Oh Kolkata....
Well We got to Calcutta(Now Kolkata) four hours late. Arriving at noon, we soon found a taxi to take us to a hotel in Sudder Street, (Kolkata's backpacker area). We were set to meet our friend Kate who is working in the City as a volunteer for Calcutta Rescue, a charity providing free health clinics to socially disadvantaged people. As we drove throught the streets we could feel and see that this town is very different to Delhi. Trees grow in profusion, the streets are so much wider and are full with beautiful yellow Ambassador cabs. We passed a park that looked like Hyde Park in London and saw some Raj era buildings that also reminded us of home.
This wasn't the Kolkatta we'd expected. We managed to get a room at the same hotel as Kate and it was great to see that she was happy and the work was everything she'd hoped it would be. We had a guided tour onto the Metro,(so much cleaner, spacious and safer than London's effort), we then made our way to the Victoria monument in The Maiden, (the park we had seen). What a wonderful surprise. A beautiful White Marble building, multipally domed and set amongst lush green lawns. Really bizarre to see this in India when we could have so easily been in South Kensington. This first walk has set the tone for our time in Kolkata. We REALLY like it here, generally, it's more friendly than anywhere else we've been,(however some of the young Indian men continue to be TOO friendly to young western women).
Yesterday, we ate at Pizza Hut in a shopping centre alot like the Trocadero in London or the Merry Hill Centre in the near our home in the midlands. There were ice cream parlours an air conditioned western movie theatre. It was a surreal experience but was great to share it with Kate and her fellow volunteers(British and German).
Today, we were fortunate enough to see the clinics where people are treated and educated in matters of health. We saw four clinics, a handicraft workshop and a school. The facilities although seemingly humble were really well organised by paid local staff and the overseas volunteers. Prescriptions were written in both Bengali and a visual format to ensure that people could understand when they were to take their medication. It was a fascinating experience and it made both Jo and me feel that what was going on there is a wonderful and worthwhile project. Kate and her fellow workers are doing an amazing job out here. They all deserve to be paid handsomely for the work they are doing for free and should be recognised for doing so.
On the flip side of the efforts put in by Calcutta Rescue, an annoying side of the poverty problem in kolkata is the 'do- gooding' western tourists we witnessed handing out money, biscuits and other food stuffs will-nilly as if it were 'the thing to do in kolkata'. they could be witnessed holding beggars hands and hugging the odd baby. You have to wonder who they are doing this for? Jo called this the Mary Poppins Syndrome which made Kate and me laugh. These people insist on re-enforcing the begging principle instead of implimenting the healthcare and individual empowerment that is needed to help eradicate suffering on the streets. They'd do better to give their money to an organised charity instead of putting it into the hand of another beggar reliant on other people for survival.
Anyway enough ranting. We fly out tonight, (Tuesday 30th) to Singapore. Looking forward to it. But not looking forward to saying goodbye to Kate and, believe it or not, India...
Bye for now,
xgregandjox
http://www.calcuttarescue.com
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Varanasi, city of the dead...well almost dead.
Story 1
One thing we hadn't planned upon in Varanasi, was meeting an Australian tourist at the station when we first arrived. Our train was late, so we ended up arriving in at about 11pm. We got off the train and immediately began to attract the usual attention from taxi and rickshaw drivers asking"where you want to go? and what hotel you staying at?" We've hardened up to it now and coped pretty well, considering we were frazzled from the journey. We emerged from the station to see a crowd of a dozen or so indian guys standing arguing around the base of a six foot bearded western man who was about 30. He looked stressed, to say the least and was fully laden with a huge back-pack. I asked him if he was okay and said he could join us in a rickshaw if he had no plans. He seemed really grateful and relieved to be going to a hotel we had pre-booked. Well to cut a long story short, Alex stayed with us(in the spare bed in our room) for two nights. Big mistake. On the boat at sunrise, he spotted someone he knew in another boat. He screamed hello to his friend and jumped ship! He stepped from our boat to theirs and waved goodbye. We were so shocked and I muttered something about paying the boat guy. He did a runner that afternoon, leaving us a small donation to the room and not having paid the hotel owner, (who was a really nice man) money for the food he'd eaten. He also never paid me for the boat. This man claimed to be a buddhist. He knew alot about the subject and practised his mantras regularly. He showed us his books and beads and how he used them. He seemed okay at first but both Jo and I went against our gut instinct to help another westerner in distress. Next time we'll think twice..... We saw Alex again on the way out of Varanasi. He'd attached himself to another bunch of people. Only hope they manage to shake him as soon as they could...
