So it turns out the James Bond flick Octopussy was filmed partly in Udaipur. The girl lives on the Lake Palace and the dude lives up in Monsoon Palace. Because of this there are loads of restaurants that show the film at 7 pm daily. Its great. last night we went next door and I had amazing Tandoori Chicken while watching James Bond. It was awesome. There was a supped up Rickshaw and all these other funny Indian quirks that we all experience on a daily basis. So funny. For some reason or other there was a puppy Dagtsund running around as well. We got to play with it a bit. So cute. After dinner we went back to our lovely guest house where we have a pristine view of the lake palace from our balcony and sat and looked out at the mesmerizing, serene and utterly delicious scene in front of us. Unreal. So cool.
Couldn't do it. Pictures upload taking too long. Sorry.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
More Chapati?
So, Bundi.
We had four glorious days in Bundi and three amazing Thali's cooked by the one and only Mama. The first day was very relaxing, just getting a feel for the place, that sort of thing.
The first morning a sweet talking kid named Romeo sweet talked Emily and I into going on his tour to this spectacular waterfall. We didn't see through all the smoke and mirrors until we were all ready on the road and Romeo gave us the run around on bus and train tickets. Scott was really pissed. Despite the fact that we paid too much for his taxi to the waterfall, it was completely worth it. The drive out there was wonderful. Just us and the open road. We stopped at a random shack and this kid made us chapatis from scratch. All you really need is water and wheat and that's about it. Add in some butter and a few bananas and your picnic is complete. After about 30 minutes we arrived at a block in the road and we had to walk the rest of the way. Around the bend is a huge huge huge waterfall. I didn't believe it. Right in the middle of the dessert. So great. Scott and Emily went swimming, but I stayed ashore. I was into this Milan Kundera book and didn't want to get wet. Anyway, some other Americans were swimming as well and when they all came back ashore one of the guys had this funny look on his face and said "This waterfall looks a lot like Red Rock, huh" I was utterly confused, I thought maybe he was referring to some place in California but was still in the dark. After a few minutes of me confused and him and scott laughing I found out I went to high school with this guy. Julian was his name. We were never close friends but definitly in the extended family if you know what I mean. Once he said his name I recognized him - sort of - you can tell its been four years of college and a year of travelling. He went to prom with one of my close friends Elizabeth Lee. Small small world. Anyway, we ended up hanging out a bit in Bundi and he is also here in Udaipur and going to Goa. Maybe we will see him there too. Funny. Small small world.
So, that was fun. The next day we rented motorcycles and tooled around the city. Since it was so small it was really easy to get around, and man was it fun. You will see some of the pictures. I never drove of course, just sat on the back. But going through the countryside on a sunny day, stopping off for some local thali, then coming home to a sleepy village shadowed by the great goblin palace was just perfect. Could not have imagined a better day. That night we put Emily on a bus to Jaipur where she hopefully would get a bus or train to Delhi where she had an 8 am flight. We were very worried about here. A small cute asian girl who all ready gets nervous travelling. I thought she probably would be OK, but there was a good chance buses would be late...we finally found out today she made it back fine. Even though her flight from Delhi was delayed 8 hours she still made it there by 7 am. Phew. What would we have done, i don't know. There was maybe a 5% chance she was still somewhere in Jaipur - ugh...anyway, she's fine. :)
Now we are in Udaipur which is really nice and relaxing. Fairly touristy but we are staying at a guest house right on on the lake and we can eat dinner overlooking the lake palace which is truly glorious. Because of wedding season it took some manuvering to get to Mumbai in time for the wedding, but we will make it just barely a couple days before to get acqainted and all. I have no idea what to expect. There have been weddings all over every where we go and lots of fireworks and marching bands. We'll see what happens.
But oh those dinners made by Mama. Three veg dishes, dahl, rice and chapati. Unlimited chapati and unlimited refils. Before you were half way done with your first with one more to go one of the hilarious daughters came out with a huge grin "more chapati?" sure why not. I could never eat more then 3, but then refils of all the other dishes. Too much. Too delicious. Yummy. Those daughters were hilarious. The younger one literally goes through life laughing at the world. Its all a joke to her. She is great. She couldn't speak english but would just say "hi" then burst out laughing. Ah. Good family.
More chapati?
We had four glorious days in Bundi and three amazing Thali's cooked by the one and only Mama. The first day was very relaxing, just getting a feel for the place, that sort of thing.
The first morning a sweet talking kid named Romeo sweet talked Emily and I into going on his tour to this spectacular waterfall. We didn't see through all the smoke and mirrors until we were all ready on the road and Romeo gave us the run around on bus and train tickets. Scott was really pissed. Despite the fact that we paid too much for his taxi to the waterfall, it was completely worth it. The drive out there was wonderful. Just us and the open road. We stopped at a random shack and this kid made us chapatis from scratch. All you really need is water and wheat and that's about it. Add in some butter and a few bananas and your picnic is complete. After about 30 minutes we arrived at a block in the road and we had to walk the rest of the way. Around the bend is a huge huge huge waterfall. I didn't believe it. Right in the middle of the dessert. So great. Scott and Emily went swimming, but I stayed ashore. I was into this Milan Kundera book and didn't want to get wet. Anyway, some other Americans were swimming as well and when they all came back ashore one of the guys had this funny look on his face and said "This waterfall looks a lot like Red Rock, huh" I was utterly confused, I thought maybe he was referring to some place in California but was still in the dark. After a few minutes of me confused and him and scott laughing I found out I went to high school with this guy. Julian was his name. We were never close friends but definitly in the extended family if you know what I mean. Once he said his name I recognized him - sort of - you can tell its been four years of college and a year of travelling. He went to prom with one of my close friends Elizabeth Lee. Small small world. Anyway, we ended up hanging out a bit in Bundi and he is also here in Udaipur and going to Goa. Maybe we will see him there too. Funny. Small small world.
