Hello all
This is the penultimate post (will do a final one after arriving home tomorrow) as today is our last day.
Mumbai is great - so unlike the rest of India we've seen: relatively clean, few holy cows walking around, traffic generally sticks to the lanes, and people leave us alone more. We explored Colaba yesterday (following Lin's footsteps in Shantaram), and went to the lovely Chowpatty Beach, to watch kids selling balloons, men selling chai and to watch the sun set on the buildings and sea. Unfortunately the water is toxic so you cannot swim in it at all - very disappointing.
We're going to meander around the town today seeing famous landmarks, before a bit of last minute shopping (Haz suddenly realised this morning that I am, in fact, a shopoholic), before our flight tomorrow morning.
We're feeling such strange emotions. So happy to be seeing much loved family and friends, and to getting on with our lives/careers and even enjoying a routine. Yet the thought of applications and hopefully interviews is petrifying. So is the thought of facing routine everyday, and our loss of freedom. For the last year we've been doing exactly what we want, when we want to. Now we have to compromise.
Can't wait to leave India as it is filth, but I also love it. Haz and I were talking and discussing upcoming trips (when we have money) - places we desperately want to see
- Borneo to go diving - could do it in 2 weeks or more
- Galapagos Islands - again 2 weeks
- Brazil - 1-3 months
- Colombia - 1-2 months
- Red Sea to go diving - 1-2 weeks
- Indonesia - 1 month
- India - 2 months
So got things to plan (even if they don't happen for another 10 years!) and places we desperately want to see. There are so many places we would like to explore more, or come back again to (South America). We've definitely got the travelling bug, but in retrospect, a years trip was too long. We became tired and complacent and unmotivated in Asia - probably much to do with the heat, and it was just not as exciting as our previous travels in NZ and Oz and South America. It was a great place, but somewhere to come for a couple of months - it's very easy travelling. And you see far too many western tourists.
India gave us a well needed kick up the arse and demanded our complete attention from day 1. It is difficult sometimes travelling here and very dirty, smelly and frustrating, but also so friendly, colourful, and tolerant of so many incredible people. But next time I visit I'm going to stay in nice hotels instead.
So it's our last day. We're happy and sad, tired and energised, excited and dreading things. We are looking forward to being busy today and really looking forward to the flight - FREE food and WINE!!!! Must remember not to eat too much when I get back...
But wanted to say thank you too, to everyone who's supported us, to our families for helping us and putting up with us buggering off for a year, and friends who've kept in contact with us and kept us sane. Also a HUGE thank you to everyone we've met travelling - you have been so kind and so generous and really made our trip. We've laughed for hours, had a seance, learnt things I never knew were possible, and nothing now will be the same. Thank you. (If you ever come to the UK - those who live elsewhere - please look us up!)
So now, before I get too weepy, I'm going to go, but thanks again, and see you very soon in the UK!!!
With much love from us both,
Al xxxxx
Saturday 26 September 2009
A few more reflections...
Hello all,
We woke up this morning and fly home TOMORROW! A little conversation took place:
'Do we fly home tomorrow?' says Haz.
'Yes' confirms Alice
'Oh goodness' says Haz (well it wasn't actually 'goodness', but though I'd tone it down!).
'It's our last day. Where did the other 364 go?'
We were thinking again and thought of a few more things we'd done...
- cycled down the World's Most Dangerous Road
- Learnt Spanish (and learnt to run away when a guy asks for a beso - a kiss)
- Lit dynamite in Potosi (and took photographs of us holding it)
- Reversed into a tree in Airlie Beach
- Got acquainted with locals in Byron Bay
- Visited the very cultural marajuana museum in Nimbin, Australia
- Learnt to surf in Bali
- Sex shows in Bangkok
- Bamboo and white water rafting in Thailand
Most importantly, we learnt some more lessons:
- We are extremely naive with men
- Never trust Argentinian bus drivers
- NOTHING is ever a fixed price
- When you see tear gas, run OUT of the way
- J can float.
- Men are disgusting. And smell.
- You can walk for hours on a bottle of coke.
- Guinea pigs don't taste great, nor alpaca. But llama and kangaroo are delicious.
- You need MP3 players to sleep on buses and in airports
- It is possible to watch Grey's Anatomy series 5 in 3 days in Kuala Lumpur
- Alice seriously overestimates how many tampons a girl needs for 3 months
- Arrival times are irrelevant. You arrive when you arrive.
- J and Haz realised that Al's slightly neurotic. And wee a lot.
- H can now drink coffee.
- Most people will rip you off but Haz's eyelashes and beautiful eyes work wonders.
- India is filth.
- Lonely Planet needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, especially the maps.
- Britain's Foreign Office Travel Advice needs to be interpreted creatively.
- We would do a lot for cheese.
- Always carry loo roll.
- It's not unusual for someone with a 3ft long rifle to guard an ice cream parlour.
- But most importantly, to quote Dean and Josh, NEVER rule anything out.
We woke up this morning and fly home TOMORROW! A little conversation took place:
'Do we fly home tomorrow?' says Haz.
'Yes' confirms Alice
'Oh goodness' says Haz (well it wasn't actually 'goodness', but though I'd tone it down!).
'It's our last day. Where did the other 364 go?'
We were thinking again and thought of a few more things we'd done...
- cycled down the World's Most Dangerous Road
- Learnt Spanish (and learnt to run away when a guy asks for a beso - a kiss)
- Lit dynamite in Potosi (and took photographs of us holding it)
- Reversed into a tree in Airlie Beach
- Got acquainted with locals in Byron Bay
- Visited the very cultural marajuana museum in Nimbin, Australia
- Learnt to surf in Bali
- Sex shows in Bangkok
- Bamboo and white water rafting in Thailand
Most importantly, we learnt some more lessons:
- We are extremely naive with men
- Never trust Argentinian bus drivers
- NOTHING is ever a fixed price
- When you see tear gas, run OUT of the way
- J can float.
- Men are disgusting. And smell.
- You can walk for hours on a bottle of coke.
- Guinea pigs don't taste great, nor alpaca. But llama and kangaroo are delicious.
- You need MP3 players to sleep on buses and in airports
- It is possible to watch Grey's Anatomy series 5 in 3 days in Kuala Lumpur
- Alice seriously overestimates how many tampons a girl needs for 3 months
- Arrival times are irrelevant. You arrive when you arrive.
- J and Haz realised that Al's slightly neurotic. And wee a lot.
- H can now drink coffee.
- Most people will rip you off but Haz's eyelashes and beautiful eyes work wonders.
- India is filth.
- Lonely Planet needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, especially the maps.
- Britain's Foreign Office Travel Advice needs to be interpreted creatively.
- We would do a lot for cheese.
- Always carry loo roll.
- It's not unusual for someone with a 3ft long rifle to guard an ice cream parlour.
- But most importantly, to quote Dean and Josh, NEVER rule anything out.
Reflection on our trip
A little summary for you all reflecting on our past year...
Things we’ve done
- Eaten grasshoppers in Mexico
- Wrestled anacondas and cobras in Bolivia
- Learned to dive in Utila, Honduras
- Marveled at the salt flats in Bolivia
- Braved San Pedro prison in Bolivia (and refused the opportunity to buy cocaine from there)
- Loki La Paz. Enough said.
- Climbed an active volcano in Guatemala and melted trainers over lava
- Alice has been splattered by cow pat, tripped over elephant poo and fallen into monkey poo
- Visited Great Barrier reef and dived there
- Met Marvin, the beautiful Maori Wrasse
- Dived the Yongala ship wreck, off the coast of Ayre, Australia
- Scaled Cerro Fitz Roy up 700m, and down again walking 27km in one day, Argentina
- Conquered the Inca Trail in Peru (and survived)
- Survived Coober Pedy in Australia
- Said hello to alligators and caimans in Bolivia
- Conversed with Tibetan refugee monks in McLeod Ganj, India
- Ridden elephants and cuddled tigers in Chiang Mai, Bangkok
- Visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng prison in Cambodia
- J was pick-pocketed by a monkey in Bali
- Slept in a 5* hotel in Australia, courtesy of 3 random Aussie boys
- Cuddled koala bears and kangeroos
- Alice had an ECG and ultra-sound to diagnose tonsilitis, Vietnam
- Visited (and adored) the Taj Mahal in Agra, India
- Seen public cremations in Varanasi, India
- Practised yoga (badly) on a rooftop at the foot of the Himalayas, India
- Learned Tango (well almost) in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Drove a Big Rig at full speed down the highway at night in the Australian outback (plus turning round and parking). All without hitting any kangeroos. Or camels.
