A Day with Joy, Trains

March 24, 2014:

Yesterday was our last with a driver as we had to catch a train for Mumbai at 5:45pm. Joy (the artist is always right) decided we should go to a craft village a short way out of Udaipur. Unfortunately it wasn't open for an hour or so, so she decided we would just drive until we found a village. It wasn't long before we were walking the streets/lanes of a village called Badi, where few tourists go. She eventually sits down to sketch and I leave her to walk around and talk to people. I always come back just to make that things are ok and it is easy to find her, as these pictures show.

Find a crowd and there's Joy!

She is very popular with the kids and does many sketches of them, giving them to them after.

But she is popular with all ages as this man's happy smile at a photo of him, shows!

We are on the train as I write this and I have discovered something new about Indian train travel. This trip was organized for us by a tour place in Delhi (never again) and it is 1st class, but not air conditioned. The lack of AC doesn't bother us that much as we are getting used to 30+ temperatures. But we were assigned a compartment designed for four people and there was no one assigned the other two seats.

We settled in with our many bags, but left the door open to see what was going on across the hall. Shortly,  a young guy came in and put down the upper bunk ( I had just put it up) and followed by his woman an a baby settled in. Soon another young guy joined him on the upper bunk and they talked loudly together. Then another man, who had a physical disability also joined us, so that we had 6 people and a baby in a compartment for 4. Also none of these had paid for first class, some claiming to be staff. The conductor came and checked my passport to ensure that I was in the right place, but the other four were ignored. Fortunately, they all left at fairly early stops and the door has been locked ever since. It appears that anyone can get on the train and grab a seat in first class without paying, or without paying the normal people?

Jim

Rocks, Roads and Laneways

March 22, 2014:

This is my older brother's birthday! Anyone who survived having a younger brother like me deserves an "attaboy"!

Yesterday we drove from Ranakpur through beautiful hills and twisty roads to Udaipur, the most romantic city in India according to some sources. We passed a number of monkey tribes sitting peacefully by the road watching the humans speed by. We also ran into (once almost literally) a quaint habit by some inhabitants of this area, to put a line of rocks across the road so they can extract a toll by threat. We were able to evade the first two by following a truck in one instance. Unfortunately, the last one was just over the brow of a hill and a youngster was just putting the second last rock in place. Only good reflexes on the part of Khan, our driver, saved us and the young fellow from serious injury. As usual in India the police seem useless, as this practice is carried on in plan view and with everyone's knowledge.

Yesterday, we toured the local fort (palace) and saw the usual expressions of excess, extravagance and ego on the part of the rulers of India before and after the British.

You can tell that I am pretty well finished with the string of palaces and temples covering this part of India. The quality of workmanship in these edifices is a wonder, but it can be overdone.

Today, we ditched our driver and did things Joy's way. Actually, we both enjoy heading off on foot to where the tourists don't go to see and meet the local people going about their lives. In Udaipur this involves wandering some narrow but interesting lanes.

As you can see, not all are passable.

 We met some real people, all friendly and some eager to talk. I was a little worried by the government worker with their agriculture department who asked what I ate when he found out how old I was. He was quite disappointed to find out that Joy was the vegetarian, not me. I don't know if he asked because my ruggedly handsome good looks or if he thought that I was on my way out?

This evening we went to a one hour dancing and puppet show at the government museum which was truly wonderful and a "must see" if you are ever in Udaipur. Tomorrow we are off to explore the countryside to find villages for Joy and in the afternoon we get on the train for Mumbai.

Jim

Rocks, Roads and Laneways

March 22, 2014:

This is my older brother's birthday! Anyone who survived having a younger brother like me deserves an "attaboy"!

Yesterday we drove from Ranakpur through beautiful hills and twisty roads to Udaipur, the most romantic city in India according to some sources. We passed a number of monkey tribes sitting peacefully by the road watching the humans speed by. We also ran into (once almost literally) a quaint habit by some inhabitants of this area, to put a line of rocks across the road so they can extract a toll by threat. We were able to evade the first two by following a truck in one instance. Unfortunately, the last one was just over the brow of a hill and a youngster was just putting the second last rock in place. Only good reflexes on the part of Khan, our driver, saved us and the young fellow from serious injury. As usual in India the police seem useless, as this practice is carried on in plan view and with everyone's knowledge.

Yesterday, we toured the local fort (palace) and saw the usual expressions of excess, extravagance and ego on the part of the rulers of India before and after the British.

You can tell that I am pretty well finished with the string of palaces and temples covering this part of India. The quality of workmanship in these edifices is a wonder, but it can be overdone.

Today, we ditched our driver and did things Joy's way. Actually, we both enjoy heading off on foot to where the tourists don't go to see and meet the local people going about their lives. In Udaipur this involves wandering some narrow but interesting lanes.

As you can see, not all are passable.

 We met some real people, all friendly and some eager to talk. I was a little worried by the government worker with their agriculture department who asked what I ate when he found out how old I was. He was quite disappointed to find out that Joy was the vegetarian, not me. I don't know if he asked because my ruggedly handsome good looks or if he thought that I was on my way out?

This evening we went to a one hour dancing and puppet show at the government museum which was truly wonderful and a "must see" if you are ever in Udaipur. Tomorrow we are off to explore the countryside to find villages for Joy and in the afternoon we get on the train for Mumbai.

Jim

Monkeys and Temples

March 20, 2014:

A small group of monkies ran through the gum trees out in front of our room here in Ranakpur and it is always difficult for me not to include a picture, especially when a baby is involved.

Mom seemed so patient with this little wretch, but eventually moved on.

We went to the Jain temple today as it is the main reason for one to come to Ranakpur. Once again the craftsmanship in the stone carving is amazing. India is certainly filled with these beautiful edifices to one god or another. Somewhat like the forts(palaces) they indicate spectacular wealth used to benefit a few. The Jain's stance against violence in action and word is very admirable, but I am not certain about celibacy.

Here is one of the ceilings:

We have had a relaxing time here as there is not much other than the temple. Most people go to the temple as a day trip from Udaiphur, but the hotel is nice and we needed some unwinding.

Jim

Of Forts, Elephants and Motorcycle Temples

March 19, 2014

Yesterday, after the coloured dust from "Holi" died down, we went up to see the latest in the string of monuments to excessive spending, the fort overlooking Jodhpur. Although much steeper/taller than many of the others, and overlooking a city where many roofs are painted blue, Mehrangarth is similar to many other "forts". Displays feature textiles, modes of transport, walls, ceilings, etc. all featuring the expenditure of tremendous amounts of $ to satisfy one family's ego.

