Agra and Amritsar

The Jaipur-Agra Shatabdi Express train is a bit more expensive then your standard Indian train, costing around 700 Rupees (£8.40), but for me it really was worth it. The journey from Jaipur to Agra took 3 and a half hours, had comfortable reclining seats with tea, biscuits, water, a vegetarian breakfast and a newspaper included. I had my doubts about Agra from what I had heard from other travelers, but for me it was a very pleasant experience. I don’t think people give it the amount of time it deserves. 

I decided to stay about a 15 minute walk from the East Gate of the Taj Mahal, down a road full of a range of different hostels. I went very cheap at 300 Rupees (£3.60) a night in Namastey Hostel, which had a comfortableish bed, a squat toilet and a hot, yet very weak shower. I could have spent 800-1000 Rupees (£10-12) a night and stayed across the road at either Moustache Hostel or Backpacker Panda. I spent 2 nights in Agra and went out to explore on the first day, after a short rest because of the early train. I walked down the road that approaches the East Gate and found the Taj Nature Walk on the right hand side. It cost 100 Rupees (£1.20) to enter the grounds but was incredibly peaceful inside. You can see a large variety of rare birds, peacocks weave in and out of the trees and confident chipmunks scurry around, not paying you the slightest bit of attention. You also get a fantastic view of the Taj Mahal from atop a hill with nobody else around and it offers some fantastic photo opportunities. 

The following day I woke up at 05:30 to try and beat the crowds for the Taj Mahal. I left the hostel at 06:00 and made my way towards the Taj. The ticket office is on the left hand side, around 500 meters from the entrance. It opens at 06:45 and when I arrived around 06:15 there was already a quickly forming queue. There is a separate queue for foreigners and for locals, and also a hefty price difference, 10 Rupees (£0.12) for a local, 1000 Rupees (£12) for a foreigner… crazy. After grabbing your ticket don’t forget to pick up your free map, shoe covers (for inside the mausoleum) and bottle of water from just outside the ticket booth. If you can’t be bothered to walk the 500m or so to the gate entrance you can jump in a cycle rickshaw, but I wasn’t that lazy. You then join another queue to have your ticket checked, men and women queue separately, then you have a pat down and your bags searched if you have one. The Taj was as amazing as I was expecting, yet I was slightly disappointed in the scaffolding that was on one of the pillars. It was built in 1631 by Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial for his beloved wife Arjumand Bano Begumn, who died during her 14th pregnancy. There is a mosque on one side and an identical building on the other, which isn’t a mosque, it is simply there to keep the symmetry. The pillars all slant slightly away from the main building, in case of an earthquake, where they would crumble away from the Taj Mahal, so not to damage the main building. The gardens are equally as fantastic with the design taken from the Qur’ans description of paradise. 

I decided to leave the Taj Mahal via the South Gate, so I could grab a Costa Coffee for the first time in over 8 months. This was a little bit silly and more expensive then I could really afford, perhaps that’s because I had 2 lattes and 2 chocolate brownies, however a diabetic has to treat himself once in a while! From Costa I walked over to Agra Fort, something which is often missed by visitors, as they are only interested in seeing the Taj and then leaving. The Fort cost 500 Rupees (£6) to enter but was brilliant, built in 1565 in a striking red sandstone. It is absolutely huge and you can easily lose a couple of hours exploring this fantastic old building. From the fort I took a walk back to the hostel, through a beautiful quiet park leading up to the West Gate of the Taj Mahal. This is the way I would recommend walking to the Fort from the Taj if you’d don’t want a cheeky Costa! In all fairness it was quite a long walk, around 35 minutes but it was nice, quiet and very relaxing. 

The following day I caught a night train to Amritsar, leaving at 16:20 and arriving in Amritsar at 08:10. Of course the train didn’t leave and arrive at these times, there are always delays, but it was close enough! I was travelling by Sleeper Class for the final time and it was by far the busiest it had been, due to the fact the train was passing through Delhi. It seemed like every person in India was squeezing on the train, which was quite an experience, but I eventually got my bed around 23:00! I arrived in Amritsar just before 09:00 and caught a 100 Rupee rickshaw to the hotel. I was only staying about a mile away from the train station but didn’t fancy the walk, due to me messing up the dates of the trains I had booked and having under 24 hours in Amritsar. I checked in at 10:00, had a shower and some breakfast and set out to explore, my first and only taste of the Punjab state. It is a predominately Sikh state and for me it felt different from the other areas of India. It was busy, chaotic and noisy (nothing new there) but the rickshaw drivers took no for an answer, everyone appeared happy and there were not many beggars on the streets.

I walked over to the Golden Temple and after depositing my shoes for free, washing my feet for free, covering my head for free and entering the Golden Temple complex… for free, I was greeted with the magnificent temple glowing in the morning sunlight. Everywhere you go in India there is a tourist price for everything, hence why I was so surprised that everything was free. Inside the temple complex there was a fantastic atmosphere with thousands of colorfully dressed people who flock there each day to wash in the Holy Water or accept a free meal. The queue to enter the temple itself was humongous so I decided not to go in, the wait was over four hours. I took my time strolling around, taking photos with beaming school children and soaking up the fantastic atmosphere, it was one of my favorite experiences in India. After, I walked for 20 minutes over to the Hanuman Mandir Temple, which looks pretty much identical, however it is a Hindu Temple not a Sikh Temple. It was very quiet with only 4 other people inside. Clearly nobody knows, or perhaps cares about this one, however for me it was definitely worth the walk.

