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Diary This is Jan's diary. If you want to receive this diary by mail, write your mail on the contact form.
‹ Previous (15/09/2008) MONTH Next (2008-11-14)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› India Jaisalmer (see on map) 15/10/2008:
David and Maria had told us that we would love Jaisalmer, and we really loved it. The city and its fort were founded in 1156, in a strategic situation, dominating the routes of camels that traded between India and Asia central. During a long period of prosperity, in which wars against other rajputs kingdoms were not lacking, some traders and sites of Jaisalmer homes and mansions (called havelis) were built exquisitely decorated exteriorly with stone of sculpted sand. In spite of everything, the wealth of Jaisalmer declined quickly as the sea trade carried out across the port of Mumbai (Bombay) was increased. But the fortune returned to the city, prospering another time, as the channel of Indira Gandhi that takes water crossing all the desert of Thar (the same desert of Cholistan of Pakistan) up to Jaisalmer was finished; also, as the strategic position of the city is confirmed in the eternal conflict between India and Pakistan; but especially with the arrival of the tourists, who have made bloom trades everywhere. The three days in Jaisalmer are destinated to all the shops of the old town in search of fabric to do a new change of aesthetics for the autocaravan, an idea that was roaming in my head since the exterior decoration in Pakistan. It is Already two years and a half that the selfcaravan is our home, and if everything goes well, will keep being another two, so,we had decided that any inversion that did it more comfortable or prettier would be welcomed. And in Jaisalmer we did another step and changed the curtains of the autocaravan. We already looked many options at and the final decision was to buy cushion covers of different colours and full of mirrors to dismantle them and to join them again (we payed a tailor) to form new original and pretty (according to our taste) curtains. In any case, between trade and trade, we also had time to visit the city, which preserves a relaxed atmosphere, in spite of the numerous tourists and of impatient vendors. We visited the façades of different havelis, some of them still inhabited, others converted into shops and the rest in museums. Getting on different times to the immense fort, visible from all the city, where the streets are narrow and we had to keep avoiding cows, tourists and vendors, while we were surrounded with pretty buildings and temples. Among these I visited a magnificent jainist temple, again, very simple in the exterior and marvelously worked in the interior, with sculpted columns with semi-gods, walls representing sensual feminine and masculine figures, and different sculptures of jinas or tirthankaras in a state of meditation, the 24 jainist teachers that discovered and showed the path of the salvation about 3000 years ago. One of the main principles of jainism is the non violence, which implies the respect for every living creatures. So, the mouth and the nose are covered up with clothes not to inhale accidentally any insect, a behaviour that I observed surprised in a monk of this temple,apart from being strict vegetarians. Finally, today in the afternoon we have visited what seemed another point of interest of the city and its surroundings, the dunes of sand in Sam, but the show that we have found was surprisingly grotesque.When we arrived close to the dunes, we have found hundreds of camels (I do not exaggerate) sitting and waiting for the buses of tourists that afterwards we have crossed. In the surroundings of the dunes there were tens of camps with tens of shops each. So alone we have lowered of the car, tens of men and boys have called continuously to sell us camel rides or a stay in a camp with food and included show. I have walked briefly around and inside the dunes, which were completely trod on by camels, people and everything. But when the tenth guide screamed for me from a hundred meters to sell me something, i have decided that this desert was the antithesis of the calmness and romanticism and have returned to the car, where Alexandra was trying to keep other tens of guides and sales man far from the autocaravan; we have gone up, and ran back towards Jaisalmer. Udaipur (see on map) 19/10/2008:
The following visited city was Jodhpur, also called the blue city, that has the most impressive fort of Rajasthan, dominating the plains from a hill. Knowing that the main point of interest of Jodhpur, is the fort of Meherangarh, we threaded a small road that at first crossed some bazaars, and we arrived to the entry of the fort, where we could pass the night with calmness. The day after, I woke up early, before the sunrise and I went out to make some photographs, surrounding the pretty mausoleum Jaswant Thada, of white marble. When i returned, already satisfied with the magnificent sights, I was about to wake up Alexandra to leave towards the following destination, for the entry in the fort of Meherangarh was too expensive for the tourists (for the Indians it is always very economic). For luck, before going up to the car an Austrian approached me and, after showing interest on our journey, he told me that we could enter the fort freely, as long as we did not enter the palaces converted into museum. So, when Alexandra woke up, we visited the firm fort, which did ever not have to hold any siege thanks to the alliance of the clan rajput with the Mugals of the north of India, which left that Jodhpur prospered benefited by the commercial routes that crossed it. On the fort, we visited some interesting Hindu temples, but we especially enjoy the impressive sights, which dominated the city of Jodhpur, which seemed to be suffering from a marvelous spell through the numerous homes painted in blue. Traditionally, the blue colour identified the home of a Brahmin, one of the highest castes of India, dedicated to the study, teaching and sermon; anyway, the homes of blue are also at present painted by the members of other castes. In the afternoon, after having visited the pretty gardens of Mandore, in the north of Jodhpur, we started to make road towards Udaipur. But an hour before sunset, different truck drivers and some area of service, informed us about the road that we followed as not being good, then further on being bandits and as we understood, the road not being in too good state either. So, we moved back about thirty kilometres and the day after (yesterday) we started to circulate for a road that first drove us up to the marvelous temple of Ranakpur. When arriving, the big temple of Ranakpur was opened only for the believers, therefore, we dedicate the while up to the opening visiting some other small jainist temples, also impressive for the numerous reliefs of princes and sensual consorts in the exterior of the temples. But incredibly when to enter later to the temple of Ranakpur, this entity made forget any other marvel observed beforehand. The temple of Ranakpur, dedicated itself to Adinath, the first of the 24 tirthankaras or Jainist saints, is one of the biggest and most important temples of this religion. Built in the 15th century, with white marble, it contains different rooms supported by a forest of 1444 pillars, each