Fortunately, each fort has something a little different. In this case it was the palm prints of the Maharajah's wives which were placed on the palace wall before they threw themselves on their husband's funeral pyre.

But enough of the rich. This morning I went out to find Joy before we left for Ranakpur. She had headed out for some sketching time and I always find her surrounded by a crowd. I didn't find her but I did find an elephant, who must come from Rajastan, because he loved getting 10 rupee notes and handing them with his trunk to his driver. I was too busy giving $ to get a picture.

On our way to Ranakpur, Khan, our driver, told us of this young boy who was the only child in a wealthy family. The boy asked his parents for a motorcycle and they immediately got him one. That day he was killed on the highway. The motorcycle was taken to the police station but the next morning was found back at the scene of the accident. It was then taken to the parents' home, but again, appeared the following morning back at the accident scene. The people, thinking that it was magically built a shrine and people go there to pray and make offerings to the motorcycle.

Much better, I must say, than our visit to the Rat Temple!

Jim

Spice Girls of India

March 19, 2014:

The high point in any trip is meeting real people, as we did when we met Gurdip and Tani Singh, about three weeks ago. This time we were fortunate to meet two of the "Spice Girls"! Joy had noticed in the LP guide that MV Spices was the place to get spices in Jodhpur, but then decided that she didn't want spices. So it was good fortune that we were cruising the market and came upon the shop.

We met this lovely young woman, "Neelam", who was extremely pleasant and Joy bought quite a few spices there. It turned out that Neelam was one of seven daughters of a man, who had become famous as the man who had developed a business selling spices up by the entrance to the fort. When he died suddenly and had no son to take over, his wife decided that she and the seven daughters would run the business. The overcame resistence from their own extended family and from others (men) at the market (including one failed acid attack) to become a great success story.

Neelam and Joy.

Neelam.

Now, in addition to articles written about them, there is a Australian documentary entitled "The Spice Girls of India" which has just been produced and is starting to make the rounds of film festivals around the World. Hopefully we can get it to Halifax because it is a great story of a family of strong women!

Jim

Of Dead Camels, Stone Cutting, the Military

March 17, 2014:

As we sit in our hotel trying to avoid the mobs of people outside playing loud; make that extra loud, music and throwing coloured dye on any inch of a person that hasn't been covered yet, I think back to yesterday's drive from Jaisalmer ( I think that I have misspelled Jaisalmer in previous blogs) to Jodhpur.

After all the dodging of cattle, sheep, camels and sheep on our drives through Rajastan, we finally saw dead camels in two places on the drive. There was no sign of the vehicles as they must have run off, but they also must have had considerable damage.

We also passed through an area where there were many stone cutting operations. Stone is used here in the desert for many things that for which we would use wood like fence posts and house building.

The process uses a gantry or lift to raise heavy pieces of rock quarried from the neighbouring mountains, and take them to a huge circular saw which squares them and them cuts of slabs for fence post. Some use these slabs for homes.

We also noticed the heavy military activity in Jaisalmer and on the road to Jodhpur. There were fighter jets over the fort and town of Jaisalmer many times every day, coming and going from the nearby airport. On the drive to Jodhpur, we had to weave our way through a continuous stream of army trucks carrying supplies. Even here in Jodhpur we hear the jets.

But we are here in Jodhpur and after our self-imposed exile in the hotel today, we will see the inside of the fort that towers above the town. 

Jim

The Golden City

March 16, 2014:

It seems that many cities in India are coloured. Agra is the pink city; Jodphur, where we are headed today is the blue city; and Jaiselmer is the yellow or golden city. In Agra we found the pink more orange, but Jaiselmer is made from a yellow sand stone and lives up to its colour. The stone looks the same colour as the surrounding desert from a distance and the fort looks brown. But up close and after wear the stone certainly takes on a golden hue.

This is the step of one of the Jain temples (there are 7) inside the fort. You can see how the sandstone is worn smooth and to a soft golden colour. A lot of the narrow streets in the fort are worn to this texture.

Jim

Maharajas, Postage Stamps, and Camels

March 15, 2014:

Yesterday we trekked up the hill to visit the "sand fort" of Jaiselmer. This fort is different from the ones we have visited so far as it is built on a sandstone hill the overlooks the town as the others that we have seen tend to be buried in the urban sprawl of centuries. It is also one of two forts in India in which people continue to live. There are 5,000 inhabitants living in the narrow alleys of the "sand fort".

I think that I have already explained that I collected Indian stamps back in the 1970s, even doing a display of early stamps issued by Indian states, and was keenly interested in see samples of these stamps in India. I had already been disappointed in visits to museums in post offices in Delhi and Jaipur as their displays started in 1947 and had nothing prior to that date. But, here there was to be a display of the very stamps in which I was interested! Unfortunately, it was closed! 

So, we saw the usual displays of spectacular examples of excessive spending by the old princes of India.

I did get a nice picture of my favourite artist!

In the afternoon we drove out in the desert about 50km South of Jaiselmer to a small village for a camel safari. Despite our trepidation, this ended up an enjoyable experience. The safari in our case was really a three hour walk up into the dunes, with an hour sitting and watching the sun set into the perpetual haze that clings to the Indian horizon. It will take a few days for these old legs to recover. The tricky part to camel riding (now that I am an expert?) is the dismount. The camel has to get from standing to lying down, and does this by folding its front legs first. This gives a sudden extreme forward tilt to the riding surface which requires the rider to lean further back than seems possible. Fortunately, the rear of the animal collapses quickly before you are pitched over the animal's head.

My favourite camel!

The social activities and dinner of Rajastani desert food made the entire experience fun. Now I can scratch camel ride off the old bucket list.

Jim

Of Ceilings and Fences

March 13, 2014

Yesterday we were in Bikaner and went, as everyone must to Junagarh, the "fort" of the Maharajas of Bikaneer. It was the standard fare in these places of textiles, outfits, armour, weapons, etc. the decoration is the best that an 18th and 19th despot can manage. Excessive in every detail. I thought that I would show some pictures of ceilings in this place, that are truly beautiful while being excessive at the same time.

And another:

And yet another, this one wooden:

One the other extreme, out in farming country, people make use of whatever is handy to create fencing. With all the cattle, goats and camels wandering the highways, one has to ask why they bother.

Some fences are just make from bushes with thorns, the same way they did in Nova Scotia with hawthorns. But the one I am particularly fond of is the barbed wire and stone post fence. Wood in desert country is scarce, so stone is quarried and cut into lengths for post. Then either they are placed next each other and cemented between to form a solid fence, or barbed wire is strung between much like our fences. Here is an example:

Lastly in honour of International Women's Day, which I think just passed, her is a woman's view in the palace:

Women were required to stay behind screens so that they could not be seen!

