Back in the saddle

Gallery: India

roam-if-you-want-to — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:29:00 GMT

Namaste India

roam-if-you-want-to — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 10:56:00 GMT

Things seem different when you are homeward bound. The overnight train back to Delhi from Bikkaner felt like an old friend. I was prepared for a crap sleep and the disruption of passengers coming and going through the night.

We arrived back into the chaos of New Delhi station and disappointed to find our hotel was so far out of town. We only have a day in Delhi but we are an hour of the city and the driver can't even find it.

^{Outside Delhi station}

We endure breakfast at the Hotel Clark Green, it's a farcical Fawlty Tower-esque affair where all our eggs arrive on one plate with no toast, we are berated for fetching ourselves a cup to pour our coffee into...and we leave with our tummys still grumbling. We pine for our camp cooks!

With many hours lost through the ridiculous location of our hotel, we change our plans and visit Dilli Haat, a market in South Delhi that represents crafts from all regions of India. It's a very relaxed market and we easily spend a couple or hours wondering around buying gifts and eating from the regional food market. delicious.

We then take a meander around the peaceful green Lodhi Gardens, a welcome haven from the chaotic streets. We stumble across a couple of mosques built in the 15th century which are just beautiful. A family pincics right outside and enjoys a game of cricket. There's always a game of cricket in India.

^{Lodhi Gardens}

Our final activity is a well-deserved drink at the Imperial Hotel. Bathed in jasmine scent and styled in British Colonial, it is the most opulent hotel I have ever set foot in. We plant ourselves at the bar and order gin & tonics (with mineral water ice cubes, very fancypants!)and beers. After a week in the desert we soak up the old world, glamorous atmosphere and I hide my grubby fingernails under the bar. After a while, we realise the Imperial has a time limit. The place fills with stuffy suits and conservative western dresses, the spell is broken and its time to leave. Our US$60 bill (for 2 x tap beers and 2 x G&T's) says it all.

^{Trent & David at the Imperial bar, sipping $20 beers}

We head out of the opulent gates and back into the hubbub for our final Indian meal.

I hope I get to come back to India. She is a new friend I have only just met, and I have a thousand questions to ask.

Dreams of A/C

roam-if-you-want-to — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:55:00 GMT

It's the last morning of our camel safari and whislt we've all enjoyed the desert trek , we are all pleased there is only a few hours to go. I ride side saddle for most of it, to give my bum and thighs a rest.

Our journey ends in a small town called Chemma where our air conditioned bus is waiting four us.....air conditioned bus I say! Now, I have never been on a organsied tour before but I am ready to kiss my camel's butt in exchange for some air conditioning...and here it is..big and shiny like a desert mirage.

When you only have a short period of time to travel (i.e 10 days including all travel) there is nothing better than a small organsied group tour. Someone holding a sign for you in a foreign airport, someone pointing out a good and hygenic place to eat, someone whispering in your ear a reasonable price to pay when haggling......and someone to bring you an air conditioned bus after 6 days in the desert! It was no mirage, and there was no camel-butt-kissing required.

We farewelled our camel freinds. Bye-bye Dolly. And sank into the sweet A/C of the bus, headed for Bikanner.

Through the desert we go

roam-if-you-want-to — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Day 2 of camel riding, the bum is sore, but Im ready to get back in the saddle. Dolly is a bit grumpy this morning and puts on quite a performance as I get on board.

It gets hot very quickly and a couple of hours into our ride, I'm ready to get off! Luckily we stop for a drink break and we are invited inside one of the local houses. They are made from sticks and dried cow dung, which makes a surprisingly smooth and cool surface. A typical house had two or three 'huts' opening onto a communal courtyard area - which is mostly where they sleep, as it is much cooler. There was also a 'safe' that was padlocked - this is where they keep their butter and other food luxury items. The family kindly served us chai and then we were back on the camels.

Lunch doesn't come quick enough. We nap in the afternoon under the trees whilst children squat nearby curiously watching our every move. I start to talk to one of them who shows me his text book. I find amongst their english phrases "I have a mango tree" and "Would you like some chapatti?". All very lovely and quaint...and then surprisingly I spy the phrase- "Give me some money!" Nice to see the Government encourages a begging culture.

