After spending 3 days in Gokarna, we really had to get moving. It was hard, because Gokarna is so peaceful! All we did was have breakfast, go for a swim in the sea, have lunch, go for a swim, have dinner, play cards... that's pretty much it. For 3 whole days, this was my schedule and I enjoyed every second of it! Gokarna is only 3 hours away from Goa and a part of me doesn't understand why people go to Goa instead of Gokarna, but a part of me is very happy because we wouldn't want Gokarna to become as busy as Goa.
So on Friday it was time to go. We had to be in Goa by Christmas-eve because Devika had to meet up with her family. We left Gokarna, took a crappy local train to Madgaon and then another train to Thivim. From there we had to take a taxi to Assagao - Badem. We took an expensive pre-paid taxi and even tough he told us he knew the way, he didn't know it at all! Liar! We had to ask several times and so the drive took a bit longer. The idiot wanted extra pay for this, but we refused. He knew where we wanted to go, he said he knew the way... everything else is his fault, his responsibility! And he wasn't even friendly!!
Just in time, around 3PM, we arrived at the flat and my god... this must be what heaven feels like. The flat is light and bright, it has clean and soft sheets, a real washing machine, a big hot shower, we can make our own coffee and tea, our own muesli in the morning... waw! It felt like home straight away! The rooms were for the couples (Nick and Lana, Adriano and Nora) and Devika and me slept on a mattress in the living room. But I couldn't care less, all I wanted was one of those hot perfect showers! Yeah!
After Devika and her family left, we went to the beach in Baga to have a Christmas meal. We were really tired and after drinking just one cocktail and one beer, we were ready to head back. It was a quiet Christmas-eve, but it was all we needed; a good meal, a few drinks and good company!
The next day I met up with my German friend Matthias. We met in a cafe in Anjuna and while we were sitting there and chatting with each other, an old Dutch hippie-ish man sat down at our table. He was drunk and ordered another whiskey. We didn't know him and after he dominated our conversation and started talking dirty to me and Lana, we asked him to leave our table. He did, sat at another table for a while and finally left without paying. So they chased him down the street and made him come back to pay his bill. He didn't have any money and all of a sudden this older Indian man gets up from his table behind us and approaches the Dutch man. He starts shouting at him that he has to pay, this is India and he should respect this country and that as an Indian he can not tolerate how he was disrespecting women (meaning me and Lana) and finally he slapped him twice and poured his coke over him. WOW! An Indian man sticking up for us! The hippie had it coming and none of us felt bad about what happened. Tourists think they can come to India and get away with everything, well, this day an Indian man took it upon himself to let everyone know that you can NOT get away with everything, and if you act like an animal you will be treated as one! Amen!!
Unfortunately he stands alone in his fight. Only a few hours after this we found ourselves in another situation that kind of proved that you CAN get away with almost anything. We have a car in the flat and Devika has been cruising around Goa with it. At an intersection the Police stopped us and asked for her drivers license and the papers of the car. The car is private, but the parents rent it... first mistake; you can not rent a private car and so they were gonna keep the car until the owner came to get it. Then they wanted the papers that we couldn't find... second mistake. Then they asked for a drivers license which Devika didn't bring, but she handed them the one from Nora...third mistake. Wow, if this was Europe we could forget about the rest of our day! But Thank God this is India... Incredible India... and after slipping 500 roepies (not even 10 Euro) to the Police, they gave back the license and let us drive on. As if nothing happened! Everything under control!!
Well, Goa doesn't feel like India but it sure as hell is. The Indian man slapping a tourist, bribing police... it is all so typical India! And these things all happened within a few hours. That's what makes India fascinating, and tiring at the same time. Anyway, I'm still in Goa and we are still cruising with the car. ;-)
Second day here I met up with Annemie and Patrick from Belgium and had a few drinks. That was really nice, to have some company that I knew from back home. You don't have to explain to them who you are and what you're doing and that's a nice change.
I also spent a day with Devika and her family. Her aunt was throwing a party and since Nick and Lana left for Thailand, they invited me to join them. I would have been fine doing something on my own, but they insisted. It was really really nice; beautiful house, big garden, amazing food... this is India the way we tourists don't really get to see it. It's the India from the Middle to Upper class Indians. As real as the beggars, but it couldn't be more opposite! Well, I personally enjoyed it and it was really interesting to be here.
The day before yesterday I was feeling so tired that I stayed in bed and slept till 5 in the afternoon. I got up to shower, get dressed and go eat, but at midnight I went back to sleep. I think the tiredness was getting to me. Not from traveling, but the impressions, the senses-overload. Spending the day in the flat was so relaxing; for the first time since I arrived almost two months ago there were absolutely no stimuli; no noises, no smells, no hassling, no traffic, no nothing, just peace and quietness! I guess I needed that!
Since yesterday it's just Devika and me and so we took a holiday day; swimming in the sea and shopping! Ha! And the next few days will be more of that! We haven't gone out to party yet and I don't know if we will. We are both sleeping a lot and party is not really what is on our mind. But maybe we'll have to put in an effort tomorrow for New Years Eve. We'll see first if we can stay awake that long! ;-)
donderdag 30 december 2010
woensdag 22 december 2010
Varkala - Coimbatore - Ooty - Gokarna
Where to start? Well, last week we spent a few days in Varkala. I ran into Matt, an American I shared a room with in Cochin. He left before me and forgot to pay, so I got my money after all. It was only 5 euros, but Karma is working for me. So getting my money is just good Karma! Maybe Amma has something to do with it. :-)
Varkala is in the South, by the beach. It is beautiful, the town is on top of cliffs where you have an amazing view over the sea. If you go down some little steps you get to the beach. It's weird after all these weeks to be on a beach again among so many Western tourists. I've been in so many places and took so many trains and busses where I was maybe the only white person. But here it's all white! Taking off my clothes and wearing a bikini felt a little awkward. I am always covered to avoid being disrespected by Indian people and here I was wearing a bikini! But the beach is watched by special bikini-police. So if Indian men are on the beach and they stare too much, the police chases them away. A bit weird to know that Indians are not welcome on a beach in their own country, but maybe if they would grow up and learn about the rest of the world, they would be able to handle it more! Something to think about!
We stayed in Varkala for 3 nights and had a lot of fun. Other solo-travelers joined our 'gang' and so every night we were just hanging out, meeting lots of people and having fun. The guesthouse we were staying at was clean and nice, but the management was a bit weird. In the hall there was a bed and this French guy stayed there. He works partly for the guesthouse keeping an eye out at night, and all of his other time goes to paragliding. But when we first arrived he started warning us about Indians and how they lie and rip you off. He said the owner of this guest house is honest, but everyone else is not and that we don't even want to know some of the scams that are going on. Now, I know he's right. I've been here too long to be naief, but what I don't understand is how you can live here for 4 years when all you do is talk about how you can't trust anyone?! I would go crazy! But he didn't seem to mind that much. When he later told us that he bought a house in the same village as the owner and his family, we started realising that this guy HAS to be in on some of the scams. You don't buy a house in an Indian village because it is so romantic or because it's a good investement. Something was up. So the next nights we only went back to the guest house to sleep and we tried avoid this guy. Maybe he was alright, maybe not... but we were not the ones who wanted to find out!
After Varkala we left to go to Ooty. Ooty is 2200 metres above sea level and it's where you have the big tea plantations. To go there you have to take an old miniature steam train up the hill. So there we went, maybe not realising what we were getting ourselves into. From Varkala we took a train to Coimbatore. So we got on a train at 3:15 PM, but it turned out to be the prior train that was late. We were on the wrong train... so we got off the next big stop and thank god it was on the same route that we had to go. So we waited another hour and then we were on the right train. In total we traveled from noon till nine at night, which is when we arrived in Coimbatore. We decided to sleep there and then take another train in the morning at 5 AM. A lot of places were full but we found one lodge that still had 2 rooms available. They were new, modern, clean, with TV, so we took them with both hands. What we didn't think about was that the room Devika and me were in was on the ground floor and our door came out directly on the street. Once we turned off the lights...we knew. Some guy was selling T-shirts right in front of our door and honestly, you go mental when you hear a guy sceaming right on you doorstep "T-shirt T-shirt T-shirt...". When he finally stopped at midnight some guys were laughing and chatting and at 2AM Devika finally got up, opened the door, told them to 'shut the fuck up' and finally there was silence! O, sweet silence. Yep, 2 hours of silence. The silent night ended for us after only 2 hours, because we had to get up at 3:45AM. We had to take a train at 5AM and had to transfer in some meaningless place to the little miniature train. The drive up to Ooty took another 6 hours, but this was well worth it. The railroad goes right through the jungle and gradually takes you up to 2200 metres. There are no roads, no other traffic, no shops, no nothing... and you can see the nature changing every time we go a little higher. Sometimes it's a bit creepy when the train crosses a little bridge and you just see a black whole underneath you, but that's the price you pay to see such a beautiful landscape. Now, I know this all sounds very romantic, but this is still India. So I may have forgotten to mention that we were packed like sardines in a can in this 'little old train' and by the time we arrived in Ooty we were stiff from sitting in the same position for too long, some people even had to stand for a few hours. Yep, still in India!
So we arrive in Ooty and it's cold, but sunny. We walk around in the village and soon realise that this is a weird place. People look in a way that Indians normally don't look, they look like THEY don't trust US, they stole our look, this is how we should look at them. Very strange. Anyway, we are so tired after only 2 hours of sleep and a whole day of traveling that we just hang out at the guesthouse and go to bed early. The night was cold, very cold and it started raining so everything was damp. I was wearing a top, a longsleeve T-shirt, a sweater, my sjawl, a hoodie on my head, leggings and two blankets and I was still cold. So when we got up the next day we only had one mission. One goal in life and that was to get the hell out of Snooty Ooty!!! Yep, only one wish, but it would take us 3 hours to see it granted. 3 hours is what we had to wait for the bus that was late. 3 hours is what we spend in Ooty busstation where it was cold and wet. 3 hours of my life waisted in Snooty Ooty. At times like that you just turn off your brain, stare at the ground and try to forget where you are. There were people everywhere staring at us and at a certain point Devika and me couldn't take it any longer. So we wrapped our heads in our scarves and covered us up completely, trying to be incognito. Have you ever tried to be incognito in India? Well, it doesn't work. They still stare at you. But at least we had a good laugh doing it! :-D
When we finally got on the bus to Calicut it took us 6 hours, then we had to wait two hours at the trainstation, take a train to Mangalore that took 5 hours, wait 1,5 hours and then take the last train to Gokarna for 6 hours. Seriously, I have never traveled that long in my life before. It was hell. The good thing however is that I am mastering the art of sleeping now. I'm not a master yet because I can't sleep standing up, but I'm doing pretty good. I can sleep sitting straight, even without a headstand. And I sleep through noise and smells. It's like I have learned to block my senses and disconnect from my body. It's very important when you are traveling this much because otherwise you would go crazy from tiredness.
I could tell you some more stories about busses and trains in India and how filthy they are, how people spit throught the window, about the amount of waist they throw out the window, about Indian hands that are in places they are not supposed to be... but I'll spare you the details and skip to the good part!
We are in Gokarna now! Kudle Beach! And it is everything I want right now. We have a room in a house behind a restaurant owned by Nepali people and I can tell you with my hand on my heart; they are just a hundred times friendlier than Indians. And we are right at the beach, and it's hot and sunny and yesterday we saw the sunset over the sea and the full moonrise over the hills... oooooh, how beautiful life can be! :-))
I do realise that to enjoy the good you have to put yourself through some bad every now and then, so even Ooty seems all worth it now! For sure! Haha!
Varkala is in the South, by the beach. It is beautiful, the town is on top of cliffs where you have an amazing view over the sea. If you go down some little steps you get to the beach. It's weird after all these weeks to be on a beach again among so many Western tourists. I've been in so many places and took so many trains and busses where I was maybe the only white person. But here it's all white! Taking off my clothes and wearing a bikini felt a little awkward. I am always covered to avoid being disrespected by Indian people and here I was wearing a bikini! But the beach is watched by special bikini-police. So if Indian men are on the beach and they stare too much, the police chases them away. A bit weird to know that Indians are not welcome on a beach in their own country, but maybe if they would grow up and learn about the rest of the world, they would be able to handle it more! Something to think about!
We stayed in Varkala for 3 nights and had a lot of fun. Other solo-travelers joined our 'gang' and so every night we were just hanging out, meeting lots of people and having fun. The guesthouse we were staying at was clean and nice, but the management was a bit weird. In the hall there was a bed and this French guy stayed there. He works partly for the guesthouse keeping an eye out at night, and all of his other time goes to paragliding. But when we first arrived he started warning us about Indians and how they lie and rip you off. He said the owner of this guest house is honest, but everyone else is not and that we don't even want to know some of the scams that are going on. Now, I know he's right. I've been here too long to be naief, but what I don't understand is how you can live here for 4 years when all you do is talk about how you can't trust anyone?! I would go crazy! But he didn't seem to mind that much. When he later told us that he bought a house in the same village as the owner and his family, we started realising that this guy HAS to be in on some of the scams. You don't buy a house in an Indian village because it is so romantic or because it's a good investement. Something was up. So the next nights we only went back to the guest house to sleep and we tried avoid this guy. Maybe he was alright, maybe not... but we were not the ones who wanted to find out!
