age. I called out a bit and eventually lovely taxi man, Sittarm, who I think was mildly intrigued by strange white women's mission to save puppy came to help me.....3 more houses down we managed to locate the door that housed the 'vet' We knocked and waited, knocked and waited....eventually heard a muffled voice and taxi man shouted something. It was all rather eery and I half expected a traditionally dressed witch doctor to fling open the door. But alas was simply just normal friendly man eating his lunch. He said he would send his colleague to go with us and he would come in half an hour! So we were sent back to the main house to wait for his friend. Which we did, for about half an hour. Our angel of mercy arrived carrying an Alsatian puppy, that was the most beautiful thing ever....but when he put him down, it looked like his spine had been broken, because his one back leg was completely lame and the other one barely worked. But amazingly this little thing still managed to run around quite happily yapping at flowers and the other 2 dogs that were 3 times his size. I tried to ask what had happened to him and the man replied, direaha. Mmmmmmm....not to sure the affects of diarrhea are that crippling...And so we had our man and off we set. Sittarm and I had already 'sort of' discussed where I had seen the little thing on the map. We arrived at the road and which was now closed for cars and ended up having to walk the rest of the way. I was desperately looking for clues that I was even on the right road, and praying to God that he was still there, and alive!!
Eventually we rounded the corner and I saw the house that I recognized and there on the side of the road was a wet, cold and still shivering little "Satnav' (I named him on the walk)
The vet's assistant looked at him, and gave him 2 injections., which I could only imagine were for pain or to put him to sleep. I then just sat with him for about 10 minutes until other vet guy came zooming in on his little vet scooter. More discussion, to which I was clueless...and they picked up Satnav and zoomed off!! I can only hope that they will be able to save him, but even if they just put him to sleep...anything is better than simply freezing to death by the side of the road in pain. Sittarm and myself then walked back to the car both feeling mildly elated at our heroic efforts. As my mum said to me the other day, you can't make a difference to everyone but you can make a difference to one! If this is just a glimpse of how Mother Teresa felt her whole life, then she must have been one hell of a happy women!;-)
Am not quite ready for Sainthood yet....but feel free to address me as Saint Gayle, should you so desire!!!;-)
Thursday, 5 August 2010
When I grow up....
I cant believe I am actually eating curry, and loving it, Anna Spanner would be well impressed!;-)
So arrived in Mount Abu about an hour ago, much to the dismay of all my new friends in Udaipur....who couldn't quite figure out why I wanted to go to a honeymoon spot? Trying to explain to them that I wasn't going to miss out out on a beautiful city simply because I was single fell on deaf ears. And their insistence that Udaipur was 100 times more beautiful and that I should stay another day also fell on deaf ears.
My last day in Udaipur ( am deeply concerned mum and dad at your joint inability to still find it on the map, 4 days after I arrived..shocking!!!!!;-) ..look forward to hearing you have found it soon! Rajasthan area, up North!!!) ...anyway were was I...had a pretty chilled last day, packed up went to visit Yogi and Raj again, and spent about an hour playing with Yogi's jewelry. I then decided that as a matter of principle I really should buy SOMETHING...seen as he has kept me entertained for 3days and NOT once tried to sell me anything......had pretty much fallen in love with a Smokey Topaz ring I had seen when I first arrived there. It cost a whole days traveling, and double the amount of my clothes shopping spree, but on principle I felt I needed to by it!! So I did. And i love it....will stay indoors my last day in India:-)
Yogi, must have then taken pity on this poor traveler stressing over a couple of hundred Rupees and threw in a toe ring as a gift!! Was well pleased and mildly embarrassed!
Yogi then took me to his little boys school and I actually got some photo's this time.
