Many Places, One Short Post

It's hard to feel the love when one is under the weather in a place like India. Just ask Shanon. She's gone from stomach sickness to a pneumonia like cough in a matter of a few days. I'm sure that an abundance of spicy food and the fine Indian air quality was a contributing force. Nonetheless, she perservered and is on the mend.

We spent a few lung burning days in a place called Pushkar (see right)...actually a small mountain'ish' holy town full of temples, rolling hills and a vibrant bizarre. Poor Shanon spent a lot of time in our ice-box hotel room coughing her lights out with a fever, while I ventured to a nearby hilltop temple like a good husband should while his wife is sick. Along the way I met 10-12 loud and very vocal Indian guys who became my best friends along the way. At the top they joked in Hindi (probably making fun of me), drank all my water, practiced their English and then disappeared down the mountain.

Our last stop in Rajasthan was a small city called Bundi. There was not much to do in the town itself, but our hotel sat right at the base of a massive, monkey invaded fort. Feeling better now, Shanon was able to venture out this time and we got a chance to explore some of the ruins. Since this place is off the beaten path a bit the ruins of the palace and fort were mostly open for self-exploration--a refreshing change. We were sure to carry sticks to keep the primates away. "A teardrop on the face of eternity" is how an Indian poet once described the Taj Mahal. Like Macchu Picchu, this place is almost too hard to describe in words, and photos can't really give one an idea of what it is like to see it first-hand. People see pictures of this place all their lives, but when seeing it in person you have no choice but to throw out any preconceived notions you may have had. This place is truly spectacular, and it's no wonder why it is the crown-jewel of India's tourist attractions. We got up at 6:00am and joined the masses at the gate so that we could be there for the sunrise, and although the heavy pollution made the colors less dramatic, just being in the presence of the grand mouseleum was really a special experience. By the way, notice that our attire has reverted back to what it was during the cold days in South America? Yeah, we've been cold in India, and we're heading into Nepal in a few days. Looks like we may be investing in some new Gore-Tex sometime very soon.

Update to my Food Update

So immediately after I wrote my food update, I proceeded to get sick for the whole following week and therefore haven't touched the stuff since then. Unfortunately, now I am a little wary of the flavors and even resorted to a meal and the golden arches which I haven't patroned since I was in 6th grade. Interesting that their menu had no hamburgers only chicken and veggie burgers (and paneer masala). The good news is that I am on the mend and have had a few meals of Tikki Masala and Naan since then. We'll see how we do in the state of Utter Pradesh where apparently everyone gets sick. Bah.

My birthday was spent on a train full of dust and hard seats so that we could get to Bikaner for the Camel Festival. The night ended good though and we had a nice dinner in a city palace with live music and traditional dancing in the background. Wow, I am old.

I know that Jared wrote a bit on the camel festival, but seriously it was about the coolest thing I have seen in a while. We sat all day laughing at the events that we witnessed. Seriously, camel dancing? Who knew. Also, the rat temple was a sight. I can't think of any other country that has a temple dedicated to the worshiping of holy rats. They run free there, all over. We had to jump around so that they wouldn't scurry acrossed our feet. How bizaar. I don't think animals have it so good and free in any other country. All animals except the dogs, which are everywhere here and are treated like street rats. So sad, I wish I could bring them all home with me. Here are a few more photos of the camel safari, camel festival, rat temple and others. I guess pictures are worth a thousand words, right?

Time is flying by, we are already 5 months into this. Weird. We also ran into a couple from Texas that we had met 2 months ago in South Africa. Small, strange, exciting world.

So Much to Say, Such Bad Internet Connections

So there are a lot of ups and downs that come with being in India...reliable internet connections being one of the downs. As a result, there is a lot to catch up on since our last update--here's the abridged version. Coincidentally, we have spent most of our time here in one Indian state (which I think I mentioned in an earlier post) called Rahjistan--home of grand cenotaphs, or monuments, built for the Maharajas (kings), towering palaces, massive forts and all the rest of the insanity that comes with the life in India.



