Up, up and away...! That's all folks.

Ok, sorry we haven't been in touch earlier.  It got a little hectic towards the end of the trip! After we left you last time we were able to have a lovely sleep (theoretically)!  Gordo was up at 7:15 or something stupid. In trying to keep quiet as to not wake Toot, more noise is always made.  So even though we were both awake early we still didn't have to leave the hotel until 11:30am.  So after a little reading and the mega repack again we were out the door at 11:25am and walking down the hill to jump in a tuk tuk to take us into town!

Once we got into town, thankfully it was much quieter than our previous day! We did a little shopping and got some lovely leather bound journals to bring home! After having another look around to ensure that we hadn't missed any little shops that might need us to buy something, we decided that it was time to head back to the hotel and get the crap ready for the train again! Since we had time we decided to walk back to the hotel (hoping we remembered the way as there are multiple bridges across the lake that go in many different directions), and made it back in one piece.  We grabbed some snacks and drinks for the train and headed back to the hotel to eat some lunch.  We sat by the pool and ate and then reorganised bags for the ride.  We took tuk tuk's to the train stations with our bags in the back of them hoping that they didn't bounce out on the way. Both us and our bags made it in one piece and it was time to get excited about our last overnight train.

We survived our third and final train ride and arrived back in Delhi at the arse crack of dawn and headed to the hotel to get some breakfast and then wait for them to give us keys to our room.  Once we had the key we showered and got ready for another day on the Delhi metro.  We had already seen the majority of stuff we wanted when we were in Delhi before the tour started, so it wasn't going to be a rushed, crazy day. We decided that we would just go back into Connaught Place and maybe do a little shopping.  We got off the metro and up to street level only to be harassed by just about every person there. "please mam, look in my shop, just look, you no have to buy." "pure silk pashmina, very cheap, good quality."

We both decided it was way too hard, we had very little sleep under our belt and Gordo was getting the beginnings of a cold.  Plus to top it off Toot got shat on by a pigeon on her pants and then found it all over her camera also.  Happy Poos-day!  It was time to jump back on the metro and head back to the hotel, WITHOUT any more purchases.  Glad we we're heading back as our patience was wearing thin, while waiting to buy our metro ticket people kept cutting the line in front of us and getting ripped off for the metro ticket which should only cost us 10 rupees each we go charged 40 rupees.  Having white skin you basically have a neon sign screaming "please rip me off" apparently. ARGH!  Back at the hotel we had a rest and Toot had a little snooze. From here it was time to head out to our last dinner with the group. After dinner the group and our guide all ended up on the rooftop of the hotel with a few beverages and said our goodbyes.

After waking up to repack again (but for the last time) it was time to head to the airport and board the big bird to bring us home.  Thankfully it was a relatively uneventful flight well except with limited screaming children. We arrived back in Adelaide this morning looking somewhat weary and feeling much worse.

There were some iffy moments, but many great ones, but we are glad to report that there were no cases of Delhi belly between the two of us.  Toot is still looking for her Bollywood talent scout and can still see herself returning to Mumbai at some stage to investigate this career path further.

Love to all and safe travels

This is Toot and Gordo signing off Xx.

P.S. We require more comments and feedbbacks on the blog or there will be no blog next year. haha that's right next years travel plans are already in motion so stay tuned!  This will be a dirty 30 year birthday celebration - Toot's in August 2013 and Gordo's in April 2014!

Shop shop shopping!

Today saw us getting up and out of the hotel by 9am again! From here we took a tuk tuk to the city palace where we did a tour and learned all about the royal family of Udaipur. The royal family no longer have any power except for the money kind.  They still live on site but in a small portion of the palace these days.  This palace is the second largest in India. 

From the palace we walked into the old city and did some looking around and of course some shopping.  Toot came across a little silver shop with a lovely man in it and I think we spent close to 45mins choosing pieces to buy.  The shop owner warned us that there was about to be a big Muslim festival in the streets and to try and get out of the streets as soon as possible as it would probably get a little crazy.  This was all good in theory.  Of course all the streets are blocked off and it is impossible for any traffic of any kind to get from one side of the old city to the other and across the lake back to the hotel  We eventually found a tuk tuk, the first driver didn't know where we wanted to go even though we showed him on the map, the second driver didn't speak English and the third driver eventually agreed to take us, knew where we were going and got us there through all the tiny little streets you would never dream of trying to get a tuk tuk down.  A drive that should have taken 10 mins with all streets open took about 30 mins through back alleys, mega pot holes and a few close calls with walls, cows and other traffic.

