We liked it here, in fact we liked it alot!!! really nice huts set in peaceful gardens, hammocks hang between trees, small ponds sit bubbling away with fish, and small waterfalls cascade onto rockeries, good huh? There's different huts for different budgets, from the grand with your own chez longue ( not sure about the spelling but you know that old french sofa typ lying down sort of thing!!!) , four posters, power shower, etc etc for 1000rupees ( still quite a bargain ) to the cheaper option which we went for, that is pretty much the same except you don't get hot water or the chez and your patio furniture - yes you still get your own patio / balcony - doesn't have cushions. Hot water is available in buckets whenever you want though, not exactly roughing it eh ??? and we only paid 400, after knocking them down from 5. Be careful though when we left they still tried to charge us 500 and it took a bit of an arguement to get our original price!!!! All the different types of hut also contain some very interesting kitsch furniture which is quite an odd touch. A nice touch is the box of water in your room, and although you still have to pay for it, it does come in handy on those drunken nights when you feel as though you could empty the sea your so thirsty!!! You also get 10 % off at the Keralla Coffee House on the clifftop, which also happens to be the cheapest place to eat in Varkala anyway!!! You have to try the Goan fish curry it's insanely good. They also have cookery courses at the house, laundry service, internet, travel agancy and money exchange, yeah this is a good place to relax and spend a week or so.....

After our stay in Hotel Hare Krishna in Jodhpur, we were so satisfied that we decided to recommend the hotel to Everyone The service was extremely kind and the food was very good as well. The rooftop restaurant is probably the highest in Jodhpur and has a great view on the fort. The rooms were tastfully decorated and way bigger (we payed for the black and white suite room with fort view 500 rupees). We decided to switch hotels and didn't regret that one minute. Kamal, Sunny, Manu and the rest of the family make you feel like you're home and they even cancelled our bus trip for free when, on the day of departure The highlight of our visit was the invitation of Sunny to attend wedding dancing at the neighbours house. Conclusion: this is a place to stay for relaxe and a true Indian experience

Friends and friends I have yet to meet,

I need to publish a story.  It is not mine. 

However, I do share its beliefs for my own reasons.  I will not speak of them here - for this is not my experience.

I simply reproduce a message I received because I feel it is a story that needs to be told.  It has been republished verbatim for you to read.  The only change I have made is the abbreviation of some profanity in the text - although in my opinion, its use in this context is more than justified.  I have also abbreviated the personal and contact details of the author - although you can request these details from me personally if you have a legitimate reason for doing so.

I will write my thoughts on this separately - but its message needs a voice right now.

Remember, as you read this, families across this planet we share weep with loss.  Those people have many political beliefs, different religious beliefs, belong to different socio-economic groups and have varied cultural backgrounds.  In fact, the only common thread between these people is their shared humanity and the loss they each bear. 

Terror is an issue that affects everyone.  No one is exempt.  That means each of us has the responsibility to take a stand.

I don't preach action.  That decision is a personal one - but I do encourage thought.

I pray for those affected and those lost.

The message I received is from a survivor of the recent terrorist incident in India.  He writes the following:

"...

Hey guys.

Got all your notes. Thank you. I'm ok. A little shaky to be honest
but really just happy to be here. I can't thank you enough for your
notes.

You have no idea what the mean to me. Hope to see and speak to you
all soon.

I wrote the following on the plane.

It's 3.33 am Thursday Nov 27th. And I am writing this from Jet
Airways flight 0227, First leg of the Mumbai - Brussels - Toronto -
Vancouver journey . It is a stream of "adrenaline" piece. I apologize
in advance for the grammatical errors. But I wanted it raw and
unedited.

First, some context.

I have always been truly blessed. Lucky to be born to the most love a
child could ever wish for. Luck to be born into a family that prided
itself on teaching me how to be a man. Lucky to have been protected
and sheltered by three strong, decent brothers. Lucky to have found
and married the kindest heart on the face of the earth. Lucky to be
blessed beyond blessed with four healthy, beautiful children.  Lucky
to have wonderful friends who tolerate my idiosyncrasies.

Tonight, these blessings, these gifts of love and life bestowed upon
me, this incredible good fortune, saved my life. And I honestly don't
know why.

The details.

I am in Mumbai on business. I'm staying at the Trident hotel. It's
sister hotel, the Oberai, is right next-door and attached by a small
walkway.

I had dinner by myself in the Oberai lobby after some late meetings.

I retired upstairs to my room. About 10min later my colleague, Alex
C*******, text-ed asking me to join him and his friend in the Oberai
lounge for a drink. I started to make my way out the door but decided
that I was really too tired.  I had a 7am flight, and needed to be up
at 5. Rest beckoned. I closed the light, got into bed and quickly
fell asleep. Lucky life-saving decision number 1.

About 1hr later there was knock at my door. A few seconds later, the
doorbell rang (they have doorbells for hotel rooms here - who'da
thunk?). I thought - who the hell is knocking at my door?  Turn down
service? This late? Forget it. So I just lay there and hoped they
would go away. Lucky life-saving decision number 2.

Five minutes later I heard and felt a huge bang. I got up and went to
look out the window. A huge cloud of grey smoke billowed up from the
road below.

I thought.  Fireworks? I didn't see anyone milling about so knew
something wasn't right. I started to walk to the light switch when -
BANG - another huge explosion shook the entire hotel.

Oh f**k, I thought. Is that what I think this is? I opened the door
to the hallway. A few people were already outside.

I heard the word "bomb".

Oh shit. Oh shit I thought.

I'd like to tell you that I calmly collected my myself and my things
and proceeded to the exits.

I didn't.  An adrenaline explosion erupted inside me and almost
lifted me off the floor. And I began to move. Really move.

