Great Living Chola Temples UNESCO World Heritage Site

We are now travelling in our own minivan for about 6 days, through Tamil Nadu into Kerala. This allows us to stop as we please along the way, and get to spots missed by many tourists.

On our way to Tanjore, we stopped at a series of 11th and 12th century Chola Temples, including Gangaikondacholisvaram and Airavatesvara temples. These were the appetizers leading up to the main course in Tanjore - the Big Temple (Brihadeeswara).















As is usual in this situation, pictures do not do these places justice.

*Note to my readers*

We are in Madurai, TN now, and will be heading on to the Periyar Tiger Reserve tomorrow for a couple of days, then on to boating the Kerala backwaters and a homestay there. I will be unlikely to be updating this blog for a while - don't worry!

Hope you are enjoying reading it at least 1/10th as much as I am enjoying travelling here. Namaste.

Auroville, India - cue weird music

Overheard, while gazing at the Matrimadir cosmic sphere in Auroville, India, trying to decide if the thing on top was a lightning rod, or a cell phone antenna:

"Stange, you never hear about the Dow here... what about the Dow...."

"It's at 8000, yes about 8000...."

"Funny, you never hear about the Dow....."



More about the lofty ideals of Auroville at:

http://www.auroville.org/

Pondicherry, c'est tres bon!

We arrived in Pondicherry (new name Puducherry), a former French Colony on the coast in Tamil Nadu state. It was January 26, Republic Day in India (also I hear, National Day in Australia, Happy one to Andrea!), and we started the day with a special ceremony at a school our guide Issac, helped set up and teach in (yes, he is beginning to sound like a saint).

The headmistress was a lovely lady from Durban, and she and all the parents made us feel so comfortable and welcome. There was a little flag raising ceremony, complete with flowers fluttering out of the opening flag, then the National Anthem, Pledge to India and a prayer. It was lovely and sweet.

Later that day, we toured the French Quarter of the town, walking down the "rues". Down near the beach we ran into a massive celebration of Republic Day - fantastic. Everyone in town was there, all dressed up in their finest, and it was a carnival atmosphere exceeding a typical Canada Day.


















As is typical in these things, the politicians babbled on for too long, so dancers that came from all corners of the country did not get to perform on stage.

We heard about this, and luckily we had Amanda with us - a very outgoing Australian teacher. She walked up to each group of dancers huddling around on the sidewalk and asked to take a group picture. After taking each picture she asked "Why don't you dance for us?". Well, typically, the teacher with the group would quickly appear with a ghetto blaster, everyone would scurry into place, and soon there was dancing in the streets.

I think she singlehandedly turned around the festival that afternoon. Where is was once quiet, was now a riot of music and dancing. You cannot plan this kind of travel experience - it just happens!

Heading South - Orissa - Andhra Prahesh - Tamil Nadu

After our wonderful private dance show, we were back to Puri, and one hotel room was still available, so we freshened up for our long trip going south.

We got to the train station on time, but for some reason the train was absolute chaos, and there was not a seat to be found in sleeper class. We were supposed to travel for about 2 hours, then change to another train, so we tried our luck in second class - standing room only.

I was kind of pissed off, but as we got rolling, the usual started happening to me. A nice guy tapped me on the shoulder, and asked where I was from/did I like India/ did I like Indian Railways? Turns out he was an Indian Railways staff person, travelling on his pass. He saw that I got on to cattle class, so he decided to get on too in the hope he could talk to me. It is so strange, you really are kind of a celebrity here, I am actually getting comfortable chatting with complete strangers. The group is joking about it, as an earlier person chatting to me told me I looked like James Bond (which one I did not ask!).

Anyway, unknown to me, while I was having this nice conversation, the ladies in the group were being harassed and groped. A quick call by Issac, our wonderful group leader, and we jumped off at the next station. And jumped I did, I was last off holding 3 packs, Issac yelling "do you have my suitcase?". "Well no, I have my hands full" as I threw the packs, and jumped from the moving train. Issac chased the train down the deserted platform yelling for his case - and of course the nice people on the train tossed it to him.

