28 February 2013 Thursday
I got up at 7, brushed my teeth, and
went downstairs. There is a light dusting of snow and the temperature
must be around 30 degrees F. I made a big mug of mocha and read the
newspaper. I took a shower, changed into my travel clothes and left the
house by 10. Anne took a photo of me with my travel gear and then drove
me to the Bluegrass airport. I'm wearing click-on Teva trekking sandals
and black socks, so that it looks like I'm wearing shoes. I'm only
taking my little, 40-year-old red rucksack and a camera bag, all carry
on. I'll be in India for a month.
At the airport I said goodbye to Anne. I
got my boarding passes and went through airport security and then to my
gate by 10:50. I'm flying from Lexington to Atlanta. At Atlanta, I
take a nineteen-hour flight to Mumbai. With my Skymiles, I was able to
upgrade to business class for this long segment. Although we change
planes and crew in Amsterdam, it's all one flight.
In Lexington it's a cold, wet, gray and
dreary day. While waiting for my flight, I started filling out my daily
travel journal. I'm taking my netbook computer and will send out my
daily entries whenever I get internet access. I will also start taking
my daily anti-malaria tablets (doxycycline).
I'm taking two pairs of Patagonia Stand
Up shorts and four Patagonia AC cotton short-sleeve shirts for the
hot-weather part of my trip. I have a longyi I can wear at temples. For
the cold-weather part of my trip (Himalayan foothills). I'm taking a
pair of jeans, two flannel shirts, old tennis shoes which I will throw
away when I leave. I also have a set of Caprilene(?) very light weight
long underwear. I also have my old Patagonia travel sport jacket to
keep me warm (I know I sound as if I'm in advertising). If my hands get
cold, I'll put them in my pockets. We'll be camping out one night so
I'll probably have to buy a cheap blanket.
I am taking two small-group tours
offered by
Intrepid Travels. The first is a
two-week trip from
Mumbai
to New Delhi, traveling through west-central India. We'll be
seeing lots of archaeological ruins. I also hope to see the huge
volcanic lava fields known as the Deccan Traps (Wikipedia
entry).
The second tour,
Mountains and Mystics, is
two-weeks journey in northwestern India. It starts and ends in New
Delhi, but most of the time is spent northwest of here. It includes
Dharamsala and Amritsar among others. We camp out one night on this
second tour. After the second tour, I fly back home (no business class
flights, however).
I boarded the flight about 12:30. I get
automatic priority boarding because I have a Skymiles credit card. That
was nice. I landed in Atlanta and deplaned by 2:30. I proceeded to my
next gate. Close by was a Delta Skyclub lounge. My ticket
allowed me in. I got a Sweetwater beer, local to Atlanta, and a plate
of olives and crackers. I have two hours before I board my
next flight.
I boarded about 4:45 and the plane took
off about 5:45. I picked cod as my dinner, there are four or five
courses altogether. I started watching
Argo, which was
an riveting movie. We had noise-canceling headphones so I
was able to hear everything. The pan-seared cod was very good, it came
with green beans and fasso risotta. Earlier, I had grilled shrimp and
basil tomato soup for starters and a green salad. I had a Tuscany dry
red wine for drink.
1 March 13 Friday
The overnight flight was about eight
hours. I stayed up the entire time and watched movies. The first
was
Argo
which I mentioned, then
Abraham
Lincoln, Vampire Killer, and
then
The
Campaign with Will Farrel. For breakfast I was served
French
toast, link sausage, an egg dish, coffee and fruit. I could only eat a
little.
We landed about 8:30 in the morning at
Schipol Airport. I got to my next gate by 9:00 and went through another
round of security. The weather appears to be exactly like Lexington's
when I left yesterday. The waiting area is not large enough to seat all
the passengers for this flight.
I boarded the plane and was at my seat
by 10:30. Judging by the menu, I will have a choice between Indian and
Western meals. During the course of the flight I was served Indian
appetizer assortment, salad, bread and an Indian vegetarian dinner with
greens, lentils, panak and several other items. I could only eat a
small part because I was still full from the previous flight. I had a
red Tuscany wine and water to drink. Desserts were offered but I turned
them down.
I watched two movies,
Silver Linings,
and
Cloud Atlas.
I also filled out the Indian entry form. I had some
time left, so I watched the movie
Bad Boss. I also
started taking
Pepto Bismol tablets.
The plane landed in
Mumbai at 11:30 pm.
I went through passport control and customs very quickly. I was at the
exit by midnight and noticed a throng of people holding placards with
names on them. One fellow held the placard "Donald Chesnut" and I
followed him to the car. He was a young fellow in his 20's and was from
Mumbai. I spoke some Hindi with him and told him about my children and
their ages, all in Hindi.
2 March 2013 Saturday
I got to my hotel, the Hotel
Fortune (
www.hotelfurtune.in)
by 1:15 am and checked in. This is a small, one-star hotel. I went to
my very small room. I ordered two bottles of water (50 rupees combined)
and brushed my teeth and took my malaria pills. I made a quick check
for bed bugs and killed a couple of mosquitoes. There is a ceiling fan
which should keep them off me unless the electricity goes off. I filled
out my journal and went to bed by 1:45. I'm guessing there is no WiFi
or Internet here.
I got some much-needed rest. I got up at
7 and took my morning pills. Temperature seems to be about 72 degrees
F. I went to the terrace restaurant and ordered the "American Beak
Fast" of omelette, toast, butter, juice and coffee. They had a couple
of other options, but I didn't know what they were. Perhaps I'll get
one of them tomorrow. I got the
Times of India
newspaper at my door which surprised me. I looked through it while
waiting for breakfast. The small dining area seems to be part of a
roof-top construction area. It is covered by tarps and awning. One
can't really see out. The sounds are horn-honking and crow calls. I
caught up in my journal as well. The omelette was mixed vegetable
(scallions, cilantro, tomatoes).
I was the first in the dining area.
After a while, six Indian fellows sat at the table next to mine.
Shortly after, two western ladies came in. I talked with them before I
went to my room. One was from Nashville and was traveling with her
nephew. The other lady was from Christchurch and will be on the same
tour that I'm on. They were both going to tour Mumbai today. It may get
up to 100 degrees F.
At 1 pm we had a meeting with the tour
group. The leader is Uttam Pradhan, originally from Darjeeling. His
mother was Buddhist and his father Hindu. He had worked as a sherpa
before getting in the tour business. There are seven travelers
including a man from Denmark, a young lady from Norway, another from
Melbourne, another lady from Christchurch and a couple from Boise,
Idaho (the first Americans I have met on any Intrepid trip). The
meeting lasted about 90 minutes.
After a 15 minute break, we gathered in
the small lobby and took two cabs to the "dhobi ghat," the laundry
slums. I had seen it before, but this time we actually took a tour
through this large laundry area. I took lots of photos. After that we
went to the beach along Marine Street and I took a photo of the
skyline. Then we drove to the Colabra area, the big tourist center of
Mumbai. I had spent a lot of time here in the past. We walked past the
Taj Hotel and the Welcoming Arch. After taking photos we walked to the
famous Leopold Cafe for dinner. The Taj and the Leopold were shot up
during the Mumbai terror attacks (Wikipedia
entry)
and one can still see bullet holes in the walls and ceiling. I ordered
a very spicy vegetarian kohlipuri dish. I also ordered garlic naan. We
all shared a tower of Kingfisher beer. While we were waiting for our
food, Uttam ran out and got me some electrolyte powders, which I use to
add to my drinking water in hot climates. The bill came as one and we
divided it by seven. My bill came to 500 plus rupees. I didn't have
enough money on me, so I owe Uttam this money plus the powders.
- overview
of dhobi ghat, another view,
close-up, another view, entrance, another view, laundry area, wash tubs, bathing in tub, same area, another view, laundry drying, another view, carrying laundry,
heating water, ironing, close-up, letter box, Guiness record
- train station
- beach
along Marine Street, another view
- the Welcome Arch,
another view, ferries at the arch,
the Taj
- Cafe Leopold
We took two cabs back to our hotel and I
was in my room by 8 pm. We leave tomorrow at 5 am. I wrote in my
journal, got ready for tomorrow, brushed my teeth and went to bed. They
are doing construction work in the room next to mine and it is very
loud with the pounding and shouting. I hope I can get some sleep. The
television in my room doesn't work, so I can't drown out the noise.
3 March 2013 Sunday
The construction stopped at midnight. I
got up at 4 and took my morning selection of pills including Pepto
Bismol which I take at least 4 times a day. I brushed my teeth and
preformed my morning ablutions. There is an open shower head in the
bathroom plus the usual bucket and scoop bath found throughout Asia and
the Middle East. I never did get warm water, it was all one
temperature, cold. I packed up again because we are leaving Mumbai.
I was the first down at the lobby by
4:50 am. We left in cabs and arrived at the train station by 5:25. We
found our seats in an air-conditioned car. The train was scheduled to
leave at 6, but we didn't move till 6:10. I bought a very small cup of
chai on the train for 6 rupees. It was the typical sweet, milk chai
with a hint of spices (masala). We have a 7-hour train ride to
Aurangabad and we should be traveling through the Deccan Traps. My
window is heavily tinted and very dirty, so I'm not sure I'll be able
to take photos.
I ordered an omelette sandwich for
breakfast and had a chai special. They added extra chilies to my
omelette for me. We had breakfast around 7:45. They also took our order
for lunch. I ordered chicken biriyani with extra chilies.
We passed some very impressive scenery
of steep mesas, buttes, and towers in the Deccan Traps, but the windows
were so dirty inside and out, that I might not get good photos. More
should be made of this scenery to attract tourism.
- hilly country,
hillside, mesa, another view, town and mesa, two mesas, mesa, another view, yet another view, buttes, hills, hill, another view, hills, creek, mesas, closer view, close up, mesa, another view, yet another view, still another, another view, yet another view, mesa, another view
I saw lots of crows, pigeons, pariah
kites and also mynas, egrets and other shore birds. Later in the
morning I saw a black Drongo, a medium-sized dark heron and a Black
Ibis. There were many small perching birds that were too distant to
identify. I also saw White-bellied Drongo and a large black vulture and
later a dove in flight.
We crossed a lot of farmland with
dark-looking soil. I saw field crops of cotton, sugar cane, corn,
garlic or onions, cabbage, wheat, rice, peanuts or beans, tomatoes and
others I couldn't identify.
My lunch of chicken biriyani came at
12:15. I added some lime pickle on top. It was pretty good and filling.
I paid my entire breakfast and lunch bill of 177 rupees which was about
three dollars.
We got to
Aurangabad about 2
pm. We almost didn't get off. When the doors opened a mass of people
tried to rush in without letting us get off. It was almost a shoving
match. Sandra from Norway almost didn't get off at all. We took two
cabs to our hotel, Raviraj. I went to my room, took photos and then
took a quick shower. There is hot water here, so that was nice. My room
is three times as large as the one in Mumbai and much cleaner. I filled
out my journal. I'll check and see if they have WiFi when we meet for
our afternoon excursion. [They did not have internet at all, as it
turns out.]
We gathered in the lobby at 3:15 and
took two cabs to an old fort ruin called
Daulatabad
(Wikipedia
entry).
This fortress was vast and included a hilltop fort palace, all made of
or carved into basalt of the Deccan Traps (Wikipedia
entry).
We climbed a great deal and went through a dark, carved tunnel. The
tunnel was designed to confuse invaders with lots of switchbacks and
false routes. It was a strenuous climb and in the heat of the day, so
we all drank a lot of water. I'm glad I had electrolyte water. We
explored the main part of the fort for 1.5 hours and then took the cabs
back to the hotel.
- Daulatabad,
the hill-top part
of the fortification, fruit
stand at entrance,
view from
entrance, sign, closer view, archway, gate door, courtyard, next entrance, stone carving, elephant carving, fort walls, pretty young ladies, another view, two walls, view through archway,
stone columns, minaret, entrance steps, langur at steps, closer view, inner wall, yet another archway, lava tube or tumulus in
basalt flow of Deccan Traps, minaret,
archway remnant,
blue and white tile,
more walls, wall
and moat, moat, moat and walls, sign
for dark tunnel, entrance above tunnel, view from hilltop
fortification, goats,
outcrop of
Deccan Traps, video pan of Traps (Youtube), view
of mid-level
fort, another view,
yet another view,
school children,
view from top,
closer view, squirrel, cannon, another view from top, group photo, langurs
When we got back I went to my room and took another
shower and then filled out my journal.
At 7, we all met in the hotel
restaurant. I ordered a Hyderabad mixed vegetable dish (extra spicy),
with chipati bread, steamed rice, and a Kingfisher beer. We all shared
our dishes and there was a nice ranges of flavors. The dishes came out
slowly and we all had a lot of good conversations. I found out that the
lady from Australia is on a two-year tour around the world. The fellow
from Denmark has a very interesting sense of humor. I'm traveling with
a very nice group of people. The fellow from Idaho brews his own beer
and has invited me to try some whenever I am in the area.
After dinner, I went to my room, took
another shower, filled out my journal, and went to bed by 11 pm.
4 March 2013 Monday
Happy Birthday Nora!
I got up at 7 and took my morning pills
and Pepto Bismol. I also took another shower (we still have hot water).
I went down to breakfast at 7:20. I was the first one at breakfast. I
had an omelette with lots of green chilies, toast, juice, and a pot of
Indian chai. It was a nice breakfast. I read the English-language
Aurangabad newspaper. As I was finishing, Mads, the Danish fellow came
down and joined me. I paid my bill. The young waiter asked me if I had
any American coins. I told him that I would check in my luggage. I
didn't have any, but I gave him an American dollar bill when I went
back to the lobby.
