Travelling south into Kerala

It was difficult to leave the bliss of Palolem beach behind, but it was time to continue our journey southwards. With a flight booked from the southern city of Trivandrum on 29^th back up to Delhi, there was still a depressing amount of mileage to cover if we are to get there and see all the things we want to see en route. Buses are never at convenient times and the bus from Palolem to Mangalore was no exception. As it didn’t leave until 3.30pm, we had to check out of our beach hut at 11am and then loiter around town trying to stay cool in the blazing heat. Typically, the bus did not turn up until after 4pm. No sleeper beds this time, just regular reclining seats which it turns out are preferable to being thrown about on the bunks, albeit only just. The pot holes and winding coastal road did not make for a comfortable journey, particularly as our driver seemed to have a death wish and kept hitting the potholes at high speed. Arriving in Mangalore at 1am is also not ideal, but luckily we managed to find a tolerable hotel for the night and better still, the price you paid was for 24 hours so no having to get up early for check out. Seemingly, most hotels in southern India operate on a 24 hour room rate basis and we hadn’t booked into a dodgy hotel where you can get rooms by the hour!

Mangalore is not known for its tourist attractions and we only stopped there in order to break up our journey. It was in fact quite an odd place and finding somewhere that served breakfast turned out to be quite a challenge. Having not eaten dinner the night before (food other than bananas, crisps and biscuits is best avoided at venues where the bus stops – buses don’t have toilets so getting food poisoning on a long journey is not an appealing option), we were both starving. We failed miserably in our quest to find a restaurant that served breakfast, or indeed opened before 11am. After an hour of searching, we eventually found a café that served a mighty fine grilled cheese sandwich, although at that point, I probably could have eaten anything. The food in Southern India is completely different from that in the north so it is taking us a while to figure out what to order. Frankly most of the menu may as well have been in a different language so we opted for the cheese sandwich as a safe bet!

The most exciting thing that Mangalore had to offer was a large supermarket – the first proper supermarket we have come across in India. After stocking up on snacks and drinks, we literally spent the rest of the day relaxing in our hotel preparing ourselves for the train journey that night. It has been a while since we’ve been on a train (unfortunately they tend to get booked up far in advance) and it felt like complete luxury after all the horrible bus journeys. Even more so because the train was quiet and we had a 4 sleeping berth section to ourselves. Unfortunately, our stop was scheduled for 3.35am and as it wasn’t the last stop, this meant having to be awake so that we didn’t miss it. Stations are never announced on Indian trains – apparently you should just know (tricky if you’ve never been there before) or you can try asking people who will normally provide you with an unhelpful array of differing information.

Next challenge, finding a hotel that wasn’t full. For some reason, ever since we have left northern India, finding places to stay has become more difficult. Nowhere was ever full, now everywhere is full and / or expensive. Let’s be honest, the last thing you want to do at 4am is have to trail around looking for somewhere although thankfully we did at least have a helpful rickshaw driver (helpful people in India are not commonplace). Also at that time of the night, you have to wake up the guy sleeping in reception which isn’t always easy. Eventually we found somewhere which interestingly had no shower, just a tap and a bucket in the bathroom…

By the way, we are now officially in the state of Kerala and staying in the town of Ernakulam (better known as Kochin, but actually Kochin is an island off the mainland). Kochin is an interesting mix of Portuguese, Dutch and British influences as all these countries have at some time controlled this island. On our first day in Ernakulam, we took the ferry across and spent the day sightseeing. It is a lot more peaceful there, if you can ignore the irritating the rickshaw drivers driving along beside you who seemingly can’t understand that you are happy walking and don’t require their services. Sometimes these things come back to bite you though and having been quite rude to many rickshaw drivers that day on Kochin, when we got back to Ernakulam, we couldn’t get a rickshaw driver to take us anywhere! It would appear that most Ernakulam drivers speak zero English, don’t know where anything is and can’t read maps – stupid people!! Interestingly though, Keralan people are on the whole better educated with an expanding middle class and this was evident from the modern shopping and food malls that could be found in the town. We were quite excited to discover fast food chains such as KFC in the mall!

