Grand Voyages, Great Lies

Bhopal is definitely the dirtiest city we’ve been in. Bangalore was mostly clean in the centre and the modern housing complex where we stayed. though as with everywhere after the first few pile of rubbish you neglect to notice them anymore. I was surprised to arrive at the hotel Sonali- posh and clean with a bell boy and door man nonetheless! ( note; we are still only paying the equivalent of 2.50 per night here -which is cheaper then the dirty hotel in Mysore) My surprise at the cleanliness was due to the dirty back streets wehad traveled down in the rickshaw to reach the Sonali.

 Despite all beauty India IS dirty and shockingly the people dont seem to care, many times food trays and packets weve eaten from at cafes and roadsides have been thrown on the floor besides us, as the waiter cleans the table on our departure. Its as if nobody seems aware of the impact on the enviroment in which they live, there just used to it and continue to throw rubbish off rooftop cafes and out of train windows.

Back to Bhopal…In the morning when I leave the hotel in search of breakfast I know Kate is going to hate it here. Instantly I’m pointed at and questioned- don’t i want a taxi, a rickshaw, a friend?…..a women smoking…that is q sin!! The gritty city howeverchas its own prettiness in the cold morning sun, for it is a lot cooler here then Goa was…and Goa in turn was cooler then Pondicherry – as has been the pattern as we travel north. Its so strange to us to feel chilly, and equally strange to see Indian business men dressed in knitted sweater vests and women (when spotted) wearing cardigans underneath their sari. Though its still a damn sight warmer in the day then an english summer! I mean it is still India. The ear muffs and puffer coats sold of cart vendors on the streets aren’t quite necessary for us Brits just yet, though I can imagine at some part of our trip in Rajasthan I will invest in a nice red duffle coat for the equivalent in rupees to a fiver.

Bhopal isn’t much of a tourist hive….well we haven’t seen another westerner at-all since arrival and their defiantly isn’t a tourist draw to the city since mostly it is associated with the chemical disaster several years ago. However these are the reasons I wanted to visit this city. The chemical spill is not mentioned or remembered anywhere which I found dissapointing but intriguing. I love Bhopals insanity. Only in India would u see a landdrover driving with poles double the length of the vehicle hanging out of both the back and front windscreen.

Another draw for me was the open air Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalya Musem. Essentlially a museum dedicated to the historical and indigenous Indian cultures. The grounds on Shamla Hill over looking the lake are home to specially constructed local houses of tribes from all over India. With an anthropological interest, it was reassuring to see recognition to native peoples and their ways of living. Though having traveled though India for almost 2months now I felt that the individually constructed homes of each community couldn’t really be represented in any other place but their own environment. In a way the museum park tried  to condense the way different indigenous people live into one complex. Almost to offer the option of seeing all of the localities at once. Still I was mightily impressed something like this existed, almost like a history museum before its needed, seeing as most of the construction I was familiar with from my time in Sadhana forest, and the beach houses and huts in Gokarna and Goa.

After a walk down from Shamla and lots of propositions from guy on bikes we hail a rickshaw to the lake, which in my opinion is the shinning jewel of the city- and its a huge jewel at that, as you can bearly see one side from the other. “That isn’t a lake” according to Kate. It doesn’t take much discussion between the two of us to decide that we’ll opt for the speed boat ride round the lake instead of the pedal or rowing boats. As much fun as the latter can be the men driving the speed boats looked as if they may make your ride worth while by tipping you into the water round a sharp turn….it provided a pretty view of the city just seeing the water and then the far off shore and none of the dirt.

And that was bhopal, we made the most of our ‘free’ wi-fi in our hotel room, ate cheap local chicken byriani ( successfully) then treated ourselves to a box of Indian sweets. We took a walk the next day deep into the city markets and passed through areas where I’d place a hefty bet no white girl has walked before. then its time for another train as we make our way to Bundi, Rajasthan.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am and is filed under india, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.