The thing is, I started another blog http://berlin-22.blogspot.com/ where I plan to tell the adventures and misadventures of life in Berlin...
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Last post
The thing is, I started another blog http://berlin-22.blogspot.com/ where I plan to tell the adventures and misadventures of life in Berlin...
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Once upon a time in India: From Kutch to Bombay
Kutch
district,
Gujarat
The
different
tribes
that
live
in
small
villages
around
Bhuj
and
they
are
famous
for
their
handicrafts,
specially
leather
works,
weaving,
embroidery
and
pottery
are
quite
disconnected
from
each
other
and
from
Bhuj
so
we
arranged
an
autorickshaw
tour
with
the
curator
of
the
Aina
Mahal
(Old
Palace)
to visit
them.
Again,
after
traveling
all
night
we
arrived
too
early,
but
here
early
was
9am.
It
was
sunny
and
hot
and
dusty
as
only
a
desert
can
be.
We
woke
up
the
workers
at
two
hotels
that
we
checked (and didn't like),
we
walked
through
the
yet
closed
market
and
we
finally
arrived
at
the
very
cozy
Shiv
hotel.
Our
attempts
to
get
a
breakfast
before
11:30
were
in
vain
and
we
settled
for
some
coffee
at
the
hotel.
Kutch
District
is
almost
an
island,
it's
surrounded
by
the
Gulf
of
Kachchh
and
the
Arabian
Sea
in
south
and
west,
while
northern
and
eastern
parts
are
surrounded
by
seasonal
wetlands,
and
it
was
historically
pretty
cut
off
from
the
rest
of
India.
The
result
is
that
there
are
lots
of
different
communities
that
still
keep
their
traditions:
clothes,
customs,
crafts.
 |
| This is when I went native |
On
the
next
day
our
driver
picked
us
up
on
the
morning.
He
spoke
a
very
basic
English
but
was
a
cool
guy
and
resulted
to
be
a
very
enthusiastic
photographer;
he
took
us
lots
of
pictures
on
his
own
initiative
and
now
and
then
he
would
told
us
Look!
Look
at
that!
Take
a
picture!
He
drove us
to
some
of
the
villages,
to
a
dam
in
the
middle
of
nowhere
where
we
swam,
we
visited
a
temple
that
had
people
living
there
and
a
106
years
old
woman.
(We
didn't
dare
to
take
a
picture,
but
our
driver
had the
camera
at that time and
took
one!)
 |
| Check the mirrors |
But
at
the
end
of
the
day,
the
tour
showed
a
pretty
sad
state
of
affairs
at
the
villages:
even
though
the
pieces
they
do
were hand
made,
most
of
them
looked
mass
produced.
In
fact,
most
of
the
excruciating
tasks
that
Kutchies
perform
by
hand
could
be
easily
done
with
a
machine
without
loosing
much.
Most
of
the
traditional
techniques
that
we
saw
were
just
people
sitting
and
cutting
and
sowing
and
that
was
pretty
much
it.
And
they
had
too many
pieces
already
done,
and then in
some
places
when
we
arrived
Kutchies would start
suddenly
doing
as
if
they
were
working.
We
spend
two
days
in
Bhuj
and
then
we
traveled
to
Mandavi,
still
in
Kutch
district.
Mandavi
is
a
small
port
city
located
where
the
Rukmavati
river
meets
the
Gulf
of
Kachchh.
Both
shores
of
the
river
are
a
huge
and
impressive
shipbuilding
yard.
It's
just
amazing
to
see
hundreds
of
men
like
tiny
ants
working, hammering,
cutting
wood,
that
is,
building
these
huge
wooden
boats
completely
by
hand.
We
stayed
at
a
strange
hotel
that
once
was
a
hospital,
but
don't
think
of
a
white
sterile
place,
it
was
a
comfortable
place
ran
by
a
very
efficient
guy
who
gave
us
maps
and
recommendations
about
the
city.
We
also
had
the
best
food
of
India
there:
fish
and
prawns
curry,
authentic
Gujarati
thalis,
the
sweetest
pineapples
and
fresh
coconuts.
And
we
finally
saw
the
sea
while
we
relaxed
at
the
exclusive
and
almost
empty
beach
of
Vijay
Vilas
Palace.
The
morning
before
we
left,
we
caught
the
dawn
at
shipbuilding
yard
and
we
rode
bikes
until
Iohi
had
a
flat
tire.
We
learned
there
that
every
kiosk
has
a
guy
who
fixes
punctures.
He
took
out
the
inner
tube
of
the
tire,
checked
with
water
where
the
puncture
was
and
put
a
sticker
over
it.
A
sailor
who
almost did
not
speak
English
served
as
translator
there
and
got
us
some
teas.
