I'm sitting in airport waiting for my flight from Kerala to Delhi. Loads to report and I may not get it all finished before I leave, but at least I will make a start. Haven't had much luck in finding a computer keyboard and terminal recently and writing lots on my phone is too tortuous to contemplate! So, update:
on 7th March we went to Jaipur. Roads were varied to say the least. They are 'repairing' some and building others. Building new fly-overs and new towns. In 5 years time this area will look very different but until then... the road starts well, then it suddenly becomes a dirt track, then a bit more of tarmac, then dirt, skirting around built up bits of flyover but none of it meets the other bit. Its as if a few people 'here' got together and did a bit of building, then a few people somewhere else. One place we went on winding through villages and even small towns, through cut throughs in rocks, over gravel, sand, mud, for miles and miles with huge trucks coming towards us setting up sandstorms. We had a chaia stop, which later became a habit. Just a few grubby tables at the side of the road, shared with cows and dogs. Chaia made with boiled sweetened milk, tea and masala all boiled in a pan which should be in a museum, over a paraffin stove and picked up with tongs and poured into pyrex glasses. I'm getting to like it, and haven't suffered anything as a result! - actually, its 24th March today and I have been very well, no digestive problems, thank goodness! Anyway, back to Jaipur.. This is the Pink City. (Actually its a sort of terracotta colour as the sun turns the pink to orange, apparently). We checked into the hotel and the inevitable guide turned up. Saw some beautiful 'sights', Jaipur has a wall around it, winding up and down the hills like a mini wall of China. The Red fort is amongst this and has some beautiful rooms and views. Also elephants, all painted up, wandering around. Jaipur is a busy busy place but I still liked it - despite the guide!! He was pretty creepy, thought he was God's gift and kept going on about the sexual activities of the Sultan, and how I should find a husband soon... We fell out big time when he took me to a print 'factory' where they sell block printed items "a speciality of Jaipur" and I got very stuck in there, being shown literally hundreds of things even though I kept trying to walk out of the door. I gave the guide the usual tip, which has been fine with everyone else, and he counted it out in front of me and told me it wasn't enough! I told him he shouldn't have taken me to the warehouse and to please go...
But better later on - Jaipur has an annual Elephant Festival which was that evening! So Sidur and I went and mingled with the crowds and wonderfully painted and dressed elephants, watched dancing, etc. The next morning is was Holi - one of two major Hindu festivals. It is the colour festival and you buy bags of amazingly bright colours - brilliant blues, reds, yellows, greens - and paint any part of anyone you see. Some people (mainly children) then squirt water at you. The ground everywhere is covered with coloured powder and people get pretty merry on different alcoholic concoctions and weave around on motor bikes, 5 to a bike, shouting greetings and waving vigorously. Horns going, drums. Great atmosphere. It is only allowed to go on until 12.30 p.m. so normality can return slowly but there are people looking colourful all day, just not weaving around on bikes. Sidur collected me at 10.30 to take me around but actually took me to the friends he had been with earlier and I joined in with him and his mates. My face and hair were coloured and they drank whisky and ate heaven knows what which I ate as well. I stuck to a beer. They were fun and it was good to be part of it. Two of them decided they had to go to work and grabbed a host which was lying around, linked it up to a water tap and stripped off to wash. Well - its all part of life's rich experience!!
Despite the whisky, Sidur drove me pretty well (if a little fast), to Pushkar - after I had gone back to the hotel to collect my bag.. the doorman looked at me and smiled and offered me a towel to clean myself off a bit!
The road to Pushkar was a welcome change from flat and dusty, winding up and down hills and greener than before. Hotel down a dust track with camels lying around. Somewhat quirky hotel with intermittent electricity and water, but pleasant. Pushkar is a holy town, so no alcohol (although I understand from folk met the next day, you can find it and there was apparently plenty around for Holi!) and it is at the side of a lake but the only Brahmin temple in India. The temple offers a great opportunity to grab unsuspecting tourists to give 'students' the opportunity to explain the Brahmin history and theology. Student then hands tourist (me) over to a 'monk' who performs 'rituals' over you and then demands dollars or pounds - lots - $500 was suggested - and gets very nasty when you decline. Sad, as I was quite enjoying the place until then!
Next day (9th) we went to Udaipur. On the way there, waiting at a railway crossing, we met another car with a friend of Sudir driving and so followed him to Udaipur. Somewhat scary ride! His friend was taking an English couple to Udaipur so we joined up for lunch which was good. A day of guide reprieve - no-one turned up - horray! so I took myself to the City Palace and a great boat trip around the lake. This is the place with a palace looking as if it is floating on the lake. That was lovely. Probably my most dubious hotel (except for Delhi) and I think I was the only person there! but breakfast the next morning was OKand I had my first 'scrumbled eggs'. (Observations on Indian English: it just seems to be OK whatever you write. It can be traffic signs, hoardings, menus, advertisements, shop fronts, anything - nothing is checked, just write something and it will do. So, on motorways, motor cyclists should 'ware' their helmets, there are 'dipartmentel' stores, along the way there are resterents, etc. You may find a place that says resterent at the gate and restarant over the door..)