The afternoon trek took us to a slightly greener part of the desert where we set up camp for the second night. There is more singing and dancing but this time we achieve a more integrated dance floor, rather than just the silly westerners impersonating Bollywood.

Everybody joins in, a first for our desert adventure.

Camel Safari

roam-if-you-want-to — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:42:00 GMT

Now it's time for us to relax. The camels are arriving and there is a mixture of excitement and trepidation amongst the group. We all want a camel ride, but will our bums cope? What will it be like riding in such intense heat?

We get a quick camel riding:101 lesson and then off we go to pick a camel. A camel boy picks me out and takes me to his camel. Dolly. It's love at first sight, she's gorgeous...and has a little baby which i promptly nickname Ava and give her a nuzzle.

Mounting the camel is harder than it looks, but Im up and we are away! We are a camel train of about 11 plus a cart kitted out with our very own musicians! A drummer and guy on a harmonian (a bit like an accordion) play out the soundtrack to our desert safari. The pace is slow and the weather hot.

We pass through lots of little villages, it looks like such a harsh existence. This area used to thrive on agriculture, but global warming has killed all of this off. The local people don't believe in global warming but think the gods are angry and believe things will get better.

Children hear the music and race through the fields to wave at us. We stop at a dry-bed lake for lunch (and wish it was filled with water!) Our crew set us up under shady trees where we eat and rest the day away, waiting for some relief from the harsh sun.

We are back on the camels about 3pm for a couple or hours before reaching our camp destination. Fresh tea is waiting for us, along with our tents all assembled. So spoiled.

Camping in the desert is something very special, the sky is just so vast and filled lavishly with stars, you barely need a torch at night.

After some music and dancing by the fire, its time for bed and we all wander how our bums and legs will fare in the morning.

Project: Day 3 ....and Tea with the Raj!

roam-if-you-want-to — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:41:00 GMT

I can't talk. I have woken up with no voice, my worst fear is realised! Not even the steamy tea helps. I whisper to Trent over breakfast that i can't talk and he looks horrified...what about his narrator!? I shrug and hope that as the day warms up...so will my voice.

It is the last day of our project and we will be finishing up at lunch time, so we are glad to be starting early. I paint the outside of the last classroom and put up maps and posters in the freshly painted classrooms, which really brightens up the space. The kids are really excited to see the difference and help me hang them.

I'm also relieved to feel my voice come back a little bit, its croaky, so I try to limit talking as much as possible.

We head back to camp for lunch and a siesta while we wait for the extreme heat to pass. All you can really do in this heat is lie on a mat under a tree and read (if you had a book!)Trent decides he wants a haircut and I volunteer to chop. We then find out Walter is a retired hairdresser so he gives Trent a great haircut, whilst I attempt to wash my scarecrow hair in a bowl.

We head back to the school to say good bye to the kids and give them a few gifts - pencils, books, cricket balls etc. When we arrive, we are all pleased to see how bright the school looks from a distance.

Mr M.P Singh is there with the school principal and they invite us into the classroom to thank us for our work. There is singing, dancing and clapping, then it is time for us to day good-bye.

M.P Singh takes us on a tour of the village including the temple, local store and barber shop. We get a sense of what life is like for it's 6000 strong population.

We then continue on to Mr Singh's house. My moment comes.....Angchuk explains the Footprints concept to the Raj, and how it raised funds for the school project. He invites me to sit down, and I have tea with the Raj.

Later Trent interviews the Raj on the rooftop and we all enjoy the vast view.

Project : Day 2

roam-if-you-want-to — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:18:00 GMT

I wake up with a very sore throat and chest, and fear I am getting a chest infection. Great. I didn't think to bring any antibiotics, even though every time I get run down...I get a chest infection. I'm also concerned about my voice which is bit croaky, considering I am narrating the documentary! I try not to think about it as the lovely Dillip brings a cup of warm milky tea to my tent which warms my vocal chords. It's 6am.