- Walked among the millions of penguins in Peurto Madryn, Argentina
- Partied all night at Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan, Thailand
- Climbed the Petronas Twin Towers, well 170 metres up to level 41 (out of 88) in KL, Malaysia
- Snorkled with seals on South Island, NZ
- Made our own tribal necklaces out of cow bone, NZ
- Had our only bath of the year at the hot water beach on North Island, NZ
- Went tubing in Laos and lived
- Cruised up mountains on the back of motorbikes to watch the sunset in Udiapur, India
- Climbed the Fox Glaicer in torrential rain, South Island, NZ
- Took a boat ride UNDER one of the waterfalls at Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Things we’ve learnt
- Tequila is wrong
- Alice is responsible for Imodium’s profits this year
- When someone buys you a hotel room, they intend on sleeping in it with you
- Alice isn’t good hungry/full/tired/cold/hot…
- J eats toothpaste
- Dirty washing packs down smaller than clean laundry
- If you put clothes back in your bag they come out clean after about 3 days
- It’s acceptable to wear a top for 3-4 days in a row with lots of sweating
- Hayley loses stuff (especially sunglasses)!
- Australian boys have a few special talents
- You can get a litre of very drinkable red wine for a dollar in Argentina
- Israeli boys are very hairy, and always wear the same shoes
- Goon is great
- You get drunk quicker when at altitude
- If the Cadburys chocolate isn’t made in England don’t eat it
- Vegetarian in South America means meat with vegetables
- The buckets in Koh PhiPhi give you the worst hangover ever
- You can drive 30km with no petrol if no one gets in your way
Times we have wished we were back at home:
- When being vomited on during the bus ride to Cuzco, Peru
- When the shower is so bad you have to wash your hair under the tap (India)
- When the shower is sooo cold it gives you brain freeze (Austraila)
- When there are lots of little cockroaches crawling up your legs and you cant escape them because you're wedged into a train (India)
- When someone steals your passport between countries and the Peruvian officials suggest you bribe them with sexual favours (Peru/Equador)
- When you have a 24hr bus journey from Vietnam to Loas and they FILL the bus with rice and probably illegal drugs
- When you have to pick up your bag yet again and realize that it’s gained 10 kilos since the last time you carried it
- When you get bitten over 300 times in one night by bed bugs
- When you're rammed into a train in the wrong carriage - men only - in Mexico City and they help themselves to your arse
Really winding down these last few days. Arrived in Mumbai safe and sound this morning - it's so much more Western! Big roads, calm traffic that sticks to lanes, leafy suburbs, and we're visiting all Lin's hideouts from Shantaram such as Leopold's. Such a diferent attitude here. But no holy cows, although I've already received a Hindu blessing for Shiva for good luck...
Will write the final entry tomorrow before we leave early for the airport on Monday!
Much love from us both,
Alice and Haz xxxxxxx
Things we’ve done
- Eaten grasshoppers in Mexico
- Wrestled anacondas and cobras in Bolivia
- Learned to dive in Utila, Honduras
- Marveled at the salt flats in Bolivia
- Braved San Pedro prison in Bolivia (and refused the opportunity to buy cocaine from there)
- Loki La Paz. Enough said.
- Climbed an active volcano in Guatemala and melted trainers over lava
- Alice has been splattered by cow pat, tripped over elephant poo and fallen into monkey poo
- Visited Great Barrier reef and dived there
- Met Marvin, the beautiful Maori Wrasse
- Dived the Yongala ship wreck, off the coast of Ayre, Australia
- Scaled Cerro Fitz Roy up 700m, and down again walking 27km in one day, Argentina
- Conquered the Inca Trail in Peru (and survived)
- Survived Coober Pedy in Australia
- Said hello to alligators and caimans in Bolivia
- Conversed with Tibetan refugee monks in McLeod Ganj, India
- Ridden elephants and cuddled tigers in Chiang Mai, Bangkok
- Visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng prison in Cambodia
- J was pick-pocketed by a monkey in Bali
- Slept in a 5* hotel in Australia, courtesy of 3 random Aussie boys
- Cuddled koala bears and kangeroos
- Alice had an ECG and ultra-sound to diagnose tonsilitis, Vietnam
- Visited (and adored) the Taj Mahal in Agra, India
- Seen public cremations in Varanasi, India
- Practised yoga (badly) on a rooftop at the foot of the Himalayas, India
- Learned Tango (well almost) in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Drove a Big Rig at full speed down the highway at night in the Australian outback (plus turning round and parking). All without hitting any kangeroos. Or camels.
- Walked among the millions of penguins in Peurto Madryn, Argentina
- Partied all night at Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan, Thailand
- Climbed the Petronas Twin Towers, well 170 metres up to level 41 (out of 88) in KL, Malaysia
- Snorkled with seals on South Island, NZ
- Made our own tribal necklaces out of cow bone, NZ
- Had our only bath of the year at the hot water beach on North Island, NZ
- Went tubing in Laos and lived
- Cruised up mountains on the back of motorbikes to watch the sunset in Udiapur, India
- Climbed the Fox Glaicer in torrential rain, South Island, NZ
- Took a boat ride UNDER one of the waterfalls at Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Things we’ve learnt
- Tequila is wrong
- Alice is responsible for Imodium’s profits this year
- When someone buys you a hotel room, they intend on sleeping in it with you
- Alice isn’t good hungry/full/tired/cold/hot…
- J eats toothpaste
- Dirty washing packs down smaller than clean laundry
- If you put clothes back in your bag they come out clean after about 3 days
- It’s acceptable to wear a top for 3-4 days in a row with lots of sweating
- Hayley loses stuff (especially sunglasses)!
- Australian boys have a few special talents
- You can get a litre of very drinkable red wine for a dollar in Argentina
- Israeli boys are very hairy, and always wear the same shoes
- Goon is great
- You get drunk quicker when at altitude
- If the Cadburys chocolate isn’t made in England don’t eat it
- Vegetarian in South America means meat with vegetables
- The buckets in Koh PhiPhi give you the worst hangover ever
- You can drive 30km with no petrol if no one gets in your way
Times we have wished we were back at home:
- When being vomited on during the bus ride to Cuzco, Peru
- When the shower is so bad you have to wash your hair under the tap (India)
- When the shower is sooo cold it gives you brain freeze (Austraila)
- When there are lots of little cockroaches crawling up your legs and you cant escape them because you're wedged into a train (India)
- When someone steals your passport between countries and the Peruvian officials suggest you bribe them with sexual favours (Peru/Equador)
- When you have a 24hr bus journey from Vietnam to Loas and they FILL the bus with rice and probably illegal drugs
- When you have to pick up your bag yet again and realize that it’s gained 10 kilos since the last time you carried it
- When you get bitten over 300 times in one night by bed bugs
- When you're rammed into a train in the wrong carriage - men only - in Mexico City and they help themselves to your arse
Really winding down these last few days. Arrived in Mumbai safe and sound this morning - it's so much more Western! Big roads, calm traffic that sticks to lanes, leafy suburbs, and we're visiting all Lin's hideouts from Shantaram such as Leopold's. Such a diferent attitude here. But no holy cows, although I've already received a Hindu blessing for Shiva for good luck...
Will write the final entry tomorrow before we leave early for the airport on Monday!
Much love from us both,
Alice and Haz xxxxxxx
Thursday 24 September 2009
A few comments
Been reading a couple of books - this extracts are words of wisdom from Sarah Macdonald (2004) in 'Holy Cow'. She's an Australian who's gone to live in India with her husband. Haz and I think she sums up things perfectly! Enjoy...
ON TRANSPORT -
'Blokes - and a friend or two, perch atop tall, rusty bicycles. Entire families share motorcycles. Toddlers stand between dad's knees or clutch his back, and wives sit sidesaddle while snuggling babies. Auto-rickshaws zip round like tin toys. Ambassador cars - half Rolls-Royce, and half Soviet tanks cruise with class. Huge tinsel-decorated trucks rumble and groan and filthy lime-green buses fly around like kamakaze cans squeezing out a chunky sauce of arms and legs...
Everyone seems to drive with one finger on the horn and another shoved high up a nostril...'
Roads - there is a 'strict species pecking order: pedestrians are on teh bottom and run out of the way of everything, bicycles make way to cycle-rickshaws, which give way to auto-rickshaws, which stop for cars, which are subservient to trucks. Buses stop for one thing and one thing only. Not customers - they jump on while the buses are still moving. The only thing that can stop a bus is the King of rhte Road. The Lord of the jungle, and the top dog.
The holy cow.'
ON RELIGION -
'You Western people are all science, all fact. You don't even believe in God anymore because you think we came from a monkey' - Sarah talking to an Indian man.
ON SOCIAL GRACES -
'The North Indian men on the streets stare so hard and are so sleazy that I often feel like I've somehow starred in a porn film without knowing it'...
