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This page will detail the places that I visited whilst in India, from my worst to my favourite. |
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The Taj Mahal is a monument located in Agra in India, constructed between 1631 and 1654 by a workforce of more than twenty thousand. The Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned its construction as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, who is better known as Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal is generally considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Indian and Persian architectures. The Taj Mahal has achieved special note because of the romance of its inspiration. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually a complex of elements.
Quite simply one of the most breath taking buildings in the world
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Delhi (what had we done) |
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On arriving at Mahatma Ghandi airport I looked at my partner and thought what on earth have we done. There were around 200 Indians with signs up with all different names. For a second I felt like a celebrity. We went outside to wait for our taxi. It was freezing cold the first thing that caught my eye was the number of people homeless squatting around campfires to keep warm and the smog it was so fog like. In later weeks we realised that the fog in Delhi had caused many flights to be redirected elsewhere.
We checked into our hotel at 2am which was down the middle of an alleyway. So tired and emotionally drained I passed out and at 6am I thought there was a fight breaking out outside our window. No fight just the start of the chaos that I was to experience for the next 6 weeks.
We checked into a better hotel on the second night as we booked the other one to get the free airport pick up. We paid 10 pound for our room in Ajanta which was our first hotel, our second hotel carrowen cost substantially more at 22 pound a night and looked really nice really homely. When we checked in we realised it was no better but stayed all the same.
Our first breakfast was a buffet breakfast and I had never felt so dirty in all my life. The juices were murky the food was all grey looking but we knew that we had to eat.
Day 2- We went for a walk to get a feel for where we were and we decided to spend around 4 days there. There was such a strong urge to go home India was far harder than we had ever anticipated. But we knew that we had to see it through, if we could not survive this then the rest of the year would be in Jeopardy.
We went for a walk and we soon realised that we were in the middle of nowhere. We walked 400 yards and came across poverty like we had never seen before. Slums oh my, this was heart breaking to think that people lived with little food, no water except the river where they would clean their clothes, bath and do their business in. I felt as though my jaw was touching the floor.
We got our guidebook out and worked out where the centre of town was. We got a Tuk Tuk (Motorised coffin on wheels) it was safer to close your eyes for the journey rather than risk the hear attack.
When we arrived at Connaught place it had many shops so we paid up and went walking after our very light breakfast we decided that a bakery would help - after purchasing some biscuits we decided to carry on walking talking it all in. Within 5 seconds of leaving the bakery a small child was pulling on my bag for food. What do you do- we hurried along and as the next cross roads another beggar- we put the biscuits away and decided that we would have them in our own room.
Whilst walking around we noticed a pizza hut and as naught as it was we went in to ensure we had a decent meal.
Last few days in Delhi- we went to some amazing sites and I think the biggest experience was just being there seeing how people lived. People with Mercedes drove next to beggars on the street. People would perform tight rope walking and other tricks whilst you were waiting at traffic lights, all for money of course.
We never really settled down but we knew that we had to make a go of it. We booked our train tickets which would see us get to Goa at a later date. Our first stop was Agra where the Taj Mahal was.
There was one train everyday at 6am. We booked. At 5am our alarm woke us and we sprung into life after a warm shower and packing the final bits of our bags away I went to wake the receptionist up so that we could pay our bill. It was 5.20 and I was waking some guy up off the kitchen floor. He couldn’t speak English so when I questioned the 13% tax on the bill he was none the wiser. I paid and we left to flag a tuk tuk down. Eventually we found one it was 5.40 by now. I thought we had plenty of time. The driver was going so slowly and it was freezing, it was now 5.50 and I was worried. I told the driver to hurry. He stopped to put his gloves on which took another 2 minutes. My heart was beating like mad and we pulled up in traffic 2 minutes from the station at 5.57. We decided to make a run for it. After knocking many people out of the way we reached the station 5.59 nothing made sense. Then an Indian man said to me "where you go" I told him he told me which platform and we set off running again 6.01 on the platform I could have sat on the floor and cried the thought of having to sort another train out and room just crippled me. We found a train on platform 1and got on there was two men counting money and I said Agra he said yes and then confirmed that we hadn’t missed our train. We took our seats and I nearly went to pieces with shock that we had made it.