Jim

The Rat Temple

March 12, 2014

I know that everyone (Mr. Giles) is dying to here about our visit to the "rat temple", which is properly called "Karni Mata" temple in Deshnok, near Bikaner. The story goes that Karni Mata asked the god of death to bring back to life her son, who had drowned. When the request was rejected, she decided that all members of her family would come back as rats and return as members of her family. 

So now people actually come to this temple which is over-run by the rodents (some 22,000 according to one source; the guy at the booth where you leave your shoes). Yes you do have to leave your shoes and go into the temple in bare feet, in my case, socks for Joy. The aim is to find a white rat which gives some form of good fortune or have a rat run over your foot, which is also good. We did not see a white rat, and I only came close to having the second happen. We only saw a few hundred rats, but that was plenty to get Joy to leave quickly and for me to try to remember what diseases rats carried. As I traipsed over the tiles covered by years of rat droppings, I kept trying to remember whether it was "Black Death" or Bubonic plague that rats spread. I must confess that I did not stay long and I have decided that unless anyone is interested in rat pictures, I am not going to post them here.

Jim

On the Road to Bikaner

March 11, 2014

Today I thought that I would cover signs, beer, and police. But before that I have another Indian driving rule which should be about number 11. This deals with the proper procedure to be used in the event that you arrive at a level crossing when the barriers are down. This refers to a 2 lane highway, and the rule states that you must fill all three lanes on your side before the train passes and the barrier goes up. Otherwise you miss all the fun of three lanes of traffic facing each other and then trying to squeeze through an opening for two. Exciting stuff and we had this fun twice today!

Joy and I have developed a taste for beer (specifically Kingfisher an Indian beer) and usually like to get one with lunch to replenish fluid levels in the Indian heat. But either the liquor laws are unusual or the licence is too expensive, but we have received beer (called juice or tea in some places) in tea pots, newspaper, napkins and even cans wrapped in tinfoil. 

Anyone who has been to India knows that there is no opportunity lost to advertise in paint on any surface along the highways. Almost any subject can be caught on the sides of buildings. As you can see there is even a fight to ensure that your brand of cement is front and centre.

Some are not familiar names to Canadians,

but some are.

They are everywhere, some in English, and some not. It is sometimes hard to find directional signs.

There are plenty of police in India, although given the driving issues they have, it is sometimes difficult to see their role. One thing I do appreciate is the clear marking of police instructions, offices and vehicles using the international symbol of the square divided into blue and red triangles.

There is never any doubt that the sign involves police instructions or the location of their office.

Jim

Pushcar Day II

March 10, 2014:

Today Joy got her wish to go painting for the day and off she went with the car and Khan to find the perfect village. This left me with a day to wander about as I saw fit. First I had to visit an ATM to restock my supply of ruppees, always a bit of an adventure. The first machine worked on one of the cards to the tune of R10000, but would not complete the second transaction. This required a visit to a second machine which turned out to have a R5000 limit. Of course, you are never told this before. Banks are getting a fantastic return from these machines, I know ours are!

Chores done, I found a little cafe, ordered chai and settled in to watch the people:

It was a relaxing and enjoyable day of exploring for me, without the pressure of always being pulled by the driver to go here or there. The market was filled with Hindus heading for the Brahma temple or the water of the lake which is surrounded with "Ghats" (bathing areas) for that purpose. The only problem in the market (which surprisingly does not have a lot of people asking for money) is the high speed motorcycle/scooter racers weaving through pedestrians and cows. The road is narrow enough that only the very stupid try to take cars in, so it should be a pleasant experience, but ducking motorcycles makes it anything but.

Some advice for people who want to visit Rajastan. Don't take a tour!  If you want to use a tour company follow these rules:

1. Let them arrange hotels to your standard. Yes they make a commission, but on the whole we have been quite satisfied.

2. Let them arrange any train travel, once again, to your standard. They seem to have no difficulty negotiating India Rail and if you are only coming for a few weeks, it makes that part painless.

3. If you are going to use a car and driver, only engage them to take you from A to B and no tourist activities. Also no stops on the highway unless you ask for it. They all have places they want you to stop to get their commission. Do your own thing at each stop. It has taken us over a week for Joy to get a day to paint.

4. Make certain that all repeat ALL charges, tips and donations are specified beforehand! The people of Rajastan believe that tips and donations are entitlements and will happily define them  at an excessive level! Even priests will let you know how much your donation should be. We now have a policy that when we are told what a tip or donation should be, it will be much, much smaller.

Jim

Pushcar

March 9, 2014

On the road early (9am) and on the 4 lane highway to Ajmer on our way to one of the holiest places in India for Hindus; Pushcar. Paid particular attention to trucks on this trip. There are trucks on the road here that must be 4 feet higher than we allow in Canada. They look dangerously top-heavy, but the only overpasses they have to get under are the very tall ones at toll booths.

Interesting as well are the huge loads of animal feed. It appears quite light, but the loads, both on trucks and tractor trailers are extremely large and appear ready to fall off.

We liked the various messages on the backs of trucks asking you to "blow horn"(as if anyone in India needs encouragement), "use dipper at night", "stop"(rather than having working lights), "keep distance", "wait for lane", and our favourite "good luck"!

We eventually arrived in Pushcar where Brahma, the creator, made the World out of a lotus flower that grew out of his stomach. Here there is the only temple in his honour in the entire World. In addition, there are many, many other temples here honouring other of the Hindu deities. Hindus come to Pushcart, visit the temple and pray and bathe in the lake.

We were guided to the temple and then down to the lake where we took part in a ceremony with a young man who said that he was a priest. The ceremony was very nice until the "hit" was put on for a donation. That would have been fine, but he tried to specify what would be an acceptable amount from each of us. Being tired of the many people of Rajastan pulling this kind of scam, we explained how the approach was wrong and we would not be donating what they were asking for. Fortunately both the priest and our guide had a decent grasp of English, so they understood our concerns.

Jim

Jaipur Day II

March 8, 2014,

Off to the "City Palace" in the old (pinkish-orange) town. It is another monument to the opulence of the Mughal kings (maharajahs). Excessive spending exists everywhere you look. The extreme were the 2 giant (900 gallon) silver jugs one of the Singhs had made to carry water from the Ganges to England as he attended the coronation of Edward VII in 1902. I guess that all royalty have a tremendous sense of entitlement, but I have to speculate on the condition of the average citizen of Jaipur at the time. Our next stop was the Jantar Mantar an early observatory, once again an extravagance of one of the Maharajas. It was interesting because of the involvement of both astronomy and astrology. Almost appeared to be an attempt to justify myth with science.

