Part One - http://indiapartone.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/india-backpacking-jan-2008-part-1.html
Part Two - http://indiapartone.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/india-backpacking-jan-2008-part-2.html
Part Three - http://indiapartone.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/india-backpacking-jan-2008-part-3.html
Part 3 - Full Diary of my trip backpacking around South India. Jan 2008. .
2008-Jan-18 Varkela Beach
Walked to cliff top cafes for breakfast had some juice (and an ice cream !) Quick update at Internet Cafe for Diary. Joel did the same. Then we are all off to the beach for morning. Had 3 or four swims got some photos of Indian crabs on the rocks. Very nice beach here.
Will leave these guys then and try and head north back to where Dad is staying (Ernukulam) about midday. Think it may take a couple of days & trains to get there.
Caught a rickshaw, be hit a bus !. I swear when I get to Bangalore, Im going to pay a Rickshaw to drive full nuts and rush our – I’m going to Video it and bring it back - will be well worth the money ! lol
Turned out next train was in 1 hour and could take me all the way for 93rs to Ernukulam Junction station. Only a few steps from his Hotel.
Said goodbye to Joel and Lucy as I got onto the train.
They may pop up in Ooty in a couple of days.
Arrived at Hotel. Dad had had the shits for a couple of days - made sure I stayed clear lol. I decided this hotel was not acceptable.
We had had regular power cuts, inconsistent water and no
room servicing at all. We had asked for 4 days for a toilet roll !! . No loo paper!!,
Complained at the desk that night and said we will check out next day and find a hotel that is more
like a hotel than a dump. They insisted we pay the 5000rs bill. I refused and threw 2000rs on the
desk. They guy there it back and told me to pay the bill.
I told him “that with no loo paper I will wipe my ass with his bill!” lol
We have a train booked in morning at 7:10 to Coimbatore (The Chennai Express). Told him I want to see manager at 6am to have it out with him. He promised me the manager of the hotel would be there at 6am sharp.
2008-Jan-19 Ernukulam/Coimbatore
6am no manager, but two hotel staff asleep on floor. Crept in very quietly waited till 6:05, and slammed fist on desk. The poor guy got the shits, leapt up and ran to printer and immediately out came the bill. He must have had it waiting to print - because it was instant - and nothing is instant here !. His eyes still half closed he handed it to me. It stated 4000rs. I refused. and insisted on manager. He told me the Manager was not in and we must pay as we had stayed !.
I hit the roof, insisted he go find the manager. Gave him 1min 30 seconds to get manager or I go and pay nothing. - these guys were literally shaking -it turns out the manager was across the road at the gym. He came across just in time. Big argument. Told him his hotel is rubbish. He reduced it to 3200rs. I threw 2500rs at him and walked out. They were lucky they got anything.
This is by far the worst hotel Ive seen yet in India. I told them I would write to lonely planets and tell them that also lol - it was a shocking place. lesson learned.
Dad and I walked around corner and got 7:10 train to Coimbatore.
On the train we met an amazing Indian family (Joe), it seemed we had got on the wrong carriage (as there is no way of knowing which is the right one). They had booked a number of seats, and agreed to share their seats with us. They were fairly well educated and their daughter was off to Chennai to represent Kerala in Shotput (see below). It is a huge trip for them, but they think little of the distance. She was deaf, as were the other kids with them. We chatted about all sorts of stuff and I learnt a lot about their culture. They taught me some sign language to kill some time. I really enjoyed their company. They were also very interested in Western ways. (I noted they ate with both hands contrary to what I had been told - they explained that they use left only for wet food.
Dry food such as biscuits may be broken with left and right - interesting). We exchanged email addresses. Joe and I wrote a few times after we returned to NZ.
Below is some pictures of them.
On arrival we walked down a couple of alleyways about 2pm to find a hotel. Nearly all hotels were fully booked - and for the same wedding - it must be huge and this is a big city. Anyway we found a rough one booked into the hotel 550rs per night . Decided we would catch a rickshaw to bus station to find out about Ooty (Udhagamandalam) rack and pinion train trip up into the Blue Mountain Railway. It is about 70kms from here. Everyone we ask gives us different information about times and ways to get there. Looking like best way is to catch a bus to Mettupalayam and take the train up into the hills from there. Hopefully do the tea plantation things etc.
