Wrap it up to go, please

We are SO DONE with India! Leaving tomorrow is not soon enough. Delhi SUCKS. The air today is not so bad as 2 weeks ago, but the traffic and noise are unbelievable. Traffic here is as close to chaos as it could possibly be. I cannot imagine anywhere could be any worse. Red lights, lanes, right of way, even driving on the proper side of a major street or freeway are all merest suggestions. Driving across a major intersection against a red light, through heavy cross traffic, dodging pedestrians and bikes, without so much as a glance left or right, all with a friendly cop looking on is business as usual. I have had a handful of personal harrowing driving experiences during my entire driving career. One hour on the road here produces more horrors than I have had in my entire life! Amazingly there is not even any evidence of road rage. The drivers just complacently carry on from one moment to the next. I read in the paper today that one of the local bus lines in Delhi just killed its 109th victim of the year. A young woman got off a local bus after her classes at college. A couple guys on a motor bike buzzed her, doing what they call eveteasing. She fell into the path of another bus and was run over. She lie in the crowded urban street crushed for over an hour before anyone bothered to call for help. Life is very, very cheap here. I cannot express how appalling it is to witness this attitude first hand in countless ways. So was it a good trip to India? Yes, it was. Way back I read someone saying it was the closest one could get to visiting another planet. One month and I am convinced that is no exaggeration.

 

We had a strange lunchtime diversion here in Delhi this afternoon. We ate at McDonald's. We NEVER eat at McDonald's, but curiosity about how they translated Big Mac to Hindi had to be satisfied. A sign in the lobby proudly proclaimed "This restaurant does NOT serve beef or any beef products." There are burgers on the menu, Veggie Macs, or something like that. There are also curries and other Indian fast food staples compressed into easy to cook and serve portions. We had a veggie Mac and a Salsa Paneer, as well as some of the best coffee we have had in a month. The burger patty was basically mushed up potato and vegetable patty deep fried. It was bland and not so good. Paneer is a pervasive fresh cheese served in many Indian dishes. McD deep fried it, of course, and put it into a chapati (tortilla) with some salad greens and salsa. It was actually quite spicy, hot and tasty, much more to my liking than expected.

 

On the way to this internet shop we found a rare liquor store. Liquor is surprisingly uncommon in India. We bought a small bottle of local rum to entertain us when we return to the hotel to while away a few last hours. As mentioned before, we have had it as tourists. After we get back to the hotel we might go out again for some dinner, but maybe not. It is just too damn insane here and unpleasant as hell to be out and about. Booze and music TV in Hindi are our final aspirations for India.


Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

Hi from Delhi

It seems like it has been quite a while since I have last written to everyone. It is not that I haven't been thinking of you all, just have not had the time, and sometimes when I have had the time, I have just been too tired!!

I am in a rather dark Internet cafe without my glasses, and I can hardly see what I am typing.

We arrived by in Delhi this morning, after an overnight train from Pushkar, where the camel fair was. That was a lot of fun, and riding the camel was a lot of fun too. Much more fun then the elephant riding was. Getting up and down on the camel was quite scary, but after doing it once it was fine. It was (is) a long way up there. We rode out into the desert, and through the fair, and had some great Masala Chai, my new favorite tea. We are going to bring some home.

Delhi is as awful as we left it. I really dislike it here in Delhi. It is so polluted, and the traffic is so bad. There must be some good things about this place, but I have yet to find them. This evening we will have a beer, and bed early.

We went to McDonald's for lunch! We just had to taste their vegi burgers. They were OK, and the coffee was good. Mike was taking pictures, and they told him not to. He did anyway. Can't figure out why they did not want us to. Won't go in there again, but just had to try it.

I am very glad to be coming home now. I am ready, and so is Mike.

This has been an experience I will not soon forget. I am glad that I got the chance to come and see where (and to some degree how) 1.2 billion people live. I could never live here. I have not felt reallycleansince being here, and can't wait to feel so again. At least my hair is not falling out!

