Sight-seeing Saturation

Posted by benanddana in Uncategorized January 12, 2012

We made the most of our last 12 hours in Agra today by going out to visit the fort Akbar (the most powerful and influential Mughal ruler) originally built to govern this area in Fatepur Sikri, an hour’s bus ride away. He moved his capital and built another fort in Agra after only 12 years when the water ran out at Fatepur or something along those lines. It turned out to be worth a look with some amazing architecture.

Akbar had three wives, for instance; one Christian, one Muslim and one Hindu. He built each their own elaborate house and place of worship within the fort and throughout the amazing carving on the walls there are symbols and motifs from all the religions that were in India at the time. This period of active religious tolerance seems amazing today and it didn’t last very long at the time. In some of the carvings you can see where one of his successors Aurangzeb has chiseled out the heads of the Hindu animal symbols.

We experienced more hassle here than we have at any other tourist attraction, it was pretty phenomenal! I think Dana is writing something about it… The poverty and filth in the town around the fort was some of the worst I think we’ve seen and probably the cause of the desperation of the salesman and con artists around the site.

This afternoon we caught the bus back and had a look at Akbar’s tomb on the outskirts of Agra, an equally amazing sight and a good opportunity to have a rest. Now it’s just left to jump on our train tonight at nine and hopefully get a good night’s sleep. We’re both looking forward to a bit of a break from sight-seeing and arriving somewhere where we can wander about without so much hassle. And without relying on auto-rickshaws. It’s tiring stuff!

Hopefully our photos tell a bit more of our travel story than my tired babbling about Indian history. After almost three weeks in India I still don’t feel like I’ve got a handle on the place today, the scale of it all is still too big. It’s easy to feel like a cork in the human current when there are a billion people about, certainly a new perspective on life when coming from Australia. It’s like you can see a whole life at once here: everywhere you look there are young children on the street, but in the same frame there will be an old man on his way out. Everyone on the street is moving constantly but all in different directions. Crazy stuff!

Anyway,

more when I’ve had a sleep!

Ben

Sightseeing in India

Posted by benanddana in Uncategorized January 12, 2012

Sightseeing in India is not like sightseeing anywhere else. There are a few different stages.

Approaching the monument

First you have to try to find and then approach the monument. This is not as easy as it seems, it’s often a ducking and weaving game, avoiding so-called ‘tour’ guides, advances to take photos for you in front of the monument or direct you to purchase their lovely ‘marble’ souvenirs or overpriced chai.

If you make it to the ticket booth you then need to purchase the foreign priced ticket. Fair enough. In Agra this is made up of two charges, one for the restoration of the building and the other to actually see the building. You need to make sure to read the signs carefully as it turns out your ticket includes shoe covers and free bottled water. Of course, it then takes five minutes to find the guy down the road with the coke cart handing out these free show covers and bottled water.

When you then try to enter the place (be it the Taj Mahal or Akbar’s tomb), you need to walk fast and straight as you will get bombarded with tour guides, jewelry and post cards.

At Fatehpur Sikri you have to take your shoes off. But be careful! While there is a lovely man waiting to look after your shoes for you, turns out you can just carry them around with you inside, as many of the Indian tourists are doing!

Once Inside

You will again be bombarded with cries for tour guides and be called ignorant if you refuse. Even inside Fatehur Sikri children are allowed to sell postcards, jewllery and generally harass you. You will find yourself entering tombs or mosques and suddenly a friendly local will begin explaining what it is you’re looking at (although it’s pretty self-explanatory –I came to Akbar’s tomb to expect to see his tomb funnily enough). Once finished the more polite people will hold out their hand and say ‘As you wish sir, as you wish.’ The more direct will simply say ‘I’m very helpful yes? 30 rupees.’

Bladder calls

Occasionally when sight seeing your bladder calls. You go to the nearest bathrooms and outside is an enterprising fellow asking 10 rupees for you to use the bathroom. “But I have my own toilet paper and handwash and I doubt these are even clean?!” you exclaim. After asking the Indian woman next to you (who doesn’t speak English) if it really is 10 rupees, the boy drops the price to 5 rupees. “ I paid the entry fee, if the bathrooms are clean I’ll pay you on the way out,” you say and march in. Surprise surprise, not particularly clean. But good on them for trying!

It’s been a loooong day!

love b and b

Small pictures make up the big picture

Posted by benanddana in Uncategorized January 12, 2012

Ben having a rest on the overnight train to Agra from Udaipur.

Ben with our homestay family in Agra: Mr Singh and his two grandchildren.

Our rickshaw driver in Agra, Rama.

Above: Bohdana at the Baby Taj. It was built before the Taj Mahal and is the tomb of the grandfather of Mumtāz Mahāl, the wife of mugal emperor Shāh Jahān, who built the Taj Mahal.Below: Our first photo at the Taj Mahal...a fairly foggy day...

