Just a quickie.....

I've had a couple of tough days. Travelling alot but not really getting where I wanted. I now have to be up at 05:30 to buy a ticket to travel Cattle Class (literally) for 5 hours. I'm not looking forward to that. But I'm not complaining - I've met some fantastic local people in the last few days to ease my travels.

I'll post a more comprehensive update when I get to my next destination(Pondicherry)

To everyone who has read and commented on this site........

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HAVE A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL 2008
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Michael

Arrived in Kerala ... eventually

So my second day in Mysore (boxing day) was spent on an all day city tour. I turned up at the tourist office at 08:15 to claim the last ticket on the 16 seat minibus. Unfortunately I had to sit next to a 24 year old Swedish girl, Josephine! She was a lovely girl and we got on really well. Like other European youngsters, she had been doing a 2 month "Project" helping children in Goa. Now she was finishing off her 4 month stay with some free time of her own. Josephine - if you read this blog you must e-mail me, I've got some great pictures of the Mysore spice market which I think you missed.

So I took the overnight BUS (yes OVERNIGHT bus) to Cochin in Kerala. It set off at 18:30 and arrived at 06:00. Not a single minutes sleep. I sat next to a young law degree student who was going home to Kerala to his family at Christmas (he was a Hindu but all the religions get on really well here - they are rightly very proud of their multi cultural society). We swapped MP3 players for the journey - he listened to my Del Amitri collection (which he really liked) and I listened to his Pink Floyd/Heavy metal collection!

I hooked up with a couple from Italy on the bus and we made our way from the bus station to Fort Cochin (and Island peninsula) in a posse of auto rickshaws. Found a hotel at 07:00 and kipped for a few hours. Now I've had breakfast and planning on hiring a bicycle to look round this place. It's quite different to all the places I've been to in India so far - a lot more westerners. This is a bit of a shame cos I was quite liking the attention I was getting as a white person in a sea of Indians! On the plus side there will perhaps there will be more people to share experiences with.

Got to go......

Christmas day in Mysore...

So I take the overnight train from Hyderabad to Banagalore on Christmas eve. A sleepless night on the whole cos I've now got two bruises - one on each hip, as the beds I've been sleeping on are so hard! Arrived in Bangalore at 7:15 am Christmas morning. Then jumped on a bus (a "luxury air conditioned Volvo" no less) and 3 hours later arrived in Mysore. It's a small city and seems less hussle and bustle than previous cities. There are more christians down this neck of the woods and they seem to celebrate Chrismas in a small, discrete sort of way.

The weather is absolutely beautiful. Azure blue skies with a few whispy clouds, 30 to 35 degress, a light breeze to waft the aromas of incense and south Indian spices. I like it here. Hope the weather is good in the UK - I do miss it.

So tonight I go to the Maharaja's palace where they're putting on a special light show just for me. It only happens once a year so the Hindu god Brahman must be smiling on me. I shared a table at lunch (another mixed vegetable curry) with 2 families from Cochin, Kerala. They are also here on holiday and the two fathers of the families were database software engineers. Oh how we talked about Business Intelligence (that's what I do at work). They were a lovely family and like all other south Indians were very interested in England. They seem to have a fascination with seeing our Sterling currency.

I think I will stay in Mysore for a few days. It has a nice, relaxed feeling and the beer is cheap (only had 3 bottles on this holiday so far - sounds like I'm justifying something there - my names Michael and I'm .......).

Well must dash. I'm going to find a park and relax under a tree in the dappled shade for a few hours. Read a book, people watch and think about an ice cold Kingfisher.

Hope you are all enjoying Christmas day (I do honestly mean that). It's great here but would be even better with me mates.

See ya

It's hotting up....

Note: I'll try to post some new pictures soon.

Now in Hyderabad. Got here by flight from Varanasi to Delhi, Delhi to Hyderabad. My luggage came with me too! Fairly stress free.

Hyderabad is so different from the north. It's warmer of course (30+ deg) but also seems more clean, more relaxed and more prosperous. It's a centre for outsourcing (software) and that has brought with it prosperity. Strangely enough there are fewer internet cafe's which is bizarre. There are more Indians with money to spend here - both locals and tourists. I don't feel as though everyone is trying to rip me off. The rickshaw drivers still try to get a good fare but they are good humoured and don't try to take me where I don't want to go.

