Fantastic India

THE EXCITEMENT THE FAITHFUL FEEL BEFORE THE ALTAR IS IMPRESSIVE! I ARRIVE IN JAISALMER IN THE AFTERNOON AT THE RANGMAHAL HOTEL, A STRUCTURE A BIT OUTSIDE THE INHABITED CENTER, NEW, IN TRADITIONAL STYLE WITH STURDY BASTIONS AND ROOMS ALL FRESCOED, EXCELLENT POOL IN THE GARDEN! WE THEN MOVED TO A BELVEDERE TO WATCH THE SUNSET, BUT AT THE LAST MOMENT THE SUN DECIDED TO HIDE BEHIND THE CLOUDS, BUT THE PANORAMA IS EQUALLY CHARACTERISTIC, THE FORT LOOKS LIKE AN ENORMOUS CASTLE OF GOLDEN SAND! EVENTFUL DINNER, FIRST IN THE GARDEN BY THE POOL, THEN IN THE FREEZING RESTAURANT BECAUSE IT STARTED TO RAIN! DAY 5 - SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2006 JAISALMER

EXCELLENT BREAKFAST, UNFORTUNATELY IN THE USUAL FREEZING RESTAURANT WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING BLASTING! WE LEAVE THE HOTEL TO VISIT THE FORT, BUT FIRST A STOP AT GADISAGAR LAKE, VERY CHARMING, SURROUNDED BY TEMPLES AND SHRINES WITH THE PLEASANT SOUND OF A MUSICIAN…………………. WE PROCEED WITH THE VISIT OF THE FORT……………………………..AND THE BEGINNING OF UNBRIDLED SHOPPING! FINALLY A BEAUTIFUL WALK ALONE IN THE ALLEYS OF THE FORT, THERE ARE LOCAL DWELLINGS, TEMPLES AND SHOPS OF EVERY KIND, EACH OF US STARTED TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE VARIOUS SOUVENIRS OF THE PLACE, RUGS, CUSHIONS, TROUSERS AND SKIRTS OF EVERY KIND AND WE STARTED TO BUY AMIDST NERVE-WRACKING HAGGLING, BUT ALSO VERY VERY ENTERTAINING………..AFTER VISITING A BEAUTIFUL PALACE STILL IN THE CITY WITH BALCONIES AND TERRACES FINELY DECORATED AND WITH TRUE FILIGREES THAT CREATE A TRULY CHARACTERISTIC MEDIEVAL ATMOSPHERE.

SWIM IN THE POOL AND REST, 5 PM TRANSFER TO KHURI, ABOUT 30 KILOMETERS OUTSIDE, JAISALMER FOR THE CAMEL RIDE IN THE THAR DESERT. HERE WE ARE ONLY 35 KILOMETERS FROM PAKISTAN! ONCE WE ARRIVED WE TOOK A WALK AROUND THE VILLAGE OF KURI, WE SAW THE HOUSES MADE OF MUD AND ANIMAL DUNG, THEN WITH A BIT OF CONFUSION WE SETTLED TWO BY TWO ON THE CAMELS, SOME ALONE, ACTUALLY, AND WE REACHED THE FAMOUS DUNES FOR THE SUNSET, TONIGHT TOO AT THE LAST MOMENT THE SUN HID…….HE'S REALLY UNPLEASANT!

DAY 6 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2006 JAISALMER JODHPUR

THIS MORNING SEVERAL SICK ON BOARD: PIETRO, JACOPO, SIMONE…….. VERY LONG TRANSFER TO JODPUR! JACOPO IS REALLY SICK, THE FEVER WON'T COME DOWN, DESPITE TACHIPIRINA AND NOVALGINA, IN FACT IT SEEMS TO KEEP RISING UP TO 40.6…………..ICE PACKS FOR THE ENTIRE ENDLESS JOURNEY, ARRIVAL AT THE HOTEL, IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DOCTOR WHO EXAMINES HIM AND IMMEDIATELY GIVES HIM A SHOT, (IN LESS THAN AN HOUR THE FEVER WENT FROM 40.5 TO 35.8 WITH THE RELEASE OF SEVERAL LITERS OF SWEAT) AND THEN HE MAKES HIS DIAGNOSIS……WE NEED TO DO THE TEST FOR MALARIA (EVEN THOUGH WE ARE IN A NON-MALARIAL AREA……..) IN AN HOUR WE CAN HAVE THE ANSWER! WITH HIS FURISTRADA, THE DOCTOR ACCOMPANIES US TO THE CLINIC….

(SO TO SPEAK…), A LANE WITH PIGEONS AND ALL…..SAMPLE TAKEN, PURCHASE OF MEDICINES AT THE PHARMACY…….SAME IMPRESSION AS THE CLINIC, WHERE FOR A HUNDRED RUPEES THEY COVERED US WITH MEDICINES, AND BACK AT THE HOTEL WE WAITED FOR THE RESULT, FINALLY HERE IT IS: IT'S NOT MALARIA, BUT JUST SOMETHING VIRAL, A SIGH OF RELIEF! THE HEALTHY ONES WENT TO THE CENTER OF THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE CITY BY TUK TUK, CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH A COW THAT SOWED PANIC…….DINNER IN THE GARDEN WITH A SHOW OF MUSIC AND DANCES! VERY NICE HOTEL WITH ROOMS FURNISHED IN ENGLISH STYLE, A RESTAURANT AND A BAR TRULY TASTEFULLY FURNISHED, SPLENDID FLOWERPOTS FULL OF BOUGAINVILLEA. DAY 7 – MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2006 JODHPUR

ARRIVAL OF MR. NUCCI AND D'AMARIO EXHAUSTED, THEY LEFT FOUR DAYS LATER, AND THEY TELL US ABOUT THEIR MISADVENTURES ON THE TRAIN……………………….START OF THE TOUR WITH A VISIT TO MEHRANGARH FORT, ONE OF THE LARGEST FORTS IN INDIA, IN RED SANDSTONE, FROM WHICH WE COULD ENJOY THE WONDERFUL PANORAMA OF THE BLUE CITY, (THIS COLOR WAS GIVEN BY THE FOLLOWERS OF THE BLUE-FACED GOD KHRISNA, THEN THEY DISCOVERED THAT IT IS AN EXCELLENT DETERRENT AGAINST ANY INSECT) THEY HAD SAID THAT JODHPUR WAS THE CITY OF THE SUN, INSTEAD WE GOT CAUGHT IN A GOOD DOWNPOUR! VISIT TO A CENOTAPH.

