Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary

Even though the nights stay at Bandipur was way over budget it was definately one of the better decisions that we had made. As we arrived we were shown to our cottage type room and then we promptly set up camp next to the huge pool (our first in India). Though there were others with the same idea and we met a lovely couple from Essex. Jo made a great entrance to the poool when having been warned by one of the men that it was slippery she slid down the steps the minute later, grabbing the other man and nearly exposing him. I missed the photo opportunity but could hear the laughter from our cottage. After lunch we were to makie our first safari into the jungle.

Thundering along in a cattle style truck we were sure we wouldn't see anything with the sheer noise of the thing. However, we all got rather excited when we came across water buffalo, a barely visable leopard, wild dogs, monkeys, samba and a herd of elephants trying to charge us, we were all a little relieved we'd chosen the truck over the jeep at that point. Julie was almost gagged to stop her screams of excitement at the advancing elephants. Strangely enough our party consisted of a lovely Indian family (ones that didnt stare or take our picture, a novelty in India) the girls had met the previous day, ourselves and Mr and Mrs Essex who by this point everyone had thought made us a group of five. After the Safari we were greeted with dinner, bonfire and a very boring video about the activites of the Park.

Next morning we were up very early for the 6am safari. In no way were we again prepared for the extreme cold we faced (I bet its nothing like what your facing back home though). With our many bright layers and multi-coloured scarfs we certainly didnt look the safari going type. However, neither did the Essex's as they turned up a minute later in shorts and T-shirts something they were to pay for later. Again the five of us piled into the Safari jeep and set out in search of the elusive Tiger. An eager and well equipped Italian and Indian couple had already taken the first safari jeep. The temperature appeared to be in the minus (well probably) and little sightings were made in the first hour. The now shivering Englishmen were lent a scarf and blanket.

After spotting a horned Samba and a water buffalo our Safari came to a temporary stop after we suffered a puncture. Piling out into the jungle wasn't the safest part of our journey but within fifteen minutes they had us back on the road. Back to camp, then back to Mysore for the onward bus. A thoroughly great time, minus the fact that I left my DK book (our only guide book) there.

Mysore

Our first bus journey took us to Mysore, further South than Bangalore. Here we happened to have the worst room of our stay so far, it didn't help that I fell ill and had to spend the day in bed there either. Having spent the first day browsing the city we decided there wasn't much to see really. The next day the girls browsed the Amber Vilas Palace (which was apparently the most amazing seen so far, sadly the only one I missed and no pictures were allowed) and Brindaven gardens with musical waterfalls (much less impressive apparently). The next day we'd booked a rather expensive (for our standards) package trip to a nearby National Park. Early next morning the driver picked us up to make the hour and a half drive to Bandipur Wildlife sanctuary. We were to leave Mysore for now with a little less energy and a lot more bites.

Bangalore

Our impressions of Bangalore were vastly different to the rest of India. Already we could see that the South was gonna be a lot more relaxed than the North. The impression had nothing to do with the fact that we were able to enjoy comfy beds and lovely homecooked food at the friends relatives we were staying at (H's parents for those who know). As soon as we were picked up from the airport by our host in the air conditioned car and greeted with sweets and snacks we knew we were going to enjoy Bangalore.
The next day we were given the chauffeur driven car and taken on a tour of Bangalore's best sights including Vidhana Saudha (the secretariat of State) and lots of random parks. After being treated to lovely meals out at BBQ nation (yum) and other restaurents we were painting the town red again, this time with the 'Bangalore playboys'. An interesting mix of people but a rather fun night out. One the boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons (haha) was driving the other car while swigging a bottle of Whiskey. After spending 4 days with home comforts we didn't want to leave but sadly thought it was best to push on, to explore more of Karnataka.

'The Flight'

The flight between Mumbai and Bangalore was rather amusing for many reasons. As we boarded the plane we were ordered to take a 2 sec trip via coach to the plane, a distance we could clearly of walked. While boarding we were instructed to board from the front of the plane (even though we were seated in the last row) and much to our horror passengers began boarding from the back, meaning we were sandwiched in. Panic averted we carried on only to discover that our seats were occupied by a family (untrue) and would we mind sitting somewhere else. This wasn't a problem yet they still moved us twice more before take off and I was moved back to my original seat with the others during the flight. Even though it was just over an hour, could only happen in India.