I went back inside, quickly packed my stuff and went back into the
hall.

I ran to the emergency exit and started making my way down the stairs
(I was on the 18th floor).

There were a few people in the stairwell. I was flying by them. I
swear I could have run a marathon in 2hrs. I felt like pure energy.

About halfway down, I called my friend Mark, told him what had
happened and asked him to get me a flight - any flight - the hell out
of Mumbai.

I got to the lobby level. There was a crowd of people in the
corridor.

No one moving. No one doing anything. No hotel staff. No security
people.

Shit. I thought. We are sitting ducks.

I decided to get out of there. First, into the lobby.

I stepped through the door into the silent lobby. My first sight was
a blood soaked plastic bag and bloody footsteps leading into the
reception area.  I proceeded forward.  The windows were shattered and
glass was everywhere.

There wasn't a soul around.

Bad decision, I thought. I quickly retreated to the corridor. The
crowd of people had grown.

We've got to get out of here I yelled.  Let's go.

I looked around for the emergency exit and started running towards
it.

I made my way through the bowels of the hotel and out into a dark
alley. It was empty and silent. I looked to my left and about 100m
away saw a few security guards milling about.

Run they screamed. I began to move toward them.

I reached the main street and was immediately swept up into the
Indian throngs (for those who have been to Mumbai, you know what I
mean).

People everywhere. But they were all eerily quiet. No one was
talking.  No car horns. Nothing.

I started yelling "airport airport".

Some one  (a hotel cook I believe) grabbed me and my bag and threw me
in a rusty mini-cab.

As I sped away, I didn't see a single police car nor hear a single
siren.

Just the sound of this shit-box car speeding down the deserted road.

Traffic was stop and go. I made it to the airport in about 1hr,
cleared customs and buried myself in a corner of a packed departure
lounge, called my wife, called my parents and brothers and started
emailing those friends who knew I was in Mumbai.

Sadly, Alex - my colleague who texted me for a drink - and his friend
were not so lucky. The terrorists stormed into the lobby bar and
killed several people. They took Alex and his friend hostage and
started to march them up to the roof of the hotel.

About half way up, Alex managed to escape (he ducked through an open
door and hid) but his friend was caught. And as I write this, that
poor man is still on the roof of the Oberai.

Alex is safe but as expected, extremely worried about his friend.

I'm telling you right now. If I decided to meet Alex for that drink
tonight I'd either be dead, a hostage on the roof of a building 30
hours away from everyone I love or - if I had the balls of Alex - a
stupid-but-lucky-to-be-alive jerk.

And remember that knock/ring at my door? Well, I subsequently learned
that the first thing the terrorists did was get the names and room
numbers of western guests. They then went to the rooms to find them.
E*****, with an E, room 1820.

I'll bet my entire life savings that they were the knock at my door.

Thank god for jet lag.
Thank god for "cranky tired Jonny" (as many of my friends and family
know so well) that compelled to get into and stay in bed.
Thank god for being on the 18th floor.
Thank god for the kind kind people of Mumbai of helped me tonight.
The wonderfully kind hotel staff. That cook. My cab driver who
constantly said "relaxation" "relaxation" "I help" and who kept me in
the cab when we hit a particularly gnarly traffic jam and i wanted to
get out and walk. And for other people in traffic who, upon hearing
from my own cab driver that I was at the Oberai, literally risked
life and limb to stop traffic to let us get by (as again, only those
who have been to Mumbai can truly appreciate).

Mumbai is a tragically beautiful place. Incredibly sad. But I am
convinced that its inhabitants are definitely children of some
troubled but immensely soulfully god.

I'm sitting on plane (upgraded to first class..see, told you I'm
lucky ?).  Just had the best tasting bowl of corn flakes I've ever had in my
life.

Hennessey coursing through my veins. Concentration starting to loosen
and sleep beginning to creep onto my horizon.

I still feel a bit numb. But mostly I feel like I've just watched a
really really bad movie staring me.  Because right now, it all
doesn't feel real.

Maybe a few hours of CNN will knock me into reality. But the truth is
numb is fine with me for a while.  If I do end up thinking about the
what if's, I don't really want to do that until I'm much much closer
to home. And I have 30 more hours of travel time to go.

But before I sign off, let me say this.

The people who did this have no souls. They have no hearts.
They are simply the living manifestation of evil and they only know killing and
murder.

We - all of us - need to understand that.  Their target tonight was
first and foremost Americans. Why? Because they fear everything that
America stands for. They fear hope and change and freedom and peace.
Let's make no mistake; they would have shot me and my children point
blank tonight with out a moment's hesitation. Most of us sorta know
that but sometimes we equivocate.  We can't equivocate. Not ever.

I know that I want to go back. Lay some flowers. Wrap my arms around
these people. Say thank you. Spend some money on overpriced hotel
gifts and tip well. And generally give the bastards who did this the
big f**k you and show them that I am not - I  repeat not - afraid of
them.

But first I need to go squeeze my wife. Dry her tears. Then have her
dry mine as I hold my beautiful beautiful babies who will be
(thankfully)  oblivious to all of this. Because isn't that what life
is really about?

I appreciate you taking the time to listen.

With much much love.

Jonathan E*****
L*** C***** M*** INC.
President & COO

..."

So far, 172 innocent people have been confirmed killed.  This number is expected to rise.  At the time I write this, those who are injured are yet to be confirmed.

The attacks killed citizens of India, Israel, USA, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, Italy, Singapore, UK, Thailand and France.  Many casualties are unidentified and will require forensic analysis.  It is likely that this list will also increase.

The venues attacked were 100% civilian.  A hotel, a jewish community centre and a hospital.  Automatic weapons and explosives were used in organised assaults against the defenseless.

Men, women and children make up the list of casualties.

