Portugal

Lissabon er Europas ældste by med gamle bydele på bjerglignende højder med brostensbelagte snævre gader og huse med bittesmå lejligheder uden indlagt varme eller aircondition grundet deres bevaringsværdighed.  Der er utrolig mange turister. Det virker næsten som om der er flere turister end indfødte, og som jeg har læst det, har Portugal heller ikke mange tilslørede muslimer eller mange muslimer i øvrigt – hovedsagelig pga. at landet er fattigt og derfor ikke et attraktivt valg for muslimer. Portugiserne er åbenbart trætte af turister lige som spanierne, da der et sted var skrevet med graffiti  ”tourists go home”, som man også er begyndt på i Spanien. Portugal er en fiskenation med fiskerestauranter på et hvert gadehjørne. De er ikke så gode til det kulinariske men maden er rimelig. Landet er i det hele taget rimelig billigt prismæssigt, især hvis man holder sig lidt væk fra de gængse turiststeder. Det kan også anbefales at tage til Portugal sidst i september, da temperaturen stadig er høj men ikke ekstrem.

Birgit og jeg ankom tidligt mandag morgen kl. 9 uden at have sovet i ca. 1 døgn. Jeg havde min sædvanlige lufthavnsservice, og vi kom derfor også først i køen til taxaerne uden for – køen var temmelig lang, så det var jo dejligt. Chaufføren gav os lidt sightseeing på vejen til den lejede lejlighed i Castelo Sao Jorge, der er en fæstning med en slotsruin og beboelse på toppen af et mindre bjerg, hvor vi kom til at bo allerøverst.  Det viste sig senere, at chaufføren vist scorede lige lovligt på den tur.

Lejligheden var meget lille men der var alt hvad man behøvede også i køkkenet.  Både indkøb og seværdigheder viste sig også at være lette at komme til, og når turisterne først var gået hjem sidst på eftermiddagen, var der dejlig stille til kl. 10 næste morgen. 

Vi fandt ret hurtigt de 2 elevatorer, som gjorde det let at komme ned fra bjerget til centrum. Elevatorerne var bygget efter det sidste jordskælv. Den første elevator var nem at finde – den anden fandt vi kun ved et tilfælde pga. en lommetyvs mislykkede forsøg. Elevatoren var åbenbart ikke særlig kendt af turister, da den også lå lidt gemt i en smøge.

Første attraktion, som skulle afprøves, var den meget legendariske sporvogn E28, som blev anbefalet brugt til sightseeing rundt i Lissabons bymidte. Vi blev dog smidt af 2 gange og endte med at betale temmelig meget for hele turen, da vi jo gerne ville tilbage til udgangspunktet. Vi brugte det meste af eftermiddagen på denne attraktion og traskede efterfølgende lidt rundt på vores stakkels ømme ben og endte med at spise neden for elevator 1 på en bakke så skrå at maden næsten faldt ned i munden, når man sad på den ”forkerte” side. Samme aften måtte vi gå tidligt i seng pga. den manglende søvn. Der var en del larm i gaden inden turisterne gik hjem, og vi fandt ud af at skraldemanden kom sent hver aften og hentede de små poser, som folk havde lagt uden for dørene.

Dagen efter stod vi op omkring kl. 8 og spiste noget af den morgenmad, som vi havde købt i det lille supermarked ved elevator 1 lige uden for fæstningen. Derefter gik turen med bussen ca. kl. 11 (det tog noget tid at finde ud af hvor og hvordan vi kom til Europas (måske) største akvarium Ocenarium i bydelen ved Oriente tæt på vandet – et forholdsvis nybygget og moderne område med forretningskvarterer og indkøbscentre samt en fantastisk ny tog/metrostation. Vi gik langs vandet i dejlig skygge og fandt et pænt udendørs springvand at fotografere. Akvariet var lidt skuffende og vi blev ikke så længe, så vi blev enige om at vi lige kunne nå Jadim Zoologico stik vest, som vi dog først nåede omkring kl. 16:30 (1½ time inden lukketid). Prisen passede ikke med vores oplysninger – det kostede hele €20.50 for at komme ind og så havde både delfiner og pelikaner endda vinterferie. Det viste sig at være et af verdens kedeligste zoologiske haver – oplevelsen blev dog reddet af bavianerne, hvor ungerne åbenbart kunne løbe ud af buret og underholde gæsterne mens de gamle sad bag tremmer og behændigt greb, hvad man kastede til dem.

Det var let at finde tilbage med metroen, hvor gaderne var fulde af restauranter tæt på stationen Baixa-Chiado - et centralt knudepunkt for samtlige metrolinjer. Inden vi drog hjem til lejligheden spiste vi på en af restauranterne og blev ”snydt” igen af prisen, som ikke inkluderede ”side dish”. Onsdag igen lidt sent af sted (som blev tilfældet hele turen, men vi var jo også på ferie) til Sintra og Pena-slottet. Vi købte en Viva-kort, som kunne påfyldes løbende. Efterhånden fik vi stor erfaring med transportsystemet. Det tog ca. 40 min. med tog og vi ankom sammen med en masse andre turister. Der var så mange at der skulle flere busser til. Bussen tog os den lange meget stejle vej til toppen af bjerget hvor slottet lå øverst oppe. Birgit var godt nervøs for at bremserne ikke virkede, men hun klarede at blive i bussen hele vejen op. Igen måtte vi betale kassen for at komme ind (€14) hvis vi ville se både slottet indvendigt og den kæmpestore park omkring det.  Jeg syntes dog at slottet var mere imponerende udvendigt end indvendigt – men jeg har jo også set meget.  Slottet bliver kaldet et torneroseslot, fordi det har mange forskellige farvede bygninger – er ret lille men utrolig charmerende.  Udenfor nåede vi kun at komme til stenkorset (high cross) fra det 16. århundrede på det øverste peak modsat slottet – parken var simpelthen for stor. Så gik turen tilbage til Lissabon, hvor vi spiste i en af sidegaderne omkring Rua de Victoria, som blev omdrejningspunktet og den nemme vej til Sao Jorge med de 2 elevatorer. Denne gang kom vi til at betale ekstra for det brød, en minirund hård ost samt sardinpatê i 2 bittesmå flade metaldåser, som vi ikke havde bestilt men som blev sat på bordet og som vi tog for givet hørte med, hvor vi tog det i vores tasker bortset fra den lille runde ost, der smagte som Cheddar og som vi spiste. Det viste sig, at de 2 brødhumpler var tørre dagen efter og sardinerne smagte ad pommern til og måtte smides ud. Det kostede os ekstra €5. Da vi skulle tage elevatoren som sædvanlig opdagede vi, at de lukkede kl. 21 (der var altid beredskab i tilfælde af svigt), så vi måtte tage en taxa til fæstningens indgang.

