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‹ Previous (13/01/2009) MONTH Next (2009-03-14)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› India Agonda (see on map) 20/02/2009:
Indeed, the beach of Agonda is excellent for camping with the autocaravan, one of the best places in the world to camp. In the south of the small village of Agonda, not excessively corrupted by tourism, there is a big wasteland under some palm trees and in front of a deserted beach. When we arrived there were camping cars of other Europeans of different nationalities, a dozen of autocaravans and everything, then the beach of Agonda itself has been converted in the point of meeting of the overland travellers in India. It was very good to meet with some of them to exchange ideas and to listen to other projects. Some were decided to embark the cars towards Malaesya or Singapure paying 1000 or 2000 euros, and afterwards Australia (to continue with America or Europe, for foreign vehicles cannot be sold in Australia); others simply planned on travelling some years more between India and Nepal (6 months in every country); and very few thought to do as us, to let the car in Nepal to travel a season through Southeast Asia without vehicle. When we arrive to the beach of Agonda, we had intention of staying a week, or maximum two, to relax in this idyllic place. Anyway, some travellers had already warned us that the beach of Agonda was tricky, for you always say that you will leave shortly and never go. And indeed, had only passed half a week and already started to plan to rest a longer time, about six weeks (the maximum, not to have too many problems with the car in India), before continuing with the journey. I suggested it to Alexandra, doing some good holidays in our journey and naturally she accepted. From the beginning of the journey in Europe and afterwards Africa and Middle East, I have liked to talk a lot with the people and to exchange ideas, on the problems of the world and their region, but also on religions and philosophies. Throughout these three years of journey my beliefs have kept evolving, ending up maturing in convictions. it’s been time that i thought to write a book about my ideas and convictions once the journey finished, when i had much more information compiled. However, some weeks before reaching Agonda, I started to feel that the hour of starting to write came, in the form of a novel (in Catalan) and not of essay. When we reached Agonda, i already had some written pages, which i had intention of multiplying in number throughout the following weeks. And indeed,i have been dedicating an average of 8 or 10 hours writing, leaving written at the end of these six weeks a hundred pages or the equivalent to 80% of all the work. From now, the following months I will follow with the writing in spare times, with the intention of trying to publish the novel as we returns to Europe (if there is luck with the publishing companies). Anyway, apart from the 8 to 10 hours of writing there have also been in excess many hours to enjoy this paradise where we were. Every morning we woke up with the noise of the waves of the sea. A couple of hours later a man who sold cakes and biscuits for breakfast arrived. I used to have breakfast in the autocaravan, reading in the computer, while Alexandra made it in the hammock that we had bought and had hanged between two palm trees. Quite a lot of days we swim in the sea, playing with the waves with a mattress of plastic or next i was swimming up to a rock. Many days we went out up to a restaurant close to the beach where they served tali (a very typical and economic India dish), or we met friends who there were coming to Agonda. Every afternoon there was a precious sunset, which we used to contemplate seated in the hammock. Some night we met to dine or to take some beers with other travellers. And at night we fell asleep under the light of the moon and the wind of sea, which blew at any time, enjoying the fresco. There was only an inconvenience in this paradise, the Indians that arrived in the weekend with buses, full of beer and with the music at full volume, that they broke the calmness that we had enjoyed during the week. Gokak (see on map) 22/02/2009:
Our following destination after the six weeks of rest in Goa is Hampi, but on the way we have proposed to visit other points of interest. In any case, before anything we stopped in Panaji, the capital of Goa, where they had sent me some new documents for the car. Afterwards we started to thread the mountains that separate the state of Goa from Karnataka, while I tried to cheer up the trebly disappointed Alexandra. Alexandra was sad because we left the calm beach of Agonda that we had enjoyed for 6 weeks. But much sadder was for the possibility that has risen up of selling the autocaravan in India for a good price, although this option can be remote for the difficulty to make the papers. Finally, Alexandra disliked the following visit that we had, an ONG that operates in a village lost in the dusty plains of the state of Karnataka. Today in the morning I have called AR Patil before entering in the motorway and we have remained to meet later in a specific point, from where he has guided us through small asphalted roads and of earth up to the ONG Birds that his father created in 1980. Patil explained to us that Birds is financed by the different governments of India and by different international ONGs, among them Japan UNESCO and the Foundation Bill and Melinda Gates. Among its activities are the technical education of farmers and elemental to children of the rural areas. An interesting project of classification of medicinal plants, and others of prevention of AIDS, also microfinancing... After visiting an interesting farm of worms of silk, Patil commented me that they would want to receive foreign volunteers to help them in the tasks of education (elemental, technique, computer science...). (It gave me the sensation that the volunteers will be very well treated, therefore I encourage you to get in touch to Patil if you