We start back to the school a little earlier today so we can get work down in the cooler (ahem , when i say 'cooler' i just mean less than 40!) part of the day. I am put back on ceilings...nightmare! My shoulders are already really stiff from yesterday's session , but at least these ceilngs are little smoother and a better height so I don't have to hunch over so much. In the afternoon I am back in the classrooms which is a sweet relief.

It feels hotter today if that is possible and Walter has been up on the roof in the blazing sun for a good part of the day. I am blown away to find out that Walter is 72!! I mean I knew he was relatively senior but 72! Unbelievable! Makes me shut up and not complain about anything for the rest of the trip.

^{Walter and local friend}

The best part of the day is walking back to camp when the sun is setting and the weather finally cools. Girls are collecting water from the wells in their signature bright colours and the village children follow us back home. They want to touch our skin, put on our sunscreen and of course ask for a spare rupee or pen.

The childern are all so beautiful and happy living in this harsh landscpae. Makes me think of my pale, fair-headed Ava, so at odds with this environment. I close my eyes and send her mesage of love.

The Community Project Begins.

roam-if-you-want-to — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:29:00 GMT

We were all excited about the first day of our community project, repairing the Jambha Village school. It was a 10 minute walk from camp, even at 8am, the sun was hot and we were all anxious about working in the severe heat.

The school was empty when we arrived and we were briefed on our work for the next few days - painting 8 classrooms plus the outside of the building. The school was made up two L-shaped concrete buildings in a box shape with big wide verandahs. Painted in a pinky-red colour with orange, white and green - the colours of their flag painted on the columns. There were no chairs & tables, the children sit on rugs on the concrete floor. Outside the classrooms was just desert, a couple of trees, no shade and certainly nothing to play on.

I started painting inside oen of the classrooms, which we painted in a yellow white-wash. Whilst whitewash is economic, it didn't exactly cover up all the marks, but certainly an improvement. The children arrived about 10am and they all crowded around to watch these crazy westerners who had flown from the other side of the world to paint their tiny school in the Thar desert. Their was much laughter and exchanging of names in limited English and Hindi.

After lunch at camp, we were almost happy to be back on painting duties. The school was surprisingly cool, compared to the blazing heat outside. I spent the afternoon painting the ceiling of the veranda, nice and shady but very uncomfortable. I was too short without a table, and too tall standing on a table, so I had to kind of crouch down for much of the roof which gave me very sore arms and shoulders.

We made our way back to camp at sunset. The slight drop in temperature was so rejuvenating....compounded by a cold beer which were pleasantly surprised to have on offer. Ahhhh , beer fixes everything.

Yet again, the meal was delicious. The World Expeditions staff were exceptional, serving up a mix of Indian and western food, always with a scrumptious desert - tonight coconut balls in a custard-like sauce.

The staff are so good, they are almost subservient. Sometimes, it is as if the British still rule here, it is just so plainly 'us' and 'them'. Apart from our wonderful tour leader Angchuk, none of the staff feel comfortable socialising or sitting with us.

I guess it was 'us' and 'them' for just too long.

Meeting with the Raj

roam-if-you-want-to — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:19:00 GMT

The 12 hour train journey from Delhi to Phalodi had blown out to a 16 hour journey. We were travelling in a 2nd class sleeper carriage which was comfortable enough but made for a very interrupted sleep. We were also very hungry having survived on nuts and dried fruit, terrified of contracting Delhi Belly from the hawker food. Of course we drank plenty of delicious sweet milky chai, 5 rupee a cup.

We had no way of knowing when our station would be next. Asking fellow passengers produced various results from 'yes' (yes what?) to 'maybe 2 hours' to 'Phalodi?'. gulp. So we sat with our bags packed , ready to leap off at any given moment. (I somehow left my book, 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Mistry with photos of my Ava, which would become the bane of my trip! Too many hours in the heat of the desert day when there is nothing you can do but....sit and read nothing!)

Our moment arrived at 10.30 am. My first impression of Rajasthani people as I alighted the train was their beauty! The women were stunning with their vibrant ghargra's - fuscia, orange, red, gold and plenty of adorning jewelry, even when working hard in the fields. We were met by Mr M.P Singh and driven to his house in the village for some breakfast. We wouldn't find out till later that Mr M.P Singh was the Raj of this area, and his family considered royalty! Whilst the Raj doesn't have any official power anymore, they are still very much revered in their communities.

