Day 27 - the return journey - where is the taxi?

Greetings!

More of a tweet than a blog on this one as there are a couple of stopping points along the way - currently in Qatar and Doha airport (see pics) - the crossing point - 10.45am here, 7.45am in London and 1.15pm in India. Have been up since 3.30am Indian time!

Confused...?!

Only real hiccup of the whole trip was this morning when the taxi to take me from the hotel to the airport at 4am didn't arrive!

:(

Waited until 4.15am and then grabbed another taxi that happened to be standing outside the hotel (as you would).

Probably more for me (and you if interested - if not, skip to the bottom), but at the end of a holiday, myself and Julian do the "best and worst of the holiday", so here's mine.

Best Room - the Pal Haveli in Jodhpur - truly palatial.

Best Hotel - Hotel Lytton in Kolkata - just 5* hotel service from everybody from start to finish.

Best Meal - still remains with the Royal Teal at Udaipur - every mouthful a memory with my first Rajasthani Thali.

Best place to stay - interestingly, Delhi for it's vast variety of life all existing frenetically together.

Favourite place to stay - Kolkata - felt like home from home.

Most amazing place - Varanasi - just incredible.

Best sight / experience - numerous: Taj Mahal / Ganges at dawn in Varanasi / camel ride in Jaisalmer / Pink city observatory in Jaipur / Mother Teresa's tomb in Kolkata.

Biggest Surprise - observatory at Jaipur.

Worst Room - Dekeling hotel in Darjeeling - cold and soooo noisy outside. over promised / under delivered.

Worst Hotel - Dera Rawatser in Jaipur - noisy outside and inside.

Worst Meal - Jodhpur - second rajasthani thali - just cheap and nasty.

Worst Place to stay - Darjeeling - too much store set on it's views, which given the regular cloud and mist is a ticket to days of tedium.

Least favourite place to stay - Pushkar

Worst Sight - Pushkar and Kolkata's trunkless banyan tree.

Worst Surprise - Udaipur's pushy shopkeepers, Agra's negative undertones and Kolkata's trunkless banyan tree.


Have I had a great time in India? Absolutely.

Would I recommend India to others? Absolutely - depending on what they're looking for.

Would I come back to India?

Absolutely.

More later....

Later.

All flights on time and a lovely reunion at Heathrow with my other half!

Safely home.

Thanks for sharing and being alongside me on the journey. More appreciated than you could know.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Lots of love

Mike xx

Day 26 - Back to Kolkata and one or two surprises for you!

So, when we last spoke, Mike was finding it easy to throw in the towel regarding Darjeeling - and rightly so.

Save for the view - there's not much there (well, OK, apart from the tea). And I've not seen a mountain view in all the time I've been there.

Over dinner last night, met a young Spanish couple from Barcelona. We got talking after the young lady had ordered lemon chicken (expecting lemon chicken), taken one bite and spat it out faster than I have ever seen anyone do such a manoeuvre, saying there was too much chilli in the chicken.

We all laughed and started chatting.

Anyway, it transpires we are staying in the same hotel, so I get invited back for drinks in their room.

Offered marijuana (declined), beer (accepted) and cigarettes (....Okay, accepted!) and had a great fun evening with them. It transpires that at 26 / 27 years of age, they have a wish-list of holiday destinations, which on inspection, myself and Julian have pretty much done. This therefore brought us closer together as travel buddies, exchanged emails and will possibly see them later in the year as they are going to be in London for a wedding. We'll see what happens.

Back in Kolkata, I get a text from the young artist who I bought a picture from last week, saying he's exhibiting in one of Kolkata's top art venues and if I want to come along - great.

Why wouldn't I?

And it was very swish! With 20 of the top young artists from Kolkata, all exhibiting in a great space, nibbles and drinks laid on, topped off with the Indian equivalent of David Hockney to open the exhibition.

And there was some good work. Though I cottoned on pretty quickly, when a couple of the artists seemed more keen than usual to sell their work to me - obviously word had got around and that indian entrepeneurialism was still beating strong!

You'll be glad to know I resisted!

So, am back in wonderful, civilised Kolkata, where I have the most luxurious, QUIET room, which I intend to enjoy before I have to get up at 3.30am to get a taxi at 4am to the airport (it's now 10.56pm).

So excuse me if I turn in for the last time during this trip on Indian soil...
Sleep well mes amis.

