Dubai and Home

It was a four hour flight to Dubai followed by more than an hour standing in line in the immigration queue, then another wait for a bus to the hotel, which turned out to be not much further than round the corner. We had planned to spend the afternoon on the balcony of the hotel or even round the swimming pool. Sadly there were two Copthorne Hotels in Dubai and the one we had been looking at on the internet was the city centre one. The airport Copthorne, where we were staying, had neither balconies nor pools. However the receptionist directed us to a place where we could sit outside and have a drink. Tom thought he was hearing things as it sounded like 'The Irish Village' but that was indeed where we ended up. It was a huge Irish theme pub in a complex that included a grass sitting area around a pool, a shopping centre, and the Dubai Tennis Centre. We had arrived right in the middle of the big Dubai tennis tournament, so we rubbed shoulders with all the tennis fans who were there to see the semi-finals of the Ladies competition, and were given free hats sponsored by Jacob's Creek. The men will be playing next week. I don't suppose Andy Murray or Roger Federer will have to wait as long in the immigration queue at the airport as we did .

We took advantage of a 4 hour bus trip round Dubai in the evening. It took us to all the main sights, the Palm, the Burj-al-Arab, the dancing fountains (very impressive) under the Burj Khalifa which is the tallest building in the world as we were reminded several times, and finally the gold souk which shows the real religion round here. We may never be here again so it was a worthwhile tour. All that remained was to go to bed early, get up at 5 a.m. and take an 8 hour flight home. It was great to be met by Rona and Silvana at the airport and collect our car.

What a month we have had. India has certainly given us plenty to think about and we may well be back in the future. There's so much else to see and experience. In the next few hours we'll try to add a few photographs to the recent blogs, so don't forget to check back.

Last days in Kerala

A morning walk along the back of the beach revealed village life. We had found it hard to believe that 10,000 people lived here in the village - we would call it a town. However the houses were close to each other and were at least 4 deep in the jungle fringe at the back of the beach. There were probably more behind lost in the palm trees. Judging by the number of boats on the beach nearly every house must have a boat. There were signs of increasing prosperity with new houses being built and the roads improved. Lines of women were carrying large basins of sand for what seemed to be a causeway building project. The men were mainly playing cards or mending nets, but we knew they had been out all night fishing. There were children looking for the usual pens, chocolate or money though they were not too persistent. This seems to happen most when there is a big difference between rich tourist projects and a poor area beside it. When local people were involved more in the tourism projects like the rice barges there was not the same problem. We came back to our own oasis of luxury and enjoyed a few hours of sun.

The next day we took a tuk-tuk to the fishing port of Vizhinjam a few miles away. It was quite a surprise as it had two very impressive mosques at one end of the harbour and a church at the other. The division between the moslem and Christian parts of the harbour was marked by a large police station. We had read that the two communities had only been separated a few years ago after some disturbances, but all seemed quiet when we were there. At least quiet in that sense - one of the mosques was blasting out music at deafening levels from a battery of speakers. There were dozens of small fishing boats in attractive colours all along the shore, a covered market, lots of women gutting fish on the beach, and men mending net. It really was very picturesque. We were able to walk from there to the lighthouse overlooking Kovalam beach, and down into the town. It was more tourist centred than anywhere else we have seen and was a pleasant place to walk around and have a snack before an hour or two on the beach and a tuk-tuk back to our hotel. You can see that by now we were quite chilled out and in fact spent the last day entirely in the hotel complex. Sadly we packed our bags after buying an extra one in the hotel shop to take all our purchases. Having checked in on line for our flight we were able to have a breakfast at 7.30 and set off at 8.00 for the airport.

Kovalam

We were on deck again at 6.30 to see the sunrise and watch the misty scene before us. The birds were much in evidence and close to the boats. The reflections in the water added to the beauty of the landscape. Breakfast was the best yet, an omelette and coconut pancake with toast and fruit. We had to admit defeat eventually. It was a case of compliments to the chef. Hopefully we can walk it off at our beach resort. On our way back we saw a lady washing her buffalo, dusty from working in the fields. There were also lots of one man canoes, a cricket match and some Toddy tappers. (That would make a great name for a band).

After saying farewell to our captain and cook, we met up with Shijo and travelled on to the Travancore Heritage Hotel almost at the southern tip of India. On the way we again discussed a wide range of subjects like ages for drinking, driving and marriage which are all 18 in India. Shijo who is 28 was asked by his parents a couple of years ago if he wanted them to find a wife for him. He said no at the time but has recently indicated he is ready so they are "looking". He promised to invite us to the wedding. Sometimes there may be as many as 50 prospectives shown to a young man before there is an agreement, though the agreement has to be on both sides. He had a client from UK who married an Indian girl and he showed us a movie clip of the wedding procession, elephant carrying the groom, guests all in Indian dress. He also had a clip of the toddy tapping. At the beginning of the day it is sweet, but by the evening it is not so sweet but has a bit of a kick - instant alcohol.

He arranged for us to see the fish market at Neerakkala where fish of all shapes and sizes had been landed, sold and prepared. The birds overhead were an equal atraction with egrets and black kites vying for the leftovers. Men were mending the very colourful nets. This was the port where the Tamil Nadu fishermen set off from. The pictures of the two men killed by the Italian marines were everywhere.