We finally made it back to the hotel to change, have a little rest and a drink and then headed out again. It was back to the palace again to grab a boat and go for a cruise around the lake. This was done at sunset and was really quite nice. Having said that we needed to get a tuk tuk back to the palace again.  This might seem simple but the tuk tuk driver of course had no idea where he was going, even though he said no worries, and spoke little to no English.  Of course road closures got in the way again and he got us as close as he could (going a different way to this morning) and then had trouble telling us that we needed to walk for a further 5 mins. We eventually figured it out with help from a security man on the side of the road.

After the boat ride we went to meet up with the group again and go for dinner.  A few other small purchases were made in this time by both Toot and Gordo.  Once we met up with the group we were supposed to walk to the restaurant but of course, street closures.  This meant another crazy tuk tuk drive but eventually made it to a lovely restaurant on the lakes edge. The scenery was spectacular and the food was alright too.

After this it was time to return to the hotel for sleep tonight.  We are finally able to have a proper sleep in tomorrow as we don't have to be out of the hotel til 11:30am.  Unfortunately we have our last overnight train ride tomorrow night so it might be a long day. Nothing planned except a little more shopping and acquiring some snacks for said train journey.

Good news, we now have some clean clothes.  Gordo was beginning to wonder if she wasn't getting hassled as much anymore coz she smelled a little funny. Good tactic though!

Thats all for now

Toot and Gordo Xx.

Room with a view

Hi All,

This evenings blog is proudly brought to you from our bay window overlooking the city Udaipur and all the fireworks (did we mention it is currently wedding season?).  The day started with a warm shower and a lovely breakfast.  Then it was time to once again pack the bags and get onto the chariot for another day of crappy roads and no leg space. We had an 8 hour trip today with a few stops along the way for loo breaks, lunch and visiting Ranakpur (a Jain temple).  

Ranakpur is built of white marble which is quarried from Makrana (the same quarry to supply the Taj Mahal).  At Ranakpur there are no leather goods allowed at all (including purses, shoes, belts etc) and they are strict on this due to the seriousness of the religion.  Jainism is based on a doctrine of non violence towards all living beings and are strict vegetarians. The more orthodox ones cover their mouths to avoid inadvertently swallowing living organisms. They also don't wear shoes and brush the ground in front of them as they walk so they don't accidentally kill an insect.

Ranakpur is one of the most spectacular temples that you will see.  Set in a secluded wooded valley of the Aravalli Hills, the 15th century temple is one of the 5 great holy places of the Jain faith.  It is one of the single most impressive examples of Western Indian architecture.

Once we arrived into Udaipur we checked into our very nice hotel and finally were allocated the presidential suite. We have been waiting since the beginning of the trip and finally have a nice room, with a nice view, a comfy bed and hot water to be confirmed.

Finally we are able to get some washing done as people are starting to look at us funny coz our clothes smell bad and have had no opportunity in the last week to get any washing done. Last pair of clean knickers used today, luckily they have all been washed today and are dry and ready for tomorrow.  Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

After washing was sorted we sat in our bay window and watched the sun set and (we would like to say with a G & T however we are out of T, must get some tomorrow). Then it was time for dinner.  We headed to the old city for dinner and will explore that area again further tomorrow.  After dinner back to the hotel, write to you fine folks then off to bed.

Love to all

Toot and Gordo Xx.

Friday...Fort Day!

So the hot water situation was indeed sorted out.  But  of course they have exceptionally small hot water tanks over here for each room. So Toot had a nice warm shower and Gordo had half warm, half cold with an intermission half way through standing in a towel waiting for the hot water to heat up again.

Once showering was all sorted it was off to breakfast for some omelettes on toast with some vegemite (brought from home of course), yum yum. Then time for a short walk through the village to see the palace which had been converted to a hotel. Many of the old palaces here are converted to hotels in order to help with funding the up keep of the palace.  

