Dalailamaland

After Amritsar we took a 12 hour bus north again up into the McCleodganj hill station which sits in the foothills of the Himalayas at about 6000ft. The ride up was windy, dusty and bumpy. Our driver was driving this public bus up the windy mountain rode like it was a Porsche..several times I really thought we were going to tip over and tumble down the side of the gorge.

McCleod hill station

Having arrived safely we found the cooler, cleaner mountain air to be a welcome relief from the hot and polluted air of the plains below and well worth the white-knuckled drive up.

Himalaya foothills

We spent a couple of days hiking around the hills and visiting the local lakes and waterfalls.

In addition to the climate change the Tibetan-Buddhist-influenced culture of the area was a welcome change as well.

McCleod it turns out, or more specifically, Dharamsala, about 4km south, is the home of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government, and about 400,000 other Tibetans in exile.

Buddhist monks in front of Dalai Lama residence

It was neat to see a new culture. There was a large Buddhist temple in town where many young and old monks and other Buddhist pilgrims would circle and spin the mani prayer wheels (Om Mani Padme Hum) elevating their karma.

Buddhist stuppa

young and old monks

One night a crowd gathered in the streets with candles and flags for a a Free Tibet rally.

Helen and I had seen 'Free Tibet' stickers before..usually stuck to the bumpers of dilapidated old VW's. We had a vague knowledge of the Chinese occupation of Tibet and that the Dalai Lama was living in exile. The day after the rally we read a bit about the history of Tibet and attended a showing of a documentary film about the crisis in Tibet and the plight of the refugees. Until arriving in McCleod though I don't think we had a real sense of magnitude of the situation. Without getting too deep it seems that in 1950 the Chinese Maoist decided to invade and 'liberate' Tibet and have since then engaged in a systematic destruction of the Tibetan culture, a sort of culture-icide if you will, forcing Tibetans to adopt Chinese language and customs and cannibalizing all Tibetan cultural and historical relics. In an attempt to preserve their cultural heritage and historical identity many Tibetan, led by the Dalai Lama, have fled Tibet into India and Nepal to established refugee communities where children can grow up and live free as Tibetans.

This need to preserve a free Tibetan way of life is so strong that many parents send their children over the hill (i.e. the Himalaya's) knowing that they may never see them again. And this is what the documentary film was about. The film followed several young Tibetan children sent away from their homes in Tibet and their perilous journey over the Himalaya's into India. What was particularly moving about the film is that it featured many of the locals from the area, several of whom were sitting in the audience. So when you watch the guide taking these 8 year old kids through shoulder high snow drifts, fighting off frostbite and snow blindness, and running and hiding from the Chinese authorities at the Nepalese border and then you look over and sitting there is the guide with one of the kids (now 15) you couldn't help but feel moved by the reality of the situation. Especially when you learn that not all of the kids make it..some are lost to the elements..others are captured and imprisoned for years (the guide in the movie/audience was only recently released from spending 2 yrs in a Chinese prison)..still others are shot and killed by Chinese authorities, the most recent case of this was a shooting that occurred last month, claiming 9 people. To complicate matters more, Nepal has apparently recently changed its stance on Tibet and is now cooperating with China to capture and return refugees. The future looks bleak for Tibet it seems...

Anyway...

While shopping we came across a necklace for our friend Pierre.. (you know you love it P)

Some other monk pics..

Only in India

It's been a while since our last blog and we've been to many many places in India so apologies for the long blog and butt load of fotos..

After Jaipur and Pushkar we moved south to the Lake town of Udaipur where they filmed James Bond's Octopusy..I've included a couple pics below but if you really want to get a sense of what Udaipur is like rent and watch Octopusy..the town looks exactly the same!