Pretty much sums it up! xxx
ON TRANSPORT -
'Blokes - and a friend or two, perch atop tall, rusty bicycles. Entire families share motorcycles. Toddlers stand between dad's knees or clutch his back, and wives sit sidesaddle while snuggling babies. Auto-rickshaws zip round like tin toys. Ambassador cars - half Rolls-Royce, and half Soviet tanks cruise with class. Huge tinsel-decorated trucks rumble and groan and filthy lime-green buses fly around like kamakaze cans squeezing out a chunky sauce of arms and legs...
Everyone seems to drive with one finger on the horn and another shoved high up a nostril...'
Roads - there is a 'strict species pecking order: pedestrians are on teh bottom and run out of the way of everything, bicycles make way to cycle-rickshaws, which give way to auto-rickshaws, which stop for cars, which are subservient to trucks. Buses stop for one thing and one thing only. Not customers - they jump on while the buses are still moving. The only thing that can stop a bus is the King of rhte Road. The Lord of the jungle, and the top dog.
The holy cow.'
ON RELIGION -
'You Western people are all science, all fact. You don't even believe in God anymore because you think we came from a monkey' - Sarah talking to an Indian man.
ON SOCIAL GRACES -
'The North Indian men on the streets stare so hard and are so sleazy that I often feel like I've somehow starred in a porn film without knowing it'...
Pretty much sums it up! xxx
Golden Temple, Amritsar
Oooo forgot to tell you about Amritsar!
Ok - very quickly - arrived here last night and went to a great hotel. Slept soundly for about 11 hours, and enjoyed our clean room. We tried walking 15 minutes to the Golden Temple (Sikh) today but got hopelessly lost so gave up and got a rickshaw.
The complex is great - it is huge, square and white, with a big pool of holy water in the middle, where people are bathing. The temple itself is small and in the middle of the water, but it is covered with about 750kg of gold, from donations of jewellery to the temple. Absolutely incredible what individuals can do when they act together. We had a great time talking to an older gentleman who taught us about Sikhism, and walked into the temple before escaping the heat for air conditioning. Such a lovely building - will put up photographs soon - probably tomorrow.
Anyways must dash,
love love xxxxx
Ok - very quickly - arrived here last night and went to a great hotel. Slept soundly for about 11 hours, and enjoyed our clean room. We tried walking 15 minutes to the Golden Temple (Sikh) today but got hopelessly lost so gave up and got a rickshaw.
The complex is great - it is huge, square and white, with a big pool of holy water in the middle, where people are bathing. The temple itself is small and in the middle of the water, but it is covered with about 750kg of gold, from donations of jewellery to the temple. Absolutely incredible what individuals can do when they act together. We had a great time talking to an older gentleman who taught us about Sikhism, and walked into the temple before escaping the heat for air conditioning. Such a lovely building - will put up photographs soon - probably tomorrow.
Anyways must dash,
love love xxxxx
Back to Delhi, McLeod Ganj and Amritsa
Hey hey there again,
Well we spent another night in Delhi and Romey very kindly donated us another hotel room. Very fancy - being very spoilt! We did the usual and I collected my suit (cannot put any weight on now!) before heading to McLeod Ganj on a rubbishy bus. We left 4 hours late due to broken air conditioning (we all complained until they fixed it, despite the long delay) and only had a couple of break downs along the way to fix leaking oil and so on.
McLeod Ganj was lovely. So unIndian (is that why we liked it?!) The town is 1700m above sea level so nice and COLD - we weren't sweating from morning to night! It's the home of the Dalai Lama and many Tibetan monks who left Tibet due to it being unsafe. The atmosphere is brilliant. It is so calm and respectful (men weren't getting in our faces too much), the roads were clean - surprise - and even had rubbish collection vehicles. There was very little traffic and when the clouds cleared, we could see the beautiful mountains and nearby villages.
We basically spent the time there eating. The food was delicious, Western and soooo cheap. We ate lemon cheesecake (divine, although I could've eaten 5 of them), I had 4 tuna melts (not all at once), gorgeous hot brownies with hot chocolate sauce and best of all, hot apple crumble with cream. I haven't had apple crumble for about 18 months, and it was delicious. There was Tibetan food which we tried, - some yummy noodles, and the odd place offering Indian cuisine, but we just had to eat about 4 times a day as it was so tasty! We weren't able to do the massage as we didn't have enough time (what a shame, we had to eat again), but we did volunteer doing conversational English with refugee Tibetan monks who were learning English. Fantastic to talk to and such a privilege too. So we did that one afternoon, then another session of yoga. Very sexy instructor this time, very French, not creepy and sleazy like our Varanasi one. And very encouraging, letting us do half poses if we weren't able to do them fully!
Our hotel was like a little ski chalet - someone's home with cute furniture, and even our own en-suite bathroom and working TV. We spent the 4 days taking things easy, seeing the Tibetan temple there, walking to the nearby village, eating a lot (first proper latte coffee in India - beautiful) and enjoying ourselves.
It was a lovely break from the hectic India that we've seen, and we were very glad to do McLeod Ganj last, despite it meaning we have to travel for longer. We are soooo obsessed about foods, and the ones we crave, that it was perfect gorging ourselves for a few days! Absolutely lovely.
So travelled all day yesterday on a bus and train to Amritsa. The bus was very bumpy and dusty, but we made it (eventually). The train was worse. They had overbooked the seats so we were very crammed in, but worst of all was the cockroaches. The place was infested. So many (thankfully little) beasties walking around all around us, and on Haz. (Thank God wasn't me!!!) They were on her legs and back - really really disgusting. Absolutely horrible. The 3 hours we were on the train were horrific. Worst train journey by far. So uncomfortable and just wrong with the number of cockroaches.
But we have to get another train tonight for 10 hours back to Delhi. We arrive at 7am (hopefully) and then leave again late afternoon for a 15 hour journey to Mumbai. We arrive there Saturday morning (hopefully) then fly home on Monday.
Can't believe that there's only 4 days left of our trip. At the moment we're tired from the humidity and the constant attention, and don't really want to travel on the trains either. The temperature is 35 degrees with 60% humidity, so it feels like 43 degrees celsius (according to Yahoo weather).... We both need a strong coffee and some food, and to cool down a little. So home sounds pretty great at the moment - can't wait to eat and drink and eat and drink and eat... lots of very strong cravings!
Anyway love to all, and see you sooooooon!
Love from us both,
Alice xxx
Well we spent another night in Delhi and Romey very kindly donated us another hotel room. Very fancy - being very spoilt! We did the usual and I collected my suit (cannot put any weight on now!) before heading to McLeod Ganj on a rubbishy bus. We left 4 hours late due to broken air conditioning (we all complained until they fixed it, despite the long delay) and only had a couple of break downs along the way to fix leaking oil and so on.
McLeod Ganj was lovely. So unIndian (is that why we liked it?!) The town is 1700m above sea level so nice and COLD - we weren't sweating from morning to night! It's the home of the Dalai Lama and many Tibetan monks who left Tibet due to it being unsafe. The atmosphere is brilliant. It is so calm and respectful (men weren't getting in our faces too much), the roads were clean - surprise - and even had rubbish collection vehicles. There was very little traffic and when the clouds cleared, we could see the beautiful mountains and nearby villages.
We basically spent the time there eating. The food was delicious, Western and soooo cheap. We ate lemon cheesecake (divine, although I could've eaten 5 of them), I had 4 tuna melts (not all at once), gorgeous hot brownies with hot chocolate sauce and best of all, hot apple crumble with cream. I haven't had apple crumble for about 18 months, and it was delicious. There was Tibetan food which we tried, - some yummy noodles, and the odd place offering Indian cuisine, but we just had to eat about 4 times a day as it was so tasty! We weren't able to do the massage as we didn't have enough time (what a shame, we had to eat again), but we did volunteer doing conversational English with refugee Tibetan monks who were learning English. Fantastic to talk to and such a privilege too. So we did that one afternoon, then another session of yoga. Very sexy instructor this time, very French, not creepy and sleazy like our Varanasi one. And very encouraging, letting us do half poses if we weren't able to do them fully!
Our hotel was like a little ski chalet - someone's home with cute furniture, and even our own en-suite bathroom and working TV. We spent the 4 days taking things easy, seeing the Tibetan temple there, walking to the nearby village, eating a lot (first proper latte coffee in India - beautiful) and enjoying ourselves.
It was a lovely break from the hectic India that we've seen, and we were very glad to do McLeod Ganj last, despite it meaning we have to travel for longer. We are soooo obsessed about foods, and the ones we crave, that it was perfect gorging ourselves for a few days! Absolutely lovely.