different to the other ones in forms and reliefs and sculpted figures. Personally, it did not seem to me that there were as many columns as the ones mentioned, anyway, there is a legend that says that all the pillars cannot be counted. Of what there is no doubt, it is the fascination that produces the temple, which some suggest as one of the seven marvels of the world. Showing more interest for the jainism, I discovered surprised that the Jainist do not believe in the existence of God, creator and maintainer of the universe, however if they believe in a universe governed by natural laws and eternal, which passes for successive cycles of creation and destruction. In a more pragmatic level, the jainist practice the total non violence, which makes them deny foods obtained with unnecessary cruelty, like this for, apart from not eating animals, many of them do not eat roots of plants (potatoes, garlic, onion) because as they take out the plant from the ground many insects and animals that live in the earth are killed. Naturally, to be able to enter in the temple I had to leave my skin belt in the car, although ironically, in the interior of the temple I discovered a couple of drums made of skin of camel. When going out from the temple in an almost mystical state, we immediately returned to the worldly level when realising that during our absence, some Indians had extracted three or four adhesives of the car . Alexandra was a wild animal and I, even if I appeared more soothed, did not stop being annoyed with the Indians, who have a culture that I do not quite understand. For example, it is completely surprising, that every day there is somebody (especially adult people and many of them middle class) that they try to open the door of the autocaravan. Many times we surprise them and when questioning them on their attitude they ignore us, as if they had not made anything bad. However, naturally, what bothers us more is that children and youngsters (and some adults also) try to pull out the adhesives planted in Pakistan. It is not strange that Alexandra has nightmares in which she kills Indins(and also Muslim Indians). The truth is that I do not understand their behaviour, nor when this is positive, for example somebody left us some days ago 10 rupiahs (0,13 €) in the window, probably as a sign of blessing. With the sun gone, we reached Udaipur, a romantic city that i already had visited during my previous journey to India. In spite of everything, our arrival was stressful, for despite being a pretty city growing about some lakes, Udaipur is a terrible city to enter with autocaravan and especially to find parking place during the night. Normally, in the cities we park in the area of the hotels of luxury, but in Udaipur, these hotels are around the lake (or in the centre of the lake) in an area of impossible access for the autocaravan. So, we started to search and to search, until throwing reverse gear in a dark alley without exit I crashed against a parked motorcycle. At first Alexandra exclaimed scared: "you have killed somebody"! and i went out shot to look behind. A family of a home in front also went out complaining for the fallen motorcycle, but when they proved that the motorcycle did not have any problem and however I did have all the bumper fallen (it does seem funny but it is true)they calmed down. Then they asked us where we went, and as we answered simply that we are looking for some place to park, this family showed us the first indication of hospitality since days and let us park on their street (a family had thrown us out half an hour before from their street where there were other cars parked). Today, we have moved the autocaravan a little more to the centre and have gone to walk towards the lake Pichola and the City Palace, but on the contrary to my previous visit, the city has disappointed me, and Alexandra also. The lake was dirty, the sun came in front (that also contributes), many trades were closed (it was Sunday), we have eaten in a mediocre restaurant... Our feelings, probably, would be very different if we had found a calm place near the lake for the autocaravan, but without desires of giving a second opportunity to Udaipur, we nullifyed the plans of relaxing for three days and left towards the following city. Bundi (see on map) 22/10/2008:
Even if Chittorgarh remains out of the touristic circuits, this fabulous fort well deserves a visit, and likewise consider it tens local tourists that every day go over to the fort of Chittorgarh with rickshaw. We had the luck of the elephants being able to have measures similar to the autocaravan, because we could pass very exactly for all the doors of the fort, saving ourselves like this to do a long hike or to stress out negotiating the visit with rickshaw. The fort, occupying a big area on a hill, preserves different palaces, monuments and temples. Above all, it stands out of spectacular tower of the victory, built in the fifteenth century and raising 37 meters, being possible to climb up to the eighth floor through some labyrinth stairs. In spite of everything, the history of Chittorgarh is not too victorious, and like this remains reflected in numerous Indian songs in which rajputs of the fort relate the three jauhares or suicides in mass of the women and the men with romanticism, before falling defeated by the enemy. The first jauhar, that influenced other jauhares happened later in other cities of the Rajasthan, succeeded in 1303, when the sultan of Delhi in front of a powerful army attacked Chittorgarh, with the goal (like this accounts the legend) of taking the beautiful wife of the king rajput. But that happened, and foreseeing the imminent defeat the king and the rajput army were dressed in saffron colour lothes, and they were thrown to fight against the enemy to a safe death, while the queen and the women of the court instigated a great pyre where they were thrown alive avoiding like this of being dishonoured by the sultan of Delhi. On the contrary to some legends, not all the population of Chittorgarh died, a couple of centuries later, in 1535 and in 1568, the rajputs of Chittorgarh had occasion of carrying out another two jauhares before falling in the hands of two other powerful enemies. It is said that the second jahuar was carried out by 13000 women and 32000 rajputs warriors, and the third for about 8000 warriors, some numbers maybe a little bigger, but in any case terrifying, even if one or two zeros of the numbers are taken. Among the different temples visited in Chittorgarh, there was one jainist situated in front the tower of the fame (built by a jainist merchant). In this temple it stood out, in some sculptures as well as in different photographs of its interior, different teachers or completely naked monks, for according to the jainist sect Digambar, the only path towards the lighting is the uprooting of anything material, even the clothes. So, according to this tradition, only the men can obtain the lighting, for the women are not allowed to transpire from the clothes, because they would probably obstruct the lighting of the men. When going out of Chittorgarh we were asking many people about the best path to reach Bundi, David and Maria had then explained us that a month ago they had done the same tour and the road was terrible, covering about 200 kilometres in 6 hours. Finally we convinced ourselves of