Udaipur at sunset (City Palace on top of hill)

One night in Udaipur we were trying to sleep and kept hearing this "Beeeoorrraaahh" sound. It was loud and sounded like it was coming from right out front. We weren't terribly concerned as we were on the third floor but we kept trying to figure out what animal it was..was it a donkey? was it a monkey? a camel? an elephant? Who knows..but what is truly great about India is that it could very well have been any of these things.

Elephant ride vendor in Udaipur

After Udaipur we moved east again to a town called Bundi..a small village in the hills that despite being in the Book (i.e. Lonely Planet) is still relatively off the tourist radar. We had a great time in Bundi actually. Rudyard Kipling apparently lived here for several years while writing and it was also where we met our first Indian woman..actually we met two. It sounds funny but as of this point in India we had only interacted with men. Women were always around but were never part of the commercial or social fabric that we interacted with. So this lady that we stayed with, let's call her 'Mama' since that what she called herself, was a Brahman widow who apparently caused some waves in the conservative town of Bundi by opening up her haveli (house) as a guest house with her two daughters. It turns out the women from the Brahman class are not allowed to remarry if their husbands die. Facing a life of destitution (keep in mind that women in India aren't really allowed to work either) Mama decided to break with tradition and open her house to tourists. Her main selling point? Her food. Her food was by far the best food we have had in India. In fact she showed us some articles from the London and LA Times that featured her and her home cooking favorites. Props to her. Later we met another lady who also ran a Haveli with her brother..she was younger and less traditional. She told us that the newer generation is moving away from the restrictive traditions of their parents. She also informed us that we were among 10 tourists in town at that point...apparently all the Haveli owners talk..we became known as the American couple who wanted TV in their room..an apparently absurd request.

Lake house in Bundi (Rudyard Kipling lived here for a short time while writing)

We were rudely awaken one morning at Mama's to the sounds of crashing and banging on the roof above us. Having heard stories of the Monkey menace that plagues the town I grabbed my camera and ran up stairs to the rooftop to try to catch them. On my way up I was joined by another Indian who was staying at the Haveli..he brought a long stick. When we gt to the rf I was surprised to see about 30 monkeys on our rooftop alone..old, young, families. Mothers were hugging their young and the 'teenage' males were banging the chairs and tables around (which was the cause of all the racket). The guy who joined me started swinging the stick at the monkeys to shoo them..which I was grateful for since they didn't seem alarmed by my presence and in fact the older males seemed somewhat confrontational..while the rest of the monkeys fled across the rooftops one of the adult males actually circled behind us in an attempt to flank us or something..we spied him and shoo'd him too. Later the guy told me stories about how the monkeys will steal things from around the house and then hold them for ransom..only returning them if bribed with food. I'm a big fan of evolution and all but these monkeys it seems are getting a bit too smart.

All in all Bundi was a great town with colorful temples and streets.

We spent almost a week here exploring the Palace ruins that loomed over the town like Pankot Palace from Temple of Doom ...and with the swarms of bats that come out at night this place really was from Indiana Jones.

What is fascinating about a lot of Rajastan is that these towns still seem sort of medieval in a way. Swap out the accouterments of modern life (i.e. rickshaws, and tangles of telephone wires stretching across the street) and the scene is probably fairly close to what is was hundred of years ago with the massive city gates and street bazaars.

Bundi vegetable market

Bundi city gate

After Bundi we continued east to Ranthambore National Park to go tiger spotting. Ranthambore was tres cool..real Jungle Book type of stuff..ancient monkey infested temples, crocodiles basking on old Raj hunting bungalows. Lots of wildlife too, mostly monkeys, birds, and deer though. We toured around in an open top van for about 3 hours looking for tigers and just as the tour was ending our luck came around and spotted a mother tiger and her two cubs. They were a bit far away and it was getting dark so I couldn't get a decent picture..but still it was great to see these cats in the wild. Even from a distance you could tell how massive these things are.

