Hannah’s Weblog

Kim and I are currently in Kathmandu, Nepal. It took us longer than expected to get here due to some political problems, and a fuel shortage, but we are happy to say we arrived safely if not a little tierd. It took us 36 hours from Varanasi to Kathmandu, an over night train, a bus to the border (which we crossed by foot) then an overnight bus here to Kathmandu.

At first I struggled to see obvious differences between Nepal and India (apart from the obvious difference in physical appearance of the people) But as we have spent more time with locals and around town Nepal is itself very unique and stands apart from the Indian sub continent. Call me stupid, considering every ‘meeting a new person’ conversation follows the regime of where are you from? how longs your trip? where are your going? and therefore I have told so many people my plans for Nepal, I had not really thought about leaving India and entering a new country! Yeah, seriously call me Stupid! Crossing the border was kind of surreal, Kim has crossed many in her travels, but it is my first experince of walking from one country into another. ha! We nearly missed our connecting bus because we had completely forgotten that the time changes!? Crazy to think that we were now operating 15 minutes ahead of the people standing on the otherside of the street! The money changed, the food changed, the language didnt change as to my surprise and ignorance they actually speak Hindi here! The faces changed, all in the space of a few steps……

So here we are! Apart from wanting to stay longer in Kathmandu we are ready for our big trek! This morning (slightly hungover after a taster of some Nepali nightlife) we gathered up our last minute supplies…a sleeping bag (which prepares for the -10/15 degrees, a down jacket both of which we hired, a water bottlle (which comes in handy keeping the feet warm as we can fill it with hot water when we sleep), a head torch, a new back pack for me as my other one is too small…..Its all working out kind of expensive, and thats before Kim and I attacked one of the stores for snacks! these stores are fantastique, all they sell is supplies for treking, so shelfs overflow with snack food and chocolate……heaven! kim and I stocked up on snack sized chocoltae bars (we need the energy right?) nuts and raisins and a bag of marshmallows which is our surprise for our group! mmm toasting marshmallows on everest, we are sooo indulgent!!So yeah I think we are ready! Our flight to lukla is a 6.30 am tommorrow morning, this takes us to an altitude of 2600m then we start from there! I am sooooooo excited just hope that we dont get altitude sickness, as if we do they practically force you to turn back:-( We will take it slow and hope for the best!

Right must go, we still need to pack our day bags and the packs for the sherpa’s. Think of us while we are making our way up the highest mountain in the world, I will write again when we are back in kathmandu and write allll about it. Oh yeah Kim and I are considering doing a bungee jump when we get back here, and maybe some canyoning…..once we have been to Basecamp and back we can do anything right??? mmmm we will have to wait and see!

Time for some dinner I think, its going to have to be cheap as we have spent more than our budget today!!

Sayonara amigoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This entry will have to wait, I do not have time to write it yet………plus I am struggling to find the words to describe Varanasi, an amazingly unique place! Once back from Nepal I will update this section……

Two days and one night in Varanasi…….. Man, this seems a long time ago now, but I am going to give it a shot, an attempt at least to write a bit about Varanasi. We arrived in Varanasi on the 20th Feb, we had read and heard alot about the hassle that we were going to experience once we arrived here, but to our pleasant surprise it was pretty pain free. We had endured a very crowed and squashed train journey from Delhi so were relieved about this! We negotiated a price with a cycle rickshaw driver and held tight as the journey was long and pretty dangerous…considering we had to hold onto our bags and the tiny seat we were balanced on..After chatting to some Spanish girls on our train we headed for Hotel Shiva (the original, I may add…) luckily grabbed the last double room, dumped our stuff and headed out.