The beauty of most Indian cities in Rajhistan is the rooftop restaurant--a brilliant way to get above the day-to-day chaos of the streets. It's a welcome relief after battling our way through the masses, beating away the touts, and playing intense games of "Frogger" trying to get across the streets.

Most cities here seem to be associated with a color. Jodhpur is the 'Blue City', named after the many blue houses (a religious indication and apparently a good color to keep away misquitos)inside the old city walls. Standing like a monolith in the center of the city is a massive sandstone escarpment, holding up one of the most grand palaces in the state. Most of the fort and palace are open to tourists, and we threw away our tacky tourist inhibitions for what turned out to be a really good audio tour which described all the main attractions. Quite nice.

Somehow we were convinced by the guy at our hotel in Jodhpur that we should take the bus to our next destination. I'm not sure how he convinced us, but he did, and luckily it was a better ride than our previous trip. Trains are definately the way the travel here. Our next stop was in a place called Jaisalmer--know as the 'Golden City', because most of the buildings here are made of golden sandstone. This palace (almost every city has one) is occupied by 25% of the cities 90,000 residents. Sadly, the walls are starting to sink into the earth as a result of poor sewage and water drainage systems. It was interesting to wander around the interior of the fort though, with its maze-like narrow streets. We even had dinner on top of the west wall where we watched the sun drop along the Indian-Pakistani border which was about 45 miles away. Strange to think we were so close to such a volitile part of the world.
The landscape in Jaisalmer was a lot like home, and the main draw to the city are the extensive camel safaris that run into the Great Thar Desert. Being that we're already desert rats, thanks to Southern Utah, we decided to skip the long stints under the stars and just do a half day--which consisted mostly of jeep rides and then ending with a few hours on camels with a couple of older Rahjistani guides. Such weird animals (the camels, not the guides), and yet another zoo-like novelty to westerners. In this part of the world the camel is just another beast of burden, and they are a regular part of everyday traffic here.

Speaking of camels, we enjoyed them so much that we jumped on a train and went to a dirty, relatively untouristed city called Bikaner, for the annual Camel Festival. Yeah, that's right, a camel festival. What we witnessed there was a pure camel extravaganza full of events we couldn't have even dreamed up--good fun like camel dancing, camel acrobatics, camel milking competition, camel haircutting, and on and on....the locals even join in and the Rahjistan men compete in the Mr. Bikaner competition, full of colorful turbans, whispy beards and long spears. Wow is all that can really be said. Wow. It was so much that we were on camel overload (and a bit burned out on the city itself) and only opted for one day of the three day long festival. It was hands down the best camel show we have ever been to. We highly recommend.

The only real attraction in Bikaner besides the annual festival is the strange and somewhat revolting 'Rat Temple'. I'm not really sure what to say about this place. In fact, we never got an explanation as to why it really exists. Just look at these few photos, and know that this is no side-show, but a place where people come to worship. Only in India.

At the moment we are spending our last day in the state's capital city of Jaipur, or the 'Pink City' which has a somewhat dainty population for an Indian capital with only 2.5 million residents. The scene here is chaotic, but the shopping was pretty good and we visited a nice temple inhabitated mostly by monkeys--not quite as revolting as the rats.

A great way to knock out many attractions in a few hours is to hire a rickshaw for the day. After bargaining hard to get what may, or may not be a fair price, the drivers will cart you all over the place in a horn-honking, exhaust-sucking frenzy. While we're busy looking at the sights the driver will sit outside and wait. It's a pretty good system--especially when Shanon bargains hard and gets us three or four hours of sightseeing for around $5.

So much to say, so little time. I wish we could tell you more stories and show you more pictures. Every moment is an adventure here. More photos soon to come....