Think about it.  Next time you sleep.  Next time you attend a communal gathering.  Next time you are sick.

very good and ?

Just one road back from the beach is this big old guesthouse with it's huge rooms. We had one of the ones on the top floor and loved it. Clean, spacious and with a nice, big bathroom. It also had a massive balcony on the side and a huge chillout area on the roof. A bargain at 400 rupees!!!!The staff were all really friendly and the restaurant was better than most aswell, all in all a fine choice!!!!

For your own sake don't stay here!!!!!!!!!By all means head up to the rooftop restaurant and eat their overpriced food and drink their ridiculously priced beer but don't let yourself get swayed into staying here!!!!! Yes the view from the roof is incredible but there are other places to find the same thing. Maybe we caught the place on a bad day but we found the accomodation staff to be rude and a little threatening, the room was the pits, dirty, with a shower that didn't work and a bed that had seen far too much action!!! At night the room filled up with insects and in the morning the bathroom floor was a about a centimeter deep in the things, needless to say after a one sleepless night we left, and this was in the supposedly ( according to the Lonely Planet ) new rooms on the top floor. Do yourself a favour stay anywhere but here.......the view from the roof is hard to beat though.....

You can find this place in your lonely planet or whichever guide your using under places to eat, it's always there, someones forever recommending it for it's noodles and to be fair they are fantastic!!! But if you're their filling your face do yourself a favour and heave your bloated body up the stairs at the back and take a look at the rooms. On the top floor you'll find three concrete based bamboo sided huts with amazing sunset views, fantastic hot power showers,the most comfortable beds we experienced in India, and a great sized balcony for evening snifters, or afternoon or morning!!! and all for only 500 rupees. On the floor below there are even nicer concrete rooms, only finished last week ( dec 1 2008 ) which are slightly bigger than the rooms above with luxurious bathrooms and a view along the beach to die for , a bit more expensive however at a grand but fr that bit of luxury well worth it...................as you can tell we quite liked this place, and the food was delish too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Oh and they've got a pool table!!!!!!!Get in !!!!

Voor de verandering staan we maar weer eens lomp vroeg op, vandaag loopt om 04:45 de wekker af. We ontbijten niet maar gaan, gewapend met een rol koekjes tegen de eerste honger, met een riksja (voor 20 rupees) naar de Ghats aan de Ganges. Daar geven we de man van de riksja 30 rupees, maar hij is niet tevreden en wil meer geld zien. Hij krijgt uiteraard geen rooie rupee meer, want er is twintig afgesproken.

We gaan aan boord van een flinke roeiboot (onze hele groep van twintig man pas er met gemak in), die geroeid word door twee mannen. Op de boot staan al twee meisjes die offerlichtjes uitdelen. Als je zo’n kaarsje aanneemt willen ze in ruil wel meteen tien rupees van je hebben, maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. De offerlichtjes zijn kleine handgemaakte kaarsjes die staan op een klein bedje van bloemen, dat weer ligt op een blad dat aan de buitenkant omhoog gekruld is zodat het geheel blijft drijven. Het meisje dat bij mij komt gooit per ongeluk een flinke scheut kaarsvet over mijn broek en sandalen (en rechter voet). Ik volg het voorbeeld van Hans en geef het meisje een paar muntjes (4 rupees), want het bedrag dat ze vragen is zoals altijd veel te hoog.

Voor het licht word varen we al op de Ganges. We leggen onze offerlichtjes op het water en deze drijven gezellig flakkerend met de stroom mee.

Langzaam begint het wat lichter te worden, en met hetzelfde tempo komt er aan de oever wat leven in de brouwerij. Ook op dit tijdstip worden er al mensen verbrand, dit gebeurd de klok rond, want de brandstapel word 24 uur na de dood aangestoken. Als we te dicht bij de Ghat komen waar mensen verbrand worden mogen we geen foto’s meer maken, Gerrit is de enige die dit niet helemaal mee krijgt en dus moeten we hem even snel duidelijk maken dat hij zijn camera weg moet doen, omdat we anders misschien wel eens problemen zouden kunnen krijgen.

Even verderop zien we het eerste lijk aan de oppervlakte drijven, in dit geval is het maar een buffel, maar het beest ziet er gevaarlijk opgezwollen uit en kan (zo lijkt het) elk moment uit elkaar klappen. De vogels die op het beest zitten vinden dit blijkbaar niet erg en genieten van de maden die uit de dode zwemmer komen gekropen.

We komen weer bij een Ghat waar mensen zich voorbereiden om een bad in de heilige rivier te nemen. De lichtintensiteit is nu zo ver opgelopen dat ik mijn 400 ASA rolletje verwissel voor een 200 ASA rolletje, want die heb ik nog wat meer bij me. Ondanks het zwakkere fotorolletje krijg ik toch de andere oever van de rivier nog vastgelegd.

De oever van de rivier staat letterlijk volgestampt met gebouwen, elk plekje waar geen groot pand meer tussen past wordt opgevuld met een kleiner bouwwerk.

Nu zijn er al veel meer mensen bezig met zich wassen in de rivier, de man op de voorgrond poetst zelfs even snel zijn tanden. Sommige mensen zepen zich op de wal eerst helemaal in om vervolgens de zeep met een frisse duik weer af te spoelen. Op een paar plaatsen zien we mensen melk offeren aan de Ganges. Deze mensen gaan ook voor in een ritueel dat bestaat uit een soort van samenzang, waar ook de gewone man luid trommelend, op een koekenpan rammelend, of zingend (of allebei) aan mee kan doen.