So, that was fun. The next day we rented motorcycles and tooled around the city. Since it was so small it was really easy to get around, and man was it fun. You will see some of the pictures. I never drove of course, just sat on the back. But going through the countryside on a sunny day, stopping off for some local thali, then coming home to a sleepy village shadowed by the great goblin palace was just perfect. Could not have imagined a better day. That night we put Emily on a bus to Jaipur where she hopefully would get a bus or train to Delhi where she had an 8 am flight. We were very worried about here. A small cute asian girl who all ready gets nervous travelling. I thought she probably would be OK, but there was a good chance buses would be late...we finally found out today she made it back fine. Even though her flight from Delhi was delayed 8 hours she still made it there by 7 am. Phew. What would we have done, i don't know. There was maybe a 5% chance she was still somewhere in Jaipur - ugh...anyway, she's fine. :)
Now we are in Udaipur which is really nice and relaxing. Fairly touristy but we are staying at a guest house right on on the lake and we can eat dinner overlooking the lake palace which is truly glorious. Because of wedding season it took some manuvering to get to Mumbai in time for the wedding, but we will make it just barely a couple days before to get acqainted and all. I have no idea what to expect. There have been weddings all over every where we go and lots of fireworks and marching bands. We'll see what happens.
But oh those dinners made by Mama. Three veg dishes, dahl, rice and chapati. Unlimited chapati and unlimited refils. Before you were half way done with your first with one more to go one of the hilarious daughters came out with a huge grin "more chapati?" sure why not. I could never eat more then 3, but then refils of all the other dishes. Too much. Too delicious. Yummy. Those daughters were hilarious. The younger one literally goes through life laughing at the world. Its all a joke to her. She is great. She couldn't speak english but would just say "hi" then burst out laughing. Ah. Good family.
More chapati?
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Mama's House
There is much to tell.
After hanging around Delhi for a few days we decided to complete the so called 'Golden Triangle' and head to Agra, Jaipur and then down to Pushkar. I was not at all excited about going back to the dreaded city of Jaipur, but it was the only way to get to Pushkar, and because this is travel season all the morning Agra trains were booked and we ended up in Jaipur at midnight, hotel-less, and all the hotels were booked. We eventually found a really sketchy place that let us in - but it turned out to be pretty darn nice. one word. Cable. So I watched rugrats (cartoons) while the boys watched News in the other room and we got a good nights sleep before heading to the fair.
Agra - is - dirty, smelly, crowded and all around an icky place. So many tourists, so many people hassling you all the time - we only spent 7 hours there but it was more than enough time I can tell you that much. However, despite the dismal nature of the town, the Taj Majal is pretty spectacular. It is not particularly huge - it is just breathtakingly beautiful. The marble just radiates all around - its as if the whole building is surrounded and protected by an angelic glow. As Emily put it, each square foot is like a work of art. Just amazing. All of the inlaid detail work of precious gems (whatever that means...) - beautiful. I'm having some trouble with this computer uploading pictures, but when I do get them up you will see how crazy it is. The pictures of us standing in front look like we are in front of a blue screen. Unreal. The hazy blue of the sky behind adds to the allure as well. Apparently the dude was going to build a matching black one for himself behind the white one, but his son decided he was crazy and had him imprisoned - or something like that.
Anyway, it was worth the trip for sure to see that amazing place.
Now, camel fair. What a great time. It is just what it says it is - a camel fair. It is like the Indian Camel desert man version of a county fair. Vendors selling camel accessories, street food, clothes, cheap goods, ferris wheels and of course, camels. So many camels. Everywhere. There are some in the main grounds that people can ride around a bit, or just take pictures of. But in the fields behind the main grounds there are just makeshift camp sites with the men and their camels. Hundreds, thousands, its hard to say. Its great. This is like their yearly vacation to go to Pushkar, meet up with old friends, sell and buy some camels, maybe make some money in a race or two. Ah. These desert people are truly amazing. The women. Oh the women. They are so sturdy and amazing. they wear the giant hoops through their noses, bangles up to their armpits, and a particular kind of sari that I like much better then those around other states. They are colorful and bright (lots of hot pink) without being tacky. They hardly have any teeth, most don't wear shoes and have a fire burning in their eye. I didn't take any pictures of them because it didn't feel right. There might be some in the background somewhere though. Then there were the men, they wear loose white shirts and pants, with a tan or brown scarf and a warm dark shawl at night. Then they have a bright pink or green or grey turban and an amazing mustache. The mustaches. On the second day we saw the mustache competition. Not as impressive as we had hoped, but there were four or five great ones. The winner had a sort of a giant twirly thing and on the end of each side were two stringy dread locks that went down to his knees. Once again, pictures to come.
The computer is acting funny so I have to cut it short. One more thing though - as well as all the real desert camel men and women, there are also hundreds of thousands of INdian tourists and about 30,000 westerners who pass through Pushkar during this week. So lots of people. We stayed at this funny hotel kind of out of the way which was nice. I talked to the owner so many times on the phone to haggle for a good price we were practically best friends when we arrived. They had a sign that said "CATHERINE" written when we got off the bus. priceless. way better then any welcome GVN could have given me in Calcutta. I'm pretty sure this guy does some shady business though. He's fairly wealthy and said he had to change the name of his hotel a few times for tax purposes. ha.
Basically - Camel Fair - great - strange - weird - fun times.
