Well, to start off I can't believe it's only been a week - in a good way! It seems like so much more time has passed here, even though I've yet to start work due to a delay in the NGO I'll be working with.
Not keen to let a golden opportunity pass me by, once I found out on Sunday that I wouldn't start work until later in the week I hopped onto an overnight bus to see Agra, or
more specifically the Taj Mahal. I arrived an hour too early for the Taj at 5am and passed a pleasant hour in the (unopened) restaurant of a nearby hotel, reading a book and drinking chai, before running along the park to see the Taj in the morning mist. It was worth all of the effort to get there and I spent a healthy 7 hours wandering around taking in the surroundings - tranquil despite the number of visitors, before catching a bus to my next destination, Pushkar.
Pushkar is one of India's holiest sites, containing a lake which is said to have sprung from the petals of a lotus flower dropped to the desert by the God Brahma. It is also firmly in place on the well-trodden tourist trail of India. This means that the city centre as well as containing thousands of temples is also in many parts a grand bazaar, and made taking in the sights a little tiring. Despite this though the temples were enchanting - very serene despite the chaos outside.
I spent a magical afternoon trekking into the mountains on horseback, on a gorgeous Indian horse which was very sweet and full of spirit! This was when I really managed to feel the magic of Pushkar, watching herds of animals running around and passing by tiny villages and schools on the way - it was well worth the aching muscles afterwards! In the evening I wandered around the town some more, and back at my hotel an Ayurvedic therapist advised me to stop eating bananas and chocolate for the sake of my blood circulation, and also told me that eating paper fried in butter every day would cure my myopia. Oddly enough my optician told me exactly the same thing the last time I visited. Optical Express are becoming really unorthodox....
So, this weekend is to be spent doing touristy stuff in Jaipur, and I will finally start work on Monday! I've already met some of the people I'll be working with, and can't wait to get started. Until then....
Not keen to let a golden opportunity pass me by, once I found out on Sunday that I wouldn't start work until later in the week I hopped onto an overnight bus to see Agra, or
more specifically the Taj Mahal. I arrived an hour too early for the Taj at 5am and passed a pleasant hour in the (unopened) restaurant of a nearby hotel, reading a book and drinking chai, before running along the park to see the Taj in the morning mist. It was worth all of the effort to get there and I spent a healthy 7 hours wandering around taking in the surroundings - tranquil despite the number of visitors, before catching a bus to my next destination, Pushkar.Pushkar is one of India's holiest sites, containing a lake which is said to have sprung from the petals of a lotus flower dropped to the desert by the God Brahma. It is also firmly in place on the well-trodden tourist trail of India. This means that the city centre as well as containing thousands of temples is also in many parts a grand bazaar, and made taking in the sights a little tiring. Despite this though the temples were enchanting - very serene despite the chaos outside.
I spent a magical afternoon trekking into the mountains on horseback, on a gorgeous Indian horse which was very sweet and full of spirit! This was when I really managed to feel the magic of Pushkar, watching herds of animals running around and passing by tiny villages and schools on the way - it was well worth the aching muscles afterwards! In the evening I wandered around the town some more, and back at my hotel an Ayurvedic therapist advised me to stop eating bananas and chocolate for the sake of my blood circulation, and also told me that eating paper fried in butter every day would cure my myopia. Oddly enough my optician told me exactly the same thing the last time I visited. Optical Express are becoming really unorthodox....So, this weekend is to be spent doing touristy stuff in Jaipur, and I will finally start work on Monday! I've already met some of the people I'll be working with, and can't wait to get started. Until then....
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