Month: October 2018

I seem to have very little time for my daily emails and this will be another late at night rush job after another big and tiring day (but with some real treats again).

We started with the plane being diverted and instead of being a 40 minute flight directly to Khajuraho, it was diverted to Agra and became a 3 hr flight. We fortunately stayed on the plane at Agra but the delay meant we were chasing our tails for the rest of the afternoon.

A quick lunch at the hotel (god but these buffet lunches are getting boring…same old, same old). No time for check in just dump our bags and then head off for the Hindu Temples of Khajuraho.

First the Western Temples which were absolutely spectacular. They included the temples of Laxmana and Kandariya. The first thing you think when you walk in is that it reminds you of Ankor Wat. The exterior of the temples are magnificently and intricately carved. Many of the carvings are erotic and many with the wonderful depiction of gorgeous women. It really was a true treat that rates up there with Cambodia. The steps up to these temples are so god awfully steep that some of the group just wouldn’t go up, but I clambered up on all fours in a highly undignified manner but I wasn’t going to miss out.

By this time the sun had set and we still hadn’t seen the Jainj Eastern Temples. So we set off and it was getting dark as we entered. The Jainj monks live their lives totally naked and indeed there they were totally starkers sitting and walking around. We were even allowed to take photos, no worries (I couldn’t get the bloody flash to work) but I had a go…enough male nakedness to last this month!! We were then ushered up to where the Guru sat with some other monk in a dark room upstairs. We walked in a slow procession past him. Everyone kept telling us how lucky we were to have been invited in. But by the time we came out it was dark and we had to abort the effort to see the Eastern temples which means going 2 hrs earlier in the morning (bugger).

From there we went to an art and cultural centre which was a giant emporium and also the place where we were getting a dance display. It was at this point that things started going pear shaped !! First thing was that some of our group realised that we had left 2 members behind at the Jainj Temples. They are a couple who struggle a bit and hadn’t wanted to take their shoes off again…well when we finished no-one thought twice as we walked off back to the bus. The tour guide frantically took off to find them and then the youngest and I must say lovely girl in the group emerged from the bus in floods of tears. She had apparently been abused by another woman on the bus who thought she was flirting with her husband….more about that when I get home but it was/is quite a little drama. By the way the missing couple were found.

We then had the dance show which was beautiful with the most divine costumes, singing and dancing. Far more enjoyable than I would have imagined. Back for another buffet and now off to bed for another early start.

I getting along quite well, I am getting everywhere and doing better than some. I am developing my own little group of mates. Sally and I tend to do our own thing during the day which is good.

Another big day tomorrow as we head off by bus and train to Agra…after seeing the temples we missed today. Its a cracking pace!!

As an addendum to last nights ceremony on the Ganges, it was called the Ganga Aarti.

I have arisen at 4am and I have scrambled onto an old wooden boat and watched the sun rising over the Ganges. I have certainly done things once again that I would never otherwise have done and that I will certainly never do again in my life, but the experience is visceral.

We again walked down to the river, this time in a different part. The first thing you notice is that there are piles of what looks like rubbish and little bonfires still smouldering everywhere. When you take a second look you realise it is last night’s bodies/ ashes. Some even slightly recognisable. Amongst all this the dogs scavenge and even the odd cow stiffs around. A little further up men are vigorously pounding at the washing. We scramble down to the waters edge and then have to get on a boat…I won’t go into that again, suffice to say it ain’t easy!!

The boat puttered along the river with the sun rising, many people submerging themselves into the mirky, polluted water, others doing very energetic yoga exercises, others meditating, praying…a hive of activity along the banks. The holiest of holies was smouldering away with all the bodies burned from the night before. Wood piled along the banks for the burning of the bodies. We were given gruesome details of some of the rituals that I won’t go into.

The boat docked again after a few hours and then it was take a leap of faith and jump off into the mud…but there were plenty of people to offer assistance. Up the bloody steps of the Ghat but I have a much younger buddy now, Linda, who happily helps when I need her.

