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Travel Category
Made it from Jaipur to Udaipur on the overnight bus on Wednesday. I had no problem with the bus like when I attempted to take the upscale ‘Magic Bus’ from Bangkok to Laos last January. I had to get off the bus right in the Bangkok station; my daughter thought it was claustrophobia & I think she was right. (Some of you 50 or over will remember the old, decrepid, colorfully painted Magic Buses that went from Europe to India via Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan & Pakistan during the 60′s & 70′s).
Anyway, the desk clerk at our beautiful upscale Jaipur hotel booked us onto the overnight government bus & the manager decided since we were good customers & he’d taken a liking to us, to comp us with a car & driver to the bus station a short trip away, instead of us shlepping over their with our bags in an auto rickshaw. The irony of it, as it turned out!
The bus left at 7:20, a little late, & was to arrive in Udaipur at 5:30 am. The hotel manager, who was from Udaipur, said it would be dark when we arrived, so just to have tea, then get an auto rickshaw to our hotel. Our hotel was expecting us, & said they had a place where we could rest until our room was ready at 10 am.
The bus itself was fine; the route & ‘amenities’ not so good…We were given 2 reclining seats plus a double berth up top. I didn’t want to use the berth as it seemed like a closet to me; also it would be difficult to climb down fast enough when the bus stopped for washroom breaks (I knew from previous experience that the bus would stop suddenly, apparently at random, & an employee would shout instructions to us in Hindi).
We went along fine for over 2-1/2 hours, then we stopped at what I guess was a ‘typical’ rural, small town bus station; it was full of Indian men, not a woman in sight; men who had no English, they just stared & stared (quite typical). When I asked the driver, he said it was a 5 minute stop. Don found us a door marked ‘toilet’ in big letters & we went past the doorman, who did not ask for any money, to the inside squatter cubicles. So far so good…
The next stop was only 1-1/2 hours later, at 10:15; it was a foodstop also, a bit more upscale I think, but we didn’t need food or toilets at that point. Then the bus stopped again at 1 am at another bus station; this one with 2 women waiting with partners for buses. I got off & asked the driver where the toilet was. ‘No toilet’ was the reply, so I got back on, not really needing to go but not wanting to get caught out uncomfortably.
Then we stopped once again at 2 pm & we both got off. Again I was told ‘no toilet’, & told I could go around behind the building. But 2 nice men showed me a room that looked like a washroom, however there were no squatters in there, so I just went in one of the little cubicles anyway, with one of my feet in mud (I hoped)! I felt comfortable then, & went back to my dozing, stretched across the 2 seats of the bus, while Don slept upstairs.
At 4 am, much to our surprise, we suddenly arrived at Udaipur, 1-1/2 hours early. I had a headache from my head bouncing on the seat for so many hours! We weren’t sure what to do & there was no answer at the hotel, so we agreed to take an auto rickshaw ride with a patient middle aged man who hadn’t hassled us, for a very high fee. While I was sitting on a bench in the bus station while we decided what to do, a bird shit on my head & my hand. The kindly auto rickshaw driver & Don wiped me off.
The ride through the sleeping city of about 500 thousand was quite remarkable. We wound through narrow lanes, all the businesses had their garage doors closed, it was very still. When we arrived near the hotel, a 5 km ride away, the auto rickshaw driver told me to wait with the luggage in the auto rickshaw while he & Don went up the hill to the hotel to awaken the staff.
I told Don to stay within earshot, but they disappeared for about 10 minutes. I became increasingly concerned standing there by myself, for women, especially western ones, are not safe in deserted places at night in India . Finally I decided that the guarding of the luggage was not worth the potential harm to me, so I grabbed my carry-on bag & went up the steps to the hotel, where I lost my temper & cursed at Don for leaving me there alone!
We were taken to the rooftop restaurant, where there were 3 Rajasthani-type couches with low tables. We were given the largest area to rest on; it was about 15 feet long & about as wide as a queen size bed, with a woven blanket covering a foam mattress; we also asked for blankets & were given 2. It was cool & damp there, but we slept for a couple of hours.
