India 2011

Sonntag, 23. Januar 2011

Palolem, Goa

We moved to Palolem yesterday, just 10 km from Agonda.

Really nice here, full with tourists though.

Now sleeeeping. Want to get up early and catch our boat for seeing dolphins.

Mittwoch, 19. Januar 2011

Having caught a little cold and not feeling too well, I decided to stay in bed that morning. We agreed with Sanji to meet up in the afternoon for some sightseeing. It was the perfect time for playing sick actually, as it was the first time we stayed in the same hotel for more than one night.

In the afternoon, we first had a look at the lake.

Udaipur lake with Taj Lake Palace in the background

Udaipur street leading down to the lake

Cow being fed

After that we visited Shilp Gram. We had a nice guide there, who was eager to meet people from other countries and learn about their cultures. We spoke about the differences between the traditional Indian and our own lifestyles. He also told about his arranged wedding and his view on the matter. Tradition says the husband is the God of the wife, and he can sleep in bed, while the wife and children have to sleep on the ground. He did not agree with that tradition though.
"If the husband is the God of the wife, then the wife also has to be the goddess of the husband", he said.
It was nice to look at all the rural buildings and handicraft, and I also joined a tribal dance being performed.

Shilp Gram buildings

Shelf in one of the buildings

Let's dance!

Of course, as I have mentioned before, everything leads to shopping. This time I found a nice peacock drawing and bangles made out of nuts and seeds.
The guy I bought the painting from, had an amazingly steady hand. He also draw an elephant onto my fingernail, so it was quite small, but also housed so many details. Impressive.
Actually, I only buy what I really like and want, even if it might not sound like that.

Shopping in Shilp Gram

Getting back out of the village museum, we had to rush a bit, as we wanted to visit the City Palace before it closed.
I had an audio guide, but sadly I could not concentrate on it too well. It was warm, I was a bit dizzy from my cold, and we only had an hour for a tour, which usually lasts 1.5 hours.

View from Udaipur City Palace

Back in the hotel we asked for our laundry we had handed in in the morning. It is always wise to know exactly how many and which items you give for washing. At first try, which was supposed to be our laundry, I only found a pair of socks, which was mine. Second try almost got it right and with third try we had everything together :)

In the evening we watched a music and dancing show. It was outside and we got to see traditional dances from different areas of Rajasthan.

Rajasthani tribal dance

Day 7 - Jodhpur and Udaipur

That day was just beautiful and serene.

On the way to Udaipur we made a long stop in Ranakpur.

The countryside was so green and lush on this bright sunny day. First we had an amazing buffet lunch in Rupum Restaurant. After that, Sanji showed us a dam. If you're lucky, you can spot crocodiles up in the lake, coming from the jungle side. We weren't lucky :(

Nevertheless, it was a great view over the lake, the dam and the countryside.

Dam in Ranakpur

We then stopped at a weaver family. It was interesting to see how they make Dhurries. There is so much work and effort put into all the handicraft I've seen so far. May it be tailoring, weaving, carving, anything.

Weaver in Ranakpur

The Ranakpur Jain Temple was just awesome. I had seen several Jain temples by then already, and all of them were nice and different from each other. But this one topped them all. The temple is a huge building with dozens of pillars inside, letting in sunlight between them.
A scent of incense being carried on by the wind. Feeling the polished stones of the temple floor under your naked feet while walking around in the mix of sunlight and shadow. Outside monkies are playing with each other. Bright green parrots flying above. Palm trees glimmering in the sunlight. That is a vague description of the atmosphere I experienced there.

The high priest greeted us and asked if he should sing and pray for us. I am not religious, but yes sure, why not. Just a week before that, he had prayed for the Norwegian royal family when they visited the temple. He had a very nice and calm voice, and his whole character radiated warmth and peace. Impressive encounter. My mood was surely glowing for a while after having left the temple again.

High priest of Ranakpur Jain temple

Ranakpur wildlife

With this beautiful day slowly coming to an end, we made our way to Udaipur. The most romantic city of India, as they say. Once again, we enjoyed a nice meal on our hotel's rooftop overlooking the lake and lit city.

Advanced Sightseeing

Got to see Apollo Hospital in Margao today! Even the x-ray room! How exciting :))
Taxiride there and back was really nice. Beautiful Goan landscape, palm trees and dark red sand on the roadsides.

I stumbled and overbent my foot last evening and it had not stopped hurting this morning, so I decided to have it checked. Hospital was recommended by the travel insurance company. Hospital, doctor and nurses were really nice. Now I have to wear a bandage for 3 weeks and am humping around like a bunny. But hey, where else could it be nicer right now than here?

Sitting in front of a beach hut looking out over the sea, being served drinks and food, listening to the waves while falling asleep. Not the worst conditions for a fast healing I would say.

Dienstag, 18. Januar 2011

Sunny greetings from Agonda, Goa

Hello everybody!

Enjoying the time in Goa with lots of sunlight, a nice beach, lots of snoozing and eating.

I will post more entries tonight when the temperature has dropped a bit.

Freitag, 14. Januar 2011

Arrived in Cochin, Kerala

After 45 hours in a train from Agra to Kerala, we arrived at Ernakulam Junction. That sounds way worse than it actually was, even sleeping was comfortable.

Found our hotel and went to Cochin Fort by ferry for exploration.

Tomorrow we will be picked up for a Backwaters trip, where we will spend the night, too. Then we take another train to Goa.

No more updates during that time, I guess.

But stay tuned!

Day 6 - Khuri and Jodhpur

The night in Khuri was filled with fresh air, which was a really nice change from all the dust and dirt of the big cities. The downside: it was incredibly hard to get out of my three blankets and into the cold morning.

After breakfast we left towards Jodhpur.

Road between Khuri and Jodhpur

On the way there, Sanji showed us a little village with goat farmers. The kids in the village are not going to school, the next one would be too far away anyway. The little clay houses have 10-15 residents.

Village kids and me

As advised by Sanji, I had bought some bonbons for the kids. Thinking of it now, I don't find that the greatest idea though. I have to find something else, which is easy to bring and actually good for them. Maybe nuts or something like that instead.

When trying to hand out the sweets, it got a bit chaotic, so I gave them to the village chief instead, who handed them out to each of the kids. Each of these villages has a chief, who has the say and takes care of the village residents.

Arriving in Jodhpur, we checked in at the hotel. That hotel is my favourite so far, with nice fountains and wall drawings. The temperature also stayed comfortably warm during the evening and night, so I didn't freeze on the rooftop and in bed for once :) Yay!

Hotel in Jodhpur

After checkin we walked to the fort. I really liked Jodhpur and its blue houses, from which the city gets its other name; "The blue city". The blue color was once reserved for the priests but today many others are using it also. It turns out that the color gives an effective protection against mosquitos and sunlight. The fort was really nice and worth a visit, it also offered a great view over Jodhpur.