De zon staat nu al een stuk boven de horizon en ondanks dat het nog erg fris is, ik houd mijn windjack tenminste nog een tijdje aan, wordt het drukker en drukker in de rivier. Het is een komen en gaan van mensen, maar ondanks dat de zon feller en sterker wordt prijzen wij ons nog steeds gelukkig dat we niet het koude smerige water in hoeven, want we zijn intussen ook de tweede dode buffel tegen gekomen. Hier en daar drijven ook een paar offerlichtjes.

Vrouwen nemen hun bad met al hun kleren aan en ik sta er versteld van dat ze niet verstrikt raken in al die lagen lange kleden. Mannen daarentegen dobberen bijna naakt door de rivier. Deze man drijft hemelsbreed misschien vijftien meter van onze tweede dode buffel vandaan, met als enige afscherming onze boot.

Wij kunnen al niet begrijpen dat mensen in dit water baden, maar als we zien dat mensen dit water ook drinken staan we helemaal met onze oren te klapperen. Hindoes geloven dat als zij het water drinken zij daar een beter leven door zullen krijgen. Wij geloven dat als wij ook maar twee druppels van dit water binnen krijgen, we dan alle gore ziektes die we ons maar voor kunnen stellen tegelijkertijd zullen krijgen.

De zon heeft zijn mooie rode kleur afgeschud en we naderen het verste punt van onze boottocht. We komen nog voorbij een andere Ghat waar een ceremonie bezig is, deze mensen zijn echter wat beter wakker en zingen uit volle borst mee.

Onze roeiers hebben het prima naar hun zin, maar ze kunnen hun lol helemaal niet op als we de Gay Ghat voorbij varen. In het Hindi betekent gay niks meer dan koe, maar de hoofdroeier (die ook wat Nederlands geleerd heeft) vindt de Engelse uitleg veel leuker.

Een paar dagen voor we in Varanasi aan kwamen is hier een groot festival geweest, en daar zien we nu nog overal aan de kant van de rivier de overblijfselen van. Overal staan meters hoge staken (tot wel tien meter) met daaraan een soort kruiken, wij denken dat het een soort lantaarns zullen zijn.

Het laatste punt waar we langs varen is het huis van de cremateur. Hij is degene die de lijkverbrandingen coördineert. De cremateur is een paria (een kasteloze) en dus eigenlijk het laagste van het laagste in sociaal oogpunt, maar hij is wel erg rijk. Dat komt omdat de overledenen hier met sieraden en al worden verbrand. Na drie uur wordt de brandstapel met water uit de Ganges gedoofd en dan zijn er van een man alleen nog de schouders en van een vrouw alleen nog het bekken over. De cremateur heeft mensen in loondienst die voor hem de sieraden van de overledenen uit de as zoeken, zodat hij die kan verkopen en het geld is dan natuurlijk voor hemzelf. Het hoofd lijkverbranding heeft nog één groot voorrecht: hij is de enige die direct aan de Ganges mag wonen, dat is verder voor niemand toegestaan.

We varen nu weer terug naar het punt waar we aan boord gegaan zijn en daar is het nu echt een drukte van belang.

We gaan nu ontbijten in de stad, punt één is het tijd voor het ontbijt en punt twee: ik lust ondertussen wel wat. Het is nog een eindje lopen door de smalle straatjes van de oude stad voor we bij het kleine restaurantje aan komen. Het is echt een tentje van niks en we kunnen maar net met zijn allen zitten. Het is een familiebedrijfje en dat blijkt keer op keer op komische wijze. Het jongste familielid (een jongetje van een jaar of tien) gaat aan de gasten vragen of ze klaar zijn met eten, als dat inderdaad zo is loopt hij met lege handen terug naar de keuken om zijn oudere broer naar de mensen toe te sturen om af te ruimen. Het duurt best een tijdje voor we ons eten hebben, maar het kleine keukentje is natuurlijk niet berekend op zulke massa’s volk als onze groep.

Als we zitten te eten komt er een heilige man aanwaaien. Volgens mij is hij óf bezopen óf zo stoned als een garnaal, want hij ouwehoert en giebelt aan één stuk door. Trudy maakt een foto van de man en mij samen. Als de foto genomen is vraagt de heilige man hoeveel geld ik wil hebben voor de foto, want dan moeten we dat maar aan Trudy vragen. Hij hoeft geen geld voor de foto te hebben, hij heeft geen geld nodig om plezier te hebben.

Trudy en ik hebben samen voor iets meer dan 100 rupees gegeten en als iedereen afgerekend heeft, splitst de groep zich op en gaat ieder zijn eigen weg.

Tegen 09:30 proberen we even te internetten, maar de internetshop krijgt geen verbinding met het world wide web, dus slenteren we verder door de stad. Na een tijdje worden we aangesproken door een man die ons zijn zijdefabriekje wil laten zien. In eerste instantie zijn we wat wantrouwig, maar de man is erg aardig. We lopen met hem mee om zijn fabriek te gaan bekijken. De buurt waar we in uitkomen doet een extra beroep op ons vertrouwen in het goede in de mens, het ziet er allemaal wat verlaten uit en de commercie is hier ver te zoeken. De man lult als brugman en blijft erg vriendelijk, maar toch blijven we op onze hoede. Heel even later komen we dan toch in een gebouw waar mannen kleden zitten te weven, en ons wantrouwen neemt nu zienderogen af. We mogen kijken zo lang we willen en ook foto’s maken is geen enkel probleem. Terwijl we kijken laat de man ons een klein schriftje lezen waarin mensen uit allerlei landen (natuurlijk ook uit Nederland) aardige dingen over hem geschreven hebben en ons laatste beetje wantrouwen verdwijnt als sneeuw voor de zon. We krijgen uitleg bij de vleet en de man verteld erg trots dat hij eigenaar is van 240 weefgetouwen, en dat er aan één kleed tussen de 9 en 11 dagen gewerkt word. In deze fabriek is geen kinderarbeid, kinderen mogen hier wél in de leer bij de ervaren mensen (een paar uur per dag) zodat ze later sneller werk kunnen vinden.