After Varkala we left to go to Ooty. Ooty is 2200 metres above sea level and it's where you have the big tea plantations. To go there you have to take an old miniature steam train up the hill. So there we went, maybe not realising what we were getting ourselves into. From Varkala we took a train to Coimbatore. So we got on a train at 3:15 PM, but it turned out to be the prior train that was late. We were on the wrong train... so we got off the next big stop and thank god it was on the same route that we had to go. So we waited another hour and then we were on the right train. In total we traveled from noon till nine at night, which is when we arrived in Coimbatore. We decided to sleep there and then take another train in the morning at 5 AM. A lot of places were full but we found one lodge that still had 2 rooms available. They were new, modern, clean, with TV, so we took them with both hands. What we didn't think about was that the room Devika and me were in was on the ground floor and our door came out directly on the street. Once we turned off the lights...we knew. Some guy was selling T-shirts right in front of our door and honestly, you go mental when you hear a guy sceaming right on you doorstep "T-shirt T-shirt T-shirt...". When he finally stopped at midnight some guys were laughing and chatting and at 2AM Devika finally got up, opened the door, told them to 'shut the fuck up' and finally there was silence! O, sweet silence. Yep, 2 hours of silence. The silent night ended for us after only 2 hours, because we had to get up at 3:45AM. We had to take a train at 5AM and had to transfer in some meaningless place to the little miniature train. The drive up to Ooty took another 6 hours, but this was well worth it. The railroad goes right through the jungle and gradually takes you up to 2200 metres. There are no roads, no other traffic, no shops, no nothing... and you can see the nature changing every time we go a little higher. Sometimes it's a bit creepy when the train crosses a little bridge and you just see a black whole underneath you, but that's the price you pay to see such a beautiful landscape. Now, I know this all sounds very romantic, but this is still India. So I may have forgotten to mention that we were packed like sardines in a can in this 'little old train' and by the time we arrived in Ooty we were stiff from sitting in the same position for too long, some people even had to stand for a few hours. Yep, still in India!
So we arrive in Ooty and it's cold, but sunny. We walk around in the village and soon realise that this is a weird place. People look in a way that Indians normally don't look, they look like THEY don't trust US, they stole our look, this is how we should look at them. Very strange. Anyway, we are so tired after only 2 hours of sleep and a whole day of traveling that we just hang out at the guesthouse and go to bed early. The night was cold, very cold and it started raining so everything was damp. I was wearing a top, a longsleeve T-shirt, a sweater, my sjawl, a hoodie on my head, leggings and two blankets and I was still cold. So when we got up the next day we only had one mission. One goal in life and that was to get the hell out of Snooty Ooty!!! Yep, only one wish, but it would take us 3 hours to see it granted. 3 hours is what we had to wait for the bus that was late. 3 hours is what we spend in Ooty busstation where it was cold and wet. 3 hours of my life waisted in Snooty Ooty. At times like that you just turn off your brain, stare at the ground and try to forget where you are. There were people everywhere staring at us and at a certain point Devika and me couldn't take it any longer. So we wrapped our heads in our scarves and covered us up completely, trying to be incognito. Have you ever tried to be incognito in India? Well, it doesn't work. They still stare at you. But at least we had a good laugh doing it! :-D
When we finally got on the bus to Calicut it took us 6 hours, then we had to wait two hours at the trainstation, take a train to Mangalore that took 5 hours, wait 1,5 hours and then take the last train to Gokarna for 6 hours. Seriously, I have never traveled that long in my life before. It was hell. The good thing however is that I am mastering the art of sleeping now. I'm not a master yet because I can't sleep standing up, but I'm doing pretty good. I can sleep sitting straight, even without a headstand. And I sleep through noise and smells. It's like I have learned to block my senses and disconnect from my body. It's very important when you are traveling this much because otherwise you would go crazy from tiredness.
I could tell you some more stories about busses and trains in India and how filthy they are, how people spit throught the window, about the amount of waist they throw out the window, about Indian hands that are in places they are not supposed to be... but I'll spare you the details and skip to the good part!
We are in Gokarna now! Kudle Beach! And it is everything I want right now. We have a room in a house behind a restaurant owned by Nepali people and I can tell you with my hand on my heart; they are just a hundred times friendlier than Indians. And we are right at the beach, and it's hot and sunny and yesterday we saw the sunset over the sea and the full moonrise over the hills... oooooh, how beautiful life can be! :-))
I do realise that to enjoy the good you have to put yourself through some bad every now and then, so even Ooty seems all worth it now! For sure! Haha!
donderdag 16 december 2010
Fort Cochin - Allepey - Amritapuri
Oooh, Fort Cochin was a breath of fresh air. Shopkeepers would talk to you without trying to sell you stuff. Every time they would come up to me, I would be waiting... waiting... waiting... when are they gonna ask the question?? But it never came. So it was relaxing to wander the streets, have a talk, drink a chai, eat in good restaurants and there is just a general atmosphere that makes you want to stay there. It's a fishing town, so you can go to the sea and see how they pull in the fresh fish in the morning and at night. Then they start bargaining and selling and that is just to fast to follow. But it's interesting to see.
We also went and took a Yoga class with Abe. Yes, Abraham is in his sixties, has a long grey beard and long grey hair and he is like most Indians; very tiny and small. But his body is in better shape than most people I know. He lives a bit out of town so when we got there it was a private house and we didn't know if we should go in. But he was expecting us, so we just went upstairs and there he has his own studio. His class was two hours and every now and then Devika and me would start laughing. Most of his students are very advanced and so it was obvious that we were the new kids in town. But he would just laugh along with us and make some jokes himself. The best thing about his class is that he took the time to help you on an individual level. He came and corrected you and pushed you to go further. After Yoga he invited us to stay for dinner, unfortunately we had a riksjaw waiting outside so we had to go. But next time I'm in Cochin, I will definitely go back to him! "Yoga with Abe"! :-)
I was also sick in Cochin. From the Airco on the nightbus I got a cold and then I probably ate something wrong so I had my first stomach-issue. Luckily the stomach only protested one day, so that went away pretty fast. The cold however is still with me, and traveling on open busses and ferries doesn't really help. But today I will go and get some Ayurvedic medicine, and if you believe what they tell you, I will be better tomorrow! Ha! :-D
I met some really nice people in Cochin and I'm still traveling with one of them, Devika. She has the same sarcastic humor as me and so we are just laughing our heads off. We have to. Because if you take India too serious, you might end up with a heart attack. Now for example when Indians lie to us, we just laugh and lie back to them. Haha, it's like a game. For me, this is good. After Mysore I was doubting if maybe I should leave India a bit earlier, but now I know how to handle the bad stuff. Just joke about it and laugh it away!!
We ended up staying in Fort Cochin for 3 nights and I did my first shopping there. I think my borther's kids will be the best dressed kids in Belgium when I get home next spring. Haha!
On Sunday we left Cochin and took the bus to Allepey. There is absolutely NOTHING to see in Allepey, but this is the town where you can go and take a trip through the backwaters. So we had to be there. When we walked around on Sunday there were hardly any people on the street, so we just thought that's because it's Sunday. After a little walk we ended up in a big city hallway where they had all these posters from a certain Guru. So we went in and asked around, but nobody spoke English. The best we could understand was that this man was gonna be there in 10 minutes and give a teaching about 'the art of living'. And since it was Sunday and there was absolutely nothing else to see, we decided to wait and see this guy. Well, the guy is Ravi Shankar, which is apparently a very well known Guru around the world. And after sitting on the steps outside for an hour and a half, we finally got the message that this Guru was NOT coming, but they were celebrating his birthday. We got up to leave when all of a sudden we heard music and there came the parade. It was crazy! Probably everybody who lives in Allepey was in this parade carrying pictures of Ravi, signs with his quotes on ("One world, one family"), there were people dressed up like Gods and Goddesses dancing, there was live drums and other music... waw! All the women were wearing white Sarees. It was beautiful. And they let us take pictures without any problems. You see, it was a win-win situation. We took pictures of them and so they took pictures of us. They were Our attraction and we were Their attraction! Ha!
So we went back to the hall to see the celebration, both ended up buying one of his books and being surrounded by interested non-english-speaking Indians. So a boring Sunday ended up being a really interesting afternoon.
The next day two friends of Devika joined us, Nick and Lana, and the four of us went on a boattrip through the backwaters. You can take a big houseboat but they are expensive and too big to go through the smaller canals, so we took a small canoe without an engine. It might be slower that way, but at least we were not polluting the backwaters. They are so beautiful, but the way the number of boats are growing... there might not be any backwater anymore in 10 years. The pollution is really bad and the canals in the centre of Allepey are black and very stinky! (Thank God I still had a cold, so I didn't really smell it, we will just have to take Devika's word on that...) There are about a thousand big houseboats and who knows how many other boats, all sailing those backwaters. So people, if you go there, please take a canoe!
When we got back to our Guest House that night, we were gonna have a home-cooked meal. Our host, Biju, promised us the day before that he would cook for us. So we were expecting a nice and relaxing evening 'at home'. But you see, in India things are never what you expect them to be. So this guy starts drinking while he is cooking, even tough none of us were drinking anything. He got a friend to help him, that ended up cooking the whole meal and by the time the food was ready Biju was behaving like a big baby. He didn't like us because we didn't give him enough attention and we were talking amongst ourselves too much and so on and on... Jezus! This was supposed to be nice and relaxing?! Well, after dinner I just went to bed. I couldn't be bothered! The next day he apologized and told me it wasn't me he was angry at, just my friends and that we should stay in touch and he wanted to be my friend and blablabla... I just couldn't wait to get out of there.
We left very early anyway because this was the BIG DAY!!! Joehoe, we were on our way with the ferry to the Ashram of Amma. She is a female Guru, which is very rare in this male-dominating country and she gives blessings by hugging everybody! "The hugging mother" is what they call her. We called the Ashram and knew she was "home' so decided to drop by and get a hug. On the way there on the ferry all of a sudden you see a huge collection of big buildings, all pink, and a pink bridge. That's the Ashram. I couldn't believe how big it was. But apparently there are around 2000 people living in the Ashram permanently. They are students and devotees. And then there are a few hundred visitors, long term or short term. It's a well oiled machine, especially if you know it is run by volunteers. The Americans dominate the place tough, and that's a bit weird to see; white people going around telling Indian people what to do. I guess Amma knows that Indian people are just not that efficient and are not to be trusted... hihi. We checked in and that evening there was 'singing'. Yep, an hour and a half of singing about blessings and gods and so on. But you know what... I enjoyed it. The feeling of sitting in between a thousand people all singing the same songs, it has something magic. I don't think it's the Ashram, a football stadion filled with hooligans singing the same song probably has the same magic effect. But I can't deny that I liked it. After singing it was dinner and after that you had two more hours before they lock the place down at 11 PM. Us 3 women slept in one room that had little plastic matrasses on the floor. It looked uncomfortable, but I slept really well. We did have to keep the bathroom door shut because of the rats, but apart from that it was ok there on that 10th floor! ;-) The next morning we got up at 4:30, Devika and Lana went to the chanting in the main temple and I went to see the Pooja at 5 AM. That is a prayer/ritual performed by a Brahman. You participate partly by sacrificing flowers to the fire and getting your bindy (dot on your forehead). It's a special atmosphere, so early in the morning, still dark, everybody is completely silent... definitely a unique experience.
After morning meditation on the beach it was finally time for our hug. We had to wait in line at 9AM to get our token that says we could get a hug today. There is a system and people who are leaving the Ashram get to go first. She would start hugging at 11AM and we were gonna be up first. But again... this is India. So we turn up at 11AM and these older Indian women ask us when we are leaving. Honestly we tell them we have a bus at 2 PM to go to Varkala. Now Varkala is not that far from the Ashram so they know we can go a bit later if we have to. So they tell us to come back at noon, that we have to wait because we still have time. Okay, so we do a bit of shopping and go back at noon. Again they tell us we have to wait and come back at 1PM. Finally we go back at 1PM and they put us in line, a line that will take forever. But we have to go and want to take a bus at 2:30. If we miss that one, the next one is around 5. So at 1:30 Devika is fed up with it (and so am I) and she just goes to the old ladies and tells them Indian style that we have an overseas plain to catch and that we have to be there on time so we have to see Amma RIGHT NOW!! No problem; a little signal here and there and all of a sudden we are in the front of the line right next to Amma...we are pushed on our knees and five minutes later someone is grabbing my head and pushing it in Amma's bosom. I got to stay there for 3 minutes, she kisses me, blesses me and that's that. Really bizar! You see, I don't adore this Guru, but I was feeling really happy after the hug. Yes it's true, we had to lie to get it, but then again this is still India, no matter how hard they try to make this Ashram into an island of peace and light. So we just did what we had to do in this country to get things done! And no, I don't feel bad about it! :-D
We did leave before they could question us some more and took the bus to this godforsaken town where we had to take a train. The bus dropped us at the busstation and when we wanted to ask people how to get to the trainstation... they all ran away from us. Huh? Are we lepras all of a sudden?! What is wrong with this town? Well, I'll tell you what is wrong! It's muslim and so you are not allowed to talk to women and as a woman you're not allowed to talk to men. So... we had to ask the police. But wait, they didn't speak English. What to do? Finally a Riksjawdriver took us there and after waiting for an hour the train finally came.
It only took us an hour to get to Varkala and here it is peace and tranquility. So I'm gonna go now and enjoy that!
We also went and took a Yoga class with Abe. Yes, Abraham is in his sixties, has a long grey beard and long grey hair and he is like most Indians; very tiny and small. But his body is in better shape than most people I know. He lives a bit out of town so when we got there it was a private house and we didn't know if we should go in. But he was expecting us, so we just went upstairs and there he has his own studio. His class was two hours and every now and then Devika and me would start laughing. Most of his students are very advanced and so it was obvious that we were the new kids in town. But he would just laugh along with us and make some jokes himself. The best thing about his class is that he took the time to help you on an individual level. He came and corrected you and pushed you to go further. After Yoga he invited us to stay for dinner, unfortunately we had a riksjaw waiting outside so we had to go. But next time I'm in Cochin, I will definitely go back to him! "Yoga with Abe"! :-)
I was also sick in Cochin. From the Airco on the nightbus I got a cold and then I probably ate something wrong so I had my first stomach-issue. Luckily the stomach only protested one day, so that went away pretty fast. The cold however is still with me, and traveling on open busses and ferries doesn't really help. But today I will go and get some Ayurvedic medicine, and if you believe what they tell you, I will be better tomorrow! Ha! :-D
I met some really nice people in Cochin and I'm still traveling with one of them, Devika. She has the same sarcastic humor as me and so we are just laughing our heads off. We have to. Because if you take India too serious, you might end up with a heart attack. Now for example when Indians lie to us, we just laugh and lie back to them. Haha, it's like a game. For me, this is good. After Mysore I was doubting if maybe I should leave India a bit earlier, but now I know how to handle the bad stuff. Just joke about it and laugh it away!!