Now were are in this amazing sleepy town (90,000) called Bundi. There's not a lot going on here (Kipling spent a long time here writing..) but we are staying at RN Haveli which is this guest house run by three women. This is rare here - for women to own and run their own business - Mama and her two daughters. For dinner last night; That is, for thanksgiving dinner last night, Mama made us the most amazing Thali I have ever had. It took three hours. Lots of butter. mmm.
After hanging around Delhi for a few days we decided to complete the so called 'Golden Triangle' and head to Agra, Jaipur and then down to Pushkar. I was not at all excited about going back to the dreaded city of Jaipur, but it was the only way to get to Pushkar, and because this is travel season all the morning Agra trains were booked and we ended up in Jaipur at midnight, hotel-less, and all the hotels were booked. We eventually found a really sketchy place that let us in - but it turned out to be pretty darn nice. one word. Cable. So I watched rugrats (cartoons) while the boys watched News in the other room and we got a good nights sleep before heading to the fair.
Agra - is - dirty, smelly, crowded and all around an icky place. So many tourists, so many people hassling you all the time - we only spent 7 hours there but it was more than enough time I can tell you that much. However, despite the dismal nature of the town, the Taj Majal is pretty spectacular. It is not particularly huge - it is just breathtakingly beautiful. The marble just radiates all around - its as if the whole building is surrounded and protected by an angelic glow. As Emily put it, each square foot is like a work of art. Just amazing. All of the inlaid detail work of precious gems (whatever that means...) - beautiful. I'm having some trouble with this computer uploading pictures, but when I do get them up you will see how crazy it is. The pictures of us standing in front look like we are in front of a blue screen. Unreal. The hazy blue of the sky behind adds to the allure as well. Apparently the dude was going to build a matching black one for himself behind the white one, but his son decided he was crazy and had him imprisoned - or something like that.
Anyway, it was worth the trip for sure to see that amazing place.
Now, camel fair. What a great time. It is just what it says it is - a camel fair. It is like the Indian Camel desert man version of a county fair. Vendors selling camel accessories, street food, clothes, cheap goods, ferris wheels and of course, camels. So many camels. Everywhere. There are some in the main grounds that people can ride around a bit, or just take pictures of. But in the fields behind the main grounds there are just makeshift camp sites with the men and their camels. Hundreds, thousands, its hard to say. Its great. This is like their yearly vacation to go to Pushkar, meet up with old friends, sell and buy some camels, maybe make some money in a race or two. Ah. These desert people are truly amazing. The women. Oh the women. They are so sturdy and amazing. they wear the giant hoops through their noses, bangles up to their armpits, and a particular kind of sari that I like much better then those around other states. They are colorful and bright (lots of hot pink) without being tacky. They hardly have any teeth, most don't wear shoes and have a fire burning in their eye. I didn't take any pictures of them because it didn't feel right. There might be some in the background somewhere though. Then there were the men, they wear loose white shirts and pants, with a tan or brown scarf and a warm dark shawl at night. Then they have a bright pink or green or grey turban and an amazing mustache. The mustaches. On the second day we saw the mustache competition. Not as impressive as we had hoped, but there were four or five great ones. The winner had a sort of a giant twirly thing and on the end of each side were two stringy dread locks that went down to his knees. Once again, pictures to come.
The computer is acting funny so I have to cut it short. One more thing though - as well as all the real desert camel men and women, there are also hundreds of thousands of INdian tourists and about 30,000 westerners who pass through Pushkar during this week. So lots of people. We stayed at this funny hotel kind of out of the way which was nice. I talked to the owner so many times on the phone to haggle for a good price we were practically best friends when we arrived. They had a sign that said "CATHERINE" written when we got off the bus. priceless. way better then any welcome GVN could have given me in Calcutta. I'm pretty sure this guy does some shady business though. He's fairly wealthy and said he had to change the name of his hotel a few times for tax purposes. ha.
Basically - Camel Fair - great - strange - weird - fun times.
Now were are in this amazing sleepy town (90,000) called Bundi. There's not a lot going on here (Kipling spent a long time here writing..) but we are staying at RN Haveli which is this guest house run by three women. This is rare here - for women to own and run their own business - Mama and her two daughters. For dinner last night; That is, for thanksgiving dinner last night, Mama made us the most amazing Thali I have ever had. It took three hours. Lots of butter. mmm.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
No laundry for you.
So Emily is here now. She is super super cool and I really like her and am happy to have a fellow female travel companion. I will be sad to see her go in a few short days.
Yesterday we saw Om Shanti Om. Probably one of the best movies I've ever seen. Hilarious, sad, scary, action packed, beautiful, colorful, good music good dancing. It was better than I could have ever dreamed. If you ever get the chance to see this movie, please do. I might even buy a copy of it here to share with the world.
Here is a link to random pictures from Varanasi Jaipur and Delhi. A lot of them are just us goofing off.
http://ups.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024714&l=29d88&id=17701665
Yesterday we saw Om Shanti Om. Probably one of the best movies I've ever seen. Hilarious, sad, scary, action packed, beautiful, colorful, good music good dancing. It was better than I could have ever dreamed. If you ever get the chance to see this movie, please do. I might even buy a copy of it here to share with the world.
Here is a link to random pictures from Varanasi Jaipur and Delhi. A lot of them are just us goofing off.
http://ups.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024714&l=29d88&id=17701665
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Delhi
I forgot to give more examples of the many ways in which OK No problem can be used Here are a few:
"Is it better to use internet now or later?"
"sure, ok, no problem"
"Is the hotel to the right or left?"
