Where 40 - Delhi, India --OR-- Mangoes and the Truth about Indian Food

Hiya,

In May Mango Mania arrives in India - yes it is the time of the year when mangoes are ripe and the whole of India goes nuts for them (well the rich people anyway). Everything that can be made out of them is. And some are even eaten as they are - especially the Alphonso variety, the king of mangoes.

And after 4 months sitting around doing nuff... meditating and stuff ... I finally managed to remind myself that travelling is about going places (and it was getting very hot in Pune) - and so I went somewhere, some places in fact, although at first I was wondering why ...

To start with something familiar kicks in - here I am on a train or a bus... then I encouter the disgusting squat toilets which look lke they have been just used by a herd of free roaming cattle which had a particularly bad beer and curry night the night before and whose aim was worse than a Peter Crouch penalty. Then the poverty - no matter what I have seen one day there is always something worse to see the next. Everyone walks round it, ignores it and builds huge very posh hotels next to it ... thats just the obscene way it is. And if you want to see the worlds biggest toilets just look out of the train window in the early morning as it pulls into a big city - endless rows of people squating down baring all (nearly all men oddly enough - I dont know where the women go)???

First stop Udaipur, which is a pretty place (well the bit around the lake and palace is at least) and spent most of the 3 days on the open air restaurant of the place I stayed looking at the views, but hardly moving cos it was so hot (over 40C in the shade) and once the palace and the odd temple had been viewed there wasnt really that much to do. So I decided to go to Jaipur...

Big mistake! Not only was Jaipur hotter than Udaipur - about 45C - (too hot to even lie under the fan comfortably), but it has to be the most scummy city I have been to in India, and you can imagine that is up against some pretty stiff competition. And since India can pride itself at being top of the world scummy city league then you may be able to imagine what Jaipur is like. Suffice to say that the description in LP of Jaipur being 'Whacky Races on acid' is about right. Traffic is constant and choking and constantly choking and when I tried to avoid it, it came looking for me! Everything is crammed in to small spaces. There are twice as many people, cars, rickshaws, cows per sq metre than in most cities in India, and more animals per sq metre than an english farm. The piles of rubbish and muck that line the streets are competed over by cows, goats, water buffalo, dogs, pigs and rats and often people as well, (cardboard is a delicacy for the pigs, cows and goats - Ive never seen humans eat it, yet) and then once they have eaten, they wallow in it. Then they follow me! I have been closely followed by people, dogs and cows (and in the mountains by monkeys) - I dont know which is worse, but it is best not to turn your back on any of them...

However I did realise that there is some value in a society that castes everyone into a specific role in life - opportunists follow the water buffalo herds as they trundle along the street and as soon as the poo hits the floor they grab it and mould it into rounds the size of chappaitis and dry it out for cooking fuel (it is normally poo of good consistency, unlike the liquid splodge left by cows - you cant spend time in India and not be an expert in poo - its everywhere - Regular washing of footwear is advisable).

Out in the villages things are not as bad although the transport can be worse. I was in a normal size jeep heading to a local market with 5 (inc driver) in the front, 6 of us in the 2nd row and about a dozen in the back (several hanging on the rear door). Now even for India I thought this was pretty full but was astounded to find that the next time we stopped to pick up passengers there was a brief discussion and no -one got on. At last I have been on a vehicle in Inida that even the locals considered was full - a first for me! Then at the next stop 2 people got out of the 2nd row ... and 4 got in. I think that in the school syllabus here, maths has been replaced by people management!

Travelling by state owned bus on the narrow winding roads in the hills of Northern India has to be about the worse transport experience I can remember - not only was I jammed in, knees crushed against the seat in front, but after about 5 minutes I was feeling like decorating the bus a queasy shade of green. Luckily it was only a 5 hour trip and I got over it in a few days (just in time to catch the next state owned bus on the narrow winding roads in the hills of Northern India...)

After trying to see the Dalai Lama and finding that he was busy, I went to Dalhousie, a place where Indian tourists go and there are hardly any foreigners, so it was kindda weird. But I did bag myself a small cottage in the hills where I stayed and meditated, and read and found I could sit on my porch gazing out at the spectacular view with one eye whilst watching England play Sri Lanka (live) at Cricket with the other. One eye is all you need to watch cricket anyway...

__________________________________________________________________

Interlude

Its hot, hot , hotter here. At least in the hills it was a lot cooler, even cold. And it rained. And when it rains it rains.

Cool and wet? Reminds me of home.
__________________________________________________________________

Now a bit just for the travel averse, who think an Indian is a restaurant in the high street, and a taste of India means going into an 'Indian' after a large number of beers, here is some other true stuff about India:

- Onion Bhajis - forget it, India's best food is not actually available in India! Well i did find one place that did them ... and they were rubbish, the english versions far better.

- And whilst we are on the subject they dont do poppadoms and pickles like we do either ...

- And Cobra beer doesnt exist here (cos it was invented in Bradford, England) - although Kingfisher is available (and there is an airline also called Kingfisher which astoundingly uses the same logo as the beer! - what does that say about air safety in India?)