I then headed back over towards the Golden Temple and visited Jallianwala Bagh, a memorial for the hundreds of innocent people killed by the British, when they were peacefully protesting for independence. It was a nice area to visit and interesting to see and read about, there are bullet holes still visible in a couple of places where the shootings took place. I then grabbed some food in Neelam’s, which I would highly recommend, especially the Punjab Thali, before I went back to the hotel ready for my 05:00 train to my last stop in India, Delhi. 

Pushkar and Jodhpur

From Udaipur I caught the 06:00 train to Ajmer, the closest train station to Pushkar, around 12km away. I left the hostel at 5am and soon found a rickshaw to take me to the station. I was originally worried that I wouldn’t be able to find a rickshaw at this time of morning, but the drivers know people are going to the station so are up nice and early to take you there. If you can’t find a rickshaw then it’s only a 3km walk to the station, but you don’t want to really be doing that at 05:00. After a bit of bartering I took the rickshaw for 100 Rupees. I had booked a Chair Class train for 400 Rupees, which was actually quite pleasant, and taking just over 5 hours. The carriage had 3 seats on one side and 2 on the other, and was a little cold, make sure you wrap up warm at that time of the morning.

Once at Ajmer Junction you can catch a rickshaw straight to Pushkar or to the Bus Station, or do as I did and walk the 1.5km to the bus station. Once leaving the train station take a right and follow the road straight until you reach the bus station. The bus takes around 30 minutes and cost 16 Rupees. It leaves from near stand 21 and you buy your ticket on board, despite there being a ticket window at the station saying PUSHKAR. I spent 3 nights in Pushkar, which is a holy Hindu town but in all honesty there is not an awful lot to do, which was lovely. I would recommend booking a nice hotel to relax in with a view of the Ghats. I stayed in Bharatpur Palace, which directly overlooked the Ghat where some of Gandhi’s ashes were scattered, which meant I got to view hundreds of colorfully dressed people coming down to pray and go about their daily lives. There are cows walking the streets, monkeys swinging from the rooftops and flocks of birds trying to steal the food from the monkeys and cows.

The main bazaar is fantastic for shopping with rows of shops selling brightly colored fabrics. I ended up buying a coat and scarf for £6 as I was really starting to struggle with the cold at night. When I say cold I mean 15 degrees at night, I’m just so used to the heat now. It’s definitely worth buying something here as they give you fantastic fabric bags to take your products away in, not the horrible plastic ones you get everywhere else in the world. There are some fantastic restaurants around, including La Pizzeria, which sells lovely, massive pizzas starting at 170 Rupees. It is rated number 1 out of 80 restaurants in Pushkar on Trip Advisor and I can see why. I know I’m meant to be eating the local food, but I was craving a pizza! One thing to note is that because this is such a holy town, there is no meat or alcohol for sale in the restaurants, unless they are being naughty. I would recommend Pushkar for a couple of days, just for the experience, but make sure you have a nice place to relax. 

From Pushkar I caught a taxi back to Ajmer Junction for 350 Rupees, and then the 4 hour train to Jodhpur, the blue city. I booked a Sleeper Class train for 175 Rupees, leaving an hour and twenty minutes late and arriving in Jodhpur at 18:50. I caught a rickshaw to the hotel for 150 Rupees after some really hard haggling. It should have been a lot cheaper than this but not one driver was budging on their “lowest” price, after starting ridiculously high. The driver I got had absolutely no idea where he was going, turning the 10 minute trip into well over half an hour. He went the wrong way 6 times, asked 12 different people for directions and crashed into a parked bicycle. After eventually finding the hotel, and despite me telling him we were there, he decided to carry on driving around. In the end I got him to stop and walked back down the street to the hotel. I stayed in Jodhpur Heritage Haveli Guesthouse for 400 Rupees a night, which I found at a cut price on Booking.com. It’s well worth having a look on there as you can get some great deals and it saves you the hassle of trooping around in the dark with big backpacks on. 

I ended up staying 4 nights in Jodhpur, despite there not being that much to do. Most people only spend one full day to see the impressive Mehrangarh Fort but I didn’t want to rush through. Mehrangarh Fort is incredibly impressive and well worth the 600 Rupee entrance fee for the museum (to walk around the grounds is free). You also have to pay to take pictures, 100 Rupees a camera/phone. The price includes an audio guide which is very interesting and informative, and explains in detail about the different sections of the fort. You can really imagine how the Maharaja’s lived in the years gone by and how they defended the fort from attackers. Not once in its entire history has the fort ever been taken. You also get a fantastic view of the old blue city from the far end of the fort. You can either walk 300 meters up a steep slope/stairs, or catch a rickshaw up the 5km snaking road. I decided to walk up which gave some great views of the fort and the city and it wasn’t too strenuous at all.

I spent a day walking the street and alleys of Jodhpur, immersing myself into the culture and really getting a feel for Rajasthan. The streets are colorful, lively, noisy and exactly how you expect India to be. There are small winding alleys with local craftsman and tailors going about their daily business, rickshaws and motorbikes squeezing past cows laying in the road, dogs risking a blow from a cow’s horns as they try to steal the food and, all in all, a terrific buzz and a sense of excitement. There are also some quiet colorful alleyways and a wide range of rooftop restaurants that give you a perfect view of the towering Mehrangarh Fort which dwarfs the city. The Clock Tower and Clock Tower Market are worth a visit where you can find everything you have ever needed, plus more. 

Pushkar and Jodhpur were both fantastic places, one holy and the other with a classic Indian fort. They are both a must do if you are in Rajasthan and both offer something completely different. A lot of people do only spend one day in Jodhpur but its well worth taking a bit more time, really exploring the streets and soaking up the atmosphere. From here I’m heading to the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer, around 100km from the border with Pakistan and then on to Jaipur.