"can I have 1 samosa, how much does it cost?"
the list goes on...
it actually says something about the way of life here, or the attitude. Despite the problems and hardships and lack of opportunities, people are very...crafty.creative...you know they have so much to deal with on a regular basis, things that we (I) would consider problems really aren't problems at all. Not enough chairs, just squeeze in close. Bag broke, find something to tie it with. Very good at problem solving and finding solutions quickly and efficiently. Car broke down, gather a group of people and push it till it works again. The examples are so small and seemingly insignificant, but its just something I've noticed a lot..you know - use what resources you have at your disposal to make it work..i like it.
Anyway, not much new to report. Jaipur was nice but a bit overwhelming. Walking along the streets you just get hassled so much its almost unbearable. The tactic is to come and start talking like your friends, "namaste, how are you, which country are you from" they hold your hand and don't let go. We call it the long hand shake. Then after awhile when you think you've just made a curious and outgoing new friend they tell you about their jewelry shop. When you don't want to go they get agitated and ask why you are so high and mighty and have so much pride. We had one guy follow us for a few blocks and got so mad he called us racist bcause we are mean to Indians. He said "if you treat us like shit we will treat you like shit. White people don't respect Indian people" he went on and on. But I mean...he was trying to get us into his shop and we didn't want to go...it was wierd...
But, when we hiked up this hill to see Tiger fort (pictures to come sometime) looking down the city was so much bigger than I realized. It really did look like LA though, sprawling desert city - instead of ocean on one side low mountains on both. Given more time I think I would like the city alot, but since we were only there three days and only saw tourist area it wasn't so special. HOwever, I had probably the best meal of the trip so far. It was a hole in the wall with a smll menu written in HIndi. We just ordered Thali - which basically means "food". It was one dish of dal and one potato curry and two pieces of fresh naan. The curry's were perfectly spicy and completly delicoius. Everything had multiple refils and it only cost 30 rupees. Thats about 75 cents. Amazing. Yum. Now that we are in Rajastan you can get Naan or Chapati (Chapati is like a small tortilla) and tandoori chicken. Still mostly veg, but I can't wait to try some tandoori.
Early yesterday morning we hopped on a train to Delhi which is a great city. Really polluted and huge - but less crowded then Kolkata. We accidently got off at the Old Delhi train stop so we had to get a bicycle rickshaw to our hotel, but it was nice to get a mini tour of the city first. It has a lot to offer and I'm not going to see nearly all of it, but it has a good feel. The usual mix of middle class prosperity contrasted with huge slums and street children...Today we went to KFC for lunch - I know - but it was actually really great....it was in this area called Connauhlt place which is a sort of square. A park in the middle with layers of circles of shops. Stores like nike, levis, puma - typical western outdoor mall. We sat in the park for awhile to watch the sun set. It is so polluted here you can stare directly the sun no problem...
So, nothing too exciting. Long term travelling is really interesting. We basically just go to different cities and hang out and get to know the place. Walk around, get lost, meet random people ..almost everywhere you stay there is a rooftop and you can just sit on the rooftop and get a feel for the city. Bcause of Diwali fireworks go off all around all the time - very exciting. There were some last night tht looked like shooting stars - pretty cool.
Tonight a friend of Matt and SCott's is flying into Delhi to travel around with them for 10 days. We will do Dehi for a few more and then down to Agra and over to Pushkar for the camel fair. Woo.
"Is it better to use internet now or later?"
"sure, ok, no problem"
"Is the hotel to the right or left?"
"can I have 1 samosa, how much does it cost?"
the list goes on...
it actually says something about the way of life here, or the attitude. Despite the problems and hardships and lack of opportunities, people are very...crafty.creative...you know they have so much to deal with on a regular basis, things that we (I) would consider problems really aren't problems at all. Not enough chairs, just squeeze in close. Bag broke, find something to tie it with. Very good at problem solving and finding solutions quickly and efficiently. Car broke down, gather a group of people and push it till it works again. The examples are so small and seemingly insignificant, but its just something I've noticed a lot..you know - use what resources you have at your disposal to make it work..i like it.
Anyway, not much new to report. Jaipur was nice but a bit overwhelming. Walking along the streets you just get hassled so much its almost unbearable. The tactic is to come and start talking like your friends, "namaste, how are you, which country are you from" they hold your hand and don't let go. We call it the long hand shake. Then after awhile when you think you've just made a curious and outgoing new friend they tell you about their jewelry shop. When you don't want to go they get agitated and ask why you are so high and mighty and have so much pride. We had one guy follow us for a few blocks and got so mad he called us racist bcause we are mean to Indians. He said "if you treat us like shit we will treat you like shit. White people don't respect Indian people" he went on and on. But I mean...he was trying to get us into his shop and we didn't want to go...it was wierd...
But, when we hiked up this hill to see Tiger fort (pictures to come sometime) looking down the city was so much bigger than I realized. It really did look like LA though, sprawling desert city - instead of ocean on one side low mountains on both. Given more time I think I would like the city alot, but since we were only there three days and only saw tourist area it wasn't so special. HOwever, I had probably the best meal of the trip so far. It was a hole in the wall with a smll menu written in HIndi. We just ordered Thali - which basically means "food". It was one dish of dal and one potato curry and two pieces of fresh naan. The curry's were perfectly spicy and completly delicoius. Everything had multiple refils and it only cost 30 rupees. Thats about 75 cents. Amazing. Yum. Now that we are in Rajastan you can get Naan or Chapati (Chapati is like a small tortilla) and tandoori chicken. Still mostly veg, but I can't wait to try some tandoori.
