Sarnath

I spent last night in the (somewhat) suburban town of Sarnath, about 10km north of Varanasi.

It instantly feels like another world though (apart from the beggars/touts/locals), as it is one of the 4 important Buddhist sites in the world, and as such, half of the population seem to be from Tibet. There are temples from many of the major Asian countries, and I spent today visiting Myanmar, Japan, China, Thailand, Korea, India and Tibet- not a bad days traveling!

The town is dominated by a massive stupa pertaining to show the site where Buddha gave his first sermon, and it really is very impressive.

Not much else to say about the place really, as the temples are the only sites, but it was rather more relaxing than Varanasi, and was a nice little trip. There were almost no other western tourists, but plenty of big groups of Buddhists from around Asia.

I spent a few hours watching India beat Sri Lanka in a one day cricket match - with a German of all people. It was a great game, and great company, and it was fun talking to the guy about cricket (one of the few people who knew less than me), but also about his job. He is an education consultant for the UN, and was very interested to hear about Kazakhstan.


Night train to Agra tonight (well- 4pm-6am train), which will be the longest so far. By all accounts Agra is a horrible city, so apart from the major tourist sites, I am not expecting much, but the Taj has to be seen.. its the bloody Taj!

Thoughts on litter

There is SOOOOOO much litter here, it makes Kazakhstan look good. People just throw everything on the floor (or out of the train windows). This especially noticeable in the narrow streets of Varanasi, as between the litter/cow poop/holes in the ground - walking anywhere is a challenge!

Much of the litter is plastic, and in an effort to reduce my effect at least, i am staying away from packaged foods where possible. This has been helped by my overcoming of the fear of street-food. Many of them dish up their food on bowls made of leaves, or paper, or clay, which of course, is dumped on the street after use, but at least is better than plastic. And it tastes better than cheap biscuits as well!

My only concession is with bottled water. Although I did bring some chlorine purifying stuff along, it actually works out cheaper (and probably better for me in the long run) to buy bottled water here. I only buy 2litre sized ones in an attempt to limit the plastic, and I hope the empties are recycled where possible. I know it can be done, as I saw in the slums of Mumbai, so there is hope.

Varanasi - the rest

Found the cheapest internet yet in India.. 15rs for an hour.. 20p!

In keeping with tradition (started yesterday) I will just expand on the notes i make in my journal, with no particular order attached.

4pm bring out the kit flying kids, although i dont know what it is about this time of day that encourages it. If you have ever read the kit runner, well, its like that. Boys with small kits flying them, and trying to cut the strings of neighboring ones. Almost as much fun, and seemingly enjoyed by the poorer kids, is the collecting of those kits that have been 'sunk' (yes yes i know). Running all over the riverbank, always watching the sky, it keeps them entertained till sunset.

Morning reading by the gats (washing areas on the river bank), with the sounds of clothes being washed - beaten to death on a rock anyway - a boat being fixed, a badminton game, and a Spanish hippy playing a hang. It really does make a lovely sound.

Got an impromptu tour of the Muslim part of town, focusing on the weaving and embroidery industry. It was fascinating to see so much still made by hand. I was also able to get the wholesale cost for different types of silks, which will make the bargaining in Calcutta before i leave somewhat fairer.

And I spent the evening (and much of the morning) being involved in the filming of an Indian soap opera. For 500rs and dinner, they bought me! I, alongside a motely crew of tourists, were involved in a beach party scene. Which involved me sitting down and drinking whiskey (watered down Pepsi mum)... the shooting took about an hour, but that was after we had had to wait for 7hours before it started. The pay turned out not to be so great, but it was an interesting experience, and on March 27th, on the channel Saraha 1, i will be famous!

A monkey stole my green merino sweater, and ate all the buttons on the shirt that was also hanging out to dry. Managed to get a tailor to put on new buttons for 20rs, but i will really miss that sweater... bloody monkeys. Which leads me to an observation- why are tailors and chefs always men?

Varanasi

Spent 5 days in the city, which is rather more than planned, but the nature of train booking in India being what it is, well, i was here for 5 days.

