So you think traveling is straightforward; it’s all about knowing where you want to go, doing some research, saving money and buying tickets. Once this is done it is enough just to pack your bag with necessary (and not only) stuff and you are ready for your annual holidays or a trip of your life. When you hit the road you just follow your plan getting to desired places and doing things you dreamed of. Everything is simple.
Praise the Rats!
Once upon a time lived a Polish prince called Popiel, who died eaten alive by mice and rats in a tower, where he took refuge with his wife to escape the rebellion of the people he ruled. I remember this bizarre story from my childhood and that’s where it belonged, to the realm of legends, unreal myths and fantasies. At least until we visited Karni Mata Temple also called the Rat Temple, 30 km off Bikaner in India.
Existential Pains in the Desert
An alarm clock wakes us up at an ungodly hour of 5am. We take our backpacks and march through the narrow streets of Jaisalmer, the most western town of Rajasthan, near the border with Pakistan. At 6am sharp power gets disconnected in the entire Jaisalmer and we walk in a complete darkness, paying extra caution not to trip over lying cows or step on their booby traps. Only occasionally elderly men pass us by on their rickety bicycles and pooja singing, offering prayer performed by devout Hindus, can be heard in the distance. Otherwise, Jaislamer residents are oblivious to early morning electricity cut. We would be also if we were not heading to Trotters office, where our 2-day camel safari was about to start.
Blue City of Jodhpur
The Bond and Beautiful
I reckon Udaipur is the best example of a city in Rajasthan which presents Indian society in a nutshell. The bygone luxuries of Maharajas’ palaces replaced with the extravagant parties of filthy rich Indians and Western music and sport celebrities clash with beggars and dirty streets of this fairytale city.
One Photo, Please!
Having taken after my father, it’s usually me who asks a lot of direct questions, but the Indian people are true masters of interrogation. They are quick, take you by surprise and make you answer all their inquisitive questions with a smile, no matter how embarrassed you are. You simply cannot resist revealing the most intimate details of your personal life to someone who is so genuinely interested in you as a person, not as a tourist.
Holy Cow!
It’s common knowledge that India is one of the most spiritual countries in the world. But, truly speaking, we didn’t feel much of it until we came to Pushkar, a relatively small town as for Indian standards, where people breathe in spirituality with the air. For us it was a perfect oasis of peace and tranquility, much needed and appreciated at that time.
Mammon: New Hindu Deity
Touristy places in India are infested with a plague of dishonest rikshaw drivers and other touts who want to ‘help’ you find the way to a hotel or shop of their choice, where they get a hefty commission. Agra and nearby Fatehpur Sikri in Rajastan are no exceptions. These places are real tourist traps where the locals make up countless ways to help you depart with your cash.
Newcomers in India: Delhi In De Face
Our first flight in 7 months. Departing from Bangkok and arriving in Delhi was like a time travel or going through the looking glass. We boarded on the plane in a tamed Southeast Asia only to set foot on a land, completely unknown to us, called INDIA 5 hours later.
200 Days on the Road
Our sense of time has been twisted on the road. It has been 200 days since we started our trip around Asia, but it feels like we were saying good-bye to our families and friends only yesterday. Time flies at light speed while travelling, but life is so intense you have a feeling that years have passed. There are moments when you feel one day exploring a new place is like one hour and one hour on a stuffy train with your face glued to a ceiling is like one day. Then you start thinking if you could spend your whole life like this, wandering without any purpose, living without any structure and leaving people you care about behind you.
M&M's let loose 