We (I) had great hassle with arranging travel from Varanasi to Goa. Eventually we got tickets on to fly to Mumbai and then on to Goa.
It is December 12 and we finally are on our last leg of our India journey and have made our way to Calangate, Goa via Delhi from Varanasi. Here we are experiencing a more laid back environment with much lowered pollution levels. I feel much better.
Goa was a Portuguese Colony and some of the Colonial influences are still evident. There is a building boom here like in many places of the world.
Calangate is a typical beach tourism town. We have very good accommodation and we are a couple of blocks from many kilometers of beach. It is fairly busy but not crowded and finally is a place I can do a bit of running. Ah relax.
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
On to Varanasi
I haven't posted since being in India last December and since I am getting ready to travel again I decided I need to reactivate this blog and finish off some comments about the last legs of our India trip.
From Agra we took the overnight train (November 26) Varanasi which is a holy city along the Ganges. It is another very dirty and polluted city where it is believed that if one comes here to die, one will achieve enlightenment upon death. It is a popular place for terminally ill people.
Varanasi Crematoria
We saw open air cremations taking place along the river and at first it was a bit surreal. But, it is just a part of life here and everyday in the late afternoon the days dead are cremated in this way.
Bathers on the Ganges
Varanasi Laundromat
We spent three full days here before moving onward.
From Agra we took the overnight train (November 26) Varanasi which is a holy city along the Ganges. It is another very dirty and polluted city where it is believed that if one comes here to die, one will achieve enlightenment upon death. It is a popular place for terminally ill people.
Varanasi CrematoriaWe saw open air cremations taking place along the river and at first it was a bit surreal. But, it is just a part of life here and everyday in the late afternoon the days dead are cremated in this way.
Bathers on the Ganges
Varanasi Laundromat
We spent three full days here before moving onward.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Agra
I haven't posted for a few days. I am ill again. It seems that most of this trip I have been ailing to some degree. The only time not was in the desert. I don't have my notes with me so will give only a brief reporting. We trained to Delhi and walked to our hotel in a zone popular with tourists. The most desirable and preferred hotel was fully booked so we picked another from our travel guide. We stayed there three nites, despite the fact that it was probably the worst yet experienced in India as the street noise, including nightly Hari Krishna singing permeated like there were no walls. Besides walking around, we went on a city bus tour that takes in the highlighted tourist scenes including the red Fort. It was the usual type tour of temples, one of which was quite unique.
It was a Hindu temple built by some wealthy family and was very large over a big piece of property. Inside were many inscriptions in English about the faith.
Also we were taken to an ultra modern Bhai' (?) temple that reminded me somewhat like the Sidney Opera House. It is non denominational but appears to me to be fairly cultish and is based on some prophets (profits) from the 1800's.
We took the train to Agra on a fairly high speed and comfortable coach. This is our 4th day here. Travel arrangements are quite difficult ( to Varanasi, our next stop) due to demand by tourists. Finally we agreed for our hotel to make arrangement as they promised they could get us tickets and to ignore what we were hearing from others (for eg. one couple told us they couldn't get tickets because trains were fully booked for six days. There used to be air service but that has been discontinued.
So of course the attraction here is the Taj Mahal and it is truly impressive. I predict it will last another 495 year. LOL It is being degraded by pollution and there are reports that the minarets are starting to run the risk of toppling due to the foundations weakening from water.
Here it is!
One building along one of the streets was a place for Muslim women to view parades since they were not allowed to be seen in public
Our guest house here is nice and pleasant but has a quite limited veggie menu. Yesterday we ate at Zorba the Buddha. The best meal yet in India and a very trustworthy restaurant. I had Mugai Sadzi with rice.
Today we are waiting on our train for tonite. Pedro is back at the Taj and I am at this internet.
It was a Hindu temple built by some wealthy family and was very large over a big piece of property. Inside were many inscriptions in English about the faith.
Also we were taken to an ultra modern Bhai' (?) temple that reminded me somewhat like the Sidney Opera House. It is non denominational but appears to me to be fairly cultish and is based on some prophets (profits) from the 1800's.
We took the train to Agra on a fairly high speed and comfortable coach. This is our 4th day here. Travel arrangements are quite difficult ( to Varanasi, our next stop) due to demand by tourists. Finally we agreed for our hotel to make arrangement as they promised they could get us tickets and to ignore what we were hearing from others (for eg. one couple told us they couldn't get tickets because trains were fully booked for six days. There used to be air service but that has been discontinued.
So of course the attraction here is the Taj Mahal and it is truly impressive. I predict it will last another 495 year. LOL It is being degraded by pollution and there are reports that the minarets are starting to run the risk of toppling due to the foundations weakening from water.