Food Update

I am in food Nirvana. I know, that is crazy for Shanon to say, especially since I am in a 3rd world country, but it is very, very incredible and tasty. About 80% of the restaurants serve 100% vegetarian food (heaven!) thanks to the vast majority of the population being Hindu. Think of the Bombay House but better (and much cheaper) every day! Yesterday, for lunch we had an all yo can eat "Thalis" meal that they kept slopping different curries on our silver platter for 4 dollars total (including cokes). We ate so much that we skipped dinner and breakfast the next day. We have been eating this stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner and have not yet gotten sick of it. Delicious, delicious, and the best part is that you eat with your hands. We rarely get silverware and if we do, it is just a spoon. Its messy and goopey and great! We finally learned after several uncomfortable meals that you are only to use your right hand to eat since the left hand is reserved for bathroom duties. I got a gagging, choking face from a young boy after he saw me tearing my bread with both hands. Very funny! But, we like the food so much here that we ended up taking a cooking class to learn how to make it at home. We will definately have to have a dinner party when we get home.

Aside from the food, we have seen some really interesting things. Udiapur was great and relatively calm. We enjoyed our 3 days there as we wandered the streets checking out the many temples that would pop up and ranged from ancient to just really, really, old. We also checked out Ahar, which is a large area of centopaths or monuments of the old Maharajas of the area. It was an area larger than a football field full of domes. We took a tour of the city palace which was great and we had a wonderful night watching some dancers of the region and a band playing some interesting traditional music. There was even a puppeteer as part of the show.

Mount Abu was ok, but the lake that the town surrounds was tiny (pond sized) and full of algae, garbage, sewage and swan shaped paddle boats. The best part of this town was the ancient Jain temples built in 1031-1230 AD which were all marble but so intricately carved it the whole temples looked like lace. The carvings were of their gods, elephants, buddhas, lotus flowers, etc. It was so amazing, but unfortunately cameras were not allowed so we weren't able to take a photo. The history here in India is so old and interesting. Apparently gypsies originated in the area that we are in, the palaces still have the gold plated elephant seats that the kings would ride in and the forts still encompase bustling cities that sell spices, silks and camels. Much more to see in the weeks to come, I am sure.

Arrrghh, My Senses-The Truth About India

Where to even begin. The sights, smells, tastes and overall feel of India is unlike anything we have encountered, and it's easy to see why people either love or hate traveling in this country (and it's easy to have both feelings in the same day). So far, I think we are leaning toward the love side, but we'll have a final vote when all is said and done. Getting from point A to point B has been at best a nauseating challenge involving the most unsanitary of train stations, tight quarters in a sleeper train (usually with 3-5 Indians invading your personal space), choking pollution while riding in the tuk-tuks, and the death-defying speed and maneuvers of a city taxi. The latest was a 6 hour ride on a "luxury bus", which was more like a public bus spawned from the bowels of hell. To quote our India guide book, "buses are fume-belching, human-stuffed, mechanical rattletraps which travel at break-neckspeed."

After dealing with transportation woes there will be people who will try and take you places you don't want to go, harass you so that you'll buy things you don't want to buy (like this guy). Combine that with the in-your-face poverty, and throw in the occasional elephant or cow; add the ever changing smells that waft through the streets, including nice aromas like saphron, curry or burning incense. Then rip those nice aromas away in dramatic fashion and replace them with the stinging smells or raw sewage, garbage, and animals feces. Such is life on the streets in India. Doesn't it sound magical? Really, it is. Although there are definitely challenges in traveling here, India has amazing things to offer, and the things we have seen and heard so far have truly been worth the effort.

At the moment we are in the state of Rajhastan, and just left a city called Udaipur. For all you Bond fans out there, part of the film "Octopussy", was filmed in the surrounding palaces. The city itself was filled with budget hotels, rooftop restaurants, and overpriced jewelry and craft shops. The tourists come in droves--and with good reason. There is a lot to see here, and it's easy to understand why some stay longer than expected. From there we bused to a place called Mt. Abu, which was a strange stop. It was a little out of the way, and is to Indians as Park City probably is to residents of SLC (minus the snow, etc.). In other words, a nice weekend getaway spot. Interesting to be in a place where Indian people are on holiday...everyone there was a tourist, not just the (foreign) tourists. Although, we seem to be a spectacle wherever we go.