I went outside with the American couple
and bought 3 liters of water. With the heat I've been drinking lots of
water. I got some sun yesterday so I'll have to be more careful and use
some sunscreen today.
We met in the lobby at 9:30 and got into
two cabs. We travelled for about 20 minutes to the
Ellora caves
(Wikipedia
entry).
The caves are within one massive layer of basalt (about 70-100 feet
thick), Deccan Traps of course. The 34 caves were hand carved into the
basalt. All the temples, columns, statues and cells were carved out of
the rock
in situ.
Many of the statues were defaced by the Moghuls but some are intact. We
hired a local guide, Sarnath, who led us around. He had an MS in
history and had been leading tours for 40 years. He was well worth the
money. We explored for awhile, taking lots of photos. I asked him how
hot it was and he said about 36 degrees C (it was still cool in the
morning). I had to wear bluejeans because it was a temple. There were
Buddhist caves, Hindu caves and a Jain section. I took lots of
photographs.
- Daulatabad and
minaret on way to caves, hilltop
fort
- sign
for Ellora Caves, Kailasanatha
Temple carved from basalt
outcrop
- Buddha temples
monastic
cells, sitting
buddha of Vishwakarma, ribbed
vault, another view,
carvings above
buddha, hands,
filled amygdules
in basalt, another view,
vein minerals,
another temple, closer view, temples under water
catchment spout, southern
temples, video of stone masons (Youtube), sign
for cave 2, sitting buddha,
ribbed columns,
carvings at
entrance, temples and spout,
carvings in
temple, another column,
sitting buddha,
another buddha, large chamber, carvings within cells, sitting buddha, more carvings, cells in monastery, sitting buddha, another
buddha,
another view, dark chamber, worn bas reliefs
- Kailasanatha
Temple, carvings
near entrance, left of
entrance, Ganesh
carving, another carving,
carving with elephants,
courtyard with
elephant, obelisk,
another view,
preserved paint,
round columns, nandi pavillion, temple
visitors, school children, supporting elephants,
another view, yet
another view,
another view
of courtyard, smaller carvings,
more paint, gallery, carving, central temple, Ravana shaking Mount Kailash, other courtyard, dark chamber, carvings in chamber, lingum, close up of carving, another carving, nandi, visitors, view of temple from platform, another view, green space in front of
temple
- Jain temples,
closer view, sign for cave 32, sitting on lion, sitting on elephant,
ceiling carving,
inner chambers,
another ceiling carving,
Jain god,
ornate columns,
sitting on elephant,
inner chamber, painting, more painting
Afterwards, we went to a restaurant and
I had a salty lime soda, a Kingfisher beer, and Palak soup (spinach
soup). It was too hot to eat much. The lime soda was perfect, it was
freshly squeezed lime and salt and a bottle of carbonated water was
added. Others asked about my drink and ordered some too.
We then drove to Bibi Ka Muqbara
(Wikipedia
entry).
It is a smaller-scale reproduction of the Taj Mahal. It was built by
the son-in-law, Aurangzeb, of the man who built the Taj Mahal, but he
didn't have as much
money. We walked around and took lots of photos, but didn't stay very
long.
- sign
for Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, another view,
gateway, family portrait, view
of the maqbara,
another view, closer view, detail of arch, arch, side view, group picture, couple in front, the maqbara, closer view
- Red-Vented Bulbul
(Pycnonotus cafer),
another view
We stopped at a market where we bought
fruit for tomorrow's travels. I bought a bunch of bananas, others
bought different fruit and we will all share later. We got back to the
hotel by 4 pm. I took another shower and then caught up in my journal.
After that, I took a little nap.
The little nap turned out to be a big
nap. I woke up at 6:29 and we were supposed to meet at 6:30. I quickily
put on the same clothes I had worn earlier and went quickly to the
lobby. We took two tuk-tuks to the Miracle Family Restaurant and Bar. I
ordered the Miracle Vegetarian Special (very spicy), a garlic naan,
mixed pickle (Acchar), steamed rice and for drink a lime soda salty and
a "Cannon 10,000" beer. I haven't had this beer before so I'll try to
save the label. We all ended up passing the food around so we all had a
tasting of everything. It was a good meal. We took the tuk-tuks back to
the hotel. Five of us went to the bar. I had a fresh lime soda sweet
with a shot of vodka added. After we finished our drinks, I went back
to my room and repacked for travels tomorrow. I filled out my journal
entries and then went to bed. I had a Pepto Bismol for dessert.
5 March 2013 Tuesday
I got up at six, took my morning pills
and did my morning ablutions. I went down to breakfast at 7 and had the
same omelette with chilies and onion, toast, juice and pot of Indian
chai. I was the only one there. After breakfast, I went to my room and
typed up my journal in my little netbook computer. I'll send out my
daily e-mail entries whenever I get an internet connection. I packed up
and caught up in my journal.
We all met up in the lobby at 9 am. This
time we loaded onto our own medium-sized bus. We are headed to the
Ajanta Caves and the city of Jalgaon ("jail-gown"). I saw Pariah Kites,
white egrets, crows, Black Drongo, a kingfisher of some type, and
doves. The produce here is interesting. There are watermelons,
coconuts, white grapes, black grapes, chiku (sapodilla), guava,
bananas, pineapples, apples, oranges, and cucumbers. There were a
number of sugercane presses for making a sweet drink.
As we approached the Ajanta Caves, I
noticed some dark stripes cutting vertically across the hills. I took
some photographs. At first I assumed they were basaltic dikes, but the
stripe was only on the surface (Google Earth
doesn't show them, so they are likely man-made). At
Ajanta Caves
(Wikipedia
entry),
we got off the bus and got on another one to get to the starting point.
I saw lots of Red-Vented Bulbuls. The caves were hand chiseled
into a
basaltic layer within the Deccan Traps, and were started several
centuries BCE. The caves are situated on the cutbank side of a deeply
entrenched meander into the Traps. These caves are older than the
Ellora Caves we saw yesterday. These caves, however, have preserved the
ancient paintings on the interior walls. Because of the heat, I wore
shorts today, but when we got to the caves, I put on my longyi. I was
the only person I saw wearing longyis, but the various guards along the
way said "longyi, you Indian man." We hired a guide that had published
his own book on these caves and had been a guide for 33 years. We took
lots of photographs. The temperature must have been a dry 40 degrees C.
- vertical stripe,
closer view,
another view
- sign
for Ajanta Caves, overview,
another overview,
closer view, close-up of a temple
entrance, palanquin,
Cave 1ceiling paintings,
another view,
yet another, paintings behind
columns, Padmapani painting,
sitting
buddha, another ceiling,
another view, carvings above columns,
ceiling and
carvings, circular design
on ceiling in Cave 2, side panel,
sitting buddha,
many buddhas, entrance to another
temple, dagoba in vaulted
room, panel
painting, column
paintings in Cave 10
from 2nd century BCE, dagoba
in vaulted room, another
view, paintings
on octagonal columns, another view,
close-up,
another close-up,
paintings
between ribbing, another view,
depressions
for mixing paint, elephants
at entrance, entrenched channel and point
bar, seated buddha
with nagas, another sitting
buddha, carving
on ceiling, another carving,
overview
looking back, ceiling painting,
another view,
side panel, painting at doorway
Cave 16, painting close-up,
Visvantara Jataka
at Cave 17, another view,
sitting buddha,
entrance to
Cave 19, another
view, yet another,
side view,
lower part, dagoba in vaulted room,
another view, entrance again, reclining buddha in
Cave 26, another dagoba,
carvings below
vaulted ceiling, entrance
to cave, overview
looking back, walking
back
- Red-Vented
Bulbuls and House Sparrows, another view, closer view
After the tour, we went to the
restaurant at the entrance. I had salty fresh lime soda, a Foster beer,
and a sweet corn soup. I also finished off the garlic naan that I had
saved from last night. The others had more elaborate meals, including
thalis. Mads also just had soup.
We got back on our bus and headed for
Jalgaon. The bus is not air-conditioned, but some of the windows can be
opened (not mine).
We got to our hotel in
Jalgaon called the
Plaza Hotel (or Hotel Plaza) at about 4:30. I have a small room in the
front right next to the road. So far it's pretty loud. My door opens
directly into the front desk and lobby. I should be able to hear any
conversation in the lobby including phone calls. There is a shower and
a bucket bath, but if you want warm water, you have to ask for it in
advance. I decided to have a cold-water shower. There was no shampoo
but with my short haircut, soap worked fine. After the shower, I caught
up in my journal. There is a government-mandated power cut off between
4 pm to 6:30 pm. They have a power generator so I have one light that
works. The fan should work by 6:30, so perhaps that will help drown out
the noise.
We met in the lobby at 6:30 and walked a
couple of store-fronts down to the "Silver Palace" on Station Road. I
ordered the Cheb Special Vegetarian Chuchi (or something like
that)(extra spicy) plus steamed rice and special tandoor chipati. I had
a Haywood 5000 beer made in India. I will save the label from this one
as well because I don't think I've had it on my previous trips. Anyway,
we all passed around our food. Sandra ordered a local dish made of
minced mints and grains that was shaped into patties and fried, much
like a falafel. Mads had an interesting spice and crispy chicken dish.
The others were nice too. Kevin came and told me that the hotel wanted
to change my room, a better one had opened up. I told him
that would be O.K., so the staff moved my pack into a much nicer room
without the street and lobby noise. After dinner the owner showed me my
new room. Clearly he had been uncomfortable in giving me the first
room. I should be able to get a good night's rest. I got to my room by
9:30 and filled out my diary. I went to bed by 10.
6 March 2013 Wednesday
I got up at 5 am and took a cold-water
bucket bath, took my morning pills and got dressed. I packed and was in
the lobby by 5:50. We left at 6:15 and walked a short distance to the
train station. While waiting for the train I saw numerous herons,
egrets, gap-mouthed storks, crows, mynas, etc. The train left at about
6:50. My seat was in a sleeper compartment and people had lowered the
bunks and were sleeping. The lights were out. I put my pack and bag on
my empty bunk and found a bunk in the aisle where Mads and I sat. The
family in my compartment slowly woke up. They said that they were only
on the train for another hour and we could have the compartment to
ourselves then. I gave the two children a banana each. The father said
that the son and he wanted to go to America. I went to the compartment
where the rest of our group was staying and filled out my journal. I
saw a Pariah Kite and several Indian Prinia birds. I saw five or six
crows chasing a large hawk.
We arrived at Khandawa at 10 am and got
on
our own small bus. We travelled through the countryside and arrived at
the Narvada Resort in
Omkareshwar
(Wikipedia
entry)
at 12:30. We stay here for two nights. My room overlooks the small town
of Omkareshwar, a Hindu religious center. I took photos and caught up
in my journal. At 1, we met in the dining area and ordered lunch. I had
chipati, steamed rice, mixed vegetable pakora, and Malai Kofti (with
chopped green chilies sprinkled over it at my request). I had salty
fresh lime soda. Of course we all shared as usual. A tour group of 21
French people came to the dining area after we started. I am glad we
are traveling in a small group. We finished at 2:30 and I went back to
my room. It is too hot to do anything so I will take a nap.
- the island,
panorama, video
pan of Omkareshwar (Youtube),
dipping sandstone beds
at bridge, white building
- my room,
another view, bathroom, shower, hotel, lobby, sign about monkeys, dining room, our group, another view, yet another, overview, monkey at the window
I woke up at 4:15 pm, a bit more of a
nap than I wanted. I met the others at 4:30. I saw a Golden-Backed
Woodpecker. We walked to the lower town on our side of the river. This
is a holy town and we must wear long pants (or longyi), we can't eat
meat, and can't have any alcoholic beverages (meat and alcohol are not
served anywhere). We went down to the river and hired a boat to give us
a view along the river. The rocks are layered and dipping slightly
toward the dam to the southeast. The strata were regularly bedded and
were as thick as 40 cm, but averaged around 10-20 cm in thickness. They
were medium dark-brownish gray in color and had a sharp basal contact.
They looked to me to be turbidites, cravasse splay deposits, or tidal
deposits
composed of silts or fine sands. I saw lots of birds including white
egrets, Cormorants, a wagtail, abundant Pond
Herons, and cliff swallows. When we walked ashore, I got a closer look
at the rocks and saw conchoidal fractures and ripple marks.
We walked to a shop and each had a nice cup of chai masala. We then
walked to the ghats and sat down while Uttam talked about Hinduism.
- colored powders
used in ceremonies, shops,
beads and
Hindu cards, dried cow dung,
view down street,
sandstone beds at water's
edge, boat ride,
sandstone beds, thick and thin beds
could be tidal, kink fold,
boats for
hire, the dam,
another bridge, Red-Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus), Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo),
sandstone beds,
bathing at
river's edge, temple complex,
large building
on side of hill, street
on mainland side, chai shop,
sandstone beds
- evening light on the
island, at the ghats,
evening ablutions,
onlookers, the
ghats
We walked back to the hotel, ordered our
dinner and went back to our rooms. I took a quick cold-water shower and
then joined the others for dinner at 7:30. I ordered mixed vegetable
dish (no gravy), rice, roti and salty lime soda. After dinner we hiked
to the far passenger bridge (the suspension bridge) and watched an
acive ceremony with singing and drums in one of the temples. I went to
one of the temple rooms, poured oil over the lingum, got a yellow and
red string tied around my wrist, a prayer chanted for me and then got
some stripes painted on my forehead. I was given two red palm nuts to
hold. I left a 10-rupee donation. I went to the next little cell, got
another color painted on my forehead, got another string tied around my
wrist, and got a prayer chanted for me. This priest wanted 150 rupees.