So travelled all day yesterday on a bus and train to Amritsa. The bus was very bumpy and dusty, but we made it (eventually). The train was worse. They had overbooked the seats so we were very crammed in, but worst of all was the cockroaches. The place was infested. So many (thankfully little) beasties walking around all around us, and on Haz. (Thank God wasn't me!!!) They were on her legs and back - really really disgusting. Absolutely horrible. The 3 hours we were on the train were horrific. Worst train journey by far. So uncomfortable and just wrong with the number of cockroaches.
But we have to get another train tonight for 10 hours back to Delhi. We arrive at 7am (hopefully) and then leave again late afternoon for a 15 hour journey to Mumbai. We arrive there Saturday morning (hopefully) then fly home on Monday.
Can't believe that there's only 4 days left of our trip. At the moment we're tired from the humidity and the constant attention, and don't really want to travel on the trains either. The temperature is 35 degrees with 60% humidity, so it feels like 43 degrees celsius (according to Yahoo weather).... We both need a strong coffee and some food, and to cool down a little. So home sounds pretty great at the moment - can't wait to eat and drink and eat and drink and eat... lots of very strong cravings!
Anyway love to all, and see you sooooooon!
Love from us both,
Alice xxx
Wednesday 16 September 2009
The TAJ MAHAL and Varanasi
Hello hello again,
Well we made it! We finally arrived (only a few hours late) into Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. We found a great taxi driver called Waseem, who took us to somewhere we could dump our bags and shower for the day. Fully refreshed with food, we ventured out. Annoyingly, the tourists have to pay 750 rupees (15 US dollars) to enter, while the locals pay 25 rupees (50 cents). The difference is huge! Still, we felt we couldn't really turn around at this point, so carried on.
You walk through various gateways to enter the main part of the complex. The Taj is 'described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love, this sublime Mughal mausoleum is India's most ogled icon' (Lonely Planet, 2007). Built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who in 1631 died giving birth to their 14th child (not in a road traffic accident as 'Slumdog Millionaire' says!) What can I say really? Apart from that pictures never do justice to just how huge it is, how elegant and calming (despite hordes of tourists), how tasteful it is , built in marble, in a country awash with vibrant and garesh colours. An absolutely humungous building, with gorgeously inlaid flowers and writing on the walls with semi precious stones. Fortunately the sun shone a little while we were there which just transformed the place. The inner area houses 2 marble coffins for the Emperor and his wife, surrounded by a marble screen - actually the bodies are underneath in another basement room. But such a tranquil place on the river - and we weren't hassled by touts or little children selling us stuff half as much as I thought we would be. I did succumb a little to a very cute boy called Assif though and bought a little something! See the pictures on picasa that I put up - you can read far better descriptions of the Taj than from me!
We watched the sun set on it and headed onto another night train to Varanasi. By the time we arrived, we passed out for the afternoon in a deep sleep under the fan, and ended up eating at the hotel that night as we were told it wasn't safe for women to walk around alone after dark, as the daily electricity blackouts mean that men often grope women or worse in the dark alleyways.
So yesterday we woke at 5am - yes FIVE am, to get a boat along the holy Ganges river. Surrounded by Hindu people going about their morning business, we got into a (leaking) wooden boat, rowed by 2 guys and set off down the river. The water was very high and fast making rowing very difficult, but we (the guys) rowed us along, showing us the sights. Lots of buildings face onto the water, and at various points there are huge steps down to the river, called ghats. There are approximately 80 ghats around the area. When the water is lower you can walk along from one ghat to another, however at this time you have to walk through the alleyways instead.
We watched the sun rise, lit candles in lotus petals and set them on the river, and saw the beautiful buildings, temples, forts. And the people. So many! They bathe, pray, wash their clothes in the river, as well as their cows, they gossip and meet friends, and then get cremated after death and scattered into the river (where others are washing) as if you die in Varanasi, you break the life-death cycle. And there are huge numbers of holy men, shown by their huge beaded necklaces, shaven head or dreadlocks, or long curly hair, wearing usually less than others, sometimes with grey ash all over their bodies. Very extraordinary.
Such a strange and wonderful and unique place. We really feel as though we are in a completely different world! We also saw the evening ceremony last night, where we sat on some steps at a ghat, and watched 5 people play drums, sing, wave fire and flowers around, and thank the mother earth and mother river for providing for them. It was stunning and a lovely thing to do - to appreciate all that they have. (It would be nice if they didn't tip their rubbish into the water though)...
We've done yoga twice with a lovely guy who looks a little strange (not sure I'm used to male yoga bodies yet, especially very short ones), and who's stretched, pulled and massaged us into pain and relaxation. Yes into pain. His massages really hurt - he was doing chinese burns on my wrist! I did stop him pounding my ears though, as I'm not sure his 'massages' would really help them! But we feel virtuous, and can eat a chocolate brownie at the delicious bakery today when we go there to write our journals. (So busy or chatting so much, either to each other or to other people here, that have no time for journals! Very very bad).
Heading back to Delhi tonight, got one night there then heading overnight on the bus this time, to Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj, to hopefully learn some tibetan massages, chill out in the mountains and do some more yoga.
So hope all's well with you, and see you soon!
Much love from us both,
Alice xxxxxx
Well we made it! We finally arrived (only a few hours late) into Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. We found a great taxi driver called Waseem, who took us to somewhere we could dump our bags and shower for the day. Fully refreshed with food, we ventured out. Annoyingly, the tourists have to pay 750 rupees (15 US dollars) to enter, while the locals pay 25 rupees (50 cents). The difference is huge! Still, we felt we couldn't really turn around at this point, so carried on.
You walk through various gateways to enter the main part of the complex. The Taj is 'described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love, this sublime Mughal mausoleum is India's most ogled icon' (Lonely Planet, 2007). Built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who in 1631 died giving birth to their 14th child (not in a road traffic accident as 'Slumdog Millionaire' says!) What can I say really? Apart from that pictures never do justice to just how huge it is, how elegant and calming (despite hordes of tourists), how tasteful it is , built in marble, in a country awash with vibrant and garesh colours. An absolutely humungous building, with gorgeously inlaid flowers and writing on the walls with semi precious stones. Fortunately the sun shone a little while we were there which just transformed the place. The inner area houses 2 marble coffins for the Emperor and his wife, surrounded by a marble screen - actually the bodies are underneath in another basement room. But such a tranquil place on the river - and we weren't hassled by touts or little children selling us stuff half as much as I thought we would be. I did succumb a little to a very cute boy called Assif though and bought a little something! See the pictures on picasa that I put up - you can read far better descriptions of the Taj than from me!
We watched the sun set on it and headed onto another night train to Varanasi. By the time we arrived, we passed out for the afternoon in a deep sleep under the fan, and ended up eating at the hotel that night as we were told it wasn't safe for women to walk around alone after dark, as the daily electricity blackouts mean that men often grope women or worse in the dark alleyways.
So yesterday we woke at 5am - yes FIVE am, to get a boat along the holy Ganges river. Surrounded by Hindu people going about their morning business, we got into a (leaking) wooden boat, rowed by 2 guys and set off down the river. The water was very high and fast making rowing very difficult, but we (the guys) rowed us along, showing us the sights. Lots of buildings face onto the water, and at various points there are huge steps down to the river, called ghats. There are approximately 80 ghats around the area. When the water is lower you can walk along from one ghat to another, however at this time you have to walk through the alleyways instead.
We watched the sun rise, lit candles in lotus petals and set them on the river, and saw the beautiful buildings, temples, forts. And the people. So many! They bathe, pray, wash their clothes in the river, as well as their cows, they gossip and meet friends, and then get cremated after death and scattered into the river (where others are washing) as if you die in Varanasi, you break the life-death cycle. And there are huge numbers of holy men, shown by their huge beaded necklaces, shaven head or dreadlocks, or long curly hair, wearing usually less than others, sometimes with grey ash all over their bodies. Very extraordinary.
Such a strange and wonderful and unique place. We really feel as though we are in a completely different world! We also saw the evening ceremony last night, where we sat on some steps at a ghat, and watched 5 people play drums, sing, wave fire and flowers around, and thank the mother earth and mother river for providing for them. It was stunning and a lovely thing to do - to appreciate all that they have. (It would be nice if they didn't tip their rubbish into the water though)...
We've done yoga twice with a lovely guy who looks a little strange (not sure I'm used to male yoga bodies yet, especially very short ones), and who's stretched, pulled and massaged us into pain and relaxation. Yes into pain. His massages really hurt - he was doing chinese burns on my wrist! I did stop him pounding my ears though, as I'm not sure his 'massages' would really help them! But we feel virtuous, and can eat a chocolate brownie at the delicious bakery today when we go there to write our journals. (So busy or chatting so much, either to each other or to other people here, that have no time for journals! Very very bad).