Once our short walk was over it was time to get back into our trusty bus for another day of bumpy roads.  Thankfully this bus trip was a short one and we had arrived in Jodphur in time for lunch. We are staying in a home stay for the evening. The host lady is lovely and has welcomed the group into her home where rooms have been converted each with their own ensuite.  Once settled it was time for a lovely home cooked meal and a bit of relaxation before heading out and exploring Mehrangarh Fort.  The fort sits high up on a cliff and overlooks the city and is described as perhaps the most majestic of Rajasthan's forts.  Founded in 1459, the sandstone fort was added to by later rulers, mostly between the mid-17th and mid-19th centuries. The fort has old battle scars along some of the outer walls where it has been hit by cannons in battles. Having said that it is claimed that the fort was never taken in these battles and stood strong. Inside the fort there are all sorts of things to see such as a golden throne, fine miniature paintings, traditional costumes and fascinating weapons.

After we took on the fort it was time for some more markets.  This time a few small purchases were made and many a cow and tuk tuk avoided while doing so.   After market exploring it was time for another amazing meal and then back to our room for the evening.  At least we have a slightly later morning tomorrow being able to sleep in til 7:30am. Yay, here's to hoping there is warm water for two!  A long drive is ahead of us tomorrow approx. 8 hours as we head to Udaipur.

Til then, stay safe and enjoy

Toot and Gordo Xx.

Out of touch in Tordi....

Hi All,

I know it has been a while since we spoke last, we have been out in the back and beyond and had no internet.  So sorry for the lack of blogs over the last couple of days.

Since we talked we took the chicken bus (which thankfully had no chickens or livestock) from Agra to Jaipur.  The bus trip was fine except for one of the locals who was sitting across the aisle from us and listened to music on his phone without earphones and sang along to it.  Thankfully he didn’t do this the whole trip but did for a significant portion.  We are now down with Indian Pop music!

We arrived into Jaipur just after lunch and got settled into our hotel.  The hotel was an old palace which had been converted to a hotel so there was no order as to where the room numbers went and you had to take various flights of stairs up, then down, then up etc etc.  We finally arrived at our room (which was on the roof) and found that there was no fly screens on the window in the bathroom or above the door to the room which allowed copious amounts of mozzies to enter the room.   I think we ended up with “Rid” more in our mouths than on our skin and the mozzie bite count between us after our two nights there is in the tens at least.

Once settled we went for a walk with the group to get our bearings of the city, had a late lunch and off to the markets for some shopping. After shopping we returned to the hotel to head out for dinner with the group.  For dinner we went to the hotel that is used for a scene in the movie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” It is the hotel used in the scene where the lady is at the bar trying to pick up wealthy Indian men. We had dinner on the lawn outside with some entertainment of dancing, music and some fire breathing! Toot got up on stage with a few of the others and had a little boogie and her 15 mins of fame (I think that she was secretly hoping there was a Bollywood talent scout in the crowd). Once dinner was over it was time for a tuk tuk back to the hotel and a little party on the roof.  Drinks were flowing, music was playing and we had a view of the city from the roof.  It was a nice evening weather wise but we had an early morning the next morning so we crashed at about 11:30pm.  By the sounds of the music still going and people still talking we think the roof party eventually died at about 4:30am.

The next morning we headed off to the Amber Fort.  The fort palace of Amber was the Kachawaha citadel until 1727, when their capital moved to Jaipur. Successive rulers continued to come here on important occasions to seek the blessings of the family deity, Shila Devi.  After the fort we headed off to look at a textile and a silver shops.  No purchases were made for which the credit cards are happy.  After this it was time for more market browsing and then off to the supermarket for some snacks.  Once the all important snack shopping was taken care of it was time for a Bollywood flick at the local cinema.  The new “blockbuster” has just hit town and I believe we were lucky to get seats.   It was call “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” We saw the movie at the Raj Mandir Cinema this was Director Yash Chopra who was one of the most famous directors in India.  He unfortunately died of Dengue Fever late last month just after announcing his retirement of film directing. 

