Of Monkeys, Monkey Thieves, And Monkey Deities

Probably the singularly largest attraction of Shimla is a large, orange statue of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. It is the second tallest statue in India, sits at the highest altitude in the world, and surpasses Christ the Redeemer in Rio. Our journey to the summit it sits, and our experience their was one I won't soon forget. The only way to access the top is to hike their, so hike we did. The climb was one of the most arduous I've ever done. It seemed as if it went straight uphill. The weather was muggy, and we had all been or were suffering from sickness obtained from the food we ate. But, when we eventually neared the top, it was worth the climb. As we left all signs of civilization behind-save the path under our feet - we entered a forest, the likes of which I'd only ever seen in movies. Immense trees ascended upwards until they were lost from view in the mist that prevailed during our entire stay. Moss blanketed the ground, and hugged the trees. As we approached the temple, the monkeys and baboons that curse Shimla became more prevalent. We had previously been warned to remove all jewelry and accessories from our bodies, and we proceeded to remove our watches. My mom, however, forgot to remove her glasses.What first impressed us upon entering the temple complex was the number of monkeys. They were everywhere present, and made me somewhat nervous. I don't mind monkeys of any sort in game parks, zoos, or anywhere other than my yard where they keep their distance, but these guys were too bold. Before any of us could say anything, one brazen baboon that had been standing six feet behind my mom, leaped in one bound up onto her shoulders. It stole her glasses in a flash, and scampered up a tree. My dad yelled and chased it as far as the tree, but -for obvious reasons- was not able to continue pursuit. We were all pretty shocked. My mom later said that she thought one of my siblings had jumped on her back. We were left to stare up at the monkey with the glasses. If monkeys are the sacred animals of Hanuman, I'd have to say they don't live up to it. Thankfully for us, one of the vendors knew what to do. He coaxed the monkey down with pieces of fruit, and, in taking these, the monkey was forced to drop the glasses. They were mostly unharmed, except that the ends of the of the things that rests on your ear was chewed up. I'm personally not sorry they did, because it adds to the story when I tell it to friends. Those glasses are probably the greatest souvenir we got during our trip. After that incidence, we continued our tour. The center piece of the temple is definitely the statue, which stands taller than Christ the Redeemer in Rio. It is painted a bright orange from tip to tail, a color that is did not appeal to me. In his hand is a huge scepter with a round ball at the end. Hanuman is the monkey god, and one of the principle Hindu deities. He is known for lifting mountains and commanding an army of monkeys. He generally appears -as in the statue- in mostly human form, save for the tail and hairy face. Our visit to the top of that peak was one I'll never forget, and I hope it has impressed you as well.

A Walk In The Jungle

During our stay in Shimla, we took an amazing hike on a path through the jungle. It started with a steep descend, and then a walk besides a river. The trees and vines were shrouded by mist. It was the sort of place where you'd expect a tiger to spring at out at you, and it looked like something out of the Jungle Book. Our destination was a waterfall, and this was also beautiful. The climb up and down was a bit tiring for all of us because we were feeling somewhat sick, but it was worth it.

Himalayas... Has a Nice Ring to It

From Jaisalmer, we took yet another train on-route to Shimla, stopping over in Delhi, the capital of India. Here we got a rickshaw to transport us from the train station to the hotel were we crashed for the day. Then it was off for Kalka, a small town at the foot at the of the Himalayas. We arrived there at about three or four O'clock in the morning, tragically interrupting the beautiful sleep we'd been having on the plastic covered pullout beds that the train offered. After that we tried to sleep for the half an hour before the"Toy Train" arrived. The "Toy Train", could not be christened better, the tracks it requires being less than two feet wide, and the cabs small. Dawn was just beginning to break when we borded, and the crisp night air, instead of warming with the coming of the sun, grew colder as we threaded our way up the worlds tallest range of mountains. Also as we climbed, the scenery became more beautiful, green, and lush. During our ascent, we passed under over a hundred tunnels! Of course, Shimla is still the foot hill of the Himalayas, for-despite an impressive altitude of 2,200 meters- it pales in comparison to Mount Everest's 8,000 meters. Still, during our entire stay there we rarely took of our jackets, whereas we would never have dreamed of wearing long clothes (if we could help it) in Delhi. Shimla is not too warm for snow either, we saw pictures of the "Toy Train" with a good foot of snow on it's roof, giving a sharp contrast to lower India. Our hotel there was decent, and there wasn't much to complain about, accept that we were all more or less sick. The food was pretty good, and their were an abundance of fast food restaurants. Shimla was one of the neatest places I've ever been, and the most fascinating place in India I visited, with perhaps the exception of our camel tour. For more on our Shimla experience, click on the following links:
A Walk In The Jungle
Of Monkeys, Monkey Thieves, And Monkey Deities

