3-15August 2009

Yes... we are still alive!

Here in our campervan far away on the South island of New Zealand we have finally found some time to give you all an update on our adventures.

Where were we?

After Bhutan we spent some more time in Nepal. From Kathmandu we took the bus to Pokhara, a city in the west of Nepal, picturesquely situated at a lake in the foothills of the Himalayas. At first we were a bit disappointed as the Lakeside area looked a bit similar to the touristy area of Kathmandu, Thamel! But soon we discovered a nice café, where we met an American girl making a documentary in the region, that showed us a nice place to stay, situated on the other side of the lake. The only way to reach it was by a 45 minute boat ride....paddling! Luckily for us we were picked up by a strong native with only one paddle, so we just sat down and enjoyed the trip.

We were welcomed by a funny Japanese woman that had run into a friendly local back in the sixties to settle here in the bush of Nepal. The friendly local (her husband) told us (and showed us the pics) proudly that until recently they threw great techno parties at this place! (Un)luckily they did not anymore while we stayed there and we just relaxed some days reading books, eating, sleeping and enjoying the great views.

Our last days in Nepal we spent in Bhaktapur, a lovely small town in the Kathmandu valley with many beautiful old temples, houses and squares. In the week we were visiting the local people were celebrating Gai Yatra, a festival in which they remember the people that had passed away during the year. That this was not only a serious and sorrow occasion but also one of jokes and laughter we noticed when a group of young men passed by singing and dancing with wooden sticks, while carrying a big statue with the face of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson!

Just before leaving the country I again had a typical Nepali experience! At the airport I had to bribe a customs official with 60 rupees (c. 1 USD, he asked 10 USD at first) as he insisted, when checking my hand luggage, that I could not take the prayer wheel I had bought in Bhutan on the plane to Delhi! Very annoying but maybe a bit more understandable when you find out these poor folks only earn 2000 rupees a month (€20)!

And then we were in Delhi, back into civilization!.......Hmmmm I hear you think .... Delhi - civilization? Yes indeed, as we were picked up by the driver of my cousin Mischa, who together with her husband Paul and their two little girls Roos and Bloem live in New Delhi. Unfortunately they were still on holiday in Europe, but were so generous to let us stay in their beautiful villa! For 3 days we did nothing but sleep, (in nice and clean beds), swim in their pool and write the Bhutan story for our website, while their friendly staff cooked us food and cleaned our very dirty clothes!

Day 4 we left for a 3-day trip to Agra and Jaipur, together with Delhi forming the Golden Triangle. Accompanied by Kashmira, the driver, we visited Agra's Red fort, the Jama Mashid (a mosque) and off course...the Taj Mahal. On the first evening we headed off in a tuk-tuk (that was a little culture shock after our convenient drive in the family's air-conditioned Ford Endeavour) to see the Taj Mahal during sun set. As you can see on some of the pics traffic in India is very hectic and sometimes you run into very interesting fellow travelers on the roads (and I do not only mean the barefoot hippie style Europeans with their dreadlocks and baggy trousers). On our return to the hotel the gentle tuk-tuk driver suggested to visit some genuine handicraft workers in the old town (read: souvenir shops). As it was already getting late and we were a bit hungry and tired we said we just wanted to go to the hotel. When he kept on insisting we had to go there, we got a bit angry and he finally told us he would get a 100 rupee commission from the shop owner just bringing us to the shop. After negotiations and paying the driver a bit extra we were finally brought to the hotel directly.

The next morning we rose early (5am) to see the sunrise on the Taj. And although it was a bit cloudy, but already really warm as you can tell from one of the pics, and we were not alone (you never seem to be in IndiaJ)we did enjoy the sights of this marvelous palace, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

After the visit of one of the seven world wonders we headed off for Jaipur, while on the way visiting Fatehpur Sikri, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was built by yet another great Mughal Emperor named Akbar.

After our arrival in the Pink City, Jaipur, we wanted to eat something and thus we had a look in the book of books of all travelers...the Lonely Planet. We found a nice recommended place and went there. However, on our arrival we discovered two restaurants right beside each other with the same name both mentioning they were recommended by the LP! Typically the Indian way!

The next morning we visited the Birla Lakshmi Narayan Temple, where a dozen of Indian ladies were dancing to celebrate Krishna, a Hindu god. When we arrived, Sharda in her Indian dress immediately had the attention of the ladies and was invited to dance with them. After a moment of hesitation she took the challenge and danced enthusiastically hand in hand in a circle with the delighted ladies, while we men were watching them!

We did some more sightseeing in Jaipur later that morning (the Maharadja's palace and museum, the Hawa Mahal) and on our way back home to Delhi visited the Jaighar and Amber forts.

On 15 August, Indian Independence Day, back in Mischa and Paul's home in Delhi we prepared for our next adventure by train to Amritsar, and then on to Dharamsala, Manali to finally reach Leh, Ladakh in the north of India. Soon you will see more of that, but first we have to do some great spring skiing tomorrow here in NZ as the weather forecast promises us some sun!