So was in pushkaar which was cool, had some really good times there with, Karen (absolute star), ksenia (also star) and tom (fucking Israeli – who I love :-) not forgetting the guy who came to the hotel everyday who’s name I’ve forgotten but was from the richest family in pushkasar but was hiding out from them as they wanted him to marry someone (I think). Did lots of stuff but forgotten lots. Hightlights were –
Running up the biggest hill without stopping at sunset to see if I could do it – it was good, but hard work. Got to the top of the hill literally crawling up the last 10 or so steps and the guy in the café took one look at me and gave me a bottle of water. Meet a Swedish girl up there who’d had enough of the town (like I had) and we had a coffee and chat.
Getting a call from krissy, lae, Shane and everyone on a Friday night when they were all pissed (love you guys x)
Got pissed as a fart playing ‘put off killa’ on the pool table (this game involves playing killa
Shiv shiv shiv shambo
Hara hara shiv shambo (x2)
Ma ha diva shambo
Ma ha diva shambo (x2)
Over and over and over, was good fun and can’t get it out of my mind
Lots of stuff happened as I was there for a while :-Other highlights include the fire behind the sikh temple, buying a jumper, walking up other hill, going to ajmer and seeing the 14 (I think) different dimensions, walking round the Ghats (lake) everyday, seeing the guy in the cafe become an incomprehensible wreck in the evenings
In puskcaar I also meet up with jenny who I use to see a lot of when I went out with Yvonne (4years ago maybe) but haven’t seen much recently (although she is absolutely lovely) and her friend Emma and we all left pushkaar together with a guy called Mark (from Bristol – drinks in the Cadbury pub). They were all going to gokarna for Christmas so I said I would go with them.
Now the thing with gokarna is its probably about 1800 km from puskaar and all the trains are fully booked, also last time I traveled the length of the country I didn’t see much I just did it in one train ride. This time my plan was to get coaches to different places and see different things…. Everybody decided to follow my plan (although there was talk of a boat.) We have been on a proper adventure and its been great fun
First stop – udipur
Wasn’t as good as everyone said, walked round the city, ate some food, saw the palace (which was nice) tried to get to the hotel in the middle of the lake in a pedelo but got stopped by security guards, all 4 of us ended up sharing a room and we had a laugh in the evening just sitting around chatting waiting for mark to come home (he was playing chess in a bar), had to send some food back in a restaurant because it tasted like disinfectant and the guy was a bit rude about it!! I was a bit rude back!! Meet some Australian girls who are cool (they remind me of kath and kim
Next stop – Daman
(going to write less now as this is really going to be a long entry but so much has happen wish I could write it all:-(
Got there at 6 in the morning and it looked shit!! Beach was smelly and polluted, turned out we were on the wrong beach. Went to new beach and got a guest house, this one man and his wife helped us and bought us chai and potato stuff. We then decided to get pissed. We bought a bottle of coconut fenni (read hampi entry) and added it to fresh coconuts, was very tasty!! Beach was hilarious, me and emma rode a camel and when we got back jenny was surrounded by literally 2 coach loads of Indian school children, and they were mental! Can’t explain, - they wanted us to play guitar, juggle, anything, I’m sure it nearly turned into a riot and the teachers where the worst offenders. Managed to get rid of them by telling them we would do a show for them at 1.30. Luckily we fell asleep. I woke up hugging Emma’s foot?? We’d ordered dinner in the morning from a beach hut and we ate that on the beach as the sun went down (magic) and then returned to our hotel, where we were invited to the nice man from earliers wife’s birthday party (him his wife and his sister in law getting pissed) we joined them and had a really nice evening, he bought us lots of drinks (he was loaded) and was just really really nice, ate food and danced, it turns out I know all the moves to Wigfield Saturday night – who’d have known!
Next day moving again, this time on the recommendation of nice man we head to nasig (spell check) on the second holiest river in India !! must be mentioned at this point that we have two aims, one to get to gokarna before Christmas and two - I really want to see the ellora caves that are in the middle of India on the way and nasig is on the way (sort of)
Took quite a long time, got local bus (which was funny) then got a hotel with a tv and had movie night (was late when we arrived) we all shaved a room again and watched two films die hard 4.0 (ok but 3rd time now I’ve seen it) and perfume (great film but very very very very very very very very strange ending watch it, you can also read the book which I’m told is rude!!)
First impressions of nasig was what the fuck are we doing here it was dark busy and probably smelly. Next day our impression hadn’t changed much when we went for a walk… thenl we stumbled across the Ghats (baths really) and all these people where there praying, watching, hanging out and I think we all just felt our spirits lift and realized it was well worth while coming to nasig. That was the highlight, rest of time we walked round, jenny and Emma danced and bought bangles. Then we moved again
Got the train to Augredabad (which from now on will be called oranjeboom for no other reason than I want to). Train was easy enough, I wasn’t in the mood for talking to Indians so put on head phones or got on top bunk and fiddled with guitar. Got to oranjeboom and I’d told ‘the gang’ that I would find a hotel that was very cheap and they should just have faith. Well the faith didn’t last very long :-) after an hour of walking along with their backpacks on there started to be some moaning in the ranks so we stopped walking around and got a hotel!!! Sharing a room again is keeping it cheap and is really good fun, although the beds space keeps getting smaller and smaller. Ended up going for a beer – we needed one. Had a bottle of Carlsberg that honestly tasted like pure sex!! Amazing, so guess what we did then. We got pissed! And skipped home in a long line, was a good night.
Now its today and we went to the ellora caves, we were all a little hungover today and a bit tired from all the traveling and drinking and stuff – its been about a week since we left pushkaar and we haven’t stayed in the same place more than one night, which is quite draining although we all having a really good time.
The ellora caves are a bunch of caves that have been dug out and turned into temples and stuff, quite amazing. Somebody has literally caved 3 story houses out of the mountains!!! Also had an Indian ice cream which was very tasty. Got back to oranjeboom and really struggled to book a sleeper bus in the direction we wanted to go at a price we were willing to pay but managed in the end. Going to solipur tonight at 10, arrive there at 6 then we have to get local buses another 300km to get to near where we’re going!!! Just waiting to go at the moment so I’ve come to internet may answer emails and then might have chai..
Generally
This last week and a bit has been really fun and quite hardcore we have missioned halfway across India having fun and seeing stuff, don’t think there is anywhere I would have liked to stay for longer and we’re going to make it to the beach for Christmas. Having lots of fun with everyone and has been the easiest bit of traveling with people I’ve done (get along really well with everyone) although hardest in terms of getting where we want to go as its Christmas. I’ve missed out so much stuff its sad but these entries are getting far to long
Extras
if your wondering about the title thats marks, jenny and emma new traveling names (i haven't got one yet ...)
Thanks for message tiff hope dad doesn’t turn that way ;-)
Don’t think this entry is my usual eloquent self but I’m tired and rushing, sorry.
Its nearly Christmas, can’t tell at all in India, haven’t heard any Christmas songs yet, going to make some crackers (lay style) – merry Christmas everyone. All Christmas monies can be posted to my mum (don’t bother with cards as I won’t read them just send money:)
Face India
Visited a animal sanctuary (very sad) and hospital (bit strange – they wanted to take me into the surgery room!!), to check them out for volunteers and meet people. The places are all free to volunteer in and people don’t have to come on the work camps, not 100% sure about model of organization.. No body has got back to me about website, wish they would, creating a volunteer journalist position for somebody to come to India and write ‘copy’ would be a brilliant opportunity for a wannabie journo. Love Manoj
No comments:
Post a Comment