So, here we are in this creepy dark railway station in the middle of nowhere, waiting for our trusty SUV driver to rescue us - GAP had approved the extra expenditure given the circumstances.

Along comes the SUV, and we go hurtling into the night traffic at break-neck speed. Travelling the roads of India is super-scary, travelling them at night is just terrifying! Lights of huge trucks come towards you and swerve at the last minute, missing you by inches. We pass everything that moves, and manage not to hit anyone - I have no idea how.

Anyway, we make it to our next station, the train is early, on we hop, and this time we have sleeping berths together. We all snuggle in for a good night's sleep.

Next moring we awake to the chorus of vendors (chai-chai... chai-chai-chai), have a little breakfast and chai, then arrive at our destination, Vijayawada, at about noon. We tuk-tuk it to our very nice hotel. First observations, South India is much cleaner and nicer than the North.

We hit a couple of temples in the afternoon, including the Kanakadurga Temple, built right into the rocks.















Later that afternoon, we visit a more conventional temple high above the city. It is at this point we realize we are literally the only tourist in the city. Everyone is staring and fascinated by us - the brave ones coming up and asking to take our pictures, or to talk to us. I asked our guide why someone would want a picture of us when they have no idea who we are. He gave a great reply - If we go to a native Indian village tomorrow, and there is a woman there in traditional dress, would you want her picture? OK, I get it.

Next day was a very long travel journey further south to Tamil Nadu, and Issac's hometown of Mamallapuram. We transfer to a commuter train in Chennai, crossing town quickly, then south by luxury bus we happened to catch on a corner - Issac is really in his element here.

Beautiful hotel in Mamallapuram, with pool and rooftop restaurant - Ah nice.

Next morning we head out on bicycles to tour the town. We have our own private guide who shows us the highlights of this amazing town. We hit a group of rock temples carved out of solid rock, in an area with amazing natural rock formations as well. See picture of Neil saving the town from a rolling rock - hey, you would do the shot too if you were here!















After that temple, it was off to a couple of World Heritage Sights, namely the Shore Temple and the Five Rathas (chariots). Both were spectacular, and visiting them on bikes was lots of fun.

After the temples, it was off to a very special lunch at a village destroyed by the 2004 tsunami. The lunch was a whole RP 200, 100 of which went directly to village projects. Issac was greeted like a star, as he came to the village after the tsunami to help rebuild it. We watched the fisherman bring in and divide their catch, then went back to the village for our banana leaf lunch - including Coconut Fish!

We talked about the tsunami, and the effect it had had on the villager's lives. We learned that the government and charities were actually doing quite a bit to help things recover. We felt good to be part of the effort.


















Later that night it was out to a traditional dance performance, with the spectacular rock temple as a backdrop. It was the last night of a month long dance festival, and of course our trusty guide had gotten us seats near the front.

A Village Dance

We awoke the next morning by the lake, and were soon being served coffee, toast, spicy rice and omlettes for breakfast. I know GAP is a budget tour company, but this really did feel like luxury - again, they would not have us lift a finger, and we tried!

We did the reverse of the previous day, including Ox cart across the other island. Kathleen and Sylvia took a ride on the cart and we all had a good laugh. We got back in our comfy SUV, and headed out to the middle of nowhere, the last of the last rice paddies, over a gradually degrading road until the SUV could barely pass.

Our destination had been carefully arranged by our wonderful guide, Issac. With a days notice, this village orphanage could put on a dance show for us, complete with elaborate costumes. Again, there was not a tourist for miles around, or within the past few months, it would seem.

So, the dancers, that is another interesting story. This is a boys orphanage, but the dance is done dressed like girls. Don't ask me, I didn't make this up, it is just how it is..... To make things a little more interesting, one of the 9 dancers was a "real" girl. Spotted her pretty fast, and enjoyed a spectacular private performance, after they had served us lunch on a banana leaf, made specially for us.

