Great traffic slogans in India

Loved the road signs in India .. this was a visual notice to either pedestrians or train drivers

•  Mobile off - Seat-belt on

•  Destination or death – the choice is yours

•  Drink and drive – you will not survive

Bin Laden and photos about death

One of the reasons I love to travel so much is to learn about others. And, despite our many similarities  I realise more and more how different we humans, and our various cultures, are in many ways - and how we (I) can make huge mistakes by viewing a situation or event from my kiwi-centric upbringing. I'm not alone in this so place your own world view here!

At the moment we can see this with all the discussion about whether or not a photo of Osama Bin Laden's dead body should, or should not be shown. We will all consider this from our own cultural viewpoint.(some of which will double-standards of course!) I'm sure that at some stage this photo will be shown, but doubt it will be done by the USA authorities.
I was in Kerala, India around the time of  Saddam Husseins' death by hanging. With my 'western' outlook I was surprised to come across an outdoor exhibition of photos of his death. I thought I had taken photos of people viewing the photos, but it seems not - however I did take a picture of the poster advertising the exhibition. (An area I can well recommend you visit).

So when we find ourselves saying 'everyone' will 'think', 'says', or 'agrees' - remember, 'it ain't necessarily so'. While 'the west' may think a decision to show the photos would inflame some - for others, not showing it will inflame some others, and of course, play into the conspiracy brigades thoughts.

Here are a couple of photos of the wonderful Chinese nets they mention: the fisherman catch very little now-days so please help them by giving a little to help support their families - especially of you take photos!

Out of town and off line! (and a Prince too)

For the next week I will be not only out of town but also off line for a few days.

Buy while I'm still here, and still on the Indian theme of my last blog - on Thursday, I broke my shoes bought in Ernakulam especially for my trip to stay as a guest of a Prince. Well 'shoes' is a high-sounding name for flip-flops - or jandels as we call them in New Zealand.

I been told that Prince Shivaji Rao Holkar, son of the last Maharaja of Indore, expects his guests to dress for dinner when you stay in his fabulously restored palace  (read here  about my time there) and as I only had my backpacker clothes, had a salwar kaamez (tunic and pants and shawl) made for the occassion and bought some jandels to wear with them: these are the black flip-flops that broke 2 days ago - less than two hours after a  friend had just said "I like your jandels".

The complete outfit, shoes included, worked well for the three or four nights I was in Maheshwar with Prince Richard (I can well recomend it as a fabulous place to go to if you can, (more details here - and of course, tell him I sent you!)

So that's all about India, and me for now, see you in a week, in the meantime here's a photo of me on a different trip - to Gujarat to celebrate Navratri -  about 6 months before I went back to India  and travelled form north to south:  I must write some more travel pieces about the trip.

PS the child was sleepy and it was a good excuse to get off my feet after the nights of dancing .. it's the longest dance festival in the world  - nine nights!

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india popular with travellers

Check out my earlier blog about staying in a palace in India ... in Maheshwar

India Becoming A Favorite Tourist Destination

According to the latest information released by the World Travel and Tourism Council, India's travel and tourism industry was estimated to have generated approximately $100 billion in 2008. This figure is expected to go up to almost $275.5 billion by 2018, growing at an average of 9.4 percent over the next 10 years. Moreover, according to research, travel and tourism is expected to contribute 6.1 percent to India's GDP and provide almost 40 million jobs by 2018.

As the financial capital of India, Mumbai features on every India travel itinerary. With good air along with good road and rail connectivity, the city attracts tourists from all over India and overseas.

India as a country offers exciting and diverse experiences to tourists. Each state has its own unique traditions, culture, and cuisine. Apart from this, the country has excellent beaches, backwaters, Ayurvedic health resorts, ancient monuments, world heritage sites, forts, palaces, hill stations, and wildlife.

We have all heard about the heritage palace hotels that make you feel like maharajas and maharanis, a truly luxurious living experience found only in India, and something that overseas tourists look forward to. Good hotels to suit all budgets are available all over the country. India now also offer home stays, where you stay with a family as a member of the household and enjoy their hospitality and traditional ethnic cuisine. The Indian railways now run special luxury trains, each with unique themes that cover most of the important state tourism circuits. (I found this article onBargin Travel.Com , check them out)

Monday, 04 May 2009

the prince and the bogus guru

“Come with us” the Prince said. So, with that royal invitation, I feel compelled to follow him and three other men.

Down the ancient steps, past Ahilya temple, past widows, their hands out for alms, past stones identifying extreme monsoon levels, and further down, we reach the 300-year old ghats where women are washing clothes. Others proffer water, in cupped hands or in a container, towards the sun, and as the water runs through their fingers they are reciting sacred verses.

Beside Nandi the bull and Shiva-lings that mark the cremation sites of various nobles, we climb onto a flat-bottomed, traditional boat on which white plastic chairs sit. The prince is taking us upstream to another temple that belonged to his ancestor.

