Pushkar Camel Fair -Day 1

Friday, 31 October 2014, Pushkar

Pati and BeeBee got up early this morning, eager to take in the first official day of the Pushkar Camel Fair. They had a breakfast of muesli, yogurt, and toast (how different from the previous hotels!) in the cool open-air rooftop terrace restaurant. Around the B&B are gardens, which at this time of year appear to be just dirt plots. The B&B manager told them that all the land around the B&B belongs to his grandfather, and that was the man in one of the gardens with a hoe. In fact, the family owns 6 hotels in Pushkar.

After breakfast, they set off on foot toward the fairgrounds. The roads and streets are paved, with lots of sand at the edges, and lots of what camels leave behind. Also lots of scam artists, trying to hand out flowers to be used for prayers at the lake (where the flowers mark just who can be hit up for $500 to $1000 USD for prayers for their family). Needless to say, Pati and BeeBee rejected all flowers.

Their way to the fair went through the market, streets crowded with pedestrians and vehicles, with all sorts of clothing, jewelry, metal and sandlewood artifacts, fabrics, and food to buy. They followed a map given to them by the B&B and eventually ended up at the fairgrounds, where many schoolgirls in colorful saris were performing a choreographed dance to music. The "fairgrounds" is really a large oval arena with stone seats on one of the long sides and one of the ends, and events that do not need all of the arena tend to happen near the sides with seating. Following the schoolgirls was a dancer performing to music produced by a line of drummers; there were two "guest" drummers who were clearly non-Indians pulled from the seated audience. Following this was a football (soccer) match played by a local team in uniforms vs. all foreign males who wanted to play, collectively call the "rest of the world" team. The rest of the world team scored first and went on to win the match; Pati and BeeBee suspected that perhaps the game was rigged. There were 4 players from the USA, and the rest were from France, the UK, Sweden, and other countries. While all this was going on, a camel beautification contest was also going on to the side. The owner of the most beautifully-decorated camel was crowned king; he mounted his camel and rode in front of the stands, holding a large ornate umbrella over his own head.

As there was a gap in entertainment, Pari and BeeBee went back to the market for lunch at the Laughing Budda, which was up a very steep set of stairs, and on a narrow projection from the second floor of a building. They had an excellent view of the people walking through the market below, and could analyze the behavior of the sellers. Across the street from them, at street level, was a shop prominently displaying bags of something that looked like fancy beans or rice on the left (Pati called them tictacs for their appearance and apparent size as he saw them from a distance) and cartons and packs of cigarettes on the right.  The shop keeper watched for Westerners: when they appeared, he called out to them about cigarettes. For Indians, he pushed the tictacs.

After lunch, Pati and BeeBee headed back to the B&B, intending to rest, but the B&B manager convinced them to return for the 6 pm candle lighting on the lake. The candles were really small clay bowls with a wick in oil, and thousands of them were set on the ghats (steps) all around the lake. It was a quite beautiful scene, with lights twinkling and reflecting in the lake. Tomorrow, Pati and BeeBee plan to return to the lake early and walk around it.

After this, they stopped for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (not THE Hard Rock Cafe but a restaurant owned by the extended family of the B&B where they are staying). The food was excellent; they plan to eat there again sometime.

Camels!

Camel Cart Ride or Riding the Welcome Wagon

Thursday, 30 October 2014, Pushkar

As Pati and BeeBee checked into their B&B, they discussed various options for learning their way around the Pushkar camel fair before it officially opened on Friday. The option they chose was a camel cart ride from 4 to 6 pm. They also discussed a possible visit to the market with a trusted member of the B&B family, at 7 pm after their ride. For the camel cart ride, they would be picked up by the camel cart on the road outside their B&B, taken to the fair grounds and driven around the camel, cattle, and horse markets, and then driven back. The camel cart is similar to a flatbed trailer, with two large inflated tires. The bed of the cart is probably wood, but covered with comfortable and colorful blankets. That is all the comfort for sitting, because the cart does not have shock absorbers or places to hold on. There is a colorful canopy above, which probably helps when the sun is out and hot. The camel is harnessed in front, and the driver controls the camel with two lines and verbal commands. Usually the driver can sit in front on the right, when automobile traffic is not bad, or when the road or path is easy to navigate, but otherwise he walks ahead of the camel. Pati and BeeBee's camel's name was Rama. They did not learn the driver's name. He only knew a few words of English. The camel may have known more but wasn't talkative. The cost for this exotic ride was 2400 rupees, or about $40 USD for both of them.

Just after 4 pm, they walked out to the road where the camel, cart and driver were waiting. BeeBee had imagined that the cart would be only big enough for the two of them, but it was possible to seat 9 in relative comfort, as they saw in other carts later. As they had approached the cart, they were able to observe where those large quantities of water that camels drink eventually end up.  With some difficulty, they climbed aboard and seated themselves in front, with BeeBee just behind the camel. The camel flicked his tail, Pati and BeeBee ducked, but not quickly enough to avoid the camel's "special blessing." BeeBee found that the drinking water she had brought was perfectly suited to cleaning her glasses (which had mysteriously developed spots on them).

They started out and soon joined the end of a small procession of camels with riders. They all wound slowly through the fair, observing camels, cattle, horses, sellers' stalls, and hawkers. Everything was fascinating, and more animals arrived by the minute to join those already there. They had thought they would be safer from persistent hawkers by being inside the cart, but no place is safe. Being on the cart also marked them as having money to spend. At one point, when the driver stopped (looking for his boss), a group of men began to play terrible music and dance together, demanding money from Pati. The driver advised Pati, with a shake of his head, not to give money and tried to send the men away. They became angry with the driver, but left to harass other people.