The journey up here was absolutely magical, I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the landscape is. I tried endlessly to capture bits of it on camera but.....in a moving bus ...its like catching a rainbow. I did how ever have an epiphany...and here it is.....when I grow up I'm going to be a photographer!!! (For real;-) I will however, need one of those big-arse fancy camera's...with zoom and everything! As much as I love my camera.....I'd prefer to not have to get sooo close to my subjects while photographing them - ummmm especially when they are deranged monkeys! The other day when that creature stole my drink, this other tourist whipped out her massive camera and took loads of photos from the other side of the street!!! ( I had such HUGE camera envy, can't even begin to tell you!) So as a matter of safety, plus the fact that they make that really cool 'clicky' noise and so that I will feel even MORE like the self-professed "seasoned traveler" that I am, I have come up with a plan! Mum and dad...thought I would give you a heads up....Christmas is coming, I know you are are already wondering what to get your favorite daughter!! I figure a decent camera only costs about R5000. So dad if you start cutting out some coupons now and mum you double your baking output.....you will probably be able to afford it!! Thanks I cant WAIT!!!! :-)
And on that note, I think I m going to go and sleep, in my really cheap room...RS300, might have to stay here a couple of days to counteract the Udaipur shopping sprees!
Lotsa Love, miss you all!!!
x
So arrived in Mount Abu about an hour ago, much to the dismay of all my new friends in Udaipur....who couldn't quite figure out why I wanted to go to a honeymoon spot? Trying to explain to them that I wasn't going to miss out out on a beautiful city simply because I was single fell on deaf ears. And their insistence that Udaipur was 100 times more beautiful and that I should stay another day also fell on deaf ears.
My last day in Udaipur ( am deeply concerned mum and dad at your joint inability to still find it on the map, 4 days after I arrived..shocking!!!!!;-) ..look forward to hearing you have found it soon! Rajasthan area, up North!!!) ...anyway were was I...had a pretty chilled last day, packed up went to visit Yogi and Raj again, and spent about an hour playing with Yogi's jewelry. I then decided that as a matter of principle I really should buy SOMETHING...seen as he has kept me entertained for 3days and NOT once tried to sell me anything......had pretty much fallen in love with a Smokey Topaz ring I had seen when I first arrived there. It cost a whole days traveling, and double the amount of my clothes shopping spree, but on principle I felt I needed to by it!! So I did. And i love it....will stay indoors my last day in India:-)
Yogi, must have then taken pity on this poor traveler stressing over a couple of hundred Rupees and threw in a toe ring as a gift!! Was well pleased and mildly embarrassed!
Yogi then took me to his little boys school and I actually got some photo's this time.
The journey up here was absolutely magical, I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the landscape is. I tried endlessly to capture bits of it on camera but.....in a moving bus ...its like catching a rainbow. I did how ever have an epiphany...and here it is.....when I grow up I'm going to be a photographer!!! (For real;-) I will however, need one of those big-arse fancy camera's...with zoom and everything! As much as I love my camera.....I'd prefer to not have to get sooo close to my subjects while photographing them - ummmm especially when they are deranged monkeys! The other day when that creature stole my drink, this other tourist whipped out her massive camera and took loads of photos from the other side of the street!!! ( I had such HUGE camera envy, can't even begin to tell you!) So as a matter of safety, plus the fact that they make that really cool 'clicky' noise and so that I will feel even MORE like the self-professed "seasoned traveler" that I am, I have come up with a plan! Mum and dad...thought I would give you a heads up....Christmas is coming, I know you are are already wondering what to get your favorite daughter!! I figure a decent camera only costs about R5000. So dad if you start cutting out some coupons now and mum you double your baking output.....you will probably be able to afford it!! Thanks I cant WAIT!!!! :-)
And on that note, I think I m going to go and sleep, in my really cheap room...RS300, might have to stay here a couple of days to counteract the Udaipur shopping sprees!
Lotsa Love, miss you all!!!
x
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
It's all in a smile!
