mladen in india | take two

no words.

2008-04-09T12:43:00.003+05:30

update from the melting south...

2008-03-20T11:25:00.004+05:30

wow, seeing the date of my last post, i realized how long i haven't written anything...

nevertheless, not much has been going on besides getting hotter and hotter. hot, humid and full of mosquitoes, that's what gokarna's like. the sea's become too warm to refresh one, so people look for consolation in the shower, where the water is quite warm as well...

i'll be heading north next week, on a three-day ride up to almora in uttaranchal, north of delhi. i'm not sure if i'll have internet up there, so don't worry if you don't hear from me...

i just tried to upload some photos, but the whole computer almost crashed down, so i'm not sure if that's wise... i'll try to put some on when i come to delhi in mid april.

until then, have fun, enjoy & i'll talk to you soon!

cheers,
mladen

the southern comfort.

2008-02-19T14:50:00.007+05:30

i just took a stroll down the beach to get to this internet place, dipping my feet into the warm sand and wavy water. yes, i'm back south and it feels even better than it sounds! :D
i had this idea of going a bit around north, maybe even to nepal, but there was a cold wave in the entire asia which just wasn't loosing up. so after ten days in and around delhi, i decided i'd go back down south, where it's warm, nice and familiar.
we took a break from delhi for a couple of days though and went a bit north of the city, to rajaji national park, haridwar and some very nice and posh places we were pampered in around uttar pradesh.
then it was time to hit the road, so i was mentally preparing for the 35+ hour ride back down south. it actually passed quite fast and painless and now when i'm here, it feels like nothing...
anyway, here's a couple of photos and you'll hear from me after about a month, when i go back north...
cheers from sunny gokarn,
mladen

light games inside a church in uttar pradesh.

washing stuff in the ganga.

the sunset over the holy ganga.

little elephant, unfortunately captivated for training.

fancy places, yes...

delhi metro, on the way to the national museum.

outside the museum.

detail of india gate, a momument decorated to indian victims.

south extension, delhi's posh shopping area.

back south...

a tad from delhi...

2008-02-09T11:52:00.001+05:30

well, it's been a while since i last posted anything, so here goes...

the rest of rajasthan was nice, since we met some friends and prolonged our stay a bit... the not so nice thing is that my stupid usb transferred the virus that i mentioned earlier and infected nitin's laptop, so we lost all the data. yeah.
luckily, nitin had gotten his laptop recently and it had vista on it, which miraculously saved all the data even though he restored it fully to the factory setting. i don't know if i'm that much out of date, but this is great and it's so nice to see all those photos back on...

anyway, delhi's been weird, especially after the last couple of times i was here and it felt great. this time i just felt suffocated by it, by its shitty weather and the shit-covered streets, there's a massive cold front along whole asia and it's coming down from the himalayas, but it's sunny today, so we'll see what we'll do. nitin suggested we might play volleyball or something, since we're not going to corbett reserve till next week, from what it looks like.
oh yeah, the other day i took the metro three lines operating at the moment and more about to come by 2010) and it was cool, super clean and fast.

anyway, i haven't been doing much but sitting in my room and trying to fix my broken discman. last night i got really pissed off by this guy who plays harmonium, the world's most annoying instrument, at insane times like 11 pm or 7 am. so just now i went and bough another crappy discman, which is hopefully gonna get me through all of this guy's musical nights...

i haven't got a clue where to go next, since i was planning to go north, but i just keep reading about record snowfalls (like in the past 100 years) in the newspapers. i've been talking to marina and nitin, so after corbett i might stick around uttaranchal, going to haridwar, rishikesh and around and then coming back to celebrate marina and nitin's anniversary and waving them bye...
then we'll see, i might go down to orccha or somewhere around, since i've spent most of my money and there's no way i can afford going to nepal and around, as the original plan was...

anyway, there's not much i've got to say actually, i have a feeling like i should leave delhi for a bit, since it seems a bit overwhelming at times, but i've run into some people here and i'm trying to find some charm in it all. the crazy thing's that i'm actually managing...