Finally, they had seen enough. It was getting dark, so they headed back to the B&B. They had left shortly after 4 pm, and it seemed that they would be getting back shortly after 6 pm. Their route back included a shortcut on a well-traveled path through the sand to get to the paved road. At one point, the path narrowed, with a drop-off to the left and a bank to the right.  The path was just barely wider than the cart. Suddenly a large SUV appeared in front of them. Backing up for either vehicle seemed very difficult, but easier for the SUV. Angrily, the SUV driver demanded that the camel cart move aside, toward the dropoff. The camel cart driver jockeyed the cart closer to the edge. The SUV took a run at the resulting space, but it wasn't enough, and the SUV kept stalling in the sand. More angry words. More shifting of the cart.  The cart tipped somewhat, but the canopy snagged on a small tree there and held. Pati, on the front left corner, hung on tightly. BeeBee shifted to the right to help balance the cart. The SUV took another run at the space and succeeded this time. He plowed away through the sand without any offer of help to the stuck cart. Fortunately, there was another camel driver behind them, and both of them together with the camel got the cart back on the path, Pati and BeeBee looking on from the ground.

They finally got back to the B&B, well after dark. Pati thanked the camel driver and paid him his agreed-upon fee of 2,400 rupees plus a 100 rupee tip.

Pati and BeeBee decided they had had enough excitement for the day and would go to the market another day.

Camel (Rama) with Cart

From Jaipur to Pushkar

Thursday, 30 October 2014, Jaipur and Pushkar

Pati and BeeBee got up early to travel to Pushkar. First they had a very good buffet breakfast at their B&B, then they walked around the inside of the building taking pictures. Either the building is a restored palace, or it is a building created to look like a restored palace. The furnishings likewise are genuine antiques or new with antiqued finishes. In any case, it is a beautiful building.

At checkout time, the manager had a great deal of trouble processing Pati's credit card using an old card reader. The message coming up was "modem failed" but the manager thought the solution was for Pati to produce another credit card. When Pati pointed out the error message, the manager pulled another equally-old card reader from under the counter and plugged it in. Problem solved.

Their driver was already waiting, so Pati and BeeBee went out, followed by two young cleaning men (!) who insisted on carrying their luggage. BeeBee had already tipped them when the young men "ambushed" them on the way downstairs and grabbed the luggage. (It is a game: how far can you get carrying your own luggage before someone else insists on carrying it, expecting a tip? This time Pati and BeeBee got down one of the two flights of stairs before getting caught.) The two young men put the luggage in the trunk of the car, and the driver rearranged it more efficiently. Suddenly Pati became aware of an older man in a black suit who had followed them out. Apparently, he was associated with the B&B and, for some reason, he expected a tip also! He blocked access to the car until he got his tip. The only person who was not there for a tip was the tour company's representative for Jaipur, who had said he would be there that morning. Since he had not done anything the previous day that Pati and BeeBee could not have done on their own, he was not missed.

The driver was a charming man and excellent driver. He is an employee of Cox and King's; the drivers for this trip are contracted from various companies.  He worked hard to speak proper English (his native language is Rajastani) and pointed out various points of interest as he drove. Shortly after they entered Pushkar, they drove past the fair grounds, which is where Pati and BeeBee intend to spend a lot of time in the next 5 days. Then he continued to drive until BeeBee began to wonder how they would get back to the fairgrounds every day. As he finally pulled into a hotel named Raj Resort, he said "here we are at your hotel." BeeBee said "we are staying at Prem Villas. Is this Prem Villas?" (knowing that it wasn't). Then followed a comedic exchange of paperwork, multiple phone calls, and finally the arrival of the tour company representative for Pushkar.  The driver's paperwork, given to him by the Jaipur B&B manager, said to deliver to Raj Resort. The tour company representative convinced him of the error, and they all set off for Prem Villas. The driver was mortified. He showed them his paperwork; they assured him that it was all right, just another adventure in India.

How about a ride?

From Shimla to Jaipur

Wednesday, 29 October 2014

Pati and BeeBee had agreed with their driver for a 7 am pickup to begin their long journey to Jaipur. Their hotel, Wildflower Hall, prepared two boxes of breakfast for them to take with them, since they were leaving before normal breakfast. This included (for two people) 2 croissants, 2 muffins, 4 slices of banana bread, 2 bottles of water, 2 individual-sized boxes of orange juice, 2 bananas, 2 apples, 2 bags of chips, 2 plastic plates, and 2 sets of napkins, etc.  This is just a hint of how easy it is to over- eat at that place. They gave the fruit, chips, and water to their driver when they got to the airport - they couldn't eat it all, and they couldn't take it with them.

The first leg of the journey was to retrace the twisty road between Chandigarh and Shimla, but in reverse. Including a tea/coffee stop at 9 am, this 108 km (about 65 mile) leg took about 4 hours. The first most exciting event in this part of the trip (excluding some near-misses) was a cellphone call to the driver from his boss, resulting in Pati taking the phone and hearing the boss say something like "your flight is cancelled." It was very hard to hear and understand what the boss was saying, but, upon reflection, Pati decided that what the boss actually said was something like "call me if your flight is cancelled." The second most exciting event was when Pati and BeeBee presented their eticket paperwork to get into the airport, and the official said that the ticket was only for Pati, not BeeBee. A kind passenger in the line behind them told them which window to go to, and at that window the airline employee printed out the missing eticket for only 50 rupees. After that, the airport experience was fairly similar to a US airport experience (except for the separate patdown for women).

Their flight to Delhi was short and uneventful, and they had enough time between flights to grab a quick lunch at Pizza Hut.

The next flight, from Delhi to Jaipur, actually left early because everyone was on board, and thus arrived early into Jaipur. Their luggage eventually turned up, and they walked out of the airport, finding their new guide and driver almost immediately.

They were delivered to their Bed and Breakfast, Shahpura House, within a half hour, and agreed to be picked up at 10 am the next day for their further journey to Pushkar and the camel fair.