Here it is!
One building along one of the streets was a place for Muslim women to view parades since they were not allowed to be seen in public
Our guest house here is nice and pleasant but has a quite limited veggie menu. Yesterday we ate at Zorba the Buddha. The best meal yet in India and a very trustworthy restaurant. I had Mugai Sadzi with rice.
Today we are waiting on our train for tonite. Pedro is back at the Taj and I am at this internet.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Jaipur
I haven't posted for a few reasons. I didn't really feel like writing and for the last few days I have not had access to Internet. However I will try to recollect for a brief update. From Udaipur we traveled to Jodhpur via "super delux bus" because the train was booked up for at least two more days. This super delux is anything but. Our ticket was for 8:30 AM departure with show time of 8:00. When we got to the bus station (private out of the way) the person in charge ranted at us that the bus left an hour ago. I suspect the buses depart whenever they are full. Anyway he scribbled new seat assignments on the next bus and we departed. Very basic bus with no air and a long slow ride over bumpy narrow roads. I was still not feeling so well by the time we got to Jodhpur but it was a smaller city and a bit less pollution. The main attraction is a fort built high on a cliff and we hiked up the side of the cliff road and did the tourist thing. It is very strategically placed and is part of the long history of Rajasthan State and the ruling Singh royal dynasty which ended when the Brits colonized India .
It was the custom for the queens and other noble women; that when their men were killed in battle, that they would dress in their finest garments and jewels and hold a procession to a burning pyre where they would walk into the fire and burn themselves to death. Picture that!
Besides visiting Jodhpur for the Fort, the other main reason was to be a jumping off point for further travel to Jaisalmer. To get to Jaisalmer we had to take the bus as there is no train connection from here. Again we had a bus ticket on some private operation that departed from some rubbish strewn, foul smelling alley. Our ticket time was the same as above and we arrived over an hour before scheduled departure. We were loaded onto a bus that was sitting there, the only one, and departed around 7:30. A very trying trip. Worse than riding a school bus. They pack the buses to the extreme with people filling the aisles and even some on the roof of the bus. Again a very long, slow bumpy foul ride. Well we do finally make it to Jaisalmer and rickshaw our way to a "Hotel" - The Moti Palace. I had called ahead for a reservation .
This hotel is inside the old Fort - much like the one in Jodhpur except that this is the only fort of old where businesses operate, and people live within the fort walls. Many illegally. There is a restoration project but I fear it is a complete waste. It is comprised of some 12 trusts and administered by some bureaucratic office of the Indian Government. There was no evidence of any active restoration going on and one can imagine after all the administration and bureaucratic wrangling and with so many agencies that probably not much funding or work actually ends up going toward the restoration. In any event the uncontrolled use of water and of illegal occupants serves to cause water erosion that is crumbling the foundations. This is known yet there is no effort to fix the eroding structure.
From Jaisalmer we booked a three day, two nite Camel safari in the Indian desert. This was a very good, peaceful change after all the noisy polluted urban environments. My adductors protested loudly and my coccyx was rubbed raw from the camel riding but the air was essentially clear and I recovered health wise. We had good guides and good food (although it was pretty much the same fare over the three days) but all cooked with mineral water. There were only four of us - Pedro and myself and two young Brits ; an 18 yo male and 20 something female. I think Pedro could have done without the experience but I loved the dunes and desert scape and seeing the farms in the middle of the desert.
Anyway we are now her in Jaipur , another tourist city in Rajasthan, for two nites and then on to Delhi. We had another long train ride overnite. My personal commentary is that the India economic boom will be short lived. Software development can prosper here because of the low cost software and IT people and the foreign companies can set up their own satellite links and do not have to rely on basic infrastructure. The country is a long long way from being a manufacturing giant - they just do not have the rail or road infrastructure to support them. And, heaven help India if the masses start to have private auto ownership!
Catch you later
It was the custom for the queens and other noble women; that when their men were killed in battle, that they would dress in their finest garments and jewels and hold a procession to a burning pyre where they would walk into the fire and burn themselves to death. Picture that!
Besides visiting Jodhpur for the Fort, the other main reason was to be a jumping off point for further travel to Jaisalmer. To get to Jaisalmer we had to take the bus as there is no train connection from here. Again we had a bus ticket on some private operation that departed from some rubbish strewn, foul smelling alley. Our ticket time was the same as above and we arrived over an hour before scheduled departure. We were loaded onto a bus that was sitting there, the only one, and departed around 7:30. A very trying trip. Worse than riding a school bus. They pack the buses to the extreme with people filling the aisles and even some on the roof of the bus. Again a very long, slow bumpy foul ride. Well we do finally make it to Jaisalmer and rickshaw our way to a "Hotel" - The Moti Palace. I had called ahead for a reservation .
