Next Stop Aurangabad, India

Tomorrow I set out on a 6:10 am train to Aurangabad, India to visit the Ajanta and Ellora Caves.  This will be my first taste of India's train system.  The trip is supposed to take around 7 hours to go the 226 miles.  When  booking my ticket I decided to book a 2nd class air conditioned chair car ticket.  There are up to 8 different classes of travel on Indian trains, although not all are offered on every train, and it can be quite confusing as to which is the best value for the money.  I figured it was best to have a guaranteed seat and not be squished in a hot train compartment for seven plus hours.  Although the ticket cost was $7 instead of $3 for the 3rd class unreserved ticket.  I think that $4 will be money well spent especially if there are any disruptions or delays.

I have enjoyed my time in Mumbai, although it can be very overwhelming at times, especially at night.  However, it was not as bad as I was expecting.  It was not nearly as dirty as I thought it would be and the people have been very friendly.  Of course they all have something to sell, but they are not too pushy and very friendly in their dealings.   However, I am excited to leave the noise of the city behind and see what the rest of India has to offer.

I sat and watch about a hundred different cricket games going on at the same time.  I still don't quite understand the rules and I'm not sure how no one got hit in the head by the ball with all the different games going on a once.

  

Protest Breaks Out Over Movie

It isn't a coup, but there has been growing protest by Shiv Shena activists who are stepping up their protest over a movie that is supposed to be released tomorrow.  I'm not sure exactly why they are protesting the movie, but may have nothing to do with the movie, but something with comments that Shah Rukh Khan, star of the film, made regarding allowing Pakistani cricketers to be included in the Indian Premier League. 


Shiv Sena members have torn up posters in Mumbai and  warned theaters against screening the movie on Friday.  It is still unclear if the movie will open on Friday as expected.  I happened to come across one of the protests on Thursday. 


"My Name is Khan" stars Shah Rukh Khan as a man with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, who is a victim of racial bias in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.


Never a dull moment.

Day 2 - Elphanta Island

Today I took an hour long ferry ride from the Gateway of India to the cave temples on Elephanta Island.  In the picture below to the left of the Gateway of India you can see the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel that was where the horrendous terrorists attacks happened on November 26 -29, 2008

Elephanta Island is home to an impressive number of temple carvings, which became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1987.  The temples are believed to have been created between 450 and 750 AD, when the island was known as Gharapuri (Place of Caves) before the Portuguese renamed it Elephanta because they found a large stoned elephant that greeted them near the shore.  Unfortunately, the large Elephant collapsed in 1814 and was moved by the British to Mumbai’s Veermata Jijabai Bhonte Udyan.

The Portuguese took control of the island in 1534 AD and most of the damage to the statues are the result of  the Portuguese soldiers using them for target practice and testing the echo of their guns inside the caves.

Once you reach the island you can take a train or walk the short distance to the foot of the hill.  From the bottom of the hill the caves are a ¼ of a mile climb (120 steps) that are lined by hawkers trying to sell you all the normal souvenirs and soda loving monkeys.  If you don't want to climb the 120 steps you can be carried like a Pharaoh up to the top.

These monkey were pretty calm and not that much of a nuisance.

The main cave (almost 130 square feet) is a Shiva dedicated temple that has numerous rooms that house many intricate carvings.

The focal point is a large 18 foot height statues of Sadhashiva that depicts the three-face Shiva: Destroyer (Left - notice the mustache and serpents), Creator (Center - notice the calm face), and Preserver of the Universe (Right - female aspect and holding a lotus flower).  There is said to be a fourth face, but it is not visible.

Mahayogi Shiva or Shiva as Lord of Yogis 

Natraj Shiva or the King of Dancers 

Ardhanarishwar-Shiva - this sculpture shows Shiva, one half of whose body is female, leans against the bull Nandi, the upper hand holding a snake and a mirror.  This fusion of the male and the female bodies is a symbol of the Divine Unity, where all opposites are resolved.

Gangadhara-Shiva (Descent of the Ganges) 

Shiva Shrine (The Lingam Sanctuary) - shrine has four doors that are guarded by dvarapalas or door keepers.  It is still worshipped at religious fairs to this day.  And, it was a good thing that I decided to go to the island today because tomorrow there is a huge celebration and over 50,000 people are expected.  Although, it would have been nice to see the festival I wouldn’t have gotten to see anything else.  I could not imagine having all those people converge upon the tiny island that is home to three villages and a total population of 1600 people.

