After 6 weeks in India the end has arrived.
We left the state of Rajasthan and caught an overnight train down to Mumbai, where we are due to fly out. The train ride was again a memorable journey. Spending a day and a night with the same people in a carriage, always turns out to be entertaining. This time we were in 3 tier Air Con sleepers, which is about 3rd down the ranking. The carriage consists of 3 levels of bunks in an open carriage which means there is a lot of socialising and this class usually attracts the Indian middle class. We were approached by a group of 5 kids from Mumbai aged 10-15 who were at first really shy and scared to talk to us. But once the conversations started they stayed with us the whole trip. After already having dinner before we got on the train, their parents forced us to eat another dinner and would not accept no for an answer. We chatted to the kids about everything, from maths riddles to weather my parents smoke, eat meat and drink. They were Jains, who are strict vegetarians who do not even eat garlic or onions!! But these kids where so smart and curious, asking us currencies of the world and recommending places for us to eat in Mumbai. As we approached Mumbai we had our photos taken with each of them, then their parents, and finally us. But it was a great experience.
We seem to be making a habit of arriving in the biggest city in each country at the end of our trip. This is good in a way as we realise that the rest of the country is not like it. And Mumbai is no exception. It is so much more wealthy than elsewhere but there is still the very poor living in the streets.
We stayed in Colaba and only had one night to stay. We spent our time wandering along the waterfront and doing some last minute shopping.
We had a fantastic but pricey lunch at Leopolds, the bar in Shantaram (its a book). That was fun finding out whether our imaginations were right, which they werent.
After a busy day and a half we caught a flight to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, our repeat city and favourite country. We have 3 days here before flying to Sydney then back home.
Overall we have loved India. There is just so much to the country, that it is hard to put it into words as to why we love it. There are also many things that were pretty horrible about India, such as people visibly shitting along the road, or cows blocking up the sides of the road, or the horrible pollution in most cities, or the touts that hassle you to death. But every country has its negatives, and India is definately a country that it is worth putting up with all the crap to be able to appreciate all the many wonderful aspects.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Jaisalmer & our New Years Camel Safari (27th Dec 07 - 1st Jan 08)
The Indian Thar Desert was quite a mission to get to, as it is situated in the NW near the Pakistan border, but it was well worth it. The landscape was like no other we have seen in India and it reminded us of our time in Mongolia.
We spent a few days in the town of Jaisalmer, wandering around the beautiful sandstone buildings and the fort. There was so much stunning architecture here and also fantastic shopping. So as we only have a week left in India we spent up large with Indian handicrafts to decorate our house back in NZ.
Beautiful handmade bedspreads on sale in Jaisalmer
We were still with Tahlia in Jaisalmer so it was great exploring with her, and eating the most we can of the set Indian meals called Thali. We are now counting down our time so we are trying to get as much of our favourites as we can.
We did a day trip in a Jeep out to some beautiful temples and royal graveyards, and then watched a stunning sunset across the sand dunes. Despite the other thousand or so Indian tourists there, there is nothing quite like a sunset behind undulating sand dunes.
Nick, Tahlia & Nat (dressed like a desert woman)
Jaisalmer is one of the popular starting points to do a Camel Safari. There are many long tours organised but we only had time for a 2 day and 1 night tour. So we signed up with the infamous Mr Desert safari and set on our way for the trip. We timed the Safari so that we slept in the desert for New Years Eve. We thought this would be an unforgetable way to see the turn of the year. And it was beautiful.
After spending a few hours in the morning riding the hard camel seat, we stopped under some shady trees for lunch to be cooked. Then we had a few more hours in the afternoon riding through the desert on the camel. The scenery was stunning, and it was great to be out enjoying the Indian landscape. Then we stopped and watch the last sun set of 2007 before we set up camp on some isolated dunes. There were about 10 people in our group, so it was nice to have some people around to chat to on New Years.
Nat on the camel safari
Then we slept on mattresses and tonnes of blankets under a sky full of stars. It was suprisingly cold out in the desert, so we had pretty much all our clothing on during the night. But it was a fantastic experience, and highly recommended to anyone who comes to India.
Nat & Nick setting off the next morning
We spent a few days in the town of Jaisalmer, wandering around the beautiful sandstone buildings and the fort. There was so much stunning architecture here and also fantastic shopping. So as we only have a week left in India we spent up large with Indian handicrafts to decorate our house back in NZ.
Beautiful handmade bedspreads on sale in Jaisalmer
We were still with Tahlia in Jaisalmer so it was great exploring with her, and eating the most we can of the set Indian meals called Thali. We are now counting down our time so we are trying to get as much of our favourites as we can.
We did a day trip in a Jeep out to some beautiful temples and royal graveyards, and then watched a stunning sunset across the sand dunes. Despite the other thousand or so Indian tourists there, there is nothing quite like a sunset behind undulating sand dunes.
Nick, Tahlia & Nat (dressed like a desert woman)
Jaisalmer is one of the popular starting points to do a Camel Safari. There are many long tours organised but we only had time for a 2 day and 1 night tour. So we signed up with the infamous Mr Desert safari and set on our way for the trip. We timed the Safari so that we slept in the desert for New Years Eve. We thought this would be an unforgetable way to see the turn of the year. And it was beautiful.
After spending a few hours in the morning riding the hard camel seat, we stopped under some shady trees for lunch to be cooked. Then we had a few more hours in the afternoon riding through the desert on the camel. The scenery was stunning, and it was great to be out enjoying the Indian landscape. Then we stopped and watch the last sun set of 2007 before we set up camp on some isolated dunes. There were about 10 people in our group, so it was nice to have some people around to chat to on New Years.