This hotel is inside the old Fort - much like the one in Jodhpur except that this is the only fort of old where businesses operate, and people live within the fort walls. Many illegally. There is a restoration project but I fear it is a complete waste. It is comprised of some 12 trusts and administered by some bureaucratic office of the Indian Government. There was no evidence of any active restoration going on and one can imagine after all the administration and bureaucratic wrangling and with so many agencies that probably not much funding or work actually ends up going toward the restoration. In any event the uncontrolled use of water and of illegal occupants serves to cause water erosion that is crumbling the foundations. This is known yet there is no effort to fix the eroding structure.
From Jaisalmer we booked a three day, two nite Camel safari in the Indian desert. This was a very good, peaceful change after all the noisy polluted urban environments. My adductors protested loudly and my coccyx was rubbed raw from the camel riding but the air was essentially clear and I recovered health wise. We had good guides and good food (although it was pretty much the same fare over the three days) but all cooked with mineral water. There were only four of us - Pedro and myself and two young Brits ; an 18 yo male and 20 something female. I think Pedro could have done without the experience but I loved the dunes and desert scape and seeing the farms in the middle of the desert.
Anyway we are now her in Jaipur , another tourist city in Rajasthan, for two nites and then on to Delhi. We had another long train ride overnite. My personal commentary is that the India economic boom will be short lived. Software development can prosper here because of the low cost software and IT people and the foreign companies can set up their own satellite links and do not have to rely on basic infrastructure. The country is a long long way from being a manufacturing giant - they just do not have the rail or road infrastructure to support them. And, heaven help India if the masses start to have private auto ownership!
Catch you later
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Udaipur India
I have had no postings for a few days so a brief update. We left Mumbai (thankfully) and took an overnite a/c sleeper to Ahmedabad . A long , long ride. Upon arrival at Ahmadabad around 7:00 we immediately booked in at a hotel a couple of km's from the train station. Very nice economy hotel with air and fan, private washroom with sit down toilet and hot shower and cable TV. Very well kept and a welcome relief (just on Relief Rd!) Unfortunately Ahmadabad is very highly polluted in all ways - air, water and noise. I got quite sick and spent the next three days in bed. I had severe pains in my head all over my cranium, my eyeball, cheek bones and teeth as well as all over the bod. I seemed to recover a bit but I had no energy and couldn't even bring myself to get to an internet terminal. I am not sure what caused the sickness which I would say a combo of heat and pollution.
The next two days we hung around and gradually did some walking. Unfortunately each outing brought with it a new round of sore throat, respiratory problems and coughing.
Ahmadabad in Gujarat State is the centre of textile industry and seems to be prospering . Paradoxically there is little evidence of private auto ownership but lots and ;lots of motorbikes and little CNG, fueled three wheeled taxis. They are all constantly blowing their horns.
Finally got energy to book a train out of Ahmedabad to Udaipur. The 300 km journey took 8 hours on the only train that connects . Another cramped sleeper There is no room to move about the train. You are confined to the assigned car and there is no dining or club car.
This town is on a lake and is extremely quiet compared to Ahmadabad and Mumbai. We are in Lake Ghat guest house that so far seems very attractive and a nice place to recover. There are a lot of tourists walking around. I'll keep you posted. We will probably stay three days and walk around to different temples etc. Tomorrow is festival day (in all of India I think) Daliwal Day (or something like that - I have to check)
By the way I have not had a lot of success in uploading photos. The system always seems to freeze up. I'll try a computer in Delhi which may be more robust.
The next two days we hung around and gradually did some walking. Unfortunately each outing brought with it a new round of sore throat, respiratory problems and coughing.
Ahmadabad in Gujarat State is the centre of textile industry and seems to be prospering . Paradoxically there is little evidence of private auto ownership but lots and ;lots of motorbikes and little CNG, fueled three wheeled taxis. They are all constantly blowing their horns.
Finally got energy to book a train out of Ahmedabad to Udaipur. The 300 km journey took 8 hours on the only train that connects . Another cramped sleeper There is no room to move about the train. You are confined to the assigned car and there is no dining or club car.
This town is on a lake and is extremely quiet compared to Ahmadabad and Mumbai. We are in Lake Ghat guest house that so far seems very attractive and a nice place to recover. There are a lot of tourists walking around. I'll keep you posted. We will probably stay three days and walk around to different temples etc. Tomorrow is festival day (in all of India I think) Daliwal Day (or something like that - I have to check)
By the way I have not had a lot of success in uploading photos. The system always seems to freeze up. I'll try a computer in Delhi which may be more robust.
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