He
was
thrilled
that
he
had
something
to
do
on
his
day
off
and
invited
us
very
persuasively
to
eat
extremely
sweet
Indian
sweets
at
his
place
and
then
he
attached
to us
as
a
guide
for
the
rest
of
the
morning.
At
midday we
traveled
back
to
Bhuj
where
we
finally
decide
to
do
some
shopping
and
buy
some
souvenirs.
Unluckily
it
was
Sunday
and
absolutely
everything
was
closed,
we
had
completely lost
the
track
of
the
days.
Bhuj
to
Mumbai
This
time
we
took
our
last
night
train
with
RAC
–reservation
against
cancellation.
The
booking
system
in
India
is
quite
complex
but
basically
you
can
have
a
place,
that
is
a
bed,
or
you
can
be
in
wait
list
until
some
place
is
available
(or
not),
or
you
can
have
a
RAC
which
is
a
hybrid
state.
In
each
car
there
is
a
bed
that
can
be
transformed
into
two
seats
and
the
RAC
holders
have
those
seats
unless
there
are
free
places.
There
are
always many
cancellations and
the
times
we
bought
a
RAC,
it
became
a
regular
place
before we
boarded
the
train.
It
wasn't
the
case
this
time,
and
we
had
a
17
hours
ride!
And
for
the
first
hours
it
seemed
that we were going to spend the 17 hours sitting in too small
benches!
However,
there
was
a
place
for
an
8
hours
span,
so
we
were
relieved
and
we
could
sleep
there.
Mumbai,
previously
known
as
Bombay
Mumbai
was
the
only
big
city
in
India
that
we
found
pleasant
for
real.
It's
clean,
less
noisy,
and even
though
it
was
hot,
there
are
plenty
of
trees
and
shadow,
besides,
there
are
lots
of
good
places
to
eat
Indian
food
and
not
crappy
fake
tourist
food.
The
drawbacks
are
that
it
was
much
more
expensive
than
everywhere
else:
for
the
accommodation
we
paid
a
sum
with
an
extra
zero;
and
also the
city
is
so huge
that we
had
to
struggle
with
taxis
to
get
to
the
places
we
wanted.
 |
| The Faloodas were actually pretty good |
And
that
was
pretty
much
it,
we
sneaked
in
the
5-stars Taj
Mahal
Palace
Hotel,
where
all
the
celebrities
stay
when
they
are
in
Mumbay,
we
wandered
at
the
markets
and
at
the
quiet
alleys
of
Kotachiwadi,
and
we
quite enjoyed
the
food...
And
these
last
weeks
at
Rajasthan,
Gujarat
and
Mumbai
were
kind
of
a happy
ending
for
India...
(it's
not
that
the
beginning
was
so
terrible
but
anyway,
if
you
don't
know
what
I
mean
see
the
first
two
posts
of
India)...
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Rajasthan: Land of Sunsets
Once
upon a time we were in India, and that was before we moved to Berlin
and even before we had some short vacations of our vacations in
Thailand...
Rajasthan
state
in
western
India
As
I
was
telling
a
long time ago I
found
an
“outside-of-the-Lonelyplanet-guide”
train
combination
to
get
to Shekhawati
region
from
Delhi.
We
took
seats
(in
fact
beds)
in
an
AC-3
car,
as
we
always
do,
on
the
morning
four-hour
train
to
Loharu.
We
arrived
there,
and
it
felt
we
were
the
first
non-Indian
people
to
ever
step
on
the
station.
We
were
stared
and
inspected
and
then
stared
some
more.
We
bought
some
super
spiced
and
super
fried
snacks
outside
the
station
where
we
received
even
more
looks.
Then
we
sat
in
the
wooden
seats
of
a
small
local
train
to
Nawalgarh,
one
of
the
towns
that
belong
to
the
Shekhwati
region
in
north
Rajasthan,
and
we
gathered
a
small
crowd
that
sat
around
us
just
to
see
the
strange
foreigners.
We
enjoyed
a
nice
train
ride
through
the
desert,
feeling
the
warm
wind
from
the
open
windows
while we heard
a young guy playing and singing Rajasthani
music.
As
I told
before,
after more
than one
month
traveling
in India,
Rajasthan
was like
our first
taste of
the real India…
Nawalgarh
and
around,
Shekhawati
region,
Rajasthan
Shekhawati
region is
famous for
its
havelis,
and that's
the reason
we traveled
there. Even
though
havelis are
actually
the name
of the
style of
building
developed
by the
Mughals in
the 16th
century
-many small
windows,
many rooms
and
distinctive
arches-, in
fact,
people call
havelis to
both
Mughals and
British
mansions
that are
filled with
frescoes on
every
centimeter.
The
frescoes
depict
traditional
themes such
as images
of gods
or sacred
animals
together
with modern
inventions
and scenes
from the
British
colonization.