We came to realise over the next 6 weeks that nothing in India runs on time. Nothing.
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Agra to Jaipur |
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Once we had got over our heart attack of a morning running for the train we sat and awaited our next destination. The train journey was really good. Good comfy seats. Not cramped and free food and drinks.
We pulled up in Agra station and made our way to the hostel we had booked. It was nice to see other backpackers for the first time. One U Shaped block with a communal dining area. The room reminded me of a prison with a huge metal door and bars on the windows. We decided to chill for the first day and see the Taj Mahal on the second day. After being persuaded by our taxi driver we booked a tour guide and tour to see the Taj Mahal that afternoon. It was good to have a guide take us around museums and the Taj as it gave us a better in sight. But then it went down hill we were taken to 2 carpet shops, one marble shop one picture shop it was endless. Eventually we told our guide that we wanted to go back to the hostel. He said ok "what time shall I pick you up tomorrow" I said "what- tomorrow we relax" he started going on about we are wasting our time in Agra unless we see some more sights (yeah right and 50 more showrooms) we told him no about 200 times, he then got the driver to turn the car around so that we could tell his boss we didn’t want a tour the next day 10 minutes later we meet his boss. Pressure again for 10 minutes, we stood our ground and they took us to one more show room. Then when we went to the hostel the guide said "ok see you at 9." no thank you we said. We even tipped and he said "is that all" I nearly took it back; he then went to the reception area and tried to get our room number. 9am the next morning came and he didn't turn up. (Thank god).
That same night we decided to brave the local cuisine. 5 nights in and we tried some curries and local specialties. They were amazing. I love my curries and washed down with a Kingfisher beer did the trick.
JAIPUR.
We arrived in Jaipur which was amazing- really easy to walk around and we were learning how to deal with the hawkers and how to avoid being ripped off. Jaipur was our favourite place in India we stayed in the pearl palace hotel which was a 2 star cost around 4pound a night and was clean (ish) but the difference was that they made a real effort. When you checked in they gave you a welcome guide to Jaipur which even included how to make a variety of dishes when we got back home. The hotel had a really good restaurant (food wise) it was on the rooftop which well decorated and plenty of plants. We sat there and then -bang - bang bang- for 4 hours this happened for the next 3 nights. When we asked what it was for we were told it was wedding season and they set fireworks off. To us it was like New Years Eve every night.
We had our best curry here- it was Cashew nut curry. We had a lot of vegetarian dishes especially after the bird flu outbreak there and the standards of meat storage.
After Claire had emptied my wallet on an array of scarves and a new dice (we wore the old one out on our ludo set as we had played it that much) we moved on- next stop - MUMBAI-
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MUMBAI-MANGALORE-MYSORE-MADEKERI |
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We visited all of these places and nothing special happened. Apart from our last morning in Mysore.
We went to get breakfast and upon opening our water we noticed that something wasn’t right with our water- we had 2 glasses and filled 2 up one sort of crystalised as it was poured and the other was fine we thought something was amiss and called the waited over- we shown him and asked for another bottle of water he said yeas and 20 minutes later no more water- we got the bill and crossed off the water we paid the right amount and the waiter told us that we would have to pay for the water I explained what had happened and he didn’t care. we were paying we walked out and he made the security guard stand in our way. We had the guts to walk away and the guard followed us for a while but we quickly got back to our room and checked out as planned.
Whilst in Mangalore- we found a room which had a pool and was around 6 pound a night. We checked in and asked where the pool was. we were told that there was no pool and that it was to make the hotel look nice on pictures.