Story 2
Varanasi is a great place. Really atmospheric and very, very hot. The Ganges was the centre of all activity there, particularly in the morning when people went there to wash and pray to their various gods. We witnessed this amazing spectacle under the morning sunrise(the best we've yet seen on this trip) on two occasions. It was worth getting up at 5am and go by cycle rickshaw in the dark to the edge of the water where we were besieged by people trying to sell us boat rides. We did go on one boat ride and it provided an amazing viewpoint of the banks(or Ghats). We were shown by many people the way to the burning ghat. The site of cremations that happen around the clock 365 days a year. We witnessed bodies, wrapped in beautiful gold and orange silks being lowered into the water and then placed on a pire to be burnt. In broad daylight, we watched the moving ceremony that is as natural as breathing in this holy city. People are not allowed to mourn next to the body and widows are not allowed on the ghat through the fear that they might jump onto the fire aswell, (it happens!). Apparently, not everyone in Hindu society is disposed of in this way. Lepers, pregnant mothers, snake bite victims and priests are weighed down with a rock and dropped into the middle of the river. This seems ludicrous in a river that is already, heavily polluted and used by people to bathe. We later witnessed the 'fruits' of this type of burial. In the heat of the mid-day sun as people were swimming, an over turned bloated body came floating about 20 feet from the ghat. People did their best to ignore it and everyoned seemed to go a bit quiet. This was bad enough we thought, but then five crows proceeded to perch on the back of the fleshy pontoon and began pecking at the corpses behind! The sight took a few minutes to float away and once out of sight it was, seemingly, out of mind. Eveyone carried on as they had done before, Jo and I though had to go for a cup of tea and a long chat....
Anyway we've learnt a few a few things along the way in India, but most importantly know this. If you're going to throw a man in the river, weigh him down properly, especially if he's a six foot Buddhist named Alex....
Bye for now,
xgregandjox
Story 1
One thing we hadn't planned upon in Varanasi, was meeting an Australian tourist at the station when we first arrived. Our train was late, so we ended up arriving in at about 11pm. We got off the train and immediately began to attract the usual attention from taxi and rickshaw drivers asking"where you want to go? and what hotel you staying at?" We've hardened up to it now and coped pretty well, considering we were frazzled from the journey. We emerged from the station to see a crowd of a dozen or so indian guys standing arguing around the base of a six foot bearded western man who was about 30. He looked stressed, to say the least and was fully laden with a huge back-pack. I asked him if he was okay and said he could join us in a rickshaw if he had no plans. He seemed really grateful and relieved to be going to a hotel we had pre-booked. Well to cut a long story short, Alex stayed with us(in the spare bed in our room) for two nights. Big mistake. On the boat at sunrise, he spotted someone he knew in another boat. He screamed hello to his friend and jumped ship! He stepped from our boat to theirs and waved goodbye. We were so shocked and I muttered something about paying the boat guy. He did a runner that afternoon, leaving us a small donation to the room and not having paid the hotel owner, (who was a really nice man) money for the food he'd eaten. He also never paid me for the boat. This man claimed to be a buddhist. He knew alot about the subject and practised his mantras regularly. He showed us his books and beads and how he used them. He seemed okay at first but both Jo and I went against our gut instinct to help another westerner in distress. Next time we'll think twice..... We saw Alex again on the way out of Varanasi. He'd attached himself to another bunch of people. Only hope they manage to shake him as soon as they could...
Story 2
Varanasi is a great place. Really atmospheric and very, very hot. The Ganges was the centre of all activity there, particularly in the morning when people went there to wash and pray to their various gods. We witnessed this amazing spectacle under the morning sunrise(the best we've yet seen on this trip) on two occasions. It was worth getting up at 5am and go by cycle rickshaw in the dark to the edge of the water where we were besieged by people trying to sell us boat rides. We did go on one boat ride and it provided an amazing viewpoint of the banks(or Ghats). We were shown by many people the way to the burning ghat. The site of cremations that happen around the clock 365 days a year. We witnessed bodies, wrapped in beautiful gold and orange silks being lowered into the water and then placed on a pire to be burnt. In broad daylight, we watched the moving ceremony that is as natural as breathing in this holy city. People are not allowed to mourn next to the body and widows are not allowed on the ghat through the fear that they might jump onto the fire aswell, (it happens!). Apparently, not everyone in Hindu society is disposed of in this way. Lepers, pregnant mothers, snake bite victims and priests are weighed down with a rock and dropped into the middle of the river. This seems ludicrous in a river that is already, heavily polluted and used by people to bathe. We later witnessed the 'fruits' of this type of burial. In the heat of the mid-day sun as people were swimming, an over turned bloated body came floating about 20 feet from the ghat. People did their best to ignore it and everyoned seemed to go a bit quiet. This was bad enough we thought, but then five crows proceeded to perch on the back of the fleshy pontoon and began pecking at the corpses behind! The sight took a few minutes to float away and once out of sight it was, seemingly, out of mind. Eveyone carried on as they had done before, Jo and I though had to go for a cup of tea and a long chat....
