Donatello en Volksie (Afrikaans Edition)

Tags Comedy 3 , death 2 , children 2 , Kinderhuis 1 , wegloop 1 , gangs 1 , girl 1 , responsibility 1 , knowledge 1 , weight loss 1 — see all tags. Clouds tag cloud , author cloud , tag mirror About me I am a freelance writer, translator, artist and also a homeschool mother. About my library My books consists of almost anything. My library at home, mostly consists of non fictions books and childrens books. Groups None Membership ER. Home Groups Talk Zeitgeist. The 12 Days of LT scavenger hunt is going on.

Can you solve the clues? I Agree This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms. Random books from Marynamo's library An Odd Boy: Trained out for a while.

My train arrived after I was exhausted and eagerly awaited my shower and bed time. I arranged for pick up and thankfully the hotel sent Rahm, who was waiting outside the station with my name. We made our way through the city which is also known as the pink city due to their many pink which is actually more a shade of terracotta buildings. We arrived at my hotel and as one writer in a Lonely Planet descibes it, it's like 'walking into a painting'. The Umaid Bhawan is really gorgeous and the art around you feels so alive.

I am sure it did in this place too. I took my shower and got to bed. The driver, Rahm, was going to take me to the Amber Fort the next day which is said to be something to see. My one wish in India. As we head out the next day, I told my driver: A guy who plays a flute and makes a cobra go leftie-rightie. He told me he knew just the place and I should trust him.

I added that I do NOT want to go to any jewelry stores or see how they make carpets. Been there, done that, got the carpets! I told him that I'd even pay his commission that he gets for dragging tourists in there. He assured me he's not that kind of guy. We'll only do the Amber Fort and then he'll take me to see snake charming in the evening. I was ready and excited. We arrived at the Amber Fort and from far away the castle-like structure stood proudly on the high hill ahead.

Around this area you could see the high walls lined on the mountains that kept intruders out many years ago. Actually it was quite similar to the Great Wall of India? From the second I stepped out, I was swamped by hawkers and people who wanted to 'improve their English', but I refused and walked on.

I focussed on the beautifully decorated elephants ahead who carried the shutter-happy tourists up the hill and shoved hawkers out of the way as I made my way to the main gate.

• Paperback Romance & Saga Fiction Books in Afrikaans | eBay!
• Shop by category!
• Duty and Honor: A Novel of the Civil War (The Drieborg Chronicles Book 1)?
• Romance Books in Afrikaans | eBay.
• Spezialisierung und Mobilität von Akademiker/Innen (German Edition)!
• Romance & Saga Fiction Books in Afrikaans | eBay?

The fort was aleady flooded with tourists when I arrived at the ticket gate. It is a magnificant structure, so I expected this. I followed some tourists into this Hindu temple where they were all blessed by some kind of priest who put the famous red dot or tilak on their front heads. I stood in line and waited my turn. Once he was done with my dot, the man next to him grabbed me by the wrist and asked me money for the blessing. I don't pay money to be blessed in any religion, dude! I was not happy about this at all. Unfortunately, from here on out, everything went wrong. I slipped on the staircase, almost broke the Canon EOS camera, got lost in the huge building and nearly leaped to my death as a flock of Chinese tourists came hurdling around a corner near the rooftop.

I hit my head more than once as this structure wasn't build for tall people like me and to top it all, numerous facially challenged people came to a stand still right in front of me when I wanted to take a picture of something. I walked towards the water stand where somebody tried to cheat me with a bottle of water which seal was already broken. Rule number one in India: Check the seals on the caps. If it's broken, don't drink it. Feeling like a troll. To many crying children! I reached my breaking point. I marched right out of the fort, down the road and back into the spiderweb of hawkers.

The problem here in Jaipur is that unlike even in touristy Agra people were tugging on my clothes and on my camera and once you get into my personal space, you push the wrong button. He pushed the book into my hand and I gave it back. He tried again and I neatly put it down on the ground next to me and walked on. Then he started shouting at me for doing so. I walked on and focussed on the gate down under. I counted to 10 in all the languages I knew, but it wasn't working. This time a begger with crutches approached me with some pens.