Twenty–two generations ago, Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore, the celebrated Indian Queen (died 1795) renowned for her piety, charity, and statecraft, built Ahilya Fort at Maheshwar on the banks of the holy Narmada River. Now her direct descendant, Prince Shivaji Rao Holkar, son of the last Maharaja of Indore, allows a few guests in his fabulously restored palace. After weeks of backpacking, I value the luxury.

Another guest in this boutique, royal-homestay, is Sam Adams Green who, incidentally, introduced Andy Warhol to his muse – society girl Edie Sedgwick – and also gave him his first exhibition when he was director of the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania. Now founder and director of Landmarks Foundation, which works at protecting global sacred sites: our destination is one of those sites.

Two young men, standing at the rear of the boat, move us upstream with large paddles; we have tea and biscuits that the prince produces from a picnic basket, watch life on the riverbank and cattle cooling in the water, as we glide towards Kaleshwar Temple, a 12-century temple complex. “It has been a site of Hindu pilgrimage destination since the beginning of time and memory,” Sam tells me.

There are 7 holy rivers in India, including the Ganga in the north and this one, the Narmada, in the south – it divides the north from the southern peninsula of India.

The southern bank is ancient Gondwanaland, which, as it moved north collided with the Central Asian landmass. Between the two, a rift valley was created and through which the Narmada flows over some of the oldest rocks in the world. The north – where the palace and temple are – is made of hilly sedimentary sandstone while the southern bank, peninsular India, is flat igneous basalts.

Parikramavasis, a thousand-mile circumambulation of the holy Narmada traditionally takes 3 years, 3 months, and three days to walk. Starting 3000 feet above sea level and finishing some 1300 miles later at the Arabian Sea this is the only Indian river where a parikama of the entire course is performed.

In ‘Sacred Virgin Travels along the Narmada’ by Royina Grewal (whose own sacred journey began in 1993) says: ‘depending on where you meet her and how, the Narmada can mean different things to different people. For the many turbulent stretches, she is called Rewa, derived from the Sanskrit ‘rev’, to leap. Of her many names, this is my favourite. But she is also called Manananda, who brings eternal bliss, Rajani, the spirited one, and Kamada who fulfils desire, Vibhatsathe the terrifying one, and Manasuardhini who craves the lifeblood that she has nurtured. Ferocious, insouciant, benevolent.’

Prince Richard tells me that where the holy Narmada flows only Shiva is worshiped

for he is the only god who has the tranquillity to calm her.

Approaching Kaleshwar, we see two sackcloth clad, and orange wrapped devotees standing on stone fortifications that have tumbled down from the temple to the waters edge after a high monsoon. Prince Richard of Indore has ambitious plans for the rejuvenation of this ancient temple and dharmasala – a pilgrim’s rest house – and those who make donations over $US5000 towards its restoration are invited to tour the princely state of Indore and stay as his guest in his 18^th century palace home.

Currently a bogus guru is holding up the process, effectively denying a free place to stay for some 50,000 pilgrims annually.

A couple of years ago this ex-army man asked the prince if he could stay at the temple for a few months. Soon he had set up a health clinic and was giving fake injections to cure many ills. Eventually chased out of town, he came back, ran up many bills, was run out of town again and when he next appeared was wearing the saffron robes of a holy man. Moving back into the temple, he has gathered a few devotees around him and intends to stay: it seems squatters have rights here and he cannot be evicted. Money has been offered for him to go but even this honey has not sweetened a move.

Prince Richard and the Landmark Foundation must be feeling like Henry 2^nd when he said of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, ‘who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?’ as they too wonder what to do with this man who happily poses for my photos – an incongruous guru with a mobile phone hanging from his neck.

Back at the rivers edge the holy men who are walking the length of both banks of the river have washed and re-covered their bodies with ash.

India is vivid and varied, a melting pot of religions and people from central Asia, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions and here, with a, prince, a fake guru, and genuine devotees, it’s just as Sam said: ‘these guys could have walked straight out of central casting for a Bollywood movie.”

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©Heather Hapeta

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Check out Lonely Planet for all this infomation about "only in 2009" events 

Total Solar Eclipse, Varanasi, India. It may be cloudy, it will certainly be chaotic, but the chance to witness a 4-minute totality in one of the most ancient sun-worshipping sites in the world is just too much to resist. Occurs 22 July 2009.

Magnificence of the Tsars exhibition, Victoria and Albert Museum, London. No-one could lay on the sumptuous like a Russian tsar. Marvel at the pomp of their ceremonial clobber. Until 29 March 2009.

Motown's 50th anniversary, Detroit, USA. Detroit has a year's worth of celebrations planned (exhibitions with celebrity docents, special releases) to honour the legendary soul label. Detroit's lively music scene is sure to have an extra jolt in its amps.



'Hitsville USA' is the nickname given to Motown Records' first headquarters, now the Motown Historical Museum

Want to see all these events? Grab a round-the-world flight special.

Want to know the best of the rest? Get Best in Travel 2009 for a collection of travel experiences for the year ahead.