Well so much to tell you. We left Bikaner at 09.00 and travelled via Mandwar back to Dehli. The stop in Mandwar was quite nice with some lovely buildings all hand painted fine art and the structure is so intricate and beautiful. We did stop at a restaurant hoping for some food but again found nothing on the menu that we could even contemplate, so we opted to continue the journey. In total we were travelling for 12 hours, as we approached Dehli we were stuck in the most horrendous traffic, I thought the M25 was the worst but this beats anything I have ever seen!
Arriving back in Dehli was not relished as we both feel it is just so very dirty but at least there are a couple of places we can eat.So our tour of Rajesthan completed it has gone so quickly, I have only three weeks left! We were walking down the backpackers road 'Street Bazaar' and were approached by a guy who directed us to a hotel up the side street. We found they had a room which was acceptable so agreed to stay, when we pointed out that they would not have our business if it hadn't been for the chap who carried our baggage in, the chap at the reception just did the usual 'pooh pooh' gesture they are so fond of, we felt sorry for him but by then he had left. Life is so very hard for poor people here.
We left the next morning to catch the 06.50 train to Haridwar, buying the train tickets is a complete nightmare, involving queuing at the reservations booth at the station, resisting natives continually pushing in, insisting on our turn. We had to bend down and shout through a tiny hole in the metal bars to be told we had to queue at the next desk along, so another fight and insistence to buy the ticket. The trains are all particularly busy at the moment as it is Devali. De vali is their sought of new year and they celebrate by purchasing new items for the home and personally during the few weeks beforehand then the 5th Nov is the day . We were told everyone spends the day with their family, which we thought would ease the transport situation but nothing seems to change. It just remains their excuse for things not being organised .
So the train was full and we travelled to Haridwar, arriving about 11.00.
Haridwar was more of the same, ubiquitous cow pats all over every surface, heaps of rubbish on all the roofs and gutters and even worse....again absolutely nothing to eat or even drink! Could not even get a beer as like Bikaner it is dry. Oh did I mention the rats in the cafe in Bikaner, we were eating (again I had vegetable chow mein) it was very poor and Marie noticed a rat running along the top of the tiles on the wall opposite. Nice!
So back to Haridwar we were so disappointed because we had been told it was a special place being a hill station. So much of India so far has been flat we had looked forward to some contour. We did go up to a temple accessed by cable car. We had wandered around and taken some photos and sat down at the top to eat an ice lolly. I thought I may be really greedy and have another so we left the table briefly in order to look at the list again when a local pointed to the lolly stick that we had left on the table accusing us of creating rubbish! Well talk about pot/ kettle I was fuming, while we had sat there the chap in the little hut had thrown some tissue out onto the floor in front of our feet, everywhere is covered with rubbish from cow dung to plastic to flowers(from their religious celebrations) everything is thrown onto the street, no one uses bins! In fact there are no bins! Marie told him in no uncertain terms that in our country we use bins to dispose of our rubbish unlike some...
They tend to have flat rooves on all the buildings and they are used for all no longer required items from broken chairs to wood to food and boxes, anything at all may be dumped there, even up at the lovely fort in Jaisalmer there were many dumping areas! Also there they have so many motor bikes and tut tuts bombing around within the walls that I wrote to the magistrate suggesting he should preserve the stone paths and peoples lives by banning the vehicles.
So back to Haridwar and what a disappointment so we tried to arrange a train for the following night and wanted to go to Richikesh during the next day as again we had been told it was beautiful with waterfalls etc. However we were unable to get a night train until 7th and didn't want to stay there for that time so we agreed to a train the following day leaving at 10.40 due into our next stop Varanasi at 01.50 the following day. We decided to buy some fruit before boarding the train as there is no way I could eat the train food. We struggled to the station with all our bags and I went off to buy the supplies, returning with two packets of crisps and bananas, i put them in a large bag Marie carries when suddenly a monkey ran at high speed jumped up at our bags, grabbed a bag of crisps and dashed off followed by another and a baby! Everyone laughed , it was so quick! So off I went again and told the man in the shop what had happened ,took another bag and gave him another 20 rps, he then gave me a second bag free! I couldn't believe it, when I returned to the station concourse Marie was there and next to her was the little old lady who had been seated there throughout the entire event, I gave her the 20rps we had gained, as she was homeless and very poor but unlike most had not asked for money. She was so pleased and kept telling me I was from heaven and had earned lots of Karma. I hope so, I needed it after some of the thoughts I have had regarding the dirty way they live! They push and shove you when they walk in the same way as they drive!
We have seen such funny things, there was the motorbike that past with two men both wearing construction hats, the fat ole male owners of most businesses who sit and order the 'boys' around (these boys are between 10 and 17 yrs) ,on the train the door is slung open and people hang out whilst its going along at , occasionally, great speed, it really is a completely different world!
We did try to sleep on the train but we always create such interest with the locals, they constantly ask us for our photo! Anyway we realised we were running late but there is no announcement system, very little lighting at the stations, names are in Hindu and all the 'staff' were asleep so we feared missing our stop. We finally arrived at 03.15 and took a rickshaw to a staff room in the only hotel who could offer us a bed! Everything is full....'its Davali'! Yes and don't we know it, we were told it is only the one day but here we are on the 6th and the fireworks are banging constantly. It makes me die Marie is just like Kathryn Tate every time a bang goes off she jumps out of her skin, its so funny.
However we have just had the most special experience, we have spent most of the day with a Sadu and his wife (a holy man) and this evening they took us on a boat on the Ganges to watch a festival, it was beautiful and I had a very special moment when I lit a candle for my Kai and floated it on the river. I have taken a video for Terri and Warren. Earlier today we went to the temple where he spent his childhood on the banks of the Ganges and saw the burning ceremonies that go on 24 hours a day with approx 200 bodies being brought to the banks to be cremated. This is a very holy place, one of only four on the Ganges river.
It seems we will have a problem getting out of here as well. This country is far bigger than I realized and although the railway is very good it is such vast distances from one place to another. we want to go down to the south next and it looks like we may have to fly. However the prices are sky high because.....you guessed, it is Davali!
So for now I will close and hope to get on the net again soon for the next chapter of my fantastic travels!
Love you xx
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