Journey By Camel, Jaisalmer

I'm sitting on a camel, journeying through a desert that's, surprisingly, not as hot as I had expected. The Thar desert, to be exact. I'm wearing a round camo hat for shade, and sunglasses. Even though it's not as hot as I'd expected, the sun is still very bright. As we really start to enter the desert, the sparse houses of shepherds start to disappear along with any vegetation that might sustain their hardy goats. However, even here there is still coarse grass and shrubs, and occasionally a weathered tree.
 After touring Jodhpur, we traveled by train, to Jaisalmer, yet another city to start with "J". Jaisalmer is on the verge of the Thar desert, and is very dry and filled with camels. The city holds a Middle Aged citadel, a feature Rajasthan is well known and famed for.
The safari begins in a jeep that would take us further into the heart of the desert. We aren't the only ones in the car though, a young British couple is also coming. We all get a little worried when my younger sister Sarah started feeling sick in the car, especially because none of us ever get car-sick. The road we are on is steadily growing worse, transforming from a nice paved road into two tire tracks in the sand. Then the Jeeps (one for supplies and one for passengers) stop in a sort of clearing. nearly a dozen camels are harnessed here, ready for us to ride. We would take maybe a three hour ride to a group of dunes, where we would camp for the night, then ride back the next morning. However, very sadly for all of us, Sarah feels to sick to ride the camels, and has to accompany the jeep to our camping site, along with my Mom. Asides from what I mentioned above about our journey, we saw a desert fox, and got to trot on the camels, which was really cool. Camel riding is not at all like horse riding. The main difference being that camels sway back and forth, no matter whether you're galloping or walking. As I ride these beasts, I like to imagine what it would be like to ride into battle with them. Soon we approach our campsite, already prepared by the guides in the Jeep. Sarah is not feeling any better, and my parents are worried. Probably the first thing me and my brother Jonathan do after dismounting and checking on Sarah, is to explore the dunes. Then we start jumping off the sheer faces of sand into more sand below, which is awesome. As it gets dark we have supper (rice and curry) and then brush our teeth and use the washroom (a.k.a. the bush), before going to sleep under the stars. The next day is the same, except in reverse. My Dad had gone with one of the guides to get some medicine from a pharmacist in a village several kilometers away (in the desert!) the day before, and Sarah was feeling better for it, but not good enough to ride. Our trip back was similar to the one there, but this time my Mom came riding, and my Dad went with Sarah in the Jeep. Before we left in the trucks, Sarah got to pet the camels and take a short ride, but we all felt awful for her. Back in Jaisalmer we took a train to our next amazing destination, Shimla.
Altogether, our camel safari was an amazing experience, and one I'll never forget!

Me and Johnny jumping off a dune.

One of the many dung beetles that was ferrying away the camels droppings.

Mehrangarh Fortress

One side of the palace wall, probably the zenana (housing for the women of the palace in Muslim society).

Mehrangarh fortress towers above the Blue City, Jodhpur. Built 400 feet (122 meters) above the city, and walls up to 21 meters (69 ft) thick and 36 meters (118 ft) tall, it would be an imposing obstacle for any opposing force.  It is enclosed by multiple walls, that contain seven gates, and each wall is covered in cannons. Dimensions aside, it is an impressing fortress. It contains the royal palace, and the whole thing has now been turned into a museum. The museum contains an impressive collection of peacetime and wartime objects from the Mughal reign.

Part of the palace, viewed from below.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur was our third stop in India, right after visiting Jaipur. It was sure an adventure! Unfortunately, all of us seemed to have a stomach bug on and off, something that seemed to be following us around all of India. The hotel we stayed at was decent (not by an Americans standards, but by a world traveler's standards it was reasonable). However we were all disappointed in it though, as its website had claimed it had three pools, numerous playgrounds, that it offered bikes and segways, the rooms had kitchenettes, etc, etc. It did not have any of these (although there was one pool, it was dark green with algae). The nice thing was that it had a full selection of TV channels (not the norm, just in case you were wondering) so that anyone who felt sick could stay at the hotel and watch Man vs. Wild or some other such show. The best part of being in Jodhpur was definitely touring Mehrangarh fortress. Overall, Jaipur was a cool city. For more on Mehrangarh fort, click below: http://christopherinafrica.blogspot.com/2014/09/mehrangarh-fortress.html