The poor guy was really disabled and his legs were pointing in all the wrong directions. I felt sorry for him, but I didn't want the damn pens and walked on. I sped up and walked as fast as I could. Please leave me alone, I thought. He would give up, wouldn't he? The hawker slipped over the rough terrain as he tried to keep up with me and was flat down on the ground, one crutch lying there, the other one over here! Sweet mothers of Maritzburg, why me?!

Donatello en Volksie

I immediately turned back, now feeling like a flee who sold his own family to another dog's back. I helped him up and found his eyes full of tears. This is why India see-saws you between loving it and hating it. I want to do good to the world, but I can't help all these people. I can't make it all better for all of them and I hated this feeling so much. I was angry at myself for letting this happen, but there are so many scams in this place, that one even ignores the real needs. I apologized, bought all his merchandise and walked to the gate.

As I got outside the gate, I saw some snake charmers maybe 20m away from me. Tourists were taking pictures of them and I saw the cobras. This was just what I wanted to see! I didn't care if I had to pay for a photo, this was my dream in India. Someone grabbed me by the arm. It was Rahm, the driver. These people charge too much. Tick another bucket list. Honestly, this day wasn't going the way I planned and when I got to the hotel, I immediately booked a massage session.

I've always wanted to try the Shirodhara massage. It's the Indian ayuvedic massage where they pour oil on your forehead. It's said to really calm one down, and boy did I need some calming down. They picked me up and I went to the massage parlour. When I got there, I asked them if I could use the bathroom. As I walked in, I noticed the red dot on my head which I refused to pay for earlier. I washed it off and thought to myself: I was really not having the best day of my life and everything went sour after my outburst in a Hindu temple. I chucked the idea aside and washed the dot off. My masseur was ready and we started the session.

Wow, how amazing is this? I felt like a new person and felt revitalized.

For almost 40 minutes, I had the oil dripping gently on my head. I could feel the stress leaving my body, little to know that in 24 hours it'll all return. How's that for dramatic irony? I paid and the lady at the front desk told me that I didn't have to pay for the pick up service as it was included. The driver took me back to the hotel and asked me if I was impressed with his service. Well, other than the fact that you didn't get me into an accident, I'm happy. So he asked me for money. I refused and told him that I was told not to give him any.

He started becoming all nasty and started driving like a loon. I got out at the next traffic light and walked to the hotel. There goes the happy-happy after the treatment! Finding the Snake Charmers. Rahm picked me up and told me he'll take me to a village where I can see some traditional Rajasthani dancing and singing and where I'll find my snake charmers. We head into the crazy traffic and we ducked and dived oncoming bikes, tuk-tuks, and of course After about an hour, we were still driving.

He finally stopped in an industrial area and asked to to go inside a building. Was this where I'd find a snake charmer? It was a factory. You don't have to buy anything. He asked again and I walked in against my will. If I have to see the inside of a material shop or jewelry in Asia one more time, I'm going to to plant one of those rings in the assistant's eye. I was welcomed and offered drinks like the all do and I was told about the factory prices and and and.

Although it was affordable, I didn't really want anything. I told them I'm a poor teacher. I bought something small and left. So we stopped at the promised village and Rahm told me he'd pick me up in four hours. Here I would see all the culture and dancing and snake charming and they'd even feed me. The place really looked nice from the outside and I walked in. I paid a staggering entry fee for India and followed the crowd in. When I got to the security check, I was told that I couldn't take in a camera and that I had to leave it at the counter.

I handed in the camera and walked inside. As Rahm promised, the place was beautiful and there were areas where performers were sitting and making music. All around them were boards that read: At last a place where I can watch without paying. I walked from one stall to another and enjoyed the drums and clothes and dances, but each time they finished, they stormed the foreigner and held out their hands.

Not even a "Please".

I would walk away and ignore them. As I walked through the grounds, I saw someone sitting there with the traditional clothes and flute and in the distance the cobra was standing and staring at him. This is the best thing after the Taj I thought as I almost started jogging towards it. It was also in this time that I realized I didn't have a camera to capture the moment. But if you think that was my disappointment, wait until I tell you what happened next!