In India is het zo dat de Hindoes zich vooral bezig houden met de productie van materialen en dat de moslims de handelaren zijn. Het positieve hiervan is dat de twee bevolkingsgroepen elkaar nodig hebben en dat ze daarom van twee kanten beter hun best doen om op goede voet met elkaar te blijven.

Uiteindelijk komen we natuurlijk in een winkeltje uit, maar we moeten iets over hebben voor de rondleiding. We gaan op zoek naar een sjaal voor mijn moeder, maar we hebben geen flauw idee wat ze mooi zal vinden. De eigenaar gooit natuurlijk zijn hele assortiment overhoop, maar we besluiten eerst even naar huis te bellen om wat informatie in te winnen. We bedanken de man en zeggen dat we terug komen als we meer weten. We stappen op en de jongen die ons rond leidde regelt een riksja voor ons die ons voor 15 rupees naar Hotel Pradeep brengt. Onderweg zien we een soort van demonstratie, maar we hebben geen idee waar het allemaal over gaat.

Vanuit het hotel lopen we naar het zijdewinkeltje om te kijken of Trudy’s blouse al klaar is. Ze kan de blouse meteen passen en hij is precies goed, hij moet alleen aan de taille een beetje ingenomen worden. Er komen nog een aantal andere mensen van onze groep binnen en Jannie vindt Trudy’s blouse erg mooi. Trudy zoekt nog twee andere kleuren uit en bestelt dezelfde blouse nog twee keer.

We gaan eten in een restaurantje vlak bij het hotel, waar de rest van de groep erg enthousiast over is. Een gedeelte van de groep zit al in de tuin en we schuiven gezellig aan. We maken een keus van de kaart en plaatsen onze bestelling. Op één of andere manier hebben we een heel moeilijk gerecht besteld, want John en Hans, die een half uur later binnen kwamen dan wij, zitten al lekker te eten terwijl wij nog steeds op een houtje zitten te bijten. Als we dan uiteindelijk ons eten krijgen is als klap op de vuurpijl de rijst niet te eten. Trudy dient een klacht in en krijgt een korting van 40 rupees. We hadden liever gehad dat het eten lekkerder was geweest, maar dat zat er helaas niet in.

Na deze "heerlijke" maaltijd gaan we terug naar het hotel, waar we een uur en een kwartier voor onszelf hebben. Trudy gaat slapen, want ze heeft hoofdpijn. Ik ga mijn schoen kaarsvetvrij maken en alvast een stukje schrijven.

Om 16:15 vertrekken we weer naar de Ganges voor de boottocht bij zonsondergang. Dit is een ervaring die eigenlijk met geen pen te beschrijven is, maar ik ga het toch proberen. We gaan aan boord van dezelfde boot als vanmorgen. In tegenstelling tot vanmorgen varen we nu eerst stroomopwaarts. De hulproeier maakt nu offers klaar die later aan de rivier gegeven zullen worden. Hij vult de schalen (gemaakt van grote boombladeren) met de bloemen van het Afrikaantje en zet in het midden een theelichtje. Dan haalt hij verdeelt over de schaal wat bloemen weg om er kaarsjes voor in de plaats te zetten. We roeien rustig verder terwijl we in de verte de crematieghat alweer kunnen zien. Als het helemaal donker is zijn we zo dicht bij de ghat dat we nog net een foto mogen maken voor we onze camera’s weg moeten doen. Dan worden de kaarsjes op de offerschalen ontstoken en de schalen op het water gelegd. Aan boord zijn ook nog 300 kleine kaarsjes (dezelfde als vanmorgen) die stuk voor stuk aangestoken worden en dan door de groep aan de Ganges worden geofferd. Bij elk kaarsje mag de persoon die het op het water legt een wens doen, alles mag gewenst worden zolang het maar positief is en voor een ander bestemd. Ondertussen is op de kade de stroom uitgevallen en is er in het gedeelte van de stad waar wij ons bevinden geen brandende lamp meer te zien. Onze 300 drijvende kaarsjes vormen een ketting van flakkerende puntjes op de gitzwarte rivier, die we nog lang kunnen zien voor ze aan het zicht onttrokken word. Het heeft bijna iets magisch.

De boot word gedraaid om langzaam weer naar het vertrekpunt terug te varen. We komen nu langs een paar ghats waar een ceremonie aan de gang is.

De ceremonie in de eerste ghat bestaat hoofdzakelijk uit dansen, muziek maken en Gangeswater drinken. Er is nog steeds geen elektriciteit, dus dat is bijna niet te zien.

In de tweede ghat zijn zes priesters met een soort vuurkorven in de weer. Nog steeds is er bijna geen stroom, er zijn nu een paar lampen die het weer doen, maar licht is nog steeds schaars. De ceremonie duurt bijna een uur en onder het genot van een bakkie chai kunnen we alles goed bekijken. Pas tegen het eind van de ceremonie gaan alle lampen weer aan zodat ook de priesters zelf zichtbaar zijn. Als alles is afgelopen gaan we aan wal en kunnen zo de plaatsen waar de priesters zojuist hun werk gedaan hebben even van dichtbij bekijken.