the information that the Indians gave us as being correct and that there was a new road open for the first time exactly one week ago. And like this it was, only although it could be circulated through two of the four lanes that were built, we had to keep confronting ourselves with madness of the road, as the driving of some Indians (especially drivers of lorries and buses) seems suicidal, as if they did not have respect for their own life nor that of the others. India is one of the most dangerous countries for driving, where the possibility to have an accident depends more on the other ones than on oneself. On the sides of the roads there are many lorries with evident signs of having been startling frontally, for they without being important to them that vehicles come in contrary direction. On the other hand, we have to keep avoiding at all times sacred cows that they consider the asphalt more comfortable than the lawn and people, who think to be walking in their garden. The truth is that I do not understand the way of being Indian and the risks that take, for example some days ago we saw a bus going to 90 km/hr through a road, and suddenly, a man goes out for a lateral window, and doing balances is gone up above of the bus together with the luggage. Maybe, believing in the reincarnation they do not give value to the life so much? Then, Would this be a proof that the Christian and Muslim do not believe with the same faith in the paradise? (*) The day after before midday we arrived to Bundi, another marvelous fort and palace, dominating a small and nice village. In spite of everything, until we did not find a calm parking place in a police station, we thought that we would not enjoy anything of the village, the same as it had happened in Udaipur. Afterwards we went to eat in a restaurant (a quite economic one for India), as we finished we go towards the big palace, where we visit the palace of the women (those of the men were with payment) that were painted formidably, we next walked a little through the bazaar, and we finally returned to the autocaravan, where we relaxed with the approval of the guardian of the police. But at 9 in the night, another man who opened the shutter of the car without any contemplation came and he told us that we had to leave. I became angry with the little Indian hospitality and with the police who were so little helpful (not even so much alone wanted to suggest where to park), but we did not have more remedy but to collect again the things and to park at a hundred meters distance of the police station, in front of a pretty lake that refracted the palace and the illuminated walls. On the following day, today well early in the morning, I have gone out to walk for the side of the palace up to the summit of the mountain, where there was a line of walls and some forgotten palaces. As in many other forts of the Rajasthan, I have observed once in the summit of the mountain big pools or deposits that accumulated greenish water. This proof of the quantity of rain that falls during the monsoons, which are capable of accumulating in a basin provide water for all the year. When returning, we have started to do path towards Gwalior, the following destination, going in the same way that the previous day, a motorway in construction. But this time, on two occasions, the motorway crossed a river for a sky-high bridge, in whose beginning there was a point of toll done with four woods. They have announced to the first toll that we had to pay the equivalent to about 10 euros, and I, laughed at them and told them that without ticket i would not pay anything,i have kept advancing until I crossed the barrier. But in the second toll, the boys seemed more serious, but also more exalted. They have reported us that we had to pay one euro through the toll, the same cost that a bus. Then we have initiated the same discussion as in all the tolls of India (are quite frequent and in any point): that our autocaravan did not have the category of lorry or bus and that simply was a van (which, normally pays less than one third that the previous ones). But in this toll, the boys did not seem to follow any discipline and their aggressiveness has made me think that if i did not pay i would have problems. But as the barrier was lowered, the other lorries in contrary direction could not pass, so, when they have raised it momentarily to leave to pass a lorry, I have started pushing but the men aside started to hit the autocaravan with violence. We have escaped but we were completely exalted. Were all those nerves only for a euro worth? Probably not, but on the other hand, if we accepted all the cheating attempts, neither we could do the journey, for lack of budget. In any case, we are getting used to these frequent phases of tension and after little I am already capable of relaxing my mind again and of enjoying the present. Proof of that is the dream of tonight, in which some wild animals (representing the Indians or my exaltation) wanted to attack me, but with patience and cold blood, finally i tamed them. (*) Days later I read in an international journal that, according to official data, 10% of the fatal accidents of traffic in the planet happen in India. In 2006, there were more than 460.000 accidents (four accidents every five minutes), in those more than 100.000 people died,and about 500.000 people who were severely wounded. Gwalior (see on map) 24/10/2008:
in Gwalior it changed significantly our experience with the Indians. Anyway, before that happened, yesterday in the morning we stopped before entering in the city to change the brakes from behind, which already started to do noise and could not hold even the Nepal road, where we think to make different repairs with less fear of being tricked. We stop in a quite modern service where, after dismantling a wheel behind an extracting a tablet of brake worn out,they told to me that possibly we would not find the same spare type in all India. I asked them whether they could do the same as in Malawi where they had stuck a new tablet of brake on the original support. But they insinuated to me that they were much more civilised than the Africans and that this solution was not possible in India, but that in any case they would find another. In the end they brought me some bigger original tablets, which they cut until they could be adapted to my wheel. But so that the tablet did not touch in the axis they placed two bits of metal without welding that today they have fallen screeching on the axis all the time. When finishing the repair, it started again the odyssey of finding parking place in the city. at the touristic information point again they sent us away informing us that they did not know about any possible parking place, a hotel with a big parking place neither let us park arguing that they had to leave the possibility of filling the hotel in a single night opened, the commercial streets of the city seemed chaotic and full of people as always... Finally we found a calm alley in front of a big house, where I asked to a boy who talked English if we could park on the other side of the street. Almost surprisingly he answered me that yes. But more surprising was later, at night, when he presented himself with a cousin of his to suggest us to park in their home in order to not be bothered during the night. Then I commented them that they were some of