Varanasi was pretty high on the places I was most excited to visit, and it completely lived up to all my expectations! A crazy mix of tourists, Sadu’s (holy men who smoke a lot of ganja, liberated by asceticism and yoga) grieving relatives and holy ghats.  The burning ghats were the most extreme experience, there are two main ones, one that we past through quickly where people are cremated publicly 24 hours a day and a second smaller one where we lingered for a few hours. Piles of wood, and burning mounds of ashes litter the area near the river ( a river Ganges that is hardly recognisable against the one we swam in in Rishikesh) The river here is at its most polluted and is grim, the levels of toxic waste, metals and anything else potentially lethal is living and breeding here in Varanasi! People wash, clean their clothes and apparently drink this water…..mmmm severely strong stomachs……. So we witnessed a cremation from start to finish, funny seeing as though Kim only said earlier that she cannot bring herself to even stick the postcards we bought in her journal.  Looking back and writing about it now, it seems strange that we stood and watched for so long, but we did….so what the hey! There was a short ceremony, with a handful of relatives, a holy man circles the body a few times then they set it alight. It didn’t seem real watching the body burn, detached and removed from the fact that someones relative was being cremated….bizarre! I probably should not continue with details…..it did get pretty grim so I will save you that!

Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world, completely unique and precious. We took a 5pm and a morning boat ride along the ghats, which line the entire length of the city. These ghats (which are steps that rise from the river) are always full of activity, people come from all over, far and away to cleanse themselves in the river. Crowds of pilgrims and faithful worshippers blend with tourists, sellers and locals, it is a wonderfully colourful place even though it is somewhere people come to die. Kim and I had a wonderful time here, we stayed in a fantastically lively hostel, met tonnes of people (mainly Brits) chatted, ate some great food, lots of card games….good time all round! We were sad to leave, but it was great meeting up again with Will, James and Manu and we crammed alot into our short time. With our new clothes (which we bargained hard for) a handful of souvenirs and an experience of a lifetime under our belt, we once again moved on….

What a day Kim and I had! Considering our tight time schedule we only had two days in Delhi so we had a plan, and we executed it well. What a fantastically productive day! Smiles all round. After breakfast on our gorgeous roof top we hailed a tuc tuc to place of interest no. 1 Hamayun’s Tomb. Suitably more encapsulated by Isa Khan’s Tomb which sat ruined in its gorgeous surroundings, proud in the morning sunshine, we wandered. The walled gardened tomb sat amongst tall poker straight palms and well kept lawns. Next to Hamayun’s Tomb. Reminiscent of the Taj Mahal but 20 years it predecessor named Dormitory of the Moguls with over 100 tombs. Fantastic lattice work, black and white marble and red stone.

 Next stop, by auto rick shaw to the Lotus shaped Bahi i’s place of worship, further into South Delhi. A religion I had never heard of before. A faith that wishes to unite all religions, one God for all. The well labelled and designed information center explained how this faith has spread all over the world and now has millions of devoted followers, India being home to over 2 million. The beautiful Lotus shaped house of worship ( as it is known) was again set in fantastically well maintained gardens. Standing intriguingly pure and exotic. A lotus, often found in stagnant water, symbolises how everyone is born pure. So Baha ism (!? can I say that!?) encourages full acceptance of everyone, irrespective of caste, sex, class, religion. It has wonderful ideas and is a calm place where anybody can go, worship, think, meditate.

