Around India in 18 Days
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Journal - 
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6th, Fort Kochi The backwaters trip was soo beautiful. Took many pictures because I didn't have much else to do. Got a lot of sun, a little too much on the knees. After arriving in Allapuzha we tried catching a "Super Fast" bus they were all so full! Akshay almost get trampled. So we chose to stay in Allapuzha for the night, and go by train at 6 in the morning. Almost got ran over by a rat after leaving an ice-cream parlor. I didn't shriek, but I sure jumped :) The fat rat (about as big as my foot) was probably more scared of me than I was of it. Caught the train in the morning and were both very happy about our decision (train vs. bus). It was pouring when we arrived on the train this morning. We left at 6am, and the train ride was about 1hour. Definitely better than taking an overcrowded bus. At the train station we decided to go straight to Fort Kochi and find a hotel there. It was still pouring while we were on the ferry to the island. I think I saw the fin of a dolphin or a shark! After finding a hotel, it stopped raining, and we began a tour of Fort Cochin. Met many annoying autorickshaw drivers trying to give us a tour for Rs 50. They followed us around using their top 100 arguments to get tourists into their rickshaw. It was close to being plain sad because they were so desperate. I'm sure low season is tough on them (the effects of SARS probably didn't help much either). Akshay's done his second novel already, so now he's got nothing to do again - we hope to find another novel in Ernakulam tomorrow. Spent a few minutes at the beach - Akshay enjoyed the waves, even took BenG for a quick dip. We went to a Kathikala drama performance this evening upon strong recommendation from the Lonely Planet guide. It was definitely worth the Rs 100 entrance. I wish I understood more of the background history… It was clear that the actors had to go through a lot of training to perform as well as they did (supposedly 6 years worth). It was an altogether very successful day - we got a lot of things done that we've been waiting for. Tomorrow it's off to Goa in the evening - not too excited about the long train ride, but I'm expecting Goa to be very interesting… |
The Backwaters tour
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7th, Kochi - Vypean Island, Cherai Beach We made an exclusive trip to find this beach and it was worth the combination of ferry ride, bus drive and ½ hour walk. The beach is clean and not crowded - I guess it's just to remote for most people to find. I wonder what it's like in high season… Met some people from the backwaters tour,
again - they must be using the same travel guide - it seems like
all the tourists we meet are also carrying the Lonely Planet guide
along with them.
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8th, Panaji (Goa)
The train ride here didn't seem too bad - we're getting used to sleeping on the train now. The autorickshaw from the trainstation to the bus stand was over Rs 50 - very steep. Here in Panaji the rates were steep as well. We were expecting everything here to be expensive after the first hotel we checked was Rs750 and did not want to down even after we used all our best arguments! We were very lucky to run into a good man who led us to the Garden View Hotel were we're paying only 420 for a double with AC. We've even got a working TV that receives English TV channels! Right now we're watching the Flintstones movie - my first movie in at least a week. It feels good to be brainwashed again. The showerhead in the washroom was quite impressive - electrical heating built in! If you look closely you'll see the wires running into the head. Look even closer and you'll read "The Safest Aparatus" on the lable... I have my doubts. Akshay's got a cold and a sore throat - let's hope it doesn't last too long. I'm so glad I'm feeling better again. |
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10th, Bombay, flight to Jodhpur We've got a quick stopover here before we head to Jodhpur. At one point my cap blew off, so we stopped and I ran back to pick it off the road. my head would have burned so bad later in Jodhpur without that cap In the afternoon we headed out to the wonderful beach of Calangute. We got a little lost along the way and ended up in Mapusa. We must have missed a left turn quite early and then had a hard time finding any other roads to Calangute. But eventually we got there. There were far more people than we expected. Until now, most of the places we've been to were deserted. At 7:00 in the evening we went on a "Goa by night tour". It started with a 60 minute boat ride with live music and dancing. After that we took a bus to two beaches. The Miramar(?) beach sand was the finest sand I've ever walked on. Akshay and I have determined that many of the places we've been to and things we've experienced were a little too romantic for two guys and would be better suited for a honeymoon couple. At least now we'll know where to go if we ever get the chance to take a girl out… :) Landing now - very turbulent - hope this won't be another bounce landing like the one into Chennai… |