Andhakasura Vadh (Shiva as Killer of the Demon Andhaka) - Shiva is depicted angry, his body surging forth from the rock, with a sword in his hand,  as he impales the mutilated demon, below he holds a cup to catch drops of blood that drips from Andhaka’s body to prevent the creation of any other demons.

Kalyanasundara Murti (Marriage of Shiva and Paravati) - Notice that she is to Shiva’s right, indicating that the actual marriage hasn’t taken place yet, for even in the present day the bride is to the right before marriage but as wife stands always to her husband’s left.

Ravananugrah-Murti or Ravana-Shaking Kailas - The panel shows the Hindu legend in which the demon Ravana tried to uproot the Himalayas, the abode of Shiva.  Although he manages to shake and lift the mountain, whereupon Shiva pressed the toe of his left foot on the ground resulting in the mountain settling back to its original position.

Besides the main cave there are a couple other smaller caves.

 

Ganesh

View from the top of the hill 

First Day in Mumbai

I woke up around 7:30 and took my time getting ready.  I called room service and had some scrambled eggs, toast with jam, tea and 2 bottles of water ($3.50).  I than decided to go out exploring around 9:00 and it was crazy.  Everyone was going to work and the streets were packed with people.  Although, with around 18 million people it isn’t that much different than NY except you see cows (only 3 so far) and people carrying things on buckets on their head.  One guy was carrying a basket of fish and bird came swooping down and stole a fish.

I read how India is an explosion on your senses and I can that is true so far.  It is an explosion on the eyes because of all the women in their colorful saris and all the interesting things you see around every corner.  It is also an explosion on you smell.  There are lots of different odors, some pleasant and some not too pleasant.

There is a lot of poverty, but it has not yet been as bad as I expected.  Fortunately, no kids have asked me for money.  I have had some people trying to sell me stuff (post cards, peacock feathered fans, tours etc.)  One guy even asked me if I wanted to have a cup of tea with him.  Also a “holy” man gave me some candy and tied a string around my wrist.  I tried to stop him because I knew he would want money, but I couldn’t and he asked for money, but I told him that I didn’t have any small change.  He said that was okay he would take $5 American, but I told him I didn’t have any.  I hope he doesn’t put a curse on me.

As I walking around I saw some great buildings and
stumbled upon guys washing clothes.

There are also some pretty nice gardens that are quiet and a great place to relax and escape from all the noise and congestion of the city.  There are no traffic rules and the constant horn honking is crazy.

View of the beach from the Hanging Garden.

I also visited a Jain temple.

Gandhi's House and and now a Museum.  Gandhi lived from 1917 to 1934.  It was in this house in 1921 that Gandhi conducted his four-day fast to restore peace to the city.

Today I just went out exploring to see what I could see and I found some interesting things. Tomorrow I will go to Elephanta Island that is home to a couple cave temples and about an hour and $3 ferry ride from Mumbai.

The Journey Begins

I was picked up by SuperShuttle at 2:30 and arrived at Dulles around 4:00 after they picked up three other passengers.  The roads in DC were horrible and I can’t imagine what is going to happen if they get the 10-12 inches they were predicting.  The traffic at Dulles was horrendous, but there were no problems at security.  I decided to have a late lunch at Fuddruckers (bacon cheese burger with onion rings).  I figured it will be the last time I have a chance to have a cheeseburger and maybe any meat for awhile.

The flight was delayed because the crew was late getting to the airport.  Virgin Atlantic is a very nice airline and I was surprised how the flight was not full.  I figured with the cancellations and the threat of snow for Tuesday, it would have been full.  After take-off the guy next to me took an open row and I had the row all to myself.  I watched Zombieville (very entertaining movie - loved Bill Murray).  Only ate some of the meal because I was still full from lunch.  They served pasta salad, roll, grilled chicken and chocolate cake.  I then slept for about 4 to 4.5 hours.  I woke in time for a granola bar and OJ.

We touched down around 8:10 am (an hour later than scheduled)  because we had to circle the runway.  I didn’t know Heathrow was so big, but after getting off the plane you have to walk about ½ mile, catch a bus, which took 10 minutes to get to the other terminal, go through security and then walk about another ½  mile to the gate.  The flight to Mumbai was with Jet Airlines.  I got to the gate around 9:00 and nothing was going on even though the plane was there and  boarding was supposed to begin at around 8:40, so I decided to buy some water.

