December 2007

India (Goa - Small Vagator, El Shaddai) 19 11. - 8 12.

(Eva)

Goa's beaches have also changed greatly in the last year - more houses, more stalls, more tourists. Remained the same is that Goa, although it is in India, have to do with the rest of India seems nothing. With a literacy rate of just under 80%, with a 30% rate of Catholics 451jährige s colonial rule of the Portuguese left their mark. Self-confident, west dressed women, alcoholic offer all over the place and the many churches we have often forgotten that we are actually in India.

proper names such as Carlos and Joseph Fernand de Souza are not uncommon and even the locals refer to themselves as differentiated "Goan" rather than "Indian". The cuisine here is different: while on one side attracts the wide range of fresh fish as well as Goan cuisine, but has on the other hand, the demand of the many international tourists to the Indian food dishes pushed into the background.

cleaning After almost a week in a hotel in Anjuna, excellent bus and a "thank you dinner" to which we are invited by Julia and cleaning, we are now almost at the reached goal of our journey together and go on their separate ways. While Julia and cleaning heading off by bus and train in the South, Harry and I connect again in the footsteps of the gypsies, and find in a field near the sea in Small Vagator a new home. In addition to Marco with us from Switzerland and Walter their buses from Salzburg. Little by little we are experiencing another "Overlander" to us.

pass the days in flight and we enjoy it in deep breaths while lying to buy a bath, and fresh fish to grill. That's what I call freedom!

We spend time with the children from the orphanage of El Shaddai. Unbelievable, but even in so rich Goa, there are slums, alone near the capital, Panjim 12,000 people live in slums, including 3,000 children. For us it was unbelievable when we learned a few years ago that even under the poorest of the poor, there is a mafia that there is a slumlord and that even the homeless people who stay on the sidewalk have to pay for those same roost.

El Shaddai now, founded in 1996 by Englishwoman Anita and the Goan Pastor Matthew, provides for the past 11 years (initially 15 children) are now 370 children in four orphanages. In addition, El Shaddai 3000 slum children supplied daily with a meal following the motto: "It is the right of every individual, at least one time every day to eat enough.

We sponsor acquire for five years and know how their donations to our friends. At this point a big thank you to all of you in particular (sponsor Soji) to Harry Höhr and Dental Esthetics as well as Natasha and Julia's mother, Petra, and for their generous donations. In view of the expansion, which we may observe from year to year in the Fund, the funds are invested according to our opinion really good.

We are now the foster parents of a 13 year old girl whose mother 6 years ago by a "kitchen accident" was killed when the woman by the explosion of the kerosene stove is burned. Such or similar accidents we read daily in Indian newspapers, in fact it is in most cases dowry murder.

The dowry is officially banned since 1961, but still common and often the bride's parents fault their lives up to his ears. For this reason, even today sometimes girls killed after birth, their parents (banned since 1994), an amniocentesis for 500, - Rupees (equivalent to about 8, - €) can not afford. If a man is now dissatisfied with the dowry bestowed upon him, he calls more often and quenched in some cases, from murder does not return in the hope of another generous dowry payment for remarriage. We

the orphanages, bathe visit with the children on the beach and take a trip to the school of El Shaddai. At the request of the director, we show the students on the bus and Harry removed it as clusters will of the rear door to the front side door while I explain the curious children inside the bus. For most Indians, even for the upper class is foreign to a mobile home, and accordingly is also great interest to look into the bus. We would be prepared to showcase, reach our little home. understand

The two Swiss Lucia and Bernie, since 4.5 months, with their red Toyota on the road we "megagut" and decide to stay together for a few days in the south ....

off Goa is action from the beach

From Beach to Beach

announced

It's not hard to do without meat

ordered chaos

Mmmmmmmh!!

El Shaddai with new students

bus excursion

Only wonder

India (Border to Goa) 31 10. - 12 11.

(Eva)

our eyes wander excited about the colors of the sea of \u200b\u200bcountless Indians. Women in bright saris and men in turbans with colorful crowd in the stands and call loudly national slogans in unison. In between is applauded and fanfare to the military patrols. Behind the border can make up the Pakistani counterparts - dressed far not so many, a lot softer and the colors brown, beige and white. What we see here is a bizarre spectacle, India against Pakistan '(or vice versa), according to our guide what happens every night, the stands were built especially for it.