(I simply came to use the Internet and the Evil tailor opposite lured me into his shop again. Walked out 10 minutes later with another new pair of pants, at the discount rate of RS200 - Just for me!!! He knows I'm leaving tomorrow so I will have to take a detour so as not to to be sucked in again! I must say my latest purchase is my best ever...clearly my taste is improving as I type;-)
So today I visited a place called Ranakpur. Its a 3 hour local bus journey there and 3 hours back. My plan was to wake up at the crack of dawn and head out there for the whole day. My plan failed horribly due to the fact that I completely slept through both alarms and only crawled out of bed at 9.30am (Shocking I know!) In my defense I blame the dog seance that took place right outside my window last night. It was awful....it literally sounded like ever single animal that was living in Uidapur decided to get together and protest!
(Needless to say I didn't have time for breakfast and quickly made my way down to the local bus station....all was not lost as I would catch the bus at 11, be there by one and could have at least 2 hours to look around before I headed back.)
Everything was going well as I climbed on the most dilapidated bus ever at 11.30. Sitting right at the back of the bus was another lone-traveler, (Imagine my excitement!) That is, of course, until I realized that he was one of those before mentioned "not so friendly travelers" that had absolutely no intention of continuing a conversation with me!
So content to sit by myself in silence for the next 3 hours ( I can do it, you know!) we set off. We had been traveling, mmmmmmmmm about 9 minutes when our lovely bus got a flat. Great! We all sat there for a while and then I stumbled out of the bus to try and figure out what the next plan of action was going to be? All the men where just standing around.... so what now? We wait? We change tire? No one seemed to be able to tell me anything other than "flat!" "flat!", (that much I had already figured out) All of a sudden another bus came over the hill and the new plan became very clear, run!!! There was a massive stampede of people as everyone filtered off the broken down bus and onto the new bus. Luckily for me my long, agile legs came in handy and I managed to get a seat in the new and mildly more comfortable bus. Was sitting there feeling rather proud of myself when I noticed my poor french traveler friend hadn't been able to get a seat. I couldn't help but think: "Had he been friendly I would automatically have saved him a seat, but alas he hadn't and in the scramble for seats I completely forgot about him. And here in lies the lesson: "Always be friendly because you never know who might keep you a seat on the bus!" I sincerely hoped that the poor man wasn't going to be standing for the next 3 bumpy hours!!!
Ok so we finally arrived at Ranakpur and I was planning on having a bite to eat and then going to look at the temple....needless to say Ranakpur IS the temple and a seedy looking cafe selling sweets, cool drink and chewing tobacco...that's it! So no breakfast or lunch...I had to buy a packet of Bon bons to keep me going (they probably would have too, if the mad security guard women hadn't confiscated them from me!)
The temple was definitely one of the most beautiful works of craftmanship I have ever seen. The entire temple is carved from white-milked marble and consist of 29 halls, supported by 1444 pillars, all intricately carved, not a single pillar is the same.
It truly was worth the 6 hour trek to see.
And so I spent in total about an hour looking around and decided to head back. While waiting for my bus at the seedy cafe I literally bumped into the scariest, most demented baboon/monkey-like thing, just sitting there with his family. Got the absolute fright of my life....while various people warned me: "very dangerous, very dangerous!" (I needed no such warnings.)
So I bought my 7up and headed over to the oooooooooother side of the road, as far away from it as possible. I was sitting looking at my photo's when I suddenly saw this deranged animal bee-lining straight for me. Being the big girl that I am,I screamed, jumped up and ran and hid behind some poor Indian man that was standing there...(God only knows how I expected him to save me?;-) But as it so happened the frightful animal had no interest in a tall, gangly white person...and had simply wanted my 7 up - which I had left on the road. He then proceeded to pick it up, smash it 4 times, till it broke and then drank MY drink with his entire family! I did at this point manage to get some good photo's so I guess it was RS25 well spent!;-)
On the bus trip back I sat at the back of the bus near to what I can only describe as quite a scary looking man that kept on staring at me. I was busy minding my own business once again looking at my photo's from the day when he suddenly scootched up the 6 seats between us and literally put his head over my shoulder to see the photo's. (Bless, some people truly are bewilded by a camera) I showed him all the pictures from the temple and he showed me the most beautiful, half toothed smile which made him look a lot less scary looking!
