Fundraising for Beginners

Aside from my tour around the sights of Delhi and my trip on board the Mandor Express, the main focus of my trip was to work as a volunteer for The Book Bus.  This was my first experience of volunteering abroad but I had spent the summer of 2012 working as a volunteer for the National Trust.  I think voluntary work not only enables you to give back to the local or international community but also helps facilitate personal gain for the important aspects of life such as pursuit of knowledge, happiness and an improved sense of well being. Therefore, in my mind, it is a win-win situation and  although the experience can be initially daunting, the sense of satisfaction which can be realized through altruistic endeavours is difficult to replicate.  I like to call this my foray into a global Big Society.  

My decision to work on the Book Bus came about from a random internet search (isn’t Google amazing) which linked me to this amazing opportunity.  I signed up without to much  thought as to whether I would be able to raise the necessary funds in the next 4 months.  jumped in with both feet and then came up with a fundraising plan a couple of weeks later (when the reality of the mammoth task ahead had set in).

Raising funds with a Bake sale

The task of fundraising was never easy, but then the things in life worth having never are, particularly as my activities coincided with Children in Need and the Christmas spendathon.  However, regardless of this, I kept plugging away but always with a sense of hope that I would reach my target.  All I can say is I am lucky to have some pretty tremendous people around me who donated money, time, cakes, books, CDs, DVDs, bric a brac and supported my events.  I was also touched by the acts of generosity from high street stores such as Lakeland, Lush and Monsoon who all contributed to my cause and a donation from Eastbourne Lions helped to ensure my place on the Book Bus.

The fundraising sometimes took its toll on my family but I could only laugh when my son told me about a nightmare which he’d had one night.  He had dreamt I had returned from Rajasthan and announced I was going to continue with my rigorous fund raising activities.  All I can say is, Son!  I’ve taken the hint but thank you for your hard work…

For those unfamiliar with the concept of the Book Bus Charity check out the website link www.thebookbus.org/ 

It’s a train Jim, but not as we know it

Simply for the reason that I have always been intrigued by the seating arrangements on Indian trains, I chose to travel from Delhi to Jodphur on the super-fast Mandor Express which shuttles sleeping passengers the 619 km route in around 9 hours.  Prior to boarding the train, I was relieved of another 100 rupees by a passing porter who transported my case on his head, despite the fact it has wheels and a handle.  There comes a time when you have to question whether traditional and familiar ways of doing things are beginning  to get in the way of progress.

Does anyone have a tin opener?

My travelling companions and I had been lucky enough to be allocated first class passage for the journey.  Now I know this sounds very luxurious but I emphasize this is not first class as in Orient Express luxury travel and silver service restaurant facilities,  but a rather less salubrious carriage boasting 4 berths, basic linen and a communal carriage toilet, although I must add is a vast improvement on second class carriages which, after taking a closer look at  the seating arrangements in place as I headed up the platform quickly coming to the opinion that these carriages should be re-categorized as Sardine Class…

I could take up an entire blog post describing the delights of the Mandor Express toilets but to put it bluntly as one of my travelling companions succinctly expressed, it is how she imagined a toilet would look like at a music festival after 3 weeks non stop usage!  You’ll be relieved to know that I’ll spare you the image of this.

I also experienced my first lesson in how to navigate the red tape in India, of which there is plenty.  I’d been allocated a seat in another carriage but preferred to share a carriage with the other volunteers.  A swap was made and that should have been the end of the story.  How wrong I was……the ticket inspector insisted I return to my original seat allocation with my luggage as this was the seat I had been given and simply swapping, even when both parties are in agreement, is just not in the Mandor Express rule book.  I sheepishly sat in my allocated seat and waited patiently whilst my ticket and passport were scrutinized.

