Chaos and Curries
Trip Start
Jul 12, 2008
1
21
Trip End
May 31, 2009
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Sunday, May 3, 2009
1. Indians complete disregard for queuing. This is what made buying a train ticket a marathon procedure and after being jostled by women and senior citizens (there was a special queue for them and tourists) we would normally emerge from the oppressive booking office ,tickets in hand, roughly an hour and a half later!
2. Indians complete disregard for animals. Okay, so we understand that the cow is a holy being but why can't it be worshipped in a field instead of in the middle of the street? Also if it is such a venerated entity then why did we continually see people throwing stones at them and leaving the poor creatures nothing to eat to the point where we witnessed one poor cow munching on a cardboard box? Another atrocity concerning animals is the abhorrent state of living for dogs. If you are a dog lover then a trip to India would break your heart. The number of pitiful, scab-infested, mangey dogs with every rib protruding was lamentable.
3. Indians utter disregard for hygiene. So, we do not wish to come across as narrow minded Westerners as we are fully aware of the far-reaching arm of poverty which touches a crippling majority of Indians but in some cases, people are just unnecessarily sloven. The prinicpal characteristic is that the stench of urine seems to pervade every cubic metre of air in India. You literally cannot walk more than 100 steps just about anywhere in India without happening upon a urinating man. After being in the country a mere week the sight of rows of people defecating on a river bank no longer seemed all that shocking. We understand that there is a chronic lack of sanitation in India but at a rest stop on an overnight bus one night, the majority of men chose to urinate in the bushes instead of taking another 20 steps to the toilet block - disgusting!
4. Tuk-tuk drivers. When I asked Callum how to describe this rare breed endemic to India every second word he came up with would have to be blanked out! Let us just say it is safe to typecast the overwhelming majority as rude, cunning, immoral vultures (harsh but true). One such example was in Jodhpur, where the tuk-tuk driver, being perturbed that he would receive no commission due to the fact that we turned down the first hovel from the recommendation in the lonely planet (he did nothing to deserve commission anyway considering it was our choice of accommodation and not a recommendation on his part) so when we decided to walk to find somewhere better he got off of his tuk-tuk and followed us for twenty minutes on foot - very unnerving! (we eventually hid and managed to shake him off)
Now that we have finished our cathartic vent, let us move on to the more charming aspects of India! Before mentioning specific places, let me tell you about the food. We both love Indian food at home but here everything is so much richer, spicier, colourful, playful... We ate well EVERYWHERE in India from the rich tasty curries in the North to the sumptuous masala-filled dosas of the South, every meal was a feast for the palate! As I mentioned, our journey began in Mumbai, definitely a very cosmopolitan city and the home of Bollywood. As it so happens we stumbled into the set of a movie on our walking tour around the city. Our highlight was definitely a visit to Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia (some of you may know it better as the setting for 'Slumdog Millionaire') where we experienced first hand how this is not simply a destitute slum but a booming enterprise and close-knit community. There is a huge emphasis on recycling in the slum and many hundreds of jobs have been created from this enterprise. Away from the hustle and bustle we found our spiritual centre with a visit to Gandhi's ashram in the Gujarat province. Then it was onward and upward to Rajasthan with our first stop being Udaipur, the city described as a fairytale land with its pearlescent palace floating on the lake. In reality, half of the lake was dried up and some clever cows had escaped the squalor of the streets to munch on the vegetation! The drought did not dry up our enthusiasm for the place though as our day spent in a very hospitable Indian lady's home learning how to cook seven traditional dishes was definitely an Indian highlight. So confident are we in our culinary skills now (this being our third cooking school) that I am sure we could put any Indian restaurant out of business - just joking! But to be able to make an authentic Indian curry and proper chapattis is definitely a huge plus!
We then made our way to Pushkar which in our estimation was lacking in character and seemed only to be the epicentre for zenned out hippies. Jodhpur, known as the blue city for all of its beautifully painted houses, had far more to offer with the most magnificent, imposing fort we have laid our eyes upon - definitely a shining example of Mughal splendour. From blue to pink into the city of Jaipur which in fact is more of a terracotta than a pink but very visually pleasing all the same. We took a government organized day tour around the city (much more economical and less soul-destroying than argueing with tuk-tuk drivers!). The tour was very interesting with our favourite stop being the amber palace which had the most exquisite mirrored murals imaginable.
