About this time last week, Jodie and I were arriving in Singapore after a trip to India.
The whole country is just incredible. The Indian government gives plenty of warning of this – their advertising campaign is titled “Incredible !ndia” – but still I wasn’t prepared for just how incredible it is. That word ran through my mind in almost every situation we found ourselves in. I’ll spice things up a bit here by using various adjectives, but keep in mind that in most cases I was really thinking “incredible”.
But first, I must apologise for not writing earlier. Internet access was difficult or expensive to obtain, so I left all my blogging until we got back. I wish that hadn’t been the case: I am sure I have forgotten a lot, and now I can’t bring myself to write more than one post. I’ll try to be brief :)
We landed in Mumbai (formerly Bombay – but we were told you must not call it that when you’re there, or the hard-core Bombayites will get upset) at about 2am. They are pretty stressed about the terror threats, so I got to see my first machine gun (an AK-47, I think). Our driver was waiting for us. The roads were shockingly-potholed, even very close to the airport, but they were no match for him. He darted around them and the busy traffic, all the way to Pune, about three hours away.
It turned out that the roads are ridiculous everywhere. It looks like it should be a traffic jam, but somehow everyone keeps moving, the cars and tuktuks (rickshaws with 2-stroke engines) narrowly missing each other and barely slowing down. There is only one road rule: stop when the traffic lights are red. But the lights are sparse, and everywhere else the drivers just go for it, keeping to the left only when it is convenient. We were often challenged by oncoming traffic, but a quick exchange of honks and flashing lights got us through safely.
Pune was good fun. We were actually there for my sister Ceridwen’s wedding, which was a terrific collection of ceremonies and feasts. I drew some lousy henna on Jodie’s hand and she drew an excellent triforce on my arm.
An insane taxi ride and short plane flight later and we were down south in tropical Kerala. We stayed in a lovely resort – the kind of place where you are presented with a coconut with a straw in the top on arrival. It was very peaceful there; such a contrast from the buzz of Pune and Mumbai. The resort had a meandering pool that I used to visit my German brother Florian in his villa. It had been about seven years since we saw each other last, and it was great to catch up.
The best thing about the resort was probably the houseboat. At first I didn’t want to go, because the resort was so nice, but it was well worth it. We spent an afternoon cruising around the backwaters of Kerala before mooring at the edge of a river for dinner. We saw lots of farm land, most of which is artificially below the water level – especially good for growing rice. The fields were separated from the river by a low wall of earth along which children were running home from school. The rivers seem to be used extensively for trade; bullocks are herded (swimming) along them, and cattle feed river sand (for building) are shipped from place to place on canoes with barge poles.
We didn’t want to leave but our trip had already been planned. We jumped on a plane again and bounced up to Jaipur. Sadly we went via Delhi: we were only there for 12 hours and I still managed to get Delhi belly. I even had to see a doctor because I started to get pins and needles in my fingers and toes. I was worried about the cost of calling a doctor to our hotel room, but we paid less than half of what it would be in Australia – and still our driver said that we paid too much. The sickness didn’t last long, but I missed out on an elephant ride up to a nearby fort.
After Jaipur we drove to Ranthambore to search for a tiger. We stayed at Khem Villas, an awesome resort that was run by the son of the man who established the tiger park. It was luxurious at the same time as being down to earth: our spacious tents had showers in them, we were served drinks as we sat around the camp fire with the owners and the other guests, and they grow most of their own food on-site. I would definitely recommend Khem Villas to anyone visiting northern India (really, you should go out of your way to stay there).
We spent three hours on tiger safari on two separate occasions. There are 40 of them in the park (up from 17 a few years ago), but the park is large and they are difficult to find. There is a lot of other beautiful wildlife, though, and great views besides. Especially after running around the busy cities, it was terrific to stand on top of a mountain and breathe in the silent air. We did see a tiger in the end, ten minutes before the end of our six hours. It was nice to have seen one – and the search was fun – but it was also a little over-hyped. The rest of the park was worth it regardless (and I was secretly more interested in seeing a sloth bear!)
Next we went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal with everyone else. I was sceptical about the value of going there; after all, I have seen it a thousand times in photos. But it really is special to see it up close. Everything about the building is awesome – the design, the workmanship, the materials, and the sheer size of it. Taj Mahal must have been an amazing woman. We also went to Agra Fort, from which you can see the Taj Mahal further down the river. The Fort is where the rulers used to live, including the man who had the Taj Mahal built. Even the fort was elaborate, with the most intricate carvings in the stonework. Because I was sick earlier it was the only fort I saw in India, but there are several and I assume they are all beautiful. If you are thinking of going to one, I recommend hiring a guide. There is a lot of history behind them and we got much more out of the experience than we would have otherwise. Also, if you are going to the Taj Mahal, get there early: we arrived before sunset but the line was long. By the time we got inside the building it was dark, and everyone was getting impatient.
It was a great trip, but I was glad to come home again. It would be interesting to go back in about 20 years to see how things change.
Edit: More photos from our trip.