We have passed an hour ago, the Indian border, it was short, for the apparently close at 16.00 clock switch. We were there five minutes before, too late - as was explained to us. U.S. $ 10 bribes to the officials could return to their desks, according to the motto: I help you, you help me '

Welcome to India!

Finally - we believe it can hardly, we dive into another world. Even 50 meters after the border is full of life in a different way. India is mainly noticeable by its volume, confinement and chroma. Speakers send croaking music - does not have to be beautiful, must be loud. To unserer Freude treffen wir wieder Frauen auf den Straßen an, Frauen im öffentlichen Leben. Die Menschen sind – was für eine Wohltat – in allen erdenklichen Farben gekleidet und lächeln uns neugierig an. Und es sind viele Menschen, unzählig viele. Wir lassen uns von dem Treiben mitreißen, genießen Pakoras (frittiertes Gemüse im Teigmantel) und sind froh, ‚angekommen’ zu sein.

Am nächsten Tag fahren wir nach Amritsar. Mitten in der Stadt ein bewachter Parkplatz, unweit entfernt unser Hotel. Bevor wir den Goldenen Tempel besuchen stürzen wir uns in den indischen Alltag und beobachten bei einem Spaziergang das Leben auf der Straße:

Kleine etwa 6jährige Guys who hawk with constant calls Chai, bicycle rickshaws, the drive sent their passengers through the narrow alleys, an egg seller, who has about secured 10 pallets reckless on his bike and they juggled through the crowd, beggars, stretch out their spindly arms and around ask alms. We stroll past the stalls selling fruit and vegetables, we have a fresh squeeze juice and see rats in the gutters. Disgusted by the sight of the many dirt we let ourselves go in the next moment the scent of incense. This is India - a roller coaster of emotions, ups and downs, but ultimately wins but always the charm of the country the upper hand.
Later we shall
visit the Golden Temple, everyone needs a hat, even the guys. We admire the supreme shrine of the Sikhs, which rises in the middle of an artificial body of water. The Sikhs have a 1% of Indian population is not widespread, but here in Punjab, one finds many followers of this religion. The men wear the traditional character of Sikhism by the so-called five-K: The
never cut, (kirpan) under the (colored) turban worn hair (kes), comb (kangha), the dagger, the steel bracelet (kara) and a knee pants (kaccha).

We enjoy Indian food, on to the wide range vegetarian Gerichten verzichten wir sehr gerne auf Fleisch, das mit Fliegen übersät ohne Kühlkette in der Sonne hängend am Markt auf potentielle Kunden wartet. Indisch Essen bedeutet ein einmaliges Geschmackserlebnis, ein Potpourri an Gewürzen und Kräutern verfeinert die aufwändigen Speisen. Eine feine Schärfe, die aber nie lange anhält unterstreicht den Geschmack und Julia gibt mir bald recht in meiner Behauptung: „Indisch essen macht glücklich!“

Die Strecke in Richtung Delhi stellt höchste Anforderungen an Harry – zwar sind wir indischen Verkehr gewohnt, hier im Bundesstaat Punjab erscheint er aber um vieles heftiger und aggressiver. Die Regeln haben wir schon vor Jahren gelernt, zum besseren Understanding they are listed here:

The Front has priority, who is out of date, must honk. As a result, everyone really honks and the horn is the most important part of driving. (However, listens but the fact that so much honking and is everywhere, hardly anyone on the horn!)
The Larger takes precedence, resulting in approximately the following hierarchy is: elephants, cows, trucks and buses, we, cars, motorcycles, bicycles and last of all since most disadvantaged who are pedestrians.

In Agra, after years of my long-cherished dream come true and I see with my own eyes what I know of only from photographs or postcards. The Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Not for nothing is so marked, and it seems to float in the haze of dawn (Harry and I got up at 5:30 clock), it looks like a castle from 1001. This "monument to undying love was built by Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. 20,000 workers took 22 years to the monument of marble in 1653 to complete. Only a few visitors are traveling and we let the sight of long work on us.

