After Pushkar we travelled to Jodhpur - the Blue City. It is known as the
blue city as many of its buildings are painted blue as a deterrant to
mosquitos and to keep cool. The most striking feature of Jodhpur is the
Meherangarh Fort. A massive 15th century fort built over a 125m high hill
right in the middle of the city. The fort dominates all views within the
city and has some magnificent views from on top. The Maharaja of Jodhpur
still runs the fort as a museum to the history of his family and life in the
fort as well as life in Jodhpur through the ages.
It was in the fort that Zoe and I made 2 new friends in Hemant and Pintu.
These fellows have a shop in the fort selling Rajhastani arts and crafts.
Not only did they welcome us into their shop but their homes as well. It
was interesting being with them, seeing day to day life of modern
Rajasthanis. Hemant is a practicing Hindu and lives a formal life. He
invited us to dinner which was incredibly generous. It felt rather odd being
westerners there. We sat on the floor in the living room while Hemant's wife
cooked and passed us food. She did not participate in the meal. A very
seperate and I felt boring existance.
We than headed for Jaiselmere, a desert fort town on the edge of the Great
Thar Desert. It was here that we planned a camal safari.
I had never seen a desert before and was excited at the prospect of sleeping
under the stars, eating desert food and riding a camel. My camel was called
Dagger. Not sure why. He was not the sharpest of beasts and also not very
dangerous to know. A gentle camel. Zoe's was called Garbage, after his
eating habits! Riding Dagger I found quite easy - if a little tiring on the
legs. The camels were well trained and fairly obidient - sometimes stopping
to snack on a desert tree. But the camel handlers would soon drive the
camels on. At night the camels were hobbled - front legs tied together but
left to roam the campsite. We were all given blankets to make our beds
whilst the camel men made a fire and prepared food. Chapatis and veg curry.
Fairly basic but always very welcome as camel riding made me hungry.
Sleeping on a dune under the stars was glourious. So many stars came out and
the sand was soft. It was cold at dawn but the camel men would light a fire
and the desert heated up quickly.
Returning to Jaiselmerewe we were pesented with an ever expanding view of
the fort. Like something from Lawrence of Arabia. Back in the town the
hustle and bustle took a little getting used to again!
After Jaiselmere we headed to Bikaner. Bikaner has another impressive fort
in its centre like most Rajasthani towns. Near by is the Temple of Rats. A
short train journey trough the desert took us there. Legend has it the rats
are reincarnated story tellers after the devil refused to bring them back as
people. They were brought back as rats to deny Him human souls.
The temple is fairly small, ornate and covered in rats. And a bit of a
whiff!
We then left Rajasthan for the Punjab and its capital Armritsar. Here we
visited the Sikhs holiest of temples, The Golden Temple.
The temple is situated in the centre of a holy man made lake. It can be
reached by a walkway. The Gold of the temple looks magnificent when
reflected in the water and I found the atmosphere to be very peaceful and
open.
Near Amritsar is the only road border crossing between India and Pakistan,
at Wagah. Relations between these 2 countries has never been smooth, and
this is typified at Wagah. Each evening and morning there is a cerimony to
mark the opening or closing of the border gates. Grandstands to sit 5000
have been built so people can watch the troops march back and forth. Crowds
jeer at one another and lots of fist wagging and flag waving occours. When
the gates are shut they are slammed with such force that they bounce back
open hummming and vibrating! Music is played and the crowds rush to
congratulte the troops on a job well done!
From the Pakistani border we could only go one way. East. We left to stay
at McLeod Ganj. The home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Govt in exile. To
arrive we went via Pathankot. Just 10kms south of the Jammau and Kashmir
border. J and K is a place I would love to visit but unfortunately it is
just too dangerous. The Pakistanis often shell its northern border and many
militant groups operate in the state. Pathankot is a dull town but has a
heavy military presence. Needed for the troubles in J and K.
McLeod Ganj is beautiful. Surrounded by snow covered Himalayan mountains. It
felt exciting to be in the snow so soon after being in the hot desert. A
complete contrast of climates. One negative is Indian mountain busses. I
have come to the conclusion that getting shelled by Pakistanis may not be as
dangerous as these things!
While at Mcleod Ganj the Dalai Lama was giving a 2 week lecture on Buddhism.
I visited for one day armed with my radio to listen to the translation, but
most went over my head! One bit that did stick in my mind was his
declaration of compassion for all transient beings, whether on Earth or
extra terrestrial!
After Mcleod Ganj we left for Mandi (a junction town, place to overnight
and change busses) and Manali. This is another mountain town on the Kullu
Valley. The valley had some dramatic scenary with Dams, Hydro electric
plants and an ever present snow topped mountain at its conclusion. Manali
was a bit chilly but being in the Himalaya is something special. A little
further up the valley is Solang Nullah where we hoped to ski but
unfortunately most of the snow had melted, so we sledged. Staying in the
hostel was fun as we had a wood burner in our room. Nice to sit around with
cold wet feet looking up at the mountains after a day in the snow and slush.
After we headed for Shimla. The town where my Dad was born. Shimla is a
very nice place. Not a big city and quite affluent. It has lots of army
camps (Granddad was an army engineer) and a curious India crossed with
England feel (its proximity to Delhi made it the summer capital of India
during the empire). The centre of town is on the ridge of a hill with a
large church at one end and magnificent views of the Himalaya. Shimla is
remarkably clean and fresh. A welcome change after many of the cities that I
have visited.
We left Shimla via Dehra Dun (another uninspiring place you sometimes
overnight to break they journey) to Rishikesh where I am now. Rishikesh is
on the banks of the Ganges. Another holy site and a centre of Yoga. It is
also the town where the Beatles met their Guru, so therefore it has become
popular with westerners.
Thanks for reading and I hope you are all well.
Love and kisses Dan.
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