India

My road : Delhi, Gurgaon, Berhor, Amber, Jaipur, Dudu, Kishangarh, Pushkar, from 22 to 2004-11-29.

My encounter to Delhi with Shubho and Manisha will remain something extraordinary. As early as the first day, after to have contacted it airport and done road towards at his place, it was at the entry of his neighborhood to await me, screaming me in me loud "Hervé this is Shubho", while one did not know each other. Once of more the bicycle was the link motor between him and me. Of at their place, I was able to prepare a new departure, helping me, informing me on small each thing of which I needed. His passion for the bicycle does us to leave a morning all the both for a turned one discovering the true life indian, while being said me that doubtless very few travelers have this luck. He will struggle himself for me, until to run I do not know how much shops to find me screw who probably doesn't exist in India, but he persists to look for. While dividing to count for them, I was able to discover the first delights of a new cooking, this time vegetarian and how much more noticeable for me after all that I had been able to see as delicatessen and meat in the past countries. This was also the occasion to meet people of their family and their friends. To every time Shubho wonders me to present my bicycle, to receive a real admiration. That allowed me while circulating in Delhi by bicycle to launch me to roll to the left, to dread the circulation indian with a horrendous traffic, rediscovering me drowned in the middle of an impressive number of vehicles, bicycles, cyclos pushes, bikes, touk touk, cars, buses, on one another, not a place not being lost on the roadway, and with a racket of horns. This also odors already knew as I rediscover, but more marking the poverty with beggars, cripples, living people under stretched in edge of roads, or in places totally insalubres, and of course the presence of the cows.

While setting off again, I leave a tremendous family, again friends that await me to my return of the south, and to that I address a big one thank-you for their welcome, their hospitality, desire for them that they had to meet me, allowing me to know them. I am happy to resume the road after this long stop, this that will not prevent me from rally Jaipur to 260 kms in 2 days. It is necessary to attain 40 kms after Delhi to rediscover a less urgent circulation, with principally trucks, but I roll on an important axis. Of big works are in course for a 2 times 3 ways, but this that surprises me the more, this is to see which manner that is done, and to see as much women to work on the tasks more painful, to spread embankment to the spade or to carry baskets of rocks on the head. To every stop, the bicycle gives rise to be looked at and observed of very ready one, if this is a pause to eat, one comes to sit to my table, looking at me to eat but also asking me questions on that I am, from which I come, where I go, on the bicycle. Throughout my road, I do not stop receiving hellos, coming very often road, or again of young ones to scooter that come to accompany me an end. I try to adopt another rhythm that previously while trying to finish my steps earlier, by the does also as the night fell at 18 o'clock.

The arrival to Jaipur plunges back me in a crowd of cyclos pushes and bicycles. This time I am far from being the alone to use this vehicle. In fact, in out put India to move itself with, it is used to the transportation of a pile of things, crossing sometimes of heavy ones or of cluttering loads. Cross the city asks a true patient one and addresses in order not to risk doing hang itself. Despite that, she is special to discover, with the color ochre of its buildings being worth him the city name pink. There reigns an atmosphere swarming, active, trading, with a pile of small trades met in the street, since the dairy ones to the soothing ones of bicycles, dry-cleaner, people forming implements and I some pass. This a noisy city and polluted where it is me difficult to remain a long time. The time of a half day, I escaped the Amber fort, place very prized by the tourists, the most visited one of the vicinity of Jaipur. The buses already are piled up on the parking lot, elephants do not stop doing rotations until the entry of the loaded forts on their back of the less courageous one to ascend the stairs. A pause to eat to Amber on the central place allows me to rebel me in the middle of Indian ones and while stopping me to a local restaurant of snack to the samosas and other in case of this kind.

