We couldn't figure out how to make Blogger work well so Wouter has designed a travel website for us. For future postings please visit www.wouter.co.uk. We still need to update the maps and details sections - hopefully soon.
Salome and Wouter
October 14, 2007
October 2, 2007
2 October, Agra
Is it wrong not to have the will to get up at a cruel hour to see one of Wonders of the World? I asked myself this question as I snoozed my alarm at 5.30am this morning. Finally, convinced that the Taj Mahal will be here tomorrow like it has been hundreds of years I slept until 9am. I shall not be shamed. (At least Barbara will have sympathy, wont you Barbs?)
Anyway, we arrived in Agra yesterday and settled into the Tourist Rest House (Rs400/£5), a very popular place with the Lonely Planet crowd. Not surprising the rooms are very clean, well- ventilated and overlook a court yard cafe where regular Indian fare plus some Chinese and continental food is offered.
We had a huge nap and had dinner on one of the rooftop restaurants that overlook the Taj Mahal. Some pics of the view and surrounding streets attached..
I’ll definitely go early tomorrow morning to catch the Taj at its earlier, before the crowds. I am going on my own. Wouter is firstly not much interested in seeing it up close (that’s worse than not wanting to wake up for it, is it not?) and he thinks its a rip-off. Rs750 – nearly ten pounds for westerners to go in, compared with Rs20 for locals. On one hand I figure we pay nearly 38 times more because we probably have 38 times more spending power than most Indians. On the other hand, our travel budget is only £10 per day per person, so it is expensive. Plus we're unemployed! ;-)
Will write more once I’ve been there and I have more pictures.
30 September – Leaving Shimla, train to Delhi, and finally on to Agra
With Shimla offering so little we decided that the Taj Mahal was to be our next stop. That meant three train journeys:
i) The toy train from Shimla to Kalka
ii) The overnight sleeper train from Kalka to Delhi
iii) A three hour journey from Delhi to Agra (the town of the Taj Mahal)
The toy train is called so because its short (probably 6 carriages) and runs on a narrow track to Kalka through the mountains. It also passes through a 103 tunnels on the way and took about six hours. My experience on the toy train is wildly different from Wouter’s (he’ll tell you about it himself) as I travelled in the ladies-only carriage while he had to stand in an overloaded carriage all of the way.
As I settled myself in the ladies-only carriage I was surprised to see boarding the family who took pictures of us. They were so pleased to see me on the train and immediately came to sit next to me. I found out they were the Aku family from Ambala. There was the mom, the 20-year old daughter, the 15 year old sun (Vivek), the nephew and an aunt. They were travelling back to Ambala after a few day’s holiday in Shimla.
Although they did not speak that much English we communicated pretty well and soon I was counting in Hindi (Ek, do, tien..) and learning all the necessary greetings and formal forms. They showed so much interest in South Africa and ended up sharing all their food with me (I loved the martri which is dough with spices baked in small triangles, like tortillas). At some point we were singing our national anthems and the kids were singing all the English songs they knew, attracting other kids in the carriage who came over to ask their own questions about South Africa and what I thought of India.
Later, another young girl, Ambika, used her mother’s video mobile phone to interview me. She recorded for a long time and conducted herself very professionally, asking me about myself and my husband, South Africa, my views of Indian life etc. The video might still make its way onto youtube, who knows! I felt like a celebrity.
The whole train journey was such a positive experience for me and it showed me a different side to the usual Indian reserve. It was informative and I now know that state school fees are about 30 rupees a month (30 pence) whilst private schools cost more than two hundred pounds a month. An absolute fortune for most people.
The rest of the journey from Kalka to Delhi and onwards went without much excitement, although I found sleeping on the train quite comfortable.
Here are some pics of the Aku family...
The train.
i) The toy train from Shimla to Kalka
ii) The overnight sleeper train from Kalka to Delhi
iii) A three hour journey from Delhi to Agra (the town of the Taj Mahal)
The toy train is called so because its short (probably 6 carriages) and runs on a narrow track to Kalka through the mountains. It also passes through a 103 tunnels on the way and took about six hours. My experience on the toy train is wildly different from Wouter’s (he’ll tell you about it himself) as I travelled in the ladies-only carriage while he had to stand in an overloaded carriage all of the way.
As I settled myself in the ladies-only carriage I was surprised to see boarding the family who took pictures of us. They were so pleased to see me on the train and immediately came to sit next to me. I found out they were the Aku family from Ambala. There was the mom, the 20-year old daughter, the 15 year old sun (Vivek), the nephew and an aunt. They were travelling back to Ambala after a few day’s holiday in Shimla.
