India 2.0
I’m back in Goa. During my time in Sri Lanka my package with spare parts for my car had arrived and I had to pay 11000 Rupees in import tax when I collected it from the post office. I later called up the garage where I’ve been before and after three calls they understood what I wanted from them and they booked me in for the next morning. Its time for full service, new oil, air filter, oil change, new rear shocks, springs and gas for the AC. I spent the entire day at the garage and finally the car is good go and ready for the road. In the meantime it got really quiet in Goa, most of the restaurants and shops are closed now and it had got extremely humid. In off-season Goa shows it’s different side, no more party’s and loud music and no more street venders at the beach so it was time for me to leave Goa. Without any GPS I found the way back to the main Highway, I’ve definitely spent a long time in this crazy state. It’s 180 degree difference to the rest of India.
It’s time for real India, time for to hit the road to Mumbai. I spent one night in the Hostel, the next morning I left early to Udaipur. Which ended up being a long 14h drive, most of the 753km long road was in good condition. Late in the evening I reached Udaipur, the temperature was still above 35 degrees. It’s always a surprise where the GPS sends me when I’m using Google maps (offline). I drove my car trough the smallest streets of Udaipur – and its not like I’m driving a Smart. Even at night time its way to hot to sleep in the car so I check in at ZOSTEL Udaipur, they have a sick location at the lake and a amazing view from their rooftop. The heat is limiting a lot of activities, only early in the morning and later afternoon the temperature are low enough to do stuff. Tiger Lake is just a few km’s outside of Updaipur and is one of the cleaner lakes to swim in. The City self is a tourist hotspot, the small streets full of souvenir shops, paintings, and leather bags in all sizes that no one needs. You can spot the typical 1-month tourists from aar, colorful elephant pants is a must, usually worn with a colorful cotton shirt and fake sunglasses. Most of the roads are too narrow for cars only scooters, Tuk Tuks and people share ways. Every Tuk Tuk driver I walked past wanted to sell dugs to me, everyone… There is plenty to see in Udaipur – forts, palace, lakes and more…
Fort Kumbhalgarh is a 2h drive away from Udaipur. The Fort was built in 15th century and is protected by a massive 36km wall. The castle has been taken once only, because the defenders run out of fresh water. The whole complex looks massive and impressive.
Rajasthan’s country roads are empty and in bad condition, different to the normal Indian traffic which is super hectic. I didn’t know much about Jodhpur – the blue city, I only saw it in pictures and its real! A lot of the houses are painted in blue color but back in the days only the cast of the Brahmans painted their houses in blue color. The Hostel I’ve stayed in has a great location just below the enormous Fort in the middle of Jodhpur. The rooftop has a great view over whole Jodhpur and at night the city lights look beautiful. While I had my joint over the roofs of Jodhpur local music started playing and didn’t stop till the early morning.
Back to the story, I use the drone more and more now, its really fun to shoot all these different locations as every city I go to has their own impressive Fort or Palace. The temperature at daytime doesn’t go below 40 degrees, perfect timing for a tire change. One of the rear tires was flat, as soon I started changing the tire all the Taxi drivers around came to help me out. Tire number 1 is done, thanks for the last 30,000km you’ve done a good job! I’m pretty happy that I took 2 spare tires with me but I’ll have to buy a new one in Delhi.
Yara joined the trip in Pushkar and she’s heading north with me. I’m pretty much done with the hot weather and can’t wait to hit the mountains. Well there is one more thing! The Taj Mahal right! From Pushkar to Agra to Delhi. The alarm rang at 4.45am, fuck that’s early; we reached the ticket counter just after 5am and had to pay 1000 RUPEES. For 1000 Indian Rupee I got: one ticket to the Taj, one 500ml water bottle and white shoe protection incase I want to wear my shoes inside. Indians only pay 100 by the way. I imagined the Taj bigger and more impressive, don’t get me wrong its a beautiful building but there was no wow effect for me. Many others also got up early and it got more and more busy, everybody looking for that perfect shot with the most beautiful building in the world, so they say. I randomly bumped into David and Elli the Austrian couple who I met when we were Couchsurfing at the same place in Teheran, Iran months before. They flew with their bikes from Iran to India, I was so happy to see those two familiar faces again.