Travancore Heritage hotel is on a cliff top a few miles south of Kovalam, overlooking the beach, and we are in the top part. There is a lift to the bottom and two pools with an indoor/outdoor restaurant. We have nice gardens, hammocks strung up everywhere, and internet so we were able to keep up with news but not to upload pictures. That will have to wait till home. We hoped to do very little here, chilling out and enjoying the facilities with perhaps a couple of visits to nearby villages. The beach far below was a fishing village and at night there were rows of lights from the fishing boats in a line out to sea. Once again there were British tourists, Germans, Scandinavians and Russians. You could have a health package with Ayuverdic massage but we were chilled out enough anyway. There were other medical opportunities and Tom was tempted by the dental treatments on offer!

A Backwater Cruise

We left Cardamom County Hotel and travelled back downhill towards the coast to Alleppey. This is the centre where the houseboats set out from. On the way we had long discussions with our driver about arranged marriages (he agrees with them and says there are less divorces with arranged marriages), alcohol (he drinks a little but not at home or he gets a lecture from his mum. 95 per cent of women don't drink at all but there were long queues of men outside the government alcohol stores. Drinking and drunk driving rules and penalties seem much the same as in UK. We stopped to see the beginnings of a Hindu festival where two elephanta had been delivered and got pictures taken with them and their mahout. We also saw children on their day off collecting plastic rubbish to sell. These schemes make a difference to the landscape.

At Alleppey we found our houseboat for our overnight stay. These are converted rice barges which no longer ply the canals with goods but carry tourists instead. Ours had two bedrooms with en suite and air conditioning. There was a kitchen and a large deck set out for sitting and dining. Normally they have a crew of three but we had the boat to ourselves and just two crew, introduced as captain and cook. After leaving the berth we set off along the waterways before a stop for lunch. Not surprisingly the canals were built during the Dutch occupation and they go between the fields of rice, which are below the water level and behind dykes.

There were hundreds of boats but the area is so vast and they are relatively quiet so it was very peaceful gliding along watching people going about their daily lives in the little houses built on the dykes and looking for the birds including bee-eaters, heron, egrets and terns.

This is a very relaxing way to travel, not much noise, many photo opportunities round every corner and food provided at regular intervals. We had earlier bought quite expensive tiger prawns at a market stall and these were later prepared for supper. Lunch was a substantial meal of rice, various vegetables, poppadums and lake fish. Later fried and battered plantain were a snack and our supper was more rice, the prawns, chicken and more fruit.

People along the beach provided some excellent photo opportunities. Some were washing pots, moving around in wooden canoes, climbing trees to collect toddy, the local drink, swimming or washing their hair. Everywhere there was the sound of slap, slap as washing was pounded on a rock. Beautiful little churches appeared at regular intervals, Catholic beside Orthodox and in the evening the call to prayer from the mosque. Some homes were very simple, others beautiful brightly coloured bungalows with walls round them. No one seemed in a great hurry, just getting on with the necessities of life. Many Indians were on the rice barges having a day out. Shijo had earlier told us that Sunday was mainly a day of rest when people would go to church or temple, have a meal with family, go to the shopping mall or have a day out.

When we docked for the night we had a little walk along the riverbank, getting a look at the houses on the bank and seeing the sunset behind the palm trees. We were amused to see a novel toothbrush holder. A string had been tied round a tree and the toothbrushes wrere stuck into the string.

It was a very warm night and on deck we watched little lizards eating insects, not all of them unfortunately. As usual the mosquitoes have struck Norma but antihistamines and creams are working well. Our bed was comfortable and we were plugged into electricity on the bank so had air conditioning. All was very peaceful.

Boat trip and Carpets

After an accident on Lake Periyar a few years ago when a tourist boat overturned and 45 tourists drowned, regulations are tighter and we all had to wear lifejackets and stay in our seats. The guides were good at pointing out the birds and animals. We saw snake birds, bison, wild boar, a red mongoose, kingfisher, an osprey and many other birds but sadly no elephants. Our own guide pointed out lemurs, deer and an Indian squirrel as we drove back for breakfast.

At 11.00 it was time for a tour of a spice farm with an optional elephant ride but we felt we had already covered that. The walk through the spice farm was fascinating but we are afraid that the information mostly went in one ear and out the other. Basically all the spices and a few herbs already grew in Kerala and one or two have been imported from the West Indies or Zanzibar. It seems the first American millionaire made his money from importing pepper - from India. This might make a good quiz question. The local coffee beans were quite small. Some spices we could identify by smell but others need to be soaked, heated, ground or all three before they released their taste. We then visited one of the local spice shops where we bought an enormous quantity of spices. Maybe we can set up a spice market in Kinnesswood!

This was followed by a visit to a Kashmir shop recommended by our guide, where we saw lovely carpets among other things. Many people from Kashmir try to make money elsewhere in India as very few tourists visit there any more because of the unsettled political situation. It was time for a beer, a lie down by the pool and a think about rugs. We later had a wander along the street and guess what - ended up in the carpet shop buying a carpet for the hall. Since our last weigh-in at an airport suggested we had only used half our luggage allowance we decided to buy another bag and carry it home with us, from which you'll gather it's not actually a very big carpet.

Periyar

We met up with the man who had found the bag (remembered where it might have dropped out) and found everything was intact. He refused to take any sort of reward but eventually agreed to take something to give to a local charity. We shook his hand and thanked him. Arif was certainly an honest man and while it was a shock at the time gave us a good impression of Kochi and its inhabitants.


