That’s all I have to say about that.
Photos and a Singapore wrap up to come.
Until then, thanks for journeying with us.
Day 18-22: Kanniyakumari and Mamallapuram
11 January, 2012 - 2 Responses
[Some entries from Kath's diary]
Wednesday
We arrived at the southern most tip of India early after an ok train journey. We were able to check in straight away, enjoy a shower and have breakfast.. The usual south Indian feast but this time it was slightly cold. We decided to check out the small town after breakfast and we hit by the extreme heat and so many tourists..mostly Indian. After weaving our through people we found a juice bar and enjoyed a OJ and lassi and just watched the many passerbys. Kaniyakamari has a temple which looks out to the east and west so many pilgrims come here and there was definitely a lot. Most men in black dhotis and scarves. I enjoyed my usual afternoon nap before we went out to see the famous sunset.. It sets over 3 oceans..but we couldn’t figure out what the third was?!? To pass by time we enjoyed a stretched chai and went to the fish aquarium for 20 rupees (about 40cents). An unusual place with some strange cross bred fish. The sunset however was quite spectacular..maybe the polluted atmosphere contributed to its amazing reddy orange glow!
Thursday
Our hotel ‘Sea View’ faces east so we rose early to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. The cloud cover meant the sun appeared about 40 minutes later.. No alarms were needed however because music started playing at about 5am and then there was chanting/singing/praying from either the Hindu temple or Catholic church below. Many tourists lined the shore to see the sun and I was thankful we could stay in or bedroom. Afterward we turned on the tv to see Clarke get his 300..perfect timing 
. The other attraction of the town are the 2 little islands which loads of tourists ferry across to ever 15 minutes. One island has a 133ft statue of a Tamil poet on it and the other is a monument to Vivekananda, a Hindu philosopher known for taking Hinduism beyond the shores of India. The hoards of people and the rough waters deterred us from making this trip. Thankfully of sea view room was sufficient! After breakfast we went for a walk, enjoyed an OJ, I bought some pyjamas – pronounced pi-jamas – (no not the pants you wear to bed but daytime pants.. ) I napped in the arvo before we packed up and headed to the train station for our overnight train to chennai.. Our last train ride for the trip..
Friday
We arrived at Chennai just before 7, got in a taxi and travelled 1 1/2 hours to Mamallapuram also known as Mahabs! We arrived in this sleepy town just as it was waking up. We enjoyed breakfast at the cafe, Freshly ‘n Hot, (across the road from our guesthouse) before checking in and having a cool shower! Our day was nice and slow.. We went for a wander around, read, slept and enjoyed pasta for dinner in a French Indian restaurant called Le yogi ( Le seemed to be the only French part about it..ha). The pasta was tasty and the atmosphere pleasant.. We may return to this one!
Mahabs is like the Byron Bay of India. A lot of alternatives traveling, cruise tunes come out of the cafes ( tunes from the 90′s though) and a variety of Bob Marley t shirts. The streets however are relatively clean and then if you ignore the sellers hoping you’d come into their shop, the walk down towards the beach is quite pleasant! Mahabs is also known for its stone carvings and stone temples. Our afternoon was filled with wandering through the large rock carvings and stone temples at the back of the town. They are pretty massive and quite impressive. We wandered off the path at one point and slid down a rock to get our feet back on the ground. Thankfully it wasn’t too far.. We stuck to the path after that and made our way to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is relatively new compared to the carvings- 100 years old- and is still active. The sun was setting as we returned to the guesthouse. Kristan was hoping for seafood so he found very tasty calamari and chips. I passed on the veg noodle option and went for a potato curry..we’re having a break from Indian food at the moment but there wasn’t much else on the menu for me! It was tasty and the fresh hot chapattis were tasty!
Sunday
The power in the guesthouse goes off around 5am so our room heats up quickly which means we’re up just before 7am. This morning we walked to the stone shore temple.. The oldest of its kind in india. The carvings are so detailed..although quite a bit has been weathered now. It’s recently become a world heritage site so the gardens around it were unusually clean and well manicured. Other structures near by were uncovered in the 2004 tsunami but when the waters returned to normal they were covered up again.