We ended up staying in Fort Cochin for 3 nights and I did my first shopping there. I think my borther's kids will be the best dressed kids in Belgium when I get home next spring. Haha!
On Sunday we left Cochin and took the bus to Allepey. There is absolutely NOTHING to see in Allepey, but this is the town where you can go and take a trip through the backwaters. So we had to be there. When we walked around on Sunday there were hardly any people on the street, so we just thought that's because it's Sunday. After a little walk we ended up in a big city hallway where they had all these posters from a certain Guru. So we went in and asked around, but nobody spoke English. The best we could understand was that this man was gonna be there in 10 minutes and give a teaching about 'the art of living'. And since it was Sunday and there was absolutely nothing else to see, we decided to wait and see this guy. Well, the guy is Ravi Shankar, which is apparently a very well known Guru around the world. And after sitting on the steps outside for an hour and a half, we finally got the message that this Guru was NOT coming, but they were celebrating his birthday. We got up to leave when all of a sudden we heard music and there came the parade. It was crazy! Probably everybody who lives in Allepey was in this parade carrying pictures of Ravi, signs with his quotes on ("One world, one family"), there were people dressed up like Gods and Goddesses dancing, there was live drums and other music... waw! All the women were wearing white Sarees. It was beautiful. And they let us take pictures without any problems. You see, it was a win-win situation. We took pictures of them and so they took pictures of us. They were Our attraction and we were Their attraction! Ha!
So we went back to the hall to see the celebration, both ended up buying one of his books and being surrounded by interested non-english-speaking Indians. So a boring Sunday ended up being a really interesting afternoon.
The next day two friends of Devika joined us, Nick and Lana, and the four of us went on a boattrip through the backwaters. You can take a big houseboat but they are expensive and too big to go through the smaller canals, so we took a small canoe without an engine. It might be slower that way, but at least we were not polluting the backwaters. They are so beautiful, but the way the number of boats are growing... there might not be any backwater anymore in 10 years. The pollution is really bad and the canals in the centre of Allepey are black and very stinky! (Thank God I still had a cold, so I didn't really smell it, we will just have to take Devika's word on that...) There are about a thousand big houseboats and who knows how many other boats, all sailing those backwaters. So people, if you go there, please take a canoe!
When we got back to our Guest House that night, we were gonna have a home-cooked meal. Our host, Biju, promised us the day before that he would cook for us. So we were expecting a nice and relaxing evening 'at home'. But you see, in India things are never what you expect them to be. So this guy starts drinking while he is cooking, even tough none of us were drinking anything. He got a friend to help him, that ended up cooking the whole meal and by the time the food was ready Biju was behaving like a big baby. He didn't like us because we didn't give him enough attention and we were talking amongst ourselves too much and so on and on... Jezus! This was supposed to be nice and relaxing?! Well, after dinner I just went to bed. I couldn't be bothered! The next day he apologized and told me it wasn't me he was angry at, just my friends and that we should stay in touch and he wanted to be my friend and blablabla... I just couldn't wait to get out of there.
We left very early anyway because this was the BIG DAY!!! Joehoe, we were on our way with the ferry to the Ashram of Amma. She is a female Guru, which is very rare in this male-dominating country and she gives blessings by hugging everybody! "The hugging mother" is what they call her. We called the Ashram and knew she was "home' so decided to drop by and get a hug. On the way there on the ferry all of a sudden you see a huge collection of big buildings, all pink, and a pink bridge. That's the Ashram. I couldn't believe how big it was. But apparently there are around 2000 people living in the Ashram permanently. They are students and devotees. And then there are a few hundred visitors, long term or short term. It's a well oiled machine, especially if you know it is run by volunteers. The Americans dominate the place tough, and that's a bit weird to see; white people going around telling Indian people what to do. I guess Amma knows that Indian people are just not that efficient and are not to be trusted... hihi. We checked in and that evening there was 'singing'. Yep, an hour and a half of singing about blessings and gods and so on. But you know what... I enjoyed it. The feeling of sitting in between a thousand people all singing the same songs, it has something magic. I don't think it's the Ashram, a football stadion filled with hooligans singing the same song probably has the same magic effect. But I can't deny that I liked it. After singing it was dinner and after that you had two more hours before they lock the place down at 11 PM. Us 3 women slept in one room that had little plastic matrasses on the floor. It looked uncomfortable, but I slept really well. We did have to keep the bathroom door shut because of the rats, but apart from that it was ok there on that 10th floor! ;-) The next morning we got up at 4:30, Devika and Lana went to the chanting in the main temple and I went to see the Pooja at 5 AM. That is a prayer/ritual performed by a Brahman. You participate partly by sacrificing flowers to the fire and getting your bindy (dot on your forehead). It's a special atmosphere, so early in the morning, still dark, everybody is completely silent... definitely a unique experience.
After morning meditation on the beach it was finally time for our hug. We had to wait in line at 9AM to get our token that says we could get a hug today. There is a system and people who are leaving the Ashram get to go first. She would start hugging at 11AM and we were gonna be up first. But again... this is India. So we turn up at 11AM and these older Indian women ask us when we are leaving. Honestly we tell them we have a bus at 2 PM to go to Varkala. Now Varkala is not that far from the Ashram so they know we can go a bit later if we have to. So they tell us to come back at noon, that we have to wait because we still have time. Okay, so we do a bit of shopping and go back at noon. Again they tell us we have to wait and come back at 1PM. Finally we go back at 1PM and they put us in line, a line that will take forever. But we have to go and want to take a bus at 2:30. If we miss that one, the next one is around 5. So at 1:30 Devika is fed up with it (and so am I) and she just goes to the old ladies and tells them Indian style that we have an overseas plain to catch and that we have to be there on time so we have to see Amma RIGHT NOW!! No problem; a little signal here and there and all of a sudden we are in the front of the line right next to Amma...we are pushed on our knees and five minutes later someone is grabbing my head and pushing it in Amma's bosom. I got to stay there for 3 minutes, she kisses me, blesses me and that's that. Really bizar! You see, I don't adore this Guru, but I was feeling really happy after the hug. Yes it's true, we had to lie to get it, but then again this is still India, no matter how hard they try to make this Ashram into an island of peace and light. So we just did what we had to do in this country to get things done! And no, I don't feel bad about it! :-D
We did leave before they could question us some more and took the bus to this godforsaken town where we had to take a train. The bus dropped us at the busstation and when we wanted to ask people how to get to the trainstation... they all ran away from us. Huh? Are we lepras all of a sudden?! What is wrong with this town? Well, I'll tell you what is wrong! It's muslim and so you are not allowed to talk to women and as a woman you're not allowed to talk to men. So... we had to ask the police. But wait, they didn't speak English. What to do? Finally a Riksjawdriver took us there and after waiting for an hour the train finally came.
It only took us an hour to get to Varkala and here it is peace and tranquility. So I'm gonna go now and enjoy that!
woensdag 8 december 2010
Mysore
Leaving Hampi last weekend didn't go without a struggle.
First at the busstop in Hospet I met a German girl and we decided to go get some dinner before spending 9 hours on a nightbus. We went into a restaurant and they simply refused to serve us. After some commotion we got tea and the bill at the same time, making it clear that we could drink the tea but then had to leave. I think it's because we were 2 women alone without a man. I had been in that restaurant before with Matt and it was fine that day. They were friendly and talked to us, but this time, without a man... no, we were not welcome. :-(
Then when I arrived in Bangalore I took a local bus to go to Mysore. I was the only tourist on the bus, but that was fine. People stared, but they left me in peace. I think they saw I was just really tired. When the bus stopped halfway at a busstand they gave us 15 minutes to go to the toilet, have a drink or something to eat. I bought some tea and went standing next to the busstop to have a smoke. In India it's not aloud anymore to smoke in public places, but if you set one foot outside then you can smoke. So I did when all of a sudden I heard a little girl screaming. When I looked up I saw a police officer throw a little girl, about 6 years old, of a bus, my bus, and while he was holding her arm he was hitting her with a stick. Apparently she was begging on the bus and people complained. This is the kind of situation that breaks your heart, but you are powerless. It's the way things work here in India. These people don't seem to have the right to be here, anywhere, and they are treated like animals. I haven't even seen one Indian hit a cow the way they hit this girl. Yet on the other hand, the beggars have no morals, because they have to survive. So it's a vicious circle; the harder they get, the harder they are treated, the harder they get, the harder... :-(
Then I finally arrived in Mysore and everybody tried to sell me something and tried to warn me for others. The same old story. But one guy in particular told me I should be careful because there were men that would try to sell me drugs and take me to a place where you can smoke. But, he told me, it's illegal here in Mysore so don't go there!! Well, thank you for that good advice. He gave me his name and number and if I wanted to take a tour I should just call him. When I got to the hotel I slept a few hours and met up later with a German guy, Christian, for dinner. When we were walking towards the restaurant a guy, the guy who tried to warn me about the drugs, was walking next to Christian. He told him if he wanted to smoke some hasj he could take him to a nice place, relaxing, no problem???! Huh, the guy who warned me about this in the afternoon, was here, six hours later, doing it to my travel-companion?! And he saw me but didn't care, because now I was traveling with a man and then the woman has no voice. Great! :-(
Mysore is not a very friendly place for women, or at least that was my experience. They tried to touch me, grab me, shouted stuff at me on the street... and I was wearing long trousers and long sleeve loose shirt, very decent. When I was walking with Christian, everything was fine.
Despite that the sights are really beautiful. The palace is lit on Sunday night and it is amazing. On Monday we went inside and it's so beautiful, it makes you dream of times gone by when princes and princesses got married in the big hall and big balls were given in honor of the maharani.
Tuesday I decided to go on a tourist tour. You know; see all the sights in group taken there by a Mini Van. Or at least that's what I thought I was gonna do. It turned out I was the only 'white' tourist and so they put me in a Mini Van with 6 other Indian tourists. A family and 2 young men. No problem, everything was in Hindi AND English and as long as they took me to the different sights I was happy.
First stop was an Art Gallery. I almost cried because the Art Work was so damaged. Holes in painting, carvings in furniture, the building was leaking, yellow staines on all the pieces due to the dust that came pilling in... But there was more to come so I was being optimistic. Next stop was a shop. Yep, a silk shop. A bus pulled up at the same time with some 60 Indian tourists and they all went into the shop and bought like crazy! One woman even bought 6 sarees! Crazy crowd. Little did I know that I would be spending the rest of the day with these people. Yes, they moved me and my 6 Indian tourists to join the big bus and form one group! So there was one big bus, one driver, one busboy, two guides, 62 Indian tourists... and ME! They put me in the front of the bus next to the driver. An honorary seat where you HAVE the best view and at the same time you ARE the best view. Jippie! :-D
It all turned out fine tough. There was one family from Kerala and a couple from Andreh Pradesh who spoke english and they took me under their wings. They translated for the guides and so I just had to follow the crowd. Off we went from one temple to the next. We saw 3 in total and spend most of the time there. For Indians visiting temples is the most important thing when they are traveling. And I, well I saw and waited. We drove past some of the other sights, like a summer palace and a museum, but there was no time left to go in. Of course after the silk shop and the three temples, we now had to hurry to go to Brindavan Gardens. We had to be there on time to see the dancing fountain at 7! Oh yes, you do NOT want to miss the dancing fountain! It is a real fountain with real disco music in the background and the fountain moves on the rythm of the music! And it has different colors and shapes and waaaaw! The crowd went WILD! Haha! So cheesy! :-)
But you see, in the end I had a wonderful day because I got to spend it with some really nice Indian people. They really took care of me and before departing the mother gave me a present, a picture of the dancing fountain. That was really nice, because it was sincere. I've got the daughters email adress and if I want to go and visit them in Kerala, I am more than welcome! So meeting them and seeing the sights made my trip to Mysore worth it.
But as a city, Mysore has nothing more to offer. The last hour I was there someone, a young woman, even squatted in front of me, in the middle of the street and did a number 2. Just like that. No shame, no fuss. Jezus! It was time for me to get out of there!