Wild deer in Ranthambore National Park

After Ranthambore we said goodbye to magical Rajastan and continued on to Agra, site of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Majal is magnificent, mainly from the outside, but the 20usd ticket price to get in is a bit steep even by western standards. And apart from the Agra Fort and the Taj, Agra is a crappy town so we only stayed a couple of days..long enough for us both to catch colds.

Crossing the Yamuna River behind the Taj

Agra train station crowd

From Agra we took a train north to Delhi. Delhi is a city of about 25 million..almost the population of California. New Delhi is more modern than what we had been used to so far with wider streets and covered sewers. Having fallen ill in Agra we spent almost 4 days in Delhi doing nothing but watching TV and blowing our noses. Feeling slightly better we managed a couple of short ventures out to the bazaars and the Red Fort and even a night out for one of the Hindu holiday festivals.

Festival car..these things were loaded with a 4 man brass band and would cruise the streets blaring music collecting throngs dancing celebrators.

Street crowd dancing in street festival

From Delhi we took an overnight train to Amritsar in Punjab, home of the Sikhs and the holiest of Sikh sites, the Golden Temple.

Crowds of pilgrims stream into this place 24x7 it seems singing songs and reading passages from the Sikh holy book in an effort to pay respect to the religion and gain blessings from the Sikh priests that inhabit the temple. The Golden Temple was great and we came here several times through out the day just to crowd watch and take photos in the different light.

Sikh Guard in front of Golden Temple

The next day we took a day trip to the town of Attari/Wagah on the India-Pakistan border to watch the border closing ceremony. This is a truly bizarre affair. A massive crowd gathers on both sides. Music blares and the crowds dance in the street...

and then as the ceremony gets started.. the soldiers line up and shout some calls in Hindi which translate to something like "Hindustan is great, Hindustan is the best" and take turns marching quickly towards the border swinging their legs in these ridiculously high kicks...

then when they get to the border they face each other in groups and continue to kick the air and stomp the ground while snarling at the other side..all of this happens several times, for about 20 minutes, while the India and Pakistan flags are lowered from the poles. Then they shake hands and the border gates are closed and that's it..everyone goes home.

They'll repeat this to a similarly large crowd the next day..and the next..and the next! Only in India..

On the flipside

Unlike Columbus, Helen and I actually made it to India. We couldn't help feeling a bit funny as we stepped off the plane and into the sweet jasmine scented air wafting across the tarmac at Jaipur international. Maybe its was just the delirium caused by 24 sleepless hours of travel bouncing from Budapest to Dubai to Jaipur; or maybe it was realizing the historical irony of our situation, that it was because of Columbus' fortunate failure 500+ years ago that we could be here at all, as Americans in India; or maybe it was because we knew that we had crossed a boundary of sorts and that we were now +13 hours ahead of home which, given the inevitability of our round planet, puts us on the return side of our 'half-way-around' mark.

Regardless, arriving in India at 4am after a full day of traveling and after five months in Europe caused a bit of a shock for us. Not the "oh my god" sort of shock but more of a sitting-quietly-while-staring-out-the-windows sort of shock as our taxi raced us through the strange streets of Jaipur. Dawn was breaking and the cows were up..so were the beggars, the cripples, and the homeless families. The hedgerows of garbage, squashed piles of cow dung and open sewers were starting to reek and the gritty fumes of exhaust from dilapidated rickshaws and smoke from numerous roadside cooking fires were already clouding the early morning air.

the frenetic crush of Indian traffic

We checked in to our hotel and slept for almost two straight days. That is to say, we only managed a couple of short ventures into the city for first couple of days..exhausted and dazed we'd quickly returning to the sanctity of the hotel and our English language movie channels. By day three though we had mustered the strength to circle the bazaars and Palaces of the old city.

Palace Guard in Jaipur Palace

Children at play outside the Palace walls in Jaipur old city

Jaipur street vendor in old city bazaar

By day four we managed to hire a rickshaw and tour several of the old Mughal forts capping the hillsides surrounding Jaipur.

parked line of Rickshaws in Jaipur old city

view of greater Jaipur from Tiger fort

And by day five we had relaxed a bit and spent our time visiting some local temples and hand feeding monkeys.

