Fotok: Udaipur royal city

Udaipur is a royal town in Rajasthan, a little jewel on the crown of the maharaja. Pichola lake and the extremely laid back and friendly residents make it wonderful fresh breeze and calming experience. We enjoyed 4 days there, recovering from the big cities of Ahmedabad and Mumbai. We know that the photos are like postcards, and they are damn cheesy...but this is how this place looks like for real.



Udaipur egy kiralyi varos Rajasthanban, apro ekszer a maharadzsa koronajan. A Pichola to es a hihetetlenul kedves es nyugodt lakok kellemes es pihenteto helye varazsoljak. Negy napot toltottunk itt, hogy kiheverjuk Ahmedabad es Mumbai nagyvarosi sokjat. Tudjuk a kepek roppant giccsesek, de ha hiszitek ha nem, ez a hely igy nez ki a valosagban.

Fotok: elefantfurdo/elefant wash

In Hampi, a female elephant lives in the Virupaksha temple. Lakshmi is 28 years old, adorned by the locals and she has been living in the temple throughout her life. When she comes out of the temple for a walk the air fills with love around her and the people approach her with fruits, asking for blessing. Every morning at around 7:30 she is taken to the river to have a wash. The ghats are busy at that time, people are having their morning bath and wash their clothes. Lakshmi is driven down to the river to occupy her usual place amongst the people. The process takes about an hour hard brushing from three men and a lot of patience from the nearly 300 kg animal. When its over, she is decorated again by her keeper.

Hampiban el egy nosteny elefant a Virupaksha templom melyen. Lakshmi 28 eves, es egesz eleteben a templomban elt. A helyiek imadjak: ha megjelenik a levego megtelik szeretettel, es az emberek rohannak hogy gyumolcsot adjanak neki es az aldasat kerjek.
Minden reggel fel nyolc korul leviszik furdeni a folyohoz. Abban az idoben a folyo lepcsoit megtoltik a furdozo es ruhat moso emberek. Lakshmit levezetik a lepcsokon hogy elfoglalja szokasos helyet a tomegben. A folyamat kozel egy oran at tart, harom ember sikalja a boret amig az elefant az oldalan fekszik turelmesen. Ha veget er, a gondozoja ujra feldisziti.

Virag: Goai elmenyek

Hat mit is mondjak... tizenket ora vonatozas a rekkeno hosegben, majd meg ket ora busz a goai helyijaraton..egy elmeny volt meg kell hagyni, de mar teljesen keszen voltunk mire megerkeztunk Arambolra, Goa allam eszaki csucskebe. Ez a hely maga a paradicsom. A tengerpart homokos, a tenger hus, a szel fuj, a parton kutyak es tehenek tarsasagaban napozol.

Az indiaiak vendegszeretoek, ot percenkent odajonnek es megkerdezik,hogy kersz-e gyumolcsot, jegkremet, uditot. Erdekes, ahogy itt Goan az indiai nyitottsag es kozvetlenseg osszekeveredik a kalmarszellemmel. A tengerparton le-fol koslato arus asszonyok es lanyok leulnek melled, hogy beszelgessenek, aztan eloveszik a portekajukat es erzelmi zsarolas illetve meccsezes segitsegevel kikenyszeritik, hogy vegyel toluk egy salat vagy bokalancot. Masok modszere, hogy odajonnek, bemutatkoznak, kezet fognak veled es megigertetik, hogy vasarolni fogsz toluk. Aztan tiz perc mulva megjelennek a cuccaikkal es hivatkoznak az igeretre. Joc olyan pipa volt mar a masodik nap, hogy ha rakoszontek avval valaszolt: "nem veszunk semmit". Az egesz jatek nagy turelemre es megertesre tanit.

Istenieket eszunk es motorozunk itt. Lehet robogot berelni es szaguldizni, kerulgetni a teheneket es orulten dudalni a kanyargos utakon.

Minden utca egy bazarsor, kiloszamra aruljak a jol ismert indiai cuccokat. Napkozben az ember sziesztazik valami tengerparti kavezoban, szurcsoli a gyumolcsos joghurtitalt es hallgatja a goat. Vettunk Bagamont, most azt tanulom.

Joc mindig azt mondja, hogy ezt az egesz helyet a Demeter Gyurinak talaltak ki, es nagy huje ha nem jon el ide villamgyorsan.

Virag: What is happening with Shantaram?

Diwali is a great big Hindu celebration of new year. The first day of the festival found us in Mumbai. We checked out of the hotel, and I had to go to pick up my new pair of glasses from Kalbadevi road. (You can get a pair of glasses made with eye test for about 30-40 pounds).
Jo get the taxi for me, and waited in Leopolds Cafe.