Udaipur via Mumbai

I left Hampi after 5 nights having had a great time, despite having to spend one night sleeping on a restaurant floor. In order to get to Mumbai, I had to catch 2 trains, one from Hosapete to Hubballi, and then from Hubballi to Mumbai. I booked these trains a week previous costing us a grand total of £8 in Sleeper Class. Hosapete is the closest train station to Hampi, 12km away and costing around 250 Rupees by rickshaw, or a couple of Rupees by bus. I decided to jump in a rickshaw to guarantee I was at the station in time, which was irrelevant as the train was one and a half hours late. This meant I ended up with a 45 minute turn over at Hubballi, rather than over 2 hours. The trains were not too bad, just a little long, with a total of 22 hours travelling. This was my first time in Sleeper Class which wasn’t a bad thing, I just wasn’t prepared for the cold. The previous trains had all been 2AC where you are given bed sheets and can wrap up at night, whereas in the Sleeper Class you are not. I wasn’t prepared for this and spent the whole night shivering in a ball, with a microfiber towel laid on top of me.

I arrived in Mumbai around 08:00, surprisingly only 30 minutes late and set about securing a rickshaw to the hotel. I was staying up near Lokmanya Tilak Train Station, around 20 minutes from the airport as I had a flight to Udaipur the following day. I got told all kinds of stories about the hotel by the drivers and that they could take me to a better one. My favorite was “it wasn’t even a hotel, it was a restaurant” to which I replied “don’t worry, I’m used to sleeping on a restaurant floor” which of course he didn’t understand. I eventually caught a taxi to the hotel, costing 89 Rupees by the meter, which ended up being in a slightly run down area, even for Indian standards. However the accommodation was ok, it was cheap enough and I got to see parts of local Mumbai. The following morning I caught a rickshaw to the airport, internal flights go from terminal 1B, taking around 20 minutes and costing 148 Rupees by the meter. The flight to Udaipur was slightly delayed meaning I landed around 19:00.

The airport in Udaipur is situated 25km east of the city, so I decided to use the pre paid tax service at the airport. I showed the man the hotel address and he quoted 650 Rupees and carried on doing his thing. I didn’t believe him as everywhere in India they up the price for foreigners, so I asked to see a price list. He entered the address into his database, the price came up as 650 Rupees, he printed the ticket and we were on our way. I don’t mind paying the money if they can prove that its the correct price, I just don’t like it when they make up numbers to get more money. If I would have turned up earlier in the day I’d of caught a bus into Udaipur, but when its dark and you arrive in a new place, for me its worth paying a little extra money to ensure you arrive safely.

Udaipur was a fantastic place, one of my favorites in India so far. It is set around Lake Pichola, which is so named after the village that was flooded when the water was diverted into the lake years ago. The streets are filled with rooftop restaurants and bars offering fantastic views over the city, lake and surrounding mountains which makes them the perfect place to relax and watch the sun go down, the sky exploding into a magnitude of different colors over the rolling mountains. The streets are small and windy with beautiful old building tucked in next to each other, which are fantastic to explore, to me each one felt like a different part of Hogwarts. The City Palace is well worth a visit and worth the 250 Rupee entrance fee. It’s worth noting you have to pay an extra 250 Rupees for your camera which you cannot get away without paying for. There are guards situated around the Palace looking for the tag connected to your camera or phone to prove you have paid. 

After the Palace I continued through to the waters edge, where you pay another 30 Rupees to explore, but there are some lovely gardens, views of the lake and a restaurant on the waters edge serving very expensive beer. You get a great view of the Taj Lake Palace, which is where Octopussy, the James Bond film was partly filmed. Udaipur seems very fond of its James Bond link, there is a classic car collection you can visit with the 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom used in the film, and across the footbridge there is a café showing the film every evening. It’s worth crossing the bridge to explore the other side as there is a fantastic green area with a coffee shop to relax and take in the views of the Palace from the other side. 

I had a fantastic time in Udaipur and it was a great introduction to Rajasthan, I just couldn’t believe how cold it was. I say that, it was 23 degrees but I’ve been so used to 30 degrees plus that I needed a jumper and jeans, especially in the evening. On the rooftops it can get quite windy so it’s worth packing or buying something to keep you warm. From Udaipur I am heading to the holy city of Pushkar and Jodhpur, continuing north through this fantastic country. 

Goa – Palolem Beach

As my time in Kerala was drawing to an end I was still yet to catch a train in India, as I’d had some trouble with obtaining tickets in the past. I managed to secure some tickets online using the IRTCT website, costing 2300 Rupees (£28), leaving at 21:30 from Ernakulam and taking just under 12 hours. This was a lot more than I was expecting to pay even for 2AC, the highest class, the only one that was available, although I booked 7 days before the scheduled departure date. 

The train left Ernakulam without a hitch, leaving on time and arriving in Madgaon, in south Goa a few minutes early. As I said it was my first time on an Indian train but I can’t see how Sleeper Class is going to be any different form the 2AC Sleeper that I was on, just the prices are considerably cheaper. (I may be eating my words later, I’m currently on a train to Hampi and have a Sleeper Class train booked to Mumbai next week.) The train carriage had a simple layout, with 2 lower and 2 upper bunks running vertically on one side, and 1 set of bunks horizontally on the other, the whole way down the carriage. I was given bed sheets and a pillow but had no curtains for any privacy. I was also given a towel, a cold face wipe, water, mango juice and a vegetarian breakfast, maybe that was what my extra £20 was paying for! I did however finally have a chance to wear my Christmas socks.

I arrived in Madgaon at 08:45 and planned to head straight to Palolem Beach for a couple of days. To get between Palolem Beach and Madgaon there are three options: A bus costing 40 Rupees (£0.50), a rickshaw costing 1000 Rupees (£12.50) or a taxi costing 1200 Rupees (£15). I had every intention of catching the bus, which leaves from the South East side of the Municipal Gardens, a 20 minute walk west of the train station but heard some people ordering a taxi so decided to jump in with them, paying 300 Rupees (£3.75) each for the 4 of us. A taxi is considerably quicker, with the bus being slow and bumpy but is only worth getting a taxi if there’s enough of you to split the cost.  