Although they did not speak that much English we communicated pretty well and soon I was counting in Hindi (Ek, do, tien..) and learning all the necessary greetings and formal forms. They showed so much interest in South Africa and ended up sharing all their food with me (I loved the martri which is dough with spices baked in small triangles, like tortillas). At some point we were singing our national anthems and the kids were singing all the English songs they knew, attracting other kids in the carriage who came over to ask their own questions about South Africa and what I thought of India.
Later, another young girl, Ambika, used her mother’s video mobile phone to interview me. She recorded for a long time and conducted herself very professionally, asking me about myself and my husband, South Africa, my views of Indian life etc. The video might still make its way onto youtube, who knows! I felt like a celebrity.
The whole train journey was such a positive experience for me and it showed me a different side to the usual Indian reserve. It was informative and I now know that state school fees are about 30 rupees a month (30 pence) whilst private schools cost more than two hundred pounds a month. An absolute fortune for most people.
The rest of the journey from Kalka to Delhi and onwards went without much excitement, although I found sleeping on the train quite comfortable.
Here are some pics of the Aku family...
The train.
29 September, Shimla
We decided to travel South, to Shimla, because a number of people recommended it and because it is en route to Agra, which was to be our next stop. Shimla, like the other towns in that mountainous region is not built in the valley but sits perched on the side of the mountain, which makes for very steep streets and some scary structural engineering. 
The bus trip to Shimla was scenic – mountains and plantations – but took the whole day and we were pretty irritable when we arrived, only to be accosted by tens of touts all shouting at the same time, trying to
Shimla’s a bit of a strange town. Cleaner than any we’ve seen with no open gutters and ‘no spitting’ signs everywhere, and filled with seemingly well-off Indian tourists but with nothing really to do. There were some horses taking kids for rides, one or two okay restaurants and some good views, but for the hundreds of Indian tourists we saw walking up and down the main street, there was nothing really to entertain them. Like the Lonely Planet said – you go to Shimla to “watch everybody watch everybody else”!
The bus trip to Shimla was scenic – mountains and plantations – but took the whole day and we were pretty irritable when we arrived, only to be accosted by tens of touts all shouting at the same time, trying to - Carry our bags uphill for 40 rupees (50 pence; one guy, both our backpacks which weigh about 20kgs each; no way, not possible)
- Take us by taxi to the vernicular
- Sell us accommodation.
We thought we had grown immune against touts (the best is just to ignore them completely and go your own way and soon they get the message), but these people! Maybe its the mountain air but they were a different breed. You have never seen anything like it. Tens of them shouting at the same time, pulling on our sleeves: “Sir, Sir, we are you from Sir? Ah Soud Africa! Twenty20”. “Sir, where are you staying? I have nice hotel sir. Very clean, big discount”. “Sir only 20 rupees per bag sir, very cheap”. “YMCA Sir? No you can’t stay there. Expensive, not very clean!”.
Wouter could have shot them (and he is a patient man, like you know) but they just would have clung to us, dying and bleeding, I swear. Anyway, we finally succumbed to one soft-spoken blue-eyed old man/tout called Yusuf who talked to us near the Christ Church) (when we were weak from walking uphill with our backpacks for about 1km, trailed by two or three die-hards), and he led us the ‘three minute walk’ or 15 minute uphill trek to an okay hotel, where we stayed for two nights.
What I forgot to mention is that the bus to Shimla had to stop at a tyre shop as it seemed to have had a leak. When the guys took off the tyre we thought they would be replacing the whole thing as there were literally large bits of tyre ripped out. We were (by then) only faintly surprised when they just patched the leak and put the tyre back, next to a similarly worn out one. Also, I was shown a picture of the ‘deluxe’ bus beforehand. It look like this -
. In reality, this was the bus. 
. In reality, this was the bus. 
Honestly, we need to get the Advertising Standards Authority to investigate ;-)
Shimla’s a bit of a strange town. Cleaner than any we’ve seen with no open gutters and ‘no spitting’ signs everywhere, and filled with seemingly well-off Indian tourists but with nothing really to do. There were some horses taking kids for rides, one or two okay restaurants and some good views, but for the hundreds of Indian tourists we saw walking up and down the main street, there was nothing really to entertain them. Like the Lonely Planet said – you go to Shimla to “watch everybody watch everybody else”!
Keeping Shimla clean (Christ Church in the background)
Although we didn’t see many other westerners we were surprised and perplexed to be treated like celebrities by some of the people. One family even asked for our pictures and the kids each posed with us. Even one older guy got his friend to photograph him with us. Wouter thinks it was something about me that attracted them – maybe they thought I was some kind of western celebrity – but they were keenly interested in me. (We now think it could have been my hair, which is still boyishly short.)