After a few problems, a snappy argument with our rick shaw driver who had decided to take us somewhere different (and out of our way!!), change of rick shaw and some haphazard driving we zipped across town to the South Extension. This doughnut shaped shopping mall, according to the guide book is where the more affluent Delhi ites hang out. It was a bizarre mix of Marks and Spencers, Next, Reebok and a handful of other slightly unpopular western stores. Reminded me of being in Mauritius ( as did much of New Delhi) We took advantage of the subway and sat in the sun and enjoyed a tuna and cheese sandwich, electric orange fanta and after a Mc Donalds ice cream, which I have to admit was absolutely delicious. Whipped ice cream, a waffle cone and hot chocolate sauce..mmmmm delicious!! Then we strolled to another shopping area, everyone slightly more westernized, jeans, straightened hair, sharp suits. This is where trendy Indian’s shop, but much of the same. Seen one shop evidently seen them all, so we dived into a Barista for a recharge and chill out a/c style. The menu in this place was mouthwatering and this was only the drinks. Frappes made with ice cream, milk, caramel, chocolate brownies, hazelnut fudge sauce….how we resisted I simply do not know, but resist we did, ordering two black coffees, one hot one cold. Once fired up with caffeine we caught another rick shaw to the National Museum of Modern Art. I was excited to see some contemporary Indian art and more so when we only had to pay Rs10 instead of the noted Rs250 (due to there being renovation in progress). Where else in the world would you visit a capital city, a National art gallery and find yourself wandering around dodging paint cans and avoiding rooms that are being re painted? Indescribably India. From a curatorial perspective, the exhibitions were poorly labelled, organized and hung. Ill fitting frames, too big, too small too wonky. But it felt nice being among art. The collection seemed to range from 18th century right through to the 21st with no clear borders. I saw some gorgeous late 19th century oil paintings, some of my favourite miniature paintings (which I must buy some prints of), some almost Brit art 1930’s stuff and then some contemporary pieces. Bizarre considering there were only about 100 pieces in the entire gallery. Not disappointed per se, just left feeling a little under stimulated.

Walking to our next port of call no 5 on the itinerary, a shopping area popular with ex pats. We passed a really posh hotel and momentarily considered splashing out on a glass of wine. Luckily for our budget this feeling did not last long and we moved on….This next area housed lots of gorgeous interior design shops, a pet shop, and lots of ’supermarkets’ selling everything the home sick ex pat would want; from bachelors cuppa soup to Branston pickle to those chinese style rice crackers (which I wish I had bought). The shop fronts were swarming with men trying to catch a glimpse of the cricket showing in opticians and any shop with a t.v ha! funny. Still in need of a drink (remember Rishikesh you cannot buy alcohol, and we were there a week) we headed back to Connaught Place, New Delhi. We wandered across the central gardens, where families, lovey dovey couples and groups of friends grazed. It felt like a English summer evening, giving me flash backs to evenings in Brighton, no worries, just chilling and enjoying the warm weather. Found a funky little dimly lit bar and downed, sorry I mean sipped two Gin and Tonics….mmmm deeeeliiiccciousssss….

As the evening slowly descended upon us we thought best to head back to Pahraganj. this time opting for a cycle rick shaw. Hungry and a little tipsy we made a way to a restaurant that advertised Thai red curry, which kim ordered and mushroom curry and butter chipatis for me. Cheap, filling and scrummy! Perfect to make sure we made it through the night on our next over night train. We grabbed our bags from our hotel picked up a few scarfs from the market and walked to Delhi train station. Sad to leave Delhi but excited about Varanasi, we took sleeper class, which is cheaper, more crowded but comfortable. We could have stayed a lot longer, and would recommend it to anyone. Kim and I really enjoyed our brief visit and would definitely come again.

Now in Varanasi, currently indescribable (as I have been sat at this computer far too long)……..moving onto Nepal tonight! Time for breakfast I think so I better go and wake Kim!

7 hour bus, cool air, feeling good being back on the road. People watching, watching the world go by. Sugarcane. Electricity wires. Luscious green fields. Dust roads. Ox and carts. Motorbikes. Hindi graffiti, luxury cottages and corrugated homes. Roadworks. Sand and dust. horns beeping, overtaking, constant beeping and overtaking. No order, no system but reassuringly safe. Tank tops and ironed shirts. Sitting on the roadside, sitting and relaxing. Chai and plastic chairs. Open fields, flat flat landscape. Public school, piles of sand. Sugarcane. Hazy horizon. Morning commotion. Tires and piles of bricks. People walking. Palm trees, streams, farming, wonderful self sufficiency……..