We then returned to the hotel for breakfast and to catch out breath (and enough time to buy a shirt in the hotel shop). Then we set off again, going to the Bharat Mata Mandir (Mother India) Temple, dedicated not to a god but to India as it once was/ should be, which includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nepal etc. The floor is covered with a relief map of India carved out of marble.

From there we drove around the Hindu University and to go to another temple but it was closed for the lunch hour and I must admit that there wasn’t too much regret about that. We went to what the guide (Hassan) described as the best sweet shop in India. He bought some sweets for us to try. Then back for lunch and out again now for another little adventure. Most people are saying how tired they are after the 4am wake up call but I’m reasonably chipper. A sneaky little G&T at lunchtime helped.

This afternoon we set off again in the bus and went to Sarnath, which, you’ll be very pleased to know, is where the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon and started Buddhism. There were ruins and a Stupa (just like Sri Lanka) dating back to 3rd C BC. We then went to an Archeological Museum which had a whole lot of interesting ancient sculptures. The bloody kerfuffle getting into a museum is hard to believe. It takes ages as we have to get lockers for bags, hand in mobile phones etc…honestly not sure if it was worth it. Then we went to a Sri Lankan Temple covered in paintings by some Japanese artist. Some of the group were really, really flagging at this point and were mumbling about not going to this temple. It was 5pm and we’d been on the go since 4am. A vote was taken and we went!!

I have to say at this point that apart from the difficulty I have with big steps both on land and at sea, I am holding up really well. Better than lots of people a lot younger. I keep up and can honestly say that I cope with all the walking really well.

Then last stop for the day was a stop at a silk weaving factory. This really didn’t interest me at all but I have to say that the work was magnificent and there were some really lovely things and I have to confess I succumbed to a little shopping.

Back to the hotel for dinner. It was one groupies 60th birthday so we had a cake like good little groupies. Then a couple of my NBFs and I had a few G&Ts which put us in a good mood for bed…a bed that is long overdue.

Tomorrow we don’t have to have our cases downstairs until 10am for a flight to Khajuraho where we stay 1 night and visit a whole lot of World Heritage Site Temples.
So until tomorrow…with lots of love XXXXXX

This morning was a whirl of Wendy Wu activity. It really is just so different being in a group. Thinking is forbidden…it was cases down in lobby 8.15, breakfast, ready to board bus at 8.50, bus to airport, stand in a huddle while everything is being sorted out. We had to rearrange luggage to come in under 15kgs, which I did…I was a star and came in at 13.8kgs!! One woman came in at 22kgs…honestly!! But they averaged it out and those of us who were under allowed those who were over to get away with it.

We were allocated seats and I got to sit with a couple of lovely woman, one of whom had bought a bottle of gin in the duty free…not sure how that works on an internal flight but I’ve attached myself to her with the promise of a treat!!!

Long and short of it is that we have arrived in Varanasi. We were transported to the hotel and lunch was waiting. Allocated our rooms and our non-smoking room just stunk of cigarette smoke. Sally complained and we were moved to a different room…but really its a rather shoddy hotel, not quite up to the standard of the piccies online.

This evening we’re off on a boat trip on the Ganges to see the devotees along the Ghats. More after that little adventure. We have to be covered and my long sleeved repertoire is non-existent so I’ve plastered myself with aerogard.

Later…really and truly the top of my head has just blown off. All my worst nightmares came true this evening but at the same time it was a magnificent, wild roller coaster ride that will be hard to forget.

