The Taj Mahal is actually worth the hassle of Agra. That is to say, it is the most beautiful building I've ever seen. I can hardly believe that there was a time when people went to work every day to build this thing. Of course, now people come to work every day and try to restore it. It's heartbreaking to see the portions they haven't gotten to yet - pieces missing, graffiti, etc - but, for once, I wasn't that annoyed to visit a monument and find sections obscured by scaffolding.

As big a draw as the Taj is, I have actually managed to accomplish a few other things since my last update. In reverse order, I day-tripped to Fatehpur Sikri, turned 27, braved Jaipur's GPO (I sent everything sea mail so I'll be state-side before my package...), shopped the bazaars of the pink city, tried to achieve some calm in Pushkar, and toured the fort at Jodhpur (as promised). Diana suggested I post a photo of myself so that (to the left) is me in the teal t-shirt as reflected in a giant silver vessel housed in the City Palace at Jaipur. I think it's my best self portrait yet - it's very difficult to hold the camera steady and smile at the same time. Personally, I wasn't too thrilled by the palace at Jaipur, but I'm a bit spoiled having been to Udaipur and Mysore previously. The best thing about Jaipur is the shopping - the old city is on a grid and the sidewalks are mostly covered making it very easy to wonder around buying even in the blazing Rajasthan heat. And everything is so ...shiny.

Not that there isn't good shopping to be had in Jodhpur, it's just that the old city is laid out like the web of a spider on crystal meth. I had to use a compass to find my way out. The trek up to the fort included a tinware market and several sari shops, the journey out - bangles, tie dye and sweets. I could never recreate either trip - you'll have to find your own way. Or take a rickshaw like a sensible person.

Tomorrow I leave bustling Agra for New Delhi, my last long journey bus trip in India. I actually already feel relief at the prospect of never traveling five hours by bus through India again. If I learned anything on this trip, it's take the train (book ahead).

Live from the Land of Kings

As of today I have been in Rajasthan a week and, so far, have seen two palaces, spent 10 hours in state buses and discovered that A/C really is all it's cracked up to be. Maybe it was a bit dense of me, but I didn't realize Udaipur is such a tourist spot. In that way it's a bit like Hampi - guesthouses with rooftop restaurants just everywhere (near the lake), a souvenir shop gauntlet, a local population that probably wishes we and our cameras and baggy pants would all just go home and stop driving up prices. The difference of course is the scenery - Udaipur boasts three major palaces/forts and a set of lakes in among its hills. The picture above shows about half of the city palace at sunset - I find a computer with Photoshop and I'll splice together the panorama. It really is that big.

From Udaipur I caught a (bumpy, dusty, road construction-y, eight hour) bus to Jodhpur - I can see the Meherangarh complex (left) from the roof of my hotel but it's just not the same as standing next to it. That happens to be tomorrow's mission. Tonight's is a proper Rajasthani meal and a saffron lassi. Wish me luck.

I don't know were the line is for North India - but I've got to be close. Right now I'm in Ahmedabad, where the rickshaws run on compressed natural gas and the locals will actually stop and help you cross the madly congested streets. My hotel offers TV, a daily paper and room service - I'm a bit ashamed to admit I've spent a good part of my four days here catching up on the news and solving crossword puzzles. My only serious "touristing" so far was a trip to the City Museum which traces the glories of Ahmedabad, mostly through it's architecture and artists. The lower floor has a kite museum (in January Ahmedabad hosts a very popular kite festival). My two weeks in Goa have made me lazy.

My one day tour of Mumbai went well, though I did end up wishing I'd stayed an extra day (if only to shower between incident-free overnight train journeys). Most of the day I wandered through the Fort-Churchgate area, then out to Colaba for the afternoon. Having seen a few other cities in India, I was very surprised by how clean and orderly Mumbai is. Also, by the number of high-end shoe shops... I always wondered where one buys the shoes featured in Cosmo and now, I know. After a few hours parked in a cafe reading and drinking iced tea (that is a new experience for me, not a waste of daylight), I walked along the bay up to Chowpatty beach. I was a bit to early for the real Mumbai at night experience (I did have a train to catch) but there was a serious indication of proper nightlife, at least near the beach. And don't think the kids get left out - there's a bouncy castle. In case my dorkiness is at all in question, I also made time to visit the Monetary Museum and learn about the history of currency and banking in India. I spent so long reading through the displays someone actually came in to check on me.

