23/12/2013

Woke up feeling a million tonne after a mammoth good sleep. Had about a million dreams. Despite lots of noise in the courtyard. Made for the tourist desk in the train station and got a ticket like you would in a post office and waited for my turn. Took about 2 hours, but eventually got to sit down with a geezer and we went through my travel requirements. Booked three trains, Dehli to Amritsar on Christmas day, then on to Rishikesh, I would have to catch a bus back to Dehli to catch a train to Varanassi, the last stop of the trip on new years day! Cant believe it had come to an end. This was the first time I'd really booked stuff in advance and it was good to have everything done and dusted, minimalising the worry. The total came to 740rs. Got some food on the night, some chow mein noodles, a snickers, some popcorn and a corn on the cob. Obvious mix of goods. On the night some real loud music etc started playing, and I mean effffffing loud!!!!!!!! As in the room was shaking. Open the door to find they lashed a piece of string across the internal courtyard, hoyed a massive sheet over it and lobbed a projecter behind to make a cinema, with benches to watch. There were some other tourists watching it and the Indians, but I was in no mood. Actually looked a really good film, an action movie about the Sri Lankan civil war I guessed. Later also, some Indian dude was dancing so crazily in the campest manner ever to some music, and the whole courtyard, which is constantly full of Indians and just random people, were all laughing and joining in.

Later on I went out in the little lobby and low and behold there was the Chinese dude who I got the train with. Turns out his name is Zhang Chen. He found the bumping into each other again rather amusing and was quick to pull out his iphone and translate some words, underneath some Chinese symbols read the words 'fate' and 'destiny' haha. Had good craic on with him, and he told me how democracy in China is slowly increasing, despite only having one party. Told him I wanted to go to China to see the Great Wall, but he didn't seem to know what it was, until I had to write it down for him. Says he works for Toyota and earns £450 a month, yet house prices are around £200,000. was very interesting. He also talkewd about the Sinkiang Muslim district of China, and that he hopes the gain independence, as everyday there is violence there.

24/12/2013

Had a hot 'shower' in the morning, which involved pouring a small bucktet of water over myself, but it was still nice to feel hot water. Also used the water to wash some of my kit. Spent the rest of the day sight seeing across New Dehli, first up was the Jama Masjid, the Biggest mosque in India. This bad boy can apparently hold 20,000 people, and was certainly impressive. There was a massive courtyard and four tour things on each corner, the main building had a massive dome as well as smaller ones around it. The guide said cameras were 200rs but this wasn't the case. When I came out there was a massive gathering in the streets for a Islamic festival, thousands of people were in the streets, and there was a giant shine on the move which the people were following and touching. There were lots of people on the steps of the mosque as it gave a good vantage point. The festival was called (I think) Dhul Hajja, a sacrifice festival. This was epitomised by hordes of people forming circles and all chanting a song, and pound their chests to the beat. The beat was really loud, and the slap of their chests could be heard from a mile. Got some good snaps and vids of the whole thing, and I was really glad I stumbled across it.

After I ventured through a nice market to the Red Fort, a giant fort which houses a few builinds and grassy areas and such. Paid 250rs to get in and the place was definitely a let down. There was honestly nothing to see, and I honestly didn't understand what I had just paid for. I kept thinking whys this such a big attraction? The locals only pay 20rs and it still wasn't worth that. Left and made back for the hotel. Passed the mosque again and this time the traffic round the place was at a complete standstill as the crows were still there chanting away, these cars would honestly be there all day and night. This time I came across many circles of people, and they were all signing different songs, but the pounding of the chest remained. I wiggled through the crowds, back to Paharganj. The traffic here is definitely the loudest and most hectic I've seen it anywhere.

Went back and had the worst diarrhea of the trip. Times like this aint fun, and I'd be lying if I said I wish I wasn't home in front of the fire watching some casual TV. Later on the big screen was back up, and this time it was of the video of the crazy Indian dancer that the French guy had recorded. The next thing it was a nice production of them cycling across Pakistan, on cycle rickhaws. Turns out they're doing a project called roadcinema.com, where they have started in Pakistan, and are finishing in Kolkata in India and traveling via bike. Each night they set up the gigantic sheet, projector and speakers and play an Indian movie for the locals to watch in a random location. It was such a cool project and was really unique. Tonight was no different, and they'd soon put on another movie, this one also an action style Bollywood film. Was really crazy and involved some motorcycleing across a steel wire to escape the polic, and tuk tusk driving through brick walls in a get away scene.

Keep running upstairs to the toilet, so instead I found a buck and kept that in my room all night. The smell was like sewage and looked like sick.