We know Leopolds from the book I am reading, called Shantaram. I received it as a present from friends before I left for India. The book is a fascinating story of an Australian fugitive who lived in Bombay for eigth years during the 80's. The main character had met his friends and strated his life in the city in Leopold's.

I got back happy with my new glasses, and we were about to leave the place when an extravagant man walked in. Tall, fit body, strong features, long blond hair. He looked like some kind of a celebrity from the 80's. We made some jokes, that he looked like a wrestler from WWF. But I suddenly thought... Maybe he is Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts the author of my book? And he was! Those who have read the book will know why I got so excited. I have been reading the nearly 1000 pages book and told every story to Jo, including lots of hints about India and the Indian people. When you travel, you can experience how difficult it is to get real close to their culture and break this tourist-Indian wall. Shantaram had managed to do that so we can learn a lot from him.

Because I kept telling all the stories to him, Jo was very interested about him, and said we should find out from the Internet what is happening now with Shantaram. I approached the long table where he sat with friends and asked him to sign my book and tell me how his life is going now. Despite his celebrity look, Linbaba is a natural, honest man, who has no allures at all. He gave me the impression of a happy person, who after all those crazy things that happened to him finally found the way home.

My Diwali present was to met the real Shantaram and to learn that he is safe and happy and really the Son of God. All respect to him.

Elephanta Island

We have visited Elephanta island, 9 kms from Bombai, an hour journey on a small boat. There is a spectacular view of Bombay's coastline from the boat. A never ending panorama of high rise buildings in the mist which would make New York look like a small place. We were so lucky, we could catch the the sunset against this backdrop. The Island is beautiful, only a few people live on it together with a lot of monkeys and dogs all specialised on tourists. People sell, dogs beg and monkeys steal.

The caves were pretty impressive, especially the three faced Shiva sculpture. it was all grey and badly lit, so itlooke dlike as it was just a picture your mind created out of the shadows on the wall of the cave.

By the time we got back it was after dusk and Bombay was lively again. You have to realise that the traffic you have seen during the day was nothing! The energy is bursting the traders keep calling you, the cars keep horning...it is actually unbearable after 15-20 minutes.

We hardly ate anything for the last two days since we landed. During the journey here, we couldn't wait to get the next meal but since we got here we have been craving for liquid and hardly had a proper meal. We forced outselves to have a dinner, and ate the normal portion, but felt soo full!!!I don't know where you get your energy but food is not the primary source here.

Virag

Bombay, elso nap

Azt hittem szornyen fog erinteni a szegeny emberek es a kobor kutyak latvanya, de azt kell mondjam a hely legerdekesebb jelensegei koze tartoznak. Bombay zsufolt, szennyezett, hangos es kibirhatatlan lenne ha nem elnenek az utcain emberek, tehenek, kutyak. Az emberek szorgosak, nagyon kemenyen dolgoznak a betevoert, megis van turelmuk a turistakra meg lathatolag egymasra is. A nap egyik legszebb pillanat avolt, amikor leultunk egy vizesember kocsija melle pihenni, es odabattyogott egy tehen. Lathatolag szomjas volt mert az edenyeket szagolgatta. Harom ember ott termett, vizet mertek egy vodorbe es megitattak. Pedig ok abbol a vizbol es annak bevetelebol elnek. Sokan vannak akik nincstelenek, a jardaszelen felvert satrakban alszanak. Lattam egy ket szomoru arcot. De sokkal tobb volt a szeretet a baratsag az oszinte mosoly.

Lejartuk a labunkat, nagyon elfaradtunk. Joc mar alszik pedig csak kilenc ora van. Engem beszivott a hely, gondolkodni keptelen vagyok, csodalatos es brutalisan kemeny. Ismeros es nagyon idegen. Ma ketszer is lattam ezt a kerdest a busz oldalan: " What are you searching for?"

Virag

Kepek Karnatakabol

ezek a kepek Hampiban es kornyeken keszultek.

Tehenmosoda Hospetben.

Washing the water buffalos in Hospet.

Hampi viztarozo, allitolag krokodilok is elnek benne. Hampi reservoir, apparrently crocodiles live in it.
A Hampi vizeses mellett.

At the waterfalls in Hampi.

Little girl waiting for the ferry.

Kislany a kompra varva.

A Hampi vizeses mellett.

At the waterfalls in Hampi.

Piheno a delutani napban.

Nap in the afternoon sun.

Lunch at the Hampi festival. Jo's favorite truck.
Ebed a Hampi fesztivalon. Joci kedvenc kamionja.