since i've no idea where i'll be off to next, don't get all worried if i don't write or post, since the internet in the mountains can sometimes be hard to find. you'll hear from me when i get a hold of a computer or when i get back to delhi or somewhere...

i hope all's ok with you guys, have fun and i'll talk to you soon...

cheers from at-the-moment sunny delhi!

mladen
म्लादेन

enjoying the cushioned view of pushkar.

rajiv chowk at delhi's connaught place.

marina and nitin enjoying the pushkar haveli.

the peanuts inspection's back.

monkeys hanging around the temple.

someone told me there's not enough photos of me,
so here's my big dry nose.

pidgeons flying over one of pushkar's temples.

a bit around rajasthan...

2008-02-01T15:31:00.000+05:30

the last few days in pushkar were spent trying out different restaurants, sitting on the terrace and flying kites. our guest house owner took us for a ride outside the town and inside the barren landscape of rajasthan. we visited a baba, had some tea and saw a 500-year old banyan, a tree that grows roots out of its branches. people usually take scooters or bikes to go around the surrounding villages, but it was even better in a car, with all the dust and sand kept on the other side of the window. the evening was spiced up with a fire on the terrace (and additionally with a piece of dry cow shit we used as well), since it's been very cold lately.

in order to break up the daily pushkar routine a bit and float outside the pushkar bubble, we decided to go for a ride to jodhpur. we set of early in the morning (which would be something around eight), just after we met up with jenny in the it's-actually-named 'techno chaishop' on the main bazaar. the ride was great, since nitin (and us all) could enjoy the fancy new roads, another project of the indian government (thank you for the music). it took as around five hours to get there, but the ride was everything but boring. surviving multiple trucks-buses-tractors-bikes overtakings, trying to spot neel gayas (a type of deer or so) and checking out the bare landscape outside made the time pass by quite fast.

before we knew it, we could spot the 500-year old fort meherangarh in the distance and we started fighting our way into the city. although lonely planet (and some people) warned about the hassle in the city center, i've experienced much more hassle in mumbai, jaipur and some other places. i didn't want to jinx myself though, so i kept quite and enjoyed the (for now) peaceful walk around the bazaar. we spent most of the time sitting on the terrace enjoying the view (and a kind of millet bread) or walking around the bazaar. we also used to opportunity to grab a couple of beers (since alcohol's banned in pushkar) and we hit the sack after the dinner and a couple of mind games.

we were staying at an older couple's guest house with a fantastic view of the old fort, which we visited the next day. grabbing the set for the audio tour and shamelessly taking photos, i was determined to take advantage of all the options i got for the amount i had to pay to get in (not to mention the tourist vs. indian price ratio is more than 10:1). the fort was built on a 125 m high hill and is still run by the maharaja of jodhpur, showing the magnificent abilities and the influence of the rajas at that time (as well as now). the city was located on an important trading route, so it grew big and powerful and today it's one of the best-known spice meccas, famous for its saffron lassi (a drink similar to sour milk), supposedly the most refreshing of all drinks. the actual size (second thickest walls in the world, after the chinese wall) and the surreal appearance of the fort hit you as you start climbing towards it up the hill. turning around and looking over the whole city is even crazier.

jenny hit the road towards udaipur and we started back towards pushkar. we'll be heading for delhi, visiting some friends and settling business (in marina and nitin's case). the weekend after we'll be going off to corbett national tiger reserve, so keep those fingers crossed we spot some.

until the next update...

when in rome...

old jodhpur from the fort.

inside the fort.

nerdy tourists...

outside the fort.

view out the street from the roof top.

marina and nitin enjoying the sun...

the fort.

the 10 km walls around the city...

the blue city...

the 500-year old banyan tree.

need to change your saari?

view outside the balcony.

walking around jodhpur...

the skyline...

update from the cold north...

