Eventually back home

Now I am back home in the cold Tyrolean alps. Our flight to Innsbruck was delayed due to the fog in Frankfurt and we arrived at 9.53 instead of 9.25. But we didn't really care. We are just happy to be back safely and healthy and that we didn't have any problems with the traveling.


This week I won't have too much time to relax and sleep because on Friday, the first Austrian YEP Meeting is coming up and I want to help with the final organization. If you are interested in what we are planning to do, check this out:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=254817094540964
http://www.mikehorn.com/en/yep/pangaea-projects-news/yep-meeting-in-innsbruck/

 
Everyone is welcome to join, just let me know you're coming! :)

Frankfurt again

For us it is 11:40am right now. We had a nice flight, the airplane had screens on every seat and I watched two and a half films during the eight hour journey. In between I slept about three hours. We had a three-o’-clock-snack and breakfast on board.

When we came down to Frankfurt, we first passed the cloud level and then saw that the city was covered in fog. I couldn’t even see the wing anymore shortly before we landed! Then we left the plane, got into a bus and walked to gate C1. We hurried because we didn’t have too much time but we were the first to arrive at the gate. So we decided to drink some Apfelschorle and have a look at the shops before passing the security checks and waiting for the boarding.

rising sun

Hearing so many people speak German is strange, as well as the small numbers on the price tags. And the higher prices too. I must not convert them into rupees because then I would buy nothing here – way too expensive! ;)

Spending the last rupees

Shortly before nine, the taxi driver arrived at the hotel. I used the waiting time to listen to Delhi’s radio stations and to watch the people in the lounge.

It took us more than half an hour to get to the airport which is quite fast. When the driver told us that we had to pay 512 rupees, we were happy to have accepted Raghav’s offer to order a taxi. The hotel would have called one for 1500 rupees!

After a last breath of hot, humid Delhi-air, we entered the departure hall. We had “dinner” in a coffee shop. A croissant, a blueberry muffin, a coffee and one hot chocolate... Then we could get rid of our big luggage and check in. Passport control, security check. In the duty free area we had a look at the rupees we had left: some more than 2000. We decided to buy a shawl for me and instantly found one for 1800 rupees. Then we had enough money left to buy some water and two CDs. Eventually, we had 40 rupees left which I just spent for sweets. So now no more money left!

Mercedes is everywhere!

We are waiting for the boarding. It is half past twelve right now and we are leaving Delhi at 2:25 am. This is going to be a tough night...

Another day in Delhi

We slept even longer today than we did yesterday - until 9am! Breakfast was the same as yesterday, except for the fact that I skipped the toast.
Then we packed (everything fit into our suitcases!) and checked out at twelve. We stored our luggage at the hotel and left. It was the first time that we were in Delhi alone and by foot. Immediately an Indian started talking to us and wanted us to go to some strange place and buy souveniers. We tried to tell him in a nice way that we didn't want to go there but finally we just left.

 It was difficult to find a nice location, especially because now constantly people tried to sell us something or to bring us into their shops. Eventually we went into a KFC and had a Coke to cool down and relax a bit. When we  had a look at the map, a man with a turban (maybe a Sikh) asked whether he could help us. He seemed nice and he really was. He showed us a place to shop for souveniers, clothes and all that stuff and even organzed a rickshaw there. Annetraud didn't want to go by rickshaw but she couldn't find enough arguments and so we sat in one of those small three-wheeled things. At the place we were told, we stayed quite long and also bought some things. Then the same rickshaw driver brought us to the shops near Connaught place and showed us a restaurant there. We had Dosai, which was good and not spicy at all. :)

That's what a plain Dosai looks like

Then we walked through the little shops, seached for a cyber cafe, found one and it was closed. Great. At least we saw some more of Delhi. After a rest in a Pizza Hut, we went back to the hotel where we now wait in the lobby until the taxi picks up us at 9pm. Raghav kindly ordered it for us. Thanks again!

Now I'm looking forward to coming back home. Although I heard that it shall snow in Innsbruck!

A day in Delhi with Raghav

Finally sleeping longer! We got up at eight, had breakfast (the toast was not good at all...) and got ready to leave.