When they did start boarding it was total chaos.  It was just a free for all, they did not call rows. And it seemed that it was taking forever for them to let people on board.  I guess they need to check visas etc.  Unlike the flight to London this one was packed.  Jet Airlines isn’t’ bad - you get your own tv like Virgin and manarriers have for long distance flights.  They gave you very hot towels to  clean your face and hands and they served 2 meals.  The first was chicken curry with rice, salad, yogurt, and dessert.  The rice was very spicy. The second was lamb kabob and was not very good although it came with some potato side that was pretty good, but also spicy.  This maybe something I need to get used to.  They also served an ice cream popsicle.

On the flight I watched The Time Traveler’s Wife, not bad but not as good as the book.   I also watched Public Enemies with Johnny Depp, although I didn’t want to sleep on this leg of the trip I fell asleep anyway and slept through most of this movie.  I also played Who Wants to be a Millionaire and some other games on my screen.

I arrived in Mumbai around 12:40 about 10 minutes late and got through Immigration without any problems.  I figured they would ask me some questions, but they didn’t.  I was very surprised that I was never asked about having a one-way ticket and no checked luggage.

I was expecting total chaos at the airport, but it wasn’t that bad.  It was busy especially for one something in the morning. The driver was there to meet me and we arrived at the hotel around 2:00.  The Hotel isn’t bad.  It is clean and has a private bath, but for the price (around $50 per night) I am paying it seems a little over priced, but that is Mumbai.  They are moving me to a single room tomorrow.

Well that is all for now.  I should get to bed it is 3:30 am here.

Here are pictures of my room at the Residency Hotel in the Fort area of Mumbai.

Departure Day

My plane is scheduled to leave on-time tonight at 6:00 pm and I will be heading to the airport shortly to start this incredible journey.

Visas and First Potential Glitch

I picked up my visas for India and Nepal today so there is one less thing I have to do before I leave. I used a visa service to expedite the process, but I didn’t think I would receive them as fast as I did. It was a pleasant surprise.

Although I could have gotten the Nepal visa at the border I thought it would be best to get it now and not have to worry about securing one at the border. I also used a visa service agency to make things a little easier and to ensure I had my passport, with the visas, before I take a small side trip to South America at the end of January.


Everything was going as planned until I received this news, “India Visa Alert for Tourist Visa Holders”. I have heard rumors about India issuing new visa rules stipulating that Tourist visa holders could not re-enter India within 2 months after last leaving. However, there were lots of different and often conflicting reports about who was affected and what was being enforced. Some said that this only applied to those individuals with Tourist visa that were for a year or more. However, it appears now that it applies to ALL Tourist visa holders, including 6 Month multi-entry visa holders (which I am not one of).

I am still a little uncertain of what this will exactly mean and how it will affect my trip. As of now, I am planning to travel around India for about 2 months, cross over into Nepal, where I am planning to spend about 4 to 6 weeks, and then return back to India to travel for another 2 to 3 weeks before flying to Myanmar (Burma).

I’m sure this is the first of many “snafus” that will take place along this journey. However, that is all part of the fun. Unexpected things will bring upon unexpected adventures and experiences. Things that may appear to be nuisance or annoyance may turn out to be better than what was initially planned. It is all about going with the flow.

I have enough time to see how this all pans out and to change my plans accordingly. Maybe, I will stay in Nepal longer (I have a 3 month visa) and do some volunteering (as initially planned) before returning to India. Or I could just fly from Kathmandu to Yangon. Who knows?

More details regarding the new visa rules for India can be found here. 

To apply for a Permit to Reenter India Within 2 Months, please visit our website to start the application process can be found here.

On a lighter note, one of my worries about this trip is the whole bathroom situation. Most of the toilets are of the squat variety. For those of you who have never seen a squat toilet, here is a picture. Not too bad if you are stationary. However, how about if you need to use one on a train? Trying to not fall over or drop anything down inside one isn’t the easiest thing to maneuver even if you are the most athletic, limber person who has great balance.

Anyway, most people don’t discuss this aspect of traveling, but it is something that everyone will encounter and use during their travels. A humorous story about bathroom adventures can be found here.