And so I did, I took a nightbus to Cochin - Kerala where I arrived this morning at 6. And what a relief to be here. Kerala is what I expected it to be. We had just crossed the border last night and made our first stop to have dinner and I knew we arrived in Kerala. It was a pink building, with pink tables, pink curtains, fake flowers on the frontdesk, music, smiling faces, hardly any staring... oh, I am in Kerala! Joehoe! :-))
First at the busstop in Hospet I met a German girl and we decided to go get some dinner before spending 9 hours on a nightbus. We went into a restaurant and they simply refused to serve us. After some commotion we got tea and the bill at the same time, making it clear that we could drink the tea but then had to leave. I think it's because we were 2 women alone without a man. I had been in that restaurant before with Matt and it was fine that day. They were friendly and talked to us, but this time, without a man... no, we were not welcome. :-(
Then when I arrived in Bangalore I took a local bus to go to Mysore. I was the only tourist on the bus, but that was fine. People stared, but they left me in peace. I think they saw I was just really tired. When the bus stopped halfway at a busstand they gave us 15 minutes to go to the toilet, have a drink or something to eat. I bought some tea and went standing next to the busstop to have a smoke. In India it's not aloud anymore to smoke in public places, but if you set one foot outside then you can smoke. So I did when all of a sudden I heard a little girl screaming. When I looked up I saw a police officer throw a little girl, about 6 years old, of a bus, my bus, and while he was holding her arm he was hitting her with a stick. Apparently she was begging on the bus and people complained. This is the kind of situation that breaks your heart, but you are powerless. It's the way things work here in India. These people don't seem to have the right to be here, anywhere, and they are treated like animals. I haven't even seen one Indian hit a cow the way they hit this girl. Yet on the other hand, the beggars have no morals, because they have to survive. So it's a vicious circle; the harder they get, the harder they are treated, the harder they get, the harder... :-(
Then I finally arrived in Mysore and everybody tried to sell me something and tried to warn me for others. The same old story. But one guy in particular told me I should be careful because there were men that would try to sell me drugs and take me to a place where you can smoke. But, he told me, it's illegal here in Mysore so don't go there!! Well, thank you for that good advice. He gave me his name and number and if I wanted to take a tour I should just call him. When I got to the hotel I slept a few hours and met up later with a German guy, Christian, for dinner. When we were walking towards the restaurant a guy, the guy who tried to warn me about the drugs, was walking next to Christian. He told him if he wanted to smoke some hasj he could take him to a nice place, relaxing, no problem???! Huh, the guy who warned me about this in the afternoon, was here, six hours later, doing it to my travel-companion?! And he saw me but didn't care, because now I was traveling with a man and then the woman has no voice. Great! :-(
Mysore is not a very friendly place for women, or at least that was my experience. They tried to touch me, grab me, shouted stuff at me on the street... and I was wearing long trousers and long sleeve loose shirt, very decent. When I was walking with Christian, everything was fine.
Despite that the sights are really beautiful. The palace is lit on Sunday night and it is amazing. On Monday we went inside and it's so beautiful, it makes you dream of times gone by when princes and princesses got married in the big hall and big balls were given in honor of the maharani.
Tuesday I decided to go on a tourist tour. You know; see all the sights in group taken there by a Mini Van. Or at least that's what I thought I was gonna do. It turned out I was the only 'white' tourist and so they put me in a Mini Van with 6 other Indian tourists. A family and 2 young men. No problem, everything was in Hindi AND English and as long as they took me to the different sights I was happy.
First stop was an Art Gallery. I almost cried because the Art Work was so damaged. Holes in painting, carvings in furniture, the building was leaking, yellow staines on all the pieces due to the dust that came pilling in... But there was more to come so I was being optimistic. Next stop was a shop. Yep, a silk shop. A bus pulled up at the same time with some 60 Indian tourists and they all went into the shop and bought like crazy! One woman even bought 6 sarees! Crazy crowd. Little did I know that I would be spending the rest of the day with these people. Yes, they moved me and my 6 Indian tourists to join the big bus and form one group! So there was one big bus, one driver, one busboy, two guides, 62 Indian tourists... and ME! They put me in the front of the bus next to the driver. An honorary seat where you HAVE the best view and at the same time you ARE the best view. Jippie! :-D
It all turned out fine tough. There was one family from Kerala and a couple from Andreh Pradesh who spoke english and they took me under their wings. They translated for the guides and so I just had to follow the crowd. Off we went from one temple to the next. We saw 3 in total and spend most of the time there. For Indians visiting temples is the most important thing when they are traveling. And I, well I saw and waited. We drove past some of the other sights, like a summer palace and a museum, but there was no time left to go in. Of course after the silk shop and the three temples, we now had to hurry to go to Brindavan Gardens. We had to be there on time to see the dancing fountain at 7! Oh yes, you do NOT want to miss the dancing fountain! It is a real fountain with real disco music in the background and the fountain moves on the rythm of the music! And it has different colors and shapes and waaaaw! The crowd went WILD! Haha! So cheesy! :-)
But you see, in the end I had a wonderful day because I got to spend it with some really nice Indian people. They really took care of me and before departing the mother gave me a present, a picture of the dancing fountain. That was really nice, because it was sincere. I've got the daughters email adress and if I want to go and visit them in Kerala, I am more than welcome! So meeting them and seeing the sights made my trip to Mysore worth it.
But as a city, Mysore has nothing more to offer. The last hour I was there someone, a young woman, even squatted in front of me, in the middle of the street and did a number 2. Just like that. No shame, no fuss. Jezus! It was time for me to get out of there!
And so I did, I took a nightbus to Cochin - Kerala where I arrived this morning at 6. And what a relief to be here. Kerala is what I expected it to be. We had just crossed the border last night and made our first stop to have dinner and I knew we arrived in Kerala. It was a pink building, with pink tables, pink curtains, fake flowers on the frontdesk, music, smiling faces, hardly any staring... oh, I am in Kerala! Joehoe! :-))
maandag 6 december 2010
Beautiful Hampi
Last week Saturday I took a nightbus from Goa to Hampi. I met some nice people on the bus and we were all heading the same place. Little did we know what was waiting for us in the morning! Six o'clock and I was already awake while we drove through Karnataka-state landscape. Waw, it was as if I was still dreaming and found myself in some far away kingdom. The roads were surrounded by hills made of rocks, beautiful yellow smooth rocks pilled up as if a Giant took some pebbles and formed little piles that looked like hills. And temples and ruins in between them. It was magic!
So when the bus arrived I was feeling very good and I was the first to exit. Boy, if it was even possible because the exit was blocked by some 30 riksjaw drivers who all wanted to be the first to greet the new batch of tourists. I was still standing in the bus holding my blanket and told them if they didn't move... nobody would get off the bus... and nobody would do any business today! One guy moved, smiled and made the others move out of the way.
Then 4 of us, three Germans and me, found ourselves isolated and surrounded by riksjaw drivers again, like flies on shit. All the other tourists were also divided in little groups standing here and there, surrounded by drivers. So we decided to take the time to wake up first; have a cigarette, go to the toilet... and all the time trying to ignore the group around us. Not that easy, but speaking in German, a language Indians don't understand, makes it easier. This way they can't intervene in the conversation. Yes, you wouldn't believe how much my German is improving here, I'm even reading in German now! Haha! So finally my 3 other companions decided I had to choose the driver we would take... a very difficult task which I took very seriously. And I ended up choosing the one who stepped away from the bus smiling when we first arrived, Naga is his name. So he took us for breakfast and showed us some guest houses. For him it's good business because he gets commission and he is the first to maybe take us on a tour. Finally we all chose different guest houses but met up again later.
And that was the start of a wonderful week. The German couple did their own thing and left already the next day. But the other German, Matt, stayed longer and so did I. So we spend the week in Hampi; visiting the different sites and temples and walking around and just hanging out. Hampi is a village in a valley surrounded by those strange looking hills. It's calm and quiet and the people are friendly. They have the most magical sunrise and sunset, especially if you find yourself on one of those hills. We spend a lot of time with Naga and his family and this way we learned more about India then I had been doing the past four weeks. I finally found an Indian that I could trust and who was willing to answer all my questions honestly! He is a riksjaw driver and earns money from tourism, so of course we would pay him for certain services. But the rest of the time we spent together was as friends. And for me especially I couldn't ask for more; two men by my side, one tall German and one Indian. Nobody hassled me in Hampi with my two bodyguards! ;-)
I enjoyed Hampi a lot, but take in consideration if you go there that Hampi is located in a valley. So you don't have any reach with your mobile and there are power cuts several times a day. You are a little cut off from the world, because international calls don't work, internet is not very good and mobiles don't work at all. But apart from that it is the perfect place to see India at it's best!
On Wednesday unfortunately Matt hurt his foot in a hole in the ground, so the next day Naga took us to hospital in the next big city. Yeah well, hospital... In India it means some room in a small alley with a pile of dirt in front of it. Seriously, it was disgusting. We had to wait 1.5 hours for the doctor and all the time you would be looking right at a pile of caskets and bandages... the doctor apparently just throws his waist through the window. But apart from that the doctor was very efficient. X-rays are taken in a room next door and then he examines, the nurses take care and the pharmacy is down the street. So once the doctor arrived he treated his patients in a record time! This was a small private hospital and so it looks a lot less professional, but it is much better than a government run hospital. Matt's diagnose was that his foot is fractured in two different places, so he got a casket and needed crutches. When we arrived back in Hampi it was late, very late and being tired is not a good ingredient for optimism. Luckily the next day things were looking better again and Matt decided he would go back to Goa where he has some friends. And I would just stick to my route and move on on my own again. we still had some days left in Hampi and spent them just talking and hanging out. I visited some temples on my own and then we would meet again to have lunch or dinner.
The last night in Hampi Naga surprised us with some beers and chicken. Alcohol and meat are prohibited in Hampi, so we didn't have a drink or meat in a week. But Naga bought it in a neighboring village and his auntie prepared it for us in his cousin's restaurant. Mmmm, it was the perfect last dinner!
If you go to Hampi ask for Naga if you need a friend!!
So on Saturday we said our goodbyes and Naga waited with me at the busstop in Hospet (neighboring city) for my nightbus. Finally I told him to "go home" because my bus wan't coming until 11 o'clock at night. It was very sweet of him to want to protect me, but I travel alone and so it was time for me to do exactly that! So the second he drove away I was on my own again and that was obvious. People started talking to me again, staring... things they didn't do when there was a man by my side. But now I was an open target again! :-D
When the nightbus arrived, I was so tired I knew I would fall asleep soon. Yeah... I didn't know shit, obviously! The bus was HELL!! I had a bed in the back and the ride was so bumpy that sometimes my whole body got thrown in the air. On top of that I had to go to the toilet, but there were no stops with a ladies bathroom. At 3:40 I had enough and the next stop we made I just draped my blanket around me and squatted in the middle of the road to pee. It was either that or explode! And Indians do it too. What a relief! And the rest of the way I managed to sleep a few more hours.
I arrived in Bangalore the next morning, tired and pissed off. Yeah, mornings after nights like these are really not a good time to meet me! ;-) So after having a fight with the bus boy, he wanted 20 roepies for my backpack so I told him to go ask his boss because I already payed too much for such a crappy ride, and a riksjaw driver, who said the central busstation was 12 km away while I knew it was just around the corner, I decided not to stay there and go directly to Mysore where I am now. But more on that next time, I have to go eat now! :-))
So when the bus arrived I was feeling very good and I was the first to exit. Boy, if it was even possible because the exit was blocked by some 30 riksjaw drivers who all wanted to be the first to greet the new batch of tourists. I was still standing in the bus holding my blanket and told them if they didn't move... nobody would get off the bus... and nobody would do any business today! One guy moved, smiled and made the others move out of the way.
Then 4 of us, three Germans and me, found ourselves isolated and surrounded by riksjaw drivers again, like flies on shit. All the other tourists were also divided in little groups standing here and there, surrounded by drivers. So we decided to take the time to wake up first; have a cigarette, go to the toilet... and all the time trying to ignore the group around us. Not that easy, but speaking in German, a language Indians don't understand, makes it easier. This way they can't intervene in the conversation. Yes, you wouldn't believe how much my German is improving here, I'm even reading in German now! Haha! So finally my 3 other companions decided I had to choose the driver we would take... a very difficult task which I took very seriously. And I ended up choosing the one who stepped away from the bus smiling when we first arrived, Naga is his name. So he took us for breakfast and showed us some guest houses. For him it's good business because he gets commission and he is the first to maybe take us on a tour. Finally we all chose different guest houses but met up again later.
And that was the start of a wonderful week. The German couple did their own thing and left already the next day. But the other German, Matt, stayed longer and so did I. So we spend the week in Hampi; visiting the different sites and temples and walking around and just hanging out. Hampi is a village in a valley surrounded by those strange looking hills. It's calm and quiet and the people are friendly. They have the most magical sunrise and sunset, especially if you find yourself on one of those hills. We spend a lot of time with Naga and his family and this way we learned more about India then I had been doing the past four weeks. I finally found an Indian that I could trust and who was willing to answer all my questions honestly! He is a riksjaw driver and earns money from tourism, so of course we would pay him for certain services. But the rest of the time we spent together was as friends. And for me especially I couldn't ask for more; two men by my side, one tall German and one Indian. Nobody hassled me in Hampi with my two bodyguards! ;-)
I enjoyed Hampi a lot, but take in consideration if you go there that Hampi is located in a valley. So you don't have any reach with your mobile and there are power cuts several times a day. You are a little cut off from the world, because international calls don't work, internet is not very good and mobiles don't work at all. But apart from that it is the perfect place to see India at it's best!
On Wednesday unfortunately Matt hurt his foot in a hole in the ground, so the next day Naga took us to hospital in the next big city. Yeah well, hospital... In India it means some room in a small alley with a pile of dirt in front of it. Seriously, it was disgusting. We had to wait 1.5 hours for the doctor and all the time you would be looking right at a pile of caskets and bandages... the doctor apparently just throws his waist through the window. But apart from that the doctor was very efficient. X-rays are taken in a room next door and then he examines, the nurses take care and the pharmacy is down the street. So once the doctor arrived he treated his patients in a record time! This was a small private hospital and so it looks a lot less professional, but it is much better than a government run hospital. Matt's diagnose was that his foot is fractured in two different places, so he got a casket and needed crutches. When we arrived back in Hampi it was late, very late and being tired is not a good ingredient for optimism. Luckily the next day things were looking better again and Matt decided he would go back to Goa where he has some friends. And I would just stick to my route and move on on my own again. we still had some days left in Hampi and spent them just talking and hanging out. I visited some temples on my own and then we would meet again to have lunch or dinner.
The last night in Hampi Naga surprised us with some beers and chicken. Alcohol and meat are prohibited in Hampi, so we didn't have a drink or meat in a week. But Naga bought it in a neighboring village and his auntie prepared it for us in his cousin's restaurant. Mmmm, it was the perfect last dinner!
If you go to Hampi ask for Naga if you need a friend!!