The middle of our day was peaceful (power goes out everywhere from 12-2..so a good time to nap or read..which we did). Kristan stayed in the room while I went shopping for our souvenirs. I prepared myself for the calls of, ‘come into my shop, more colors inside’. I wandered with my ‘I’m not interested’ face on and finally bought most of my things from a guy named Rabi. The next day as we walked past Kristan noticed his shop was called The New Grace shop with a psalm next to it. There definitely was something different about this seller compared to the others. I’m glad I bought from him! When I returned the sun had already set and Kristan was ready for dinner. Pizza time. We enjoyed some quite cheesy pizzas before heading to buy some stone lions down the road.. And this is what happened…
[A short interlude from Kristan]
This afternoon Kath went window shopping, and real shopping, for a few hours while I tried to sleep off what felt like a little migraine. Mamallapuram is famous for stone carvings, and as she wandered she found a carving of a lion – the only ones she had seen for sale. But there was no shop owner around.
Then tonight we met Daniel. We had finished our dinner and Kath was taking me to see the lions. The shop owner was there tonight. So as we looked at his lions he asked where we were from. And then he asked what I did. My answer throughout our Indian journey has been ‘Bible teacher’. At this his eyes lit up. He too is a Christian. He is only in the shop working during the evenings – but there are less customers at this time. During the day he is traveling through the nearby villages, with a microphone, singing Christian songs, and letting the villagers know that there is hope in Jesus.
He told us his story. When Daniel was in year 6 his father died. Nobody took care of him after that. He was alone, and hopeless. So, like many other villagers in that situation, he took up smoking and drinking. He told us many people in his village die from liver troubles from drinking strong alcohol. He wanted to die. He saw no hope for his future. He never had any money, and when he did he spent it on drink. One day, a visitor came to his village and used a microphone to talk about Jesus. Daniel was interested and paid attention, hearing something which sounded hopeful. He listened long enough to hear about the new life Jesus could offer. After a short time he made a decision to follow Jesus. He left his smoking and his drinking and has never looked back. His neighbours think he is mad. He has faced a lot of opposition both from surrounding shop owners and elsewhere. But he knows Jesus is coming soon, that this life here is short, that God will take care of him and so he carries on. So what he spends his days on now, letting people know about Jesus, is what someone once did for him.
It was a privilege to meet Daniel, to hear about his life, and his two children and his wife. After he asked, I prayed for him, gave him my details, paid for the lion and we left. As we reached our own hotel around the corner, he drove up on his motorbike. We’d forgotten to take our pen, so he specially rode his bike to us to return it. When you pray for India, pray also for Daniel, and the many like him, the locals who faithfully proclaim the life Jesus offers in a country where opposition means more than simply being laughed about, and where hopelessness runs deeper than breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Life runs raw here, and the answers many find here are no answers at all. The harvest is plentiful and the labourers few. But if you’re a follower of Jesus, Daniel and his family are your family too.
[Back to Kath's diary]
Monday
Our last day in Mahabs. Shopping done.. That is,except for shoes Kristan and I decided to get made today from buffalo and cow skin. They’ll be ready just before we leave tomorrow and hopefully nice and comfy! We started the morning with a beach walk before breakfast. The beach is quite Indian..cows and dogs making their presence on the sand.. Along with jewellery sellers, nets, fish man, boats and kids playing. Some tourists braved the waters but we were happy to stay on the sand. We enjoyed hearing the waves crashing on the sand..a sound we haven’t heard in a year! We returned to our usual cafe for breakfast, Freshly ‘N Hot for a double espresso, toast and omelets! Later in the morning we walked to the little supermarket for chocolate and washing powder. It was so hot we were so thankful to return to the balcony of our room to read in the shade and enjoy the sea breeze. We decided to return to Le Yogi for dinner! And pleasant last day in Mahabs.
