| Submitted by: Hans Braker & Thea Van Zon, Netherlands |
| Submission Date: 04 February 2005 |
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We travelled to India and Nepal from October 3 to October 30 1992. We had experience travelling for a similar period of time in Indonesia, one year before. Because of the limited time, we did not see all the sights, and, to be frank, we don't really care about `must see' spots. So don't respond by saying that we missed Khajuraho or the Ajanta caves; we know that. But we had to make some choices, and we wanted to get the flavour of different parts of India. Moreover, since we are enthousiastic hikers having spent weeks and weeks in the Alps and the Pyrenees, we really wanted to see something of Nepal, maybe not the Himalayas themselves but at least the base for it all, Kathmandu, and to meet people who did some trekking so as to get some impressions.
We think of ourselves as medium-budget travellers, staying in bottom-end or middle-range hotels, preferably taking local public transport but not reluctant to take a flight occasionally.
We shall first give our day-to-day program and end up with some paragraphs on several distinct topics.
All prices are given for two persons, double rooms etc. For the trains we bought Indrail Passes in The Netherlands, first class.
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Lonely Planet's Travel Survival Kit India,
4th edition, June 1990
ISBN 0 86442 081 1
Lonely Planet's Travel Survival Kit Nepal,
1st edition, October 1990
ISBN 0 86442 024 2
The two above guides shall in the sequel be referred to as `Kit', and from the context it will be clear which one is meant. The guides contain information on cities, things to see, places to stay and eat, transportation, as well as lots of general information about the country, people, habits, money, religions, dangers, etc. etc. We could not have travelled properly without the help of such guides.
We will occasionally refer to specific pages of the Kits, whenever in our opinion some vital or useful information should be changed or added.
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We had the unlikely luck that the parents of a good friend had to catch a flight at Schiphol (Amsterdam airport) half an hour before our plane would leave. Since he lives at 20 km from our home, and his parents stayed with him the night before the flight, he could pick us up and take the four of us to the airport.
At 7 am we flew to London Heathrow (50 min) only to discover that the Air India flight to Bombay had a delay of more than 9 h. It had arrived at New York too late so would be late at London too. Luckily enough we each got vouchers for breakfast (4.5 pounds) and lunch (6.5 pounds).
The delay grew even larger since we had to identify all our luggage at Heathrow. First all the luggage was `unpacked' (smashed onto the all-wet concrete - fortunately we had flight bags around the backpacks). Then, in groups of 10, passengers had to point at their luggage after which it was all packed again. Imagine a Boeing 747 and you know how long that takes. Finally at 18.05 we took off and landed at New Delhi Indira Gandhi at 06.30 local time (2.00 European time - India is 4 and a half hours ahead).
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After a stop of an hour and a half or so we went on to Bombay, arrival 10.30. Of course the plane to Madras had already gone but it was easy to get seats on the 13.00 plane. Changed money at international terminal: rate $1 = Rs 28.04 for traveller's cheques. We changed $300 which would suffice for quite a while (more than 15 days). Free airport bus to the domestic airport and punctual departure.
Arrival Madras 14.50. We wanted to take a suburban train to Madras, but did not know the location of the train station. When asking around of course `no train, no train, only taxi!'. Five days later we found out that the railway station is just 300 m or so straight in front of the terminals, just across a road. Trains run every ten minutes, and it takes about half an hour to get to Madras. We took an airport minibus for Rs 80. Dropped off at Parry's corner and with help of little boys found the right bus (all is in Tamil) to Mahabalipuram, taking not more than an hour and a half.
We stayed at Lakshmi Lodge (Kit: add p.844), just nextdoor to the Sea Queen Restaurant. Good views of the beach and temple from the upper floor under construction. A new place, with small but clean rooms around a tiny courtyard, a veranda with two chairs and a table in front of each room. Rs 125. Possibility to order food at the Lodge, which is then brought from a nearby restaurant in about half an hour. At this lodge we slept wonderfully well after the rather exhausting start of the holidays.