So on Saturday we said our goodbyes and Naga waited with me at the busstop in Hospet (neighboring city) for my nightbus. Finally I told him to "go home" because my bus wan't coming until 11 o'clock at night. It was very sweet of him to want to protect me, but I travel alone and so it was time for me to do exactly that! So the second he drove away I was on my own again and that was obvious. People started talking to me again, staring... things they didn't do when there was a man by my side. But now I was an open target again! :-D
When the nightbus arrived, I was so tired I knew I would fall asleep soon. Yeah... I didn't know shit, obviously! The bus was HELL!! I had a bed in the back and the ride was so bumpy that sometimes my whole body got thrown in the air. On top of that I had to go to the toilet, but there were no stops with a ladies bathroom. At 3:40 I had enough and the next stop we made I just draped my blanket around me and squatted in the middle of the road to pee. It was either that or explode! And Indians do it too. What a relief! And the rest of the way I managed to sleep a few more hours.
I arrived in Bangalore the next morning, tired and pissed off. Yeah, mornings after nights like these are really not a good time to meet me! ;-) So after having a fight with the bus boy, he wanted 20 roepies for my backpack so I told him to go ask his boss because I already payed too much for such a crappy ride, and a riksjaw driver, who said the central busstation was 12 km away while I knew it was just around the corner, I decided not to stay there and go directly to Mysore where I am now. But more on that next time, I have to go eat now! :-))
vrijdag 26 november 2010
Goa Uncensored
The truth is... in India anything is possible. So in Goa...ANYTHING is possible.
First thing after breakfast you take a walk down the beach and you get offered Marihuana, Opium and Cocaine. There's absolutely no problem about it. They offer it to you openly and I'm pretty sure the Police know all about it.
Second thing when you walk around is that you should watch out for the Scorpio guys. They walk around in groups of 2 or 4 and they carry a pin or a needle in their hand. They stop you and point at your ear, a bit panicking saying there is a Scorpio on you. Of course there isn't, but when you let them approach you they sting you with their needle. The next thing you start panicking as well thinking you just got stung by a Scorpio and then it's up to them to take care of you. I don't know exactly what they do... sell you a medicine or take you to some fake doctor. But one thing's for sure, they want money! I've been warned so when they approach me I automatically step back and tell them firmly to 'get that thing out of the way'! But it's weird how they keep doing it to all tourists over and over and over... they must know that most people know this trick by now. Anyway... I've got 3 hours left here in Goa, so if anyone tries it on me this morning, I'll scream and yell and fall on the floor faking a heart attack! Ha, see how they really look when they're in panic! ;-)
And then there is the weird atmosphere concerning clothing. Women wear bikinis and some even think it's okay to go monokini. Now, I don't have a problem with that. For all I care people can just walk around naked. But there are a lot of Indian tourists and people who come here to work. For them it's shocking. Just this morning a group of 7 Indian men stopped at one of the sunbeds to look at the woman who was lying there half naked. It was as if they were looking at some strange creature, an alien. That can't be pleasant for those women, except maybe if they're a bit exhibitionist. There's plenty of beaches in the world where this is normal and totally not offensive, so why come here? My guess; because it's still cheaper than other exotic beaches and so the less fortunate come here to pretend that they are rich. Thus raising prices and making it less attractive for backpackers. And I think in the end Goa will kill itself by raising their prices but not equally raising the quality. The same hut costs 250 roepie in Arambul, they ask 600 roepie in Anjuna and in Baga it's over a 1000 roepie. And it's equally dirty and equally decorated. It's as if Goa is attracting more and more a kind of clientele we don't really want to be associated with. Russians picking a fight because you look at their girlfriend (but what did you expect when she's naked?), or coming in a restaurant and rearranging the furniture to suit them... There was none of that in Arambul, which is still backpackers territory. But the rest of Goa is heading down a road which will lead to decay.
And then the contradictory attitude from the Indians. They are appalled, but yet they sell these clothes and drugs themselves. Bikinis, tops, shorts, thongs... so maybe they need to decide where they are heading with Goa. Keep going down this path? It seems like they live from season to season here and they have no long-term vision. I can't really blame the workers for that, but there are rich owners and politicians... even they only seem to care about what they will make today and not tomorrow.
I might still be coming back to Goa, but it will be Arambul or some other backpackers beach, nice and relaxing! But first I've got people to meet, places to go, roads to travel and in a few weeks my trip will take me to Kerala where there are plenty more beaches to discover and to hang out. Let's hope it's more backpack and less Russian over there! ;-))
First thing after breakfast you take a walk down the beach and you get offered Marihuana, Opium and Cocaine. There's absolutely no problem about it. They offer it to you openly and I'm pretty sure the Police know all about it.
Second thing when you walk around is that you should watch out for the Scorpio guys. They walk around in groups of 2 or 4 and they carry a pin or a needle in their hand. They stop you and point at your ear, a bit panicking saying there is a Scorpio on you. Of course there isn't, but when you let them approach you they sting you with their needle. The next thing you start panicking as well thinking you just got stung by a Scorpio and then it's up to them to take care of you. I don't know exactly what they do... sell you a medicine or take you to some fake doctor. But one thing's for sure, they want money! I've been warned so when they approach me I automatically step back and tell them firmly to 'get that thing out of the way'! But it's weird how they keep doing it to all tourists over and over and over... they must know that most people know this trick by now. Anyway... I've got 3 hours left here in Goa, so if anyone tries it on me this morning, I'll scream and yell and fall on the floor faking a heart attack! Ha, see how they really look when they're in panic! ;-)
And then there is the weird atmosphere concerning clothing. Women wear bikinis and some even think it's okay to go monokini. Now, I don't have a problem with that. For all I care people can just walk around naked. But there are a lot of Indian tourists and people who come here to work. For them it's shocking. Just this morning a group of 7 Indian men stopped at one of the sunbeds to look at the woman who was lying there half naked. It was as if they were looking at some strange creature, an alien. That can't be pleasant for those women, except maybe if they're a bit exhibitionist. There's plenty of beaches in the world where this is normal and totally not offensive, so why come here? My guess; because it's still cheaper than other exotic beaches and so the less fortunate come here to pretend that they are rich. Thus raising prices and making it less attractive for backpackers. And I think in the end Goa will kill itself by raising their prices but not equally raising the quality. The same hut costs 250 roepie in Arambul, they ask 600 roepie in Anjuna and in Baga it's over a 1000 roepie. And it's equally dirty and equally decorated. It's as if Goa is attracting more and more a kind of clientele we don't really want to be associated with. Russians picking a fight because you look at their girlfriend (but what did you expect when she's naked?), or coming in a restaurant and rearranging the furniture to suit them... There was none of that in Arambul, which is still backpackers territory. But the rest of Goa is heading down a road which will lead to decay.
And then the contradictory attitude from the Indians. They are appalled, but yet they sell these clothes and drugs themselves. Bikinis, tops, shorts, thongs... so maybe they need to decide where they are heading with Goa. Keep going down this path? It seems like they live from season to season here and they have no long-term vision. I can't really blame the workers for that, but there are rich owners and politicians... even they only seem to care about what they will make today and not tomorrow.
I might still be coming back to Goa, but it will be Arambul or some other backpackers beach, nice and relaxing! But first I've got people to meet, places to go, roads to travel and in a few weeks my trip will take me to Kerala where there are plenty more beaches to discover and to hang out. Let's hope it's more backpack and less Russian over there! ;-))
Goa
So I left Mumbai last week on Saturday and everything went smooth. The travel agents in Mumbai were scaring all the tourists how it is high season in Goa and there is hardly any ticket left for the train, so you would have to fly or take a very expensive bus... But I just went to the train station on friday and got my ticket for the next day. I think I was lucky because there were no tickets for Sunday or Monday, but the man behind the counter told me he had a cancellation for Saturday and still had 2 tickets. One of them was mine if I wanted it, so I took it! They're not usually this helpful... normally they just say 'yes' or 'no' so I was really happy that this man helped me! Thank you!
On arriving in the station Saturday night I waited in the Ladies waiting room to avoid the staring, since I was there 3 hours too early and in a bad mood. Mumbai had worn me out and I was tired. I get a bit aggressive when I'm tired and so people around me better watch out. Of course Indian people don't know that so unfortunately for them I was not in a smiling mood. No, I was on the path of war and so the first guy that took a picture of me without asking... well, let's just say everybody around us knew that I was NOT happy with that! And one guy who followed me all around the station won't be doing that again soon, after I threatened to call the Police to come over! These are things I can normally cope, but that day I just didn't have the energy.
Mumbai Victoria Railway Station is one of the biggest railway stations in the world, and probably the most beautiful one but that's hard to see through all the dirt and the filth. So if only it wasn't in India... then it might be worth a visit. Soon 2 more tourists came and it turned out they were also heading to Goa with the same train. Now I could leave my stuff with them and go to the bathroom, finally! My mood started to change slowly slowly... ;-)
When the train arrived in Mumbai at 22:30, there was complete Chaos!! The train hadn't even reached the platform yet and the open carriages were already full. Everybody wanted to get on this train. They were pulling and shouting... thank god I had a ticket for second class AC. When I got on, we were 6 tourists all cooped up together in the same compartment. We had ourselves a little party before going to bed and took the risk of eating 'train-rice' and 'train-tea'. It was perfect and after reading a bit one by one we fell asleep.
The next morning we arrived and the first stop was mine. An Argentinian and an Irish guy were heading the same town, called Arambul, so we shared a taxi. Arambul is in the North of Goa and it has a big backpackers scene and no big resorts. We got ourselves a hut near the beach and stayed there for 3 nights. We didn't do much more than reading, go walking, play yahtzee... just relaxing. It's all I needed after Delhi and Mumbai. I felt tired and overstimulated. So being here was exactly what I needed. Wednesday, me and the Irish guy, Peter, went on to Anjuna, which is a beach more central in Goa and a bit busier. We've been here 2 nights and again there's not much more to do than read, swim, eat, drink... a bit more parties, but Peter ended up going alone, because it's just not my thing. And now I've had enough. I'm getting tired of doing nothing and although we had a nice long walk up the cliffs and hills to go to the next beach (which no other tourists seem do over here; walk)... I'm ready to move on. I got my ticket for the nightbus and will be leaving tomorrow night to go to Hampi! I'm excited about that and feel it's time. Goa is nice and relaxing, but it's boring after a while and some beaches have little to do with India. Apart from the hassle for sunbeds and bracelets on the beach and the occasional beggar... this is a very Western part of India. People walk around in their bikinis, eat pizza, drink cocktails... things you would never imagine them possible in India if you are for example in Rajasthan. It's hard to believe this is the same country. There is also a change in scenery and the people are different. There are Christian churches everywhere and even in the front-yard of many homes you see crosses in stead of a statue of some Hindoe god. There are only a few Hindoe temples, so I think the majority here is Christian. They still mix it up with a bit of Hindoe rituals, that's just the Indian way and let's be honest... Christianity was forced on them, so it's only natural that they rebel a bit.But it's different and therefor it's worth coming to Goa when you want to learn about India. Good to know these places exist and maybe I'll come back here later when or if I'm tired... :-D
On arriving in the station Saturday night I waited in the Ladies waiting room to avoid the staring, since I was there 3 hours too early and in a bad mood. Mumbai had worn me out and I was tired. I get a bit aggressive when I'm tired and so people around me better watch out. Of course Indian people don't know that so unfortunately for them I was not in a smiling mood. No, I was on the path of war and so the first guy that took a picture of me without asking... well, let's just say everybody around us knew that I was NOT happy with that! And one guy who followed me all around the station won't be doing that again soon, after I threatened to call the Police to come over! These are things I can normally cope, but that day I just didn't have the energy.
Mumbai Victoria Railway Station is one of the biggest railway stations in the world, and probably the most beautiful one but that's hard to see through all the dirt and the filth. So if only it wasn't in India... then it might be worth a visit. Soon 2 more tourists came and it turned out they were also heading to Goa with the same train. Now I could leave my stuff with them and go to the bathroom, finally! My mood started to change slowly slowly... ;-)
When the train arrived in Mumbai at 22:30, there was complete Chaos!! The train hadn't even reached the platform yet and the open carriages were already full. Everybody wanted to get on this train. They were pulling and shouting... thank god I had a ticket for second class AC. When I got on, we were 6 tourists all cooped up together in the same compartment. We had ourselves a little party before going to bed and took the risk of eating 'train-rice' and 'train-tea'. It was perfect and after reading a bit one by one we fell asleep.
The next morning we arrived and the first stop was mine. An Argentinian and an Irish guy were heading the same town, called Arambul, so we shared a taxi. Arambul is in the North of Goa and it has a big backpackers scene and no big resorts. We got ourselves a hut near the beach and stayed there for 3 nights. We didn't do much more than reading, go walking, play yahtzee... just relaxing. It's all I needed after Delhi and Mumbai. I felt tired and overstimulated. So being here was exactly what I needed. Wednesday, me and the Irish guy, Peter, went on to Anjuna, which is a beach more central in Goa and a bit busier. We've been here 2 nights and again there's not much more to do than read, swim, eat, drink... a bit more parties, but Peter ended up going alone, because it's just not my thing. And now I've had enough. I'm getting tired of doing nothing and although we had a nice long walk up the cliffs and hills to go to the next beach (which no other tourists seem do over here; walk)... I'm ready to move on. I got my ticket for the nightbus and will be leaving tomorrow night to go to Hampi! I'm excited about that and feel it's time. Goa is nice and relaxing, but it's boring after a while and some beaches have little to do with India. Apart from the hassle for sunbeds and bracelets on the beach and the occasional beggar... this is a very Western part of India. People walk around in their bikinis, eat pizza, drink cocktails... things you would never imagine them possible in India if you are for example in Rajasthan. It's hard to believe this is the same country. There is also a change in scenery and the people are different. There are Christian churches everywhere and even in the front-yard of many homes you see crosses in stead of a statue of some Hindoe god. There are only a few Hindoe temples, so I think the majority here is Christian. They still mix it up with a bit of Hindoe rituals, that's just the Indian way and let's be honest... Christianity was forced on them, so it's only natural that they rebel a bit.But it's different and therefor it's worth coming to Goa when you want to learn about India. Good to know these places exist and maybe I'll come back here later when or if I'm tired... :-D
zaterdag 20 november 2010
Confrontational Mumbai
I have reached the end of my stay in Mumbai and am taking the nighttrain to Goa. I 've spent a week here and I still feel like I haven't seen it all. I guess I'll have to come back... and I will. I like Mumbai!