Our driver who said little yesterday, began to open up a bit. He drove us out of the city through very attractive villages in flat countryside, followed by low hills then higher ones. He was happy to stop at any point for us to take photos. A high point was seeing an elephant being transported on a truck. It''s the season of festivals here and elephants are dressed in finery to take part. We had an explanation for some of the plants we saw, jackfruit, rubber trees, cocoa beans, pineapples, various spices and later tea and coffee.

We stopped to see coconut oil being processed. The whole tree is used, the coir for matting and ropes, the pod for coconut, milk and oil and the wood for building. Once the oil is processed the remaining fibre is used for cattle feed. We stopped for lunch then it was on to higher ground to visit a tea plantation. We had a conducted tour of Connemara Tea (though most of it is sold in India). We never realised before that black tea is roasted. The resultant brew was very pleasant and we purchased a DVD of Kerala which explains about the local wildlife as well as the processing of tea, coffee and spices. Old habits never die as it would make an ideal school resource. All the old geography books with ladies picking tea are coming to life. Kerala is called "God's Own Country" by its inhabitants (most seem highly amused at the idea that Scots say the same about Scotland) and it seems it is well eqipped with tea, coffee, cocoa, fruit and vegetables as well as spices. The only downside is the monsoon and the hotter weather. Our guide says now is the best time to visit. A week of this will be R and R after the bustle of the north.

Our guide, Shijo, having worked out that we are open to all opportunities, got us tickets for a martial arts display called Kalaripathayu (or something like that!), lasting an hour. The ceremony was lit by lamps, and held in a small sunken arena with seats round it, which all added to the drama. There was a great deal of controlled offerings to the gods before the 8 participants demonstrated using swords, shields, knives, a scarf (to tie the opponent up or for strangulation we presume) finishing with very large baton twirling and jumping through fiery hoops.

Our meal tonight was fish and chips Kerala style, and large prawns done on the tandoori - delicious! It was early to bed for an early start on Lake Periyar tomorrow.

Kathakali Theatre

Waking refreshed we enjoyed another stylish breakfast, catering for all nationalities, though after the British bus tours of Shimla we seemed to be mostly among Americans. Our driver and guide for the morning came at 9.30 to take us to the old town of Kochi. It has a history of being ruled by different invaders and traders. One of the most important was Vasco da Gama who provided the first route round the Cape of Good Hope to India. He did eventually die here though his son took his body back to Portugal. Others were the Dutch and then of course the British. A Christian church had been established very early. We saw an English Church which is currently being restored.

The famous Chinese fishing nets are practically abandoned now and our guide suggested they catch more tourists than fish these days. The nets are land based. Canoe type boats are used by fishermen up to 10 miles out, then beyond that are the purse netters, much smaller than our Scottish ones, and not allowed to fish closer to shore. It was one of these boats from Neerakkala, a little further down the coast, that was fired on by Italian marines, apparently mistaking them for pirates, and killing two Indian fishermen. This caused an understandably furious reaction here, especialy when it became known that the Italian media was reporting it as "brave Italian marines" fighting off "Indian pirates". The 2004 tsunami had its effect in this area as currents changed and there are now less fish. For 3 months of the year no one can fish. The international aid in the aftermath of the tsunami caused its own problems as much of it was distributed through the Christian churches, thus effectively excluding large numbers of Moslem fishing families.

We next visited the Dutch Palace, which was built by the Dutch as a kind of peace offering to the local kings, and used by them until the 1950s. It was notable for the elaborate frescos which we were not allowed to photograph, the palanquins used to transport the kings, and the portraits of the royal ladies. Everyone went bare chested till the 1900s when European attitudes came in. Our last visit was to an Orthodox Jewish church where security was tight. After the destruction of the econd Temple in 72 AD and the subsequent dispersal of the Jews a settlement was estabished here, but many moved "back" to Israel after Indian independence followed quickly by Israeli independence in 1948. Now only a small number remain, and the only woman of child bearing age would have to look elsewhere for a husband. It may be that no one is left very soon. After being measured up for a top and seeing the spice market we left our guide and had lunch. It was a very intense historical morning and we were happy to wander back through the market and take a short ferry ride back to the hotel for a swim and a rest before the entertainment.

Kathakali, a unique form of local theatre is held in 5 venues around Kochi. Our guide had obtained front row tickets for the show, particularly useful as part of the fun is to watch the make up being applied. Google it and you will see why, as it is face painting taken to the extreme. Both characters in the short drama were played by males though one was a female part. The first bit of the show was an introduction to the facial and other gestures and what they meant. An older actor had us spellbound as he rolled his eyes round his head. His control of facial muscles was amazing. The second part was a story told in music by the two we had seen earlier, now in fabulous costumes. It reminded us of our pantomime days. The very good looking young man became a lovely lady, very coy but in the end she turned into a demon and was killed by the prince! It was a great piece of theatre. We had a meal at the hotel with much milder dishes and were very moderate with our choices.

A phone call later led to some consternation as the person claimed to have picked up a bag containing our passports from the street. Until then we had not noticed that it was missing. Usually it was kept round the neck, but on this one occasion had been placed in a bigger bag. Having checked with him that the credit card was still there we agreed to pick it up in the morning. It was not a comfortable night thinking of what might have been.