…..Arriving in Delhi. Helmets for sale, suddenly everyone wearing helmets. Entire families piled onto the back of motorbikes. Disembark the bus, attacked by touts, trying to rip us off. Government pre-paid ticket, rickshaw into the city. Rak International hotel, very nice too expensive, Walk to Vivek, cheap, clean and nice…Rs 350 nice. Change and head out. Delhi first impressions….shops do not exist, markets on the street. Clothes piled high amongst the slop and slurry of the garbage. Organised squares of produce. Everyone selling the same thing. Immaculately organized, organized chaos. Hand drawn rickshaws line the street and fill the street. Our driver is crazy! Poverty to another level. Street children begging when we stop. Expressionless faces, hands cupped eyes lowered.

Pahraganj, our area. Bustling with tourists and life. Tourists goods and a good price. Carvings, saris, bangles and jewellery. Walking, bothered, but its OK. Clean open roads. Slums almost forgotten. Middle class living. Sunday evening strollers, ice creams, enjoying life. Western clothes and ideas. This is New Delhi. Designer stores, snazzy bars, gardens to lounge. In search of beer, buy one get one free…..searching for the best price. Mexican saloon. Straddle the saddle bar stools, very expensive. 1 bottle of beer please, with two glasses. Over 25 legal drinking age. Photos and move on. Basking Robbins, craving satisfied. Q BA, luxury bar, so very swanky. Mojitos and bar snacks. Talking talking, past and future, enjoying the luxury. Good times, feeling good. Strolling back, feeling, tipsy but need cheaper beer. Gem bar, local and cheaper. Bump into Timur, share a drink. We sit and talk eat and talk. We like Delhi, at home and happy. Oreo cookies with extra cream, room service time for bed, must say goodnight. 

Our week in Rishikesh …..

Luxury room, clean sheets hot shower. Unpack, unwind and relax. 6 nights 7 days, 21 hours of yoga, meditation and relaxation. Sun rise and sunset. Himalaya mountains, River Ganga and gorgeous Indian sunshine. Early mornings, lingering breakfasts and new friends. White water rafting, ice cold Ganga river, “right side GO!” “left side BACK” following instructions, part of a team, trying to stay aboard. Body surfing, riding the rapids, swimming, laughing and freezing………So fresh, soooo nice. Wandering down into town, busy narrow streets, markets, soothing music. Oily massages, pedicures and healthy dinners. Fresh fruit, vegetables and a whole pot of marmite. Near death experience, Kim my saviour, deep breath. deeeeep breeeeath. Long walks, crashing waterfalls and a pic nic lunch. Pineapple, cheese, nuts and channa. Busy temples, monkeys, holy river, smiling faces. Morning chai, afternoon chai, chai anytime. German bakeries, pryamid tents, evening coffee. New friends and old, happiness, spirituality, peace, goodtimes. Studying yoga. Learning, meditating, focusing on the sun. “trieeeee to controlllll y breeeeethinn, relaaaaaaax y’ bodeeeeeee”. Meditating to Om, AAAAUUUUUUMMMMM……… Warm up, cool down. Stretching into unthinkable positions. Poses, asanas and sun salutation. Repeat and drill, feel the power of Om. Witnessing sunrise and sunset. Enjoying the outdoors, forever in the sun. Sky blue day, clear stary nights. Rooftops, terraces all dedicated to the sun. Could stay here for ever. So much time. Rishikesh has all the time in the world.

Time to move on to Delhi, must move on. Onwards we will go, back to reality, back on the road.

After a well deserved sleep, warm shower and face mask Kim and I woke early, met up with Will and James, drank some morning chai and caught the 10 hour bus ride to Joshimath.