We walked back to our hotel by about
9:30. I took another cold-water shower and prepared another 2-liter
bottle of water with electrolyte. I filled out my journal and went to
bed by 10:30. The room doesn't have air-conditioning, but has a nice
ceiling fan.
7 March 2013 Thursday
I got up about 6:15, dressed, put on my
trekking sandals (that's all I've been wearing), packed 2.5 liters of
water and left at 6:30, just before sunrise. I didn't see any of the
others in my group. I am starting the 12 km religious walk around the
"Om-" shaped island, Omkareshwar (it's actually triangular in shape). I
wanted to leave early before it got hot. I crossed the pink bridge,
turned left and walked along a sidewalk, working my way clockwise (as
seen from above) around the island. I saw lots of rocks with ripple
marks and took lots of photos. I also saw lots of birds, I tried taking
photos of some. I saw House swifts, cormorants (Indian Shag and Little
Cormorants), Little Egrets, herons, Pond Herons, Yellow wattled
Lapwing, Cliff Swallows, White Wagtail, Red Vented Bulbus, White Browed
Fantail, Blackbird?, Babbler, Gray Tit, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrows,
Myna, Tree Pie, and others. I hiked to the confluence at the downstream
side of the island (the river splits and comes back together).
Worshippers were bathing in the water, I dipped my hand in the water. I
walked further along the walkway and came to a large statue of Shiva
sitting. Further along the hilltop I came to an archaeological ruin, a
platform with stone columns. At the base were carved elephants holding
up the platform. There were strata composed of granular to small-pebble
conglomerates near the ruins. This represents the highest-level strata
that I've seen in this town. The path winded down to the tailwaters
from the dam. Here the rocks were more thinnly bedded (they overly the
rocks along the river described yesterday and underly the
conglomerate). There were lots of ripple marks, lenticular bedding,
scoured bases. I looked for tidal rhythmites but didn't see anything
definitive (there were thick and thin sets). There were no fossils in
any of the rocks that I have seen
in the last two days, not even trace fossils. I continued my walk past
the suspension bridge and on to the pink bridge. I crossed the pink
bridge and found my way back to the hotel by 9 am. The entire hike was
2.5 hours. I didn't drink any water until I got to the hotel. That's
when it started getting hot.
- sunrise,
crossing the
bridge, view of dam,
close-up, downstream view, steps on island side,
thick and thin sandstone
sets, rippled
beds, more ripple marks,
more ripples,
extensive ripple exposure,
more ripples, yet
more, curved ripples, gray bird, Little Brown Dove?,
another view, Pied Bush Chat?, small crossbeds, more crossbeds, House Sparrows?
- tip of land
at confluence, bathing,
man and cow at
morning worship, overview,
gateway
remnant, walkway,
two unknown birds
- entrance
to temple complex at top of island, small temple, large Shiva statue, another view, closer view, smaller statues
- donkeys
on pack trail, interference
ripples, wattled walls
and roof, scrubby
landscape, another view,
another old gateway,
and another gateway,
closer view,
sandstone carvings,
broken lintel,
coarse sandstone block,
Tree Pie (Dendrocitta vagabunda),
other side of gateway,
Crested Bunting
(Melophus lathami),
yet another gateway,
painted statues, temple in archaeological area,
another gateway,
underside of capital,
overview, elephants at base, capital, steps below gateway
- lingum
and painted statues, river
below the dam, another view,
sandstone
outcrop, boat
going upstream, boys
in water, thinner-bedded sandstone,
sandstone at
mainland, offerings
for sale, mainland,
walking
through the street
I got my journal and went to the dining
area. I ordered a pot of chai and butter toast. There is no omelette
here because there is only vegetarian food allowed. I filled out my
journal. There was one other fellow sitting in the dining area. He had
a white beard and was a westerner. He spoke to me first and we talked a
bit. He was from Santa Fe, New Mexico and this was his twentieth trip
to India. He came to this area most of the time. He said he liked
religions. He said he knew about Lexington because he had a good friend
who was a doctor there. Uttam came in and ordered a cheese sandwich and
chai and we talked a bit about Intrepid trips. He said he could help me
organize a trip to Darjeeling, Assam, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nagaland.
That would be an interesting trip.
I went back to my room at 10:30 and took
a cold-water shower. Others in our group have hot water, but apparently
mine doesn't work. Anyway the shower was refreshing and cooling. All
the rooms have bars on the windows. This is to keep the monkeys out.
The monkeys are very common everywhere. There are two kinds, the Rhesus
Macaque (
Macaca mulatta)
and the Southern Plains Gray Langur (
Semnopithecus dussumieri)
with its long tail and long legs.
I went back to the dining room at 10:45,
this time with my netbook. They don't have internet but I can type out
my journal at least. Later, Shirley, Sarah, Kevin and Mads showed up
and we sat at one of the big tables. I had sweet lime soda, but they
ordered lunch. I was still typing when they left.
There is nothing planned for the rest of
the day. The temperature is about 100 degrees F and it is uncomfortable
to do much outside. I photographed a few birds. I saw a Red Vented
Bulbul do a courthsip dance and I saw a Sunbird taking nectar from a
Bougainvillea. I also saw a Little Brown Dove and a Chiffchaff. I
took a nap for awhile. At 6:30 we met in the dining area and had a talk
about the significance of this area and the caste system. We all
ordered dinner and then talked for another 30 minutes about our
activities tomorrow. Our food came and we all shared. I ordered fried
panak with spicy gravy, paratha, and sweet lime soda. Three people
ordered desserts like babas a rhum and passed them around too.
I went back to my room by 8:30 and began
packing for tomorrow. I brushed my teeth, caught up in my journal and
was in bed by 9.
8 March 2013 Friday
I got up at six, took my pills, brushed
my teeth, and took a cold-water shower. I went to the dining room about
6:45 and talked some more with the fellow from Santa Fe. Sarah and
Kevin were there too. After about 15 minutes our food came and the
others filtered in. I had a pot of chai masala, two pieces of toast and
I added some butter and marmelade. Kevin told me he won first place for
his marmelade at their state fair, in fact, he won ribbons for eight
out of his nine entries (some were for pickles). I saw Cliff Swallows,
a bunch of Red Vented Bulbuls and maybe a couple of Black Bulbuls.
We loaded up the bus and left the hotel
by 8 am. We stopped at
Maheshwar
(Wikipedia
entry)
on the Narvada/Narmada River at 9:40 and looked at a temple on the
river bank.
We saw lots of gray as well as white terns, a White Breasted
Kingfisher, swallows, a parakeet, little white egret. We also saw a
weaving shop on the grounds of the temple/fort. We got back on the bus
at 11 after having some ice cream (pistachio for me; it was in a cone
and wrapped up).
- Narvada/Narmada river
crossing
- small shrine,
steps along
side of fort/temple, closer view,
another view, temple from lower on
the steps, another temple, courtyard in fort, archway to temple, lamp holder?, archway details, more carvings, Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri),
ghats at fort,
downstream view, boats and river, steps to fort, temple from ghats, video
pan of the ghats (Youtube), White-Breasted
Kingfisher
(Halcyon smyrnensis),
closer view, backside, golden lady, terns, selling beads, balcony of fort, group photo, colorful family, Uttam explaining about
us, another view
- Rehwa Weavers'
Society shop, video
of weaving (Youtube), dyed
silk, several looms,
another view, video
of weaving (Youtube),
cam-operated design mechanism,
video
1 video 2 and video
3 of cam-operated design (all Youtube),
sample of
fabrics, another view,
more samples
- museum
above fort, sign
for Maheshwar Palace, entrance,
small statues, Narvada River, school children, another view
We are riding in the plains with distant
mountains (Western Ghats) off to our east. These mountains appear to
have horizontal layers of basalt so perhaps they are the Deccan Traps
again. In outcrops closer to the mountains along our rough country road
we can see columnar basalt and some spheroidal weathering.
We arrived at Malwa Retreat at
Mandu (Wikipedia
entry)
at 12:30. This
area is on top of the Deccan Plateau and within the Deccan Traps
outcrop. I moved my stuff to my room and took photos. I have an open
window in my room that won't shut and there is no screen. This is a
government-run resort just like the one in Omkareshwar. I saw Bulbuls,
Mynas and parakeets. We went to the dining room around 12:45. I ordered
egg curry, butter paratha, fried rice, and two sweet lime sodas. I
added my own salt. We all shared.
- sign
for local sites, sign
for Malwa Retreat, another view,
my room, another view, bathroom, another view, backside of hotel,
another view,
local sites placard
in dining room, map
of area
At 2:30 we all met and got on the bus. A
local guide joined us. We went to several archaeological ruins that
this area is famous for. Some of the ruins were started in Hindu times
prior to the Moghul invasion, but most were built or adapted during
Moghul times. We visited quite a few structures and took lots of
photographs. This whole area was a walled city on top of and at the
edge of the Deccan Plateau and it held as many as a million people.
Almost nothing is here now. The escarpment area is called the Western
Ghats. The temperature is around 100 degrees F. After a while we
stopped at a resort and had a beer in the shade to cool down. From
there I could see Pond Herons, egrets, etc. After an hour we got back
on the bus and went to two hill top palace/forts at the edge of the
escarpment. We are catching a bit of a breeze here and it is not so
hot. There were a number of green parakeets and House Swifts. We
watched the sun go down and I filled out my journal.
- sign
for Jahaz Mahal, archway,
Jahaz Mahal,
closer view, mortars and courtyard, lake, sign for lake, building
foundations,
another view, guttering
- sign
for Hindola Mahal,
arched roof supports,
another view, side of mahal, water well, looking down, walls of Royal Palace,
the guide wanted
to take this of me, same view,
Sondra looking
at photo, Tanya
waving, closer view,
chamber with
columns, another view,
courtyard, Uttam in archway, stage, looking down at
individual toilets,
water pool, archway, dry lake, ramps along dry lake, dry lake and Jahaz
Mahal, square pillars,
colorful ladies,
another view, parakeet, Hindola Mahal again
- Jahaz Mahal,
intricate swimming pool,
another view, view of dry lake, lake with water,
intricate waterway,
another view, water-catchment roof, channel from catchment
area to waterway, surviving colored tile,
pavillion on
roof of Jahaz Mahal
- sign
for Jami Masjid, interior
of dome, interior,
courtyard of
masjid, another
view, looking back
at main dome, arched columns,
group photo, view along wall
- sign
for Hoshang Shah's Tomb,
another view, colonade, arched vault, another view of tomb, sarcophagi, interior of dome
- sign
for Baz Bahadur's Palace, entrance,
pool, another view, pavillion, view from pavillion, wheat, Rose-ringed Parakeets,
another view, yet
another,
closer view
- entrance
for Rupamati's Pavillion,
outer courtyard, archway, narrow stairway, view of plains from
edge of Western Ghats escarpment, another
view, yet another,
distant view, walkway on pavillion, Sondra at sunset,
closer view, another view, view with forced flash
for comparison, sunset,
another view
After the sun went down, we got back on
the bus and drove to the hotel. We paid our local guide and then went
to the dining room and placed our order for dinner. I ordered Aloo
Matter (potatoes and peas) extra spicy, chapati and sweet lime soda. We
will be served later. I went to my room and turned on my water heater
(it works!) for my shower. This is the first hot shower I've had in a
while. I dressed and went back to the dining room for dinner.
Then I realized that we were eating on
the lawn at one big table. Our dishes came out and we all passed them
around. I had two Kingfisher beers, but couldn't finish the second one
and passed it around as well. We had a lot of good conversation. I
spent most of my time dealing with my nose. I am either coming down
with a cold or a sinus infection. It has gotten worse throughout the
day.
I went to my room while others were
still at the table. I brushed my teeth, filled out my journal, and went
to bed at 11 pm.
9 March 2013 Saturday
I got up at 6:30 and turned on the water
heater. I took my pills and brushed my teeth while the water heated. I
took a fairly long shower because the water was warm. I organized my
things and packed. I joined the others for breakfast. I had two pieces
of toast with a little jam and a small pot of chai masala. We paid our
food bill (dinner and breakfast) and then loaded onto our van at 8:30.
Today is a travel day. While waiting to get on the bus I saw a white
egret, crow, Little Brown Dove, and an Indian Prinia. Along the way
(still in the Mandu area) we saw lots of ruins and gorges while
driving. I saw a few outcrops of columnar basalt. We are traveling on
the Deccan Plateau. The main field crop here appears to be wheat. I saw
Red Wattled Lapwings, crows, drongos, mynas, Pond Herons, sandpipers?,
egrets, doves, etc. I'm also seeing crops like corn and potatoes.
We stopped at a truck stop so that the
driver, Mack, could take a chai break. We all got a chai as well. We
got back on the bus and headed to Indore. We arrived at the train
station at Indore at 11 am. I saw a Pariah Kite here. We have about 1.5
hours before the train leaves. We were able to board the train at 12
pm. The train pulled out at 12:30 and we have a six-hour plus trip to
Sanchi.
Leaving Indore, I noticed next to our
set of tracks, a narrow-guage set of tracks spaced about two feet
apart. I haven't seen that train yet though. We ordered a set menu that
will come later for lunch. I ordered chai several times. At 2 pm the
lunch came. It was a vegetable biryani and a vegetarian curry. I poured
the curry over the rice, added the mixed pickle, stirred it up and ate
it. It also came with a cup of bottled water. My assigned seat was in a
compartment with Uttam, Sandra and Tanya this time. My nose is still a
problem, but not as bad as last night. People gave me their salt
packets so I will be able to do a salt-water nasal flush tonight at the
hotel. Hopefully, that will slow the infection down.