Frankly a little tired of organising everything ourselves, we decided to book a couple of tours. The first a day cruise around the backwaters of Kerala for which it is famed. The second a two day trip up to the hill station and tree plantations of Munnar. As we would be basing ourselves in Ernakulam for a couple more nights at least, the lack of shower in the hotel was an issue, not to mention the intermittent electricity, and thus we embarked upon the mission of finding a new hotel. Ironically, we ended up going back to the guest house that we had originally intended to stay at but had been unable to get to in the early hours of the morning. The reason we couldn’t get to it was because the dog outside the front door was growling and snarling at us and we figured that a dog bite at 4am was really the last thing we needed. As it turned out, the dog was completely placid whenever we saw it during the day but Indian dogs do seem to go rather feral at night. Frankly the reason that they are placid in the day is probably due to the intense heat and their inability to move. Ernakulam is SO hot and humid. You sweat constantly and even at night the temperature does not get any cooler so sleeping is difficult. The only option is to have the ceiling fan on full which only serves to move hot air around and make a noise which keeps you awake anyway. The heat may also account for why so many men wear lungis here. I can best describe a lungi as a sarong worn as a giant nappy.

The backwaters of Kerala are essentially a myriad of channels and canals lined with palm trees and tropical rainforests. The popular way to explore these is via houseboat or canoe, both of which we did on our day long excursion. Unfortunately, our trip out to Munnar was cancelled due to strikes in that area, so we decided to escape the heat and humidity of Ernakulam and get to the beach. A 10 minute rickshaw ride, a 2 hour bus ride, a 3 hour wait, a 2 hour train journey, a 10 minute taxi ride and we are finally in Varkala right towards the very southwest tip of India. And here we shall remain for the next six days until it is time to make the final hop to Trivandrum and finish our journey. Time to relax……..

Our houseboat cruise



Canoeing along the backwaters of Kerala



Harvesting coconuts - how to climb a tree!

Goa - palm trees, warm seas and sandy beaches

Leaving the buzz of Mumbai behind, we undertook yet another uncomfortable overnight bus journey to reach Goa. A different state and a different India. Goa is very tropical and green, with lots of palm trees, nice beaches and a generally more laid back feel to it. There is still the odd cow wandering along the street though so you know that you are still in India!

We spent a couple of nights in Northern Goa at Morjim Beach and had my first swim in the Arabian Sea. Probably the warmest sea I have ever swam in – it was like stepping into a warm bath! Morjim was basically just a quiet stretch of sand – not crowded, not touristy and not that spectacular either. The northern beaches of Goa are quieter than the southern section but that is probably because they are not as pretty (although I have very high standards when it comes to beaches, having been thoroughly spoilt over the past 18 months with numerous tropical paradises!).

After Morjim, we headed inland to Central Goa and the very small capital city of Panjim. Goa was never part of British India – it was colonised by the Portuguese and their influence is still apparent in the architecture. Panjim has lots of brightly coloured buildings, pretty streets and, in the centre of town, a huge white church on a hill. Historical Old Goa (the original capital city) is just a short bus or rickshaw ride away. Old Goa is full of beautiful churches, museums and Se Cathedral – the largest in Asia.

After a day of culture, it was time to explore the southern beaches of Goa. Taking a couple of local buses, we ended up at Palolem which is a beautiful crescent shaped stretch of sand lined with palm trees. Unlike many beaches in southern Goa, Palolem has remained very low key. There are no major hotels here and its charm is in the fact that everything is very ramshackle and rustic. There are hundreds of brightly painted beach huts crammed together that are erected temporarily each season. Consequently, they are very basic with somewhat rudimentary electrics and plumbing but they serve their purpose well enough for the backpacker crowd that they attract.

I am currently whiling away my days lying on the beach, working on my tan and taking the occasional dip in the sea to cool down. It feels like we are having a holiday from travelling. Backpacking, especially in India, can be hard work so it’s nice to take a few days off from being on the move to relax. There are few things in life more pleasant than watching the sun go down, sipping a Mojito cocktail, with the sand between your toes, listening to the waves crashing on the shore…. And the sound of dogs howling and barking. Dogs are plentiful in India and those in Goa spend their whole day sleeping in the shade. But as soon as the sun goes down, they gather in packs on the beach and start making a hell of a noise which continues throughout the night.

After Palolem, we continue our journey southwards to the state of Kerala.

Our purple beach hut



View from our balcony



Palolem Beach

Modern Mumbai

It was the bus journey from hell to get to Mumbai. 16 hours of bumpy roads in a sleeper bed at the back of the filthy bus was quite nauseating, and not helped by the horrendous toilet stops. In some places, there weren’t even rancid squat toilets, just an area of waste ground that had been designated the “toilet”.