are interested to be volunteer in India: ar.patil2[arroba]gmail.com). Between visit and visit, Patil explained me that the green revolution of 1956, which introduced hybrid, obliged to using many fertilisers that have converted the earth too alkaline and contaminated, by that, the Indian government is promoting the organic farming, although not enough. He also explained that in 1970 the government promulgated a law according to which gave the land to the one who worked it, finishing the big existing large estates. For this reason, in the region there are not too many differences between castes in question to the land, even that the Brahmanes (the highest caste), usually have much larger lands and good thanks to tricks and deceits. In fact, Patil did not show much friendliness with the Brahmanes, of which he commented that they were the creators of the system of castes, weakening the society and allowing the expansion of the Islam through India. In any case, he also explained that the differences between the castes keep being extinguished in India, the schools are mixed, everybody is friend of everybody... Only the weddings among members of the same caste, a tradition impossible to be extinguished for the moment,is kept. Hampi (see on map) 26/02/2009:
From Gokak, the path towards Hampi passed off across different rural roads that made the journey very interesting, in spite of the heat. We are at the end of February and in Europe yet the cold winter has not finished, but here, in the centre of India it is one of the hottest months, because later it arrives the monsoon and cools down everything. For this motif it was interesting to visit the fresh caves of Badami, some temples excavated in the rocks, with pretty reliefs, excavated among the fourth and eighth centuries. In spite of everything, Alexandra stayed in the car, because she said that she was tired of India and did not want to visit more monuments. In the afternoon we went towards another touristic attraction: the temples of Pattadakal. I was decided to visit them, in spite of the 4euros that cost the entry, but Alexandra remembered me that i had not visited many attractions during the journey due to this price and that our budget was adjusted. It has been a simple comment that it has discouraged me, together with the heat and the poor description of the temples in the guide. So, after taking a cool drink, we have gone again in the car and we have started to drive towards Hampi, a much more interesting place. Hampi is some small village that have the incredible ruins of Vijayanagar, the former capital of one of the biggest Hindu empires of the history, dominating all the south of India since the quarter century up to the sixteenth. During the same period, the Muslim sultanate of Bahmani dominated all the north of India, facing continuously the empire of Vijayanagar. The battles were bloody and full of atrocities for both parts. In 1336, the emperor captured a Muslim city and absolutely killed all the inhabitants. In answer, the sultan promised that he would not rest until he killed 100.000 Hindus. But its forecasts were surpassed, getting to kill half a million of unfaithful in the following campaigns. Fortunately for the empire of Vijayanagar, the sultanate of Bahmani disintegrated in 1482, and the expansion and wealth of the empire grew considerably. But later, the empire also suffered different rebellions that divided it up, at the same time as the sultanates of the north created an alliance. In 1565 the Muslim coalition attacked the Hindu army in the battle of Talikota, with a complete victory for the Muslims who next devastated the capital of Hampi, populated by 500.000 people. We have reached Hampi the day before yesterday at noon. We parked on the other side of the river, in the shadow of a tree in the parking place of a hotel. Little later, we cross the river with a small boat and started to walk in the small village, installed among some ruins, that survives mainly thanks to the tourism. But the heat of the midday was too intense and had to take ourselves refuge in a bar, to be able to visit afterwards a big temple and the bazaars that formerly took up some doorways, built with blocks of solid stone placed horizontally on other columns of rock. Yesterday, while Alexandra stayed in the hotel resting, I did more effort and rented a bicycle to go over the ruin dispersion, among which they send different impressive temples and a real enclosure with some interesting buildings standing. Today in the morning, when we were about to restart the road towards the north, Alexandra has opened the freezer of the autocaravan and has done a shout of terror and has kept screaming as a hysterical. Her face was white and had the hair up (this was her impression). I have opened the freezer, I have looked briefly and terrified I have closed again the door. In Goa, a group of ants had managed to go up to the autocaravan and made one or several nests. Warned by the invasion, in Goa we had emptied all the autocaravan, sprayed it with toxic spray and cleaned it with water at pressure outside and below. In spite of everything, a group of ants managed to survive and made a new nest in some unknown corner. These first battles against the ants already have made me remember the killings described between the sultanate of Bahmani and the empire of Vijayanagar, but, the carnage has today been more abominable. As we went out of Goa and returned to the heat, the habitat of the ants probably changed and they have decided tonight to move their city towards the freezer, which we occasionally only turn on. When I have looked at the freezer after the attack of hysteria of Alexandra, this was full of small ants that worked to get installed in this new fresher habitat. We do probably not have right to killing these insects (like this give an opinion the pacific Jainistas), but the religion and traditions of the ants are different to ours and inconvenience us. So, Alexandra has taken a spray of cleaning crystals and completely sprayed the freezer killing to thousands of ants that did not have escape. We have done a great killing, devastating a big city, in spite of everything I do not think that we have finished with their civilisation and in the future we will have to face the control of the autocaravan again. Ellora (see on map) 01/03/2009:
The caves of Ajanta and Ellora ( a hundred kilometres between them) have been the last attractions that we think to visit in India, but also they have been the most impressive monuments of all the ones visited until now. As my taste, would situate the caves of Ajanta and Ellora as one of the seven marvels of the world, at the same level as Petra (Jordan), having in common numerous temples excavated in the rocks. I probably have a special preference for these types of monuments, that, are not built but emptied of the rock, converting them into some enormous works of art done of only one part. Evidently, the work of emptying requires more effort than that of building and much more accuracy, for the errors that can be produced can not be rectified changing a stone or part. Maybe that's why, I have been indulgent when I have seen in some caves few of these errors, normally walls that were left too fine and finished perforating or falling. Anyway, if in Petra I marveled for the history and the geology of the ground; in Ajanta and Ellora I marvelled for the perfection of the works, the working quantity required and the religious communal life that proves to be Ellora. The caves of Ajanta are more ancient than those of Ellora. They were cut in two phases, during the 2nd century BC and during the 5th century and all are Buddhist. They are preserved in a narrow valley with the walls of rock, where 30 caves of different measures and forms were perforated, with big columns the massifs holding ceilings and shifting boards. In many cases they have magnificent cut sculptures in the undivided rock that is part of the temple and in other cases they have extraordinary paints that have gone dark with time but which different equips of conservation they are trying to recover them. However, the 34 caves of Ellora were cut among the 7 and 10 centuries, three separate groups: 12 Buddhist caves, 17 hinduist ones and 5 Jainist. The three groups of caves emptied for periods superposed, proving the communal life that there was among the three religions, some religions that have almost never been confronted among themselves (maybe except for the current conflict of Sri Lanka). In any case, the caves of Ellora are also extraordinary in spite of being inhabited during the posterior centuries (proof of that are multiple holes in the ground used to grind the grain and holes in the columns to tie the cattle). Anyway, if the caves of Ajanta stood out for the perfection of the works, those of Ellora highlighted more the greatness. Excavated in a pending stone, the caves of Ellora also go in the mountain, but in quite a lot of cases contain temples isolated in the anteroom, created from only one rock. Of all the temples of Ellora, the most surprising of all is the hinduist temple of Kailash, an enormous work that required the work of 7000 workers for 150 years. One may not miss such a magnificent work, for it is calculated that about 200.000 tons of rock was excavated, which mean an average of 3600 kg of rock extracted daily. In any case, the rock extracted in the ensemble of caves of Ajanta and Ellora would multiply different times being gripping to imagine such a volume of workers and organisation dedicated only to the adoration of some gods or deified characters. Delhi (see on map) 04/03/2009:
After visiting the magnificent caves of Ajanta and Ellora, we started to do kilometres towards Delhi, where we had to carry out the visa of Alexandra for Thailand (she needs visa and I do not) and to meet the possible buyer of the autocaravan, although every day that passes the purchase seems more impossible for problems of papers. We had two routes to reach Delhi: one going on the motorway of Mombay and to do many more kilometres; and the other, following through the interior and to do less kilometres. In the end we decided to go through the interior where the roads were quite good in spite of the high presence of lorries. In any case, the decision of not taking the motorway was not due to the last conflicts with the road tolls, for in Goa, some travellers had explained to us that they could pass the tolls without paying, showing a document of the car that the Indians did not understand. And really it worked almost in all the tolls, even in a clandestine toll where they wanted to trick us and were asking 3,5euros. On the other hand, this journey towards the north has brought less hot temperatures (not too much) and old memories of the reality of the north of India. Really the south of India is a contrast with the dusty, dirty and forgotten north, where everything is much more chaotic; the infrastructures are worse; there is much more poverty; many people and rickshaw bicycles in all places, especially in the villages for where the road passed... Besides, in general, the Indians of the north are more impertinent, are curious without respect, transfpassing the limits of your privacy, for example trying to open the doors of the car at all times. After two days of driving, today we thought that we would drive fast, and that we would not reach very late Delhi, for we only had to cover 300 marked kilometres as motorway in the map: from Gwalior to Agra and from Agra to Delhi. Anyway, we did not count on the first road being so bad, with numerous sections of track of dented earth that appeared suddenly in the middle of the motorway. But the worst thing of everything came later. Before reaching Agra we have seen a poster that indicated a deviation towards Delhi, which had to prevent from crossing the city. Observing that the lorries diverted, we also did it, although the road only had a lane asphalted and the margins were dangerously perforated. Naturally we could not advance the lorries and numerous times remain blocked when two lorries were found in front. But the