Across India in the Blink of an Eye

I am going to try a new skill on this blog. Keeping things ultra succinct. So here comes 2 amazing weeks travel from across the expanse of the Indian sub-continent in a few paragraphs.

CALCUTTA:
Howdy Victoria

The Mecca of Cricket that is Eden Gardens and me

An undoubtedly over-crowded and poverty stricken city that I still find charming. Go to see architectural shadows like the magnificent Victoria Monument representing what once was, flower-markets, temples, and the mecca that is Eden Gardens. Despite multiple arguments with taxis and police that reminded me that I am back in India, a very enjoyable experience in a fascinating city.

Overnight train

VARANASI:
A crime against humanity was thwarted and the dodgy beard and goaty were cleft shortly after this picture was taken

Back to Varanasi, but this time in the searing heat of summer. Days in the 40's (degrees C) were spend tiringly doing nothing. It still retained the same charm and the streets were as confusing and as eye-opening as before. Still failed to see the Ganges at dawn but said goodbye none the less.

30 hour train to Mumbai - a very hot journey that included one of the most serene moments of all my travels. Waking in the middle of the night still half in a dream to stare at the moon-struck background of rural India. At such times life stands still in contemplation as the world rushes gently past.

MUMBAI:
Hello Sarah
A city I could live in. A megalith of some 18 million people - HUGE. A wee bit of a crazy weekend was spent here. See other blogs, add some of the sights and then another impromptu night out (missed the train after beer lubricated the Saturday night feeling) with a cool English guy and some drunk Aussies. Fun, but a monster of a modern India. Wealth pouring in at the top with Asia's biggest slums beneath it.

12 plus 2 plus 1 hour bus to GOA - A glimpse of the beautiful, lush, tropical countryside and white washed churches that a longer visit to this old Portuguese colony has to offer.

PALOLEM:
Mooooo
Days sleeping and wandering the truly beautiful beach looking out on the Arabian Sea. Nights at Kennedy's place on the beach for drinks (oh dear - far too much rose) 'til dawn with a some English and Irish. Needed it. Interesting conversations nearly made me miss the onward train. Dave made me catch it.

10 hour train to Hampi

HAMPI:
Stunning, just stunning!!!




So glad Dave made me catch the train. A very special place indeed. A hilly green landscape almost inexplicably littered with huge majestic rocks and temples. A bit like Guilin in that it looks more like a fantasy landscape than a real one. We stayed in a bungalow fitted with swing seat overlooking the jaw-dropping scenery for just 50 Ruppees a night each (40p). Again very chilled - not much incentive to move. Did venture away to see magnificent temple ruins of Hindu warrior kings. Such surprises as musical pillars, elephant temples and adrenaline walks up and over off-the-beaten-track hills with many spiky, slithery things trying to get us (I am not joking - one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I have had in India). And finally an afternoon at the most relaxed eatery in the world. High up amongst the trees on a bank overlooking the simply stupidly stunning scenery sits the Mango Tree complete with travellers staring into space and a huge swing. Marvellous. Oh and quite a sunset to say farewell.

Last 12 hour train of this 80 hour transverse, arriving sparrows fart and starting the next 3 weeks of life with some interest.... would it live up to it!!

(uuuuhhhmmmm - sort of succinct!!)

A bight of Bangalore

By far the most satisfying and enjoyable thing I am doing with my time in Bangalore is the teaching (English and sport, but OK largely playing) of disadvantaged children from the colossal slums of this city. At 3.30 though my day ends and evenings and especially weekends have been spent investigating what this city of "lounges" has to offer. Quite by accident this has lead to a head first dive into the expat scene here for all that is good and bad about it.

Dave and I have met up with volunteers, been chaperoned by spoilt local rich-kid brats, attended french techno nights and after parties (do you remember that Dave), been to ridiculous chiche hotel bars that make me laugh, watched footie in our local with large northern lads, listened to jazz at the Alliance Francaise, and I am even playing for the Refugees rugby team against Indian internationals and tomorrow the army (an expat team predictably and it is fair to say that I am not even the 7th biggest man in the pack).

All in all good fun. But in my last 2 minutes before this internet thing runs out I might mention a typical night - last night....