Mumbai, the end!

The rest of our trip involved a trip to Elephanta Island in which we climbed 100 stone steps filled with market sellers to view ancient caves carved into the mountainside. You could actually pay Indians around 3 quid and 4 would carry you up in a wooden chair!! At the top we got to feed the many monkeys gathered around the caves. We also went to the cinema to take in our first Bollywood picture, rather good actually. The seats fully reclined and the snacks offered were pretty good as well. We were rather confused when the national anthem came on and Indians stood. The 9th was Diwali (The Indian Xmas) today we were to fly to Bangalore to stay with friends parents, we took off to a sea of fireworks, pretty amazing.

Mumbai, the rest.

The next day we rose bright and early to join a 12 hour bus tour of the city, little did we know the hell it would be. The tour got off to a great start when exiting the bus at the first stop I fell down the stairs, much to the horror of the bus assistant and myself. Panic aside my dignity was saved as I managed to cling to the pole at the side of the steps. I blame the damn cocktails!!
Drama aside the tour offered an extensive view of the city for a very cheap price, 100 rupees (around one pound twenty) per person. Though it didn't help that the tour was mainly conducted in Hindi and the guide would shout out random sights to the three westerners just after we'd passed them.
However, we did get a tour of the Prince of Wales museum, a tiny aquarium (in which there were around 40 sharks in a 20" by 20" tank. Strangely enough no pictures were allowed), The Gateway of India and then drove 2 hours out of the center to see a beach in darkness, all in all a good day out (ahem!).

The next day we decided to take it easy and went for lunch at the revolving restaurant high above Marine drive, in all fairness the restaurant offered amazing views of the city and the chilled music and movement meant we stayed for nearly two of the 90 minute turns. That night a friend of Ju's had arranged a night out with a few of his friends. This showed us a completely different side to the India we had already seen. The girls sent their chauffeur driven, pimped out car to pick us up and take us along to the bar we had arranged to meet at. They were definately 'glam' girls who told us they had daily manicures and pedicures, refused to take public transport and loved shopping at Jane Norman in the UK. From the hotel bar we moved onto a very exclusive club, members only (theres nothing bribery won't get you in India), where we sipped martinis of every flavor. At 7 quid a pop they were way over our 'backpacker' budget and we decided to sip the one we had bought for the rest of the night. However, the girls were knocking back theirs and encouraging us to do the same (I don't know where they put them as their waists were the circumference of a small saucepan). The bar was quite interesting, a mix of R'n'B and Indian Bangra, we felt rather underdressed in the garb that had been in our backpacks for the last three weeks. Yet we ran into some very amusing young Indians in the toilet. Dressed in bum skimming lyrca (it really was that small) they were rammed into the toilet, while the 15yr old sister of the one girl was throwing up all over the toilet and the toilet attendant, boy did it stink. Offering some helpful advice Jo suggested that they take the girl home, who was hunched over the toilet with her head between her legs. To which her sister replied, 'She's fine she needs to walk it off'. With that they grabbed the scrunchy wearer and dragged her out of the toilet to the chorus of 'Let's bounce bitches'. Another different take on the India in which we get stared at because we show off our arms.

Mumbai, day one

Mumbai was certainly a lot different to Delhi. As soon as we stepped of the train we could feel the 'Bombay heat' and it sweltered for the next 5 days. After we'd slept off 'the train', we headed out to Marine drive to take in the views of the ocean. There we spotted a lovely Italian and jazz bar popular with many tourists. Later we arrived there for the karaoke session, which involved many drunk Indians belting out the western karaoke favorites. There we satisfied our desire for alcohol and ended the dry spell, finally!!

Delhi - Mumbai, 'The train'.

Before we were to arrive in Mumbai (the former Bombay) we had to experience our first Indian train. The journey was an experience within itself which involved us clamering into three bunks and my first Indian toilet (basically a hole in the ground). Yet we arrived bright and early on the 5th to start our tour of Mumbai and for us the start of the South as well.

Back to Delhi

Arriving midnight back in Delhi we again opted to stick to familiar ground and checked into another hotel in the Main bazaar, our previous haunt. Here we were to leave the safety of our driver and car, and head off on our own to Mumbai. This signaled the end of our whistle stop tour of the North and now we were to head on to the South.

