April 10th, 2012 by lainer
With a population of 30,883, Bodhgaya is home to the Bodhi tree where the founder of Budhism is said to have achieved enlightenment and so, is one of the four holiest sites for Budhists. The Mahabodhi temple has been built around a descendant of the tree and so millions of visitors flock here every year. Once you get past the surrounding tacky stalls, beggars, touts and souvenir shops, the atmosphere inside the temple is sombre and spiritual. Sitting for awhile beside the tree, it was obvious how important this place is to the many pilgims.
We stayed in Mohammad’s guesthouse, which was by far the cleanest and most modern place we stayed in. Strolling around Bodhgaya town itself, there is a stark difference between the wealth of the Asians being bussed into the temple on large coaches and the local people – Bihar is one of India’s poorest states – poverty is rife.
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April 8th, 2012 by lainer
Off another overnight train, we had to stop on the main road before being guided by our rickshaw driver through the narrow windy streets (no rickshaws allowed) to reach Shanti Guesthouse. Built along the holy waters of the Ganges river, many Indians are brought here to be cremated at the ghats and have their ashes spread in the water.
Interestingly, only male members of the family attend these ceremonies. In the past, widows were burnt alive with their dead husbands! The eldest son has to shave his head and the body is burnt with wood (different types, depending on the wealth of the family). There is a strict no photos policy at these ceremonies – angry family members have been know to throw stones at tourists trying to take photos from the boats in the river.
So, we spent four days here, wandering along the ghats, stopping for chai, and eating in Varanasi’s many nice food spots – Pizzeria Vaatika and Brown Bread Bakery for a real cheese toasty were both delicious.
The first night we took an evening boat ride back to the guest house. The atmosphere was slightly dampened when our friendly boatman wanted to double the price midway up the river. There may have been some slamming of the lonely planet in his face…
Here, more than in other places, anyone wanting to have a “chat” generally wants you to buy something, give a donation or to come to their uncle’s shop. The first night we went to see one of the ceremonies at the water. Stef and I got suckered in to taking a flower candle to put in the Ganges (“good luck, good luck”). At the water, our friendly “priest” did his blessing, after which he wanted 500 rps!
However despite the constant harassment and scamming, it’s a special place and just really weird here.
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April 6th, 2012 by lainer
Onwards to Agra, and my first overnight train experience went well, although the bunks are not made for 6′ Europeans with size 9s. We stayed in Hotel Sheela (nice garden restaurant and good location next to the East gate). Steffi, one of the original accountants arrived, having flown into Delhi a few days before. We went to try some local fair – a spicy Mc Paneer burger, large fries and a coke hit the spot! Now there was in fact reason behind this. We had heard of at least ten people getting sick in Agra, some believing it’s a local scam to get tourists to spend more time there! We were sceptical beforehand, however one out of the four of us was violently vomitting that night and we talked to three others at the hotel who were also sick!
The Taj Mahal is amazing to see and definitely doesn’t disappoint – everything is aligned so perfectly it looks like it’s a photoshop fake in your pictures. One night in Agra is enough though. Our safe food choices besides Mc Donalds were Joney’s Cafe and Shinaya Palace for great views of the Taj.
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April 5th, 2012 by lainer
A local bus took us from Bundi to Kota – broke down on the way. We waited in the midday heat for about twenty minutes until a replacement bus came when I had to nearly throw myself on while it moved off. Our general class train got us to Sawai Modhpur (renamed the Uyuni of India) just about an hour and a half later than expected.
We had come to Ranthambore to see some real life tigers out in the wild in the national park. However, three safaris later we saw none. Our friends arrived that night when we were leaving. They went on a safari the next morning and watched a tiger hunting for thirty minutes, with the photos to prove it. Oh well..at least we tried…or something.
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April 4th, 2012 by lainer
With a population of 88,000 Bundi was one of my favourite places so far, even though, according to “the book” (no whities seem to travel indeed without their Lonely Planet) there isn’t alot to do here. The fort stood out from the others we visited in Rajasthan because very little restoration work has been done on it. As I began to climb up alone, I bumped into an English gentleman who suggested I bring a stick for the monkeys… How right he was! Up in the fort it is very much you and the monkeys. It is overgrown and wild and feels quite eerie and deserted walking around. They didn’t seem too bothered by me but I wouldn’t have tested it!
The first afternoon Annie and I rented some push bikes and cycled round the lake to a Hindu temple. A quick game of cricket along the way and an interesting drink of crushed limes and sugar followed by a couple of samosas wrapped in newspaper resulted in a pleasant afternoon.
A good spot for photos was the local market one evening – everything was available to buy and I met some interesting characters.
Posted in Bundi, India | 2 Comments