For those of you who are interested in our culinary experiences, we had some Masala Dosa and Pav Bhaji (see pics) from one of the backstreet cafes. It was spicy but pretty good. Barbs, Gayds, I did not think I would ever say this but I am craving some Garrick food. Just plain old salmon with some steamed broccoli and baked potatoes. Yum. Wouter says he’d love a steak and some red wine. You see, no one seem to serve beef in this country because cows are seen as holy and wine is very expensive (if you can get it) at about £20 for a bottle of cheap-as French. We had some Indian wine at a wine tasting in London once but we've not managed to track down any yet (patience Chad, patience.)
Abandoned house - would love to get our hands on this baby. Its invaded by monkeys however. Shimla has a large simian population and they are blatant in their thefts of spectacles, food - anything really.
Backstreet market
22-28 September, Chilling out in Manali
So as I said, we booked into this great little guesthouse set in apple orchards in Old Manali, called Appleview. The room was very affordable (Rs 150) and clean with lovely views of the mountains and the orchards. We could have stayed much longer but Rajastan was calling. The attentive and friendly owner and his family treated us very well and we spent six lazy days in Old Manali. There is not much to say apart from that we rested well and ate far too much. Appleview serve these pancakes filled with banana, apple, honey and lemon – delicious!
Some pictures of Appleview..
We went on a few walks and found this cow and crows cleaning out a skip.. this is normal.
Structural Engineering - propping up drying concrete with wooden poles. (Magda, you'll have plenty of work here)
Some local ladies carrying beans:
On the road to Manali, very high up in the mountains, in the middle of absolutely nowhere we saw Japanese tourists walking with fur coats on and cameras around their necks. No vehicles or camps in sight. It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen - thought I was hallucinating. This shop explained the phenomenon.
Visiting a Hindu temple near Manali.
Local herdsman.
The greenery on the roof is pumpkins growing.
After growing his beard for some time Wouter had a proper Indian shave (its like a Brazilian, only for ones face) for about 25p – see pictures.
Some pictures of Appleview..
We went on a few walks and found this cow and crows cleaning out a skip.. this is normal.
Structural Engineering - propping up drying concrete with wooden poles. (Magda, you'll have plenty of work here)
Some local ladies carrying beans:
On the road to Manali, very high up in the mountains, in the middle of absolutely nowhere we saw Japanese tourists walking with fur coats on and cameras around their necks. No vehicles or camps in sight. It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen - thought I was hallucinating. This shop explained the phenomenon.
Visiting a Hindu temple near Manali.
Local herdsman.
The greenery on the roof is pumpkins growing.
After growing his beard for some time Wouter had a proper Indian shave (its like a Brazilian, only for ones face) for about 25p – see pictures.
September 23, 2007
17 – 22 Sep – Last days in Leh & a 36 hr bus trip
We didn’t do much after returning from our bike trip to Nubra Valley. Wouter did have time though to take some photos of the locals in Leh.. 
These pics show some of the mountain scenery and the place where we stopped for lunch ont he first day. Unfortunately Potoala Pang's tent served the most disgusting veg chowmein imaginable and we quickly went next door for some thali (dhal with rice).
We ate and slept and visited the Shanti Stupa (a buddist temple, see pics) built by a Japanese order “extending a message of global peace” which was opened by the Dalai Lama himself in the 1980s. (Who can spot Wouter in the first pic below?) 
After a steep walk up it turned out the Stupa was closed – seems to be a tourist attraction rather than a true place of worship. But the expansive views and sound of prayer flags blowing in the wind, combined with a simple lunch of bread and yak cheese made it all worth it. 
At 4.30am on the 20th we boarded the bus from Leh to Manali. We couldn’t quite believe that it could take two days to drive 450kms but soon found out why. The bus was quite modern but could only do about 10 – 20kms/hr on the one-lane, very winding, often washed-out, mostly dirt, switchback road that cross the Himalayas (in the first picture below the winding white line is the road). 
At one point we crossed the second highest motorable road in the world. Don't we look proud?
At one point we crossed the second highest motorable road in the world. Don't we look proud?
Wouter on the bus and a pic to give you an idea of the road conditions.
These pics show some of the mountain scenery and the place where we stopped for lunch ont he first day. Unfortunately Potoala Pang's tent served the most disgusting veg chowmein imaginable and we quickly went next door for some thali (dhal with rice).
The highlights (and low lights) from the 36 hour journey were:
Without a doubt the spectacular mountain scenery. 
We are trying to understand why we find those barren mountains and dusty planes, where nothing lives or grows, so beautiful. Perhaps it is the utter remoteness or the way in which all the colours of the rainbow come together in the different rocks and mountains. Or perhaps it is the way in which it is the first place that really started to help us grasp the concept of time and our insignificance here. Our minds cannot really comprehend how long billions of years are, but in those mountains, where you see the layers and layers of different rock that must have formed over billions of years; the evidence of a once-upon a time ocean (we think); and the way in which the small turquoise river we saw had carved a deep valley out for itself; we both felt we began to understand what a billion years could be like.