Anyway we've learnt a few a few things along the way in India, but most importantly know this. If you're going to throw a man in the river, weigh him down properly, especially if he's a six foot Buddhist named Alex....
Bye for now,
xgregandjox
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Hello everyone,
We have now reached Varanasi - what a fantastic place this is!! I think this is the India we've been searching for. It is fascinating, friendly and has so much genuine charm, whilst remaining a living, working town. We took a boat ride this morning to see the ghats by early morning light, and it was magical. Unfortunately, our stay here is only brief, but this is definately a place deserving a second visit. There were 3 species of kingfisher diving into the Ganges, children splashed around, women washed clothes, men posed for our benefit, people performed blessings, bodies burned, water buffalo wandered around the shoreline - there was so much to take in, and the Ganges itself was vast and tranquil. We became lost in the jumble of backstreets and glimpsed folk going about their daily business in their homes, shops and workshops.
We sat and watched the cricket again yesterday, another well deserved win for India - more fireworks and merriment.
It is blisteringly hot at the moment and it's only 10.30am, but we have stumbled upon some delightful shady courtyards in guesthouses and cool alleyways where we can people watch and recouperate.
Next stop is kolkata, we leave on another sleeper train tomorrow night. Lets hope it's better than the 23hr marathon the last journey turned out to be!
Bye for now,
xjoandgregx
We have now reached Varanasi - what a fantastic place this is!! I think this is the India we've been searching for. It is fascinating, friendly and has so much genuine charm, whilst remaining a living, working town. We took a boat ride this morning to see the ghats by early morning light, and it was magical. Unfortunately, our stay here is only brief, but this is definately a place deserving a second visit. There were 3 species of kingfisher diving into the Ganges, children splashed around, women washed clothes, men posed for our benefit, people performed blessings, bodies burned, water buffalo wandered around the shoreline - there was so much to take in, and the Ganges itself was vast and tranquil. We became lost in the jumble of backstreets and glimpsed folk going about their daily business in their homes, shops and workshops.
We sat and watched the cricket again yesterday, another well deserved win for India - more fireworks and merriment.
It is blisteringly hot at the moment and it's only 10.30am, but we have stumbled upon some delightful shady courtyards in guesthouses and cool alleyways where we can people watch and recouperate.
Next stop is kolkata, we leave on another sleeper train tomorrow night. Lets hope it's better than the 23hr marathon the last journey turned out to be!
Bye for now,
xjoandgregx
Monday, March 22, 2004
Hello Everyone,
Well, this is our last day in Mcleod Ganj. We've enjoyed the relative quiet here and will miss the range of world food available. We've not had curry almost two weeks now and have been able to eat good lasagne, noodle soup, sushi and amazing chocolate mousse.
We eventually got to see the Dalai Lama after queing for an hour outside a tiny little hut. The hut contained a man frantically preparing passes to enter the lessons being held at the main Gompa,(buddhist temple) here in town. There were piles of Tibetan passports on the desk around him and people from all corners of the earth were constantly asking him, how long it was going to take. He was doing his best. I stood next to an English Leiff Garrett lookalike who constantly picked through his filthy hair. He had the dirtiest feet I've seen in India and wore a purple sarong. I think he's a bit more hardcore than Jo and I will ever get on this trip. Especially as I couldn't help but listen as he bragged to another traveller that he'd had Amoebic Dysentary; he claimed that he'd still got it and hadn't taken any drugs-he'd simply "willed it away".... We managed to obtain our photo passes before the cut-off time at twelve noon. Other people missed out and were notably frustrated,(to put it very mildly). You really get to see peoples nasty side when a bureaucrat comes between them and their spiritual leader... Later we queued up at the main Gompa to see the 'His Holiness'. Some great english people we had met in Shimla and had Shared a taxi with to Dharamsala joined us and told us of the best place to sit to catch a glimpse. We were split into two queues, men and women, bag searched, body searched and eventually got inside the compound feeling a bit put out. Up a few steps and under the spread of low yellow tarpaulines were sat hundreds and hundreds of people. Old, young, eastern, western, all crossed legged on the ground chattering with excitement, some spinning mini prayer wheels and others inserting radio earpieces to receive the translation that's simultaneously broadcast on an FM frequency. There was a clear group of monks dressed in yellow(as opposed to the normal burgundy) sat at the front around an elaborate high chair. We guessed this was where the D.L. would sit. Sure enough, he emerged from behind us and was led out by a number of other monks. He was tiny in stature but seemed to be smiling heartily at everyone sat on the ground around his feet. He wore, mainly yellow, sleeveless robes and had on the same disarming 70's glasses he always seems to wear. People were nodding and putting their hands together frantically in prayer. We felt VERY out of place, but watched him move to the front of the crowd to take his place amongst his people. Out of respect, we left straight away as we wouldn't be stopping for the teaching. We were glad we made the effort to see this phenomenon, a once in a lifetime chance to see a 'Nobel Peace Prize' winner who radiates love throughout and beyond his enforced exile home of India. I just hope some of the angry visitors at the pass office, took away some of this love and learned to treat other people with more respect in future...
