I have noticed several anti-corruption slogans here in Jaipur airport, printed onto A4 sheets and stuck onto pillars.
I guess the idea is to encourage people to not tolerate any acts of corruption from officials within the airport.
My favorite is “Vigilance is Wise, Corruption is vice”.
2 weeks of very early starts means I naturally wake early, which I rather like. I opt for a hearty breakfast, as I might not see lunch today, due to my flight. I order a taxi and spend an hour online.
I check out of the hotel and am pleased to not only find that the taxi price is fixed and included on my hotel bill, but the waiting taxi is an Ambassador, the classic British car still widely used as taxis in India.
It’s a pleasant ride to the airport. The traffic is much quieter that in other cities in India.
The airport is small, and I’m a little early so I have to wait. Once through security, having exchanged nice smiles with the beautiful women staff, and forgetting my sleeping bag at security, I settle with a cup of tea.
I notice I am the only westerner here. There are a few Asian people, and Indians speaking English, suggesting they are from the south of India.
Compared to Delhi airport, Jaipor airport has more services, is better run and is just generally better.
I just went to the travel agents here at the Hotel Arya Niwas, and booked a flight to Mumbai. The flight is just INR4,700 (US$110 / GBP£55). There was no direct flight to Goa, so I will spend two nights in Mumbai, and then catch a train down to Goa.
Booked a flight from Jaipur to Mumbai (Bombay) for tomorrow Read More »
I get up early and say goodbye to everyone on the Dragoman trip. It’s been great traveling with them and I’ve loved the trip. I am now keen to get traveling under my own steam. Without the option of a motorbike I have decided not to visit the small out of the way places I had planned, such as Pushkar. I will save these places for when I return to India and travel with a motorbike. For the remainder of this trip I will stick to major destinations using trains and occasional buses.
After breakfast I read through the guide book. I am thinking of flying or taking the train directly to Mumbai (Bombay) or Goa.
Saying goodbye to the Dragoman trip, Jaipur, India Read More »
Once back at the hotel Rob and I head down the main road in search of motorbike dealers. We find the one suggested by Eugene. I chat with the guy there. Prices are cheap, a brand new TVS 110cc bike costs INR45,000 (US$1,125 / GBP£562), and the impressive 160cc machine is INR65,000 (US$1,625 / GBP£3,250). These are fantastic prices, much cheaper than in the west. But, as I head read and suspected, the guy confirms that it will take up to 7 days for the paperwork to be completed for me to buy a bike. I cannot spare 7 days, and this rules out buying a motorbike here in India.
I am a little disappointed, but quickly change my thinking to spend the rest of my time in India visiting the major, easy to reach, destinations by train and bus. I will leave the little, out of the way, places until I return to India with more time in the future.
We all jump in the truck and head into the city with Eugene, our guide. We stop at the Jantar Mantar observatory. It is an incredible collection of astrological devices for telling the time of day, time of year and the alignment of the starts. The centre was built in the early 18th century by the very clever Maharajah Jai Singh II. It is a very impressive stop.
We walk over to the City Palace, an amazing collection of buildings, and the home of the Maharajah. The flying flags suggest his highness is in residence. We take in the various public parts of the complex. The buildings and their contents are impressive, but we overdo the tour a little and are all very eager for lunch at the end.
Out guide for the day has been Eugene, who is a very helpful chap who seems to know everything about Jaipur and India.
He points me in the right direction for a motorbike dealer.
Jantar Mantar observatory and the City Palace, Jaipur, India Read More »
Although it’s misty this morning we stop at Keoladeo Ghana National Park. We grab breakfast and head in. I opt for renting a bike, rather than taking a rickshaw. I’m keen to be under my own direction for a while.
The bike is a bit dilapidated, but it’s nice to be riding. I stumble upon Libbey and we stop at a Hindu temple. The Sadhu there is a friendly guy and shows us around the temples and his kitchen. He has a spotted deer called Krishna, who we feed with biscuits that he gives us. Krishna has two folls, the youngest being just 10 days old. The Sadhu gives us his address and asks us to send him some photos, which I will definitely do.
I spend an hour or so cruising around the park. I spend a while by a peaceful lake. A number of fish and turtles feed from the surface. Sitting here reminds me of fishing with my Dad when I was a kid. I wish we still did that. Perhaps we can over the next few years, especially with my nephew.