Sleep well.

xx

Room Without a View - Dekeling Hotel, Darjeeling

Why Buddhism's not for me (sorry) - 72 hours of non-stop chanting, bell ringing and candle lighting

Darjeeling tea-pickers at work on the "First Flush"

Kolkata - street life from the taxi on a regular Thursday at 5pm

Day 25 - Rain!

As predicted, it has been misty all day in Darjeeling with intermittent showers.

Hmm.

As a result (as you do in holiday resorts), I read a book, played chess (lost every game) and scrabble (won every game) against the computer, bought presents and reflected.

As it's the penultimate day - a few reflections, if you'll indulge me...

India's definitely not your typical holiday destination if you're looking for relaxation. It's too challenging and engaging for that.

In my experience, it has always been:

Dusty - everywhere, all the time;

Friendly - everyone, all the time;

Safe - not felt unsafe/threatened once;

Cheap - most places have been 4x cheaper than what I'd pay in the UK. Most dinners with a large beer have cost about £8;

Different - in all respects;

Shocking - that such poverty means that people have to live in a way that would be regarded as wholly shocking and unacceptable in Europe, but which here is just how it is.

Recommendations - if you're in this part of the world....don't miss:

The Taj Mahal - for it's sheer beauty.

Varanasi - for the incredibleness of the ghats and the silent grandeur of the Ganges.

Kolkata - for it's cultured lifestyle.

What has it shown me?

Buddhism's not for me!

I'm incredibly fortunate with where I am in life, living where I do, with my partner, friends and family and with the skills and talents that I have.

That what's important is to work hard, give as much as you receive and live life to the full.

To have faith and trust that whatever happens - all will be well.

Hoping all is well with you and yours.

Until tomorrow and my last full day here....

Love and hugs. Xx

Day 24 Part 2 - 10 pictures from my travels across India

Forget the rest - look at the best! 10 pictures from my trip!

1. Monkey Business 1 - on the Road from Delhi to Jaipur

2. A Palace Guard, proudly guarding the City Palace - Jaipur

3. Monkey Business 2 - Black faced monkey, enjoying the sun on Jaipur Fort

4. Rajasthani Sesame oil maker

5. The Thar Desert - Jaisalmer

6. Imran, the Camel Guide and Raja, the Camel

7. Monkey Business 3 at the Monkey Palace on the road to Agra

8.The Ganges at Dawn - Varanasi

9. Sunday afternoon is Washtime in Kolkata

10. Monkey Business 4 - Street Urchins in Kolkata wanting rupees for a cheeky smile!

xxx

Day 24 Part 1 - Darjeeling - Get me out of here!

Greetings Readers,

Thinking with envy about where you are likely to be sitting reading this at the moment - perhaps in the warm office over a coffee break, or at home in a comfy chair with a glass of wine....

Spare a thought for me in a cold, damp, misty, flea-infested hotel....

Oh dear indeed.

On the up side, I have been hugely entertained over dinner both last night and tonight. Last night I was with a young couple from Newcastle, who were off travelling the world and not due back in the UK until December, and tonight - another young couple, both coming to the end of their PhD's in Geology at Zurich University, having been over here for a wedding in Kolkata.

On the downside - it is freezing cold, there is no heating in the hotel rooms (I've just been given my hot water bottle from reception for the night) and hot water is scarce (two morning's I've washed and shaved in cold water), being kept awake at night by barking dogs and the proverbial beeping car horns.

The big sell about Darjeeling is it's location with stupendous views of the Himalayas.

Hmmm.

Two days of mist and haze since I've been here, have meant I've seen nothing - including getting up at 4am (having been awake since 3am anyway from the cacophony of dogs barking) to take a trip to Tiger Hill along with a thousand other tourists to watch the sunrise and turn the Himalayas all peachy.

We got there, saw the sun come up and saw Katchenjunga for all of 2 seconds through the mist. Not quite so peachy!

So today - after travelling up Tiger Hill, I visited a Buddhist monastery, which was not at all what i expected ( and not in a good way), a Tibetan refugee centre, the local zoo and then a tea plantation.

I did make a detour to the Windamere hotel for afternoon tea. It could have been afternoon tea in any large victorian house in the Uk, especially in the Lakes - a little strange experiencing it here. And it has to be said that the Darjeeling tea was superb - and not a tea stain left on the white china!