Torsdag tog vi af sted til Cascais for at bade – først gik vi til Rossio togstation men der var en kø så lang som et ondt år og var ikke den togstation vi skulle bruge, så vi måtte tilbage til ”vores” metrostation for at køre til metrostationen Cais do Sodré, hvor forbindelsen var til Cascais, som er en lille mondæn badeby ud til Atlanterhavet ca. 45 min. med tog fra Lissabon. Vi startede med at gå på strandpromenaden og derefter ned ad byens meget lille og charmerende gågade, hvor vi fik lidt at drikke og blev vidne til nogen af de protester, som pågik rundt omkring i Portugal i forbindelse med et kommende ”kommunalvalg”. Vi havde også observeret unge gå råbende igennem Lissabons centrum. Vi tilbragte noget tid bagefter ved den dejlige sandstrand – vandet var for koldt til mine knæ men Birgit var meget begejstret, da hun først kom under. Vi nåede hjem forholdsvis sent og valgte at spise i nærheden af lejligheden, hvilket var det mest dårlige valg hidtil mht. spisested – jeg fik brændt kylling, som var næsten uspiselig. Udmattelsen begyndte at vise sine tænder.

Fredagen skulle tilbringes på nogen af de markeder, som jeg havde fundet på nettet. Vi startede med at gå, hvilket viste sig at blive en længere gåtur end forventet. Birgit havde fundet ud af at metrostationerne ikke lå så langt fra hinanden, men det betød jo ikke, at det var hurtigere at gå til markedet Feira na Avenida, som skulle ligge på Avenue da Liberade. Det viste sig, at det kun var der 1 gang om måneden, så vi gik forgæves temmelig langt. Så satte vi næsen efter det næste marked Santo Estevão Urban Fair, som skulle ligge i nærheden af et museum ved vandet. Det viste sig imidlertid at det lå længere væk end forventet, at vi måtte opgive på vejen, da vi ikke umiddelbart viste hvilken bus vi skulle tage og vi allerede havde gået meget. Vi gik også i midt i solen i 30 grader, hvilket tog pippet fra os. Så efter al for meget spadseren – dog af meget snævre og charmerende gader kom vi tilfældigvis forbi en kinesisk restaurant, som vi besluttede at komme tilbage til senere for at spise fordi den lå så tæt på en metrostation – Martim Monitz. Og med held i uheld fandt vi et kæmpe kopimarked i forbindelse med metrostationen, som kun var 2 stop fra ”vores” metrostation. Efter at have fået en god hvil hjemme og et bad vendte vi tilbage for at spise og nåede så også at opleve de unge fylde gaderne for at feste.

Lørdag, som var sidste hele dag, besluttede vi os for at prøve at finde endnu et marked Feira da Ladra, som skulle være et ikonisk marked med både brugte og nye ting – det viste sig også at ligne en blanding mellem et loppemarked og almindeligt udendørsmarked, og jeg fandt et billigt blåt læderbælte og nogle smykker. Af skade havde vi taget en tuk-tuk, som blev kørt af en ung studerende, der tog os op til et fantastisk udkikspunkt tæt ved markedet. Han fortalte også lidt historie om Sao Jorge fæstningen, hvor portugiserne havde jaget Mauerne på flugt for nogle hundrede år siden. Vi besluttede efterfølgende, at vi også ville inspicere det andet marked, som vi havde fundet dagen før. Det viste sig, at markedet var betydelig større end vi havde troet. Det var ikke blot under jorden men fyldte en hel blok i sidegaden, der lå op til – der var faktisk forbindelse hele vejen under jorden.  Vi nåede derfor ikke hjem så tidligt som forventet for at slappe af men fik os alligevel taget sammen til at prøve at finde den kinesiske ”restaurant” som jeg havde læst på nettet skulle være speciel. Vi pegede en taxa og kørte til Bairro Alto – hvor vi endnu ikke havde været. Restauranten viste sig at være en ”gammel” pub med plysstole og udstillingsmontre fra gulv til loft med alle mulige sjove og forskellige udstillingsting. Efter en drik gik vi igen for at finde et sted at spise og endte med igen med at gå hele vejen til det kendte område omkring elevatorerne, hvor vi spise inden vi skyndte os hjem for at nå at få lidt søvn inden den tidlige afgang til lufthavnen. 

Lisbon is one of Europes oldest cities with many old city areas on very narrow and steep cobbled streets and houses with tiny flats without central heating or airconditioning protected as worth preserving.  There are extremely many tourists – almost more than native people or so it seems and also without many muslims, mostly because – to what I have read – that Portugal is a poor country and therefore not a good choice for muslims, as there are not many social benefits. Obviously Portuguese people are tired of tourists just as the Spanish people, as on one spot they had written with graffiti  ”tourists go home”, just like in Spain. Portugal is a fishing nation with a fish restaurant on each street corner. They are not especially good with regard to culinary delights but the food is eatable. In all the country is cheap especially if you stay away from the tourisst areas. It is also recommended to go to Portugal end of September, as it is still hot but not extremely hot.

Birgit and I arrived early Monday morning around 9 am without having had any sleep at all for about 24 hours. 1 døgn. I used my usual airport service, and consequently we got first in line to the taxis – many people were queeing so that was fortunate. The driver gave us a little sightseeing on the way to the rented flat in Castelo Sao Jorge, which is a fortress with the remainings of a castle and old residentials on top of a high hill, where our flat was at the peak of the hill. It turned out later however that the driver obviously had his share of price for the tour.