As of today we are in Jodhpur, and recovering from our bus ride I mentioned above. Happy to have arrived and breathing what may pass as fresh Indian air. We'll be here a few days at the foot of a massive sandstone fort, exploring the busy streets, and haggling with the locals before moving on to 'camel country' further North in the desert. There's so much to say about what we see here that I seem to be blabbing about nothing right now. Just enjoy the photos, and I'll try and collect my thoughts if we ever get a moment of peace.

The Streets are Madness

Dogs and cats living together.... Mass Hysteria.

India is absolutely and completely chaotic and unlike anywhere we have ever been. Flying into Chennai from Sri Lanka for the night was an eye-opener, and the pollution was strangeling. We thought Sri Lanka was crazy, well it is a walk in a spring garden after this.

Chennai was too much and we immediately left the next day and flew to Mumbai (Bombay), home of Bollywood and the largest gettho in India. Mumbai was good, being the most cosmopolitan and westernized city in India, it was a nice warm up for a few days before we started moving north. Our ride from the airport to the hotel was shocking and included a lost taxi driver and a slight fender bender (oh yeah, and him trying to make us pay for the damage). We took a breather in our hotel and then hit the streets that were lined with crazy drivers, beggers and vendors selling everything from the most amazing (cheap!) jewlary to silk scarfs and incense. We saw a few beautiful buildings and ate at some great resteraunts and made a trip to Chowpatty Beach in the heart of the city and full of man propelled carnival rides and other random sights. Most of our time in Bombay however was figuring out the "slightly" confusing train system so that we could get out of the city and head to a quieter place (hahaha). After no help from the train "foreign tourist only" window we managed to get the right ticket (we hope) to the right place.

As we drove to the train station with our luggage, through the dirtiest, forgotten, heatbreaking slums (right in the middle of the city, modern city) it was one of the most surreal experiences we've had. These slums are unlike any we have seen before. The poverty and the serious lack of sanitation was unbelievable. I couldn't look out the window, it was terrible. These people are poor. They have nothing and are cursed to a life of begging, the untouchables.

Wow, walking from the cab (surrounded by small kids begging) to the train platform, was the most terrifying and crazy thing in my life. We were literally stared at by everyone as we were the only non-indians there. It was like the record skipped and the whole place turned to watch... We were (and still are) quite a novelty here. Dinner in Jalgon (crazy buisness town that also doesn't see many tourists but a necessary stop for the Ajanta Caves) was complete with a whole slew of kids (maybe 3 families) stopping by on their way out the door to shake our hands and say "Hello" and "Good Bye" and "What is your name". Bizaar. That is my new word to discribe this country.

Ajanta Caves: Absolutely amazing and definately worth the hard work to get to. We spent the day here admiring the ancient Buddist caves (from around 600 BC to 500 AD) which were lining a horseshoe type canyon. There were 30 caves in total and all had beautiful carvings, paintings and Buddha sculptures. They are very well preserved because they were forgotten when Hinduism took rise and not found again until the early 1800s. I guess this is where the Buddhist monks would come to meditate and pray. So ancient. We wandered through them for hours, along with a lot of locals school children on field trips. We ended up being more of a novelty to the kids than the caves and had many kids ask to take our picture with them. Back in Jalgon, buisness center, we would take 2 hour spurts out into the madness to get things done before we would have to head back to the quietness of our room for a breather. Intense.

This country, like I said, is crazy; but there is never a dull moment. We are constently bartering prices, ignoring the pushy vendors and "tuk tuk" drivers, avoiding the random cows and dogs in the street and trying not to inhale as we walk to the train platform. (Another story). There are temples all over and we could sit on the side of any road and be entertained for ever! We could go on and on with random stories already and we haven't even been here a week... How exciting!