It’s not quite what we expected with most of the older more traditional Bollywood movies having no kissing or anything of the kind.  This movie however had many kisses and a bed scene, most unexpected. No subtitles, all in Hindi with a random English word thrown in here and there for good measure.  The actual viewing of the movie is quite hilarious.  When the movie starts everyone on the cinema goes nuts, there is wolf whistling, cheering and clapping for the first few minutes. Throughout the movie people are cheering, getting up and down from their seats and we were also lucky enough to see a small brawl break out in the crowd and a few get evicted.  There is an intermission half way through as the movie goes for 3 hours (a fairly standard length for Bollywood by the sounds of it).  Loved the movie, Toot thinks it needed more singing and dancing, she is now hanging out to get home and download a few for herself.  Any recommendations gratefully received.

This morning was time to leave Jaipur on our own buses and travel the crappy road to Tordi Garh.  The bus ride was 4 hours of one lane “highway” (with pot holes big enough to just about lose the bus down), rolled over trucks on the side of the road and plenty of livestock just chilling. When we finally arrived in Tordi Garh we were pleased with our hotel (an old converted 17^th century palace). Once settled it was time for a walk around the village which consists of 2500 people. The family that own and run the palace also run the local school.  They also do a lot for the local community by providing jobs, organising people from the village to come in and do henna, sell sarees and take the tourist on a camel cart ride to the nearby sand dunes to watch the sunset. Upon returning from the camel cart ride it was time for dinner and fireworks (a little too close for comfort, but fun nonetheless) and then time for bed. You know you’re getting old when the party is cranking (rather loudly) just outside the door and pj’s and bed is more enticing.

Wherever our room seems to be, there is always a loud even just next door.  We had Diwali celebrations outside the window in Delhi, a performance on the lawn with fireworks in Varanasi, the disco in our hotel in Agra was 2 doors down, rooftop party in Jaipur and loud music and drinking just outside here in Tordi Garh.

On the road again from Tordi and this time it is off to another village for one night.  On arrival we were greeted on the lawn outside the hotel by some local ladies singing a welcome song. We settled into our rooms and headed to lunch.  Some very tasty local food was had and a massage organised for later in the afternoon.  After lunch we had a free afternoon to read in the sun with some relatively fresh air around us.  After some reading we had a massage in our room by some of the local ladies.  We had coconut oil rubbed all over us and all through our hair.  This was all great until it was time to have a shower after and there was no hot water, eww cold shower and oily hair.  Once “showered” we headed to some rooftop drinks before dinner and they had a fire going (I believe to keep the mozzies at bay) so no everything smells like smoke.  We headed to dinner after drinks and then headed to bed, both knackered again.  At least by this time we had managed to get the hot water issue sorted out for the morning.

Think that catches us up for now.  We will post again tonight telling you about what we get up to this afternoon.

Love to all, ciao for now

Toot and Gordo Xx.

Taj Mahal and all its glory!

So we left you last time floating somewhere down the Ganges.  You will be pleased to know that since then we have survived another boat ride and another overnight train as well as two more tuk tuk rides! We also ventured back into the labyrinth that is Varanasi and made it out and back to the hotel all by ourselves.

We have also had the chance to visit the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal.  WOW! They are both quite big and the Taj Mahal certainly doesn't disappoint.  Its all you can imagine from photos and more. Having said that the outside is far more beautiful than the inside of the Taj Mahal. There of course will be photos for you all to see upon our return.

To get inside the gates of the Taj Mahal of course you need a ticket.  We are considered high value ticket holders and the locals are just ticket holders. There are 3 queues at the gate, high value ladies, high value gentlemen and Indians. You go through a metal detector and then your bags get x-rayed.  You aren't allowed to take in any food and they give you a bottle of water so that they know exactly what is coming in and out of the area.

Once you get inside the gate there are again separate queues for westerners and Indians to get inside the Taj itself.  The queue for the westerners is small and moves quite well. The queue for the Indians just about goes around the entire compound and there is a high chance that they may queue for the entire day and still not get inside, making them return to pay yet again and go through the entire process maybe multiple times over before they actually get to see inside.

From there we returned with the group to the hotel to get ready to head to dinner.  We've had another 4 people join our group 3 from Australia and 1 from California (an older lady) and already becoming well known in our group for running late and getting stroppy.  There always happens to be one in every group.  Again we will have to get back to you once we have scoped them out. Of course another delicious meal with Gordo again at the end almost needing to be rolled back to the bus. This time we had some Daal Tadka (yellow lentil curry) and Paneer butter masala (which we have had previously). Very tasty meal again.