There is a beautiful tree here called
"Flame of the Forest" (
Butea
monosperma). It has vivid orange colored flowers and the
flower dominates the tree. The flower is said to look like a tiger's
claw. I have seen it throughout our trip in the Deccan Plateau. I have
also seen cattle egrets, Pond Herons, Little White Egrets, parakeets,
Red Wattled Lapwings, bee-eaters, a large gray heron, and Pariah Kites
after lunch.
We stopped at the Bhopal station about
5:30. There was a huge chemical disaster here years ago and thousands
of people died.
About half an hour later we arrived at the station in
Vidisha. We took a truck cab 12 km to
Sanchi. We arrived
at the Gateway Retreat at 7:30. This is another government-run hotel
very similar to our previous two. We pre-ordered our dinner and then
went to our rooms. I turned the water heater on to make a shower. While
heating I took photos of the room. The shower was great, but the floor
was as slick as could be. I dressed and headed to the dining room.
As it turns out, we were eating outside
on the back patio. I had ordered mushroom curry, roti bread, and a
Kingfisher. We all shared and we all had more than we could eat. The
food was very good. Someone ordered chicken tandoori and that was
excellent. We all talked for a long time and then I went to my room. I
tried a salt-water nasal flush but it just seemed to make things worse.
Several other people were getting the cold as well.
I filled out my journal and went to bed
by 10:30. We have another travel day tomorrow after a short excursion
here in Sanchi.
10 March 2013 Sunday
I woke up at six but got up about 6:45.
I had to get up once in the night to tend to my nose. I brushed my
teeth, took my pills and turned the water heater on. I took a shower,
dressed and then went to breakfast. Kevin and Sarah were the only ones
there. We all ordered omelette masala with chilies, toast and chai.
When we were almost finished, Mads joined us. I asked him about travels
to Denmark and he gave me some information about what to do there.
After breakfast, Kevin, Sarah and I walked around the grounds of the
hotel. Lots of nice landscaping. We walked to the pool and saw a male
Indian Robin singing on top of a lamppost. We also saw a big
Kingfisher, several mynas, some parakeets, and other birds.
I went back to my room to get ready for
our morning activity. At 9, we walked about one or two km to the world
heritage site of
Sanchi
(Wikipedia
entry).
It is a group of stupas and other structures some of which were built
several centuries BCE and includes the oldest stone structure in India.
We hired a local guide and toured the main
stupas. I then walked to the old monastery and another stupa. We then
went through the local museum (no photos allowed). Most everything is
made of local sandstone (Chunar Ss. and Mathura Red Ss. according to
the labels) and there were outcrops of sandstone around the stupas. I
could see lots of ripple marks, parting lineations and other structures.
- Red-Wattled
Lapwing
- steps
to Sanchi, sign
for Sanchi, overview
of the two stupas, another sign,
sandstone bed,
bedding-plane view,
parting lineations
in sidewalk sandstones, the main
stupa, view
with Bougainvillea, one of four gateway
structures, close-up,
carvings on
gateway columns, sitting
buddha, circular brick
structures, walkway
next to stupa, another gateway,
top of
gateway, close-up,
temple,
another view, colonade, yet another gateway, close-up, sitting buddha, rolling landscape, fourth gateway, close-up, monastery, orange Flame-of-the-Forest tree
(Butea monosperma),
unknown gray bird,
Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis),
Grey-Breasted Prinia
(Prinia hodgsonii),
Red-Vented Bulbul on left and Coppersmith
Barbet (Megalaima
haemacephala) on right, side of Barbet, another view, Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica),
another view, stupa on lower level, gate for Sanchi Museum,
bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa)
We walked back to the hotel and ordered
drinks and snacks. I had salty sweet lime soda and sweet corn chicken
soup. A number of people in our group seem to have my affliction with
noses running, stopped-up nose, sore throat, sneezing and coughing. We
got on our truck cab, very tightly squeezed in and headed to the train
station. We arrived after about 15-20 minutes. We waited on the
platform for about an hour. Our train pulled in and we loaded on very
quickly. However, no one could find Shirley. She must have overshot the
car. Uttam ran after her and I think she got on the train while it was
moving. The train left at 3:05 pm. I am in a compartment with a bunch
of Indian fellows. They are watching a movie on their laptop and have
closed the curtains and put their feet up on my seat, so I am locked
in. I slept briefly but mostly just looked out the window. I ordered
some chai. We have about a four-hour train trip. Luckily, the car is
air-conditioned.
The train arrived at Jhansi about 8 pm,
an hour late due to railway construction along the way. We got on two
tuk-tuks and drove for about 40 minutes till we got to the town of
Orchha (Wikipedia
entry).
We checked
into the Sunrise (a minus star rating from me). It may have
been clean once but not in the last 20 years. The windows are open and
can't close. I think there is screening but I did see a mosquito.
Someone else's toothbrush is in the bathroom or perhaps they wanted to
let me use it. There are no towels and no soap. The floor has clumps of
dirt on it. There is no oversheet on the bed, but there is a quilt-like
thing. There seems to be a smudge of cow poop on the sheet. There is no
toilet paper. I noticed that there was an old comb available for my
use. The tub had big brown stains all over it. I was afraid to go into
the bathroom. I think the lower-level staff used it as a bedroom.
We went out for a walk and ended up at a
Lonely Planet-approved Ramaraja restaurant/bar. We went to the roof and
met another Intrepid group and friends of Uttam's. We had beer and
snacks and lots of conversation. Mads and I walked back to the hotel
leaving the others at the restaurant. There is a lot of loud music and
fireworks tonight. This is part of a Shiva festival. The temples are
active and one can hear chanting and singing.
Back in my room, I brushed my teeth
(with my toothbrush) and went to bed. Hope I can sleep.
11 March 2013 Monday
I woke up about five but didn't get up
till 6:45. My sinuses are clogged up and running at the same time and
now I'm getting a dry cough too. I brushed my teeth and took my morning
pills. I didn't take a shower because it's a little chilly and there is
no warm water. I dressed and got ready for the day.
I went to the front desk about 7 and
asked for breakfast. They led me to an upstairs patio and brought me an
omelette, toast and chai. I saw about 100 swifts, some crows, mynas,
sparrows, gap-mouthed storks, and parakeets. I saw Kevin and Sarah and
waved them up and they had breakfast too. I paid 180 rupees and then we
walked down to the Betwa River. There was a bridge over the rapids. The
rocks in the water appeared to be granitic (from a distance, looks like
pink feldspars). I bought two liters of water and took them to my room
and added electrolyte powders the them. I waited in the lobby for our
morning excursion. Sarah and Kevin told the hotel manager about my room
and they moved me into a much nicer and cleaner room. I moved my pack
to the room but haven't had time to check it out. I'll take photos
later.
- upstairs patio,
street below, Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata),
distant view
of Orccha Palace, closer
- Betwa River sign,
boulder-filled river,
Fantail?, chhatris (cenotaphs) on
the bank of the river,
the bridge,
foliated rock
(granite gneiss?), Orccha
Palace, Chaturbhuj
Temple
We walked to the big Orccha Fort/Palace
in town
(Wikipedia
entry)
and hired a guide to tell us about it. I took lots of photos. We then
went to Ramaraja bar/restaurant for lunch. I had a vegetable mushroom
soup and a Kingfisher beer. It's starting to get hot again. Everyone is
telling me that I sound better but I don't really feel it. We then
headed out to the more distant Lakshmi Temple and looked at the nice
artwork there. We walked back to town and went to the Blue Sky cafe
(2nd floor) and ordered drinks to cool down. It feels to be in the
upper 90's. We also had papad. I filled out my journal. None of the
hotels have had Wifi or any sort of internet connection. it may be New
Delhi before I can send my e-mails out.
- store with temple
offerings, Ram Raja temple complex gate, man with stringed
instrument, temple pavillion,
another view, people in courtyard,
another
view of Ram Raja, Chaturbhuj
Temple, crying
baby getting head shaved by dull straight razor, another view, colorful ladies, fruit stand, cute kids (little ones
wear special makeup), langur
- sign
for toilets, Orccha Palace entrance
gate, archway
to palace, colored tile,
colonade, paintings, paintings on ceiling, map for the Raja Mahal
part of the complex, courtyard,
ceiling painting,
close-up, courtyard, another painting, more paintings, entrance paintings, fish painting
- Orccha Palace (Jahangir
Mahal), sign
for mahal, courtyard,
elephant buttresses,
view from top,
adjacent structure,
doorway, side of palace, courtyard view, pool, upper level pavillions, view from pavillion
(Ram Raja in background), another
view, paintings, ceiling and walls, Black-Winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus)
- Chaturbhuj Temple
(from Lakshmi Temple), sign
for Lakshmi Temple, ceiling painting,
another view, arches, tower, painting of man with head, monkey god, painted vault, horses, tower and pavillion,
floral paintings,
nagas and
elephant, fort, top of pavillion, view
of temple complex,
outer paintings
- my new room,
another view, bathroom, another view
Near dusk, we walked to the river's edge
and hopped along the boulders to the middle of the river. After a few
minutes, a fellow came up to us and gave us each a Kingfisher beer to
drink while the sun went down. Uttam had set this up previously.
Another group was very jealous.
We met at the restaurant (Ramaraja). Our
guide walked us to the Hindu temple where we saw a Hindu ritual with
hundreds of people participating. I had to remove my sandals and belt
to see it. We then went to the restaurant and I split a thali with
several other people. I finished eating and paid my bill and walked
back to my hotel while leaving several others behind. I got to my room,
flossed and brushed my teeth and went to bed.
12 March 2013 Tuesday
I got up at 7, took my pills and brushed
my teeth. I went up to the roof cafe and I ordered the usual breakfast,
toast (with jam this time), omelette and chai. We got in two cars and
headed for Chanderi. Most of the rocks for the first half were
granites, second half were sandstones. We saw another species of Flame
of the Forest tree. This one was taller and had brilliant red flowers
instead of orange. I saw several Indian Rollers, shrikes, lapwings
(red), white and cattle egrets, mynas, drongos, crows, doves, Pied
Kingfisher, babblers, bee-eaters, swifts, and others. We stopped at a
village for a chai break. We got to
Chanderi
(Wikipedia
entry)
and our hotel, Hotel Shree Kunj by 11:45. It was very clean and nice. I
took a quick shower and then met the others in the lobby at 12:15. The
local guide, Kalibhai, used to be a guide for Intrepid a long
time ago. We went on a walking tour and saw old fort walls and a
welcome gate and then finally a Jama Masjid (Friday mosque) which was
started in the early 1200's before minarets were used. We then waked
back to the hotel and waited a bit for our "picnic."
- our hotel,
lobby, my room, another view, bathroom, another view
- along fort walls,
entrance for
fort compound, Badal Mahal gate,
gate and upper
fort, fort, lower
fort walls, large
gate, another view, sign for gate, another view of gate, view through gate,
water pool, upper
view
- sign
for Jama Masjid, entrance,
close-up, Uttam, side building, large steps, curved buttresses, artistic elements
We got in a couple of vehicles and drove
to an old moghul hunting lodge on a lake. It's now a museum for ancient
statuary We went to a stone balcony overlooking the lake. They spread
out two rugs and started unpacking the food and drinks. The balcony had
a roof so there was shade and a breeze kept everything very
comfortable. We had mixed vegetable curry, rice, papad, roti, dahl, a
cheese-oil curry, guava chutney, fresh-cut vegetables, sweets, papaya,
beer, water, etc. Several people fell asleep after the meal. I saw a
Pied Kingfisher, Little White Egret, white heron (or large egret),
cormorant, swifts, fish eagle? and large terns. I took photographs of
some of the statuary.
We drove for about ten minutes and got
out of our vehicle to see the Jain rock carvings on a cliff face. Some
dated to 200 years BCE, but others were 16th century AD. We had seen a
completely naked Jain priest walking through town earlier.
- gate and gap
carved from into situ rock, closer view,
view of fort
through gate, other side
of gate, another view,
closer view,
another view
- standing Jain
statue, overview,
another view,
with Mads for
scale, view from
statue, small Jain statue,
larger statues, another view, seated figure, more seated statues
We then got back in the vehicle and
drove on bumpy roads for about 45 minutes till we got to a river's edge
and series of sandstone outcrops. We had just passed through a
sandstone quarry village to get here. Our guide had discovered the
site. The rock shelters had rock paintings dating around 10,000 to
6,000 years BCE. We took lots of photographs.
- walking
down to rock shelters, deer,
geometric, animal with horns, animal with pattern, people, more paintings, chariot, rock shelter, more paintings, geometric pattern on animal,
complex painting,
animal with hump,
animals with
square pattern, antlers,
several animals,
faint paintings,
circular structure,
man with
tail, antlers
and bow, man
with bow, several animals,
striped man,
three animals, crocodile, complex paintings, geometric deer, cliff top, another view, group photo
We got back in our vehicle and returned
to our hotel. I took a quick shower and then met with the others in the
lobby at 7:45. Our guide invited us to his home for a meal. He is a
Muslim so he explained his beliefs and experiences. He knew that I was
a geologist and was excited to show me some rocks and artifacts. He
showed me a hand axe that was probably 100,000 years old. He also had
an agatized geode with a platy crystal in the middle. He asked me to
explain it and I did my best. He also showed us his collection of
ancient coins. He is a very interesting fellow and has done a lot to
promote his town and region. We left his house after our
wonderful
meal (rice, potatoes, allo pakora, dahl, mixed vegetables, chipatis,
semolina-flour dessert, papad and other items), and walked back to our
hotel.
I filled out my journal, brushed my
teeth and went to bed.
13 March 2013 Wednesday
I woke up about 6:15, but didn't get up
till 7. I took my morning pills plus Pepto Bismol, and had a nice warm
shower. My nose is clogged up but didn't run during the night. Several
others in the group have symptoms tracking mine, but as far as I know,
there are no new cases of this cold. I started packing because we take
the train later in the day.