South to Kerala

We left at 6.00 for Chandigarth Airport in an air conditioned car. We were not sorry to leave the Radisson. The level of bowing and scraping was too much for us. I do not know whether it is a remnant of the time of the British Raj in Shimla but we have not found this elsewhere to the same extent. Our bill for two evening meals and car and driver for yesterday came to one hundred pounds, expensive for India but a bargain by our standards. Our driver was good, quite cautious as you have to be on these roads, but we did the reverse trip we had done on the train, but only half way with a short trip to Delhi. On the way the roads were quiet till Kalka then increasingly busy with new dual carriageway for the last hour. Spotted on the way was a sign for the "Eco friendly School" in Solan. Schoolchildren were dressed immaculately some in white skirts and knee socks, or trousers. They still seem to be clean at the end of the day.

Chandigarh was evidently designed by Corbusier and is set out with a grid system with wide roads. It is meant to be very clean, and is headquarters for much of the army. The airport was modern. We had a breakfast of omelette, toast and good coffee for about 2 pounds. There was little else except a selection of free newspapers in English and Hindi. Reading the local paper certainly give a different perspective on a country. It was a quick flight to Delhi but a long wait for the 5.30 flight to Kochi. Arriving at 9.00 it was still an hour to the hotel. The temperature was somewhat warmer than Shimla. Immediately we drove along the street we could see that this was a much more prosperous state.

Industries are teak and spice export, oil import, a navy presence and in the last 10 years tourism has grown particularly around the backwaters. A comfortable bed gave us a decent 8 hours sleep.

The Gaiety Theatre

After taking it easy yesterday we had a good breakfast, before meeting our guide and driver. We drove up to the Viceroy's house on a hill top called Summer Hill, passing various schools on the way. Many were boarding schools and some still have boarders. They are regarded as very good by Indians both at home and those who are non resident. One was called Loretto but was a girl's school.

The Viceroy's House is now a college for post graduate students and we had a tour of the gardens and the lower floor of the house. It was very impressive, panelled with teak, chandeliers everywhere and photos of various viceroys, their wives and others who visited the place including Ghandi.



Next was a very high statue of Hanuman on top of another hill, evidently included in the Guiness Book of Records. First we had to avoid the baboons which were quite aggressive. We left our glasses in the car under our guide's insruction. Evidently one lady had her bag snatched and it ended on top of the statue. However armed with a walking pole (and adopting tactics to fight off bonxies) we made it. After another steep climb by car we were taken to Wildflower Hall, which was originally built for Lord Kitchener, but is now an Oberoi Hotel. We had our lunch there looking out at the snow and faced a bill to match its opulence, a bit like going to Gleneagles. We chose the "platter of Indian street food" as we have been warned frequently not to eat from street stalls no matter how tempting they look or smell. It was certainly the best coffee we've had since we arrived and the ambience of sitting in such a building with the chandeliers, the waiters and the amazing toilets made up for the inflated bill. It was Valentine's Day after all.

We asked to be dropped off at the Mall as we wanted to see the Gaiety Theatre. It has been a feature of Shimla life since the 1890's. It was a small theatre seating about 350. It is gothic in style and the only one of its kind in Asia. It has undergone a refurbishment lasting 5 years. There are many amateur dramatic groups in Shimla which use the theatre but its heyday was in the 1900's when Rudyard Kipling among others wrote and performed in plays there. There was a photographic record of most of the plays. More recently Bollywood actors have performed here, and also Michael Palin when he made his "Himalayas" programme. We have the book at home so must look it up.

The weather has been kinder today so it was pleasant wandering around. The church, like the theatre, had prominent seats for the Viceroy. It also had huge stained glass windows and plaques commemorating people who died in Shimla or died elsewhere but had a Shimla connection. All in all it was an interesting day and we went for a very nice meal of spicy chicken, potatoes and the usual rice and breads.

Shimla

Thank goodness we had decided on a quiet day as a touch of the Delhi Belly struck. Either that or it was too much of the spicy buffet after a long day. Suffice to say we had a quiet morning, thankfully in a luxury hotel, and enjoyed the view from our window. By lunch time we tentatively set off for the Mall, the main road which runs along the ridge on which Shimla is built. There was no hassle from anyone here, no rickshaws, no one really trying to sell anything unless we approached a shop. We restocked at a pharmacy which was quite prepared to sell us antibiotics so we now feel prepared for anything that strikes. There were nice coffee shops and the influence of the British shows in the bakery section, chocolate chip cookies, custard biscuits, and brownies. "Tiffin" used to mean elevenses, and is one of the many Indian words which have made their way into the English language alongside jodhpurs, bungalow and pyjamas. One thing we can say for sure is that it was extremely cold with an icy blast from the north. Everyone was wearing lots of clothes, blankets and very nifty hats. One was purchased perhaps as inspiration for the SWRI competition. The woven shawls here are lovely too so it was a bit of a spending spree. A long paisley shawl for 10 pounds is pretty cheap. These designs were borrowed from this part of India too. A quick meal of pasta and a burger was purchased in the Mall then it was back to the hotel for a shower to warm up.

The Toy Train

A representative from our travel company met us at the hotel in Delhi and escorted us to New Delhi station then on to the train to Kalka with all the vouchers for the rest of our trip. Unfortunately it was the wrong carriage but that was easily sorted out. What an experience it was to travel First Class on Indian Rail. We had scarcely sat in our well spaced seats before water was delivered, and several newspapers and a magazine appeared. This was followed by coffee and biscuits, a hot breakfast and more coffee. The tickets only cost 1025 rupees (about fifteen pounds) for both of us and the journey was about 4 hours.