But at the same time I hate it. When you first arrive you are blown away by the bright lights and the Western feel and look of the city and the Mumbaikers. But gradually you start seeing through the attractive facades and you see the underbelly of Mumbai. It's a city where officially 18 million people live, but the truth is that they estimate that 60 million people is the real amount of people living here. So 42 million people living here are not registered. Four times Belgium is living here without officially counting as a Mumbai citizen. But then who are they? Well, they are just about everybody in this country who comes down to Mumbai looking for a better life.
Some of them are working, long hours for little pay... but they figure it's better than nothing. One older man I met has been working here for 16 years as a tour guide. He visits his family in the East somewhere in the jungle, one month a year. His kids are grown up and he has one grandchild he hasn't seen yet. But what can he do, there are no jobs where he is from and here at least he makes enough money for himself and to send some home. Imagine being away from your wife and children for years on end... just to be able to provide?!
Another group lives in the slums, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, it depends on which one. You see, there are two types of slums.
The old slums, filled with Mumbai people or people who have been here for decades. Some of them have become villages on their own. There is a post office, there are street names and the people earn some money through crafts. Some have even managed to set up small factories in the slums and are making life better for themselves, their children and their neighbors. They can afford to send their kids to school and some of the younger people even have fairly decent jobs in big companies like in banks or for the government. These slums are gradually becoming more and more upgraded. There is a lot to do about this, because the land these slums are on is officially nobodies. The land used to be water and through the dumping of waste and the bric-a-brac from the people the land is now vast and build upon. So who's is it? For now, the government is claiming it. It's worth a lot of money in this overcrowded city and of course government officials see how this land can be very productive, so there is the ever hanging threat that they will sell it to private companies. And then where do these people go? Back to the slums? Huh?
And of course there are new slums, at the edges of the city. This is where the new people end up. This is not a part of town where you and I go. When you book a tourist tour, they will take you to the slums, but it will be an old slum... a better slum... a safe slum. The others are not for publication. You don't want to know what happens there and you surely don't want to see. Image the most horrible things and that's what it's like. Or at least that's what I think it's like. Because I've seen some pretty horrible things on the street open and blank already, without shame... so I don't even want to think about what's hidden. There's burn-victims begging for money, young girls with babies on their arms begging, children hardly older than 1 year who can barely walk but know when to hold up their little hands when tourists pass, whole families living on the street, in every corner, behind every building, in front of every temple, in between fences... they are everywhere!!
And yesterday it really hit me. A young man came up to me and asked me if I wanted a tour of the city? He was a tourist guide or so he claimed. I told him 'No' and walked on. So he kept following me... "ma'am, you need change money... No... you need tickets, train, bus... No... you need hash, drugs... No... you need company... No... you like Indian men... No... you want boys... No... girls..." He offered me just about anything. So I asked him to 'please' leave me alone, and he did, turned around and went up to the next tourist. Leaving me shocked! Did he just offer me children?! Children? For what? To do what? Well, to do whatever you want! Because many people's lives are worth nothing in this city. The city tours take you to the slums and the Red Light District where 13-year old girls stand along the street working and they sell it as an attraction, but in reality this is where most people in Mumbai live and 'work' and it is NOT a pretty sight. I didn't go on a tour like that. And tourists should stop going on those tours and they should stop giving money to beggars, because that is what makes 'begging' lucrative and so there will always be people around to exploit that. I felt bad ignoring so many people the past few days, but somehow it's the best thing to do. It's not up to tourists to give these people a better life. It's up to India to take care of it's citizens. I have no idea how they will ever change this situation, with the overpopulation making it worse and worse as the years pass, but some things are gonna have to change... soon! I just hope the world is ready for that!
But at the same time I hate it. When you first arrive you are blown away by the bright lights and the Western feel and look of the city and the Mumbaikers. But gradually you start seeing through the attractive facades and you see the underbelly of Mumbai. It's a city where officially 18 million people live, but the truth is that they estimate that 60 million people is the real amount of people living here. So 42 million people living here are not registered. Four times Belgium is living here without officially counting as a Mumbai citizen. But then who are they? Well, they are just about everybody in this country who comes down to Mumbai looking for a better life.
Some of them are working, long hours for little pay... but they figure it's better than nothing. One older man I met has been working here for 16 years as a tour guide. He visits his family in the East somewhere in the jungle, one month a year. His kids are grown up and he has one grandchild he hasn't seen yet. But what can he do, there are no jobs where he is from and here at least he makes enough money for himself and to send some home. Imagine being away from your wife and children for years on end... just to be able to provide?!
Another group lives in the slums, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, it depends on which one. You see, there are two types of slums.
The old slums, filled with Mumbai people or people who have been here for decades. Some of them have become villages on their own. There is a post office, there are street names and the people earn some money through crafts. Some have even managed to set up small factories in the slums and are making life better for themselves, their children and their neighbors. They can afford to send their kids to school and some of the younger people even have fairly decent jobs in big companies like in banks or for the government. These slums are gradually becoming more and more upgraded. There is a lot to do about this, because the land these slums are on is officially nobodies. The land used to be water and through the dumping of waste and the bric-a-brac from the people the land is now vast and build upon. So who's is it? For now, the government is claiming it. It's worth a lot of money in this overcrowded city and of course government officials see how this land can be very productive, so there is the ever hanging threat that they will sell it to private companies. And then where do these people go? Back to the slums? Huh?
And of course there are new slums, at the edges of the city. This is where the new people end up. This is not a part of town where you and I go. When you book a tourist tour, they will take you to the slums, but it will be an old slum... a better slum... a safe slum. The others are not for publication. You don't want to know what happens there and you surely don't want to see. Image the most horrible things and that's what it's like. Or at least that's what I think it's like. Because I've seen some pretty horrible things on the street open and blank already, without shame... so I don't even want to think about what's hidden. There's burn-victims begging for money, young girls with babies on their arms begging, children hardly older than 1 year who can barely walk but know when to hold up their little hands when tourists pass, whole families living on the street, in every corner, behind every building, in front of every temple, in between fences... they are everywhere!!
And yesterday it really hit me. A young man came up to me and asked me if I wanted a tour of the city? He was a tourist guide or so he claimed. I told him 'No' and walked on. So he kept following me... "ma'am, you need change money... No... you need tickets, train, bus... No... you need hash, drugs... No... you need company... No... you like Indian men... No... you want boys... No... girls..." He offered me just about anything. So I asked him to 'please' leave me alone, and he did, turned around and went up to the next tourist. Leaving me shocked! Did he just offer me children?! Children? For what? To do what? Well, to do whatever you want! Because many people's lives are worth nothing in this city. The city tours take you to the slums and the Red Light District where 13-year old girls stand along the street working and they sell it as an attraction, but in reality this is where most people in Mumbai live and 'work' and it is NOT a pretty sight. I didn't go on a tour like that. And tourists should stop going on those tours and they should stop giving money to beggars, because that is what makes 'begging' lucrative and so there will always be people around to exploit that. I felt bad ignoring so many people the past few days, but somehow it's the best thing to do. It's not up to tourists to give these people a better life. It's up to India to take care of it's citizens. I have no idea how they will ever change this situation, with the overpopulation making it worse and worse as the years pass, but some things are gonna have to change... soon! I just hope the world is ready for that!
maandag 15 november 2010
Booming Bombay... or to be political correct; Mumbai.
After bumping into a few familiar faces in Delhi, even people I met here on my last trip in March, I took the overnight express to Mumbai. Just in time, because it started raining in Delhi and the temperature dropped. Winter is coming and in december it will be cold, or at least India-cold. So the train took 17 hours but for the first time in my life I traveled first class. Yep, first class! That is... Indian first class. Do I need to explain more? Our second class seating train is cleaner and more modern than this first class express sleeper. But it was comfortable. They bring you your food, make your bed and when I asked if there was any chance of maybe smoking a cigarette at the next stop, the first class manager adviced me to just take it to the bathroom and smoke through the window. Yep, first classers can do just about anything! But I don't like them. They are the rich and they act like it. I got stuck in a compartment with a mom and her son and a man, woman and their daughter. The mom alone was just so stuck up... I wanted to slap her in the face. She was friendly to me, being a western and because her 4-year old son kept climbing on my lap... indicating he really liked me, he even fell asleep on my shoulder, but she was rude to the staff and even to the other passengers. Apparently her father is some big-shot businessman in Delhi. Pfff, see if I care! The family was friendly, but you could see they stayed in the background because the other woman was 'more' than them. Bizar, how you feel the difference in casts more in this first class train then in any other place. Here, the rules are still applied. He who is more... has the power! So maybe next time I'll take second class again. The difference in price and comfort is not that big, but the people are a bit more open and relaxed. I did sleep well and arrived in Mumbai on sunday morning.
WAW!!! I love Mumbai! I checked in to the perfect hotel. It's in a hip neighborhood, Colaba, and I have a room on the fourth floor with a window facing the sea and the Gateway of India. It's the cheapest place in Mumbai (12 euro/night) but clean, with satellite TV in the room and the communal bathrooms are new and get cleaned every hour. The manager is friendly and helpful and everybody in Mumbai keeps assuring me how safe this city is! Yep, I feel good!
Mumbai is the Indian version of New York. You've got the old colonial architecture; both from the Brits and the Portuguese. You've got modern theater and museums, galleries. You've got markets, cozy little boutiques and the big shops with brands going from Only till Dior. You've got street food and fancy restaurants and this morning I had breakfast in a pastry shop... chocolate-mousse-cake... mmmmmmmmm!! It has everything and I'll be staying here at least till Friday. It does get really hot in the afternoon, but that's the perfect time to go into a museum or go to the cinema like I did the first day I was here. The mornings you visit the city and in the early evening you can stroll along the Colaba Causeway right down by the sea. I know I sound like an advertisement but believe me, if you spent the same amount of money you would spent on a week New York, you'll be treated like royalty here!
Of course, Mumbai, just like New York, is scarred. The bombings left their mark. Tourism is down and security is high everywhere. The Taj hotel where the bombings took place is just in my street and there is no getting in or out without leaving you passport and going through a scanner. Even cars get turned inside out before they are allowed in. You don't think about it when you just walk around, but it's in Mumbaikers minds all the time. They talk about it openly and they tell you about their experiences.
My first confrontation was when I went to the cinema. You know, how they show you a sign at the beginning to put out your mobile and don't be too loud and in case of fire go to the exit... well, the first image here was to tell us: " In case of an explosion, please remain calm and assist police as much as possible..." Uhhh? WHAT? But then, this is daily reality here in Mumbai. They're scared it will happen again and they try to incorporate this fear into their daily lives. Amazing how they handle it! Makes me love them even more! ;-)
One more thing about Mumbai, it is the capital of the movie industry in India, including Bollywood. And yes, the scouts wander the streets and asked me if I could be an extra. Ha! Yep, in a real Bollywood-movie... and we would get costumes and make-up, and food and drinks, and they would pick us up at the hotel and drop us off, and we would get payed 500 roepies. So I went yesterday and well, all of it is true... but Indian-true. That means, ahum...
First of all... it wasn't a Bollywood-movie, but a second rate Indian soap with unknown actors that act as if they are better than the rest while they actually can't act at all, the male lead part is played by "Oliver" half Indian, half German and his arm muscles compensate his lack of brain muscles, the female lead smiles all the time with her mouth showing big white teeth, but her eyes are shooting fire, and she is constantly surrounded by 6 people to do her hair and make-up, and to top it all this soap is new and this is the pilot they are making to show the channel after which they will decide whether it will be shown on TV or not, so maybe they will just throw this away and for the actors there will be no big break through!! Ha!
Second... this was a night club scene in New York and all the girls had to wear dresses, the kind we in the West would never wear except maybe if your name is Paris Hilton, I refused to wear a mini-dress and so they made me a waitress with jeans and black shirt. The make up was there consisting of one lipstick and props were an over-sized eighties bracelet and earrings. When someone didn't want to put it on, they said it was to show the West.. Huh? We ARE the West and if we say that we wouldn't wear that shit, than the WEST it not like they think it is... so much for reality! No wonder all Indians think we're sluts! It's television making them think that!
Third... we didn't get breakfast although we were there at 7 in the morning, but had to wait till 2 o'clock to get lunch. The pick up was a crap bus that picked us up and dropped us off at McDonalds and it started at 7 in the morning and we didn't get back till 10 at night.
So yes, what they promise is maybe true... but Indian style! ;-)
But you know what... I had a blast. Me and some of the other extra's just laughed with the whole situation and it was good to meet all those people. Some are students in Pune where I'll be going next, so I can meet up with them. We made fun of just about everything and played our own little roles. It's an experience and I had fun, that's all that matters. Or maybe... yes, I almost forgot... I got upgraded! Yep, me! The waitress became the barmaid, friendly colleague of the main character, and when she gets off work she comes to say bye to me and I have to say it back... "bye" with a big smile! Joehoe, I got a part, a speaking part!! Yep, I should be on the credits: "bye-girl: Emma De Spiegelaere"! And it wasn't the assistant director, but the director himself that came to give me instructions. Haha, I'm a star! :-D
Well, this star has to go now, the streets of Mumbai calling! x
WAW!!! I love Mumbai! I checked in to the perfect hotel. It's in a hip neighborhood, Colaba, and I have a room on the fourth floor with a window facing the sea and the Gateway of India. It's the cheapest place in Mumbai (12 euro/night) but clean, with satellite TV in the room and the communal bathrooms are new and get cleaned every hour. The manager is friendly and helpful and everybody in Mumbai keeps assuring me how safe this city is! Yep, I feel good!