Tuesday
Today we went for our morning beach walk again, then coffee and porridge, showers, picked up shoes, I bought 2 more things
.. Before we returned to chennai by taxi to the YWCA where I’m currently typing from and getting bitten by mosquitoes! Our last room until we get on the plane on Thursday night and head for Singapore.
Tonight for dinner we wandered to a restaurant called Saravan Bharvan.. A must go to place if you’re ever in chennai.. In fact in India. It’s clean, fresh, quite and tasty. The dosas and lassi are superb!! 2 more days left in India!
Monday
Our last day in Mahabs. Shopping done.. That is,except for shoes Kristan and I decided to get made today from buffalo and cow skin. They’ll be ready just before we leave tomorrow and hopefully nice and comfy! We started the morning with a beach walk before breakfast. The beach is quite Indian..cows and dogs making their presence on the sand.. Along with jewellery sellers, nets, fish man, boats and kids playing. Some tourists braved the waters but we were happy to stay on the sand. We enjoyed hearing the waves crashing on the sand..a sound we haven’t heard in a year! We returned to our usual cafe for breakfast, Freshly ‘N Hot for a double espresso, toast and omelets! Later in the morning we walked to the little supermarket for chocolate and washing powder. It was so hot we were so thankful to return to the balcony of our room to read in the shade and enjoy the sea breeze. We decided to return to Le Yogi for dinner! And pleasant last day in Mahabs.
Tuesday
Today we went for our morning beach walk again, then coffee and porridge, showers, picked up shoes, I bought 2 more things
.. Before we returned to chennai by taxi to the YWCA where I’m currently typing from and getting bitten by mosquitoes! Our last room until we get on the plane on Thursday night and head for Singapore. Tonight for dinner we wandered to a restaurant called Saravan Bharvan.. A must go to place if you’re ever in chennai.. In fact in India. It’s clean, fresh, quite and tasty. The dosas and lassi are superb!! 2 more days left in India!
Photo diary: Varanasi to Mamallapuram
9 January, 2012 - Leave a Response
In reverse order.
(Lots with Kath in it because I (Kristan) didn’t want to look at myself)
The classic Indian taxi: an Ambassador
view back to Shore Temple and Mamallapuram coastline
early morning beach walk: fisherman mending his nets
stretching the chai
Drinking the chai
The Shore Temple
Big rock
It really is incridible!
Kath’s rickshaw
Ancient temple behind town, overlooking coastline
This bed is a little bit hard
every holiday we try to get a lighthouse shot
Krishna’s butter ball
Southern tip of India by night
Sunset over ‘Three Oceans’ at Kanniyakumari
Treehouse for our wedding anniversary
Washing the elephants
St Stephen’s church, Ooty – where Kristan sang on New Years Day
Ooty, Charing Cross
Toy train ride
Varanasi
Christmas together in Varanasi
Days 15-17: Safari land and treehouses
6 January, 2012 - Leave a Response
As I begin this entry, I am sitting in my treehouse. Yup, you read that correctly. It’s a big boys tree house really. There is a fast running stream below gurgling over rocks, and a little while ago a herd of cattle wandered down to drink by the stream. This is Safari Land. It is owned by a guy from Hyderabad who grew up in a palace, was a champion shooter for India and also a hunter. Ours is the deluxe treehouse, including bamboo furniture, hot water showers, and lighting. Very cool.
In the distance are the mountains of the kind we’ve just descended from earlier today. And closer by is a forest of very tall, very straight and very thin trees amongst bamboo and eucalypts. It is peaceful and we’re here for our anniversary.
We didn’t do anything on our first day there except enjoy a bonfire with cheesy thumping 80s music, soup and potato bajjis and then dinner. We woke very early the next morning to head out on our safari through the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Very exciting. Except that we sighted no tigers. Nor elephants. Nor anything but some spotted deer and a monkey called a langur. But it was still enjoyable. And the sticker inside the bus did remind us that ‘Animal sighting is matter of luck’.