Having spent more than 10 hours traveling in one day, Pati and BeeBee were ready to get dinner and call it a day. They had a fine dinner in the rooftop restaurant of the B&B, and being seated at the table closest to the entertainment, were treated to an unimpeded view of traditional music and dancing. The entertainers were a group of 2 male musicians and 2 female performers. BeeBee imagined them to be a mother, daughter, son, and perhaps nephew or friend of the son. The daughter was the main performer, dancing with bells on her ankles and swirling her colorful skirt. The mother's speciality was balancing pots on her head (maximum of 6 at a time) while walking swiftly or gyrating like a snake on the floor. The son played an accordian-like instrument while singing in a clear high voice, and the other young man played a drum. Of course, the words to the songs were not understandable to Pati and BeeBee until the two young men sang Frere Jacques and bits of Macarena. There was also a separate performing group, two men with drums, at the other end of the restaurant, but no diners were seated at that end, so they left early.

Dancer at Shahpura House

At Wildflower Hall

Tuesday, 28 October 2014, Shimla

Today was a "free day," meaning that the tour company did not have anything arranged. Pati and BeeBee had given their driver the day off so that they could take advantage of the amenities of their hotel, the Wildflower Hall, part of the Oberi group. Their original booking at the Oberi Cecil (convenient to the Shimla Mall) had been changed due to renovations at the Cecil, but Wildflower Hall is even higher in the mountains (8,250 feet above sea level) with a better view.

Yesterday, Pati and BeeBee had taken advantage of the outdoor jacuzzi with its infinity edge and views of the Himalaya mountains. Today they decided to hike the Wild Strawberry Trail, on the ridge line, a distance of  1.7 kms with maximum ascent and descent of 30 degrees. The estimated walking time is 1 hour, but with multiple stops to take pictures and get their breath back, the trip took a bit longer.  The trail is also used by horse sellers, who join the trail somewhere else.

When Pati and BeeBee left the hotel for the hike, they were given a map and two walking sticks, in case they had to fend off monkeys. But the only monkeys they saw were on the hotel grounds, and they are considered almost hotel staff, since they are larger and keep the other monkeys away.  In fact, there is a notice in the room stating "Please keep the windows closed during the day to safeguard your belongings from monkeys." It would be very easy for a monkey to climb to the balcony and then into the room through an open window. But not one monkey came near the room, either.

Another activity that Pati and BeeBee wanted very much was to view the snow-capped Himalayas through the hotel's telescope. Each time they asked, they were told it was broken but someone would try to set it up. Then they were told it was set up on the terrace. After their hike, they went to the terrace, which is also the outdoor dining room, and were immediately seated for lunch (that they didn't really want). As they waited for lunch, the telescope was taken away! They had been told at breakfast that there was a lot of mist hiding the mountains, but the viewing had been excellent the day before they came and would be excellent again the day after they left. But they are in the Himalayas, and that is what matters. Right?

Postscript: That night there was a heavy storm, with thunder and lightning, at around 10 pm and lasting about a half hour. Since Pati and BeeBee were up early for their departure the next morning, they looked out on the lawn at dawn before the sun was fully up. The lawn was covered in hail stones. When they went downstairs and on to the terrace where the telescope had been, they could clearly see even more mountains behind and higher than any they had seen before. The storm had cleared the air. They now have some very good pictures to admire for years.

Himalaya

Unfortunately, Shimla is closed on Mondays ...

Monday, 27 October 2014, Shimla

At 10 am, as agreed upon the previous (exhausted!) night, Pati and BeeBee were picked up by their guide and driver. During their drive to the first site, the driver explained the history of Shimla. Because of its agreeable climate, it was at one time the summer capitol of India. It was established as a hill station for the English military, and the infrastructure they provided still serves the current population. However, the capacity has long been overtaken by demand, e.g., water supplies planned for 22,000 are now serving 400,000.

As they drove, the guide explained that the itinerary hadn't really specified what they were to see, and, unfortunately, most sights were closed on Monday. Pati, quoting from the itinerary, asked about the trip to Chadwick Falls. The guide explained that it would be a 4 hour hike to the Falls and the falls weren't impressive and they were full of garbage at the bottom but they could go if they really wanted to...

An aside: the guide was the advisor to Michael Palin for the episode on Shimla that was part of the Himalaya series produced by Michael Palin in 2002. (The guide is never on-camera.) This series is the reason that Pati and BeeBee decided to visit Shimla and Wagah. The guide said that Michael Palin is doing another series on the area, and will be back in Shimla in February or March of 2015.  The guide will again be his advisor.  Only two degrees of separation from Michael Palin!

Their first visit was to Sankat Mochan, a temple dedicated to the monkey god, Lord Hanuman. The drive uphill to this temple on the top of Jakhoo Hill, the highest point in Shimla, made yesterday's drive tame by comparison.  The guide explained that he could not find a local driver willing to drive up that hill, but the driver who brought Pati and BeeBee from Amritsar said, basically, "no problem!" As the guide said, the saying is "good driver, good brakes, good luck." The driver went as far as practicable, and then the guide, Pati and BeeBee walked up the rest of the way, later walking back down by another route. The Hanuman statue is 108 feet tall, orange, and visible from as far away as 6 miles. In a small temple nearby was a priest and multiple displays showing Hanuman's story. As the guide explained all this, the priest (mischievously, they thought) threw holy water on them. After looking at the displays, the priest gave the three of them holy water to drink and small objects to eat (that looked like tictacs),. The priest then put a small dot of orange on their foreheads. Pati put a donation in the box. The holy water was a mixture of local spring water and water from the Ganges; they placed it on their heads instead of in their mouths. The guide collected their tictacs and fed them to the many monkeys outside.

