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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2013 21:49:19 GMT
I think it's always a good idea to start each new section of the journey with a map of the route we took. So here it is: This map clearly shows the different States or Provenances of India. From Rajasthan to Ahmedabad and then to Mumbai. Well, I think we know where we are now
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2013 21:52:07 GMT
So we hired a rickshaw to take us to the main bus stop to catch a bus to Ahmedabad. Tickets for which we had bought the day before. But before we left, I went to see the two young boys that had been the kitchen help at that roof top restaurant and gave them both some rupees. They worked so hard and never asked for anything and I couldn't help but notice that they never ever smiled. I have no idea why. They had the saddest faces I've ever seen on children. On top of that I noticed that one of the boys never wore any shoes, he always walked around the hotel bare foot. And again, I had no idea why that was, perhaps the management didn't want him wearing his tatty shoes on the nice clean floor or something. I just don't know. The boys looked surprised but happy that I had thought of them. On our way to the bus stop, which was about two miles from our hotel, I realized that I had left my jacket at the guest house/hotel. Oh well, not a big deal, and I certainly wasn't going to go back to look for it. Back in Delhi my son had given his really nice sheep-skin jacket away to the cleaner guy that we all liked. It would get way too hot to be carrying that around! At the Stop - lots of people waiting for the various buses. They came every half hour or so. Here we'd meet Julian again. We had spotted him from the roof top restaurant of our hotel and he had found out where we were and came over a couple of days before we left. Quite a few people started to look familiar to us. The pretty blonde girl and her boyfriend who had been asked to share a seat on the bus from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer was there too. A girl from France, travelling alone, was also to be on our bus, she was on her way to Mumbai and would be taking a 'plane from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. Julian was on his way to Goa via train from Mumbai. Here is where we'd see the English family with the three young boys, they were nearing the end of their one year trip across Asia. China would be their last stop. Who does this goat belong to? Animals wonder around aimlessly, even in areas of high traffic: My sons took the sleepers, I chose a seat on the left, by myself. I was lucky enough to sit behind a very handsome man who happened to be in the military and we got talking and I was fascinated to learn more about the life of a man who worked for the Indian army. Looking around me I could see that he was not alone. There were quite a few military personal on the bus, some in uniform, some not. Apparently there was another big military base in Ahmedabad and it was not unusual for these men to travel from one base to another in order to do a certain kind of training. I asked why he was not flown from one destination to another, but from what I could understand it seemed for the smaller distances they were required to make their own way. Or maybe it was only those higher ranking officers that got the special treatment. Like always, my lack of a full understanding of Hindi limited me as to how much I could communicate with some people. But at least I could communicate. A few photos I took from the bus: This young man was selling water in bottles. Yes, he is young and he is Indian. I felt kind of bad for him, as being an albino, the sun must have really hurt is eyes, and I could tell he was in some discomfort with them. We stopped quite a few times on this bus trip and each place looked a little different from the last. This area was obviously very poor:
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2013 21:53:25 GMT
A little bit of information about the city of Ahmedabad, which is in the State of Gujarat. 'The city is the administrative headquarter of Ahmedabad district and is the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court is located here. With a population of more than 5.8 million and an extended population of 6.3 million, it is the fifth largest city and seventh largest metropolitan area of India. Ahmedabad is located on the banks of the River Sabarmati, 32 km (20 mi) from the state capital Gandhinagar. Though incorporated into the Bombay Presidency during British rule, Ahmedabad remained one of the most important cities in the Gujarat region. The city established itself as the home of a developing textile industry, which earned it the nickname Manchester of the East. The city was at the forefront of the Indian independence movement in the first half of the 20th century and the centre of many campaigns of civil disobedience to promote farmers' and workers' rights, and civil rights apart from political independence. The city has large populations of Hindus, Muslims and Jains, and these cultures are preeminent in the city, with their religious festivals and cuisine dominating the city's culture. Cricket is a popular sport in Ahmedabad, and the Sardar Patel Stadium is situated within the city. In 2012, The Times of India chose Ahmedabad as the best