Krabi, Thailand

 
What better way to unwind after 10 hectic weeks in India than 10 relaxing days in Thailand.  From Calcutta we stopped off for three nights in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we caught up with Lee Tuan’s sisters, nieces and nephews, then headed on to Krabi in southern Thailand.

We stayed at Ao Nang Beach and went out on day boat trips to snorkel, swim and sightsee around the small islands lolling in the emerald Andaman Sea.  Ao Nang is touristy but still pleasant, not tacky like Phuket across the water has become.  For the younger set there’s plenty of nightlife around and even we managed to take in a concert or two.  Ever since he fled the USA in the mid 70s, Elvis Presley has been living the quiet life here, doing the occasional gig up and down the coast.  We saw him Tuesday night live in concert at The Irish Rover.  His voice is as good as ever though it seems he’s been eating too much good Thai food, admittedly a hard trap not to fall into.  It’s so fresh, fragrant and fantastic.

We’ve been eating mostly at the roadside food stalls run by Thai Muslims just outside our hotel.  The women inside the tiny mobile cooking booths are very skilful, turning out varied excellent dishes in stunningly quick order.  When their night’s work is done they pack up and head home on their shiny new motor scooters.  Business must be going well.  They have a great product - food doesn’t come any better than Thai.  And beaches don’t come any better than Maya Bay (setting for the movie "The Beach") on Phi Phi Island, or Phra Nang Cave Beach near Railey Bay.

India through the rear vision mirror

We saw a lot in 10 weeks in India yet only scratched the surface.  It’s a straightforward place for independent travellers to move around (English is widely spoken), though not always comfortable.  The weather can be challenging, the local transport rough and ready, and the streets in many places dirty and littered.  But these were minor obstacles on the path to a great time.

Indian people are friendly (though too many employed in the tourist industry are ready to blatantly short-change foreigners at the first opportunity), the local food is good, and the variety of sights and experiences is huge.  But India obviously faces big challenges in modernizing and lifting millions out of poverty.

Having travelled extensively in China, it surprised us to see how far behind India is in its development.  In basic infrastructure such as electric power generation, roads, housing and public transport, China is decades ahead.  Why should this be?  India has been a relatively stable, independent democracy for over 60 years.  The comparison with China provokes uncomfortable thoughts and questions about what form of government is most effective for a financially poor country yet to achieve universal education of its people, during its development phase.  In a recent local newspaper article, an Indian journalist referred to “India’s argumentative billion” in analysing why it’s often difficult to achieve unanimity of resolve and action in addressing big nation-building issues.  Democracy is wonderful in giving everyone their say, but after all the talk is over, often leaves the tough decisions unmade, and the necessary tough action not taken.  Did I just say that?  Where’s the soap? But it must be acknowledged that no system is perfect. I certainly don’t envy the people who choose to enter political life in India – they face enormous challenges and complexity in working to improve the lives of the people.

The cows have to go, sadly.  Having lived on a dairy farm as a boy, I find something endearing about India’s attitude towards cows.  There’s something noble in viewing such large animals on a higher plane than as merely a food source, and allowing them to wander down your street and nuzzle up against the front door of your house, and even go inside the waiting hall of the train station if that is their want.  But the public health issues override all these sentiments.  Large piles of fly-breeding animal manure caked onto the streets and animal to human transmission of disease are simply inconsistent with modern, healthy living conditions.  Cows belong on grass, not bitumen.  It was sad to see such revered animals foraging through village and city garbage piles, inevitably ingesting plastic waste that must cause distress and worse later.  Of course, with cows so closely associated with religious belief, any change to the status quo won’t be straightforward.  By comparison, putting a huge dent in the world’s largest population of stray dogs should be a simpler exercise.

Of course these are just the superficial musings of a first-time short-term visitor to India.  It’s certainly a country that makes you sit up and think.  No doubt there are more pressing long-term priorities not immediately in the face of the visitor, like education and employment, housing, securing the government revenues needed to fund services, and national security.  When you do stop to think about it, you realize what a massive job India’s government has on its plate, and how everything seen in India needs to be considered with that in mind.  Maybe the cows and stray dogs can stay on for a bit longer yet.