the few Indians that had shown hospitality, answering that the problem is not hospitality, but the Indians hesitate or doubt a lot at the time of approaching the foreigners, because of the language or perhaps for our alien car. Anyway, I do not think that it is like this, for the Indians approach us for many other reasons without hesitating: to touch the car, to try to open the door, to pull outadhesives, to ask us our names and of where we are, to ask us for photos with us... but never to invite us or to let us enter a little in their life, as it had happened in the Islamic countries. It seems that the Indians are much more modest with their privacy, even if they do not appear too respectful with our privacy. In any case, as I have written at first, our experience with the Indians in Gwalior went completely different, for which this morning, they have invited to have breakfast when we woke up, the two boys (Ankur and Ankit) and the parents of Ankit, and while we ate they have suggested to us visiting the city with their car. Incredible, it seemed that we were in Iran or Pakistan! For a moment I have thought that they might be Muslim, but the decoration of the house has convinced me of being Hindu, confirmed to the subsequent conversation, in which they commented that they were vegetarian (they had never tried the meat or eggs), by religious, but also ethical reasons, because they do not want to take part in the animal suffering. After having breakfast and of buying for us a newspaper in English, Ankur and Ankit have accompanied us with the car up to the fort of Gwalior, that, as they themselves have commented did not have too much touristic interest. And were right, as the main attractions were a palace decorated exteriorly with blue pottery, a jainist temple and some enormous jainist statues of the fifteenth century, maybe the most outstanding of Gwalior, even if many of the statues had the faces and the genitals destroyed by the Muslim army that conquered these lands a century later. During the hike, I have asked Ankur, which had about 18 years, whether it preferred that his parents fixed a marriage for him or wanted to get married for love. he has explained me, that on the contrary to the majority of families in India, his fathers were very open and had declared to him that he could marry the one he wanted, even if she was of different caste. When returning from the visit of Gwalior, the family of Anki still had for us another surprise prepared, for they have invited us to eat a delicious meal, although something of the food was very heavy or oily, and it has been complicated for us of digesting afterwards. Finally, without any of both sides knowing how to finish this pretty experience, we have made a photo and we have said goodbye thanking them a lot for their hospitality. And we have returned to the road, sleeping near some pretty temples or palaces called Veer Singh Mahal that did not appear in our guide. Khajuraho (see on map) 26/10/2008:
It was time since my computer did not crush,i had not done safety copies since a month and a half ago and now, my only expectation is that at least i can recover the diary of the last month in India. For luck, Alexandra had stolen me the photos of my computer without my licence and I have only lost some photos of two days ago. In any case, that is not the most important thing to count. The most important thing is that the journey continues, and that the last two days we have visited two interesting places and we have done some new friendships. Yesterday we visited Orcha, maybe not so recommendable of visiting if it was not found on the way to Khajuraho (which we have visited today). In any case, Orcha is interesting for the different temples and palaces left to surround a small Indian village. For my taste, it would stand out a big Hindu temple that it seemed to copy the dimensions of a European cathedral and another temple that was found occupying the stays of a palace, for the history says that a maharajá installed in a temporary way an image of Rama that later was impossible to move, unmistakable signal that God wanted to transform the palace into temple, although that mysteriously, later the image of Rama could be moved up to another temple. At midday we started to do path towards Khajuraho, a very bad road that made us fear for the future roads , for Khajuraho is one of the main attractions of India, especially for the tens of photos that most of the adults have seen of the statues of its temples, identified with the kamasutra normally. The magnificent temples of Khajuraho were built a millennium ago, during approximately one century, in a remote area of India. It is not known why the dynasty Chandela built these 85 temples (of which only 22 have survived the crossing of the time) in one area so far away of the big towns and commercial routes, nor as how they recruited so much manpower in such a depopulated area. In any case, this strange situation of Khajuraho saved its temples from the destruction, the Muslim invasion and domination of Mugals in India did not have any interest to go into a forest area, full of tigers, where they remained left the temples. But if they had done it, for sure that the Muslims would have devastated these exhibitions of impure heresy, where numerous statues are shown fornicating or taking part in orgies of people up to four (normally a man and three women). Although most of the statues in the temples only show daily situations of the life in India of a millennium ago and images of its gods, they stand out among these, in front of the occidental eyes, the sensual or clearly erotic statues. There are different theories on why there is so much sexual exhibition in the temples of Khajuraho, although none is clear. Some researches say that the mentioned sculptures only represent tántric images, one of the many disciplines of yoga (spiritual exercises) to obtain the enlightment, that in this case the spiritual satisfaction about the basic instincts; although I do not think that the image of a man penetrating a horse (as it is represented in one of the temples) is tántric. Other theories talk about an open manual of the kamasutra (old Hindu book that shows, among other aspects, as initiating and maintaining a sexual union) where the young brahmins could learn how to behave in their adult life. However, other more innocent theories explain that such erotic images protected the temples against the fury of the god Indra, who did not direct its lightnings against the temples for its pleasure of voyeurism, although this theory must not be cast awayst nowadays, because all the temples incorporate the lightning rod. After passing a whole morning visiting and photographing the main temples of Khajuraho, we have gone out at noon from the temples while Alexandra asked me: - Have you learned any new thing? - Yes, but to practice it i would need two other women. And immediately after she gave me a well deserved kick. Almost in the same moment, another autocaravan had just arrived and has stopped in front of us. They were the first travellers by car that we saw in India and Alexandra got very happy and went to greet them immediately. They were a French couple that travelled with three daughters and a dog (that bundled outside preventing the Indians knocking the doors during the night). While we ate together in front of their