In between these two visits, we managed to ditch Khan (not easy to do) and wandered outside the walled city to the busy bazaar area outside. We were able to find a little restaurant to get a "Kingfisher" (Indian beer) and some snack food. The contrast in people, traffic and noise between the inside of the walls (the old town) and outside is extremely dramatic and worth the experience. Raised in Toronto, traffic does not frighten me too much, but Joy, from small town Ontario, is terrified to cross the street. I grabbed a nice young police officer to help her. Police, particularly traffic ones, don't seem to do much here and the traffic is chaotic, as I have already indicated in my Indian driving rules.

After, the Jantar Mantar, we went to the "Albert Museum" hoping to see some relics of the time of British rule. What once was a grand place seems a little tired and run-down now, but there were excellent displays of ceramics and textiles. But the big score for me was the display of 5 Jaipur State stamps from the period before the use of British design Indian stamps. I had told Joy of the existence of hand-stamped water coloured stamps and had even showed her some before we left, but these were the first we had seen in India, despite going to 2 postal museums. In addition, I believe that I have samples of at least two of them in my collection.

After, we returned back to the hotel and retired to the roof-top restaurant at the hotel for some truly wonderful Indian food and a Kingfisher?

Jim

Jaipur

March 7, 2014

After a good night sleep, we headed out to the philatelic museum, behind the main post office here in Jaipur. I had hoped that this one might feature some stamps older than 1947, but it did not. They did have a book on Indian postage stamps that I thought would be interesting and I was told to go to the front of the post office to get it. There I was told to ask at wicket #8, where a somewhat surly lady told me to go to the philatelic museum. I went back but there was a look of bureaucratic confusion on the young man's face, so I left.

Then off we went through old Jaipur, the so-called pink city (actually an orange pink) to the Amber Fort. It is an amazing wall town, the original Jaipur, over-looked by the huge palace complex. We toured using the audio guide and avoiding the guides. Like the Taj Mahal it lives up to it's billing and is not to be missed. In the process of driving to the Amber Fort and passing the Lake Palace, Joy spotted  "Center for Art and Heritage", so after a quick lunch, we arrived there and found that it was also called "Shree Sanjay Sharma Museum and Research Institute" after we paid the 250 R each to get in, we were introduced to one man's collection of art and documents dating back hundreds of years. Joy was so excited! She was like a kid! The Father who had spent 60 years gathering the collection was there, as was his son and three grandsons. We got a personalized and detailed tour. We would put this on anyone's must see list if they are at all interested in art, textiles, writing and  Indian culture.

I should note as I end this, that while in the Amber Fort we ran into an art class doing drawings of the fort. The instructor noted my Danica Laking original necklace and asked if he could photograph it. He was quite pleased to have seen it.

Namaste

Jim

The Monkey Temple

March 6, 2014

We were almost to Jaipur when Khan decided that we had to make one of his stops. This usually is someplace that costs us and possibly provides some compensation for him. The "monkey temple" is a wonderful place comprised of a series of old temples rising ever higher into the hills and covered with monkies. It is well worth the visit. 

The down side is that while there was not charge to enter, we had to pay 50 ruppees each for cameras. It would have been 150 ruppees if I had taken my video camera. They don't seem to have realized that most cameras (even cel phones) can take video these days. It seems to be one of those senseless rules designed to get extra $ from tourists. Back to the monkey temple, it was truly marvellous, but everyone in it had their hand out looking for a donation or a tip, from the "monkey man" who followed us all the way despite being told that we didn't want his services, whatever they were, to the monks which sat at every temple acting the same as touts everywhere to encourage you to visit their temple and make a donation. It would have been much better had they just charged 2 or 300 ruppees admission, as it was worth that. Instead they say it's free and then harass you psychologically for payment of some vague amount. I find it offensive. It seems that everyone in Rajastan has their hand out. Although they have some great wonders, I would suggest anyone coming to India visit Kerala in the South. Even the folks trying to get you into their stores on the cliff at Varkala seem more honest.

Jim

Ranthambhore National Tiger Reserve

March 6, 2014

After the visit to the stepped well, we arrived at the Ankur Resort. Early the next morning we were off with about 10 other tourists in a roofless bus on a truck chassis to find the wily tigers of the Ranthanbhore national tiger preserve. We did not see a tiger and I am not sure anyone else did that morning although there were a number of dramatic reports of sightings. We went out again in the afternoon but, once again, saw no tigers. It is too bad such an emphasis is placed on tigers as there was many other interesting things to be seen, most of which were inadequately explained. All together a disappointing 6 hours of jolting around on forest tracks. I would advise anyone else doing it to only go once and in the morning. There were, at least, a lot of deer and some antelope to see.

This morning, at our insistence, Khan, our driver, reluctantly took us to the newly opened Rajiv Ghandi Regional Natural History Museum near the park. It is a marvellous new facility (we were the first tourist to go there), opening March 1. Because of this we were guided by the director and there was much picture taking and signing by us of panels. It is truly a worthwhile place to visit and should be required before visiting the park. It should also be required that park guides receive training there before being licenced, as they don't seem to know much other than finding tigers. We spent 2 hours there before going to one of Khan's obligatory shopping stops.

On our way to Jaipur (where we are now), we stopped at a guava orchid and had a chance to see a little of rural life. The main crops here, in addition to guava, are wheat (bearded) and mustard, the later harvested for oil and the straw used for animal feed. Along the road we passed (you have to, it is one of the rules) many tractors (all Massey Ferguson 1035 di) hauling sand and funny little vehicles with huge loads of mustard straw, using single cylinder engines originally intended for water pumps. The sights never fail to amaze! We saw women (they do most of the work while men drive and gather in groups to talk) threshing mustard using a home made machine using 2 massive wooden mallets to beat the seed head. Mustard is frequently still harvest by hand (by women) and carried to the threshing machines on the head in big bundles. There are eye-openers around every corner!

Jim

The "Taj Mahal"

March 4, 2014

Started the morning early by grabbing a 6am breakfast and throwing our bags in the car so that we could be at the Taj at opening time of 7 am. Even at that there were lots of people already on the grounds when we arrived. There is nothing that I can say about the Taj Mahal that would do it justice. It has all been said. But it more than lives up to expectations. The most impressive feature (of many) for me is the massive area of intricate semi-precious stone inlays. 