However, luck, karma, kismet, call it what you may, was on my side as a family of 4 arrived to join the 3 of us already in the carriage.  Clearly, unless something changed we were going to be bunking up in pairs. The ticket inspector pondered on the logistics of 7 people and 4 berths and 5 minutes later. with a sigh of relief I joined the other volunteers in my carriage of preference

My Rajasthan Book Bus adventure was now truly beginning and I began to anticipate what experiences may lay in wait for me over the next 13 days.  Aside from this, I also appreciated being able to lie prostrate for the first time in 24 hours, a small but very welcome luxury which seasoned long haul travellers will well understand and illustrated perfectly in this quote

“A Well Spent Day Brings Happy Sleep”                                                                                              Leonardo Da Vinci 

Delhi Delights

One of the major tourist attractions in Delhi

Nothing on earth can prepare you for the explosion to the senses which cuts to the very heart of you when you experience Delhi for the first time.  It’s true that all expectations need to be left at Delhi airport and simply absorb yourself in the moment letting the rainbow hues, noise and smells wash over you.  The traffic sounds, horns ringing through the Delhi smog, the vivid colours of the garments which make western fashions seem drab in comparison.

Whilst finalizing our onward travel arrangements I sipped on the most delightful and delicious golden Darjeeling tea, which turned out to be the first of many varieties of tea which I was to sample during my stay in India and drove me to seek out a selection of teas to bring back to the UK which is how I was led to Abdul’s spice shop… but that’s another story!

Cut short my hairdressers appointment to visit a Mosque

Our group boarded a 4 wheeled drive and were driven around the major tourist sights in Delhi including Gandhi’s tomb and the Lotus Temple, which is a multi-denominational religious building, absolutely breathtaking and well worth a visit.  The building has won a number of architectural awards and is one of the few buildings where Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Moslems worship side by side.  We were also taken to a large mosque which was interesting to observe the community spirit but more memorable for the garments we were issued with  in order to enter the Mosque which were rather fetching robes embellished with a design last seen on 1970s floral curtains..  As you can imagine our garments ensured we were visible to all!

The most striking aspect of Delhi culture is that despite the relatively low admission prices for tourist attractions, food and transport costs, the amount of currency you need to ring fence for gratuities, 200 rupees here and there can soon amount to a considerable sum.  Particularly as you are often levied a charge to watch over your shoes which becomes a compulsory expenditure which you need to factor into your budget when you consider the strict adherence to customs in places of worship which nearly always include the removal of your footwear.

If you want to get yourself noticed by locals in the heat of the Delhi midday sun then get yourself a pair of snuggly boots

And on the subject of shoes …the good people of Delhi were rather intrigued and sometimes puzzled by my choice of footwear, due to an oversight I had not packed my canvas walking shoes in my hand luggage and walked the streets of Delhi in the extreme heat of the day with a pair of Ugg type boots on!  It really did have to be seen to be believed…

The terminal

Whoever says online check-in speeds up the process of going through the usual airport procedures clearly  hasn’t visited Heathrow airport on Good Friday!  Hoardes of eager but obviously still half asleep travellers who looked at the weather forecast and made a snap decision that sunnier climes were the order of the day for the Easter getaway.  Of course I do user the term ‘getaway’ very loosely, as after arriving at the airport at just after 5 am and working through the the routine procedures such trying to scan a barcode on a text message to obtain my boarding cards.  This machine had the mentality of Dirty Harry..I could hear it menacingly whispering the phrase ‘tell me punk, do you feel lucky´.  I am pleased to report that after 6 or 7 attempts I was indeed lucky.  Although I was sporting that characteristic Í want to smack my head against a brick wall look´which only comes when IT gadgets fail to provide the service you require.  What is that you say, a bad workman…

I was just about to burst into a tuneless rendition of D-reams Things can only better when I was ushered by a rather efficient German Lufthansa employee to the back of a queue which made the queues of shoppers at a January sale look tame.  Even after diving under a few barriers I only just made it to the barrier as the gate was closing.  The moral of that story is that even if you have checked in online…please allow 3hrs for check-in or you to will be on a panic mission when heading for the gate.