city to live in India'. As you can see, although this city has many things to offer and is quite livable for some, it is not really a touristy area. We had no real plans to visit anything in particular here, it was more or less just a stepping stone for us to get to our next city. A place to stay for a couple of days so that we could make arrangements to make our way to Mumbai. I didn't want to do what Julian had done. Which was take one train after another and then maybe another to get to where he needed to be. I didn't see the point of putting myself or my kids through so much hardship. I was quite happy to stay in whatever town or city we found ourselves in and rest up for a while before moving on. Ahmedabad is not a cheap place to find a hotel. Not quite as expensive as Mumbai, but getting up there, certainly. We finally arrived at around 4am in the morning. Not an ideal time to arrive anywhere, especially if you have not pre-booked a hotel already. Finding a hotel, any hotel around was a challenge in this city. I wanted to stay in the area that we were in as I knew that in a day or two we'd need to get a train to Mumbai and the train station was just around the corner from where the bus dropped us off. I guess we could have gone further afield in search of a hotel, but at that time in the morning all I wanted was a shower and a bed and to sleep straight for the next 12 hours or so! I really didn't want to be wondering around in the dark deserted streets looking for anything. So we hopped into a rickshaw and he promised to take us to a nice hotel. The first three we went too were fully booked, the forth one had a family room for us, so we took it. It was a nice hotel, although much more expensive than we were used to paying. The staff at this hotel were completely in contrast with the nice people who had worked in the guest house in Jaisalmer. They were snooty, to the point and required me to do about half an hours paperwork before we were given the key to the room. All in all this was the worst service we would get from hotel reception area during the whole of this trip. The next day I took this photo of the view from the hotel - looking outside from our window: What were you expecting? Green landscaped gardens and a big water fountain? This was yet another case of quite a nice hotel surrounded by the everyday India.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2013 14:33:06 GMT
I wouldn't have wanted to wander around in the dark in a city like that either! I encountered Indian paperwork a few times during my short trip to India, and it was really impressive, although my trip to Burma was even worse. When I flew from Bangkok to Rangoon, they gave us so many forms to fill out that they never even bothered with that "tray table in the upright position" stuff for take off or landing, because we were all trying to get the forms filled out since it was a very short flight. People were still writing standing in the queue once we arrived! Your picture of the 'hovel hamlet' gives me mixed feelings. When I see places like that, sometimes I think 'how awful' and sometimes I think 'what a relief it would be not to own anything!'
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Post by anshjain97 on Jun 18, 2013 1:07:09 GMT
Indian paperwork can indeed be a hassle. Even we citizens have to fill a departure card and arrival card when leaving/entering the country! It is the same form everyone has to fill- but why citizens?! I heard they were going to phase them out this month. No idea whether it happened.
Really, I was expecting Ahmedabad to be more sanitised. Maybe there were better parts as well?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 16:36:17 GMT
The area the hotel was in wasn't so bad, Kerouac. Very well lit up although quiet at that time of night. Wondering around alone at night in most places would be a big no for me however. The paperwork that needs to be done for any little thing in India is unreal, as you say, K. Yeah, I often wish I owned nothing, it would be freeing in many ways. but alas, not practical. ansh, yeah, There were indeed many better parts of the city. As you'll see as I continue this report
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 16:40:14 GMT
For our one full day in Ahmedabad we decided to visit the Kankaria Lake and it's attractions. 'Kankaria Lake is one of the biggest lakes in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. A lakefront was developed around it which has many public attractions like zoo, toy train, kids city, tethered balloon ride, water rides and water park, food stalls and entertainment facilities. Kankaria Carnival is a week long festival being held here in last week of December. Many cultural, art and social activities are organised during carnival. It is located in the southern part of the city, in Maninagar area.' So after a rest, later on in the day, we got on a rickshaw and asked him where he would recommend we spend the day. He took us to Kankaria Lake. It's worth noting that the roads and traffic in this city were even more disorganized and hectic then Delhi! The rickshaw went all over the place, I swear we were going to crash into something at any minute, but somehow we made it to our destination. *whew*. The compound was guarded by security and we were (of course) checked out before being able to enter. Some pictures taken of the area, a toy train goes around the compound, it was fun riding on it There was a small fee to get into the compound and once inside each attraction has to be paid for again. Segway anyone? Fun but not really an efficient mode of transport I found! I was interested in the hot air balloon ride, but unfortunately it was not running that day. That is something I have always wanted to do, go up in a hot air balloon. 