I awoke to a pink sunrise over Lake Pichola, where the hotel is located. The whole trip was quite surreal.
Just spent a few days in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, northwest of Jaipur, at an eco resort. It was billed as ‘magical’ by our Lonely Planet book; the reviewers also said it was like going back in time.
It was indeed like stepping back in time, but without the magic on my part anyway. I wasn’t prepared for this dusty desert of rural Rajasthan. I found the energy disturbing, especially on arrival; I couldn’t say why.
Our resort was beautiful, & we learned new ways to preserve the environment & save water.Since the place was somewhat of a home stay, & the family was traditional, ‘house rules’ were stressed in the info. given out on arrival (they weren’t called rules): no touching; legs & arms covered for males as well as women were the main ones. Food was delicious, & made with much care; much of it was grown on the property or nearby.
After I left Shekawati, my research uncovered info. about gender selection in Rajasthan – female infanticide is much higher in Shekawati than in other states in the country. The female to male ratio here is about 750 to 1000; the country as a whole is 927 to 1000.
We said goodbye sadly to our many friends in Mcleod Ganj over a 4 day period last weekend. So hard to leave after such an intense 6 weeks of being immersed in Tibetan culture & surrounded on all fronts by the spiritual monk energy. (Our apartment at the monastery had monk residences & mediatation/debating rooms on either side of us, with their deck over top of us; many of our neighbours in the guesthouse were visiting monks, & the Dalai Lama’s temple was very near.
We had so many white leaving scarves, & received so many gifts from our Tibetan friends, that I had to mail them home, along with the ones I bought, when I reached Deli again.
We travelled by car to Delhi, along with one of our Tibetan doctor friends. The driver was great, but the trip took about 12 hours. Heavy traffic, especially nearer to Delhi, & it took him about an hour to find Paharganj, the area of Delhi we were going to!
We’re now in Jaipur, Rajasthan, at a beautiful heritage hotel – an oasis of calm in a huge, chaotic city. Tomorrow we move to the Shekhawati region nw of Jaipur, a ‘magical’ area according to our guidebook. We’ll spend a few days there.
Mcleod Ganj is a very hard act to follow. Although all the steep hills & many steps were something my body had to get used to, being there was very easy & uplifting. Everything seemed to flow – we were drawn to certain people & vica versa, & found the small NGO that was the perfect fit for us.
Part of me could stay there forever, but another part knows I need to move on, & eventually go back to my own home.
I am on sabbatical for a while to recharge and soak in more impressions of India in preparation for writing my next book in the MidLife Balance Series. This trip we are immersed in the Tibetan Indian culture, with volunteer English tutoring, attending Budhist teachings, and spending time with our Tibetan friends. I also hope to take some yoga classes and Indian vocal lessons. Read more
We attended 2 days of HH the Dalai Lama’s teachings for the Russian buddhists this week. The registration process to get upstairs to the courtyard outside the actual temple where he spoke was confusing, but we managed it. I didn’t register until the 2nd afternoon, & did it at the temple, as the Security Office staff were all at the temple.
We listened to the teachings through English translation on an fm radio. Some of them I found useful, while at other times my mind wondered. He spoke about emptyness & about ending suffering (samsara). At one point his message ovderlapped with other messages like ‘new age:’ & Christian ones: “Put others before yourself & your desires will automatically be fulfilled”. Even if one doesn’t listen to the teachings at all, being there in the temple, surrounded by that spiritual energy is a very healing experience.
The heavy security in the upstairs courtyard (Indian army & police with rifles & Tibetan & Indian plain clothes men) was at odds with the energy of the place & of the teachings. Their actual presence was likely meant to send a strong message.
Two days later we returned to the temple to have prayers said for my friend & her 2 daughters (the mom & 1 daughter are seriously ill). The energy in the main Dali Lama temple, empty save for one monk, was incredible. I could feel it when I moved my hands through the air.
I discovered almost by accident, that we could light butter candles for our friends in the candle room, just a few yards from the temple. Two nuns & a lay woman were making the candles. Don & I lit 100 small candles with 2 tapers. It was a very moving experience & I’m sure our friends will feel these healing prayers being sent to them through the ethers.