The performance was somewhat like the dancing in Bali, but more athletic, with very "Cirque de Soleil" yoga towers being made with bodies. Headstands, flip over back bends, stuff we workshop and try in yoga class being pulled off with ease and in stacks - very impressive.
















After some photo ops, it was off to our hotel to clean up and pack for our overnight train journey further south in India - the adventure continues.

Camping on Chilka Lake

First of all, congratulations to Andrea and Laurie for guessing that the subject of this blog was going to be Chilka Lake, the largest brackish (salt/fresh mix) lake in Asia. Hmmm, where do I start...?

We stowed our bags in our cute hotel in Puri, loaded up a nice SUV, and the six of us were off, complete with 2 guides, for an overnight camping trip on Chilka Lake.

We drove thru the usual beautiful rice paddies and coconuts until we came to the edge of the lake. How nice to see an unpolluted and peaceful body of water in India. There was dinner to consider, so our guides picked up fresh caught lake fish from one place, and fresh prawns from another. A bucket of ice, and we were on our way. Oh yes, all other gear had been brought and packed by the guides, we did not lift a finger.

We arrived at our departure point, a small town on the edge of the lake, that seemed to be the jumping off point for transporation and supplies on the lake. There was also a centre with information about spotting the reclusive Irrawady Dolphin, that inhabited the lake. Our supplies were loaded on a long narrow boat, on we got, and were soon motoring our way across the lake in the blazing South India sun.

We arrived at an island in the middle of the lake that was not our destination, but a transfer point. We walked into a small native village, where we were truly the stars. Our guide, who helped design this whole GAP tour said that tourists virtually never visit this village, so everyone came out to have a look at the strange people.

Sylvia bought a bag of suckers (lollipops) from a vendor, and soon became the Pied Piper of the village. Every kid there loves her now. After a lot of fun and interaction there, our guides directed us to walk to the other side of the island for another boat ride to our island.

Along the way, we came across a cricket team waiting for their rivals to arrive from the mainland. We struck up a conversation, and soon Amanda, who teaches PE in Australia, was trying her hand at the bat. She did pretty good, so Kathleen and Sylvia also gave it a try. I was too embarrassed to try - a guy who couldn't play cricket, how sad. Oh well, it was a good laugh, and we said goodbye as they continued their warm-up.





















We sat in the shade near the lake, and soon an Ox cart caught up to us, complete with our luggage and gear. The ox headed into the water, and the stuff was off-loaded into a wooden canoe like vessel. Off came the shoes, we squished through the mud into the boat, and were off again, this time being polled (gondola style) across to our destination.

We arrived at a deserted island covered in Cassaurina trees, with a gentle sandy beach and shore. Tarps were quickly laid down, and all help unloading was refused, so we just chilled in the shade, reading our books and relaxing. Soon a campfire was burning, vegetables were being chopped, and before you know it we were being served a lunch of pekoras and fresh fruit right on the beach. You know how good food tastes while camping, and in India, with a little chili sauce on the pekoras..... Mmmmmmmmmm!
















We continued to just relax that afternoon, and truly felt recovery from the noise and pollution of Calcutta. This was just the opposite. The only other inhabitants of the lake, other than wildlife, were a few fisherman checking their crab traps. All the boats were polled, so not an engine to disturb the peace and tranquility.

At about 4:00, it was time for some activity. How about a sunset "cruise", i.e., fisherman polling us about the lake. Hey why not, so off we went as the hot sun now dropped and cooled off nicely. The sunset was spectacular, you know pictures can never really capture it, so we just lingered, then back to our campsite. Oh yes, it was not completely quiet, our peace was interupted by a few Irrawady Dolphins surfacing near our boat.

And campsite it was, the guys had set up ground tarps, tents, pads, sheets and blanket for us, and zipped up the tents so not a single mossy got in. A second campfire was lit for us to sit around, and soon fresh fish was brought out and grilled in front of our eyes in the open flames. Pop it on a banana leaf, grab a fork (yes, I know that's cheating) and soon we were feasting on the freshest of fish.

