Our accommodation, the "Green Hotel", a 100 year old palace and former country seat of the Wodeyar princess, is centrally located, so that all the major attractions such as markets and temples to Freud eder girl by tuk-tuk to are available. One of the first hotels in India, which is managed in an environmentally conscious and uses only products from own production. The proceeds go to charity. We are moving in the garden wing and have for a larger room with double bed and two mattresses on the floor, but without fancy murals. Meanwhile, come we almost always quite straightforward, in a double room with extra mattress and have to divide us anymore. The three blondes take pretty generous gardens quickly confiscated.
While there is still a present for Alex pending that they needed at night, no longer a bottle or diaper, we make ourselves right after our arrival on the way to downtown to catch this. Of course there are plenty of shops, which are all more or less filled to the brim with low-quality products. Typical Indian clothes, we can finish the girls quickly, because the sustainability of the "pleasure" we think short-lived. At the end comes out a very cute shirt and skirt combo, definitely an alternative to in 80% of the cases carried purple wrap dress. As so often that benefit nurses and Nicoletta also get a dress. The durability of the products we make at the current price of about € 3, - not questioning.
The next day we hit the tourist attractions of Mysore. Our first goal is the Maharaja Palace - the seat of the Maharaja's of Mysore. Huge amounts of school classes and the girls make us again a hard time, but slowly we develop defense mechanisms and our pitch is stricter when it comes to the girls to spare before the eternal and Gezwicke Gezwacke. The palace boasts a sumptuous interior, the wall and ceiling decoration that can certainly compete with Versailles.
Slowly we learn how to be a "VIP" must feel. Every time we are in the shadows settle to rest a little, we are in zero-nothing surrounded by a cluster of curious to intrusive Indians who admire our blond "Barbie Dolls" as if they made the best children's toy catalog sprung are. Even "old" Muslims want to be photographed with the girls. We try to balance between the "international understanding" and to find peace of the kids, where we allow friendly inquiries to the appropriate mood of the girls. However, we decide we now often times for the tourist restaurants in AC variants, to at least have dinner in peace.
The visit to the Devaraja market, which is known for its colorful flowers and the hustle and bustle going to relaxed. The sea of flowers is a bit disappointing, probably, our expectations due to the Lonely Planet Description set too high. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the tour and are excited about the meticulous arrangement of fruit and vegetable products. The German market stalls are against "Kraut and beets. Clear that our children can gain only limited off the various types of fruit, etc. something. Cries of "Mommy, potatoes there are also Opi" silence until we come to the many colorful cone-shaped pile of Kumkum. Kumkum is colored powder used for bindi-dot on the forehead of married women and other religious rituals. We buy different colors to paint either on paper or skin.
Ariane can finally implement the long-planned visit to a Yoga Indian yoga teacher in action. Early the next morning at 6.00 they appear in time for the Ashtanga yoga class. Ca. 30 people, more men than women, and surprisingly, many children attend the 90 minute course. No later than the end stand Ariane is clear that there is still potential for improvement. Mysore is in the early morning jogging around the lake to the university and the children can romp in the wonderful gardens of the hotel. The second day we use it for a tour of the area and visit the summer palace of Tipu Sultan in Srirangapatnam. And again we are the attraction for the "blond crazy Indian". As soon as we have entered the palace - we will not do the stairs go down into the garden - there are already about 30 Indians positioned around us and dozens of cameras are for this "madness reminder for photo" unsheathed. The development will be great disappointment when, as the "three blondes" are completely swallowed by the mass of Indians. The wall paintings of the Garden Palace are interested fortunately all, so we spend some time here. The next stop - a Buddhist temple complex - we are much faster, since the various "shrine" are well attended by the faithful and the constant loud demand of the girls "What are the doing? - Why now kiss the feet of the figure "seems a little disturbing. Our tuk-tuk driver, a committed Ashtanga yoga freak for years brings We have a very nice riverside restaurant and then he threads his way confidently through the chaotic traffic in India and brings us home safely. Erik checked again emails in an Internet cafe, with what Nicole says "Internet is so boring as the visit to the Tibetan people in the temple ...".
Mysore Two days are enough and we go the next day Gen. Bengaluro to take from there the plane to Colcatta (formerly Calcutta). Due to extremely heavy traffic volume in the inner city, where real evidence of any asphalt stains from any more or less roadworthy vehicles is reinforced by a remarkable collision between a bus and a truck, we reach the airport just right - but such a narrow time management we are so accustomed to since our departure from Germany.