The downhill trail ended at a flat paved area, with the Mall leading off it. Here they went inside an Anglican church, the second-oldest church in India. It was plain by today's standards, and in need of restoration, but a peaceful place to rest. Pati and BeeBee sat in the front row, which had a plaque stating that it was reserved for the Viceroy of India, who at the time ruled 1/5 of the population of the world (i.e., India).

The guide showed them the outside of the Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex (unfortunately closed on Mondays). This was the very theatre where Michael Palin entertained soldiers during the filming of his Himalaya series. It has been restored, and Michael Palin will again perform when he comes back next year.

The guide then directed Pati and BeeBee to a restaurant, where they spent an hour for lunch, followed by an hour perusing the shops by themselves on the Mall. At 2:45, they met again with their guide, who walked them downhill to meet their driver.  Pati tipped the guide, and that was the last they saw of him.

The driver then took them back to their hotel, where Pati tipped him for the day. The driver was given the next day off, and will pick them up again on Wednesday at 7 am for the drive to the airport.

Hanuman

Pati must be careful...

  not to take signs literally in the future.

But it said they were optional ...

Sometimes a picture...

Is worth 1000 words.

Walking on rooftops...

 Thursday, 23 October 2014, Old Delhi

Pati and BeeBee arrived in old Delhi via car and immediately stepped out into utter chaos.  They met their guide, Anju, who said "You are soon going to think I am crazy." She then led them into a dark passage way and up several flights of stairs without handrails. Then they climbed two wobbly homemade ladders leaned against walls and arrived high on a rooftop to watch young boys train a flock of birds. The boys scowled and were obviously not happy to see them. Pati and BeeBee realized that Anju was very perceptive - they did think she was crazy.  

The birds flew in circles around the rooftop. Anju explained that the object was to confuse other people's birds and hold them for ransom. BeeBee and Pati wondered if they played that game with tourists, too. Anju then explained why they had climbed so high as they climbed over various piles of refuse to the edge of the building. Anju pointed out the beautiful architecture of the crumbling havelis (mansions) which was impossible to see from street level. At one time, the buildings had indeed been beautiful but that time is in the past.

Pati and BeeBee the began the process of returning to street level. Since the topmost ladder wobbled about two feet below the rooftop, the first step was frightening. When Pati made it down the first ladder, he was reminded of what it like to have a flock of pigeons circling overhead the rungs of a ladder. He looked at his hands and began a cleaning process involving napkins, wet wipes, and Purell. At the top of the second ladder Pati grabbed a pipe for balance. It was the sewer vent. He was having a magical day.

After the ladders, descending the narrow steps through the dark alleys didn't seem so bad.   Pati and BeeBee finally reached street level and followed Anju from street to street and stall to stall. The people who, at first sight, seemed foreign and strange began to take focus as people of dignity and purpose. One man, working from a closet sized stall, worked translating ancient deeds into modern language for use in legal proceedings. Anju then took them to stalls and bought them food that they would normally never eat and it was good. Given the start of the tour, Pati was a little reluctant to try some of the "finger food." Anju spent some time looking for the "ear cleaner" who does exactly what the job description implies. Unfortunately, she didn't find him.  Pati wondered if there was a similarly aptly named "hand cleaner" wandering around somewhere.

After their tour, Pati and BeeBee dined at the haveli of Anju's brother, Dhruv (pronounced Drew) a Cambridge trained MBA. The meal was very good and the haveli magnificent. It was amazing how nice an interior can exist amid the rubble of the streets. When it was over, Pati and BeeBee agreed that the tour was worth every minute. Their only regret was that they only took the half day - rather than full day -- tour. That, and that there wasn't a good place to wash one's hands after visiting the pigeons.

Organized Chaos

Driving to Shimla: Acrophobia on Steriods

Sunday, 26 October 2014, Amritsar and Shimla

Pati and BeeBee left Amritsar at 9 am on Sunday with their Amritsar driver (no guide required), headed for Shimla in the Himalayas. Their itinery summarized the drive as "300 Kms (06 Hrs Drive)."  In fact, the drive took 10 hours, but more on that later ...

As they left Amritsar, BeeBee realized that she had become somewhat adjusted to Indian traffic. After all, they always had good drivers, and all the rest of the traffic seemed to know what they were doing, even the cows.  The traffic thinned slightly as they traveled and they drove through numerous small towns and villages. Around 11:30, the driver asked them if they would like to take tea and coffee. Pati and BeeBee were thirsty, so they said yes.

After a short stop, they were on the road again. The driver made a cellphone call in Punjabi laced with a few English words.  BeeBee said "I think he's lost." The driver seemed to be searching for something and finally said "Lunch now?" It had been about an hour since the tea and coffee. The place where they stopped was much more primitive than the previous stop. It began to dawn on Pati that "tea" had actually meant "lunch." The stop had three dining areas, one outside under a cover, a covered one, and a building labeled "AC Dining Room." After a failed attempt to be seated in one of the non-AC areas, Pati and BeeBee were hustled into the "AC Dining Room" which contained about a dozen tables, seating for about 50, and no AC.  Forty-eight of the chairs were empty.

An irritated little waiter handed BeeBee and Pati menus with a list of options they could not comprehend.  They saw the word paneer (sort of a no-curd cottage cheese) in two items and - since they had seen brains as an ingredient in some other items - ordered two paneer dishes and garlic naan (a kind of bread). The waiter went away and after some delay said there was no garlic naan to be had. BeeBee and Pati reordered their naan sans garlic. The food arrived soon enough, with metal plates and spoons. The paneer was a green soupy mixture with a few small cubes of paneer: imagine a bowl of very liquid, very green spinach. As BeeBee began to spoon out the glop onto their plates, they both collapsed in laughter. Fortunately, there were no other diners (or the little man) to see or hear them. Also fortunately, the paneer and the naan were tasty. They finished and the little man reappeared, so that they could ask for their bill. For the driver also, he asked? (This had never happened before; the driver is expected to take care of himself.) Yes, for the driver also, Pati said, and paid the bill of 300 rupees (about $5.50 USD) for the three of them. Then Pati handed the little man a tip, and suddenly the little man smiled for the first time.