Obligatory Taj Mahal photo of Ben and I

Shoe covers to enter the Taj Mahal. classy.

Benj having a little rest on the Taj Mahal. He later was told by the security guard he could sit but not sleep here.

At Fatehpur Sikri, a city created in 1570 by Mugal leader Akbar. It was incredibly beautiful and despite refusing guides numerous times we actually eventually ended up taking a tour guide, a fellow name Muhammed Ali . He spoke fantastic english, knew a lot (he'd been working as a tour guide for 30 years) and insisted on taking Ben and mine photo at every place!

Ben has seen this truck a few times and finally got a photo.

Akbar's tomb

From peaceful Udaipur to chaotic Agra

Posted by benanddana in Uncategorized January 11, 2012

The night before last we caught the overnight train out of Udaipur to Agra, another trip on the trains that we really enjoyed. Hopefully we manage to put up a few more photos of Udaipur that manage to capture the beauty of the buildings around the water at sunset. It turned out to be about the most relaxing place we’ve been so far and has been thrown into stark relief by the bustle, noise and dirt of Agra.

Here is a cool link to a local Udaipur newspaper showing a few good places to eat breakfast. Reading this perhaps you can imagine what our stomachs are going through!! Fried sweet batter for breakfast, anyone?

At the moment in Agra we are staying here at home-stay accommodation provided by a Sikh family away from the city centre. It has been a great opportunity to peek inside the home of an Indian family and ask all the questions that have come to us in our travels so far. The house is run by three elderly brothers and they live there with their wives, a son and the son’s family that includes two very bright and cute kids. Over a wonderful dinner one brother explained the origin of the Sikh religion which was very interesting. Basically it came into being 350 years ago as a reaction to Muslim persecution of Hindus towards the end of the otherwise secular but Muslim Mughal period. He explained that Sikhism is a branch of Hinduism whose members consider themselves soldiers, defenders of the faith, who have cast off the Hindu belief in non-violence. They are immediately recognisable in the street because of their uniform- a long beard, long hair wrapped up in a turban (which contains a beard comb!) and a dagger or sword. He was also telling us that they always wear long underwear so that if they are attacked at night they will be able to leap up and fight without having to scramble around for their pants. Sensible I guess!

This morning we visited the Taj Mahal which felt like it could claim the titles of Glariest and Most Crowded world monument. It is an amazing sight but the bright sun, that seemed to be amplified by the pollution, had our eyes watering and us taking turns with the sunnies as we looked at the white marble. It is an amazingly beautiful building. The symmetry, proportions, curves and diffuse glow are really attractive from a distance and the detailed inlay and calligraphy work are amazing up close. It’s deliberately built on a high foundation so that it is only silhouetted by the sky. It only took 22 years to build which seems mind-blowing to me.

After ticking that box we’re off to Allahabad next, the sacred junction of the Jumna and Ganges rivers where heaps of pilgrims come to bathe, especially at a Kumbh Mela every five years or so. At the last one there were 70 million people, the largest gathering of humans ever! We will be there on the 14th of Jan which is supposed to be an auspicious date on the Hindu calendar, so there should be a few bathers about.

Anyway, we’re off to have lunch and find something to settle Bohdana’s stomach (Agra belly this time). Hope this finds everyone well!

love b and b

From Octopussy’s lair to delicious sweets

Posted by benanddana in Uncategorized January 9, 2012

We’ve spent the last four days in Udaipur, exploring the sights, eating food, shopping and relaxing. Udaipur is a lovely town set around a big lake with a very large, well-known palace right on the lake. We visited the palace the other day where I did (yet another) audio tour. The next day we visited the Maharana’s Car Collection (Dad, you would have loved it). Then we hired a motorbike and drove out to the Tiger Lake and up to the Monsoon Palace.

Easy Riders in Udaipur on our way up to the Monsoon Palace (featured in James Bond Octopussy).Octopussy's Lair

The current Maharana of Mewar (the royals in Udaipur) (awesome beard).

The Maharana's Rolls Royce

Gulub Jamun

Perfectly predictable and acceptable auto rickshaw transaction

Posted by benanddana in Uncategorized January 9, 2012

Ben: Dehli Gate, do you know it?

Driver: Incomprehensible head wobble.

Ben: (producing map and pointing) Delhi Gate

Driver: ( After a long consideration of the badly photocopied local map) Ahh! Delhi Pol! Yes yes. I take you.

Ben: How much?

Driver: 100 rupees.

Ben: No, too much. We paid 50 rupees yesterday.

Driver: Ok ok, not me, not you, 70 rupees.

Ben: 50 rupees.

Driver: Ok, special morning price, 60 rupees.

Bohdana: (Standing in background listening impatiently).Mmmm…

Ben: (internally converting to dollars and shrugging) ok ok.