- India has (inventively) partyly solved it transport problems by declaring that on the roads, everyone has right of way over everyone else all of the time. So there is no 'waiting' for other traffic to pass, no 'holding back' to let oncoming traffic through before overtaking, no waiting at traffic lights just because they are red ... everyone just goes for any space that is available happy in the knowledge that he has right of way over everyone else. Even more odd is that there is no road rage either. Despite everyone cutting up everyone else all of the time, no-one gets the slightest bit upset or shouts or says anything at all. And everyone having right of way works - well about 98% of the time. There are clearly some teething problems to be ironed out but I don't want to dwell on the number of dents, the odd vehicle on its side or the occasional bodies strewn across the road; it is sufficient to say that I have been repeatedly reminded by repetition that the word for 'accident' in Hindi is 'accident'! Anyway only 80,000 people a year are killed on India's roads (one every 6.5 minutes) so with a population of this size and growing this quickly it's clearly not that important...

But now (save a taxi to the airport at the dead of night) all that is behind me - I have been vegetarian (the only way to be in India) and had virtually no alcohol in the past 5 months, so to be plunged into several rounds of World Cup BBQs and beer extravaganzas very shortly which will be a challenge ... cos I will be home before the big tournament kicks off (lucky coincidence that!).

And that was all the travelling I did in 5 months. For the other four 'I' was the journey.

See ya soon

Love and Hugs

Ankur / Pete

Where 10 Bali, Indonesia --OR-- Heaven is an Erupting Volcano

Hi,

Just a few things done in Indonesia - starting in Medan (from Singapore via Penang in Malaysia)on the island of Sumatra, and then down through the island (on some incredibly long and uncomfortable bus journeys)for 2.5 weeks, to Jakarta by 33 hour ferry, through Java via train and bus, then by boat to Bali, Lombok and back to Bali.

The Most Spectacular:

- Mount Bromo in Java at sunrise was the most spectacular natural wonder I have ever seen - a huge crater containing an active volcano (only steam though) backed by another huge volcano belching clouds of steam - you'll have to see the pictures words cannot describe it !! We went down to the active crater and walked approx 1km round the rim which was only 15cm wide in places, a sheer drop on either side and crumbling as each person walked round it. There was one point where I was hanging on for .... something ..... just trying to get across whilst all the locals were almost trotting round it in their flipflops. It was a TOTAL experience the best morning I have ever spent (though some bits I may decline to do again !!)

- Mount Merapi, also in Java (the most active volcanic island in the world).
We went up at midnight to watch the lava coming down the sides (it glows bright red in the dark) and when we eventually did see lava it was bright red rock crashing and bouncing down the slope at an incredible speed (hundreds of miles an hour) and sending off fountains of sparks every time a huge lump hit the ground - absolutely incredible. Over the following few days I heard several stories of people being killed when they got just that bit too close.....

- Lakes Maninjau and Toba in Sumatra - Beautiful lakes set in volcano craters. Toba is supposedly 850m deep in places making it ... deep. The water was really clear and the p a c e
o f l i f e w a s s o s l o w . . . . . And it was so cheap US$ 3 for a lovely room with great balcony views in the top hotel...... sod the culture, I stayed there a while......

- Oran Utans in Sumatra - we went to a rehabilitation centre where they take them from captivity and make them wild again (takes about 7 years). The semi-wild apes come out of the jungle to feed from a feeding station and seeing them in their natural habitat is incredible. They are closely related to humans and it shows. They just hand around (literally - ever seen an ape hang on to branch with one hand, hand on to its baby with another whilst holding a banana with a foot and peeling it with the other foot) and chill out watching us watching them !

- Borobudur in Java - A fantastic circular Buddhist temple on many levels with some really unusual touches, great form and some very well preserved reliefs (2.5km of them) all in stone and built before 850 AD.

- The people in some of the poorer bits of Jakarta; dark narrow alleys with small houses crammed into any available space - but the people are so friendly (the friendliest I have met in any large city) even though most spoke no English, and some of the few people in Indonesia who weren't trying to get money out of me. They gave me a kite which I was trying to fly from
their tiny backyard and I ended up having a kite fight (with another kite) although I was blissfully unaware of this until they exclaimed in unison 'You've Lost' as my kite tumbled earthwards ...........

- Gili Nanggu near Lombok - a tiny island where there were only about 10 other foreigners and a few locals - great snorkelling (huge variety of fish, superbly colourful soft corals etc) and so relaxing i'm yawning just thinking about the place .......

- Another Full moon Party - a tiny affir with only about 50 people but it really mushroomed !


The Least Spectacular

- Travelling in Sumatra - my worst journey so far - 20 hours on a bus where there wasn't enough room to sit up properly - it helps if you know the person next to you quite well !

- the cities of Sumatra - more rats, pollution, mess and awful accomodation than anywhere else I have been.

- travelling on local transport in Bali - it just isn't worth the hassle. I had to bargain for nearly an hour to pay only 6 times more than the locals and just for a 10km journey !

