Andi's travels

Day 3

hyarima — Fri, 5 Jul 2013 03:01:00 GMT

Started my day off wandering through tiny alleyways( think 'Womens squeeze' from Alexandria -searching for a charity ttrust who help provide opps. for the future of street children- in their office they have about 10 - all male - who have come off the streets and now do 2 hr walks around Delhi showing you the city and telling you about their former lives...eye openers....it seemed pathetic to give an asked 200r donation (less than £3) when these people with lots of volunteers from Europe do so much. I was so pleased to see 2 of the most recent street children have gone onto gain qualifications in business and tourism ( 1 got a bursary from Hawaii and 1 got an american wife& now living there ....life started out so shitty for some of these kids and the trust gives them hope! Next I went to The Delhi foundation of Deaf women - what lovely welcoming women all having a laugh and chuckle and showing me their work....batik cards and wall hanging duly bought as mementoes. I braved the metro and went to the Bahai House of worship - am amazing lotus flower shaped building which invites people of all religions to worship and have a principle of a oneness of the human race...needless to say a very quiet place to contemplate your place in the world. Back onto the metro to try my luck at finding the Muslim mosque that does singing and sufi dances after prayers....OMG tiny alleyways which bring you out into a Hindu holy place and a myraid of beggars depending on muslims going to prayer and more stalls selling religious paraphenalia for both sects...hot busy and after a while of being squished I leave to get back before dark...Metro has women only carriages but never managed to get into one in time so jumped into carriage full of men who just push and shove getting on and off and its the younger ones too! So packed you have to go with the moving crowd when trying to get off and hope for the best! Tuk TuK (autorickshaw) ride past lots of notjust street children but families and as stuck at lights up comes a 5yr old girl to beg- I find it difficult to not give these children anything and off she went with the equivalent of probable a weeks food....if thats what does happen to the money she gets.....Well Egypt is in safe hands - I hope and Im off to the Taj Mahal at 5am tom - 3 day trip before heading to Golden temple at Amritsar. I will dream of monkies - who suddenly appeared out of a forested area and gave me a shock and street children who think that is their lot....I see volunteering coming on.....and the millions workers of Delhi sqished onto the Metro

It takes ages to upload pics on here so ive uploaded onto facebook album

Day 2

hyarima — Thu, 4 Jul 2013 03:04:00 GMT

Amid worry about my adopted home I decide to hit Delhi and see all the sights, and others off the beaten track. First Red FOrt = an enormous Murgal fort from17th century, enormous around buildingsfilled with families an few tourists. A lovely walk but within the hour i am dripping with sweat as the humidity is high and the air feels full of water yet no rain. next to Hunayums tomb, amazing building...the precursor to the Taj Mahal.lots of small marble tombs all over and the builing is impressive with gardens to wander and feel back in the 16th century. Lunch at he Hot Chimney confirms that the indians know how to cook a curry and i eat enough for 2 - sooo delicious, before i leave i am going to burst into a kichen and hold the cookwalla down until he gives me the recipes to these delicious dishes....yum yum! Mouth clenser of sugar grains and soft geera grains are a burst of zing to the mouth and according to the waiter a lassi drink is the perfect tummy settler... not that i need a tummy settler but i'll try the lassi....delis! After lunch a sombre visit to M Ganhdis resting place and museum....poignant as concrete footsteps lead to his assassination spot, but humbled to be in this place where an eternal flame burns in his memory. The museum across the way has his clothing still bloodstained and the bullet that killed him- a bit morbid but his life is depicted with his possessions and many paintings and scluptures - a man truly loved and one who changed the India way of life in non violent demonstrations - his quotes around the room hit home and I feel so moved by the words of a man long dead saying things that ring true today, again I feel humbled and a bit sad thinking of Nelson, great men who i have nothing but total respect for, Oh to have lived in their times,changing the world.....'the active part of non violence is love,it requires equal consideration for all life ,one must not be angry with the perpetrator but love, wish him well and serve him, never submit to his wrong but oppose patiently and without resentment....' Mentaql note to self ..rewatch Ganhdi movie ... Off next to Qutb Minar a muslim tower of 5 stories tapering from a 15m base to 2.5m at the top 73 metres high built in 1193 made of marble and sandstone.....impressive....but with food filled tum and walking in the high humidity im ready to return ...then i remember i wanted to visit the toilet museum.....yes toilets.....did u know there were developed toilets back 2500bc....the guide who gave the feed tour spoke so fast you'd think HE actually needed the loo! Very interesting paraphenalia about 's.... sanitatation developing biogas plants and educating night soil workers from the rural areas....amazing work by Sulabh international who even developed a loo for Nasa and are definately the crapper merchants of the future...Crapper DIDNOT develop the flush loo by the way....Simples.....thats what Sulabh means...go figure. A hunt for jalebis ..a sweet delicacy, and a pleasant eye opening journey of the people of Delhi rushing home, begging, buying, skinny rickshaw peddelars taking fat people on journeys..all i can say is that these cyclists must be fit! and day to day life, flower sellers, tissue sellers, anything u want im sure u can find on the roads of Delhi! I am stuffded with amazing food and dont think i need eat for the next week! Early night with full AC in preparation for more hand shaking with little girls who are pushed into my arms by smiling parents....dont get it....tomorrow.

