India

As advised by Lonely Planet I don't think anything can prepare you for India, with all its mind-bending diversity. But prehaps the one thing that best encapsulates this extraordinary country is its ability to inspire, frustrate, thrill and counfound all at once. We have both loved it and loathed it, often see-sawing between the two. Here is a quick round-up of the best and worst bits from our three weeks of Indian travel:

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Gorging on giant prawns on the beautiful backwaters in Alleppey, Kerala
- Witnessing the Wild Elephants bathing in their natural habitat
- Soaking up the sun on the desolate beaches in South Goa
- Munching on melon in a lush garden surrounded by power-walking Mumbai residents
- Laughing with the Welsh on the train back to Delhi
- Marvelling at the amazing Taj Mahal, which is just as beautiful as all the pictures
- Not getting ill! Hurrah!

LOWLIGHTS:

- The constant, unadulerated NOISE! Honking, Engines, Shouting, Barking, Squarking, Shouting.
- Smelly, stinky, rabied, wild animals.
- Lack of any order, organisation, time-keeping and urgency.
- Contrast of squalor and poverty with rich, excessiveness.
- Absolute 24hr harrassment, scamming, and bombardment
- Chicken on the bone. In every chicken dish it does get rather annoying.

So, we are off to Nepal now for more adventures. I will post up pictures and more blogs soon. x

Leaving the peacefulness and luxury of the train at New Delhi station was hard!

The taxi, hotel and rikshaw drivers were relentless in trying to get us to part with our rupees. Our patience by now was wearing thin and then we started becoming more aggressive in telling them to go away.
To get to our hotel we walked through the Main Bazzar which is a very primitive 'high street'. The road was made from mud and rock with tourists, locals, cows and vehicles all battling through. Expecting the worst from the hotel we were pleasantly surprised, hot water, tv and illegal beer sales all available!
We made it to the first tourist attraction, India Gate which is a statue very similar to the Arch de Triumph in Paris. The Indian Governement are not very big on providing information for anything so sadly I can't share any interesting historical facts with you as we didn't learn any! After lunch and booking the train tickets for Agra (Taj Mahl) we retired to the quietness of the hotel room to rest.

Next day we rose early to get the train to Agra but unfortunately we weren't able to secure the ticket as we were only on the waiting list, so went back to bed which wasn't so bad really. After a lie in we went to discover Old Delhi which was very chaotic, walking through many streets it was evident that each street had a speciality whether full of DIY shops or car spares or butchers, so I suppose it was organised chaos. One street was brought to a complete standstill due to a power cable having fallen onto the road, as there is no National Grid in India a man armed with string and a bamboo ladder hung precariously from a post and tied it back up, this success was met with more headache inducing honking of the horns!
The Old Town has the largest mosque in Delhi which we toured around the inside, very impressive but no immediate conversion to Islam planned. In the afternoon we walked to the Red Fort which was hazardous as the pavements here seemed to be used as toilets and hence stink so walked down the road weaving in and out. The Red Fort looked very impressive from the outside with the perimeter of the walls being 2km. Inside was slightly disappointing as all the mini palaces are in a dilapidated state and there are no information points to read. By this time we were tired and rather than walk back we took a cycle ricksaw for the first....and last time. The driver was young and friendly but did feel quite harsh sitting in the back as he struggled and started dripping sweat as we went up several hills. We chose a vegetarian restaurant, more by accident really but the food was good and retired to bed early ready to catch our train at 5:15am.

The next morning we finally got on the train to Agra, after 3 hours we arrived. Aware that there were plenty of sites to see and we only had one day we opted to hire a rickshaw for the day with a driver who had plenty of recommendations. Our first stop was breakfast on an outside balcony with monkeys swinging froms the trees above, highly amusing when one pooped on a German tourist! We went to see the 'baby Taj' in the morning which was very impressive, learning plenty of history from our driver. We then went to the back of the Taj and walked across the now dry river banks to within 50m of the Taj which provided great photos (soon to uploaded). We saw some very small scale farmers working the land and the mud huts they lived in, but these were actually the lucky ones as there were many beggers on the streets and sadly lots of homeless children that just lived in the train station at Agra.
After lunch we visited a workshop where the guilded Taj restoration team worked and saw first hand how the stones and gems are worked into one another.

We had to queue to get into the Taj which is always a struggle in India, forming a line and keeping to it is not something they like. Inside it was amazing and well worth the trip and early start. The gardens surrounding it were well maintained and design was so clever. By raising the building 3m above ground level when you looked at it the backdrop as nothing but blue sky. We spent a couple of hours walking around the huge grounds and also inside. The Taj took 22 years and 20,000 workers to build and was done so by a King as an act of love to his wife (Gem now has big expectations!), sadly the son of the King fell out with his father and locked him up in a tower of the fort that had views of the Taj for the rest of his days. Sad story but absolutely amazing building.