About half an hour later the rest of the meal arrived - rice, dahl, fresh prawn curry and more. Oh yes, forgot to mention that Issac our guide had obtained a bottle of vodka for us, so we were also well into cocktail hour... on a deserted lake in the middle of India.... cue commercial.... Increadible India......!

Puri, India

We travelled south by overnight sleeper train, arriving at Puri station early in the morning. We were greeted by an even more tropical landscape, typical rice paddies, coconut palms and bananas.

Puri is much smaller, so we were soon enjoying being whisked to our very nice garden hotel in cycle rickshaws. We arrived, cleaned up after our overnight train, and had a quiet breakfast in the flower garden - heaven after Calcutta. Don't get me wrong, I love the city, but after a while the dirt, noise, fumes and people really get to you.

We were off to a peaceful Ashram by cycle rickshaw again, then on to a lake temple which we could not get into as we were not Hindu.

We also saw another huge temple in the middle of the bustling town, and hit the local market.
















After a wonderful lunch, we headed out in India's newest auto rickshaw (it was gleaming) for an hour drive to Konark, a magnificent temple that some say equals the Taj Mahal.

It is in the shape of 7 rearing horses (I could not see that) and was being pulled on 24 huge chariot wheels (can't miss that one!). Very beautiful, in a lovely garden setting. As nice as the Taj...... no. But amazing, none the less.















Next blog will be one of the nicest couple of days I have ever spent...... stay tuned.

A New GAP Adventure Begins

I joined up with a new GAP group in Calcutta on Sunday. We are a small group, only 5 plus guide. This is a relatively new GAP tour, and our guide was part of the group that planned it and put it together - India Coastal Adventure - Kolkata to Goa.

Monday was our first day together, and we immeadiately were doing things I wanted to do, but was unable to figure out - i.e., riding on local buses - fun!!!!















We visited the Calcutta Flower Market, an excellent example of beauty if you look for it here. We went across the huge Howrah bridge by bus, then walked back with the throngs carrying loads on their heads you would not believe. Oh yes, there were also 6 car lanes on the bridge, so traffic was about 10 across!

We also went to a Hindu temple on the south side of the city, shopped for blankets for the train, and paid a wonderful visit to Mother Teresa's Orphanage. We talked to a few of the sisters, met lots of real cute kids, and had a look at what the orphanage was doing for work. Like the one in Swaziland, it was deeply moving.

That evening, we were off on the overnight train to Puri, further south down the Indian east coast.

Finally!!!!

After many daunting hours at the keyboard in various internet cafes, I have finally caught up with uploading my photos to flickr (I got way behind in Africa).

In order to view my photos, type in web address:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whereintheworldisneil/

Although you can do a slideshow from the homepage, it will be all my camera images in reverse order, so suggest you click on "sets"

Then, choose a set by title/picture

Then when in the actual set, click on slideshow (in the upper right hand corner).

Oh Calcutta

As you may have noticed, I seem to have gotten into my travel groove, in India, of all places. Up until now, I have been somewhat apprehensive at times about this whole trip. But now, I find myself an island of calm in the storm that is India. Maybe it just took the right place to show me how to relax. Maybe it was the near death experience on the Indian motorway. Maybe it was just the passage of five months on the road. Anyway, I am loving it all now.

I hung around Varanasi for a few days after my GAP group left. I must admit, I mainly stuck to the hotel, for its great food, did a lot of internet (I am almost caught up), and hung around the ghats, day and night.

I did my first train travel alone, and it was a breeze. I got to the station, and this helpful guy looked at my ticket, said the train was late (what else is new?) and directed me to the "foreigners" waiting room. Kind of like the Lufthansa lounge, without the comfy chairs, food and free drinks. And there were a few of us foreigners there, including a guy from Toronto I had run into on a previous train. He was also taking the train to Calcutta.