'Kamla Nehru Zoological Park was established by Rueben David in 1951 CE spread over 21 acres. It was rated the best zoo in Asia in 1974.[6]They are 450 mammals, 2,000 birds, 140 reptiles in a 31 acre zoo. It is a treasure of wild animals like tigers, lions, python, anaconda, snakes, elephant, albinos (white), like the rhesus monkey and peacock, spotted deer, white blackbuck, chinkara, elephants, emu, jungle babbler, bush-quail and common palm civet. Kankaria Zoo has also records in breeding of rare species in Zoo like pythons, crocodiles, bearcats and wild asses.' Some photos I took of the Kankaira zoo, there are many more, but I will just post a few, just to give you an idea: This snake has shed it's skin: It was getting late, so we ate at one of the restaurants on the compound and then hired a rickshaw to get back to the hotel.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 16:41:47 GMT
The next day we paid up at the front desk (for meals/room service), and left to get our train to Mumbai. It wasn't until we were in the Rickshaw on the way to the Station that I realized that the man at the reception *forgot* to give me back my change (which was a few hundred rupees.) While I had been waiting for my change, he started putting even more forms and papers in front of me, telling me I had to sign a blank one, in which I agreed with their findings of my room after I had vacated. I found this a bit disconcerting, but wanted to get the heck out of there, so I signed it. What with all this going on I forgot to remind him to give me back my change, not that I should have had to remind him in the first place. Anyhow, I saw afterwards that I had been played by that man at that hotel reception and felt annoyed at myself for not paying more attention. That was the last time I would be scammed by anyone at any hotel again. Not having much time on our hands, we simply went to the Train station and asked for a 'General' ticket to Mumbai. Big mistake! This was to be the worst train journey of our time in India. It was quite peaceful to begin with: But as time went on I could see huge numbers of people arriving to board the train. Mumbai must be a popular destination, the train was crowded to the tilt. We did manage to squeeze into seats, which weren't really seats actually. Just two benches that about five people sat on each side. We were the lucky ones, most were standing. But it would get worse as time went on. This was to be a 10 hour journey, with hundreds of people cooped up in an area where, in the end, there was nowhere to stand or even put your feet down on, unless treading on someone's toes. This was my idea of a kind of hell. But for many Indians, it was the cheapest way to travel and perhaps there was no other option? For us, it was the only tickets we could get, without having to pre-book, which often results in waiting days on end to get a ticket. This would be the last 'general' or third class train ticket we would get in India, I decided that no matter how long we have to wait, we weren't going to go through this kind of hell again. I just hoped and prayed that no one would freak out, lose it, start a fight or something worse. There were a lot of very strange looking characters on board. I wanted to take a photo, just to document how the scene looked, no one would believe it if they didn't see it, but I didn't want to be offending anyone in that kind of atmosphere, and with no hope of escape. It was hard, smelly, tiring, annoying, and could have tested the patience of the best of people. There were arguments over seats, and other things, it was a very explosive situation. Everyone was getting on everyone's else's nerves by the end of that long long journey. If we were lucky we'd find room to store our bags on the top rack. Usually however they would have to be put under our seat, which was always dirty and dusty. Our bags would soon have to be moved, to make room for people to sit up there! The doors of each Train compartments were always left open, no matter how a fast the train was going. I got so used to travelling this way, that I'd often go and stand by the doors to look out at the scenery going by and get some fresh air: The windows in trains have no glass, just bars like these. These bars can be moved and there are also shutters that can be pulled up or down. The bench like seats can be 'hooked' up to make three sleeping benches on either side, one over the other. There three fans and lighting up above each compartment, which passengers can control, turn off or on. It all works out really well in the end, and I found the design to be well made and efficient.(as long as it works and is not broken). Looking out: Just to give you an idea of how crowded it can get inside of a train, here is a picture (off the internet if I may), of what it was like, but worse, if you can imagine that. People were not only sitting on the floor, in the rack at the top, but where standing between each other too. As you can see it was pretty awful. One of the not so nice experiences I had of India.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 17:54:03 GMT
