Day 297 : Last day in Delhi

Got the metro and an auto to South Delhi to go to go to a cooking class and a lady called Jyoti's house. There was us two and an American guy. It was an intense 4 hours of Indian cookery although more like a demonstration than actually cooking ourselves although this was a good way to fit more in and we’ll just have to practice at home. Had lots of good food to eat and definitely learnt some stuff.

Took the metro back to Khan market for Will to try on his suit – the trousers and waistcoat are perfect but jacket not very slim cut. Left the shop then after thinking about it went back and persuaded them to sort it out even though we had to be on the plane in that night.

Went home then again back to Khan market Will tried the jacket it was altered but he’s still not totally happy but it looks really nice. Gave up with the rickshaws and took another metro journey home.

Note:
The hotel is completely wonky at first we thought we were tired as we walked up the stairs but then realised that each floor and the stairs is completely unlevel and wonky! It’s like Fun House!
Shopping especially in the malls is a pain – you have to go through security scanner and serached then every time you go into a shop you either have to hand your bag in or have it cable tied up!

Behaviour on the metro: The metro in new, clean and modern. Even it is always bust there is always room especially in the middle of the carriage but everyone squashes up buy the door and it’s like a race / rugby scrum when you get on and off even when it’s not busy! Each time I’ve been in que to get on I’ve had full grown, middle aged men in smart business suits scrambling and pushing past me to get onto a half empty carriage as if his life depended on it! What’s that about!

Taxi booked for 1.30 am all packed up! Can’t beleive it!

Day 296 : National museum / cinema

Will had his sunglasses case stolen from his rucksack while waiting to cross the road outside our hotel – luckily he was wearing his sunglasses. Got the metro to the national museum. Walked across Rajpath where the parliament buildings are.

The museum has some really funky animal sculptures from 6000 B.C. Had tea in the canteen then took the metro to West Delhi to see what the shopping malls looked like. Normal malls but a lot of the shops too expensive for us. Most shops seem to have more staff than customers and it's really off-putting being followed by a horde of shop staff! Went to see "Houseful 2", a Bollywood film. The plot was a little hard to follow (being in Hindi and all) and the films are very long but I enjoyed the songs, dancing and costumes.

Walked back from the metro via the “backpacker” area - really horrible and skanky. Had dinner in the sweetshop / restaurant opposite our hotel – a very nice dosa.

I do find the juxtaposition of rich and poor in India odd. Like today walking across a bit of wasteland between 2 malls there are street kids who hang around (out of reach from the door guards) near these malls that have shops like Hugo Boss and Lacoste. Or you see a flash business man on his phone on a cycle rickshaw. Or very expensive 4x4's driving around old men pulling massively heavy carts. It must be weird being middle class and having a life much like my own but being surrounded by people who's lives are unimaginable to me. I think I have been surprised by how well fed and the animals are and that most people seem to have food (food seems to be everywhere - like on the floor and in the piles of rubbish), but still there are a lot of poor people surrounded by a lot of rich!

Day 295 : Delhi by cycle

Got up at 5 and took an auto rickshaw to Old Delhi to our guide from the Dutch company Delhi by Cycle. Met some nice people on the tour. Had no helmets Dutch style.

We cycled down butcher street (a mainly Muslim area) – it’s the first time (apart from the odd chicken) that I’ve seen meat and carcasses around (buffalo and goat) – gross! The entrance to the metro station in the centre of Old Delhi is funny because it’s surrounded by donkeys, pack horses and general Indian chaos that could be from any era (apart from the motorbikes).

We cycled through the wholesale spice market and walked up to a rooftop to see the view. The chilli dust in the air made our eyes water and I was retching because I was coughing so much!

Got completely soaked in the rain – even got a bit chilly until I dried out (it’s been 35 degrees here but has now cooled down a bit). Went through some posh suburbs and had a chai stop. Went past the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid and a Sikh and Jain temple.

Had brunch in a long established canteen that serves goat curry (only tried the tiniest bit of meat as didn’t fancy it that much) and roti type bread. The cycle tour was really enjoyable and we finished in one piece.
Went back to Khan bazaar for Will’s suit fitting we think it’s gonna be ok – we pick it up on friday. Went to McDonalds (for research purposes off course, we were curious), they have a lot of veg options, had a veg burger it was OK.

Had a dosa and chai room service dinner.

Day 294 : Delhi Markets

Got up late and had breakfast at the grubby rooftop cafe in our hotel. Good view over Delhi but very smoggy. Spent a bit of time organising other activities for the week – a cycle tour tomorrow and cookery class on Friday.

Took the Metro out to Dilli Haat, a handcraft market in South Delhi with the usual fare of textiles, miniature paintings and carvings. Ate momos in a cafe there – reminded us of Darjeeling - and bought a few presents. After this we headed to the nearby Sarojini Nagar where there are lots of shops selling western-style clothes and an export surplus market. We threw out a lot of clothes before we came away and they are very cheap here so Loulou bought a bought some jeans and tops.

Flagging a bit after all the markets so went for coffee in Connaught Place – the “centre” of New Delhi. We expected it to be quite smart but it seemed to be mostly a building site and lots of scruffy shops.

As we came out of the Metro to come home we were engulfed by a massive dust / thunder storm – you could hardy see more than 20m because of the dust and 2 minutes later we were running through heavy rain and an incredible lightening storm to get back to the hotel! I think it’s the heaviest rain we’ve seen since Memphis. Hopefully it’ll clear up for our cycle tour tomorrow morning…

Day 293 : Agra to New Delhi

Left the lovely home stay – the mother gave me a big hug and said “come back with your children”. Got an auto to the station and caught our last Indian train! It was 30 minutes delayed making our total delay time over 13 train journeys (equal to a week of travel) 35 minutes!