I asked him If I could take his picture, but like so many other people I have tried to photograph...as soon as the camera is up the smile disappears. I tried a couple of times to get him to smile but to no avail. So I had to settle for a rather somber looking photo and the smile for myself!
I realize that in my last blog I described Udaipur quite "quaintly", but after heading out today I realize that the part I am staying in is the old part of the city, now catering mostly at tourists. The rest of Udaipur is very similar to Mumbai, just a lot less manic and way smaller! Am WELL proud that I managed to survive my first route of public transport in India all by myself!!!
And so I headed back home, had a shower and went to go visit my new friends Raj and Yogi! .....oh and I wrote a couple of postcards....so if you gave me your address you should be receiving soon!! And thus ends another lovely day in Udaipur, I think I will be a bit heart-sore to have to leave here tomorrow.
So today I visited a place called Ranakpur. Its a 3 hour local bus journey there and 3 hours back. My plan was to wake up at the crack of dawn and head out there for the whole day. My plan failed horribly due to the fact that I completely slept through both alarms and only crawled out of bed at 9.30am (Shocking I know!) In my defense I blame the dog seance that took place right outside my window last night. It was awful....it literally sounded like ever single animal that was living in Uidapur decided to get together and protest!
(Needless to say I didn't have time for breakfast and quickly made my way down to the local bus station....all was not lost as I would catch the bus at 11, be there by one and could have at least 2 hours to look around before I headed back.)
Everything was going well as I climbed on the most dilapidated bus ever at 11.30. Sitting right at the back of the bus was another lone-traveler, (Imagine my excitement!) That is, of course, until I realized that he was one of those before mentioned "not so friendly travelers" that had absolutely no intention of continuing a conversation with me!
So content to sit by myself in silence for the next 3 hours ( I can do it, you know!) we set off. We had been traveling, mmmmmmmmm about 9 minutes when our lovely bus got a flat. Great! We all sat there for a while and then I stumbled out of the bus to try and figure out what the next plan of action was going to be? All the men where just standing around.... so what now? We wait? We change tire? No one seemed to be able to tell me anything other than "flat!" "flat!", (that much I had already figured out) All of a sudden another bus came over the hill and the new plan became very clear, run!!! There was a massive stampede of people as everyone filtered off the broken down bus and onto the new bus. Luckily for me my long, agile legs came in handy and I managed to get a seat in the new and mildly more comfortable bus. Was sitting there feeling rather proud of myself when I noticed my poor french traveler friend hadn't been able to get a seat. I couldn't help but think: "Had he been friendly I would automatically have saved him a seat, but alas he hadn't and in the scramble for seats I completely forgot about him. And here in lies the lesson: "Always be friendly because you never know who might keep you a seat on the bus!" I sincerely hoped that the poor man wasn't going to be standing for the next 3 bumpy hours!!!
Ok so we finally arrived at Ranakpur and I was planning on having a bite to eat and then going to look at the temple....needless to say Ranakpur IS the temple and a seedy looking cafe selling sweets, cool drink and chewing tobacco...that's it! So no breakfast or lunch...I had to buy a packet of Bon bons to keep me going (they probably would have too, if the mad security guard women hadn't confiscated them from me!)
The temple was definitely one of the most beautiful works of craftmanship I have ever seen. The entire temple is carved from white-milked marble and consist of 29 halls, supported by 1444 pillars, all intricately carved, not a single pillar is the same.
It truly was worth the 6 hour trek to see.
And so I spent in total about an hour looking around and decided to head back. While waiting for my bus at the seedy cafe I literally bumped into the scariest, most demented baboon/monkey-like thing, just sitting there with his family. Got the absolute fright of my life....while various people warned me: "very dangerous, very dangerous!" (I needed no such warnings.)