Heading back to Delhi tonight, got one night there then heading overnight on the bus this time, to Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj, to hopefully learn some tibetan massages, chill out in the mountains and do some more yoga.
So hope all's well with you, and see you soon!
Much love from us both,
Alice xxxxxx
Saturday 12 September 2009
Udaipur
Hey hey
Doing lots of entries here as things happen so fast! We've spent a great time in Udaipur so far. Viki at the hotel was fantastic about Haz's birthday - they even went out and bought a birthday cake for her - of the Western variety, so very very creamy and chocolatey. Even had a cream rose on it, pretty impressive. The chef cooked us a typical Rajastani dish that wasn't on the menu - full of cooked cherries, pineapple and vegetables, and I treated Haz to a delicious meal washed down with beers. We were sat on a balcony that had a bed mattress on the seat, with a very short table on it that groaned under all of our food. We ate by candlelight, and watched people milling around in the evening, playing by the river or crossing over the bridges. It was certainly a much calmer birthday than previous ones! We'll live it up another night...
We woke up early yesterday and Viki drove the 2 of us (and him) on his very very sexy black motorbike, through the countryside to see a beautiful dammed lake. Not on the tourist trail, I felt very glamourous with my shawl billowing in the wind (though not too far behind, didn't want to choke myself!) It was gorgeous and hilly, and very refreshing to be out of the city again. So much nicer! Hopefully the north of India will be like that too. Rajastani is half desert and half green hilly areas. So pretty out of the city, absolutely love it.
We saw the City Palace - 2nd biggest palace in India - 144m long and 30m high. It was beautiful. We took our time and had lots of rests in the shaded marble alcoves, watching other tourists. Very very pretty and we managed to dodge most of the tourists. Just had time for a leisurely lunch, a spot of shopping down the alleyways and then a gentle siesta. What a peaceful day!
So this morning we were heading to a Haveli (house) when we stopped and talked to a guy who had been standing outside his restaurant every day trying to get us come in to eat. The menu was nice so we sat down and ended up learning that he did massages, called Raju - he reads your body in your hands, then he touches pressure points on your body to sort you out. He also combines it with some spirituality, and he's incredibly interesting.
He took Hayley's hands and felt that her main problem was her back - she has suffered for years from a wonky back - but luckily most of her organs were ok.
He took my hands, and I was soon yelping and screeching in pain as he triggered certain points.
First - one leg is longer than the other and also my coxycs (spelling?!) is bent wrongly - that is why my back aches when I stand/walk for too long. That puts pressure on my shoulders and neck, and gives me headaches. My poor circulation in my legs causes my frequent leg cramps (especially when I'm under a fan or in air conditioning, and they can be excruciating). He ended up measuring my leg and true enough, my right one is half an inch longer! My right shoulder was half an inch higher too.
He pointed to my throat - thyroid glands - the last time I had a blood test the doctor said that mine are failing at the moment.
He did my stomach and I was writhing in pain! Two years of an upset stomach, apparently I have digestion problems. Also my heart, liver and kidneys weren't working great either.
And womanly things -apparently not all exactly how they should be - I won't go into details, but it needed fixing too. I was feeling rather broken by this point!
So with Hayley holding my hand (until he said we had to let go as she'd start getting my aches and pains,) I got completely naked and he pushed/prodded/pulled me for over an hour. I was in so much pain, - it wasn't a pleasant experience - but if it helps at all with my stomach it'll be worth the money, and for my back to stop hurting as much too is great. By the end of the session he measured me again and I was even! Walking around I felt as though I was tipping to the right, as I wasn't used to it. And felt slightly dizzy. Very strange. He didn't sort out my coxycs or my female problems as that was far too intimate - definitely wasn't ready for that.
Raju was so kind and professional that I didn't mind the experience (much) and if it helps at all it will be worth every penny. Got nothing to lose anyway! (apart from the money!) You couldn't lie to him at all, he was so accurate with his diagnoses and reading you. Very freaky.
Finally made it to the Haveli which was beautiful, and saw the lovely buildings and paintings, before it started raining. Well it is the end of the monsoon season! Two friends we've met are taking us to the Monsoon Palace this evening if it isn't raining, before we catch our night train. People here are so kind and we've had such a great time.
We're on an overnight train tonight to see the TAJ MAHAL tomorrow (eek!) before heading overnight again to Varanasi. Lots of travelling around, so quite exhausting but it's absolutely great. Just need some time to write our journals now!
Lots of love from us both,
Alice xxx
Doing lots of entries here as things happen so fast! We've spent a great time in Udaipur so far. Viki at the hotel was fantastic about Haz's birthday - they even went out and bought a birthday cake for her - of the Western variety, so very very creamy and chocolatey. Even had a cream rose on it, pretty impressive. The chef cooked us a typical Rajastani dish that wasn't on the menu - full of cooked cherries, pineapple and vegetables, and I treated Haz to a delicious meal washed down with beers. We were sat on a balcony that had a bed mattress on the seat, with a very short table on it that groaned under all of our food. We ate by candlelight, and watched people milling around in the evening, playing by the river or crossing over the bridges. It was certainly a much calmer birthday than previous ones! We'll live it up another night...
We woke up early yesterday and Viki drove the 2 of us (and him) on his very very sexy black motorbike, through the countryside to see a beautiful dammed lake. Not on the tourist trail, I felt very glamourous with my shawl billowing in the wind (though not too far behind, didn't want to choke myself!) It was gorgeous and hilly, and very refreshing to be out of the city again. So much nicer! Hopefully the north of India will be like that too. Rajastani is half desert and half green hilly areas. So pretty out of the city, absolutely love it.
We saw the City Palace - 2nd biggest palace in India - 144m long and 30m high. It was beautiful. We took our time and had lots of rests in the shaded marble alcoves, watching other tourists. Very very pretty and we managed to dodge most of the tourists. Just had time for a leisurely lunch, a spot of shopping down the alleyways and then a gentle siesta. What a peaceful day!
So this morning we were heading to a Haveli (house) when we stopped and talked to a guy who had been standing outside his restaurant every day trying to get us come in to eat. The menu was nice so we sat down and ended up learning that he did massages, called Raju - he reads your body in your hands, then he touches pressure points on your body to sort you out. He also combines it with some spirituality, and he's incredibly interesting.
He took Hayley's hands and felt that her main problem was her back - she has suffered for years from a wonky back - but luckily most of her organs were ok.
He took my hands, and I was soon yelping and screeching in pain as he triggered certain points.
First - one leg is longer than the other and also my coxycs (spelling?!) is bent wrongly - that is why my back aches when I stand/walk for too long. That puts pressure on my shoulders and neck, and gives me headaches. My poor circulation in my legs causes my frequent leg cramps (especially when I'm under a fan or in air conditioning, and they can be excruciating). He ended up measuring my leg and true enough, my right one is half an inch longer! My right shoulder was half an inch higher too.
He pointed to my throat - thyroid glands - the last time I had a blood test the doctor said that mine are failing at the moment.
He did my stomach and I was writhing in pain! Two years of an upset stomach, apparently I have digestion problems. Also my heart, liver and kidneys weren't working great either.
And womanly things -apparently not all exactly how they should be - I won't go into details, but it needed fixing too. I was feeling rather broken by this point!
So with Hayley holding my hand (until he said we had to let go as she'd start getting my aches and pains,) I got completely naked and he pushed/prodded/pulled me for over an hour. I was in so much pain, - it wasn't a pleasant experience - but if it helps at all with my stomach it'll be worth the money, and for my back to stop hurting as much too is great. By the end of the session he measured me again and I was even! Walking around I felt as though I was tipping to the right, as I wasn't used to it. And felt slightly dizzy. Very strange. He didn't sort out my coxycs or my female problems as that was far too intimate - definitely wasn't ready for that.
Raju was so kind and professional that I didn't mind the experience (much) and if it helps at all it will be worth every penny. Got nothing to lose anyway! (apart from the money!) You couldn't lie to him at all, he was so accurate with his diagnoses and reading you. Very freaky.
Finally made it to the Haveli which was beautiful, and saw the lovely buildings and paintings, before it started raining. Well it is the end of the monsoon season! Two friends we've met are taking us to the Monsoon Palace this evening if it isn't raining, before we catch our night train. People here are so kind and we've had such a great time.
We're on an overnight train tonight to see the TAJ MAHAL tomorrow (eek!) before heading overnight again to Varanasi. Lots of travelling around, so quite exhausting but it's absolutely great. Just need some time to write our journals now!
Lots of love from us both,
Alice xxx
Thursday 10 September 2009
More of 'Incredible India'... now in Udaipur
Hello hello, or 'nameste' as they say here,
From 10 days without a blog entry to another one today - no, I wish I could say I felt guilty but the truth is that this place is amazing and I wanted to tell you all about it!!! (This doesn't mean you shouldn't read the WHOLE of the last blog though, haha...)