^{Mr M.P Singh, Raj}

Their home was simple and a little run down by Western standards, but a few things such as his daughter-in-laws' ghargras and jewelry collections that were discreetly locked away gave us clues the family was of some significance.

As we approached midday the heat became unbearable. It was more than 40 degrees...something we weren't quite prepared for. This was practically winter!...it reached the mid 50's in Summer we were told.

We spent the day in the family's hospitality whilst waiting to meet our group. We played with his grandchildren (gorgeous!) dressed up in their local dress and one of the daughters gave me a beautiful henna tattoo on my hand. It was a very special day.

The cultural divide reared it's head again. There was much confusion about why a married woman with a child would be travelling without her family - and worse with another man! The concept of a male/female friendship does not really exist in their culture, nor did they understand the idea of a "work colleague". Their seemed to be a question mark about my morals. The language barrier did not help.

The group arrived about 4pm, and we were taken to camp. It was great to meet everyone we would be working with over the next few days. A mixed bag as you would expect, but everyone shared the same excitement about the project.

The camp site was all set up - a tent each for sleeping (bliss!) a tent for meals, a kitchen tent and two toilet tents. A delicious meal was served and I immediately excused myself and fell utterly exhausted into my tent. The jet lag had caught up with me, the lack of sleep from the train, the extreme heat and all the cultural confusion had drained me.

I finally slept.

First Encounters of the Cultural Divide

roam-if-you-want-to — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:50:00 GMT

Lying awake I pondered the troublesome question: "If you're not actually asleep, but lying quietly and resting, does it count as sleep? Can you include it when you say how may hours you slept?" I've never been able to answer that one.

After a yummy big hotel breakfast, Trent and I hailed a rickshaw to Old Delhi. It was an exciting ride, my first taste of India in the daylight and it was just as I expected - chaotic traffic, heavy pollution and wafts of unnameable, pungent smells.

I encountered my first cultural challenge en-route. A couple of young guys on a bike drove up next to us and smiled into the rickshaw. I responded with a flash of my pearliest, most hospitable smile, excited to be 'making contact with the locals'. Instantly, I saw my error reflected in the driver's dissappointed eyes and the over zealous reaction of the boys on the bike. I had given the impression I was 'available', simply by smiling.

I knew then, I would find the culture challenging. My natural instinct when I go somewhere new is to engage with the local people but I could see I would need to find a different strategy.

We visited the Jama Masjid (The Friday Mosque) which was quite impressive followed by the Red Fort which I found a little underwhelming.

_{View from a tower in Jama Masjid....Jama Masjid Courtyard....Mosque in Red fort}

After a delicious souther Indian meal at Bannana Leaf in Connaught Place, we were transferred to New Delhi train station to catch our overnight train to Phalodi

As we stood on the station, we watched the golden glow of an Indian sunset. A few boys huddled around us to stare in equal measure at Trent's camera and the western woman. I averted my eyes and looked away, just as all the guide books tell you to do . I could feel that one was still staring and looked up. Was he considered a man or a boy? I couldn't tell. I took a chance and smiled. His stare dissolved as he broke into a huge grin and then sauntered off down the platform.

Touchdown in Delhi

roam-if-you-want-to — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:36:00 GMT

My culture shock lay dormant as I arrived at Delhi airport at 2.30am. Perhaps it was the early hour that thwarted my expectations of a 'riot' - a vision handed to me by my husband who travelled to India when he was 21 (first time out of Glasgow!).

As Global Programs Manager for World Nomads , organsing to-die-for travel assignments as part our travel scholarship program, I was finally going on assignment myself! Destination: Rajasthan, India to work on a community project repairing a school in Jambha Village where I would be working with Trent O'donnell to make the 5th doco in our Positive Footprints documentary series.

We were easily met by our driver and it was a comfortable 23 degrees. We arrived at our hotel near Connaught Place, aptly names The Connaught at about 3.30am. I was just happy to have a shower, stretch out in a bed and happily imagine what Delhi might look like when the sun came up.