Early yesterday morning we hopped on a train to Delhi which is a great city. Really polluted and huge - but less crowded then Kolkata. We accidently got off at the Old Delhi train stop so we had to get a bicycle rickshaw to our hotel, but it was nice to get a mini tour of the city first. It has a lot to offer and I'm not going to see nearly all of it, but it has a good feel. The usual mix of middle class prosperity contrasted with huge slums and street children...Today we went to KFC for lunch - I know - but it was actually really great....it was in this area called Connauhlt place which is a sort of square. A park in the middle with layers of circles of shops. Stores like nike, levis, puma - typical western outdoor mall. We sat in the park for awhile to watch the sun set. It is so polluted here you can stare directly the sun no problem...
So, nothing too exciting. Long term travelling is really interesting. We basically just go to different cities and hang out and get to know the place. Walk around, get lost, meet random people ..almost everywhere you stay there is a rooftop and you can just sit on the rooftop and get a feel for the city. Bcause of Diwali fireworks go off all around all the time - very exciting. There were some last night tht looked like shooting stars - pretty cool.
Tonight a friend of Matt and SCott's is flying into Delhi to travel around with them for 10 days. We will do Dehi for a few more and then down to Agra and over to Pushkar for the camel fair. Woo.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
OK No problem
As sad as I was to say goodbye to Varanasi and the kids - the children of the inn keepers were absolutely hilarious. I have some pictures that will come shortly, but they would come up to us and put their hands out and say 'jump!' we would lift them up into the air, twirl them, tickle them, they couldn't handle it. They were so giggly it was great. Two 7-9 year old cousins and a young baby. man they were cute.
Anyway, the train ride to Jaipur was long, but not too terrible. Slept most of the night and in the morning this Israeli girl serenaded us on her guitar. The first song she played was Leonard Cohen's Susan. it was cool. What a hippy. There are a lot of Israeli tourists about - we ran into one buying our train tickets, he was going to the Andaman Islands. It seems to be a common trend among European backpackers in India. Can't handle the hustle bustle and pollution of the cities, not to mention the chaos and tireless hastlers - so they hop on a train to Calcutta and then fly down to the beautiful Islands to chill out.
So far Jaipur is nice. It is a big city but seems a bit calm compared to Calcutta. Its Diwali right now, so that might have something to do with it. - Quick note on Diwali. I can't quite figure out what the story behind this holiday is, but it is basically like Christmas and New Years combined. A holiday celebration as well as a fresh start. Everyone gets new clothes and presents, the shops are painted with a fresh coat of paint and accounting books start a new. The part that affects us the most are the dozens of lights and fireworks. Every night there are fireworks throughout the city - throughout the country. It was beautiful to see Varanasi lit up with candles and lights and fireworks from our rooftop. Our first night in Jaipur we went to our hotel's rooftop to watch the fireworks shows around the city. Kind of cool but all the bangs and booms - a bit startling. The festival goes for awhile - I think this Friday is the last day, I'm not sure...
But Jaipur - One of the first things we did was to get tickets to the big Raj Mandir Bollywood movie theatre. The movie was terrible - really sappy and boring and confusing - it was actually based on a Dostoyevsky short story, white house, but it was strange. The second half was better because it had more dance numbers. The theatre though - absolutely stunning. The entry way was a huge circle in Art Deco styling - sculptures and lights everywhere, really cool. Today we are going to walk around the old city to see the Palace - I didn't realize royalty is still up and running and living in the palaces - weird..and then we will do a short walk/hike up to Tiger HIll to see the sunset and view of the city.
I can't shake the feeling that I am in Los Angeles though. This city really reminds of Southern California. I mean, its a crowded metropolitan desert city with lots of block like buildings and low lying hills in the background. If it wasn't for the Mosque next door, sitting atop this rooftop internet cafe I feel almost like I'm just at home! Funny. Almost at home.
The final thought for this entry are the two phrases one hears the most in Varanasi and Jaipur. First - shopkeepers - as you walk down the street you hear at least 5 guys in front of their respective shops "hello madam. hello. hello. come in. just to look not to buy. no harm in looking. look today buy tomorrow. no problem. ok no problem."
The shortened version of this which works in a variety of situations is "Ok no problem." You ask someone if you can use the internet "ok. no problem." you ask the rickshaw driver if they know where a place is
"ok. no problem."
"so, does that mean you know where it is?"
"sure, ok. no problem."
"wait, is that a yes or a no"
"OK no problem, just get in, no problem."
"wait, i'm confused...oh nevermind..." then you get in and hope for the best. It bothered me at first, but now its just hilarious. Anything to calm whitey down.
Ok. No Problem.
Anyway, the train ride to Jaipur was long, but not too terrible. Slept most of the night and in the morning this Israeli girl serenaded us on her guitar. The first song she played was Leonard Cohen's Susan. it was cool. What a hippy. There are a lot of Israeli tourists about - we ran into one buying our train tickets, he was going to the Andaman Islands. It seems to be a common trend among European backpackers in India. Can't handle the hustle bustle and pollution of the cities, not to mention the chaos and tireless hastlers - so they hop on a train to Calcutta and then fly down to the beautiful Islands to chill out.
So far Jaipur is nice. It is a big city but seems a bit calm compared to Calcutta. Its Diwali right now, so that might have something to do with it. - Quick note on Diwali. I can't quite figure out what the story behind this holiday is, but it is basically like Christmas and New Years combined. A holiday celebration as well as a fresh start. Everyone gets new clothes and presents, the shops are painted with a fresh coat of paint and accounting books start a new. The part that affects us the most are the dozens of lights and fireworks. Every night there are fireworks throughout the city - throughout the country. It was beautiful to see Varanasi lit up with candles and lights and fireworks from our rooftop. Our first night in Jaipur we went to our hotel's rooftop to watch the fireworks shows around the city. Kind of cool but all the bangs and booms - a bit startling. The festival goes for awhile - I think this Friday is the last day, I'm not sure...