And what a city! I have never been anywhere quite like it. Walking around its narrow back alleys, one is transported to medieval Europe, or the middle east. You really feel that you have traveled back in time, with the noise, dirty and busy nature of it all. And going back 100 years, what a city it must have been! The buildings here all display a faded, crumbling, neglected air, that certainly adds to the atmosphere, but which only makes one imagine what it once must have looked like.

Arches, plaster work, ornate doors frames....the list goes on. These days, the lucky ones are covered in generations of progressively cheaper paint. The less lucky have big holes in them.

The energy of this place is amazing. EVERYONE seems to be selling something, be it silk, food, transport, rooms, or photos of themselves (more on that later). The alleys contain weavers, tailors, rather alot of paan sellers, cafes, sweet shops (my new guilty pleasure - less fears about possible weight loss in India guys...the fried desserts will put an end to that! ) and cows, lots and lots of cows. This being a Hindu holy city, actually, make that THE Hindu holy city, the cow here has rather a prominent role, not only a sacred animal, but also as organic matter recycling unit. All of the fruit and veg peelings/left over food is dumped into the street, to be eaten by the cows. Their poop is then collected (eventually), and used to fuel the fires.... its a great system, let down only by the fact that there is poop everywhere.

People in Varanasi - 60% Young Koreans/Japanese, 20% Young hippies from France/Italy/Spain, 10% Hindu holy men, 10% everyone else

Finally saw the sacred Ganges river, and its bloody filthy. Makes the Thames look like Evian. And even so, there are plenty of fish swimming in it, although thankfully a lack of fish on the menus of the city.

Treated myself on the first day to apple pie and vanilla icecream at one of the 'german' bakerys dotted around the city. The the staff are from Nepal, and all the customers foreign, but the food on offer is expensive and great, and while I have pretty much only eaten Indian food since i got here, this was a little treat (and the pack of Hobnobs the following day). I attempted to make my own lunch, but with all guest houses lacking cooking facilities, I settled on a salad as the plan. Quick trip to the market and a small cauliflower, 2 small green peppers, 2 limes, 1 banana, 2 tomatoes, and a bunch of coriander later (all for the princely sum of 15rs (about 20pence), I was set (with the addition of the salt/pepper/sugar packs i still had from my flight) to make vegetables with a lime/salt/pepper sauce, and a glass of lime and sugar juice and banana for pudding. It was all rather terrible, but I enjoyed the effort!

Walked past a private school, set in lovely grounds, and it was breaktime, with all the kids running around a playing. Watching through the fence, were a bunch of street(wise) kids, and it made a great photo. The haves and have-nots, although the school uniform was HORRIBLE, red and yellow checked trousers/skirts with yellow dresses. The scene reminded me of a photo from the US, with poor black kids faces pressed against the window of an ice cream shop watching white kids inside.

No peace trying to read- sit down anywhere and soon enough people will be trying to read it over your shoulder, asking the usual questions, playing music or trying to sell something. Easier to just read in my room.

My time is up...will have to continue this at another date (sorry about the random nature of the posts... just writing up the notes i make in my book)

Beggers/Sites

The price for visiting historical sites in India is SIGNIFICANTLY higher for 'foreigners' than Indians, and it is something that is getting tiring.

Taj Mahal for example, is 750rs for us, and 20rs for them. I understand that many Indians, especially the rural ones, have very little disposable income and would be unable to visit if things were more expensive. But this theory is patchy for a number of reasons.

Namely, that at the 5 or 6 sites I have visited so far, where I have paid 250rs for entry and opposed to 10rs for locals, that I have seen VERY few poor Indians, and its mostly been tour groups of elderly foreigners or middle class families - both of which have rather more money than me.

I dont know how it would be possible to make the system fairer, but as it stands, it seems like a tax on tourists, and one that will be very expensive for me while I travel around India.

It has therefore fixed for me my policy on beggers. I wont give anything (in most instances), as the money that I COULD have given is being given to the Indian Archaeological Survey instead. I am putting the burden of feeding the Indian poor then, on the Indian middle class, whose enjoyment of Indian history is being subsidised by myself.