Got a taxi transfer to our hotel north of Pahar Ganj on a dusty, busy side street. Hotel is relatively nice - a typical Indian style hotel. Delhi seems quite modern it has pavements and the like.

Took an auto to Khan market which is weird its in an okish area but then has shops like in Covent garden. Will got measured for a suit (got a few weddings to go to!) and parted with some cash and now we hope it will turn out ok! Had some food in the turtle cafe – a bookshop cafe that serves nice western style cafe food.

Tried to get a metro home but struggled to get back from the station (we went to the wrong one for a start) plus no one’s heard of our hotel so trying to get an auto or cycle rickshaw was hard and we tried walking but went the wrong way. Finally got a cycle rickshaw who we then had an argument with over the agreed price.

Finally got home! The hotel seem very keen to sell us beer - we had a couple of Kingfishers (extra strong!) which we felt we deserved after the stress of getting home.

Day 292 : Agra fort

Not up too early today, had breakfast then took an auto to Agra fort (built in by the same guy who built the stuff in Fatehpur Sikri). Had an audio guide and wandered around the red fort and marble palace.

Walked along the road to the Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque) and wandered around the bazaars – lots of shoe, marble and material shops - nothing for us really.

Agra is weird. The bazaars around the fort and the Taj are mainly normal and and not touristy - you don’t really see many tourists around. I’m not sure if it’s just low season or if most people arrive in coaches and don’t walk around.

Took an auto back home. Almost hit a young cow that ran into the road but just managed to avoid it (it had a lovely pink beaded necklace on – the cows here are very fashionable).

Had a nice lunch. In the past few weeks our food bill has gone up. We used to be able to get a full meal and drinks for 2 in a restaurant for just under £1 now we are spending at least £3. A masala dosa (potato curry in a pancake thing with dips, chutneys etc and a soup) in the south is about 30p now it’s £1.

Went to the roof top cafe to have a last evening drink with the view of the Taj. Watched some kite fighting over the rooftops saw a few kites get cut loose – one loose kite flew right over our heads!

Walked home via a roundabout we have been past at least 5 times – the same bull stands in the middle of it everyday – we took a video. Saw another coal-fired iron on the street.

Day 291 : The Taj Mahal

Up at 5 and walked to the Taj entry gate. Queued for a bit then got in with the first crowds. You go through a very impressive gateway then get the full view of the beautiful Taj Mahal. Had a wander around.

Got back home had breakfast, chilled out. Got a cycle rickshaw to Sadar bazaar had lunch then tried to wander around the shops and stalls (although we couldn’t find many) Will bought some everyday shoes. Still both bit under the weather won’t do much this evening.

Day 290 : Travel to Agra

Had breakfast then walked to the bus station. Took a very rickety bus to Agra – the side of the bus looked like it was about to fall off at any point. Got stuck in a bit of a jam (was amazed at how the buffalo that was in a trailer in front of us was so calm and nonchalant).

Checked into our home stay in Agra which is a lovely posh home owned by an Indian family. Went for lunch in a place that does special ice-cream. Went to a rooftop cafe in the evening and saw our first view of the Taj Mahal which was absolutely stunning. Watched the full moon rise then made our way back in an auto rickshaw getting stuck in yet another procession (probably another wedding celebration).

Met a nice couple from Canada and had a chat with one of the homestay brothers.

Day 289 : Fatehpur Sikri

Up at 6 had breakfast and arrived early Lama Masjid mosque and the Royal Palace.

The mosque was built in 1571 by the emperor Akbar. It has the most enormous staircase (populated by goats) leading up to the stunning, gargantuan gateway. This leads into an impressive square with beautiful gateways and prayer halls.

The palace is an extensive and impressive array of buildings and courtyards in a variety of styles. Because we got there early the place was almost deserted. Some of the courtyards were so big and empty they gave me that giddy, silly feeling like when you go into an empty sports hall and it makes you want to prance around!

Walked around the little village which feels very old style and not influenced by being next to one of the biggest tourist attractions in India (think most people come on day trips from Agra and don’t go to the village). Like everywhere they have barbers shaving men on chairs on the street. Today I saw a women having dentistry in the same way - gross!    

Day 288 : Safari and train to Fatehpur Sikri

Up early again for another safari, managed to get on a jeep. It was a relatively cool morning which was nice. Saw the usual deer and antelope and a big family of langur monkeys hanging out with spotted deer. New animal – saw two jackals – they ran up to a waterhole and wallowed in the water.

Chatted to some nice people in the hotel then got a rickshaw to the station. Got the train to Fatephur Sikri and arrived at about half 8. The train stopped in the middle track so we had to climb down the steep steps onto the tracks and haul ourselves and our bags onto the platform.

Checked into our random motel style hotel. Decided to sweat out the cheap room as a.c. twice the price. 

Day 287 : Tiger Safari

Up at 5 had breakfast then left for the park at about 6.30.

A leopard had been spotted just outside the park, we were very lucky to see it. It was chilling out in a tree on the hillside quite far away. It looked huge. A shame the guide or no-one had binoculars. Managed to borrow some for half a minute from another jeep. The leopard was gorgeous. It was just lying with its legs hanging over the branch and occasionally shoeing away the birds that were pestering it.

It seems we weren't in the tiger zone this morning (the jeeps get allocated zones – they know where the tigers are but obviously wouldn’t let us know that we’re not in the right zone). But we saw lots of animals and most of them new to us….

Loads of different birds – green pigeons, lots of peacocks spreading their tail feathers!, jungle babbler, some sort of magpie, a bulbul. We saw gazelles, spotted deer (think these are the same as the one’s that are common in the UK) samba deer (huge ears!) and blue antelope which are huge!

