Planet India!

India is one place that is impossible to describe with just words alone.

Its an attack on all the senses! Infinite smells, sounds, sights that need to be felt and experienced. Whether it be chaos, spirituality or surreal tranquility. It has an amazing variety of contrasts and extremes. India is constantly full of surprises.



Delhi (and most large cities in India)is absolute Chaos! Massive ,un-organised, dirty, and noisy with endless traffic. I arrived in Febuary expecting warm weather. To my surprise it was 5-10'.

I went to Rajastan ( the desert)hoping to find some heat . Since I wanted a smaller place after Delhi I skiped Jaipur (the pink city and capitol of Rajastan).

I landed in Pushkar, a magical town around a beautiful lake. Streets filled with monkey, cows and noisy weddings (I arrived in the middle of wedding season). There are defintely too many foreign tourists killing the vibe of the town, but I still very much liked the feel of the place and spent hours just drinking chai (Indian tea) on the street while chating with other travelers.

Train's in India are unlike any other experience on public transport. It is something everyone should try once:)



The Blue city (Jodpur) was more local with very fewer tourists. Aside from a massive fort and many buildings painted blue, there was not much else to keep me there.

My next stop was Jaslemer. The sandcastle looking city far west in the desert almost on Pakistan's border.




Hence many soldiers, probably due to the tense relationship between the 2 countries. We arrived in the middle of the desert festival which consisted of moustache competitions, turban tying contests, camel polo and the like. Was a laugh the whole way through.

I also liked Udaipur (James bond city- scenes of octupusy were filmed there). It was charming, very picturesque and surrounded by rivers and mountains which complemented it's beauty. Udaipur is full of high roof top terraces, great to just relax and catch glimpses of the stunning sunsets and the Island palace.



My plans to go north changed due to extreme cold weather. Instead, I went south to visit a Friend in Pune and the infamous meditation resort of Osho.

A place unlike many others. In fact, just to enter you need to take an aids test and buy a maroon robe and many other things depending on which meditations and experiences you would like to have. it has become quitea business and very comercial the last few years. Only spent a few days, but it was an interesting and strange experience.



I passed though Arambol (north Goa) for few days, now a centre for many nouveux riche Russian tourists and hippies with kids who never left Goa or can't stay away.



I didn't stay long as I wanted another type of atmosphere. 5 hours south of Goa I found it. Or at least some great people.



Paradise beach in Gokarna! A place you can really stay for a few weeks and do very little especially if you meet the right people. By chance, I was there for a major festival - Shiva. Was quite a sight. They pull these large pointy tower wooden carriages, containing several priests, and thousands of spectaters throw banana's at them.

Another Gem was Hampi. Amazing scenery and sunsets aside from the usual temples/ruins which is the primary attraction for most visitors.

If you stay on the other side of the river, it is full of relaxed guest house's where you can laze around in a hammock and do nothing. The rock formations are un-real, thousands of rocks and boulders piled into mountains like they were just dropped down from the sky.




After Hampi, I briefly visited the golden Sikh temple (in Amstrar near the pakistani border in kashmer) and then India's Tibet-Dharmsala. Where the Dali lama and his entourage is exsiled. I got a real understanding of Tibet here.




The struggle and demonstrations in Tibet, start here ! The situation for me to cross into Tibet was tense due to the upcoming Olympic games, infact the borders were cealed.

Although if I would have gone to travel through Tibet , you need to go with a tour group and get a permission, making the whole a fair touristy and not very authentic at all.

After doing a bit of Yoga and swimming in the holy Ganges (in Rishekesh) my last stop in India was Varanasi.I was ready to leave India by then and only planned to stay 1-2 days. I was tired of India and ready for a more relaxed place. I ended up staying much longer than planned. Even though it was a large chaotic place Varanasi was great!



I arrived the day of Holi festival. Absolutely crazy! Every one ( all the men that is) was out dancing, drunk throwing water and paint at everyone. It was a bit aggressive, but very intense and a lot of fun.



The 20 foreigners I was with and I had an absolute blast. I ended up staying a week more because of the people but Varanasi is special and represents true India.

Varanasi is loud, crazy, spiritual, holy, is filled with the smells of burning bodies, mystical flames burning, picturesque ghats and old buildings, winding little streets with the additions of traffic, pollutions. litter and shit paved all over the streets from cows, pigs, dogs, goats and so on.



I found in general Indians very friendly and hospitable. You do get a lot of people trying to sell you, which is tiring. At times they can be aggressive and are very persistant, but you have to understand there is massive poverty and europeans are considered to be cash machines. So excluding rickshaw drivers drivers and anyone trying to sell you wether it be dealing with people at hotels ,restaurants or shops were its all about Sell, sell, sell you can find amazing people in India!