Flying from Kathmandu to Delhi I saw some mountains which are higher than 8000 m. Unfortunally the weather last days was not good to do a “Everest Flight” - so, this is one of the only “Himalaya-Pictures”.
It was great, seeing those mountains, where you don’t expect mountains above the sky…
This was in the area of Pokhara - maybe Annapurna or so…
A short summary where I was and where I am at the moment…
Started in Delhi and went to the top of North-India - Kashmir. Then Jammu, Amritsar, Chamba and Daramsala. Then one day Delhi. After that Varanasi and Kolkata. Now I am staying in Darjeeling.
Next stop is Kathmandu, then Delhi - Agra - Delhi - Vienna.
Currently I am having about 4.500 km behind me.
Just read on CNN.com, thanks Markus for your info. I’m now in Varanasi.
DELHI, India (CNN) — India is on high alert after a series of near-simultaneous explosions killed at least 60 people and wounded 150 others in the northwestern city of Jaipur Tuesday night, government and local officials told CNN-IBN.
One of the wounded is helped in Jaipur.
Bicycles were strewn about the streets near some of the blast sites, with pools of blood nearby.
There has been no claim of responsibility, but Indian government officials — including Home Minister Shriprakash Jaiswal — were quick to label it a terrorist attack.
The seven explosions started at about 7:30 p.m. (1400 GMT, 1000 ET) and detonated within 12 minutes of each other, police said.
The bombs exploded within about 500 meters (0.3 mile) of each other in Jaipur’s old city, which is frequented by tourists.
More on CNN.com
Mehmet has arrived Thuesday morning in Jaipur. Hoping, that everything is OK…
After visiting Delhi (New and Old) I took the nighttrain to Varanasi (6.15 PM to 7.45 AM). This time I took 3AC, this means three beds in a row and aircondition. Delhi - Varanasi is about 771 km and this class was up to 1.200 Rs (app. 20 Eur). Tomorrow night I am going to take the normal sleeper class to Calcutta for 400 Rs (app. 7 Eur) for again 770 km. I took some Dal and rice for eating it in the train, as I was not sure, if everything is going smooth on the train-station. Many people… Many….
The train itself was quite comfortable and I felt asleep suddenly as I was very tired… and woke up at 7.30 AM. Before this I had a short talk with an Indian Doctor, who was in the bed under me. I asked him some indian related things… About Calcuta, Politics, Varanasi, Cricket, Internet, Food and the future of India… Very interesting…
So I am going to have a walk through the Gates in Varanasi. It is very hot here… people say up to 44 degrees.
Arrived in Delhi at 9 AM. Then had a decent coffee and went by riksha to the Jama Masjid, an old temple in old Delhi. Jama Masjid is the biggest mosque in India and offers place for about 25.000 prayers. I went up the minarett and had a nice roundview on Delhi.
After that I bought some bananas (3 bananas for 5 Rs - 55 Rs is 1 Euro) and had a walk through the old part of Dehli.
After that I took a riksha to the new part and went there for eating something and had a coffee at Coffee Place in an airconditioned room. Perfect, as it is very hot outside.
Now I am waiting for the nighttrain which will take me to Varanasi from 6.15 PM to 7 AM. I have a booking in the sleeping-waggon with AC. So, lets see :))
Yesterday I took the nightbus from Daramsala to Delhi. It was a 13 1/2 hrs ride which was again very exciting. I was expecting getting the last sleeper-seat in the night-sleeping-bus. Instead of this I got a cabine-seat. I thought, wonderful, sitting in front and I am having a good sleep.
There have been eight people in the driver-cabine, sitting next to each other and then sleeping cross over and under each other. It was very exciting, strange and a little bit narrow… The guy next to me had his head on my head, the guy in front of me had his head on my knees and the guy right to me had a nice rest on my shoulder. I had my legs under and over some others… And it worked perfectly…
The bus did not work so well and so we had to stop twice… The first time the gear was broken - they had to repair it in the middle of the night. After a couple of hours we had a flat tire, so the tire had to get changed… :)
At around 9 AM we arrived Delhi and then I did some sightseeing…
Anyway… I like such rides… Always an adventure :)
My next steps
In McLeod Ganj I prepared the next steps. This night (from 11.05. to 12.05.) I am going by sleeper bus from McLeod Ganj to Delhi.
Tomorrow (12.05.) I will visit Old Delhi and at 6.30 PM the nighttrain is leaving to Varanasi. I am very much looking forward to Varanasi. It is an old, but - as told - very, very dirty city. I am looking forward seeing the Ganga and the Ghats. Trying to stay at a place called Hotel Alka.