That was the most adventurous we got over the two days. Although they persisted in asking us if we wanted to go on a walk, we were there for our wedding anniversary and had paid heaps for the treehouse and we intended to enjoy it. So we sat atop our treehouse, reading, sleeping, reading, and just enjoying listening to the wildlife and the running stream below. Oh, we did go for one little trip to a stream where apparently (and this seemed to be a recurring theme) an elephant was spotted in the morning. We went wandering off but then our guide had to find us and called out to us and told us it was a dangerous area. We were only trying to find the elusive elephants!
The coolest part of it for me (besides the treehouse), was being complimented on the few Tamil words I knew. That was cool, but always results in the other person speaking rapid fire Tamil back at me and I end up hopelessly lost.
Oh, and we were warned about keeping all our belongings locked up in the cupboard. Food especially. Because of what they called a large squirrel. So we did this. But it wasn’t our belongings which disappeared. It was the soap. Twice. Somehow this soap loving squirrel snuck into our bathroom and stole our soap from there twice. Very odd! We did see one of them later while we were eating, and a few green soaps lying around suspiciously nearby.
We left there at midday on Tuesday for a 4 hour drive first back up to Ooty (via the 36 hairpin bends) and then down again to Coimbatore (via the 14 hairpin bends) where we are now passing time until our train leaves tonight at 8:30. Yet again we found ourselves a Cafe Coffee Day to sit in, drink coffee and pass time. Oh, and we also availed ourselves of the ‘Clock Room’ at the station for our backpacks (if you’re not sure what the room is, try to say it with an Indian accent and you’ll get there eventually – HINT: it’s a typo).
We’re heading to Kanniyakumari and will reach there tomorrow morning. It’s the southernmost tip of India and famous for its sunrise and sunsets. We only stay one night and then take another overnight train to finally have a restful 5 days in Mahabalipuram, just south of Chennai, before heading home via Singapore.
Days 11-14: Trains and Ooty
6 January, 2012 - Leave a Response
So it is 8am Wednesday morning. I’m lying in the lower bunk of our side berth. Kath, I assume, is still sleeping above. The sun rose a while ago and I’ve already had my first morning tea – sweet and milky. We’re heading south finally and it is exciting. Getting to the train last night was uneventful. It was close to on time and we found our berth easily. We’ve been traveling mostly in what is called AC Two Tier. This means the carriage is divided up into berths which sleep 4 and side berths which seat 2. Between these is the aisle. Basically it is a bed above and a seat below which functions as a bed during the night. This trip we are in a side berth, giving us total privacy, without needing to share with two others. AC tickets are also provided with a blanket, pillow and sheets, and the carriage is generally quieter (although on our last trip that didn’t hold true because there were 8 noisy Bengalis on the train with us.
We will travel 2,155 kms with this train, right down the middle of India and finally reach Chennai on Thursday. The land outside is open field, hay stacks, occasional palm or other trees and small signal crossings. Pleasant country to train through. It is nicely quiet also now, as many are still sleeping.
The remainder of the train journey was uneventful.
But, when we did finally reach Chennai on Thursday, there was a cyclone raging on the coast. The city had received 12cm of rain that day and events were to get far worse by the weekend. At last count about 40 people have been killed along the Tamil Nadu coastline. Thankfully we were in none of the seriously affected areas. But the rainy conditions gave rickshaw drivers an excuse to overcharge, and meant things were more humid. We found quick accommodation just to shower and store our things until the evening at the unfriendly YMCA, and then made our way to Saravana Bhavan – Chennai’s best source of veg and particularly, of the dosa. Kath had her first real dosa there – tastes much better than any version in Australia.
We caught the overnight train to the foothills of the Nilgiris (Blue Mountains). We barely slept and it was generally yuck. But the saving grace was the last 5 hours of travel, when we caught the Toy Train from the foothills to Ooty itself, through forest, tea plantations, waterfalls, railway bridges, all the while being pushed by a World Heritage engine and chugging along merrily. When we reached Ooty it was Friday midday, raining lightly and we found our way to the Meadows Residency where we were staying and had awesome hot showers for the first time since Tuesday morning. So good.