The next part of our travels through India took us to the much heralded and eagerly anticipated Agra, home to the resplendent Taj Mahal. We were both worried that the hype would outshine the glory of this site but we were not disappointed as its beauty surpassed the odes of even the most romantic Indian poets. A true testimony to love, the Taj was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. We decided to beat the crowds and arrived at the gate before sunrise when there was a fresh breeze and we were able to get some really magnificent shots.
The following day we boarded the Amritsar Express on our journey to the Province of Punjab - land of the Sikhs and home to the shimmering Golden Temple. This stunning masterpiece at Amristar is one of the most important spiritual centres on earth for Sikhs. Surrounded by a small moat, the Golden Temple stands shimmering the most beautiful hues of gold in the late afternoon sun. The experience borderd on spiritual for us too as there was such vibrancy and energy in the air, plus we met so many friendly people who just came up to us to welcome us and have their picture taken with us ( I am not exaggerating when I say that we muct feature in over 50 Indian family photo albums!) There was such a welcoming atmosphere here which reflects the core of Sikhism where all people are regarded as equals. We continued our journey northwards to the small town of MacLeod Ganj which resides on the cusp of the Himalayas. This town is somewhat of an anomaly, principally as there are practically no Indians in sight! The whole town is made up of a Tibetan population who have made the treacherous journey through the moiuntain range to flee persecution in their homeland. In fact, since 1959 His Holiness, the Dalai Lama has governed the country here in exile. It is a rather disorientating feeling walking around this town when your instincts are telling you this is India but the food, faces and products are all authentically Tibetan! Well at least we got a slice of Tibet since the Chinese government had closed the border to tourists when we were in China. We visited the very informative and hard-hitting Tibet Museum which exposed the harsh reality of Tibet's tumultuous past and how life is even today under the iron ruling fist of China.
We then zipped back down to central India and found ourselves in that frenetic, colourful, brash, dingy, vivacious place which could only be Dehli. India's capital truly is a treat (or ambush!) for the senses! Bursting with people, trains, rickhaws, street-sellers, smog, spice markets, sari-clad armies of women shoppers, Dehli, is the true proprieter of the saying, the city that never sleeps! After only a few short days we slipped away from the mania that has enveloped this city from its conception and jetted off to the laid back shores of Goa. Now you will be thinking sun, sea, sand...well, scrap that and try bus, bus, bus... Yes, most people use Goa as a break from manic India but we were like kids who had just got the best toy for Christmas - the public bus! Elsewhere it can be difficult to navigate public buses primarily because the signs are in Hindi and secondly because city buses hit lots of unknown suburbs. Since Goa is made up of lots of small towns we seized the opportunity to escape from the claws of the sinister tuk-tuk drivers! We zipped to Anjuna for the huge flea market, Panaji for the Portugese architecture, Mapusa, Calangute and Baga. It became addictive quite possibly because of the warm feeling it gave us inside (or perhaps that was just from sweating!) each ride was like sticking up a perpetual middle-finger at all of the nasty tuk-tuk drivers we had the displeasure of encountering! So, ironically we ended up not even really seeing a beach in Goa but we definitely had fun all the same!
Next came a pilgrimage for me when we travelled to the city of Pune. This otherwise unremarkable city is home to Sangam, one of the four Wolrd Centres for Girlguiding. Previously I had visited Our Chalet in Switzerland and since we were going to be so near, I just had to stop in Pune. (It is often an ambition for Girlguiding members to visit all four centres during their lifetime). It was a great experience and although it was off-season Callum and I still received a warm welcome and had a great time. Two down, two to go! This was our final destination in India just leaving enough time to catch a train back up to Mumbai for our onward flight.
Overall, I would say that we both enjoyed India as there is unquestionably so much that this country has to offer - amazing food, imposing architecture, fascinating culture and friendly people. The negatives are there as we mentioned which ensures you get a true unadulterated picture of India. It is an intense but rewarding country and like its cuisine, nothing about life in India is bland!