I will stay there one night to continue my trip to Kolkatta. Again by nighttrain, which will take me 10.5 hrs from 14.05. to 15.05. In Kolkatta I am going to stay for 2 days.
I will decide in Kolkatta how to go on: Either going to Darjeeling and then to Kathmandu or directly to Kathmandu from Kolkatta. So many possibilities… :) Super…
It seems, that my original plan is working + some more.
India and some inputs
Time is running very fast and every day is a real adventure. Varanasi, Kolkatta and the rest will be very interesting. India is very interesting. It is one big states, with many smaller states in it. Those states are very different, even the people there are different in their behaviours and looking. Religions… Hindhu, Sikh, Muslim… A lot of different things in a complex setup which is running more or less “peaceful”. Some states are wanting their independency (Kashmir, North-eastern-states and so on) and are having mixed emotions with Pakistan. People differ from every region. Sometimes friendly, sometimes rough. Kashmir people are very friendly as well as the people in Amritsar. Delhi is a hard place lets see, what the other regions and cities bring. Punjab people are having their turbans, with their hairs in front of their head. The people in the north are more Hindhi, wearing their colorful Saris and having a good makeup with kayal and so on…
Left Chamba at 8 AM and took a directly bus to Daramsala for 140 Rs. It was a normal bus and a very shaky drive. Had a window-seat and good view to areas around. Passed Dalhousie and Nurpi, saw a lot of monkeys all around.
Daramsala is the place of the Tibetan exil-government and the Dalai Lama is living here (Gangchen Kyichong). The place I am staying is McLeod Ganj (Tibetan Ashoka Hotel) and it is the most touristy place I have been in India until now. Tomorrow I am going to check the Tibetan sights.
New route: Daramsala - Delhi - Varanasi - Kolkata - Darjeeling - Kathmandu - Delhi
My plans are leaving Daramsala tomorrow night, taking the nightbus to Dehli. Spending the day in Dehli and visiting Jama Masjid and some Bazars to leave Dehli to Varanasi at 6.30 PM by night-train. I am looking forward very much to Varanasi and same to Kolkata. This is going to be very interesting and more different…
The trip in the “mountains” of north-india so far on Google Maps…
Delhi - Srinagar (Kashmir) - Jammu - Amritsar - Attari - Pathankot - Dalhuisie - Chamba.
After staying and travelling around in Delhi I started up to Kashmir by plane.
I had some strange feelings, as Kashmir seemed to be a very, very dangerous zone a couple of years ago. So, I was informing myself a lot and everything seemed to be OK there. Checked a flight from Delhi to Srinagar.
The flight itself was horrible. Had to stop at Jammu due to technical problems. We had to left the plane and then getting in again after a couple of hours. The security checks have been amazing.I had to varify both of my luggage a couple of times and my body was checked again and again. People told me, that due to travelling to this zone, everything is checked a lot of times.
Then after a cople of hours (I prayed, that i do not have to enter this plane again) we entered the machine and started up to Srinagar without any troubles. Puh.
In Srinagar itself I was “welcomed” by a lot of inhabitants: Offerd me Rikshas, Stays in houseboats, in hotels, food… It wasOK. Checked a pre/paid/taxi to Hotel Swiss near the Dal-Lake. Stayed there two nights and had some recent conversations with the local hotelmanager and the people outsite there. There are not many tourists… And the present of military is amazing… Everywhere… On every corner… In every place… Made my stomache feelng a little bit different the first hours, but it was Ok then.
Visited the city whic is something like Afghanistan. Amazing and very exciting. Interesting landscape. Lake, Mountains.
The \second day in Kashmir I went together with Mehmet, a guy I met at Hotel Swiss to Gulmarg. A place in the mountains - a “ski-ressort” n INdia with a gondola up to 4.000 m (Lonely PLanet says so).
Very much exciting… stood in a qew up to one hour, but there were only 50 peple waiting for buying a ticket. Interesting temperament the people are having - the quew was controlled by military..
We went to the first section, sawq some snow a handful of skie, soe slidges and had a tea at a hut there. Strang, strange, strange. Very wexciting.
Went there by shared jeep and back the third with a local indian buys. standing near the open door, packed bnetween all other guys and having no space :) funny driveand alinteresting experience.
At the hotel swiss I got in good contact with the local “hotelmanager” as he was very much interested in Online (Marketing). I even installed him Google Analytics into his webpage aas he was interested in it. Some optimazation in the webpage will provide him a good online-presence :) Wonderful… and fiunny./
|