Mahoba

I had 11 hours to kill in the tiny station of Mahoba, as this is where my connection to Varanasi left from.. at 1am, the joys of train travel! I set out for a walk around the village, and was confronted by a HUGE number of police with guns milling around. Rather a shock, but thankfully they weren't there for me, but to prepare for the local elections. Its seemingly a dangerous/corrupt affair if this kind of security is needed.

My desire for a quiet walk was rather quickly ruined (i thought) by an offer for a ride around town on the back of a motor bike. He seemed nice, and didn't want money, but as we drove around I saw a number of things I would liked to have seen. However, I got to see many other things that I wouldn't have seen otherwise, so it was ok in the end. Including a paan farm. Its a leaf here that is chewed by up to 75% of the male population, especially the muslims, and is mildly stimulating apparently. I tried a leaf and the bitterness was terrible... not a habit ill be taking up mum!

After the tour around, I was taken back to the mans house, and spent a very relaxing afternoon, playing games with his nephews- learning to play Carrom was fun! The family turned out to be Catholic, and I went along to Ash Wednesday service - which not only was my first time, but was all in Hindi, so I had no idea what was going on. The small church was packed though, so I guess it was good!

And the food! Amazing daal and channa masala with the family - well, the men, women eat after - and it was so tasty.

It was one of those experiences that make travelling great, namely, the kindness of strangers.

Khajaraho

"It is our duty to say exactly what we think and face the consequences and that it will be only then that we shall be able to impress anyone with our speech" Gandhi Home rule

Arrived in town in a much better condition than if I had had to take the bus..thanks again Clotilde!

Bargained hard for a hotel room, and for 200rs i finally have a place with sheets that i am comfortable to sleep on...first time since leaving Mumbai! The sleeping sack has been a god-send up till now.

I have been here for 3 days, so have had plenty of time to explore most of the temples, although the touts and kids asking for money make it hard to find any peace and quiet. Another thing that is a first for me, is people just wanting to practice their English. It seems that tourism, and therefore a need to speak English are seen as the future. Even young kids speak well.

I arrived just in time for a MASSIVE festival for the marriage of Shiva, which meant that lots of people from the local villages were in town. This didn't bother the hotels though, as they all seemed to just sleep on the streets, a huge mat of people. A carnival has been set up, and the atmosphere has been fun to experience.

One advantage of the festival was that the main temple complex was free for the day! Saved myself 250rs, although it did mean that it was rather busier than normal. The carvings really are very good, and of course the erotic ones drew plenty of attention, especially from the Japanese and Korean tourists, of which there are LOADS!!! Many of the tourist restaurants have signs in Korean as well.

Treated myself to a massage yesterday. 500rs for an hour isn't bad, and he spent alot of time on my left ankle (the bad one, didn't mention this, so i guess it was obveous), and it feels a bit better - certainly not worse, so thats ok!

Orchha

Boy - "Hello sir, coin?"

Me - "No"

Boy - "You are not my best friend"

It was a LONG walk to the bus station in Jhansi, why do they insist on putting them so far out of town! Managed to find a spot in an auto, along with 7 other people (they are designed for 2/3), bags, and a huge block of ice.

Orchha is very much a tourist town (compared to where I had just been) but found a quite room for 200rs, and went off to see the palace complex for which it is famous. What they are now, is huge shells, with not much on the inside, but amazing walls and side compartments, with little stairs linking everything. It would have been an amazing place to explore as a child, so many possibilities for ambushes! There is still some paintwork left, and its amazing what has survived, as it really is very pretty.

The views from the top are amazing, and show the spires of temples dotted throughout the countryside, and indeed, countryside! I set off to explore some of them, and it was great walking away from the crowds, down by rivers NOT clogged with plastic and crap. The temples it turned out, have become homes for people, which make rather splendid abodes for some of the poorest people.

The Indian tour guides amaze me with their language abilities - I have heard Indians guiding groups in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French and German, and from what I can tell, with none of the accent that is found with many people's English. Where they learnt to speak fluently I dont know, maybe its lucrative for NRI's to return as guides.

