old tiger's Blog

They told me about Bikaner..city on the edge of the Thar desert..
so..I took that train from Jodhpur..to this place..
in fact..I did not like it at all..Bikaner...was dirty..hot..noisy..
but the folks are very colourfull...specially the tribal woman..
awww...Rajasthan is a photographers paradise really..
again..a qila(fort)the same stuff than any other fort..
the fort is called Junagarh qila..quite impressiv..
throne room..mirrors in the ceiling..maharajah artifacts..
I saw it all before..I enjoyed it every time..always different..
the old city is entered via a gate=Kota gate..
saw some nice haveli(houses)I will relate about haveli's in next
posting about Jaisalmer..and yes..Bikaner...a bazar as well..
I talked to some young Bikaneri's..they gave me *bhujia*
that's a nice snack..it can be salted or hot..
i still get it today in a local Indian shop at 30kms.from my door..
once I start this shit..I can't stop eating it...bwaaahah..
these dudes were students..they said I should visit Deshnoke..
I did not..but..I will tell you about Deshnoke..
the Karni Mata mandir(temple)is known as the rat temple..
http://www.judypat.com/india/karnimata.htm
Karni was a re-incarnation of Durga(Hindu goddess)
it's a place 30kms.from Bikaner...reached by bus..
it's full of rats..they are in the temple...and fed on silver plates...
strange India..oh yes..I'll get you all a link..
I don't like rats..but..they are creatures of this universe..
so are snakes..lions..tigers..humans..anything..we all belong..
I went to the bus station...because..I had to travell to Jaisalmer..
by bus..via Phalodi...a trip on an Indian bus=7 hours ride..
omg..some adventure..I can tell you peeps..I got dust in my hair..
in my mouth...tastes very funny..that Rajasthani dust..heat..
crazy Tiger

Jodphur town was for me a very positive stop..
it's a typical Rajasthani town...very colourful..
with a qila(fort)on a steep hill overlooking the town..
the people are of Bishnoi tribal origin..just like in Bikaner..
their women wear extremely colourful dresses..
nose rings,multicoloured bracelets,ankles on their feet..
first thing I did was taking a shower in the railway station..
what's remarkable in Jodhpur...not only the view from the fort..
but the colour of most of the houses..was blue tinted...
so..I set off to walk the hill towards Meherangarh qila(fort)
steep climb..but not so bad..took a rest inbetween..
gives a stunning view over Jodhpur city as well..remarkable..
are the many bandars(monkeys)beware..they are not afraid..
they make a funny shrieking noise if they come near...
the langur monkeys in India..got very long tails...
and they are very naughty...they sometimes steal food..
out of a home kitchen in Indian provincial cities..
now..this fort..surrounded by walls..it has no less then 7 gates..
of course..every fort looks bit the same..inner courtyards..gates.
I believe this fort has a history of maharaja rule..like so many others..
I strolled around the inner parts of this fort..very impressiv..
walked down again..visited the Sardar bazar near Clock tower..
very busy shopping place for sweets,vegeatables,handicrafts..
you'll find these juti's=chappals(sandals)=typical for Jodhpur
I took some transport..auto ricksja towards Umaid Bhawan..
it's the palace of the maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur..
very nice architecture..built up in pink reddish sandstone...
it's a luxury hotel nowadays..foreign tourists..
paying a nice price..to feel like maharaja's for one night??
it all seemed very British to me..the whole palace..
the pomp and show..does not weigh up...to the misery..
one sees every day in normal streetlife troughout India..
but..that's another thing..you'll have to get used to..
while travelling through India..it's very hard sometimes..
I'll see for a link on the fort..
http://www.rajasthaninformation.com/jodhpur.html
Tiger

so...Pushkar..had to take a bus to get there..
this place is a pilgrimage place for Hindus in fact..
it has to do with the Hindu god Brahma..
Brahma was looking for a place..to do an offering..
while thinking..a lotus flower in his hand..lost its petals..
3 lakes were created from it..one of them was Pushkar lake..
I reached Pushkar..it was bloody hot..on the ghat's..one sees..
sadhus's or Hindus taking their ritual bath..I did the same..bwah..
it was so terribly hot that day..the Brahma temple is worthwhile..
a ghat is like steps where one can sit..leading to the water..
the ones in Benares=Varanasi..are world famous...
it's amazing..the amount of temples in this place..
during my previuos India trip..I became a bit of a temple freak..
amazing...how temples like this could have been built..
Pushkar is best known for its camel fair or market in november..
peasants,farmers,camels..a real trade..between Rajasthani tribals..
never witnessed this..I was there in september..during the 60-70's
lots of hippies visited this place..don't know why???
when I was there I seemed to be the only foreigner there??
scams again..some so called holy men..will offer a flower..
to be dropped in the holy lake..they put a red bindi on your forehead..
afterwards..they stretch their hands..and ask you for 100 roupies??
so..and then..these false dudes will predict your karma..ahah..yip..
double faced folks..always existed..nowadays..awww..don't tell me..
who's showing his real face??you??me??uhuh..did society forced us
to play chameleon games..I don't know..about that..
so..Pushkar..nice visit..but..I did not like the heat..
and the forced and false exploitation of a holy place..
I've seen that in Benares,Agra...well..all over in fact..
in my opinion..wrong...you know..the paisa=money game...
P.S..no photography was allowed of the ghats..and the ritual baths..
don't know..if today this rule changed??maybe..a money game again??
I went back for a 30 min.bus ride to Ajmer railway station..
if I recall well..I took a night train towards Jodhpur..
now..Jodhpur..nice town..known for these crazy chappals(sandals)
will tell you crazy peepers about all this..watch out..
click..click..click.. 44 pages of pictures here..go for it..
http://images.google.be/images?q=pushkar+pictures&ndsp=20&svnum=10&um=1&hl=nl&start=0&sa=N
crazy Tiger

