open air bus in the rain

After a nice English breakfast at the harbor, I joined the open-air double-decker tourist bus tour.  The first stop was at the main terminal in Valletta.  If you want to catch one of the tourist buses that round the island on the north or south tour, if you come to the Valletta bus terminal (pictured above and below), you can catch either island tour as well as the city busses that go to and from the airport.  The centerpiece of the bus terminal parking lot was a lovely fountain that the tourists surrounded on sunny days and posed for photos.  Unfortunately, my first tour day on Malta was going to be full of rain clouds.

… despite the rain, I remained on the top deck of the bus all day…

As we headed to our first destinations, I began snapping photos of Malta; I wanted to be able to show my friends and family what it looked like.  The city was much more urban than the coastal area; the streets are wider, the buildings bigger, and everyone seemed to be busy and going somewhere.  I really enjoyed the “look” of Malta with its beautiful buildings and green trees and lawns.

The beautiful archway at Valletta was originally single arch.  Later, a second archway was added and matched so well that it is difficult to tell them apart.

One of the things that impressed me the most about Malta was that no matter where you looked, you were surrounded by history.  As we drove along the road from Valletta to the old airplane hangers, I was quite surprised to see this Roman aqueduct.  The locals have just built their homes and businesses right around it and it has become an ad hoc parking lot and car covers.

An old World War II era airfield has become a market with vendors using the old quonset huts as shops.  They had all sorts of tourist items for sale as well as some other trade goods.  Part of the airfield now serves as an air museum and there were many airplanes on display for the tourists.

Just outside of the airfield, on the central plane near the center of the island, I was finally able to see the “middle” of Malta.  Farmland and vineyards stretched as far as the eye could see.  When I shot the photo of this vineyard, it started raining again.  The few tourists that were on the top deck with me scrambled down below to the safety of cover.

As there were only a few tourists as this was “low” season I could enjoy the place to myself.  It was nice that I could roam about free of the crowds.  It was a bit cold but for some reason, I decided to stay up on top.  I did get wet, I did get cold, but I really had a good time.  For the rest of the morning, despite the “no standing” rule, I stood on top of the bus, towards the front – right over the driver – and “surfed” my way across Malta somewhat akin to DeCaprio and Winslette in the Titanic.  I probably looked like a big kid standing in the rain as the bus drove around, but the Island was so beautiful, the air so clean, I just wanted to really soak it in.  I remember having a feeling of overwhelming happiness.  The kind of happiness that comes from the freedom and excitement of travel.  I can’t say that this day was the best day of my life, but it was a great day and one that I’ll always remember.

I spotted a rainbow and captured many (better) shots of it but decided to post this one as it has a marble shop in it.  Marble is quarried in Malta and, from what the tour guide said, an important industry for the country.

As I drove through some of the villages I noticed that the style of the “suburban” homes.  The houses were stacked together with shared walls and the people had an interesting habit of “naming” their homes.  Rather than posting the family name, the house was given a pet name and it was posted next to the number above the door.  I saw names like “Rainbow house,” and some that clearly appeared to be owned by (British) expats: “Big Ben.”

I realized I had a photo of our great big tour bus driving through some Malta suburbs.  I included this in the hopes that it will give you a better feel for what it looks like.  I can’t believe that huge bus could fit down these little streets…

 

This video has been moved to: http://www.scotttraveler.com/2007/11/06/open-air-bus-in-the-rain/

 

Catholicism is strong on the island and I saw many churches and altars everywhere.  Even at intersections space was made for this saint or that.  I tried to catch a photo of one and always had my camera out too late (I had to keep it in my jacket to keep the rain off of it).  At one intersection, I was able to get my camera out just in time to catch this altar of Mary as we sped away.  This altar was located, as many are, up high into the side of a building.  I also saw altars embedded into walls, buildings, aqueducts, fountains, pretty much anywhere and everywhere.