Hope you all are enjoying the spring. Cheers! Claire

Viva Goa!

So there is something worse than the nine hour bus ride to get to Hampi, the twelve hour bus ride to leave it... but more on that later.

Hampi, much like Las Vegas, mixes together elements that one would not expect to work together but does so quite well. 'The world's largest living World Heritage Site' has hundreds of temples (idle and active), thousands of tourists (and attendant souvenir shops), a few sleepy villages (and attendant wandering livestock), and these rock formations you can stare at for hours, even if you aren't on drugs. You can see the major sites in a day or two but easily stay longer for the pseudo-western food and the calm. After Bengaluru, the peace and quiet of Hampi was almost unnerving. I just don't know how to operate without touts following me - seems ... unnatural. Some people come and never leave their guesthouses (one of the villages north of the river allows alcohol - most of these people stay there).

The lesson I learned from taking the "sleeper bus" that runs overnight from Hospet to Goa is ...don't take the sleeper bus from Hospet to Goa. You may want to consider taking regular public transport and breaking your journey in Hubli - it will cost about the same and you can arrive in both Hubli and you Goan city of choice at reasonable (daylight) hours. And you may be able to feel your feet when you get there. Or take the train. A big part of me wants to demand 20% of my fare back for the simple reason that my "sleeper berth" was only about 80% of my height (for the strangers that stumble upon this, I'm five feet - 1.5m- tall). I expected it to be really bad - and it was worse. Do Not take the night bus to Goa - that is all.

Goa is actually quite lovely. The beach at Benaulim (near Margao) isn't the cleanest I've seen but you do have the huge stretch of white sand fringed with palms (and thatch-roof bars) promised in the "Tour Goa" posters. Most of the hawkers seem to be from Karnataka - they only come to Goa for the high season so they'll be heading home soon and they seem happy about that. There's some pressure to buy but their hearts just aren't in it this late in the game. I think maybe the proper souvenir shop folks stay a bit longer because they're still all over you (at least for the first few days). Unlike Varkala, swimming seems to be safe(ish) here and the water is nice and warm. Can't imagine it's any good for diving or snorkeling but it sure is nice to look at. Due to my laziness, an the fact my train north leaves from Margao, I'll be heading back to Benaulim...

...after a quick tour of north and central Goa whilst based in Panaji. I had a spot of bother finding a clean, affordable place to stay here in Panaji so I opted for clean and will be staying four days instead of six. (I miss my post-beach ice cream cone - it's best to hurry back).
Panaji reminds me of Kochi with all the colorful, colonial-era buildings and lovely (if pricey) dining options. They seem to have done a bit better at maintaining (or restoring) the colonial leftovers which balances out the lack of seafront. You can walk along the river for a good stretch (a promenade was built for the film festival) but it's right next to the very busy main road which detracts significantly from the experience. You're better off wandering the old quarter if you want some peace. Or heading to Old Goa for the day. It's rather popular with Indian package tourists (which is just fun in and of itself) but the grounds are well maintained and it's interesting to see such a variety of architecture in such a small area. The Museum of Christian Art is worth visiting also both for the art and the novelty of not having to pay a foreigner's admission fee. Much of the 'in-country' art shows a definite Indian influence (people with Indian features, Hindu deities or icons), understandable given it was produced by Hindu artists but still a bit surprising. It's also worth buying the booklet at the ticket desk - it has photos and more in-depth histories on some of the artifacts. My photos probably wouldn't have turned out anyway.

Center of a flat world...

Ok - I was wrong about the USB ports in Bengaluru (Bangalore). I'm wrong a lot of the time and I've made my peace with it.

Mysore and the Maharaja's palace made for a good few days. My hotel had roaches and you aren't allowed to photograph the interior of the palace (which is so the best part!) but still - a nice few days. I actually photographed an intersection because it had a proper cross walk (a first on this trip). No one (foot nor vehicle traffic) really minds the little glowing Walk/Don't Walk men, but they exist and that pleased me. The Indian people seemed rather amused - by me, not the intersection - I guess I deserve that this time. Also, I procured another batch of postcards allowing me to contact those loved ones who refuse to enter the computer age (*cough* Grandma *cough* Dad - love you guys!).