PM Just went into an Internet Cafe.
Guy quoted me 40rs per hour (which is at the top end but fairly standard). Sat down to login and found that the “A” and “E” keys were missing, when I asked
for another keyboard he said there were no others. I told him I would leave and go elsewhere.
He insisted I pay the 10rs. As I had used the seat. Told him to “phuck off” and left. He chased me down the street - man this place is funny lol (this is quite typical here, and I think I’m learning how to deal with them)
Anyway, found another in the very next block. Only 20rs and a nice place and they take USB keys - phew ! :-)
Our rough Plan for the morning is ;
4:00am rickshaw to bus station 40rs
5:10am bus to Mettupalayam approx 40rs (about 1 hr), then find train and book tickets.
7:10am Rack and Pinion (see photo below of the track) train leaves for Udhagamandalam (Ooty)
Meanwhile, I’m off to find a cold drink ! - hot here ! Dad still has shits so I'll be eating alone it seems :-)
2008-Jan-20 Coimbatore
Well this turns out to be was the best and worst day yet in India.
We Woke at 4, and caught a rickshaw to the bus station. We then caught the bus to Mettupayalam. The driver was helpful and showed us the alley we need to walk down. We walked about 1km down the back alley toward the train. We were told there would be no tickets on the steam train ride for days. some other tourists we talked with had already tried. Went back in and insisted on seats, with a bit of pressure we all got tickets - and in the front carriage! (as the train is pushed up the hill from the rear this is the best view!). The tickets cost about 120rs each ($4NZ)
(I apologise for crap typing -= keyboard is crap here also !)
Fantastic ride to the top, with very spectacular views of the western Ghats and Nilgiri hills.
Highly recommend this, saw a few monkeys on a rock on the way up - our first real wildlife yet !
Got to the top but found that the trip to the wildlife park is 3 hrs by bus. We needed to be back in Cimbatore that night so opted to some of the great things highlighted in all the guides around Ooty.
First the Botanical gardens, Where you pay to get in and then pay more for cameras and videos. I smuggled my camera and video in and got a few shots. But the gardens were a severe disappointmernt - everything was basically dried and dead. There was a colourful sewer running down from a pond and the toilets however!. lol.
We probably only stayed about an hour. On leaving a troop of monkeys came runing into the gardens so that was good. We then went to the 'lake'. Caught a rickshaw there only to find you must pay to see the lake It was a dirty pond about half the size of hamilton lake. But much dirttier. the local indians seemed to love it.
There was little else to see in Ooty, and we had nearly a 5 hour trip back, so about 3pm, we started to head back.
We joined a queue of fighting indians for tickets. The queue was so push that the person in front and behind you literally squeezed the air out of you.
I put dad in the line went up the front where others were pushing in and put in a bit of kiwi muscle. To my surprise it worked. Had to grab one indian by the head and push him down so he was below the ticket counter - these guys are crazy ! - anyway I bought enough tickets for us and another couple of forieners who were having the same trouble. We sorted the money out afterward.
Then the train arrived , it was mad scramble, they rushed in through the windows and back doors, I managed to get in through a back door only to find some indians had placed bags on the seats so thier mates could sit there. I grabbed the bags threw them forward and stole the seat. They got really angry, but at least we had seats. Dad got on a few seconds later. Ive found if you are forerign they will walk all over you and be very rude.
If you are big enough you can play the same game back. You see to have to be threateninhg to be fair here. Very odd and unnatural.
They constantly crammed more people into the train. LItterally using two people to squeeze the door shut, then piled two huge bags of rice behind the back door so it could not open from the pressure of all the people.
It was very dangerous. The ride up was touristy and with reserved seats (as it turned out we scored) was great.
The ride back was a disgusting. Indians spitting and hoiking, The train fumes very toxic and strong, Crowded, Sweaty, and you could not more a muscle for nearly 4 hours.