Many of
them are
in a
sad state
of
disrepair
on
buildings
falling
apart, but
still they
are worth
a look.
Dr.
Ramanath
A.
Podar
Haveli
Museum
in
Nawalgarh
is
a
mansion
with
one
of
the
few
examples
of
very
well
conserved
frescoes.
On
the
inner
walls
of
the
patio,
over
images
of
Rama
and
Krishna
a
long
train
depicted
together
with
the
traditional
themes
of
Hindu
mythology
caught
our
attention as
soon
as
the
curator
of
the
museum
(I
think
he
was
the
curator)
pointed
at
it.
The
very
well-educated
Brahmin –he
kept
remarking
that he
was a
Brahmin,
the highest
caste in
the “inexistent”
caste
system of
India-
explained
us that
the
frescoes
were like
a TV
for the
house
residents.
By the
time the
frescoes
were
painted,
people from
Shekhawati
hadn’t
seen a
train, so
the house
owner sent
the artist
to Bombay
to see
this new
invention
and asked
to have
it depicted
on the
walls of
his patio.
We
were the
only
foreigner
faces in
Nawalgarh
and we
gained a
bit too
much
attention
from the
locals.
Luckily, we
found a
small gem
a bit
outside the
busy center
of the
town, the
quiet and
cozy D.S.
Bungalow.
It was
supposed to
be a
guest-house,
but it
was more
of a
home-stay.
They made
us enter
from a
small field
behind the
house,
because the
entrance
was still
closed –I
suppose we
were the
first
tourists
from the
season- and
they did
their best
to make
us feel
comfortable.
We stayed
there two
nights; and
the couple
that runs
the place,
Pinky and
her husband Bunty,
were great
hosts. They
talked with
us without
a secret
agenda of
selling
tours,
camels,
bikes or
anything.
We arrived
at the
first night
of
Navarathri
holidays
and Pinky
even took
us with
her and
her
children to
the place
of the
prayers.
Navaratri
is a
nine day
festivity
which
celebrates
the Mother
Goddess
Durga.
People more
or less
fast during
the nine
days but
they take
candies
after the prayers and
they invite
dinner nine
girls from
the family
which
represent
the
different
incarnations
of the
goddess.
We
were led
by Pinky
to an
open space
but men
were
separated
from women
and
children by
a fence.
So I
ended up
alone and
I just
stayed as
far from
the crowd
as
possible. I
didn’t
stay alone
much time,
suddenly 20
young men
and boys
were
staring at
me and
asking me
questions
non-stop.
 |
| Surrounded! |
The
staying at
Pinky and
Bunty's
place was
surprisingly
relaxing.
Pinky made
us
incredible
good food
and she
even
prepared
mutton even
though most
people fast
or eat
only
vegetarian
during
these
holidays.
And on our
second
evening we
hanged out
with them
and their
kids until very late:
Iohi taught
Pinky how
to make
jam and
they
prepared it
with pineapple
and guava
and later
their elder
girl made
a henna
tattoo for
Iohi (for
free).
While she
was getting
her henna
tattoo
done, Bunty
whispered
in secrecy
if I
wanted
whiskey and
filled me
two glasses
(without
taking a
cent for
it).
From
Nawalgarh
we took
local buses
and visited
two nearby
towns
Mandawa and
Dundlod.
Little
polyglot
touts drove
us crazy
in Mandawa
trying to
sell us
stuff or
led us
to their
shops.
Running
away from
these
little
touts led
us to
small
alleys with
lots of
havelis
with
beautiful
-but
deteriorated-
frescoes.
From
Mandawa, we
traveled to
the much
smaller
Dundlod. We
saw a
few more
frescoes
and we
rested at
the café
of a
bizarre
fort hotel.
On
the third
day, we
just took
local buses
the whole
day: from
Nawalgarh
to Sikar,
from Sikar
to Ajmer
and from
Ajmer,
finally to
Pushkar.
Pushkar,
Rajasthan
We
arrived
in
Pushkar
at
late
afternoon,
just
in
time
to
see
a
magnificent
sunset
from
the
roof
of
our
hotel:
a
violet
sky,
all
the
buildings
turning
different
shades
of
gold
and
the
tiny
lake
surrounded
by
ghats
becoming
a
silver
plate.
Pushkar
is an
important
Hindu
pilgrimage
town and
religious
people have
to visit
the town
once in
their life.
The town
is filled
with Hindus
visiting
temples,
doing pujas
(Hindu
prayers)
and bathing
at the
ghats.
Since it’s
a holy city
and
Hinduism
professes
non
aggression,
which
includes
animal
aggression,
the town
is strict
vegetarian.
In the
Hindu
sense, this
means meat
and eggs
aren’t
allowed but
milk is.