Raghav was already waiting in the lobby when I came down. It has been more than a year since I last saw him at the Selection Camp in Switzerland and it was good to be with him again. We waited for Annetraud, who still packed some things and then left. If he hadn’t told me on the phone before, I would have been really surprised that Raghav had his own driver. The best way to travel in Delhi is by car. The public transport is crowded and you really don’t want to take the bike, believe me!

 First, we visited the India gate. Just when we got there, there was some military parade practicing and we watched the marching soldiers a bit. Then we walked down the street that led straight from the gate to the president’s house. On the way we saw boys playing football and cricket on the lawn left and right to the road. Delhi is really green, especially here. We also saw the parliament which is a big building too. It was interesting to see the mixture of British and Indian architecture in the minister’s houses.

Next stop was the Qutab-Minar. This is the name of a tower that was built in early Muslim architecture style. It is 73 meters tall and quite impressive. When we purchased the tickets, we were astonished to read the prices: Indians – 10 rupees (less than 50 ct), Foreigners – 250 rupees (4 Euros)! But nobody would have believed me and Annetraud to be Indian, so we queued for the expensive tickets. At least we got them fast and didn’t have to wait long. Inside there were hardly any Europeans. One Indian took a picture of me while passing by. That is weird to be so special that strangers want to take pictures of you. I mean I’m taking pictures of Indians too but either I ask first or I do it from the distance. I don’t walk up to them, hold the camera to their face, take a picture and leave...

It was getting hot and we decided to use the midday to go shopping and have lunch. Raghav brought us to a huge shopping mall. We bought some souvenirs (I won’t tell you what exactly :-P) and had lunch at McDonalds. Guaranteed not spicy if you take a veggie or chicken burger. But there are many spicy burgers too.

We did some more shopping and then left the cool mall to drive to the biggest Hindu temple in Delhi. I was interested in seeing a Hindu temple as well because most Indians follow this religion and if I am in their country, I want to see that part of the culture as well.

When I saw the parking lot, I knew this was gonna be really huge. The main building already looked impressive from the far. But getting in is not as easy as you think. First, there are loads of things you must not bring. Weapons, cameras, all kinds of bags, food, drinks, electronic devices,... To keep it short: you mustn’t bring anything but your wallet. If you have something with you that is not allowed, you have to queue for a locker to put it in. Luckily, we had the car where we left our cameras and Raghav’s cell phone. So we just had to wait for the security check. When we were divided by gender, I saw a poster with another detailed list of what you must not take with you. And found the words diary, note book and paper. I was afraid that they might take my notebook that I use to write down difficult names, numbers and timelines. So I hid it in the last pocket of my bumbag and hoped for the best. And it worked. The woman who checked me didn’t even see that pocket. But Annetraud had forgotten to put away the battery of her camera. They kept it and said that she could pick it up again after 6pm.

The temple complex is completely new. It was finished four years ago. There were lots of buildings with beautiful carvings, all leading to the main temple, which includes many statues. Everything is made with an eye for the detail and it is a pity that I couldn’t take any pictures of it.

We bought tickets for two shows. One was a boat trip through Indian history. I thought this was meant literally, but we really sat in a boat that drove on wheels through water. Left and right we saw puppets that represented important events in Indian history. It was interesting but I couldn’t take so much information at once. But I do know that many things were invented in India before Europe even thought about it.

The second show lasted for forty minutes and really surprised me because of the amazing technique that was used. It was about Swaminarayan, whom this temple is dedicated to. The tour started with a film and then we had to change places quite often. We came into rooms where there were puppets like in at the boat trip. Only these puppets moved! The robots did realistic movements while the sound came via speakers. Extremely well done! And the story was told in a very interesting way too. As a young boy, Swaminarayan already became a Yogi master after doing a long journey through the Himalayas. Then he became a spiritual teacher and enlightened person at a still very young age. Then we were told about his teaching which is based on love and compassion. It is quite similar to Buddhism, I think.

that's what the temple looks like - picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshardham_%28Delhi%29

I was really happy that Raghav could explain to us what all the statues in the main temple meant. There was also a big golden statue of Swaminarayan.

I was getting late, so we searched for the exit. Before leaving, Annetraud got her battery back. Funny thing that after getting it back, we weren’t forced to leave right away. We could have gone back in and do whatever dangerous thing you can do with a camera battery. If it were a bomb, we could have blown it up right in the temple. They should check their security checks...