I tried a number of the local cakes, as I keep seeing them in the markets and thought it was time to try. They seem more like soft short-bread... lots of sugar and flour in a kind of biscuit, and SO SWEET! But very tasty none the less. Came wrapped in newspaper, like all street food it seems.

I spent late afternoon exploring the cenotaphs at the edge of town, a place far more popular with the locals than tourists, as its also where the village ghats are - washing area. Saw a very nice sunset from the top of one of the buildings, and just enjoyed reading and relaxing the afternoon away. Lots of parrots around, adding a vibrant splash of colour to the sandstone buildings.

Something that I did see today which was a first, was a few eunuchs, dressed up in saris. I had been reading about them in William Dalrymple's City of Djinns - about the history of Delhi.

While at the palace, I met two lovely French ladies, who, it turned out, had hired a taxi for the following day to get to Khajaraho, and didn't mind if I stowed along. This not only saved me the hassle of trying to find a bus for the 6 hour trip, but also made the journey much nicer, both in conversation, leg room, and suspension - the road is terrible! When I met them for breakfast, at a very nice hotel, (4000rs a night, instead of my 200rs), they also suggested I use their shower, which was the first hot water I had come across in two weeks. It was lovely, and the buffet breakfast I gatecrashed was also amazing! One of the ladies lives in Delhi, and has offered me a place to stay when I eventually get there. The joys of traveling!

Train to Jhansi

Having to leave Sanchi so soon presented the problem of, well, leaving. There was only 1 train a day passing through the station, and no buses onward (and I hate retracing my steps), so I boarded the 4pm (well, it arrived at 4.30pm) local train to Jhansi, without a ticket reservation, and therefore no seat.

I was rather expecting to have to stand in the hallway for the 6 hour ride, but I actually had a great trip! I was quickly beckoned to sit down in the normal SL class carriage I was in, and spent the whole ride being spoilt and talked to by the people there. Tea, hot peanuts, a bean salad...all were bought for me, and presented my first exposure to 'street food', which was thankfully painless! We talked about me, and my trip, and my family, and England etc, and I even learnt a bit of Hindi, and really, the whole trip was great!

Which is more than can be said for Jhansi, which is like Bhopal, but without the big mosques (as far as I could tell). I arrived at 10pm exhausted, and faced with the prospect of sleeping in the station, or trying to find somewhere to sleep, I set out on a 2 hour search that finally presented a 250rs room, in a grotty hotel. But it was a bed!

Reports from Orchha and Khajaraho to come (my hour is up at the internet cafe)

Bhopal and Sanchi

Arrived in Bhopal early in the morning and set about trying to find the mosques that are about the only famous things in the town. I found lots of delapodated old buildings before eventually stumbling onto the Taj-ul-Masajid - Which describes itself as the biggest mosque in India, and one of the 3 biggest in Asia. Which is certainly possible, as it is HUGE! although mainly all court-yard space, in the classic Arabian style. I didn't have much luck finding the things I wanted in the city, either due to a faulty Rough Guides map, or my lack of sleep. When I said it lacked famous monuments, it is probably from infamy that Bhopal is known to us these days, as it was here that the Union Carbide gas leak happened in 1984, killing and maiming an unknown number of people. Apart from one hospital dedicated to the victims, I didn't see any mention of this though.

The main reason I was in Bhopal though, was to leave it! And get to Sanchi, for what I hoped for a few days relaxation amid countryside and Buddhist Stupas. The first half of the plan worked, namely, getting to Sanchi, but as for staying and relaxing, I was out of luck. Between a big local wedding, and 100 visiting Sri Lankans, there was no accommodation in town, so I only stayed for a few hours. The stupas were great though, and the view from the top was fantastic, overlooking wheat fields that wouldn't have looked out of place in the English countryside

Nagpur

Boy - "Do you know Michael Jackson?"