But Jaipur - One of the first things we did was to get tickets to the big Raj Mandir Bollywood movie theatre. The movie was terrible - really sappy and boring and confusing - it was actually based on a Dostoyevsky short story, white house, but it was strange. The second half was better because it had more dance numbers. The theatre though - absolutely stunning. The entry way was a huge circle in Art Deco styling - sculptures and lights everywhere, really cool. Today we are going to walk around the old city to see the Palace - I didn't realize royalty is still up and running and living in the palaces - weird..and then we will do a short walk/hike up to Tiger HIll to see the sunset and view of the city.
I can't shake the feeling that I am in Los Angeles though. This city really reminds of Southern California. I mean, its a crowded metropolitan desert city with lots of block like buildings and low lying hills in the background. If it wasn't for the Mosque next door, sitting atop this rooftop internet cafe I feel almost like I'm just at home! Funny. Almost at home.
The final thought for this entry are the two phrases one hears the most in Varanasi and Jaipur. First - shopkeepers - as you walk down the street you hear at least 5 guys in front of their respective shops "hello madam. hello. hello. come in. just to look not to buy. no harm in looking. look today buy tomorrow. no problem. ok no problem."
The shortened version of this which works in a variety of situations is "Ok no problem." You ask someone if you can use the internet "ok. no problem." you ask the rickshaw driver if they know where a place is
"ok. no problem."
"so, does that mean you know where it is?"
"sure, ok. no problem."
"wait, is that a yes or a no"
"OK no problem, just get in, no problem."
"wait, i'm confused...oh nevermind..." then you get in and hope for the best. It bothered me at first, but now its just hilarious. Anything to calm whitey down.
Ok. No Problem.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Hindi Hussle
Pictures:
http://ups.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024432&l=6a268&id=17701665
http://ups.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024397&l=3a641&id=17701665
http://ups.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024393&l=d0ca6&id=17701665
This blog entry is mostly just links to pictures. But here is a taste of the last few days....A few nights ago we stumbled upon a music ashram in this really nice area. hardly any tourists, just beautiful alley ways with wonderful people. anyway, the tabla man was great, immediately asked us to sit and have tea with him. The room was about 12x15 square feet. He told us about his ashram, how he tours internationally and how there was a concert that night we should attend. Of course we returned later that night to find two other Americans from Lake Tahoe awaiting the performance. So five americans, four Indian dudes ranging from age 30-60, 5 tablas, 5 sitars, and loads of flutes sitting in a tiny tiny boxy room on the ground; hanging out. Thirty minutes later, after the main tabla man smoked about 5 cigarettes, after we all had our chai masala tea, after the tabla man cursed the sitar player for being late, and after he cursed all musicians for always being late, the concert began. It was more of a show case off the different instruments to try and get us to take lessons, but it was still cool. Started with Indian Oboe, then Flute, then voice and air piano, and then guitar and voice. While this one old guy was singing and playing air piano the power went out, but they just kept going. Didn't miss a beat.
My favorites were the voice and tabla and air piano trios. This guy sang a traditional Pakistani song, so beautiful. Of course the Sitar was amazing and the finale between the tabla and sitar was fantastic. All the duets were very improvisational and sometimes one person didn't agree with the style of the other, for instance the flute player kept resisting what the tabla guy wanted, and tabla guy made transitions to beats that didn't make any sense with what flutey was playing. HOwever the sitar player and the tabla player fed off each other in an almost seamless fashion. One slowed down, the other slowed down. One sped up and gained intensity, so did the other. It was amazing.
This morning we took a boat ride along the Ganga at sunrise. Painful at first, but worth it. Celebrations for Dilwali are starting which means lots of people at the river in the morning to bathe. Near one of the burning Ghats we saw a dead baby floating. I forgot to tell you that there are 4 groups of people who are not burned. Brahmins - they are all ready pure. Children - still pure. Pregnant Mothers: have pure baby inside them. Lepers- will spread disease. Anyway, so we saw a floating dead baby. It was gross. I wanted to take a picture but couldn't move.
Moving to Jaipur in a few days and camel fair at end of november.
http://ups.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024432&l=6a268&id=17701665
http://ups.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024397&l=3a641&id=17701665
http://ups.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024393&l=d0ca6&id=17701665
This blog entry is mostly just links to pictures. But here is a taste of the last few days....A few nights ago we stumbled upon a music ashram in this really nice area. hardly any tourists, just beautiful alley ways with wonderful people. anyway, the tabla man was great, immediately asked us to sit and have tea with him. The room was about 12x15 square feet. He told us about his ashram, how he tours internationally and how there was a concert that night we should attend. Of course we returned later that night to find two other Americans from Lake Tahoe awaiting the performance. So five americans, four Indian dudes ranging from age 30-60, 5 tablas, 5 sitars, and loads of flutes sitting in a tiny tiny boxy room on the ground; hanging out. Thirty minutes later, after the main tabla man smoked about 5 cigarettes, after we all had our chai masala tea, after the tabla man cursed the sitar player for being late, and after he cursed all musicians for always being late, the concert began. It was more of a show case off the different instruments to try and get us to take lessons, but it was still cool. Started with Indian Oboe, then Flute, then voice and air piano, and then guitar and voice. While this one old guy was singing and playing air piano the power went out, but they just kept going. Didn't miss a beat.
