Bhuj

It was an early start this morning as we had a very long drive into Gujarat to Bhuj which will be our base for 3 nights while we explore the Rann of Kutch.

After spending the majority of my time in India on the roads north of Delhi I sort of imagined that most roads would be like those...but no! We travelled on the east/west corridor and it was amazing... a good smooth dual carriageway with no pot holes and very little traffic. It was rather monotonous though as it was virtually straight and the scenery was mainly very dry, scrubby plains. I don't think that I have ever been on such a long, straight road or seen quite as much flat country. I guess you pay for it though as we went through several toll booths.

There was a short cut that we took in the early stages which was much more interesting. I think it's the first time I have ever seen so many camels on the road at once.

Another first for me was seeing cotton growing... Quite a lot produced in Gujarat. I believe.

It appears that in Gujarat they speak a different language that Tarun isn't familiar with, so breakfast was interesting. We wondered why they presented us with 4 glasses of water but then it clicked when we also got 4 plates of food. Seems like Tarun had inadvertantly ordered 4 meals instead of two. Actually we were quite hungry by that stage and ate it all anyway and at less than $4 for it all plus chai I wasn't worried about the cost .

About 2pm we  reached Bhuj and Tarun worked his usual magic and found us a lovely place to stay .

It's now almost 6 pm and there still don't seem to be any other guests so it looks like we have the place to ourselves.

I must admit it was lovely to get in the water after such a long drive in the heat. I can't believe I'm actually paying Tarun to swim and lounge around this place. :-) I want his job!!!

A bit of a rest and then off to visit the temple. This was probably the most beautiful temple I've ever seen, and was made even more spectacular by all the women wandering around in their very colourful clothes. We sat there for a while watching the sun set and then the lights light up the temple. Now it's time for yet another meal... A different region of India means a different type of food.

Mount Abu

Left Jodhpur this morning and headed south to Mount Abu. Forget all those pictures you've seen of crowded Indian roads as this one wasn't  too different from the ones at home and had light traffic. However, we still saw the odd person travelling in the wrong direction and it made me pleased that the speed limit was only 80 km per hour. Despite light traffic and decent roads we still saw a couple of trucks on their side... Tarun suggested too heavy a load or blown tyres. 

The country was flat and dry for a long way until we hit the mountains . There is a very common tree around here with bright orange flowers and it looks beautiful.

Once again we got into trouble with the navigation system as it doesn't seem to be able to differentiate between walking and driving routes. It took us to a little village with a path that led  up the mountain... certainly not something we would attempt in a car. The good part is that these detours often take us to interesting places.

Mount Abu is an old British hill station which is now a holiday area for locals. We are staying in an old Heritage Hotel that dates back to 1924. Very little has been done to change it so it's very interesting with enormous rooms. 

Tarun has found some nice places for us to stay so far.

It is much cooler up here and a little windy, not that I mind as I know I'm going to strike some very hot weather soon and this is giving me a little respite.

We wandered down from the hotel to the lake and the town centre. This is the strangest place... different to anything I've ever seen. It's like a mini English beach resort with all the things that go with it.... rides on the lake in swan shaped boats, people just strolling around and sometimes eating ice creams, cheap clothes and souvenirs, the odd cow wandering around  and even a House of Horrors!

 

We ate dinner down there then wandered back to the hotel, asking for directions from a man riding a horse. He very kindly rode on slowly ahead of us so we could follow.

It's going to be an early start tomorrow as we have a long drive to our next stop.

More of Jodhpur

Wow! Woken at 6 this morning with the loudest thunder I have ever heard. This was accompanied by lightning and a short power cut. I don't think I really ever anticipated thunder and lightning in the middle of desert country.

Disappointment for Tarun this morning as the TV set wasn't working for the Indian cricket game. It's amazing how the cricket has put NZ on the map as last visit many Indians had never heard of us.

Jodhpur is known for the massive Mehrangarh Fort which goes back to 1459.

It's very impressive. I've seen a few of these Indian forts now and can't believe that they were constructed so long ago yet are still in such good condition ... It'd take more that a cyclone to knock these ones down. They are also very ornate inside.

Time for a bit of fun too...check this one out !

It's hard to decide what was the most interesting... The Fort or the journey to get there. Google maps don't always choose the best route so Tarun and I ended up in an area that had some very narrow roads in it... there  were times that I wondered if we were going to have enough room to drive through and the thought that we might have to reverse out wasn't worth thinking about. Funnily enough we didn't encounter any other cars and the locals looked at us strangely. We eventually came to a point where the so-called road turned into a walking track and there was no option but to turn around. With the help of a local Tarun managed what was probably a 20 point turn. A group of local women watching thought the whole thing was hilarious and I was just pleased we only had a small car. Unfortunately I was laughing too much to take any photos.

We had lunch in a restaurant and I was quite surprised to come out and find it raining... didn't  expect that in a desert town. Had a bit of a laugh at the restaurant menu as it was offering an Australian Kiwi Shake!!

Back to the swimming pool this afternoon, then dinner with a couple of Tarun's clients who also happened to be in Jodhpur. 

Tomorrow we are heading south to Mt Abu and at this stage I'm not quite sure what to expect.

Heading to Jodhpur

I came to Pushkar on my first trip to India. It's not a place I would have necessarily chosen to come to, but we are heading towards Jodhpur and we needed to break the trip... 600 km on Indian roads is a bit much.