Cycling and a holly man in Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajastan, India Read More »
We have breakfast at Ali’s house. Ali is the guy helping us with all of your transport here in Agra. He has a nice sized home is a busy neighbourhood. His wife has cooked us a traditional Indian breakfast, which is served on the rooftop. The food is fantastic. We are served a selection of chai, coffee, sweet fried items, paneer naan, breads, mild spicy potato curry, fruit and endless toast. Everyone is amazed by the food. Ali had also offered us dinner at this house, and we were a bit unsure, but after breakfast everyone was more than keen to eat such good home cooked Indian food again.
Most people saw the Taj Mahal at sunrise, but Rob, Barbara and I had a lie in, and head off to the Taj after breakfast. The womens queue is short and Barbara goes straight in, but Rob and I cue for about 20 minutes. Once inside we are amazed. All of the buildings within the complex are stunning. Of course the Taj Mahal takes pride of place. We wander around for just over an hour. The inside is not as spectacular as I had imagined.
Afterwards our tuk tuk takes us to the Red Fort. It’s a massive building that at first doesn’t look too inviting. But, once we are inside we find seemingly endless mosques of beautiful white marble and decorated roofs and ceilings. We wander for an hour or so before getting back in the tuk tuk and heading back to the Taj Mahal. We wander around, get some supplies and grab a drink.
We decide what to do and head to the main market. It is a crazy bustling place, full of exciting sights sounds and just about anything you could want to buy. We grab some samosas and rob gets a shave. We looks a bit worried during it, as I would, but the end result is good.
We take a drive out to the Baby Taj Mahal, but the rain starts to fall and we don’t go in. On the way a guy slides of his moped, and a truck hits a car. I’m also given the job of signalling out the side of the tuk tuk.
Our last stop is the Taj Mahal sunset viewing point across the river from the monument. The weather is cloudy, but the rain has stopped and we get some nice pictures. We speak with a few kids, who do the normal thing of asking for money. We catch up with the tuk tuk driver and have some chai with him. I love these real local experiences.
Today has been a great day. As well as the classic tourist experience of the Taj Mahal, we have seen Agra at real street level. All of the hustle, bustle, tastes, flavours and smells. This is the difference in experience one can have when getting away from the tourist tours and places.
I wasn’t particularly looking forward to Agra. It’s a much newer city than Agra and Varanasi, but I’ve had a fantastic time here.
Taj Mahal, Indian home cooking and a packed day of the sights of Agra, India Read More »
I’ve really enjoyed traveling on the Dragoman truck. I’ve seen a lot of India in a short space of time with the minimum of hassles. Everyone has worked well as a team, and the crew are fantastic. But, I am looking forward to a change.
I want to be back in the driving seat of my trip. I’d like to spend more time in certain places. I’m looking forward to staying in hotels, walking around and chatting with people.
I’m sure that there will be moments when I wish I was back on the truck, but I hope I can easily buy a motorbike in Jaipur. Without a motorbike I’ll be using buses and trains, which will provide an equally good experience, but I know I’ll miss gems of opportunities along the way.
A couple of hours outside of Orchha we pull over the truck for lunch. Within a few minutes the local goat farmers come over and stand behind us. They watch in fascination as we quickly setup the tables, food and cleaning gear.
Whilst we are eating two interesting people approach us.
The first is an Indian journalist who took photos of us at the palaces in Orchha this morning. He asks if he can take more photos of us, we agree. He is from Bombay and I think he has himself an interesting story today. He says that Indian people can learn a lot from us, referring to our impromptu roadside picnic. I wonder what most Indian people think of us.
The second visitor is an inquisitive young Indian chap, well dressed and sporting a large orange bindi. He has many questions. He is curious of what we think of India, what attracts us to India and he wants to know about our class system. We talk briefly about Shakespeare and other writers. He says he thinks we are all from the higher class of our societies, which we are not. His biggest surprise comes when he asks about our poor people. We tell him that our governments give them money for food and shelter. He is amazed. It is easy to assume that different cultures understand simples aspects of our societies, when they do not.
It was a very interesting stop.
Roadside lunch stop that attracts a number of visitors, India Read More »