Palolem Beach is gorgeous. There are plenty of accommodation options along the beachfront and also some set off the beach, about a 3 minute walk away. On the beachfront, intertwined with all the bars and restaurants are a variety of beach huts ranging from 500-5000 Rupees a night. I decided to stay a short way back from the beach in a hotel, as the cheapest hut I was offered was 2000 Rupees a night. However I later met some guys who were renting a beach hut between them for 500 Rupees, if only I had explored a bit more. The original plan was to spend a couple of days at Palolem, then head down to Gorkana, around 2 hours south of Goa. However I loved Palolem so much I didn’t want to leave and ended up staying 8 nights and I may be planning to go back at the end of my time in India. I’m not too sure why I loved it so much, I mean it can’t have been the palm trees, the calm sea, the soft crescent sandy beach, the dolphins, the relaxed atmosphere and the great food, it must have been the beer. Coming from a dry state that Kerala is, to then find beach bars selling beer for 60 Rupees (£0.75), with the sun setting over monkey island and a cool breeze in the air it was just beautiful. The restaurants on the beach are a bit more expensive then on the road, 3 minutes away, but there’s something about eating in the evening, sitting on the beach and hearing the sea rolling in the background. There’s a wide variety of food, from Indian, to Italian, to Chinese and lots and lots of seafood. If anyone’s interested in watching sport whilst they are there, the Cafe Del Mar has 2 big projectors, where I finally saw England win a game of cricket in India, after 8 attempts. 

There’s the option of renting Kayaks on the beach and paddling out around monkey island for a bit of dolphin spotting. The sea is a bit rougher round the back of the island, but nothing too major. There are plenty of places to rent Kayaks but the cheapest I found was outside D’Costa, 100 Rupees for an hour. Another day I took a 2 hour boat trip for some more dolphin spotting, some fishing and to relax for a bit on butterfly beach, only accessible by boat. It was a great 2 hours, which we managed to get for 200 Rupees (£2.50) per person, whereas other people on the boat were paying 800 Rupees (£10) per person. It wasn’t really fair, just make sure you haggle hard! 

From Palolem I caught the local bus back to Madgaon for the train to Hampi, the only problem being it was a public holiday in India. This meant that the bus was absolutely packed, filled to the brim and I really struggled to find accommodation in Madgaon, the night before the morning train. I eventually found a room, after an hour of searching in the dark, for 2100 Rupees (£26) which was stupidly expensive, yet there was no other option. Apparently everyone flocks to somewhere near the beach on a public holiday, but I wasn’t to know, I only found out that day it was a holiday. I’m now approaching Hampi, an 8 hour train ride inland from Goa, so I’m off to explore the ruins.

Continuing Through Kerala

Places visited: Trivandrum, Kollam, Amritapuri, Allappuzha, Fort Kochi/Ernakulam.

After a fantastic 2 weeks in Poovar over New Years with my family, it was time for me to head back to reality. I enquired at the resort about a taxi to Trivandrum and the price they quoted was 1600 Rupees (£21), this was too much. Instead I managed to bag a free lift to Poovar Bus Station, a 5 minute drive after getting off the boat from the resort, with the bus to Trivandrum costing 22 Rupees (£0.28) and taking just over an hour. I was not originally planning on spending a night in Trivandrum but a friend had an issue with her 12 Month Working Holiday Visa application for New Zealand. Because she had been in countries that were not classified as ‘Low Risk TB’ for a combined total of over 3 months, she had to provide a chest X-ray in order to prove she didn’t have TB. As you can imagine this was great fun to sort out in the middle of India… but she managed to do it. There are only certain hospitals which are approved by the New Zealand government (you can find the list on the NZ Visa website) and one of these was in Trivandrum, The Kerala Institute of Medical Science. She had rung up 2 days previous and booked her an appointment. The appointment was at 10:00 in the Visa Medical section of the hospital on the 9th Floor. We turned up at 09:00 and she was called in at 09:30 and we were out by 11:15. If you just need a chest X-Ray it costs 1200 Rupees (£15) and for the full body medical scan it costs around 5400 Rupees (£68), a lot cheaper then having it completed in England. In fact if you need a full body medical scan I think its cheaper to obtain an Indian Visa, book a return flight and have the scan done, then it is to have it done in England. When I was 18 I applied for a working visa before I went to New Zealand, and needed a full body medical as I was diabetic and I seem to remember them trying to charge me £800. I could be wrong, it was a long time ago. India is part of the e-medical scheme so the X-ray and form were both sent electronically by the hospital, meaning she didn’t have to visit the embassy to submit the forms herself. The Visa cost £113 + £15 for the X-ray, not too bad for a year’s Visa and to follow her dream, anyway I digress.