After the tour we got taken to a workshop where people who repair these inlays work and make other items for sale. Joy found another costume for the open house. Hitting the road we skipped a tomb, feeling that the long drive we had ahead of us mitigated against a stop. The usual drive in India involving, on at least one occasion, the sight of a bus heading for us head-on while passing a truck going our direction. I should say that this was on a divided, 4 lane highway, and he was passing the truck on the inside. I guess you had to be there. I know I was as well as everyone I've ever known as my life flashed, etc.

We ended up taking lots of pictures on the drive of over-loaded rickshaws, dung drying for fires, women taking in the mustard harvest, etc. Our driver, Khan, finally convinced us to see one more sight which required a half hour side trip, to see a "stepped well". Not knowing what that was we could hardly refuse. It was the oldest stepped well in Rajastan and was truly spectacular. Basically, you take a large square of land and dig down a step. Then you take a slightly smaller square inside and dig down a step. You continue down until you hit water. In this case it is 19.5 metres down (deeper than a Portapique tide) and one side of the square is an ornate temple. Worth the trip.

Tomorrow we look for tigers.

Jim

Philatelic Things and the Taj

March 3, 2014

Today we headed for Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. But before we left Delhi, I had insisted on a visit to the National Philatelic Museum. For those that don't know there was a period during my ill-spent youth when I collected stamps. Collecting Canadian stamps was too expensive so I moved to Indian stamps. One of the moments I was proud of was when I displayed a selection of Indian stamps issued by various Indian states at a stamp exhibition in Greenwood, NS. You can imagine my disappointment when I found out that the National Philatelic Museum of India does not display any stamps prior to independence in 1947. The lady at the desk at least recognized the name of Jal Cooper, a prominent Indian Philatelist, with whom I had corresponded in the early 1970s. She indicated that there had even been a stamp issued in his honour, but Joy and I could not find it. This means that I will have to visit the museum in Jaipur.

After the usual wild ride in Indian traffic we arrived in Agra and proceeded directly to a roof-top restaurant looking at the Taj Mahal just before darkness fell. Nothing better than sipping on a Kingfisher and watching the Taj Mahal fade in the night.

Jim

Further on Driving

March 2, 2014

I know that I should leave this subject, but if you spend much time on the roads of India with your life flashing before you, you do start observing.

Returning to the issue of lights, on the 6 lane highway we travelled today, North from Delhi, many of the vehicles did not have their hi-beams on. But many did not have lights on at all. This particularly applied to horse/ox carts which share the highway with cars, trucks, buses, motorized and unmotorized rickshaws, bicycles and pedestrians. Most of the later had no lights, while trucks lacked tail lights, or had them obscured. You can imagine hurtling down the highway only to find yourself closing too rapidly on a big truck/ horse cart/ rickshaw and it happening over and over again.

Also, there was an additional lane observation. On the bigger highways, there is no such thing as picking a lane and staying there. To provide more options and flexibility, drivers drive on the lines between lanes. This allows for the avoidance of the un-lit vehicles noted above and also allows the cars behind to use their horns more. This also makes it easier to add the extra lane(s) referred to in an earlier post. Even on the bigger highways you still find those brave souls who go the opposite direction on the shoulder. A little tough when you see them coming toward you with their hi-beams on!

Good thing that Khan, our driver, is experienced, and we arrived back at the hotel safely.

Jim

A Wonderful Day

March 2, 2014

Today we met a delightful couple and we treated with very gracious hospitality. This was the "friend of a friend" that we were visiting about 2+ hours North of Delhi. 

Gurdip Singh and his lovely wife Tani greeted us with the finest of Indian hospitality. We arrived at their gate as complete strangers with only a mutual friend in common. I think that we left many hours later as friends. We shared beer (unfortunately not Kingfisher) in their garden and talked. We learned of the travails of Gurdip's family, having to leave their home in what is now Pakistan to be re-located during the partition of that section of India. From Tani, we learned of the life and problems of the family of a high ranking British/Indian officer. After a while, there was a wonderful meal and much more conversation. Gurdip gave Joy and I a tour of the farm, and then, for us one of those rare opportunities to see the real country when Gurdip and Tani toured the local village with us. Gurdip had been the head of the village for many years and on council for 50, and so was very proud of the progress made there like paved roads, house numbers, and indoor plumbing. His family had built the school, room by room into the complex it is now. It was evident from the way people greeted him and Tani that they were held in high esteem and loved by the people. In the process of the tour we were privileged to have the opportunity to survey the dowry for an impending wedding. We left grateful for the kindness and generosity of these wonderful people.

Jim

The Tour

March 2, 2014

Contrary to the advice (which we didn't see until later) in the Lonely Planet guide, we were encouraged by a friendly chap outside the McDonalds in Connaught Place to see a tour place nearby. We were unhappy with the hotel we were in but had arranged a city tour through them. The people at this agency were very friendly and, of course, told us that we were paying twice the cost for the city tour. Anyway we were tired of working our way from place to place, and went along with them. Now, the rest of our stay in India is almost all planned out for us, we have a driver and car at our disposal 24/7, and are in a much nicer hotel. The only down side is that we will have to put up with being taken to every shop with which the have an arrangement, but Agra and Rajastan is ours.

On the plus side, Khan is a good driver and here that means so much. Although Delhi driving is somewhat saner than some of the places we have been, it is crowded and separation between vehicles is measured in negatives.

Today we go out into the country North of Delhi to meet a friend of a friend for a visit. It should be interesting as the friendship goes back many years without any recent "in person" contact. I am wearing my best Indian outfit as it is the only good clothes I have.

Jim

Indian Driving Rules and Other Stuff

February 25,2014

I have a few additions to the Indian Driving Rules that I posted a few days ago. 

Number 8: Lights: Always drive with your hi beams on if you you feel the need for lights at all. This way when you are cruising along at high speed you may see the truck stopped or just going slowly in the main lane (lane 1 to 5). Don't worry about whether the other drivers can see. That is their worry.

Number 9: cows: You must avoid the cows wandering the roads at all cost as the are holy or something. If you terrify a few pedestrians while doing so, see the rule on pedestrians. Also you must avoid people lying in the street. I am not sure why this is a rule, but we saw it this morning?

Yesterday we found the funeral pyres. Puri, where we are now is one of the places in India where people are brought for their final trip. Down the shore crowds of Hindus gather to monitor the pyres of their relatives as their mortal remains are burned. We did not have the requisite intestinal fortitude to walk among the numerous fires to watch, but apparently it is allowed.

Puri is also known for sand sculptures, and we watched one being built all day yesterday. Most of work seemed to be done by two young women clad in matching blue sarees. In the end it was a stack of various size books with titles that were unreadable to us. It turned out that they represented the dictionaries of the various officially approved languages of Indian. The news cameras were there at the "unveiling" and Portapiques Joy Laking was interviewed and asked for her impression.