This is absolutely fascinating, deyana, but not an enormous surprise to me. I never quite suffered conditions that horrendous, but I have read enough reports and seen enough photographs to fully understand the experience. The closest I have come to situations like that has been in Egypt and in Laos, but I must also admit that most local people try to be as kind as possible to people who are clearly out of their element in situations like that -- offering seats, or water or food when they have very little themselves. I did finally learn that if you have money, you should spend it. During my last trip to Cambodia, I convinced my travelling companion that we should absolutely spend $20 a day for a car and private driver, even though she had loved (as I had also loved on a previous trip) the motorcycle guides to which you paid $4 to get thrills and risk death or severe injury while seeing some of the most incredible things in the world. I did not experience a long distance Indian train trip myself, but when I was there, there was a major airline strike while I was in Pondicherry, and it seemed very likely that I could be stuck in Madras (Chennai) indefinitely. So I bought a train ticket from Pondicherry to Bombay -- about two thirds of the length of the country and made a reservation for the 24-hour trip. I was actually beginning to look forward to the adventure, but as it turned out, I was able to get a flight from Madras to Singapore when I needed to go, so I just abandoned my train ticket (which only cost about US$15 at the time). I think I still have that ticket in my archives somewhere. Meanwhile, those photos of the zoo are rather desolate, but even so it is always interesting to see how zoos are maintained in other countries. I am really intrigued that the Indian Star Tortoise lays "3 to 7 eggs." Never 2 eggs? Never 8 eggs? If not, that is a truly amazing quirk of nature.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 18:55:30 GMT
It's true, Kerouac, people are more considerate of someone they know is a foreigner. They will try their best to not annoy or get in your way. I'm talking about the everyday folk over there. Not so much some of the snooty hotel managers and other business types you get. They can be a real pain, and their main motive is to of course - money. But really everyone is just trying to survive in one way or another. I met quite a few people on the trains in India that offered me food. I always declined however, as we usually had our own. but I couldn't help being surprised at just how prepared they had come. Home-made curries and chapattis and rice. All in metal containers, sometimes placed one above the other, if they had a large family to feed. A person could also buy rice and curry prepacked containers at the train station, but the one time I had one, I never found it to be that tasty. Food of-course is everywhere in India. It's a shame that not everyone can afford to buy more of what they need, but all in all they do okay. I thought you might have experienced some of what I describe in this India report, I know you have traveled extensively in China and other Asian countries. From what I hear, China is not that different from India in many ways. $20 dollars would be like 1000 rupees. Seemed like a lot to pay at the time just for a car ride! But I guess if you are hiring the car for the day that would make sense. We mainly stuck to rickshaw for the inner city rides to and fro. We had so much fun on them , and no doors to worry about! The zoo was not that well maintained, but it was interesting to see. I knew we were seeing types of animals and reptiles that we probably wouldn't see where I live. It felt good to have all these new experiences. I think my sons will remember this journey for a long time and are even thinking of going again some day! Got a few things to do, will post up more of the trip later on
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 21:08:31 GMT
hmm... Mumbai. Used to conjure up all sorts of images in my mind. Funny how when you see something in real life, and the fantasy is squashed, things put into perspective, it's never quite as exciting as you want it to be. 'Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million. Along with the neighbouring urban areas, including the cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world. Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2009, Mumbai was named an Alpha world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West or Central Asia. Mumbai has been ranked 6th among top 10 global cities on billionaire count, ahead of Shanghai, Paris and Los Angeles' 'The Gateway of India is the most recognizable symbol of the city. Mumbai is undoubtedly the commercial capital of India and is one of the predominant port cities in the country. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolized in the presence of Bollywood within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population.' I used to be curious about the infamous 'largest slum population in India'. But after seeing so much poverty and many other slums during my travels thus far in India, I had no desire to see any more. So no, we would not be doing the 'slum tour'. Mumbai is a huge city, and in some places very expensive. Many business people, as well as tourists from abroad, could be seen in the streets. For once, we didn't stand out, in some areas it felt like we could be in any number of Western cities. We had done a bit of homework on where abouts we wanted to be, but somehow managed to get off at the wrong stop. This resulted in us having to take a metro to the area where we were supposed to be. Not really what I wanted to do after such a long train journey. One of the first things I noticed about the city was that the rickshaw and taxi drivers did not approach us. A person had to approach them. Hmm... well this was different. I realized soon enough that this was due to the fact that both taxi and rickshaws where on the meter, and this was/is strictly applied, so there was no benefit to the drivers in bargaining anything with the customers. The customers paid whatever the meter said the fare was and that was it. This often worked out a lot cheaper than it would have done by agreeing to some outlandish fare. I liked this, I liked it very much. So much less stressful. We stayed in an area of the city, where rickshaws were not allowed in by law, So taxi's it was. That or the Metro, which was clean, fast and efficient. The only place I saw these black and yellow taxi's was in Mumbai: I enjoyed walking around and seeing the sights, there was so much to see and it felt safe, modern and clean. I was beginning to feel at home already. Unfortunately there was a price to be paid for being around such pleasant surroundings. Mumbai is not cheap, at least not in the area we found ourselves in. It was obviously the more upmarket part of town. We did eventually find a nice hotel, but, apart from one other place, it would cost us more than other hotel in India. Walkway to our hotel: The hotel was guarded day and night by guards but also by these very large dogs. There was a large Muslim population in this part of town, and our hotel was also owned by Islamic people. So I don't know if this had anything to do with the amount of security there, or if that was just the case how things worked for all hotel establishments in the area. Just outside of the doors: The view from our room, looking out:
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Post by htmb on Sept 12, 2013 21:17:13 GMT
Stories and photos from your trip continue to be fascinating, Deyana.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 21:39:57 GMT
Those dog cages look rather sinister (probably even more so to the dogs).
I always found it was such a relief -- in spite of extra cost -- to be in places with metered taxis, for example Saigon and Bangkok (not to mention Singapore, obviously). I find it both tiring and annoying to have to bargain for a fare every time I want to go somewhere.
In Saigon and Bangkok, the trishaws do not have meters, but a lot of them have a laminated price list to show you. Also in Bangkok, the trishaws are banned from all of the major streets and boulevards, so if you take one you are always on a longer and slower route than in a motor vehicle. Some people like this, but not me because once I have decided I want to go somewhere, I want to arrive there efficiently.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 0:31:00 GMT
I'm so happy that you are still following my story of this India trip, htmb. I have written it as I saw it, without sugar-coating anything. When I have written about other trips and places I have been to it was the same way, so India shouldn't be an exception. I'm probably not doing the India Tourist board any favors however But being honest and realistic is important to me, so what I've written is how it was. The good and the bad. I still haven't finished the whole report of this journey, it's still on-going. But I will print out the parts I have done already. A bit at a time though, I don't want to clog up the site with too many photos at once.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 0:39:59 GMT
Yeah, the dog cages are not a pretty sight, Kerouac. But you know what? That is how dogs live over there, at least the ones that are owned by somebody. Even in private house-holds, they are caged in all day and let out at night to parole the house or building. I guess you could say these are the lucky ones, most of the dog population in India lives on the streets. I saw some very sad sights of homeless animals, it made me want to go back just to see what I can do to help. Probably not a lot, but I could try, something that I have my eye on for the future.
It was a big relief not to have to haggle with taxi or rickshaw drivers in Mumbai. Much better to have a meter or written system which tells you before hand what the trip or drive will cost you. I found the worst thing about using taxi's was that a lot of the time, no matter where you asked them to take you, they wanted to take you elsewhere. The scams and games really spoil it for many tourists and locals alike I'm sure. I avoided taxi's and hired cars as much as possible.
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Post by bjd on Sept 13, 2013 6:18:26 GMT
Glad to see you are back posting, Deyana. I never planned to go to India, so your trip gives me an idea of what it's like.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 12:14:12 GMT
You're welcome, bjd. I've had a really busy summer, but things seem to be slowing down somewhat at least now, so I have more time to post.