From Trivandrum, the bus to Kollam costs 62 Rupees (£0.78) and takes around an hour and a half. I headed to a hostel that was recommended in the Lonely Planet books, Karuna Residency and it was disgusting. It was very cheap and I could see why, there was no way we were going to stay there. I proceeded to walk around for an hour, as every hostel/hotel I visited was full. I eventually found Hotel Zodiac Regency, which costs 1200 Rupees for the night, quite a bit more than I was expecting to pay. The hotel however was lovely, with fantastic food in the adjoining restaurant and only a 5 minute walk from the dock where I was planning to catch a boat the following morning. I ventured down to the dock to enquire about the boat to Alappuzha (Alleppey), with the intention of stopping in Amritapuri first for a 2 day stay in an Ashram. Five different people told me that the government boat wasn’t running and was under repair, including three in the ticket office and the man in the Tourist Centre. I didn’t believe them, I think they were all I’m cahoots with each other. The government boat was due to leave at 10:30, costing 170 Rupees to Amritapuri and 400 Rupees to Alleppey. I arrived at the dock at 10:10 the following morning to see if the government boat turned up and were told by another 3 people that it wasn’t running. I was offered a place on a private, 30 person boat for 300 Rupees to Amritapuri but was told I had to get on and leave straight away. I didn’t know what to do. It seemed weird that they wanted to get away before 10:30, the time the government boat was meant to turn up, but I really wanted to get the boat. For me it wasn’t worth the risk to see if they were lying when 8 different people told me the same thing, and it was only £1.60 more. The boat journey was brilliant, sailing down the backwaters with palm trees either side and it is definitely something you should do if in the area. I arrived at Amritapuri at 13:00, after a 30 minute break for lunch in a hotel on the river. The lunch was a very nice all you can eat buffet costing 125 Rupees and I would definitely recommend eating there, mainly because if you are heading to the Ashram, lunch would have finished by the time you arrive. To read about my time in the Ashram take a look at my Amritapuri Ashram – The Hugging Mother post.

From the Ashram I decided to take a bus the rest of the way to Allappuzha as it is quicker and cheaper than the boat. I had already had 3 backwater boat experiences so opted for the bus. There are 2 options from the Ashram, catching a rickshaw to Kayamkulam Bus Station, 14km north for 250 Rupees, or 10km south to Karungapally Bus Station for 200 Rupees. I chose to pay the 50 Rupees more as I was heading north and didn’t want to go back on myself. The bus ticket cost 42 Rupees and arrived in Allappuzha after an hour and a half. When I boarded the bus there weren’t any seats available, and I ended up standing at the front next to the fantastically dangerous driver. He spent more time on the wrong side of the road, he’s speedometer didn’t work and his rev counter was stuck on 1500 revs, no matter how fast he went… he went faaaaaasssst. Once in Allappuzha a Rickshaw from the bus station to the beach costs 70 Rupees. I asked around for a bus to the beach but everyone said it didn’t exist. Allappuzha itself was quite disappointing. The area down by the beach is a big building site, I imagine it used to be nice but it looks like they are building a bridge, which has ruined the area. I rented a bicycle for 100 Rupees for the day and cycled along the canals which was quite nice but I wouldn’t recommend going unless you are starting or ending your backwater experience. There is nothing much to the temples and not an awful lot to do.

From Allappuzha I caught a bus to Ernakulam, the last stop in Kerala before a night train to Goa. I caught a Rickshaw to the bus station and found a bus that looked like a city bus from England. It had comfortable seats and an electronic board displaying Ernakulam, a lot different from the beat up old buses I had been on before. I decided to go for it. The journey was very pleasant, however it was double the price of the beat up old buses, costing a whopping 119 Rupees (£1.48) for the 1 hour and 45 minute journey. I decided to stay in Ernakulam, in John’s Residency, a nice little hotel a 5 minute walk from the dock (to catch a boat to Fort Kochi) and only a 30 Rupee Rickshaw ride from Ernakulam Central Train Station, where I was boarding a night train to Goa. The boat to Fort Kochi costs 4 Rupees and leaves every 15 minutes or so. There is a ladies queue and a gentleman’s queue and each person can buy up to 3 tickets. Fort Kochi is a lovely area, a mixture of France, Portugal and England, with lots of nice cafes, art galleries and shops to fill your day. My favorite café was called The Teapot Café, which served over 18 varieties of tea in a lovely building resembling Yorkshire. Another lovely place was Kashi Art Café which serves a fantastic Granola with fresh yoghurt and fruits, and the portion is massive. Of course Fort Kochi is not all about the cafes, it’s a lovely little town to walk around, see some Chinese fishing nets in action and just relax in the quiet, yet bustling seaside town. It was a lovely ending to my time in Kerala and I am now heading North to Goa, to see what else this amazing country has to offer.

Amritapuri Ashram – The Hugging Mother

Arriving in Amritapuri I had no idea what to expect. I had signed up online for 2 nights in an Ashram, the famous Ashram of one of India’s few female gurus, Amrithanandamayi, also known as Amma (meaning Mother in many Indian languages) or ‘The Hugging Mother’. This is in reference to the “Darshan” she offers, hugging thousands of people in one day. It is estimated she has hugged 34 million people in her life and I am now one of them! I’m still not sure I fully understand what happened in the 2 days I was there, why I was there, or why people stay for a prolonged period of time, but then again I’m not a spiritual person in the slightest. I’m going to try and answer some questions I had before I arrived. You weren’t really allowed to take any photos so I only took 4!

I arrived via boat from Kollam (there is information on this in my ‘Continuing Through Kerala‘ post) and crossed the bridge via foot, arriving at the Ashram 5 minutes after docking. There is an entrance up on the left a short walk from the foot of the bridge. Once entering the Ashram the International Office is on the right hand side, where you check in and can find out some more information. There are signs on the wall informing you at which times each day there are orientation tours in your preferred language. You will be given a form to fill out, including entering your passport and visa details, then given a key to your room and are sent to pick up your bed sheets. This is in the same building as the International Office, just round the corner. It’s worth noting they keep your passport for the duration of your stay, in a “safe safe”. I found my own way to the room, floor 13, room 13, on Friday 13th, its lucky I’m not superstitious hey! The rooms are incredibly simple but nicer then some of the places I have stayed. There was one single bed with 4 mattresses piled up. There were pillows provided in the room, along with a toilet, a shower with lukewarm water, a sink tucked round the corner and a stunning view overlooking the beach, sea and the forest of palm trees surrounding the Ashram.