Nat on the camel safari
Then we slept on mattresses and tonnes of blankets under a sky full of stars. It was suprisingly cold out in the desert, so we had pretty much all our clothing on during the night. But it was a fantastic experience, and highly recommended to anyone who comes to India.
Nat & Nick setting off the next morning
Magnificant Jain Temples (26th - 27th Dec 07)
We caught a typically bumpy bus north of Udaipur to a town called Ranakpur. Ranakpur is a tiny village that has a stunning Jain (a religion similar to hinduism) temple carved out of white marble. The whole temple has 1400 pillars, all carved with amazing detail.
Inside the Ranakpur Jain Temple
The detailed carving of the temple
We were told by our cooking teacher in Udaipur to try the temple food hall. This was a large dining hall with stainless steel tables and a set meal which cost 60cents. The food was traditional Jain - which is pure vegetarian and no onions or garlic as they are hot foods that interfer with emotions. The food was served by male waiters who would pile more on your plate as soon as you looked like you were getting low. Out back the women were cooking and nick got invited back to try and test his chapati (flat bread) rolling skills. This was one of the best meals we have had in India, and in a temple dining hall which was a unique experience.
Nat & Tahlia in Ranakpur
The scenery here was very similar to Queensland, with red parched rocky hills and abundent wildlife. The valley was a truly peaceful place and our cottages were set on a lake, so it was a beautiful spot for breakfast. Our eardrums received a well deserved rest after the chaotic noisy Indian cities.
Inside the Ranakpur Jain Temple
The detailed carving of the temple
We were told by our cooking teacher in Udaipur to try the temple food hall. This was a large dining hall with stainless steel tables and a set meal which cost 60cents. The food was traditional Jain - which is pure vegetarian and no onions or garlic as they are hot foods that interfer with emotions. The food was served by male waiters who would pile more on your plate as soon as you looked like you were getting low. Out back the women were cooking and nick got invited back to try and test his chapati (flat bread) rolling skills. This was one of the best meals we have had in India, and in a temple dining hall which was a unique experience.
Nat & Tahlia in Ranakpur
The scenery here was very similar to Queensland, with red parched rocky hills and abundent wildlife. The valley was a truly peaceful place and our cottages were set on a lake, so it was a beautiful spot for breakfast. Our eardrums received a well deserved rest after the chaotic noisy Indian cities.
Christmas in the Lake City of Udaipur (23rd - 26th Dec 07)
After getting a bit fed up with Jaipur we caught an overnight train to a city called Udaipur. This was just what we needed as we both really enjoyed Udaipur. The town is set on a lake with two amazing hotels on islands in the middle of the lake. We of course couldnt afford $500US a night, so we stayed on the mainland at a guesthouse with great views. Udaipur is famous for parts of the James Bond film Octopussy being filmed here. The locals overdo their claim to fame, with reruns of the film being played at every traveller restaurant each night.
Overlooking the lake at Udaipur
In Udaipur we met up with Tahlia, who is an Australian women we travelled around the south of India with. It is great to have a new travel companion, especially one that we both get along so well with. It will be the three of us, until we have to head back to Mumbai to catch our flight out.
So we were in Udaipur for Christmas day. This was a great place to be as there many restaurants situated on rooftops with stunning views. I thought it would be fun to organise an art class so that we painted our own Christmas cards on the day. They all turned out suprisingly professional, thanks to our teacher who did a few touch ups for us. But it was a fun experience, and will be something that we will keep as memorabilia.
Our Christmas day cooking course
We also organised a cooking course for our christmas dinner. This course was quite different to the one that we did in Southern India as it was much more professional with a more demonstration style, rather than the home-style one we did in the south. The dishes that we made were excellent and we learnt so much theory and background to Indian cooking, that hopefully we have greater knowledge to recreate the dishes in NZ. Then we ate what we cooked sitting on a rooftop with an amazing view across the lake. Overall it was a great laid-back day.
One of the fabulous dishes we made
So in Jaipur we were getting tired with India, but Udaipur restored all faith. From Udaipur we have a few exciting towns to visit, so we are looking forward to our remaining few weeks.
Overlooking the lake at Udaipur
In Udaipur we met up with Tahlia, who is an Australian women we travelled around the south of India with. It is great to have a new travel companion, especially one that we both get along so well with. It will be the three of us, until we have to head back to Mumbai to catch our flight out.
So we were in Udaipur for Christmas day. This was a great place to be as there many restaurants situated on rooftops with stunning views. I thought it would be fun to organise an art class so that we painted our own Christmas cards on the day. They all turned out suprisingly professional, thanks to our teacher who did a few touch ups for us. But it was a fun experience, and will be something that we will keep as memorabilia.
Our Christmas day cooking course
We also organised a cooking course for our christmas dinner. This course was quite different to the one that we did in Southern India as it was much more professional with a more demonstration style, rather than the home-style one we did in the south. The dishes that we made were excellent and we learnt so much theory and background to Indian cooking, that hopefully we have greater knowledge to recreate the dishes in NZ. Then we ate what we cooked sitting on a rooftop with an amazing view across the lake. Overall it was a great laid-back day.
One of the fabulous dishes we made
So in Jaipur we were getting tired with India, but Udaipur restored all faith. From Udaipur we have a few exciting towns to visit, so we are looking forward to our remaining few weeks.
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