While following my road towards Ajmer, a stop with villagers awaited me, address obtained by Shubho to Delhi. While there done road, I did not know too where I left, not there really the road to follow, while having in my possession only the name of a person and the one of the town. I had to trust the indications of the Indian ones met, urging me to every time to follow more far. While finishing on a road of stones, I awaited to discover Laporiya, arriving with an old man returning with its goats. The person to which I had been announced did not be there, but probably one awaited me. Again the bicycle created discussions, looks, commentaries, analyze, admiration. One showed me the place that had been gotten ready me to sleep, brought me a necessary one for the shower, then a copious meal. I was located in a place that had nothing to do with the past cities Delhi and Jaipur. The circulation and pollution, the crowd of the vehicles had disappeared. Only 3 or 4 taxis jeep rally Dudu to 45 minutes of there. In every house one lives earth, with 1 or 2 cows and about twenty goats, under an obliging dry climate to irrigate to harvest something. It is fabulous this that I live for 2 days with the encounter of the people, while entering at their place, each looking for to meet me and to receive me, to divide tea or to do me to taste specialties of the Rajasthan as the "bazra chapati", and there holding, being said me that if this did not be now, one awaited me tomorrow. The discovery of the fascinating town with its earth houses and their paint in decoration, its lanes traversed by the inhabitants, the men and their animals, the women returning from well the pitchers to water on the head, the encounter of the potter, telephone agency, tea salesman, children running me after. Despite that the people wonder why I came even there and why I there remain. Everywhere as previously, one looks for to keep me and to do me to divide more. Left a day with an Indian one to motorbike, I met again in the towns surroundings, discovering, meeting, visiting a school where of the pupils voted for the parliament of the children.

Of there I continue towards Pushkar, renowned place for his fails to the dromedaries, that comes just to take place, meeting an impressive number of visitors and of cattle heads. This is a city or rather a big town, that certain routards come sometimes to adopt for a time rather long, having a true charm by the architecture of its buildings and their colors, his lake surround by ghats, his side calms, resting, old, its shops in all kinds and its food shops, the colored markets just as well by the varieties of fruits and vegetables as the saris carried by the women. One there crosses many sadhus, the holy side of Pushkar making fun them. And then I live scenes typically indian with for example remaining blocked data processing, not starting up, a printed copy not working or not printing this that I want, while at the start one he said me "it's OK, possible, no problem". Other does, propose or sell something that they have not. For all that, it does not be necessary to panic, be patient, to take it to the kidding, adopt the Indian rhythm and all happens well. Pushkar is done me to do also meets it of a German one, Annemarie that travels to bicycle since 2 years and half. That's happens with a painter artist for she wishes to personalize his bicycle while there carrying the flags of the countries that she crossed. Since my departure, this is the first person that I cross carrying out a long journey, and necessarily one exchanges our journey. The fact that she lodges in a family indian, goes we bring an evening to leave for 3 on a scooter without knowing where one directed oneself. We arrived in an assembly of persons that celebrated a marriage. Unbelievable thing, the person that drove us there we will do to discover the evening while presenting us first to the bride, and for Anna married it that is located that with women. Of there, there was the distribution of the presents with enormously of saris and jewels. One had the right next to attend the preparation of the bride for the meeting photos. We placed in first lodging, I am invited to photograph the brides, and one goes even to put with them. The evening did not finish immediately since it was necessary next to go for the meal, that one takes sitting to the ground, in a foliage plateau, and people pass a bucket to the hand to serve. The encounter of the painter will do us evenings following to rediscover itself equally to another Indian feast always after a marriage. The paint work started up, in Anna company I pass the clear one of my time with this man admiring his work, dividing our life and tea. The first finished bicycle, he solicits me to do mine, undecided first, finally it worked 2 days over while there archiving my past journey. The place where he works gives on the street and a pile of people stops seeing themselves this that it does, to bring about discussions, the work being done slowly, to the Indian rhythm, that will be done me to meet 2 Frenchwomen and to rediscover me evenings come to divide a dinner in their company, with this man for a typically Indian meal. It happens in company of his woman and of an of its sons, after which they do us to divide albums photos. There was a reciprocal joy, them to receive us and we to be able to rediscover itself with them and at their place.