So it was with some relief that we arrived in Mumbai at first light. Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is on the west coast of India and is very different to the India we had seen thus far. Parts of Mumbai are very modern, cosmopolitan and westernised. There are fewer saris being worn, and lots of young Indians hanging out in western clothes in fast food chains (MacDonalds!) and bars. Alcohol is commonplace and meat and fish are an integral part of the diet – completely different to Rajasthan where many restaurants adhere to strict vegetarianism and do not even serve eggs. After 24 days of eating veggie only food, it was a joy to eat meat again!

We were staying in the touristy area of Colaba, in south west Mumbai. It was noticeable how clean the city was compared to other places we had been in India, and it felt quite civilised walking along a pavement using pedestrian crossings rather than battling along narrow streets shared by animals, people and vehicles. India has been unquestionably filthy with rubbish piling up in the streets everywhere, so it was nice to see that Mumbai is somewhat cleaner.

Lots of building styles are clearly remnants of British colonial times. There are still lots of Morris Minor black and yellow taxis (known as bumble bees), although these are gradually being replaced by Japenese cars. The impressive Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the scene of fatal bombings in 2008, has been restored to its former glory and sits proudly on the waterfront alongside the Gateway to India monument.

As is often the case with big cities, immense wealth exists alongside extreme poverty. Over 50% of Mumbai’s population live in slums and shanty towns, with Dharavi slum being the largest in Asia. There are also a large number of pavement dwellers – people who don’t even have enough to get a place to live in a slum community and simply set up camp each night on the pavements. We saw lots of families living like this on our bus journey into Mumbai. We had planned to visit the slums (there are companies that run tours and put part of the profits back into the slum), but got caught out by it being a Sunday. As an alternative, we took a boat trip out across the harbour to Elephanta Island which is designated a World Heritage Site. I’m not sure what you have to do to be awarded that honour, but if this is anything to go by, then very little it would seem! The island is home to some caves but they are not at all impressive and have largely been ruined by people tramping all other them. Sadly, Indians don’t seem to understand how to maintain historically important sites. They are only concerned with the present and extracting every last rupee from tourists. Entrance fee for Indian - 10 rupees. Entrance fee for foreigner - 250 rupees!

I could write a whole blog about Indians ripping off tourists. Two recent examples. We take a rickshaw to the bus station from our hotel. Before getting in the rickshaw, we agree a price of 80 rupees. On arrival, I give the driver 100 rupees expecting 20 rupees change. Instead he tells me I owe him another 60 rupees because it is 80 rupees for each of us. Suffice to say, he did not get another 60 rupees as we just walked off and ignored his demands. Another personal favourite is the luggage charge that the bus conductor will ask for. Only foreigners pay this and it is a completely arbitrary amount of money. On our first bus, it was 5 rupees per bag which is a miniscule amount of money and I don’t begrudge giving that. However, since then every bus we take, the price seems to get higher. Last night, the demand was for 100 rupees, although he only got 50 in the end which is still a complete rip off. All this haggling gets very tiresome. Welcome to India!

 

Udaipur - last stop in Rajasthan

The trip from Jaisalmer to Udaipur provided us with yet another different type of travel experience. A bus journey but this time we were given the option of a sleeper seat or sitting. As it was a 12 hour journey overnight, we took the sleeper option when we purchased the tickets, not really sure what we would be getting. Basically, the bus has regular seats but above those seats are sleeper beds. It was a little bit like being in a plastic box on display for 12 hours as people standing can see in (this is India remember – just because the seats are all full, this doesn’t mean they won’t let more passengers on). On the plus side, the mattresses were very comfortable and you could open the windows for fresh air so the trip was tolerable enough.

Having left Jaislamer at 3.30pm, we actually arrived in Udaipur at 5.00am, jumped in a rickshaw and headed for a guesthouse. The great thing about guesthouses and hotels in India is that they don’t care about check in times at all. You can rock up when you like and they won’t charge you extra. Arriving at 5.30am and going straight to bed, I kind of feel that we’ve had an extra night here but they don’t charge for that.

