Beautiful, dirty,
serene, poverty stricken, bright, colourful, noisy, polluted, heart-breaking,
spiritual, diverse, endlessly fascinating….India is all of these and more.
There is just nowhere we have been on our travels to compare it to. All your
senses always seem to be on a heightened state of alert at the sights, sounds and
smells constantly around you. With sacred cows roaming wild all over the place
through the busy city streets and alleyways, and a distinct absence of animal
portaloos, there is one major consequence….one which means you always have to
watch where you step. The penalty for even a slight lapse in concentration can
be extremely nasty. This, combined with the level of poverty all to visible to
the naked eye, means it can take a few days to settle and really start to enjoy
what the country has to offer….from the incredible old forts, palaces and
temples with such a rich history, the amazing cuisine, the colourful festivals….
to the spirituality of the people….and, of course, cricket to name just a few.
As ever in a new country, we were on high alert for the
rip-off merchants and dodgy taxi drivers that usually congregate outside
stations and airports, so we headed for the relative safety of the pre-paid
traffic police operated taxi stand. Our assumption was misplaced as the smiling
man in uniform tried unbelievably blatantly to short change me in our taxi
transaction. Veronika, in particular, was still reeling from this bare-faced
deceit when suddenly a huge wasp-like creature appeared in the back of the tiny
taxi we were in which had us both frantically ducking and diving in the back
seat of the cab trying to escape this enormous buzzing beastie. It was only
when the flying insect reached the front of the cab that our driver friend took
action and screeched to a halt on the motorway, jumped out of the car and chased
the unwelcome intruder away…much to
everyone’s relief.
We began our journey in Delhi, New Delhi to be more
accurate. In truth, I would have to say we eased our way in to India. New Delhi
is certainly the more gentrified and modern side of the city, in stark contrast
to the narrow and congested streets of Old Delhi. With the attractions spread
around the city we decided to take a car and do a city tour. Major highlights
included the huge Red Fort built around the old city, the fabulous Humayun’s
Tomb and the outstanding Qutb Minar complex of ancient ruins and religious
constructions on the outskirts of the city. Back in the city, we decided to go
for a walk and sat down in a nearby park for some “chill out” time. This proved
rather futile though as within 10 minutes I had been approached by 4 different
people offering to clean my ears. To this day, I still do not know if this is a
regular practice in these parts….or if my ears offered a somewhat bigger
business opportunity than normal!
Unbeknown to us, somewhat ignorantly I confess, we had
arrived in India during the Diwali Festival. Also known as the Festival of lights,
it is India’s most widely celebrated Hindu event which resulted in 2 major repercussions
for us. Firstly, non-stop fireworks all night long and secondly, trying to get
your hands on a train ticket was like trying to get World Cup Final tickets on
the day of the match. Apparently you can purchase train tickets 90 days in
advance….and guess what….everyone here does! Therefore, we ended up in the back
of a little Suzuki car for the 4 hour drive to Agra….home of the Taj Mahal. Having
just read in the local paper about a recent road rage incident it came as no
surprise to witness an old-fashioned fisticuffs fight between 2 drivers before
we had even left Delhi!
The town of Agra itself could not really be described as
picture postcard material….at all. It does, however, have the Taj Mahal. I am
the first to admit I was a little bit sceptical as to how good it could really
be…so different from all the pictures you’ve seen before ? Well, I am also the
first to admit I was wrong…as from the first moment you walk through the arched
gateway and you catch a glimpse of the famous old building there is little
doubt that you are looking at something very special indeed. The colour, the
symmetrical design, the sheer size of the building…I really could not say what
it is…it’s just very beautiful and impressive (and heavily photographed as you
will no doubt see!).
Only a 2km walk from the Taj is the mighty Agra Fort built
in the 1560’s on the banks of the Yamuna River. I can certainly testify as to
how well protected this imposing old Fort is, seeing as we took the wrong
turning from the main road and were forced to circumnavigate the whole Fort on
foot….an arduous task that took much longer than we would have wished for! Also, within an hour of Agra by car, is the
wonderful fortified ancient city of Fatehpur Sikri. Here, the main attractions
are a fantastic huge Mosque and a beautiful complex of old palatial buildings,
all of which can be explored on foot.
I cannot, and will not, pretend to be any kind of authority
on religion or spirituality. However, It is just impossible to even begin to
describe the scenes that we witnessed in Varanasi, our next stop, without
mentioning how holy this city is, and in particular the holy water of the
Ganges River, to the Hindu population who live here and also those who make the
pilgrimage here from near and far. All the action here is down by the many
ghats, the steps that wind down to the bank of the Ganges. We, like many
tourists, took a boat trip along the river at sunrise when the pilgrims come
down to bathe, pray, wash their clothes, brush their teeth, wash their
buffaloes and just about anything else you can think of in the holy water. Without
being flippant, when you see up close just how filthy this river is in which
they bathe, pray and swim then you know there is a profound belief in something
which non-believers could never possibly fathom. Dotted amongst the many
bathing ghats are a couple of burning ghats where it is very common to see dead
bodies, covered in cloth, being carried down on makeshift stretchers to be
first doused one final time in the holy Ganges before being cremated openly in
front of the watching crowds. Indeed, for Hindus, this is the place to die as
it frees them from the cycle of birth and death. It is, truly, a remarkable
scene all along the riverfront and not one we are likely to forget in a hurry. The
problem I described earlier about having to watch where you step is only
magnified in the extremely narrow winding lanes behind the riverfront and any
venture out of the guesthouse at night had to be taken with the utmost caution
and a lot of luck!
After the madness of Varanasi we were looking for something
a bit more chilled out and relaxing, and thankfully we found that in the
charming little town of Khajuraho. Charming has to be qualified somewhat, as
the touts here are as every bit annoying (and then some) as those found in Agra
near the Taj Mahal and in Varanasi. Built between AD 950 and 1050, the
incredible temples here are some of the finest old carvings you could find
anywhere in the world but, of course, what really put this town on the tourist
map is the erotic nature of these fine pieces of workmanship. Just casually
strolling by these astonishing temples is like flicking through the pages of
the Kama Sutra (I could only imagine, of course). Clearly back in the day there
were a lot of voluptuous women around these parts and no shortage of animal
action either. Children – please look away…nothing to see here. The main
complex of temples are all within easy walking distance but to reach some of
the others we hired bikes and went for a leisurely cycle around the town. It
was during this cycle through the town we couldn’t help but notice many of the
local people using the communal water pump which is to be found, rather
perversely, almost right outside the gates of the $400 a night Lalit Temple
View hotel. Moreover, the completely dilapidated shacks where the people live,
located directly across the road from the 5 star hotel, only highlights the disparity
between rich and poor all to evident wherever you go and is almost certainly
one of the main reasons that India, without fail, provokes such a reaction one
way or another for anyone who is lucky enough to visit.
My next reaction, if everything goes according to plan, will
be from Rajasthan….