Outside, Raghav phoned his parents to ask about dinner. Annetraud and I were very happy to be invited to eat with them because we were curious to meet them. So Raghav was told that they were already in his dad’s club, waiting for us. We could have gone there straight away, but I wanted to wash myself (I sweat so much in this climate!) and we needed to get the souvenirs we brought from Austria. Luckily, our hotel was on the way and we did a short stopover.

When we arrived at the club, Raghav first had troubles to get in because men are supposed to were shirts with collar. Finally, he borrowed a shirt and we were allowed in. Meeting his parents was very nice. I enjoyed the dinner and I am happy to have met them.

Unfortunately, time flew past and we had to leave. Saying goodbye was hard, this day was much too short. But I think that we used it quite well. I now know a lot more about Hinduism as well as about Delhi.

Thank you for this nice day, Raghav! :)

Finally Taj Mahal!!! ...and Fatehpur Sikri and back to Delhi

The program was really tight and exhausting today. We woke up at five to leave the hotel at 5.30. It was not too difficult to get up, I am kind of used to that by now. And it was definitely worth it! Our bus brought us close to the Taj Mahal, there we changed into a zero-emission bus because there is a protection zone around the monument where you must not drive with normal cars. Then we got our tickets and separated into a “ladies” and “gents” group. The ladies queue was much longer than the other because all bags were exactly examined. You must not bring any weapons, matches, lighter, books, lamps, helmets, pens, flags, food, drinks,... Only water was allowed. When the examiner found a WeltWeitWandern kerchief, she was quite confused and didn’t know what it was. Luckily she didn’t think it was a flag and let it through.

We were in the courtyard from where you can see the Taj already. Our guide explained to us the fine architecture. Every detail is perfect. The building and its surroundings are bi-symmetrical and only the emporer’s tomb doesn’t fit to this. There are several points with special views on the building. One where you only see the big gate, one where you see the main building but not the towers, one where you see everything. As you come closer, you slowly realize how huge the Taj is.

Yesterday was Friday and on this day they close the Taj for renovation and cleaning. That’s why today there was no water in the basins. It would have been even more beautiful with that. Never mind.

Everyone took loads of pictures and was busy with being amazed. At one point our guide proposed to explain everything now and then let us go into the Taj Mahal alone and to give us some free time. We agreed and I really liked going there individually. To be allowed in, you have to either take off your shoes (what most Indian tourists did) or put on plastic socks over your shoes to keep the marble clean. Standing right in front of the main gate (the gate facing the garden; all of the four gates are the same) I felt really small but totally happy too. I reached the point where I wanted to be for such a long time. Inside I saw the beautiful inlay flowers which I knew from pictures and videos. What I didn’t know was that if you lighten the stones with a small torch, they shine as if they had a glowworm in them. This fascinated me a lot.

The sun had risen already and it was hot and had a high humidity. I already sweated and wondered what it would be like on midday.

We left the maybe most famous monument on earth and went back to the hotel to have breakfast. I ate a lot because we didn’t know where we would have lunch and I already feared that it would be either very expensive or spicy.

Then we checked out and drove to Fatehpur Sikri. This is another highlight close to Agra. The city was built by the same emperor as the Taj and once was home for a whole harem. The reason for building it was that in Sikri a man foretold that the mogul, whose three wives didn’t give him any sons, would have three sons. And after the birth of the second son, the thankful man started constructing the perfect city. But soon after its finishing, the emperor moved somewhere else and everybody left with him. Thanks to the climate there, we can still see all buildings today nearly as they were back in the end of the 16^th century. The red buildings all have special features and I would never end if I told you even some of them.

Now it was time for the long journey back. We said goodbye to our guide and then sat in the bus for three hours when we had lunch break. It was not the same restaurant as the one we were in yesterday, but one of the same kind. Tomato soup? 135 rupees plus tax. No thanks. Nobody ordered anything. We ate cookies, cracker and drank water. Luckily everyone had had a huge breakfast.