We leave for Varanasi tonight. We first get a taxi to Pathenkot, (3hrs) then get the 12:10am train which will arrive in Varanasi around 9:00pm tomorrow night. We hope to stay just a couple of days and then move onto Kolkata where we hope to fly out to Singapore next Tuesday night. Some of you may have noticed that this is a month earlier than planned. There is a reason. We need to see the ocean and we want to lie on a beach ASAP!
Well, we'll be in touch again. Love to all of you.
xgregandjox
Well, this is our last day in Mcleod Ganj. We've enjoyed the relative quiet here and will miss the range of world food available. We've not had curry almost two weeks now and have been able to eat good lasagne, noodle soup, sushi and amazing chocolate mousse.
We eventually got to see the Dalai Lama after queing for an hour outside a tiny little hut. The hut contained a man frantically preparing passes to enter the lessons being held at the main Gompa,(buddhist temple) here in town. There were piles of Tibetan passports on the desk around him and people from all corners of the earth were constantly asking him, how long it was going to take. He was doing his best. I stood next to an English Leiff Garrett lookalike who constantly picked through his filthy hair. He had the dirtiest feet I've seen in India and wore a purple sarong. I think he's a bit more hardcore than Jo and I will ever get on this trip. Especially as I couldn't help but listen as he bragged to another traveller that he'd had Amoebic Dysentary; he claimed that he'd still got it and hadn't taken any drugs-he'd simply "willed it away".... We managed to obtain our photo passes before the cut-off time at twelve noon. Other people missed out and were notably frustrated,(to put it very mildly). You really get to see peoples nasty side when a bureaucrat comes between them and their spiritual leader... Later we queued up at the main Gompa to see the 'His Holiness'. Some great english people we had met in Shimla and had Shared a taxi with to Dharamsala joined us and told us of the best place to sit to catch a glimpse. We were split into two queues, men and women, bag searched, body searched and eventually got inside the compound feeling a bit put out. Up a few steps and under the spread of low yellow tarpaulines were sat hundreds and hundreds of people. Old, young, eastern, western, all crossed legged on the ground chattering with excitement, some spinning mini prayer wheels and others inserting radio earpieces to receive the translation that's simultaneously broadcast on an FM frequency. There was a clear group of monks dressed in yellow(as opposed to the normal burgundy) sat at the front around an elaborate high chair. We guessed this was where the D.L. would sit. Sure enough, he emerged from behind us and was led out by a number of other monks. He was tiny in stature but seemed to be smiling heartily at everyone sat on the ground around his feet. He wore, mainly yellow, sleeveless robes and had on the same disarming 70's glasses he always seems to wear. People were nodding and putting their hands together frantically in prayer. We felt VERY out of place, but watched him move to the front of the crowd to take his place amongst his people. Out of respect, we left straight away as we wouldn't be stopping for the teaching. We were glad we made the effort to see this phenomenon, a once in a lifetime chance to see a 'Nobel Peace Prize' winner who radiates love throughout and beyond his enforced exile home of India. I just hope some of the angry visitors at the pass office, took away some of this love and learned to treat other people with more respect in future...
We leave for Varanasi tonight. We first get a taxi to Pathenkot, (3hrs) then get the 12:10am train which will arrive in Varanasi around 9:00pm tomorrow night. We hope to stay just a couple of days and then move onto Kolkata where we hope to fly out to Singapore next Tuesday night. Some of you may have noticed that this is a month earlier than planned. There is a reason. We need to see the ocean and we want to lie on a beach ASAP!
Well, we'll be in touch again. Love to all of you.
xgregandjox
Hello Everyone,
Well, this is our last day in Mcleod Ganj. We've enjoyed the relative quiet here and will miss the range of world food available. We've not had curry almost two weeks now and have been able to eat good lasagne, noodle soup, sushi and amazing chocolate mousse.