The flat was very small but had all you needed in. Also the kitchen was well equipped. Both shopping and sights were easy accessable and when the tourist had gone home late in the evening it was a nice and quiet place until the next morning around 10 am when the tourists returned and the children went to school. 

Pretty easily we found the 2 elevator which made descending the steep hill and reach the city center very easy. The Elevators were built after the last earthquake. The first elevator had been easy to find the other one however we found by accident because of an unsuccessful pickpocket attempt. This elevator was obviously not very known by tourist as it was hidden well in a smalle alley.

The first attraction to be seen and tested was the legendary tram E28 which was recommend as a mean for sightseeing around Lisbon city center. We were however kicked out of the tram twice and ended up paying a fairly great amount for the whole trip, as we wanted to get back to the starting point. We spend most of the afternoon on this attraction and afterwards we walked a bit here and there on our poor sore feet and ended up eating by elevator 1 on a hill so steep that the food almost fell into your mouth from the plate of you were on the “wrong” side of the table. The same evening we had to go to bed early because of the lack of sleep. It was a bit noisy in the streets before the tourist went home and we also later found out the garbage man came every evening to collect the garbage left outside people’s front door.

The next day we got up about 8 am and had some of the breakfast which we had bought the day before in the little supermarked by elevator 1 just outside the fortress. The excursion to the Europe’s (maybe) biggest aquarium Ocenarium was by bus around 11 am (it took some time to find out where and how to get there). The Ocenarium is placed in the area of Oriente close to the sea. The area is rather new and with modern buildings with business and shopping centers and a brand new train/metro station.  We walked along the water in a nice shade and found a nice outdoor fountain and took our first and only selfie. The aquarium was a bit disappointing so we did not stay long and agreed that we could make it to the Jadim Zoologico in the opposite direction in west Lisbon area before they closed. We arrived just 1½ time before closing time. The price certainly did not match our information – the tickets were €20.50 each and both dolfins and pelicans were off on a winter holiday. It turned out to be one of the most dull zoo I ever visited – the impression was however soften a bit by the baboons, the infants of the baboons were able to run outside the bars and entertain the zoo guests while the old ones had to stay behind and look but they were good at catching the pieces of apple thrown to them.

It was easy to find the way back to the subway Baixa-Chiado next to the streets full of restaurants –which subway seemed to be a central hub for all subway linies. Before going back to the flat we ate one of the restaurants and felt a bit cheated again because of the price which did not include side dishes such as rice. Wednesday again we left the flat a bit late (actually we did that all week but it was vacation) to Sintra and the Pena castle. We bought a Viva cart which was an add-on cart. We quickly gained great experience with the transport system. It took about 40 minutes with the train and we arrived together with a bunch of other tourist. All of them with the same purpose as us and it took a lot of busses. A bus took us the long and steep way to the top of the hill with the Pena castle on the very top. Birgit was very nervous that the brakes would work, but she managed to stay on the bus all the way to the top. Again we had to pay a lot to get in €14) if we also wanted to see the castle inside. I found however the castle more impressive outside than inside but I have also seen a lot and not easy to impress.  The castle is called the palace of the sleeping beauty because of its design and various coloured building sections – it is rather small but very charming.  We did not make much of the huge park – only the stone cross (the high cross) from the 16^th century on the opposite peak of the castle. Back to Lisbon arriving for a late dinner in one of the alleys around Rua de Victoria which had become the turning point to us and the easy way to Castelo Sao Jorge with the 2 elevators. This time we paid extra for some bread, a tiny round cheese and 2 sardine patê in tiny flat containers – things we haven’t ordered at all and took for granted were included in the meal, which is why we put in our bags apart from the little round cheese tasting like Cheddar and which we ate. It tourned out that the 2 bread hunks was very dry the next day and the sardines tasted like something you don’t want to eat and we had to throw those 2 containers out. We had paid €5 for these extras. Afterwards when we went to the elevator we discovered that they closed at 9 pm (because there had to be security people for safety reasons). Consequently we had to take a cab and fortunately they are not expensive.

Thursday we went to Cascais for swimming – first we went to the train station Rossio but people were queueing in long lines and besides it was not the train station we needed so we had to go back to ”our” subway  and take the line to Cais do Sodré which had the connection to Cascais – a small fashionable  seaside town by the Atlantic ocean about 45 minutes with train from Lisbon. We started to walk along the beach and continued to the center of the small town and its narrow charming pedestrian street where we had a drink and witnessed a ongoing protest in Portugal due to a coming municipal election. We had already observed young people walking in the streets of center Lisbon shouting.  We spend some time at the lovely beach – the water was unfortunately too cold for my knees but Birgit was very excited about it after having defeated the cold. We arrived home late and choose to eat close by the flat which was a very bad choise – I had a burned chicken which was almost uneatable. Exhaustion began to show its teeth.

Friday was chosen to explore the Portugal markets which I have found on the internet. We started to walk which turned out to be a longer walk than expected. Birgit had discoveret that the subway stations were not far apart but unfortunately it did not mean it was faster to walk to the Feira na Avenida market which was going to be on Avenue da Liberade. It also turned out unfortunately that this market was only once a month so we walked a long way in vain. We decided to go for another market Santo Estevão Urban Fair instead. This should close to the museum by the water however it turned out that it was much further away than expected and again we had to give up finding it but for different reasons as we did not know what bus to take and we already had done a lot of walking that day. We were also walking in the sun and the temperature was about 30 degrees which took the Mickey out of us. After a lot of walking – this time however in small narrow and charming old streets by accident we passed a Chinese restaurant and decided to go back there and eat later because it was conveniently placed close to the subway station Martim Monitz. Our luck was also that by accident we found a huge copy marked connected to this station only 2 stops from “ours”.  After a shower and a rest we returned to the restaurant and had a pleasant meal and saw how the young people filled the streets to party Friday night.