Mumbai is the Indian version of New York. You've got the old colonial architecture; both from the Brits and the Portuguese. You've got modern theater and museums, galleries. You've got markets, cozy little boutiques and the big shops with brands going from Only till Dior. You've got street food and fancy restaurants and this morning I had breakfast in a pastry shop... chocolate-mousse-cake... mmmmmmmmm!! It has everything and I'll be staying here at least till Friday. It does get really hot in the afternoon, but that's the perfect time to go into a museum or go to the cinema like I did the first day I was here. The mornings you visit the city and in the early evening you can stroll along the Colaba Causeway right down by the sea. I know I sound like an advertisement but believe me, if you spent the same amount of money you would spent on a week New York, you'll be treated like royalty here!
Of course, Mumbai, just like New York, is scarred. The bombings left their mark. Tourism is down and security is high everywhere. The Taj hotel where the bombings took place is just in my street and there is no getting in or out without leaving you passport and going through a scanner. Even cars get turned inside out before they are allowed in. You don't think about it when you just walk around, but it's in Mumbaikers minds all the time. They talk about it openly and they tell you about their experiences.
My first confrontation was when I went to the cinema. You know, how they show you a sign at the beginning to put out your mobile and don't be too loud and in case of fire go to the exit... well, the first image here was to tell us: " In case of an explosion, please remain calm and assist police as much as possible..." Uhhh? WHAT? But then, this is daily reality here in Mumbai. They're scared it will happen again and they try to incorporate this fear into their daily lives. Amazing how they handle it! Makes me love them even more! ;-)
One more thing about Mumbai, it is the capital of the movie industry in India, including Bollywood. And yes, the scouts wander the streets and asked me if I could be an extra. Ha! Yep, in a real Bollywood-movie... and we would get costumes and make-up, and food and drinks, and they would pick us up at the hotel and drop us off, and we would get payed 500 roepies. So I went yesterday and well, all of it is true... but Indian-true. That means, ahum...
First of all... it wasn't a Bollywood-movie, but a second rate Indian soap with unknown actors that act as if they are better than the rest while they actually can't act at all, the male lead part is played by "Oliver" half Indian, half German and his arm muscles compensate his lack of brain muscles, the female lead smiles all the time with her mouth showing big white teeth, but her eyes are shooting fire, and she is constantly surrounded by 6 people to do her hair and make-up, and to top it all this soap is new and this is the pilot they are making to show the channel after which they will decide whether it will be shown on TV or not, so maybe they will just throw this away and for the actors there will be no big break through!! Ha!
Second... this was a night club scene in New York and all the girls had to wear dresses, the kind we in the West would never wear except maybe if your name is Paris Hilton, I refused to wear a mini-dress and so they made me a waitress with jeans and black shirt. The make up was there consisting of one lipstick and props were an over-sized eighties bracelet and earrings. When someone didn't want to put it on, they said it was to show the West.. Huh? We ARE the West and if we say that we wouldn't wear that shit, than the WEST it not like they think it is... so much for reality! No wonder all Indians think we're sluts! It's television making them think that!
Third... we didn't get breakfast although we were there at 7 in the morning, but had to wait till 2 o'clock to get lunch. The pick up was a crap bus that picked us up and dropped us off at McDonalds and it started at 7 in the morning and we didn't get back till 10 at night.
So yes, what they promise is maybe true... but Indian style! ;-)
But you know what... I had a blast. Me and some of the other extra's just laughed with the whole situation and it was good to meet all those people. Some are students in Pune where I'll be going next, so I can meet up with them. We made fun of just about everything and played our own little roles. It's an experience and I had fun, that's all that matters. Or maybe... yes, I almost forgot... I got upgraded! Yep, me! The waitress became the barmaid, friendly colleague of the main character, and when she gets off work she comes to say bye to me and I have to say it back... "bye" with a big smile! Joehoe, I got a part, a speaking part!! Yep, I should be on the credits: "bye-girl: Emma De Spiegelaere"! And it wasn't the assistant director, but the director himself that came to give me instructions. Haha, I'm a star! :-D
Well, this star has to go now, the streets of Mumbai calling! x
donderdag 11 november 2010
Old Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, Delhicious!!
I never thought I would ever say this in my life... but it's good to be in Delhi. Rishikesh was nice but at the end I was a bit bored. So yesterday morning without making any arrangements I decided to just go back to Delhi and see if I can get a ticket to Mumbai. So I leave my Guesthouse and go to the main road and a Vikram (small open air truck) is going to Haridwar where I can take the train to Delhi. He gives me the choice to either go alone and pay 300 roepies OR he can fill it up and we share the price. So I decide to wait untill it's full. And boy, was it full?! 7 young Indian men join me, between 22 and 25 years old. So this is a real test. They come on to me straight away even though they are all married with children. So I play the virgin-card. I tell them I'm getting married in the spring, a June-wedding because that's my birthday and my fiancee is working to build our house. Because in my country it is the man who pays for the wife... haha. Yep, if you're going to lie, you might as well add some shocking ingredients to the story. So after telling them they can NOT put their arm around me for a picture... they actually tell me I am a respectable woman and they haven't met many western respectable women. That is not true, they haven't met many western women at all so they only know the macho stories that go around India about Western women being easy! So in such situations I play the Virgin-card! And it pays off! Ha! They end up teaching me some words and how to nodd my head the right way.
So I get to the trainstation and I buy 'some' ticket for 'a' train to Delhi. It leaves in 2 hours, so I go to the platform to check it out. It turns out it is fully booked and the ticket I have is not for a seat but for 'space' in an open carriage... Yep, this is gonna be hell. So I wander around and then the conductor comes up to me saying they still have places in 2class AC. Thank God! All I have to do is show up in an hour and pay for the ticket on the train. You see, the system is a bit weird. They have different types of tickets for different groups; senior citizens, ladies, foreign tourists... and even when these tickets are not sold but all the normal tickets are sold, it says the train is full. So as a women and foreign tourist, if you just show up when the train is going to leave there is a 95% chance they will still find you a place. So perfect for me, no?!
The trainride takes 8 hours and different people come up to me to talk. One guy is going home after having attended a spiritual lector by his Guru. Man, he was all spiritual talks and stories and I ended up asking him to leave me alone because he was tiring me.
It's past 10 in the night when we will arrive Delhi, Old Delhi. I've never arrived there in that station and so I'm a little bit worried about how things will go. I booked a room in the neighbourhood where I always stay and so I will have to get a taxi or something. And just when I'm about to step off the train there is an older man, French. We start talking and he booked a room in the same hotel. Waw, what luck I now have a travel-partner and I don't have to go into the night all alone. And it turns out he speaks Hindi. What more do you want; Older, male, Hindi-speaking... all the things Indians respect! So he fixes us a ride on a bycicle-rickshaw and it was sooooo nice. A nightview of Delhi! Through the labyrinth of little streets we reach the hotel. My room is big, clean and nicely decorated (which is a rarety here). AND to end my day even more perfect... They bring a beer up to my room, the first since last week! Jammie! Yep, I slept 8 hours straight and feel good!
Today I got a hold of a ticket to Mumbai for tomorrow, it was the second last one, so again it is a lucky day! Let's hope this vibe stays with me a little longer... maybe it is Karma, who knows?! ;-)
So I get to the trainstation and I buy 'some' ticket for 'a' train to Delhi. It leaves in 2 hours, so I go to the platform to check it out. It turns out it is fully booked and the ticket I have is not for a seat but for 'space' in an open carriage... Yep, this is gonna be hell. So I wander around and then the conductor comes up to me saying they still have places in 2class AC. Thank God! All I have to do is show up in an hour and pay for the ticket on the train. You see, the system is a bit weird. They have different types of tickets for different groups; senior citizens, ladies, foreign tourists... and even when these tickets are not sold but all the normal tickets are sold, it says the train is full. So as a women and foreign tourist, if you just show up when the train is going to leave there is a 95% chance they will still find you a place. So perfect for me, no?!
The trainride takes 8 hours and different people come up to me to talk. One guy is going home after having attended a spiritual lector by his Guru. Man, he was all spiritual talks and stories and I ended up asking him to leave me alone because he was tiring me.
It's past 10 in the night when we will arrive Delhi, Old Delhi. I've never arrived there in that station and so I'm a little bit worried about how things will go. I booked a room in the neighbourhood where I always stay and so I will have to get a taxi or something. And just when I'm about to step off the train there is an older man, French. We start talking and he booked a room in the same hotel. Waw, what luck I now have a travel-partner and I don't have to go into the night all alone. And it turns out he speaks Hindi. What more do you want; Older, male, Hindi-speaking... all the things Indians respect! So he fixes us a ride on a bycicle-rickshaw and it was sooooo nice. A nightview of Delhi! Through the labyrinth of little streets we reach the hotel. My room is big, clean and nicely decorated (which is a rarety here). AND to end my day even more perfect... They bring a beer up to my room, the first since last week! Jammie! Yep, I slept 8 hours straight and feel good!
Today I got a hold of a ticket to Mumbai for tomorrow, it was the second last one, so again it is a lucky day! Let's hope this vibe stays with me a little longer... maybe it is Karma, who knows?! ;-)
woensdag 10 november 2010
Rishikesh
So I'm still in Rishikesh, the world capital of Yoga. I discover new Ashrams every day, there must be hundreds around here. But for Yoga-class I stick to mine. Opposite my guest house there's an Ashram that offers classes in the morning and the afternoon. I try to go twice a day, but 7:30 in the morning is some days a little too early. It's amazing though how fast your body seems to adapt to the stretching and after 3 days I'm almost able to put my hands flat on the floor when bending over... if that means anything to you. Well, it basically means I'm getting pretty lean! ;-)
The Yogi (= Yoga-teacher) is funny and very energetic. He's very small and skinny, with a long beard. This sounds old, but he's actually younger than me. He wants us to smile all the time and I do, because watching him and hearing his funny accent makes me laugh. And now he thinks Belgians are happy people! He doesn't learn names, he gives us numbers. I was number three, but he calls me 'Belgium'. For some reason it is the only country he can remember and so I guess that's better than being a number.
Apart from Yoga and meditation there is not a lot to see here. I visited all parts of the city and also some of the temples. Rishikesh is an important city for pilgrims. And so every day from 6 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon (that's when it's light) hundreds of pilgrims pass through Rishikesh. All going to the temples. But for some the highlight of their visit to Rishikesh is seeing Westerners. The Pilgrims come from all over India and some from pretty remote places. They have never seen Whites before, so they tend to spend more time staring at us than looking at the temple. When I visited the temple yesterday, I was the only White there and so all the Pilgrims asked to take pictures. It's not allowed to take pictures in the Temple, but the guards gave them permission to use their camera's because it was for taking pictures of me. Hilarious situation!
And I have breakfast near the taxi stand and sometimes when there are a lot of Pilgrims waiting for a taxi they stare at me drinking coffee. I think this is how animals in the Zoo must feel; dozens of people standing around in a circle watching your every move, taking pictures and today even feeding me! A little boy came to give me popcorn...yep, just like in a Zoo! :-)
I'll be staying here one more day and then I'm ready for the next step. I used this week to heal from my cold and to get my eating and sleeping pattern in order. Now that I have and my body is lean enough, I will be trying to get to Mumbai. But it's not as easy as I thought it would be. All the trains are full, so I'll have to put myself on a waiting list and hope people don't show up. Anyway... I'll go back to Delhi first and then see what my options are. But everything in India has a way of working out, so I'm not worried. And if I really can't get to Mumbai... I'll have to stay here and live in an Ashram! Haha!
The Yogi (= Yoga-teacher) is funny and very energetic. He's very small and skinny, with a long beard. This sounds old, but he's actually younger than me. He wants us to smile all the time and I do, because watching him and hearing his funny accent makes me laugh. And now he thinks Belgians are happy people! He doesn't learn names, he gives us numbers. I was number three, but he calls me 'Belgium'. For some reason it is the only country he can remember and so I guess that's better than being a number.
Apart from Yoga and meditation there is not a lot to see here. I visited all parts of the city and also some of the temples. Rishikesh is an important city for pilgrims. And so every day from 6 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon (that's when it's light) hundreds of pilgrims pass through Rishikesh. All going to the temples. But for some the highlight of their visit to Rishikesh is seeing Westerners. The Pilgrims come from all over India and some from pretty remote places. They have never seen Whites before, so they tend to spend more time staring at us than looking at the temple. When I visited the temple yesterday, I was the only White there and so all the Pilgrims asked to take pictures. It's not allowed to take pictures in the Temple, but the guards gave them permission to use their camera's because it was for taking pictures of me. Hilarious situation!
And I have breakfast near the taxi stand and sometimes when there are a lot of Pilgrims waiting for a taxi they stare at me drinking coffee. I think this is how animals in the Zoo must feel; dozens of people standing around in a circle watching your every move, taking pictures and today even feeding me! A little boy came to give me popcorn...yep, just like in a Zoo! :-)
I'll be staying here one more day and then I'm ready for the next step. I used this week to heal from my cold and to get my eating and sleeping pattern in order. Now that I have and my body is lean enough, I will be trying to get to Mumbai. But it's not as easy as I thought it would be. All the trains are full, so I'll have to put myself on a waiting list and hope people don't show up. Anyway... I'll go back to Delhi first and then see what my options are. But everything in India has a way of working out, so I'm not worried. And if I really can't get to Mumbai... I'll have to stay here and live in an Ashram! Haha!
zaterdag 6 november 2010
Oh my God...