We had a fixed breakfast at 8 AM which
included cereal, milk, bananas, papaya, toast, masala omelette, jam and
chai. At 8:30 we met in the lobby with Kalibhai (our local guide) and
we walked through the town visiting sites, shops and homes, We went to
the home where the guide grew up. A Hindi family "adopted" him (he is
Muslim). The lady welcomed us and offered us chai.
- ornamented truck,
painted bowls
at pottery works, water jugs,
balancing water
- covered building
at water storage area,
another view, yet
another, two domes
- school room,
study, havelli, sign for havelli, very
thick city wall, lizard, old caravanserai, another view, city street, loading silk for loom,
another view,
closer view,
supplying tension,
well, boys, high building, well, various wells, water pump, havelli, Royal Enfield, produce stand, street scene
- Kalibhai's foster
family, group photo
After about 2 hours
of walking excursion, we went back to the hotel. Here we paid our local
guide and loaded our packs onto a truck. We got into another vehicle
and drove for about 45 minutes to the train station in Lalikpur. We
waited for about 30-45 minutes and then loaded onto our train. Six of
us are in one compartment and Mads and Uttam are elsewhere in
the
same car. I got a chai and a vegetarian biryani for lunch. We have a 4
or 5 hour train ride to Agra. Along the way I saw a very large fort on
top of a mesa at Gwalior and beyond Gwalior I saw five wild peacocks,
plus the usual white egrets, gray heron, pond herons, lapwings, doves,
crows, drongos, parakeets, etc.
Our train was 1.5 hours late arriving in
Agra. We
loaded onto our own bus and went to the Maya Restaurant. I ordered
eggplant curry (extra, extra spicy), garlic naan and a Kingfisher beer.
The eggplant came without any spiciness. The clients were completely
westerners and I guess that they didn't think that I really meant extra
spicy. Anyway, after the dinner, we reloaded onto the bus and went to
our hotel, Hotel Sheela Inn within walking distance of the Taj Mahal.
We spend two night here.
At the hotel we went to our rooms and
unpacked. I took my four short sleeve shirts and pair of jeans to the
front desk and asked that they be laundered. Hopefully, I'll get them
back. I have had to wear jeans instead of shorts most of the time
because this area requires more conservative dress.
Most of us went to the roof-top terrace
and saw the Taj Mahal. There were lots of fireworks going off all over
town. These were for weddings. We saw a number of people all dressed up
for a wedding while we were driving through town. We apparently have
WiFi at the hotel, but only on the rooftop. I'll send out my e-mails
tomorrow. I went to bed at 11.
14 March 2013 Thursday
I woke up at 6 but got up at 7. I took
my morning pills, brushed my teeth and took a luke-warm shower. My cold
seems to be getting better. At least four of us have had it. My nose is
still stuffy and I have a bit of a dry cough, but it is much better.
I plugged my computer into the outlet to
charge it up. The others are going to the Taj Mahal today and to a
Bollywood movie, but I've seen the Taj before, so I'm staying back to
type up my e-mails.
I went to the roof-top cafe and ordered
jam toast and a pot of chai. Unlike other places, here I got a full pot
with about four servings. I sat with Kevin and Sarah. They asked where
I was staying in New Delhi. I told them Pooja Palace. They looked at
the reviews and then they booked a room there too. While eating
breakfast I saw house crows, pariah kites, rock doves, a brownish gray
dove, parakeets, mynas, a small grayish brown bird, a hoopoe, and a
beautiful kingfisher. I took some photos of the Kingfisher. Sandra,
Mads and Tanya joined us. They are going to meet at 9:30 to see a
Bollywood movie.
I paid my bill (65 rupees) and then went to my room.
My computer was fully charged so I took it back to the rooftop. I went
to a covered area so I could see the computer screen and started typing
my journal. I bought a pot of chai to drink as well. I typed for hours
till I caught up to my last journal entry. Then I backed up the photos
on my camera. After that, I connected to the roof-top WiFi and started
sending out my daily logs. I finished by about one PM. I took a walk to
the Taj Mahal but didn't go in. I bought some shampoo because the soap
was making my hair stiff. I went back to the hotel and the others came
back from their Bollywood movie.
At 3:30, we met in the lobby and walked
again to the Taj Mahal. The others got their tickets and went on in.
Uttam and I walked to a coffee shop (Cafe Coffee Day, a chain) where I
met
another Intrepid tour guide and some of Uttam's friends. I had an iced
coffee (mocha) with ice cream and chocolate syrup. I'm not sure what I
ordered but it was good. I saw a Royal Enfield motorcycle and walked
over to look at it. It was a 2012 model 500 cc, single cylinder. Uttam
came out of the shop with the key and started it up and drove away. He
asked if I wanted to ride it but I declined. I didn't feel comfortable
riding someone else's bike. The bike belonged to one of Uttam's
friends. After sunset, the others came to the coffee shop and we walked
back to the hotel.
I took a quick shower using my new
shampoo. It seemed to take the stiffness out. I caught up in my journal
as well.
We met in the lobby again at 7:30 and
our driver took us to the Mayan restaurant again. I ordered a dry
vegetable dish extra, extra spicy, a Kabuli naan and a Kingfisher. We
all shared as usual. It was a good meal. We returned to the hotel and
went to the roof top cafe. I checked my e-mails (none) and talked for
awhile. I went back to my room and collected my newly laundered
clothes. I did most of my packing because we travel again tomorrow. I
brushed my teeth and went to bed by 11 pm.
15 March 2013 Friday
I woke up at 6:15, but got up closer to
7. I took my pills, brushed my teeth and had a quick shower. I went to
the roof top and sat with Kevin and Sarah. I got a pot of chai and
checked my e-mail (none). I paid for my chai, gathered my things and
met the others in the lobby. We loaded our packs onto our vehicle and
drove to Agra Fort. I have already visited the fort on a previous trip,
so Uttam and I went to a chai stand and had some chai. I saw parakeets,
Pariah Kites, crows, mynas, a Koel?, white egret, swifts, pigeons,
brownish-red doves. After 1.5 hours, the tour of Agra Fort was over and
I rejoined the group in the van.
We drove to the Agra train station and
boarded our train to New Delhi at 11:30 am. Our group is in two
different but adjacent cars. I am in a compartment with an Indian
family. We have a 4.5 hour train ride to New Delhi. I saw a large
coucal, Pond Herons, egrets, kites, coots, sandpipers, lapwings.
We arrived in
New Delhi at 3:15
and loaded onto two cars. We had time so we went to Lodi Garden
(Wikipedia
entry)
and walked around for an hour or so. I took photos of some of the Lodi
dynasty tombs and mosque. I also took photos of a parakeet and a
hornbill.
- domed building
at Lodi Garden, flowers,
Rose-Ringed Parakeet
(Psittacula krameri),
buildings and garden,
domed building,
back side, red Flame-of-the-Forest tree
(Butea monosperma),
walled area,
another view, Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceras birostris),
another view,
yet another,
domed Shish Gumbad,
sign for
building, Bada Gumbad,
sign for
building, masjid,
support buttresses,
another view
of gumbad, detail
of arch, masjid, arch, inside dome
We got back into our cars and headed to
our hotel. We got to the Hotel Perfect about 5:10 and I moved my pack
to
my room. They have WiFi here so I should be able to get out a couple of
emails.
I took a shower and tried to log onto
the internet. I got connected to the WiFi but the internet connection
must be dial-up because it was extremely slow and frequently
interrupted. I was never able to log onto any email or facebook
connections. Perhaps my next hotel will have a better connection.
We gathered in the lobby at 7 pm and
walked to a good restaurant nearby. I remember this restaurant from the
last time I was in New Delhi in 2009. I ordered a "Vegetarian Sizzler"
tandoori grill, plus jeeri rice and pashowari naan. After dinner I
proposed a toast to our group and especially our guide Uttam. One of
the other guides came around near the end. After we paid we walked
about a block to our hotel.
I went to my room and caught up in my
journal. I tried the internet connection again but was unsuccessful. I
brushed my teeth and went to bed by about 11 pm.
16 March 2013 Saturday
I woke up at 6:30 but got up at 7. I
took my pills, brushed my teeth and took a hot shower. I went down to
breakfast at 8 and had masala omelette, toast, jam, cornflakes and
chai. I sat with Mads. After awhile Sandra and Tanya joined us.
I went back to the room and packed my
bags and carried them to the lobby. They stored my red pack under the
front desk. We met at 9 and walked to the Metro. We had to change
trains once. We got off at old
Delhi
and walked around. We went through the Jama Masjid, the oldest and
largest mosque in India. It's a beautiful mosque (no photos for me). We
then
walked through the colorful wedding market, the spices market, etc. We
also toured a Sikh temple and we could take photos here. Mads wore my
longyi because he wore shorts today. We rode trishaws and a local bus
as well.
- steps
to Jama Masjid, another
view
- street scene,
another view, wedding supplies
street, cook,
side street, monkeys, temple street
- Sikh temple,
our group, another view, kitchen at temple, large pot of food
cooking, chipati,
video
of chipati cooking (Youtube), making roti,
another view,
stirring
the pot, two pots
- busy
street, video
of busy street (Youtube), loaded tricycle,
busy street
- nuts and raisins,
another view,
dried foods, busy
spice street,
dried seed, lots
of spices, old
British barracks
- trishaw ride,
another view
We came back to the hotel by about 12 or
1 and walked to a restaurant for our last meal together. We had
collected a tip for Uttam and presented it to him at the table. I
ordered a cheese (panack) with cashew and vegetable curry gravy, plus a
roti and a Hayward 5000 beer. And we all shared.
We went back to our hotel. Kevin, Sarah
and I got our packs and walked to our new hotel, Hotel Pooja Palace,
very close to our old hotel. I checked into my room by 3 pm and took a
few photos. I tried the internet and it seems to be a lot more stable
than at Hotel Perfect. I filled out my journal and then took a short
nap. I got up at 5 and took a shower. I went down to the lobby at six
and read the Indian Times.
I saw Kevin about 6:30. He said that
Sarah was feeling badly with the cold, so he and I went out for a beer
and then went back to the hotel. I typed out my journal to my last
entry.
I brushed my teeth, watched a little TV
and then went to bed by 9:30.
17 March 2013 Sunday
I woke up at 6:30, got up at 7, took my
pills and brushed my teeth. I went down to breakfast a little after 7.
Kevin and Sarah joined me shortly after. Sarah said she was feeling
much better. Kevin was having a problem logging onto the internet
though. I had omelette masala, toast, jam, butter and a pot of chai.
After breakfast I went to my room and
sent out several e-mail entries. Kevin said that the front desk staff
reset the router and then he was able to log on. I showed him how to
make his computer boot up faster by turning off startup programs when
booting up (by running msconfig.exe).
I went back to my room and took a
hot-water shower and then filled out my journal. I also filled out a
form for my next trip. I cleaned the lens on my camera and my
glasses. I backed up my camera files to my netbook hard drive. Then I
read the Sunday Times of India and the Hindustan Times, both in
English. The number of rapes in India is staggering.
Around noon, Kevin and Sarah knocked on
my door. We walked for about three hours, stopping at Punjab Sweets
Corner for lunch. We all ordered dosas, I had a Racha Masala Dosa with
a very nice mango lassi. It was good and filling. We stopped at Amour
Cafe and had a beer. We went back to our rooms. The temperature is 84
degrees F. I watched TV and took a nap.
I went down to the lobby a little before
6 PM to meet with my new group. I was very surprised to see Uttam was
the leader of this group too. We went to the conference room on the
roof. Nine of the twelve participants were there, three others are on
another trip and we will see them tomorrow evening. I talked with Gabby
from Tasmania, but originally from Hungary. He left in 1956 during the
Hungarian Revolution. He is 75 and the oldest member of the group. I
also met Richard from Darwin, Australia. He is a customs official. Then
others came in. There were two ladies from England, but with an Indian
background. They both speak Hindi. Another young lady is also from
England and works at a university there. There is a mother-daughter
pair from Australia. The daughter lives in Perth and I mentioned to her
about traveling there with two of my daughters. The mother lives in
another part of Australia, but I don't remember where. There is a lady
from Montreal who was also from Hungary. She had been a professor of
linguistics. I am the only person from the States. Uttam gave us
information for the upcoming trip.
After the meeting we all walked to the
same restaurant that we used for our last supper on the last trip. I
ordered the "Vegetable Sizzler" again and passed it around. Others
started passing theirs around too. Everyone ordered too much and there
was a lot left over. After dinner we walked back to the hotel. Uttam
and I went to the roof top and shared a beer and talked about the new
and old trip while he worked on his computer. Then I went to my room. I
brushed my teeth and went to bed about 10:30.
18 March 2013 Monday
I woke up at 6:30 and got up at 7. I
brushed my teeth and took my pills. I went down to breakfast shortly
after 7. I had four pieces of toast, butter, jam, banana and lots of
chai. It was a buffet breakfast but I wasn't very hungry. The buffet
was 175 rupees, I gave them 200 (keep the change). I sat with Sarah,
Kevin and Uttam., but the entire group filtered in. Richard said that
he doesn't eat breakfast.
I went back to my room, took a shower,
cleaned my sandals and caught up in my journal.
At nine, I went down to the lobby. The
group was starting a walking tour of old Delhi, the same trip I did two
days ago. I told them to have a good trip and went back to my room. I
think I will be doing something with Kevin and Sarah today. I typed out
the rest of my journal.