At half past six, we reached Delhi and the hotel where the six group members who leave tomorrow morning can have a shower before the flight. There we had a big farewell, it is nice to see that in that short time we kinda grew together as a group and everyone is sad to separate. Annetraud and I were then driven to our hotel in the center of Delhi, Connaught Place. Then we left the driver and his assistant as well and were alone for the first time. When checking in, the man at the reception immediately was nicer to us when we told him that we were in Agra. He made some jokes and then gave us a really cool room: 2011. Nice number, don’t you think? And do you understand what that means? 20^th floor!

The room is neat and clean and we have a great view over Delhi. Just some minutes after we had entered the room, the phone rang. I was a bit confused but when I answered and heard my friend’s voice, I felt happy instead. We talked a bit, confirmed the meeting tomorrow and now I’m really excited about meeting him again after more than one year.

Later, the phone rang again. (I’m practicing my phone-English a lot recently) It was a guy from Gesar Travel who wanted to know whether we arrived safely and whether we had everything organized to get back home. This was really nice because we are here on our own and they don’t have to care about us at all. But they do. Thank you, Gesar Travel!

We didn’t want to go out for dinner, so we decided to eat in the hotel’s restaurant. It was strange sitting at a noble table with cloth tissue and a mass of waiters that is concerned that you might have any open wishes. I actually don’t like that too much. All those men asking whether I like the food, like some other drink, like a desert etc. slowly get on my nerves. If I want another drink I will order one, wouldn’t I? Anyways, the food was good (not spicy, ha!) and expensive.

Now we will upload the blogs and pictures, watch TV a bit and then sleep high above New Delhi. Looking forward to tomorrow! :)

Leh - Delhi - Agra and Agra Fort

This morning, we got up even earlier than yesterday. My mobile phone woke us at 4am... We had a light breakfast half an hour later and the hotel staff got some Austrian sweets from me. Poor them had to be awake this early as well. We then gave our drivers their tips and sweets and a postcard. They were really thankful and happy although they didn’t even open the envelopes. Our guide was nearly moved to tears when he got his yesterday. It is really sad to say goodbye to the three of them, we all like them very much!

So off we went at 5am. One last time driving through Leh. At the airport parking lot we had the very final farewell. Then the checks started. We had to show our passports and tickets to even enter the airport! Then our luggage was x-ray examined, we were checked through too. Then we met our guide’s sister who had been in Nubra when we visited his family. She helped us through the check-in and the rest of the security stuff. Then she even organized some tea for us when we waited for the boarding. Unfortunately, we then didn’t see her again and couldn’t really say goodbye.

At twenty past six, we could start the boarding and at seven we left the Ladakhi ground. There was not much to see during the flight because the weather was all cloudy and you couldn’t see a single snow-capped mountain.

In Delhi, it was cloudy too and had “just” 27°C, which was quite a shock for us after the 18°C that we had in Leh this morning. We met the guide that had welcomed us in Delhi on our first arrival and he led us to our bus. It is a tourist bus which has eleven seats, nine for us and two for the driver and his assistant. We haven’t found out what the assistant is there for yet...

We left the airport at nine. It soon started to rain and we drove through streets that were rather lakes or rivers. I felt very sorry for those bicycle drivers who got all wet and muddy. I was very busy watching the people passing by while we slowly rolled through Delhi. This city is not only the capital of India but also one of the biggest cities in the world. More than twice the population of Austria lives here!

Motor rickshas, buses, trucks, bikes, motorcycles, pedestrians, cows, dogs,... I watched everything I could see from my window. I took some pictures too. Although I had expected this to be completely different to Ladakh, I was astonished by what I saw. For example, the cows were much taller than the ones I was used to by now. And they had humps on their backs!

I noticed that in Delhi there were lots of plants, trees and bushes. 20% of the city are green and it is planned to raise this number to 30%! What I didn’t like was all the trash that was lying around. It was really much more than in Leh.

I saw women in beautiful saris and orange vests cleaning the streets. For the first time in more than two weeks I saw traffic lights. There were children in neat school uniforms and kids that wore torn shirts. Motor rickshas with at least fifteen people in them, some standing, some kids sitting on the lap of their parents. Motorcycle drivers sometimes wore helmets but the women in saris that sat behind the driver (except for one always a man) never had one. Sometimes they had kids inbetween them.

It were too many impressions at a time, I can’t even remember half of the things I saw...