So I bought my 7up and headed over to the oooooooooother side of the road, as far away from it as possible. I was sitting looking at my photo's when I suddenly saw this deranged animal bee-lining straight for me. Being the big girl that I am,I screamed, jumped up and ran and hid behind some poor Indian man that was standing there...(God only knows how I expected him to save me?;-) But as it so happened the frightful animal had no interest in a tall, gangly white person...and had simply wanted my 7 up - which I had left on the road. He then proceeded to pick it up, smash it 4 times, till it broke and then drank MY drink with his entire family! I did at this point manage to get some good photo's so I guess it was RS25 well spent!;-)
On the bus trip back I sat at the back of the bus near to what I can only describe as quite a scary looking man that kept on staring at me. I was busy minding my own business once again looking at my photo's from the day when he suddenly scootched up the 6 seats between us and literally put his head over my shoulder to see the photo's. (Bless, some people truly are bewilded by a camera) I showed him all the pictures from the temple and he showed me the most beautiful, half toothed smile which made him look a lot less scary looking!
I asked him If I could take his picture, but like so many other people I have tried to photograph...as soon as the camera is up the smile disappears. I tried a couple of times to get him to smile but to no avail. So I had to settle for a rather somber looking photo and the smile for myself!
I realize that in my last blog I described Udaipur quite "quaintly", but after heading out today I realize that the part I am staying in is the old part of the city, now catering mostly at tourists. The rest of Udaipur is very similar to Mumbai, just a lot less manic and way smaller! Am WELL proud that I managed to survive my first route of public transport in India all by myself!!!
And so I headed back home, had a shower and went to go visit my new friends Raj and Yogi! .....oh and I wrote a couple of postcards....so if you gave me your address you should be receiving soon!! And thus ends another lovely day in Udaipur, I think I will be a bit heart-sore to have to leave here tomorrow.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
I'm in love....
So first my first full day in Udaipur and it truly does live up to its reputation!
Am currently sitting in Internet cafe been periodically hit on the back by 2 adorable, but manic 4 year olds! Thank God for small miracles at least they have stopped biting me and their dad has confiscated the belts that they took off to hit me with!
Ok I digress: First thanks mum and midget for you messages...as always greatly appreciated.
In case anyone was wondering what happened to the SA couple....I kinda lost them at the the first port of call in Udaipur...I had made a booking at a hostel and they were going to come with me, but alas, they got suckered into going to another hotel. (they made the rookie mistake of looking at the pamphlet and the rickshaw that was meant to take us to to our booked hotel did a massive detour! Surprise! Surprise! )The hotel I have to admit was lovely and a really decent price, but being the seasoned traveller that I am, I knew that I would meet more travellers at the place the lonely planet had recommended. So I soldiered on alone! If I'm honest I wasn't too gutted to be separated from them, because as lovely as they were, there is only one thing worse than being stuck in a strange city by yourself: Being stuck in a strange city with two people you have absolutely nothing in common with! Once we got passed: "OH my God you're south African" the conversation pretty much dried up! Besides that they were both smokers and as a newly non-smokeeee (12 whole hours!) I felt it best to move along!
My hotel is really lovely and I even managed to score a room with a European toilet....paid RS100 extra fop the luxury!!! As of yet not met a single other traveller in the hotel;-)
That been said its been a great 2 days. I choose to not-mention yesterdays adventures last night for fear of giving my poor mother a heart attack, but I feel it is now safe to do so. On arriving in Udaipur yesterday I was absolutely exhausted and managed to shower, sit on my toilet ( I paid RS100 for that toilet!) and drag myself out for lunch. It took me all but 2 steps to realise why they call Udaipur the city of love. There are a kazillion Indian men looking for it..or for their next sale- the lines are so blurred!!....I thought Istanbul was bad.....it is completely overwhelming how many of the men approach you 'for a chat'. Today I had had to take the hard core approach and simply ignore them all. The standard question is: "Where you from?" To which I reply "Cape Town" (they know CT) and then simply keep walking. Sounds harsh.....but I do not have the time to make general chit chat with every single male in Uidapur! As a result I have had many men drive passed me today on scooters today shouting "Miss Cape Town!" Indeed!!