We eventually got to see the Dalai Lama after queing for an hour outside a tiny little hut. The hut contained a man frantically preparing passes to enter the lessons being held at the main Gompa,(buddhist temple) here in town. There were piles of Tibetan passports on the desk around him and people from all corners of the earth were constantly asking him, how long it was going to take. He was doing his best. I stood next to an English Leiff Garrett lookalike who constantly picked through his filthy hair. He had the dirtiest feet I've seen in India and wore a purple sarong. I think he's a bit more hardcore than Jo and I will ever get on this trip. Especially as I couldn't help but listen as he bragged to another traveller that he'd had Amoebic Dysentary; he claimed that he'd still got it and hadn't taken any drugs-he'd simply "willed it away".... We managed to obtain our photo passes before the cut-off time at twelve noon. Other people missed out and were notably frustrated,(to put it very mildly). You really get to see peoples nasty side when a bureaucrat comes between them and their spiritual leader... Later we queued up at the main Gompa to see the 'His Holiness'. Some great english people we had met in Shimla and had Shared a taxi with to Dharamsala joined us and told us of the best place to sit to catch a glimpse. We were split into two queues, men and women, bag searched, body searched and eventually got inside the compound feeling a bit put out. Up a few steps and under the spread of low yellow tarpaulines were sat hundreds and hundreds of people. Old, young, eastern, western, all crossed legged on the ground chattering with excitement, some spinning mini prayer wheels and others inserting radio earpieces to receive the translation that's simultaneously broadcast on an FM frequency. There was a clear group of monks dressed in yellow(as opposed to the normal burgundy) sat at the front around an elaborate high chair. We guessed this was where the D.L. would sit. Sure enough, he emerged from behind us and was led out by a number of other monks. He was tiny in stature but seemed to be smiling heartily at everyone sat on the ground around his feet. He wore, mainly yellow, sleeveless robes and had on the same disarming 70's glasses he always seems to wear. People were nodding and putting their hands together frantically in prayer. We felt VERY out of place, but watched him move to the front of the crowd to take his place amongst his people. Out of respect, we left straight away as we wouldn't be stopping for the teaching. We were glad we made the effort to see this phenomenon, a once in a lifetime chance to see a 'Nobel Peace Prize' winner who radiates love throughout and beyond his enforced exile home of India. I just hope some of the angry visitors at the pass office, took away some of this love and learned to treat other people with more respect in future...
We leave for Varanasi tonight. We first get a taxi to Pathenkot, (3hrs) then get the 12:10am train which will arrive in Varanasi around 9:00pm tomorrow night. We hope to stay just a couple of days and then move onto Kolkata where we hope to fly out to Singapore next Tuesday night. Some of you may have noticed that this is a month earlier than planned. There is a reason. We need to see the ocean and we want to lie on a beach ASAP!
Well, we'll be in touch again. Love to all of you.
xgregandjox
Well, this is our last day in Mcleod Ganj. We've enjoyed the relative quiet here and will miss the range of world food available. We've not had curry almost two weeks now and have been able to eat good lasagne, noodle soup, sushi and amazing chocolate mousse.
We eventually got to see the Dalai Lama after queing for an hour outside a tiny little hut. The hut contained a man frantically preparing passes to enter the lessons being held at the main Gompa,(buddhist temple) here in town. There were piles of Tibetan passports on the desk around him and people from all corners of the earth were constantly asking him, how long it was going to take. He was doing his best. I stood next to an English Leiff Garrett lookalike who constantly picked through his filthy hair. He had the dirtiest feet I've seen in India and wore a purple sarong. I think he's a bit more hardcore than Jo and I will ever get on this trip. Especially as I couldn't help but listen as he bragged to another traveller that he'd had Amoebic Dysentary; he claimed that he'd still got it and hadn't taken any drugs-he'd simply "willed it away".... We managed to obtain our photo passes before the cut-off time at twelve noon. Other people missed out and were notably frustrated,(to put it very mildly). You really get to see peoples nasty side when a bureaucrat comes between them and their spiritual leader... Later we queued up at the main Gompa to see the 'His Holiness'. Some great english people we had met in Shimla and had Shared a taxi with to Dharamsala joined us and told us of the best place to sit to catch a glimpse. We were split into two queues, men and women, bag searched, body searched and eventually got inside the compound feeling a bit put out. Up a few steps and under the spread of low yellow tarpaulines were sat hundreds and hundreds of people. Old, young, eastern, western, all crossed legged on the ground chattering with excitement, some spinning mini prayer wheels and others inserting radio earpieces to receive the translation that's simultaneously broadcast on an FM frequency. There was a clear group of monks dressed in yellow(as opposed to the normal burgundy) sat at the front around an elaborate high chair. We guessed this was where the D.L. would sit. Sure enough, he emerged from behind us and was led out by a number of other monks. He was tiny in stature but seemed to be smiling heartily at everyone sat on the ground around his feet. He wore, mainly yellow, sleeveless robes and had on the same disarming 70's glasses he always seems to wear. People were nodding and putting their hands together frantically in prayer. We felt VERY out of place, but watched him move to the front of the crowd to take his place amongst his people. Out of respect, we left straight away as we wouldn't be stopping for the teaching. We were glad we made the effort to see this phenomenon, a once in a lifetime chance to see a 'Nobel Peace Prize' winner who radiates love throughout and beyond his enforced exile home of India. I just hope some of the angry visitors at the pass office, took away some of this love and learned to treat other people with more respect in future...