ANOTHER ROUND OF TUK TUK AND AGAIN A VISIT OF THE OLD CITY, FOR THE MANY ABSENCES OF LAST NIGHT, TRANSFER TO THE TYPICAL MARKET OF THE CLOCK TOWER UNIQUE EXPERIENCE, NUMEROUS STALLS CRAMMED INTO A TINY SPACE AND GENERAL CHAOS WITH NUMEROUS PEOPLE, COWS, BICYCLES, MOTORBIKES HONKING TO MAKE THEIR WAY! WHAT A MESS, ALMOST ZERO PURCHASES! RETURN TO THE HOTEL BY TUK TUK. DINNER INSIDE THE RESTAURANT BECAUSE IT'S RAINING!, DAY 8 - TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2006 JODHPUR UDAIPUR

HAPPY FERRAGOSTO, AFTER BREAKFAST TRANSFER TO UDAIPUR. GRAY WEATHER….IT'S RAINING, IT'S BETTER TEMPERATURE-WISE, MAYBE THIS LIGHT RAIN HELPS BRING THE TEMPERATURE DOWN A BIT. STOP AT A PLACE WHERE THEY SAY THEY MAKE RUGS……….NO PURCHASES, ALSO BECAUSE THEY WERE ASKING AN EXORBITANT PRICE. THE WEATHER IS REALLY CHANGING, THERE'S NO MORE MUGGY HEAT, BUT RATHER THERE'S A LIGHT BREEZE THAT FEELS VERY NICE! DURING OUR LONG TRANSFERS WE CAN ALWAYS STILL SEE A PROCESSION OF PEOPLE ALONG THE SIDES OF THE ROAD WALKING TO VISIT THE RAMDEORA TEMPLE, AND WE'VE SURE COVERED A LOT OF KILOMETERS!!!!!! FINALLY ARRIVAL AT RANAKPUR, THE FIRST JAIN TEMPLE IN INDIA, TRULY ENCHANTING ATMOSPHERE, LIGHT RAIN THAT CREATES THE ATMOSPHERE FOR THE RIGHT SPIRITUALITY OF OBSERVATION.

29 HALLS HELD UP BY 1,444 CARVED COLUMNS EACH DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER, ALL STRAIGHT EXCEPT ONE THAT IS CROOKED…BECAUSE GOD SAYS THAT PERFECTION CANNOT BELONG TO THIS WORLD. PRADEEP HELPS US SPOT IT AND PHOTOS GALORE, A TRULY BEAUTIFUL VISIT, IT IS A VERY LARGE TEMPLE THAT OFFERS PARTICULAR VIEWS. SUBSEQUENT VISIT TO A SMALL SIDE TEMPLE WHERE A SONG BY AN INDIAN WOMAN WHO WAS PRAYING CREATED AN ALMOST MAGICAL ATMOSPHERE! OUTSIDE OF THIS PRADEEP POINTED OUT SOME KAMASUTRA PAINTINGS. ARRIVAL IN UDAIPUR, UNDER TORRENTIAL RAIN, THE TEMPERATURE HAS REALLY CHANGED, THE BUS HAD TO CHANGE ROUTE DUE TO FLOODING……………………NORMAL THING IN INDIA! ARRIVAL AT THE RAMPRATAP PALACE HOTEL AND….SURPRISE, FIRST 2 ROOMS ARE MISSING, THEN 3 THEN EVEN 5! AFTER VARIOUS DISCUSSIONS 10 VOLUNTEERS DECIDE TO GO SLEEP AT THE OTHER HOTEL, THE SWAROOP WILAS HOTEL.

DAY 9 - WEDNESDAY AUGUST 16, 2006 UDAIPUR

AFTER BREAKFAST WE WENT TO PICK UP THE 10 VOLUNTEERS WHO WERE STAYING AT THE OTHER HOTEL; WHILE WAITING WE WERE ENTERTAINED BY THE ARRIVAL OF AN ELEPHANT AND GUIDO ATTEMPTED A NOT EASY CLIMB FIRST AND THEN DESCENT FROM THE ANIMAL FOR A LITTLE RIDE.