Incidentally, this restaurant has a large sign requesting that diners "like it" on Facebook!

As soon as they left the restaurant, the driver made a U-turn and retraced several miles that BeeBee recognized, further convincing her that the driver was indeed lost.  At one small town, the driver made a brief stop to go into an establishment, explaining that his cellphone battery was dead. And around 3 pm, he received a cellphone call, which later turned out to be the Shimla guide calling to see where he was. Apparently, the correct answer was "near Chandigarh," which is a 4 hour drive from Shimla. The guide had asked "Are you in Shimla?" The itinerary had said it was a 6 hour drive, so expecting arrival at 3 pm was reasonable from the guide's viewpoint. Incidentally, the guide speaks Hindu (the official language of India) and good English, while the driver speaks Punjabi and very little English. The guide and driver communicate with great difficulty, as the guide told us later.

Soon after Chandigarh (or wherever they actually were), the road began to enter the Himalayas.  The road was steep and windy, in bad repair, one to one-and-a-half cars wide, and adjacent to a steep dropoff on at least one side. The road climbed each mountain in a series of switchbacks, and upon reaching the top, curved around to the other side of the mountain and descended in another series of switchbacks. Getting from one mountain to the next was accomplished by driving across a narrow bridge between them, near the valley but still high. Of course, the road was two-way and there were plenty of huge trucks and buses. Their driver never stayed behind another vehicle for long, first announcing his intentions to pass by honking and then passing - curves and oncoming traffic did not phase him. BeeBee quickly lost her complacency about Indian driving. But their driver did not seem to try anything more extreme than all the other drivers, and being cautious would have doubled their driving time.

As the day wore on, BeeBee began to worry that they would not reach Shimla before dark (before 6 pm this time of year) and they would be driving this road in almost impossible conditions. She was both right and wrong: they reached Shimla proper just before 6 and then the really hard driving began. Shimla is built on 7 hills, and their hotel was several miles beyond Shimla. The road was just as bad, and now even more traffic and people walking entered the mix. And it was pitch dark. Traffic would stop for minutes at a time; in one case, a tunnel through a hill was allowing traffic through one direction at a time (people walking were using the other half). Every switchback or road merge required extra time to allow cars to maneuver the almost-impossibly-sharp turns. Finally, the turn uphill to their hotel appeared. They waited while the guard examined the underside of their car with a mirror, then the steep climb to the hotel itself.

As they unloaded their luggage and Pati tipped the driver for the day, Pati suggested a 9 am start the next day. The driver summoned all the English he had: "10 o'clock. I am very tired."

Slime

Wagah Flag Lowering Ceremony (Beating Retreat Ceremony)

Friday 24 October 2014

After their train trip and after checking in at the Holiday Inn (not your everyday Holiday Inn!) in Amritsar, Pati and BeeBee were driven to Wagah on the border between India and Pakistan. Since 1959, the Border Security Forces (BSF) of India and the Pakistan Rangers have performed an elaborate flag lowering ceremony at this international border. The ceremony is a mock-aggressive, well-choreographed (and infinitely negotiated) competition between the two different groups. Participating soldiers are chosen for their height, physique, and performance abilities. The Indian side has recently added women to their corps, but they are not allowed yet to do anything more than march to the gates, since the Pakistanis do not yet have women soldiers here.

Both sides have built tall stands for viewers. Pati and BeeBee, being US citizens, were permitted to sit in the VIP section with a slightly better view into the Pakistan side. However, once the performance began, and people stood up, height was more important than VIP-ness!

The performance on the Indian side was preceeded by children and some adults running into the performance area carrying the flag of India. Anyone could enter the queue to carry the flag. After this, some young women (and some young men and children) danced in an impromptu fashion to music blaring on the loudspeaker, enthusiastically if not especially well.  Through all this, a man climbed through the stands selling baseball caps sporting the flag of India.

Promptly at 5 pm, the main event began, and it ended promptly at 5:30.  Pati and BeeBee's guide had explained the ceremony and what the various shouted slogans would mean. This was fortunate, since otherwise, they would have had very little idea what was being said! A man in white was the Master of Ceremonies on the Indian side; another MC on the Pakistan side could be heard performing similar duties.  The MCs shouted slogans that were repeated by the audience. On the Indian side, it was: BSF! Second to none! And so on. Undoubtedly, the Pakistan side was shouting similar slogans for the Rangers. Between the slogans, the soldiers of each side took turns strutting and posturing for the benefit of the audience and the soldiers on the other side.

The ceremony ended with the flags of both countries lowering simultaneously, a soldier from each side shaking hands, and the gates slamming shut.

Readers of this blog should really find videos of this ceremony on YouTube.

Postscript: as a result of recent unrest between India and Pakistan, sweets for Diwali were not given to the Rangers by the BSF.

Postscript: We just found out that a suicide bomber killed at least 60 people a few days after our visit.

BSF! Second to None!

Tuk-tuk prices

A tuk-tuk is a three wheeled contraption that is somewhere between a three wheeled motorcycle and a golf cart. Riding in one is like riding in a simulator that is constantly about to crash or run over someone. The main difference is that in a tuk-tuk, you really are constantly about to crash or run over someone. As a bonus, it would be easy to fall out. Pati and BeeBee took several trips in them yesterday in congested Delhi traffic. Pati's jaw drops so often that he may buy a strap to hold his mouth closed.

The pricing of tuk-tuk rides is interesting. For the trip Pati and BeeBee made four times yesterday, the price is supposed to be 40 rupees (a rupee is currently about 1.6 US cents).  The trip has a point to point distance of three quarters of a mile and takes around 35 minutes. It would be a nice walk but the odds of being run over by a tuk-tuk (or car or motorcycle or  human powered cart) are pretty high.