Anyway were was I?.....oh yeh....I decided to escape to a beautiful roof top cafe for a lunch when I was approached by what can only be described as Udaipurs version of Rhett Butler, with long hair! Good looking, charming, well spoken and an artist that owned the shop downstairs. We chatted briefly about the school he supports with his art (aaahhhh) his love of different religions (bless) and his great respect for foreign women that shamefully get hassled left right and centred in his beautiful city! He told me to stop off at his shop down stairs on my way out. Which I no doubt did, drank a couple of chai's with him while he painted this truly amazing miniature picture of an elephant on my finger nail.
( He said it was for protection! )After a while I said that I needed to leave as I had a massive headache ( I'm tempted to blame that blasted hooter but those that know me well, will see through my blatant lie!) He offered to take me me for a head massage at his friends place. I thought we would walk there but soon discovered I was going to be getting on a long haired strangers motorbike. (I probably should have said no, but it all happened so fast mum.) Next thing I know I am whizzing passed my hotel: with hotel owner sitting outside, who only 40 minutes before had warned me: "Many men make rides with foreign women, no riding with men" What could I do but smile an wave.
So was mildly panicked and yet also pretty certain he was a decent guy.....I like to think I have a good sense of people. Low and behold he took my to his friends barber shop were I was given the most amazing 'free' head massage. Back on the bike and dropped off at my hotel all in one piece. I have to admit the driving bit was probably more scary than anything else. As Raju put it: "In India you only need 3 things while driving: Good luck, good horn and good break!" (Dad I thought you would enjoy that!)
So arriving safe and sound at my hotel lovely Raju, said he "couldn't bare to be apart from me" (his words honestly) and that I had to have dinner with him. I said probably not as would have to see how my headache was. To which his reply was "Whisky cures all headaches" Yep not exactly what I had in mind so said no I would see him tomorrow. ( said he would take me to his school and also a local ashram that he knows)
Needless to say I woke up this morning with very mixed feelings about my new friend Raju. Wondering to myself, how do you truly know when you can trust someone, especially when traveling is all about meeting different people and experiencing new experiences? I decided to hold off visiting him and set off to do a little exploring by myself! Udaipur is truly beautiful, it is made up of loads of tiny one way streets coming off one square shaped main road. There are endless amounts of shops selling, bags, clothes, handmade leather bound books, perfumes, trinkets...you name it Udaipur has it. If I was going to buy you all presents this is were i would buy them....dam not coming home for 5months! What a shame! :-)
I ended up eating at a really lovely cafe called Maxim, and on my way out I started to chat to the really friendly owner called Raj (seems to be a good name for me) We hit it off immediately and I got loads of tips about were to go and were not to go. I wanted to go to a place called Mount Abu, which raj informed me is the place where lovers normally go. He mentioned that he might be going to a place called Sukar tomorrow on business and that he would drop me off for the day if I wanted and then bring me back. I also met his Business partner a lovely calm man called Yogi, who I chatted to for ages about his family and jewelry business! I remembered walking out there thinking I would trust both of those men in a heart beat, so maybe knowing when to trust is simply down to your gut. After I had spent pretty much most of the day walking around the city chatting to different people and ignoring all the boys, I decided to go and see how things were with lover-boy Raju. At first he was clearly annoyed that I hadn't come earlier, or the night before! We went upstairs to have some Chai and he almost seemed to be sulking. When I commented on this I was informed that he was busy making plans for our day together tomorrow. He was taking me in the car to Mount Abu! Enough said! Decided to follow my gut and say my goodbyes!
