Photos from India - Pushkar Camel Fair and Udaipur

Hi,

The Pushkar Camel Fair in the western Indian desert was very bizarre with Moustache and Turban competitions.  There was also a race for women carrying large pots of water on their heads.  

The town of Udaipur on a lake was more relaxing, with some great rooftop restaurants with stunning sunset views over a lake.

Photos posted at

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZfFRntuzpgVrm9rN6

Having a great time, and finally getting the hang of India.  It can be challenging to say the least.  Off to Jodhpur tomorrow by bus.

Cheers,

Dave

Have I turned into an Alien?

There is something very strange going on.  When outside the tourist areas of India, I think I must turn into some sort of Alien creature.  Everyone is staring at me!  And it's not just the kids who stare, but the adults, the old people…. everyone!   

I got lost today in a poor rural area that I probably should not have been wandering around in.  I gradually realized that I had not seen a car, rickshaw, or even a camel cart for a long time.  The streets where getting very narrow, and the kids starting with the staring, and then started following me.  I felt like the Pied Piper.  Some people said "hello" (their only know English word), but most people just stared in amazement at the tall, white Alien wandering though their neighbourhood.  The stares where not unfriendly, but the hundreds of big, brown eyes watching every move I made was really starting to freak me out. 

As it started getting dark, I knew I didn't have much time to get a handle on the situation, so started asking directions…. But it was almost impossible to find anyone with any English at all.  Finally, I lucked out and spotted a monument in the distance that I had seen before and headed in that direction.  Just as the sun set, I walked out onto a busier street and flagged down a Rickshaw.  A close call…or just another adventure?   ....Dave

I'll post a few more photos tonight to the India albums

https://picasaweb.google.com/103173248988357771573

Big cows make big patties

There are cows all over India, just wandering around, blocking traffic, and sleeping in the middle of the intersections.  Everyone just leaves them alone, as they are sacred.  Once I almost got run over by a stampeding cow running down a very narrow alleyway.  But the worst is the huge piles of steaming cow patties everywhere.  You really have to be careful where you walk.

Photos
https://goo.gl/photos/QCuAUVtzJaHjuZxt5

What’s on the BBQ?

When I stepped out onto the little hotel balcony along the river Ganges to see what was being BBQ'd, I was looking right at a huge stack of burning wood with a shrouded body on the top.  Ah, so that what the BBQ tang in the air is.

Varanasi India, is one of the oldest continually inhabited place on earth, and the holiest places in India.  Hindu pilgrims come to the ghats(steps) lining the River Ganges here to wash away a lifetime of sins in the sacred waters, or to cremate their loved ones on open wood fires.  Apparently, expiring here offers moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death).  This was very comforting as I thought I might be dying with food poisoning in the hotel.  There are a number of hospices next to the burning Ghats, and people travel from all over India to die here. 

As the Lonely Planet Guide says… "Brace yourself.  You're about to enter one of the most blindingly colorful, unrelentingly chaotic and unapologetically indiscreet places on earth.  Varanasi takes no prisoners."

Most Ghats are used for bathing, but there are also "burning Ghats (funeral pyres)", where bodies are cremated openly in public.  The River is a fascinating mixture of people who come for ritual bathing, washing clothes, massage, playing cricket, and washing their buffaloes.  Every detail of life and death is out in the open.  Men playing cards, women socializing, boys flying kites, men urinating just about anywhere, Sadus meditating, monkeys running around the rooftops and along power lines, cow, goats, and dogs wandering around the crowds of pilgrims.

All for now, Dave

Photos
https://photos.app.goo.gl/hEoWFacrvzWzWjE36

Vomit in Varanasi

Well, I knew it would happen eventually.  Yep, after 6 weeks in Nepal, I finally got food poisoning.  But that's not the worst.  It started just as I was packing up for a flight to Varanasi, India.  I felt nauseous during the 1 hour taxi ride to the airport, and then while standing in the ½ hour security lineup to get into the Airport, I started sweating and feeling I would need a toilet very soon.  There were no toilets except inside the airport, so I walked to the front of the line, and told the security guard I was sick.  I must have looked pretty bad as he looked at me and then let me through right away.  I made it to the toilet in time and then kept notes of the nearest toilets.   On the plane I asked for an Airsick bag.  and although I didn't need it on the plane, it came in handy during the 1 hour taxi ride to my Varanasi hotel.  I then holed up in the rather grimy hotel for a day. Just as my travel medical book says, after releasing everything from both ends, I felt much better after 24 hours.  I guess it could have been worse, but the timing was definitely not good.

Cheers, Dave

Photos
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yr4BFrehrBchUU6r5

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zthMHekf2vF4ddwH9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sgESNGqWiDcM3hnB9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qE5xPvtBYMXL6pEP6

30 days of trekking in Nepal under blue skies

Hi,

     I just arrived back in Kathmandu after 30 days of trekking.  The first trek was 13 days in the Annapurna region, followed by 17 days in the Everest region.  I enjoyed some stunning scenery, mostly blue sky weather, interesting villages, and very friendly people.  I found the climbing at altitudes up to 5400 meters very hard, but slow and steady seemed to work.  Sometimes it was 3 slow steps, then rest for 10 seconds, and then repeat.  I didn't get altitude sickness, but saw many who did.  There were constant helicopter rescues for people who had not  acclimatized properly.  The temperatures in the Everest region where colder than I expected.  The temperature in my room in Lobuche(5000m) was -13c in the morning with frost on the paper thin walls.  Generally nights dropped to -5c or so in the rooms, but at 5000m it felt like -15c.  Trekking in the sunshine was nice and warm, but at altitude there was about a 10c degree difference between being in the sun vs. being in the shadow.

     It was great to have a porter, and I enjoyed carrying just a light day-pack.  Not sure I could have carried a heavy pack at 5000 meters.   

     The Guesthouses and food where usually pretty good, but I still lost a fair bit of weight.  I hear this is pretty common when trekking high up.  I'm heading out for a steak dinner in a few minutes to put on some pounds.

     On Nov. 17, I fly to Varanasi, India, and am looking forward to some heat.  It should be interesting, and a challenge to my travel skills.

I've posted another photo album for the Everest Trek and a few more Kathmandu photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SCw8JytTtgbi2nUcA

All for now,

Dave