MUMBAI-
I don’t know weather or not we were tired or just drained after a 17 hour train journey but Mumbai was shocking – as we were nearing the train station I seen around 30 people going to do their morning business by the railway track with a bucket of water in hand. It was so dirty, we booked a hotel on line and it was quite expensive we checked in and went to our room (we learned after this experience to check the rooms first before handing over any money.) and the sheets were stained, it looked like they had been used to mop up tea. We decided that we had to stay somewhere else, After arguing with the manager he made us pay for one night, we had no choice as we had already paid a hefty deposit. We looked at 2 more hotels and we decided that we were off. We went back to the train station and queued to try and get a train to Goa. “NO SEATS LEFT” (Strange as when we got on our train 8 seats were sold to 12 people) whilst inline this Indian lady was swearing about how bad the English government are for not allowing her back unless she paid 400 pound. She told us that she could get us a bus overnight to Goa. We queued all the same and no joy. We went outside and coach it was- we were pretty stupid and didn’t haggle but the women worked for the coach company and helped us secure two tickets for no less than 35 pound. She told us she could get us 50% of the train fare back which worked out around 13 pound (Bonus if it came through) she told us to meet her back there at 7pm and she would take us to the bus. We spent the rest of the day playing cards in a McDonalds, and a few hours on the internet. 7.15 pm she still wasn’t there. The stall where she worked was still open and the guy told us to get a taxi to the bus. This stoned Indian was telling me to go with him- (there was no way on this earth I was going anywhere with him) I turned to the stall guy and asked him where my money was for my train ticket knowing full well that we had been scammed- Claire told me to forget it and that if we did get it back it would have been a bonus, which I was aware of but it was just the principle. The guy claimed that he didn’t know of any women who worked there. I told him that it was ok. I took his details and told him that I would contact the police. He soon changed his mind and handed me over the money I know they would have got 100% back but we didn’t expect anything. We got a taxi to the bus and loaded our bags- we got off for one last leg stretch and the women from the bus stand was running towards the bus- she put her hand in her bra and pulled out the money- I have never felt so guilty over anything in my life. I appollogised and explained that her colleague had reimbursed me.
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GOA |
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For me, Benaulim village and its beach are the best of Goa; still less developed and relatively quiet in comparison to the north Goa beaches.
Benaulim is in Goa's Salacete district, and lies 3 or 4 km directly west of South Goa's main town of Margao. The village itself centres around a crossroads, with a few smaller guest houses and restaurants strung along the roads that run parallel to the beach, as well as one or two of the larger 'resorts' that are beginning to spring up.
There are better ways to walk to the beach, such as through the warren of lanes that lead under the shady palms, past scattered village houses and through the rice paddies, often dotted with herons and other wading birds in search of food.
When we first arrived at the beach it was our first beach resort since leaving home and it was going to be a well deserved break.
We checked into a room which was awful and was costing us around 10 pound per night. After falling to pieces over the room we decided that tomorrow we would find a new one.
The next day came and we never found anything better for the same amount so we decided to stay in a similar one further up the beach.
After a few beers at Anthys and the customary chicken tikka masala we set back for the night, the stars were so amazing to look at, we both commented that we had never seen the stars so close.
After a few days we felt guilty for spending time in a beach place and decided to move on.
We returned to Goa at a later point to a place called Agonda which is a three-kilometer long beautiful cove of white sand. There are few tourists, no souvenir stalls, 3 or 4 restaurants, very little . Just the trees, the beach, the big beautiful ocean and you. We arrived around lunchtime and looked for somewhere to spend the night, we walked passed a house which advertised one room we had a look. We were amazed that we could stay in a small cottage type room for less than 3 pound a night. We went for a walk that night and Agonda is so tranquil its untrue we had a couple of beers and met some people from London. After a few games of cards and the nightly power cut we walked back. Because Agonda had so few places to stay and eat and was so quiet there was very little lighting. We both looked up at the sky and were amazed at what we saw. The stars were closer than the last time. We even seen a couple of shooting stars that will be my lasting memory of Agonda.