A VERY UNUSUAL VISIT TO THE CITY PALACE WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO ADMIRE BEAUTIFUL MINIATURES; HERE THERE IS STILL THE RESIDENCE OF THE MARAJA WHO IS FILTHY RICH, LIVES FOR MOST OF THE YEAR IN LONDON AND IS SAID TO OWN 150 CARS, INCLUDING A FERRARI, A JAGUAR, A LIMOUSINE AND WHOEVER HAS MORE, LET HIM HAVE MORE, IN THE FACE OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE!!!! UDAIPUR TURNS OUT TO BE THE MOST ROMANTIC CITY IN RAJASTHAN WHERE MANY COUPLES GO ON THEIR HONEYMOON, PERHAPS IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE PRESENCE OF TWO LAKES, WHICH ACCORDING TO MANY ARE OFTEN ALMOST DRY, BUT INSTEAD WITH OUR ARRIVAL, THEY ALMOST ALMOST OVERFLOWED, INDEED UPON OUR DEPARTURE A FLOOD HIT THE CITY AND THERE WERE ALSO NUMEROUS DEATHS BY DROWNING! AFTER THE VISIT TO A MINIATURE SCHOOL, THE FRENZIED SHOPPING BEGAN IN THE LITTLE SHOPS NEAR THE CITY PALACE! AT 5:30 PM BOAT TRIP ON LAKE PICHOLA, PLEASANT, WE WERE ABLE TO ADMIRE UP CLOSE THE LAK

E PALACE HOTEL, ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS HOTELS IN INDIA, IT IS CONSIDERED A FLOATING DREAM ALL IN WHITE MARBLE! IN THE EVENING A LACOSTE STORE WAS STORMED BY ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP, WHICH HAD PRICES...INDIAN! THEY NEVER DREAMED OF SUCH A SALE..............RESULT: STORE CLEARED OUT!!!!! DAY 10 - THURSDAY AUGUST 17, 2006 UDAIPUR PUSHKAR

TODAY WE WILL FINALLY REACH PUSHKAR, WE HAVE NO NOSTALGIA ABOUT LEAVING THIS HOTEL WHICH WILL TURN OUT TO BE THE WORST OF THE ENTIRE TOUR! WE LEFT THE COACH AND EQUIPPED WITH TUK TUKS WE REACHED CHITTORGARH WHICH HAS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE FORT IN RAJASTHAN, AN AUTHENTIC ARCHITECTURAL WONDER AT 600 METERS OF ALTITUDE, HERE THE CLIMATE IS EXCELLENT, IN THE SHADE IT'S EVEN COOL...INCREDIBLE! THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE THE MASS SUICIDES BY WOMEN BEGAN WHEN THE ENEMY ARRIVED, THOUSANDS OF WOMEN KILLED THEMSELVES WHEN THEY REALIZED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING MORE TO BE DONE AND THE FORT WAS BEING STORMED BY THE ENEMY! SOMEONE ALSO TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO HORSEBACK RIDING.

STOP AT A SERVICE STATION WHERE SMOKING IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN....BUT NOT PLAYING BALL, THE KIDS AND NOT ONLY THEM TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO STRETCH THEIR LEGS A BIT! ARRIVAL IN PUSHKAR IN THE EVENING, A VERY CHARMING ALL-WHITE TOWN ON THE LAKE SHORE, AT THE FOOT OF THE HILL, THE ONLY INDIAN CITY DEDICATED TO THE CULT OF BRAHMA, THE CREATOR, THE FIRST OF THE HINDU TRINITY. LEGEND SAYS THAT THE LAKE WAS CREATED BY THE LOTUS FLOWER THAT FELL FROM BRAHMA'S HAND. ARRIVAL AT THE JAGAT PALACE HOTEL (THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN PUSHKAR) AND WE ARE WELCOMED WITH VERY FRAGRANT ROSE GARLANDS, A TRULY SPLENDID HOTEL FURNISHED AND FRESCOED IN AN EXCELLENT MANNER! EXCELLENT DINNER...WITHOUT MEAT OR ALCOHOL, WE ARE IN THE HOLY CITY, BUT AFTER DINNER ANTONIO SHARED HIS PRECIOUS BOTTLE OF RAMAZZOTTI BROUGHT FROM ITALY! DAY 11 FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 2006 PUSHKAR

VISIT TO THE TEMPLE OF THE GOD BRAHMA VERY CROWDED AND COLORFUL, ENCOUNTER WITH THE 5-LEGGED COWS AND FOR THIS ANOMALY CONSIDERED EVEN MORE SACRED! VISIT TO THE GHAT ON THE LAKE, BEAUTIFUL PANORAMA, CROSSING THE SACRED BRIDGE STRICTLY BAREFOOT! A VERY PLEASANT DAY IN THIS BEAUTIFUL LOCATION, FRENZIED SHOPPING, IT REALLY IS A WINDFALL FOR SHOPPERS....BEAUTIFUL SUNSET OVER THE LAKE! PERHAPS THIS PLACE DESERVED ONE MORE DAY! INDIAN CELEBRATIONS BY THE POOLSIDE FOR MARA'S TWENTY-EIGHTH BIRTHDAY, WHO WAS VERY MOVED BY IT!.....

DAY 12 SATURDAY AUGUST 19, 2006 PUSHKAR JAIPUR

DEPARTURE FROM PUSHKAR....TRULY ENCHANTING PLACE............145 KILOMETERS SEPARATE US FROM JAIPUR, CAPITAL OF RAJASTHAN, ROAD RATHER GOOD AND AFTER ABOUT 3 HOURS ARRIVAL AT THE ALSISAR HAVELI HOTEL, REALLY VERY PLEASANT.......SMALL HICCUP WITH THE ROOM ASSIGNMENTS, THE TRIPLE ROOMS WERE GIVEN TO THE DOUBLES, WHILE THE TRIPLES WERE CHANGED BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T EVEN FIT THE THIRD BED, SURE THESE INDIANS ARE REALLY CLEVER!!! WE WENT OUT RIGHT AWAY AND REALIZED THE CITY CHAOS, JAIPUR IS REALLY VERY VERY CHAOTIC! AS SOON AS WE GOT OFF THE COACH WE WERE SURROUNDED BY NUMEROUS CHILDREN AND ADULTS WHO WANTED TO SELL US SOMETHING, FROM LITTLE ELEPHANTS, BOUGHT 12 FOR 100 RUPEES... TO STAMPS, TO GANESH ETC. SOMEONE FOLLOWED PRADEEP'S PSEUDO-COUSIN TO BUY STONES, THIS IS THE CITY OF PRECIOUS STONES.