The traffic in Bangalore is even worse than typical but there's a Hard Rock Cafe (yes, I took a picture) and a surprising amount of green(ish) space. I came mostly for the rose garden and to catch a ride to Hampi. Somehow I'm stretching that to cover four days (my room has a TV...). Dreading the nine hours to Hampi helps too. Train or bus - that's a lot of sitting. But there on out every journey is less than three hours by bus or 10+ hours on an overnight train. And I'm getting a 2AC berth - the India Railway and Catering can have Rs400 (~$10) for the upgrade.

From Hampi, I head into Goa. I'm not into the drug and dance scene so I'll be sticking to the spice plantations and Old Goa for most of my time. A few of the northern beaches sound enjoyable - 'discovered' enough to have permanent shelter but not enough for package tourists and mega-hotels - however, transport can be a problem. Still, it doesn't seem right to come to Goa and not stay a few days at the beach...

Depending on the 'weather' (read: frequency of attacks on public transport and civilians) in Mumbai (Bombay) that will either be my next stop after Goa or the place where I switch trains. I haven't seen any flaming rickshaws on the news... lately...

As I'll stay in Goa until April (for Easter), I'll only have a month to see north India. Depending on the 'weather' (read: heat and its buddy humidity), north could mean a hop out to Sikkim (permits in hand) from New Delhi (after Agra) to cool off. I fly Delhi to Amman so this would mean backtracking... but it would also mean not melting like the wicked witch of the west. Or I could go up to Kashmir - all the souvenir shop operators insist it's lovely there. And there aren't nearly as many bombings as people think. So much depends on the weather...

From Kodaikanal, I wound and rattled back out of the hills to Madurai. Got (briefly) stuck in the rain (the bus dropped us at the highway instead of turning off two blocks and stopping at the station... with the shelter and the rickshaws). Two minutes of walking and I was soaked. Fortunately, 1) everything in the bag remained dry, 2) my first choice hotel had rooms and 3) someone was willing to point to the right bus to get there. It was so comfy I stayed an extra day. And you could see the Sri Meenakshi temple complex from the roof.

My next hop took me six hours south to Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin). The highway is quite new making the bus trip surprisingly comfortable. About an hour before the city you pass through a field with easily a hundred-plus mismatched windmills. These might be the highlight of the city for me - that or finally getting some postcards.

Trivandrum's zoo made a great day out. Unlike every other animal in India, these seemed cared for and relatively comfortable. It's a little confusing to get around with no maps and only the occasional "This way -->" sign but it's not like you could really get lost. And the baby hippo was terribly cute. On the same grounds I visited the Napier museum and an art gallery. Both collections were nice but the most interesting bit is the interior of the Keralan mansion that houses the Napier holdings. No pictures allowed though. They didn't even sell postcards showing the inside. I guess if you are curious you just have to make the trip.

Getting to Varkala (1.5 hours from Trivandrum) took four buses and an autorickshaw. That's what happens when you can't read the signs on the buses for yourself. After the third bus, I was sorely tempted to take a proper taxi the rest of the way there, whatever the cost. But the fourth bus actually said "Varkala" on it and I saw that before I found a taxi. Besides sit at the beach and sit at the cliff-side cafes there is nothing to keep you in Varkala. I stayed a week. The police do a good job of keeping the hawkers and gawkers away and to the best of my knowledge no one was swept out to sea during my staying making this my best beach experience in India so far despite the crowds.

From Varkala, I caught my first-ever train in India north to Kochi. I even managed to grab a seat after the first station and hold said territory the remaining four hours of my journey. Getting off a train in India is like getting off a train that's on fire in the US. Except with an equal number of people trying to force their way on. But the ride itself was more comfortable than that on a bus and if you have an aisle seat you don't get sooty. It's even quiet enough to talk to the other passengers.

I fell ill the day after my train trip - thus the week-long stay in Kochi. The worst of it only lasted a day but if was three before my headache abated. Now I'm actually well enough to do my tourist things (shopping) before heading to Calicut and then Mysore. Pictures soon! (I'm sure Bangalore will have functional USB ports...)

Alive and (mostly) well in Kochi (Fort Cochin)

Sorry for the long break in contact - it's not easy to find an internet cafe and electricity at the same time. I'll recap the last few weeks next time I get online - I just wanted to check in (in case anyone was worried). I'm still recovering from my first illness in India and all this typing just wears me out. See you soon - Claire