The train ride home was another highlight as we shared a carriage with 2 middle aged welsh holiday makers who travelled up from Goa. They were shocked by Goa, Agra and Delhi were on a whole different level so they had a good moan. They saw a women going to the toilet on the platform, a story we heard several times throughout the journey. But it was good to talk to other tourists and comforting to know they found it as hard as we did. We spoke to a Lieutenant General from the Indian Army on the train who said the trains run of a whim and are poorly organised, that said though we did enjoy all our train journeys and suffered less delays than Virgin.

Another early start the next day, 3:30am and off to the airport, Gem was suffering with a snotty nose but we were glad to be leaving and looking forward to the Nepal adventure. We booked the tickets to Nepal through edreams online, sadly Indian Airlines had no record of this so we had to buy news tickets. Very annoying but we had no option at the time and will resolve it from Nepal.

Travelling through India was an unforgettable experience for so many reasons. We did enjoy it and it was challenging at times but the important things are we saw what we wanted, did what we wanted, didn't get ill and are now ready for stage 2 of the trip - NEPAL!

Stepping off the train at Mumbai at 6am was a rather eery experience. At first when we saw lots of bodies fully wrapped in sheets like mummies we thought there was a mass funeral going on... only to realise that people chose to sleep like that. We have not been privy to poverty on our travels, but walking around at the crack of dawn allows insight into a deeper level of humanity. Whole families living and sleeping under the shadow of a bridge, men curled up on cardboard surrounded by snoozing mongrels, pavements swarming with people crouching, praying, begging and sleeping under sheets. And we hadn't even stumbled into one of the many slums that Mumbai is famous for.

Amongst the dingey, dark alleys we came across a hive of activity and commotion. A fruit maket was being set up under a canopy and once our white faces were spotted we were the centre of amazement. My attention, however, was focused on the mountians of fresh produce; Glorious, golden melons, all symmetrically piled up in pyramids; Ripe, Bursting figs carefully wrapped in paper to preserve their flesh; Boxes of pomegrantes; Buckets of oranges, lemons, limes; Piles upon piles of pineapples, apples, grapes. (You get the idea!) Having sacrificed most fruits through fear of repercussions I decided that it would be worth the time spent on the toilet if I could gorge myself on a giant salad. Andy restricted me to one Galia melon and a Juicy pineapple before I bartered for several truck loads.

We went off in search of a quiet spot to feast on our purchases and got dropped off at Malabar Hill, which is part of an exclusive neighbourhood. After climbing a few steps we were met with what can only be described as The Shari's & Trainers Garden - A bit like a coffee morning but instead of sitting and drinking, there is meeting and walking. Hundreds of well-to-do Mumbai residents congregate at this lovely, well kept green space and power walk round to supposedly loose a few samosas from their hips. Other groups gathered for yoga or meditation or laughter sessions; while we sat in the middle, smelling the flowers, chomping on our melon and giggling to ourselves. The best way to describe what we saw is epitomised on a statue carving: 'Experience confirms that friends who regularly meet and walk in the garden have remained healthy and fit for the day'.

The dawn gave way to the early morning sunshine and we watched the views as India's financial city came alive. Glistening skyscrapers and malls embody the vogue centre of fashion and film while the dirty, rubble of the slums reflect the grinding poverty. As we only had one day to explore we set off for a glimpse of Chowpetty Beach and walked to Mani Bhanvan - which was the residence of Gandhi when he visited Mumbai, and has now been turned into a museum in his honour. Known as Mahatma (Great Soul) Gandhi he is one of the great figures of the 20th Century and fought for peace and justice. I did not realise how much he influenced Indian politics or how he wrote to Hitler to halt the fighting or how he campaigned to get rid of the British. We saw his frugle possessions and I can confirm that his flip flops are very dry.

After a few pictures at the recently terrorised Taj Mahal Palace and the impressive Gateway to Inida we prepared for the dreaded, longest train journey yet... 1400km to Delhi, taking 17 hours. It started well when we saw our own private booth and the guard informed me that "Puplett" was a type of fish in India, probably not spelt the same though. Not jusy any old, scaly Trout I'll have you know... no, it's a very expensive, sort-after delicacy. I'm yet to find out any more information but Andrew will have to take better care of me now that I am considered a rareity! The journey just got better when our charismatic waiter brought us snacks and told us about the service of dinner and breakfast. We felt like Posh and Becks in our carriage as the concrete gave way to the green hills outside. Inscribed on one of the fields was a giant Om symbol, Buddists believe that, if repeated often enough and with complete concentration it will lead to a state of blissful emptiness, "aummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, aummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, aummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, aummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, aummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"
Yup, that works!

Train service:

If someone could ring up Richard Branson and inform him of the kind of service we should be accustomed to in First Class..

