to the Taj Mahal and back

It seemed I am unlucky with trains. Yesterday my train to Agra (departing 7pm from New Delhi) was planned to arrive 9:45pm and arrived just after midnight! I was not very confortable in a place like Agra around midnight. Hopefully, I joined 2 french men going off the train, we shared a taxi to an hotel area. I finally fell asleep around 1am but planning to wake up only 4 hours later.
Unfortunately, my alarm clock was useless, I woke up at 6:20am, just after sunset, too bad. Anyway I went to the Taj, early morning is fine, and what's more, my flight is tonight!
The Taj Mahal is really huge and beautiful, truly one of the world seven wonders.
I spent a short time there, leaving before the heat.


After a ride on a cycle rickshaw to the bus station,

I took the government bus to Delhi,

5 hours travelling but no waiting at the train station and some more time watching indian street life.
Some shopping near Connaught place spending my remaining rupees before going back to Pahar Ganj to the same hotel I've been when I arrived some weeks ago.
Now a little rest before the ride to the airport and the flight to France.

back to Delhi

After an evening spent in Harudwar, I'm in Delhi again, tired by the 5 hour waking up and the 5 hours train.
Yesterday, we attended a "Fuja" celebration in Harki-Pairi on the river banks. This happens daily, with an amazing crowd of people all around a canal coming from the Ganga.

Harudwar is considered the exact place where the Ganga leaves the Himalayas and therefore, this is a very special and sacred place. People gather at sunset and give to river "mother" little banana leaves boats with flowers and candles inside. Then they sing and suddenly leave at the same time (it made me thinking about last summer U2 concert ... ).

The bazaar next to Harki Pairi is over crowded after Fuja with only local people (no tourist at all). Harudwar is a big city compared to Rishikesh !

Then I returned by train to Delhi, alone and tired.

One train ticket booked to Agra, departure within 2 hours. I plan to wake up very early tomorrow morning to visit the Taja Mahal at dawn, and hopefully before the crowd!

riding on mountain roads

Yesterday was a nice day, late sleeping, walking the streets, meeting some old french traveller, watching the sunset on the Ganga, having a nice drink in Shiva cafe...


Today, after a breakfast with fruit salad, a sudden pain occured in my stomach, a real nightmare, after some time in bathroom (hum) and one hour sleeping, I felt knocked out. Hopefully, it got better quickly but time has passed. I rented anyway a scooter to ride to some temple 21km from Laxman Julha on the east banks of the Ganga.
Scooter with 4 gears, a kick-starter and a foot brake.... indeed I never drove such a vehicle before.

However, I got it fast and rided very carefully through mountain roads (as escarped as Corsica roads !). I arrived at sunset at the temple, but a 30min walk was necessary to reach the temple. I returned as the night was falling when I realised the scooter light was not working !!!

I took one hour to get back, driving sometimes in the dark (gears are not easy to deal with in the dark, I can tell), sometimes under the moon light thanksfully full tonight...

Today is "pass-over" but I did not spend the evening alone as I met again Aurelia and Chris (a very nice french couple) . We had dinner together with some of their friends, all french or swiss, a long time I have not spoken so much french indeed. All had much more experience than me in travelling in India!
Tomorrow is my leaving day, to spend in Harudwar (very near Rishikesh) and to attend an amazing "Puja" celebration at sunset before a very early train (6am to Delhi).

A musical day

2 days ago, instead of riding bicycles and swimming into Ganga, we've been for a walk to Swarg Achram. First I got shaved in a barber shop.

Then walking on the very pleasant road from Laxman Julha to Swarg Achram area, a 2km road not crowded, only disturbed by jeeps blowing horn.

We spent like one hour in a jewelry shop, talking with all the family about gems, it was interesting. The road leaded top an area with a few temples. There were staying a lot of Sadhus ( indian mystical men) on the benches next to the temples.

We went down the path to the centre area, stopping some time watching monkeys jumping from a big tree to a building. The Swarg Achram area is very lively, a lots of shops and a lot of people, there is another suspended bridge also. At sunset, we followed curiously a crowd of indian people as they seemed very decided to go to a particular place on the river banks.

Indeed they gathered for some sunset celebration. About one hundred people were here sitting around some old man who should be some religious man. The indian started to sing songs and the old man spoke for 10 minutes. An indian lady was leading the sing, she was looking very passionate. Then everybody turned towards the river and stayed silent for some time, like meditating. After we turned back towards the old man and heared some more singing, we left back to Laxman Julha. Night was already here.