Saturday – last entire day – we decided to try to find the last market on my list Feira da Ladra which should be an iconic market with old and new stuff – and so it was and I bought a cheap belt and some jewelry.  Tought by yesterday walking we took a tuk-tuk to the market. It was run by a young student who took us to a fantastic place for a view over Lisbon close to the market. He also told the story about the fortress Sao Jorge and how the Portugueese had chased the Mauerne away some hundred years ago.  After visiting the market we decided also to inspect the copy market from yesterday and that was a good idea. That market was considerable bigger than first anticipated. It covered not a huge area underground but an entire blok down a pedestrian street next to the subway.  We did not manage to get home early to relaxe but as it was the last day we decided to find the spectacular Chinese restaurant that I have read about on the internet. We got ourselves a cab and drove to the area of Bairro Alto where we had not been yet. The restaurant turned out to be an ”old” pub with plush chairs and showcases from the floor to the ceiling with every possible and funny things. After a drink we went to find a place to eat but ended up in our well known area by the elevators where I had duck (not specifically tasty but a lot of meat). After the meal we hurried home to get some sleep before we had to get up very early for the flight back to Denmark. 

Jylland/Jutland

3 dage i Jylland på lynvisit i Silkeborg og Aars hos familie og venner

3 days in Jutland - fast track visiting family and friends in Silkeborg and Aars

Nepal

At krydse grænsen til Nepal er som at komme fra en bikube ud på stille sommereng. Forskellen er slående, men 30 mill. mennesker er jo også en væsentlig forskel. Turen fra Varanasi til Bhutwal foregik endnu engang med tog nogle timer, hvorefter vi krydsede grænsen Sunauli-Bhairahawa på gåben. I Bhutwal overnattede vi blot og fik en god middag for tidlig næste morgen at fortsætte til Lumbini, som er Buddas fødested. Det er så helligt, at man ikke må have sko på eller medbringe dem i området omkring den store hvide bygning, som indkapsler stedet, hvor Budda blev født – der var ønskebrønde både inde og ude, så du kan bidrage lidt til ”kassen”. Ligesom i Indien løber der mange herreløse hunde omkring og lider under heden.  De er alle venlige og burde blive taget hånd om, men kulturen er så anderledes.

Man kan bruge nogle indiske penge i Nepal men ellers har de egen mønt. Også her er der forskel på priserne alt efter om man er lokal eller turist.

Varmen var stadig ulidelig, men det blev dog en smule mindre varmt efterhånden som vi nåede Barauli i Churia-bjergene, hvilket var godt eftersom der ikke var aircondition i de små lerhytter, som vi skulle overnatte i. Landsbyen lå langt væk fra turistområder og muligheden for at være der var foranlediget i samarbejde med landsbyens beboere. Høns, geder, køer og marker samt kun med de mest elementære fornødenheder var et totalt afbræk fra larmen og menneskemængden og bilerne i Indien. Vi blev modtaget af kvinder iført lokal festklædedragt med blomsterkranse til os.

En hyggelig cykeltur rundt i området på cykler, der havde set bedre dage og som mere passede til små pygmæer end til høje vesterlændinge, blev den første oplevelse. Overalt råbte og vinkede børnene. Vi cyklede til Rapti-floden tæt på, som lå lige inden for hegnet til nationalparken Chitwan med næsehorn, tigre, leoparder og krokodiller m.fl. Dagen efter kørte vi imidlertid langt ind i nationalparken i Jeeps men så desværre ingen tigre eller leoparder, men vel ikke så underligt når der kommer larmende biler tæt på. Nationalparken er ikke lige som en Afrikansk steppe med masser af synlige dyr. Vi kom dog tæt på næsehorn – næsten for tæt samt så nogle tamme elefanter. Krokodillerne var ”desværre” også rimelig fraværende – der var en enkelt at spotte langt væk, men der var hjorte og masser af fugle bl.a. påfugle og papegøjer. Om aftenen var der ret imponerende lokal stammedans. De unge tilskyndes til at holde deres traditioner ved lige. Uheldigvis var jeg for træt til at deltage i gåturen i landsbyen næste dag. Det var hele tiden en kamp at holde trit med de andre pga. den virus, som jeg havde reddet mig.

I Pokhara, Nepals 3. største by, som ligger ved Phewa-søen, begyndte temperaturen at blive mere normal. Det tropiske lavland ligger helt tæt på bjergene, hvilket ikke kan opleves nogen andre steder i verden. Byen har udviklet sig til en ren turistby med masser af souvenirbutikker og restauranter og et startsted for bjergvandring, men stadigvæk en ret rolig by. På vej til hotellet besøgte vi et hjem for kvinder, der er sluppet fri fra menneskehandlere. Kl. 5 næste morgen gik turen til Sarangkot, som er et udkigspunkt, som ligger 1592 m over havet for at se solen gå op over Himalayabjergene, men diset vejr forhindrede os desværre i at se toppene ligesom al flyvning over dem måtte aflyses. Herefter blev det til endnu en dag med shopping og sightseeing i området.

Dagen efter blev det til endnu en lang køretur på ca. 200 km mod Katmandu, som varede 7-8 timer pga. de lokales uhensigtsmæssige kørsel og overhalinger i bjergene, som skabte en kø på flere timer mellem Pokhara og Katmandu. Vi nåede derfor også kun lige akkurat tempelkomplekset Swayambhunath (kaldet abetemplet pga. de mange Rhesusaber, der holder til). Templet ligger på en bakketop 77 m over dalen. Forneden af bakken går der en 300 trin trappe op til toppen, hvis man går hele turen op. De aber, som vi havde hørt så meget om myldrer rundt, var næsten fraværende måske pga. den særlige højtid med mange mennesker både lokale og turister. Hele komplekset var pyntet med en masse flag. Udsigten fra toppen var utrolig god og man kunne se ud over Katmandu. Om aftenen gik turen til en af Thamals mange restauranter og en kort tur rundt i de mange gader.

Den allersidste dag oplevede jeg for første gang regn på turen. Det væltede ned i nogle timer og så var det overstået, og for første gang kunne man tage en trøje på og lukkede sko. Efter regnen var Katmandus gader i Thamal (bazarområdet) det rene pladder, men det tog noget af støvet fra alle gaderne. Katmandu er utrolig støvet og beskidt. På Durbar Square var de i gang med genopretning af ødelæggelserne efter orkanen året forinden. Det kostede derfor en bondegård at komme ind på pladsen.

