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  Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India
Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My Mount Abu stay was memorable for a few things but mostly they're not very exciting things.  Having a new film to rival Never Been Kissed was a highlight, for those bent on torture, try Honey with Jessica Alba.  Also, for those fans of Blackpool who feel that they're no longer satisfied by the British seaside and feel like a trip to an Indian hill station instead then I can heartily recommend a trip to Mount Abu.  This is unfair, although there is definately a carnival atmosphere here and a kiss me quick kitchness which instantly makes you look for the tower.  Come to think about it, there is a miniture Eiffel Tower in the town, it's only about 20ft high but still it's clearly a sign.  And there's pony rides, not donkeys but still.

Basically, the centre of town is a cheesy holiday spot where people from all over Rajasthan and Gujurat travel for their 2 weeks out of the sun.  It's a km or two up so it's cool during the day and cold at night.  It is, however, in the middle of a huge nature reserve which is stunning in it's dramatic ruggedness.  Bears prowl here and pose a big threat to the surrounding settlements, they also stray close to the town in times when food is scarce preying on the mountains of discarded plastic which litter the viewpoints accessible by tour bus.  It's clear then that the destinations beauty lies in leaving the town and taking to the hills, but the bears and the bandits also make it clear that it's best not to do this alone but always with a guide.  The reasoning behind this seems to be that they have sticks.  Hmmm, not so sure of the defence possibilities of a stick of bamboo but as I've seen before, you should never question the power of the mighty bamboo.

I stayed in Mount Abu for 3 days, originally planning to trek as soon as I got there.  I tested my legs on the first day by climbing up to Toad Rock (it looks like a toad) which was about 100m worth of steps.  I had to stop 3 times to get my breath back and then I fell asleep on a rock when I got to the top.  Fail.  On day 2 I joined a tour to see the sites.  I managed a climb up 300 steps but ran away from the tour which was in Hindi and which was of the evil dictator type.  Still a fail.  By the evening, I managed a climb with the local guide to his special place (his name not mine!) and that all went well so I agreed to go out for a few hours the next morning.

Within 5 minutes in a Jeep we could forget the Swan boats and icecream stalls.  The hills were beautiful, my legs just about held out and it was an amazing walk.  No bears, unfortunately, although there was some poo.  There was also some caves which involved crawling through tiny gaps in complete darkness.  Again, no bears but we threw a stone in just to be sure.  Threw a bloody stone in, what the hell?  What if there had been!?  Sorry, just an aside there. 

That was all bloody well but crawling through holes looking for bears and watching terrible films with Jessica Alba in had in no way prepared me for my next adventure - Mount Abu to Mumbai.  One of the busiest weeks of the year due to it being the most auspicious date for a wedding and therefore all of India on the move.  Trains chockablock and the only option a 20 hour bus journey.  Fun fun fun.

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