We took the night train to Udaipur last night. It took us 15 minutes to get to the station by auto-rickshaw (or tuk tuk) and 15 minutes to find our coach. A very very long train, where the letters and numbers had a mind of their own, or an Indian order and logic that we had no idea about. Eventually we found it, the train pulled in a couple of minutes later and we boarded the coach. The sleeper compartments were absolutely fine and adequate. We had a lovely elderly couple sleeping under us (who had a lot of food in their bags), - in fact the elderly man went in search of bed sheets, came back with them and made the bed for his wife. So touching to watch. The train was so much nicer than a night bus - we could lie down! The beds weren't huge, but they were sufficient and even had cables that not only held the bunk up, but also stopped us falling out. I know Haz made use of them! The journey wasn't too rocky or juddery, and we turned off our light and fell into a light sleep for the night. Gently rocked to sleep, we woke up a couple of times but fortunately fell straight back to sleep again.
We arrived in Udaipur and got an auto-rickshaw to the Hotel Thamla Haveli. Oh my goodness. It is a present for us from Romey in Delhi, and paid for for 2 nights. We have the most beautiful room - a white WESTERN loo that not only works, but is actually white. We have electricity (most of the time), a TV, the shower has enough water to actually shower under, we have white fluffy towels (I know, I'd forgotten what those were!) and even a desk and chair in the room. The whole hotel (our room included) is a mixture of new and old architecture, its floors are clean marble and its walls sheer white, with blue flowers painted around the ceiling and wall edges, and light fittings. Absolutely stunning. The menu isn't too pricey, and there is an alcove on the rooftop restaurant with a sofa area with cushions, where we enjoy the gorgeous view. The hotel overlooks the river, so we see children swimming and women washing their clothes, we see the other side of the city with the famous City Palace (featured in Octopussy), and turning around 180 degrees we see mountains. Absolutely beautiful.
A lazy day, enjoying the company of 2 delightful men who own a restaurant nearby. It's Haz's birthday today so Viki, the owner of the hotel, has asked us to celebrate it with him on the rooftop restaurant and watch the world go by. Can't think of anything we'd rather do more.
So we are very happy and are meandering around the alleyways that form the town, filled with shops, restaurants and travel agencies. We've seen the everpresent holy cows, and an elephant who had his face decorated with coloured chalk. A very friendly people here, and a great contrast from the hectic chaos that is Jaipur and Delhi.
So 'shukria' (bye) for now, and we'll write again soon.
Lots of love from us both,
Alice xxxxxxxx
From 10 days without a blog entry to another one today - no, I wish I could say I felt guilty but the truth is that this place is amazing and I wanted to tell you all about it!!! (This doesn't mean you shouldn't read the WHOLE of the last blog though, haha...)
We took the night train to Udaipur last night. It took us 15 minutes to get to the station by auto-rickshaw (or tuk tuk) and 15 minutes to find our coach. A very very long train, where the letters and numbers had a mind of their own, or an Indian order and logic that we had no idea about. Eventually we found it, the train pulled in a couple of minutes later and we boarded the coach. The sleeper compartments were absolutely fine and adequate. We had a lovely elderly couple sleeping under us (who had a lot of food in their bags), - in fact the elderly man went in search of bed sheets, came back with them and made the bed for his wife. So touching to watch. The train was so much nicer than a night bus - we could lie down! The beds weren't huge, but they were sufficient and even had cables that not only held the bunk up, but also stopped us falling out. I know Haz made use of them! The journey wasn't too rocky or juddery, and we turned off our light and fell into a light sleep for the night. Gently rocked to sleep, we woke up a couple of times but fortunately fell straight back to sleep again.
We arrived in Udaipur and got an auto-rickshaw to the Hotel Thamla Haveli. Oh my goodness. It is a present for us from Romey in Delhi, and paid for for 2 nights. We have the most beautiful room - a white WESTERN loo that not only works, but is actually white. We have electricity (most of the time), a TV, the shower has enough water to actually shower under, we have white fluffy towels (I know, I'd forgotten what those were!) and even a desk and chair in the room. The whole hotel (our room included) is a mixture of new and old architecture, its floors are clean marble and its walls sheer white, with blue flowers painted around the ceiling and wall edges, and light fittings. Absolutely stunning. The menu isn't too pricey, and there is an alcove on the rooftop restaurant with a sofa area with cushions, where we enjoy the gorgeous view. The hotel overlooks the river, so we see children swimming and women washing their clothes, we see the other side of the city with the famous City Palace (featured in Octopussy), and turning around 180 degrees we see mountains. Absolutely beautiful.
A lazy day, enjoying the company of 2 delightful men who own a restaurant nearby. It's Haz's birthday today so Viki, the owner of the hotel, has asked us to celebrate it with him on the rooftop restaurant and watch the world go by. Can't think of anything we'd rather do more.
So we are very happy and are meandering around the alleyways that form the town, filled with shops, restaurants and travel agencies. We've seen the everpresent holy cows, and an elephant who had his face decorated with coloured chalk. A very friendly people here, and a great contrast from the hectic chaos that is Jaipur and Delhi.
So 'shukria' (bye) for now, and we'll write again soon.
Lots of love from us both,
Alice xxxxxxxx
Wednesday 9 September 2009
India... and all it's quirks...
Well hello my lovelies
Sorry for such a long post - really should have done it earlier but unfortunately we've not been too well recently, and there's soooooooo much to tell you!
The first thing I think of is that I'm so jealous of the comforts you have! The western loos, no urinals on the street (actually no weeing on the street, certainly not the amount that there is here!), the clean bathrooms without ants or cockroaches, the clean sheets on your beds (and if you don't have that, stop being a lazy arse and change them), the fact that you're not dripping with sweat seconds after showering... although here it is perfectly legitimate to wipe the sweat away with your scarf, they do come in pretty handy...
Ok so India is filthy. Dirty. Scummy. And incredibly poor. There are huge disparities between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. I know people tell you this, but it's difficult to actually believe it until you see it. There are over a billion people living here in a country 6 times the size of France. It's pretty intense.
Oh anyone interested in the country must read 'Shantaram' - it's a story of an Australian guy who broke out of prison and made India his home while on the run. So well told, and it really captures those small cutural differences and experiences that made India so... Indian. Am reading it at the moment and loving every page.
So... we tried to walk down to see the zoo on Saturday morning, after a delicious meal again. (Also found another rooftop restaurant that was beautiful and friendly, but did delicious steaks for 1.50 quid... I've not had red meat in a long time, it was kind of a special moment)... anyway we were hassled non stop down the road.
'Madam, you want tuk-tuk? Cyclo? Rickshaw? Where you going? Where you from? Lubbly Jubbly.'
or...
'What you want? I got water, toilet paper, cigarettes, lighter, paper... everything. What you want?' (the fact we don't want ANYthing isn't really understood here)...
We ended up being accosted by various people who were trying to steer us to different travel agencies (we needed a map as our photocopied version of the Lonely Planet we'd bought on the cheap in Bangkok didn't really have suitable maps)... in the 2nd tourist office we were herded into, we met Romey and Prince. Lovely lovely guys, they fed us chai (tea), and lunch (various vegetarian food with chapatis and rotis). They also explained to us that we couldn't get up to McLeod Ganj/Dharamsala because the roads/bridges had been washed away during Thursday's downpour, that also saw our flight diverted.
So... we booked up our train tickets with them, and they gave us a free car for that day and the following day, with such a friendly guy, called Cooldeep (not the right spelling!) or KP, to show us around. SO much easier in air conditioning, rather than fighting the non existent public transport system, and being hassled every other minute. Perfect.
So we saw the India Gate (reminded me of another European gate, can't remember which one, will ask Dad) with the inscriptions of people's names who died in various wars. We went into a Sikh temple that was made from marble and stunning. KP (and all the other Indian men we've seen religious buildings with) always make certain marks of respect, and pray, and donate money even when it's not their religion. It's very interesting to watch, but it does make us feel uncomfortable as we don't know whether these are generic Indian gestures or religious gestures, and we simply don't really know what we should do! Anyway that didn't stop us from enjoying this gleaming white building, and the people were certainly very friendly.
We stopped in the National Museum for Contemporary Art and it was HUGE. Only saw one building in the complex and that kept us going for a fair while, until we could absorb no more art. There were some lovely pieces, but you'd really need to go in there on separate days to do it justice.
We drove to Raj Ghat by the Old Fort, where we saw the spot that Ghandi was shot (we think). There is certainly a memorial to him and many people circle the square memorial, paying homage to the man. A beautiful, simple monument, - very peaceful and quiet, - fitting to such a man.