Mellem Durbar Square og Thamal for jeg vild. Jeg anede ikke hvor jeg var. Til sidst måtte jeg spørge en lokal, der ikke var til at slippe af med og som ”uden beregning” bragte mig broen over til det finere kvarter Durbar Marg, hvor butikkerne var færre og mere vestlige at se på. Han fik ikke en krone. Efterfølgende måtte jeg så spørge igen spørge om vej. De 2 unge betjente gik langt for at vise mig vej, men jeg er nu ikke sikker på, at de vidste hvor jeg skulle hen.

Godt udmattet fandt jeg omsider hotellet og så var det tid til at køre til lufthavnen, så jeg kunne komme hjem og pleje min sygdom, som var begyndt at tære rigtig meget på mig. 

Crossing the border of Nepal is like going from a busy bee cube to a silent summer meadow. The change is strikening, but 30 million people are also quite a difference. Another train ride from Varanasi to Bhutwal and the border of Nepal took this time only a few hours. We crossed the border Sunauli-Bhairahawa walking. In Bhutwal we just stayed the night and had a nice evening meal before heading to Lumbini the next day to see the birth place of Budda. The place is so holy that you cannot wear shoes or bring them into the area of the great white building which surround the place where Budda was born – There are wishing wells inside and outside, so you can contribute to the ”eternal” collecting money culture. Just as in India there are a lot of street dogs running around in the heat. They are all kind and should have been taken care of, but the culture is so different.

Indian 100 INR is also a valid currency in Nepal apart from this they have their own currency. Also in this country the prices are different depending on whether you are a native or not.

The heat was a little less unbearable as we arrived in Barauli at the Churia mountains, which was good as there was no aircondition in the small huts of clay for our overnight stays. The village was far away from tourist areas and our staying was made possible in cooperation with the locals. Hens, goats, cows and fields together with only the necessities were a total disruption from the noices, crowds  and cars of India. We were received by woman dressed in local outfits putting flower wreaths around our necks.
The first event in the village was a nice bikeride around the area on bikes, which had seen better days and were more fit for Little people than tall westerns. Everywhere the kids were shouting and wawing. One of the stops was the river Rapti not far away. It was behind a fence as the river was within Chitwan national park with rihnos, tigers, leopards and crocodiles etc. The next day however was a jeepride round the national park but unfortunately we did not see any tigers or leopards, but not so strange as cars are not silent vehicles. The national park is not like the African Savannahs with lots of visible animals. We did however come close to some rhinos – almost too close. Also a couple of tame elefants were around. Unfortunately crocodiles were fairly absent  – only one to spot far away but dears and lots of birds such as peacocks and parrots. In the evening an impressive tribe dance was performed by the locals. The Young ones are encouraged to keep their traditions alive.  Because of my virus I was too tired to attend next days walk the village area. Most of the time it was a struggle for me to keep pace with the group.

In Pokhara, the 3rd biggest city of Nepal by the lake Phewa the temperature started to become a little more normal. The unusual combination of tropical lowland and Mountains is not seen anywhere else on the globe. The city has developed into a tourist area with lots of souvenir shops and restaurants but still rather peaceful and a starting point for trackers. On the way to the hotel there was a stop by the home for women having escaped their trafficers. The next morning 5 am we were heading to Sarangkot, which is a peak 1592 m above the sea to see the sunrise over the Himalayas. Unfortunately the weather was to misty and we couldn't see the top of the Mountains. Even flights over the Mountains were cancelled for the same reason. After this there was another day of shopping and sightseeing in the area.

The day after it was another long car drive of about 200 km to Katmandu. It lasted 7-8 hours due to the crazy driving by the native people and the many takeovers on the narrow mountains roads ended up in a car queue of several hours between Pokhara and Katmandu. Therefore we only just made it to the tempel complex Swayambhunath (also called the monkey tempel due to the many Rhesus monkeys that stick around). The tempel is on a top of a hill 77 m above the valley. From the the bottom of the hill there are 300 steeps to the top if you walk all the way up. All the monkeys that we had heard so much about were absent - maybe because of the extra many local people also present to celebrate the season. The entire complex were full of small flags in different colours just as was the case in Buddas birthplace in Bhutwal. The view from the top was amazing and you could see most of Katmandu. In the evening we were walking the streets of Thamals to visit one of the many restaurants.

The last day in Nepal it rained for the first time on my trip. Actually it was pouring down for several hours and then suddenly it stopped. For the first time I wore a cardigan and closed shoes. After the rain the streets of Katmandus especially in Thamal (the area with bazars) were very muddy, but it cleared away some of the dust. Katmandu is unbelievable durty and dusty. In Durbar Square a reconstruction of the damages from the hurricane the year before was ongoing. The price to enter the area was astronomic.

Between Durbar Square and Thamal I was lost. My inner compas was totally out of order. I had to ask a local for help but of course he was not that easy to get rid of - he wanted to show me the way out of the area "free of charge" and brought me to the bridge to the richer nabourhood Durbar Marg, where the shops are fewer and more western. He didn't get a dime. However still not knowing the way to the hotel I had to ask two young policemen for a direction. They walked far to show me, but I think they did not know where I was heading because I ended up not far away from the spot where I had started in Durbar Marg.

Very exhausted and in good time before having to go to the airport I found the hotel so I was able to get back home and get well, as the virus was beginning to wear me out. 

Indien/India

1,1 mia. mennesker i Indien – ikke overraskende at verden bliver overbefolket. Ikke mange fra Vesten ønsker at bo i Indien, men alligevel er der strenge regler for at komme ind (iflg. Kilder er det en modforanstaltning fordi at Vesten har stramme visumregler mod dem). Vejret var ved ankomsten til New Delhi som forventet ekstrem varmt – hedebølgen var ankommet blot 1 uge før, altså ca. 1 måned tidligere end forventet. 43 grader om dagen – og op til 39 grader om aftenen. Lufthavnen var desuden fuld af uniformerede soldater med tunge våben, så jeg i første omgang troede, at der var en terrortrussel. Glem endelig ikke noget inde i lufthavnen - er du først gået ud, kan du ikke komme ind igen.