We leave for Varanasi tonight. We first get a taxi to Pathenkot, (3hrs) then get the 12:10am train which will arrive in Varanasi around 9:00pm tomorrow night. We hope to stay just a couple of days and then move onto Kolkata where we hope to fly out to Singapore next Tuesday night. Some of you may have noticed that this is a month earlier than planned. There is a reason. We need to see the ocean and we want to lie on a beach ASAP!
Well, we'll be in touch again. Love to all of you.
xgregandjox
Monday, March 08, 2004
Well,
We're still in Pushkar. It's easy to see how you could spend a month in this town. We are staying in a residential part of town which has it's own 'charms' and are the only english people in a hotel inhabited mainly by Israelis. This town is a real magnet for Israeli people. We have talked to local people as to why this is. It seems that after National Service (3 years men and now 3 years women) the young people come here to let go. And when I say let go, I mean LET GO! Hair becomes long clothes go skimpy and the cannabis is consumed in great quantities. There is a really good atmosphere and most importantly it feels very safe. People really need to kick back here after their time in the army. We forget that in Israel right now, National Service means Active Service to some extent. We also found out that there is a Synagogue here so people can worship. All vices are left at the door and the shawls and caps are put on as if people were home. The fact that this goes on this way is another testament to Indian society. Indians are very adaptable and accepting of other people.
We braved the Holi day festivities yesterday. Holi Day is the beginning of the Summer for Hindus. To celebrate, everyone throws powdered and liquid paint at each other. We put on some dark clothes and set off down the street. We saw no-one at first and I could hear Morricone music in my ears as we clung onto our water bottles. We bought some orange and red powder from a small store and mixed it with the liquid. We set off again in search of 'aggro'. We were spotted by a group of about six or seven boys stained with purple paint. They spotted how clean we were and began running for us....They squirted us with paint and rubbed dry powder into our faces. We were tussling in the straight and Jo and me were in fits of scream,s and laughter..It was hilarious and totally exhilarating. It was all over quickly and everyone shook hands and moved on saying 'Good Holi' and 'Good Colour". Jo and me re-filled the bottles and moved on toward the central market area. We were greeted by more paint and powder but it began to get a bit more boisterous. We got split up and were set upon by loads of young men, this time who used darker paint and tried to grab Jo's breasts!! A shock, but she was okay..We decided to head back to the hotel not long after and were thoroughly caked by the time we got back. The locals seemed really pleased with the way we looked and considering the way they looked, we fitted in quite well.
A memorable experience and one which we nearly didn't take part in. The paint had stained us ALL over but we scrubbed hard and it came off mostly. We have some photos of how we looked, to send home, I'll try as soon as I can.
Until the next time,
xgregx
PS. Here's a few facts that might interest you.
82 rupees to the pound right now.
1 Litre Mineral Water 10-15 rupees
1 Toilet Roll (100 Metres) 25 rupees
1 Double Room with bathroom 150 rupees a night
We're still in Pushkar. It's easy to see how you could spend a month in this town. We are staying in a residential part of town which has it's own 'charms' and are the only english people in a hotel inhabited mainly by Israelis. This town is a real magnet for Israeli people. We have talked to local people as to why this is. It seems that after National Service (3 years men and now 3 years women) the young people come here to let go. And when I say let go, I mean LET GO! Hair becomes long clothes go skimpy and the cannabis is consumed in great quantities. There is a really good atmosphere and most importantly it feels very safe. People really need to kick back here after their time in the army. We forget that in Israel right now, National Service means Active Service to some extent. We also found out that there is a Synagogue here so people can worship. All vices are left at the door and the shawls and caps are put on as if people were home. The fact that this goes on this way is another testament to Indian society. Indians are very adaptable and accepting of other people.
We braved the Holi day festivities yesterday. Holi Day is the beginning of the Summer for Hindus. To celebrate, everyone throws powdered and liquid paint at each other. We put on some dark clothes and set off down the street. We saw no-one at first and I could hear Morricone music in my ears as we clung onto our water bottles. We bought some orange and red powder from a small store and mixed it with the liquid. We set off again in search of 'aggro'. We were spotted by a group of about six or seven boys stained with purple paint. They spotted how clean we were and began running for us....They squirted us with paint and rubbed dry powder into our faces. We were tussling in the straight and Jo and me were in fits of scream,s and laughter..It was hilarious and totally exhilarating. It was all over quickly and everyone shook hands and moved on saying 'Good Holi' and 'Good Colour". Jo and me re-filled the bottles and moved on toward the central market area. We were greeted by more paint and powder but it began to get a bit more boisterous. We got split up and were set upon by loads of young men, this time who used darker paint and tried to grab Jo's breasts!! A shock, but she was okay..We decided to head back to the hotel not long after and were thoroughly caked by the time we got back. The locals seemed really pleased with the way we looked and considering the way they looked, we fitted in quite well.