Bohdana: (in a low firm voice under the din of the clanging two-stroke) I can’t believe we just paid sixty rupees, its totally only worth 30 rupees.

Ben: (already switching off) Yeah I don’t mind too much, it’s only twenty cents difference and he rents the rickshaw and fuel is expensive. We’re injecting stimulus into the local economy, putting food on his plate.

Bohdana: (something Ben hears only indistinctly)

Ben: Check out that guy selling Bananas!

Bohdana: Yeah but that’s not the point, if the journey…(some other things Ben hears only indistinctly)

Ben: Want to get some Bananas?

Rickshaw Shenanigans

Posted by benanddana in Uncategorized January 9, 2012

Ben and I have discovered we both have different ways of bargaining with rickshaw drivers.

Ben’s way

Ben: Do you know Delhi Gate

Rickshaw Driver: *wobbles head* (this means yes/no/maybe/I don’t understand what you’re saying)

Ben: How much?

Rickshaw Driver: 80 rupees. Special Indian Price

Ben: 80 Rupees! Too much. 70?

Ricksaw Driver: ok.

Bohdana‘s way

Bohdana: Do you know Delhi Gate?

Rickshaw Driver: *wobbles head* (this means yes/no/maybe/I don’t understand what you’re saying)

Bohdana: How much?
Rickshaw driver: 80 Rupees. Special Indian Price.

Bohdana: 80 rupees! That’s too much, it’s right around the corner. 50 rupees.

Rickshaw Driver: no, no it’s very far * moves hand in snaky direction*. Ok special price 70 rupees.

Bohdana: NO. 50 rupees. I’ll ask this other driver.

Rickshaw Driver 2: 70 rupees, very good price.

Bohdana: Ok, we’ll walk *starts walking*.

Rickshaw Driver 1: Ok ok 60 rupees.

Bohdana: No, 50.

Rickshaw Driver 1: ok, ok get in.

*I’ve just show this to Ben for approval and he says he will post his own version of events soon. Stay tuned.

A few last days in Jodhpur and beyond

Posted by benanddana in Uncategorized January 7, 2012

#Jodhpur to Udaipur
Yesterday we took a very long bus ride from Jodhpur to Udaipur. The seven sleepless, smoky hours were actually pretty enjoyable. The bus stopped in every village to let a family or two off or on and the countryside out the window was dotted with not-quite-pastoral scenes of kids playing cricket in the dust and old men drinking chai in the evening cool.

If we got bored we could always stick our heads into the aisle and watch the horror movie always threatening to unfold out the front windscreen as the driver hooked us in and out of the dirt for another mind-blowing overtake. We actually passed what looked like a fatal truck smash early in the trip which had me wishing for the seatbelts I never put on in Australia. We stopped half-way at a rest stop that puts anything on the hume highway to shame with amazing samosas and chai.

We’ll tell more about Udaipur when we’ve got photos that tell half the tale. If you can’t handle the suspense get a copy
of Octopussy and watch a much cheesier version of the real thing (EDIT: Udaipur is now famous for the fact this film was partly filmed here. Turns out mum and dad (bohdana’s) were here when it was being filmed, 27 years ago. Turns out not much has changed!).

A delicious samosa and chai filled rest stop on the bus to Udaipur

#Delcious India!
The past week has been a good one for food, we’ve started to explore the street food and chai as our stomachs have gotten used to the spices and oil.

Our very own hand made vege biryani (decorated with silver!)

On our last day in Jodhpur we got a cooking lesson from a local couple in the back of their small spice shop.
It proved to be one of the most rewarding and relaxing things we’ve done so far and gave us a real insight into the everyday lives of a modern Indian family as we watched the comings and goings of thier children, parents and in-laws, all living under the one roof.
But the food! We were shown how to make a few different curries, a biryani, proper chai tea, the local saffron-spiced butter lassi and, my favorite, the breads! Hopefully you can smell the butter and spices coming out of our photos. If not we’ll cook you a meal when we get back.

The delicious Makkhaniya (saffron) lassi, special to Jodhpur.

Mhmmmmm paneer curry and Ben's hand made chapati

Rekha showing us how to cook dhal

Tonight we left the tourist area behind to try a thali at a hotel restaurant that is very popular with the locals. There wasn’t another tourist in sight as we tucked into easily the best meal we’ve had at a restaurant in India so far.
For those of you that have never come across one, a thali is a kind of platter of curries and accompaniying cooler dishes. In this case it was four delicioius vegetable curries as the hot part accompanied by coconut raita, yoghurt and some
kind of amazing coriander salsa to cool our mouths down. This came with rice and two kinds of bread and was all you can eat for 80 rupees (about $1.60). There was some heroic shoveling going on on the other tables! There were five or six waiters cirlcing the room, each in charge of refilling one or two bits of our plate.
They were lightning fast and eager to please so we had to be positively but very firmly assertive to stop our plates piling up!