Apologies for the very belated start to this blog. No excuses really, there just never seems to be enough time. I am also a little nervous about writing a travel blog, I'm not overly confident that I will be able to express myself and my experiences that well. Oh well, here goes...
So I've been in India for 4 weeks now, I'm not totally over the culture-shock and I'm beginning to wonder if one ever gets used to the way of life here. It has been raining most of the time during my stay in Mumbai, which at least has helped with the heat. The rain, heat and humidity add to the feeling of unfamiliarity in India. These conditions, coupled with the enormity of the city and the incessant car horns and crowds of people can be really exhausting. I am thankful that I travelled a little in Rajasthan before arriving here.
Rajasthan
After meeting up with two other girls, Joanna and Phoebe, we left Delhi and took a train to Jaipur. I would be lying if I said I was sad to have left Delhi. Whilst part of me loved the chaos, the heat and crowds were relentless. Delhi was however, exactly how I had pictured India to be. Unbearably hot, noisy and full of people spitting, shouting and sweating. Not to mention the cows. Travelling with two like-minded girls made the whole experience much more bearable. We spent most of our time in Jaipur on the roof terrace of our hostel (beer is very cheap in India). Our group of three grew quickly to a group of seven. We all left Jaipur on a train to Ajmer. From Ajmer, we took a bus to Pushkar.
Pushkar was a beautiful place, the kind of town you could end up staying in for weeks. Even in the few days we were there, it really felt like we got to know the place and the people well. It was refreshing to be able to safely walk around alone and without the need for a rickshaw. Our 'hotel' was fairly dire, with resident geckos, man-eating ants and flying black beetles. Oh, and the toilet flushed directly onto our bedroom floor (when we had running water). Much of our party had fallen ill in one-way or another so it wasn't really the best place to be staying when a flushing toilet was kind of essential. The bonus to staying somewhere horrid, it that you have no inclination to spend any time there. I spent one afternoon just drinking chai, sitting in a jewellery 'shop' watching a ring being made. It was such a refreshing experience, to feel safe, comfortable and relaxed. It was fascinating to watch the comings and goings of this little shop, the jeweller appeared to help most of the population of Pushkar in one way or another. At some point he even left me to sit and guard his shop while he disappeared on some errand.
From Pushkar, we took a local bus to Ajmer. We boarded the bus just as a heavy monsoon shower fell, it was fairly scary as our rickety bus made its wobbly descent amidst muddy flood water. At first we weren't too worried, that was until the locals became increasingly agitated. I did however enjoy the journey, a glimpse into the apparent chaos caused by just ten minutes of rainfall. So from this exciting, dynamic journey to the poverty-stricken town of Ajmer. As we left the bus, there was a lot of hassle, stares and begging. The station was horrible, sleeping adults and children covered the station floor, swarmed by flies.
We had a long, fun journey to Udaipur sitting in general class with crowds of locals. Joanna, Phoebe, Beth and I instantly fell in love with Udaipur. Sparkling coloured lights reflected off the tranquil lake, the sounds of beeping carhorns a distant memory. Our rooms were beautiful too, with balconies over-looking the lake. In the morning we met a friendly Indian-Canadian woman, and we spent the morning with her visiting the Palace and exploring the streets on foot. Wandering around Udaipur is like exploring a European town, a maze of winding streets lined with shops and stalls. Unfortunately I was ill for most of my stay here, but luckily I am coming back to stay here with Daddy in October.
There is a small queue forming so an update from my 3 weeks in Mumbai will have to wait. Sorry! Thank you all for my lovely e-mails, sorry if I don't reply to them all.
xxx
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