I have tons of mozzie bites, so glad that I am taking anti malarial drugs.

I really want a warm shower, not out of a bucket. I know all these things will come soon.

We traveled with a nice group of people. I wish I could say the same for our guide. What a looser she was. After our great guide in the South, it was really a disappointment.

Even tucked away in this tiny dark room with a few computers I can here the horns. All the time, and loud. The sidewalks are not for walking on, so we walk in the streets like everyone else, and at times I fear for our lives. There have been over 100 people killed so far, this year, by one bus line. I know that bus line! They are big and scary. I think there is a lot of scary stuff here, like this little cafe for instance. I just saw a couple of roaches playing in a corner. Yikes.

Seeing the multitude of beggars is so sad. Some of them have been mutilated on purpose. Their legs and arms bent. And so many little kids, holding babies, filthy kids, pointing to their mouths for food.

It is really hard to be here at times. There is nothing we can do. We have been warned over and over, not to give anything to them, and so we don't, (mostly). Coming in to the hotel this morning, the sidewalk for blocks, and blocks were covered with sleeping bodies. So this is India.

I think this will be the last post from me, from India. We may go to the airport early tomorrow, to hang out, as we have to be out of our room by 12.

Ok then, hope everyone is well.... see some of you soon...

Susan




 

Pushkar Ketchup

We are on our last tour day in India, in Pushkar where the camel festival reigns. The fragrance of dust, diesel, incense, patchouli, and dung. The sounds of Indian pop music, finger cymbals, motorbikes, horns, drums, and touts selling every kind of ware not needed by anyone in their proper senses. Paisley, henna tattoos, tie die t-shirts, sandals, batik, and even bell bottom jeans. Pushkar is northern India hippie paradise. Almost the entire route around the lake, about 2 miles, is packed with sights, sounds, and scents of the Haight Ashbury of old in a very third world manifestation.

Last night was a celebration of something unknown to me. The entire lake was circled with tiny oil lamps. Musicians and drummers competed in every nearby street. The crowds swirled and surged in time to the beat. The puja touts push flowers into any open hand expecting payment for the derived blessings. The henna touts stamp brown inked designs on bare skin the demand payment for their services. Beggars with warped and abbreviated limbs slither on bellies, balanced on caster boards, shaking metal bowls of coins with a tiny hope for two more - one for them and one for the beggar master who rules the lane. The air pounded with aerial explosions. Fireworks burst into the night sky with a fantastic display of amazing duration. A supreme finale.

 

Tonight we board the overnight sleeper train for Delhi. We don't look forward to 36 hours of thick brown smog. Only one more night there, then a day to catchup any last minute items before the 5 hour in advance trip to the airport.

 

This may be my last email from India to all of you. There will be one more in a week or two or three with pictures. Until then, Namaste!

--
Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

Pushkar

Very briefly... We are at one recently rare internet shop and the group is having tea. I cannot keep them too long.

 

We had a traveler's nightmare with our travel guide/agency a few days ago. We were subjected to what was virtually extortion where several hundred dollars were demanded or we would be abandoned in a very remote village. After contacting the US State department we were advised to call the local police and report the extortion attempt. Upon informing the  guide, her manager, and the corporate offices of this very large well known tour company that police action and possible detention of their guide for questioning, they relented. We have now been delivered all that we contracted and paid for without paying any more money. The tour company is one of the  world's largest of its type.  They have not heard the last of this. I will be reporting all the details to whatever agencies concerned after our safe return home.  Needless to say we did not expect "adventure travel" to take such an ugly turn!