We spent until Sunday midday in Ooty. It was Kristan’s old stomping ground where he lived in 2002-2004. The cyclone was affecting the weather everywhere so Friday and Saturday were cold and heavily foggy. On Friday we visited the general store where I used to shop and the owner remembered me and took time out to chat with us for a fair while. He gave us all the things I used to buy there – special Assam tea, homemade chocolates, ginger beer. Then we had a coffee in the new cafe next door. All over India there are now a bunch of coffee chains springing up. Some good, some pretty average.
On Saturday we visited Mizpah home, an orphanage run by friends and had morning tea with them. Then we visited Hebron School and caught up with a couple who were like parents to Kristan. I got roped into singing at the church service on Sunday. We had a great time catching up. For New Years Eve we ate pasta, and both felt a bit unsettled afterwards, the watched Mission Impossible at the local cinema for the equivalent of $1.20 total – thankfully it was a movie where even if you couldn’t hear the dialogue clearly you could still follow the story! Then we returned to our hotel, and went to bed a few minutes after midnight. Hello 2012.
Finally Sunday we woke earlier, ate our South Indian breakfast at the hotel of idli and chutneys, and made our way to St Stephens church, the English speaking Church of South India church for Ooty. It was a very long service, mostly because the sermon was like 3 sermons in one. And I sang ‘Before the throne of God above.’ love the acoustics in that place.
We had no time to talk after the service, rushed back to our hotel, packed, checked out and caught a taxi to the jungle area where we’ll be spending the next two nights. We descended 1250metres and drove around 36 hair pin bends to get here, the plateau near Mudumalai Tiger Sanctuary, still 1250metres above sea level.
Oh, and did I mention that we woke to crystal clear blue sky and not a cloud in sight. I think we’ll finally be putting away our long pants and jumpers and returning to shorts and t-shirts for the rest of our journey.
Quick update: safe from cyclone
30 December, 2011 - One Response
Hi all,
If you’re following the news in India you would have noticed that there’s a cyclone off the Tamil Nadu coastline. We are in Tamil Nadu but we are very safe. We left the coastline capital Chennai yesterday evening in heavy rain but are up in the hills and toward the left side of the country in Ooty. And we’re nowhere near the bad fog in Delhi, so that won’t affect us either.
A real update to come soon.
Days 8-10: Varanasi
28 December, 2011 - Leave a Response
Christmas day was different but great. The ashram had about 100 visitors, from all over the world, all of whom enjoyed a great vegetarian feast and listened to a teaching about Jesus’ unique offer of soul rest. We had many great conversations afterwards and I had a few people ask for gospels and Bibles to read while they stay in Varanasi.
Boxing day was less eventful. Kath was a little unwell so caught up on sleep and I read a lot and did some basic shopping: including finding a nice warm woolen shawl for her as a Christmas present. That evening I joined the ashram community and we had a fancy dinner out at a nearby expensive hotel. It was great to hang with them minus all the travelers for a little while. We slept better that night because the construction didn’t begin early in the morning for once! The cow down the road though was still moo-ing Iike it was being strangled.
Today was slow. A time of thanksgiving with the community, then a lunch with our two friends before we farewelled them. Then a slow, and I mean slow, boat trip down the Ganges as the sun set. We got ‘ripped off’ as for price, but really, the poor boatman had to row against the current for quite a distance, and labour is just too cheap here in India that I feel bad even when trying to avoid being ripped off. A hard position to figure out sometimes. But it was restful mostly.
Then back to the hotel, buying a few needed train trip items like snacks and toilet paper, then a lovely dinner at a Japanese restaurant very close by. Listening to jazz, have eaten well, now just about to have a coffee. I’ll need the coffee. Our train leaves a nearby station tonight at 11:30pm. And then we’re on it for two nights until Thursday midday. Then we catch another train Thursday night. That arrives early Friday morning. Then another train which arrives midday Friday. So we’re on 3 trains, for 3 nights and 4 days. It seems a bit epic. What were we (Kristan!) thinking?! Hence the snacks and toilet paper.