Me - "Yeh, he was a good singer"

Boy- "He was not a singer, he was a dancer. But he died of skin cancer and he was gay"

The city I have spent all day in...and hopefully that will be it. Not that it is a terrible city really, but at 4.5million people, its rather a shock from the village life of the past week.

I also got ripped off by an auto-rickshaw driver, and that made me angry. Not that the values involved were huge, but its the principle. He quoted me 10rs, the 4 other Indians in it paid 10rs, yet he wanted 100rs from me at the end. (its about $2)...I made a stand..and I know the Hindi for 10, and 100 (i have been trying to study!), so I understood the whole time, which made it even worse... in the end I paid him 50rs and walked off. Hopefully I caused enough hassle that he wont try it to a tourist again.

The conversation at the top happened today, and was while being led to the Post Office to post some stuff home. This young boy, maybe 12 just came up and asked if he could help. He was very friendly, and spent 20mins walking around with me, getting an envelope etc to make sure everything was ok. He even gave me 2rs to 'remember him by', and gave him 1penny (the only UK coin I had!)... So mum, this is a message to say that my swimming trunks, a pair of boxer shorts, a pair of socks, and some books by Gandhi and Bhave are on their way... nothing exciting I am afraid. Just stuff I dont want to carry around India for the next 5 months. (I have other socks and boxer shorts, dont worry)

And I forgot to mention the good news... the lens is fixed! 1000rs and 4 hours later, a guy in a little camera shop had sorted it. As long as that holds up, I will be very happy indeed. It saved me alot of effort and expense! I still haven't found a card reader at an internet cafe though, so no photos.

Paunar- Vinobu Bhave's Ashram

'It may be said without any fear of exaggeration that to partake in sweetmeats and other delicacies, in a country where millions do not even get an ordinary full meal, is equivalent to robbery' Gandhi in "The moral basis of vegetarianism"

The Italians had stayed here before coming to Gandhi's, so I stayed here for two nights to see what the fuss was about. And I am very glad I did.

It had a totally different feel to it, helped I am sure by its smaller size and more residents. All of whom are women (many rather old), who spend much of the day growing vegetables and reading. I wish I could have taken photos to show you, but, alas, broken camera.

Bhave was a friend of Gandhi's, and his ashes were scattered in the river that flows past the ashram (and attacts 500,000 people every year to mark this event).

There is more I can write about the ashram, but I am tired! email me if you have any specific questions - Peter.alan.ford@gmail.com

Not sure when I will post again, hopefully within the next week, and WITH PHOTOS (and a working camera)... Bhopal/Sanchi/Orchha will all be visited in the next few days (in theory)

Sevagram- Gandhi's Ashram

So my first real train ride was rather anti-climatic after the Kazakh experiences, in that it was very similar. A mildly padded shelf to sleep on that is 10cm too short for me, and lots of noisy people!

One sight I certainly didn't see in Kazakhstan (and not just because it was cold), was people pooping in fields. With no attempt at modesty. Public dedication is rather common in rural India it seems (explains some of the smells), with many people just finding any free area to use. I am not sure why there isn't the urge to build the pit-toilets that Kazakhstan was so fond of, maybe something to do with the monsoon?

Right, about the Ashram. There was no space in the guest-house, so I slept for 3 nights in one of the actual ashram rooms, which certainly lent an even greater authenticity to the stay.

Daily life in the ashram:

4.30 - Prayers

6.30-7.30 - Sweeping leaves

7.30- Breakfast

8-11 - Working (I spent the time moving piles of cow dung, and bricks)

11- Lunch

3-5pm - Working (more moving of dung)

5pm- Dinner

6pm- Prayers

The prayers seemed to be the same every day, and consisted of 3 chanted ones, plus the Lords Prayer in English.

The ashram is set up more like a working museum, than a quiet private retreat, and that meant lots of tourists (almost all Indian) coming at gawping. Being a foreigner there seemed to be such a novelty, that photos were always being taken, and questions asked. It was fun for a while, but after 3 days, had become very tiresome, both for me, and the two Italian guys who were the only other 'guests', complementing a permanent ashram community of no more than 20. It felt rather ironic that I was at a tourist attraction, but for some, I was the main attraction.