 

Today we are in Pushkar at the time of one of India's largest fairs, the Camel Festival! It is one heck of a sight! It is a bit like being in the middle of the Lawrence of Arabia set. It is primeval. It is absolutely fascinating. Thousands of camels, horses, cattle. Every kind of animal pulled transportation. Hundreds of stalls selling the worldly goods needed by a camel trader. Sadhus, snake charmers, beggars, jewelers, dancing horses, acrobats, tea wallas, camel taxis, and more. Our "deluxe" camp that we were to pay the premium for is a few steps above the miserable camps of the beggars, but well below even the most rudimentary hotel room. Its assets are comfortable cots and inside toilets. The city surrounds a small and beautiful lake that is India's main worship site for the god Brahma. Several of the group went down the steps to the water where priests gave them blessings. They were then subjected to high pressure to pay huge sums of money. Amazingly, a couple of our group did so and immediately regretted it.

 

We have one more night in camp and another day to wander Pushkar and the fair. Tomorrow night we travel by sleeper train back to Delhi for our final 36 hours in India. All in all it has been a very interesting trip, but not one I would repeat or even recommend. No matter, we have no regrets. It has just been a bit more and different "adventure" than we expected or wanted.

--
Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

not much

Today is a dull, hot day in Jaipur. I am not sure why we are here for 2 nights. Last night we were entertained by a troop of musicians and dancers doing traditional Rajastan dances. They were quite entertaining. Otherwise it has not been interesting here. This is, in part, due to my having something of a cold with sneezing, sore throat, and lack of energy. The hotel is drab. The room like a cell. The food served here is overcooked and unseasoned. Last night I ordered a curry HOT for my sore throat. It was about as hot as campbell's tomato soup. I asked for some chili sauce to heat it up and was delivered a tepid bowl of yogurt and mint. I asked the guide to translate my request and was delivered a bowl of something resembling ketchup. This morning we were taken to a presentation of a homeless children's school and workshop. It was a tear jerker charity informercial in the real world. Very sad that these 60 kids get something resembling help and millions of others get nothing. When traffic stands still sometimes small thin kids dressed in rags filter out among the cars and tap windows for a handout. Some are aggressive and try to pry open closed windows. When traffic takes off again they are left standing in the midst of it.

 

Onward...

--
Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

out of Delhi - hooray!

This is a difficult catchup. We have been scurrying all over NW India like rats fleeing the exterminator. The exit from Delhi was via train on the day before Diwali. Diwali is the number one holiday in India where all transportation is flooded. The train station was packed. The train arrived and the crowd literally fought to get into the cheap seats. I did not see fists flying, but the melee suggested it. As members of the upper castes we had a classy and comfortable car without a crowd once leaving the station. There were even two security men at each end to keep the rabble from impinging on our cool comfort. It was almost like Amtrak, that is like an Amtrak car from 1960 that has been cleaned a few times, but not in the toilets. Yuck. The route was heavy with brown smog. It did not look like a good day to visit the Taj Mahal, but that was where we were headed. (Forgive the mixed tenses! I have a cold coming on and my mind is not clear.)

 

Agra is the city of the Taj, but our first stop was the Red Fort - the first of too many forts. An impressive structure of over 400 years age. It once imprisoned the king (?) whose wife was buried in the Taj. The king had the Taj built as a memorial to his wife, but was never to set foot in it. He was imprisoned where he could only see it for the rest of his life.

 

The Taj Mahal is said to be the most beautiful building in the world. I have no doubts about that claim being true. It is spectacular. Even in the hazy skies the first viewing literally brings gasps of Oh my God! It is over 400 years old and looks nearly new. It has been very well taken care of by the generations. In the scope of sites we have seen it is right up there with Machu Piccu for sheer spectacle. We walked up to it in a teasing round about way, taking pictures as we went. We circled around the exterior with some stops for soaking it into greater awareness. Finally we queued up to see inside. It was dusk when we went inside and so the light was poor with only one small bulb providing light. The interior is one large space with two tombs in the middle. It was not terribly interesting. The Taj is on many lists as one place everyone should see in their lifetime. This is good advice.

