Bombay Dreams and Romantic Rajasthan

Before Mumbai, the only other big city I'd visited was Delhi, which is complete chaos and quite dirty and messy everywhere - so I wasn't expecting to be a big fan of Mumbai but I thought it was such a great place. It's got beautiful buildings, it has pavements, it's relatively organised. I really enjoyed just walking around the place! I also got to meet up with my uncle Vance who was visiting his sister's family so it was lovely to see a friendly face from home!

Me and Vance in front of the Gateway to India

Park with university buildings behind

Sunset from Chowpatti Beach

While I was there I decided to go on a slum tour. I know that could sound a little weird, and I did feel a bit uncomfortable about it, but because I've worked in the slum in Delhi, I wanted to see it in Mumbai. I went with an ethical organisation called Reality Tours, who want to stop the negative views people have of communities who live in the slum and use their profits to fund projects supporting the community, through education, healthcare, sport etc. I visited the Dharavi slum and it was so interesting to see how it's not just a home for people, but also their workplace. There were so many efficient businesses being run in there, and they actually bring in a lot of money. For example, they recycle old plastic which they sell on in pellets to big manufacturers, so it's not just little shops - it's big business! There was a real sense of community and it definitely was an eye-opener. The slum is not as dangerous and corrupt as Slumdog Millionaire makes it out to be - it's largely honest people, making an honest living. I do think it's a really positive thing that there are tours that go to the slum and I highly recommend it. Of course, there was still poor sanitation and people living in extremely close proximity and it is wrong that they have to live that way. But it's even worse that actually they've got quite a good deal, because there are so many people in India who live on the streets and don't have a regular source of income. Also, the Dharavi slum is known as a "5 star slum" so not all slums run so well.

While I was in Mumbai I met two guys called Woody and Daniel, and at the weekend we visited the Ellora Caves and the Ajanta Caves in Maharastra. These caves have been carved into temples and monasteries, as far back as 200BC. The temples were Hindu, Jain and Buddhist - it's a great example of religions living in harmony for such a long time. The carvings are extremely beautiful and the work is so impressive, as it was built by monks such a long time ago.

Inside the biggest Hindu cave

After the caves I headed north to Rajasthan. I had to go via Mumbai again, and as I left the city on a bus I passed Mumbai's vast slums and saw the most incredible site. Everyone was out on their roofs flying kites. The sky was just covered with them, as the sun was setting. It was so beautiful and I did get a little bit emotional. I didn't get any pictures but I will not forget what I saw and how amazing it was.

My first destination in Rajasthan was Udaipur. It's city built around a lake, with beautiful buildings everywhere! On my second day there I went to a cookery class. I was joined by five other girls. Our teacher was called Shashi and she began bu telling us a bit about herself. She comes from a very small village (of only 1000 people) that's very traditional. She had an arranged marriage but in 2001 her husband died. He was murdered by his best friend over money. Shashi spoke about India's poor government and corrupt police, as the murderer only went to prison for one year. After her husband's death she was not allowed to re-marry and was expected to stay inside. She spent 45 days just sitting in the the corner of her house, while women visited to mourn with her. She didn't speak and she barely ate. After a while her sons secretly bought her laundry to wash in order to earn some money. As a Brahmin, the highest Hindu caste, she was was not allowed to do that kind of work but she needed the money to support her family.

Years later her sons met some Irish tourists in Udaipur and became friends with them. They brought the Irish guys back to their village. The Irish guys told Shashi's sons, "Your mother's food is great. She should start a cookery class." They were reluctant at first saying their mother didn't speak or leave the house, but with more encouragement Shashi started her classes. She only spoke the local language of her village so she had to learn to speak Hindi. Then, with the help of tourists who came for classes she learnt to speak English. Two Australian girls helped her to write out all her recipes in English, which she now gives out at her classes.

It makes me happy to see that Shashi has found a rewarding job and that she has been freed from the isolation that was expected of her by her village. I'm also amazed by the positive impact that Western tourists have had on her life. I didn't think that was possible before. She's listed in the Lonely Planet, so now she's fully booked everyday, and I'm sure she must make quite a bit of money!

Shashi was a great teacher and we learnt to make sooo much food! Masala chai, mango chutney, coriander chutney, potato and onion pakora, spinach and paneer pakora, basic masala sauce, aubergine and tomato masala, vegetable pilau, cheese and tomato naan, roti, plain paratha, stuffed paratha and sweet paratha! It was interesting, fun and I got to eat loads of delicious food. Very difficult to walk for the rest of the day.

Making vegetable pilau

The next day me and Rosie (a girl I met in the class) took a boat trip out to Jag Mandir Island on Lake Pichola and explored more of the city. It really is truly gorgeous there and would make a perfect honeymoon destination! In fact the whole of Rajasthan is lovely. I visited Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Pushkar too and they were all incredibly beautiful. I spent a week in Pushkar, basically just relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. Plus I bought some stupid Indian style clothes that I'm going to regret buying, because they're just not going to work outside of India - too caught up in the moment! (I also visited Jaipur but I hated it because I was so harrassed and ripped off by the people there, but I'm not going into that!)

City Palace, Udaipur

On Jag Mandir Island in Lake Pichola, Udaipur

Pushkar

Pushkar - spot the temple on the top of the mountain

A lot of Rajasthan is made up of the Thar desert, so I took a three day camel safari from Jaisalmer into the desert. Riding a camel is actually really painful because it's so bumpy! My inner thighs were in so much pain for those three days, and bouncing boobs didn't feel great either, but I was definitely glad not to be a man.

Me and Mr Magoo

In the evening we settled down on the sand dunes, and sat around a camp fire. Sleeping under the stars was freezing, but incredible to look at the night sky. I was joined by the lovely Jeff and Lorilee and we shared the great experience of killing a goat and eating it for dinner (on the second night, because Jeff was craving meat). As we prepared the goat we sang all the songs from The Sound of Music - I was in good company.

I've left India now, after a wonderful five and half months. It has been the best experience of my life so far, and I will definitely go back to India, even though it can be frustrating, dirty, loud, corrupt, unfair - it is an incredible country. Indian people can be so kind and generous, and I've had so many great conversations with friendly people; I talked to a retired Physics teacher for hours while I was in Mumbai, I was taken out for lunch with some people I met at the zoo in Trivandrum and a girl gave me her handbag on a bus from Jodhpur to Pushkar, just to mention a few of the encounters I've had with Indian people. There are so many beautiful places to discover and India is absolutely huge, so there's a lot more to see and I can't wait to be there again! (Though I must say I'm relieved to be living like a Westerner again for the moment in more civilised Hong Kong.)