- 5 am prayers. They even stopped the bus so all the muslims (90% of passengers) could get off and pray. And then there are the loudspeakers on every mosque ! Christianity and Buddhusm are definitely in favour at the moment as they are 'quiet religions'. I even had my head shaved as the first step to becoming a Buddhist monk but changed my mind .......


The Summary:
Samatra is Stunning
Java is Fascinating
Lombok is Relaxing
Bali is a touristy Rip Off


Anyway, about half way round the planet now in distance and time, and now for something completely different. I'm off to Oz and looking forward to seeing the Wizard !!


Luv Pete

Where 7 Chang Mai, Thailand --OR-- One Bus All The Way !?

Hi Guys,

Oh what fun I have had since last email (Hanoi) - some memorable journeys
(although not for the right reasons) and some serious chilling out........

When I first started travelling I asked a few people already travelling
whether their backpacks got heavier or lighter as they went on. They all
said that they got heavier because they picked up lots of books along the
way. As I don't tend to read many books this isn't likely to happen to me.
So now I have a backpack ladened down with about a dozen books !!!

First of all by bus from Hanoi across the border into Lao and to the capital
Vientiane where I spent a few days waiting for a visa for Myanma (Burma).
Then north to Vang Vieng - a tiny place famous only amoung travellers; and
then north again to Luang Prubang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the New
Year (aka water festival). Then a cruise no less, up the Mekong for 2 days
to the border with Thailand. If only it had been that simple...............

Best Bits
- Vang Vieng is a village with a few locals, loads of travellers and
virtually nothing to do...except play pool, drink beer (US 25c a large
glass) paddle down the river in inflatable canoes, visit some caves, jump in
some pools and just chill out... Big Time. So I spent a f e
w days there ...........

- not to forget the slow 3 hour trip down the river in inflatable inner tubes -
nothing could be more .........er........ nothing

- The water festival. Basically for several days anyone is allowed to soak
anyone else !! In Lao this consists of a few water pistols and a few
small buckets of water mainly being thrown at motorcyclists and other
motorised transport (although no one is exempt). However in Chang Mai (I
got here just before the end of the festival) it is taken slightly more to
extremes....... The streets are packed with pick up trucks packed with huge
barrels of water and people with extra large buckets to get everyone they see soaking wet. The amount of water thrown is immense .... you cannot go out on the street during daylight hours without getting soaked .... carrying passport, travellers cheques etc is not a good idea !


Worst Bits
- the journey from Hanoi to Vientiane. At 22 hours this was always going
to be an experience. However once you have paid your US$26 and given your
ticket to the bus driver as you board you are out on a limb..... (remember
it is guaranteed to be one bus all the way!!) Started 7pm. Got thrown off
the first bus at 2am by a busy road in the middle of nowhere -' you have to
get a different bus from here which leaves at 4am'. Bus no 2 left at 4am
and we get to within 20km of the border (at 7am) and we then have to get a
local bus - this is packed with sacks of grain, bags, people (although
strangely no chickens) and has negative legroom. Then up a huge moutain and
cross the border at a mountain shack at the top. Luckily we have been
promised a luxury minibus from just the other side of the border. 30km the
other side we stop in a small town and thankfully get off the ultra cramped bus! And the
transport for the next stage is a pick up truck (!) with a few seats in the
back. Unfortunately it is already full with 20 people crammed in and the 4
of us are supposed to pile in on top. After some heated 'negotiating' we
get given the money for the remainder of the journey and told to sort it out
ourselves....... So after carefully weighing up our options we realised we
didn't have any ........ so we end up standing on the tailgate of the pick
up holding on for dear life for a couple of hours as we sped on our way.
Then we stopped and a minibus appeared to take us the last 3 hours (bus no.
5 of our guaranteed 'one bus all the way' journey). Still it gives me
something to write about in my emails..............

- Luang Prubang - I expected this world hertitage site to be full of
buildings worth saving (like Hoi An in Vietnam) - but whilst this does have
some pre WW2 french architecture, it has more satelite dishes than charm !

- The jouney out by boat from Luang Prubang to the border is by boat (either
a 1,2 or 3 day journey depending on which boat you choose (the 1 day is very
fast and expensive). I and about 10 others chose the 2 day boat (my visa
expired on the 2nd day so I had to make it to Thailand by then). At
nightfall on the first day we failed to make our expected destination
(stopping at a small village very near the middle of nowhere [actually most
of Lao is the middle of nowhere] and found out that the 'captain' was on a 3
day schedule. So after 1.5 days we made the halfway point and at great
expense transferred to a fast boat and, a tuktuk ride and a ferry later,
just about made the border with 30 mins to spare. Could have done it in 1
day for what it eventuially cost me !!


It's funny how everyone thought of coming back to Thailand almost as coming
home to familiar things. So it's Hurrah for McDonalds then ?
Maybe that would be going just a bit far !!

There has been a slight change of plan - I have decided to go to Myanma
(Burma) for 1 month and this together with my addition excursions into
Cambodia and Lao mean that my original target of coming back in November
(when my ticket runs out) looks unlikely. Plan B is to make South America
by November and take in a few sights there (Patagonia, Carnival in Rio etc
) and come back home around Easter next year....

Luv
Pete