The first ride, negotiated by the hotel cost 50 rupees. The second, negotiated by Pati cost 80 rupees (after a quote of 50 as Pati and BeeBee climbed into the tuk-tuk). The third, again negotiated by the hotel, cost 50 rupees. When Pati and BeeBee arrived at the destination, Pati said "Is that 50 rupees?" to the driver. He answered "If you wish, sir."  Pati paid 60. The final trip was in the evening. A tuk-tuk driver asked Pati if they wanted a ride. Pati said "How much?" The driver said 150 and Pati said  "Too much." About five paces later, another driver - saying the rate had increased due to "much traffic" -- proposed a 100 rupee fare. Pati said OK since that was within his mental limit for being overcharged (and was only $1.66). On the way back, the driver asked Pati for directions through the maze of streets. Silence followed because Pati was speechless. The driver said "You have no idea." Pati thought that was a good summary!

New Delhi Tuk-tuk

Amritsar

Thursday and Friday, 24 -25 October 2014

Amritsar is a city of peace and unquiet at the same time. It is a city inhabited 70% by Sikhs, a friendly and accepting people. Sikhism is a newer religion, founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, rejecting caste and idolatry, and promoting the sameness of all human beings. Amritsar is home to the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh gurdwara (place of worship); built in the 16th century, the Golden Temple houses the holy book, the Granth Sahib, which was designated as the 11th guru by the 10th (and last human) guru.

The Golden Temple is the peaceful part of Amritsar. On Thursday evening, Pati and BeeBee visited the Golden Temple and were even close enough to see the holy book put to sleep: the priests put the holy book in a golden palanquin and then carry it over their shoulders to a separate place for the night, to the sound of bugles, drums, and chanting the name of the Lord. (It is similarly carried back in the morning, which they did not see.) They were able to see the ceremony close up because their guide interceded with those in charge to make it possible explaining that Pati and BeeBee had traveled a long distance to see the ceremony and had a plane to catch in three hours. In fact, Pati and BeeBee did not have to catch a plane in the next three hours, but perhaps the guide was a little hazy about their itinerary, perhaps he forgot he would see them the next day ...

In the morning, they came back to experience the community kitchen (langar), which feeds over a thousand people continuously.  This huge operation is staffed by volunteers. Each person fed can receive water, chapattis, dal (lentil soup), and a thin rice pudding. Pati and the guide (who is Hindu) had the full experience (without drinking the water) and BeeBee had chapattis only. They wrapped up the leftover chapattis in a tissue to feed to cows later (who are holy) because food should not be wasted. They walked clockwise around the temple grounds before they left.

The unpeaceful part of their visit was to the Jalianwala Bagh, about one city block from the Golden Temple. It is a martyr's memorial to an attack on 13 April 1919, at an important Sikh 

festival, by British soldiers on thousands of unarmed Indians who could neither reason with the soldiers nor escape their bullets. 1650 rounds of ammunition were fired over 10 minutes. The Indian Nation Congress estimated 1500 casualities, with 1000 dead. Bullet holes are still clearly visible on walls preserved here. This memorial is effective and moving.

The memorial is a vivid reminder of the dark side of the relationship between England and its colonies.The guide, who is a cheerful 26-year-old, became quite serious when he described some of the sub-human treatment that the "Britishers" forced on the population. At this point, BeeBee understood his smile when she and Pati responded "US" to his question, upon their first meeting, of where they are from. (The Indians they have met have difficulty distinguishing among Americans, Australians, and British, based on the variety of English spoken.)  As former colonists, Americans and Indians have similar views of certain events.

Golden Temple

Golden Temple Langar

Drugs ...

24 October 2014

BeeBee is recovering from a cold. She believes she caught it from their first driver in New Delhi. It incubated for a few days with those emerging symptoms that seem to say, yes, you are coming down with a cold. It erupted full force on the train to Amritsar, and BeeBee's first request to the new guide was to find a pharmacy.

Most pharmacies in India are small uninviting shops that you visit because you have to. This one, by generous estimation, was about 8 feet wide by 10 feet deep with dusty glass-fronted cabinets on three sides. It had a windowed door to the left, and a window in the upper half of what remained of the front wall to the right of the door. The pharmacist's desk (an ordinary shabby office desk) was perpendicular to the front wall. There was a chair behind the desk, a chair in front of the desk, and just enough free space to walk from the front to the back of the desk. At most two people could stand just inside the front door, to speak to the pharmacist.  Pati and BeeBee stood there, and the guide stood in the doorway. There were, in fact, two pharmacists there (the reason for two chairs).  BeeBee described her symptoms. The pharmacist in front of the desk considered each symptom, then pulled three boxes from a cabinet. He took a blister pack from each and cut three pills from each of the three blister packs. Take one of each of these once a day for three days, he said, and you will be better. Would you like to take this too - indicating another box - for cough? It's cheap - only 50 rupees. (That's less than a dollar.) Needless to say, BeeBee bought that box also. So for about 200 rupees, BeeBee will get better.

The mystery box contained a 100 ml bottle of a blue liquid called BLUKOF. It is a Schedule H drug in India, which means that it is "to be sold by retail on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner only."

BeeBee certainly hopes that he is a registered medical practioner. She didn't see a prescription.

Diwali

Thursday, 23 October 2014

Diwali is the beginning of the Hindu new year. It is a holiday celebrated outwardly by bright lights (like our Christmas) and fireworks (like our 4th of July).  Pati and BeeBee didn't plan to be in India for Diwali, but are happy to be here for it. They missed this celebration on earlier visits.