THE GROUP SPREAD OUT THROUGH THE BAZAAR AND A SHOE STORE WAS STORMED....EVERYONE CAME OUT WITH THEIR BAG FULL OF ONE TWO THREE PAIRS OF INDIAN SHOES! ALSO SEVERAL PURCHASES OF CUSHIONS, BLANKETS AND PASHMINAS, AND ALSO SOME SILVER, LITTLE TO TELL THE TRUTH, THE PRICES ARE NOT SO INDIAN AFTER ALL! WITH THE TUK TUKS, A MEANS THAT ALLOWS YOU TO FACE THE CHAOTIC TRAFFIC OF THE CITIES, SOME REACHED AN ADDRESS RECOMMENDED BY ANNAMARIA.....OF COURSE ANOUKI....A STORE VERY CLOSE TO WESTERN STANDARDS AND TASTES, MASS PURCHASES OF BLANKETS TABLECLOTHS BRACELETS NECKLACES SHIRTS TROUSERS AND DRESSES OF EVERY KIND! DINNER IN A REGAL SETTING, AN IMMENSE TABLE, EXCELLENT AND VARIED FOOD, NUMEROUS WAITERS IN FULL DRESS UNIFORM WITH BEAUTIFUL TURBANS! DAY 13 SUNDAY AUGUST 20, 2006 JAIPUR

BREAKFAST SIMILAR TO DINNER WITH A VARIETY OF DISHES, THIS MORNING THE ELEPHANTS AWAIT US AT AMBER FORT. FIRST THOUGH WE SAY GOODBYE TO OUR DRIVER WHO HAS TO LEAVE US DUE TO A SUDDEN ILLNESS OF HIS FATHER, AS USUAL WE GATHER OUR STRENGTH AND LEAVE OUR NICE TIP..........BUT AS HAD NEVER HAPPENED, THE MAN GOT RATHER ANGRY...........IT WASN'T WHAT HE WANTED TO GET........I WAS INFORMED OF THIS AND AT THAT POINT I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT ANGRY.......AND I TOLD HIM THROUGH PRADEEP WHAT WE MEAN BY TIP! WE SET OFF AND AFTER VERY FEW KILOMETERS WE ARRIVE AT.................THE ELEPHANT PARKING LOT, AFTER A STOP WITH EVEN A COBRA CHARMER, TWO BY TWO WE SETTLE ONTO THE ELEPHANTS' HOWDAH FOR THE CLIMB UP TO AMBER FORT.....IT'S REALLY FUN TO ENTER THE FORT TRIUMPHANTLY ON ELEPHANT BACK AFTER A BEAUTIFUL PANORAMIC RIDE, CHASED BY VARIOUS VENDORS OF EVERYTHING! VISIT TO THE FORT WHICH HAS A VERY STRATEGIC

POSITION, VERY BEAUTIFUL ARE THE GANESH GATE AND THE HALL OF MIRRORS, PARTICULARLY NOTEWORTHY IS THE HALL OF THE WINDS EQUIPPED WITH A SPECIAL AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM BASED ON THE FALL OF WATER MIXED WITH SPECIAL OILS THAT GAVE A VENTILATION....FRAGRANT! BUT THESE MARAJAS....THEY ALWAYS INVENTED ONE MORE THAN THE DEVIL! RETURN ON FOOT TO THE BUS ACCOMPANIED BY NUMEROUS SELLERS....RATHER ANNOYING, HOWEVER PURCHASES OF VARIOUS KINDS! AT THIS POINT A FANTASTIC CHARACTER GOT ON THE BUS: A MAGICIAN! HE PUT ON HIS SHOW AND WE BURST OUT LAUGHING.....UNTIL HE SAID >....HE WAS A LITTLE KID, WHO ACCORDING TO PRADEEP WAS 10 YEARS OLD, BUT FRANKLY HE LOOKED AT MOST 5, BUT TRULY FANTASTIC! NEXT VISIT TO A BLUE POTTERY SHOP, FEW PURCHASES. AT 1:30 PM THE CAR ARRIVED, OR RATHER THE BIG CAR (AN IMMENSE TOYOTA) THAT WILL TAKE GIADA TO DELHI WHO IS FORCED FOR WORK REASONS TO RETURN TO ROME BEFORE US.

NEXT VISIT, BRIEF, TO THE CITY PALACE, NOTHING PARTICULAR, EXCEPT AN INTERESTING EXHIBITION OF FABRICS AND CLOTHES TRULY PARTICULAR, WE ALSO SAW THE MARAJA'S SUIT WHICH WEIGHED 240 KILOS AND HAD A CIRCUMFERENCE OF 120 CENTIMETERS AND A HEIGHT OF 2.10 METERS!!!! VERY INTERESTING VISIT TO THE OBSERVATORY WHERE WE CHECKED THE TIME ON A VERY PRECISE SUNDIAL (...ONLY 20 MINUTES OFF).