Had a quick swim in the pool (they have a pool!) (Will still bit under the weather). The hotel predictably messed up our booking so we ended up on a “canter” which is a big, sawn-off lorry that carries about 40 people. Went to a different part of the park. Saw the fort which is impressively high up a cliff. Didn’t see many animals bu saw a crocodile, mongoose and a peacock shaking its tail feathers!

Day 286 : Jaipur to Ranthambhore

Had breakfast in the peacock then walking home through the housing estate we saw real, wild peacocks walking around on the wall! We said to the hotel guy we could hear peacocks calling in the night but he said it was a milk wallah.

Checked out of our beautiful room. Was in a bad mood for no reason this morning and I take it back about people not staring anymore. At the train station people still stared at me and it feels like I’m having an episode of paranoia!

Waited for our transfer from Sawaimadhopur station, had to ring them to remind them to pick us up while we fended off rickshaw drivers pretending to be our transfer.

Arrived at Tiger safari resort which is one of the hotels that sit on the edge of town. It’s a small dusty, deserty town with lots of pigs and cows wandering around, lots of jeeps and many camels towing trailers. Room is nice, we weren't expecting much as this place is renowned for ripping off it’s captive market.

Day 285 : Hawa Mahal

Had breakfast at the peacock then got a rickshaw to Hawa Mahal near the city palace. Will still feeling under the weather with a cold.

Hawa Mahal (1799) is a stunning palace that was designed to allow women to view the outside world without being seen so therefor keeping "purdah". The place is a beautiful labyrinth of corridors, ornate windows and lattice work that all allows one-way viewing.I feel like this place and the astrological park both look like pictures from those puzzle books or Dali paintings.

Wandered through the bazaars but we feel the shopping is a bit disappointing probably because the guide books describe it as a shopping mecca but we think other places were better so we should have bought more before.

Back to our gorgeous room for Will to chill out and get better.

Day 284 : Jaipur

Up early and packed our bags so they can be moved to the new room. Had breakfast at the peacock then got a rickshaw to the Jantar Mantar and the city palace within the pink city walls. The walled city is pretty and unusually it has very wide roads (founded 1727) but it's not as attractive as say Udaipur or other places.

Jantar Mantar (1727) is a peculiar garden full of astrology (and astronomy) equipment from the 1700's. It is so the priests could calculate things like a good date to get married etc. It is home to the worlds largest sun dial (large is an understatement - 27 meters tall).

The palace is nice but we are feeling a bit sightseeinged out! Although I did get very excited about some absolutely exquisite doors (see album).

Saw more men with bright Rajasthani turbans and curly mustaches (its not only people who work in museums but regular people too).

Walked around the shops a bit then went to the Raj Mandir cinema to pick up tickets for a 3pm showing - there is only one choice - "Agent Vinod" starring Saif Ali Khan a Bollywood superstar who can be seen advertising anything from crisps to vests.

Had dinner then went into the cinema - it has a beautiful grand reception hall - it was built in 1976 but in Art Deco style and is wonderful. The film was ok and although in Hindi you get the gist of the plot.

Checked into our new room which I think is nicer than the last one. The "bathroom" (well they don't have baths here) is the poshest bathroom I've ever seen including ones in posh lifestlye magazines! It will look less posh when we hang up our clothes to dry (laundry is expensive in India I think because it is done by hand so we do it all ourselves).

Day 283 : Arrival in Jaipur

Arrived at 5am and went to the sister hotel of the one we're booked in as they have a waiting lounge there. Had breakfast in the beautiful rooftop cafe "the peacock". We've hit the serious tourist trail without even realizing but then I notice things like in a carriage there were a couple of other westerners and people aren't staring at me like I'm an alien. It's nice because people don't stare at me when I eat and it's also nice chatting to other British people. On the other hand I feel like a certain part of our India trip is now over, also I feel now that any Indians that approach us are only after our money!

Checked into Pearl Palace Heritage - it is very swanky - Will has booked a few expensive hotels for his "Birthday fortnight"! Well I say expensive - the same price as 1 person staying in an 8 bunk dorm in Oz. Our room is not available today so they put us in an even bigger suite that is about the same size as our flat.

Went to Anokhi which is a chain of fair-trade shops to buy some presents. We also ate in their cafe. It was all the weirdest experience. The shop and cafe are in an air conditioned little mall and the cafe was just like one you'd get in John Lewis or something. I had a gorgeous brie baguette. It's so weird because we haven't seen anywhere that looks this "normal" for such a long time.

Went back too our hotel then went to the peacock for dinner (no where else nearby to eat as we are in kind of housing estate, and the food's nice).

Day 282 : Another overnight train

Checked out of our room at 9 but spent all of today hanging out in the restaurant Will is making good progress on my website. It’s apparently 41 degrees today so think that’s why we didn't fancy walking around the fort. We were lucky with the weather for the trek as it wasn't too hot.

Just boarded the overnight train to Jaipur.

Day 281 : Return from the desert

Survived overnight in the desert. Didn’t get that much sleep – it was quite hot but then got really nice and cool (but too soon to dawn!), the giant beetles continued to be attracted to us but finally went to sleep, two dogs (one of them from earlier) wanted to sleep by us (made me feel guilty every time I had a drink as they looked on longingly) but they didn’t like each other so kept fighting.

A cool, white sun rose behind a haze. The camels were still there which was all good. Our guide made us boiled eggs, toast and chai over the fire. Met another dog who I was happy to see drinking the boiled egg water before the guide saw her.

Set off on a two hour ride to meet the jeep. Saw some deer (gazelles?) and a strange looking grey fox thing and some eagles.