Now as any girl will well know after a particularly turbulent break up, the only recourse is to go shopping! And this is unfortunately what I did. I defended my actions with the excuse that I am in India and therefore need to look like the seasoned traveler that I am, so bought 3 pairs of tie stringy pants (am a sucker for punishment) that were all tailored for me, and 2 tops. Now I know as a budget traveler I don't really have the luxury of buying clothes....but in total I spent 16 pounds...which in the big scheme of things isn't really a lot of money! (oh and that included the very cool ethnic bag I bought, after carelessly putting my old bag down in what can only be described as urine... it stunk like hell for 3 hours!!! (a new one was definitely a necessity, wouldn't you say Midget?:-)
And so ends my magical day. Made loads of new friends including on old man called Hanif who has hundreds of photo's of him with different travelers and postcards that have been sent to him from all over the world. (and yes I had to LOOK at ALL of them). Have discovered that I now speak like a local Indian leaving out half my words so as to be understood better!
Finally stopped off at Raj and Yogis, drank more tea, gave them a really good laugh when I told them where Raju was planning on taking me. Raj is now not going to Sukar anymore...but has told me where/and how to get there on local bus tomorrow. And Yogi says he will take me to his little boys school the day after tomorrow, so all sorted!
I truly love been a lone traveler!!!:-)
Am currently sitting in Internet cafe been periodically hit on the back by 2 adorable, but manic 4 year olds! Thank God for small miracles at least they have stopped biting me and their dad has confiscated the belts that they took off to hit me with!
Ok I digress: First thanks mum and midget for you messages...as always greatly appreciated.
In case anyone was wondering what happened to the SA couple....I kinda lost them at the the first port of call in Udaipur...I had made a booking at a hostel and they were going to come with me, but alas, they got suckered into going to another hotel. (they made the rookie mistake of looking at the pamphlet and the rickshaw that was meant to take us to to our booked hotel did a massive detour! Surprise! Surprise! )The hotel I have to admit was lovely and a really decent price, but being the seasoned traveller that I am, I knew that I would meet more travellers at the place the lonely planet had recommended. So I soldiered on alone! If I'm honest I wasn't too gutted to be separated from them, because as lovely as they were, there is only one thing worse than being stuck in a strange city by yourself: Being stuck in a strange city with two people you have absolutely nothing in common with! Once we got passed: "OH my God you're south African" the conversation pretty much dried up! Besides that they were both smokers and as a newly non-smokeeee (12 whole hours!) I felt it best to move along!
My hotel is really lovely and I even managed to score a room with a European toilet....paid RS100 extra fop the luxury!!! As of yet not met a single other traveller in the hotel;-)
That been said its been a great 2 days. I choose to not-mention yesterdays adventures last night for fear of giving my poor mother a heart attack, but I feel it is now safe to do so. On arriving in Udaipur yesterday I was absolutely exhausted and managed to shower, sit on my toilet ( I paid RS100 for that toilet!) and drag myself out for lunch. It took me all but 2 steps to realise why they call Udaipur the city of love. There are a kazillion Indian men looking for it..or for their next sale- the lines are so blurred!!....I thought Istanbul was bad.....it is completely overwhelming how many of the men approach you 'for a chat'. Today I had had to take the hard core approach and simply ignore them all. The standard question is: "Where you from?" To which I reply "Cape Town" (they know CT) and then simply keep walking. Sounds harsh.....but I do not have the time to make general chit chat with every single male in Uidapur! As a result I have had many men drive passed me today on scooters today shouting "Miss Cape Town!" Indeed!!
Anyway were was I?.....oh yeh....I decided to escape to a beautiful roof top cafe for a lunch when I was approached by what can only be described as Udaipurs version of Rhett Butler, with long hair! Good looking, charming, well spoken and an artist that owned the shop downstairs. We chatted briefly about the school he supports with his art (aaahhhh) his love of different religions (bless) and his great respect for foreign women that shamefully get hassled left right and centred in his beautiful city! He told me to stop off at his shop down stairs on my way out. Which I no doubt did, drank a couple of chai's with him while he painted this truly amazing miniature picture of an elephant on my finger nail.
( He said it was for protection! )After a while I said that I needed to leave as I had a massive headache ( I'm tempted to blame that blasted hooter but those that know me well, will see through my blatant lie!) He offered to take me me for a head massage at his friends place. I thought we would walk there but soon discovered I was going to be getting on a long haired strangers motorbike. (I probably should have said no, but it all happened so fast mum.) Next thing I know I am whizzing passed my hotel: with hotel owner sitting outside, who only 40 minutes before had warned me: "Many men make rides with foreign women, no riding with men" What could I do but smile an wave.