Jim

Compartment "C", Coromandell Express

Feb 22, 2014

This morning we arrived at the Chennai Central station at 7:30am to start the search for information on the train and our reservations. As has happened every time, I was confirmed and Joy was number 1 on the Waitlist before the morning of the train when she is suddenly confirmed and allowed to share a compartment with me. Once again I did not have to leave her behind. We found the train and the usual "HA1" car for "first class air conditioned". Shortly the man with the computer print outs of the passengers and a glue pot comes along, splashes some of the glue on the side of the car and puts up the list of occupants. And there we were together in compartment "C". Each "HA1" car has two, 2 person compartments and one 4 person compartment. They try to assign couples to the 2 person compartments. Each compartment has an upper and lower berth.

So here we sit in air conditioned comfort watching the coast of the Bay of Bengal, with it's many rice paddies, fly by as we speed up the Coromandel Coast to Bhubaneswar and the Puri Beach Resort.

Jim

Pondicherry Stores

Feb 21, 2014

I'm sure that Joy will mention this, but it was so impressive that I have to comment as well. Yesterday, Joy and I got the "rickshaw" driver to drop us off on the other side of the road from the hotel as we were too terrified to walk across (see Indian Driving Rules). We stopped in at 2 stores selling sarees and other items of Indian clothing. We were met at the door and treated royally but the many staff. She seemed to have 3 or 4 men (mostly) showing her fabrics of all colours. Of course, the "piece de resistence" was a beautiful suit for me (almost bought it) with a knee length jacket. I looked almost regal. The whole experience was like something you might see in a film of the days of the English "Raj"!

We next went to a small grocery store and were greeted by the manager at the door and given a grocery basket. I swear that there was a clerk in every aisle smiling and asking if we needed help. They even offered to carry the basket for Joy. I'm sorry, but there are times when it is impossible to find someone to ask about anything in our grocery stores. 

Jim

Indian Driving Rules

Feb 21, 2014

I have been trying for the month to somehow codify the rules which govern the roads in India. It has taken that long to sample both the town/city roads as well as the twisting ones in the Western Ghats (the mountains). Here are the rules as much as I can tell:

1. Drive on the left side of the road................. If convenient. If not use the other side particularly when approaching a blind corner in the mountains.

2. Pass all vehicles going slower than you. This is obligatory! Speed up to do this, if required.

3. On two lane roads, the middle lane is the passing lane, to be used by vehicles going in either direction, and by both if desired. 

4. On two lane roads in town, the two outside lanes (numbers 4 and 5) are for the convenience of drivers who wish to drive in the opposite direction of those driving in the two main lanes (1 and 2). This also helps to confuse pedestrians who may have the temerity to try to cross the road. The Indian driver is obligated to prevent the crossing of roads.

5. Use of horns: this is the most essential piece of equipment in an Indian vehicle, such that many "rickshaws" (3 wheeled motorized taxis) have at least two. The appropriate use of the horn can be a religious experience causing 2 buses passing in the two lane road coming toward you to disappear! At least, they do when Joy closes her eyes. I am convinced that there is a code involved in the proper signalling with the horn, but a lot of times it seems to be just for the shear ecstasy brought on by the sound. Having honked, an Indian driver achieves a state of invulnerability and can drive anywhere.

6. Pedestrians: although we observed no fatalities, I am sure that walking on or near a road is a recognized form of belated birth control and may even be government sanctioned. It is the sworn duty of every Indian driver to ensure that these poor, misguided fools are fearful for their lives every time they venture near pavement. After all, they should be in vehicles and joining in the fun!

7. We had quite a chuckle over the sign in Pondicherry cautioning people to wear helmets. Of the thousands of motorcycles and scooters streaming by like the continuous flow of a river, we would observe very occasional compliance (maybe .0001%).

I hate to possibly insult any of the wonderful people of India and I am certain that not all Indian drivers follow these rules, we just haven't met him yet. These are just from our observations of actual drivers on five relatively lengthy, and generally terrifying, drives.

Jim

Chennai (once Madras)

Feb 21, 2014,

After a nice drive up the coast (although Joy still does not enjoy Indian driving. Something about 2 buses hurtling at you in a 2 lane road to be avoided at the last minute seems to upset her?) we are in Chennai for the night. The hotel we picked from "Cleartrips", a useful booking mechanism particularly for Indian trains, is well located although they seemed unhappy that we had booked already. They also don't provide internet and charge for wifi that doesn't work well at all. Madras is also impressing us with it's rat population as we have already seen a few.

We are booked on a train tomorrow morning and as seems the case every time, I am confirmed and Joy is number one on the wait list. Somehow this gets resolved at the last minute and I haven't had to leave her anywhere ..............yet! We arrive at Puri in the morning of the 23rd and stay on the beach for four days before flying to Delhi to finish our travels in Rajastan and the hill country. We are running short of time as we have been in India for a month today and are planning to be back in Mumbai in another month.

Jim

Pondicherry

Feb 20, 2014

After a wild ride from Munnar, down the near vertical drop from the Western Ghats to the plains at Madurai, followed by an overnight train ride, and another wild ride into Pondicherry, we arrived at the JP Residency. Unfortunately, because of the "crap shoot" the selection of accomodation is, we are on the side of one of the busiest roads in India with continuous horns sounding all day and night. It is also worth your life to try to cross the road! It is also far away from the best part of town. Then we found out that the wifi doesn't work. After a bad first day, things looked up as we found a good place for breakfast, with wifi, and took a rickshaw tour.

Pondicherry is the left over of the French presence in India and the area by the beach has a distinct French colonial feel, including the French Consulate. The whole town seems to be associated with and ashram devoted to 2 dead people, one an Indian who seemed to retire from life after a short jail sentence for sedition back in the early 1900s. Then his wife (?) a French woman fabricated a myth that made him and her quasi-holy. We visited what appear to be a community started by her called Auroville which says that it follows many of the principles of the 1960s intentional communities, which Joy and I also believe in. Unfortunately, there is no sign of the actual community, but merely generalized statements of it's existence and achievements, many of which seem to just be use of existing technology. There is also a massive gold dome which seems to have little purpose other than to glorify the founders. One of the principles is the denial of religion, but everything seems to indicate that that is what has been created.

Anyway, our stay in Pondicherry has been much more interesting that we expected from the beginning. Today we visited the Botanical Gardens and met a class of school kids. Now they all have Canada or NS pins thanks to our local MP and MLA. I also gave the teacher a selection of Canadian coins. They were great kids and a lot of fun.