One unfortunate consequence of Diwali is that, because it is a holiday, fewer tourist activities are possible and the crowds are much larger.  Unfortunately for their guides, they must work on a holiday. Pati and BeeBee's guide told them that the tourist season is only six months of the year, that he therefore works six months and stays at home for the rest of the year.  The working six months must pay for the non-working months. He cannot afford to miss a day of work. He did not take even one day off from work last year.

Pati and BeeBee celebrated Diwali by a nice dinner on the rooftop terrace of their B&B, watching fireworks. Fireworks began at dark (about 6 pm) and went well beyond midnight, trailing off at about 2 pm with the occasional boom thereafter. It was as if everyone made the trip to South Carolina to buy a carload of the big illegal fireworks (but all they really had to do was go to the fireworks street in the market where they are perfectly legal to buy). Then they set them off all night all over the city. It rivaled the more controlled 4th of July displays at home. There were no safety officers directing their use here; frequently it sounded as though someone was beating a corregated piece of metal with a large club, as if a firework went off sideways into a wall instead of making it into the sky. Pati also saw a man walking through the street beating a drum, reminding him of Christmas carolers at home making their rounds to spread cheer.

Although the booming continued into the night, making sleep difficult on a night when they had to get up again so early, it seemed that Pati and BeeBee had a cheerful sendoff from their days in New Delhi.

Diwali

Train to Amritsar

Friday 24 October 2014

Early Friday morning, at 3:30 am, Pati and BeeBee got up to shower and finish packing all those items that you must have available up until the last minute. In their case, it was squeezing the last bit of charge into their camera, phone, and tablet batteries. 

An aside: The travel agency provided a cell phone to help wifh coordination, and that cell phone needs to work! Pati has a Samsung Notepad and BeeBee has an iPad, and they hoped that, using both tablets, they would be able to blog and keep in touch with family and friends. It hasn't worked out that way consistently: Pati's Notepad stopped seeing the internet on Wednesday, and BeeBee's blogging software is unable to see pictures on her iPad. Hopefully, the situation will improve in Amritsar with a different internet provider. 

The train station was very crowded. Pati and BeeBee's guide, Shiva, led them from the car to the platform while constantly warning them to carefully watch their belongings. Near them there was an ancient mosque surrounded by track on all sides. It was there before the station was built and they simply built around it. While waiting, Pati and BeeBee saw track workers whose job it was to keep the tracks clean after passengers violate the "do not use restrooms in the station policy." Their guide told them that this - and all other railroad jobs - are considered very good since they are with the central government which pays very well.

Finally their train came and Pati and BeeBee were hustled into seats 41 and 42 of Executive Class 1 (the highest of six classes). Their guide made sure their luggage was stowed on the rack above them and that they were comfortably settled before leaving them. (He had bought a platform ticket so that he could take them to the correct platform and place to stand on the platform, and he accompanied  them on board to find their seats.)  BeeBee had a window seat but the lack of a window was a little disappointing. There was a sliver of a window behind her left shoulder and another sliver just behind the seat ahead of her. The journey took six hours and cost 1985 rupees (well under $40 USD) for them both. 

They had worried about a possible lack of food on their long journey. However, their B&B had cheerfully offered to get the kitchen staff up early (after a late and noisy Diwali!) to prepare their usual delicious breakfast, so Pati and BeeBee were well fed before the trip. What they had not discovered from researching train travel (and they did not know what class ticket they would have) was that they would get a second breakfast, served in many courses. In roughly this order, they were given a liter bottle of water, a box of mango juice, a tray with vegetarian breakfast entree and digestive crackers, a cup of tea, cereal with hot milk, a tray with vegetarian lunch entree and toast, and another cup of tea. Each meal on a tray had the same paper placemat describing the contents of the meal, down to the silverware and napkin (1 napkin).

At the front of their train car were two restroom compartments (with doors) and an open compartment with a sink for washing hands. One restroom compartment had a Western-style toilet and sink; the other restroom had an eastern ("Turkish") toilet. There is no notion of flushing a toilet, as both types open directly to the tracks below. Hence the admonishion to avoid using the restrooms in the station.

The train arrived in Amritsar at about 1:30 pm and they were met by their new guide and driver.

New Delhi - Amritsar Swarma Shatabdi Express

Finishing up Delhi Tour

23 October 2014

Today Pati and BeeBee finished up the tour of Delhi begun yesterday, and then some. The first stop was at the Red Fort, which they viewed from the back and then the front. This building is an important symbol of Indian independence. They did not go inside, since they would not be allowed to view very much of it.

Next, they visited the Jama Mosque in Old Delhi, which they had visited previously in 2010. As before, they climbed one of the minarettes. Also as before, they were accompanied by a young man, who made sure they were climbing up and down the steep steps (with no handrails or guardrails) safely. This young man also took many pictures of Pati and BeeBee from many angles, with the best background scenery. Just before the final descent, there was a different experience. In 2010 at this point, Pati was unsure of the tipping protocol but gave the young man a reasonable tip. He seemed offended, but took the tip. Pati was sure he had violated some religious beliefs at that point. Today, Pati was still unsure of the protocol, but the young man had been very helpful, so Pati swallowed his pride and asked discretely, could I give you 100 rupees? 500, the young man said.

After visiting the mosque, their guide asked whether they would like to walk down the street to observe shops. Streets in Delhi are organized by what is sold. Yesterday, they were in the stationers street; today, the fireworks street. They walked for about a block, dodging traffic and other customers.  At the end of the block, their guide stopped to peruse a display of sparklers. He then haggled with the seller and came away with a small box of sparklers. These are for my son, he said.  It turns out that the guide's only son is 1 1/2 years old. Because he had to work on Diwali (guiding Pati and BeeBee), this was his only opportunity to buy fireworks. And that was the end of perusing the sellers.