There were some beautiful flowering trees in the compound - bright oranges and pinks - that match the saris of some of the visitors, and the colour is amazing! Everything else is a drab beige.

I have read 3 of Gandhi's books now, and while I agree with some of what he said, and certainly with his purpose, much of it now seems outdated and naive. Even the ashram doesn't follow all of his ideas. He spoke about the importance of small, simple meals, with no more than 5 ingreadients in total, and certainly not mixing proteins (milk with lentils) and the meals, while still being simple (and free from chilli!) were certainly more complex, thankfully! He was also against much machinery, yet there was a blender in the kitchen, and that was itself powered by bio-gas.

My stay has certainly given me much to think about though, and was a great experience.

Jalgaon

This was just a connection town, where I had a 4.50am train to catch, but found a dorm bed for 100rs ($2) with the help of a helpful French Canadian (who insists on only spending a max of 150rs for a nights stay), and managed to enjoy touring the town with him, a rather more seasoned India traveler.

This included getting a guided tour around a supermarket by its manager, including introductions to all the staff, explanations about the products, and seeing every last corner of his shop- it was very funny indeed.

We also visited a brand new mall, that seemed very out of place in this dusty market town, but I guess it means there is money to made in the area. It was full of the usual teenagers that all malls seem to attract.

Ajanta Caves

A new day, and new caves! These were a 2 hour bus ride away, in a far more remote part of the countryside. They occupy the outside cliffs of a sharp bend, and offer a much nicer location, even if the caves themselves are not as lavish. The location has also meant they were 'lost' for rather a long time, infact it was the British who stumbled across them, meaning that the caves were save from the Islamic destruction of Ellora.

A lot of the paint work has also survived here, so while the carvings are smaller in scale, there is more colour to see. It really is a lovely place! The time to visit, apparently, is just after the monsoon, when the river is full, creating a stunning waterfalls and adding some great sounds to the mix.

One thing that you cannot escape in India is the poverty of certain groups, and this manifests itself in people trying to make a living in a startling number of ways. The hills around Ajanta are full of amethyst and other crystals, and it is therefore for sale everywhere one turns. Not needing to carry rocks around India with me, I took up another offer, for a tour of the area above the caves, and it was a nice peaceful way to get a great look at everything from above. I tipped the guy 200 rupees, which in rural India can be as much as a days salary. This generosity from me wont last, as I become more hardened/numbed to it, but everything at the beginning of this trip is a learning experience, and that includes spending too much of my money. My budget of 300pounds a month is very low (I CAN afford more, but will try to aim for this), but seemingly do-able and will leave spending money for things like camel treks or bungee jumping.

Ellora Caves

So, my first visit to a city in a week, and therefore the ability to write something! Although at 20pence an hour for Internet, I am not sure I can afford to stay here more than a few hours!

It has been an eventful week out here in India, and almost all positive I am pleased to report. The only downside being that my lens broke (thankfully after visiting the caves), but it is in a small repair shop now, and I hope it will be ok! Fingers crossed anyway, likewise, with my ticket for the night train to Bhopal tonight. I am currently 75th on the waiting list (it was 96 two days ago, so i guess that is a good sign). Trains are SOO busy here, that pretty much every seat is taken on every train- making just turning up at the station almost impossible.

Anyway, back to talking about stuff I have done. The night bus from Mumbai to Aurangabad was CCOOOLLLDDD, seriously, I had to put my down-jacket on. This was due to a combination of cool weather, and the MASSIVE gaps between the windows and frames, allowing for a constant flow of fresh air.

The plan for my first day was to see the Ellora Caves, and nearby fort. After the bus, and the heat/dust, however, I just settled for the caves. They are spread over a 2km cliff, and feature carvings from 3 of the main religions in India - Jain, Hindu and Buddhist. Some of them were stunningly beautiful (others rather bleak). Unfortunately, most had suffered from the iconoclasm of the 4th major religion in India- Islam. The destruction of the giant Buddhist statues in Afghanistan a few years ago, is nothing new, and the wanton defacement of fantastic art has been going on for a long time.