Just curious as to why you have never thought of India as a destination you'd like to visit? I have to say that I didn't find it that easy to get around in, maybe a shorter time frame would have been a better idea.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 12:16:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 12:18:57 GMT
A big deal was made of McDonald's and KFC. Not sure why. These kind of well known Western fast food places were few and far in between. They were advertised to be just like the Western variety, but in reality the food tasted quite different and of course no beef was used in the burgers. The meat used was an off-putting pink in color and I think some kind of modified chicken. The big deal was that you had to go by a security guard in order to get in. And inside the clientele were mostly young and mostly behaving in a way that could not be seen on the street. Boys sat with girls, they looked like they were on dates, just like you would see in Canada. However is was strange to see this, as it was only in places like this that I ever saw non-married couples together in this way. It was almost like they felt it was safe and 'okay' to be intimate with the opposite sex, as long as they were in the safe confines of McDonalds or KFC or an expensive movie theater. Somewhere where they wouldn't be judged or looked upon as breaking the rules. Not much of a rebellion if done in secret I thought. How did they like the food? The beef-less pink meat burgers were tasteless and unappetizing, but I guess if you have never had the real deal before, you wouldn't know what the true Big Mac is really all about. And then you'd never miss it, and wouldn't know the difference. It was sad to see the posters on the walls. Big posters of smiling, happy young people doing what young people do. The reality was much different. It made me wonder on how people are willing to delude themselves into a scenario that can only be acted out in the confines of one place. How hard is it to live this double life? To aspire to something that just cannot be, no matter how much they may want it to be. How frustrating that must be. I guess if you come from a more well-to-do family, you can live this life of fantasy, even if for a little while, and only in certain places. Life on the inside of the walls is so much in contrast to the outside of them. Taking photos of these two restaurants is strictly forbidden. Security will be on your case before you can blink an eye. They were always looking on. But I do what I want to do, ( ) and I did take a few photos anyway. Here is one of the inside of a KFC we went to a few times in Mumbai: As we sat there having our chicken and chips, I looked outside to observe this family of children working at begging. The mother is sleeping on the floor, as the kids beg. Later on she would stir and I watched her take the money and food the kids had collected (and maybe stolen), and share it out amongst them. Well, she kept the money, but she did share out the food. The boy had his baby brother in his arms and even at that young an age the baby was trained to hold out his hand to beg, and then point his fingers to his open mouth to show he wanted food. My son went out for a cigarette and they tried to pick pocket him! Later on, as I walked by, they would try and go into the bag I was holding to snatch what was inside. They didn't get away with it. A commotion in the street, and the kids gather around to see what is going on. The baby is placed on the floor and looks on:
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 12:19:55 GMT
Around the corner from our hotel was a place to go and eat or simply to pick up a coke or bottle of water: I believe it was owned by the same Islamic people that also owned the hotel we were in: This parrot was kept in the reception area of the hotel: A mumbai sunset: We found a huge mall which was exclusively devoted to knock off brands and copies of high end electronic items. Security was high and photos were not allowed in this building. Why this was I'm still not sure, but those were the rules. So finally our time in Mumbai came to an end, we didn't stay there too long. Worth noting that even though you can't see it in the photos, there was an tense atmosphere among the Islamic and Hindu people. They didn't mix and seemed to stay within their own communities. Ever since the Taj Hotel in this city was bombed by terrorists in 2008, by men who had hailed from Pakistan, there have been skirmishes and conflicts among these two groups of people. And as a result, an uneasy atmosphere is in the air. This feeling I had and noticed would later be confirmed by a young man who was on the same train us from Mumabi to Goa. On our last day, we took a taxi to the main Railway station and boarded a train to Goa, tickets for which we had managed to secure a few days before hand.
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Post by anshjain97 on Sept 13, 2013 12:34:37 GMT
Thanks for continuing, it's always interesting to see my country from a different perspective.
I must say though, no one I know cages their dogs! I'm afraid of dogs and always wary when going to someone's house where dogs are there. They could just be anywhere, many times near the door, moving about.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 12:43:23 GMT
I'm glad you are still looking on at this journey I took, ansh. I think you have to be more careful of dogs that are owned by someone then those on the street. The ones on the street are very used to people and being pushed around and are happy just to be fed once in a while. The ones that are owned - well you just don't know what they are trained to do.
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Post by bjd on Sept 13, 2013 13:16:19 GMT
As I read through your comments and looked at your pictures, it just confirmed my non-desire to go to India, Deyana.
Actually, it's mostly that I don't like crowds and have heard from others who have been to India that you always feel surrounded by people, that the touts and beggars are really annoying. That said, my husband went to Calcutta for his job a few years ago and liked being there and would like to go back.
I'm wondering why you ate at McDonalds and KFC instead of Indian food.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 14:30:07 GMT
Considering the length of time that Deyana spent in India, and also the fact that she was travelling with two young Canadian men, I can see how an American-style fast food place would seem like an essential break after all of those other places.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 14:40:14 GMT
I can understand why you wouldn't want to visit India, bjd. I don't like crowds much myself, but in India there isn't much choice. Unless you happen to venture into the desert areas or the further up North - Kashmir. I hope my particular journey and comments have not put you off even more...