DAY 14 MONDAY AUGUST 21, 2006 JAIPUR AGRA

LAST TRANSFER BY BUS THAT WILL TAKE US TO AGRA, AFTER WHICH WE WILL TRAVEL BY TRAIN. STOP 30 KILOMETERS BEFORE REACHING AGRA, FOR THE VISIT TO FATHEPUR SIKRI, A GHOST CITY INHABITED ONLY FOR 15 YEARS AND THEN ABANDONED FOR WATER SUPPLY REASONS. BEAUTIFUL CITY BUILT IN RED SANDSTONE BY AN EMPEROR AKBAR TO THANK THE LOCAL FORTUNE TELLER WHO FINALLY ALLOWED HIM, THROUGH HIS INTERCESSION, TO HAVE A MALE CHILD. MARVELOUS OVERALL ARCHITECTURE, TEMPLE WHERE WOMEN GO TO PRAY AND THUS OBTAIN A MALE CHILD, IMMENSE MOSQUE! ARRIVAL AT THE HOTEL, HOTEL CLARKS SHIRAZ, MODERN HOTEL, VERY COLD, PASTRY SHOP, WITH MUCH LESS CHARM THAN THE PREVIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS. USUAL PROBLEM WITH TRIPLE ROOMS......AND RESOLUTION WITH IMMEDIATE SWAP BETWEEN DOUBLE (AS ALWAYS BIGGER) AND TRIPLE.

WE HAVE TIME TO TAKE A WALK IN THE CITY, BUT AS SOON AS WE SET OFF A CROWD OF RICKSHAW PULLERS CHASES US HOPING TO TAKE US......THE FIRST TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION WAS CLAUDIO, FOLLOWED THEN IN TURN BY THE WHOLE GROUP! EVEN THIS NOT TOO CIVIL EXPERIENCE (....CARRIED BY PEOPLE....) IS DONE BY THE GROUP, BUT PERHAPS, AS SOMEONE SAYS, YOU GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN SOMETHING AND NOT TO BE EXPLOITED! ROUND OF VARIOUS SHOPS, PURCHASE OF SHOES AND RETURN AGAIN BY RICKSHAW TO THE HOTEL. SUMTUOUS DINNER (INCLUDING ICE CREAM!) IN A FREEZING RESTAURANT! DAY 15 TUESDAY AUGUST 22, 2006 AGRA

WAKE UP AT 4:45 AM....THE TAJ MAHAL AWAITS US! THE LAST PART OF THE ROUTE WE DO WITH THE ELECTRIC BUS, THEY DON'T ALLOW ANY MOTOR VEHICLE TO APPROACH THE TEMPLE, DUE TO A POLLUTION PROBLEM, YEARS AGO THEY NOTICED THAT THE MARBLE WAS TAKING ON A YELLOWISH COLOR......THE GATE IS STILL CLOSED, IT WILL OPEN AT 6, WE ARE THE FIRST IN LINE, AFTER A METAL DETECTOR CHECK, INSIDE WE CAN'T BRING ANYTHING, EXCEPT THE CAMERA, WE FINALLY ARRIVE.......THE VIEW OF THE TEMPLE IS SPECTACULAR, IT LEAVES YOU SPEECHLESS BOTH FOR ITS MAJESTY AND ITS BEAUTY! ENDLESS PHOTOS AND VISIT OF THIS WONDERFUL PLACE IN THE FIRST LIGHT OF THE SUN AND I MUST SAY IT REALLY DESERVES IT! INSIDE WE ADMIRED THE INLAY OF PRECIOUS AND NON-PRECIOUS STONES, WONDERFULLY JOINED TO FORM SPLENDID FLOWERS, FOR SOME IT TOOK 52 PIECES! WE WERE LUCKY TO FIND THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBER CONTAINING THE TWO ORIGINAL TOMBS OPEN, WHICH ALMOST NEVE

R HAPPENS, EVEN PRADEEP WAS SEEING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME! AFTER LINGERING ON THE TERRACE OVERLOOKING THE YAMONA RIVER, ONE OF THE THREE SACRED INDIAN RIVERS, WE RETURNED TO THE HOTEL SATISFIED WITH A SPLENDID VISION, EVEN THOUGH THE INTERIOR OF THE TEMPLE REMAINS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTING, COMPARED TO THE MAJESTY AND BEAUTY OF THE EXTERIOR! EXCELLENT BREAKFAST IN THE ALWAYS FREEZING RESTAURANT! PACKING OF LUGGAGE, THE BULK WILL BE TRANSPORTED BY BUS DIRECTLY TO DELHI, WE WILL ONLY TAKE WITH US ON THE TRAIN THE ESSENTIALS FOR THE TRIP TO VARANASI. START OF THE CITY TOUR WITH A VISIT TO THE RED FORT, FROM WHERE YOU CAN STILL ADMIRE THE TAJ MAHAL.

AFTER LEAVING THE FORT, FREEDOM....WE SET OFF IN SEARCH OF A PHANTOM MARKET THAT WE DIDN'T FIND, BUT IN RETURN WE CROSSED A PART OF THE CENTER THAT WAS TRULY CHARACTERISTIC, A TRULY INDIAN NEIGHBORHOOD, FULL OF LITTLE SHOPS, BARBERS AND WE ALSO PHOTOGRAPHED A FEW HOTELS, SURELY INEXPENSIVE....YOU NEVER KNOW IN THE FUTURE! OVERWHELMED BY THE HEAT AND THE NOISE WE CONTACTED THE GROUP TUK TUK AND HEADED OFF, SOME TO PIZZA HUT, SOME TO MC DONALDS. THEN WE WENT WITHOUT A GUIDE INTO A STREET OF ARTISAN SHOPS TO COMPLETE OUR PURCHASES, SOME RUGS, SOME MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, SOME CUSHIONS, SOME PASHMINAS....RETURN TO THE HOTEL, DINNER AT 6:30 PM IN A RESTAURANT AND THEN TRANSFER TO THE STATION.

PROBLEM WITH THE BOOKING OF THE SLEEPER BERTHS, THEY SCATTERED US ACROSS THREE DIFFERENT CARS, AFTER EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION EVERYONE FOUND THEIR MORE OR LESS COMFORTABLE BERTH......BUT ALSO HERE AN INCREDIBLE COLD, THE AIR CONDITIONING IS REALLY EXCESSIVE! THIS EXPERIENCE IS ALSO DONE, OF COURSE INDIAN TRAINS ARE PARTICULAR! WAKE UP AFTER A NOT EXACTLY QUIET NIGHT, MOST SLEPT LITTLE AND BADLY AND UNFORTUNATELY WE WILL HAVE TO REPEAT THIS EXPERIENCE TOMORROW FOR THE APPROACH TO DELHI.