Man skal væbne sig med tålmodighed, når man kommer til Indien. Trafikken er tæt med køer på vejbanen og alt kørende på hjul, der ikke overholder nogen regler, så kaos og trafikpropper er daglig underholdning. Jeg bemærkede især, hvor dygtigt inderne undgår ulykker selvom de kører helt sindssygt. De formår også at snog sig i snævre gader uden at påkøre nogen eller noget – det er helt fascinerende. Jeg tror ikke mange vesterlændinge kunne klare det lige så godt. Der findes i øvrigt ikke megen lysregulering i Indien men en masse rundkørsler. Der er heller ikke meget politi til at styre alle lovovertrædelserne, men det er også ligegyldigt eftersom politiet er korrupt

Rejseruten var New Delhi – Jaipur – Agra – Orccha – Varanasi – Bhutwal og Lumbini – Barauli og Chitwan National Park – Pokhra – Katmandu og meget trættende, da der højest var overnatning på samme hotel 2 dage.

New Delhi om aftenen mindede mig om mit første indtryk af Hong Kong – ikke til at se en hånd for sig for mennesker på gaden og reklameskilte, som skygger for alt anden udsigt. Det var et meget kort møde med Delhi, men jeg fik da lige set et par attraktioner så som India Gate, hvor vi lige kunne øjne præsidentboligen Rashtrapati Bhavan selvom den lå meget langt væk og Connaught Place, der især bærer præg af den tidligere britiske kolonitid. Derefter gik rejsen videre til Jaipur længere sydpå. Det var begyndelsen til mange timers kørsel gennem et landskab af fattigdom og oceaner af affald allevegne. Meget affald har jeg set rundt omkring, men Indien slår det 2 gange – ikke en plet uden affald selv de mest øde steder.

I Jaipur var attraktionen The Pink City – hvor et afgrænset område bliver holdt i falmet lyserød. Det var bare så varmt, at det var ulideligt selv i skyggen, og man fik hurtigt overstået sine beskuelser. Særligt for mig, som i forvejen har det med varme, var varmen en udfordring. Derfor blev jeg også lidt imponeret over, at man spillede Indiens nationalsport Cricket selv i den hede.

Jaipur er et handelscentrum for delstaten Rajastan og uden IT-centre og vindmøllefabrikker. Vi ankom ret sent, så der blev kun tid til et kort hvil på hotellet før det gik videre i richshaws til en biograf med en Bollywoodfilm.  De indiske richshaws er bygget, så man føler man falder af, hvis man ikke læner sig godt tilbage og holder fast. En Bollywoodfilm er en speciel oplevelse. Inden filmen går i gang står alle op og synger nationalsangen. Under filmen, som kan være usædvanlig langtrukken og på indisk, larmer folk med begejstrede tilråb og hujen. Bollywoodfilm er dans og pladderromatik. 

Dagen efter gik turen først til Hawa Mahal (vindenes palads) der kun udgør en facade ud til en befærdet vej. Det udgjorde tidligere et udsigtspunkt for Jaipurs royale kvinder, for at lade dem se uden at blive set. Derefter gik det videre til Amber Fort lidt uden for byen. Heden var ulidelig selvom det endnu ikke var middag og fortet lå forholdsvis højt over byen i et åbent landskab. Man skulle hele tiden passe på med at fotografere de indfødte, da de straks greb chancen til at kræve penge. Hele vejen igennem var det utrolig generende hele tiden at blive presset for penge. Turisterne blev advaret om ikke at falde for tiggeriet. Ingen behøver at sulte i Indien, da der er gratis mad i templerne. Efter Amber Fort blev det tid til at blive præsenteret for købsmuligheder i en lille forretning, hvor man selv trykkede mønstre på stofferne, men priserne var turistpriser – det blev dog til et par tynde bukser og et sjal. Man skulle jo helst være anstændig selvom man mest havde lyst til det modsatte. Derefter blev det til en kort frokost, så man kunne tage en gåtur til Jaipur City Palace og se på en hel masse gamle ting, men det var så varmt, at det var svært at koncentrere sig.

Udmattelsen var allerede ved at gøre sit indtog, så jeg var den eneste der blev på hotellet for at få en hvil. Heldigvis var Mandy vores guide der stadig, og hun var på vej ud for at hente penge i byen, så jeg tog med og bagefter tog vi en tur rundt i the Pink City og kiggede på smykker.Foruden alle de gængse bazarer, er der en masse juvelbutikker med ædelstene fra rubiner, safirer og smaragder til ametyster og andre billigere sten – alt  til rimelige priser men også med lidt hang til ringe kvaliteter. Diamanter er ikke særlig udbredte i de mange butikker.

Vores hotel lå midt i et virvar af smågader med handlende og en masse støj – men sjovt nok var der helt stille lige så snart vi kom inden for hotellets jernlåger og høje mure. I boderne, hvor man tilberedte og solgte mad, lå det råt kød i den stegende hede, så man skulle holde sig fra maden på gaden. Man skulle også holde sig fra frugt, der ikke kunne skraldes og selvfølgelig is og vand – selv is med ukendte mærker fra isboder. Man blev også rådet til at tjekke plumberingen på de vandflasker, som man købte.

Dagen efter var det igen tidligt op for at køre de 5-6 timer til Agra. Først til Agra Fort med den utrolig smukke tomme Moské i hvid marmor, Jehangiri Mahal, hvorfra man kan se over til Taj Mahal i det fjerne. Taj Mahal var selvfølgelig smukt og imponerende udvendigt. Man glemmer umiddelbart at det kun er et mausoleum indtil man kommer inden for, hvor det jo er begrænset hvad der er. Aberne, som er overalt i Indien, drønede også rundt alle vegne. Efter Agra startede den første togtur til Jhansi igennem et landskab med spredte små og større landsbyer med huse af alt fra skure og træ og blik til dårlig muret huse. I Jhansi gik det ud af byen til den hellige by Orchha med en ½ times kørsel i Tuk-Tuk. Hotellet var rart og vi slap for at ligge i en teltlejr, da det simpelthen var for varmt. Der har som sædvanlig ikke meget internet at hente, men rigtig dejligt ikke at føle presset af det digitale mediepres.