In Kalka we had less than half an hour to change to the "toy train" to Shimla. What a culture shock after the other train! It is smaller, a narrow gauge line, though not quite as small as this rail car we met going in the other direction. We found our carriage immediately. Unfortunately it was occupied by a group of young boys, about 9 or 10 years old, and as we stood doubtfully in the doorway we were told that they would leave when the train started. As we pointed out our seats, they all poured out of the window (a barrel load of monkeys comes to mind). With seats secured we had to try to stow luggage. There were 2 other non Indian couples on the train, an older couple going to the Oberoi and a young couple. The girl looked Indian and had been born in Delhi but was put in an orphanage at age 4 and adopted by a Danish couple at 5. She and her partner who was also Danish were visiting India for the first time since she was adopted. She found that people expected her to speak Hindi. Since we had both finished "City of Djinns" , an amusing and historical book about Delhi, it seemed appropriate to pass it on to them. Needless to say they spoke perfect english and could also read it. The other couple kindly shared their lunch as both their hotel and their tour company had provided large packed lunches. It was a long and uncomfortable 5 hours of climbing slowly up the mountainside but the views were spectacular. Shimla is built around 7000 feet up on the side of a mountain and had evidence of recent snow falls. A driver met us and transported us to the Radisson Hotel. Service here was a bit overpowering at times. After washing a few clothes and updating the blog we visited the buffet which was very good but a bit spicy. Having met the hotel guide we agreed on a tour on Tuesday but would have a quiet day on Monday.

Last Day of G Adventures

Yet another early wake up call to see the ceremonies on the Ganges (Ganga). Once again we took a boat trip along the river, watching the devout washing themselves or even swimming in the not very clean looking water. "Do they ever get sick?" "Oh yes," said our guide. We were very careful as we lowered our flower candles into the river and made our wishes. We were assured that those who were performing their religious rituals didn't mind us taking pictures, and were pleased to share their customs with visitors from the West. Buddhists, it seems, also regard Varanasi as a holy place as the Buddha once lived there. Suddenly the sun began to rise on the opposite bank and the scene became more and more striking.

A quick breakfast had been organised at the hotel then it was time for our short flight back to Delhi. There was lots of security. Jacqui's bag was singled out and searched. She had picked up her mosquito spray from home, not noticing the pack also contained a lighter they used when camping. The bag had passed security all the way from Vancouver and this was the first time it had been picked up. There is strong security around bags and nothing, including cabin luggage, is allowed on or off the plane without a tag.

Back in Delhi we noticed that the traffic didn't seem so frantic compared with Varanasi. We were in the same hotel and set off to find an internet cafe to update the blog. We are only a week behind now. It was time for our last night's meal in Delhi and we returned to the restaurant we had really enjoyed on our second night there. Tony had arranged a birthday cake for Dushyant as he had his 30th birthday a few days earlier. He was quite touched by this. It was sad to leave everyone behind but we will be glad of the slower pace for the second part of our tour. Several of the group are going on a second G Adventures tour in the south of India, some are staying for a few days in Goa, others are going to Thailand, China, New Zealand and Australia. We are off to Shimla (Simla) in the hills.

The Silk Weavers

We were spared an early start and will have our early visit to the river tomorrow. Breakfast was taken at a German bakery run as a charity to support a school for poor children. It was sitting on the floor with a low table again, fine for the young ones but a bit of a struggle for the oldies. The breakfast was great and the coffee not too bad. It was the first time we had french type bread for two weeks. Usually it is thin sliced for breakfast toast. It was a lovely start to the day and was followed by a visit to a family silk works.



After seeing the hand weaving looms and mechanical looms powered by electricity it was off to the sale room for masala tea and an entertaining sales pitch from a fellow who had spent time in Europe, particularly Germany. He had all the sales chat, "Asda price" and "lovely jubbly". Suffice to say that many items were purchased and the bags will be a bit heavier. It was by now 1.30 so no one had the energy to shop any more. The roof garden was very pleasant and we sat and chatted to a Dutch couple who were extensive travellers and were spending two months in India. Their philosophy was that they were healthy, their children and grandchildren were healthy so they travel, giving a bit of money to projects directly. They had been to visit someone who was working with "the untouchables", those who clean animal skins when they die and dispose of the carcasses. Their friends gave them money when they went anywhere, knowing it would go to a good cause.

4.30 was the roof terrace yoga class. No we didn't join in, but enjoyed watching those who did and the pain on their faces when they had their arms or legs moved by the yoga teacher.

Our evening meal was really cheap. We had one of our regular thalis, first introduced to us in a restaurant called Ann Purna in Edinburgh. We had passed political candidates earlier giving their speeches (there are currently state elections in Varanasi) but a noise outside turned out to be another wedding parade, a young man on a white horse collecting his bride from her house. As we wove our way home on a cycle rickshaw we came across several wedding parades, mostly with the groom on a white horse. The lighting for the parades were attached to a generator with open fluorescent tubes providing the light, something which didn't impress Tom. These parades continued into the night and some were woken at 4.00 by Hare Krishna chanting. We were getting up at 5 anyway to make our way back to the river for the classic dawn boat trip past the ghats.

Varanasi

Well the train to Varanasi wasn't too bad. We arrived at the station in plenty of time and were able to eat the snacks prepared by the hotel before boarding the train at 10.30. We were issued with sheets, blankets and pillows and allocated bunks, 3 deep with 6 in each compartment and two others on the opposite side of the corridor. We were lucky as six from our group shared a compartment, but some of the others shared with people who came off the train at different times in the night so they were more disrupted. We both actually slept reasonably well till 6 a.m. After four more hours we were in Varanasi, one of the oldest cities in the world and also one of the busiest. It was straight to the hotel then out for a meal before our rooms were ready. Everyone was so tired that the plans for the day were changed and we rested before the evening visit to a Hindu school and to the river to see the famous ghats and a river boat ride.