Alcohol is
kind of
a taboo
among
Indians and
drinking
alcohol is
definitely
a
sacrilegious
thing to
do, so
alcohol is
also not
sold there.
Together
with
the
religious
side
of
the
town
coexists
a
busy
tourist
scene:
lots
of
guest-houses,
souvenir/hippie
clothes
shops
and
the
same
crappy
tourist
food
as
we
found
in
many
other
touristy
places,
i.e.
Manali,
Daramkot,
Bagsu,
etc.
On
the
other
hand,
the
town
is
more
relaxed
than
many
of
those
places:
vendors
are
somehow
quieter,
and
there
aren’t
autorickshaws!
We
weren’t
still
in
the
high
season
and
many
restaurants
and
guest-houses
were
quiet
empty,
so
we
might
have
got
the
impression
of
a
quieter
place
than
it
really
is…
On
our second
day we
caught our
second
incredible
sunset on
the top
of a
hill at
the gates
of the
Savitri
temple. In
Pushkar, I
also
finished
the
development
of a
nose
infection
that made
my nose
beat and
hurt each
step I
went up,
on top
of that
half of
my nose
was even
bigger than
the other
half!
And
on our
last day,
we waited
for the
sunset at
a café
in front
of the
lake while
hearing the
sound of
drums. On
the same
night we
took a
night bus
to Udaipur.
We quite
enjoyed the
city, but
I guess
not as
much as
people we
met there who
get all
mystical
and stay
there for
weeks... (and keep returning there every
year or so).
Our
night bus
was plainly
weird. We
were asked
before if
we wanted
a sleeper
or seats,
we bought
sleeper
tickets and
I supposed
that there
were two
buses…
But there
was one bus with around
ten
aquarium-like
acrylic
cells over
two rows
of seats
with people
hardly
fitting
without
crouching.
So we
spent the
night
moving and
jumping
inside our
little
aquarium so
much that
we felt
like fish
fried wok
style.
Udaipur,
Rajasthan
The
bus went
so fast
that we
even got
there one
hour
earlier. So
at 5am
we woke
up the
owner of
Nukkad
hotel. It
was a
big and
interesting
haveli
style
building
where also
the owner’s
family
lived and
helped with
the hotel
chores.
The
city
was
pretty
much
like
Pushkar
with
tourist
cafés
and
souvenir
shops,
but
maybe
not
so
packed
with
them
in
every
place,
and
besides
the
city
is
bigger
and
fancier
(and
also
less
hippie
and
mystic).
It
even
has
a
lake
in
the
middle
(but
bigger
than
Pushkar’s
lake).
There
are
two
hotel-islands
on
the
lake,
one of them we
visited
with
a
boat
excursion
and
the
other
one
is
only
accessible
for
guests
and
it
was
where
some
parts
of
James
Bond’s
movie
Octopussy
from
the
80’s
were
filmed.
To
take
the
most
of
it,
many
restaurants
project
the
movie
daily
(I
supposed
that
for
the
last
30
years).
 |
| Looking at the Octopussy's hotel from the other hotel island |
We
had some nice surprises in the city. We
went
without
high
expectations
to see
folk dances
at the
Bagore-ki
Haveli
Museum and
it ended
to be
an amazing
show with
incredible
performances.
Sometimes
it seemed
more like
acrobatics
in
traditional
clothes
than dance
with the
highlight
of the
performance
being a
woman in
her late
60s
holding
nine huge
ceramic
vases on
top of
her head.
We
started
our last
day at
the
colorful
and local
fruit and
vegetable
market
outside of
the tourist
area and
we ate
a thali
at Nukkad
hotel's
owner
favorite
place. A
thali is
a big
plate with
many small
dishes,
rice, some
of the
Indian
breads,
sometimes
pickles. At
traditional
places, the
modality is
as much
as you
can eat,
the waiters
serve and
serve until
either you
drop or
you leave
the place.
It's of
no use
to tell
them that
you don't
want any
more food.
And
traditional
thalis are
extremely
spicy. Here
some of
the small
dishes were
spicier
than
others, but
everything
was very
spicy, so
much that
my tongue
went numb.
I ate
a whole
portion of
really
spicy green
chilies
without
realizing
that they
were
chilies or
even spicy!
Then my
portion was
immediately
refilled
and I
ate another
bunch.
Only then
when I
was about
to pass
out I
realized
how spicy
it was.
 |
| At the market |
 |
| The deadly thali |
We
spend our last day walking
around the
city and
we caught
our last
grandiose
sunset on
Hanuman
ghat, at
the other
side of
the lake,
which was
pretty much
like our
side.
On
that same night we took a train to Gujarat state and after being kind
of stuck in Baroda for a day we took another night train to Bhuj, the
capital of Kutch district, but that's the next post...
And all the truly amazing pictures that Iohi took are here
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