Udaipur is a city set on the banks of Lake Pichola and surrounded by hills. The lake is home to the legendary Lake Palace Hotel, famous for being the setting of the James Bond movie, Octopussy. You can take boat trips on the lake and cruise around the island the hotel is on, although only hotel guests can go ashore. You can also visit Jagmandir Island on which sits a palace, the entrance to which is flanked by huge stone elephants. Back on dry land, Udaipur itself is home to Rajasthan’s largest city palace, as well as temples, havelis and lots of narrow winding streets. Such streets are typical of most places we’ve been in Rajasthan. They should be charming but the charm starts to wear thin when cars, mopeds and rickshaws are trying to use streets that were only ever designed for people, cows and donkeys. The noise of constant beeping, the hassle from shop owners, having to dodge vehicles and cow dung – India can be hard work at times. Yet when you are sat on the roof top of your hotel in the evening, watching the sun go down over the shimmering lake, the palaces lit up, it can also be incredibly serene and beautiful.

Tomorrow sees us saying goodbye to the state of Rajasthan and heading south to Mumbai (Bombay).

Lake Palace Hotel

Jagmandir Island, Lake Pichola

City Palace

 

Jodphur to Jaisalmer, and a camel called Sonia

It was an interesting and arduous six hour bus journey with the locals from Pushkar to Jodphur. Once again, we were the only tourists on the bus which took us along some dreadful roads (it was just like being back in Africa). On arrival in Jodphur, the bus was surrounded by about 50 rickshaw drivers all wanting to take us to the hotel which would pay them commission. However, we are getting used to this now and always pick a hotel from the Lonely Planet guide book before we arrive, and just tell the driver that we already have a reservation. He will still spend the entire journey telling you the hotel he knows is much better and cheaper – they don’t give up easily!

Mehrangarh fort is the focal point of Jodphur and it towers over the city. Many of the city buildings are blue, hence Jodphur being known as the Blue City. The 16^th century fort (reputedly one of the most magnificent in the whole of India) is fascinating to visit and the museum gives you a great insight into Indian history. From old to new, we also visited the Umaid Bhawan Palace on the other side of the city. Building of this incredible palace began in 1929 and took 3000 workers 15 years to complete.

Jodphur

After a day sightseeing in Johphur, it was onwards to Jaisalmer by overnight train. Jaisalmer is another city built around a fort, although this one is different in that people live and work within the fort walls and the twisting streets inside are full of shops and businesses. India is certainly a shoppers paradise – by the end of this trip, I think I may have discarded all the items I bought with me for new stuff. Everything is so cheap and yet so nice! Items purchased so far include two pairs of trousers, a scarf, cushion covers and bracelets – total cost probably around £10.

Jaisalmer is known as the Golden City because of its sandstone coloured buildings. The city appears unfinished because of the flat top roofs and the piles of rubble everywhere. The beauty (or problem depending on how you look at it) of the flat top roof is that your house or hotel is never finished – you can just keep building on it if you wish. The sandstone colours definitely give the sense that this is a desert city, and certainly most tourists visit Jaisalmer for the purpose of getting out into the Thar Desert.

Jaisalmer

What a joy it is to escape to the desert and camp out in the sand dunes under the star filled skies. Not a single beeping horn to be heard, just total peace and tranquillity. For two days, we did not see any other tourists. It was just me, Di, our camel driver/guide and our three camels, and any locals we saw in the little villages dotted along the way. My camel was called Sonia and, in truth, we actually had four camels because Sonia’s one year old daughter, Lalu, decided she would come on the safari too. It has to be said camels are not the most comfortable mode of transport but, as you might have guessed by the title of the blog, I had become quite attached to Sonia by the end of the two days. Having said that, after the heat of the desert during the day, and then sleeping under camel scented blankets at night, I was also more than glad of a shower and a comfortable bed on our return to Jaisalmer.

Riding Marwari horses

I mentioned in my last blog post that Pushkar is the sort of place you could easily while away a few days in. Just as well really because Di has been too sick to move on so we have spent a record breaking four nights here (our longest stay in any one place was two nights prior to this). I have been filling my days exploring the town - managing to resist the urge to do any shopping due to lack of space in my bag - swimming in a nearby hotel pool, and having an ayurvedic massage. This is an invigorating type of massage that is supposed to restore your mind and body – apparently Camilla is currently in India at an ayurvedic retreat, although I imagine her experience to be somewhat more expensive and plush than mine!

