Last reflections...

Writing from back in the UK, having recovered (just) from the jet lag... what would my top experiences be?

1.  Chai! - I was fortunate to drink chai every day and in lots of places - from a street vendor by Fateh Sagar, in the home of a rickshaw driver (I also had a lesson on making it here!), every morning on campus and in a thin china cup and saucer at a posh hotel.   If pushed as to the best (in my view) .... it would be the street vendor - lots of ginger and a slight smokiness.

2. Curries!  I ate curries for 2 meals a day usually - and they were so different to the ones I have eaten at my local take a way!   Such variety of vegetable dishes along with the staple Dahl, different each time.  I ate so much less meat - perhaps once /twice a week... and how much I enjoyed this.

3. Local people - meeting so many who were so hospitable, kind and thoughtful. I enjoyed walking around not just taking a rickshaw or cab... that is strange, but you do get to see a different perspective and see the same people ..... a friendly  wave and "namaste" means a lot.

4. Birds!  So many were new to me .... from the hoopoe that  landed on the school field on the first day I was teaching to the black kites that circled overhead all the time.  It will take some time for me to look through my photos and identify them.

5. Lake Pichola and sunsets!  So beautiful.


These are all very homely things - I was fortunate to have 4 weeks in Udaipur and because of that I think the homely things are what I will really remember..... and miss!

Till next time...

Is it really that spectacular...

What can I be talking about?  Yes you have guessed - that Taj Mahal!

My overnight trip to Agra was not what I had originally planned (my trip to Shimla by train wasn't possible.... I have a slight doubt about whether this was actually true but it is what I was told!).  However, Agra Fort , and the Baby Taj were well worth visiting - and that's before the Taj itself. 

The fort is immense...

I particularly enjoyed the space in the garden...

...the  inlaid marble work is incredible...

The baby taj is so called because it is similar in some ways - but at a much smaller scale... in many ways I prefered this because of this .... and so much quieter so much easier to to relax and enjoy it.

The detail is phenomenal...

But onto the Taj Mahal itself.... we are so familiar with what it looks like so I think I was expecting it to be a bit of an anticlimax....it wasnt.  Even on a very murky and misty day and with thousands of other visitors, it was still spectacular.

And of course the view we all know.... I wasn't able to have the view without anyone else!!  As my cousin June commented - other members of my family have stood here ..... going back over many many years.  I thought about them (especially my mum and aunt) many times.

Once again the inlaid marble work is amazing.

The grounds are also lovely.   I would recommend visiting if you get the chance.

On to Delhi... Red Fort

My last week in India and I'm spending most of it in Delhi.  A chance to look at some of the main tourist sights (there are lots)  see some of the bazaars (and try not to get ripped off!) and generally experience India's huge capital - Old and New!

To start with it felt totally overwhelming!  With a population of 27.5 million, to Udaipur's 450,000 it is mega... and you feel it!  There really is no comparison between the 2.  I thought that having got used to Udaipur, I would not experience that feeling - how wrong can you get!  It certainly never seems to sleep!  My hotel is in Parhaganj a popular tourist area on the edge of old delhi and right by New Delhi railway station - and it comes to live around 3am every morning - having gone to sleep around 1am!  It feels loud  and incredibly chaotic - although the main bazaar didn't feel too scary once I braved it (it took me a couple of days!)

I tackled the red fort first and once inside ( foreigners pay extra everywhere!) it does feel much calmer and you can sneak off into quieter parts (Salimgarh is worth the time - just over the ring road)

The main gate is where the indian flag was raised for the first time - 15 August 1947.

The fort is a strange mixture, with a palace, mosque as well as old barracks that the British used (still there, now decaying) and there is still an Indian army contingent there.  The museum has a lot to say about the struggle for independence from the british - I found it interesting and uncomfortable to see things from an Indian perspective.... In fact this has been true throughout my time - its always good to be taken out o your own culture - it helps you see a different view and illuminates some cultural blindspots.

There are some very beautiful details - inlaid marble, and what would have been beautiful fountains.

In its time there would have been an artificial stream running through the whole complex - now all that remains is the dry channels...

  

... sad reminders of what it once was. Well worth a visit.

Lost in translation.... 2 worlds collide!

No photos for this one (so feel free to stop reading now!) - just a few things that have struck me.... mainly to do with driving and roads.

English is still a language that is widely used in India, however some words just do not translate in the same way...

Give Way --- absolutely never under any circumstances (barring a collision in the next millisecond) do you ever let someone else in!  However always give way to a cow / buffalo / camel / donkey/horse / elephant and probably even a goat or a dog - I've seen them all and they do seem to take priority.

Wait till there is a space - nope!  Just go.... this includes pedestrians so crossing the road is really interesting without the aid of a convenient cow to follow!

No entry /exit - why would you obey that? If going in the exit or out of the entry is the shortest way then go right ahead..

One Way - see above.... even when this involves crossing a busy dual carriageway and heading along facing all the oncoming traffic for some distance..... this is fine!  (If alarming especially on your first day in India, in an autorickshaw and jet lagged!) ... I got used to it as it happens all the time.

Drive on the left hand side - well technically .... but it certainly works differently in India - especially at roundabouts (circles here)


And always remember " Over speeding invites prosecution"  - Over speeding?  Surely speeding is speeding and overspeeding is ... perhaps the Indian equivalent of too fast to be offered a speed awareness course!

Hartlepool beware when I resume driving - I will try not to be too Indian!

Lake Fateh Sagar ....more than just "another Lake"

Udaipur is known to be a city of Lakes and it certainly is. It means it is a much more open city and it certainly is very beautiful.  Lake Pichola tends to be the one that gets all the mentions - and it is the one that is in the middle of the old city.... however Fateh Sagar also gets my vote as a special place.

For my time in Udaipur I have been only 5 minutes away from this lake - and whenever I walked into the old city, it was past this one first. As well as some interesting (but obscure) environmental art...

It also is fantastic for the wealth of birdlife - much of which was completely new to me... red wattled lapwing...

These were very common... I must have seen them every day...  Black winged stilt....

with totally ridiculously long legs...also seen very commonly.  The lake also had its own amazing buildings in the middle..... quite a location...

And you can never have too many sunset shots....

and this one - a favourite because it shows Filadelfia campus - which gave me a home for my time in Udaipur...

So if ever you are in Udaipur - spare a thought for Fateh Sagar.

Lake Pichola boat ride...

Lake Pichola is one of Udaipur's beautiful sights - I think this rates as my favourite spot (especially after a hot walk through to get to this

... and having navigated the odd obstacle or two...

It somehow makes it all the more beautiful!  In the Old walled city it can seem dark but there are so , many great views especially from conveniently placed cafes...

A boat ride on the lake is also a great way to get to water level and a different view.  I was a bit concerned about the health and safety (you know me) ... however I wasn't quite prepared for the "one size fits nobody" life jacket... with its optional hood!

Definitely a tad overdressed...I could have done with a smaller size....!

However the views were so worth it - although it was very hazy.