Der er dejligt i Orchha, en af Indiens mest hellige byer, som er en meget lille og søvnig by ved Betwafloden.

Inden en Hinduceremoni (Puja) i det nærliggende Ran Raja var vi inviteret til at overvære indvielsen af en hjemmeside for byen – vi fik både blomsterkranse om halsen og fotograferet af de lokale journalister. Man følte sig næste som en berømthed. I øvrigt ville alle meget gerne fotograferes med hvide turister.

Dagen efter blev endnu et gammelt palads Orchha Palace fra Mongultiden set i stegende hede, og dagen efter igen blev jeg syg af en virus, som gjorde mig stum i 2 dage og gav hoste og feber resten af turen, men jeg havde heldigvis et helt apotek med, så jeg klarede at holde den gående. Forinden fik jeg dog en tur for mig selv over floden på en bro, der var så smal, at jeg næsten røg ud over kanten da en bus kørte forbi for at krydse floden. Der blev badet lystigt i floden, men mange har jo heller ikke sanitet. Man bør holde sig i respektfuld afstand.

Pga. min virus var den 14 timers togtur til Varanasi derfor også ekstra ubehagelig. De indiske toge er ikke ligefrem luksuriøse og sovekupeerne er åbne og med 7 sovepladser, som både er korte og oven på hinanden i 3-køjefunktion. Jeg lukkede ikke et øje hele natten.

Hotellet lå ikke så langt fra stationen, men jeg var heldig at blive kørt den korte vej med Tuk-tuk og kufferter, fordi jeg var så svedt. Efter at bagagen var anbragt spiste vi frokost på hotellet – det var for varmt at gå ud og der foregik ikke så meget i nærheden af hotellet, som lå et godt stykke vej fra floden Ganges og de Ghats, som vi skulle se. Sidst på eftermiddagen blev vi hentet og kørt ned til Gangesfloden for at gå en kort tur omkring de mange Ghats inden det gik ud på vandet i en lille båd for at opleve større hindu ceremonier langs vandet. Der var utrolig mange mennesker og ceremoniel hindu klokkemusik og alligevel var det en fredsfyldt oplevelse at se det siddende i en lille båd tæt på det hele. Hinduer har ligbrændinger langs vandet hele døgnet rundt og de foregår ligesom en del af hele livsformen, hvor der også bades i den beskidte hellige flod både morgen og aften for at vaske alle synder væk. Tidligt om morgenen den næste dag blev vi hentet af richshaws i gyden ved hotellets bagindgang for at tage endnu en bådtur på Ganges ved solopgang samt en større morgenyogaseance foretaget af en Guru og med deltagelse af de lokale og en enkelt ko, som vadede rundt blandt folk. Bagefter blev det til en kort gåtur langs nogle af de 108 Ghats, hvorefter turen gik videre de 13 km til Sarnath for at se ruinerne, hvor Budda holdt sin først prædiken og det træ (flyttet), hvor han sad under og fik sin åbenbaring samt besøge et Budda tempel og blive ”snydt” af et familiemedlem til en af munkene. De lader deres familier tjene penge på bl.a. at opkræve betaling for at man stiller sine sko i 5 min uden for et tempel.  Bagefter var vi nogle få som valgte af gå i de nærliggende meget smalle gader for at se vævemarkedet og hvordan man laver skabeloner til tøjmønstre fra bunden samt hele processen til det kan sælges af små overherreagtige muslimer med den sædvanlige arrogance – man kan næsten adskille dem for andre kulturer bare ved deres adfærd. Sælgeren var i hvert fald ikke til for kunderne og der var selvfølgelig heller ”ingen” pression på køberne. Om aftenen kunne man så få sig en billig hudmaling med Henna, som bruges meget i Indien som en del af påklædningen ved bryllupper. Der lå nogle små simple og fattige barakker i området omkring hotellet, hvor nogle af de lokale piger tjente nogle ekstra penge på at udsmykke turister. Hennamaling holder ca. 14 dage.

1.1 billion people in India – not surprising that the world is overpopulated. Even though not many people from the West want to live there, there are strict visa regulations to get into the country (according to sources because of the strict regulations against Indians coming to the West).

As expected it was extremely hot when I arrived in New Delhi – the heat had arrived just 1 week before – which was 1 month earlier than expected. Around 43 degrees centigrade during the day and up to 39 degrees centigrade in the evening – the airport was full of men in uniform with heavy weapons. I almost thought that terror was around the corner. Don't forget anything inside the airport - you will not be allowed to enter again if you have stepped outside.

You need to be patient when you are in India. The traffic is dense with cows and everything on wheel. None of them comply with rules and regulations, so chaos and traffic jam is daily entertainment.

The itineray was New Delhi – Jaipur – Agra – Orccha – Varanasi – Bhutwal and Lumbini – Barauli and Chitwan National Park – Pokhra – Katmandu and very exhausting, as it involved only 2 days at the most in each hotel.

New Delhi reminded me of my first impression of Hong Kong – crowds of people everywhere and commercial signs covering for any view of orientation. Delhi was only a brief meeting but I saw some attractions like the India Gate with a view to the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan quite far away, and Connaught Place with buildings from the time when India was a British colony. The journey continued to Jaipur further south. It was in fact the start of many hours of driving through a landscape of powerty and loads of garbage everywhere. I have seen much garbage in the East but India beets it times 2e – ikke en plet uden affald selv de mest øde steder. I have seen much garbage around the globe but India beats it times 2 – not a single spot without trash – not even the most desolated places.

The Pink City was the attraction in Jaipur – a limited area kept in faded pink. Sightseeing was however kept to a limit because of the boiling heat. Especially for me the heat was a challenge, which was why I was impressed by the Cricket players were able to play India’s national sport during day time.