Yesterday was a very interesting day. Mor went to get information about didgeridoo lessons, meditation classes and trekking possibilities and I went to investigate about music stuff, get my laundry. I went to meet Shoval to hear him playing his Sithar lookalike instrument. Actually he was not here but his australian friend Cat showed me the instrument who looks very nice, it seemed to me it is a sithar except there is no case to block fingers just like a violin, so it is possible to play sliding on the metal arm.

I played some melodica to Cat and her friend here, they enjoyed and took my picture. Then walking in the streets, I met a snake dompter, with a blowing flute sounding like a bagpipe and impressive cobras inside nets.

I accompanished him with melodica in a very oriental and snaky melody. It was good fun. Meeting Mor in the streets we went back to put my laundry at the hotel where we met Yael. We all had some teatime at Oasis restaurant and walked to swarg achram to attend a classical indian music concert.In swarg achram, we had some difficulties to find Sadhu Samaj Achram where the music was and had to ask for directions more or less successfully. At a moment we arrived at a very crowded place where there was a ghat and a clock tower.

We thought at first it was the place as there was some music, but some man told me it was not the place we looked for. Finally we got to the right place, where very young children brought us joyfully to the rooftop. The music had just started with sithar and tabla, audience sitting on the ground.

It was very windy and cloudy, the moon saying hello from time to time.

The concert was very funny in indian style: there was a banderole behind behind the musician and many times the wind got into it, bothering musician. A large number of incidents happened mostly because of the wind, speakers falling, carpets flying on a dancer, light shutting down, it put some laugh in the atmosphere. Apart this, the concert was excellent. The first part with tabla and sithar was magical, the sithar resonates long.

There was a dancing performance by an indian lady. She fisrt summerized the story of what she was going to dance and then danced/acted as it was a mix between dancing and mute theatre, it was the first time I saw this type of thing, really amazing in moving and expressions and very indian especially with the move of the head and then hands.

It continued with a tabla and flute music, which was very long and meditative.

When we arrived in Laxman Julha, there was some music coming from the inside a shop, but it was closed down, we could see anyway people gathered in some kind of party with percussion and singing. Sunday was very musical.

Today morning, a walk on the east banks of the Ganga to see some waterfalls. It is quite a long road (4km) and the sun was already beating hot on our shoulders. Hopefully, as we asked for directions to local indian with scooter, he proposed to give us a lift. Mor sitted on the back of his scooter and I sitted on the back of a man driving a Hero Honda (the indian motorbike by excellence), in fact we were 3 on the motorbike. After some time we stopped where the path starts.

Drinking a coke with the indian young men who helped us, they were going to Nil Ganj, 20 km away but accompanied us to the waterfalls. Indian here are very curious about western people. There we ve been in the water, showered by the falls, very refreshing. Then the indian guys left as we were staying to get dry. Of course I got their adress to send them some pictures :-), indian like a lot pictures ! It was a cool time writing a little bit, drying on rocks.

Then we got back on the road, hitchiking again, this time a car brought us back near Laxman Julha.

time going as slow as the Ganga

A few days has passed now in Rishikesh and I really have a good time, like daydreaming.
Yesterday, I went again to the barber shop to have a clean and soft face.

Then we went for a walk and get our feet in the river Ganga.

I couldn't resist going into the water and had a little swim. The water was quite cold but not as cold as the Verdon. It was really refreshing, some indian had a real fun playing in water, some guy was meditating on a rock in the middle of the river, another was doing canoe....

Then too short in time to go back for a shower, I went straight to the yoga session.

A beginner session, not so easy to stretch in all the yoga position, I really felt like pulling strongly my muscles. It was good and relaxing in the end, my body is like new ! a few other sessions to attend within the week.
Now, I'm about to rent a bicycle to have a ride nearby, along the Ganga, maybe have a walk to some falls, have some lunch in nature, have a swim, simply enjoying the wonderful time spent here.

The area is very pleasant, Laxman Julha is a place with hills ,a lots of yoga and meditation centre and a very interesting suspended bridge where people come and go. There are lots of monkeys too, veryt lazy, spending their time walking or sitting on the ropes of the bridge, getting some food from people. They are very agile, this is incredible!