A memorable experience and one which we nearly didn't take part in. The paint had stained us ALL over but we scrubbed hard and it came off mostly. We have some photos of how we looked, to send home, I'll try as soon as I can.
Until the next time,
xgregx
PS. Here's a few facts that might interest you.
82 rupees to the pound right now.
1 Litre Mineral Water 10-15 rupees
1 Toilet Roll (100 Metres) 25 rupees
1 Double Room with bathroom 150 rupees a night
Saturday, March 06, 2004
Subject: Pushkar, Puja's and Pink Floyd.....
Hello folks,
greg and Jo giving you the latest news from India. We can't believe it's been a month already! We are a little wiser now, and have successfully negotiated our way around Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Mount Abu, Udaipur and are now in Pushkar. Pushkar is very relaxing compared to the rest of Rajasthan. The tourists who come here, seem to enjoy herbal comforts in the form of Bhang Lassi and cheap hash. The clothes are cheap and the sort you'd find in Camden Market circa 1969 and there are alot of people here from Israel, especially young people, here to let go and chill out to Bob Marley and Fleetwood Mac. We were lulled to sleep last night by the sound of the didgeridoo(spell.?) and the girl in the next room is learning to play the flute, she seems to like 'another brick in the wall' by Pink Floyd! The food has been great here too, the falafel and Humous is especially good.
The whole town is based around a clean and quiet lake. Unfortunately, it's quiet because there are private temples surrounding most of it. In order to go near the lake you have to negotiate priests and sadhu's who will give you a 'Puja' or blessing in the form of a piece of string around your neck or wrist. Of course, this costs; we don't know how much though, because we've avoided any contact by sneaking to the opposite side of the lake to enjoy the excellent bird-watching. We also saw massive turtles today too.
We are off now but wanted to say thanks to you all for your feedback and it's great to know you're following us around the world.
Bye for now,
xgregandjox
PS. We recently sent out some photos but peoples mailboxes seemed to be full. We'll try and send some smaller pics soon...
Hello folks,
greg and Jo giving you the latest news from India. We can't believe it's been a month already! We are a little wiser now, and have successfully negotiated our way around Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Mount Abu, Udaipur and are now in Pushkar. Pushkar is very relaxing compared to the rest of Rajasthan. The tourists who come here, seem to enjoy herbal comforts in the form of Bhang Lassi and cheap hash. The clothes are cheap and the sort you'd find in Camden Market circa 1969 and there are alot of people here from Israel, especially young people, here to let go and chill out to Bob Marley and Fleetwood Mac. We were lulled to sleep last night by the sound of the didgeridoo(spell.?) and the girl in the next room is learning to play the flute, she seems to like 'another brick in the wall' by Pink Floyd! The food has been great here too, the falafel and Humous is especially good.
The whole town is based around a clean and quiet lake. Unfortunately, it's quiet because there are private temples surrounding most of it. In order to go near the lake you have to negotiate priests and sadhu's who will give you a 'Puja' or blessing in the form of a piece of string around your neck or wrist. Of course, this costs; we don't know how much though, because we've avoided any contact by sneaking to the opposite side of the lake to enjoy the excellent bird-watching. We also saw massive turtles today too.
We are off now but wanted to say thanks to you all for your feedback and it's great to know you're following us around the world.
Bye for now,
xgregandjox
PS. We recently sent out some photos but peoples mailboxes seemed to be full. We'll try and send some smaller pics soon...
Monday, March 01, 2004
Subject: Still in Udaipur....From Greg and Jo.
Hello Everybody,
Well we're still in Udaipur. We leave tomorrow night for Pushkar. We intend to stay a couple of days there to pause and order our tickets to Shimla in Himachel Pradesh(North India). It's becoming very hot already and the English contingent seem to be heading north to the hill stations, just like the English Raj would have done in years gone by. We've met a lot of people either coming from or going to Nepal so that may be a realistic possibility afterall. For now, we're staying at a wonderfully chilled guesthouse (The Panorama, Hanuman Ghat, Udaipur), where we can relax away from the persistent rickshaw drivers and art shop owners. There are a few other English people staying and so we have some drinking partners.
We've encountered some wonderful people on this trip. We've particularly enjoyed the company of a couple of radio journalists from Montreal Canada. They've been working in Afghanistan helping to set up a radio station for women to communicate to each other, post-Taliban. We're really getting an education whilst we loaf around and this is making the trip doubly valuable.
Yesterday we traveled by style in an Ambassador taxi with our Canadian friends to Ranakpur. Here we visited a Jain temple that contains 1400 individually carved pillars at about 20 feet high. I felt like I'd walked onto the set of Bladerunner or into a Frank-Lloyd Wright house. The temple was created in the 15th Century, I think, but had such a contemporary feel-(Maybe worth looking up on the web for images).