Tomorrow we get a car to Chennai (formerly Madras) for an overnight and catch the train the next morning for Bhusanewar (actually we are staying on the coast at Puri, nearby).

Jim

Kumily

Feb 12, 2014
The 5 hour drive from Varkala to Kumily was hi lighted by some wild driving on twisty mountain roads (more on the later as I am developing a code of driving for India) and the sight of an elephant on the back of a truck. Those who are on Facebook will have already seen Joy's photo of the beast.
Last night after we arrived, Joy (broken ankle and all) and I took a one hour introductory class in yoga. It was excellent and gave us a good workout. Continuing would be good for us both.
Today we toured the Carra Marra tea company plantation and factory to see how it is grown and processed, in this case to produce the "chai" tea consumed by most Indians. We also toured a spice producer a viewed the many various spices produced in Southern India. Who knew that "all-spice" is actually a separate spice and not a combination of spices.
A busy day and to end it, Joy is off creating a culinary masterpiece this evening. Tomorrow, we are away by boat to see what wildlife we can find in the nearby national park. Because we are on the edge of the park, there are two types of monkies that roam the streets and backyards behind the hotel.
Jim

Last Night in Varkala

Feb 10, 2014:
Tomorrow morning we leave by car for Kumily and see if we can see some wild elephants and even a tiger. We will be somewhat sad to leave the relaxed life we have developed here, but there is a lot more of India to be seen.
Last night we shared a plate of the biggest prawns I have ever seen. Any Maritimer that knows the size of a "market" lobster will appreciate the size of the prawns (4) on this plate. Pop off the heads and shell and it is all meat! Tonight we went back for our last plate of the ginger/lemon/garlic baked prawns we loved so much the day before.
Joy now has a cane that we bought back in Fort Cochin and she appreciates having the use of it, particularly to get down the stairs to the beach. It is a thing of beauty, made of camel bone with various Indian designs painted on it. We have modified it twice since being here: adding a non-slip cover over the brass tip and reinforcing it when it became wobbly where it is supposed to come apart. Her ankle is slowly improving although it does hamper her getting around.
Tomorrow we go away from the Arabian Sea and head East into the Western Gnats, the land of tea and grape plantations and wildlife preserves.
Jim

Varkala

Feb 9, 2014
Our time here has become a very relaxing routine. Each day the weather is the same with a low around 25C and highs in the 30s.
The seafood here is fantastic as every evening around 6 - 7 the fresh fish catch is laid out on ice in front of each restaurant. The fish include Blue Marlin, Barracuda, and about 4 other types in addition to many sizes of Prawns and Squid. I am not a great fish eater, but I had Barracuda a few nights ago and it is the second best fish I have tasted (next to Striped Bass). Last night it was Prawns, baked with lemon, ginger and garlic. Fabulous!
Each day we go down to the beach to frolic in the breakers. There is a continuous swell coming in from the West. The breakers can get a little scary if you are not paying attention. The big ones can pick you up and send you tumbling towards shore. But the water is warm and very salty.
Tremendous variety of nationalities here including many Europeans, Russians, Kiwis and Aussies. The locals say tourism is a way down (sounds like home) but, I guess, that makes it better for us. Some other old folk around but most numerous are the younger generation.
Time for the beach,
Jim

Kollum - Varkala

Feb 7, 2014
After we bailed on Amma's ashram/temple we took a "rickshaw" (motorized) to Kollum and booked in to the first air conditioned hotel we could find. Actually we went to the one we picked out of the guidebook and found that it had been closed by a strike for a while. Once we settled, the need for a "Kingfisher" (local beer) break came upon us and we were directed to another hotel, closer to the beach. Joy will give a better description of the bar in the hotel, but all I can say is that it was WHITE! All white!
The next day we were taken by rickshaw driven by Francis who we had met the night before, to his house where we met Jacquelin, his wife and Olive, his beautiful daughter. They served us a wonderful snack and then we were off to Varkala. Francis showed us the sights along the way and was a wonderful guide. We got to inspect one of the traditional fishing boats which have no nails, but are sewn together using twine and rope. We also found a snake charmer by the side of the road while searching for the "Bamboo Village". As you will know if you follow Joy's blog, this was important to her as her Father had a picture of a snake charmer taken during his time in India during WWII.
Varkala has a beautiful beach with 2 cliffs (cleverly called North and South). On the North cliff where we are, the tourist places, restaurants, and souvenir sellers are "cheek by jowl" along a path at the edge of the cliff.
We are here for 6 nights and are getting a chance to settle in to a routine. Up late, breakfast, e-mail check,a little read, down to the beach for a swim, beer (in a teapot) to cool off ( it is really hot here), nap, dinner, blogging/reading, to sleep. It is nice to finally relax.
Jim

More on Amma's Temple

Feb 5, 2014
Don't know what to make of our visit to the temple/ashram. Was hoping for an opportunity to do some meditation and maybe learn some yoga. When we arrived we were told that the tour of the facility, scheduled for 5 pm had already taken place at 4 pm. We hiked up the 12 floors (actually we took the elevators, but that was the last time for me). Our accommodations were sparse, but that was what we expected.
We went down to the beach for the evening meditation, but were required to stand and make a symbolic salute to Amma when she arrived. What followed was about an hour of silence, followed by the same length of time spent listening to Amma answer a set question on why it was so difficult to get a straight answer from her.
After that was about 1 1/2 hours of singing various hymes from different cultures, all venerating Amma in some manner, interspersed with photos of Amma appearing on screens around the hall. It all finished with a crescendo chant urging victory for Amma. Joy and I retreated to our room. The next day after Joy had had a chance to go to the beach and paint, we left by rickshaw for Kollum.
Jim

Amma's Ashram/temple Feb 3/4

The ferry ride down from Alleppy was interesting and not at all dull like the guide book said. Ran into a dredge that took some moving and locks. Despite all the looks in upper Canada, I think that this was my first time.
We got of at the very elaborate bridge leading to this ashram, which we had booked for two nights. After filling out the very lengthy and intrusive registration form and giving up our passports we were issued bedding and headed toward the 12 th floor of a 14 floor orange building in the jungle, I ran across a young woman in great distress talking on her cel phone and begging whoever to " get her out of there". No one else seemed interested, and she disappeared out of the gates before I could catch up and try to help. We continued with our registration, and learning the many rules, that seemed to cover everything.
To be continued.
Jim

Kerala

India has posed a number of questions for me. I am certain that there is a government department regulating the colour of women's clothing. With all the spectacular coloured saris (sp) and scarves, why do you never, never see two the same? I have been watching closely and yet none wear the same!
Another issue I have is with beer. This part of the country is warm ( make that d----- hot) and getting hotter, and the Indians make a decent beer called "Kingfisher", and yet at some times it cannot be found. We first ran into this in Fort Cochin, when our favourite watering hole, ran out of Kingfisher one day and we had to choose from three European beers. We chose the Danish one and the next day couldn't get it or Kingfisher, so settled for the Dutch beer. The following day the restaurant was closed. I know that Joy and I didn't cause that, but there were a lot of thirsty, hot, tourists wandering around that day. None of the locals had a reason for no beer that day?
Joy and I both have been watching the men in "luongos" (I am sure that that is spelled wrong but that is how it sounds). This is a long skirt worn by Keralian men and modified on the move by various flips and tugs to change the length and functionality. Very interesting to watch.
Jim

Again!