2008-01-25T11:46:00.000+05:30

okay, so my swimming pants are back in my backpack. my first trip in the year 2008 was the 2008 km trip from gokarna to jaipur. the most of the guys had already left gokarna, so two days after that i hit the road as well. it was hard to leave paradise again, but (simply trying to find some consolation) i told myself it was time to change the climate. the only bad thing is that it's way colder here, but i better get used to it, since i'll be spending the rest of the time in the northern parts.

the thirty-hour train ride was the same as all travels of this kind – painful, annoying, boring and tiring. but i met a girl from london and two guys from athens, so it wasn't that bad. at least i had someone to share my thoughts with and i can say it felt great. once again, i witnessed some things that got me thinking about life, people and myself. i think i best just try to forget this ride and look at it all as part of india, which in the end it is.

anyway, after 32 hours we finally got to jaipur and took a room since it was too late to keep on going, went for a stroll around the old fort and tried to believe our own eyes. jaipur is an extremely hectic place, with the traffic crazier than that of delhi and seemingly more people than mumbai. the city has almost three million people and it's one of the rare cities where i could really feel it. even busier than delhi, the rickshaw ride at around nine in the evening was spiced up by driving in the right lane (which is the wrong side in india), charts pulled by three-meter camels and shameless bargaining for the ride. we spent the rest of the evening sharing our life stories and hit the road again the day after. we took a bus to ajmer, which ended up being a matter of survival, since the bus driver kept taking over three trucks at a time while another three were coming the other way. mind you, this is not the typical style of driving (even in india), since the trucks moved to the side in the end and we kept driving on the wrong side of the road. neat, eh?

after another short ride up and down some hills, we finally reached pushkar, a small city on the edge of the thar desert. we fought our way through people trying to offer us everything from a room to a bride and by the time we reached the main bazaar, marina and nitin spotted me from a roof top restaurant. i spent the rest of the day catching up with them, freezing as hell and trying to stop moving left and right train-style.

it's warm during daytime, but during nights the temperature can go as low as two degrees. this means i'm back to five-layer clothing (visnja, you know what i mean) plus a blanket. the swimming pants are still drying outside, reminding me of a place so much warmer...

i didn't get much sleep last night, since the monkeys kept making mess right under my window. we got them some snacks today, so they'll hopefully behave a bit better tonight.

today i tried to put some photos online, but i got a virus on my usb from the computer in the internet cafe. i was a bit pissed off (since i had to format the whole thing) and i told the guy there's a virus, but he calmly replied he's gonna restart it and no problem. umm, ok.

so we took the car and went for a ride around pushkar. and i drove! yes, on the left side of the road. i was only driving for maybe five kms, making a circle around a hill pinned with temples, but by the time some trucks, camels and warthogs kept blocking my way, i gave the wheel back to master nitin. it was the second time i drove in india and i think i did quite good. i am posting this in the end, right?

one of these days we'll drive down to the blue city jodhpur and after a week or so we'll be hitting the road towards delhi, meeting some more friends and going a bit north, to a jungle tiger reserve and around, but you'll hear all about it when the time comes.

i better wrap it up now, since i'm sitting out on the terrace and one of these monkeys could easily slap me and run off.

until the next update, greetings from rajasthan!

mr. monkey eating the seeds that we threw him.

the third eye, a restaurant with traditional israeli food.

struggling through jaipur...

nikita and divya playing on a small sand island made by the waves.

nikita, divya and one balkan boy.

it was full moon just before i left...

pando with a kingfish.

another gorgeous sunset.

tom (or tom tom) watching over the entrance from the beach.

cow tracks on the beach...

om sweet om...

2007-12-23T12:26:00.000+05:30

not much has changed since i posted last time (besides eating, chilling and one guy twisting my nerves), but i thought i might give you all a little peak in my life here, so here are some photos...

this is one of the paths that lead between gardens and guest houses which line along the beach.

this is the house i live in, together with anita from bavaria, baba ganga from bangladesh and pascal from france.

one of the many palm trees i have to avoid in order not to have a coconut hit me on the head and break in two - the kokonat, not my bosnian head. :P

the guest house manager's daughter nikita making houses (don't ask me how) on the beach.

rosanna from italy enjoying the sunset. it hit the horizon last night, but i was so much into it i didn't wanna miss it in order to go get my camera.

fishing boats passing very close to the beach...

the guest house i stayed in last time (three years ago - right window was our room) had changed immensly, so i had to take a peek.

last night we had an insanely bright moon, so i took a photo before going to bed.

so, that'd be it for now...

have a merry christmas and a happy new year!

as promised...