The Hindu school takes boys from the Brahmin caste from the age of about 8 or 9 for 4 years. They have an intense education, learning the Sanskrit language and the ceremonies of their religion. The caste system has been explained to us but does not always make sense or seem fair. It's such a priviledge to share these experiences and to meet people like this, certainly very well behaved boys but since they only accept 10 out of 200 applications each year then they certainly should be well motivated. They are dressed in saffron and have bare feet and only go out one day a week.

For Hindus Varanasi (previously Benares)is their most holy city. Hindus want to come to Varanasi to die and you see many old people along the banks. Cremations are carried out at two places along the banks of the Ganges, known as the burning ghats, and these go on 24 hours a day. There are huge piles of wood stacked up on the steps of the Ghats. There are too many interesting things about Varanasi to put on the blog so that will have to wait for the slide show. We took part in a candle flower ceremony where we could make a wish, one of the many occasions we have been invited to make a wish in India.

The boat took us down river to see the ghats and naturally we did not take pictures once we saw the funeral pyres close up. We were told that no one is sad as it is a great wish of Hindus to die and be cremated there. The boats then gathered opposite another ghat site to watch an evening ceremony, half prayers and half sound and light show. A cycle rickshaw took us miles to a restaurant well beyond our hotel. We were so sorry for the poor man taking us such a distance that after paying him 100 rupees (about one pound 30) we gave him the same again as a tip. Some people don't earn their tip but he certainly did. The policeman directing traffic caused us great amusement as he was using what looked like a light sabre in the dark. Sadly we didn't get a picture but then again we might have been arrested. The restaurant was very pleasant and we were pleased to sit down with food and drink after such a busy day.

Village Life

Another late start, 11.30 this time and oldies first again for breakfast. We managed to catch up a bit with the blog after various technical hitches but are well behind. Most people opted for the jeep safari and first stop was the dam. It was an old dam on a river bordering two states but a new one was being built which would also generate power for both states.


Next stop was a village where the people make money by growing tobacco and selling it but also making cigarettes using leaves to roll them in. A couple of the young smokers tried them and found them quite strong. By now the whole village was surrounding us and we all laughed at our group's attempts to make a cigarette. They are evidently just as bad for your health but much cheaper than commercial ones. We were told that no-one is allowed to sell cigarettes within two kilometres of a school. The village seemed much cleaner and we soon found out why. There was a little cart and the man in charge of it was paying for plastic by weight. The Government then pays him at a waste site. Next we met a man on a bicycle selling various trinkets, balloons etc. You could pay for the goods in rupees but some of the girls were trading bundles of hair which will go abroad to be made into wigs.


We heard children in a school and to our delight were invited in. It was lunch time and the children were getting their free lunch of rice and dhal, a way of enticing children to attend school. They were all eating up the whole lot with no complaints. Some pupils were receiving English lessons so it was a chance to test them on their knowledge. The head teacher was a very nice man and we were all made very welcome. After a brief visit to a ruined palace we finally met a hand potter and a few had a go, not with much success.

It was back to the hotel for a late lunch and collect a packed snack for the train, first a 3 hour bus ride then 12 hours overnight on the train to Varanasi. No one was looking forward to that part of the journey.

Temples and Dancing

Funnily enough the only people to turn up for an early breakfast were the oldies, all seven of us. The day trip was to Khajuraho, one of the most popular destinations in India because of its temples. The journey was along a very bumpy road and we knew we had to return the same way in the evening. The temples were reminiscent of the ones in Angkor Wat, wonderful carvings on all sides. They are also famous for their Kama Sutra figures. By chance we arrived at the end of a 7 day classical dance festival, sponsored by the State Tourist Organisation. After an exceedingly cheap evening meal it was off to the open air theatre with temples in the background. First was a lady on her own, then two men acting out a legend with Sufi singing in the background. Last was a group of young girls with beautiful glittery costumes. We met them at the end and had our pictures taken with them. It was a different kind of entertainment. We were home by midnight and the power was put on for us to go to bed. Power is often put off for a few hours each night and there can be random power cuts even in the city.

Cookery Class

Monkeys were still in evidence this morning, though not quite so close, as well as Egyptian vultures roosting on the temples. For breakfast we headed back to the little cafe where we ate last night, and found a great variety of food on offer from Korean to Israeli. Our visit this morning, still in Orchha, was to a couple of 15th century palaces abandoned in the 1700's. In fact one of them took 80 years to build and was only ever occupied for one night. The frescoes here were exceptionally well preserved as they had never been exposed to direct sunlight.

Wider local rickshaws took us to an Indian cookery class run by a relation of our guide. She taught us how to make masala tea, vegetable curry and puris, a puffed up bread. Later we enjoyed lunch, a beautiful meal made by the two lovely ladies who were demonstrating.

The bus took us along increasingly bumpy roads to Alipura, a small town further east from Orchha. Our accommodation here was in another Heritage property, a palace owned by the present Rajah. The rooms were huge as were the bathrooms with lovely furnishings to match. We had a bit of a walk round the village, a very traditional place with few amenities but better houses than we have seen elsewhere. As usual our group attracted loads of children, practising their English.