Sarah and Kevin knocked on my door about
10 or 10:30. We walked to several gardens and ended at a Rock Garden, a
hill with outcrops of quartzite. I wonder if they are part of the
Aravalli Hill, an ancient mountain chain. At one point along the way
someone threw a partial bucket of water on me. It hit me fully along
the back of my shirt and my camera bag. It was such a deliberate hit
that I think it was on purpose. I turned to see who it was and everyone
averted their gaze, so I never knew who it was. We made our way through
the rock gardens a second time and arrived back at our hotel about
1:15. Kevin's pedometer said we walked 9 km.
- painted jugs,
temple close
to hotel, closer
view, red
Flame-of-the-Forest,
flower from
bottle-brush tree, close-up,
sign for
Prashad Nagar Park, lake
- sign
for Rock Garden, rock
outcrop, map,
red Flame-of-the-Forest tree
(with Pariah Kite nest), Bougainvillea,
sign for yoga area,
flowers, young
girl posing in
garden, another
view, with her sister,
another view,
and with Dad
- bicycle with knife
sharpener, another
view
After a short break, we walked to the
Punjab Sweets Corner. I shared a mini thali with Kevin and Sarah and
Kevin also ordered a Rawa Masala Dosa like I had yesterday. We all had
lassi to drink. The other group came in while we were eating and I
suggested some things for them. The three of us then went to the hotel
roof top for an afternoon beer. I was back at my room by 2:30. I took a
shower and washed out the shirt to remove the questionable water that
had been thrown on me. I filled out my notes and decided to take a nap
at about 3:30. There was too much construction to really sleep.
I went to the lobby at 6:30 and met all
the others including the three new participants. We walked to Spice Bar
Restaurant. I ordered a chana masala curry (extra, extra Indian hot
spicy) plus jeera rice and a Kingfisher. We all shared. Mine was not
spicy. Mads came walking in and talked to me. He was with his new group
in the adjoining room. After we paid, we walked to a food stand. I
bought a bunch of bananas for tomorrow's lunch.
I got to my hotel room by 9 and filled
out my journal. I flossed and brushed my teeth and packed for
tomorrow's travels. I went to bed at 9:30.
19 March 2013 Tuesday
Happy Anniversary Anne!
I woke up at 5:15, but didn't get up
till 5:50. I took my pills, brushed my teeth and took a shower. I was
down to the lobby by 6:15. We boarded onto three cabs at 6:45. We got
to the New Delhi train station and onto our train by 7:15. We are
distributed in two cars scattered here and there. I sat between an
Indian fellow who could speak English, and Marianne, the Hungarian-born
woman who lives in Montreal (professor of linguistics at one time). She
speaks Hungarian, English, French, Russian and German. I saw lapwings,
shags, pond herons, coots, egrets, crows, and Pariah kites.
We arrived at Kalka (just after
Chandrigar) after four hours of travel about 2:15. We walked over to
the "toy train" to Shimla (Wikipedia
entry).
We left about 12:30 on this very windy mountain railway. Our assigned
seats for the seven in our car had been taken over by a large local
family, but they left the two rear bank of seats empty. We occupied
those seats. We had to stack our luggage on the floor. This is a very
scenic mountain route and has frequent switchbacks and tunnels. We had
the fruit that we bought last night for lunch and we all shared. We
went over one mountain pass where all the trees were pines. Some of the
distant mountain peaks were snow covered. We also saw the Deodar Cedar (
Cedrus deodara,
Wikipedia
entry).
We also saw several stands of Tree Rhododendron with abundant
scarlet-red flowers (
Rhododrendron
arboreum, Wikipedia
entry).
Gabby is quite the botany lover and told me what these plants were. I
saw parakeets, but there was a solitary one with a long blue tail. This
was five hours of riding in the mountains and the scenery was
spectacular.
- catching
the toy train, part of our
group, rest
of the car, side
of train, toward the front,
side again, another view, mountains ahead, mountains, view through
window, view down valley,
construction talus,
terraces,
closer view, pine tree level, Uttam, stop at Dharampur,
hillside towns, another view, yet another, distant
snow-covered peaks,
another view,
conifer forest, mountain, another view, mountain landscape, bridge, Marianne, father and child, train
in forest, conifers, Ke and Gabby, pine needles, mountains, red-flowered
Tree Rhododendron
(Rhododendron arboreum)
We arrived at
Shimla
(Wikipedia
entry)
about 5:30. We are about 2200 meters elevation. We took two cabs to our
hotel Silverine. This is a very nice hotel, my room overlooks the
mountains.
- getting off
at Shimla station, sign
for Shimla station (2076 m elev.), closer
view, our train,
old locomotive, overview of station
- hotel lobby,
another view,
my room, another view, bathroom, tub, view from my room
We placed our dinner order for later
tonight and will take a walk into town before dinner. After a
10-15-minute break, we walked through town. This did not seem like
India at all. It was more like Gatlinburg than Mumbai. And there was a
lot of British architecture. The air was clean and cool and there was
no odor of sewage.
After our walk we went back to the hotel
and had our dinner. I had ordered a vegetarian curry of some kind that
I can't remember. I ordered it extra Indian spicy (it was perhaps
medium), plus a garlic naan. We all shared. I had a sweet fresh lime
soda to drink. After we finished, the staff brought out a birthday cake
with candles lit for Lynsey (a young lady from England). We all sang
Happy Birthday. After the cake we went to the roof terrace. I had a
beer (we had to buy it at a shop elsewhere). It was chilly in the
mountain air, maybe 55 degrees F. The staff lit a fire in a fire pit on
the roof and that warmed things up. I finished my beer and went to my
room by 10:30. I filled out my notes, brushed my teeth and went to bed
by 11.
20 March 2013 Wednesday
I woke up at 4 and 6, but got up at 7.
It was quite chilly. I took my pills and brushed my teeth. I went down
to breakfast at 7:30. I was the first person there and they weren't set
up for it yet. Eventually the buffet was set up. I had butchey (sp?)
and poori as well as toast, jam and two cups of chai masala. Several
others came in after I got started. I went back to my room and took a
shower and filled out my journal.
At 9 AM we met in the lobby. We walked
for about 45 minutes to the Viceregal's House (Wikipedia
entry).
This was the house for the British head of India. It was a very
elaborate stone building with Burmese teak-wood interior. We paid for a
short guided tour and took some pictures inside and outside.
- morning view
from my room
- sign
about monkeys, building
at plaza, view
from path, mountains,
morning inspection
of police, periwinkle,
mountain view,
Tree Rhododendron
(Rhododendron arboreum),
another view, close-up, pink and
white flower, back of Viceregal's
House, front, facade, Jo, interior, another view, yet another view, hall, flowers, langur
We then walked to a local coffee shop
for lunch. I had a cheese sandwich on white bread and a coffee with
heavy cream. Five or six of us then trekked up to the
giant statue of Hanuman, the monkey god. This was a steep climb up a
series of roads and steps. I took photos of the giant orange statue. A
fellow warned us that the monkeys there will steal our
glasses. I put
mine in my shirt pocket and buttoned it. A rhesus monkey quickly
climbed Lynsey's back and grabbed the glasses off the top of her head.
She had to pay a local vendor who offered the monkey some food for
exchange of the glasses. She then had to pay the vendor for the food.
This is an obvious racket. We then walked carefully back down the steep
route back to the upper plaza of Shimla.
- coffee shop,
menu
- hill-side houses,
Christ Church
on the plaza, Gandhi statue,
sign for
church, the church,
library, plaza, Hanuman statue, sign for Rothney Castle,
back of
castle, steps to
Hanuman temple, rhesus
and baby, orange Hanuman,
another view, other side, another view
My group of about five people then
walked around the interesting shops, taking photographs.
At 6:30 we met at another coffee shop
and walked to a good local restaurant. I ordered channa pindi (a
chickpea curry), jeera rice, and a sweet lime soda. We all shared.
After dinner, we walked back to the
hotel. Uttam and I went to the sports room on the rooftop and played
eight ball for the title of "King of India." I won one game and Uttam
won two, so he is the real King of India. I had a Kingfisher beer.
Sarah, from Ireland, came up and joined us for conversation.
I went back to my room by 11 PM. I
brushed and flossed my teeth and then filled out my journal. I went to
bed by 11:15.
21 March 2013 Thursday
I woke up at 6:30 and got up at 7. I
took my pills, brushed my teeth and took a warm shower. I re-packed
because this is another travel day. I had two bananas left so I had
them for breakfast. I typed up some of my entries. I went to the lobby
to pay for my meals and sat down with the others.
Shortly, we loaded onto a van and car.
We had a five-hour drive down windy mountain roads. A number of people
became carsick, but we didn't have any incidents. We stopped once for a
chai and toilet break. We arrived at our Maharaja Palace hotel in
Mandi
(Wikipedia
entry)
about 1:40 and our pre-ordered lunch of chips (fries), cucumber and
tomato sandwiches, grilled cheese (paneer) sandwiches, and vegetable
pakoras. We were first introduced to the king of Mandi, a nice, very
sociable gentleman in his 80's. Because it was a palace and not
originally designed to be a hotel, the rooms varied from servants'
quarters to honeymoon suites. Therefore, we had a lottery. I drew last
from the three others who had single rooms. I drew a very nice room
(one of the best). I was pleased. We are only here for one night.
- outdoor dining
area, one
of the restaurants at Maharaja Palace, the Maharaja of Mandi, lunch with the king, hallway in my building,
my room,
closer view, another view, bathroom, another view, hallway again, view of courtyard, hills behind palace, aerial view of Mandi
We met at 3:30 for our afternoon walk.
We walked down to the Shiva temple by the Beas River and then along the
narrow streets and markets. We went to a sunken mall with three levels
of shops around the edges. In the center of the mall, we had chai
masala. Three of us stopped at a shop where a man was making betel nut
packets. I had tried betel nut several times before but this one was
different. It was a sweet betel-nut packet. It had no tobacco so you
didn't have to spit it, you just swallowed the juices. I couldn't
recognize everything that was in it, but it had lime paste (caustic),
betel nut, rose water, fennel, coconut, honey, syrup candy and about
six or seven additional ingredients. I put the packet in my cheek.
Slowly the sweet juices came out and they were quite nice. I didn't
need to chew or anything.
- slate-roofed houses,
children, another view, tributary, tributary
and Beas River, Panchbakhtar Shiva Temple,
Beas River and
Victoria Bridge, cobble bar
at confluence, monkeys,
narrow street,
another street, fruit, shops, vegetables, intersection, steps and
large building
- courtyard
of sunken mall, several levels
at mall, Ke (Kay) trying betel-nut
packet, betel
leaves
We walked back to the hotel and I got to
my room by 6 PM. I filled out my journal. Everyone wanted to see my
room and they are saying that I have the nicest one. I took a nice, hot
shower and then dressed and joined the others in the garden at 6:30.
The king invited us to sit at his table. I sat right next to him. Our
order was taken and I had tandoor chicken (one half), garlic naan and a
Kingfisher. For dessert, we had ice cream and jamun. The king loved to
tell riddles and brainteasers and he took great pleasure when any of us
were able to answer them. I was able to guess a lot of them. He was a
very sociable fellow. He will be the last king of Mandi even though he
has a son. Because of the Indian government, no new kings will be
allowed.
After dinner, I went to my room at 9 PM.
I filled out my journal and got ready for tomorrow, another travel day.
22 March 2013 Friday
I woke up at 6:30 and got up at 7. I
took my pills, brushed my teeth and took a hot shower. I packed up
again. At 8, I went to the courtyard for breakfast. I paid my food bill
along the way. I had a pot of chai and toast. I sat next to the king
(Maharaj) again and he told me many more riddles and brainteasers. I
told him that the next time I come to Mandi, I'll have more to tell him
in return.
About 8:30 or so, we loaded onto
tuktuks, two plus luggage per tuktuk. We went about 1 or 2 km to the
bus station where we caught a local bus for a five-hour drive. The bus
is crowded and a number of locals are standing in the aisle. Once again
we are on a windy, bumpy road with shear drop offs inches from our
wheels--no guard rails. I can see lots of snow-covered mountains ahead
of us (Dhauladar Range, Wikipedia
entry).
There is much colluvium along our road and almost no rock outcrops. The
stratification of the floral zones is easily seen from a distance. As
we ascend we leave the typical trees of this part of India and see the
light green band of pines. Above the pines we see the dark green band
of the Deodar cedars (
Cedrus
deodara). We stopped at a big town halfway through our
trip, for a chai and toilet break. People tried to occupy our seats
when we got back on, but Uttam shoo-ed them away. I saw a Marsh Harrier
(?). We passed many rock slides, some quite large. They have to
continually repair this road. I'm in an aisle seat this time and can't
easily take photos. Uttam's next guided tour is Mumbai to Kathmandu. He
generously invited me to go with him for free. All I would have to do
is pay for transportation. Not doable for me though. At the
bus stops, one can see that most
buses have vomit tracks down the sides below the windows. Nice. Last
night I put a tea bag in my liter of drinking water. I tried it today
and it's not bad. I may keep doing it. We are constantly traveling
parallel and below the snow-covered Dhauladar mountains. I saw crows,
pariah kites, mynas, parakeets, lapwings, small egrets, and a pair of
hornbills.
- waiting
at the bus station, another
view, crossing a
bridge, cobble bar,
snow-covered mountains,
closer view, another view, small bridge, side of road, front of bus, terraces, mountain view, Flame-of-the-Forest
tree, more terraces,
tree zonation
(light green pines and darker green Deodar cedars), rock slides and debris
flows, rock slide,
terraces, rock
slide, another view, rock slide, front of bus, back of bus, shops, vegetables, mountains, mountains and bridge,
rounded-boulder creek,
Angela and Lynsey,
produce, close up of unusual
turnip?, misty mountains,
another view,
yet another,
field crop,
snow-covered peaks,
small village
We got to
Dharmasala
(Wikipedia
entry)
at 3 PM and got off with our luggage. We took two vehicles to the
Norbulingka Institute (Wikipedia
entry)
and walked around taking photos. This area is the home of the Dalai
Lama and the expatriot capital of the Tibetans. We saw lots of arts and
crafts. At the end of the tour we went to the cafe and I ordered a pot
of chai masala.
