Life Without A Washing Machine

For the last five months I have been hand-washing my clothes. It is the first time I have never had access to a washing machine in my home. It is a tiresome chore and takes ages. With so much dirty laundry from our trip, I couldn´t face the rigmarole so I took it to the “Premier Laundry Service” next to the Megastore. For US$4 they washed and cleaned 6 shirts, trousers, boxers, 3 pairs of socks and a sweater. Smelling sweetly and immaculately folded, I have learnt an important lesson; damn the expense!

Ed. Note: Apart from on my return from Nepal I am regularly washing my clothes by hand. I am trying to tell myself it is a cathartic experience!

Changes

There is a quietness around the village at the moment. On Mondays, most of the village is closed. However, even today the streets were deserted. Although there is a winter cold and crispness in the air which may be slowing the traffic of tourists in the village, there are also talks being held throughout this week in the Tibetan community about developing a new course of action in the quest to develop a new approach in the liberation of Tibet.

The Dalai Lama, clearly frustrated with the lack of dialogue with the Chinese government, has asked for the Tibetan community to find a way forward. His Holiness is not attending these debates. Last week, David Miliband, the UK foreign secretary, recognised Chinese sovereignty in China for the first time, thus further legitimizing China´s claim.

The Guardian quoted Zhu Weiqun, a vice-minister of the Chinese Communist party's United Front Work Department, "if one day, [the Dalai Lama] really seizes power, he will without any compunction or sympathy carry out ethnic discrimination, apartheid and ethnic cleansing." What planet is this guy from?

Zhu said there had been no progress in last week's talks, blaming the Tibetan side. He described the current system as "perfect" and in need of no revision, adding: "There is no other way."

It´s all looking pretty grim.

From Pushkar, Through Delhi, Up To Amritsar And Back Home Again

Despite the presence of thousands of camels, they don´t come cheap. A top quality one will cost Rp80000 and the cheapest model won´sell under Rp20000. Fortunately I have had no requests for one, and even if I found a cute one for myself, transporting one back to McLeod Ganj would be impossible.

Pushkar is a very religious place and you need to be culturally sensitive if you wish to avoid the wrath of locals. As previously mentioned, no-one is allowed to take photos of the lake and the bathing ghats. Other frowned upon activities include: -
No kissing in public
No alcohol
No meat (including eggs) are allowed in town – however I did get my first avocado since South America!

We successfully met up with our friends in Delhi and I am now the proud holder of 5 packets of Juan Valdez. Unfortunately I had a bout of vicious Delhi Belly and was unable to eat anything, including medicine!

On to Amritsar and out train made excellent progress into the Punjab. However the train failed to reach its destination due to a farmers´ strike plus road and rail blockage. We spent K.´s birthday with a morning at the Golden Temple followed by witnessing the outrageously extravagant and nationalistic border-closing ceremony at Attari. This is an event not to be missed if you are in the vicinity. Some pics can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/aubreygroves67/Amritsar

Delighted to be back home in Mcleod Ganj despite the cold– it really is so much nicer than facing loads of people trying to fleece our money.

Pushkar Collage

Several people have complained that they are not able to access the picasa albums through their server. I have therefore put a collection of a few favourites, although there are many more higher quality pics available for those that can access the picasa gallery.

Lord Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu God of Creation. He is a major deity often depicted with four faces and four arms and legs.

It is said that Brahma wanted to perform a yagna (self-mortification) at Pushkar Lake. When his wife, Sivitri did not show up for this special moment, he married another woman on a whim. Not surprisingly Sivitri was pretty pissed and vowed that Brahma would not be worshipped anywhere else. And so it was!

My friend S. tells another story. Vishnu and Brahma were arguing about who was the more powerful. Shiva stepped in to settle the argument. He created a fiery phallus and challenged them to find the end. Vishnu buried downwards whilst Brahma went skywards. Despite his best efforts, Vishnu gave up. Brahma saw a lotus flower fluttering past and claimed he retrieved it from the top of the hot rod. Shiva knew this was a lie and punished Brahma accordingly.

Made To Measure

If you ever find yourself at Laxmi Market, check out my new tailor at Sunita Handicrafts. Mr. Sampat Lal Prajapat has made me made to measure 100% cotton shirt and trousers for Rp450. I paid Rp400 for my first Indian suit back in 1989. Together with my new camel leather shoes at a bargain Rp320, I´m looking good!

Those photos keep on coming, and if you are not already "camelled out" have a peak at http://picasaweb.google.com/aubreygroves67/CamelFair

The Fair Continues On

As I feared, my sleep deprivation continues. The music and/or chanting around the lake was broadcast throughout the night. No wonder I was up at 4.20am this morning!

Yesterday at dawn I walked around the lake, whilst this morning I headed to the Camel Fairground, with about 50 other keen photographers. The light wasn´t as spectacular as it was yesterday, so I took up the offer of breakfast with some musical desert gypsies. I politely sipped some chai whilst they treated me to a special personal concert. I managed to get a cracking recording on my new mini MP3 player which I´ll use for another Windows Movie Maker feature when I return home.

I was seriously accosted by two rather stunning gypsy girls who decorated my hands with henna “for luck”. It was horrible, but they certainly didn´t feel lucky with the 40 rupees I gave them. They wanted RPs1000!

Some more pics have just been uploaded onto picasa. I hope you enjoy them!

Camels Abound - Pushkar Fair

It is said that Lord Brahma dropped a lotus flower on Earth and Pushkar floated to the surface. Although the temples are not ancient, there are hundreds around town dedicated to Brahma. Around the holy lake there are 52 bathing ghats. The great Mahatma Gandhi was cremated here. Photography is strictly prohibited around the ghats and lake

We finally made it into Pushkar at 11pm last night – a journey time of only 51 hours!

Up at 6.20am for the opening day of the festivities and it really was awesome. The sights, sounds and smells cannot be captured in the photos, however hard I try. The whole town is clearly ready for the party and music echoes all around the lake.

You can keep track of some of the latest photos that I am taking during the Camel Fair at http://picasaweb.google.com/aubreygroves67/CamelFair

Check out the slide-show feature in the browser! Please note all photographs are copyright on Picasa.

Last Orders - A Camel Anyone?

If you need a camel, the best place to purchase one is at the camel fair and festival in Rajastan. Every year in the small oasis town of Pushkar , in the heart of the Thar desert, the nomads with their camels in tow descend from miles around. Trading begins in earnest at the start of Kartika (the 8th lunar month of the Hindu calendar). Kartik Purnima (the full moon) is noted as particularly auspicious, and devotees come to bathe at the ghats of Pushkar lake. This colourful event guarantees an interesting palette for photographers and probably very little sleep. The festivities will last for over two weeks. We´re heading down for this magnificent event, along with a predicted 200,000 others and will share some favourite pictures when and where I can.

After the festival, we will pass through Delhi and then head on to Amritsar to pay homage at the Golden Temple before returning McLeod Ganj in the last week of November. With visa renewals required in December, K. will head home to Singapore, whilst I will do the Kathmandu run via a brief stopover in Benares. Come join me for breakfast at the Everest Steakhouse in Thamel in early December! I´ll be hanging out there for a while. If I can locate him, I hope to meet up with Lost Johnny for a hike in Jomsom over Christmas before returning to India in the 2nd week of January. Postings will probably be erratic throughout this whole period. Will you survive without your daily dollop of ketchup? Coleman´s English mustard may help.