Lu's Days ...

Back from my 8 days trip around northern India. Since I still have 2 days to burn in Hyderabad b4 I head out to Amsterdam and UK, i'll do some blogging for those who've liked reading my adventures in India so far.

So, let me start by saying which part of India did I travelled to.



Map showing the terrain.



Can't find a good map on the net, so I included two.


I was from Hyderabad (middle of the map). I went north to Delhi (the one with the star in the circle, it is the capital of India), then I went to Agra, then west to Jodhpur (not on the 2nd map), then further west to Jaisalmer (near the boarder to Pakistan, in the Great Thar Dessert). Then I went back to Jodhpur, and back to Hyderabad.


Hyderabad -> Delhi -> Agra -> Jodhpur -> Jaisalmer -> Jodhpur -> Hyderabad


Travelling in India by train is a trip by itself. The first trip to Delhi toke 24 hrs. Most of the train rides that we have we toke the 3-tier AC trains. What that means is that each little compartments will have 3 layers of bunk beds of each side, and 2 layers of bunk bed along the corridor. People will walk along the corridor selling tea, coffee, snacks, and etc.



3 tier AC train pic taken from the corridor



Snack shop on the train. Yes, those are cup noodles, masala (i.e. spicy) favour.


Spending that much time and cramped into a small space with random strangers is a pretty different experience. But the good thing is that all of the other travellers are nice and friendly folks. We talked alot about all sorts of stuff. It was a good exchange of culture and experiences.



Friends have no cultural or racial boundaries.



And there is no limit as to where to feast in India.



Mohammed with his lonely planet book.


Also, the best part of the train ride is that you can just open the door to get fresh air. Yup, it was dangerous. One misstep and you are out of the train.



Time for some fresh air!



Anyone feel like a dive ?



Or should I say die ?


But still, by just standing in front of the opened door of the train in early morning watching the sunrise with the morning breeze is .... amazing. The smell of the fresh village air blowing thru your nose; the endless view of Indian farmland and villages; the mist on the farmland made visible by the sunrise; the sound of the train wheels passing by the train tracks with a light rhythm .... all of these experience just makes me realize what I've been missing out in my life so far. The peace, solitude, and content feeling that I get make this trip all worthwhile.



Morning sunrise.



Evening sunset.


Anyways .... can't spend that much time today on blogger (cuz of emails and other crap). I'll talk about my whole trip tomorrow when I have more time. Especially camping in the dessert, exciting camel rides, and the great Taj Mahal. Later guys.