Had lunch on the rooftop and stared at the life happening all around – the wild boar piglets are so cute! The sparrows are busy bobbing around collecting material for their nests – I love the chirp noise they make. Life (and it’s by-products) in India seems to seep into every nook and cranny no matter how inhospitable the environment may first appear to be.

Had a quick wander in the fort. Had dinner on the roof as usual – had 4 beers which quadrupled our usual bill.

Day 280 : Camel trek

Checked out at 9 and hung around the hotel on the rooftop and also in a cool window seat until we set off by jeep at 2. Met our fellow trekkers the lovely Sue and Nick from Yorkshire (who randomly have good friends in both Stroud and Cowbridge and know the places very well). 

Met our camels and Mr Singh our guide. The camels were friendly enough which is good because it means I could try and cuddle them. The camels were packed up with all our supplies before we got on. Will got the biggest camel and some reins as the guide asked who had experience riding (although I have 20 years experience he obviously didn’t ask me because I’m a women so my camel was attached to the one in front!).
We rode off into the distance (Will often being further in the distance as his camel was very keen so he got relegated to the back of the line).

We went through scrubby land towards a more deserty landscape and after 2 hours (which was plenty as there are no stirrups so not that comfy) arrived at a dune to set up camp. Mr Singh made us some chai and dinner whilst we looked at the dunes and the sunset. There a lots large black beetles (maybe dung beetles) that seem very attracted to us and won’t stop clambering onto us (anything’s better than spiders obviously and they’re quite cute but annoying).

A gorgeous dog came up to us looking thirsty and I talked to him and said I might give him a drink which he somehow understood and he lay down and put his head on my feet! I cut open a plastic bottle and let him drink he was so thirsty. He finally got shoed away by Mr Singh.

After dinner we rolled out our mattress and blanket and looked at the stars – the sky was quite hazy but it was nice to be comfy and look at the stars (only saw 1 shooting start – there seems to be more in the UK I’ve seen than anywhere else we’ve been).

Day 279 : Will’s 30th Birthday!

We were up at 4 to catch the train to Jaisalmer. Arrived at 11 and checked into our lovely havelli hotel. Had breakfast in the lovely roof top restaurant which has a great view of the fort.

The cake survived and I got the funny candle ready. The balloons I bought were typical of many things in India in that they barely worked at all. So I made a string of sorry looking funny shaped balloons and hung up a happy birthday sign. The candle was a pleasant surprise as when I lit it it expanded into a lotus flower and sang happy birthday! So I sang Happy Birthday and we ate cake yum.

And what did I get Will for his big 30th birthday? A kinder surprise!

Wandered into the beautiful fort and looked around the extensive alleyways (didn’t last that long as it’s so hot). There a lots of shops and homes (2000 people live within the walls). Bought some wedding gifts – we’re reaching the limit of carrying everything!

Had dinner in the rooftop cafe and had a couple of kingfishers to celebrate.

Day 278 : Wander around Jodhpur

Today we spent the morning wandering the streets of Jodhpur. We picked our away through the back streets and manoeuvred around the usual motorbikes and cows. Saw a couple of small processions (maybe to do with weddings?). The buildings are very picturesque. In the same way I'm collecting cow photos Will has started collecting door photos.

Saw a man trying to feed chapatis to a cow but the cow looked at him as if to say - do you think I want another chapati?? How about some cornflakes for breakfast tomorrow?

Wandered off to look for birthday related things, found a bakery and the guy iced Happy 30th Will on a cake for me. Also managed to find some balloons and candles yay!

Day 277 : Mehrangarh Fort

Today we visited the spectacular Mehrangarh fort (1459) which teeters above Jodhpur. It is a breath taking building and has magnificent views over the indigo washed houses, the clock tower and the current Maharajas palace that looks like the Taj sitting on the horizon. We wandered around the fort through a series of gateways and corridors, you can see why it has never been successfully penetrated.

We then walked down to the marble cenotaphs of the Rathor rulers (1906) before getting a tuk tuk back down the hill.

Heard lots of noise and music from our room so went downstairs to the hotel entrance and watched a huge procession of carnival type floats and fantastic marching bands. Also watched the dearest little mouse scamper up and down a tree.

Day 276 : Jodhpur

Did geeking in the morning. Went out in the late afternoon up to the clock tower market, wandered around and bought some gifts. Made a slow return back to our hotel as the traffic was awful and impossible to cross the roads although at least here they do try and stop or avoid hitting you when you’re in the middle of the road (unlike Kolkata).

Day 275 : Kumbhalgarh Fort & Ranakpur Temple

Hired a driver for the journey to Jodhpur. On the way…

We visited Kumbhalgarh fort which is very impressive and is in the middle of nowhere. The surrounding wall is the longest in the world after the great wall of China. The place is beautiful and it was very quiet – you can wander around a never ending mish-mash of corridors and stone stairs that go up and down into different courtyards. Some of the old rooms near the top have amazing views and cute marble balconies that you can sit in and enjoy the strong breeze.

We also visited Ranakpur temple (an important Jain temple). From the outside it looks similar to the Cambodian style seen in Thailand. The inside was full of the most exquisite marble carvings. Some aspect of the temple reminded me of a Cathedral but not sure what. The temple is full of Buddha like statues (not quite figured all the links out yet but I know Buddhism came from India). All the taps in the complex and in the bathrooms had muslin nets on - we assume to stop the Jains drinking and thus killing any microbes.

The scenery is changing and looks similar to Morocco. We went on a short section of quiet motorway, traffic included the usual (like car speeding down the fast lane in the wrong direction) plus a few camels towing trailers. We passed some sort of market fair that made the road very congested. A lot of the men wear fluorescent pink turbans and white baggy shirt and trousers. It also never ceases to amuse me how the cows just wander and stand in the middle of the road as if that’s the best place for a cow to be. The water buffalo are so cute and huge and the boar look so cuddly.