I was lay in bed remembering the chaos of virtually every other place we had visited and all I could hear was the crickets. zzzzzzz 5am came – If I would have had a gun with me then there would be one less rooster in the world.
We decided to book a boat trip for 6.30 am one morning to see dolphins which was nice- when booking they have a no dolphin no fee policy, so if you don’t see then you don’t pay. But I think that in India they would keep you there for 8 hours. We seen plenty of dolphins which was nice as they were in their own habitat and not jumping through a hoop in SeaWorld.
Whilst getting ready on our second night we could here the likes of Tom Jones and Lionel Richie and thought we were near a night club. We walked to see and there was a wedding taking place and we watched the traditional dances which were interesting to see. We then met our friends from the night earlier had some dinner and decided to go take a look at the wedding again, we were invited in but it was time for bed. The ushers gave us some wedding cake which was a nice gesture.
We decided to spend our last few days in Beanaulim as we had liked it so much first time around. We arrived back and everything seemed strange. We checked into our room and went for lunch. The bar was quiet and the staff locked the doors shortly after we had gone in. We were confused. we felt safe just confused. I asked the guard what was happening in sparrow English I thought he was saying that the resort was having problems. Anyhow after a few games of cards and ludo we asked to be let out. Our waiter told us to stay, we stupidly left. We went to the main cross roads to get some supplies and everything was closed. Next thing we were being sprayed in the face with purple dye. I had never seen claire so cross. Then bike after bike was speeding past with water pistols and bottles filled with all coloured dye. We got to the cross roads and around 50people had gathered we got to the back and watched, it was a carnival that was taking place and their idea of fun was to spray each other (fair enough) and throw fire crackers at each other.
We met a goof friend in Sarah Gill in Goa who took some gifts home for us and posted them to our family.
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GOKARNA. |
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With its narrow streets, traditional houses and temples, this unassuming town has become the favourite haunt of pilgrims, Sanskrit scholars and beach buffs. Locally, it believed that Gokarna derives its name from a legend in which Lord Shiva emerged from the ear of a cow. Literally meaning ‘cow’s ear’, this village is formed by the ear-shaped confluence of two rivers.
when we arrived in Gokarna we were hasstled by 10 or so motorbike drivers and hoteliers. They were holding us to ranson over how much we paid to use their services. In the corner of my eye I saw a bus about to leave, Claire and I made a run for it with the 10 or so Indians running with us. Shouting at the bus to leave so that they could make their money, we got on the bus which was cramped and hot as hell but was all part of the experience. On the way in a man who is from India and used to live in Southport warned us to be careful in the evening as muggings were rife. When we got to the town we had to visit the police checkpoint before we were allowed to enter and declare all we had with us.
We then arrived and I understood why we were warned. There was a strip of shops which spanned around 1 mile and the roads were narrow and there were many dark alleys to be wary of. We walked to the beach and were upset to see how ruined it was. Full of coke and beer cans and just basically neglected.
I noticed the number of lost souls in Gokarna too. There were a lot of people there who had visited and never gone home.
We visited a cafe and had the best home made cheese ever.
What was common in Gokarna was that 50 % of the locals you walked past would hold their hand out for money. some of them didnt even need it. There was this one white guy who was obviouly stoned who asked me for money I gave him a stern no and we carried on walking.
Claire worked out that we could find a quiet beach if we walked over some hills- it took around 30 minutes to get there and we thought we were lost but when we did it was well worthwhile. There was a couple of places to get some breakfast and only a handful of sun worshippers. We had breakfast and a bit of a swim. We were relaxing and we could hear this going mad. W e looked up and could see him running out of the sea. I thought he had been bit or stung. To our left we realkised that he was going mad as a cow was eating his towel. Cows in India are sacred and they are everywhere.
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