Snacks: Real tea, Cheese Sandwich, Vege Pakora, Coconut ice, Salted Cashewnuts, Bar of Dairy Milk

Dinner: Bowl of Green Pea soup, Fresh fish covered in spices, steamed veg and pasta. Chicken Masala, Rice, Dahl, Okre salad, Paneer Tikka, Chappati. Yoghurt. Mint Choc Chip ice cream

Breakfast: Tea, Coffee, Friut salad, Masala Omlette, Fresh croissant and jam

I must admit I was quite nervous about going to North Goa, mainly because I was worried the development would dispel the wonderful memories of my first visit almost nine years ago. But I was also rather excited to see how much the place had changed, whether I'd recognise any of it and if the man on the beach selling the best banana milkshake was still there.

The journey up was not as swift as we'd hoped and as we approached the popular resort of Calangute I could not grasp on anything familiar. We found a nice, clean hotel off the busy road which was just two minutes from the beach, and as soon as my feet touched the sand I realised that I was wearing this brown, Quicksilver top which I had worn all those years ago. But while my wardrobe has obviously not aged with the times this place was rendered unrecognisable.

The beach was brimming with shack upon shack of banana-milkshake-selling-shack, all the way up the coast. The white sand was littered with sun-loungers, and dodgy-tailed dogs, and pink pot-bellied men. If South Goa is for the long-haired aging hippie then North Goa is for the all-inclusive, package holiday king. After locating a favourite restaurant from my first visit: The Tibetan Kitchen, which is thankfully alive and kicking, I noted the tourist-friendly plastic tables and chairs which had replaced the charming, cushioned floor seating. The majority of our eating companions were either grey, or Northern, or both. The Momo's (dumplings) however, were still as fab as ever! Mmm!

We chanced upon a few of the the old drinking establishments and after our bout of teetotalism we have finally fallen off the bandwagon with the Kingfisher beer. A laid back beach bar called Mambo's has now turned into a super club with neon lights, disco beats and a bucking bronco! Tourism has definitely been hit hard though as we were practically drinking alone, apart from a few lary Scousers - which made us feel at home. Even the famous Tito's Nightclub next door was dead. We ordered a couple of chocolate brownies to go and we were in bed before 12. Well, I'm not 19 anymore you know!

One thing for sure that hasn't changed in Goa, everyone is trying to sell you something! There's no getting away from it.. even if you think the innocent, nice, little chap bringing you a Coke is just being friendly, beware! He has a mobile shop of stone carvings which were crafted by his family over generations; he has them waiting in the back ready to bring them out and unwrap every single, similar-shaped ornament until you relent under his great offer of Buy Three Get Fourth Half Price. Don't even think about coming to the beach to relax.

On our last day we were also bombarded with sellers at the famous Anjuna flea market. Which is a wonderful blend of Tibetan and Kashmiri traders, tribal women, blissed-out hippies and travellers from all over the world. Andy's idea of hell! As I wandered under a canopy of silks I looked back to see Andy accosted by one of the many drum sellers, then a sandalwood necklace seller, then a man getting wax out of his ear! Eugh! yes, it was gross. I hope that makes him hear me a bit better now! We emerged exhausted, but with better bartering skills and a few trinkets.

Before departing to Mumbai we had a quick look around Old Goa which was once supposed to rival Lisbon. The only thing left now is a few cathedrals and churches and a strange deserted station. Maybe I will return in another ten years and see if they have been turned into clubs?

We arrrived by train into Canacona late in the evening with high expectations of beautiful beaches and to be able to have a relaxing time. After dropping our bags off at our new hostel we strolled along the beach and had a few beers, first time in two weeks. It seems alcohol is not the done thing in India apart from in Goa. We, or perhaps just I haven't full got used to the wild dogs that seem to come out of nowhere and constantly be barking. Accoding to the waiters we spoke to the Mumbai bombings seem to have severely dented the volume of tourists but this was definetly to our advantage as the beach was very quiet and there was no sign of package tour holiday makers.
We resisted the lure of cheap scooter higher and stuck with the trusty tu-tuk drivers that ferried us to several beautiful, quiet beaches.
On the first day we got carried away with all the sun and didn't use quite as much suncream as we shold have done, leading to painful nights sleep! But we can't really complain as there seems to have been plenty of snow back home!
Cows in India are a sacred animal and we saw plenty roaming around, often spending the nights on the beaches and the days in the scrub and sauntering along the roads. We also saw plenty of pop belly pigs which was a bit of a suprise.
Sitting on the beach all day did make me a bit restless and so we decided to hire a canoe, it aws great fun to do some exercise ad explore along a coastline we wouldn't hae seen otherwise. We past several empty beaches and went inland along a quiet estuary. We saw many 'flying' fish but sadly missed the dolphins we had been told to look out for.
The reliance on tourism in the area meant that western foods were much more readily available, which although the curries are very nice it was a pleassant change to be able to have cereal and toast for breakfast with mint tea for gem.
For our last night in the south we decided to stay in a beach hut which although basic did have a hammock outside to swing in. It was really nice to wake up in the morning and be on the beach, we had a stroll along and it was almost empty.
South Goa probably exceeded all our expectations and its pleasing to see that tourism has not (yet) ruined this beautiful part of India.