Yara and I didn’t wanna see anything else in Agra, it would have been a pain in this heat. So back in the car, crank up the AC, New Delhi here we come. I bought a new tire at the first tire shop I found in Delhi. Done. When I changed the tire I realised that the car is leaning down at the left rear. One of the guys from the shop gave me an address for a garage, they sent me straight to the official Nissan car dealer ship. There I had about 20 people looking at my car, none of them had any Idea. We agreed on a fixed price for the inspection but there was just one more problem, the car is either to high or the workshop gate to low, I had to take down the jerry cans including the holders. Same game at this garage, a lot of people with little knowledge. After about 3 hours they decided the springs are not right, but they cant fix it as they don’t have any spare parts. The chief mechanic of the shop gave me an address where I should go and try my luck tomorrow. And HEY! This guy was right, at Khan Markt I met Gary, he offered me a Chai and I told him about my problems. He helped me out big time! Thanks Gary! He drives a Toyota 100er series with same customisation like I have, he drove from India over to – Myanmar – Thailand – Laos – China and back to India. Gary drives Rallye with his friend, so I went to see his friend, hoping he can fix my problem with the springs. I found a little office at the corner of the street, nothing looked like a workshop. I parked my car at the side of the road and they all worked on it. One Jack and a metal post to hold the car up while they were working was good enough for them. From time to time the 2 guys disappeared, came back and continued their work. Once we had the springs out I could see the problem, the new springs I’ve put in in Goa are half a bend shorter then the old ones. It still works but the car is heavily loaded so they should be stronger. They decided to put the remaining old spring back in, which is stronger. The front spring, which I had to change in Pakistan, is also a little too short. They took the spring and smashed it with a sledgehammer, every German mechanic would call you crazy, but this is how they solve problems here in India. An old guy from the street started talking to me, while they where working on the spring, he works all his life for a German company and his dream is to go there one day, many people tell me about their dreams to go to Germany. After they spent the whole day working on my car the 2 guys looked at me “mister finish check”. Well everything is back in where it belongs, there is no screw left and the car is definitely driving better then before but I don’t think I’ll get rid off the problem in India. I paid 2500 rupee for their work, which is more then fair and I’m really thankful for Gary’s contact.
We got a cheap room at the Tibetan Colony in Delhi, It’s like entering a different country, all the people, food and shops change. At the hotel we met other Israelis and Jamie from England, whenever I’m with Israeli people there is Bamba around, an Israeli peanut snack in different flavours.
The next day we headed from Delhi to Chandigarh, we left late in the afternoon and got to Chandigarh late in the evening. Elior is the third person on the trip to the north. Just after Chandigarh the highway got more narrow and windy, we have now reached the start of the mountains. The road is really popular and busy at this time of the year, there are traffic jams, slow trucks and toll stations but at least the temperature had finally dropped, the AC was no longer working full power anymore and now fresh wind instead of the normal dust blow through the window.
Yara left on the turnoff to Malana, at the way to the village I picked up 3 others. Looks like they’ve missed the bus and its only going twice a day. The first few kilometers on the road was in pretty good condition, which quickly changed to an off road track. I was really happy about the road but my car wasn’t, the clutch is making problems, which I can feel even more now that I’m in the mountains. We followed the windy narrow one-lane road that is directly built into the rock, up the mountain and I just get around the corners with the car. The rain created a little river in the middle of the road, it’s a little like a drive into nowhere. After 1hour I saw the first few houses and huts, the huts are build from wood, posts and metal sheets and most are little Restaurants. There is not much food available here, mostly rice and dhal, parantha and roti.