I realize now that it has been quite a long time I haven't met french people. This morning at breakfast ( in a german bakery restaurant with a tremendous view on the bridge and on the temples ), they were a few of them at a table nearby, it was funny listening to them and to their talking as it sounded very familiar and also very far, like some old memory. Yesterday, as having a refreshment before the yoga, I heard some guy with a laptop talking quebecish. I was very curious as he talked about some time he will have to spend in China and about some packages. I thought first he was a movie maker. As we left the restaurant, I went to talk to him 5 minutes, he is a photograph journalist and was about to go to China to do a journalist "reportage" about the water pollution there and how it will affect the whole world in the long time.

He seemed to me very interesting but I had to go, maybe we will meet again ! We met also some traveller carrying what look like guitar-like instrument cases. I ask him about, they are "sorad" he bought in Varanasi and is learning to play. I 'll try to meet him someday at his hotel to find out about these instruments.
I'm thinking about bringing back some instrument indeed, tabla, sitar, sorad....

Rishikesh

The trip by bus was very long and tiring. Hopefully we had some sleep, however the roads are very bumpy here and sleeper is quite ok.

Some time in Harudwar to go to the local bus stop and finally Rishikesh ! The hotel is not far from the river so there are lots of mosquitos.
The Ganga is very transparent here, and I really feel like going for a swim soon.

The place is also wonderful, the atmosphere is very different from Rajasthan, more peaceful and relaxing. It seems to be the capital of yoga and meditation, and there are many centres, I'm thinking about taking yoga courses and maybe music lessons too.

Walking around out of the town is really relaxing, nature is present with some woods, lots of hills, and the Ganga. There are many ashrams along the river. Everything is lovely.

I'm thinking about staying here for a while as there are many things to do. It is possible to go for trekking or rating on the Ganga, on sunday there is a music concert with traditional indian instruments and it will be under full moon !

( but after investigation sunday, it's not full moon ... anyway, Sab Kuch Milega - everything is possible in indi - ! )

just before moving to the north

I take the bus this afternoon around 6pm towards Rishikesh. There is the place where the Ganges leaves the nearby Himalayas mountains. 6000m mounts should be about 50 km away from the town. The atmosphere is being warmer here in Pushkar. The time spent here was wonderful and unexpected things happened, I'm just very happy now.
There are some indian with instruments walking down the streets here and yesterday, one of them proposed to bring me to his homeplace to have a chai and chapati prepared by his mother. We've been there just before sunset.

He is living about 4km from the town in the desert area where the camel fair took place every year. The camel fair is passed for a long time and the place is really desert apart from some camels with tourists. A short stop nearby a small lake with a nice view on Saraswati temple ( on the hill we've been 3 days ago ).

Then an area with about 10 campements of people living with really nothing, sleeping almost outside. We had a chai and Monov played some music to us. He plays for 15 years as he belongs to the cast of musicians. He makes the instruments, kind of violin instruments, playing his archet one one string only which resonates with the other strings into an aluminium bowl at the bottom.
We stayed a little while and it was really dark when we came back to the town along the sandy path ( hopefully accompagnied by Monov until the hard road )
In Pushkar there is a guest house called Pink Floyd cafe, advertised a lot everywhere in the town.

We've been for a drink there, every room is named as an album and there is an appropriate "Wish you were here" written at the entrance. Too bad, there was no music as one of the guest just arrived was very tired and not feeling well. The roof top was above all other rooftops of the city, nice ! A inopinated electricity breakdown happened for 5 minutes, the moment the lights went back all over the city was great. Breakdowns happen from time to time here and suddenly the town becomes quiet and magic.

In a short while now, bus checking, on sleepers class, a new way of travelling to experience for me !

still in Pushkar

Pushkar is a very relaxing place. There are many shops, the ghats, stairs going down to the lake, all over the lake.

A lot of travellers and indian people are cool here, almost no stress.

There are music lessons, juggling lessons, this is a very creative place. I met some musician running sarwati music school. He studied tabla with Zakir Hussain in the sams aschram !

I ve done also a walk until a temple on the top on a hill. There the view is really great.

Very "human" monkeys are along the path.

It was early in the morning so I was quite tired yesterday. I met some new friends here, and my flexible itinerary will take a big change towards the Rishikesh mountains in the north and delay Agra and Varanasi....

The time spent here is wonderful, I feel really good, staying in Pushkar.
Next move should be on monday night. Pictures take hours to upload here, so wait a little time....