Arrived in Jodhpur early evening, our room is pleasant enough and is on the top floor. Outside our door is the roof top cafe (nice food and quite cheap) which has views of the fort on the hill which looks absolutely enormous.

Day 274 : Marwari horse ride

This morning we got picked up in an open top jeep and driven to Princess Trails stables to go for a 2 hour ride in the countryside. The horses are a rare breed the Marwari (Arab and native Indian horse) they have funny pointed in ears. It was a lovely way to see the countryside and villages and the horses are beautiful. It would of been nice to do some trotting or canter but the ground is maybe too hard. It would be nice to see what they can do as they felt so responsive and lovely to ride. Have a nice chai in the grounds and watched all the birds.

Made another attempt at cutting Will’s hair, my cheap scissors are very blunt now.

Day 273 : Palace and boat trip

In the morning we went around the palace museum which is a labyrinth of corridors (clearly signposted) that meander through the huge palace complex made up of many parts built over the ages.It is a beautiful building, you can really imagine what it might have been like back in the day.

Did some shopping, eating etc.

Took a late afternoon boat trip around the lake, taking in the views of the palace and also the visiting the lake palace. Octopussy (filmed here) is on every night in many restaurants but we are going to save it for a cold night in England.

Had dinner in another roof top restaurant (Aloo mutter yum) and watched the sun disappear behind a haze.

Day 272 : Udaipur

Arrived on the night train to Udaipur. Checked into a nice hotel (booked months ago to get the room with a view). The old city is full of winding, narrow streets with too many motorbikes and lots of cute cows. Had an extortionate breakfast at our hotel before we could check in (well about £3 for 2 but for not very much). The staff are lovely here.

The view from our room is spectacular – we can see the palace, the lake and lake palace and the hill fort through 180 degrees of beautifully framed windows.

Walked to Dehli gate (a chaotic and less touristy place) and had a thali. Looked at some shops, bought some fruit and got too hot!

Chilled out, watched the last of the sunset from our room.

Day 271 : Jain festival and Ghandi ashram

Up early to check out of our room at 0830. Most Indian hotels operate a 24-hour checkout policy which means that your checkout time is the same time you check-in. Nice if you check-in late because you get a full day in the hotel room at the end but not so good if you arrived early like us!

Our train tonight was not until 2300 so we left our bags at the hotel and headed off for our regular jam roll and chai breakfast at “Lucky”. We bumped into a couple of American tourists who we’d seen in the days previously and they tipped us off about a Jain festival at the city museum so we decided to start our day there.
We arrived at the festival seemingly early – there were lots of people in elaborate costumes and an amazingly decorated marquee, but not much going on. There were maybe two thousand or so people sat on the floor, divided into men and women, so we sat at the back and waited for things to start. As usual we seemed to be the only westerners and it wasn’t long before an official-looking photographer barged through and demanded to take a photo of us. We reluctantly agreed to his promise of one photo but then he dragged us to the front of the crowd and wanted us to pose in prayer positions in front of the shrine. We obliged but then escaped when we tried to get us onto the alter with handkerchiefs tied around our faces(!) and got into an argument with some of the priests about whether we were allowed. He never even told us what it was for – maybe we’ll be featuring in some tourist brochure or newspaper article!

After looking around the small city museum we headed to a local dining hall and then up the river to the Ghandi Ashram. This is where Ghandi spent 15 years when he arrived back in India form South Africa. There was a nice exhibition and you can walk around the basic houses where Ghandi and his disciples lived.
The rest of the day we spent in House of MG – a four star hotel around the corner from ours with a comfortable cafe. I guess it is expensive by Indian standards but still only a couple of pounds for drinks and a snack (highlights were the Saffron Lassi and some kind of Rose milkshake) and it was a nice place to spend a few hours.

We’re now on the overnight train to Udaipur – a bit different to other trains we’ve had in that all the beds are in private compartments (4 beds to a compartment).

Day 270 : Walking tour

Up early to go on a walking tour organised by a neighbouring hotel. Was good to meander down streets and secret passageways we would not have found. A lot of the grand buildings built in 1600s are similar to the Chinese style mansions we saw in East Asia. The intricate wooden carvings on the outside of the houses are beautifully preserved. The guide wasn't that good but we saw lots we wouldn't have done without him. We learnt that cows get to eat the first chapatti of the day.

Did some geeking in the afternoon and had some food in a restaurant near another bazaar.

Day 269 : Ahmedabad

Arrived at 8 this morning and checked into our hotel “Volga”. Went for breakfast before we could have our room. Went to the only place that seemed to be open – a canteen type place that only serves fresh rolls with lashings of butter and pineapple jam and chai – delicious!

Tried to go to the textile museum which is meant to be amazing but it is booked up (you have to go on a tour) for over a week. Tried walking to another site to see but got a bit lost and ended up somewhere random, eventually found a tuk tuk to take us to Manek Chawk bazaar.

Even when all the stalls are open this city does not have enough vibrancy to cover up the normal grime of India. The poor air quality is visible. The women aren't as brightly dressed (probably in part due to the large Muslim population). The cows don’t look as happy and are not for cuddling. Had a masala dosa then came back to hotel.

Had more bread, pineapple jam and chai in the afternoon and went for dinner in the evening had a new type of curry called Navratni Korma which is lovely and sweet.

Day 268 : Back on the train

A full day on the train. Uneventful except for getting conned into buying dinner twice – hawkers dress in the same shirts as the official train staff and after we ordered dinner one of them came up and looked to be delivering it so we paid him. Later on the official guy came around and we realised our mistake – fortunately we had only ordered one dinner to share so it wasn’t too bad that we paid twice.