The legendary and mystical Mountain Village MALANA, for those of us who don’t smoke, it’s a little village high up in mountains where they grow and produce once of the best Charas (Hashish) in the world. In blooming time during September and October the people rub the fresh plants in their hands, the oily resin sticks to their hands and is then scraped off. Its a mix out of the best plants, sweat and water that makes the finest Malana cream which is on of the best charas in the world. During rubbing season the hands of the people turn black from the charas. The people call it charas, this originally came from 2 words, Char (4) and ras (juice). When the 4 juices are mixed, oil, water, blood and sweat the charas is made. It’s not legal but the police are kinda helpless, its everywhere.
Back in the day you could only reach Malana after a 4 day hike. The village is really isolated, 2800m in the mountains. Today, there is a road going to the other side of the Valley, it’s only a 40-minuet trek from here. A private investor built this road along with a big Dam. Most of the people make their living off the charas production, all the worlds charas comes from here. Around Malana there are about 250 acres of fields. The plants are high up and hardly accessible, its their natural protection against the police. They don’t come up here and if they do they don’t know where the fields are. I always heard the same answer: “everybody know about, the tourist are coming because of the charas, tourist bring work and money, it’s good business with the charas’’. The people in Malana think they are the descendants of Alexander the Great, Malana has its own lifestyle and social structure and the people are strict in following their customs. Your not allowed to touch the people or their houses, they are really strict with this, you will even get fined 3500 Rupees and ask to leave the village. According to the local legends, Jamlu (their god) inhabited this place and made rules and regulations. The locals claim it to be one of the oldest democracies of the world. A little clumsy we walked trough the village, looking for our guesthouse. We were the last lucky ones that were allowed to stay in the village. In July, the village ordered the closure of approximately a dozen guesthouses and restaurants, ostensibly on the orders of the deity Jamlu. The whole situation is really contradictory, on the one side the villagers want to live in peace without any influence from the outside, on the other they realised that it’s good business with the charas and the technology makes a lot easier. The old traditional houses are built out of stone and wood and have a beautiful but heavy stone roof, the most of the new houses are built with metal sheets, they are light and easy to carry. I had a good view from the guesthouse over the village, all the guesthouses are located on the outside of the village. Three women sat next to a pile of rocks in the grass for 8 hours a day, they were smashing big rocks with a little hammer. The baby of one of the women played in the dirt on the rocks. Back home we would use a machine for this, not so in Malana. At lunchtime they sat together and talked, then they pulled out their smartphones and started scrolling through Facebook. Crazy world. Technology has reached Malana, a lot of things are changing. Everywhere around the village people mine stone, the Guys smashing the big rocks with wedges, the woman carry and smash the smaller ones. “Charas Charas? smoke mister?’’ This is what you hear, when you walk through the village as a white tourist. If it’s about selling Charas then the Malana people wont take the no touch rule as seriously, they hope for good business.
10g (1Tola) cost in Malana around 2000-2500 Rupees, for finest Cream you will have to pay up to 5000 Rupees. The prices easily double outside of Malana, there is only one road in and out and it’s easy for the police to check. I didn’t really like the atmosphere in the village, we only stayed for 2 nights and then went to Kasol.
Kasol is a little party village with music and drinks. Eli stayed here but I was looking for something more quiet and followed the road to the end. It’s a beautiful drive to Tosh, the road ends and only a little footpath leads into the Village. There are small Guesthouse and Homestay’s everywhere. The valley view is one of them, a narrow path led through the garden to the house. Potatoes, salad, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes and a lot of charas everywhere. The food is super tasty here, the mum made veg. omelettes with a special homemade mint/chilli herb sauce. The view from their terrace is also fantastic, the valley in the front and the massive mountains in the background, when the clouds give sight on the summits you can spot the snow there.
There is lot’s to do around Tosh, many walks and waterfalls. There is 2 ways to get to Kheer Ganga, both ways are a 3h hike, one goes through the forest the second option is through the villages of the valley. At the top of Kheer Ganga is an old temple and a natural hot spring, where you can have a shower and bath. Its super hot!