From Rishikesh, this journey took us from start to finish up through the foothills of the Himalayan mountains. The hair raising road clung tightly to the edge of the mountains, with a sheer drop plumeting down to the river Ganges (nb. It is infact called the river Ganga, once again we name something that is not ours and hence forth in prononcing it incorrectly)…This road was not for the faint hearted I assure you, it was littered with warning signs that reminded drivers of safety in a fantastically Indian way “Speed thrills, do not let it kill” “You have a license to drive, not to fly” “Life is a journey, ensure you live it” etc etc. The excellent driver did us proud with his 30 mph crawl along this terrifyingly narrow, bumpy, crumbling track….. The view luckily distracted us from fear of death…(man I love to dramacticise everything!!) it wasnt that scary infact I was thouroughly engrossed in my book most of the way, took a little nap and listened to Kim’s ipod, so I really enjoyed sitting and watching for hours…… Sunrise over this amazing mountain range was spectacular, cruising through the range passing nothing for hours except other buses doing similar routes. Slowly we came across small villages, then to my surprise towns, then entire civilisation!! I couldnt help thinking how could people live so far away from everything?…..but at the same time what do they need to be near? What is everything?mmmmm…….I wander…They have everything they need plus the added bonus of growing and living in such an idyllic setting! We stopped for breakfast of roti and some veg curry then back on the road……I cannot desribe this journey i’ll let you check out the photos (which I will upload soon)

We arrived in Joshimath 3 hours later than scheduled due to a landslide and the road disappearing down the mountain. We couldnt have been stranded in more of a perfect setting however,we sat and enjoyed the sunshine and I made a little friend who kept me company as we drew together. I knew those  glittery pens would come in handy!

Joshimath for one night, then we caught a cable car up the mountains to Auli. Auli is India’s premier ski resort, and the second highest in the world…..But lets not forget we were still infact in India, so this meant stopping the button lift at 2pm (why would they do that?), charging you Rs50 everytime you use the button lift, and having NO HEATING anywhere!!

We arrived in the middle of a snow blizzard, and were left to our own devices on the top of the mountain with our huge packs minus our waterproofs. Kim and I volunteered to go suss out the hotel that had been raved about (in the lonely liar), it was infact an unfinished concrete eye-sore….The hotel was unfortunatly out of our price range so we covered ourselves with our waterproof gear and headed out to face the snow and cold. Auli had just been covered and was still being covered in a fresh blanket of fine powder. So steps were no longer steps and paths no longer paths. We had to take off our packs and slide them down the steep slippery slopes to where there was more accomodation. We finally found somewhere, and in keeping with the previously mentioned places we have stayed was pretty dam basic. It had a roof, and two bunk beds and a concrete floor, what else did we need?………….(yes! I am managing to sound positive )

 We had an amazing time, dispite the sub zero temperatures. The views were breathtaking and I have never seen so much soft untouched snow! It was up to my waist most of the time, and considering I am not the best skiier this is where I found myself most of the time (beats face first). One thing we couldnt understand was why nowhere had heating, or why it did not work. It is quite unbelievable really as people live there, they must simply have thick skin as we were cold to the bone all the time. We skiied, then slept in the same clothes, with no way of gettin warm this was the only option, oh and then skiied again (without changing or even revealing any bear skin). Luckily however on the second day the clouds were kind enough to stay away and allow the gorgeous Indian sun to shine. We enjoyed a beautiful day, a blue watercolour sky and now we could enjoy the views and suddenly paying the Rs50 per ride up didnt seem so bad. 

 Auli is precious, in its raw, under prepared for skiiers state. Looking back it seems crazy that we could even ski in India, and charming that even at this altitude India remains consistant in its lack of comfort and willinessd to progress. Will and James stayed on a day longer and were fortunate to stay in a little room with room service and a little fire heater, so our experience has to be put down to our scroogy budget, and stingy ability to spend more than Rs100 ( 1 quid) on a room………… Auli was great fun, we drank whisky with sweet milky coffee, ate some scrummy food and the setting was priceless. I have to consider myself lucky enough to have experienced Auli like this. We all discussed and half expect some rich Maharajah to cash in on this untouched resort and build an airport, 5 star hotels and cover it in annoying touts and persistant rickshaw drivers??!!I mean skiing in the Himalayas! Its pretty dang cool!