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10th Jodhpur Arrived at Akshay's Aunt & Uncle's parent's place. The dad picked us up from the airport - he reminds me of one of the characters from that mafia series - forget what it's called. He's got the same glasses :) Ah - The Sopranos - Uncle something something Did a tour of the fort and marketplace. Bought some tea and spices from a guy that has a thing for keeping in contact with tourists. I think he's got a deal with most tourguides - I wonder what the commission is… nice guy anyways. I wanted to buy some tea sometime before heading back - let's let him think he talked me into it :) I really should have brought the camera along - the view from the city was wonderful from the fort. |
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11th, Jaisalmer Yesterday evening was relaxing. Chatted with Akshay's relatives. Got a little tour of the house from Gitaka (think she said she was 6 - Akshay's cousin). It's amazing how she has picked up an American accent from speaking with her cousin Josh who lives in the states. Had some great masala chicken - tasty and spicy. Nonetheless, my stomach seems to be handling it well. Maybe stomaches don't take as long to adapt as I expected. Left to Jaisalmer at 11:15 - even saw some while tourists! :) We were picked up from the train station by the hotel jeep - sooo much better than dealing with autorickshaw drivers… This is a great hotel (one of the Taj chain of hotels) - maybe not all the way up to Taj standards, but still quite nice - according to our guide it was just leased to Taj 6 months ago. It's called Hotel Rawel-Kot by the way. Had another good 3 hours of sleep after getting here. Went into town to check out the sites - nothing really special. I know it sounds like we're not appreciating some of the tourist sites much anymore - but most of the places are still very beautiful. It's just that many of the temples and monuments start looking the same after seeing so many. It has been great to also take in some plain nature such as the backwaters. I expect the desert to be similarly impressive. I think it ended up leaving even more of an impression than the backwaters. Until we leave for the desert (around 5pm) we just stay around here and rest a little - the heat (>40ºC) here is really draining. It's smartest to stay inside with the AC on :) We're watching "Peacemaker" on TV - I'm lucky they have a number of English channels here. The media is supposedly very well developed. From what I've seen in terms of TV programs and newspapers, I absolutely agree. Some of the TV commercials are even funny! On our trip to the beach on the Vypeen island we met a guy that had studied something media related he was in the area for a job interview with a major magazine. He said he wanted to become a program manager (or something like that) on television - I've never anyone in Canada going into the TV business… I think I was trying to make a point about how there seemed to be more people involved in media in India - don't think was too successful… |
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11th, Jaisalmer
We're not sure about the order - it's hard to compare experiences like these. I guess you could try to compare the intensity of awe - but it's really hard to determine which of these experiences amazed me most. The trip into the desert by jeep was already so interesting. In some ways it is similar to driving in Saskatchewan - the vastness of the land - telephone and power poles passing by on the side of the road… The main difference I felt was the hostility of the environment - the heat dryness and ruggedness of the landscape. Saskatchewan is very "tame" in comparison. If I would have done more horseback riding, I'm sure I would have been less impressed by the experience of riding a camel. The best part is trying to maintain your balance while the camel is getting up, or while it kneels down for you to get off. It's a multi-step motion with a sequence of backwards and forward tilting - a mini roller coaster ride :) The riding itself also had different "modes". I know, I know this is all obvious stuff to some people - it's kind of new and cool for me though. The comfort level strongly depends on how you sit - and you have to sit differently depending on what mode "mode" = gear the camel is in. I now understand better why some people are some crazy about horses. (or motorcycles for that matter - sitting on something that propels you forward is always cool for some reason) Well, we're on the train back to Jodhpur again, and it's starting to get shaky so I'll leave it at this for now. |
Camel ride to
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Palace in Jodhpur
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13th, Jaipur, Hotel Arya Nivas Only one more night in India. I've seen so many things here, I don't think I'll remember it all unless I start seeing things that are distinctly different from what I've seen these past weeks. For that reason, I decided to stay at the hotel this afternoon while Akshay is checking out the sites here in Jaipur. From what I could tell, the architecture will be very similar to what we've seen in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Yesturday we visited the palace in Jodhpur - very impressive british architecture. The majority of it has been turned into a hotel; part of it belongs to the maharaja family. One could sense there is a lot of money floating around there. It was full of wedding guests wandering around, passing time chatting with