JAIPZ'
But hey...that's a different story.
Oh how the last few days have been full on. India is anything but easy at times. Especially the travelling. It can be seriously rough at times.
Me and Evelina left Udaipur last Tuesday night and took a gruelling 8 hour night train, in which people shouted and blew whistles(Why?) throughout pretty much the entire journey.Not to forget the crazy eyed, bogus policeman giving me evils. Who, might i add, had a funkin' rifle hanging off his shoulder. Classic India.
We made it anyway and at 6 in the morning we finally arrived in Jaipur. Also known as 'The city of victory' or 'The pink city'. Yes, it's pink. But it's that kind of pink what yoh dolleh gets what yoh mam got yoh when she gets dead dirteh. There are hardly any sidewalks either which means we found ourselves walking on the roads half the time. And oh how they like to bezz it. We even ended up in Maccy D's a couple of times just to escape the madness. I'm having a reet moan here but the place really is India when it gets proper tough. You can't love em all, eh! Citeh.
It's not all bad with Jaipz' though. We hired a rickshaw and went to an absolutely amazing place called "Amber fort'. A big, ancient, fort just out of town, built up on a massive hill side. The views from the top of it were stunning, as was the unbelievable amount of detail gone into pretty much every room you stepped into.It was magical stuff and definetly made it worth the trip.
We now find ourselves in Agra, since arriving late last night after being stuck on the train for an extra 2 hours, just 10 minutes from our destination, for no apparent reason, only to be met off the train by a drunken rickshaw loon who went mental because we told him to lob on. Again, classic India.
Right, enougth of the moaning. I bloody love India and so does Evelina and today we're off to see one of the 7 wonders of the world.
THE TAJ.
In the meantime, slam your eye balls on these essential picz.
A nice little walk way we found in the old part of town.
Typical Jaipz' street life.
Check that out.
Oh dear.
The view over the old town palace and park.
Evelina found her star sign.
As did manz.
Amber fort. Look at that!
Citeh.
A section of the fort, called The Jai Mandir (Hall of victory).
One of it's many windows.
We stuck around for sunset, which was well worth it.
Without a doubt, the highlight of the day. We found this dude strutting his stuff on one of the walls, on our way up to the Fort.
What an absolute hero. Would you look at that face!
Don't forget your diaper in Udaipur.
Oh kay. The weeks keep passing by way too quick here. Mumbai really treated us well. Despite all the madness of the city (or maybe because of it) we had a wicked time. The slum tour was mind-blowing and very impressive and the day after we went on a toy train up to the hill station of Matheran just outside Mumbai with loads and loads of monkeys! We didnt know what was to come when we called Hampi monkey town... James fed a monkey with some pieces of chocolate, dropping chocolate in the monkeys mouth kind of thing, monkey wasnt too impressed so after a while he simply just nicked the whole bar.
So yeah, after that we spend the last day chillaxin around Mumbai, bit gutted that the night club we had been looking forward to go to - Polly Esther, with afro wig waiters and Saturday Night Fever illuminated dance floor - was closed for renovations. But we pulled ourselves together, went for a drink at a weird place were president Clinton once were to jump on a 17 hour train for Udaipur (or you-diaper as James likes to call it) the next day. Here in Udaipur it is all about the palaces and rooftops, and yes it is beatiful.We've been on a boat and to the city palace museum - good. Today we feel a bit out-palaced though and probably not gonna do much. The traffick here, as everywhere in India, is mad! The roads and lanes are so narrow, but despite that and the people, cows, donkeys and the occasional monkey people still drive like it is a matter of life or death.
Tonight we're taking the train to Jaipur (pink city) which is said to be one of the most chaotic places in India. Great!
In the need of a beer.
Jimmy boy found his jimmy boy.
found a park in mumbai for some proper napping.
considering to buy a pair of "rainbans"
busy on the train back from the slums.
neighbour lads playing.
Advertising Lonely Planet.
Toy train!
we were high up.
interesting surroundings.
happy travellers.
James and monkey at look out point.
monkey babies!
James on train.
Sunset from train.
James was gutted when he realised his newly bought Casio is a Gasio. GUTTED.
but cheered up when we found Flash chocolate.
Balcony life in Udaipur.
Shoe guy painting my shoe in fish shit while delighted to be photographed.
checking the water.
photo with man in red.
Nice.
We took the boat and it was windy.
Luckily, James felt freaky fresh!
Stopped over at an island.
which basically was a(nother) palace.
with elephants.
and crocodiles.
when we went back James found a new friend.
and got home sick. Still straight from L.C.
MUMBAI
Oh.
Yeah.
It's been one hell of a week, but we've finally made it to the big boss of India's cities.MUMBAI. The only place on earth, outside of Leicester, where the people still dare to dream.