Kim and I left after skiing on the second day, as we had to get back for our yoga and meditation course. We decended back down to Joshimath, which then seemed pretty warm in comparison and checked in above the equivilent of a greasy spoon. Again I am trying to keep this positive as I do not want to put everone off India (the meditation is obviously  having a good effect on me) the room was mmmmm…basic. But had the luxury of a t.v! Seriously Kim and I were in heaven!!! We scoffed a hearty dinner of rice and tandoori chicken, put on a few extra layers and climmed into our dirty but not disgusting beds (dammit, I said I was trying…). We couldn’t have been happier as we relaxed and watch a cheesy movie about American chicks not wanted to commit. 

It was puuuurfect!

So…..Kim and I have been travelling for 5 long days now, and are (dare I say it) kind of in need of a holiday!!…..oh and a shower would be nice!

 From Pushkar (which thinking back leaves a strange taste in my mouth. The place was spectacularly beautiful, and as I said we loved the hippy vibe, but the cool funky hippy community started feeling a little  pretentious). I think we just became a little bored of so many travellers trying to out shine eachother in the ‘I’ve been traveling the longest, and I have the dirtiest dread locks’ competition! Enough said I think.

Where was I….oh yes, from Pushkar we took a night bus onto Agra, but not long before we boarded the dingy bus I came over all queezy and am now an expert in the famous ‘Dehli belly’……I had food poisioning, and it was horrid as we were set to be on the go for a few days…….Luckily I manged to sleep well, with Kim checking my temperature and making sure I was warm enough throughout the 12 hour journey.(she is soooo wonderful ) Arriving in Agra (home to the Taj Mahal) wasnt that pleasant either. I know I should be used to it by now, but the constant harrassment, filth and poverty that surrounds the train stations and bus stands is taking it toll. As soon as we step off the train or bus, and sometimes whilst we are still aboard, groups of men attatch themselves to us and follow at an uncomfortably close range. “hotel, hello, hello…..rickshaw mame, hello…hello……….very cheap mame, hello, you are beautiful, I have hotel as beautiful as you….hello hello…..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Seriously.

Agra has only the Taj Mahal to offer it turns out, and in all fareness I can give it some slack as it is so incredibly beautiful! We were so excited to see it, that it took us 3 attempts to get through secrurity, first no bags…then no sketch books…then no lighter (david’s) Once in the complex, the Taj Mahal stood majestically against the somewhat grey sky. It looked like a painting, we stood and stared….”is it real?” I had to ask myself. Luckily we arrived nice and early so we beat the crowds and managed ro take some very cheesy Princess Diana style photos ( I will try and post them up soon) Very romantic, and calm if not a little overwhelming considering my dehli belly……

 We chilled out in Agra all day as the plan was to move on to Amritsar that night on the over night train…..this was pretty painful but we managed to find some little cafes that didnt seem to mind us relaxing and spreading out for hours…. Agra was actually the first place where I have seen a little bit of middle class living. It must have been an affluent area as the coffee shop that we hung out in was buzzing with cool young socialites doing lunch, bopping their heads to 50 cent, sky T.V and the smell of sizzling chocolate brownies… (Kim and I actually felt scruffy) but didnt let this bother us. India was still in the air however with homeless, barefoot children wandering past the glass window of the cafe, staring in…..yes everytime it breaks our hearts to see this combination of rich and poor living on top of eachother. We bought one little boy an ice cream and he just stared disappointingly at the other sweets and cakes on offer….it turns out we always want more.