DAY 16 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2006 VARANASI

ARRIVAL IN VARANASI! VARANASI, BEAUTIFUL AND TERRIBLE AT THE SAME TIME! FOR THE HINDU PEOPLE IN LIFE YOU MUST AT LEAST ONCE VISIT VARANASI! IT IS A CITY THAT MOVES YOU, FROM WHICH YOU NEVER LEAVE THE SAME! IT IS THE ESSENCE OF INDIA, THE WIND OF LIFE AND DEATH, SPIRITUALITY STICKS TO YOUR SKIN AND PENETRATES YOUR SPIRIT. MANY SICK PEOPLE COME HERE AND WAIT FOR DEATH TO TAKE THEM, OR TO DIE IN VARANASI, IN THE OLDEST SACRED CITY IN THE WORLD, MEANS GOING DIRECTLY TO PARADISE, NIRVANA, WITHOUT MAKING LONG PASSAGES AND VARIOUS REINCARNATIONS! BREAKFAST IN A RESTAURANT WHERE WE ARRIVED STARVING........ARRIVAL AT THE RADISSON HOTEL, 5 STARS, A VERY VERY NICE INN WITH ELEGANTLY FURNISHED ROOMS FULL OF EVERY COMFORT, IRONING BOARD, IRON, HAIR DRYER, SAFE...........MANY SHOPS AND A PANORAMIC TERRACE.

AT 1:30 PM START OF THE TOUR FOR THE VISIT TO THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF..................................VISIT TO THE SITE WHERE THERE IS THE FIRST STUPA WHERE BUDDHA PREACHED AFTER HIS ENLIGHTENMENT. VISIT TO THE MODERN TEMPLE BUILT BESIDE IT, FREQUENTED BY MANY FAITHFUL.

WE TOOK THE RICKSHAWS AND I MUST SAY THE SEAT WAS SLIGHTLY NARROW FOR ME AND GUIDO, BUT IN ANY CASE I WAS MUCH MORE FOCUSED ON WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON THE STREET THAN ON THE COMFORT OF THIS MEANS, IT'S INCREDIBLE HOW IT MUST KEEP TURNING RIGHT AND LEFT TO AVOID BICYCLES, SACRED COWS, PEDESTRIANS, MOTORCYCLES CARS AND OTHER RICKSHAWS, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T MANAGE IT.....ANYWAY IN THIS DELIRIUM AND GENERAL CLAMOR, WE ARRIVED AT THE MAGNIFICENT GANGES, THE GOD THAT ALL HINDUS PRAY TO, OR RATHER THE MOTHER GODDESS GANGA, THE VIEW IS IMPRESSIVE, IT IS AN IMMENSE RIVER! WE WENT DOWN TO A GHAT WHERE LATER THEY WILL PERFORM THE PUJA CEREMONY OF THANKSGIVING. WE WANDERED THROUGH THE ALLEYS SAVORING THE PARTICULAR ATMOSPHERE OF VARANASI, WHAT APPEARS TO OUR EYES IS TRULY INDIA, THE REAL ONE! THEN A BOAT RIDE TO SEE FROM AFAR THE CREMATION SITE AND THEN TO ATTEND THE CEREMONY.

SEVERAL CHILDREN WHO CLIMBED ONTO OUR BOAT SOLD US VOTIVE LAMPS ADORNED WITH FLOWERS TO PLACE ON THE RIVER WHICH WE THEN ENTRUST TO THE WATERS CONFIDING OUR WISHES TO THEM.......EVERYTHING IS VERY MYSTICAL AND SPIRITUAL, PERHAPS ALSO A LITTLE TOURISTY, BUT SURELY PLEASANT, THE GESTURES OF THE PRIESTS, THE SOUNDS, THE MUSIC, THE INCENSE, THE CONTEMPLATION BY EVERYONE REALLY CREATES A MAGICAL ATMOSPHERE! RETURN BY RICKSHAW TO THE HOTEL AND...CHAIN-REACTION CRASH WITH GIULIANO FALLING OFF...LUCKILY EVERYTHING OK! THESE MEANS OF TRANSPORT CAN REALLY BE VERY DANGEROUS, AS INDEED IS ANY MEANS OF TRANSPORT THAT TRAVELS ON THE ROADS, THE WAY INDIANS DRIVE IS REALLY CRAZY! DINNER IN A VERY ELEGANT RESTAURANT WITH LOTS OF DISHES, LOTS GOOD AND SOME NEW THINGS! DAY 17 THURSDAY AUGUST 24, 2006 VARANASI

WAKE UP AGAIN AT 4:00 AM, TRIP AT DAWN ON THE GANGES TO WITNESS THE ABLUTIONS, THERE ARE INDIANS OF EVERY AGE BUSY CLEANING THEIR OWN BODIES AND THEIR OWN CLOTHES IN THIS SACRED RIVER, THEY SCRUB THEMSELVES, SOAP THEMSELVES UP, BEAT THE CLOTHES AGAINST THE STEPS AND THEN LAY THEM OUT AT FULL LENGTH (WOMEN'S SARIS ARE VERY LONG). STOP WHERE THEY DO THE CREMATIONS, WE WERE ABLE TO OBSERVE VERY CLOSE UP A CORPSE ON THE BURNING PYRE, THE SMELL AND ACRID SMOKE, BUT NOT UNPLEASANT, PENETRATES YOU, EVEN IN YOUR CLOTHES.......IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD FOR 1000 YEARS THE CREMATION FIRE HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIT BECAUSE THERE ARE CONTINUOUS CREMATIONS, THE CASTE THAT TAKES CARE OF THE CREMATIONS IS THAT OF THE UNTOUCHABLES.