eachother - all dressed up of course. I felt a little out-of-place in my t-shirt and shorts. But being a tourist is always a good excuse. I seldom know what I need to dress up for. Not having brought along any really dressy clothes doesn't help much either. Oh well, most of the time I get the feeling I'm just "a white tourist" or "an Englishman" anyways, so my clothing doesn't make much of a difference… :) We tried to figure out how I could pay Akshay's dad for the plane tickets, but we weren't very successful. I ended up trying to get all the money out of an ATM from my VISA card, but I could only manage to take out Rs 300. So, what we'll probably end up doing is just using a bank draft which I will arrange in Canada. Went out for dinner at "Gypsy" - ate too much good food - had a nap then ate and drank some more for "tea time". Stayed around the house, and ate some more for supper - got extremely close to exploding while swallowing the desert (actually I think I would have exploded if I had tried to swallow the desert - hence dessert - not desert). Had another cup of hot Nescafe coffee at the train station before saying goodbye to the family. Didn't fall asleep as easily as expected. We managed to find our way to the hotel at around 5am this morning. Akshay almost got into a fight with the young rickshaw driver :) The driver initially mentioned Rs10, and then said he had meant Rs10 per person. Most drivers are definitely giving tourists a bad impression of Indian people in general. It's a pity you have to deal with them on a daily basis if you are doing a reasonable amount of traveling. There was a pre-paid autorickshaw stand, but it looked closed. And since "none of the meters work", and "this meter is broken" it's always a matter of estimating the distance on a map and spending at least a minute in a philosophical debate about transportation costs. In most cases if you manage to get a fair deal, the driver will leave pouting because you didn't pay him enough - if you get ripped off, both you and the driver will leave pouting because the world is such a terrible place. So either way, it is inherently difficult to actually enjoy getting around by rickshaw in India. Of course you need to see the driver's side of things as well. They're definitely not very well off, and have to struggle to make a living. In comparison to beggars they are at least ready to work for the money. However there's no doubt that it would still be nice if someone taught them about the benefits of honesty and fairness… But now I can finally start talking about our experiences today. Our first goal was to arrange a bus connection to Delhi - turned out to be very simple after finding the bus station. We met a few too many beggars while wandering around - women with babies, and children by themselves. The things that bother me that most are that they run after me just because I'm white, and that they stay even if I indicate that I don't have any spare change. And of course the continuous guilt one feels when you're surrounded by people that have less than you do. I still don't completely understand how people here can live with eachother with all the differences between them. I would expect that feelings of envy from the poor and feelings of guilt from the rich would cause tensions, which would express themselves in one way or another. But things have been this way for so long, and appear to be changing only slowly if at all. It must be true that people simply accept their social position for what it is and are seldomly motivated to climb into a higher social layer. I guess if they are genuinely content with their social position, it is not really a "problem' - but what I have a hard time imagining is that the beggars I meet are truly content with their lives. |
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After the bus stand we decided to look for a coffee shop for breakfast. Guess where we ended up? McDonalds! I think it's the first one I've seen here. Just like the Pizza Hut and Dominoes Pizza we've been to, the interior is very American, so different from all the buildings surrounding it. It's strange how my mind switches straight back into "North America mode" when I enter a restaurant like this. I expect things to be clean, organized, put in there little boxes, placed on their trays… To the right of McDonalds was a theatre which we spotted through the windows. They were playing "The Hero", a brand new Bollywood movie. I had read a little about it in a magazine on the plane. We decided to check it out, just so I could get a feel for what the film industry in India is like. It was a lot like what I had previously heard about Bollywood movies. Not too great acting, cheesy sound effects, iffy plot… a true "entertainment" movie with lots of guns, blood, fighting - no sex though - not even bare skin (other than heads, hands and feet). By American standards, it is strange to see that much violence without even a hint of sexual connotations. I guess it all depends on what a society considers as taboo and what not. Strangely, though physical violence between people is not common here, it is still ok to have blood squirting around on the screen. What I can't do at home, I can at least watch in a movie? The plot wasn't too bad - nothing truly unexpected though. It proves tat the people here are entertained by very much the same topics as others around the world - a little love and a little action, and people will pay the Rs 50 for getting it piped straight into their brains. I know it's wrong to make general statements like that, but it appears to be true for the majority of people on this planet (2/3 ?). We returned to McDonald's after the movie for some Americanization. I had the "McCurry" - but couldn't taste any curry - it tasted more like a chicken pizza kind of thing. Not too exciting. After that we came straight back to the hotel. Soon after I started writing what you are now reading :) Now that you have caught up with me, there is nothing left to say… ? |