But let me start at the beginning. Its very late and we have to get up at 4.30 in the morning so I should try to keep it brief. Besides which I don’t think I could ever really describe it adequately. We got on the bus and he told us that we would be using pedal rickshaws to get us down to the Ganges where the plan was to hop onto a boat. A pedal rickshaw, no problem you might think, but it is a MASSIVE step up which I just couldn’t do. So humiliating. But they rushed around and found me a little stool thing and I squeezed onto this little seat with Sally (there were others whose combined weight would have been much more). This thin little kid, around 17yrs, had to peddle us in traffic like you wouldn’t believe and I couldn’t describe..we were dodging dogs, cows, every conceivable vehicle and a mass of humanity. And it got worse and worst until we were at a total standstill. At this point our guide said we couldn’t do the cruise, sunset had long passed and time had run out. But we were still making every effort to get to the Ganges.

We got dropped off by our rickshaws and then had to plow through the throngs on foot. But suddenly there we were on the ghats leading down to the river. At this point I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people, it was overawing. There was a ceremony taking place on the edge of the river to Shiva and whoever else with chanting, singing and mass clapping, waving etc. Our guide led us through the throngs to the waters edge. We then had to clamber over long wooden boats (nightmare number 2). I was completely thwarted, had to sit on my bum and get myself up, walk across a boat, repeat the exercise til we got to boat number 4 where we climbed the stairs to sit on the top deck from where we had a great view of the proceedings as long as no-one moved and the boat didn’t tip over. People bathing in the river, fire throwing, singing etc. WOW. There really is no way you could describe this ‘event’. When it was over we clambered back over the boats, back up the stairs and we had to get back on a peddle rickshaw. All of this was more efficient this time with people lending me, and a few other people, a hand. I also had a rickshaw to myself this time and it was much more comfortable. Both my peddlers thought it was Christmas because I felt so guilty that I tipped very well indeed.

Back to the hotel after 9, had dinner which included a G&T because a lovely woman on the tour had bought the bottle of gin and had portioned it out to a few of us…that was such a welcome treat.

Back to our room exhausted and couldn’t get the door to open. About half an hour later I was just about bursting my boiler with frustration. But here I am ready for bed. I haven’t even got the wherewithal to send this tonight so it will have to wait until there is a moment free tomorrow. Talk about a jam packed tour.

A big, big day on the road with Wendy WU. We finally hooked up with the group mainly by way of Sally going up to everyone in the dining room and asking if they were with WW. Needless to say it worked, she identified people and information was gleaned. The tour guide/ organiser apologised and said he’d tried to contact us but the hotel had given him the wrong room number. Needless to say Sally took him to task for not trying harder.

God knows what I think of the group at this stage. The Guide Hassan seems OK and really likes to be helpful, knows his stuff etc. The rest of the group, it is just superficial chat so far. An overview…there are some at about my level of activity/fitness although I might be the worst on stairs without rails but I haven’t measured that precisely yet.

This is how the day panned out. After brekky we set off in our bus. We drove around parts of Old Delhi including past the Red Fort. We then went to Jamid Masjid….the largest mosque in India built C15. We piled out of the bus and the first thing I saw was this mountain of deep, steep stairs leading up into the sky!! Oh fuck.

But I made it up doing my one legged thing…that was a relief. I wasn’t concentrating on anyone else so I have yet to accurately measure myself against the rest!!! It was interesting and huge and you could imagine how it would be full of 25,000 devotees.

The next bit was probably the most interesting part of the day. We went walking through the alleys and back lanes of the Chandni Chowk Bazaar. That was an absolute attack on all the senses. Total chaos with bicycle rickshaws, motor bikes, people pulling carts overloaded with just about everything. There were food stalls selling anything imaginable (Indian style), there were Oxen and groups of giggly school children and women in divine and bright saris. The vehicles were tooting constantly and jostling for space in the alleys, you had to tuck your toes in and despite being careful I got bashed by an overhanging parcel of some sort. . It made Sri Lanka seem quite tame. We were walking in a group of 21…single file mode but it didn’t feel too bad…no name tags or flags. It was quite a long walk but I did it without too much worry. The main thing is the sweat.

Then we went to the India Gate…down the stairs of the bloody bus, then up the stairs of the bloody bus. Now they are giant steps!