When I got there, the cobra was standing towards me with it's back. I couldn't believe it. No real deal here. The man with the flute got up when he saw me and held his hand open under the 'Don't encourage tipping' board and asked me to pay him for the four notes he played. I was furious and wanted to smack this dude with the iron cobra over the head. Just when you think the evening couldn't turn out worse, I noticed flashes clicking everywhere.

How does this work? We were told to hand in our cameras. No people, it's the iPhone generation. So families were handing their phones to the workers of the ground to take pictures of them and the dancers. Everyone was taking pictures!! I left my Blackberry in Abu Dhabi as I didn't want to bring two phones here. I only brought my cheapy Nokia for important messages. I marched right up to the front desk and demanded they give me my camera. I got cursed today. I went to the hall where we were supposed to have dinner and sat down.

There were still two hours left before Rahm would pick me up. I immediately contacted my best friend Justin in Abu Dhabi and asked him to get me out of Jaipur before I murder someone. This place was just getting too much for me. Thankfully lifesaving Justin is the magager of a travel agency and before my food arrived, I secured a place on the a flight early the next morning. I didn't want to stay here for 2 more days. The food arrived and it was traditional Rajasthani. They presented it on plates made of leaves only. I couldn't take a picture though. I asked them to not give me spicy food as I've been surviving India without Delhi belly so far.

They assured me it was just a 'little bit spicy'. Well, people, there's a huge difference between an Indian's idea of little bit spicy and a foreigner's. The food was so hot, that I thought I burned an immediate hole in my undies when the first soup fell down my throat. It's that dot, I tell you. It's the cursed dot! As feared, I couldn't even finish my food. I had to run and I had to run fast. I survived India for 4 days without Delhi belly, but thanks to my the spiciest dinner I've had in I pushed past people clicking away with their cellphones and finally made it to the porcelain scooter not a minute too late.

And there I sat and I sat until it was time for Rahm to pick me up. I got my camera back, walked outside and told Rahm I was very very unhappy. He pretended that he didn't know about the camera rule and he honestly didn't know why they replaced the 'real' cobra with an iron one. I didn't want to hear it. He took me home and I started packing. I had to be up at 4am for my flight out of this cursed place. The good, the bad and the ugly. I was seriously considering whether or not to share this story with you, but decided that I would as I don't want people to think that life always just works out while traveling.

Sometimes you have good days, sometimes you have bad days It just won the match that day. I just had a bad day like anyone in any place in the world. As I got onto the plane, I hoped that the red dot curse would only last 24 hours. Check my final blog next time to see if it did back in Delhi. The train finally stopped at Agra Station. I waved goodbye to my new found Indian friends and made my way to the platform. The buzz at these train stations is incredible. I get the feeling that locals like to 'hang out' here more than in the parks as most of them don't really look like they're heading anywhere.

It's more a case of this floor is more comfortable than others. As I got outside, I was swamped again my hungry hawkers and scam artists. You have to keep in mind that the Taj Mahal calls Agra her home and many tourists flock to this part of India, so if you're going to be scammed, this is the place.. Luckily this not-so-first-time traveler did his homework and knew that one can book prepaid taxis to take you to the hotels.

Then the driver can't scam you into anything else. This is how I met Riyaz, my taxi driver. This tiny dark skinned local was a whole lot smaller than me, but had enough heart to make up for his height.

1. In the City: Random Acts of Awareness;
2. Lamant aux yeux bleus - Rendez-vous à Chicago (Harlequin Passions) (French Edition)!
3. Tough Care.
4. Donatello En Volksie (Afrikaans, Paperback).

He took me to the hotel and offered to be my driver in Agra. We negotiated a price and he dropped me at the Grand Hotel. Don't be fooled by the name, but considering the poor communities that it was situated in, it was indeed grand. Francoise and I commented on the poverty in Delhi.

Buy Paperback Romance & Saga Fiction Books in Afrikaans | eBay

We felt that although it was dirty, it wasn't as poor as we expected India to be. But some parts of Agra is exactly that, poor. The labour here is rediculously cheap and all marble, textiles and handcraft are made in this region. The government of India thank goodness for people with common sense felt that although India was growing financially, they'd keep factories away from the Taj as the soot was not good for her marble. A little bit of history.



As promised, Riyaz picked me up at the hotel for what was to become one of the biggest days of my life. I'd see the sun go down on the Taj Mahal! What could be better than this?