When it was announced three hours late, we just went to track 5, found my car, A1 and located my seat/berth. I got comfortable for the 14 hour overnight journey. The porter brings you a pillow, two sheets and a blanket. I was in AC 2 tier, which means the bunks are stacked in 2's rather than 3's. It is the class right behind 1st class, and set me back $22 for my trip to Calcutta. I just love sleeping on the train, rocking back and forth. I locked my pack to a tie ring, and covered my small bag with the valuables with a white towel (also provided), and slept with it by my pillow - truly no worries.

I arrived in Calcutta having briefly looked at a Lonely Planet book the night before. I quickly found the ferry outside the station, decided the first destination was where I wanted to go (I had no clue where it went) and headed across the fast moving and very polluted river.

I arrived on the other side in a very busy commercial area, stalls jamming the streets and traffic everywhere. This is where packing light comes in handy. I just walked along, in the general direction of south and east, where I thought the backpackers area was. I walked for about an hour, getting vague directions from very friendly people. Funny, I am careful with my bag, but I just don't feel threatened here - people are generally great (or just want to sell you something).

Anyway, after walking an hour in the heat (it was about 25 degrees) I decided a cab was needed to really find my destination. RP 50 ($1) to get to Sudder Street. I spotted the Fairlawn Hotel, which was sold out for my dates, but got off there anyway. I planned to ask for a hotel recommendation.

Well, guess what, they had a vacancy to 2 nights. I needed 6, but since it was over my budget, 2 was a great option. This place has character and characters everywhere. Thanks, Andrea, for suggesting it.

If you want to check out their website, it is www.fairlawnhotel.com Check out the matriarch of the place, Mrs. Violet Smith. She was sitting at a nearby table at breakfast this morning. I was thinking of my friend Tony Cruickshank, who would just love this kind of place. Is a matter of fact, I gave Tony and Phil a call this morning - great to hear your voices.

It is now teatime at the Fairlawn, so will head across the street for that, and later tonight, a G&T for Tony.

Cheers from Calcutta

PS, not a slum or "black hole of" in site!

Just another day in Varanasi

I told you my sister was smart, she had it all figured out down to the details. I did go out to Sarnath, the "birthplace" of Buddhism on January 7th. We had a wonderful guided tour by a most charming man. Did we know that His Holiness the Dalai Lama was coming tomorrow - well no, but would it be possible to attend? Why yes, this is India, where everything is possible.















So, we arranged taxis for the next day, had to go through a bit of a hastle with passport photocopies and pictures, but after an hour we had a pass, and were in to witness HHness. We only had one English translator between 4 of us, but it did not matter. The point was we were there witnessing something wonderful. The few foreigners who were there had travelled across the globe to see him, and we had just dropped in on a whim - strange. But better still, virtually all the people attending were Tibetan, including gaggles of monks! Unfortunately, we did not stay too long, as the rest of the group had to get back to the hotel to pack, and head out to Delhi.

Oh, I don't think I have told you yet, I have booked another GAP trip to tour Eastern and Southern India. I start from Calcutta in a week, so have just booked an overnight train on Sunday. Details of the trip are at:

http://www.gapadventures.com/tour/AHCJ

Anyway, back to my day in Varanasi. I wandered down to the ghats in the early afternoon, and witnessed four bodies being burned by the Ganges. I know it sounds a bit morbid, but to be here and see it is amazing. The weird thing is all these cows, goats and dogs are wandering around, making it quite unlike one of our funerals.

At the site where the bodies were being burned, some drummers and a holy man of some type (he was dressed kinda weird) started drumming and chanting. Again, you could not plan such a thing, it just seems to happen here. Smoke filled the air, bodies burned, cows wandered, little children scampered about, teenagers tried to sell you postcards, people bathed, boats floated by... life itself, in Varanasi.