The landscape north of Mumbai is different from the south. For the first time we saw uncultivated land – dry and stubby hillocks like moorland. We’re due to arrive in Ahmedabad at 7am tomorrow. The Rough Guide describes it as “appallingly polluted, renowned for its dreadful congestion and repeated outbreaks of communal violence”. Should be fun!

Day 267 : Hampi to Hubli

Up early this morning to walk up Matanga hill to watch the sunrise. The path up the hill is made of boulders and steps carved into the rock which lead to the ruins of a temple at the top. The view was stunning and one of the best we’ve watched sunrise over.

Checked out of our guesthouse and had breakfast at the usual spot – roof terrace at the Gopi restaurant. Bought some more presents and postcards.

Walked along the river to the Mango tree cafe. Sat and watched the huge water buffalo (with their feathered friends) being herded around by a small woman with a small stick.I don’t really get how all these cows, buffalo etc are so well behaved and cuddly (plus half of them are bulls!).

Got a rickshaw to Hospet station then a train to Hubli – we went in sleeper class , it’s really cool having an open window to see out of (I wouldn't want to sleep like that though). The sites from the train were the usual mix of humanity, birds, beautiful setting sun and cute animals like boar piglets.

Arrived at Hubli where our train leaves early in the morning. Decided against the retiring room due to the sheets and then struggled to find a hotel room (not sure if they were really full or didn’t like the look of us). Found a comparatively clean place to sleep.

Day 266 : Hampi by bike

Ahhh I love the cows here they are so cute. It’s great you can scratch, pat and cuddle them and they are everywhere! They hang around like dogs peering into kitchen doorways and eating from the rubbish. This morning I saw a cow licking clean plates and saucepans piled up to be washed.

We waited at the main temple for a cycle tour and watched all the monkeys creating havoc as usual, The cycle tour was really good (if a bit hot and sunburn inducing). We went around all the main ruins and view points. Hampi was a rich Kingdom and trading place with incredible temples and palaces created over a few hundred years that was then ransacked by Muslim invaders in the 1600’s. It is the largest archaeological site in India and they think only 30% of the city has been uncovered.

Went to “sunset point” to watch the sunset over an incredible view of ruins, mounds of rock formations and palm forests.

Had a yummy dinner of egg curry, cardoman tea and banoffe pie (with coconut shavings instead of cream which doesn’t exist here).

Day 265 : Beautiful Hampi

Arrived via overnight train then bus to Hampi and found a nice guesthouse that a girl I met on the bus was staying at.

Had a nice lunch in a rooftop cafe with temple views enjoyed a cold limca. This place gives me a real holiday feeling. It is quite touristy with lots of guest houses and restaurants and stalls but it is all intermingled along meandering streets with cute little houses, feels like a chilled out little village.

Walked up some steep stone steps at the end of the bazaar ruins up into a huge mound of boulders. The view in all directions is spectacular. The dry, orangey rock formations are bizarre and contrast the amazingly lush oasis's of banana and rice plantations amongst which the ruined temples are scattered. For some reason it makes me think of scenes I imagine from the Bible of rocky mounts from ancient times. 

Many people and animals (chickens, goats, cows, dogs) live in the ruins of the covered bazaar – the colours of the make shift houses are beautiful and it all combines to make a very rustic, picturesque scene. Along with the normal macaque monkeys there are also lots of very long limbed, black faced monkeys – need to find out what they are.

Bought some bananas from a stall and as I was walking home one of the cows starting following me so I gave in a gave him a banana and a cuddle.

Day 264 : Cycle tour

This morning Stephen took us on an extensive cycle tour around Mysore, visiting some contrasting community areas as well as taking us around the impressive Raj-era buildings. Cycling around town not as hairy as we thought it might be – maybe because it’s Sunday and things were a little quiet. Stephen had lots of good stories and local knowledge and it’s always interesting to talk with expats about living and doing business in India.
In the afternoon we just chilled out around the house and caught up on the blog / photos from the ashram.

We’re going out with Steve, Dave and Vicky for a meal tonight before catching an overnight train to Hubli and then on to Hampi tomorrow.

Day 263 : Mysore

Train arrived early in Mysore so our pickup hadn’t arrived. Caught a rickshaw to the B&B to be greeted by the house dog (later discovered to be named Lucy). The place is run by Stephen, an Englishman who settled out here a few years ago, and his housekeeper Manjula. Randomly bumped into Vicky and Dave (from Darjeeling and Madurai) who had been staying here last night!

We were tired from the train journey but forced ourselves out of the house since we only have 2 days here. Catching a bus into town we grabbed lunch in a “meals” canteen and strolled around the market before heading to the main tourist attraction – the Maharaja’s Palace. The palace is a very beautiful colonial building (built in the early 1900s) – lots of extravagant halls and mix of European and Indian architecture. After another walk around the markets (many amazing colours and smells) we headed back to the house for dinner with Steve, Dave, Vicky and the other guests, Jeff and Julia.

Day 262 : Temple inauguration

Our last day at the ashram. Another 200 people from a sister ashram in Kerala arrived late last night so lots of new people around (we’re full already so people camping in the dining and yoga halls). After a slightly later satsang we had breakfast in the yoga hall and then an open asana class which was pretty intense for us beginners.

The temple inauguration festivities started at 11 – there were lots of drums, a drum / acrobat / fire show, dancers, and the obligatory elephant as we were joined by many locals from the village to celebrate the placing of the deity into the new temple. Lots of noise and colour. Throwing of holy water and flowers over the crowds.

After a few hours of this we had a feast in the yoga hall and then it was time for us to head to Madurai to do some bits before we catch our train tonight. Bumped into a bunch of our fellow yoga vacationers in Madurai and had a nice final meal with them at the rooftop restaurant we’d visited a few weeks ago.
Finally we caught our overnight train to Mysore. It’s very quiet compared to the other trains we’ve caught – no hawkers or beggars. Still have the chants from the ashram in my head as I try to sleep.