We are trying to understand why we find those barren mountains and dusty planes, where nothing lives or grows, so beautiful. Perhaps it is the utter remoteness or the way in which all the colours of the rainbow come together in the different rocks and mountains. Or perhaps it is the way in which it is the first place that really started to help us grasp the concept of time and our insignificance here. Our minds cannot really comprehend how long billions of years are, but in those mountains, where you see the layers and layers of different rock that must have formed over billions of years; the evidence of a once-upon a time ocean (we think); and the way in which the small turquoise river we saw had carved a deep valley out for itself; we both felt we began to understand what a billion years could be like. We attach some photos but this is definitely something you have to go and experience for yourself. Forget Machu Picchu (sp?), Cape Town, the Amazon – those mountains are what you should see before you die! A life changing place. One day, perhaps we would like to do the same journey but with bikes/a jeep and some tents. It would be awesome.
- The other highlight for us (for others obviously a low) was having to overnight at a truck/bus overnight camp stop, somewhere halfway through our journey. 
We were supposed to sleep at a special tent stop where we would each have our own tent with beds, linen and there would be a ‘kitchen’ tent. But when we got there the pitches were empty. So we headed for this tent camp built right on – as close as 2 meters- the main/only road, which obviously caters for truck drivers and busses that pass. The tents are built from a combination of tent material, some bricks and tin roofs and serve as homes/restaurants/kitchens and accommodation for the owners, weary travellers and truck drivers. The pictures should give you some idea of what the tent camp looked like.
We were supposed to sleep at a special tent stop where we would each have our own tent with beds, linen and there would be a ‘kitchen’ tent. But when we got there the pitches were empty. So we headed for this tent camp built right on – as close as 2 meters- the main/only road, which obviously caters for truck drivers and busses that pass. The tents are built from a combination of tent material, some bricks and tin roofs and serve as homes/restaurants/kitchens and accommodation for the owners, weary travellers and truck drivers. The pictures should give you some idea of what the tent camp looked like. After a tasty veg chowmein dinner and some ginger tea, we were assigned beds in the tent. We thought we wouldn’t sleep a wink but by 11pm the trucks that drive through the camp with screeching brakes, leaving suffocating CO2 fumes behind, miraculously stopped. Someone switched the lights off and it was DARK and very quiet. The beds that filled the back of the tent weren’t that comfortable and the bedding very doubtful looking (I estimated it gets washed once a month at most) and we thanked our lucky stars that we didn’t ship our sleeping bags and sleeping mattresses to Martien in Australia. Surprisingly we all slept very well, thank you very much – even those who had permanent expressions of distaste in their faces!
What struck us most was the way in which people essentially welcomed us into their homes. Sure, it was business for them (at 50 rupees/70pence per bed) but nonetheless. It was late when we got to the camp, the owners’ kids were crying and tired, but they cooked us all dinner and gave us beds to sleep in. They got up very early (way before 5am) to make sure people were fed and all the while they smiled. We thought they gave up their beds because in their tent there certainly was no room for a mouse after they had assigned the beds to us. Perhaps they just slept on the floor in the make-shift kitchen, we don’t know.
Life on the side of that road cannot be easy. There is nothing there (not even toilet facilities - the toilets “are everywhere”) and it must get desperately cold in winter. The road closes for 7-8 months every year so perhaps people go somewhere else, but it is not a nice place to be, even for a few days. To us, shallowly, it was an adventure, but to them, that is life.
What struck us most was the way in which people essentially welcomed us into their homes. Sure, it was business for them (at 50 rupees/70pence per bed) but nonetheless. It was late when we got to the camp, the owners’ kids were crying and tired, but they cooked us all dinner and gave us beds to sleep in. They got up very early (way before 5am) to make sure people were fed and all the while they smiled. We thought they gave up their beds because in their tent there certainly was no room for a mouse after they had assigned the beds to us. Perhaps they just slept on the floor in the make-shift kitchen, we don’t know.
Life on the side of that road cannot be easy. There is nothing there (not even toilet facilities - the toilets “are everywhere”) and it must get desperately cold in winter. The road closes for 7-8 months every year so perhaps people go somewhere else, but it is not a nice place to be, even for a few days. To us, shallowly, it was an adventure, but to them, that is life.So, now we are in Manali and booked into this great little guest house in the middle of an apple orchard. We have, out of one window, beautiful views of pine forests and mountains and out of the other the apple orchard. Its quiet here, the owner is feeding us well (had some yellow dahl – lentils- and rice for dinner) and the showers are hot. We are having a fantastic time! Will write more once we do something exciting. In the meantime check out the photos.
Picture of the lunch we had today...
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