Hand feeding monkeys at Monkey temple outside Jaipur

By day six we had had enough of Jaipur and headed west towards the pilgrim city of Pushkar. Jaipur is a city of 5 million, Pushkar by contrast is a city of only 15 thousand and so is much more manageable by foot. Being a holy hindu site though means no meat, no egg, no alcohol and no public displays of affection. In the Brahma Temple in Pushkar we gave offerings of peace and hapiness to the world in celebration of Gandhi's birthday (Oct2). We wandered the streets bazaars practicing our jedi hand waves and took long walks around the lake stopping to watch the ritual bathers on the ghats and the sunset.

Brahma temple in Pushkar

Street scene in Pushkar

Pushkar Ghats

We've been in India for just over a week now and so far we have nothing but mixed feelings..India can be an incredibly colorful and beautiful place with an equally fascinating history and culture. But it is also a very filthy place as well, with ridiculous levels of poverty. Something about India is very exotic and enticing and yet it is a very tiring place as well. I've tried to capture some various scenes and sentences that I think frame the varied wonder that is India.

We were in Rajastan, one of the poorer states in India.
In Rajastan, women traditionally do not work..some hold jobs of drudgery however as sweepers, street vendors, etc.

lady sweeping at Amber fort

Child labor laws do not apply in India..India in fact is one of the worlds largest offenders of child labor.
On the streets the kids beg in seemingly organized gangs..they ask for food or rupees.. succumbing to one will simply cause the others to rush over and flock around with one hand out and one hand on their bellies demonstrating how hungry they are.
I was accosted by a gaggle of school children wanting me to take their photo in exchange for rupees..they almost pulled me down at one point.

six year old street vendor selling water colors made from crushed rock and vegetables

Colorful ladies in Pushkar during Gandhi day fair selling various fruits and veggies

Cows in India are sacred..Brahma the chief diety takes the form of a cow..and the Brahman Bull was Vishnu's preferred mount.
Seemingly oblivious to most around them the cows lumber slowly through the streets in their endless, unfettered search for food..eating everything in their path..dropped food, vomit, paper and plastic refuse..the nest in droves in the street corner garbage heaps.
Not all cows are benign though..I've been rammed by two so far and Helen was chased down an alley by one who wanted the leftovers in her hand.
The other downside to public cows is the dung..it litters the street so that you have to constantly be on watch for it..I've already missed several times..

street cow in front of street art

Pushkar mystic musician at sunset

Despite the pervasive filth India is one of the most brightly colored places we have been to.
Silken saris and pashmina shops line the walls of the bazaars creating in rippling technicolor waves.
Every hue is imbued with a deeper mystical meaning, painting the world in history and religion.

Pushkar street scene

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Crowd at Pushkar temple

India it seems has everything..and its all for sale..the bazaar is the medieval heart of the city..it is here that the day occurs. Buying, selling, cooking, packaging, sewing, hammering, resoling, smelting, carving, typing..it is quite amazing actually to just wander and witness all the various tradesmen going about their daily grind..

Pushkar street vendor polishing wares

Pushkar street scene

Pushkar street vendor and cart

Pushkar street scene

Pushkar street scene

Pushkar street scene

Pushkar street scene

Despite the absence of meat, egg and alcohol, Indian cuisine never fails to delight and surprise.

Food Stalls

Food Stalls

Driving down the crowded streets in India you have to share the road with a variety of other man, machine and animal. Wizzing past elephants in a rickshaw mere inches from their bone crushing footfalls gives a new perspective on these animals. Despite their colorful adornments elephants though are treated fairly poorly in India.

Elephants at Amber fort

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mystic outside temple

Brahman Bulls in front of Brahman blue wall

tea time