Het plan is nu om te gaan eten waar we vanmorgen ontbeten hebben, maar de keuken kan een diner voor 20 personen echt niet aan en daarom gaan we met zijn vieren, Ronald en Ineke gaan ook mee, naar Ganga Fuji. Twee jongens lopen met ons mee, omdat we anders hopeloos zullen verdwalen. Helaas zit bij Ganga Fuji ook alles vol en dan besluiten we om maar in het hotel te gaan eten. We lopen eerst nog heel even over een klein marktje, maar hebben dit snel bekeken en gaan dan met een riksja terug naar het hotel. Onderweg komen we een optocht tegen die bestaat uit een riksja met een generator, en daar achteraan een flink aantal mensen met behoorlijk grote verlichtingsornamenten op hun hoofd. Om te zorgen dat ook de laatste man niet zonder stroom komt te zitten, zijn alle mensen d.m.v. elektriciteitskabels met elkaar verbonden.

Bij het hotel aangekomen gaan we naar het dakterras om een hapje te eten. Daar is een kinderfeestje aan de gang voor een driejarige (met de modernste pokkemuziek). We hebben ondanks dat geen zin om beneden in het restaurant te gaan zitten en maken er het beste van.

Na het eten gaan we naar het zijdewinkeltje om te kijken hoe het met de bestelling staat. Het is al 21:30 en we vrezen dat het winkeltje al gesloten zal zijn, maar er zijn nog meer kopers uit onze groep binnen en dus zijn we nog op tijd. Na wat passen en wat verstelwerk is alles in orde, behalve de nabestelde blouses van Trudy, die zijn te groot. Men belooft dat alles goed komt en de nog te verstellen blouses zullen naar het hotel gebracht worden als ze klaar zijn. We betalen onze spullen en laten Wim met de zijdehandelaar achter. Wim is boos, omdat er zo veel klachten uit de groep zijn gekomen over de kwaliteit van de geleverde waren. De vorige groep was heel tevreden en daarom heeft Wim ons deze zaak aangeraden en dat zit hem niet lekker. Het is nu maar hopen dat de blouses geleverd worden voor we morgenvroeg vertrekken.

Terug op de hotelkamer gaan we nog even douchen, maar eerst veroorzaak ik nog even een klein kortsluitinkje met de schemerlamp die dienst weigert en dus zitten we een minuut of tien zonder stroom (gelukkig alleen onze kamer). Ik bel even naar de receptie en al snel staat er een man aan onze deur met een aantal zekeringen die het probleem netjes oplost.

Het is 00:30 als ik mijn ogen dicht doe.

Dear Travellers Well come to jaisalmer Before come to jaisalmer to know about K.P.S. K.P.S.:- It means “ Karo Public Seva “ in English “Let’s Serve Public” We are a non-government organization doing work in Jaisalmer. This is our registration I.D. “S.R 30/ Jaisal/2008-2009” We are serving Jaisalmer public from last more than 5 year’s. Looking at the efforts of our society Government registered us this year only. Our Motto:- 1> Blood Banks. 2> Development of status of education in rural area. 3> Preservation of heritage monument in Jaisalmer. 4> Good activities which encourages tourism in Jaisalmer. 5> Help to tourist in medical and information fields. 6> Keep cleanity of Jaisalmer and especially of Jaisalmer Fort. 7> We encourage public of Jaisalmer to make Jaisalmer a plastic free zone. 8> Encouragement to regional fairs and festivals of Jaisalmer so as to keep on the culture and it indirectly encourages the interest of tourist to come to Jaisalmer. 9> One of the main motto of our society is that the tourist who arrives in Jaisalmer should not be hassled or treated in bad manner. 10> Encouraging the peoples of Jaisalmer who ever restores their houses should make it in the old fashion and continue their efforts. Why we have Forum here. Because it very help full for Travellers Jaisalmers economy is centrally based on tourism only. Our society wants that the tourism in Jaisalmer should be fair enough so that we can continue it for next more than 100 years. All the members of our society are local peoples from Jaisalmer. Some of our members are working in media, some in medical fields and some of them also work with tourism. The members of our society who works with tourism told us that the live status of tourist in Jaisalmer is very bad.. The current situation of the tourist is when he arrives in Jaisalmer by train or bus the commission agents of some hotels starts hassling them to come to their Hotel in the running train or buses. Later when the tourist arrives to railway and bus stations the touts of the same hotels starts hassling them in the train or bus stands so as to come to their hotels. They all do this to in a very bad and tiring manner. It gives tourist a very bad first impression of our town. At last when the tourist gives up and follow these touts to go their Hotels as soon as the tourist arrives in the Hotel before entering in the room he gets started tortured by the hotel man to do camel treks with them. If the tourist agrees to go safaris he has to pay a lot then the normal price or in case if he dis agrees then his baggage’s and other stuffs are out of the Hotel in any time of day or night. And these Hoteliers make false propaganda about the heritage sights of Jaisalmer and especially of Jaisalmer Fort. JAISALMER Fort:- Jaisalmer Fort was established (made) in 1156 A.D. Since then the local public of Jaisalmer is continuously living in it. The till today population of the Fort is 2500 peoples (approx). And it is the only Fort in which peoples are living for so long. And that is the only reason that way tourists arrives to Jaisalmer. And so as to feel in a homely atmosphere the tourist still stays in side the Jaisalmer fort . In Jaisalmer fort there are about 380 houses only 28 are converted as small family run Hotels or Guest Houses. Except 3 or 4 hotels none of the Hotels have more then 5 rooms. The total rooms in Jaisalmer Fort are 200 and the maximum numbers of the peoples who can reside in it is 400 peoples. And the Hotel in Jaisalmer gets fully occupied for Just 30 days in a year and other all the days the normal occupancy rate of the Hotels is 50 to 60 % which means only 200 to 225 Tourists. If there is any problem by the sewage line then for your kind information that the Jain temples which are amongst the most reliable Jain pilgrim of Jain society of Rajasthan are situated in Jaisalmer Fort and as this is very Holy temples here more than 250 Jain peoples arrives and takes shower 2 times a day so as to worship there God. It means that about 500 shower a day which are a way too much then the consumption of water done by the tourist staying in the Fort . As well as the water supply in all the city of Jaisalmer has been supplied by the Fort because the biggest water supply tank of Jaisalmer is situated in side the Fort. Jaisalmer Fort Peoples And Their culture All the peoples who lives in Jaisalmer Fort are owned by them selves. Till the time when there was no tourism in Jaisalmer all the Heritage sights of Jaisalmer mostly in the Fort were in a condition to fall because no one helps us financially but as the tourism started in Jaisalmer the local peoples get there regular and good source of income and as they earned from there ancestral properties the also restored and maintained them in the old styles. And the business started well and all the houses, temples, Havelis and other points were well settled we also thanks you a lot if you stay in side fort . Tourist still now stays in the Fort either they come by TRIPADVISOR, travel agents or by looking good comments on many internet WebPages or by the recommendation of the tourists who had stayed in the Fort. But our society want to clear with you that this controversies issue of Jaisalmer Fort. There is no problem of Jaisalmer fort with tourists staying in it... It is just a false propaganda done by some outside fort hoteliers. And we heartily request to Travelers should clear with our local public. And we hope from you that you will help us out in this matter and if you like to have any of our Ngo help in jaisalmer During jaisalmer visit we most welcomes you. As our Ngo name derive that lets serve public so we are helping out the public of Jaisalmer Fort. And there is no personnel interest in it. We are eagerly waiting for you reply also hope your interest in this matter. Warm regards from 120 members of K.P.S. jaisalmer