This morning, I decided to go on a horse ride to explore the surrounding area. You are never sure what to expect when you book these things. Riding on the back of a moped through the streets of Pushkar to get to the stables was quite a fun way to start the day (it made a pleasant change to be on one rather than dodging them which is what any normal day in India involves!). I have to say when I arrived at the “stables”, I was so unimpressed by the horses and the appalling tack that I almost had second thoughts about going. Particularly as I wasn’t even sure that the horse they led out for me was actually sound. Anyway, I decided I would ride the horse a little way and see how it felt. As it was just me and a guide, I would just turn round if I didn’t think the horse was okay.

I’m glad I went as it meant I got to experience riding a Marwari horse. They have the strangest inward turning ears such that when their ears are pricked, the tips touch each other. They also have a very unique gait (the horse wasn’t lame, this is how they move). They don’t have a trot, but the pace in between walk and canter is fantastically comfortable. Since getting back from my ride, I have done some more research on these unique horses. They are a rare Indian breed that is essentially a cross between the native Indian pony and an Arabian horse making them incredibly hardy. The comfortable fast gait makes them brilliant for covering long distances in the desert with ease. Apparently, Marwari horses performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee too. So all in all, overlooking the badly fitting tack, it was a very enjoyable ride through villages and farms, and then into more desert type scenery and sand dunes. My horse might not have looked anything special, but she was fit, fast and fun.

Onwards to the blue city of Jodphur tomorrow – so called because of the milky blue colour of the buildings in the old part of the city.

Pushkar

Well, we didn’t see a tiger. Unfortunately, as a result of the tiger attack on a park worker the previous day (the third one in 2012), much of the park was closed to visitors thus lessening our chances of seeing one still further. Despite that, our stay in Ranthambhore was really quite pleasant. A nice hotel with amazing food such as potato and tomato curry with vegetable rice and chipatis served on the rooftop restaurant whilst we watched camels, pigs and cows wandering along the road below. Just watching the world go by in India is always fascinating, particularly from the serenity of a roof top.

Onwards to Pushkar which meant a two hour train journey back to Jaipur, once again in cattle class travelling with the locals. The train we got was the Mumbai to Jaipur express and consequently, boarding it towards the end of its journey, meant it was absolutely packed. There was literally not a single spare space – people on the floors and hanging out of the doors. They don’t give any thought to health and safety in India that’s for sure! On arrival in Jaipur, a massive cheer went up from the passengers and then there was the most chaotic surge to disembark. I’m not sure exactly how long it takes from Mumbai to Jaipur but it must be around 24 hours so those who had been sitting cramped up on the floor were more than a little relieved to escape. The guy who had been sitting on my rucksack for the journey insisted on carrying it off the train for me. The sad fact of travelling in India is that you really can’t trust anyone because so many people are just trying to rip you off. So although he was just being nice, I was also desperately concerned not to let him or my bag out of sight during the crush to get to the platform.

Fortunately, the next leg of our journey – another two hour train ride from Jaipur to Ajmer – was a little more civilised as the train wasn’t nearly so full. The one bonus of travelling in second class is that it is ridiculously cheap - about 70 pence for the two hour journey. Once in Ajmer, the plan was to get the bus to Pushkar but we settled for a taxi for the 30 minute drive when Di got off the train and promptly vomited in the gutter. Strangely enough, she didn’t fancy a bus ride whilst feeling sick.

Pushkar is a very holy place that devout Hindus are expected to make a pilgrimage to at least once in a lifetime. It is also famed for the camel fair that takes place each year which is the largest tribal gathering of its kind in the world. 50,000 camels are bought to Pushkar for the fair! The town surrounds a lake and there are 400 temples and several bathing ghats where pilgrims can bathe in the sacred waters. The main street is essentially a tourist bazaar with a myriad of jewellery and clothing on sale. We’ve certainly seen more tourists here, but as the centre of town is closed off to cars and autorickshaws, it doesn’t seem as hectic and busy as other places we’ve been. If only they also banned mopeds from the streets, it could almost be relaxing to stroll around! The town has a very hippie vibe and it would be easy to while away several days here, just relaxing and enjoying the sounds of drums, music, chanting and prayers at sunset and sunrise.

Yesterday morning, I made the hour long trek up to the hill top temple of Saraswati which affords fantastic views over the town and lake of Pushkar. Also visited the Brahma Temple which is one of only a few in the world.

At Saraswati Temple with the town and lake of Pushkar down in the valley below



Indian trains