I Love India

I have to admit I was somewhat scared of India before coming here. I had heard about the heat, the noise, squalor and congestion, touts and hustlers. There is all of that but there is also so much more.
A land of over a billion people it is a land of incredible contrasts that delights and distresses in the same breath.
We've visited Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist and Muslim temples and mosques. Survived the scalding Thar desert and the heights of the Himalayas. Marvelled at the awesome Taj,  the palaces and forts of Rajasthan and the mystical monastaries of Ladakh. Travelled by train, taxi, plane, shikara, tuktuk, rickshaw, horse and camel. Seen stunning scenery and sometimes devastating pollution and poverty and have met some wonderful people of all cultures, religions and walks of life.
I'll borrow a saying from the the stoned art cafe in Dharamsala. The world is not made up of the collision and chemistry of atoms but the meeting and chemistry of humans and the stories they make together (o.k I think I changed that a bit). But it is the people you meet and share time with in your travels that make it special.
Alot of travellers come to India for spiritual knowledge and enlightenment. I've certainly gained in knowledge but my spiritual muse still has to be this blue world that we all live in. India has it all. The grandeur of the mountains in Ladakh, the tranquility of the lakes and rivers in Kashmir, fabulous wildlife, an immense desert, beautiful people and an incredibly rich diverse heritage. But it threatens to be overwhelmed by pollution, poverty and carelessness. Somehow we all have to be responsible for that. India certainly gets under your skin and in to your heart and I've grown to love this country, warts and all. 

Time to start the journey home. Thank you to those who read my ramblings. I can't wait to see my special people in New Zealand.

Namaste Sandy

The Streets Of Old Delhi

Like an Indian

Pigeon wars

New Delhi/Old Delhi

Time to go home. One last day in Leh eating momos with friends, feeding stray dogs and donkeys and watching the sunset light up the mountains from our room with a view. For the first time in 2 weeks I can run up the stairs without puffing but just as I'm getting good with the altitude we have to leave.
The early morning flight to Delhi is stunning as the bare chocolate foothills give way to the true Himalayas and a frozen mountainous wasteland.
Delhi of 14 million people is strangely quiet. The roads are relatively empty except for lots of police. Apparently it's the swearing in day for Prime minister Modi and his new cabinet and the heads of state of Saarc including Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan are in town so a lot of the central city is in lock down. Still Delhi is Delhi congested, noisy, full of rubbish and dogs. We try a wander through Old Delhi and chawri bazaar but after Leh the heat and busyness is a little overwhelming. Later that night the streets below our hotel are like a carnival with fireworks and music as people celebrate the future and hope of a new government. It seems a fitting end to our time in India as we've been here throughout the whole interesting election process.
After a good nights sleep we decide to give Old Delhi another go. This time we enlist the help of the lovely Anju who is passionate about her home streets and its old havelis. We also start walking at 7am to avoid the heat and the crowds. We spend the first hour on a rooftop watching a sport involving pigeons. One man sends up his flock of pigeons to circle and try and capture another man's pigeons. If he succeeds the loser has to pay 500 rupees to get 1 pigeon back. All over the city flocks of pigeons circle, flow and crash like waves before being called to their rooftop home hopefully with a pigeon prisoner.Good fun.
We spend another hour watching in the square. The tea seller is 5th generation working from the same spot as his forebearers. The main difference now is that he can make up to $500 a day selling tea! The guys in red hats are 4th generation ear wax cleaners. Bry has about 2 years worth of wax and draws a big crowd who seem fascinated to see what comes out of his ears. 10 rupee or 20cents per ear so I'm not sure how much they make in a day. We keep on wandering the warren of shops and alleys stopping frequently to eat delicious spicy food, drink chai and admire old havelis. Everyone is busy but seem happy for us to be part of their world for a morning. We cook pouris, cycle a rickshaw, drink the best lassis, get adorned with henna and bracelets, visit Hindu temples and Muslim mosques, chat to children and flower sellers, visit communal homes and wedding shops and become a small part of Old Delhi that has bustled and hustled in life and commerce for centuries. After more scrumptious curries for lunch we bid farewell to Anju and decide to brave the Delhi metro with millions of Indians. We descend at Chawri station and soon the ultra modern, sleek metro has whisked us into the future and the wide streets, fancy shops and hip youngsters of New Delhi. Now that we're like locals on the metro we spend the rest of the day riding the trains and tuktuks and exploring. At night Delhi really comes alive with lights, action and hordes of people.
We end the day watching cricket. The rajasthan royals are in an unbeatable position in the decider for the 20/20 finals. That is until kiwi Corey Anderson playing for the Mumbai Indians smashes enough 6s and 4s to cause the biggest upset of the season.
Politics, cricket, rickshaws and metros, chaos and calm in New Delhi and old. It does seem that anything is possible in India.

Ramram Sandy

Town compost factories

Bridges and waterways