- waiting
in Dharmasala for our ride,
- sign
for Norbulingka Institute, entrance,
garden, shrine, close-up, pond and second
entrance, another
view, yet another, walkway, workshop building,
wooden carvings,
ban saw, wood carver, another view, video
1 and video 2 of wood carverss
(Youtube), close-up,
another carver,
yet another,
metal worker, sign, embroiderer (series of
several poses for university photo study), portrait, at work, another view, yet another view, close-up, another sewer, art sewing, painter, close-up, start of mandala, another painter, temple, another view, painting, Buddha, Dalai Lama, overview, nun dusting floor
We then got back in our vehicles and
drove up very narrow and windy roads to
McLeod Ganj
(Wikipedia
entry)
and then up even smaller lanes to our hotel, Hotel Budha's Valley by
6:15. I carried my pack to my room and took a quick hot shower. At 6:45
we met in the lobby and took the two private vehicles to McLeod Ganj.
Here we went to a Tibetan restaurant. I ordered a vegetarian momo
(dumpling, jiaotze) and a pork thentuk (soup-like) plus a Kingfisher.
- front
of hotel, another
view, lobby,
my room, another view, bathroom, brochure in room, other
side, Tree Rhododendron (Rhododendron arboreum)
next to hotel, close-up,
We then walked back up to our hotel
using flashlights. I got to my room by 9:30 and filled out my journal.
There is very loud music from an outdoor bar close to our hotel. It is
way too loud to sleep. I flossed and brushed my teeth and then tried to
sleep. This could be a long night.
23 March 2013 Saturday
I woke up at 6:45 and got up at 7. I
took a hot shower, took my pills and brushed my teeth. No one else
appeared to be up. I went outside and took pictures. It was chilly
outside so I wore my sport jacket. I saw several birds and tried taking
photographs. Gabby came down and we went inside and ordered a couple of
pots of chai masala.
I have had a dry cough for four or five
days and now my voice is going hoarse. I saw a Plumbeous Water Redstart
(several photos above) flitting on the boulders in the creek and a
White-Capped Water Redstart
with white head and brown body elsewhere on the boulders. I also saw
what may be a flower pecker, crows, etc. We are located on a steep
mountain slope a little lower than the snow line.
We walked down to McLeod Ganj and then
took the lower road from the small plaza to the Buddhist temple (
Tsuglagkhang) and home of the Dalai
Lama. We walked through the temple and Uttam talked about Buddhism (he
had been a young monk). I took several photos of the mountain scenery,
prayer wheels, birds and cones of the Deodar tree. I saw a griffon
soaring overhead.
- walking
down to McLeod Ganj from the hotel, yellow flower, mountain opposite
hotel, peaks
behind us, McLeod Ganj,
another view with
plain below,
pack donkeys, closer view, kiosks near McLeod
Ganj, main intersection
of McLeod Ganj, shops
along side street, nearby mountains,
shop signs, more signs, prayer wheels in town, shop along the way,
another shop,
winter shawls,
another view,
rocks and minerals,
another view, monk on cell phone,
Tibetan Martyrs' Memorial,
other side
- lady
with small prayer wheel (Tsuglagkhang Temple), canopy at temple, view from temple, another view, yet another, closer view, Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara), another view, with
small bird, erect
cones, Lynsey and dog, Himalayan Griffon? (Gyps himalayensis),
view from
other side, closer view,
prayer wheels
(they go around the building), another
view, video
of prayer wheels (Youtube), video pan of mountain scenery
(Youtube), Dalai Lama's residence,
his schedule, close-up
We then walked back to McLeod Ganj
looking at all the shops. I went to the Cafe Coffee Day, our meeting
point for 12:30 and saw Uttam (I am a bit early). I ordered cafe latte
grande and filled out my journal. I still have the three orange and
yellow strings (dhaga) that were tied to my wrists 2-3 weeks ago.
- walk back
to McLeod Ganj, jewelry,
pack store, rug store, shops, close-up, prayer wheels again,
load of hay, my worn dhagas, Uttam at cafe, small plaza of McLeod
Ganj
Lynsey, Angela, and Kay said that they
would help me buy shawls for my daughters. We looked in several stalls
and stores, but finally found one with just the right selection. I
bought four silk shawls, all of different colors.
I thanked the ladies for their help and
left them to do their remaining shopping. I went to a Tibetan Ganpo
Massage and Health Center. I got a one hour massage for 600 rupees. It
was an average massage, similar to Chinese massage. I walked around
some more till 6:30 when we all met in the very small city square. We
went to the Carpe Diem Restaurant. I ordered a one-half Tandoor
chicken, garlic naan, lime soda, and a Kingfisher beer. I sat with
Annette, her mother Loraine, and Gabby. Gabby was saying that he had
spent too much money buying rings. He showed us some of them.
After dinner, we walked back to the
small square. The younger ones went to a bar and some of us walked back
to the hotel in the dark. I got to my room by 9:15. I filled out my
journal, took a shower, and brushed my teeth.
At 11 PM I was awakened by loud thunder
as a thunderstorm started. It rained heavily into the night, the first
rain of the trip.
24 March 2013 Sunday
It rained heavily till about 4 AM, but
continued throughout the morning, sometimes heavily. I heard the local
transformer explode at 3:45 and we had no power after that. I waited
till about 7 to get up so that I would have enough light to see. I
brushed my teeth and took my pills. There was still enough hot water in
my little heater to take a hot-water bucket bath. While re-organizing
my pack, I noticed a fire in the next building. I quickly put on my
clothes and ran downstairs in my bare-feet. The clerk was outside so I
went out and told him about the fire. He ran off to do something. I
think it was an electrical fire. It continued to rain all morning with
occasional thunder. This much rain in a steep mountainous environment
makes me think of landslides, debris flows, and flash floods.
At 8:45 we walked to the "German Bakery"
(nothing German about it at all) in the pouring rain. The temperature
feels to be about 40-45 degrees F and it is wet and windy. I am wearing
sandals and my feet are wet and cold. The German Bakery is in a big
walled tent and the electricity is off everywhere. I ordered the German
Breakfast which consists of fruit salad (cut fruit), toast, omelette
and chai, all for 120 rupees. Everyone is cold and shivering. After
breakfast I walked back to my room and got in bed to keep warm. Some of
the others walked to the waterfalls or to town for either shopping or
pharmacy. Apparently about one-third of our group are suffering from
mild to severe diarrhea and nausea. I have passed around Pepto Bismol
tablets. Others are trying local pharmacy cures or even antibiotics.
Unfortunately, today is a long travel day. I don't have any symptoms
yet but I will take a Pepto Bismol tablet just in case. Every few
minutes there is a clap of thunder.
At noon we all met in the lobby. I paid
my 90 rupee bill from yesterday. Big packs were wrapped in a tarp and
put onto the roof of one of the vehicles. We drove to McLeod Ganj and
one of the vans had a flat tire. After that was resolved, we headed
back on our journey. One in our car was very sick and we stopped many
times along the road. After we got to the lowlands the temperature
increased. We stopped at a sort of rest area restaurant for snacks. I
had garlic naan and a chai masala. We got back to the cars and drove to
the Patan Court train station. We loaded onto two adjacent sleeper cars
about 4:45 PM. Five of us were in a compartment with and Indian fellow.
His wife, baby son and daughter were in another compartment. He had
just come back from a pilgrimage to thank god that he had a baby boy
(he hadn't done this for his baby girl). He offered me two kinds of
sweet candy balls. One was a coconut macaroon and the other was a hard
ball with almond pieces and sesame seeds glued together with a hard,
dark sugar syrup. We had a nice conversation with him. We arrived in
Amritsar (Wikipedia
entry)
about 7:40. We put our luggage in a rickshaw and walked to our hotel,
the Grand Hotel. Our luggage was unloaded and we checked into our rooms.
A few minutes later, tables were set up
in the courtyard. I filled out my journal and then ordered mushroom
mutter (peas) curry and garlic naan. They don't sell bottles of beer,
so I got a pitcher of Kingfisher to share with the table. Sarah had her
small speaker, so I brought my netbook out. We played Indian music with
our dinner.
After dinner I brushed my teeth. I need
to buy water tomorrow. I have given several of the sick people my
electrolytes. Two people actually have fever.
25 March 2013 Monday
I woke up throughout the night with a
dry cough. I got up at 7, brushed my teeth and took my pills. I took a
hot shower as well. There is a peculiar electrical setup with my room.
To turn on the lights in the room or the bathroom, one has to go
outside into the hallway and click two switches on the wall. To turn
off the bathroom light or water heater, one has to go out in the
hallway again. There is WiFi here and I was able to connect to it this
morning after I entered the lengthy password, but the internet
connection is down. This is a common situation in India (if they have
internet at all). At least I can charge the computer. I typed out some
journal entries and then packed for our travel tonight.
At 9:30 we loaded onto six trishaws, two
to a vehicle. The driver would pedal the trishaw through the dense and
chaotic traffic. At one steep slope we had to get out while he pushed
the trishaw up the hill. We rode for about 15 to 20 minutes till we got
to Jallianwallah Bagh (Wikipedia
entry),
the scene of a massacre by the British against unarmed Indians. Around
a thousand men, women and children were killed. We then went to the
Golden Temple (Wikipedia
entry),
the most famous and sacred of the Sikh temples. We had to wear head
coverings before entering and had to remove our shoes. We lost Gabby at
this time. We walked around taking photos and absorbing the sights and
sounds. At 11:30 we gathered and walked to the part of the temple where
food was prepared and served. Thousands are served this way. We sat on
the floor in a large room with hundreds of others. We were served dahl,
chipati, a spicy potato curry, and a milky rice dessert. It was
unexpectedly very good. We then left the temple and looked at shops
around the temple. I was going to buy a kara (Wikipedia
entry)
bracelet for men that represented fearlessness. It was a traditional
part of the dress for Sikh men. I was about to buy it but Uttam said
that he was buying because we were brothers (with different mothers).
- elephant
from trishaw, another
view, trishaws, another view, yet another
- sign
for Jallianwala Bagh, sign
about massacre, large park,
local kids in
museum, Martyrs' Well,
another view,
bullet holes,
another view, yet
another,
sleeping man, closer view, memorial sculpture, bullet holes in another
building, sign
about bullet marks, more bullet holes,
group photo
- the Golden
Temple, temple
with lake, long line
at causeway to enter temple, video pan of the temple (Youtube),
closer view of
temple, another
view, with Marianne,
view across lake,
musicians, closer view, video
of musicians (Youtube), long line,
inlaid door, closer view, dining room, another view, removing food from
trays, another view
The ten of us got on one tuktuk (it must
be a record for westerners) and rode back to our hotel. We had checked
out in the morning but stored our luggage in two day rooms.
At about 4:30 we went to the famous
Wagah border ceremony (called a retreat, or changing of the guard and
colors, Wikipedia
entry)
at the Pakistani border. This was a 45-minute taxi ride to get here. It
was very unusual and I tried to video some of it (I was looking
directly into the sun and was too far away). One should see
this
video on Youtube (it is not mine).
The goose-stepping
soldiers would kick so high that they would hit their heads. It was a
real crowd pleaser. After our 45-minute ride back to Amritsar, I took a
shower and ordered dinner.
- walking
to the stadium seats, colorful guards,
closer view, the
Indian direction,
seats for foreigners
(this side of rail), Pakistani
side (in green and white)(the border is at gate and pillars),
Indian cheerleader
in white, my video A, video
B, video C, video
D, video E, video
F, video G (all Youtube)
At 9:30 we loaded our luggage onto a
trishaw and walked to the train station. We are taking an overnight
sleeper to Haridwar and we arrive about 7:30 tomorrow morning. Four of
us are sharing a six-person sleeper with a local family. The Indian
lady wanted to keep an eye on her children, so we changed around a bit.
I took an upper berth that requires some acrobatics. We made our own
bunks and turned the lights out after about 30 to 45 minutes. I
continued to
cough.
26 March 2013 Tuesday
I may have slept during the night. I was
not uncomfortable, I just coughed all night long, which, I'm sure the
entire car could hear. I got up at daylight. The toilets at our end of
the car are stainless steel squat toilets. The Indian family left just
before daylight. I showed the people in our compartment how to put up
their bunks so that we could sit up. Today is clear and sunny with a
little bit of mist close to the ground.
We arrived at Haridwar about 7:30 in the
morning. We walked through the station and loaded onto our bus. We
drove for about 45 minutes till we got to the Tapovan Resort in
Rishikesh (Wikipedia
entry).
Rishikesh is in the lower foothills (Shivalik or Siwalik Hills,
Wikipedia
entry)
of the Himalaya and is located along the Ganges (Ganga) close to where
it flows onto the plains. I see lots of sediment-choked valleys full of
boulders, cobbles, etc. on down to sand. The cobbles appear to be very
well rounded but oblong.
We went for breakfast buffet. I had some
kind of porridge, a spicy potato curry, chipati, toast, jam and milk
tea. We were assigned our rooms. I went to mine and took a hot shower
and brushed my teeth. I filled out my journal as well and put on my
shorts for the first time in weeks. There is no WiFi or any internet
here. I turned my laundry in.
At 11 AM we met in the lobby and walked
to the main part of Rishikesh and crossed the foot bridge to the other
side. A group of us ended up at Cafe Coffee Day. I had a choco Frappe.