Jan 30, 2014
Sorry, but with internet problems, my First Day entry didn't get posted until after my lays one.
We are now in Fort Cochin, a part of the larger municipality of Kochi. This place is characterized as a tranquil, peaceful place, but that apparently means dedicated solely to tourists. Everyone is looking to make a rupee from people like us, I guess. Not really our scene, but we managed to buy Joy a cane to ease the burden on her ankle (for you, Karen). She seems to be doing better every day. Because of the tourist emphasis here, we have been able to help Joy avoid some of the food she craves and her stomach has settled.
Tomorrow, off for another train ride to Alleppy, the "Venice of the East" and maybe a boat ride.
Jim

First Full Day

Although we are still suffering from the effects of the long day(s) yesterday, we decided not to waste time and get with the touring. Before I forget the huge bats we saw last night, well, we saw huge bats cruising over the local traffic circle!
Today we headed off to the Gateway to India, built for a royal visit of Geo v in 1907, and, appropriately finished at independence in 1947. We did a driving tour of part of the city and saw where the washing for this huge city is done. Keeping everyone's laundry straight would have done Swiss Air proud.
More later.
Jim

I'm Back

Sorry, but it have been somewhat remiss in blog entries.
My memories of Mumbai surround how busy a port it is with major navy ships, including the former British navy aircraft carrier, Hermes, of Falkland Island fame, bulk carriers, oil tankers, fishing fleets, etc. really impressive. Also impressed by the home of the founders of Kingfisher beer, and also fond of their product and getting more fond as we head South.
The train trip was uneventful, but we did have a spacious 4 person compartment to ourselves. The country side seemed very barren and dry. Ended in Madgaon which is definitely not touristy, but nice. The traffic on the main road was worth the price of admission and also your life if you tried to cross. Joy got to see her first market and bought her first pashmina.
I had an adventure getting the tickets for our second leg to Ernakulam (Kochi). The India Rail site was closed down for the morning so I couldn't go through Cleartrip. I decided to try the station and lined up with a number of Indians in the line for Foreigners. The man in front of me said that I should "butt in" at the front of the line as I was a foreigner and also older than dirt. I explained that I was Canadian and we didn't do that. After about 30 minutes in line, during which time I was happily chatting with those around, an official came and dragged me, against my protestations, to the front. I felt so badly, that I left the station before getting service. Back to the internet with Cleartrip to find out that there was no space on trains for a few days. Back to the station (I had noticed that they re-opened at 2:15) and now I was second in line. I got to the window and said where I wanted to go and he immediately gave me confirmed tickets for the next day. Maybe part of the "foreign quota". It was a long day.
Jim

We Are In India

I never thought that I would say that. I think of all my ancesters who never can to India! It was a long day and you can see that I am not over "jet lag" as I am wide awake at 3 am.
The flight yesterday, and the day before, I think was long, but interesting. The short flight to Halifax was uneventful, but as soon as we landed and noticed that our flight from Toronto to Zurich was delayed about 3-4 hours, we knew that things would be interesting.
Eventually leaving TO and arriving in Zurich, knowing full well that we would miss our flight from there to Mumbai, was concerning. But Swiss Air was really on the ball. We were met at the top of the ramp with boarding cards for a flight to Muskat (via Dubai) with an onward flight to Mumbai. Amazingly efficient. To top everything, our luggage unexpectedly came with us and arrived in Mumbai with us! Talk about Swiss efficiency.
We are safely ensconced in the YWCA in Mumbai, which is living up to the guidebook recommendation. Rooms are simple, and the beds are hard, but breakfast and supper are included, as is morning tea in bed. We arrived yesterday morning just in time for tea. Yesterday, we slept and only got a short walk before supper.
On the big news front.....................there is a rum produced in India called "Old Fort" which is already my favourite.
Today we shop for a few things and take a tour of this part of Mumbai. We leave by train on Friday for Goa (at least I do because Joy is still on the standby list).
Jim

Problems Slowly Solved

I am now registered with India Rail, having received the "mobile OTP" via e-mail. Must confess that part of the problem was our difficulty in scanning my passport in a small enough attachment to get to India Rail.
We are also confirmed at the YWCA in Mumbai after a delightful phone call at 4am our time with someone at the "Y". If everyone in India is that pleasant, it should be a great trip. They had received our deposit, but it did take the phone call to confirm.

Off to India - Jan 11

In a week, Joy and I are off on the long plane trip to Mumbai, India, via Toronto and Zurich. To say that trying to make arrangements for accommodations and travel in India from Canada are complex, is a complete understatement.
The visa application took the work of both of us for 6 hours and 3 phone calls. To the credit of the private company who handles this, they did get them back to us in 2 weeks, and that was over Christmas. One hint for folks in future, use Purolater as any other options adds confusion. Oh, yes, they do not answer e-mails?
We have been working for 10 days so far to try to arrange a place to stay. As we are "budget" travellers, we planned/hoped to stay at the YWCA in Mumbai for a few days to get adjusted. Although we followed their payment process using Visa for the required deposit on Jan 2, we do still not have confirmation of a room.
And then there is the train! Having heard much of India's much heralded train system, it seemed like a good idea to get a reservation for our first leg. Not so quick! I found a recommended site called "clear trip"that helps us tourists make these reservations. But you have to be registered with India Rail first and there is a form to fill out on-line. You are required to fill out a mobile phone #, but the kind folk at "clear trip" say just to fill in any 10 digits. This is convenient because Joy and I don't use cel phones. After filling the form I received the first of 2 required passwords (my e-mail password) but was told that I wouldn't get the mobile one (still not sure how I was to get that one) until I had scanned and forwarded a copy of my passport. This is where our lack of tech savvy and a broken scanner, comes in and none of our three attempts to do so have been successful. And, every time I ask a question or send an e-mail, I seem to be given a new case #, even when I try to inform them of a new case #. I just hope that Via Rail is more user friendly to tourists.
Jim