parked autocaravan to the outskirts of the village, Thierry and Marie Pierre have told us that they had been travelling a year and a half through all Europe, Russia, Mongolia and, in the face of the impossibility about crossing China, they had returned for the "stan"republics up to Iran, Pakistan and at present India, with the intention of crossing Burma up to Thailand at the end of January. This possibility that we had discarded (all the world said that Burma could not be crossed with car) has added a new option to our plans that passed for embarking the autocaravan on a container up to Malaysia (about 1000 €) or to leave the autocaravan in India and to travel without house through China and southeast Asia. I have shown a lot of interest in the plans and with the possibility to cross Burma with them and with other Frenchmen who would arrive later. Anyway, it would be a complicated option, since they carried out the visa of Burma from Delhi in December, while we will be in the South of India celebrating the Christmas with David, Maria and their families. In any case, we would hold the contact to preserve this possibility opened. Nepal Kathmandu (see on map) 28/10/2008:
After saying goodbye to our French friends and connecting to Internet (using only the computer of Alexandra), we started to do path towards Kathmandu, Nepal. We planned on visiting Lucknow where we had contacts of Couchsurfing, but the good roads seemed to go towards Vanarasi and we took these, without intention of stopping to visit anything through the road, for we were tired of India and of the Indians a little, expecting to recover the lost calmness in Nepal. On the other hand, although he tried not to worry for my broken computer, i needed to fix it as soon as possible (or to try it) and Kathmandu seemed the best point, since there we had a very good friend of David and the Maria that could help us find a good computer scientist. Another of the many reasons to visit Nepal, was to carry out a series of repairs to the car, because we did not trust that in India we could carry them out with efficiency, being proved the first of these days, when we stopped in a village to fix the brakes that screeched. It was only necessary to weld a small part to the tablets of the brakes to raise them a little and to avoid touching the axis of the wheels. But after 45 minutes trying to extract one of the tablets, they filed slightly one of the sides, installed it again and told me that it was already fixed. I had already tried them to report that the solution was another and that like this was not have fixed anything and, evidently, the part screeched again when pulling the engine out. So, having seen in dismantling the wheel that the rubbing of the part was not too severe and, I commented that it could hold perfectly even to Nepal them that it was not necessary that they tried it more and I left without paying. It seemed that, at least those Indian mechanicals, did not feel like fixing my problem, or they were little innovative, or which simply did not want to be ingenious; if the things are not easy, they prefer denying the work. Despite trying to choose the best roads to Nepal and Kathmandu, there were not too many good ones, with numerous holes and dents in the asphalt, crazy lorries that made us go out from the road and villages full of people where we circulated like turtles. Alexandra asked me: "why do the roads always pass through the middle of the bazaars? ", but I supposed that it was the backwords, the bazaars were simply installed on the main roads, obstructing the circulation. In any case, it took more of two days of journey that it thought that would be needed to Nepal, again, we made records that we did not make from Africa, circulating inferior to the 40 km/hr. On the first day we circulated 200 km, the second 320 km and the third, today, 375 km, getting at about 150 km of Kathmandu. Possibly, the only reason that would have made me remain a few more days in India was the Diwali, one of the most important holidays that are celebrated in India and that already i had opportunity of enjoying among the India community of Mombasa, in Kenya. This 5 day holiday that started yesterday on the 28th, are dedicated to different Hindu deities, among these Rama, to which they guide from his long exile towards home with small torches of oil. At the same time, the Diwali coincides to the new year according to the Hindu calendar, reason for celebration with rockets and fireworks. In any case, despite not receiving any invitation to celebrate the Diwali, we had occasion of observing its celebration during the road. Through the road were sold many garlands of orange and yellow flowers, which were hanged at the lorries, homes and they were possibly offered to the gods. There were also many more shops selling sweet and, those that only came vegetal, did it the double of expensive. On the other hand, it was also easy to confirm that many homes were painted with bright colours, for the occasion. At night, the children started to throw fireworks and the homes turned on the typical lights of Christmas (in Europe) and to situate candles turned on in front of the doors. The Only luck of doing the tour during the diwali was that maybe (only maybe) there was less traffic going through the roads. Finally, today at noon we have arrived to the border of Nepal and with easiness we have been able to make a visa of 15 days (there were different fees according to the desired duration of the visa) and have entered this new country. One of the first things that catched the attention when entering Nepal is the change of hour, fifteen minutes in front of India, a way of indicating that the country is different. Although it is not necessary to detail it this way, because most of the Nepalese have the long eyes; they dress better and cleaner and of more European style (perhaps because it was diwali); it seems to have less beggars (or they are non-existent); and they seem much calmer and more affable. On the other hand, the roads until now (we were at about 150 kilometres of Kathmandu) are excellent, with the grass of the margins newly cut (and showing quite a lot of remains of rubbish that before had been concealed), the people walking for the side of the road (not on the asphalt or through the middle) and the truck drivers and drivers of bus, seemed to drive with much more prudence. Even then, there are some features in common with the India, as the cows occupying the asphalt of the road, together with numerous bicycles and motorcycles, some of which also they take 4 or 5 passengers. In spite of everything, not everything has been perfect and my prophecy has not been complied according to which, yesterday it would be the last day in which we would be upset during the night or that someone would try to open the door (in this case they were the same workers of the gasstation where we had parked). In Nepal, the people seem much more respectful with the property of the other ones, although we have arrived in the worst moment to check it. We had option of parking in the middle of the forest, but we have finally decided to park in a gas tation in the middle of a village. When darkening, we have observed for the window how small groups of children walked in front of houses and shops stopping to sing and to dance typical songs of Diwali in exchange for earning some sweets or some coins. Later, the groups of youngsters have made themselves more numerous, so, to sing in the shop of the side of the gas station, the youngsters passed for the side of the car, touching it, knocking it and moving it. Alexandra has been hysterical, sounding the alarm and screaming to the youngsters for the window. But the situation has turned irresistible when the shop has installed a powerful equipment of music and the youth has started to dance. We could have added ourselves to the party, but we were already in bed and the day after wanted to reach early Kathmandú, so, not to bother more the party of the other ones nor our rest, we have decided to move the autocaravan towards a calmer place. 03/11/2008:
We have spent 6 good days in Kathmandu, in the company of Jay Ram and his family. Jay Ram is a very good friend of the family of David and Maria, which have made different trekking through the mountains of Nepal guided by Jay Ram and later invited him to stay some months in Spain. So good friendship there is between them, that Jay Ram has named two of his children, Maria (5 years) and David (2 months); in the middle they also have another energetic girl Asmita (3 years). Jay Ram and his family received us with garlands of flowers and some long and fine fabrics that they hanged around the collars, afterwards we met in the small room where they lived with other members of the family and together we celebrated the last day of Diwali. They offered us tea, they painted the forehead for us with different points of colours and we were talking about our common friends, David and Maria, and their journey. Afterwards Jay Ram accompanied us through the pretty city of Kathmandu to walk, explaining to us that it was high season for the tourism (it was noticed in the streets) and that there was a lot of work as guide; in fact - he ended up explaining us - he had refused a trekking to be able to be with us. He knew that Jay Ram can work only for 6 months as tourist guide through the mountains, being the only source of income for the family. For luck, after a couple of days, Jay Ram commented us that he would have a trekking of 20 days, up and close to the everest, maintaining him quite occupied until today at night, when he has cooked us the last dinner, as always delicious. Finally, after drinking a couple of beers, we have said goodbye to him affectionately wishing him a lot of luck. It has been a pleasure to know Jay Ram and his family, has then been a great comfort after a month and a half going among distrustful Indians. his hospitality was comparable to the Turkish, Iranian or Pakistani, although the economic situation of Jay Ram was not comparable to the previous families with whom we had been. So, I tried to pay one of our expenses during our stay, although it was complicated that Jay Ram accepted it. It was also interesting to find the situation of Nepal for us first-hand with Jay Ram in order to know. Although he did not like talking about politics, one morning he surprised me explaining that since 1996, Nepal had been a country in war, innocent people were dying every day as consequence of the confrontation among the Maoist groups and the royal forces. Few years later, in 2001, there was a massacre in the royal palace, in which - according to official sources - the heir prince killed his king father, the queen and another 10 members of the royal family because they did not accept his marriage with an aristocrat. The same night, the heir prince was shot, remaining successor of the royal power the brother of the unsuccessful king, present in palace during the tragedy and considered for many Nepalese as the true responsible for the killings (in the Nepalese royal history there are other similar cases of massacres). The new king decided to govern with more harsh treatment against the Maoists, but different days of demonstrations and general strikes in Kathmandu triggered off a series of political reactions that finished with the dethroned king and democratic elections gained by the Maoists. These recent events have finished pacifying the country, the number of tourists increasing substantially this season, reason for which, Jay Ram appeared confident and optimistic when looking at the future. In fact, Kathmandu is the most touristic city that we have visited in a lot of time. There is the neighbourhood of Tamel where everything seems to be focused on to the tourists: hotels, restaurants, agencies of trekking, shops for mountain gear, souvenirs... Even so, the atmosphere is calm and relaxed and is nice to walk south, up to the old Kathmandu, the centre with the Durbar square, tightened with pretty temples and palaces, through the neighbourhood towards Tamel. The hindu and Buddhist temples are placed so close that it is difficult to take a good photograph in perspective, in any case, the details of both of the temples are also magnificent, as for example, the works in the wood or the multiple roofs. An atmosphere similar, but with less tourists, was breathed in Patan, a town in the south of Kathmandu, with another Durbar square (it means palace) and an old town with many other fabulous temples, in one of which an interesting Hindu ceremony was celebrated. I went to Patan in minibús with the passengers tinned as sardines and me, and some others, hanged out of the door. For luck nobody fell through the road and when arriving, I could go the embassy of Myanmar (Burma), main reason for my visit to Patan. The Frenchmen of Khajuraho had informed us about being possible to cross Myanmar by car up to Thailand, but the consul, although nice, did not appear too optimistic. In any case, he let me apply for the visas at the same time he suggested some travel agency in Myanmar to get in touch with. Also I dedicated a couple of days to try to solve another problem, my broken computer; but I have been very little fortunate, because I have not even been able to fix the computer nor to recover the data of the hard disk. So, today I have bought a new one through Internet that I have sent at the house of the parents of David;they will arrive in December in the south of India; and we have also modified the route to be able to arrive there in time. We will go down through the east coast, where there are not too many monuments to visit, and make use to stop in Calcutta, where I will try to take the hard disk to a laboratory of recovery of data and keep informing myself about the possibility to cross Myanmar by car. 12/11/2008:
The day after saying goodbye to Jay Ram, we were early in the morning to the India embassy to renew the entry visa. But we did not arrive early enough, for already there were tens of foreigners expecting to be attended at one window, where they kept calling according to the number of arrival. The system, despite being automated, was a little chaotic and too slow, and only after four hours we could deliver the forms. A similar process we suffered after three days, when after another day of waiting, in the evening we could collect our passports with a new visa for India valid six months with double entry. The day after our first visit to the Indian embassy, we continued with our working plans and did our first visit to a car workshop in Nepal to make repairman’s to the car. First we fixed the new tablets of brakes that still screeched from India and welded a small peace. The day after we made a new box for the carboys of butane, much more reinforced than the original one and raised from the ground (on numerous occasions we had scraped the roads of Africa). The following two days we gave ourselves a little rest to visit the interesting valley of Kathmandu and yesterday Monday, we went to another workshop that some travellers recommended us. There we fixed a peace that danced and that made noise since Iran, today we have reinforced the bumper of the back the car that in India had been dismounted when crashing slightly with a motorcycle, and tomorrow we will fix the stair of the autocaravan and we will make it shorter, so that it does not touch the ground. And all these five working days for only 70€, a whole bargain considering that finally we will have an autocaravan capable of confronting any path. In any case, i would never go to test it again through the roads of Africa, although, who knows which roads await us in the future in India, southeast Asia, or America? For sure that better than Africa, however, who knows? Anyway, much more prepared for the bad roads were some Germans that were travelling with an autocaravan made on top of a lorry of the Danish army. We find them camping in a quite centric wasteland of Kathmandu, together with a Swiss-German couple that travelled with an old Mercedes van. It was nice to meet them and camp in the same space the following days while we explained our experiences and philosophies of journey. The Swiss-German couple travelled with a child of 5 years and did very few kilometres per month and relaxed long periods of time in specific places, planning to return to Germany in about two years and settle so that the son could study. However, the German couple with the lorry drove faster than we (and using up the double of fuel for 100 kilometres) having the plan of returning to Germany in less than one year to continue carrying out other journeys of a duration inferior to one year. In any case, none of the two foreign couples seemed so interest as us - or I - to know new places, monuments, cultures and people. So, between the departures and arrivals to the workshop and to the Indian embassy, I left Alexandra exhausted with a programme of visits to different places of interest close to Kathmandu, mainly Buddhist and hinduist temples, the two dominant religions in Nepal. Remembering that Jay Ram had told us that the Buddhism is practiced mostly in the mountains of Nepal, considering that the Hinduism was a religion imported from India. Anyway, the reality is that, although Buddha was born in the current Nepal in the year 550BC, the Buddhism was not extended in Nepal, just 300 years after, thanks to the Buddhist indian emperor Ashoka, different rebirths of both religions being produced later. among the visits that we carried out was the impressive Buddhist stupas of Swayambhunath and of Bodhnath, which represent the Buddhist philosophy, with a level squared on a white dome, that contains painting to the four winds the two eyes of budha and the number 1 written in Nepalese as third eye, symbolising the unit of all the lives. We also visited a couple of hinduist temples, entering first the temple of Budhanikantha where in the morning there were long queues to adore and to make offerings to an enormous statue of vishnu settling in the middle of a pond. A couple of days ago we also visited the temple of Pashupatinath, the most important hinduist temple of Nepal, that raises next to the sacred river of Bagmati, where they burned different pyres. We had occasion to witness next to other pyres in an almost complete way consumed, a man dressed in white that piled different trunks up forming a rectangular structure almost of one meter of height. Later, different people arrived loaded with the body of a dead old woman, wrapped in yellow fabric, to which they uncovered the face once put on the structure of trunks. Immediately after, two of her children, a man and a woman, gave different turns to the pyre crying, screaming of pain and almost fainting; while they did different offerings helped by other people. Next, they covered the body of the dead with straw to conceal the morbidness of the meat being consumed and the son instigated the pyre below. Afterwards the family was withdrawn, and Alexandra washed her tears away. However, I stayed with a feeling of fragility in the face of life, observing how the flames fastened the wood and as afterwards people raised and people creaked with force when being fed by the grease of the body that started to be consumed. I could not feel the smell of burned meat, but Alexandra considered it unbearable and when we met again, we had to leave for she was getting dizzy. Nicer than the visit to the temple of Pashupatinath, was our stay in the village of Bhaktapur, which preserves a certain medieval air, for the cars have the circulation forbidden; and the village of Nagarkot, from where an impressive sight of the mountains of the Himalaya was enjoyed, including the mythical Everest, which in theory could be observed as a point in the horizon. Finally, our stay in Kathmandu was complete with the meeting of a hinduist Nepalese, friend of a friend of Manu Kant from Chandigarh, called CM Yogi. CM Yogi invited me one night to the school that he had created and in which he tried to transmit a message of non violence and a spiritual base among the children. Answering to my questions, CM Yogi explained me that in Nepal the Hinduism and the Buddhism, which were very mixed traditionally, are practiced although recently they have started to be separated due to the Dalai Lama that has taken the voice of the Buddhist community. Anyway, even nowadays, many festivals, temples, prayers, ceremonies... they are shared at the same time by hinduists and Buddhist. In any case, it was noticed that CM Yogi had a clear preference for the Hinduism, stating that, unlike all the other religions that had been created in a moment of the history, the hinduists think that their religion had appeared in the same moment of the creation. In any case, CM Yogi ended up commenting that to grow spiritually religion is not needed and that one has to come alone to the light. For example, the school, the institute and the university, are necessary institutions to acquire knowledge, although afterwards one has to abandon them to apply the educational background. Equally it has to happen with the religions, if one is not released of these, one will be a religious person without spirituality or understanding. So, to obtain the lighting, one has to be released from all the physical, emotional and intellectual links. Afterwards CM Yogi told me that the Christianity is easy to be explained, only because there is a God and a book; however, in the Hinduism there are many Gods, different books, different types of temples... Anyway, preserving a parallelism with the monotheistic religions, all the Hindu Gods do not stop being the demonstration of only one God, in the same way that a person has different names according to the context where he is (family, work, friends, religion...). So, the believers should not tie themselves to the names: God, Allah or Vishnu... In fact, one should not be tied to nothing and no one. But I asked: "If we have to release ourselves of all our ties, why we should not detach from the same concept of God". First he did not