The traffic in the mountains is just terrible, often it’s a one lane road with no way to move. Manali is split in 2 parts, New Manali is super hectic and bus, full of traffic and noise and Old Manali, located at the top is definitely the more scenic part, even though there is still lots of tourism. Many good restaurants and cool cars are here, the people cafe, Cafe 1947 and Drifters all have really good food but really pricy for Indian standards. Your looking at 500-1000 Rupees for a meal with drinks. The small local restaurants are called Dabhas and serve authentic Indian Meals for little money. A big plate veg. chowmein, 10 veg. Momos and drinks for 140 rupee, about 2 Euro/USD! Driving in the narrow streets of Old Manali is exhausting, once I found a free parking space I didn’t move my car for a week. Often it’s just a few / between the 2 cars. The Rockway Hostel is about 20 min walk from Old Manali, it’s located in the green between apple trees. It’s super relaxed here, right next to the big river.
I ordered a new clutch kit and some other stuff and sent it to Gary’s address in Delhi. It will take around 2-3 weeks to get here but I have to get this fixed before go on the trip to Jammu and Kashmir. The mountains are a good place to spend 2-3 weeks, somehow it pulled me back to Malana, but not into the Village! At the end of the road there is a Dam and the entry to magic valley, which is only accessible by feet. It’s an exhausting trek up to the little village were there are only a few traditional houses and tents. The valley is not connected to power or water, the people here live really simple. The house they live in has 2 floors, one big room at the top used as kitchen, living and sleeping area and below there are the cows. It’s a natural heating system. Everyday the woman bring the cattle out and meet to talk, they carry their baby’s on the back wherever they go. It’s fascinating and impressive to see how they manage their everyday life in the mountains. Maybe because its so far away from the standards we’re used to, a simple but really hard life. The cows need to be fed, they are still hungry even if it rains. New technology which belongs to normality for us are really strange to them. Some of the people had frightened looks in their faces when they saw the drone for the first time. They didn’t know what a drone was or why it could fly? I had lots of fun with the kids of the valley, they’re little shy at first but once one comes up everyone comes. I spent 10 days camping here. Every morning I woke up full of anticipation for the view, a white band of clouds that did not seem to tear off, slowly winds through the valley.
It was raining almost every night, sometimes less and sometimes stronger, the tent was composed of stones, wood, plastic and stood up to the weather. A small stove in the middle provided pleasant warmth, every evening we sat around the stove. I improved my Hindi, there was enough time up here and the guys hardly spoke English, so they taught me Hindi. In ten days I saw one other white tourist, most of the tourist were Indians from Delhi, Punjab and Mumbai. I enjoyed the time and peace on the mountain a lot, I’ve met interesting people and made new friends. The most of the time I spent with Chaman the camp cook, he understands a lot English speaks rather less. He is from another small village about 4h drive from here, has a house and a few apple trees. Chaman earns 4000 rupees as a cook, about 60 euros a month. He sleeps on a thin mattress in his sleeping bag in a tent on the floor, food and accommodation is paid for. He works and lives here for 2 euros a day. Half of his money he’s spending to buy charas 2000 rupee, that is enough for him about a month. He does not smoke much, but he always puts something in his bidi or smokes a chillum with me. Every time I am talking to him and about something he stares and says these are dreams for him. Dreams which are something normal for me, something unattainable for him. Our conversations have made me think a lot and let me feel in what kind of self-evidentness we are living. We sat together for hours and looked at pictures from my trip, he was so interested in everything I showed him.
It was a little surreal to be back in civilization, loud and hectic. I got so used to the silence on the mountain. In Jari a small village I have a few days to rest, the package with the spare parts for the car hasn’t arrived in Delhi yet. As soon as the car is fixed, I will be driving on the world’s highest mountain passes, more of it in the next blog article Jammu and Kashmir.
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