Finally the evening came, and I began getting excited at the thought of being able to lie down. We waited and waited as the train was late. 1.30 am nearly an hour after expected our train arrived. As usual with Indian trains, it doesnt hang around long so there is always mayhem as everyone tries desperatly to find the right compartment. We finally find ours after reversing up and down (as they are so narrow) once at our beds we find someone is in David’s bed, we are advised to wake him so we do so…then the conductor arrives and asked for our ticket, I hand it over and continue to spread out my little blanket to make my bed. Suddenly the conductor starts shouting “Your ticket is NOT confirmed! You MUST get off now! You do NOT have CONFIRMATION! ” Kim and I scrammble over eachother trying to drag our bags out from under the seats, the conductor continues to shout and demand that we get off…… I am drowsy and inches away from sleep and am being forced off the train.  The nice man that we woke up tries to help as i desperately grab for my things….David and Kim are already on the platform…..Kim shouts “Han you have to jump” (the train is now moving!!!) I chuck my back pack and close my eyes……the conductor who has been chasing us off, now advises me to take it slowly “the train is moving, slowly SLOWLY!” I jump! We are stranded once again at the grim station. The hoards of touts have spotted us and like vulchers descend on us…..we are laughing histerically, we have to or else I would have cried. I seriously think if I hadnt of jumped the fat conductor would have pushed me!

From Agra, we finally (well actually we got on the wrong one first) get on a train to Amritsar. Another 10 hour journey 8am start arriving in Amritsar at around 11pm. We check into another grim hostel and try and get some sleep. Luckily Tuesday is a brighter day, we are feeling a little better but still un showered and under fed, but are all excited to see the Golden Temple and the India-Pakistan border ceremony. Amritsar is the Sikh’s holy City and the largest city in Punjab, it sits on the Indian Pakistani border high up in the north-west. The Sikh population there were very friendly and seemed more respectable and honourable than other places. Lots of smiles and surprisingly lots of blue and green eyes…….. The Golden Temple was beautiful and great to see so many people coming together united by religion. The beautiful sound of the holy song that is sung continuously and the hoards of welcoming people made our day! But the highlight of Amritsar was the ceremony at the border. 27 km West in a remote area of Attari 100’s of people everyday come to witness this theatrical high speed, high trouser wearing, high kicking soldier ceremony. Groups of school girls danced, Indian tourists waved their flags in pride and chanted to prove they are better than their Pakistani neighbours. I was pleasantly surprised with the humour of it all, it was light-hearted and everyone was having a wail of a time! The soldiers marched up and down towards the gate border, legs flung at a painfully high angle, back and forth. Meanwhile both sides try and out do eachother, it was so much fun and definitely lifted mine and Kim’s spirits! Trying to head back to our shared jeep we were again faced with the pestering little mites that were pleading us to buy cds, dvds and photos of the ceremony……They are adorable but very persistant! It was then that it dorned on us, or rather Kim had the fantastically cunning idea to give them a taste of their own medicine. We had a bag of popcorn that we had bought earlier, knowing that they would not want it, Kim continued to thrust it into the little bu**ers face… “popcorn!Popcorn…take take it take it! Very nice come on popcorn popcorn!” The little guy screwed up his face backed away and through his cheeky grin tried to say no, no, nooooooo!! It was soooo funny! Ha! That sure showed him! Later on, this technique failed to work, so kim picked the little boy up and physically carried him away! He laughed and laughed,oh….and came back!

So now, we are in Rishikesh, Rishikesh is like a breath of fresh air after the dirty, polluted cities we have been moving through lately. The air is clean, the view of the Himalayas is comforting and it feels nice. Kim and I took another overnight train from Amritsar to Hadiwar, then another bus here. Rishikesh is home to yoga and sits on the winding mouth of the river Ganges. We have found ourselves a lovely little guesthouse (with hot water) overlooking the river winding tightly around the misty mountains…It is beautiful.  We are going to Joshimath tomorrow with Will and James who should be meeting us shortly, we are going to try and sneek in 2 days skiing into our already hectic schedule, then back to Rishikesh for our yoga and meditation week. Man, we are going to need that!!

So much happening in so little time……Kim and I are exhausted, but are continuing to smile. Kim is a wonderful travelling companion and we are enjoying exploring all India has to offer. Right! Now for some dinner and that much needed shower!!!!!!!!