Last night we walked into the centre of Pushkar. We are staying next to the hotel I stayed at on my first trip so it bought back a few memories. Sherri, it was the one with the tortoise on the lawn.

Pushkar is crazy. It's meant to be a very religious place but it has become so very touristy . It's a great example of how tourists have come to see a place then changed it so much from what they originally came to see. Quite sad really. If you are coming to India there are so many better places to go.

 

However I do really like all the animals here. It's a desert town and they take camel rides into the desert so there are loads of camels. The streets are full of cows and there also seem to be a lot of pigs. Last night a group of dogs flew past us at lightening speed.. Surprising as mostly they seem to just lounge around in the sun.

The people are also interesting. Lots of hippy types on a spiritual journey I guess, but I'm not sure they're going to find it here.

I laughed at the groups of people sitting on the side of the road with their cows selling tourists bunches of grass so they could feed the cows. I guess you make money anyway you can.

Jodhpur is a couple of hundred km from Pushkar and travel in India tends to be slow, but we arrived in time for a late lunch. The landscape was scrubby desert, very dry and dusty. We drove through lots of villages and small towns...all looking much the same colour with their  coating of dust. The women in their brightly coloured clothing sure stood out. 

The hotels in these tourist areas tend to be very nice and this one is extremely nice, with lovely gardens and a pool. We ate lunch under the verandah , caught up with the cricket score, then ventured into the city to buy Tarun something to swim in. It's hard to imagine that Jodhpur has a population similar to that of Auckland yet it covers a fraction of the land area.

I have just had a swim in the pool.... A great cool-me-down after a day driving in the heat. Time for a rest and then dinner.

Pushkar

We left Delhi before 6 am this morning and now at 3 pm have made it to Pushkar. 

Leaving Delhi so early was a very good idea as we had to cross the city and as you can imagine later the traffic would be horrific. It was bad enough as it was. I think perhaps that India has more trucks than any other country in the world, and they were all on the road today. There are definitely more trucks on the road than cars. 

Had to laugh at a sign over the road that asked people not to drive in the wrong direction! Obviously some people can't read as we came across a motorbike and car heading towards us soon after. I reckon that if someone tried that at home we'd have police and police helicopters out in full force. 

The countryside is scrubby desert but there's always interesting stuff to see. I loved the camel drawn carts.

An early start meant a breakfast stop along the way. Take a look at the size of this dosa. Even Tarun took a photo.

Right now we are sitting in the grounds of the hotel... Lovely and green, warm and sunny, a beautiful blue bird, papayas on the trees.... Quiet and peaceful... Just lovely.

Two sides of a city

 

Unbelievable! The day went as planned!

Tarun and I picked up Pam from her hotel and started a bit of a Delhi Tour. First the Laxmi Narayana Temple where once again Tarun entertained us with his stories of the Hindu Gods ... well some of them anyway. If anyone plans to go there I suggest a visit on a hot afternoon as bare feet on the cold marble floor makes the whole body cool down.

Then on to Old Delhi again. This place is always interesting, and although I've been there several times, on each visit I see something new. Today a shop selling dental instruments caught my eye. The many cages of sick, scrawny chickens made me question whether I want chicken for dinner tonight ... But who knows!

I don't think anyone could really describe this part of Delhi. It's noisy, smelly, colourful, crowded, busy, different and quite exciting in a strange sort of way. However, being bombarded with all of this is also very tiring so it was time for a bit of respite. .... HighTea at the Imperial!

Who would have guessed we were still in Delhi! So very close in miles but so very different in every other way. There was something rather bizarre about eating cucumber sandwiches and scones with jam and cream in India . 

Then it was time to say goodbye to Pam, a bit of a break from food, and then dinner with a couple of Tarun's other clients.... No cucumber sandwiches this time.

It was a tiring day but still enough energy for an evening walk, made all the better for seeing a wedding just round the corner. Lots of noise!

Delhi

Delhi airport is starting to feel familiar, and I'm also feeling that I'm becoming a bit immune to some of the things that hit you when first arriving in the city. It just felt like yesterday that I was here. It is still as noisy and colourful and as chaotic as ever but I don't seem to notice it so much now.

We spent the afternoon and dinner with a couple of clients of Tarun's . It was interesting watching their reactions as it was their first time here. They were professional photographers with an interest in people but I feel the very best photo opportunities were the expressions on their own faces and those they missed. They should have been photographing each other.

As always happens in India the best laid plans turn to custard. I had planned a charity slum walk with an English woman but road chaos meant we arrived too late and missed the meeting point. We tracked down the office of the charity and found it locked up. Come back at 12 the locals told us. We had an interesting walk around the area and at noon went back to find the building open  but no one around. We went inside and quickly realised it was a home rather than an office and the person that belonged there was in the bathroom. We got out pretty quickly before the man emerged and found two strange white women in his house. at that point we decided it was time to give up on the slum walk and go shopping.... In Khan Market... A very upmarket part of Delhi with some beautiful things for sale.

It was a day I was spending without Tarun as he had a prior booking so after dropping Pam off at her hotel I went back to Connaught Place where Tarun's office is and went for a walk around a big market area. I had previously been here with Tarun and yesterday I realised how much easier it is when you have an Indian with you, as you tend to get left alone. I had three invitations to go visit the Government Tourist Office alone. If I go again I think I'll make Tarun tag along:-)

Today is another Delhi Day. I won't tell you what were doing as I can be pretty sure it won't happen as planned.