Start off going to lounge from last week.... too expensive... bail.... go back to good old pub world for a relaxed drink.... 93.3 FM something enter for Kingfisher night.... win downing competition... live on air get revenge at the Bombay Taj Hotel "At the Taj in Bombay they beat us up for being gay" or something like that.... much more piss take of the awful radio... bail... meet some volunteers at silly ladies night at some awful chiche place... dance silly...have fun...taken to VIP area of some silly super rich very average place...do not buy silly priced drinks... raced across city by idiot guy who wants to show us how rich his family are... not impressed... he makes his excuses and looks small... tells how he made his money from renting out stuff... ask where he gets property...parents....even more impressed... ask him if he can help me do the same thing only using my main asset - uni debt...uuuggghh....hmmmmmm... back to where we were meant to go... try to impress us some more by buying loads of rubbish... oh forgot drove like boy racers... told off.... arranged tonight.... sleep....head.....oh people coming round in half an hour...........

...then more rugby in the morning!!!!

Shooting Some Roots: Bangalore

After 2 truly manic but generally hilarious weeks of travel from Calcutta to Bangalore (nearly 3 figures of hours on Indian trains etc) I am very slowly getting used to the notion of doing 2 things that I have grown unaccustomed to over the past year:

1. Staying stationary
2. Working

Yes, I will be in one place (barring weekend adventures) for a good three weeks while working for the Parikrma foundation as of manana en la manana. I am not exactly sure what to expect but am looking forward to learning about an organisation that was recommended so highly by Steffi and am happy that no middle-man UK organisation is getting rich from the application. I believe other people working with us will have paid hundreds of pounds for the same opportunity.

So it looks like a bit of settling down is in order. The city so famed for its night life in India is not quite as you might expect as (a) it is in India where nightlife is not a shining quality of the country and (b) the new police chief decided a few months back that too many out-sourced IT hours were being lost to hangovers and hence no fun allowed after 11pm. I know that should be familiar to a Brit with our slowly repealing draconian licencing laws, but here they seem to really mean it.

Therefore a few weeks of watching England progress gloriously through the World Cup (hmmm last nights performance did not worry me at all....honest), becoming a local in pub for said purpose, exploring what the city has to offer, maybe catching up a bit on this blog, and most importantly hopefully being of some assistance to the slum children foundation await.

Aaaaaah, I have all my life to settle down but after 9 months of running around a bit like a happy-headless chicken I am satisfied at a small stationary prospect. I will report on this mega-city of millions, IT wealth, slums, famed medical treatment, congestion and Americanisation in due course.

(The picture shows our front garden - sort of the Oxford Street of Bangalore but with "NO FUN ALLOWED" after 11.30pm grrrrrrghh!)

Bombay Bolly-Bashing Bouncers

I thought the way my first day in Bombay unfurled was worth a couple of lines while waiting for a train down to Goa. Where to start...

...Oh yes, arriving off a 30 hour train ride at first light after barely any sleep in 2 days in 40 degree temps. Having a deserved shower, walking out for breakfast, jumping in a car across the city to take part as an extra dancing in a Bollywood film, laughing my head off at the hilarity of the whole event, having to jump cars in a successful attempt to bail, rushing around the city being shopped for so to be allowed into clubs, hitting the beers with Dave and Sarah (American chica), going to one of the best restaurants in Bombay in a vest and thongs (not the underwear variety for you non-Aussies out there), and some interesting bottles of Indian wine and some spillage later going on to a good nightclub until close before the crowning event of the day at perhaps the top hotel in India - The Taj Mahal. On finding non-couples were double charged for entry at the incredibly snobby nightclub downstairs, Dave announced we were a "gay couple!" and therefore should not have to pay more. This joke escalated into a protest as many bouncers shoved, dragged and pushed us out of the building proclaiming no gay rights in India. The reaction to our non-violent protest was that we were thrown about and eventually Dave hit in the nose (only poncy shot no real damage). I have to say the crowd was generally as pretentious as they come but it gave some satisfaction when the people behind us agreed with the protest and said they were happy to wait.....etc...etc... had to console Sarah who was quite taken aback by the whole thing while Dave went into the main reception of the uber-posh hotel and with his hands behind his back announced to the guests that he had been assaulted by hotel staff for being gay. Some of these same staff then thought about going for him but were called off as the situation became clear.....sitting on the steps of the Gateway to India, brooding and thinking of what could have been and was as the bay lapped up against our feet... off home to bed..... wake up with a couple of bruises, scratches and a mission to denounce the name of an international hotel that is so homophobic (even if neither Dave nor I have such tendencies)... decide Bombay is a great city and plan to come back here for more time before leaving India. Maybe another night at the Taj...

Off to monsoon soaked Goa where I may extrapolate.
(P.s.Bollywood is really really funny!!!)