They then went to the Akshardham Temple, which they had visited before in 2010. Their guide walked in with them and explained some of the religion  as well as the architecture and paintings of gods inside the main building. They did not visit the more glitsy parts of the complex, e.g. the boat ride showing the life of the guru, or the iMax sized video. Since they had visited this complex before, Pati and BeeBee did not mind that the visit was short. The most memorable parts of this visit, instead, had to do with the extreme security at the complex (as it was before). To enter the complex itself, visitors are searched and patted down by gender. Nothing electronic (well, actually, nothing at all) can be taken into the complex, just the clothes on your back and money. BeeBee had a thorough patdown that would put TSA to shame (or at least subject TSA to a serious lawsuit). Pati came out of his screening half-undressed. However, the best part of the story came at the beginning. Before the car could enter the carpark, the guards searched the trunk and under the hood. Suddenly, a guard came to the driver's door and demanded that he open the door. What is this, he demanded, as he waved  an unopened bottle of liquor (a fifth of rum?) under the driver's nose. The driver sputtered something, and then everyone else got out of the car as the driver was made to u-turn the car out of the entrance lane. The guide, Pati and BeeBee then hurried into the complex.  Pati later queried the guide about the bottle, but he feigned ignorance.

They were then taken to a restaurant for a very good Indian meal. And then back to the hotel, where they settled their bill and prepared for an early departure tomorrow.

Touring Delhi

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Today will be a busy day. Planned highlights are below; actual highlights will be described later.

• Visit Jamma Mosque, built in 1650
• Drive through Chandni Chowk (shopping)
• Visit Red Fort
• Visit Raj Ghat and nearby ghats where Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi were cremated
• Ride on a cycle rickshaw
• Food and walking tour of backstreets of Old Delhi
• Walk through local bazaars
• Visit Hindu home for a demonstration and tasting of traditional home-style Indian vegetarian cooking

Dinner at Naivedyam

21 October 2014

This evening Pati and BeeBee ate dinner at Naivedyam, "a South Indian Eating Panorama" at No. 1, Hauz Khas Village, about 1.2 km from their B&B as the crow flies, longer by tuk-tuk. Their dinner of mineral water, Naivedaym Thali, filter coffee, and gulab jamun cost 805 rupees (685 for food, 33.91 service tax, 85.63 VAT, 0.46 Round Off) plus a 100 rupee tip. 905 rupees is around $15 USD.  Adding in tuk-tuk fares, the evening cost well under $20 USD for a very good meal and the ambiance of a pre-Diwali evening.

Naivedyam restaurant

Naivedyam Thali

Pati and BeeBee go for a ride

Pati and BeeBee took several tuk-tuk rides today between the same places (B&B and Haus Kaus). Rides negotiated by the B&B staff were less expensive than those negotiated by Pati and BeeBee. In order, the rides cost 50 (to),  80 (return), 60 (to), and 100 (return) rupees. They walked away from a price of 150 rupees on the last trip, but were offer 100 by another driver, both drivers citing heavy traffic (but traffic was lower than earlier trips).  Tuk-tuk rides are even scarier after dark.  Their camera has a GPS that marks the route taken and where on the route that pictures were taken. The picture shown is of their first trip.  But overall, traffic wasn't too bad.

 

Map of our Trip

Traffic Wasn't Bad

Breakfast at Amarya Villa

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

The continental breakfast at the Amarya Villa, where Pati and BeeBee are staying, is quite nice. The orange juice is fresh-squeezed and very tart.

Amarya Villa Breakfast Menu Board

Amarya Villa Continental Breakfast

First Night in Delhi

Holy cow! We're back in India?

Pati and BeeBee's flight arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport at about 2:30 pm on Monday.  About one hour later, they had cleared customs, immigration, and baggage claim.

The new form to fill out is the health form, which apparently could be used to find out just who might  have sat near an ebola-infected passenger, in case some passenger is later discovered to have it. Since there hasn't been any report of ebola in India yet, this new form is either prudent or just more paperwork to force on already-exhausted passengers.

Their tour director was waiting just outside arrivals, and soon all of them plus driver were crawling in rush hour traffic to their bed and breakfast. The driver thought he knew where the B&B was located, but he didn't.  Pati and BeeBee were fighting sleep in the back seat (they had been up for 24 hours at that point) when they finally arrived.

The B&B is pleasant, and their tour director is pleasant and incredibly organized.  Tomorrow is a rest day, and Pati and BeeBee will investigate the restaurants and shops near their B&B. Except for the usual traffic, it is a very safe area.

They are just now sitting in the rooftop cafe of the B&B, listening to traffic, watching lights come on (in preparation for Diwali, which begins Thursday), and waiting for their dinner to arrive as they sip masala chai.

Then to bed for a much-needed rest!

P.S. We are having trouble receiving and sending email, so watch this blog for any news.

Diwali Lights on our Balcony

Fast Food and Man with Coal-Fired Iron

Dubai

Pati and BeeBee have arrived in Dubai and are waiting for their next flight to Delhi. Their flight from Dulles to Dubai was 13 plus hours long, and they spent most of it watching selections from the 1400 channels available.  Boarding has begun for 1st class passengers, so the next post should be from Delhi.  It is 9 am here, or 1 am at home.

Finally on the road ...

Pati and BeeBee are at Dulles International Airport, having been dropped off there by their daughter. They are traveling light for a five week trip, but they learned the hard way about the troubles of wrangling too much luggage.  This time they determined to travel with only carry-on luggage. They streamlined what they would take and fit it into two small backpacks plus an electronics bag and a tote bag carrying mostly medications and jackets. Each backpack weighs about 15 pounds.  Unfortunately, their economy status on Emirates required them to check their luggage.  However, for only $700 they could have upgraded to business class and carried on their luggage.  They are now waiting for their flight (after a "delicious" Dunkin' Donuts) breakfast. The flight has been delayed for at least 20 minutes, waiting for the incoming flight.

Too Much Luggage for Emirates Economy Class (2 passengers)