My favorites were the voice and tabla and air piano trios. This guy sang a traditional Pakistani song, so beautiful. Of course the Sitar was amazing and the finale between the tabla and sitar was fantastic. All the duets were very improvisational and sometimes one person didn't agree with the style of the other, for instance the flute player kept resisting what the tabla guy wanted, and tabla guy made transitions to beats that didn't make any sense with what flutey was playing. HOwever the sitar player and the tabla player fed off each other in an almost seamless fashion. One slowed down, the other slowed down. One sped up and gained intensity, so did the other. It was amazing.
This morning we took a boat ride along the Ganga at sunrise. Painful at first, but worth it. Celebrations for Dilwali are starting which means lots of people at the river in the morning to bathe. Near one of the burning Ghats we saw a dead baby floating. I forgot to tell you that there are 4 groups of people who are not burned. Brahmins - they are all ready pure. Children - still pure. Pregnant Mothers: have pure baby inside them. Lepers- will spread disease. Anyway, so we saw a floating dead baby. It was gross. I wanted to take a picture but couldn't move.
Moving to Jaipur in a few days and camel fair at end of november.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Monkey Mahem
Well, Bodhgaya was wonderful. Serene and relaxing. Not much going on except for lots of monasteries and monks. I could easily picture 2000 years ago a lone monk sitting and meditating under a tree, contemplating the beauties and joys of life. Very nice. There were also a few beggars hassling us which is simply a part of life here. The strangest thing to see is a beggar asking monks for money, and the monks having to refuse. Strange huh...We stayed at an isolated guest house down this 'residential' 'street'. Basically we walked through peoples front yards, tripping over little children, goats, chickens, cows, pigs, (and all of their baby counter parts)all the while children and adults yelling "hallo, hALO, haaloo, halow, halow!!!!". It was great. Very friendly people.
After a gruesome 5 am train ride to Varanasi, and struggling to get an auto rickshaw to take us where we wanted, and winding down alley ways to our recommended guest house, we are now officially in heaven. We are pretty much at an Indian home stay. A family runs the tourist lodge, apart from 2 Barcelonians who arrived this morning we are the only ones there. The first thing we did was get a pot of Masala Chai and go up to the Roof to see the Ganges and the rooftops of the city. After a few minutes we realized we were not alone. Monkeys. At first just three. Two males and one female. It was obvious who was in charge as they struggled over some scraps of food. Then. A few more trickle in from another building. Its ok; they don't look too hostile, keeping at least 5 or 6 yards away. Then, more. Some moms with babies, some children, other males. Then more. Then more. At least two or three dozen monkeys descend from buildings around us and climb all over our roof and other roofs and nearby walls; just climbing and jumping and hanging out. It was insane. So - Many - Monkeys. You could see them some 50 meters away on other buildings, climbing around, hanging, fighting. One major fight happened on a roof nearby. It was like we were in the middle of a turf war. We actually weren't sure if we were going to make it back downstairs alive, but eventually the innkeeper man came up with a big stick and scared them away. This morning we were attacked a few times (just play, but still...) Best to carry a stick around just in case.
Walking along the Ganges by all the Ghats was truly magical. I really did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. There is a very particular, serene, joyous, feel to the place. We went just before sunset and the air seemed to have a purply-bluish glow. Truly radiant. That might have to do with all the toxic chemicals and dead bodies floating in the water. Yet, it didn't seem disgusting. It didn't smell that bad. Just hundreds of people milling about. Sitting. Just sitting and watching the river. Kids flying Kites from atop a large 19th century building. I mean. This city is one of the oldest cities in the world. Dates back to 1500 BC. I'm not sure how much of it actually remains, but still. Old.
After wandering around more ally ways we stumbled upon the Ghats where they burn dead bodies. We stayed for at least an hour, just watching. There are three tiers of fires burning 24 hours a day. Your caste determines which place you are burned. We could see 9 fires burning (roughly the size of a medium bonfire). That means 9 bodies. It takes about 3 hours for a body to burn. We saw almost every stage of the process among different bodies. A procession of priests/shamans/family members carry the body from the temple down the street chanting and burning incense, sometimes there are drums. (We saw this on our way out) Then, you dip it in the river to cleanse sins, then you take it out and perform some ceremony and place it on all ready hot coals. Then you place the wood on top and light the fire using the flame of another fire. No matches, lighters, any artificial means. Every fire is started by a constantly burning pit. This pit is said to have been started by Shiva 3000 years ago. Pretty cool. I spent awhile just watching it. Anyway, the oldest brother and other family members stand around and throw stuff in. The bodies are wrapped in a sort of foil, but after awhile you can see the feets and the skull and the body crumbling away. I never saw actual flesh melting.. a part of me wanted to, but I think ultimately its better this way. Then after a few hours when it is all burnt they pick out the left over bones and the eldest brother/son throws the remains in the river. Or something to that effect. We were totally mesmerized. About 50 people milling around, weighing wood, transporting wood, tending the fires, 24 hours a day.
So, then we walked around more of the city. There was a kind of protest going on, people chanting and doing call out/return type stuff. We asked around but couldn't figure out what was going on. We eventually found out they were outside the police station. Who knows. We were ready for a riot to break out.
After winding and getting lost down more alley ways we eventually made it back. After about 15 minutes the innkeeper man came up and knocked on our door. "just checking to make sure you are back oK"... "yup, we're back. thanks dad. see you in the morning for breakfast!" Then his brother came with a map of the city and told us about all the sights and places to go. Tonight his wife is going to give me Henna. I mean. Come on. This is great.