On the way back to the hotel, I decided to walk, rather than take the usual bicycle rickshaw. It turned out to be a good idea, as I got to a point where all traffic was being diverted. The reason for the diversion was that it was the Muslim holiday Ashura (I think), and there were big processions along the main street. Since I was walking, I caught up to the crowds, and found myself right in the middle of the festival. Again, you could not have planned this....

I came across a bunch of guys all dressed in black, chanting loudly and beating their chests. This was to be outdone in a few minutes by a large group of bare-chested men beating their backs with some sort of devices. I was close enough to get blood spattered on me (don't worry, I didn't). Like everything on this trip, I only wish I had video, so I could convey the feeling of the place to you.

After that, it was back to the hotel to see my group off in cabs, heading for another overnight train adventure.

Mine begins on Sunday, meanwhile, I think I'll hang out in this most amazing place.

Namaste, readers.

Let's go to Varanasi

Even with the help of our GAP guide, travel in India has been a little crazy. You may have heard that there is record cold temperatures in Northern India, and the usual fog is creating chaos in air, rail and road. So the other night, we were hoping for the best heading by overnight train to Varanasi from Agra.

The Agra railway station is far outside of town, so instead of the usual motorized rickshaw, we had the "luxury" of cabs. They are actually more terrifying, as they deal with the same traffic hurtling down the road at 5X the speed of a rickshaw.

So, off the three cabs go into the gloom of the foggy night, dodging cows, dogs, goats, pedestrians, push-carts, bicycle rickshaws, motor rickshaws, cars, trucks and large buses. After a while, we actually got to a 6 lane motorway, three per side (not that anyone used them). Our cab went roaring past cab #1 parked at the side, no flashers flashing. What was wrong? We stopped up ahead, and our guide phoned to find out. He said they had broken down, and we would go back to help.

I had noticed our guide now held a large metal water pitcher on his lap. What's in the pitcher, NP? I asked, fully well knowing what the answer was to be. Oh, it's petrol (gasoline). Ah yes, open gasoline in our cab, I opened the window to let some of the fumes out.

It is at this moment that we hurtled back out onto the motorway. It had a concrete divider in it, so it was not possible to get to the correct side. No problem, we just drove down the wrong side of the freeway. On the shoulder with the slow moving pedestrians and cows.... NOOOOOO! We were flying at high speed down the fast lane in the wrong direction, honking and dodging huge transport trucks, buses and cars. And yes, there was a pitcher full of gasoline on the lap of our front seat passenger. SSSSHHHHHHIIIIIITTTTT! Sorry to swear, but really.

Actually, all we could do is laugh and joke about it, it was so absurd and dangerous. And we all did laugh, Jason summing up our feelings with the night's best quote - "NP, you have one fucked up country". My second favourite quote was "At least we got to see the Taj".

After a couple of kms dodging traffic and laughing out of countrol, we arrived at the stuck cab, sitting at the side, still no flashers flashing. You will recall the foggy conditions.

Out came the pitcher of gas, the carb and tank were filled, and we then watched what can only be described as the driver masterbating some engine part while someone started it up.

It roared to life, we did a very fast U-turn, almost being hit by 2 large trucks, and proceeded at high speed to the train station.

The train was 2 hours late, we froze on the outdoor platform, but when it finally came, we had individual berths, unlike our first train trip.

Welcome to travel, India style.....

What can one say about the Taj?

We arrived in Agra yesterday, and everyone in the group was anticipating the Taj Mahal, one of India's, if not the world's, most famous landmarks. We have all seen the classic shots of it in magazines and on travel shows. What were we to do to capture this place?

Several of us had seen a couple of famous new photos taken "around the back" of the Taj. We decided to seek out that vantage point at sunset, and were not disappointed. There is no admission to be paid at the back, you just have to make your way across the river to a site near the "Baby Taj". You walk out onto a partially dried up riverbed, which is extremely polluted, as is everything in India. You can see all the crowds at the Taj, yet there was hardly anyone here. It was a very hazy afternoon, with sunset approaching. We hopped among the filth and garbage, and were rewarded with some wonderful shots. I must admit, I am particularly proud of this shot taken on my little Nikon Coolpix. What do you think, Laurie?