Our main meal was taken in the hotel, a buffet with about 10 choices. The only beer was strong beer so after such a long and bumpy drive it wasn't a problem falling asleep. Our instructions were to catch up on sleep as the day trip wouldn't start till 12.00.

River Rafting

Another early start with no breakfast. Thank goodness for the travel kettle and some coffee granules. It was goodbye to our bus driver as we took the train from Agra to Jhansi, a two and a half hour journey. The train was on time, we had free water given to us, a hot breakfast was served airline style and we arrived on time - quite a contrast with our recent trip to London on the East Coast mainline. There was then another bus to Orchha, a tourist resort beside a river. The town dates back to the 16th century and there are many temples and palaces dotted around, mostly ruined but still impressive. Our hotel was right by the river and surrounded by ancient buildings. We actually stayed in luxury tents, complete with electric light, little gardens in front and en-suite plumbed-in facilities. This is glamping indeed. The group was very happy as we were served a lunch buffet for 300 rupees, about 4 pounds and there was a good variety of food for those tiring of curry. The afternoon was free to have a rest after all the travel, explore the town or catch up with the diaries.

Later most of us took up the option of a river rafting trip. We had already seen several rafts go downstream so knew what was in store. We were well kitted out with helmets and life jackets, six to a boat with a couple of guides who instructed us in going forward, back and how to stop. We set off downstream under a very low bridge then over what Tom decided were grade 2 rapids. It was scary enough for some! Occasionally in calmer waters there were photo stops with temples all along the banks, peacocks flying overhead and then another bigger rapid where everyone got soaked. When we landed a hot drink of masala tea and snack of bread and chips was brought to us - chip butties in fact. It was a different and exciting experience.

As we returned to the tents a huge langur monkey was sitting outside our tent and scared some of the girls. Luckily nothing had been left outside or it might have disappeared. Our evening visit was to a Hindu Temple, said to be the only one where the god Rama had worshipped. At 7.00 pilgrims were queueing up to see statues which were kept behind closed doors. When they were opened they all went forward to give offerings to the statues. Dushya is a Hindu and was able to explain what was going on. The group then adjourned to a small family run eating place, reccmmended in "The Lonely Planet". The food was cheap and good though some a little on the spicy side. Choc ices helped cool us down.

Taj Mahal

Saturday February 4th was Taj Mahal day. All was quiet after the noise and colour of last night. Thanks to the travel kettle we had a quick cup of coffee before setting out early to the Taj Mahal. It was a day of queueing thankfully not for too long as we arrived at 6 just as it was opening. There are 80,000 visitors every day so the queues can be huge. After getting our tickets we walked towards the walls of the mausoleum. We had to walk a long way from the ticket office and were then divided into Indians, visitors, men and women to go through very tight security. Luckily we had been told not to bring large bags as they were searched thoroughly. It was early in the day in Agra and very misty on the river so our first view was quite eerie with the Taj Mahal seeming to float on the mist. It is indeed a magnificent building not built from marble but covered in it with patterned inlays of semi-precious stones everywhere. The marble had been transported 300 kms over land and it was designed by architects from Persia and other places in the Middle East. What is most impressive is the setting, with water in front and lovely gardens round about, pleasantly litter free. After an introductory talk by the local guide we were free to wander round and admire the building inside and out. With such a large site it didn't seem too crowded. It was then back to the hotel to freshen up and at last have breakfast, believe it or not at Pizza Hut followed by Costa Coffee. It was really brunch and we did need sustenance by then.

The next stop was the Red Fort. We had a very entertaining local guide who told us all about the fortifications, the moat with crocodiles, the wall, the next moat which was dry and patrolled by Bengal Tigers, and finally the gates with spikes and the hill where stones would be rolled down or boiling oil poured. Luckily all this was in the time of the Moguls. It would make a great computer game though! The fort was more impressive than we would have thought from the outside. There were several large courtyards one of which had been a fishing lake but was filled in by the British so they could play croquet. From here we could see the Taj Mahal. The muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan built the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his favourite wife Mumtaz who had already borne him 14 children when she died in childbirth. At the end of his life Shah Jehan was imprisoned in a tower of the Red Fort by his son Aurangzeb, who also killed at least two of his own brothers - not a nice person we decided. However Shah Jehan did have an excellent view of his masterpiece from his prison.

Our surprise for the afternoon was the "Baby Taj" the first building to be faced with marble. It's also a mausoleum. It was very impressive for its delicate features, more like a wedding cake or a piece of lace with the most intricate carving. The inlaid decorations are Islamic in origin but very familiar if you relate them to some patchwork designs. What a day of culture and art we had! We finished with a buffet of mostly vegetarian food. There is very little meat used in food here and some places are totally vegetarian. Many dishes use paneer, which is really cottage cheese but it seems more like tofu, a new one to try at home.

We have been having difficulties with internet access this week, which explains why we are getting a little behind, and there are no recent photographs, but all should be resolved in the next few days - we hope!

Temples and weddings

Last night was a bit chilly, the first time in three trips that the thermals have come out. Morning brought a hot breakfast to warm us up before setting off on a long trip to Agra. There were three stops on the way, to see the Abhaneri Wells and the Hashat Mata Temple, the largest and most beautiful in India, and they are certainly impressive. Once again we noted some women doing cement pointing of the stonework, dressed in the most beautiful saris. Dungarees would be more suited for the job. After a short lunch stop we drove to Fatehpur Siki. This was the former capital of the Mughals in the 1500's. Our local guide was most entertaining in his description of the harem with 320 favourites and several wives from different countries. The huge mosque beside it is the biggest outside Mecca and was an was an impressive building.