I felt that I should publish my thoughts on Jailsalmer, having just read back over it I apologise for the rant, but remain firm in my feelings towards the place. The camel safari was fantastic however….Kim and I were joined by our friends James, Will, Manu and Daniel and really enjoyed travelling by camel, sitting under the shade of tree for fresh roti and veg curry and sleeping under the most amazing sky I have ever seen.

Since Jaisalmer Kim and I spent two nights in Jodhpur. I instantly fell for Jodhpur, like Jaisalmer it has a fantastic fort but thankfully Jodhpur’s maharajah has preserved it as a monumental national treasure. It now has a museum which made a fantastic morning visit for Kim, David and I, and I would highly recommend the audio guide which retold wonderful pieces of history and stories about the ancient citadel of the sun. While in Jodhpur we once again bumped into Anne, and also spent an afternoon with Reeka in her home. Reeka very generously and patiently gave us a cooking lesson. We spent a good few hours in her tiny yet immaculately organised kitchen, learning to make raita, seven different ways to make roti and a varity of vegetarian curries. It was a wonderful experience that gave us an insight into the lives of the people and a reflection on how busy and hard working the women of India are. The city of Jodhpur is like a beautiful blue wash cubic painting, again I was charmed by its terrace rooftops and busy markets, oh and its famous omlette sandwiches which were delicious!!

Now me, Kim and David (who has flown up from Goa and re-organised his trip to travel with us) are in Pushkar. Legend has it that Brahma dropped a lotus leaf in the desert and Pushkar emerged. The holy city has over 50 temples which sit beautifully around the main lake. We love pushkar…..it is famous for its bhang lassies and Israeli community who smoke, smile and crave the hippy peace loving lifestyle. The narrow streets that bustle behind the white ghats are overflowing with hippy indie clothes and funky cafes. We are now in Rajasthan’s marriage seasons so the air is full of celebration, music, brass bands parading and people draped in gorgeous clothes.

Rajasthan is a world away from Goa and Mumbai, the ancient dessert cities that we have traveled between are ghostly yet electric in their activity. The difference in architecture, temperature and scenery have been amazing to observe. Tomorrow we are heading to Agra to see the great Taj Mahal, then further up north………….

I am ashamed to say, but when I think about how I would describe Jaisalmer in one word, it would have to be FREEZING! Jaisalmer fort sits beautifully on the edge of the Great Thar dessert, it has been here for over 900 years, has wonderful historical value, breathtakingly beautiful architecture, and quaint narrow streets….. and I hate saying but, but it oozes touristy tack! The entire fort is energized and fundamentally run on tourism. I can appreciate that tourism is important and a huge industry all over the world, however I feel uneasy with the way it has taken over this ancient city. I cannot help feeling that the local people here (who are infact not so local but are camel farmers from the dessert who come here to earn our money) somehow need us but ultimately hate us. Their entire day is spent begging tourists to come and at least have a look at their goods. I have only been in India just over two weeks, and I feel i can withstand a high amount of harassment, but the need that is in these peoples eyes is kind of heartbreaking, as well as thouroughly annoying! I am frankly fed up of not being able to trust anybody! I am fed up of having to be suspicious of anyone and everyone who is trying to help. Even the guy who I decided was a decent guy, and was trying to look out for us, ultimately just wanted our money. He would say anything to obtain it, and would happily lie to us to get the most out of us.

I feel strange about this place. Uncomfortable and uneasy. I am not sure that these feelings are solely due to the pestering of touts, or all the tourist, maybe its just that time of the month and the fact that it is so cold. In all fairness Kim and I ventured outside of the fort today, and when the sun is out it is nice and hot. We met up with some guys we met in Udaiper and have made good friends with Anne from Germany, so we have had a great day all round. Tomorrow we are heading into the desert on a camel safari which should be great fun, but my feet are itching to leave Jaisalmer.