Yes, I'm talking about God because he is everywhere. Everywhere, but mainly here in Rishikesh. Yep, all the Gods come together here and have themselves a good laugh with their cup of chai. The enlighted spirits that wander the streets here are numerous, even more numerous than the holy cows. And they seem to float and wear white clothes and have white hair and think arrogantly that their inner beauty is amazing when all the Indians want to see is their tits. Pardon my language. Yes, after getting up at 5 this morning, spending 5 hours on a train and another hour in a rickshaw I'm a little sarcastic today. Don't get me wrong, Rishikesh is beautiful, with clean air and it has a really good vibe. I'll be hanging around here for a bit and apart from the enlighted, the other 50% of tourists are actually really nice. I found myself a room for 'one hundred pipty roepie' and it looks like a 'tree hundred pipty room', so I'm happy about that. Maybe if I do stay longer I will look for a 'pipe hundred roepie' room that looks like a 'one thousand roepie' room. Just wait and see how I sleep tonight. :-)
I'm happy to be out of Delhi because I started sneezing every 10 minutes. Since I got off the train, the sneezing stopped and I haven't used one tissue yet. Yep, must have been the air! Divali was nice, the lights and candles everywhere and fireworks and firecrackers. From a safe distance at my rooftop restaurant it looked all very beautiful. A bit dangerous maybe when small flames seemed to fall on various rooftops and electrical knobs, but hey... that just adds to the suspense! Will it or will it not... burn?! Ha!
I don't know what happened with me, but I seem to have the Air of being an experienced India traveler?? Beggars don't even come up to me so much anymore, vendors smile but don't really hassle me and tourists come up to me to ask all sorts of questions. There must be something about me. Some Indians still try like at the hotel... the receptionist this morning wanted to get me in a taxi for a 1-minute drive, so I laughed. Then he wanted to sell me a bus ticket and again I laughed. (Yes, I laugh a lot these days.) So he told me that I know a lot...maybe too much. So I answered I know enough to keep men like him off my back. He didn't laugh. Wonder why?! :-D
Anyway, things are a lot more relaxed than last time and that changes my experience of India. It's different.
But I'm glad this is not my first trip to India. I would advice everybody that comes here for the first time...don't do it alone. Not because it's not safe, it is, but because you need someone there to hold your hand and toughen you up! That was my lesson last time and now I'm so happy about it, because it's what makes traveling here a lot easier. I felt it the second I arrived, maybe that's what people are picking up about me? Let's hope I can keep this up!
I'm happy to be out of Delhi because I started sneezing every 10 minutes. Since I got off the train, the sneezing stopped and I haven't used one tissue yet. Yep, must have been the air! Divali was nice, the lights and candles everywhere and fireworks and firecrackers. From a safe distance at my rooftop restaurant it looked all very beautiful. A bit dangerous maybe when small flames seemed to fall on various rooftops and electrical knobs, but hey... that just adds to the suspense! Will it or will it not... burn?! Ha!
I don't know what happened with me, but I seem to have the Air of being an experienced India traveler?? Beggars don't even come up to me so much anymore, vendors smile but don't really hassle me and tourists come up to me to ask all sorts of questions. There must be something about me. Some Indians still try like at the hotel... the receptionist this morning wanted to get me in a taxi for a 1-minute drive, so I laughed. Then he wanted to sell me a bus ticket and again I laughed. (Yes, I laugh a lot these days.) So he told me that I know a lot...maybe too much. So I answered I know enough to keep men like him off my back. He didn't laugh. Wonder why?! :-D
Anyway, things are a lot more relaxed than last time and that changes my experience of India. It's different.
But I'm glad this is not my first trip to India. I would advice everybody that comes here for the first time...don't do it alone. Not because it's not safe, it is, but because you need someone there to hold your hand and toughen you up! That was my lesson last time and now I'm so happy about it, because it's what makes traveling here a lot easier. I felt it the second I arrived, maybe that's what people are picking up about me? Let's hope I can keep this up!
vrijdag 5 november 2010
From Delhi with Love!
So, this is it! I'm in India, Delhi. My trip here went smooth, very smooth. If this sets the tone for the next couple of months, I have nothing to worry about. Wednesday morning Kristel and Steph gave me their last coffee. Probably because they knew it would be my last decent coffee for a while. Ha! Abderahim kept me company at the station and waved goodbye as the train left the station. Sniff! Check in at the airport went good and they gave me a seat at the exit, so lots of leg-space. I watched Alice in Wonderland which I've been wanting to see. My pickup in Delhi showed up and even though it was one of those 'shrunken' little cars, I was happy with it. There was a lot of traffic, but this car is like a rat and can fit the tiniest holes. So whenever it saw a bit of space in between two huge trucks... there we went! Very efficient if you need to be somewhere fast, not so good for the heart! ;-)
The hotel is OK, but to my suprise it's Delhi that surprises me the most. It's still yellow and it smells the same, but they must have known I was coming. They prepared the city for me and removed all the cows and dogs. I am so thankfull for that! ;-) Or maybe it's because of Divali-festival?! Anyway, it all looks cleaner than I remember and there's less hassle. Is it the Common Wealth Games; are things really about to change in this city or is this just my mind that was expecting the worse? Probably a bit of both. There are constructions going on everywhere, so I guess Delhi really is cleaning up. Well on the ground, because the visibility in the sky is like 20 meters. But I'm also a different person than 6 months ago. I know how to dodge the hassle-bullets. When an old man tried to read my lines (yes, the foreheadlines tell you all about yourself and your purpose on this planet), I told him I was not ready for a great spiritual mind like his... so we both started laughing and he winked at me while leaving me to be. He knew that I knew what he was up to!
I'm not doing much here in Delhi. A cold, mixed with allergies, tiredness, destressing and a bit of jetlag and that was my cocktail the last 2 days. This morning I took a bit of medicines and now I'm better. But I'm taking it easy; reading, watching TV, wandering Pajar Ganj and talking to strangers (sorry, mom and dad...). But tomorrow I'm moving on and taking the train to Haridwar and Rishikesh up North. At the foot of the Himalaya where the air is fresh I'll be practising my yoga and relaxing...mmmmmmmmm... :-D
The hotel is OK, but to my suprise it's Delhi that surprises me the most. It's still yellow and it smells the same, but they must have known I was coming. They prepared the city for me and removed all the cows and dogs. I am so thankfull for that! ;-) Or maybe it's because of Divali-festival?! Anyway, it all looks cleaner than I remember and there's less hassle. Is it the Common Wealth Games; are things really about to change in this city or is this just my mind that was expecting the worse? Probably a bit of both. There are constructions going on everywhere, so I guess Delhi really is cleaning up. Well on the ground, because the visibility in the sky is like 20 meters. But I'm also a different person than 6 months ago. I know how to dodge the hassle-bullets. When an old man tried to read my lines (yes, the foreheadlines tell you all about yourself and your purpose on this planet), I told him I was not ready for a great spiritual mind like his... so we both started laughing and he winked at me while leaving me to be. He knew that I knew what he was up to!
I'm not doing much here in Delhi. A cold, mixed with allergies, tiredness, destressing and a bit of jetlag and that was my cocktail the last 2 days. This morning I took a bit of medicines and now I'm better. But I'm taking it easy; reading, watching TV, wandering Pajar Ganj and talking to strangers (sorry, mom and dad...). But tomorrow I'm moving on and taking the train to Haridwar and Rishikesh up North. At the foot of the Himalaya where the air is fresh I'll be practising my yoga and relaxing...mmmmmmmmm... :-D
vrijdag 29 oktober 2010
What did I get myself into?!
It started as a dream, then it became a plan and now... well now comes the hardest part; doing it!!
March 2010 I came back from India and again I cried on the plane home. I always do that after a long trip. I look forward to seeing my friends and family, but a little piece of me always stays behind and therefor I hate saying goodbye. This time it was the same story all over again, but I had this strange feeling that wouldn't go away. This unfulfilled feeling as if my trip wasn't finished yet. And the weeks after I came back I did what I had to do to make this strange feeling go away. I made arrangements to go back. Back to India!
I took off six months from work. What's six months in a lifetime? That's just peanuts!! Although I have to admit that right now... 6 months sound a bit like forever! But that's just the "scared me" talking. ;-)
Several months passed since then and the "well-organized me" started to cross off things from her to-do-list. Step by step I prepared myself for this trip and now, today, I'm all done! So I guess I'm ready? Yes, I'm ready to go back to India!!
India, my God! Any God! I'll be spending three months over there. So here comes the question; 'what did I get myself into?!'
I don't even like India at times. It's the dirtiest country in the world, people are dying in front of you and no one seems to care, they rip you off every chance they get, you never get what you bargained for unless you get really angry and demanding, women are second-rate citizens in some parts and the only thing keeping them from treating me that way are my western money and looks, dogs take over the streets at night and they are not afraid to bite, cows are everywhere except on the menu (damned), monkeys and rats are the beggars biggest enemy and you never know who will win the food you just gave, there's water everywhere but you can't swim in it because there's a good chance you'll get sick and die... and yes, I look forward to going back! To THAT??!
Yes, because India is more than that. It is fascinating, interesting, challenging... It's a country of palaces, kings and queens, femininity and elegance, where women make the roads and men where skirts, it has some of the highest mountains in the world, amazing seas, jungles and backwaters, a desert, there's Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Catholics, Jains, Yoga was invented here, the Kama Sutra needs no more introduction, people have a smile on their face no matter how poor, they wear the most colorful saris and turbans, they can spend hours telling you about their culture and their philosophies, they ask you a million questions and you make their day if you sing them a song, really! But above all they want you to learn about India and they want you to try and understand the things they don't even understand after a lifetime of India.
And THAT's why I have to back. I don't understand India. It's like going to another planet. So me and India... we're not finished yet!
For those of you who read 'Holy Cow'; when I first arrived in India I had a major culture shock and was closer to crying than laughing. First week I went to a fortune teller and he told me I would be back (several times), and I did NOT believe him! But I guess every now and then they are right about some things... let's see if he's right about some other things too, haha! ;-)
After three months India, I'll also be going back to a great love of mine: China. Visiting the funny people. There's a lot to say about China as a nation, but I'm going back for the Chinese and their world. They are amazing people and although it's impossible to speak to them, their interaction is so pure. They try their best to explain you stuff and I've never felt more safe and at ease in a foreign country as I did in China. Some tourists say I'm just lucky that I'm tall and blond, because that's the way they like their tourists, but it doesn't matter. I know this time I'll love it like I loved it the first time!
To end my little trip I'll also be going to Tibet and Nepal. That will be the real discovery because I haven't been to either of these countries yet. I'll be going there in the spring, first time, like a virgin! So for more on that, you'll have to visit me from time to time!
March 2010 I came back from India and again I cried on the plane home. I always do that after a long trip. I look forward to seeing my friends and family, but a little piece of me always stays behind and therefor I hate saying goodbye. This time it was the same story all over again, but I had this strange feeling that wouldn't go away. This unfulfilled feeling as if my trip wasn't finished yet. And the weeks after I came back I did what I had to do to make this strange feeling go away. I made arrangements to go back. Back to India!
I took off six months from work. What's six months in a lifetime? That's just peanuts!! Although I have to admit that right now... 6 months sound a bit like forever! But that's just the "scared me" talking. ;-)
Several months passed since then and the "well-organized me" started to cross off things from her to-do-list. Step by step I prepared myself for this trip and now, today, I'm all done! So I guess I'm ready? Yes, I'm ready to go back to India!!
India, my God! Any God! I'll be spending three months over there. So here comes the question; 'what did I get myself into?!'
I don't even like India at times. It's the dirtiest country in the world, people are dying in front of you and no one seems to care, they rip you off every chance they get, you never get what you bargained for unless you get really angry and demanding, women are second-rate citizens in some parts and the only thing keeping them from treating me that way are my western money and looks, dogs take over the streets at night and they are not afraid to bite, cows are everywhere except on the menu (damned), monkeys and rats are the beggars biggest enemy and you never know who will win the food you just gave, there's water everywhere but you can't swim in it because there's a good chance you'll get sick and die... and yes, I look forward to going back! To THAT??!
Yes, because India is more than that. It is fascinating, interesting, challenging... It's a country of palaces, kings and queens, femininity and elegance, where women make the roads and men where skirts, it has some of the highest mountains in the world, amazing seas, jungles and backwaters, a desert, there's Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Catholics, Jains, Yoga was invented here, the Kama Sutra needs no more introduction, people have a smile on their face no matter how poor, they wear the most colorful saris and turbans, they can spend hours telling you about their culture and their philosophies, they ask you a million questions and you make their day if you sing them a song, really! But above all they want you to learn about India and they want you to try and understand the things they don't even understand after a lifetime of India.
And THAT's why I have to back. I don't understand India. It's like going to another planet. So me and India... we're not finished yet!
For those of you who read 'Holy Cow'; when I first arrived in India I had a major culture shock and was closer to crying than laughing. First week I went to a fortune teller and he told me I would be back (several times), and I did NOT believe him! But I guess every now and then they are right about some things... let's see if he's right about some other things too, haha! ;-)
After three months India, I'll also be going back to a great love of mine: China. Visiting the funny people. There's a lot to say about China as a nation, but I'm going back for the Chinese and their world. They are amazing people and although it's impossible to speak to them, their interaction is so pure. They try their best to explain you stuff and I've never felt more safe and at ease in a foreign country as I did in China. Some tourists say I'm just lucky that I'm tall and blond, because that's the way they like their tourists, but it doesn't matter. I know this time I'll love it like I loved it the first time!
To end my little trip I'll also be going to Tibet and Nepal. That will be the real discovery because I haven't been to either of these countries yet. I'll be going there in the spring, first time, like a virgin! So for more on that, you'll have to visit me from time to time!
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