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Jaipur

… written 05 November 2006…

… one of the many beautiful gates leading into the heart of Jaipur…

Jaipur, the capital of Rajastan seems so much more orderly than Delhi and Agra.  There is a lot less horn honking and more of a respect for the traffic laws.  My hotel is very nice and runs me about $12 per night.  It is a far cry from the $187 I paid for one night at the airport hotel in Dubai during a layover a few days ago, and that was just to sleep for 6 hours!  In my Jaipur Hotel, named Hotel Atithi, I have a lovely balcony, there is room service, a restaurant and internet on the premises, a roof top patio, and a lovely lawn out front where you can read and enjoy a cup of Chai Tea.  On my first morning I have breakfast with my German friends and we discuss our plans for the day.

… my hotel balcony and garden…

I decide to take the day off and just relax and read.  Rainer and Tanya have referred me to a great book about India and I read in the garden and learn more about India, its culture(s), and religion(s).  I am intrigued and fascinated to learn about Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Islam, India’s Christianity, and many others.  I knew very little about Hinduism.  I tried reading the Vedic texts in the early 90’s, but they were pretty hard to follow, I think because so many of the names sound the same in English.

… lunch on the roof of the Pearl Palace Hotel gives a wonderful bird’s-eye view of Jaipur… 

… nearby, the century’s old Raj fortress stands lookout…

Looking at the Hindu religion now, from an outsider’s perspective, it reminds me quite a bit of Catholicism.  I didn’t expect that at all.  To me, growing up, Hinduism was completely taboo as I’m sure it is to the Jews and Muslims.  The whole idea of worshiping statues and graven images was “verboten” as I grew up in a Christian household.  My understanding of Hinduism was that they all worshiped different Gods.  And this is true, to an extent.  What I did not realize about Hinduism was that they believe in an all present, omniscient, omnipotent God, Brahman.  He, or it, depending on how you look at it, is everywhere and in everything.  But, Brahman is manifested in many ways and in many forms.  All of the Gods that we imagine when we think of India, Vishnu for example, is a manifestation of Brahman.

The dictionary defines Brahman as:

The holy or sacred power that is the source and sustainer of the universe.  The single absolute being pervading the universe and found within each thing and individual.

When I compare many Catholics praying to Mother Mary and so many of the Saints, I can see a lot of parallels with Hinduism.  But, in the mind of a pious Catholic praying to a Saint to intercede for them to God, in much the same ways do Hindus pray to different Gods for different things; health, fortune, fertility, etc.

Since the concept of praying to a picture or statue was so “foreign” to me, looking at it now, I never really took it seriously myself.  Somewhere in the back of my head, I didn’t think of Hindus as “religious” people because, hey, how can you pray to a human with an elephant nose, or a monkey face, or with dozens of arms, or that is painted blue?  I had the notion of Hinduism, as I am sure many Christians, Muslims, & Jews have, as much less than serious.  My views have certainly changed on this trip.  I was impressed with the devotion of the Hindus towards their Gods (or manifestations of God) and to the religious rituals associated with the religion.

One drive that I had in a taxi going through the hills in the Rajastan desert around Pushkar come to mind.  Every time we passed a Hindu temple or roadside statue of a particular God, my driver would take his hands off the wheel, steer with his knees, place his palms together in front of his chest, the tips of his fingers beneath his chin, and then he would nod his head and say a prayer.  I am not sure what he was praying for, but I was praying that he wouldn’t crash while praying to his God(s).

I can definitely say that I have gained a much broader respect for this religion than I previously had.  Mark Twain’s quote that travel is fatal to prejudice and bigotry is proven once again.

Near lunchtime, I went downstairs to the garden to continue reading my book “Holy Cow,” when I met a Swiss man who paints his own postcards.  I am a die-hard post card aficionado, but when I saw this young man’s work, I was most impressed.  I watched as he hand-painted a half-dozen post cards.  After they dried, he filled them out, placed a stamp on them, and then readied them to go to the post office.  He told me that he will paint about 25 or 30 cards and mail them to friends and family.  Later, I tried to paint a post card of the Taj Mahal; it looked like a broken stick figure building.

Later, in Jaipur, I ventured into town to buy some post cards and take the day off.  My taxi driver/guide is named “Lucky.”  He will come to be a “regular” for the next 3 days.

That night at the hotel, I meet Carol.  She is from England but lives in Italy where she works as an English teacher.  She’s volunteered teaching English in India for the last two months and is now taking her last 4 weeks to tour around India.  We agree to split a cab to Amber (pronounced Amer) Fort about 15km to the north the following morning.

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