Getting into Mettupayalam at rougly 6:30pm we looked for the buses to Coimbatore. They leave every 5 minutes. Again huge scrums, and people climbing into windows etc. I pulled out the brawn again and littlerally steped on a guys arm to get in front. As I climbed onto the bus, I looked and could only see one of dads arms in the crowd. He got on though a few seconds behind be. We discovered his sun glasses got ripped off in the fight, but again we got a seat !.
Again a very crowded trip (approx 2 hr).
Back safe in Coimbatore, we slept the night - a good sleep. Was too late to get to Bus or train station to book our way through to Orissa.
2008-Jan-21 Coimbatore
Woke and headed to train station only to find that there were no trains for over 5 days. We had to be in Kolkata by the 30th to get home, and finding the whole Indian Train system so unreliable we will have to bite the bullet and fly. At least when we get there we can relax and explore Kolkata. We have simply found that India you simply spend all of your time trying to get tickets or fighting to get somewhere -rarely do you actually see much.
Real shame - but has been interesting.
The process for getting air tickets was also a disaster. People are trying to sell these from small stalls in the street but we avoid them and ask for a reputable airline we walk several KM to find their head office only to find they are not there at all. Across the road we chance upon Jet Airways, we walk in and it is like another world a very western looking air conned office - phew !
They were very helpful and for 9000rs (or $NZ300) we get a ticket to Chennai and then onto Kolkata - yay !
Have 1.5 hrs to trek back to Hotel Checkout and get to Airport - we were off. We rickshawed the whole thing we were so glad to get out of there !
Flew from here to Chennai. Nice meal on plane. Took about 1 hr.
Got into airport and walked straight out, could not go too far as only had a couple of hours. They only let people with tickets into the airport (which is different to NZ).
Once back in, I wanted to go outside to buy an ice cream from the shop I saw outside The guard with a machine gun in his hand would not let us, as we were showing has having tickets to Kolkata and not Chennai, we were in theory not allowed to visit Chennai - weird.
Anyway as most of you will know - nobody with a gun stands in the way of Darren and and Ice Cream !!! .
After a bit of an argument he let me go through - phew !. Was a BLOODY NICE ICE CREAM ALSO !
Flight to Kolkata was about 2 hours, another good meal - recommend Jet Air they seem good.
At Kolkata airport all of the taxis told us it is 370rs to town, and they all take you to a small guy at a desk in the carpark with a chart showing standard rates into town @370rs. I insist this is too expensive and walk the line of taxis trying to auction a better price. Other people ate taking up the offer.
I find a guy who will do it for 290rs. we board his cab and put all our bags into the boot.
He then says he will get other passengers to make up the fare, we say to go but he refuses. I open the took and take bags out and start to walk away. He says he will take us for 300rs. I refuse. After a shouting match he agrees and grins to his mate beside him. I have another go at him and shoved him and he realises this is not a joke. (I suspect we still paid too much - however others still paid more)
He drives like a manic with his mate in the car and takes us down some back alleys where there appear to be some gang like people. This was the first time i actually feared for our safety. however we turn up at a hotel, he has got lost and delivered us to the wrong one it turns out. Then he says for another 100rs he will take us to the right one. again another shouting match and some shoving. A crowd gathers around and a Indian guy steps in to translate. Seems he was conning us (no kidding!), and he will not take us to the right place. HE drops us about two streets away. Its about 9:30pm by this time and we see a couple of hotels. One is priced at 17000rs per night - phuck !
We find one which will give us a room for $1650rs for the night. We sleep good.
2008-Jan-22 Kolkata
We wake and go and have the best breakfast yet - a buffet at the hotel and they have bacon 1 - yay !
We like this place but they are booked for the next few days. We walk around the corner and find a YMCA, expecting it to be crap we are pleasantly surprised the room is quite ok on Indian standards). The price is 1000rs, I get it for 900rs(incl breakfast). We book it for the next 8 nights We can now relax and explore Kolkata !
Dad rests at the hotel and I look for and Internet Cafe. and find one.
Daily bowel report : Windy, light gusts (thank god!)