After three months in Windy we're off. We've travelled right the way around the country on trains, buses, taxis, tuk tuks, boats and foot ,in fact about the only form of transport left is paragliding but there's still time!!! Night buses are an odd thing, greatif you're in a couple as you share a double bed type thing the whole journey but weird for single travellers having to get that up close and personal with a stranger, but hey it may catch on, cuts out speed dating and starts you off at second or third base, god i feel a money making scheme for London, bus dating, completely random match ups with strangers around the country's main attractions, gives a whole new meaning to hop on hop off travel !!!!big ben at night!!!!! I suppose it could even be advertised under mystery tours!!!!

Anyway where was i ? Oh yeah, leaving India, we've met some great people ( and some absolute weirdos ), watched someone die, seen 75 phants in the same day, made some wonderful memories, recorded hours of award winning videos ( oh how lucky you are Chris, bet you can't wait for the world premiere!!! Sparacus come back all is forgiven.....,we've drunk some of the cheapest booze known to man and only suffered two hangovers (christ most people in Wittering manage that in one day), and we've seen some of the most amazing things in the world!!!! 

My favoutite things?????? Egg rolls and the Himalayas in Darjeeling, Anjuna Market amazingly, the boat trip from Allepey to Kollam, Dolphin spotting in Palolem, the three seas meeting in Kanyakamari....oh and a little place in Agra called the Taj, you may have heard of it!!!!

What a shame the last few days have been marred by the senseless actions of some fucked up extremists but it's not going to stop us, weve donned the camo fatigues, blacked our faces, given B A Baracus and the rest of the A team a ring and they're going to cover us as we go in  ...next stop Singapore then KL baby.....

INDIA - DONE !!!!!!!

A wonderfull place to stay and explore KASHMIR the paradise on earth.BLOOMING DALE is definetly a HOME away from home.

Well it's a bit more lively here, with bars and restaurants lining the beach but there's still not really that many people around. We found a great place to stay ( as mentioned prev ) it's a little bit of luxury for us, overlooking the beach , big balcony, hot ultra power shower, nice bed and still only 500 rurees - molto bagainous!!!

We've spent the week here, doing the real tourist thing, lying on the beach all ay, nice boozy dinners ( actually more booze than dinner but what the hell, you only get one liver, why not abuse it!!! ) There's another nice beach just around the headland and we've been there a couple of times - there's a lake there with rejuvinating mud in it thats supposed to make your skin younger - Ria wanted to try it but as she's already nine years younger than me we decided it wasn't a good plan as I don't fancy a Windybum prison!!!!

We've even made some friends - Tracey and Mike our neighbours, Gill and Donna a couple of Kiwi girls whose hospitality we're going to abuse when we get there in March, and we met up with Paul again who we met in Varkala and Mamalapuram. We've really enjoyed it here and we even managed to go back to Anjuna for more bargain hunting, although we only managed 6 hours this time!!!! Oh and we received our second hangover in Windy....damn dirty glasses!!!!

It's definately time to leave India now though, I just don't think we could take anymore of the 'Look in my shop', 'Looking free', ' Yes sir...just look' , 'Waaaant blannnkit' , ' one minute just one minute', from the shopkeeps, the wannabees and plastics doing their exagerrated stretching exercises before a one minute swim, the drop outs doing their juggling on the beach and pretty much everyone hocking up their guts all over the place, oh bugger I think I've turned into Richard Wilson moaning about everything - I don't beeeeeelieve it!!!!!!!!

02-12-2008

Henni:  

We spent two nights in this furthest big city in the far west of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer. Practically we are in the middle of desert. The most visible thing here is the fort, which seems to be a big sand castle when you have the first look on it from the bus. This city is only 100 kilometres from the Pakistan border and that’s why Indian army has lots of troops in this area.

In this place I think you can find the most aggressive sellers. Everybody tries to sell you something or asks you for money. I believe the Muslim population has an effect on this.

Nicola:

We are in the Thar Desert. But desert doesn’t mean always dunes, here there’s a flat, stony land where, atop an isolated sand and rock hill was founded the old Jaisalmer fort, where inside lived all the population of the small town. Water was the most important treasure, it was recycled four-five times before be used for irrigation, until nowadays, when the long Indira Ghandi channel started to bring fresh Himalaya water from hundreds of kilometres. Now the city has expanded around the fort, there is a constant army presence and the mass of tourists pollutes the few sand dunes forty km outside the city.