Day 1

hyarima — Wed, 3 Jul 2013 04:50:00 GMT

Wake up wander down change rupees book tour around Golden Triangle in 2 days time bus around Delhi and overnighter to Amritsar as well as back to Delhi for overnighter to Mumbai, all done over a cup of well needed Masala chai. Spent an hour reading what around Delhi id like to see and tn headed out into the dirty manic chaotic busy hub of Indians going around their daily business with less stares than one would get inCairo. Yes it is dirty Yes it is chaotic and Yes poverty hits you with a slap around each corner. But no one in your face begging ( that comes later) Enough of a wander need to get water and back to hotel to check up on Egypt status. I take it back Cairo YOU are number 2 in the chaotic traffic systems of the world Delhi is no.1 for sure! Tuk Tuks rickshaws walkers taxis buses people cows donkeys and the odd beggar all trying to get to one place with the same doing it in the opposite direction amid the 34c humid temps of India. Two fights later - yes tempers flare in this heat too - sticks out a kick a cuff men gather round loud voices jabbering and pointing and within minutes seems all is over....sound familiar?? and I have good news about my adopted home and stay to read fb statuces and Aljazeera news updates before showering - second of the day- and getting into my first ever tuk tuk to Karims - a world famous eating place for locals , 45 mins later and less than 50 p journey with eyes half closed but pleasantly surprised with a comfortable journey with a lil old man who i just flagged down and after trying to tell him where i wanted to go with 2 other men who forced their way quietly into the scene and telling me how much i should pay ....the lil old man driver quietly said to me he would use the meter ---- so a( give lovely driver triple what i had on meter and he blessed me copious times for all of £ 150 - this might get to me eventually - after stopping twice to ask the way ( familiar?) we get to the busiest Bazaar think Khan x 10/ Blackpool beach on a sunny bank holiday, i get out admist smells dirt buildings half done men chatting women shopping and the ever present traffic all beeping to get pass - however anyone gets anywhere is a well organised military action me thinks! so i wander down this buzy street no one hassleing me and find this lil cafe type eatery full of locals and after eating the food you wonder why --- BEST FOOD EVER- well my sis in law comes a close inch to it.... i order 5 items - not sure what i would get see pic - amazing - eating with fingers and just savouring the spices used. Once satiated i walk to try to get a tuk tuk and now its hassle - considering it cost me 65rupees to get here now its 150 to get back so i waqlk off and hail one later down i say 100 he agees and off we go - halfway along he gives me a card with a handwritten english demand for rupees for an MRI scan for his child who has a big head and needs 2250 rupees - OMG im not sure I can stand the poverty - any ideas how one copes? I remain silent and before reaching my journeys end get out give him some money and feel guilty that i cant give anymore to this man in tatters with all his woes. Needless to say i wander to digs eyes wide open and very thoughtful about how lucky I am in this whole sceme of things.

Arrival into India

hyarima — Wed, 3 Jul 2013 04:29:00 GMT

Left cats and plants in good hands and headed off to Cairo international airport amid rumours of imminent civil war. Lovely first flight with Ethihad airlines managing to watch the movie Behind the pines before landing in Abu Dhabi for a 2hr layover. After finding Gate - think Amsterdam!!! Joined a line that promptly had security conscious checkin guys who had my shoes - sandals off but allowed laptop in bag to go through and half a bottle of water..go figure..... THEN air India - skyjet proceeded to take me to Delhi - i say started as on takeoff one would think we were on a safari listening to elephants mate with the noise the undercarriage made - and NO MOVIES... needless to say got head down blanket on and ear plugs in and ZZZZZZZZZ until arrival in Delhi. Backpack survived so headed out half thinking that the quick chat over skype to my digs would not have been understood so surprised to see name and driver waiting. 6am and straight thru a semi quiet less chaotic than Cairo journey ( with roaming cows ) to YES PLEASE COTTAGE where pleasantly i could check in straight away and head for 3 hrs kip.

Photos: India

hyarima — Wed, 3 Jul 2013 03:05:00 GMT

Journey around India Summer 2013