Shimla

After another grueling day of driving we arrived in the hillside town of Shimla. Nestled high into the steep clifface, Shimla was once the former summer residence of the British government in India, this was clearly evident in the architecture of the town. It was also the first place in which we spotted a church, quite a novelty after viewing many Hindu, Muslim and Sikh holy places.
Arriving late evening in Shimla we only had time to check into our hotel and sightseeing was postponed until the following day. Dining in the hotels restaurant was an interesting choice as half of the food was 'unavailable' and the first waiter couldn't speak a word of English. Spending the morning sightseeing meant the rest of the day would involve the 12 hour drive back to Delhi, something we were well used to at this point, argghhhhh!!

Manali

After a brief two night stay in Dharmashala, we were to head further South to Manali. We were in no way prepared for the extreme cold we were to experience in Manali, having only recently left the desert. Arriving late evening the temperature was at an all time low which involved stocking up on the winter woolies the town had to offer. After browsing the market stalls selling their range of winter blankets and scarfs, and passing the many street fires we headed back for an early night.

Next morning we were up bright and early for our 30k drive up the steep cliff face to the Rotang Pass 13,000ft above Manali. Meandering up the steep road through streams of ice and men tarmarcing the road as we drove was very unsettling, not least due to the fact that Jo screamed at the driver every two minutes and at one point on the cliffs edge, exited the car. However, we finally made it to the top after much grumbling and wearing what once appeared to be a bear. Little did we now we would now have to climb 2k further up the mountain just to get to the snow.

After a couple of hours at the top of the moutain in the freezing snow we were to head back down the 'road of death' and prepare for our onward Journey to Shimla.

Dharmashala

Dharmashala was definately a new side to India that we hadn't yet explored. Nestled into the mountainside the chilled area was a haven for backpackers and tibetan monks. The temperature had definately dropped as we had ascended into the Himalyas yet the views from the mountainside were amazing. Dharmashala was a clear favourite for the many backpackers that we encountered along the way not least due to the fact that it offered extensive courses in cookery, meditation and a whole manner of other activities.
Now the official refuge of the Tibetan government the peaceful town was filled with monks and was also the home of the Dalai Lama. Even though we were far up in the hills we still managed to run into a rowdy crowd from Wales, who were there working for St. Johns Ambulance.

Amritser

After a nights rest in Gandhinagar, we were to head straight to Amritser. Amritser was a very busy city and arriving late afternoon meant that we only got to see its two major attractions, the Golden temple and the closing of the border with Pakistan.

Firstly, was the border closing which was a very dramatic ceremony with crowds gathered on either side of the gate from both India and Pakistan. As soon as we arrived we were ushered to the VIP section along with the other westerners. The Indians gathered were certainly enjoying the celebrations and chants rose up from both sides of the border along with dancing and racing. Yet again as white women we received a lot of unwanted attention from the crowd gathered, however as a child tried to sell me unwanted goods a guard ran towards him and smacked the back of his head, quite shocking but then I wish I could take him everywhere with me in India.

Next was the golden temple, the holy place for the Sikhs. Pretty amazing both inside and out, yet again our experience was a little tainted as a Sikh claimed to our guide that as non Sikhs we 'shouldnt be in their heaven', this fuelled a heavy debate between our guide and the man, and we decided to leave as soon as possible. Next was another lengthy drive to the Himalyan area, first stop there Dharmshala.

Khuri

We arrived at Khuri bright and early in high spirits for the excitement of the day ahead, little did we know what was in store for us! After mounting our camels, to screams of horror from ourselves and too much laughter from the locals and in particular our driver Arun, we headed off towards the sand dunes.

Within half an hour Jo had screamed about 100 times and thus dismounted the camel twice to much amusement from myself. After then deciding to ride tandem with the camel farmer we then proceeded to trek further into the sand under the boiling hot sun. Our lunch consisted of a 4 hour long rest under a tree in the middle of the sand dunes, while the 3 farmers with broken English cooked a nice (under the circumstances) meal on a camp fire.