Jaisalmer is a nice place where to stay, no industries, no other towns around for several kilometres, maybe it’s quiet compared to other cities here, but as tourism is the only economic input, everyone is sooooooo pushy! Normally hotel guys try to catch us when we get off from the bus, but here they came up ten minutes before the stop to promote their places. And also the desert wasn’t desert at all: every step we were asked to have a camel ride, we couldn’t lay on the dunes without millions of children trying to sell soft drinks, dancing and singing.

No hope for this country.

29-11-2008

Nicola:

This time we decided to stop taking night trains and instead have a day bus. Like this you lose daytime, but you’re not so tired when you arrive. On Indian private buses you can choose between normal seats and sleeper seats. We wondered what’s the difference, maybe sleepers are inclinable and normal seat not, but entering in such a bus is like appreciating a piece of art: wide and comfortable normal seats are down, and up on the normal seats there’s a ceiling of aquarium-beds, closed behind a glass! Though the normal seats are very comfortable, Indians do love going up there, from where they can vomit very well. Vomiting (outside, perhaps) is normal business on buses, and we were lucky to have an iron stair that disallowed the access to our window: a German woman didn’t have it, and she got on herself a part of disgusting, regurgitated food by three Indians.

If Jaipur is the pink city, Jodhpur is the blue city. Not the important buildings, but the normal houses were often blue-painted and the effect was so nice! The entire old city is surmounted by the fort, which stands on a rock and is very fascinating. We had a beautiful tour inside, and then found the amazing small streets through these blue houses. We had also the best milk cream glass in the city, a must in Jodhpur!

Nicola:

27-11-2008

The sad story:

Today I woke up early to have a yoga lesson and I was waiting with the Yogi for other people to come. He was reading the newspaper that was in Hindi, so I could understand only the numbers and see the pictures. Every day in Indian newspapers there are some pictures about blasts and bombings, three weeks earlier our arrive in Delhi there was one in the capital city, and two weeks after one in the remote Assam. I didn’t realise that there was a new one, so I didn’t match the dates with the unrecognizable locations in Hindi.

Then calmly the yogi told me:  this night there was a new bombing, this time in Mumbai. “They  (no one knows who they are…) want only to kill. They choose crowded places in big cities, where police can’t control too much (police doesn’t control so much anywhere…), and they kill as much people as possible. They don’t ask anything. They only want to kill”.

And this is true. This time terrorists had chosen also two major hotels full of Westerners, but before they completed the massacre in the suburbs, but the astonishing matter is that they don’t ask for anything. At the second day with hostages terrorists still didn’t have any requests.

At home my relatives are a little bit worried, but in Udaipur, were I am at the moment, only television tell this story. Unless there is a private war in Mumbai, in Udaipur rickshaw drivers still have to gain some money, restaurants have to satisfy their few customers, beggars have to ask for something to eat. Everyone is occupied 7 day a week with their unemployment, their battle for life, and it doesn’t matter if 500 km away their nation has a big problem. This is India, the biggest democracy in the world, without a link between its people.

I became angry reading online that the stupid Italian Foreign Affairs’ Minister said that it’s Al-Qaeda. This man doesn’t know his work and wants only create new alarmism through Italy. The real problem is that Muslims are in trouble with Hindi, Sikhs are in trouble with Hindi and Muslims, Hindi are in trouble with Christians and Chinese are in trouble with Tibetans. This generates Terrorism with no aim if not creating new kind of terror.

The good story:

Switching off the TV lets this sad reality disappear, and a good story could also be told. Udaipur is the most beautiful city in Rajasthan, perhaps in the whole India. The lake Pichola lies between wonderful palaces and mountains circulate the city. The Lake palace stands in the middle of the water and the City palace looks at it gloriously and shiningly. We experienced also a compassionate way to ask for some money: this is the first time we are “invited” in some Indian house, we had an interesting chat with these Indians, they taught us their uses with meal, clothing and so on, but finally we were requested to buy one necklace bijoux for only 5 euros, the good work of a pride woman buried in a masculine society, and we left the house disoriented, without knowing where the hospitality had finished and the cheating had started.

Henni:

I want to add my comment to the previous. So, this guy who invited us to his house was our guide at the City Palace – a good guide indeed. His real request was that as we both speak English and French would we come that evening to his house for the dinner because he wanted to rehearse those languages just by chatting with us. With this he seemed quite genuine so we decided that why not. Then in the evening we went there and met his family. Actually we offered him the chance to make business because Nico told him that we had just bought a sari for me that I didn’t know how to put on. The guy told us that no problem his wife would help me. First the situation was enjoyable; we had a cup of tea with them and talked about India, religions, etc. We learned quite many new things and the wife showed me how to put the sari on. This was all very interesting -especially to see an Indian home and to hear the wife telling me about women’s way of dressing up and wearing those Indian clothes. But after the sari was on me obviously I needed some jewellery etc. So, of course the wife had a business of making necklaces etc and selling them to her friends. In this point the husband understood the business making opportunity and started putting some pressure on us. The nice atmosphere was ruined naturally and we just wanted to eat and go back to hotel. Then we ate quite fast and told them we need to get back and they brought us back.

A weird evening I must say because in the end we don’t know whether the jewellery would have come up without our sari part –probably yes but who knows. In the end I wasn’t that disappointed because I learned many new things about Indians and the way to put on the sari. It was nice to see that the poor wife didn’t have the nasty business lust the husband had. She was sincere and a bit ashamed of her husband’s behaviour. From Indian point of view it’s sad to see this ugly spirit of capitalism that is conquering the country. All white people are practically walking wallets.