Day 261 : More puja

Today was exam day for the teacher training students so once that was over they were off for the day.

Lots of villagers around to prepare for the temple inauguration tomorrow. It was Holi today as well (where people generally throw coloured powder at each other) so lots of coloured faces around.

The head of the organisation was back for an evening ceremony to transfer the spiritual energy from the deity in the existing temple (just an ordinary room in the ashram) to the deity which will be placed in the new temple tomorrow. There was a big procession to the new temple and lots of drumming and chanting.

Yoga going well but today is our last proper day. Louise finding the relaxation at the end of the session frustrating due to ant and mosquito attacks. Today a lizard jumped on her tummy.

Day 260 : Routine

Back feeling better and everything pretty routine today.

Day 259 : Back pain

Woke up to rats plucking the guitar strings in the dorm with their tails. Louise tried to skip the morning satsang (like a few people do most days) but too many people tried to have a lie-in so somebody went to get them out of bed.

After the morning yoga class by back was sore so I skipped the afternoon one.

A load of priests arrived to prepare the new temple for it's opening on Friday. They do lots of drumming throughout the day around the new temples so it's sometimes hard to relax / meditate with the noise!

In the evening we watched a documentary on vegetarianism from the 80s.

Day 258 : I can touch my toes!

I can reach down to my toes today! The only other time I’ve been able to do this was 10 years ago when I did dance class.

Satsang  - I’ve taken to curling in a ball and half snoozing during meditation.

Will said he heard a cow say OM today! (a word we chant a lot).

Lunch – liking the food. Will insisting on eating all food (including curry and rice) with hands even though there are spoons (like about 3/4 of people here) it makes me feel a bit ill seeing him do this.

Lectures – Interesting learning about different Hindu mythical stories and our teacher is a good speaker. Some of the stuff is a bit out there. A lizard fell from the mango tree into the lap of one of our class then ran off it was really funny.

We’ve taken to lying on a wall after dinner to watch the stars come out and the little bats.

Day 257 : Mountain walk and puja ceremony

Another meditation walk this morning – this time up a larger hill with great views out towards Madurai. Another spectacular sunrise accompanied by peacock cries. Loulou sat away from the crowd to listen to the birds instead of chanting.

Feeling stiff again but can feel the different in flexibility from the yoga already.
Karma yoga was fun today – I was helping to move dirt to build a temporary seating area for a puja ceremony at a new temple they’re building on site. It meant carrying baskets of dirt on my head with some of the Indian women from the village.

The water supply seems unreliable – not good after sweaty yoga sessions twice a day!

Lecture today about our 5 bodies – physical, energy, mind, intelligence and happiness.

Meal times are fun but messy. It's good to watch how other people eat with their hands - in restaurants it's sometimes difficult to know how to eat things! Usually the idea seems to be to mix the rice / idly together with the different sauces / vegetables until you get the right consistency to shove into your mouth without spillage. I struggle to walk sometimes after sitting cross legged for so long but it is getting better.

In the evening there was a puja ceremony at the new temple.

Day 256 : Monkey attack!

Have to be really careful with all belongings (toiletries / food – rats) but the monkeys will take anything especially jewellery. Yesterday had some bangles (gifts) wrapped up in plastic and newspaper when I retuned from class I found the monkeys had ripped them open and spread the bangles all over the bed.

While going up the stairs to do my sweeping I shooed a monkey off the banister and it jumped on my back. I threw a full 1 litre bottle at it and it fell down then it came back for more! Then I tried to shoe away some monkeys who were ransacking the shrine flowers in the hall (with 2 of us and 2 brooms) and we got chased by a huge monkey!

Liking the yoga, the chai, the people, the food a lot. The meditation and chanting is almost unbearable at times which is a shame as I love singing on groups of people but some of it is very out of tune and monotonous.

Day 255 : Meditation walk and more monkey business

Instead of our morning meditation session we went for a “meditation walk” up onto one of the small hills surrounding the ashram. Feeling tired and stiff. View from the valley very beautiful with the morning mist, sunrise and the sounds of peacocks in the nearby forest. We sat on the hill for half an hour or so doing the morning chants (which are always the same).

Feeling better after yoga session. We did a strange breathing exercise where you block one nostril, breath in over 4 seconds, hold the breath for 8 seconds and then breath out the other nostril over 8 seconds. It’s supposed to balance the prana (energy) between the different sides of the body.

The head of the yoga organisation is visiting today from Canada (the organisation is based near Montreal) to assign personal mantras to people tomorrow morning. A mantra is the chant you say in your head when meditating and it is considered a great honour to be given a personal one.

Day 254 : First full day 0f “beginners yoga vacation”

Liking the ashram as there is a constant supply of drinking water, nice toilets and feel happy sleeping in the open thatched dorm as there are lots of people around and don’t feel scared there will be spiders (think the rats, squirrels and monkeys eat them all).

5.30: Wake up bell

6.00: “satsung” 30 min silent meditation ideally cross legged (that did’nt last long), chanting for ages (some chants are ok, some bad as the teacher training students are forced to lead chants and not all of them can sing). Get a little snack at the end.

7.30: chai

8.00 – 9.50: First “asana” – yoga class hard work but really good I can see we will progress very quickly.

10.00: Lunch – hare krishna chanting reminds me of hare krishna free food at glasto. Food really good – non spicy veg south Indian food.

11.00: “karma yoga” – chores my job sweeping and mopping big hall.

13.30: chai

14.00: Lecture about yoga and a tour of ashram. Met lots of really nice people from all over the world and they are all normal.