Got my train ticket to Ajmer reserved..
trip of a few hours only..it's about 125kms away..
from Jaipur..train trip went O.K..felt bit strange..
did not travell on a train for a while..stayed more
then a month in Jaipur...so..it was a challenge again..
Indian trains..are quite something..you will meet..
the rich..the poor..the middle class..mostly..I met..
the middle class Indians..hard working..and proud..
of being Indian..they give their kids..education..
it's a word often spoken in India..first question..
an Indian will ask you??what's your job??
where are you from??are you married??
I could only answer question 2..bwaahah..
now..this city..Ajmer..lies on lake Ana Sagar..
I went to Ajmer..because I heard about Pushkar lake..
I'll tell you all in a later posting about this place..
it was about 11kms.distance from Ajmer city..
Ajmer was religion..Muslim..Islam..very much so..
I visited the shrine of a *pir*=holy Muslim saint..
it's called the *Dargah*which holds the tomb..
of Muin-ud-in Chisti..a Sufi..mystical Islam..
first one has to leave shoes outside the entrance..
and your head has to be covered..
a scarf..a handkerchief..a Muslim cap(fez)
there is a bazar area around this whole complex..
this *dargah*somehow made quite an impression on me..
it's like a whole complete village in there..
school..mosque etc..even their own hospital..
I'm not religious at all..never have been..
I believe in the goodness of the mutual heart..
the tomb itself..completely in marble..Sufi chants etc..
it gives you an atmosphere of religion..the Sufi's..well..
I'll get into that later on perhaps..qawalli music etc..
this place..is a pilgrimage spot for Muslims..
means..donations..roses..a very religious spot..
I felt bit awkward in my cap..I got a Muslim cap..
from Kabul(Afghanistan)from my first India trip..
I talked to some pilgrims..they were all..
in a state of fervour and excitement..I can understand..
but...I was not a Muslim like them..
as usual..touts are around..even in this place..
asking for money..donation for this..donation for that..
I did not give anything..polite form of begging..I call this..
in India..every day..when one travells..you get confronted..
with religion..poverty..beggars..don't give to beggars..
they are often professionals..who earn more a day..
then a factory worker..who works his ass off..
to support his poor family...India=country of contrasts..
if you can't take that..just stay away..stay home..
after the Dargah visit...strolled a bit around through the Bazar..
had a look at the lake..nothing special to me...
Ajmer is also well known for Mayo college=English based univ..
for the jet set..the sons of maharadja's..very strict rules..
I believe once every 3 months these dudes may go home...
education,you know..I found out about the bus timings towards
Pushkar..about 11kms.away..I stayed in the Railway retiring rooms..
Ajmer..was in my eyes...quite a dirty place..
Pushkar lake..was more relaxed..I even had a swim in the lake..
will tell you peeps later on..if you're interested...boooohh..
crazy Tiger

So..4 days in bed..with temperatures outside of over 30 degrees..
not very pleasant..now..medicines in India..are good and effective..
I took some of my own stuff against diaree..called Reasec..
brought it from Belgium..very good stuff..dysentery weakens..
your whole system...but..I got cured after 4 days...
back to my old self...started to eat again...I needed a challenge..
I've seen folks getting sick in India..good advice..
go as soon as possible..to a doctor..ayurvedic medicines are just
great..I still look out for them today..difficult to get here nowadays..
luckily Belgium and Holland get Indian shops..I love it...
in Ruby's place..lots of mosquito's in the evening..
every evening we used to flit the whole place..it smelled bad..
but effective against mosquito's..malaria is lurking in India..
I took my pills regularly..never got any sign of malaria..
so...again..i cycled back up to Jaipur town..every time..
I did that...was different..it was such a blast..a real experience..
so..railway station...always good for a cup of cheap tea..
I got lured by 2 Jaipuri youngsters to visit a shop..
it was near Hawa Mahal..the usual talk..come in my shop??
where are you from??do you like India??are you interested in??
well..well..I knew these scams..just watch out..
it was about stones this time..ruby's,emeralds etc..
I told these dudes..I was poor..finally..because..
I knew HOW to talk..the whole discussion ended up..
on Hindi movies..girls..movie stars..boobies..the whole shit..
they even payed me a cool beer..free..a Golden eagle beer..
so..I came out as a winner..
Indian touts are clever..very clever..they know..
how to trick tourists into buying things..
I knew these tricks...and..I tackled my way around it..
one warning..Jaipur is known for precious stones..
watch out in Johari bazar..Surana's is the real stuff.
but lots of cheating is done by other small fish jewelry touts..
never buy stones..because they are usually worthless..
or at least..not good value for what you payed for it...
watch out as well..to show..or pay by Visa card etc..
I always travelled with cash..risky...I know..
but..I almost never got ripped off..exept in Delhi..
probably by an Italian desperate drug hippie addict..
he stole about 100 dollars..my fault...
should have hidden it better..anyway..
the embassy...will not be much of a help..
better to let transmit some dollars to a bank..
from your home place..but..it takes time..
so..that day...I just cycled around..
and booked a train ticket to Ajmer..
I was gonna go on the road again..
saying goodbye to Jaipur..and to Ruby..
well..thanks,Ruby..you're here with me...
for more then 30 years...through thick and thin in life..
I love you..and I always will..
will tell you about my travell adventures to South India...
first trip=Rajasthan..Ajmer-Pushkar lake-Jodhpur etc..
crazy Tiger