There is no card reader on this computer, so no photos I am afraid, but google should be able to help you out!

Byebye Mumbai

I have an 8pm night bus today, to take me to Aurangabad, and the Ellora and Ajanta caves, which will keep me busy for the next few days.

But before that, an update on what I did in Mumbai today. I went for a tour of the Dharavi 'slums', called the largest slums in the world, and home of the highest population density as well. I was rather apprehensive about going, not because of safety, but because of not wanting to just be a gawping tourist, looking at the poor people.

But the Reality Tours tour was great, and we were shown around by a current inhabitant, and really got a feel for the industry and community of the place. It is a major center for recycling in the city, and is a regular hive of small workshops - melting down plastic bottles, washing and cleaning metal oil containers, making poppadoms and clay pots, and just generally being busy. It DIDN'T have a air of despair to it, despite being filthy and packed, and I am glad I visited. Not only to experience what I did, but to dispel some of the negative stereotypes I held about slums. I only took the photo at start, as we were asked not to take photos, out of respect of those living there. It was difficult to agree, as the colours and life of the place was very photogenic, but having my camera in my bag did allow me to absorb m

ore, and feel less touristy.

For lunch we went to a Goan restaurant, and had some delicious but SPICY foods, from an area of India I won't be visiting. I hope after 5 months, I will be able to eat spicier foods, otherwise I will feel like a kid, asking for the mildest items on menues.

Right..so packing begin the real beginning to the adventure, and it will be hard to leave the creature comforts of the lovely house behind. And for you, my dear readers, it spells the start of less access to internet, although, as blogs aren't blocked here (as they are in, say, Kazakhstan), I should be able to post from my Kindle at least... minus the pictures though.

Mumbai 2

The gateway to India

Train station
Commuting

Let loose in the city today, and nothing worse to report than blisters.

First of all though, this morning I visited the Hari Krishna temple near where I am staying, and it was interesting to learn about the starting of the movement - aided by some rather energetic dioramas. It was a beautiful temple complex though, and everyone was very friendly.

After that, the real adventure began (although I did accept a lift to the station, no need to turn down a free ride!) After 5 minutes of queuing for a ticket (There were 8 different lines, all the same length, and this was just a small local stop!), I got the 8rs (about 11pence) ticket and found my way onto what I thought was the right train. It was, thank goodness, as i really had no idea what was going on, but I arrived in downtown Mumbai 30 minutes later!

I met up with a Couch-surfer (google it) and spent a great afternoon seeing the tourist sites (lots of big old buildings built by the British), before meeting up with the Alexandra (wife of family i am staying with) for a show of 'The old man and the sea' by a friend of hers. It was entertaining, but helped greatly that I had read the book!

Ill try and get 1 more post tomorrow done, before I am deprived of the guaranteed use of a computer!

Mumbai

The flower delivery guy, in the local fishing village

Well, I am in India, Mumbai to be precise, and by the sounds of it, currently in a much warmer situation than England. Bloody typical, I ALWAYS MISS THE SNOW!!! It is currently in the low 30's (Celsius), and the locals are complaining how cold it is. I have seen numerous hats and sweaters. Crazy. This is just about perfect for me, although I know things will only get hotter until I am able to get up into the mountains (and can make use of the 4 season sleeping bag, down jacket, thermal underwear and beanie i brought with me).

So my experience of India so far has been, fr

ankly, less than typical, but still fantastic. I am staying with friends of a former boss, a lovely family living in the northern area of Mumbai. When I say 'less than typical'' its because of things like them having a cook, a cleaner, a house boy, a gardener and 2 drivers. Now, that may seem like a lot, but the cleaner is the daughter-in-law of the cook, and the houseboy has been part of the family for 4 years and is almost like a son. It doesn't feel like 'master' and 'servant', but more like 'boss' and 'staff'' and I haven't felt uncomfortable.

The lifestyle they lead though, is different to what I will be seeing in the rest of my Indian trip. I have been to The Club twice now, swimming in the pool, and for a wine tasting evening yesterday, and while is does have a certain Raj era feel to it, 80% of the members seem to be Indian, so at least some things have changed.