Chilled out this morning in a park and had a quick boat trip to a statue of Bhudda. Very pleasant. Since I arrived in Hyderabad yesterday, I've seen 5 westerners - a family of 3 and a young couple at my hotel (no damn hot water again). I do not feel conspicuous though!

Last night I arranged with one of the hotel porters to bring me an illicit beer to my room. It arrived 20 minutes later wrapped in a black polythene bag with much whispering. It's quite frowned upon here as Hyderabad is a generally a muslim city.

So tomorrow I catch the overnight train to Bangalore, arriving Christmas day. I then hop on another train to Mysore which is meant to be a very nice place. Beats Turkey and the Queens speech any day. A couple of days in Mysore and then on to Kerala by bus and train via a wildlife sanctuary.

Stomach is rumbling now so off to fill it with curry. Did I mention the food is fab??!! (only a few times I guess).

Feliz Navidad. Mucho Grando Cristmaso. Da Viyenkovitch. Mig Pilot.

Byeeee

The condom, the undertaker and Bhuddism

Now that title got your attention!!!

Forgot to mention an experience at the Taj Mahal. I was going through the security gate there and the armed guard starts emptying my bag. Lots of people queuing up behind me. He pulls out a condom (god knows how that got in there!) waves it around in the air looking puzzled at it and then says "No that can't go in Taj Mahal". Well I laughed.

Spent the last couple of days in Varanasi. It's a great place with lots going on. Spent an hour with the owner of one of the burning ghats (ghat is a section of the river bank). He effectively was an undertaker. He took me through the whole cremation process. Very interesting. Saw a corpse who was being cremated in the clothes he died in - not even in a shroud. Very strange.

Went to a Bhuddist site today claiming to be the birthplace of Bhuddism. Not much more to tell you about that one. Bit disappointed actually.

So tomorrow I fly to Hyderabad and warmer climes. Seems all the mid range hotels are booked up so I'm staying in a dodgy place down a back street. Cheap as chips but lord knows what it will be like. I now realise the Lonely Planet Guide descriptions are a bit on the rose coloured spectacles side.

Hope you are all looking forward to Christmas. Still not sure where I will be.

TTFN

Overnight train to Varanasi

It was suprisingly comfortable and warm on the train and a rickshaw was waiting for me (arranged by hotel). Memo to self - tell David (work) about toilets out here. Very basic.

Had another good day. Walked about 2km right up the banks of the Ganges today. It's where the Hindus do their bathing and praying. I saw a couple of shrouded bodies being cremated too - the corpses were just placed on top of a pile of logs and set alight - very moving but the relatives had to haggle with the wood seller over the price before he would light it for them!

I then had a beer (expensive) in a rooftop cafe reading my book. Next it was into the heart of the town watching daily life. I stumbled across a little shack where they were forging iron and wood turning. They invited me in, fed me with some very sweet nougat type stuff, then sent out the 12 yr old son to buy some chai (very sweet, milky tea) and the lad then turned a piece of wood for me as a gift. Very humbling because they have nothing and are eking out a very hard life. This has happened a few times now.

I'm in Varanasi all day tomorrow so trying to relax and chill out. I've just booked an internal flight to Hyderabad so I hope they allow foreigners to book these tickets (insisted on an Indian address), otherwise 110 quid down the drain.

Hope you are enjoying these blogs. Please let me know if they are boring.

M

A day in Agra

Had a lie in until 06:15 this morning. Caught the sunrise at the Taj Mahal - it was worth it - see picture at bottom of this page. Got lots and lots of pictures. A very good day today and I've caught the sun.

Change of plan. I'm now travelling to Varanasi on tonights overnight sleeper instead of tomorrow. Then getting a flight from Varanasi to Hyderabad (in the South) on Saturday. I need to go where it's a bit warmer. Decided not to make the journey south by train but to go the quick route. Besides it's difficult getting train tickets.

Had an excellent roadside lunch today. No idea what it was but very tasty - beans in gravy and lime pickle with bread. I was the only white person in the area and once again I was a bit of a celebrity.

Must go and book ny hotel for tomorrow and pick up my train ticket. Overnight on the train should be interesting.