understand me, but, he told me little afterwards that one should also detach from God, without stopping loving him infinitely. --- In Kathmandu I took the pulse in to the world with CM Yogi, who gave an opinion that the main problem of the world was the lack of education (at formal level) and of conscience (at informal level), both problems create problems and conflicts, even if the lack of conscience thinks them at a more global level. Spiritual philosophy should be shown at a formal level, detached from the religions, a proposal that he is trying to develop with his organisation, acting at local level. The main problem in Nepal is the war of the Maoists rebels, who at present govern without having given up the weapons. CM Yogi is happy because he works in a project for the poor communities. The happiness depends on the mind, the pleasure depends on the heart. The happiness can be reached materially, but the pleasure only with conscience. wach video 1 wach video 2 India Bodhgaya (see on map) 14/11/2008: After a morning spent in the wirkshop of Kathmandu shortening the stairs of the car (the work lasted more than i expected), we got out of the city with the intention of getting as close to the border as possible, for the visa expired the same day. In any case, even if we had wanted, it would have been impossible to cross the border that same night, because little after going out of Kathmandu we stopped in front of a motorcycle and motorcyclist that had suffered an accident, falling due to the detachment of some rocks (or like this I believed it). In fact I did not manage to see the motorcyclist, because the crowd of people exiting the buses and the houses around were brought together around him. Without possibility to be able to help him, with desires of probably sharing the show, I started to take the rocks that had fallen on the asphalt. But surprisingly, two boys who seemed indignant with my work approached: - Why are you doing this? Do you not see that there has been an accident? - They asked me with elementary English. - Late or early the cars will have to pass, no? - and I kept throwing rocks out of the road. My answer did not convince them at all, because after a minute they returned more aggressive requiring me to stop. And I, annoyed with their incomprehensible attitude - according to my culture - I took a couple of stones that had taken out of the road and I threw them again on the asphalt, locking myself in the car. Although few minutes other youngsters finished putting the rest of stones off the road,but the situation did not stop being very strange. The Nepalese are very impatient driving, creating numerous jams when wanting to occupy every open space of the road, even if it is in the contrary lane; but here, all the world appeared calm and neither the buses nor lorries pressed to pass. We,finding ourselves almost in front of everyone, could have passed among the crowd, on the side of the fallen motorcycle and of the injured, but i did not want to endanger the crystals of the autocaravan in the face of the aggressive attitude that some of them had shown me some moments ago. We expect some lorry to take the initiative, but instead of that, two lorries went in the road so that they stopped the motorcycles from passing. In this case, the Nepalese culture was well different to the European, where if there is an accident the cars continue circulating for the side of the corpse or wounded, even if to pass they have to touch the legs. In any case, after an hour of waiting the police arrived, but the situation did not improve; nor after one another hour, when the ambulance arrived and took the wounded. i did not understand anything, and after another hour I went out to ask among the people. A little Nepalese Muslim who talked little English told me: - There has been an accident. - Yes, but the motorcyclist is in hospital, no? why are we still retained? The man seemed a little disoriented with my question, but finally, looking for the adequate English words he answered to me. - For somebody has hit the motorcyclist. Now, the police are waiting that the motorcyclist recovers conscience in the hospital so that it can identify the guilty car. - However, what will happen if the victim does not wake up till morning it. - We will have to sleep here, in the buses or in the road. - And if he does not wake up even after two days? The man seemed amused by my occurrence and raised the shoulders as a sign of ignorance. So, after contrasting the previous information with another Nepalese, I returned to the car where Alexandra was becoming excited every passing moments and we waited for another hour, and another, and another. A total of five hours. Suddenly, while i was eating up a dish of noodles that i had cooked few minutes ago. All the people ran did the buses and lorries and the long parade of vehicles started; in our case, without knowing whether the victim had recovered the conscience or not. We slept in a gas station and when it lightened the day we followed the road towards the border, arriving mid-morning. We completed the forms of exit and little before stamping the passports, the officer realised that we had the visa expired for a day. With a low-pitched pitch he commented that we had a problem, and that he could only solve it if we helped him economically. Of little counted that we explained the history of the accident, although when letting some minutes pass I understood that they did not ask us for a great bribery. Finally I asked Alexandra to go to look for three sunglasses that we still had from the journey to Africa and they appeared very happy with the gift. To the same moment that they were trying on one of the glasses, entered Uwe and Dani, the Germans that we had met in Kathmandú and who travelled with the lorry. together we have just done the Nepalese formalities of exit and we entered India,stoping us in front of the Indian customs, where they dealt us with a great hospitality, buying drinks and giving us with fruits, as they explained us afterwards, only about 7 or 8 foreign cars cross that border each month. In the customs there was a very nice man who explained us that he practiced yoga to remain in form intellectually and physically. In fact - he commented us - due to the increasing stress in India, many people in the urban areas are rediscovering the profit of the yoga, which purifies the soul and the body through exercises of gymnastics, respiration, concentration and meditation. When going out of the border, we started to circulate through a terrible road (the worst of India) up to a gas station, where also the German couple stopped. There we relaxed with a good dinner (they provided sangria) and explained the last experiences of Nepal. When describing them the history of the accident of the motorcyclist, they told us that the occasional patience of the Nepalese in the road is due to the ten years of armed conflict of the country, which provoked massive general strikes that they blocked roads for days, or even weeks. In fact, they coincided with a demonstration in a Nepalese road. They could pass being foreign, but other buses that had tried were parked next to the road with the broken crystals. ‹ Previous (15/09/2008) MONTH Next (2008-11-14)› ‹ Previous (2009-08-29 - Nepal) COUNTRY Next (2009-09-19 - Pakistan)› |
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