Final stop for the day was the Lodi Gardens which were full of manicured gardens, and also full of mosquitos. So after we'd climbed over the bridge, taken photos of the numerous wild chipmunks here and been bitten enough, we went back.
It was great sightseeing so much in one day, but our day wasn't nearly over! After a very speedy shower and food we met up with Romey and Prince in Piccadelhi - a London themed bar/restaurant that even contained a double decker red bus. Amazing. Pedestrian signs pointed to Covent Garden, Bank and so on. And the food looked delicious. Prince and Romey then took us to a club under a 5 star hotel, called Capitol, and treated us to a brilliant night of luxury (champagne) and dancing. It was so nice to be treated (rare for us travelling) although we did feel a bit scruffy with so many well dressed Indian ladies. And great to see that side of Delhi, as we wouldn't have had the nerve (or knowledge) to go to this place by ourselves. Definitely an experience and much more comfortable with Romey and Prince along too. Prince dutifully delivered us to our hotel at 2am and we crashed out in exhaustion!
But the following day was even more hectic... KP and we visited a gorgeous lotus shaped Bahai Temple that flowers from green manicured lawns, we went shopping in a crafts emporium, KP bought us a delicious lunch - thali - is a big plate with lots of smaller portions, so you eat a small amount of different dishes. Very tasty and very well cooked... until we saw the food again. But more about that later. We saw the Presidential Estate and offices (an aweinspiring, pink palace, that looks vaguely similar to the American Capitol building) and the Mahatma Ghandi museum. Prince had turned up by this point and KP and he were chivving us along in the museum, which was a real shame as I could have happily spent a couple of hours there reading all the information. Might go back when we're in Delhi again.
We managed to lose the boys for most of the night, although collecting our train tickets took 75 minutes and many refusals of food! They are so kind, those boys, though rather exhausting, always talking very loudly on the phone/phones, to each other, to other people... everything in India is loud. Enjoyed an early night of sleeping as we were starting to not feel too well. I started to get an ear infection so started myself on antibiotics but both Haz and I started to get dodgy stomachs too though, Haz with painful cramps.
We managed to drag ourselves out of bed on Monday for our 5 hour train ride to Jaipur, but unfortunately we couldn't eat the free food due to us feeling so sick! It was horrible. I rarely turn down food. Even the thought of it makes me feel rather nauseous. Stumbling around Jaipur we managed to find a hotel with the help of 2 local guys, and slept solidly for 20 hours. With a lot of paracetamol and imodium.
So we woke up yesterday feeling worse for wear but had to get up and out of bed because Romey had organised for a car to come and take us around the city for free(!) All we needed to do was to go into a few shop with the guide, and all would be ok. We had to make the point early on that we couldn't afford the entrance fees to most places, so we saw Jaipur's City Palace, Water Palace and various other buildings from the lovely air conditioned comfort of the car. Perfect.
Old Jaipur is a rose pink colour. It was painted a couple of hundred years ago for the visit of the Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VII) as pink in India is a welcoming colour (and also maybe luck/success - we can't remember) and they've kept it this way ever since. Very funny. Indians are symbolic too. A woman's sari tells people how long she's been married for, a turban's colour and style signifies social status and religion and their animals are symbolic too.
National bird is the peacock, national animal the tiger and national flower the lotus.
Camels are seen as signs of love, elephants are good luck and horses signify power. Fascinating!
Anyway, Old Jaipur is beautiful and very calm on the eye, when you look up and away from the chaos in the streets! It is crazy here! Roads made of mud a lot of the time, rubbish EVERYWHERE, people sleeping on their tuk-tuks, rickshaws and cyclos, on pavements with a blanket around them - basically as soon as the sun goes down they find an empty spot to rest their weary heads. Everywhere.
We saw the Amber Palace which is on top of a hill overlooking Jaipur, and it was stunning. One of the maharajas had 12 wives and 40 concubines, and ended up building them separate apartments. The palace was huge with incredible views and inside the architecture was stunning. So many carvings and painted areas on the walls. They could provide years worth of inspiration for artists. One area was covered with small mirrors which was glittery and very unique for us. India has such a strong identity, - one which we've not seen at all on our travels yet - and it's so interesting to see. It is hot and clammy and filthy, but definitely worth it all when we see places like that.
So another gentle night in Jaipur, only venturing out for some much needed food after not eating for over 24 hours) and a relaxing day today before getting the night train to Udaipur. We've decided to keep the room on as we'll be so hot and grubby we'd like to shower before the train, and also have somewhere nice to chill out before our train tonight.
Also need to find somewhere to eat without chillies - omelette last night had green chillies in it, our cheese sandwich today was covered in pepper, onions and green chillies - really must remember to tell people to not put chillies in it, even if we don't suspect that they would! Not great for our little stomachs...
Ok so must stop this rambling now, very impressed if you've got to all the way down here! Hope you're enjoying the UK and see you soon!!! (home in 19 days, very very strange)...
Lots and lots of love from haz and me xxxxx
Sorry for such a long post - really should have done it earlier but unfortunately we've not been too well recently, and there's soooooooo much to tell you!
The first thing I think of is that I'm so jealous of the comforts you have! The western loos, no urinals on the street (actually no weeing on the street, certainly not the amount that there is here!), the clean bathrooms without ants or cockroaches, the clean sheets on your beds (and if you don't have that, stop being a lazy arse and change them), the fact that you're not dripping with sweat seconds after showering... although here it is perfectly legitimate to wipe the sweat away with your scarf, they do come in pretty handy...
Ok so India is filthy. Dirty. Scummy. And incredibly poor. There are huge disparities between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. I know people tell you this, but it's difficult to actually believe it until you see it. There are over a billion people living here in a country 6 times the size of France. It's pretty intense.
Oh anyone interested in the country must read 'Shantaram' - it's a story of an Australian guy who broke out of prison and made India his home while on the run. So well told, and it really captures those small cutural differences and experiences that made India so... Indian. Am reading it at the moment and loving every page.
So... we tried to walk down to see the zoo on Saturday morning, after a delicious meal again. (Also found another rooftop restaurant that was beautiful and friendly, but did delicious steaks for 1.50 quid... I've not had red meat in a long time, it was kind of a special moment)... anyway we were hassled non stop down the road.
'Madam, you want tuk-tuk? Cyclo? Rickshaw? Where you going? Where you from? Lubbly Jubbly.'
or...
'What you want? I got water, toilet paper, cigarettes, lighter, paper... everything. What you want?' (the fact we don't want ANYthing isn't really understood here)...
We ended up being accosted by various people who were trying to steer us to different travel agencies (we needed a map as our photocopied version of the Lonely Planet we'd bought on the cheap in Bangkok didn't really have suitable maps)... in the 2nd tourist office we were herded into, we met Romey and Prince. Lovely lovely guys, they fed us chai (tea), and lunch (various vegetarian food with chapatis and rotis). They also explained to us that we couldn't get up to McLeod Ganj/Dharamsala because the roads/bridges had been washed away during Thursday's downpour, that also saw our flight diverted.
So... we booked up our train tickets with them, and they gave us a free car for that day and the following day, with such a friendly guy, called Cooldeep (not the right spelling!) or KP, to show us around. SO much easier in air conditioning, rather than fighting the non existent public transport system, and being hassled every other minute. Perfect.
So we saw the India Gate (reminded me of another European gate, can't remember which one, will ask Dad) with the inscriptions of people's names who died in various wars. We went into a Sikh temple that was made from marble and stunning. KP (and all the other Indian men we've seen religious buildings with) always make certain marks of respect, and pray, and donate money even when it's not their religion. It's very interesting to watch, but it does make us feel uncomfortable as we don't know whether these are generic Indian gestures or religious gestures, and we simply don't really know what we should do! Anyway that didn't stop us from enjoying this gleaming white building, and the people were certainly very friendly.
We stopped in the National Museum for Contemporary Art and it was HUGE. Only saw one building in the complex and that kept us going for a fair while, until we could absorb no more art. There were some lovely pieces, but you'd really need to go in there on separate days to do it justice.
We drove to Raj Ghat by the Old Fort, where we saw the spot that Ghandi was shot (we think). There is certainly a memorial to him and many people circle the square memorial, paying homage to the man. A beautiful, simple monument, - very peaceful and quiet, - fitting to such a man.
Final stop for the day was the Lodi Gardens which were full of manicured gardens, and also full of mosquitos. So after we'd climbed over the bridge, taken photos of the numerous wild chipmunks here and been bitten enough, we went back.
