Monkey Temple

Little Monkey Family
see all photos »

MonkeyTemple:

Monkeys are so cheeky- and aggressive! They stole my peanuts…. Two weeks ago we remained in Jaipur for the weekend, everyone was a little tired and sick. On Sunday afternoon a bunch of us went up to the monkey temple on the outskirts of Jaipur, where the monkey god (of good luck and fortune) is worshipped and hundreds of naughty little monkeys roam. It is set in a valley so the steep climb up gave a beautiful lookout over Jaipur, and then the temple kind of cascades down the other side and finishes in a valley. There was some putrid green disease ridden water where worshippers were bathing (holy or not, pretty sure it would give you hepatitis). We brought some peanuts as an offering and were feeding the monkeys on our climb to the temple, some took them really gently, others bared their teeth and offered an ultimatum- give me the damn peanut or I’ll give you rabies! In one momentary lapse of concentration I put my bag of peanuts in my hand by my side and they were promptly torn away by a large monkey :( However, the cutest thing was the monkey families who were cleaning ticks off of one another.

see all photos »

We were with an Indian friend, so after this he lead us on a mammoth trek through a forest in search of another temple, 3.5 hours later climbing up the steepest hill in the dark, and ready to throw Rageev over the edge if this temple wasn’t worth it, we arrived at such a magnificent and breathtaking Jain temple perched right on top of a mountain. It was the cleanest temple that I have seen, with so much beautiful marble and statues sky high of different gods. There was also little corridors paved with gold that led you to small rooms dedicated to various gods- with priests chanting somewhere inside and incense burning it was really eerie but kind of special. The climb down hundreds of steps in the dark was not so special- especially given my clumsiness- luckily I only fell down the final 3 steps.

see all photos »

Life in Jaipur

We have well and truly moved into winter, the sun sets before 6pm now and the nights are getting cooler- it makes me slightly sad about missing summer in Australia. The weather during the day is pretty much perfect, still warm and sunny and dry but very comfortable, which is good as we have to cover up anyway. Every afternoon and weekend you can see hundreds of children on rooftops around Jaipur flying their colourful kites, in preparation for the big annual Kite festival held in Jaipur in January.

see all photos »

The daily extremes and contradictions of living in India continue, Martin (Austrian trainee) and I went to find a cyber café the other night, and despite linking arms pretending to be husband and wife I was still accosted by men walking by, and pinched on the bum. The cyber café had no internet connection, so frustrated and annoyed we returned home only to find a big, beautifully decorated elephant in our street (taking an equally big, not so beautiful piss)- and just thought this is India, you just won’t find that surprise around the corner anywhere else!

see all photos »

I am finally beginning to make sense of the chaotic mess of the traffic- despite there being no enforceable road rules, there is most definitely a ‘system’. Basically there is a traffic hierarchy, pedestrians are at the bottom and really just have to learn how to play ‘chicken’ very well, and pray, next are the cycle rickshaws, then the tinsel decorated tractors, then the auto rickshaws, motorbikes, then old cars, new cars, public buses, trucks and on the very top is the ‘holy cow’. Apart from the untouchable cow, all the other vehicles beep at those who are below them in the hierarchy to let them know to move out the way as they are asserting there right to pass the lower echelons of the traffic hierarchy. As a pedestrian you just have to walk, try not to notice the vehicles whizzing and darting centre metres from your limbs, and have a blind faith that no one will ever purposely hit you… but as for the cows, obviously aware of their god given superiority, they just amble across traffic, busy roads, sleep in an intersection, safe in the knowledge that their holiness is a golden ticket when it comes to traffic.

see all photos »

Trainees are always coming and going, but in the next two weeks there seems to be a mass exodus. The Turkish trainee from our house, Cihan, left last night. He was so funny and jovial and thoughtful- it’s always the most disappointing thing about living in this environment, you make really close bonds and friendships by living in such claustrophobic circumstances, and then you are forever saying goodbye…

Work

Work is busy and stressful… after my first two weeks of ‘introductory background research’ I am now faced with undertaking a project in five weeks that should take 6 months. Interviewing people in rural branches and translating everything into Hindi and then back into English. The whole organisation is in a frenzy at the moment trying to submit proposals for funding, and forging new partnerships, and reviews of pilot programs that they having been running in organic farming. As the only native English speaker I am pestered every day to edit things, and write sections of reports and proposals that I have no Idea how to do- but still somehow manage. It’s been a really big learning curve for me on the functioning of an NGO. It’s strange, because even though I am doing almost no ‘field work’ as promised, which is always more rewarding and exciting and different, I somehow feel far more useful in the role that I am working in behind the scenes writing reports and proposals. In all honesty, without speaking Hindi or being able to navigate myself around the countryside, my skills definitely have more of an impact in the office, even if it isn’t quite as glamorous as working in the field. I have learnt a lot about CECOEDECON in the last few weeks, and for an Indian NGO I am really impressed with the level of dedication, the quality of their projects, and the professionalism of the staff. There was a group of women who came to the Jaipur office from a distant village, where CECOEDECON had set up a microfinance scheme for women to sew clothes and embroider carpets. They were overwhelmingly happy and proud- and gabbling away to me in Hindi :)

see all photos »

I have also been on a desert safari, but that will be for another blog... Hope everyone is enjoying the beach and the sun for me (an BBQs- really missing meat!)

Alvide!!