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the joy of a surprising and incredible India
 Dear friends
Exactly on the moment you think you've learnt enough about a country,
its culture and inhabitants, you get concious about your own
disknowledge, and you see that every day in this incredible land can
bring you new surprises. What am I talking about?
*GAZING at the diverse architecure of Ahmedabad - from old-style mosques to Le Corbusier concrete;
*WONDERING that the shameless getting stare at, is just a sign of interest and nothing bad;
*CYCLING through a 35 deg. sun, while heavy, claxonizing trucks dump their black smoke right in your face;
*LOSING your breath in a rough, desert-like area with awsome views on the valley before you;
*FEELING the wind in your hairs while making speed on a steep gravelroad;
*PULLING at the breaks in full speed, because of a lazy cow on the road;
*EATING truly German chocolate balls and Israeli hummus with pita, with a view on Udaipur's romantic Lake Palace;
*HAVING a tea with Udaipur's richest man;
*GETTING a surprising welcome by two Dutch friends in Jodhpur (Marijn
and Magdalena), and getting even more surprised when meeting a couple
of Dutch cyclists in the same hotel, which have been travelling all the
way from Holland;
*ROAMING around in the chaos and charm of Jodhpur's narrow bazaars and flying kite on the roof with locals;
*LOOKING out from the impressive fort in Jodhpur to an ocean of blue painted houses;
*GETTING totally flabbergasted when Marijn and Magdalena (also from
Holland) plan to buy a truly Indian Hero bike and join me on a crazy
trip through the desert;
*LOSING your breath while camping in the open air, complete with candles, instant food and the usual curious locals;
*GETTING a massive shout and laugh by schoolchildren, meant as a welcome in the village;
*PUSHING my lovely little Koga Miyata forward in a stony desert, surrounded by impressive mountain peaks;
*SOFT-SHAKING on a hyper touristic camel safari in Pushkar;
*WAVING a serial 'namaste' to all passing truck drivers on a 6 lane expressway;
*ENJOYING the experience of a Bollywood blockbuster in India's best
cinema (Raj Mandir in Jaipur), complete with audience interaction;
*CONCLUDING that this hotchy-potchy level of amateur-English will not get too many understanding followers... :-)
To keep it short: no day will pass without a unique experience in this
marvellous country. Having passed over 5000 km, my plan is to continue
from Jaipur to Agra and finish in Varanasi, around the 7th. of March.
The total expected distance will be around 6000 km.
Lots of greetings so far
Christopher Baan
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