Incredible India. It’s certainly that, in many ways.  If you’re planning or thinking of a visit to India, here are three useful websites:

• Lonely Planet India Forum   Good for general info and getting fast, up to date answers to your questions.
• AirAsia   An excellent low-cost airline that flies all over Asia, with connections to Europe, Australia and multiple destinations in India.
• Cleartrip   A reliable, professional Indian website for online booking of train tickets, hotels and internal flights.  We booked all our India train tickets on Cleartrip – their service was flawless. And very convenient too - just print out the ticket from your computer and turn up at the station - no need to stand in long queues at the station ticket office. But book well ahead if you can; Indian trains often sell out weeks in advance.

Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India

The former capital of British India, Calcutta (now Kolkata) was once in the minds of many foreigners synonymous with poverty and squalor.  This is an outdated notion – the educated locals have long resented this one-dimensional view of their city that they regard as the intellectual and cultural capital of the nation.  Certainly there’s still plenty of poverty here, as a walk past the babies and their parent/s sleeping on hessian bags under plastic sheeting slung up over the footpath and garbage piles startlingly show.  But most of Calcutta is not like that.  It’s a developing city with an increasingly modern skyline, home to a growing middle-class.

The current-day capital of West Bengal state, Calcutta has a fine collection of British-era colonial buildings; perhaps the most grand is the memorial to Queen Victoria completed in 1921. We spent some time strolling in and around this huge white marble edifice, examining the historical information, photos and paintings inside. But the foul weather took its toll, extinguishing our enthusiasm to see other nearby colonial buildings. Instead we returned via the Calcutta subway to our hotel, sagging and soaking wet with sweat and waited until the evening before venturing out again. Weather doesn’t come much worse than 40 degrees C with 90% humidity.

Some of Calcutta’s facilities look to be frozen in a time warp and it's this that makes the city such a fascinating place for visitors. Firemen on their trucks cleared a path by energetically clanging by hand big bells mounted high on the engine. This was quite an achievement considering the cacophony of horn honking by the other vehicles, a large percentage of which are decades-old yellow Austin Ambassador Classic taxis. And Calcutta is the only place we’ve seen where the original style large-wheeled rickshaws pulled by wiry men on foot still ply their trade up and down the streets.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Varanasi has a known history stretching back to 1400 BC but the city has been destroyed by invaders then rebuilt several times over the centuries. Our guidebook describes Varanasi as the beating heart of the Hindu universe.  Pilgrims flock to the Ghats (steps leading down to the water) that line the Ganges River flowing through the old city centre.  For Hindus, the Ganges is the River of Salvation, an auspicious place to bathe, to pray, to die and to be cremated.

It was blistering hot when we arrived on Friday – 44C and the 22nd consecutive day in Varanasi over 40.  Varanasi’s electricity supply system is terrible and so there was no relying on air conditioning to stay cool indoors.  At sunset we shared a rowboat on the Ganges with a woman from Switzerland.  The boatman took us close to the many Ghats lining the river, including two “burning Ghats” used for public cremations.  A large stack of dry wood provides the fuel and the family selects the pieces to be used – sandalwood is the most prized and the most expensive.  The body, wrapped in white cloth, is carried down to the water’s edge on a stretcher and the wood placed under and around, then ignited.  As we drifted past, the combination of the baking hot air and tinder dry wood produced fierce fires that did their job well in the several blazing pyres we saw on the riverbank.  After dark we tied up with hundreds of other boats, and along with thousands of people standing on the Ghat steps, watched the nightly Hindu fire and music ceremony performed on the river’s edge.

We repeated the boat trip at dawn – the main activity now was bathing and clothes washing.  Hundreds of people bathed then frolicked for awhile in the refreshing Ganges water before emerging to face the wearying heat of another day.  We left our boat and walked back to the main road through the maze of narrow winding alleyways above the Ghats.  Concentration was needed here – cattle and stray dogs, some of the latter a little too territorial for our liking, roamed the alleyways.  They and other creatures also spread an assortment of manures on the ground, making it best to glance down at every step.

Despite its minor challenges, Varanasi is a unique, atmospheric place to visit.  There’s no pretence here – life, and death, are laid bare.  And that can only be a healthy thing.

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Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission, Banbassa, Uttarakhand, India

Our train pulled out of Amritsar Station at 2.30 am Friday morning, eight hours behind schedule.  It was the beginning of a long day’s travel – the sun rose then set before we finally arrived in eastern Uttarakhand at the small town of Banbassa on India’s border with Nepal.