NEXT VISIT TO THE TEMPLE THAT HOUSES THE LINGAM OF SHIVA, AFTER CROSSING THE VERY NARROW ALLEYS OF VARANASI, LOTS OF POLICE ARMED TO THE TEETH, METAL DETECTORS, AND VARIOUS PAT-DOWNS BEFORE ENTERING....ALL BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID OF ATTACKS BY MUSLIMS WHO HAVE A MOSQUE RIGHT NEXT TO THE TEMPLE. RETURN TO THE HOTEL AND PHARAONIC BREAKFAST, WITH TAKEOUT OF SANDWICHES AND SWEETS FOR THE NIGHT ON THE TRAIN. RICKSHAW RIDE IN SEARCH OF SOME NEW SHOP...BUT WE DIDN'T FIND MUCH, EXCEPT A FEW KILOS OF TOWELS WHICH WILL TURN OUT EXCELLENT ON THE NIGHT ON THE TRAIN. LUNCH-DINNER AT 3:30 PM BEFORE REACHING THE STATION TO TAKE THE TRAIN TO DELHI.....HERE MATTEO AND LINA GOT LOST....VARIOUS OUTBURSTS ESPECIALLY WITH PRADEEP AND QUICK AND QUIET SETTLEMENT ON THE TRAIN (IT HAD BEEN ORGANIZED AT A TABLE BY FRANCO N.

PREVIOUSLY!) IN THIS ARRANGEMENT 6 MEN, NOT TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES, BUT TO BETTER ORGANIZE THEIR CARD TOURNAMENT, SETTLED IN THE LAST CAR AND AT A CERTAIN POINT BESIDES THE CARDS THEY ALSO PULLED OUT THE BOTTLE OF RAJASTHAN RUM, INVOLVING ALSO A RAILWAY WORKER WHO, HAVING FILLED HIS GLASS, AT SEVEN IN THE MORNING WAS STILL MAKING THE CAT SOUND! PRADEEP DID HENNA FOR WHOEVER WANTED IT...AND THERE WAS A PROCESSION IN HIS SLEEPER BERTH.

DAY 18 FRIDAY AUGUST 25, 2006 DELHI

PUNCTUAL ARRIVAL AT 7:30 AM, TRANSFER BY COACH TO THE HOTEL. DELHI IS REALLY A METROPOLIS, IT IS IMMENSE, WIDE AVENUES, SKYSCRAPERS, CHAOTIC TRAFFIC, BUT ANYWAY IN OLD DELHI THE SAME SCENES OF POVERTY, THE SAME COWS AS IN THE REST OF INDIA. ARRIVAL AT THE HOTEL, SINGH PALACE HOTEL, SIMPLE. BUT CLEAN. START OF THE TOUR WITH THE VISIT TO THE SITE, A VERY UNUSUAL MINARET THAT ARCHAEOLOGICALLY RECALLS AFGHAN CONSTRUCTIONS.....CLIMBED BACK ONTO THE COACH, AGAIN STUCK IN TRAFFIC, STOP AT GHANDI'S MEMORIAL, WHERE HE WAS CREMATED., THEN VISIT TO THE INDIA GATE. THEN FREE TIME UNTIL 7:00 PM, GIANT PIZZA AT PIZZA HUT, WITH EVEN A DANCE BY THE WAITERS, AND LAST PURCHASES AT THE EMPORIUM AND THE NEPALESE AND TIBETAN SHOPS.

THERE IS A LOT OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE INDIA OF THE BIG CITIES AND RURAL INDIA, THE INDIA OF THE SMALL TOWNS VISITED IN THE FIRST DAYS, IT'S NOT THAT THERE ISN'T POVERTY HERE, BUT THE PEOPLE ARE MUCH MORE DECOROUS, LESS AGGRESSIVE, MUCH SWEETER! RETURN TO THE HOTEL AND LAST DINNER IN INDIA IN A DELHI RESTAURANT WHERE THEY WELCOMED US WITH FLOWER GARLANDS. TYPICAL AND USUAL DINNER, LAST PHOTOS AND FAREWELL TOAST. ON THE RETURN ON THE COACH A CRAZY FURY BROKE OUT WITH FLOWER GARLANDS BETWEEN THE FRONT OF THE COACH LED BY PRADEEP AND THE BACK WITH ALL THE KIDS LED BY MANUELE, FINAL RESULT, A CARPET OF FLOWERS ON THE GROUND THAT THE BUS COULD HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE INFIORATA OF GENZANO. NOT CONTENT, JACOPO AND MATTEO WANTED TO CREATE AN EXPLOSION OF COLOR IN THEIR ROOM BY THROWING THEIR GARLAND INTO THE FAN BLADES, RESULT: FLOWERED BED! DAY 19 SATURDAY AUGUST 26, 2006

WAKE UP EARLY AGAIN, WE HAVE TO BE AT THE AIRPORT EARLY, THE CHECKS HAVE MULTIPLIED AFTER WHAT HAPPENED....ARRIVAL AT THE AIRPORT, GOODBYES TO PRADEEP, WHO IN MY OPINION COULDN'T WAIT TO GET RID OF THIS NUMEROUS AND SOMETIMES DISORDERLY GROUP. SEVERAL AND NUMEROUS CHECKS, OVERBOOKING, FIRST YES THEN NO FOR SOME, FINALLY AT 9:20 AM WE DEPART. PUNCTUAL ARRIVAL IN MUNICH, WE HAVE A FEW HOURS AND DECIDE TO MAKE A QUICK TRIP BY METRO TO THE CITY CENTER, WE GOT OFF DIRECTLY, AT THE MARIENPLATZ....BEAUTIFUL! SHORT WALK AND TASTING OF EXCELLENT WHURSTEL AND BEER, PURCHASE OF BREAD AND TYPICAL SWEETS...PLEASANT LITTLE TOUR AND BACK ON THE METRO WHICH TAKES US BACK IN TIME, 6:00 PM TO BOARD THE FLIGHT TO ROME.