As I said, we wandered among the garbage and scum on the river, and I realized it was kind of a metaphor for India. The next photo does not include the Taj, but was taken just behind it. It is extremely polluted water and garbage, with green scum drying around the edge. The sky is equally polluted with smoke and fog that always seems to choke Agra this time of year.

On the surface, it appears there is nothing nice to see, just a big mess. But like India, if you look a little deeper, you will see a beauty that may not be apparent to the casual observer. The ugliness fades, and something wonderful comes to the surface.

This is a very special place.

An Indian Wedding

I think one of the things most travellers dream that will happen to them while on the road is to get invited to some kind of local celebration by the "locals". Well, as luck would have it, the Intrepid group that was shadowing our journey had a connection to a wedding in Jaipur. The group leader's brother was getting married while they were in town. They very graciously also invited our GAP group to the wedding, and we were just thrilled.

As I said, we went out and did a little shopping. It was so much fun to spend a little money on something that perhaps we would never wear at home. We were made to feel very welcome, and it was a great night. The ceremony seemed to last forever, but guests just mingled about while this was all happening.














This is Sara and I in our outfits.

Jaipur, the Pink City

We went from blue to pink. Jaipur was painted pink, the colour of hospitality, when visited by a famous Prince years ago. The old city is walled within the new city, and all buildings are pink by decree.

The city itself is very crowded and crazy, and a few of us are OD'ing on India already (not me). We did manage to do a city tour, which got us out into the countryside to see some interesting sites. Unfortunately, my camera battery died in the middle of the tour.

One of the more interesting aspects of the tour was a visit to an observatory/astronomical complex that was built in the 1700's. The first thing that struck you was how modern it looked, and that everything was symetrical. It contained the world's largest sundial, towering some 90 feet high.

We checked out another palace in the middle of a lake, and did a couple of more forts. What I found was the most amazing was that the series of forts was connected by what looked like a version of the Great Wall of China. I had no idea there were similar stuctures elsewhere in the world. It was not as big, of course, and as I said my camera battery......














We did a little shopping for some special clothes that will be in my next blog, stay tuned.

Pushkar for New Years

Well, Christmas was memorable, so one would expect GAP to provide an equally impressive New Years experience. So, here we are on New Years Eve in Pushkar, a meat and alcohol free town - yikes!

Actually, it was great being in such a small place after the larger cities. I took advantage of the time to get my hair cut (40 rupees, or 80 cents). And yes, the cut was decent.

So, no booze on New Years, what to do? We, our GAP leader took care of that situation. There was another tour group of Aussies there from Intrepid, so the 2 groups banded together, and we arranged a party ourside town in the desert. They set up tents for us, had a huge feast, music and dancing, bonfires being tended by people to keep us warm, and of course a bar to keep us in the mood for dancing. It was so much fun, and like Christmas, a totally unique way to spend New Years.

The India of TV Commercials

After Jodhpur, it was off to Udaipur, and yes, all these "purs" do get a bit confusing. Udaipur is a beautiful city with many palaces and luxury hotels in the middle of a scenic lake (try not to look at the water clarity too hard!). We had a boat tour of the lake, and stopped at a hotel for some pictures and a snack.















Back in the city, we were all shopping, as like every Indian city, there were lots of bargains. We also went out for some really nice meals at some very nice restaurants. The setting of some of them really bring you back to the time of the Rajs in this area.

The second day, a couple of us decided to try something a bit different, and we went to an Indian cooking class. It was a lot of fun, and we learned some of the basics of Indian cooking, including how to make a really mean masala chai. We feasted on all of our cooking, and were stuffed by the time we left.

After that, I contined to indulge myself, and booked a one hour massage after the cooking class - bliss! I shall likely continue to do this throughout India and South East Asia, as the prices cannot be beat.

I guess I will have to cook you all a great Indian dinner when I return home - hopefully I will not lose my notes from the cooking class.