So our next post will come from somewhere in Tamil Nadu, hopefully as we relax in a cool mountain climate and a nice hotel.
Days 5-7: Agra, Varanasi
25 December, 2011 - Leave a Response
Day 5 – 6: Train to Varanasi
Departure time – 500pm but the train Was delayed by 6 hrs to leave at 1115pm. We passed the time by finding an Internet cafe and then sitting in Cafe Coffee Day for 4hrs.. A ‘Gloria Jeans’ type of coffee shop. Definitely better than sitting on the station.
Returned to the station around 10pm and were able to get straight on the train. We set up to sleep and the train pulled out at 1120. After a restless night sleep for Kristan we woke very skeptical about our arrival time due to stops through the night.
2 chais later, some mnm’s, sunflower seeds, muesli bars, no water left and constantly chatting Bengalis we are still sitting on the train..and it’s 3:30pm. We have no idea when we’ll arrive but not a good sign when the train moves about 500m before stopping and waiting for about 20minutes or more. Fog and other trains seem to be the cause of this massive delay. But the later it gets the thicker the fog so the longer it will take..
Hopefully a hot shower and comfy bed will be great when we eventually checkin.
Day 7 – Varanasi
So we did eventually reach Varanasi. Mughal Sarai, actually – which lies more than 12ks east and over the Ganga. At 8:20pm, more than 11 hours after the expected arrival and more than 5 hours after the delayed arrival. It felt like we were stopped more often than we were moving. We caught a bunged up old Ambassador – the classic car of India – over incredibly poor roads (and that includes the light-less National Highway 2), to our hotel, Sai Kripa Guesthouse.
And we slept. We were so tired that a shower could wait until morning. And we were beginning to feel cold so even changing into bed clothes could be abandoned. We slept well, and breakfasted well this morning.
Then we were visited by our friends who run an ashram here for travelers, and we spent the day helping prepare a vegetarian feast for tomorrow’s Christmas lunch. They’re expecting more than 150 people!
So now we’re back in our room, Kath’s having a little nap and I’m on the balcony watching life unfold on the street below. The sun is about to ‘set’ behind the building in front of me but it is only 3pm. The street seller is wrapping herself in warmer clothing and wrapping her face in a shawl, giving her a more ‘middle eastern’ appearance. Rickshaws make their way up the road below, labourers are building a third story wall on what will probably be a new hotel opposite. Oh, and I can also hear a sound I well remember from my last time in Varanasi, now more than 9 years ago, the thrum of diesel generators as yet again the power has failed.
The smells are typical of Indian places of this size – a faint stale urine smell mingled with other less discernible aromas, most probably diesel and cook fires. Our hotel is also being repainted so there is a powerful smell of paint also.
We are here until Tuesday night. This gave us the wonderful chance to unpack our bags a bit, air our clothing, and relax without needing to be anywhere in particular. Tomorrow we will have the travelers Christmas and the following day we will have a smaller community Christmas. On our last day we plan on taking a boat ride up the Ganga at sunrise.
Delhi and Agra – Days 1-4
22 December, 2011 - One Response
N.B: we wanted to put more photos on but it is proving difficult via poor wifi and using iPad – more to come much later
Day 1:
Arrive sleepless.
Coffee at airport
Metro to New Delhi – then rickshaw prepaid because we can’t walk over pedestrian bridge.
Hotel checkin
Metro to Syns for late lunch out in middle class Delhi
Day 2:
Wake very early
Rickshaw to Turkmen gate
Cycle tour of Old Delhi with Bert as tour guide and Raju as second guide. We see nothing of Red Fort because of heavy fog, but we do see Old Delhi, narrow lanes, old havelis, cycle between two sleeping men on pallets in a lane, men heating milk in large woks powered by hissing gas canisters. Watch the old city wake up. Finally stop at famous Karim’s to eat breakfast of slow cooked goat and massive tandoori roti. Cycled back to meeting place – almost lost Kath at a busy crossing where she was almost hit by a passing motorbike.
