from the Desert to the Jungle
So three days ago we split ways with our driver, Kumar in Agra. He was expecting us to give him a "traditional" 10 percent tip at the end, which we weren't able to afford. So that didn't go so pretty but whatever. We went to the Taj Mahal that night during sunset, and Kumar insisted that we bring along his friend as a guide or else we would be surrounded by beggars and people wanting to be our guides [This turned out to be false as beggars couldn't afford to get in and guides can't get in without guests] We asked if it was at no cost and he said yes, so we reluctantly agreed. And like ever other guide we have had in temples, mosques, forts, and the like he just wouldn't shut up. It is impossible to find any peaceful moment to enjoy the Taj Mahal when you have someone constantly telling you what to look at and where to take a photo. And they don't understand when we want to just stop and stare at something, I think that the number of fanny pack wearing mindless tourists have given Indians the impression that white people have very small attention spans. None the less the taj mahal was amazing, it doesn't even look real when you are standing right infront of it. All the photos you have seen do it no justice at all. In the end the guide gave us a sob story about how this was his only job and that he only does one tour a day, and basically demanded we pay him, this is a very common experience.
The next morning we took a train out of Agra to Jhansi, and then a taxi from Jhansi to khajuraho which is where I am now. We met a nice old lady from Israel at the train station also looking for a way to khajuraho so we all pitched on the taxi ride. There is an amazing amount of Israelis in India, about half of the tourists seem to be from Israel and nearly all the hippies are Israeli. Most Indians we encounter greet us with "shalom, shalom!" assuming we too are Israeli.
khajuraho is really awesome, it is the city of tantra and all the temples are carved with elaborate displays of crazy sex positions. This area we are in now is so different from Rajastan. There are palm trees here and way more vegetation. We have seen wild snakes, two types of monkeys, large and small lizards, cockroaches you name it! And right now in khajuraho there is a swarm of small black beetles that take over the streets when the sun starts to set. Apparently it only lasts 4 or 5 days and happens every year and we just happened to come at the right time. In the day they are no where to be seen but at night when you look at the ground you see about 75 percent cement and 25 percent beadles, its really crazy! Yesterday we took a Tuk Tuk out into the jungle and sat at a beautiful riverside and fed fish in a area that is a alligator sanctuary. We went with our driver and his friend, a traveler man from Oaxaca Mexico that we met in Agra, and his driver to a small hut in the jungle where all these Hindi speaking men were playing cards. We were invited to have lunch with them, which was a really cool experience. They cooked up all these mushed vegetables and spices in a pot overtop of a fire while another made chapatti (bread). When it was ready one of these jungle men went an picked some big green leaves off a tree which we used as plates!
I have been feeling very healthy this whole time, my only sickness came from drinking to much beer that one night...
What else to tell? hmm... One of my favorite parts about India is all of the animals everywhere. There are large herds of goats [30 - 60] periodically passing by with their Shepard, cows absolutely everywhere, wild boars with the cutest little piglets at their side, lots of street dogs [click for picture], monkeys in some places, peacocks, elephants sometimes, beautiful chickens, massive falcons, bright green parrots that swarm the trees and sky in groups of ten thousand during sunset, its all so amazing! Most of them eat from the massive piles of garbage in the streets but the locals also give all their scraps as offerings. And the rocks laying around are so much different, I haven't seen a single round smooth rock or pebble like in Canada. Most of the stones are jagged pieces of shiny marble. The soil is almost red and the trees so different. The one thing that is nearly the same is the sky, the clouds form very similar to Alberta skies, but it isn't quite as blue here.
tomorrow we will leave on a bus to Jhansi, then on a train to Varanasi, the oldest and most sacred city in India, also one of the most polluted and dangerous. I don't know how long we will stay but I am very excited to see nearby sarnath, where the Buddha taught the 4 noble truths, its a major Buddhist pilgrimage site. We have been struggling to mail out the gifts we have got, one fragile gift in particular is putting us through hell! But hopefully we will get it mailed in the next few days! India is much more expensive then we were led to believe, but its all good, money comes and money goes.
Much Love to everyone on the other side of this big beautiful earth.
oh yeah, and about the comments. Even if it says it has to be moderated or if it doesn't show up we are still getting them so don't worry!
The next morning we took a train out of Agra to Jhansi, and then a taxi from Jhansi to khajuraho which is where I am now. We met a nice old lady from Israel at the train station also looking for a way to khajuraho so we all pitched on the taxi ride. There is an amazing amount of Israelis in India, about half of the tourists seem to be from Israel and nearly all the hippies are Israeli. Most Indians we encounter greet us with "shalom, shalom!" assuming we too are Israeli.
khajuraho is really awesome, it is the city of tantra and all the temples are carved with elaborate displays of crazy sex positions. This area we are in now is so different from Rajastan. There are palm trees here and way more vegetation. We have seen wild snakes, two types of monkeys, large and small lizards, cockroaches you name it! And right now in khajuraho there is a swarm of small black beetles that take over the streets when the sun starts to set. Apparently it only lasts 4 or 5 days and happens every year and we just happened to come at the right time. In the day they are no where to be seen but at night when you look at the ground you see about 75 percent cement and 25 percent beadles, its really crazy! Yesterday we took a Tuk Tuk out into the jungle and sat at a beautiful riverside and fed fish in a area that is a alligator sanctuary. We went with our driver and his friend, a traveler man from Oaxaca Mexico that we met in Agra, and his driver to a small hut in the jungle where all these Hindi speaking men were playing cards. We were invited to have lunch with them, which was a really cool experience. They cooked up all these mushed vegetables and spices in a pot overtop of a fire while another made chapatti (bread). When it was ready one of these jungle men went an picked some big green leaves off a tree which we used as plates!
I have been feeling very healthy this whole time, my only sickness came from drinking to much beer that one night...
What else to tell? hmm... One of my favorite parts about India is all of the animals everywhere. There are large herds of goats [30 - 60] periodically passing by with their Shepard, cows absolutely everywhere, wild boars with the cutest little piglets at their side, lots of street dogs [click for picture], monkeys in some places, peacocks, elephants sometimes, beautiful chickens, massive falcons, bright green parrots that swarm the trees and sky in groups of ten thousand during sunset, its all so amazing! Most of them eat from the massive piles of garbage in the streets but the locals also give all their scraps as offerings. And the rocks laying around are so much different, I haven't seen a single round smooth rock or pebble like in Canada. Most of the stones are jagged pieces of shiny marble. The soil is almost red and the trees so different. The one thing that is nearly the same is the sky, the clouds form very similar to Alberta skies, but it isn't quite as blue here.
tomorrow we will leave on a bus to Jhansi, then on a train to Varanasi, the oldest and most sacred city in India, also one of the most polluted and dangerous. I don't know how long we will stay but I am very excited to see nearby sarnath, where the Buddha taught the 4 noble truths, its a major Buddhist pilgrimage site. We have been struggling to mail out the gifts we have got, one fragile gift in particular is putting us through hell! But hopefully we will get it mailed in the next few days! India is much more expensive then we were led to believe, but its all good, money comes and money goes.
Much Love to everyone on the other side of this big beautiful earth.
oh yeah, and about the comments. Even if it says it has to be moderated or if it doesn't show up we are still getting them so don't worry!
posted by facing the wind at 12:41 a.m.
1 Comments:
Rudy says,
Glad to see you are having a good time and enjoying a different culture. Hope all keeps going well and I look forward to hearing and seeing all that you are experiancing.
Shalom!
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