2008-Jan-23 Kolkata
We walked around the city for a few hours. Walking into the central area and then past some of the Ghats and through the large parks of Kolkata. The noise and exhaust fumes here are as bad as Mumbai The people seem less friendly than those in Mumbai. Here they want to sell you something. In Mumbai, many were just happy to say hi. Quite a few photos here.
Walking around some of the markets we were hounded by touts trying to get you into their shop, at times we had two of them at once. a simple bugger off did not always work, so a little more abuse was needed.
From here we walked down by the Ganges and onto a barge. There are very few places where you can access the river.
Most parks are closed to everyone, but you are allowed to look through the fence – weird
The YMCA seems pretty good. Price is good. Room is ok and they service to room regularity. Beds suck tho - very hard. YMCA is a quite an old very wooden building has a huge staircases etc inside.
All of the parks here are really quite shitty (literally), they are all full of rubbish and faeces. We walked along a path beside a so called lake (!), and all over the path was shit. The locals just drop their tweeds and go right there in front of you. I saw a guy squatting and I thought he was washing is sandals until his hand came right under and up his arse - he was washing his butt right there in front of everyone. Less than 20mtrs away a kid was fishing :-) ewwwww!
2008-Jan-24 Kolkata
We went to the Indian museum today. If you could imagine a majestic old British monster of a building, full of huge collections of rocks etc, then lock it up for 100 years and open it to the public, thats basically whatn this was. Some of the displays were so dusty you could not see into them. I saw a tiger (or similar) with a label that said "Leopard or Panther" on it. I guess no one could tell lol.
They have a large mineral collection there, but I note that on the labels all the rocks from Chile are labelled as being from "Chilli" lol Some of the spelling here us really bad = even on road signs. They have a really bad process for storing your bags if you go into the museum. Dad had to carry his diabetes stuff with him as they did not allow bags. We had to argue for that even !
Was quite funny to see them pile a whole lot of antiques onto a board drag them out into the sun and use a hose and brush to scrub them down, not a lot of care here lol - The cost to get in was 5rs for Indians and 150rs for Tourists.
We went for a big walk, walked down past the Park station to the Victoria memorial. We were surprised to find that price for locals was 10rs and the price for tourists was 150rs, This is the case for everything here. See the picture to the right.
Strolling back we came across a guy trying to sell old coins. i realised I had a NZ.20cent coin in my pocket and tried to sell it to him for 90rs. I guess it was only worth about 2rs. I nearly had him. HIs mate went off to check the exchange rate, we split lol.
Over here on a menu you see ice cream as Vanilla 20rs, Two for one 20rs - now what would you expect that to mean? Two scoops? nope. It means Vanilla and Strawberry in one scoop - now why don't they just say that ! - weird !
Basically we have been disappointed with the food. Mostly quite bland and not as interesting as we thought.
Watched for about 20mins while a family beside a motorway tied some sticks together, to make one long stick, Hubby then got right out on the road and tried to use it to break off some twigs from up in the tree. Probably gathering firewood for the night.
Walking around Kolkata at night you walk past groups of people sitting out side shops around camp fires.
2008-Jan-24 Kolkata
Woke with sore chest, aching and really tired. stayed in bed most of day. No appetite. I have a bit of a cold or chest infection I think.
So the blog entries are slowing a bit. Looking forward to getting back to NZ by now
2008-Jan-25 Kolkata
Woke to fairly heavy rain outside. The first we have seen in India. Decided to stay in bed. still having a sore back and no appetite.
Watched Discovery channel and History Channel most of the day from bed. Ventured out about 3Pm for my daily internet update.
Soon after ... back in New Zealand
I just cant wait to go back to India, what an amazing place. Tough, Noisy, Dirty, Smelly ... but friendly, wonderous, colourful, ancient, rich, mysterious.
India really puts you in your place - you appreciate what you have - if after being in India you don't - then there is something wrong with you.
Awesome trip.
अपने आतिथ्य और अपनी संस्कृति को साझा करने के लिए भारत के सभी लोगों को धन्यवाद.मैं आप और आपके परिवार को अच्छी तरह से करना चाहते हैं.
(Thanks to all the the people of India for your hospitality and for sharing your culture. I wish you and your families well.)
Darren Gosnell
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