I set out to explore the Ashram, trying to gain a basic understanding of what it was all about. From what I understand it’s a spiritual place, where people come to find themselves with meditation, yoga and taking long vows of silence, extraordinary austerities or unusual spiritual practices, with Amma being the spiritual leader/guru. Everyone staying for a long time is looking for something, even if they don’t know what themselves. You can tell the long term residents from the short term residents by the way they dress. They wear white, baggy clothes, with big scarves and hippie style bags, some people with bandanas, some with dreadlocks. There are a lot of older residents, some women with short hair, some men with long hair, all here for the same reason, to find something new in their lives and possibly to try and put right what has gone wrong.

At 17:00 I went to the front of the temple for the orientation tour, where I was shown round the Ashram and had everything explained. The big hall serves 3 meals a day: Breakfast 09:00-10:00, Lunch 13:00-14:00 and Dinner 20:00-21:00. These are simple meals which are all included in the price of the stay, 500 Rupees per room, 250 Rupees per person. There is also a Juice Stall, a Coffee Bar, an Indian Café and a Western Café which offer alternative food throughout the day, for a small price. The main temple is where Darshan takes place (more on this later) and there are lots of places to meditate, including a section of the beach owned by the Ashram. Along with the different food outlets, there is a shop, a bank, a photocopying service, laundry service, internet area and a few different souvenir shops. If you decide to stay a long time and immerse yourself in the Ashram’s ways, there is no reason to leave the premises. The orientation tour takes you down to the beach, where you can choose to stay or head back with the guide to watch a short video on what Amma has achieved. I decided to stay at the beach and see what the meditation was all about, I didn’t last very long. Walking up to the beach I didn’t see a big rock sticking out the sand and managed to take a big chunk of flesh off the underside of my big toe. I have a rule whilst travelling, if I haven’t used something in 3 weeks get rid of it, its taking up space in your bag and you don’t need it. Well I hadn’t used my first aid kit for over 6 months but luckily I hadn’t thrown that out. I hobbled back to the room, trying to prevent sand and dirt getting in my open wound, whilst trying to stop the blood going everywhere. I made it up to the 13th floor, washed out the wound, applied some Germolene to stop infection and bandaged up my big toe, looking like something out of a cartoon! Protecting your feet is very important for a diabetic as if you have bad control it is often your extremities that suffer first. I’ve always tried to look after them, minus breaking a few toes playing football and the last thing I wanted to do was to get an infection in the middle of India. 

After my toe incident it was time for me to participate in Darshan. This isn’t something you have to do, however Amma isn’t in the Ashram that often so we were ‘lucky’ she was here. You pick up a token from outside the temple. There are 4 letters and you are allowed to enter when your letter is displayed. I had a W, which was displayed in the evening, after the orientation tour. I hobbled over to the temple, removed my flip-flops, carefully guiding them round my bandaged big toe and took a seat inside. It was quite confusing at first as to what was going on. I took a seat on the right hand side and a lady in orange was directing people around. I was right at the back but from what I could work out they were taking 10 Indians, then 10 Westerners and so on. I waited about 20 minutes before being guided near the front, standing up every few minutes to move chairs. I had to wipe my face with a cloth as I didn’t have a scarf, I have no idea why, and was shown a sign saying I had to pray or chant mantras once on stage. I wasn’t allowed to touch Amma and I had to support my own weight on the arms off her chair. Once through the doors, level with the stage things started to become quite frantic. There were people pushing, shoving and directing me in all kinds of directions. When you can’t put any pressure on your big toe this isn’t the best experience. Somehow I found myself on the stage, was forced down onto my knees, more toe pain, and was pushed forward towards Amma. I didn’t have time to chant any of the mantras I knew… none, or say any prayers I knew… none, before my arms were on the arms of her chair. She grasped me round the neck, pulled me into her chest and chanted into my ear like someone possessed. I was then given a sweet and some ash, forced back onto my feet, more toe pain and exited the stage via the same side.

I took a seat as I didn’t know what else to do and was told I wasn’t a woman so I had to go to the other side. All I really wanted to do was get out. Once round the other side, the men’s section, I had every intention of leaving, but this is when Amma decided to leave the stage. People around me were crying, holding their arms out to touch her and there was nowhere for me to go. I was stuck for what felt like a lifetime before more tears, cries of Amma, and arms in every direction trying to touch their Guru as she re-entered. It turns out the side of the stage, after the hug, is for you to sit for 45 minutes and meditate close to Amma. The ash is for you to put on your head and the sweet I believe is for you to eat, both of mine ended up in the bin. 

Another thing to do is Seva (selfless service), where you sign up to participate in the life of the community for a few hours a day. The whole Ashram has only a few paid staff and everything else is run voluntarily. If I was staying for a long time I would have participated, but with 2 nights and only 1 full day I didn’t. Amma does put her life and soul into the Ashram, never appearing to have a moment’s rest, with daily events such as Darshan, group meditation and evening singing sessions. I enjoyed my time at the Ashram but I still don’t think I fully understand what went on. I think I can understand why people do it, but to get so involved and to cry when Amma walks past is beyond me. In the book Eat, Pray, Love she spends 4 months in an Ashram trying to find herself, so if you are interested read the Pray part of the book. The Ashram isn’t for me I don’t think, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the experience, perhaps one day I will return with dreadlocks looking to find myself. I will now continue North through Kerala.