Assuming tomorrow will be another hazy / misty day, I'm ready to leave.

It's a bit like being up in the lake district, without a car in the pouring rain for three days.

Hey ho.

I did spend time this evening upgrading and editing some pictures of my trip. Following this blog are 10 of the best.

Enjoy.

So looking forward to getting back to Kolkata and civilisation!

See you soon.

xx

Katchenjunga at dawn - the third highest mountain in the world.

Can you see what I see?

Nepalese tourists in their national dress having a good time at Darjeeling zoo

The Royal Bengal Tiger

What it's all about - the Tea Plantations

Day 23 - Darjeeling

Greetings punters!

So my fourth and final week begins on a train after 10 hours north from Kolkata - sans buffalo - and then a car journey of another 6 hours to reach Darjeeling.

This is Himalaya country. The Brits might have set it up, and the Indians might own it, but it is run by and for the locals - Nepalese / Tibetans. These countries, as well as Bangladesh and Bhutan are no more than 2 hours drive away and so making Darjeeling (2 syllables with a french sounding J) the cross roads in this part of Asia.

Famed for it's tea - the stuff is regarded as the champagne of tea - only 4% of the global tea market, but fetches the highest prices at auction.

Disappointed at the moment - the legendary views (both from my hotel window and from the town) have been obscured by haze. also my expectation of a British style Baden Baden have been crushed. Yes, it could be Ambleside in the Lake district, but the noise and dust etc. makes it most definitely Asian!

Up at 4.30am in the morning (just in case all you thought I did was lay in bed all day) to get the sunrise from Tiger Hill over Everest and the Himalayas.

Haze, mist and cloud permitting.

A bientot.

xx 

First Home from Home - Darjeeling supports N5!

Second Home from Home - Darjeeling supports the Lake district!

Local monkey

Darjeeling centre from my hotel room with Katchenjunga in the background

Darjeeling plantation

Day 22 - Kolkata & a visit to see Mother Teresa

Which women would you put in the top 5 most influential women across the world in the second half of the 20th Century - Oprah? Hillary? Indira? Golda? Margaret Hilda?

Interesting question.

Whatever you may think about her, her politics (vehemently anti-abortion) or her religion, Mother Teresa must rank up there in the top 5 (Good Housekeeping has her third after Oprah and Hillary).

I first read her biography when I was thirteen and it probably added to my desire to read Theology and become a vicar, if I didn't end up being a musician.

Thus the backdrop to my half hour Sunday morning stroll through a quietly frenetic muslim quarter of Kolkata between my hotel and the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity, where Mother Teresa lived for more or less 50 years, died and is buried.

It is a completely unassuming place, sitting quietly, almost anonymously between private apartment blocks, beside the noisy 6-lane Bose Road and opposite the Indian government's Finance Office.

On knocking and being allowed entry through a tiny side-street doorway by an even smaller nun, you enter a small courtyard with staircases and rooms heading in all directions.

I had arrived after closing time (12 noon until 3pm is quiet time - I had arrived at 12.05!), but the sisters were happy for me to browse and see her room and the exhibition, before seeing her tomb, and willing to wait until I had finished.

Apart from a handful of nuns going about their daily business, incredibly, there was no one else around - I had the place to myself. And I have to say, it was incredibly humbling and moving. Even now as I type this, I am in tears.

Her room is small (12 feet by 8 feet) with a low table as a bed with a thin mattress and single pillow on it, a wooden desk, a small rough-hewn table and 2 benches, crucifix and bookshelves. From here she led the Order for almost 50 years - the worst room in the place (it's above the kitchen), with no fan.

Her tomb is equally as simple. A single lit candle on top of a polished plain cream marble block with just her name and dates in the centre. Inscribed into the marble above are the words from St. John - "Love one another as I have loved you" and written underneath in fresh, bright orange marigold flowers "Come be my light".

It was an incredibly peaceful place. Awesome in the fact that such an influential person could do so much with and from so few material things. Her driving force and motto were simplicity itself - "Hands to serve and hearts to love."

Truly moving. Truly challenging. Truly inspiring.

xx

Mother Teresa's work and final resting place, Kolkata

Rickshaw puller getting a shave and haircut

Market lad wanting his picture taken!

Sunday afternoon is family bath time!