CONCLUSION, VERY PLEASANT AND QUICK TRIP TO MUNICH...WHICH COST US AS MUCH AS A WEEK IN INDIA, OF COURSE EUROPEAN PRICES ARE DIFFERENT! > NOTES BY LINA SCATTERED IMPRESSIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS THE TRIP TO NORTH INDIA IS OVER, WHAT CAN I SAY??? YOU CAN'T DESCRIBE THIS LAND, THE PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE REALITY FAR EXCEEDS FANTASY AND IMAGINATION. I FOUND A > PEOPLE WHERE THE NON-CULTURE OF HYGIENE PREVAILS, BUT ALONGSIDE THIS YOU SEE WOMEN WITH A REGAL BEARING, PERHAPS BAREFOOT, BUT WITH ANKLETS! WOMEN WHO WEAR THEIR VERY COLORFUL DRESS, WOMEN WHO HAVE THEIR FACE COVERED BUT THEIR BELLY BARE, WHO CARE GREATLY ABOUT EARRINGS AND VARIOUS ORNAMENTS.

THE MEN HAVE DISCARDED CLOTHES AND DIFFERENT AND COLORFUL TURBANS, A COMMON FACTOR IS THE DIRTY GARMENT, IT IS ASTONISHING TO WALK THROUGH THE ALLEYS AND COME ACROSS CHILDREN IN THE OPEN, PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE STREET, THEREFORE WHO GO AROUND HAPPILY AND WHO PERFORM THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS WHEREVER IT HAPPENS. THERE WOULD BE TOO MUCH TO WRITE BUT INDIA MUST BE EXPERIENCED BECAUSE THE SMELLS OF SPICES, THE STENCH, THE COLORS OF THE CLOTHES, THE PIERCING GAZES OF THE CHILDREN, THE ORGANIZATION OF THE GROUPS MANAGED BY THE BUSINESS PROCURER, ALL THIS CANNOT BE DESCRIBED. JUST THINK OF THE TRAFFIC, THE HORNS, THE TUC TUCS, THE PEDAL RICKSHAWS, JUST THINK OF THE ROAD WHERE THE LAW OF THE STRONGEST PREVAILS: FROM THE COACH WITH SEATS ALSO ON THE LITTLE ROOF, TO THE RICKSHAWS PULLED BY VERY THIN PEOPLE, ALMOST WORN OUT.

ONE CANNOT OMIT WHAT FOR THEM IS RELIGION, SEEING SO MANY PEOPLE WHO OFFER EVEN SIMPLE ROSE PETALS, WHO ADORE...........TODAY I CAN SAY THAT I WAS THERE, THAT IT WAS A STRONG EXPERIENCE BUT THAT WILL REMAIN IMPRESSED, BUT IT MAKES ME THINK THAT IT IS TRUE THAT > BUT HE NEVER PASSED THROUGH INDIA, NOT EVEN BY MISTAKE!!! THANKS TO MIRELLA FOR ALLOWING ME TO STAY IN INDIA AND THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR SHARING WITH ME THE DISCOMFORTS (IF THERE WERE ANY) BUT EVEN THOSE ARE EXPERIENCES THAT ARE TOLD, LIKE GIULIANO'S FALL FROM THE RICKSHAW. LIFE ON THE COACH DURING THE LONG JOURNEYS, TWO WAYS OF PASSING THE TIME OCCURRED - BRISCOLA AND TRESSETTE TOURNAMENT ONLY FOR MEN, THE LOSING PAIR HAD TO PAY FOR DRINKS (EVEN IN INDIA THEY FOUND THE RUM) EVEN THOUGH MR.

NUCCI HAD BROUGHT RAMAZZOTTI AND GRAPPA FROM ITALY - ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMISSION OF INQUIRY TO PROSECUTE VARIOUS PEOPLE DEEMED GUILTY OF DELAYS, WITH EVEN A PRESIDENT, IMMUNE THEREFORE NO PENALTY, AND WHO COULD IT BE IF NOT CLAUDIO!!!!! - EVEN ON THE COACH WE DIDN'T LACK ANYTHING, INCLUDING ASSISTANCE TO JACOPO AND OTHERS A LITTLE INDISPOSED LINA

WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL TRIP TO INDIAN LAND, PERHAPS NOT EVERYONE HAD A POSITIVE JUDGMENT OF THIS FANTASTIC LAND, SOME FOUND THE SMELL DISGUSTING, OR RATHER THE STENCH, THEY WERE DISGUSTED BY THE VARIOUS EXCREMENTS LEFT NOT ONLY BY THE SACRED COWS ON THE GROUND, THEY WERE DISTURBED BY THE MUD PRESENT EVERYWHERE...........BUT WHAT STICKS TO US FOREVER IS THE SPIRITUALITY THAT HOVERS EVERYWHERE, IT IS THE INTENSE AND DEEP GAZE OF THE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY OF THE CHILDREN WHOM LIVING ON THE STREET HAS MADE MUCH MUCH OLDER THAN THEIR ACTUAL AGE, AND ESPECIALLY THEIR SENSE OF LIFE, WE ONLY HAVE TO LEARN!!!!!