 

We left Agra the next morning headed toward Bharatpur on Diwali day. There we walked about another 400 year old red fort. This one uncrowded and quite interesting in that the walls enclose an entire ancient city that has never been sacked and is still in remarkably good condition. We left the fort and walked through the very old market street of Bharatpur. Lunch was in a small cafe where we all had the only item on the menu - Thali. (This is my favorite Indian food! It is a sampler plate somewhat like mezza. You can't go wrong with thali.) Upon entering the cafe we encountered a remarkable sight, a pennyfarthing bicycle - an old "big wheel" bike. It's rider was unloading his gear and did not mind a chat. It turned out this fellow is rather famous. He is Joff Summerfield, an Englishman who is riding his big bike around the entire world! Meeting him was a bit like meeting Steve Fosset in a remote village. You can see some of his story here: http://pennyfarthingworldtour.com/. He is writing a book about his adventure as he goes. Maybe we will be in it! (Just kidding...) Later in the afternoon we rode rickshaws through a wildlife sanctuary where 100's of species are commonly seen, except this year. In this part of India the monsoons did not arrive and the area is parched bone dry. The wetlands vital to the sanctuary are dry and the many birds that would have been there were not. We spent Diwali evening at a very nice country inn where the wildlife had not abandoned their pursuit of prey - us. The room was buzzing with hundreds of mosquitoes. They were so bad we had to ask the staff to spray our room with god's knows what kind of toxic mists. The mozzie population took a hit and we had only dozens afterward. Diwali evening is celebrated by a brief religious worship, fireworks, and plenty of free booze. We watched the ceremony with curiosity, then drank Indian whisky and rum with reckless abandon. Not really. The inn was a small family business and it was like being in a stranger's home for Christmas Day, but with 4th of July fireworks and weather.

 

Yesterday morning we continued the journey west in a public bus of dubious safety. Riding Indian buses is a bit like riding a fast power farming implement. It is a hard, rough ride with a lot of dirt. Two of our group became sick - one with intestinal flux that caused him to hang his head out the window and send gifts to the wind, the other with a sore throat and fever - what I am fearing that may be coming my way now. The night was spent in an old small fort on top of a rocky bluff surrounded by a very primitive village. The family that was once the lords of the area still owns and lives there, renting out rooms a few times a month to pay the bills. It was a very lovely place in a rustic way. We walked around the village for a couple hours with a local guide. We were shown various local crafts and the way of life. It was, in a rough sort of way, an idyllic sort of place. School was out for the holiday much to our grief. Every turn brought us into contact with screaming children who begged to have their photos taken. It was cute for about 100 times, then it became onerous as they quickly put themselves into the foreground of every shot taken. Dinner was followed by a silly dress up in local costumes session. The folks who had more beer enjoyed it the most. Stewart had the best costume that looked great until someone pointed out that with his big red turban and red clothing he looked a lot like Ronald McDonald.

 

This morning we took to two cars for the short trip to Jaipur. Above Jaipur is yet another immense red fort. The many forts are interesting, but the enjoyment is curtailed by the Indian guides who drone on and on and on in unintelligibly accented English. The forts become a task of difficult concentration on the guides instead of a viewing of an ancient artifact. "The queen had 3 bedrooms. Summer, winter, and blah blah blah. The king's bed is very big. Blah blah blah. The garden is here. Blah blah blah. Old Jaipur there. 1000 years old. New Jaipur there. Blah blah blah. Rose scented bath water. Blah blah blah. Only 'natural' eunuchs serve the concubines. Blah blah blah." Repeat this 20 more times.

 

Now we are settled into our Jaipur hotel for 2 night's stay. It is a dingy dinky room in an otherwise grand looking grounds. Tonight we are going to try out a Bollywood movie. From what I have seen looking at them on TV, they are all very corny B-grade musicals where the Indian lassies look sultry and the laddies prove that only one population on earth are worse dancers than white boys.

 

Tomorrow, if I am not overtaken by a cold, I am going out to seek my coveted souvenir, a set of tabla.

 

PS - I just found that Joff has some good Taj Mahal pictures here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=rzyi&page_id=65768&v=Y

--
Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com

Hello from Jaipur

Hello everyone,

It has been a while since I have written. I think the last time I had a chance was in Delhi, or maybe not. We are on the move so much I cannot remember.