Kerala for Christmas and New Years

From Kanyakumari I caught a local bus to Kovalam, to spend 5 days on the beach over Christmas. From here I was heading to Poovar for 14 days in paradise, celebrating the New Year with my family. There are 2 buses a day from Kanyakumari to Kovalam, one leaving at 06:00 and the other at 14:00. There is the option of catching a bus to Nagercoil and from there heading to Kovalam if these times do not suit, but 14:00 worked pretty well for me. I had met two people the day before, Dean and Fern, while queuing for an ATM (the money crisis does help with meeting people!) who were planning to do the same thing, so decided to meet them at 13:30 the following day at the bus station. Whilst waiting for the bus we also met Floris, a Dutch guy who also fancied some beach time over Christmas. This was the first time I had proper contact with Non-Indians since I had arrived and we all ended up chilling together for the following 4 days. 

The bus was due to leave at 14:00, eventually turning up at 15:00 and stopping in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), 30 minutes north of Kovalam, before heading back south and arriving 3 hours late at 21:00. The ticket cost 60 Rupees and the bus was packed! I secured a hotel room for 5 nights, a 5 minute walk from the beach and cost 2800 Rupees. If your planning to stay in Kovalam over Christmas do not book ahead, there are numerous hotels not advertised online and you can also negotiate the room rate.

Christmas day on the beach was fantastic. Around 10:00 lots of boats from the surrounding towns and fishing villages started turning up on Lighthouse Beach, with each different crew wearing football shirts with their names on the back. It was great to see the boats braving the large waves in order to land on the beach and join in the party atmosphere. It wasn’t like Christmas at home, but you could feel the excitement in the air. We had a game of bat and ball and every time the ball hit the floor local children would scramble around trying to be the first person to reach the ball to throw it back. In the end we would just hit the ball into the shallows of the sea to see who would get there first. I ended up giving them a couple of tennis balls to keep and play with between themselves. Later on in the day I had a kick-a-bout with a couple of local lads on the beach, each one claiming to be either Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar which I really enjoyed. One of the last boats to turn up capsized trying to land on the beach, getting hit at the wrong time by a particularly large wave. As soon as it happened people swarmed towards the boat from all over the beach, hurdling children and waves, checking everyone was okay before righting the boat. No one was hurt and it was great to see the team work and unselfishness of over 100 people trying to help everyone on this already fantastic day. It’s a Christmas I will never forget.

From Kovalam I headed to Poovar to meet my family for 13 nights. They went all out and booked to stay at Poovar Island Resort, which is only accessible by boat and is one of the nicest places I have stayed in my life. I don’t know if this is because I have been slumming it for over 6 months but I had a fantastic time. I organized a Rickshaw with our hotel for 400 Rupees, normally 1000 Rupees by taxi, and arrived at 12:00, bang on check in time. I wanted to make the most of the all-inclusive food, beer, the sun, the sea, the sand, the swimming pool, palm trees and posh rooms on the backwaters, basically it has been 2 weeks of paradise. 

For New Years they put on a massive party, with lots of traditional dancing, fantastic food and a great party atmosphere. They went all out and setting up the area on the lawn took 4 days, with free beer and a bottle of wine for each room from 19:00. There was a countdown at midnight followed by a great firework display at 00:00, however they didn’t play Auld Lang Syne! Because of this the six of us linked arms and belted out a cracking rendition of the full 2 verses, whilst getting lots of funny looks from the locals. After this we all hit the stage to perfect our Indian dancing, basically fancy dad dancing, I fitted right in. We invited 3 children to dance with us all night and had a great time trying to copy what they were doing. It was a fantastic night and one that will stick with me forever. 

My dad rented a houseboat for 5 hours over in Kollam, around 3 hours from Poovar. I will be heading back to Kollam later in the trip but this was a great experience with the whole family. I would say that renting a houseboat is a must if you are in Kerala and it was a great, relaxing experience. On the way we picked up some beers and were greeted on the boat with cups of lemon tea. As the boat left to set sail on the lake the wildlife was amazing, with fish jumping out the water being chased by Egrits, Shags and Herons. We moored up half way through, lunch was served and the beers brought out. It was a fantastic array of food, with locally caught fish, papadams, rice, salad, vegetables, followed by pineapple for dessert. The boat was so relaxing we all took a nap after lunch, the boat gliding effortlessly through the water. I think the mixture of beer, full bellies, comfortable armchairs and the relaxed atmosphere had an effect on us all. I’ve only visited a small part of Kerala so far but tomorrow my family leave and I continue heading north to explore more of this amazing country, stopping at an Ashram in a few days. It’s been great to catch up with my family after over 6 months, but unfortunately for them its back to work on Thursday, whereas my dream continues! 

Tamil Nadu

Places visited: Tiruchirpalli, Thanjuvar, Madurai and Kanyakumari.

India, never has a country toyed with my emotions so much every day. You go from being happy, to frustrated, happy again, amazed, annoyed, feeling lost, happy, sad, wanting to get out to never wanting to leave, all in the space of 24 hours. The head wobble for me is fantastic, if not sometimes confusing, everything that is good is greeted with a head wobble, but when ordering food a head wobble means yes, even if it looks like no. Take note of the eyebrows and speed of the wobble, the higher the eyebrows and the faster the wobble, the better things are! The current money crisis has made things tough. Everyday you can only withdraw 2000 Rupees (£23) from a cash machine, sometime you can do this more then once if you have a foreign card. However the issue is finding a working ATM, and when you do being prepared to queue for a long time, to only be able to withdraw one note, which nobody has change for. The government really didn’t think this through when they took the 500 and 1000 Rupee notes our of circulation. Anyway that’s enough of my moaning, let me tell you about my time in the mysterious subcontinent of India.

In my previous 6 months travel I haven’t bothered with any of the Lonely Planet guide books, I’ve found my own way around, basically winging it as that’s what I like to do. This way you can find some undiscovered gems and can really get off the tourist route. Without the Lonely Planet guide book for India I would be well and truly lost.