It was a great relief on arrival at the hotel to hear that we would just stay in for dinner. Back to luxury so there's no need for the thermals tonight. Daytime temperatures are very pleasant, much more than we hear folk in UK are getting. As we enjoyed our food we realised there were lots of very well dressed folk around, guests at a wedding in the hotel. As we finished we were aware of a procession outside, the groom going to the bride's home (a different wedding this is the favourite time of the year for weddings in India). He was on a well decorated horse with men carrying lamps on the outside of the parade of dancing guests. Dushyant encouraged us to go and have a look. A few of us joined in the parade and were encouraged by the groom to take pictures of him on his horse. Some of the guests spotted our girls and invited us all to join in the dancing. Those girls know how to party, as do guests at an Indian wedding, and a few more zumba moves have been learned! As we were told at the beginning "Expect the unexpected". Tomorrow will be a 5.30 wake up call for dawn at the Taj Mahal!

Monkey Temple

After a half hour drive east from Jaipur, we found ourselves in the hills at the monkey temple. We saw lots more wildlife, peacocks, chipmunks and of course hundreds of monkeys. They entertained us with their antics and provided plenty of photo opportunities. From there it was a two hour drive to the village where we were to stay. The whole place looked very run down and we had to walk through the streets to an amazing hotel, the former palace of the village chief. Accommodation was more basic but rooms were clean with lovely sitting areas, both inside and out. After an afternoon of sunbathing, watching parrots, pigeons, monkeys and chipmunks on the roof, it was time for a promised camel ride or cart behind a camel. G Adventures supports the village by using the accommodation and rides. It was certainly an experience seeing village life, pigs running along the street, small shops, small industries like metal work, farming daily life, wells and smiling children everywhere. There were also circles of cow dung drying on roofs and used as fuel. There was no begging unlike Delhi. We had a very pleasant time interacting with the villages, having a lot of laughs and watching the children play. Tonight we had a buffet meal, music and dancing with many more photo opportunities.

Bollywood

Today we spent in and around Jaipur. Our bus took us to the Amber Fort, stopping at the roadside for a picture of the fort and a photo opportunity as we watched a snake charmer entice a young cobra out of the basket. Some of our group freaked out when they saw it but it was a very small cobra. The elephant trip was up to the fort and we nearly enjoyed it. We did feel like Maharajas as we made our way uphill and into the courtyard. The Amber Fort is now government owned and the present maharajah (a token title) lives in the fort further up the hill. He no longer has the power his ancestors had. The building is very beautiful, decorated with frescoes painted into the lime plaster, and they are amazingly fresh for pictures done several hundred years ago. Very little is left of the internal furnishings which is a pity as the main rooms, including,the harem, must have been luxurious.

Our lunch stop was called Indiana, a restaurant founded by a local man who was sent to Indianapolis University in 1945 to become an engineer. He worked all over America then came home in 1998 to set up the restaurant. One of our party was a student at Indianapolis and was thrilled to meet him. He must be in his 80's.



We then had the afternoon free for shopping or just resting in the hotel, before meeting at 6.00 to go by auto rickshaw to one of the largest cinemas in India. It was a magnificent building, full of glitz and glamour. We soon found that the audience really entered into the spirit of the show, cheering for both the hero and the villain. It was a 3 hour film which is the current blockbuster hit in India. Despite a few Bollywood dances and lots of loud music, it was quite violent with both the hero and the villain dying in the last act and his wife and half the cast being wiped out! Not a happy ending but a great experience and a few dance moves have been learned. We had a smaller meal tonight, a delicious filled crispy pancake from South India called dosa, very filling and cheap. We'll know what to ask for when we get to Kerala.

Jaipur

Not too early a start today as we set off for Jaipur at 8.30. but it was a long drive which included an hour's stop for lunch, and we arrived at our hotel about 3.30. The drive was reminiscent of Vietnam but the roads are much better and not nearly so busy once we left Delhi. As we progressed towards Jaipur the traffic began to change with camels pulling carts, competing with lorries, buses and machines which were hauling road materials. Just like the road between Kinross and the Forth Bridge there were lots of diversions but not always people working on the road improvements. Other sights were villages we passed through, some with very dilapidated housing and sometimes new blocks of flats going up. Women in saris were doing some of the building labour. We saw our first monkeys by the road, camels and donkeys, and in Amber there were elephants going up the street to the Fort - tomorrow's mode of transport.

The hotel is definitely a class above the one in Delhi - more of a Maharajah's palace with lots of elaborate Rajasthan decoration. After a short rest to unpack we all set off by cycle rickshaw to the centre of Jaipur. We were taken through a market selling mostly foodstuff and stopped occasionally to hear about different foods or how the man was making keys. We were followed by beggars and persistent hawkers in the streets but just had to adopt a strict position by not getting involved.

Eventually we climbed up steps to a roof and were able to watch the chaos of the traffic below. There were lots of boys flying kites on the skyline, reminiscent of "The Kiterunner". Our meal tonight was typical of Rajasthan, in our case different vegetable thalis - delicious as usual. It was however rather too much food today - must remember to eat less tomorrow! If you feel like checking back a couple of photos have now been added to our previous posts. Much more to come!