Next it's off to Rajasthan, Jaipur is our next goal. Palace of Winds, Maharajapalast, Pink City - Julia Reini and make a sightseeing tour, I take heed because of a bad cold, the Bett und Harry leistet mir Gesellschaft. Macht nix, wir waren schon zweimal da.

Auf dem Weg nach Udaipur, dem sogenannten ‚ Venedig des Ostens’ verursachen wir mit unserem Bus einen Verkehrsstau. Wir verheddern uns mit den Fahrrädern, die auf dem Dach montiert sind in Lichterketten, die einen ganzen Stadtteil schmücken und können nicht mehr weiter. Mithilfe der Polizei drehen wir um, der gesamte Verkehr kommt zum Erliegen und wir fahren gegen die Einbahn retour. Derzeit ist Diwalifest, die symbolische „Heimleuchtung Ramas“ aus dem Exil, was eben mit Lichterketten demonstriert wird. Es ist ähnlich wie bei uns Weihnachten und Sylvester zusammen, nur lauter, länger und intensiver. Dementsprechend viel going on and onto the streets. At night and during the following nights will be fireworks and firecrackers and shot some people, it takes extra care Diwali: So just so no one will forget on it sent in the early morning hours every half hour, a decent fireworks!

experience in Udaipur itself, we for the first time the dried-up in recent years Pichola with water and look thrilled the harmonious interaction of the lighted city, the palace in the middle of the sparkling lake and the mountains behind it. As a bonus due to Diwali's even a colorful fireworks!

be next day we awakened rudely - our bus instead preventing said the road Parkplatz wäre nicht möglich und wir müssten uns ein anderes Hotel suchen. Wir sind stinksauer, haben wir doch mit dem Manager erst gestern zwei Tage mit Parkplatz usw. ausgemacht. – Aber heute ist eben ein anderer Tag und die Sache sieht anders aus. Wir räumen das Feld und beschließen, uns auf keine weitere Hotelsuche mehr einzulassen und so schnell wie möglich an den Strand zu kommen…

Die nächsten Tage sind bestimmt von Fahren, Fahren, Fahren…

„Ja, noch zwei LKW, dann kannst Du überholen,… ja, geht sich aus,… Achtung Schlagloch,….Esel von rechts zweimal,….Vorsicht ein Radfahrer kommt….da vorn ist eine Kuhherde!“ Or so it sounds in our bus while driving, behind music by Santana, Pink Floyd plays etc.

In Daman, a former Portuguese colony in the state of Gujarat, we do half a day off. This is because not only do we have now received all said about the cold or the sea, which we see after several weeks for the first time. First and foremost, it is the free Alcohol attracts us, not very common in Gujarat. As the only western tourists, we are the camels and horses, despite the main attraction at the beach and cause such a crowd that has come even the police to disperse the crowd again. My swimming ambitions werden selbst durch den Umstand nicht getrübt, gleich wie die Inderinnen in voller Bekleidung ins Meer gehen zu müssen. Allerdings hatte ich nicht bedacht, dass meine hellbraune Leinenhose im nassen Zustand fast durchsichtig ist und Harry muss mir mit einem Tuch zu Hilfe eilen, das ich mir, bevor ich das Meer verlasse, um die Hüften wickle.

Endlich ist der Tag unserer letzten Etappe angebrochen, wir befinden uns etwa 350 Kilometer vor unserem Ziel und sind nervös in freudiger Erwartung. Der Countdown läuft und in einem kleinen Dorf kaufe ich noch Blumengirlanden, die ich zur Feier des Tages auf unseren Bus hänge. (Sie sollen später einer hungrigen Kuh zum Opfer fallen) Und dann ist es soweit: das Bundesland Goa (der India's smallest state but because of his appeal, which is a relic of Portuguese colonial rule, the most visited receives) us (as it should be different) with a police check. But which is fortunately not very interested in us and we can soon continue. We immediately go to the beach of Calangute, but are disappointed, as a result of countless Diwali Indian tourists are out and the whole place is booked. We differ on one of the closest beaches of Anjuna and we find a nice room, a great parking lot in the garden of the system and finally, our goal!

Harry and I are overjoyed and can hardly believe it - together with Julia and cleaning, we treat ourselves to have a "welcome drink" and fall exhausted into our beds, with fine views of peaceful and relaxing next weeks and months ...