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This has been a fairly relaxing day, but I'm still quite tired. Must have been the 5 ½ bus ride into Delhi. It was pretty bumpy, so it was hard to read - but we didn't have much else to do, so we read anyways. Akshay is really enjoying "Atlas shrugged" even though he was uncertain at first. Don't know if I'd like it. I've been reading "The fifth estate" just to pass time. It's not too bad, bt some parts bore me so it get's difficult to continue reading. I think most people just skip things when it get's boring, but I'm too afraid I might miss something important. Wish I had someone here with me to travel along back to Canada - it would make things a whole lot more interesting. Especially this waiting around at bad airports (= all airports without Internet cafés :) ) I haven't decided whether I'm happy to go back or not. As usual I'd like to stay for some reasons, and like to get back "home" for other reasons. No matter where you are, you're always missing something you could have if you were elsewhere. On the trip to the airport I noticed two signs both saying "Lane driving is sane driving." How true. Few people here see to have the desire to be sane :) I'll have to go through security soon I think - boarding should start in a couple of minutes - meet you on the other side. |
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15th, Singapore, plane to Vancouver I was sure I wouldn't catch my flight fro Singapore to Vancouver after we experienced a 4 hour delay in Delhi. But I was rushed directly to this plane, and even had time to grab a free sandwich and coffee - didn't have time to finish the coffee though. The delay was caused by some technical problems with the plane. Shortly after heading out the landing strip they announced that they had discovered some problems with the plane, so we turned around and spent the next four hours at the gate (still on the plane). Kind of boring if you know you're not getting anywhere while waiting… It took them a while to turn on the movies too, so I didn't feel like doing much, plus I was getting really tired. But I guess they managed to eventually fix the problem - they shook the plane a number of times - maybe that's all that needed to be done - probably someone standing there with a big hammer - if you hit something hard enough and often enough it should eventually arrange itself in the proper order right? :) Just hoping we don't have the same problems with this plane… I met one of the guys (reminds me of the black guy from scrubs, just east Indian instead of African) in Korea on my flight in. He was actually planning to stay 4 weeks, but he got sick with what appeared to be malaria about 5 days after arriving. So he spent most of the time in the hospital. Now he was heading back to Canada with his wife and kids - strange coincidence that I met him again. I'm just reading the CNN headlines - still SARS news. Supposedly the Chinese censored a CNN broadcast that criticized the government's handling of SARS. Can't see anyone on the plane wearing a mask - saw a few people at the airport and went through the super-cool infrared camera test thingy I still can't believe they can tell if you have a fever just by taking a picture. This flight (Singapore - Vancouver) was delayed by an hour, just
so people like me coming from Delhi could make it on. So it will
all work out great since I have enough time in Vancouver to get
on my flight to Calgary. Oh - looks like a woman in front of me
has a mash on - she looks Chinese. |
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Seoul, Korea Back in the sterile Inch'On airport - quite a change from Delhi :) it's surprising how much your environment can change after sitting on a plane for a couple of hours. The stopover here isn't quite a full hour, as it should have probably been if we were on time. So we might be reducing the final delay in Vacouver so I'll have more than 3 hours to get my bag and check it through to Saskatoon. I can probably even grab something to eat if I'm hungry. I'll probably be too tired to do much. Hope I'll get a little more sleep on the stretch to Vancouver… I didn't end up getting much sleep at all - I don't think I'll ever learn how to sleep on planes. After arriving in Saskatoon, I was greeted at the airport by more people than I expected. My parents had arrived the day before, so they came together with a bunch of relatives - it felt good to be back home. I was very determined to get over the jet lag quickly, so I went out bowling that same evening yet with Daniel, Amy and Becky. That's what these last pictures are of - as you can see we took BenG and EdE along - as far as we can tell they really had a great time.
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