worst thing of everything had not arrived either, because as we arrived to a cross with a way of train, two lorries insisted on not letting eachother pass and had to wait for an hour at which the tangle melted ourselves. Finally, after two hours and average of going through these paths, we arrive to the motorway of Delhi with the nerves level high and well annoyed. But the motorway did not improve our way either because this passes through the middle of different towns full of people, bicycles and cows installed in the middle of the asphalt. On the other hand, there was infinity of very slow lorries impossible to be advanced without risking. In the end, tired, we decide to look for some wireless or Internet with the computer, and when we had catched one we stopped a couple of hours to work. By luck, when starting off again, the lorries had been stopped, and although the motorway was full of cars, bicycles and tractors, we could advance a little faster, arriving to the park Nehru in Delhi at 10 in the night. There we had the first joy of the day, for there were other parked autocaravans, some of which belonged to travellers that we knew. Anyway, in spite of these terrifying last kilometres, throughout our journey I was thinking that India is investing a lot in roads and infrastructures in general, in modern neighbourhoods of cities, in good universities and industries, and even throwing rockets to the space. India is becoming an economic world power, even if most of the population keeps living in rural areas or marginal neighbourhoods and does not share this development. India is an economic power, but only thanks to a very small percentage of the population. The rest of the population have economies of maintenance that do not increase the national wealth, anyway, the country does not invest in these people, so that they do not generate expense for the country. 10/03/2009:
We have been resting almost one week in Delhi, parked next to the attractive Park Nehru. Basically we have been expecting them to give the visa of Thailand for Alexandra. One of these days we met the possible buyer of the autocaravan, who was more interested in seeing technical details than to buy (the man is a builder of autocaravans). On the other hand, we have also passed quite a lot of time talking with friends that we had met during the journey and who were also parked in Nehru Park: a couple of Germans that we had met in Nepal and who were preparing to return to Europe, and a French family that we had met in Kajuraho. The French family was with a French friend, Tierrie, which had contacts to be able to cross Myanmar by car, a country normally impossible to cross over. Besides, Tierrie had very good information to follow the journey through the South Asian; afterwards for Indonesia and East Timor from where one could take a ferry towards Australia; and from Australia he thought to go to south America loading the 4x4 in an empty banana boat. Tierrie had an itinerary very similar to the one that I had drawn before initiating the journey, and was quite jealous of he being able to make it and me having to modify my plans. So much was like this, that on the third day I asked seriously Tierrie of accompanying him and the family of Frenchmen crossing Myanmar. Anyway, Tierrie is a very hermetic person and was difficult to obtain information from him nor a yes nor a no. Before knowing whether he could add me to them, he should wait to see whether they obtained the licence to enter Myanmar and to cross certain prohibited Indian states (if they did not obtain it with the contacts that he had he thought to fly to Myanmar to find new contacts). In fact i had thought to wait and to risk the thicket of plane and the plans, but today in the morning i have woken up early and I have started to do numbers. Until now it had gone very well to travel with autocaravan because we have had to take few boats, because I have been sponsored (i had bought the autocaravan with 14000 euro of discount) and because i had collaborated with some magazines of autocaravaning that provided me with extra money. But now, if i wanted to continue the journey i had to think of the expenses of the boats, that they could reach 6000 or 8000 euro (Singapore, East Timor to Australia, Australia to America of the South, Colombia to Panama, America North to Europe). Besides, i should add about 9000 euros of devaluation of the autocaravan (the three first years i had paid very few devaluation because i had bought the autocaravan with the great discount). So, travelling with autocaravan the following three years would mean an extra expense of 15000euros (I calculate that travelling with backpack we will have expenses similar to the travel with the autocaravan). Really it is an important difference and I have thought that it is better to save this money for the future. I have gone towards the Frenchmen and I have explained to them that finally we would not wait for their answer and that we would not go with them. Tierrie has appeared very surprised, but, conversing they have understood the reasons afterwards. I have an important difference to my approach of the travel, for I think to return to Europe after visiting America, but they suggested all the life to travel, perhaps finding some work or setting up some business in some lost country. In these cases, to travel with autocaravan is the best thing, for the journey with autocaravan is more economic when people travel very slowly: you do not have to pay hotel, you can cook yourself and, although the journey by train or bus is more economic than the diesel used up by a autocaravan, it remains compensated if few kilometres are done monthly. In our case, to go over the south Asia, Australia and America for three years is too little time on account of using the autocaravan. Shortly we will start to compare the costs of travelling with autocaravan or with backpacking. ‹ Previous (13/01/2009) MONTH Next (2009-03-14)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› |
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