Off to Jodphur. My room is in a 'Haveli' - older type place, grand in its time with colums and fountains and fancy lamps. All a bit faded and lamps don't work - just light bulb on an electric wire instead - but interesting all the same. Jodphur is the Blue City and view from the fort shows loads of blue buildings everywhere. It used to be a sign of high caste people's houses, but now its anyone. Sidur and I went to a nice restaurant in a garden for a beer in the evening which was nice.
Next - Jaisselmeer. Great hotel - a 'new Haveli' and they upgraded me! I was left to myself and went into the town when I walked through the streets without people grabbing me to look at their things. Dodged cows and bikes, but cars not allowed in the market streets. I bought a pair of trousers which were taken up while I waited. All very nice. That night there was a wedding party and there was music and lights and parades all through the town. The restaurant of the hotel was right at the top so you could see it all wending its way through the streets. The next day I had a guide, but he was good and didn't force me to go where I didn't want to go. We then drove through desert to where I was staying that night, in a 'tent in the desert' (actually it was about 500 yards off the road!) Some big windfarms on the way, about 100 turbines. Camp was interesting. Tent complete with flush loo (when there was water!) and tiled bathroom floor. I had a camel ride but, for some reason, this was booked for an hour before anyone else so was on my own and would have had to wait 2 hours in the sand-dunes for the 'shinsat' which I gathered was the sunset. I elected to go back to the camp for the shinsat and explained when I returned, that it was boring to be by myself. Later that evening a couple of german girls were asked if I could join them as I was boring!! However, they agreed and we had a good evening watching dancing and eating by firelight. Next morning, no water so wet-wipe wash before a long drive to Bikaner. During this drive Sudir decided to take a short-cut (he likes short cuts and by-passes! which usually end up taking hours!!) This time we ended up in a sand-drift and 1 1/2 hours later got uot with lots of help from local blokes!! Quite fun, although we ran out of time to see the famous rat temple where it is a tradition to let the holy rats run over your feet. Well - I was really sad to miss that!!!.
Have been told I have been on this computer long enough, and this is probably long enough to read, so next installment later...
Hope you are all very well. I do get my emails from time to time but texting is unreliable. Also, if I can get to wi-fi I can send emails free, but texting is 40 p. although I can receive free texts. Love to you all.
on 7th March we went to Jaipur. Roads were varied to say the least. They are 'repairing' some and building others. Building new fly-overs and new towns. In 5 years time this area will look very different but until then... the road starts well, then it suddenly becomes a dirt track, then a bit more of tarmac, then dirt, skirting around built up bits of flyover but none of it meets the other bit. Its as if a few people 'here' got together and did a bit of building, then a few people somewhere else. One place we went on winding through villages and even small towns, through cut throughs in rocks, over gravel, sand, mud, for miles and miles with huge trucks coming towards us setting up sandstorms. We had a chaia stop, which later became a habit. Just a few grubby tables at the side of the road, shared with cows and dogs. Chaia made with boiled sweetened milk, tea and masala all boiled in a pan which should be in a museum, over a paraffin stove and picked up with tongs and poured into pyrex glasses. I'm getting to like it, and haven't suffered anything as a result! - actually, its 24th March today and I have been very well, no digestive problems, thank goodness! Anyway, back to Jaipur.. This is the Pink City. (Actually its a sort of terracotta colour as the sun turns the pink to orange, apparently). We checked into the hotel and the inevitable guide turned up. Saw some beautiful 'sights', Jaipur has a wall around it, winding up and down the hills like a mini wall of China. The Red fort is amongst this and has some beautiful rooms and views. Also elephants, all painted up, wandering around. Jaipur is a busy busy place but I still liked it - despite the guide!! He was pretty creepy, thought he was God's gift and kept going on about the sexual activities of the Sultan, and how I should find a husband soon... We fell out big time when he took me to a print 'factory' where they sell block printed items "a speciality of Jaipur" and I got very stuck in there, being shown literally hundreds of things even though I kept trying to walk out of the door. I gave the guide the usual tip, which has been fine with everyone else, and he counted it out in front of me and told me it wasn't enough! I told him he shouldn't have taken me to the warehouse and to please go...