I then walked down a lane parallel to the Ganges in a downstream
direction. I walked as far as the next pedestrian bridge (Ram Jhula)
and went down to the ghats. I looked at the cobbles and sand. The
boulders were not rounded, but the cobbles and boulders up to a meter
wide were
rounded. The sand was micaceous (muscovite). The water temperature was
very cool.
- walk
from Tapovan to Rishikesh, another
view, yet another,
the Ganges,
pedestrian bridge
(and motorcycle and cow), view upstream,
crossing, monkey on cable, boulders, rafting, overview, closer view, Shiva statue, varied business, some rapids, ghats, Ram Jhula bridge, beach, rounded cobble, boulders, sand, beach, local guru, another view, cobble bar, closer view, back
across the first bridge,
Rishikesh, rocks at point bar, closer view (with vein
minerals),
We had been advised to buy cheap clothes
for tomorrow's celebration. Tomorrow is Holi (Wikipedia
entry), a
festival where people throw dry dye on each other and it is highly
likely that we will get hit. Rishikesh is a very holy town and the
world center for yoga. No meat or alcohol is allowed at anytime.
However, during Holi, men drink a highly intoxication drink called
bang. Anyone who is in range will get hit by dye powder. It is not safe
for women and many will be molested, so we are concerned for the women
in our group. There are four men and nine women on this trip. In
addition all shops and businesses shut down for the day. We may have to
stick around the hotel tomorrow.
On the way back to the hotel, I got a
one-hour Auyervedic massage for 500 rupees. Of all the times I've been
to India I've never had one of these. This place offered courses in
Auyurvedic and Reiki massage. My massage was similar to most massages
but with the use of auyurvedic oils. I smelled like auyurvedic medicine
when I walked out.
I went back to the hotel to wash the oil
off and to get ready for dinner. I also filled out my journal and typed
some of it. At 7:30 I put on a T-shirt and my new throw-away pants and
met the others for dinner. The pants are of such poor quality that they
are starting to pull apart at the seams. I was afraid that I might not
get through dinner. Anyway, I ordered a bottle of water, banana lassi,
aloo matter (peas and potatoes), and garlic naan. We shared but there
was still much food left over. Today was Marianne's birthday, so
Uttam got her a cake with candles. We all sang happy birthday and she
tried to blow out the trick candles. We signed our bill to our room
(they don't have enough change for our group to pay here). I went to my
room. My laundry came at 9:45. I typed some more, brushed my teeth and
went to bed.
27 March 2013 Wednesday
I woke up at 5:30. The young staff hang
out in front of my door (it is at a corner of two hallways) and they
talk and yell at each other. There is no sleeping past 5:30. I got up
about 6:30, brushed my teeth and took a shower. I typed out my journal
for about two hours and missed breakfast.
About six of us took a walk to downtown.
People were saying Happy Holi and rubbing colored powders on our faces,
in our hair and on my beard. Buckets of water were thrown down on us
from balconies above. It was all in good fun. One young man rubbed
colors on my beard and said Happy Holi, Uncle Ji. There were more
Westerners doing it than Indians here. Many people were absolutely
covered with the powders. I took a lot of photographs using my older
backup camera which I carried in a plastic bag. We went to the Ganga
Beach Cafe filled with Westerners all covered in colors and taking
photos of each other. Everyone was having a good time. [Holi in
Rishikesh seemed safe, it may be a different story elsewhere.]
- Sarah,
Angela, cowboy, Dawn at Ganga Beach
Cafe, Dawn and Richard,
Angela, Sarah, Jo, ganesh, closer view, ladies at cafe, cafe overview, another view, yet another, Richard at bridge, others at bridge, another view, video
A (Youtube), group
with color, our group,
another
view, another
group, large group
at "mosh pit," video B video
C (all Youtube), lady,
Angela, another view, group photo
We eventually got back. We re-arranged
our packs. We are only taking small packs for our travels today and
leaving our big packs at the hotel. We loaded onto two vehicles and
drove for about 45 minutes upstream along the Ganges. This is one of
the most beautiful drives I've been on. We could look down sharp drops
and see the Ganges flowing through the Himalayas. This is especially
interesting for me because I use the Ganges as a model of the Lee
sandstone belts in the Appalachians.After 45 minutes we came to a stop
and got out. We carried our small packs along a trail for about five
minutes and came out on a sand and boulder beach on the Ganges. There
were two strings of tents lined up along the sand. An old parachute was
used as a mess tent and we had a very nice lunch of rice, acchar, dahl,
mixed vegetable curry, potato curry with dumplings, chipati, and boiled
water. We were then assigned tents. They were wall tents with twin cots
and a tarp floor and awning.
- the Ganges
at our camp, beach
and row of tents, sand,
cobbles, another view, Richard on boulder,
colorful ladies,
mess tent, my tent, another view,
volleyball net and gorge,
mess tent again, video
of Ganges (Youtube), fire
pit, pool
for bathing and swimming (this side of rapids), sign for rapids, rapids, dipping strata,
We were all eager to get the colors off
our skin and hair, so we went to a safe pool. The Ganges is a rapids
here and unsafe to enter except where there are protected pools. The
water was cold but one could get used to it. I used soap to remove most
of the colors, but staining remains on my face and arms, so they tell
me. I wore swimming trunks and washed out my throw-away clothes. By the
time I got to the campsite, I had a huge hole at the crotch of my
pants. There is no point in saving them, so I will just leave them
here. I climbed along the boulders looking at the rocks. I saw
cross-bedded sandstones, quartzites, some crystalline rocks, and a
limestone boulder with mussels and high-spired gastropod fossils. The
sound of the Ganges flowing is like a waterfall and very relaxing. I
met a fisherman fishing along the edge and walking along the boulders.
I talked with him a little. He was using a soft plastic fish with one
big hook and one small treble hook. He said it had very life-like
action. I went back to the mess tent, drank some boiled (hopefully)
water and filled out my journal.
- limestone
boulder, high-spired gastropod
fossil in boulder, another
one, mussel
fossil, another
one, granite?
boulder with banding, crossbedded sandstone
boulder (and my pants), Gabby
reflecting, Marianne
on boulder, rapids,
group at pool,
Richard
wading, another
view, boulder field,
Dawn, Dawn and
Ke, lead rafter, Angela, cobbles, rapids, video
of rapids (Youtube), tightly-folded rock
under Marianne, ganesh,
Crested Kingfisher
(Megaceryle lugubris),
another view, fisherman
- ladies
in their tents, wash basins,
sign about toilets
- crossbedded sandstone,
crossbedded comglomeratic sandstone,
banded rock,
green and white cobble
At 5, we had tea (sweet milk tea). The
staff built a fire on the beach and we took the mess tent chairs and
sat around the fire. At 7:30 they brought us mugs of vegetable soup. At
8 we had dinner in the mess tent. Everything was vegetarian. We had
mixed vegetable curry, mutter paneer, dahl, boiled rice, chipati,
vermicelli dessert, and water to drink. After dinner we went back to
the campfire. We listened to music on Sarah's I-pod and speaker, and
had some conversation. There was a full moon and we could see without
flashlights, even though the sky was cloudy. I told a story that must
have been depressing because everyone left after I was finished.
I went to my tent at about 10. Even
though it was quiet with only the sound of the Ganges, I didn't sleep
very well.
28 March 2013 Thursday
I got up around 7. I could hear all
different sorts of birds from 5:30 till 7. I don't know what they were.
I brushed my teeth and went to early tea at 7:30. It was sweet milk
tea. At 8 we had breakfast which consisted of toast, butter, omelette,
plain yogurt, chipati, and barley porridge. I made an omelette sandwich
and added ketchup and acchar.
After breakfast, I filled out my
journal. We took partial group photos (several people had already left
for the climb up). Then we gathered our gear and walked back up to the
road. We loaded onto our own small bus and made the drive back to
Rishikesh. We re-assembled our luggage and left it in the day room.
Several people lined up for showers.
I walked into town and went to a
rooftop restaurant. I had fresh lime soda and a plate of humus and pita
bread (the pita was actually a roti). It was becoming very hot (about
37 degrees C) and the town was extremely crowded for some reason. I
walked back to the hotel. The shower was now free so I took one. There
was no towel so I just scraped the water off and dressed. Then I met
with everyone in the hotel restaurant and I had my first coca cola of
the year.
At 3:30 we met in the lobby with all our
luggage. We presented to Uttam the money that we had collected for our
tip to him. When the small tourist bus arrived, our gear was loaded and
we boarded. It was hot so we had the windows open.
After a 45-minute drive we arrived once
again at the Haridwar train station at about 5 PM. We put our luggage
in a pile on the platform. Our train to New Delhi was supposed to leave
at 6, but it didn't arrive till 6:15. There was a very mad rush as
people tried to get on. People shoved me out of the way, pushed their
way on board. It was every man, woman and child for himself. When
people finally boarded they blocked the aisle and progress couldn't be
made. I put my pack above my seat and a fellow shoved it out of the way
so he could put his luggage in the rack. He occupied my seat because he
wanted to sit next to his wife, leaving me without a seat. Uttam came
around and offered a change of seats, and everyone was happy. This is a
crazy system.
At 6:45, the servers brought a snack
tray for each person and brought hot water jugs. I had sweet milk
(non-dairy) tea. There was a pastry, some cake-like thing, some candy,
and mango juice. I only had the juice and tea. Next came a small tray
with small bread roll and butter. Then one with a small cup of tomato
soup arrived. Then came a large tray with cut carrots and radishes,
roll of chipati, a dahl, and a vegetable curry, as well as steamed
rice. There was also a small container of acchar. At about the same
time I got a container of plain yogurt. A liter of water is already
provided at each seat. After the dinner trays were picked up, they
brought small containers of vanilla ice cream. After a while, I was
awakened by a server and he asked for a tip. I noticed that he only
asked Westerners. I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to do that.
We arrived at
New Delhi station,
the end of the line. We loaded onto several cabs and slowly made our
way out of the crammed parking lot and to our destination, Hotel Pooja
Palace. I got to my room close to the lobby by 11:40 PM. I took a hot
shower, brushed my teeth, filled out my notebook, and went to be
shortly after midnight.
29 March 2013 Friday
My room is next to the kitchen, so I can
hear the staff making loud preparations for breakfast. The lobby noises
were apparent as well. I got up about 7:30 and took a shower, took my
pills, and brushed my teeth. I went to the lobby to say goodbye to
those who were leaving for their morning flights. A group also went for
breakfast. I wasn't hungry, so I stayed in my room typing out my
journal and backing up my photos. I was able to connect to the
internet, so I sent out a mass of e-mails (journal entries). The
internet connection ceased shortly after they were sent.
I pulled everything out of my pack and
re-packed. The tennis shoes that I had packed and never used will be
discarded. I thought we might have to trek over gravels and granules at
some point and sandals would not work well. I have worn sandals the
entire trip. Taking the shoes out saved a little room that is now
replaced by the shawls that I bought. I also took a nap. I will have a
long series of flights later.
A group of us met in the lobby at 7:30
and walked to the Spice Bar and Restaurant. This was our last meal
together. I ordered mixed vegetable curry extra spicy, and rice. I had
a small Kingfisher for drink. This should be my last beer for a long
time. There were eight of us and we all shared as usual. I walked back
to the hotel before the others because I needed to leave for the
airport soon.
At 10 PM my airport transfer came. I
rode with Marianne who had a flight at about the same time. It was a
45-minute ride to the airport. I went to the Air France counter and was
issued just one boarding pass (to Paris). I inquired about the other
flights and the young man eventually found them and issued all of my
boarding passes. I wish he had done a thorough job the first time. I
made my way through customs and security and walked to my terminal. I
had plenty of time, so I walked to a coffee shop and had a hot
chocolate. I lounged here for about 1.5 hours.
30 March 2013 Saturday
They started boarding just as I got to
the gate. I sat next to an Indian lady and her daughter. The lady was
very surprised when I spoke Hindi to her. The movie viewer in our bank
of seats did not work, so I couldn't watch movies. I listened to some
easy French pop and classical music. For dinner, I was served a
vegetarian tray, but I was not hungry. I kept the small bottle of water
and had a vin rouge for drink. I may have slept some during the flight,
but if so, it wasn't much. At about 5:30 AM Paris time, we were served
breakfast. I had a big tray of food but only had one bite of an omelet,
a croissant, a plain yogurt and a chai masala.
We landed in Paris about 6:40. I took
the shuttle train to my new gate about 7 AM. I bought Anne a box of
chocolate at La Maison du Chocolat. The temperature is at freezing
outside and it's supposed to get up to about 36 degrees F. I sat down
and filled out my journal. My French is very weak and my pronunciation
is horrible. Single word answers get me by unnoticed, but anything
approaching a sentence is answered by English. My cough is back too. I
went to a coffee shop and ordered a cafe latte. I typed out my journal
while there.
At the gate counter I got priority
boarding which is handy even though I'm traveling in economy class. I
got on the plane around 9:50 AM and went straight to my seat. The plane
took off at 10:40. During the flight I watched
The Life of Pi,
Dilemma,
and
The Hobbit.
I was served food several times, but I just wasn't hungry. I did have
some bread, ice cream and ginger
ale. I haven't been hungry for weeks and I can't imagine being hungry
again. I've had a dry cough throughout the flight. We landed in Detroit
at 2:40 PM and it is bright and sunny.
I made my way through passport control
and customs very quickly (I have no checked luggage). I was at my gate
by a little after 3. My next flight departs at 7:30 so I have a long
time to wait. I filled out my journal and then typed it out.
I boarded my flight to Lexington about
7:00 and the plane took off about 7:30. I was in Lexington airport by
about 9 PM, very tired. I walked to the exit and saw Anne
waiting for me. She told me all the news on our drive home.