Anyway, we are here, in Jaipur. Which is in the state of Rajasthan which is west of Delhi a bit.

It is in the desert, it is hot and dry, and there are a lot of camels. There are a lot of cows roaming around too, with the dogs, and beggars. It is not so bad in this town, I don't think. We just got here a little while ago. Had a good lunch, put our bags in the room and here we are typing. We are here for two days, yah.. Since we have started four or so days ago, we have moved on after one night. It is exhausting. We are covering a lot of territory. Getting to and from places by bus, (local), train, jeep, and car, not to mention auto rickshaws, and walking through crowded markets you would not believe. It is all very interesting, and exhausting. I am glad to stay here for two nights.

This evening we are going to go to a four hour long Bollywood film. In the grandest theater in all of India. It we get too sick of it, we will leave. This seems like a pretty nice place. We will do more exploring tomorrow, as it is a "free" half day.

On our way here we stopped at the Amber Palace. We have seen many of them, and they are all pretty impressive. But the same. I think we have seen our last fort. But maybe not.

Last night we actually stayed in a fort that is a hotel now, for Intrepid travelers, and one other tour group only. We had to dress up in local dress, and dance the local dances. The hotel, our room was amazing. Absolutely gorgeous. There was no hot water, so they brought it to us in a bucket, or two. And it was hot, much hotter then the showers have been. It was a good shower. The bed was as hard as a rock. Neither of us slept too well, sometimes we do, and sometimes we don't. We had breakfast over looking the village below, and a bunch of monkeys playing. It was really relaxing. The previous day, after we had arrived, and had lunch, and a bit of a snooze, we walked through the local village. It was very interesting. Hundreds of kids, wanting their pictures taken  and then given 1 rupee. They were following us everywhere, and it becomes quite annoying. They did not pester me too much because I did not have a camera. It was a fun day.

 

The day before that was spent in Bharatpur. That was mosquito city. We opened our bedroom door, and were greeted by many, many mosquitoes, buzzing all over the place, and just waiting to drink our blood. Fortunately, we were on our way out, to a bird sanctuary, so they sprayed our room. The bird sanctuary was very pretty, and relatively quiet. We traveled by bicycle rickshaw. We had a great guide, and saw a few birds. this area has been having a draught for some years now, so the number of birds has decreased drastically. That evening was the first big day of "Dawali a huge festival here. So the owner treated us all to free cocktail after dinner. I tasted tasted the local rum, and whiskey. Both pretty good. That night there were no mosquitoes in our room.

 

The day before that we spent in Agra. The home of the Taj Mahal. That place is hard to describe. It was absolutely stunning. We only got an hour and a half there, and that was not nearly enough time. We could have spent all day there. Everyone in our group was disappointed the small amount of time we were allocated. It was (is) so beautiful, words can't really describe it. The first time we saw it was from the roof top of our hotel, about a mile away, through the haze. And even that was stunning. Then when you see it up close, OMG. I just wanted to sit and look at it, which we did for a while.

It was fun getting into the Taj though. The women stand in one line, the men in another. The men's line was very short, the women's line very long. There was so much pushing and shoving by the women to get a couple of paces ahead that it was insane. After I got pushed twice, I started my own pushing, just to keep the place I had. We were all having to push just to keep our places. It was worth it though, once we got inside.

 

So here we are for two nights. Next stop is Ranthambhore National Park, where we are sure to see some Bengal tigers. Yeah right. Our guide did say though that last time she was here, she saw one, and the time before that too. So who knows, we may.

 

Speaking of our guide. She is not so great. Very hard to understand, does not speak up, and is rather cold. She does not "brief" us though we have asked her to. She is warming up a bit, but she does not compare to Pravin, our Southern India guide. She will not get such a nice tip!

 

It is four fifteen. I am going to the room to do some laundry, and maybe read a bit. We meet at 5:45 for the film, and then dinner.

 

That is all for now....

Namaste.

Susan