It took us two hours to get out of Delhi. At 2pm we finally stopped to had lunch. I expected it to be some tourist-restaurant. But I didn’t expect it to be some tables in between souvenir shops and with a menu that only had prices written in it that were up to four times higher than in the expensive restaurants in Leh. And tax was not included. Most of us had a tomato soup. I didn’t finish mine because it was too spicy. Like I said, I can’t eat that spicy stuff, I wonder why.

Seven hours after we left the Indira Ghandi airport, we arrived at our hotel in Agra. It is a beautiful building inside and the rooms are very clean. But they charge for everything. In our room there are two bottles of mineral water. If we take it, we have to pay 300 rupees per liter. Plus tax. Guess what a liter of water costs in Ladakh. 20 rupees, tax included...

We immediately met again to see the Agra Fort. Our new guide is not from WeltWeitWandern but from the ministry of tourism and culture. He is nice too but to me it seems that he kind of tells us his text by heart with all numbers and facts that we will never remember.

The Fort was more impressive than we expected it to be. It is the former residence of the Mogul kings. We saw all the defense gadgets that were similar to those you can find with European castles. Then we went further in and had a look at all the rooms that were made with stone inlay, gold and precious stones. It is a pity that most of it was destroyed. Our guide told us that it were the British but our guide book says that most of the stones, gold and silver was robbed by invadors. One could feel that our guide wasn’t best friends with the British. He always stressed that it was the British’ fault that he couldn’t show us how beautiful the Frot once was and we had to imagine the shining gold and stones.

From some points we also had a great view on the Taj Mahal. It is strange to be so close to my original destination. Tomorrow morning I’m gonna be there! We had bad luck because the sky was still all cloudy and we couldn’t see the Taj in the evening sun. But we were rewarded for that when we saw two rainbows before we left.

To get from the bus to the Fort and back, we had to pass through a real mass of street merchants. Our guide gave us a good advice before we left the bus: don’t hear, don’t see, don’t speak. Just ignore those guys. As soon as you say “no”, you are already responding to them and they will run after you. If you completely ignore them, they’ll most likely let you be. And this really worked so far!

Back at the hotel, we had a shower and then six of us met again to go out for dinner. Eating at the hotel would have been even more expensive than in the restaurant we were driven to. It was simple and looked sterile. I ordered some “very mild please” vegetable plate. Guess what. It was hot after all. Not too hot but it tasted a bit strange too. Annetraud and I changed plates and I had some of her fruit rice but I didn’t like that too much either. I’m looking forward to some really mild pasta or any dish in Austria! But here at least the bread was good.

Getting up early on the last day in Ladakh

Our day started early. After having a light diarrhea at night, I thought about whether it was a good idea to get up at ten past five, but I decided that I probably won’t have the chance again, so I rolled out of bed, got dressed and joined the others in the dining hall. They had tea but I just dared to drink some hot water.

One of our drivers was the “unlucky” one who had to get up early as well. Five of the group members, the driver and our guide squeezed into one of the jeeps and off we went. The streets weren’t as empty as one would expect them to be shortly past six. The first shops opened, people washed themselves and brushed their teeth.

We arrived at Thikse monastery. Few other tourists were here as well. We also met two camera teams, one of them from the Hessischer Rundfunk. Our guide led us to a terrace on the top of the monastery that is – surprise – built on a hill. After this morning sport we were rewarded with a short concert of two horn players who called the monks to the morning prayer, which is called Punja in Ladakh. They called three times and then we could sit down in the assembly hall and watch the morning ceremony. And listen too. Especially the young novices chanted their mantras loudly and were very eager with reading them from their books. Several times, they offered butter tea and tsampa to the other monks and some of the visitors who had brought their own bowl. I was busy with taking pictures (without flash of course!) and filming a bit. It sounded different but beautiful too. Funny thing was that two of the monks at the end of the ceremony had kind of a battle. Both sang very loudly and it seemed that everyone wanted to do it better than the other. Inbetween, there were songs with drums, horns and cymbals.

When the monks had finished, two of the young boys cleaned the floor and we had a closer look at the statues in the assembly hall. The rest of the group had arrived and our guide explained some more about the monastery. Its first parts were built in 15^th century and there are parts added every year, so this is a growing monastery!