Banbassa is located in fertile, flat country only about 150 km south of Nepal.  In between are several mountain peaks well over 20,000 feet in altitude, including giant Nanda Devi at 26,400 feet.  A kilometre south of Banbassa is the Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission, established in 1948 and managed by the Shipway family from Tasmania, Australia, who have devoted their lives to this undertaking.  The Good Shepherd was our destination - we had come to visit our nephew Brad and his wife Miriam who have been working here as volunteers for the past several months.  Over 100 orphans and otherwise destitute children are housed, fed, cared for and educated in a happy, supportive environment.  They range in age from babies to young adults.  Also on the property is a separate, new hostel for people with leprosy.

The Orphanage is partially self-supporting from dairy and cropping activities on its 60 acres of land, and a further 50 acres on short-term lease from the Government.  But the centre is cash-strapped and relies heavily on donations from supporters – the expenditure of every Rupee is agonized over.  We were impressed with the happy and friendly demeanour of the children living here – they are obviously loved and well cared for.  It was clear to us that this is a cause well worth supporting. Here’s how anyone can.

We spent three days experiencing life at the Orphanage with the children, staff and the several international volunteers currently on-site.  On Wednesday we accompanied Orphanage Director Rick to the leased 50 acre jungle plot, currently planted to wheat.  It’s not kangaroos that raid the crops here, but wild elephants.  The journey took us across almost-dry river beds and through small tribal villages.  Rick assured us that the gunfire in the jungle was from Indian soldiers exercising, not something more sinister. We later drove to the India/Nepal border crossing and looked across to Nepal.  Along the road from Banbassa, rows of heavily-laden Nepalis on foot slowly made their way back home after several months’ labouring in India.  The border crossing is adjacent to an impressive hydroelectric-related river barrage built by the British in the late 1920s, and still operating.  Unfortunately photography is not permitted in the border area.

Back at the Orphanage Lee Tuan did some cooking for the staff and volunteers, conjuring up Australian pasties, curries and apple pies.  Her two assistant kitchen boys were me and a very smart young Orphanage boy Sonny who we predict will one day be an accomplished chef (if he’s not the CEO of a national telco).  We bought the ingredients from the markets in Banbassa, a ramshackle but well-stocked town.  Coincidentally it was Brad’s birthday when we were at The Good Shepherd, and Miriam too bought supplies from Banbassa, then cooked up a storm of butter chicken, vegetables and rice for the birthday celebrations.  And ice creams for all the kids.  Needless to say everyone was appreciative as Orphanage finances normally dictate a basic vegetarian diet only, with any frills a rare luxury.

Amritsar, Punjab, India

Punjab in India’s north-west is home to the Sikhs who comprise a surprisingly low 2% of the Indian population.  The city of Amritsar just short of the border with Pakistan is a major pilgrimage centre for Sikhs, containing the fabulous Sikh Golden Temple of Amritsar, one of the greatest sights in India.  We strolled around the perimeter of the lake containing the Temple in the evening when it shimmered watery golden, and again in the morning.  Relaxing Sikh religious music reverberated non-stop around the perimeter walls while thousands of pilgrims kneeled towards the temple and bathed in the cool surrounding waters.

Adjacent to the huge temple complex is Jallianwala Bagh, site of an infamous massacre by British troops in 1919.  In response to recently-proclaimed repressive legislation, Indians staged public protests all over the country, including here at Jallianwala Bagh.  In a moment of madness, exasperated British General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on unarmed protesters, several hundred of whom were murdered on the spot.  Bullet marks are still visible in the surrounding walls, as is the deep well into which many people jumped in a futile attempt to save their own lives.

On Wednesday night we took a taxi to the nearby Attari-Wagah border crossing with Pakistan to see the nightly border closing ceremony that takes place under the watchful gaze of heavily armed soldiers on both sides.  Lahore in Pakistan is just 30 km from this crossing, closer than our return journey to Amritsar.  There were many thousands of exuberant, dancing Indians on the Indian side, and a lesser number of much more restrained Pakistanis on the Pakistani side.  The ceremony itself was very theatrical with over-the-top marching, shouting and singing, but the crowd on both sides loved it.  Then the border gates slammed shut for the night.

Amritsar itself is a pleasant city – it seems more affluent, cleaner and better developed than other parts of India and the food is excellent, particularly fish, surprisingly.  Punjab has five large rivers that water the fertile countryside, making this region one of India’s principal breadbaskets.