Then lunch. It was a good lunch in a western style setting (pub style) but the food was good. This is where you do the ‘may I sit with you’ thing. The funny thing at lunch is that you have to pay for your drinks (wine is too impossibly expensive to buy) and the girl on our table accidentally gave the waiter $100 US instead of 100 Rupees…now there’s a mistake for you but he fessed up to her and gave it back!!

After lunch we went to Gandhi Smitri which is where Gandhi lived for the last months of his life and where he was assassinated. That was lovely and definitely left you with a sense that this truly was a great man. And last but not least for the day we went to the magnificent Qutab Minar. Amazing and apart from the walk through the bazaar area, this was a highlight. This was the first mosque in India, built by the conquering whatevers. It is a tower hand carved spectacularly all of its 73M length. Surrounded by the ruins of the mosque.The colours of the red stone is dazzling. Amazing really.

Then back to the hotel, a quick shower, caught our breaths and then down for dinner in another part of the hotel which was underwhelming.

I dont know what to think yet. We saw a lot in a day, it was a long and tiring day but manageable for a short, fat, old lady. Tomorrow we are flying to Varenarsi…every day is a day when I don’t know what to expect.

After breakfast we walked to the bank for me to get out some more money. This time I went into the bank and asked if I could get out more than $200. Yes they said but you have to go to the ATM and withdraw $200 at a time only, but you can withdraw up to 4 times….does this make any sense at all??? It just means multiple withdrawal fees…what can you do?

Then we jumped into a Tuk Tuk and headed for the Red Fort (600 Rupees to get in -$12). This was absolutely gorgeous. Really, the beautiful and intricate carvings in the marble and the sandstone is stunning. The elegant and delicate buildings are just wonderful and then there is the mark of the British who pulled down some of the gorgeous buildings to build ugly barracks, which is a bit hard to understand.

A Tuk Tuk back to the hotel to cool down and then the next sight, which is just over the road, before the next afternoon swim. Tuk Tuk’s cost only a couple of dollars for each ride but Sally and I often don’t agree about the tip. You’d be proud of me Rosa, I tend to the generous side!! At one point there was a young girl by the side of the road doing little dances for the tourists to tout for money. I gave her 10 Rupees and she refused it because it wasn’t enough. When she realised she wasn’t getting any more she pulled faces at me…really!!!!! I guess you can see her point, I’m a mean rich bastard in her eyes.

We went out to get some lunch so walked the streets in search of food which is surprisingly harder than you’d think. Sally got a kind of toasted sandwich street food style but I just had a drink (unfortunately it had ice so fingers crossed). Then we went to Jantar Mantar which is a ‘top’ sight just over the road from our hotel. And it was truly remarkable and very difficult to describe. It is a series of buildings constructed in 1724 as astrology instruments to read the distance to the sun, movement of the stars etc. They are extraordinarily shaped constructions…staircases leading up to the sky etc…amazing.

By this time it was 3pm and time to come back to the hotel for a swim. Fortunately we got a quick swim in because it actually started to rain. I’m sure it will be short lived but it was unexpected!!
We’re supposed to be meeting up with ‘the group’ tonight but there are no instructions as to where or when which is a bit weird but I’m sure all will be revealed. Just FYI I’m being very alcohol free. Sally not an enthusiastic drinking buddy at all!!

Later….Sally was freezing in the room so I got her down to the bar for a cocktail ! Then I decided to warm her up outside in the heat so we went off walking. That was a bit longer and more convoluted than I thought and we actually ended up in a very seedy part of town, as happens on occasion and very quickly too. I kept marching forward (I can imagine Rose telling me I’m mad) with Sally bravely following on. A Tuk Tuk driver stopped to tell us we weren’t safe (and of course he would take us to our hotel. But no, onward and upward, past all the people sleeping on the street, the huddled groups of young men and finally the body all wrapped up in a shroud with candles burning around the body. That was a bit spooky but we soon emerged on a main road and I definitely knew where we were so that was a plus.