The neighbourhood where I am currently staying, has more expensive property prices than Manhattan apparently, with lots of swish apartment blocks, all with guards on the front door. In contrast with this, is, well, the real India, which is very close indeed. I went for a ramble around the block this morning, ostensibly to get a hair cut, but also for my first solo taste of India (I have been very lucky to have been driven everywhere with the family up until now). So I did find a barber, armed with a plastic stool, a small box with

his equipment, and a shaded spot on the pavement. For 50rs (75rs is a pound) I got a haircut, a shave with a cut-throat razor and a head massage - al

l from a guy who didn't speak any English and was probably illiterate. I had a view of road one side, packed with cars and auto-rickshaws, all following the standard road policy of complete anarchy (lanes/lights/indicating/stopping etc all seem to be optional), OR, the view the other way was over some waste ground that was frequently used as the toilet by the local market sellers. And less than 10 minutes away from the apartment.

Here is a photo of my new favorite barber...and the view

My new cut, modeled in my bedroom

This contrast between rich and poor, is something that I have never seen more clearly (I thought Kazakhstan was bad...at least most of the people in the village were roughly the same). I am going to see the famous Dharavi slum tomorrow morning - then finally take my first train downtown and finally see the sights of Mumbai (was given a car tour, but not the same as on foot), before attending an art show in the evening. And HOPEFULLY buy a bus ticket to my next destination - Aurangabad, stopping off point for the Ellora and Ajanta caves and Daulatabad fort.

This has been rather long and boring, sorry! A few other things I have done since I have been here... with less rambling I promise!

Flew kites on the beach

Ate sugar cane (it IS sweet, but easier to just suck on sugar cubes)

The local flute/whistle seller walks around playing on one- lovely sound

Drank from a coconut

Went to see a 3D film (journey 2- one of the kids in the family is 11).... ticket cost about 3 pounds

Went to Dominos Pizza

Dubai

So i am aware that this 'India' blog so far hasn't talked much about India, and I will remedy that with the next post (I am in Mumbai now, I promise!), but first stop for the trip was in Dubai.

I stayed here two nights, and I think that was long enough to get a pretty good feel of the city. On arrival at the airport, I was rather shocked to see the number of non-arab staff, basically running the place, and that thought stayed with me the entire time. It turns out 45% of the country is Indian, and only 15% are Emirate Arabs. Which is a very low number, but not one that seems to concern too many people living here.

The brand new metro is very shiny, and worked without fault, although it doesn't seem to have attracted too many customers yet. At less than £2 for a 20min trip from the Airport to where I was staying, it won me over anyway!

I stayed with a friend from Japan, and it was great to see him again, and hear more about his post-Japan experiences (Peace Boat then Dubai), and eat fantastic hummus! He had to work during the day, which left me free to explore. On crutches. Recipe for disaster, but actually accident free!

Instead of going to the malls to look at stuff I wasn't going to buy, I went to try and find some of the 'old' Dubai, rather a challenge, seeing as the city only started to gain the importance it now has, from the 1960's onwards, but some effort has been made downtown to preserve (or simply build from scratch) some of the traditional buildings. This is centered on the creek, and made a pleasant walk, with the water and palm trees providing more to look at than the identical apartment blocks that make up much of the city. I popped into an Islamic house, which had a very interesting exhibition on Calligraphy, and it was nice to see examples of stuff I had studied in my Islamic Art course. The rest of the house though, was rather evangelical in its information about Islam, and was rather odd. In the first room,

there were displays showing how the Qu'ran must be true, as there are scientific statements in it, that scientists have only just proved to be correct (womb having 3 layers, people being made of water etc)...the NEXT room though, was all about the creation story, which is basically the same as the Christian idea, which couldn't be further from science. Very odd indeed, and only reinforced my belief that people can believe in God and the stories from religious texts if they want, but dont ever try to use science to prove them as being correct, as it just looks silly.

Anyway, I leave you with this photo, and the promise that I will finally talk about India in the next post!