Colcatta kills us! Nearly 15 million people, more dirt, more cars, tuk-tuks, buses, horns, etc. Unbelievable! The drive from the airport towards the hotel area takes a good hour and the taxi driver takes us through a residential area where is not entirely clear whether this is garbage dumps or living room. Frightening, but this is the reality of India - well, we are only now in the real India arrived. The children take it with great composure, the dirt and the noise bothers them not at all. And our own observations that many children live here on the street and even some with no parents, they take on left. Thus, it is sometimes an advantage to travel with small children, as the reflection of the varying circumstances is still limited. Our accommodation, the "Sunset Guest House, classed as a special tip in the Lonely Planet as a hotel and more at the lower price range, not quite compatible with our particular and Ariane's ideas. Nevertheless, Erik is pragmatic out the positives: We have lots of room, two bathrooms (both without Warm water and the shower is to compare it with more of a leaking garden hose) and 4 double beds, which we can distribute it to us five. Spartan but clean up the room at least. The fuse box in the entrance area corresponds to condition the German safety standards, yet the "Boys" of the house are nice, the slightly outdated elevator has to "driver" of its charm and certainly we will remain. Ariane is a bit unnerved at first on the bed and will not ever get involved in Colcatta. The girls are interested in the "atmosphere" precious little, they have a lot of pleasure and undergo the various beds broad jumps. After a coffee on Park Street, is the "Goethestraße of Colcatta, this city is bearable. According to some Indians, the Park Street is the only street that invites you to a little stroll. But who here expects paved sidewalks or similar, has made a mistake. Nevertheless, after all, there are small passage of asphalt pavements and the hard sand roads are very clean after all. On the third day we will also be addressed not by begging children or rickshaw drivers, because all know that we do not give money you still need a rickshaw. On the park road, you find good music stores, a great Oxford Bookshop, some west-looking and fashionable shops and even a McDonalds. We look through the book store and are once again amazed by the low book prices. Of course, by our obligatory stop at McDonald's french fries. Meanwhile, we have already reached close to 100 servings of French fries as part of this journey. Once they taste bad times better. Nicoletta drawing a crowd of Indian rice even before the french fries.
In the three days of Kolkata, we try to understand this city a little. We never thought that we would end up with even a 1-2 days longer to remain. The city offers a lot. Both the visit to the Victoria Memorial (palace inspired by the Taj Mahal) on the day and bring the light and sound show at night we close the history of Kolkata.
Avisiting brother Ephrem Tirkey in Howath, a suburb of Kolkata, who runs a school for slum children since 1992, leaves a lasting impression on us. In 1992 he started with 7 children from the slums surrounding the school. Meanwhile here are about 500 slum children by sending them such a foundation is laid, that they can perform a proper education. Nicoletta and Alexia each get a foster child, for which we are very manageable annual tuition fees.
and the journey takes us into the poorest areas of Kolkata and open our eyes again for poverty in spite of all this such a fascinating country. Back from Howrah drives us could not read the end of taxi driver in his old yellow taxi across the old bridge over the canal - one of the busiest bridges in the world. We stutter past the beautiful main train station and get the non-existing shock absorbers of the car is clearly felt.
Overall, the city Kolkata still often influenced by the diversity of British imperialism, old shows, partly dilapidated building facades, the importance of Kolkata had as a former capital of India. The building of the main post or the traditionally prepared according Hotel "Oberroi" give an idea of what is noble in the period Kolkata role played by the English occupation.
cover the modern part of Kolkata's us with a visit on the occasion of the 1st Advent in the café Flury or a drink at the bar of the hotel "The Park". There we meet our friend Joy Christian from Hamburg, who has just arrived here on business. While the girls are asleep, the show's sofa, we enjoy sharing with him, who knows by frequent business trips much to report on India. agreed For weeks we will also continue an old tradition here and have breakfast together. If even fold the meeting in Frankfurt and Hamburg not often, so we made up quite a bit in Kolkata!
Erik's early morning jogging trail around the large park "The Maidan" - always the Victoria Memorial in view. compared Kühn accumulated in the literature with the Central Park and its role in New York, the way is still surrounded by a lot of rubbish. As so often is a round clock in the morning at 6 a great way to explore the city alone, many go to the morning exercise in the form of cricket or baseball after, there has not broken out hustle bustle. Ariane, the treadmill before the health club. The girls endure the city amazingly well and the permanent go to the left hand they take. Even if we give them credit for us not to lose the crowd, there are always considerate Indian, we urge the children be better to hold her hand. Questions like "why the hotel does not Garden" shows us, however, that they miss the free romp.
A stroll through the various markets and through the streets of Kolkata, confirmed the image of Kolkata mad as a dirty, big city but at the same time endearing. It certainly takes time to get used to the city and its many contradictions, but then it is exciting and in any Case the stop value. Although we have certainly seen only a fraction, it is no more in the direction of one of the highlights of the trip to Nepal. On 1.12. at noon we fly to Kathmandu and see with great anticipation towards the planned trekking in the Himalayas.
Park Street in Kolkata 
0 comments:
Post a Comment