Another highlight of the day was lunch. In a sparse concrete dining hall are rows of stainless tables and chairs. You sit in a long line opposite other total strangers.(only one other westerner besides us). The temple charges 20 rupees (25 pence) for a Veg Thali. A thali is usually served on a stainless steel tray. On this tray are smaller dishes that are filled with sauces and dahl(Lentil curry). Men come along and apply portion after portion of further curries and rice to the tray and then provide loads of naan bread or japatties. They keep coming around filling your tray from metal buckets and asking if you'd like more. You can eat as much as you want and with your fingers too! The guy next to me kept nodding at me with delight and I surprised both him and me with how much I could eat, Justin from Canada carried on a good fifteen minutes after us, polishing off naan after naan(heaven knows where he put it). All the while, there were birds and chipmunks passing through the hall and the heat of the middle of the day seemed miles away in there. When we'd finished, we went outside to watch the black faced monkeys going about their business. The business off begging for food and denting the roofs of all the parked cars. A bus load of Indian cub scouts were also entranced by the monkeys and us, as it happened. It was a case of us watching you, watching them, watching us...If you get what I mean.
All in all, we are beginning to relax with the trip and are beginning to understand what we are capable of out here and what we do and don't want to do. We've had some genuinely touching and worthwhile exchanges with Indian people and feel we are beginning to understand our relationship with this country and it's people a little better.
I think a Danish girl whom I met last night summed India up the best so far:(Paraphrased)
"India is exhausting because your CONSTANTLY searching for the truth. As soon as you accept that you'll never know the truth, you'll begin to enjoy your stay here".
Finally thanks for all your replies. We will try and write a few individual ones as we go on(11 months to go). We'll also attempt to send some photos ASAP. ( Digital Photography is getting big here so they'll be no problem saving our pics.)
Thanks for reading and love to you all.
xgregandjox
Hello Everybody,
Well we're still in Udaipur. We leave tomorrow night for Pushkar. We intend to stay a couple of days there to pause and order our tickets to Shimla in Himachel Pradesh(North India). It's becoming very hot already and the English contingent seem to be heading north to the hill stations, just like the English Raj would have done in years gone by. We've met a lot of people either coming from or going to Nepal so that may be a realistic possibility afterall. For now, we're staying at a wonderfully chilled guesthouse (The Panorama, Hanuman Ghat, Udaipur), where we can relax away from the persistent rickshaw drivers and art shop owners. There are a few other English people staying and so we have some drinking partners.
We've encountered some wonderful people on this trip. We've particularly enjoyed the company of a couple of radio journalists from Montreal Canada. They've been working in Afghanistan helping to set up a radio station for women to communicate to each other, post-Taliban. We're really getting an education whilst we loaf around and this is making the trip doubly valuable.
Yesterday we traveled by style in an Ambassador taxi with our Canadian friends to Ranakpur. Here we visited a Jain temple that contains 1400 individually carved pillars at about 20 feet high. I felt like I'd walked onto the set of Bladerunner or into a Frank-Lloyd Wright house. The temple was created in the 15th Century, I think, but had such a contemporary feel-(Maybe worth looking up on the web for images).
Another highlight of the day was lunch. In a sparse concrete dining hall are rows of stainless tables and chairs. You sit in a long line opposite other total strangers.(only one other westerner besides us). The temple charges 20 rupees (25 pence) for a Veg Thali. A thali is usually served on a stainless steel tray. On this tray are smaller dishes that are filled with sauces and dahl(Lentil curry). Men come along and apply portion after portion of further curries and rice to the tray and then provide loads of naan bread or japatties. They keep coming around filling your tray from metal buckets and asking if you'd like more. You can eat as much as you want and with your fingers too! The guy next to me kept nodding at me with delight and I surprised both him and me with how much I could eat, Justin from Canada carried on a good fifteen minutes after us, polishing off naan after naan(heaven knows where he put it). All the while, there were birds and chipmunks passing through the hall and the heat of the middle of the day seemed miles away in there. When we'd finished, we went outside to watch the black faced monkeys going about their business. The business off begging for food and denting the roofs of all the parked cars. A bus load of Indian cub scouts were also entranced by the monkeys and us, as it happened. It was a case of us watching you, watching them, watching us...If you get what I mean.
All in all, we are beginning to relax with the trip and are beginning to understand what we are capable of out here and what we do and don't want to do. We've had some genuinely touching and worthwhile exchanges with Indian people and feel we are beginning to understand our relationship with this country and it's people a little better.
I think a Danish girl whom I met last night summed India up the best so far:(Paraphrased)
"India is exhausting because your CONSTANTLY searching for the truth. As soon as you accept that you'll never know the truth, you'll begin to enjoy your stay here".
Finally thanks for all your replies. We will try and write a few individual ones as we go on(11 months to go). We'll also attempt to send some photos ASAP. ( Digital Photography is getting big here so they'll be no problem saving our pics.)
Thanks for reading and love to you all.
xgregandjox