But better later on - Jaipur has an annual Elephant Festival which was that evening! So Sidur and I went and mingled with the crowds and wonderfully painted and dressed elephants, watched dancing, etc. The next morning is was Holi - one of two major Hindu festivals. It is the colour festival and you buy bags of amazingly bright colours - brilliant blues, reds, yellows, greens - and paint any part of anyone you see. Some people (mainly children) then squirt water at you. The ground everywhere is covered with coloured powder and people get pretty merry on different alcoholic concoctions and weave around on motor bikes, 5 to a bike, shouting greetings and waving vigorously. Horns going, drums. Great atmosphere. It is only allowed to go on until 12.30 p.m. so normality can return slowly but there are people looking colourful all day, just not weaving around on bikes. Sidur collected me at 10.30 to take me around but actually took me to the friends he had been with earlier and I joined in with him and his mates. My face and hair were coloured and they drank whisky and ate heaven knows what which I ate as well. I stuck to a beer. They were fun and it was good to be part of it. Two of them decided they had to go to work and grabbed a host which was lying around, linked it up to a water tap and stripped off to wash. Well - its all part of life's rich experience!!
Despite the whisky, Sidur drove me pretty well (if a little fast), to Pushkar - after I had gone back to the hotel to collect my bag.. the doorman looked at me and smiled and offered me a towel to clean myself off a bit!
The road to Pushkar was a welcome change from flat and dusty, winding up and down hills and greener than before. Hotel down a dust track with camels lying around. Somewhat quirky hotel with intermittent electricity and water, but pleasant. Pushkar is a holy town, so no alcohol (although I understand from folk met the next day, you can find it and there was apparently plenty around for Holi!) and it is at the side of a lake but the only Brahmin temple in India. The temple offers a great opportunity to grab unsuspecting tourists to give 'students' the opportunity to explain the Brahmin history and theology. Student then hands tourist (me) over to a 'monk' who performs 'rituals' over you and then demands dollars or pounds - lots - $500 was suggested - and gets very nasty when you decline. Sad, as I was quite enjoying the place until then!
Next day (9th) we went to Udaipur. On the way there, waiting at a railway crossing, we met another car with a friend of Sudir driving and so followed him to Udaipur. Somewhat scary ride! His friend was taking an English couple to Udaipur so we joined up for lunch which was good. A day of guide reprieve - no-one turned up - horray! so I took myself to the City Palace and a great boat trip around the lake. This is the place with a palace looking as if it is floating on the lake. That was lovely. Probably my most dubious hotel (except for Delhi) and I think I was the only person there! but breakfast the next morning was OKand I had my first 'scrumbled eggs'. (Observations on Indian English: it just seems to be OK whatever you write. It can be traffic signs, hoardings, menus, advertisements, shop fronts, anything - nothing is checked, just write something and it will do. So, on motorways, motor cyclists should 'ware' their helmets, there are 'dipartmentel' stores, along the way there are resterents, etc. You may find a place that says resterent at the gate and restarant over the door..)
Off to Jodphur. My room is in a 'Haveli' - older type place, grand in its time with colums and fountains and fancy lamps. All a bit faded and lamps don't work - just light bulb on an electric wire instead - but interesting all the same. Jodphur is the Blue City and view from the fort shows loads of blue buildings everywhere. It used to be a sign of high caste people's houses, but now its anyone. Sidur and I went to a nice restaurant in a garden for a beer in the evening which was nice.
Next - Jaisselmeer. Great hotel - a 'new Haveli' and they upgraded me! I was left to myself and went into the town when I walked through the streets without people grabbing me to look at their things. Dodged cows and bikes, but cars not allowed in the market streets. I bought a pair of trousers which were taken up while I waited. All very nice. That night there was a wedding party and there was music and lights and parades all through the town. The restaurant of the hotel was right at the top so you could see it all wending its way through the streets. The next day I had a guide, but he was good and didn't force me to go where I didn't want to go. We then drove through desert to where I was staying that night, in a 'tent in the desert' (actually it was about 500 yards off the road!) Some big windfarms on the way, about 100 turbines. Camp was interesting. Tent complete with flush loo (when there was water!) and tiled bathroom floor. I had a camel ride but, for some reason, this was booked for an hour before anyone else so was on my own and would have had to wait 2 hours in the sand-dunes for the 'shinsat' which I gathered was the sunset. I elected to go back to the camp for the shinsat and explained when I returned, that it was boring to be by myself. Later that evening a couple of german girls were asked if I could join them as I was boring!! However, they agreed and we had a good evening watching dancing and eating by firelight. Next morning, no water so wet-wipe wash before a long drive to Bikaner. During this drive Sudir decided to take a short-cut (he likes short cuts and by-passes! which usually end up taking hours!!) This time we ended up in a sand-drift and 1 1/2 hours later got uot with lots of help from local blokes!! Quite fun, although we ran out of time to see the famous rat temple where it is a tradition to let the holy rats run over your feet. Well - I was really sad to miss that!!!.
Have been told I have been on this computer long enough, and this is probably long enough to read, so next installment later...
Hope you are all very well. I do get my emails from time to time but texting is unreliable. Also, if I can get to wi-fi I can send emails free, but texting is 40 p. although I can receive free texts. Love to you all.
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