We finally gathered the will to drag ourselves from the glorious beaches and just pure easeh life of Goa, last Friday morning. We took a 12 hour train journey from Thivim(or summat) that made about 11 stops before reaching Mumbai. It sounds like a mission but it really wasn't. Evelina's been on loads of trains in India before but it was my first time. It was mental to say the least. The sounds those things make, especially when you go through a tunnel, are nothing short of the gooleh train down at Billy Bates.All that's missing is a chav in a gorilla costume jumping out and squirting you in the face with a water pistol. Pure Citeh. Seriously though, those things are LOUD. There's also a lot of noise coming from inside the cabin's with what seemed like a constant flow of people selling food and drink. 'CHAI CH CH CHAI CHAI COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE CHAI CH CH CHAI CHAI' was the soundtrack to the whole journey. And funk me can those people shout. It was a great experience though. Loved every minute of it, nah.
We finally got to Mumbai at 10pm Friday night. What a smack in the face you get when you step into this city. Everybody says it but you can't understand it until you see it for yourself. You suddenly feel yourself get on your guard, because it really is naffin like the chilled pace of Goa we left just half a day ago. We made our way through the massive crownds of people and out of the station and jumped in a taxi to our hotel in Colaba.. I thought they drove like loons in Goa but this truely is LOON CITY when it comes to driving. When we got to our room, we decked out on the bed for a bit (much needed) and then headed out for some food. Where else but the famous, Leopold's. I'm reading Shantaram at the minute so it was very cool to be sitting in the very place that a lot of the book revolves around. These days it's something of a tourist attraction so they charge dollars for everything, but who gives a funk, it was full of interesting people to observe and they had beer. Citeh.
Since then we've been spending a lot of time exploring the streets and just soaking up the atmosphere on offer.We have big plans over the next few days boss, starting out with a visit to the slums this afternoon. It's gonna make Beaumont Leys look like Notting Hill.
Here's a few piccehs of our adventures!
A picceh from the temples of Hampi.
Lickle puppehs.
You'd better believe it.
r.
r.Evelina feelin loveleh
Cock's town. A classy joint.
Lunch on the train.
Our digs on the train.
Sexy food.
A crowded Mumbai buss.
A typical busy street.
This was hilarious. We walked into the Bank of India and ended up on our knees in front of a shrine.
And we were made to sit beside the shrine. Very odd.
Speaks for itself, really.
Sheer. As my main man, Dawson would say.
Outside Victoria station.
Sleepy taxi driver.
OOHYA BEAUTEH!!!
Ooh that looks luvleh...
Ah wuh right, it woh luvleh.
Che
Temple extravaganza!
We left inner-peace haven for arambol last saturday, and arambol is just lovely!
Yoga paradise beach, doesnt look that great but it is!
sunset in mandrem.
where we stayed in mandrem. very interesting interior.(Sexy man not included)
arambol!
indian men playing at the beach
we had a nice pizza. Natural harvest material.
and watched the sunset
we went to hilltop - full on trance. so much fun!
liking the palm trees.
chillaxin'
yet another sunset pic, cant get enough of them!!
after a few really good days in arambol we packed our stuff together and went on a night bus to hampi where we are now. this journey was really proof of how indian travelling is! first we thought like, yeah night bus to hampi is alright, only take 12 hours, its coool! when we got to the bus station there's a political thing going on with one man on a stage singing to an audience of no one, so the traffick is jamed and no buses are going from the usual place so our taxidriver drop us off where he thinks the bus should depart from (pure guessing), which we realised after some thinking and talking with a couple of spanish dudes cant be right so we went to another place where the spanes found their bus but we couldnt find ours. anyway, finally the bus basically found us and we got on it, and it was well nice!! like double bed super comfy, great. after a bit they told us that the engine is broke so we need to change the bus, but they will continue to drive this one for another six hours. so at two in the morning, well tired, we got off the bus to change for the other and i stepped in cow shit. it wasnt a great moment. but after me cleaning my shoe and foot off with whatever at hand we finally got on the bus and arrived in hampi yesterday morning.
Hampi at dawn. Boodiful.
giant stone ganesh!
big temple.
another big ganesh.
Monkey town.
So many monkeys...so little time.
bazaar and water supply - 16th century
i thought i saw a rat but it was only a squirrel. im cool with squirrels.
another temple.
and another temple.
where we met a bunch of indian school girls who taught us to count to ten in hindi.
Well cute!
water for palace people.
queens bath.
we started to get tired.
but the monkeys woke us up!
can never have too much banana.
went in to another temple, got blessed and finally found inner peace.
very peaceful.
Very Citeh.
peaceful sunset on boulder mountain.
today we had breakfast with this view and in a few hours we'll head back to arambol. mmm, dear arambol.