Yet - Some of this city is actually worse then Kolkata. More noise, more chaos, fewer signs written in English, more crooks and scam artists with more intricate and clever schemes. Not as many people living on the streets. But then other parts are much much much better. All the mysticism surrounding the river permeates through the entire place. People really love this city and want you to enjoy it. On the train this guy said to me, "please have good feelings about my country. Don't have bad feelings" He could tell I was annoyed with these young dudes sitting next to me, and just made me feel better. After deciding he like me and we were friends, to show he wasn't a creep (or maybe just because) he showed me a picture of his wife. "here is my beautiful wife. We have wonderful love marriage. she is my heart my life my joy".
Ah. These are the moments I live for here. I've only had a few where truly gentle people have just touched me. He was one. The Muslim man who sold me my glasses case was another, as well as the two guys at the foreign train booking office in Kolkata. Just amazing, gentle, funny, caring people. I hope those are the ones I remember, rather then the cheap two timing con artists on the street just trying to make a buck.
After a gruesome 5 am train ride to Varanasi, and struggling to get an auto rickshaw to take us where we wanted, and winding down alley ways to our recommended guest house, we are now officially in heaven. We are pretty much at an Indian home stay. A family runs the tourist lodge, apart from 2 Barcelonians who arrived this morning we are the only ones there. The first thing we did was get a pot of Masala Chai and go up to the Roof to see the Ganges and the rooftops of the city. After a few minutes we realized we were not alone. Monkeys. At first just three. Two males and one female. It was obvious who was in charge as they struggled over some scraps of food. Then. A few more trickle in from another building. Its ok; they don't look too hostile, keeping at least 5 or 6 yards away. Then, more. Some moms with babies, some children, other males. Then more. Then more. At least two or three dozen monkeys descend from buildings around us and climb all over our roof and other roofs and nearby walls; just climbing and jumping and hanging out. It was insane. So - Many - Monkeys. You could see them some 50 meters away on other buildings, climbing around, hanging, fighting. One major fight happened on a roof nearby. It was like we were in the middle of a turf war. We actually weren't sure if we were going to make it back downstairs alive, but eventually the innkeeper man came up with a big stick and scared them away. This morning we were attacked a few times (just play, but still...) Best to carry a stick around just in case.
Walking along the Ganges by all the Ghats was truly magical. I really did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. There is a very particular, serene, joyous, feel to the place. We went just before sunset and the air seemed to have a purply-bluish glow. Truly radiant. That might have to do with all the toxic chemicals and dead bodies floating in the water. Yet, it didn't seem disgusting. It didn't smell that bad. Just hundreds of people milling about. Sitting. Just sitting and watching the river. Kids flying Kites from atop a large 19th century building. I mean. This city is one of the oldest cities in the world. Dates back to 1500 BC. I'm not sure how much of it actually remains, but still. Old.
After wandering around more ally ways we stumbled upon the Ghats where they burn dead bodies. We stayed for at least an hour, just watching. There are three tiers of fires burning 24 hours a day. Your caste determines which place you are burned. We could see 9 fires burning (roughly the size of a medium bonfire). That means 9 bodies. It takes about 3 hours for a body to burn. We saw almost every stage of the process among different bodies. A procession of priests/shamans/family members carry the body from the temple down the street chanting and burning incense, sometimes there are drums. (We saw this on our way out) Then, you dip it in the river to cleanse sins, then you take it out and perform some ceremony and place it on all ready hot coals. Then you place the wood on top and light the fire using the flame of another fire. No matches, lighters, any artificial means. Every fire is started by a constantly burning pit. This pit is said to have been started by Shiva 3000 years ago. Pretty cool. I spent awhile just watching it. Anyway, the oldest brother and other family members stand around and throw stuff in. The bodies are wrapped in a sort of foil, but after awhile you can see the feets and the skull and the body crumbling away. I never saw actual flesh melting.. a part of me wanted to, but I think ultimately its better this way. Then after a few hours when it is all burnt they pick out the left over bones and the eldest brother/son throws the remains in the river. Or something to that effect. We were totally mesmerized. About 50 people milling around, weighing wood, transporting wood, tending the fires, 24 hours a day.
So, then we walked around more of the city. There was a kind of protest going on, people chanting and doing call out/return type stuff. We asked around but couldn't figure out what was going on. We eventually found out they were outside the police station. Who knows. We were ready for a riot to break out.
After winding and getting lost down more alley ways we eventually made it back. After about 15 minutes the innkeeper man came up and knocked on our door. "just checking to make sure you are back oK"... "yup, we're back. thanks dad. see you in the morning for breakfast!" Then his brother came with a map of the city and told us about all the sights and places to go. Tonight his wife is going to give me Henna. I mean. Come on. This is great.
Yet - Some of this city is actually worse then Kolkata. More noise, more chaos, fewer signs written in English, more crooks and scam artists with more intricate and clever schemes. Not as many people living on the streets. But then other parts are much much much better. All the mysticism surrounding the river permeates through the entire place. People really love this city and want you to enjoy it. On the train this guy said to me, "please have good feelings about my country. Don't have bad feelings" He could tell I was annoyed with these young dudes sitting next to me, and just made me feel better. After deciding he like me and we were friends, to show he wasn't a creep (or maybe just because) he showed me a picture of his wife. "here is my beautiful wife. We have wonderful love marriage. she is my heart my life my joy".
Ah. These are the moments I live for here. I've only had a few where truly gentle people have just touched me. He was one. The Muslim man who sold me my glasses case was another, as well as the two guys at the foreign train booking office in Kolkata. Just amazing, gentle, funny, caring people. I hope those are the ones I remember, rather then the cheap two timing con artists on the street just trying to make a buck.
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