So was mildly panicked and yet also pretty certain he was a decent guy.....I like to think I have a good sense of people. Low and behold he took my to his friends barber shop were I was given the most amazing 'free' head massage. Back on the bike and dropped off at my hotel all in one piece. I have to admit the driving bit was probably more scary than anything else. As Raju put it: "In India you only need 3 things while driving: Good luck, good horn and good break!" (Dad I thought you would enjoy that!)
So arriving safe and sound at my hotel lovely Raju, said he "couldn't bare to be apart from me" (his words honestly) and that I had to have dinner with him. I said probably not as would have to see how my headache was. To which his reply was "Whisky cures all headaches" Yep not exactly what I had in mind so said no I would see him tomorrow. ( said he would take me to his school and also a local ashram that he knows)
Needless to say I woke up this morning with very mixed feelings about my new friend Raju. Wondering to myself, how do you truly know when you can trust someone, especially when traveling is all about meeting different people and experiencing new experiences? I decided to hold off visiting him and set off to do a little exploring by myself! Udaipur is truly beautiful, it is made up of loads of tiny one way streets coming off one square shaped main road. There are endless amounts of shops selling, bags, clothes, handmade leather bound books, perfumes, trinkets...you name it Udaipur has it. If I was going to buy you all presents this is were i would buy them....dam not coming home for 5months! What a shame! :-)
I ended up eating at a really lovely cafe called Maxim, and on my way out I started to chat to the really friendly owner called Raj (seems to be a good name for me) We hit it off immediately and I got loads of tips about were to go and were not to go. I wanted to go to a place called Mount Abu, which raj informed me is the place where lovers normally go. He mentioned that he might be going to a place called Sukar tomorrow on business and that he would drop me off for the day if I wanted and then bring me back. I also met his Business partner a lovely calm man called Yogi, who I chatted to for ages about his family and jewelry business! I remembered walking out there thinking I would trust both of those men in a heart beat, so maybe knowing when to trust is simply down to your gut. After I had spent pretty much most of the day walking around the city chatting to different people and ignoring all the boys, I decided to go and see how things were with lover-boy Raju. At first he was clearly annoyed that I hadn't come earlier, or the night before! We went upstairs to have some Chai and he almost seemed to be sulking. When I commented on this I was informed that he was busy making plans for our day together tomorrow. He was taking me in the car to Mount Abu! Enough said! Decided to follow my gut and say my goodbyes!
Now as any girl will well know after a particularly turbulent break up, the only recourse is to go shopping! And this is unfortunately what I did. I defended my actions with the excuse that I am in India and therefore need to look like the seasoned traveler that I am, so bought 3 pairs of tie stringy pants (am a sucker for punishment) that were all tailored for me, and 2 tops. Now I know as a budget traveler I don't really have the luxury of buying clothes....but in total I spent 16 pounds...which in the big scheme of things isn't really a lot of money! (oh and that included the very cool ethnic bag I bought, after carelessly putting my old bag down in what can only be described as urine... it stunk like hell for 3 hours!!! (a new one was definitely a necessity, wouldn't you say Midget?:-)
And so ends my magical day. Made loads of new friends including on old man called Hanif who has hundreds of photo's of him with different travelers and postcards that have been sent to him from all over the world. (and yes I had to LOOK at ALL of them). Have discovered that I now speak like a local Indian leaving out half my words so as to be understood better!
Finally stopped off at Raj and Yogis, drank more tea, gave them a really good laugh when I told them where Raju was planning on taking me. Raj is now not going to Sukar anymore...but has told me where/and how to get there on local bus tomorrow. And Yogi says he will take me to his little boys school the day after tomorrow, so all sorted!
I truly love been a lone traveler!!!:-)
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