2007-12-10T17:48:00.000+05:30

i'm posting... :P

i got to gokarn two nights ago, but i had to sleep over since it was like 1 am. but i got a lot earlier thatn i expected coz i caught a train in mubai...
well, i had so many things i was about to write, but it all slipped my mind. it's very hot, so i can't even think straight...

the flight was ok, although we had quite a rough landing in ljubljana & my cd player (ante!) wasn't working, so i was a bit bored, but i had three seats to myself, so it was ok. i dozed off a bit & the ping! sound brought me to reality, but i was glad it did. landing into istanbul i could see glowing tankers spread across the sea like pins on a dark blue board. that city is so big (i've read that it's got something like 13 million people!) & the airport is just a wow! it's the biggest airport in europe (considering square meters) & i had enough time to walk along it two times... it was a mecca for me with all those languages i could hear, different outfits, all those people (tons of japanese) aso...

mumbai is just insane. delhi feels somewhat like disneyland now... i landed around 4 am & as soon as i got out, i started sweating like a pig. the rickshaw brought me into chattrapati shiaji terminus where absolutely nothing was as it was stated in the lonely planet guide (i predict some emails to them...). i was supposed to spend the whole day in mumbai, but as jetlagged as i was, i was doubting myself if i could even do it. so i managed to catch a train before, which got me to goa at around 8 pm. then i had to take another train to karwar, since i wanted to get to gokarn asap. so i got to karwar and got ripped off by a rickshaw-wallah, but since i had no choice, it didn't feel to bad (as it does now)... i got to gokarn at 1 am, so i had to sleep over in a fancy hotel with a terrace & a sit-down toilet (probably the last one i'll see till may), but when i woke up i got to the guest house & settled down.

i still feel totally jet lagged, my cheeks are feeling strange & i play backgammon all the time. i hooked up with a guy from stonehenge & i keep catching up with anand, the manager a lot. the girls still remember me from three years ago, so they were extremely pleased to see the candy i brought them. there's already a mob of people (some friends of lucas and he's supposed to come in a couple of days. ben's supposedly in delhi, so he's coming down in a bit, and will just before christmas (just ask the wallahs to take you to sur(i)ya cafe (it's like three guest houses further down the beach from flower garden).

i was just telling ante about the crises i've had during the long trip down here, but i expected them, since i was about to spend a lot of time with myself. now that i'm here, everything makes much more sense now. we'll see how it goes...

i wanted to write something else, but it's so hot i can't even think straight... i didn't bring my camera (and i don't have that many photos yet), but i will. it's just so hard to get out of the hammock & resist a chocolate chapati with peanuts (drool marina, drool, haha!).

i guess i'll catch you all a bit later then, i better get back before it gets dark, so i can take another swimm... oh, btw. i'll post this on the blog as well, so don't get upset when you get double emails. those of you who still want to subscribe, go to polardabar.blogspot.com & do it at the bottom of the page. :)

cheers guys, & i'll talk to you soon!

mladen aka baba bil

thinking of the fabulous times...

2007-12-01T03:55:00.000+05:30

well, it's almost there - i'm a week away from india! it's been three long years that took me to get to this point and yet it's here already! i just picked up my ticket yesterday, the visa's already in my passport and i'm in the process of settling some small errands, meeting mates and slowly preparing to take off...

it'll be a long flight down there + a twelve-hour train ride + four hours more on a bus, but it's all well worth it! i just see this photo and it all makes sense... :D

well, you'll hear from me once i get settled, probably by email since this blogger thing is so freaking slooow...