We had breakfast in the monastery’s restaurant and then walked up again to see the shrines. In one of them we saw the very famous statue of Buddha Matreya that has become “the face of Ladakh” and is to be found on the cover of our guide book. It is so huge that you have to go to the second floor to see its face.

Also, we again learned about the wheel of life, this time about the outer circle. It was very interesting but too complicated to explain here. If you are interested in it, google it up. :-P

It started to rain a bit when we drove on to Shey. Shey is the former capital of Ladakh and still has a palace next to the monastery. There you can find a stupa which is too big to fit onto a picture and which has a golden top. We also saw another famous statue made of brass, copper and gold. It is the only of its kind and as tall as the one in Thiksey. The best thing was that we were allowed to walk around the base of the statue, which our guide never before did with a group. We weren’t prepared that the room where the statue was based was completely dark. So it was rather funny feeling the way around it in darkness. We went clockwise of course and afterwards we were happy to see light again.

We got to know that the closing ceremony of the Ladakh Festival was not in the afternoon but right now instead. So we went straight to the polo ground. For me, this was a bit of a problem because I hadn’t brought another battery for my camera and the one I had was already low. So not many photos of the ceremony...

To get in, men and women had to queue in different lines and were controlled exactly. Well, not that exactly because luckily nobody noticed my pocket knife. But we had to prove that our cameras were real and no bombs!

Our guide got us good places where all the dancers passed by when entering and leaving the stage. They wore very beautiful traditional clothes, the women had hats with lots of turquoise on it (that are called Perak), the men sometimes had swords or little shrines with a picture of the Dalai Lama. It was great to watch and to hear the music too. Unfortunately, the dancers danced for the important minister on the other side on the field, so we just saw their backs...

We left when the last dance started to avoid the crowd that would form as soon as the ceremony was over. On the way to our lunch, Annetraud and I stopped by in a shop to buy a blanket. We started a conversation with the young shop keeper and found out that he was Tibetan but born in India. He was very smart and knew a lot about Buddhism and about Europe too. He even estimated the population of Austria correctly! Other people we met here mixed up Austria and Australia... The Tibetan showed us some of his CDs and we ended up buying some of them and a DVD too. We hope that they will work at home. :)

So now we had lunch and my stomach seems to be fine with that. I guess that the apple juice yesterday evening was a rather bad idea... Luckily, I’m not really ill and I will not have any problems with flying to Delhi tomorrow morning (departure at 5:40am and being at the airport two hours in advance!!!) and then to go on to Agra by bus. It will be hard but worth it, I’m looking forward to another culture and climate shock and to meet the “real” India and the Islamic India in Agra and Delhi.

I hope that the hotels then will have WiFi or internet so that I’m no longer dependent on those Cybercafes which, as my favorite here in Leh, can close at any time.

Leaving Ladakh feels strange. I somehow got used to this country. It will be hard to say “Namaste” instead of “Julee” and I will miss the monks in the streets, the stupas and the prayer wheels. But India is more than Ladakh. I was a bit sad today when our guide said that we should take off our shoes for the last time, that this was the last time he is shooing us up to a monastery. Everything comes to an end. That’s what Buddhism teaches and that’s what happens all life long.

So good-bye Ladakh and hello Agra!

Khardung-La again and back to Leh

I slept really good tonight and felt much better in the morning. Voices woke me up and soon we saw that farmers had started to harvest the field behind our tents. I found it really nice that they sang while working.

I had a normal breakfast but without any egg omelet and with tea instead of milk and Ovomaltine. Then I packed and we were ready to go back to Leh.

We left Tirith at 9am. Luckily, there was not a lot of traffic and we only had to stop once because of street works. Three hours later, we again stood at the Khardung-La. It was rather cold and some snow flakes came down from the sky. Most of us went into the “highest cafeteria in the world” to have some Maggi 2 minutes instant noodle soup. It was a bit spicy but very tasty too. And the military guy behind the counter was nice and funny. He moved as if he was dancing to the music that was playing from the radio.

Can you make out what that is? Right. Lots of Maggi!

The drive down was without any problems and we reached Leh already at 2pm. We had lunch at our old hotel and now we are free for the rest of the day. Annetraud and I are going to do some more shopping. But before that we’ll have to get some more rupees... :)

Leh once again

We are back in Leh safely. Nubra valley was great! But there is no WiFi today, so more blogs tomorrow!