Before setting off to India I was very nervous about going. Kept asking myself why I'm even doing it. But it was something I had been planning for about 2 years before hand and then a year before I left I knew that it would be February the following year that I would be able to go, and so it was.
I had no idea where about's I wanted to go and so read up as many books as I could about places to see and what have you and of course visiting my family in the Punjab was a priority.
I have to say that travelling the way I and my sons did is not the only way to travel around India. We did the best we could with the funds we had. We tried to stay in the best places that we could find within a certain budget. That budget went over what we had expected, but it all turned out okay in the end.
I think there are basically four types of travelers that go to India - the ones that go for short visits to see family and then return within a week or so. Business travelers, that get everything paid for them by their company. (lucky them - how do I get that kind of job? ;D ). People like us, who just wing it and hope for the best -( this can turn into more of an adventure than you might want it to). And then there are the ones who have money and can afford to stay in 5 star hotels, ride everywhere in air-conditioned hired cars with chauffeurs and have all their sight seeing pre-arranged with tour companies.
So it depends on what you are looking for and what you can afford. Some might say that by not travelling the same way as the locals, you will miss out on the real India. And I have to say that I do agree with that.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 14:49:26 GMT
Yeah, just as Kerouac says, when we saw KFC or McDonalds we'd go in. The reason being that it was a change from the usual kind of places we dined each day. It was only once in while and in the bigger cities that we even found these two fast food places. And I guess just to be in a different kind of surrounding for a while. It was also interesting watching what went on around us inside these places. My 19 year old was always happy to dine there, I think it made him feel a little less home-sick. That and his ipod that was filled with country music Indian restaurants are everywhere, serving so many different kinds of Indian food. Honestly, I got tired of having curries every day, and as I don't like a lot of chilies in my food, it was always a struggle to get them to not put them in. KFC was okay, but I the meat used in McDonalds over there was quite off-putting (a pink kind of chicken for burgers).
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Post by anshjain97 on Sept 13, 2013 14:56:19 GMT
I think going to an international chain in a different country can be a new experience, when it comes to seeing what exactly they have on offer as the menu can be heavily influenced by local influences. McDonald's for example will have a heavy selection of vegetarian items; it shows the culture of vegetarian food in the country.
But if a tourist is feeling homesick there are always lots of nice foreign-cuisine restaurants in major cities and some tourist areas, which of course, will also be heavily influenced by local tastes. It's always a refresher to dine in some other country as I can go though the menu without once seeing thr word "paneer" (cottage cheese).
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2013 17:43:03 GMT
I love paneer -- it is such a rare treat for me! Naturally, your street scenes are great, Deyana, but of course pretty much what I would expect from my own experience. It is always a bit grim but also gripping to watch tiny impoverished children going about their business -- begging, scrounging or just playing with a stick and a bottle cap. I sometimes wonder if they have any idea what it is like to even just feel clean and have clean clothes.
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Post by lugg on Sept 13, 2013 19:19:00 GMT
Hi Deyana
I am so glad that you have been able to make time to post more of your experiences in India. As always, I have been intrigued, fascinated and just so enjoyed your descriptions and your photos.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2013 1:45:59 GMT
I think going to an international chain in a different country can be a new experience, when it comes to seeing what exactly they have on offer as the menu can be heavily influenced by local influences. McDonald's for example will have a heavy selection of vegetarian items; it shows the culture of vegetarian food in the country. But if a tourist is feeling homesick there are always lots of nice foreign-cuisine restaurants in major cities and some tourist areas, which of course, will also be heavily influenced by local tastes. It's always a refresher to dine in some other country as I can go though the menu without once seeing thr word "paneer" (cottage cheese). ansh, yes, that is so, restaurants that are international will differ slightly from each other depending on which country they are situated and what the area normally serves. I've even noticed subtle differences in chains in Canada and the US. And some differences from a McDonalds here to that in the UK. As for the foreign-cuisine restaurants, other then the ones I mentioned, well, I never came across any. Maybe I just didn't know where to go or look for them...
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