16.00: second yoga class till 17.50

18.00: Dinner

20.00: An hour and half of meditation and chanting then a snack.

22.00: lights out, easy to sleep!

Not bad for a fiver a day!

Day 253 : Arrival at the Ashram

It’s the day before our “yoga vacation” course starts so we took a rickshaw in the afternoon to the ashram (i.e. retreat). When we arrived it seemed deserted apart from a few people quietly sitting under a tree but we were soon checked in and shown to the dorms where we’ll be spending the next 10 days. My dorm had about 20 beds in – most seemed to be on the teachers training course that has already been running for a few weeks and there are a few yoga vacationers who have been around for a while as well. Felt a bit lost as we could not take part in the yoga classes yet (the beginner classes start tomorrow). I just sat reading in the room (it’s very hot outside) while the others went off to class.

Dinner was interesting. At 6pm everybody (about 100 people) sits cross–legged in rows on the floor of the dining hall chanting “Hare Krishna” whilst the food is served out onto stainless steel trays. Food is  tasty curry and bread. Not sure I can sit cross-legged for very long though.
In the evening we bought some yoga mats and baggy trousers for me. At 8pm there is half an hour of silent meditation – very hard to concentrate when sitting cross-legged as my feet keep going numb! After that is chanting along with drums and bells. The chants are very repetitive and gets faster for a few minutes until it ends. The lyrics are something like a Kula Shaker song. It’s also very hot and sweaty even though the yoga hall where we sit is open sided.

Lights out and bed at 10pm.

Day 252 : Morning trip to Tiruparankundram

Took the local bus to Tiruparankundram a small town with an impressive temple dedicated to Lord Muraga. The temple is very colourful and set into a hill that looks like a huge boulder.

Looked around the temple, saw boys in monk school (their chanting was very noisy not very serene, in fact most of the temples feel very chaotic with people cramming into small spaces and queues to get blessed and the temples are often very noisy). I lit some little oil candles and decided to get blessed by the elephant (I don’t usually but thought I would today, I love elephants so much I hope she isn’t too lonely with no other elephant friends).

Got the bus back to Madurai went to another bakery (not as good as yesterday’s) and had coffee and Indian cakes so naughty! Then bananas and crisps picnic lunch back at the hotel to escape the heat.

Did some more present shopping.

Day 251 : Madurai

Went to the Sree Meenakshi Temple which is meant to be one of the biggest temple complexes in South Asia. It is a huge maze of corridors, shrines and halls (plus the usual elephant) with four huge entrance towers covered in fantastically bright deities and figures. The temple was very busy and there was music coming out of speakers and also some live music. We watched as men carried out carvings of deities into a hall in a very chaotic manner with lots of shouting and laod drum music and a ceremony of flower garlands and candles. The various carvings and woken up and then put back to bed everyday.

Went to a bakery and had some sweet coffee (coffee is instead of chai in the South) and doughnut type things and Indian cakes (like baklava) some delicious.

Went to a rooftop restaurant (almost normal price food) which has views of the 4 towers of the temple. An amazing sunset and then the sky went a deep purple with such a bright crescent moon.

Randomly bumped into a lovely couple (David and Vicky) who we met in Darjeeling so we are hoping to meet them for dinner tomorrow.

Day 250 : Thanjavur to Madurai

 Checked out of the nice hotel and got an auto-rickshaw (with a giant speaker in the back) to the bus station. Took the local bus 4 hours to Madurai bus station then another bus to the old city.

Trawled the street of hotels and found a nice place to stay. Went to a cheap, clean cafe and had South Indian lemon rice and onion bhajis (like I’ve never tasted before– like a whole chunk of soft onion in a doughnut – amazing). 

Day 249 : Palace and more dancing

Today we went to the palace art gallery, it’s full of statues and bronzes many dating from the 10th century. We went up the palace tower squeezing through tiny staircases all the way to the top. We watched the world from high up looking down on everything even the backs of beautiful green parrots flying through the air. I could see the big temple and 3 other very colourful smaller ones, palm trees, a barking dog, a woman leading a calf, a cocky cock scratching the earth, people playing cricket in the orange dust. Its a skyline that could be from 100’s of years ago exempt for the many communication towers. I sat in the lovely peace and quiet for a long time until we were eventually invaded by hoards of school kids that stare at us as if we have 3 heads.

Went to the dance festival again, there was an amazing pink sunset and bright crescent moon framing the temple.

Loving it here in India generally (helps having a lovely room to retire to!). The colours of the flower garlands, the beautiful saris, your eyes are never bored, 1/3 of the smells are pleasant and your ears are always deafened. 

Day 248 : Thanjavur Temple

 Had a lovely breakfast (included in the hotel price – buffet of western and Indian food, lots of fresh fruit, had 2 bowls of cornflakes yum yum!).

Walked to the Brihadishwara temple – a very impressive temple built in the 11th century. The gateway to the temple is beautiful and has a real elephant (seems to be the norm in the south). You have to leave your shoes at the entrance so your feet get really hot on the brick tiles. The main temple is huge and it is surrounded by columned walkways that are the longest in India (I was saying to Will this must be the longest corridor I’ve ever walked down I guess I was right). Had a few people taking our photos but not too many. Lots of school kids in their smart uniforms and pigtails.

Got back to the hotel to avoid the mid day heat and had bananas for lunch.

In the evening, we went to a classical dance and music festival at the temple that happens to be on this week. The first show was a woman dancing a story about Shiva accompanied by a live band. It was absolutely mesmerizing, some of the best live music I’ve ever seen and the dancing was incredible she was so expressive.

Had room service dinner (almost as cheap as eating out) broccoli pea korma, chapattis and onion pakora yum yum.