This morning was another early wake up call at 5:45am as we head off to Jaipur on a local bus.  Wish us luck!  We'll get back to you later on with a chicken count no doubt.  All we've heard the bus has no a/c so this should be interesting.  

Until then hope your having a great day and enjoying our blog.

Toot & Gordo xox

Floating down The Ganges without a paddle! Close enough to shit creek...

Another 5 people have joined our group but we are yet to make the rounds properly. So far we have managed to chat to two of them. We will return with details soon, watch this space...

Our hotel in Varanasi is more like a compound away from the centre of town.  We are more than walking distance out so it has been easier to eat at the restaurant in the hotel  The food is yet to disappoint except for the breakfasts.  Eggs Benedict and baked beans on toast have not been the greatest.  Tomorrow morning shall be Indian for sure! Lunch and dinner over the last 24 hours has been amazing to say the least, cheap also. Last nights meal consisted of Paneer butter masala (butter chicken with cottage cheese instead of chicken), Daal (lentils in tasty sauce), 2 x garlic naan and rice.  All of this plus 4 drinks for the equivalent of AU$12. And we were stuffed afterwards to the point that Toot almost had to roll Gordo back to the room. Today's lunch was excellent again. We had Aloo Dum Banarasi (a Varansi special which is potatoes stuffed with paneer and covered in a mild brown Indian sauce).

Enough with the food and now onto Varanasi itself and what it is famous for, The Ganges.  This morning we had an early start. This meant meeting the group at 5:30am for a boat road on the Ganges. Even at that time of the morning it is filled with people bathing to wash away their sins, drinking, washing clothes and plenty of tourist on boats.  We saw a hazy, smoggy sunrise along the vacant banks to east, and the hustle and bustle of what is Varanasi on the Western bank.  Our boat ride took us past locals preparing bodies for cremation. Varanasi is India's holiest Hindu city and where people come to die. The reason being that one of the top 3 gods that Hindu's pray to is based around Varanasi.  Bodies are prepared in a special way and this is the same except for 5 types of people.  

1. Children under the age of ten (it is considered they have not sinned yet)

2. Holy men

3. Pregnant women (as they are carrying life inside)

4. People with leprosy

5. People bitten by snakes (they are thought to be blessed as Shiva, the god in Varanasi is pictured with a snake)

All people except the above are wrapped in white cotton, tied to bamboo ladders then orange or pink silk is laid on this, they are then bathed in the Ganges, then decorated with perfume and garlands, they are then ready fro cremation. Once cremated the family waits for 13 days then a chosen family member (usually the first born son) then scatters the ashes into the Ganges. The above mentioned people however are weighted down and thrown into the Ganges without cremation.

After all this excitement we took on the labyrinth of the alleys of Varanasi.  In this time we saw not one but two dead bodies pass us and Toot stepped  in not two but one pile of sacred cow shit, she is unsure whether to clean her shoe or not.  On the evening boat ride, which you will hear about in a minute, Gordo tried to outdo Toot and accidentally managed to dunk half her hand in the lovely brown water of the Ganges. Yuck! Needless to say copious amounts of sanitiser was placed on said hand and she shall now be ever known as Ganges Gordo. Watch this space for Gordos third to appear for holy water.

After our morning boat road we returned to the hotel and ate the disaster beans on toast and Gordo had a chocolate pancake, yummo! After breakfast it was time to shower then head to a silk weaving community. We saw manual vs machine weaving and had the opportunity to purchase any silk items we may have required.  You will be pleased to know that no purchases were made today!

Once finished at the silk community we returned to the hotel to eat once again.  Today was the tasty dish of Aloo Dum Banarasi mentioned above.  After lunch it was time for a little rest and a trip down the road to the shop for some drinks and snacks.  We then headed back to the banks of the Ganges for an evening boat road to see sunset rituals and more burning of the bodies at the cremation ghat.

That just about sums up our day with no dinner tonight (too full from lunch still).

Cheers for now

Toot and Gordo Xx.