Spent afternoon recovering. Got room service for dinner. Ate and watched final episodes of Survivor.
Third Delhi day:
Sleep in
Breakfast on rooftop
Told we wouldn’t be able to get transport to three tourist locations for 300 rupees. Proved them wrong. Refused to pay 1200 and up for a taxi. Managed to do all three sites for 360 rupees – and that was after paying each rickshaw man more than we’d agreed to each time.
Saw Red Fort, on the outside. Prior to arriving I’d arranged with our rickshaw man to wait for thirty minutes and take us to the next site as well. When we came out couldn’t find him, so got another rickshaw – for 20 meters until we saw the original guy. Told the driver to stop because I’d seen a friend. What friend? He asked. Then our rickshaw guy turnd up, I gave the guy a token payment, hopped into our original rickshaw and left, the other guy looking completely bewildered.
Saw Humayans Tomb. Kinda like the Taj but in sandstone.
Got rickshaw to India gate, sun was already setting.
Got rickshaw to Connaught Place.
Walked to Paharganj, wandered bazaar. Bought star light fittings. Eventually found the restaurant we were looking for – Lonely Planet directions were wrong. Tadka. Very tasty Palak paneer.
Went back to hotel, sorted bills. Packed. Went to bed.
Saw Humayans Tomb. Kinda like the Taj but in sandstone.
Got rickshaw to India gate, sun was already setting.
Got rickshaw to Connaught Place.
Walked to Paharganj, wandered bazaar. Bought star light fittings. Eventually found the restaurant we were looking for – Lonely Planet directions were wrong. Tadka. Very tasty Palak paneer.
Went back to hotel, sorted bills. Packed. Went to bed.
Day 4 – long train to Agra. Takes 2 hours more than expected. Arrive hungry. Refuse rickshaw driver’s offer of tour. Get to hotel. No power. Means no shower. Walk around. Discover that everything is closer than I remembered. Our hotel is very close to gate entry for tomorrow morning. Walked down main street – a cacophony of tooting, beeping, and propositions for come look my shop, looking is free. Eat late lunch ate Taj Cafe, watching street below. Good lassi. K wants to insist I mention it was Banana Lassi. Fresh. Did I mention it was good? We may return just for another one.
Then on a whim, walked down alongside the eastern wall of Taj. So we could see the sunset behind the Taj from the riverside. Kath didn’t connected that the sun was setting with the view of Taj, so stopped to take photos of buffaloes. Then stopped to look at a bird. Then more buffaloes. Oh, and monkeys too. Eventually we reached the riverside, and watched the sunset – and some more monkeys.
There are soldiers everywhere. It is a major Indian monument, and therefore a security risk here. But their presence here is much greater than I remember from my previous trips. so they sat there behind us as we watched the sunset, with their semi automatics slung casually next to thm, their bullet proof vests lying a useless distance away from them should anything actually happen which required them!
Returned to east gate entry, had great coffees. Ethiopian coffee. I asked for espresso. I got a great steaming cup of Ethiopian flat white. Plus the normal cappuccino I ordered. So I drank a lot of coffee.
Returned to hotel, power on now, water heater working, but not the flush toilet. Can’t have both it seems.
Now typing this from Saniya palace restaurant. On their rooftop – a pretty standard thing here in Agra. Watched the Taj disappear as the light dwindled away. Now it’s just us, the mosquitoes, and some other guests, watching the darkness. Oh, and a brass band downstairs – not sure whats up with that.
Next post – Taj Mahal, Indian security and east to Varanasi
We’ve arrived
18 December, 2011 - Leave a Response
We arrived safely in Delhi. I’m writing this now from our hotel bedroom. The plane was full and the seats had very little legroom so I didn’t sleep at all and Kath slept a little. We managed to get to the Delhi metro and then got a bit confused once we’d arrived in New Delhi, but sorted it out eventually.
Our room has hot water! Not a big deal in Mauritius, but it is cold here. Feels nice and odd at the same time to be wearing two layers of clothing and feeling cold.