TTFN

Delhi to Agra ....con men included

So I get up at 7am (well I am on holiday so I'm entitled to a lie in). No after effects from last nights curry (chana massala and paneer tika - excellent food - just like the ones you get back in old blighty). Rickshaw to the station and then the fun begins... A "ticket inspctor" tells me the train is 5 hours delayed (was due to depart at 10:20). To cut a long story short I was being led a merry dance with the con men trying to relieve me of lots of money by taking me on a tour. So one hour later and two more rickshaw rides costing a total of 80p I was back at the station where I started and this time I would not be swayed from my train. They were very professional with false id cards and saying all the right things. I was suspicious from the start but an important lesson learned - everyone is on the take and out to con you.

The train journey (4 hours) to Agra was great. I was travelling cheap class and shared a section of the train with a Sikh family. They shared their lunch with me (chapatti and veg curry) and I gave their two young daughters some toys I had bought from the local market last night ("150 rupees each sir" was what I was told when I enquired politely how much the toys would cost me. I replied "I'll give you 50 rupees for three of them". "OK" he said happily. Think my 50 rupees (64p) was too much to pay! Probably made his day.

Got to my hotel (The Shanti Lodge) and I know why they called it that! Not exactly the Ritz. I pushed the boat out and went for a deluxe room - 6 quid all in (don't know where the pound sign is on this keyboard). It does have a view of the Taj Mahal though. I'm now sat in a cafe drinking a contraband beer. My pedal rickshaw driver is waiting for me to continue my journey back to the hotel. I had to get out and walk at one stage as he was struggling uphill. He must be late 60's bless him. I'm supposed to be paying him 25 rupees (35p) for the 4 km journey but no doubt he'll probably want more when I get there - I'll go to 45p but that's it. I hate being ripped off.

I didn't get to see the Taj as it gets dark early here. Plenty of time tomorrow. Then it's off to Varanasi on Thursday. Overnight train and again I've gone for the luxury of 2nd class air conditioned. No air con req'd though as it's bloody cold at night.

Looking forward to going south as the weather will be considerably warmer. They're having their coldest December in a long time. Great.

Anyway that's it for now. I'll try and post some pictures soon when I find a PC with USB. Hope Christmas is at fever pitch in the UK. Not sure where I'll be, maybe Hyderabad.

Byeeeee

I've got here .. at last

Good old Heathrow - two dozy passengers checked in but failed to go to the gate - luggage to find and remove. 2 passengers got on plane but decided it wasn't for them - luggage to find and remove. By that time missed our air traffic slot. Two hours later we took off.

At the Delhi luggage collection, a lady was going round the passengers with a long list of names of people who wouldn't be seeing their luggage anyime soon. I wasn't on the list - cracking result and a good omen hopefully. Got to hotel at 3:30am. My hotel is in a really nice area. NOT. Bit of a shanty town and it was completely deserted at that time - guess all the locals were tucked up in their cardboard boxes - that's the lucky one's of course. However the hotel is fine and clean.

It's not exactly warm here. Need me vest and jumper before and after sunset but it's been pleasant today and the sun's been shining. Spent a good deal of today in auto rickshaws (tuk tuk's). Every driver wants to take you to a shopping centre so that he gets his commission. Had to abandon one as he wasn't taking no for an answer. Needless to say he didn't get paid for the 5 minute journey we had made to that point. I told him he had insulted me - that seemed to do the trick.

I had street food for lunch so expect to be on the loo most of tomorrow! Very tasty though. Then popped over the road for a diet coke in MacDonalds!!!! Can't believe I did that but.. needs must. I'm going to hit the town tonight. God knows where that will take me.

So after 15 hours in India I'm having a ball. And I'm somewhat of a celebrity - a lot of the locals want their picture taking with me and they keep staring at me. I think they think I'm Daniel Craig or Brad Pitt. Nothing to do with the fact that I'm milky white with fair(ish) hair and a bit of fat on me.

So tomorrow it's Agra. The Taj Mahal beckons me and it will be fun getting there - I'm travelling "untouchable" class on the train. Note to self: Remember to duck when approaching tunnel. Here's to leprosy and sanitation!

Bye for now!

Damn malaria tablets

Taken the first set of tablets and they've given me Malaria! Well it feels like it (not that I know what malaria feels like). Got to decide whether to keep taking (Dave & Keith at work are insisting - it's like having a second mum).