Back here for dinner and still no word from the Wendy Wu organisers so we just had dinner here in the hotel (with a couple of glasses of VERY expensive wine). Time for bed and no idea what time we’re supposed to be meeting the group in the morning. Oh, and by the way my pants arrived…a bit disappointing but I guess I was expecting something to turn my body into model style. I’ll get some wear out of them.

Miss you all XXXXXX

Well here we are moving through the second day on Indian soil. We haven’t actually done it tough. Like Sri Lanka the proliferation of Tuk Tuk’s (called Rickshaws here) means that getting from point A to point B is very easy.

I had a list of things for us to do today. But first I needed to set off and find an ATM before breakfast. I left Sally getting herself organised, this does take a lot of time but at the end of it it has to be said that she is a very organised traveller.

I failed in my attempts to find an ATM because it turns out you have to find an international bank to withdraw internationally. I found out by piecing together information from the multiple touts, who were now insisting on helping me, that these banks were in the centre of the city and too far away for a pre breakfast dash.

So back for the very splendid breakfast laid out at the hotel. After brekky we set off by Tuk Tuk to find a bank. Deutsche Bank wouldn’t give me any money…on to HSBC…they would only give me 10,000 Rupees…less than $200. This is a real bummer because you have to go to the bank more frequently and you get charged over $10 a pop. Well just suck that up Princess. By this time a Tuk Tuk driver was promising us the world in terms of visiting the sites we wanted to see for a reasonable price. I wanted to go to the State Handcraft Emporium and it was the only thing open early in the morning, so off we went.

It was really great…full of lovely things but I can’t carry anything so I got a couple of small souvenirs for myself. BUT, then I got sucked into the pants department…no pants to fit me of course but making them…no problem!! A couple of pairs of linen pants for $70 each to be delivered to the hotel tomorrow. God knows how that will go but give it a go!! Sally was an invaluable fashion advisor re materials etc.

When we got back to the Tuk Tuk our No.1 driver had disappeared. The No. 2 driver took us back to our hotel and basically dumped us with another driver who wouldn’t have a bar of the previous price of course. So we did what we should have done in the first place and just went to one site at a time. They all want to take us to a shopping arcade, I guess they get a tip for delivering tourists to them, but we are very definite in resisting. No different to Sri Lanka in many ways although I do think a little more chaotic and life threatening on the roads.

Next stop was Humayun’s Tomb. A really beautiful C16 tomb of red sandstone and white marble, surrounded by beautiful gardens. We wandered around there, including also the tomb of Isa Khan, enjoying the magnificence of it all. Then another driver took us to the National Museum. That was also a treat, full of beautiful treasures in stone, bronze, marble and of course ivory. Paintings that I just loved and more.

By this time we were hot and tired. The other place I wanted to go, Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Dargah was closed during the day. 3 out of 4 items ticked off ain’t bad!! Now to the pool for some down time!!

A couple of hours spent by the pool, having a dip and sipping a Singapore Sling….why not? We also got some snacks, ordered far too much and probably don’t need much more food today really…but I guess we’ll see about that. More later after we’ve set off again for a late afternoon/evening sortee.

And now for the rest of my evening. Sally hopped into bed and went straight to sleep. I tried to wake her, called her name loudly a number of times but she was immovable, so off I went out into the chaos that is Delhi at night. I walked the blocks, the street bazaars, past the shops and arcades. The traffic was total chaos and getting from one side of the street to the other took courage I can tell you. I came back to the hotel an hour and a half later and Sally was still asleep!! The funny thing about that is that she swears she hadn’t been asleep.

Another quick walk later…just to get Sally out into the Delhi nightlife!! We came back at 8pm and I sat in the bar by myself and had a drink while Sally went back up to get ready for bed. I think I might netflix for a bit now!!