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Spent in Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram). Lunch at Mamalla Bhavan, in the ordinary dining hall. This was not a success, since we got to eat from plates still containing food that other people had not eaten, then just filled up again. The chapatis were okay. The cost was corresponding: Rs 15. Probably the special section serves better food.
Back at the lodge we heard about the airplane crash at Amsterdam, and we tried in vain to get a newspaper in English. Later that evening we tried at three hotels to watch the news, but all three just happened to have their TV-sets repaired...
At the end of the afternoon we made a stroll up the rocky part behind the village, with niches and carvings. We met an Indian family from Madras who spent the day along the coast. We spent an hour walking around with them and exchanging views on one another's countries. They also wonderfully explained us about the historical sights. Then they went back to Madras, 60 km in the pitch dark with three persons on one scooter...
The dinner we took at the lodge is recommended: grilled fish, a really big one, fresh from the sea and prepared in a very tasty marinade. Dinner cost Rs 81.
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We went to visit Vedanthangal bird sanctuary. First to Chingleput by bus (Rs 8). Here we checked at the railway station about the train we wanted to take the next day. We found the bus to Vedanthangal (Rs 7) at the bus stop (look for buses from the VMMS-company, a 45 min. drive). Upon arrival we found out that there was not enough water yet, so there were no birds. But we could have a closer look at the nature, including squirrels, monkeys and local kids.
The bus back to Chingleput left at exactly 16.10 which it seemed to do every day. Cheaper bus: Rs 5,40, but the bus ticket also read ``the company is not responsible for loss of life or property''. Well, each time we bought a newspaper there would be many reports of buses fallen off bridges or caught in other unpleasant accidents.
In Chingleput we waited for our bus at the road to Mahabalipuram, but since it is impossible to read the texts on the buses and the numbering is as comprehensible as the average enigma, we had to ask about every bus whether it was the right one. After twenty minutes the correct bus appeared. Dinner that evening at Rs 74.
It was a time of festivals; everything was beautifully decorated - cars, houses, bicycles and even trains - with colourful paper flags. In the evening firecrackers exploded everywhere, people gave each other sweets and we saw a performance of a dance group in the street.
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First stomach problems. Not lethal but a little annoying. Still nothing could stop us from travelling, so we went to Chingleput again, where we arrived far too early allowing us to explore the railway station which is a world within a world. The whole hierarchy of station officers, Ladies queue and Gents queue, the runs at arriving trains and the quiet after departure.
One railway worker badly needed some social improvement so he started a chat, immediately inviting Hans to come over and meet his boss. After Hans told him he does a PhD, the man told all his colleagues that it was a Dutch professor of mathematics who was now his friend. After the meeting with the boss they insisted on being pictured at their station, and from everywhere people appeared so we believe we photographed half of the railway people. A hint to future travellers: take a large collection of stamps from your country; many people like this railway worker collect them, and they are very easy to take with you.
Here we bought a map of India at only Rs 25. Quite useful especially to see where you are during a long train trip.
Travelled unreserved in First Class Chair car to Chidambaram on the Cholan Express. Very comfortable! Only about 40 % of the seats were taken. Meals (thalis) are served on board on large metal plates, but we did not try them. We stuck to biscuits. Everywhere we went we could buy biscuits, although, obviously, in smaller shops they could be very old! Best place to buy seems to be the railway station, where many foods and drinks are sold.
In Chidambaram we took a room in hotel Tamil Nadu (Rs 145). According to the Kit it's the best place in town and from what we saw of the town this is probably true. Between the railway station and the hotel we also had our first negative experience: a dead man lying just next to the road. The next afternoon the body was still lying there...
Almost from the moment we had entered the train it had been raining. This made walking the streets an enormous expedition: water and mud everywhere, trucks and buses trying hard to splash it all over us. Not nice. In spite of that we went to the temple complex, according to our guide the only private one in the area, and therefore the only one where you could visit the interior part. |
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| Copyright © - "Hans Braker & Thea Van Zon" |
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