Our trek home was a little more interesting, with all 3 of us screaming at the camel farmers as we were left to wander randomly through the desert with myself leading and no direction given. The very painful safari ended with a rather amusing evenings entertainment. As we were again greeted with dal, chappattis and rice, we were to discover the delights of a 'ladyboy's seductive dance' and a girl who picked up pins and razor blades from upside down with her face.

After discovering the painful experience was setting us back a lot of money and that the third party of the group was only to get a mattress for the night, we kicked up a fuss and got two rooms for the price of one, bargain! Though we couldn't wait to leave Khuri and the awful camel experience even if it meant the long 12 hour drive to our next location. Moral of the story, only do a half a day camel safari, with people that understand what your saying!!!

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer was actually a pretty interesting city even though it was in the middle of the Thar desert. After much heated debate with the owner of the guest house and a few 'lonely planet' threats we managed to secure a room in an alternative hotel while we waited for the 500yr old Haveli to become available. Arriving 2 weeks early hadn't actually helped the situation either but on the second night we were shown into the amazing old Haveli in the Jaisalmer Fort.

We spent the next day exploring the Gadisagar Lake, a dodgy jewellery 'home', (much like a scene from a maffia movie minus the guns), the Patwon ki Haveli and the palace inside the fort with views of the Jain Temples.

At night the fort comes alive with a whole manner of little shops opening their doors to display their wares, and with cows and children roaming and playing in the street. After sampling an Italian that over used Rosemary we decided to get henna tattoos, which were beautiful but washed off after a few days. On the final night after a lovely meal on our private terrace followed by a rather lengthy lecture on the 'importance of girls over boys' by the crazed but interesting part owner of the Haveli, we made our way to bed. Next for us was Khuri, making our way further into the desert for the camel safari.

Pushkar/Jodphur

After a quick two night stay in Jaipur to recover, we were then on our way to Jodphur via Pushkar. 'Pushkar very cheating men' states our driver Arun, (something he says alot, without explanation), as the girls are roped into giving a large donation to a sacred lake.

Jodphur however seemed a little nicer than Pushkar. We were greeted by a sea of blue as the town is appropriately nicknamed the blue city. After stopping over night in an ancient havelli type hotel we then spent the day exploring Jodphur with a rather strange tour guide called 'Taco', or 'No fear' as he wished to be called. We spent the day touring the amazing fort which had a whole manner of activities happening that day, including local dancing and a tiny indian man jumping on a tight rope. We also explored another temple and the Unmaid palace, location of Liz Hurley's wedding.

After being stalked around the town by a rather strange internet cafe owner, and with 'No fear' unable 'to give advive on the town'??? we then decided to make it a one night stay and make the 6 hour journey to the desert of Jaisalmer.

Jaipur

Sadly, not much to report from Jaipur as Juliette and I got struck down with a serious dose of Delhi belly and spent most of the day in bed. We did manage to take a stroll around the Pink city and the fort, and ran into some very large monkeys on the way. During the night we were visited by a very drunk member of the Guest House staff, ensuring a lot of panic on our part, however, after a call to the Guest House owner we were assured our safety as the man was now locked in the basement, haha.

Agra

We have now aquired a driver Arun, who will be taking us across Rajasthan and up into the Himalyan area of India. Agra is actually one of the worst cities for poverty and the air is just filthy but the Taj Mahal is amazing. It is definately one of the highlights of the trip so far. Not much else to see in Agra apart from the Agra fort which is pretty interesting and so our next stop is Jaipur.

Day 2,

We decided to take a chauffer driven tour of the city today in which we saw the Lotus Temple, Ghandi's memorial garden, Jami Masjid (Muslim temple) and the Red fort. We attracted a great amount of attention and were forever having our photos taken by bemused families and rude men. It was definately a little intimating as we were surrounded by hordes of men just staring but it was certainly a great way to see and the sights of Delhi.

Day 1 Delhi, Tuesday 16th October

Arriving into the dusty crowded Delhi was a complete culture shock, expecially as it had already turned dark by the time our rusty taxi had made its way from the airport. The main bazaar in which we were staying was certainly a great introduction to the experience we were going to have at Delhi, it was filled with beggars, cows, stray dogs and many other colourful characters all out to make a profit off the back of the shocked looking backpackers. However, after a few days the bazaar was strangely comforting compared to the hustle and bustle of Delhi's main roads and was definately a haven for backpackers.