Arriving in Tiruchirappali I queued with everyone else to get through customs. If you’ve secured yourself a 30 day tourist e-visa you have to go to a different section, however I had a 6 month multiple entry visa. After collecting my bag I looked to change up some money I had left over from Malaysia, there is an exchange counter in the airport and I ended up losing £36, however we didn’t have a choice. It was almost a blessing in disguise. If I hadn’t of done this I think I may have been on the street that night. I caught a taxi from the airport to the hotel for 400 Rupees (£4.60), which I almost definitely overpaid for, however I was already feeling out of my depth and just wanted to get to the hotel. Apparently bus K1 leaves from outside the airport to the Central Bus Station but I honestly wasn’t ready to attempt this yet. I’d already been up for hours and it was only 09:00. 

The 2 main things to do in Tiruchirappali are to visit the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, a short 150 Rupee (£1.70) rickshaw journey from the center, and the Rock Fort which is easily seen and within walking distance. I decided to head to the temple first and experience my first Hindu Temple. The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple has 49 separate shrines dedicated to Vishnu and the area it covers is so large it feels like its own town once inside the walls. Non-Hindus are not allowed in some sections, and the only money I paid was to leave my shoes in the cloakroom for 5 Rupees, however you could just pop them in your bag. From here I paid 150 Rupees for a rickshaw back to the base of the Rock Fort Temple but decided not to climb it. It was getting late and I hadn’t eaten for a long time. Instead I ate at Vasanta Bhavan, a busy restaurant near the base of the Fort and had my first taste of the amazing flavors of India. 

From Tiruchirappali I decided to catch a local bus to Thanjuvar costing 23 Rupees (£0.26) and taking just over an hour. A rickshaw to the bus station costs 150 Rupees. The buses leave every 5-10 minutes, 24 hours a day apparently, just ask around at the bus station for the correct bus. If you can, try your best to sit at the front of the bus, and definitely don’t sit over a wheel. The back in incredibly bumpy, but you do get a lot more space! I spent a couple of nights in Thanjuvar trying to get used to India, visiting the Thanjuvar Palace and the Brihadishwara Temple. I arrived at the New Bus Station 8km out of town and took bus 74, which shuttles between the New Bus Station and the Old Bus Station, in the town center, for 6 Rupees (£0.07). Thanjuvar Palace is a mixture of ruin and renovation and is worth taking an hour or so to explore. I paid the 200 Rupees (£2.30) to enter all areas, that way I knew I wouldn’t miss anything. There is the palace itself, a museum, a memorial hall, a library museum and an art gallery. The Brihadishwara Temple is a lovely temple, not as colourful as the other Hindu Temples I’ve seen, but the artwork and intricacy of the design is beautiful. It’s a nice place to sit in the shade of the walls, relax and take in your surroundings, appreciating where you are. 

From Thanjuvar I decided to head south to Madurai. As mentioned before bus 74 shuttle’s between the Old Bus Station and the New for 6 Rupees. Once at the New Bus Station, on New Bus Station Road I asked around for the bus to Madurai, I was pointed in the right direction and informed they leave every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day. The bus left at 10:30 and arrived in Madurai at 14:20, costing 90 Rupees (£1.05). Again I got dropped at the Old Bus Station but caught bus 75 for 9 Rupees to the city center. The main attraction in Madurai is the Meenakshi Amman Temple, the home of the triple-breasted warrior goddess Meenakshi. Again there are parts of the temple you can’t enter unless you are Hindu, but the architecture is pretty fantastic. I didn’t have to pay to enter the grounds but security is tight. You cannot take in your shoes or any bags (there is a ‘safe’ cloakroom) and you get a pat down before you can go in, men and women have to queue in different sections. I got asked what my injection was, I stated I was diabetic, received a welcoming head wobble in return and I was on my way in. You cannot enter the temple with any part of your legs showing and they are very strict about it, I only have shorts so I borrowed a big scarf as a skirt.

From Madurai I continued south to head to the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari, also know as Cape Comorin. It was quite a long journey in a local bus so I decided to try my luck and experience a semi-sleeper, to hopefully get a bit of comfort. I paid 710 Rupees (£8.20), its the same price online as it is in the booking company office. I was told to wait outside the office at 06:45. The bus eventually turned up at 08:00, a 5 minutes walk from where we were told to wait. A guy showed me the way and asked for a tip. However this was set up, I saw him in the office when I booked the tickets the day before and at 06:45 he turned up and hung around me for over an hour. The booking office had set it up with him so he could seem like the savior and show us to our bus, I didn’t like it and didn’t tip him. Welcome to India. The bus was comfortable and I slept the whole way, arriving in Nagercoil, 15km from Kanyakumari at 11:35. I was offered a taxi the rest of the way which I refused. I was then offered a lift in a car which I refused at first until he insisted it was free, after what happened in the morning I wasn’t feeling very trusting. In the end I was dropped outside my hotel by this guy, who didn’t ask for any money, I can only assume he worked for the company and shuttle’s people the rest of the way in his beat up Nissan Sunny. 

Kanyakumari is a lovely little town and not as mad as where I had previously been, however there were still no hostels. The Seashore Hotel has lovely food in their 7th floor restaurant, with a fantastic view of the coast line and great service. There is a Gandhi Memorial and the Kumari Amman Temple which are worth a visit if you have some time, if not just enjoy walking down the beautifully colorful alleyways leading to the sea. Kanyakumari is where the Indian Ocean meets the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea and also offers some fantastic sunsets. Tamil Nadu has been an interesting, challenging, tough but brilliant introduction to India and I am thoroughly excited to find out what the rest of this amazing country has to offer. Next stop Kerala for Christmas and New Year!