Newspapers

I am reading nearly every day some of India’s newspaper. Their names are known from english newspaper and are like ‘The Times of India’ , ‘Telegraph’… there are a lot of papers in local languges and english language. This is good - I like Times of India most out of the sortiment here.

A newspaper costs between 2 to 2.50 Rs (0.04 EUR).

So, there are at the moment a lot of reports about the bomb-attack in Jaipur. I also found one article about HP overtaking EDS and a lot of job-advertisings - Microsoft and Amazon are searching… Interested?

News-TV

Most rooms are having CTV (Cable TV) and most of them are having CNN or some local english speaking news-channels. It is interesting, that local news-TV has got a brutality in showing details in crimes and victims. You see dead people, people who are dying, blooding… Extrem…

It is also interesting, that the earthquake in China has got more  precence in the TV then the cyclon in Burma/Myanmar. It is also much more spoken about the earthquake than about the cyclon on the streets as far as I have faced.

The “Fritzl-guy” was also shown very often on TV as well as the latest “Axtmord”.

SIM-cards

Today I bought a new SIM-card from AIRTEL for 300 Rs (5 EUR) as the last one from Dehli costs more due to roming between the different states in India. This is interesting, as every big region in India, is quite its one state. With their own laws. Owe people. One tradition. Own mentality. Own mobile-networks or -contracts…

If you want to send me a SMS - do it! Here is my local number: +91 990 304 93 70

Cricket

Kalkutta is in Cricket-fever. Tonight is Mumbai - Kalkutta Knight Riders (my favourite team) and on Sunday a match in the local arena. Would have visited this game, but there are no more tickets and I also planned to go to Darjeeling on this day.

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…

Ok, I am focusing on a more defined route. I will focus on the northern part of India and will join parts of Nepal:

Delhi - (Agra) - (Jaipur) - Rishikesh - Bareilly - Kanpur - Varanassi - Patna - (Darjeeling) - Kathmandu - Delhi

The idea is starting from Delhi. I am not sure, wether it’s a good idea visiting Taj Mahal and the palace in Jaipur. I will make my decisions in Delhi. My plan is going north - where the Ganges has its source. Going to Rishikesh and going further into east by following the Ganges: Bareilly, Kanpur, Varanasi, Patna.

Depending on transport, time and my personal condition, I will decide in the area of Varanasi/Patna wether I will travel to Darjeeling or directly to Kathmandu in Nepal. If I am visiting Darjeeling, then I will travel to Kathmandu via Darjelling by jeep and bus. Should be an adventure. Crossing the borders…

Yesterday I succeeded in the second part of my rabbies vaccination. Same symptons as last time: A little bit cold, a little bit hectic and a “hot” night, which means, that I felt, that my body was struggeling with some side-effects of the vaccinations. Interesting, as it was the same last week after the first rabbies-vaccination.

Some guys are asking me - what are your plans in India and where do you want to go there.

My plans in India are exploring the country and getting in contact with another culture.

I am planning three different routes. I do not have a lot of time - there are 3 weeks left. It’s OK and I know, that even within three weeks it is possible to see and visit a lot. I have got some plans and possibilities, but will decide on the fly, where to go and what’s the best.

What I am planning is to start in New Delhi. Go to Agra and Jaipur. I will go there by bus and train. The weather in India is very hot at the moment and it is short before the raining-season (is starting in June).

Route 1: If it is not too hot, public transport is OK and it is possible to travel “fast”, I will choose Route 1 and  go further into the south: Ahmedabad, Bombay, Goa.

Route 2: If public transport is OK and the weather is too hot, I will check the East: Kolkata or Darjeeling with a wonderful view to the Himalaya.

Route 3 I am going to choose, if I decide to focus on nature and the north and if I notice, that a big tour is getting too exhausted.

Lets see…