Patience please

When my friend came to Delhi the other week, we decided to make yet another trip. So the next day we found our selves with bags packed making our way up north to Corbett National Park. Hmm, that sounded easy, but actually it wasn’t as simple as just “make our way up north”. First we took an auto to the metro station, then the metro, which took about an hour, to get to the bus station and then we took the bus, that took about 8 hours, to get to Ramnagar and then we took another auto to get to our camp.

There you have it, an Indian auto. Luckily not ours.

You see, travelling in India is not about distance, don’t even bother checking how far away something is, simply check how many hours it takes to get there. And then, add a couple of hours to that and you’ll be pretty close to the truth. I also feel the need to comment on the metro, because for a small town gal like myself, the Delhi metro is exciting! It’s pretty much what you would expect a metro to be like, but the excitement lies in the amount of people in it. I got the feeling that the whole of Delhi just decided to take the metro at the same time. Being a Friday evening, I guess the trains were extra crowded, but still. I’m actually afraid the trains will literally explode! Alternatively, I'm afraid someone (like myself) will be crushed to death.

Care for a bus ride?

Enough about the excitement of metros and buses and the time it takes to travel, at 2 am we arrive at our camp at Corbett National Park. Yes, camp. We chose not to go with the insanely priced cabins and booked a tent instead. Now let me tell you, sleeping in a tent in northern India in February is very cold. To be frank, it’s freezing. But not to worry, the cold night is quickly washed away by the warmth of the morning sun and the breakfast enjoyed outside with monkeys flying around us.

One monkey breakfast, please!

First day, we decide to go on an elephant safari. Our elephant, Lakshmi, is fantastic and takes us were no vehicle can go. For me, this is a dream come true!

Lakshmi, our brave elephant

Smarter after the chilly night before, we enjoy a campfire and some rum before going to bed the next night and the night is almost bearable and the next day we go on another safari. This time, instead of riding an elephant, we are looking at them elephants. Thankfully, we see a lot of animals on our safari and the scenery inside the park is incredible. 

Some pretty monkeys.

After our exhausting safari, we make our way to Nainital, a hill station in the foothills of the Himalayas. It's such a beautiful place. We arrive after sundown and being situated in a valley up in the mountains with a lake in the middle, just the sound of that makes me shiver! As we were both feeling sick, the stay wasn't as fantastic as it could have been, so in the morning we just took the cable car up to the hill station, enjoyed the view for a bit and started planning the trip back to Delhi.

Nainital

With the local bus we make our way down the hills and, again, the scenery... I'm lost for words! Our switch to the Delhi bus is smooth, but here is where the fun really kicks in. After 5 hours we have made a progress of 70 km. The distance from Nainital to Delhi is about 300 km. It took us 12 hours. I mean, come on! Twelve hours! And on top of it all, the bus is so full, half of the people in it are standing. If this was happening back home, let me tell you, there would be corpses by now. But not in India. Here people adjust. That's one important word to remember in India. Adjust. Patience is another one. Even after going through all this, with food poisoning and what not, I still feel nothing but love for this place. So what if it took us 12 hours to travel 300 km? We got home, we went to bed and the next day I can only remember what a great trip we had, laughing at how seriously messed up the traffic in India can be. So, dear reader, whenever you are stuck in traffic or cursing because the roads are in bad shape, patience. It could be worse. Trust me, it could be much, much worse!

Sick of slow traffic? Why not try the train!
The trains in Mumbai are know to be, well slightly crowded. (sadly, not my picture)

Beautiful Bangalore

After getting back from Goa, I endured 5 whole days of school. After that I was in serious need of another vacation. So as a friend of mine was in Bangalore, I decided to go see him for a few days and this is a decision I haven't regretted. I absolutely LOVE Bangalore. It’s warm, but not too hot, it’s big, but not Delhi big and there’s a lot of trees and flowers everywhere. And the food, oh my God, don’t even get me started on the food!

During my stay I got to see some really cool places. The palace of Mysore, located about two hours from Bangalore, was great. Over a hundred years old, filled with colors, gold and precious woods, it’s one of India’s most famous tourist attractions. However, though impressive, I must say I enjoyed the simplicity of the Vishnu temple Chennakesava Temple in Belur a lot more then the famous palace. This temple has been around for almost 1000 years, but it is in almost perfect condition and the detailed stone carvings are impressive. Not very touristy, you can walk around the place totally undisturbed and the atmosphere is calming. As we drove back from the temple to Bangalore, we also stopped by another temple. This one, however, was not as easy to get to. Without any hard facts, I’d guess around 500 steps of stairs lye between me and the temple. But I tell you, once you get up there you forget all about the effort. The view is breathtaking and the statue inside the temple is, well it’s huuuge! Additionally, I also enjoyed some shopping in Bangalore. As I love markets, we went to see one in the oldest part of Bangalore. Here I also got to try sugarcane juice! In Bangalore you’ll find sugarcane juice stands on pretty much every corner and this sweet juice mixed with fruits or enjoyed as such is like drinking liquid sugar. Only 10 times better!

Palace of Mysore

Well, as a food lover I must dedicate a few lines to, not only the sugarcane juice, but also to the food. During my stay I tasted some really superb dishes, but the excitement was really in how to eat them. In India you use your hands a lot when eating, or more specifically, your hand. In Bangalore I got some nice tips on how this is done and I can now proudly say I can get through an entire Indian dinner using only my hands! The downside of the Indian food, as I would guess a number of people have learned, is that you can get sick. I usually don’t get sick from food, but this time I did. In fact, after coming back to Delhi I got so sick I could hardly even walk any more and I had to confess my defeat and go to a hospital. My dad asked me if I hadn’t been paying attention to what I was eating. I told him naturally I hadn’t, as I generally don’t, but after this experience I understand why people do. Well, after getting an IV and some medicines I am now fully recovered, except from a truly ugly bruise on my hand from the needle. Now don’t worry, I’ll still be eating anything you put in front of me, because as I see it, my stomach is now stronger then ever!

Well, that’s it for today. My stomach is telling me it’s now time for dinner! Below you’ll find some pics from Bangalore. Hope you enjoy! :)

Nandi Hill

Enjoying some coconuts outside Chennakesava Temple in Belur

One of my favorite temples by far!

Trying to make my wishes come true...

Shravana Belgola, or as it's known to me, Big Statue Temple :)

La Bagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore

Traffic in Bangalore... Almost amusing. Almost.