After so many hours flight, I finally arrived in India.
I shared a taxi from the airport to Delhi with a Spanish guy I met on the plane. It was the 6th time he went to India (spending at least 5 months in each of his visits), he considers India his second home (or first ahah!), But I need to assume I though he was crazy after all this love affair with India! He left him on his desired stop and went on in the taxi to the hostel I had chose from my Let’s Go Guide (it was august 2003 edition – quite new!) The taxi stopped in front of a white house in a very narrow street, I rang the bell (oh! I had forgotten to look the time… it was 5 in the morning; I woke the entire house up! Never mind!), a sleeping lady came to the door and informed me that the guide was wrong. It was a family house and the have never had a hostel or anything! (I am not so sure if she said the truth or if she was just angry about my arrival time! hahah)I got inside of the taxi gain and went to the next hostel listed on my guide. No place… full booked! Third hostel… Forth Hotel…. 5th…. 6th… 15th… 28th… Nothing! Oh God!!! All booked! I had never expected it in Delhi – I was informed there were some Seminaries going on …. But even…. Solution… next stop….. Train Station…. Get first train to Rajasthan. Oh No!!! No ticket for the next 5 coming days. I even thought it was a scam (as most of the tourist information and train stations in India) but I was sure I went to the right place (guide said the only trustful place to buy your train ticket- at least one information need to be correct in this guide!) Oh I see today isn’t my day! Next stop – tourist information (of course the government one as you can never trust any institution or person or cow in India!).
What to do?! (I shouldn’t assume it here to everybody but as you can imagine I was a bit (much) panicked! Homeless in India… oh no! (I had already been homeless for a night or some drunken nights in train stations in Europe… but India … that is hard!)Luckily there I met two American girls who were in the same situation. So we decided to rent a car and travel ourselves. We traveled together all my time in India. I had a great time with them, they were very nice!
I only spent 15 days in India (I know it is far too little to even say I have been in India!) I wish I could have spent longer in India but unfortunately I have a long way to go. I only went to the main places of North India – Delhi - Rajasthan ( Jaipur the Pink City – I even had time to travel more 30 hours to go to the India Desert)- Agra ( Taj Mahal) and Varanasi ( the Hindus sacred city). The north India is one of the poorest regions in India (especially Varanasi). I cannot promise it is true as I haven’t been in the south myself but to give you an idea – only 30% of Rajasthan population is literate and in Kerala (south) 90% of the population is literate).
First Stop: Rajasthan
Jaipur is very famous as the Pink City as many buildings SHOULD be pink. I am sorry but I couldn’t find any pink – the only thing I saw were some brown old buildings (it may be brown from pollution). The city – as everywhere in India is very noise and polluted. The streets ( as everywhere I have been in India) were too narrow to fit all the traffic, people, cow, cow shit, people shit, sellers there were in it! (like everywhere in India). There was a beautiful ( but very stinky) lake with a palace in the middle but it was all. Oh I almost forgot the city highlight…. Camels. I loved seen many of them! They are so huge and beautiful! So that was my highlight! I cannot forget to say that there wasn’t lock in the hotel door and as you can imagine none of the hotel staff knocked to get in (even not after we complained!) I bet they were very excited for having 3 western girls in a room!
Second Stop: Agra
Agra is just a town – wanted to be city…. Traffic jam and no charm at all. But only for the fact of the Taj Mahal, visiting the city is very worth. I loved the Taj Mahal. It is much much more beautiful than I had ever imagined! It is one of the highlights of all my trip till now ( I need to assume I am a bit late to update my website and I am in China now!) The entrance is very expensive (around 15 dollars per person!) Oh no too expensive for my budget! But as everything in life has a solution…. Ahahah! We discovered that CHILDREN under 15 only pay half. Can you believe that after so much discussion….the police man believed we were under 15! Can you believe that…. It is half of my age?! Only two options… or he was blind… or he was crazy… hahahha! At least we paid half! It was great!!!!
Third Stop: Varanasi
It is the holiest city for the Hindus as the city is crossed by the river Ganges (river which the Hindus throw the ashes of the cremation of dead bodies and the body of pregnant women and children.)It was the stinkiest place I have been in my whole life (probably including the last incarnations). The city has none sanitary system thus all people’s caca (shit) and pipi (urine) – also the cow ones! Bahhhh! (Disgusting) accumulate around the narrow streets! As it wasn’t bad…. Imagine many motorbikes going through them and spilling them on you! Hurgh!!!!
Well… as everywhere has their good side….) We woke up at 4 am to go to a boat trip on the Ganges ( oh! Did I say …. as everywhere has their good side… I forgot to consider that time I had to wake up ahahah!). It was one of the greatest experiences I had in my trip till now. I loved it! It is very magic to see people being cremated, children body covered with flowers going through the river, people having their sacred shower in the river in the morning!)...
Next stop… Nepal!
You might know that India wasn’t the highlight of my trip (as I am not very keen on India food) but, in the end… it really surprised me. I loved going there! I cannot say I loved India, but I can honestly say it was much more interesting than I had ever expected. Now I can really say I am looking forward to visiting south India
Oh! I almost forgot … I hate India food but I do love India bread and Lassi (drink made with fruits and yogurt). See …e ven in India I could find nice food! ahahha