Jaipur is a commercial center in the India's biggest state Rajastan but has no IT centers or windmill factories. The arrival was pretty late so there was only time for a short rest in the hotel before the pickup by richshaws to watch a Bollywoodfilm. The Indian richshaws are built so that you feel that you might fall of if you don’t lean back or cling to anything solid on the bike. A Bollywoodfilm is a special experience. Before the movie starts everyone stands up and sings the national anthem. During the movie which is both long lasting and in Indian language people make a lot of noise both cheering and hoots. Bollywood films are dances and hogwash romance. 

The next day started at the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the winds), but it is only a facade next to a busy road. In the earlier days it was the possibility for Jaipur’s royal females to watch the outside without being seen. After this short stop the ride went on to Amber Fort a little outside the city. The heat was unbearable although it was not even midday yet. The fort was on a hill in an open landscape. All the time you have watch out not to take photos of the native people who right away would see the chance for charging you for money. After each time abroad you tend to forget how annoying it is to have people begging for money all the time. Tourists are warned not to fell pity for the beggars because no one needs to starve in India, as there is enough free food in the temples. After having seen Amber Fort we were of course presented for shopping possibilities probably the guide got a share of the income from the little shop, where they did pattern printing on the fabrics themselves - at tourist prices of course – I did though buy a pair of thin trousers and a shawl.  After a short lunch it was time for a walk to Jaipur City Palace to see a lot of old stuff, but it was too hot to concentrate.

Exhaustion was already beginning to be a problem so I was the only one left back in the hotel because I had to have a long rest, but fortunately Mandy our guide was still behind and about to go out to get cash and so invited me to join her to the Pink City looking at bazars and a lot of jewelry shops with all kinds of gems from rubies, sapphires and emeralds to amethysts and other cheaper stones – al at fair prices but probably also a little less good quality. Not many shops had diamonds.

The hotel was in the middle of a jungle of small streets with traders and a lot of noise – but strangely it was very quiet as soon as you were behind the walls of the hotel. In the bazars selling and preparing food they had raw meat lying on tables in the heat, so you had to be careful with the street food 
and I never ate any nor had ice or drank tapwater – only peelable fruit and ice from well known brands. You also had to check the sealing of the waterbootles.

The day after it was time to drive the 5-6 hours to Agra to see Tash Mahal but the first stop was Agra Fort with an unbelievable beautiful but empty Mosque in white marble Jehangiri Mahal from where you could see the Tash Mahal far away. Tash Mahal was just as beautiful and impressive from the outside as it is on pictures. You forget that it is a mausoleum until you get inside and notice the empty room apart from the 2 coffins in the middle. Like everywhere in India the monkeys were jumping about. Early the next morning we had to catch the train to Jhansi. 4 hours ride through a landscape with scattered villages and houses made of wood and tin or just bad brickwork. The transport from Jhansi to Orchha was ½ hour in a Tuk-Tuk. The hotel was nice and cool and we avoided staying in a tent camp as it was too hot. As was the fact for most places in India there was no internet connection and it was pretty nice not to feel the social media pressure and the impactc of bad News.

Orchha is one of India's most holy places an is a pleasant very small and sleepy town by the river Betwa.

Before the Hindu ceremony (Puja) in the close by temple Ran Raja we were invited to vitness the introduction of a new website for the town – we got flowers around the neck and had our photos taken by the local journalists. They all made us feel like celebraties. It also appeared that it is a trend to have your photo taken with white tourists.

Another old palace Orchha Palace from the period of the mughals was seen in the burning sun the next day and the day after this I became ill from a virus, which made me mute for 2 days and a caught and fever for the rest of my holiday. Fortunately I had brought an entire pharmacy along with me which kept me on my feet. Before I fell ill I managed a walk on my own across the river on a bridge, which was so narrow that I was almost pushed into the river when a bus passed by to cross. Many people both men, women and children were taking a bath in the river, as they do not have running water. You do of course keep a respectful distance.

Due to my virus infection the 14 hours train ride to Varanasi was extraordinary unpleasant. The Indian trains are not exactly luxurious and the sleeping compartments are open and included up to 7 baubles, which were both short and on top of each other like a 3-bunk function. I did not sleep all night.

The hotel City Inn was not far away from the station. The drivers of the Tuk-Tuks did however notice my state of health and offered me a ride along with the trunks. I had lunch at the hotel – it was far to hot to go outside and there was not much to see  in the neighborhood of the hotel, which was pretty far from the river Ganges and the Ghats that we were going to see later. Around 5 pm we were picked up and taken to the area close to the river to make a short walk in the chaos of people, bikes, scooters, cars and cows before we reached the little boat, which took us along the Ghats to a big event of Hindu ceremonies while the sky quickly turned dark. There were unbelievable many people both in boats on the river but also on shore. Young boys were jumping from boat to boat to sell you everything from water to souvenirs.  It was all quite pieceful though to seat in a little boat so close to it all and accompanied by ceremonial Hindu bell music. The Hindus have cremations of their love ones along the river around the clock and they are a part of the entire circle of life at the river where people also wash away their sins in the dirty but holy water both morning and noon. Early next morning we were again picked up by richshaws in the alley behind the hotel to do another boatride on Ganges at sunrise and after that we took part in a morning yoga seance by a Guru and with the participation of the locals and a single cow wandering around in the middle of the crowd. After the yoga we went for a walk along some of the 108 Ghats and then took tuk-tuks to Sarnath 13 km away to see ruins where Budda had his first sermon, the holy tree (moved from its original position) and at Budda temple and to be “cheated” by a family member of one of munks, who earned his living by charging people for money to store their shooes while they visit the temple. After that we went to the weavers market in very narrow streets not possible for traffic to see how templates for patterns are made from scratch - the entire process till fabrics sold by small very arrogant muslims believing they are special as always – you can almost seperate them from any other culture just by their behaviour. He was not serviceminded at all and there was "of course" no pressure to buy. In the evening I had a cheap painting on my skin with Henna which is very common in India in connections with weddings. A local girl earned some extra money painting turists in very poor and simple shack not far from the hotel. Henna painting lasts about 2 weeks.