It was great sightseeing so much in one day, but our day wasn't nearly over! After a very speedy shower and food we met up with Romey and Prince in Piccadelhi - a London themed bar/restaurant that even contained a double decker red bus. Amazing. Pedestrian signs pointed to Covent Garden, Bank and so on. And the food looked delicious. Prince and Romey then took us to a club under a 5 star hotel, called Capitol, and treated us to a brilliant night of luxury (champagne) and dancing. It was so nice to be treated (rare for us travelling) although we did feel a bit scruffy with so many well dressed Indian ladies. And great to see that side of Delhi, as we wouldn't have had the nerve (or knowledge) to go to this place by ourselves. Definitely an experience and much more comfortable with Romey and Prince along too. Prince dutifully delivered us to our hotel at 2am and we crashed out in exhaustion!
But the following day was even more hectic... KP and we visited a gorgeous lotus shaped Bahai Temple that flowers from green manicured lawns, we went shopping in a crafts emporium, KP bought us a delicious lunch - thali - is a big plate with lots of smaller portions, so you eat a small amount of different dishes. Very tasty and very well cooked... until we saw the food again. But more about that later. We saw the Presidential Estate and offices (an aweinspiring, pink palace, that looks vaguely similar to the American Capitol building) and the Mahatma Ghandi museum. Prince had turned up by this point and KP and he were chivving us along in the museum, which was a real shame as I could have happily spent a couple of hours there reading all the information. Might go back when we're in Delhi again.
We managed to lose the boys for most of the night, although collecting our train tickets took 75 minutes and many refusals of food! They are so kind, those boys, though rather exhausting, always talking very loudly on the phone/phones, to each other, to other people... everything in India is loud. Enjoyed an early night of sleeping as we were starting to not feel too well. I started to get an ear infection so started myself on antibiotics but both Haz and I started to get dodgy stomachs too though, Haz with painful cramps.
We managed to drag ourselves out of bed on Monday for our 5 hour train ride to Jaipur, but unfortunately we couldn't eat the free food due to us feeling so sick! It was horrible. I rarely turn down food. Even the thought of it makes me feel rather nauseous. Stumbling around Jaipur we managed to find a hotel with the help of 2 local guys, and slept solidly for 20 hours. With a lot of paracetamol and imodium.
So we woke up yesterday feeling worse for wear but had to get up and out of bed because Romey had organised for a car to come and take us around the city for free(!) All we needed to do was to go into a few shop with the guide, and all would be ok. We had to make the point early on that we couldn't afford the entrance fees to most places, so we saw Jaipur's City Palace, Water Palace and various other buildings from the lovely air conditioned comfort of the car. Perfect.
Old Jaipur is a rose pink colour. It was painted a couple of hundred years ago for the visit of the Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VII) as pink in India is a welcoming colour (and also maybe luck/success - we can't remember) and they've kept it this way ever since. Very funny. Indians are symbolic too. A woman's sari tells people how long she's been married for, a turban's colour and style signifies social status and religion and their animals are symbolic too.
National bird is the peacock, national animal the tiger and national flower the lotus.
Camels are seen as signs of love, elephants are good luck and horses signify power. Fascinating!
Anyway, Old Jaipur is beautiful and very calm on the eye, when you look up and away from the chaos in the streets! It is crazy here! Roads made of mud a lot of the time, rubbish EVERYWHERE, people sleeping on their tuk-tuks, rickshaws and cyclos, on pavements with a blanket around them - basically as soon as the sun goes down they find an empty spot to rest their weary heads. Everywhere.
We saw the Amber Palace which is on top of a hill overlooking Jaipur, and it was stunning. One of the maharajas had 12 wives and 40 concubines, and ended up building them separate apartments. The palace was huge with incredible views and inside the architecture was stunning. So many carvings and painted areas on the walls. They could provide years worth of inspiration for artists. One area was covered with small mirrors which was glittery and very unique for us. India has such a strong identity, - one which we've not seen at all on our travels yet - and it's so interesting to see. It is hot and clammy and filthy, but definitely worth it all when we see places like that.
So another gentle night in Jaipur, only venturing out for some much needed food after not eating for over 24 hours) and a relaxing day today before getting the night train to Udaipur. We've decided to keep the room on as we'll be so hot and grubby we'd like to shower before the train, and also have somewhere nice to chill out before our train tonight.
Also need to find somewhere to eat without chillies - omelette last night had green chillies in it, our cheese sandwich today was covered in pepper, onions and green chillies - really must remember to tell people to not put chillies in it, even if we don't suspect that they would! Not great for our little stomachs...
Ok so must stop this rambling now, very impressed if you've got to all the way down here! Hope you're enjoying the UK and see you soon!!! (home in 19 days, very very strange)...
Lots and lots of love from haz and me xxxxx
Friday 4 September 2009
India!
Hey hey there,
Ok, so we managed to get back to Bangkok alright and find accommodation at 6am. Ran a few errands and ate a lot of food before saying bye to J on the 2nd. She flew home to do her masters at the end of September, and Haz and I headed to the airport on the 3rd....
It was so strange flying again and I LOVE Jet airways! The most delicious food on board, great wine and the films went down a treat. I have no idea how BA and other British airlines can get the food so wrong! Our flight was only 4.5 hours, but unfortunately due to bad weather over Delhi we were diverted to another city, had to refuel and then fly back. We then got chatting to a very interesting and lovely guy while collecting our luggage, so didn't get out of the airport until 2.30am (1am new time)... a little shattered!
We are staying down Main Bazaar in Delhi, which we expected to be similar to Koh San Road. Not at all. It is much narrower, and has some of it roped off with chairs and rope for wet cement. It it mainly mud with lots of stones to trip over, and is far more hectic, intense and more challenging than Koh San! We knew things were going to be strange when we saw cows walking down the road last night...
We managed to find a great little hotel with an en suite room (loo on the floor, have to use measuring jugs to pour water over me to shower as the water pressure is non existent) with our own beds, great fan and a TV with HBO. Sorted. We bravely ventured out this lunchtime to have absolutely gorgeous and such cheap Indian food. We can get eggs, toast, porridge, something else and coffee/tea for 80p in a respectable backpacker cafe here - so cheap!
Saw the Red Fort, balked at the price of entry and decided to return another day to look at it with more time, and went to the biggest mosque in Delhi, capable of containing up to 25000 worshippers! Mental. Called Jama Masjid, we weren't allowed in until the men had finished praying, so sat down. We were soon surrounded by the most entertaining and friendly street children who played games with us and wanted to say hi. We turned around and there were about 50 people standing around watching us, about 3-4 rows deep. Very very strange. They also want to have photographs with us all the time - but one by one rather than a big group, so we get stuck places for ever! It's hectic and crazy and dirty and smells of urine all the time, - far more challenging than easy Asia. But it's so much better. It's far more rewarding, far more strange and if this is the least popular city (apart from Mumbai) backpackers go to in India, I think we'll be ok.
(But I'm continually taking imodium as the state of the loos is pretty horrific!)
So had a great day, but need a bit of mental quiet time and a drink to absorb it all! Luckily we slept for about 9-10 hours when we arrived so don't feel too physically tired.
Leaving Delhi Monday afternoon for an overnight bus up to McLeod Ganj to hang out with the Dalai Lama, learn some Tibetan monk massages and do yoga and meditation too. Can't wait!
Anyway getting hungry, so lots and lots of love from us both,
Al xxx
Ok, so we managed to get back to Bangkok alright and find accommodation at 6am. Ran a few errands and ate a lot of food before saying bye to J on the 2nd. She flew home to do her masters at the end of September, and Haz and I headed to the airport on the 3rd....
It was so strange flying again and I LOVE Jet airways! The most delicious food on board, great wine and the films went down a treat. I have no idea how BA and other British airlines can get the food so wrong! Our flight was only 4.5 hours, but unfortunately due to bad weather over Delhi we were diverted to another city, had to refuel and then fly back. We then got chatting to a very interesting and lovely guy while collecting our luggage, so didn't get out of the airport until 2.30am (1am new time)... a little shattered!
We are staying down Main Bazaar in Delhi, which we expected to be similar to Koh San Road. Not at all. It is much narrower, and has some of it roped off with chairs and rope for wet cement. It it mainly mud with lots of stones to trip over, and is far more hectic, intense and more challenging than Koh San! We knew things were going to be strange when we saw cows walking down the road last night...
We managed to find a great little hotel with an en suite room (loo on the floor, have to use measuring jugs to pour water over me to shower as the water pressure is non existent) with our own beds, great fan and a TV with HBO. Sorted. We bravely ventured out this lunchtime to have absolutely gorgeous and such cheap Indian food. We can get eggs, toast, porridge, something else and coffee/tea for 80p in a respectable backpacker cafe here - so cheap!
Saw the Red Fort, balked at the price of entry and decided to return another day to look at it with more time, and went to the biggest mosque in Delhi, capable of containing up to 25000 worshippers! Mental. Called Jama Masjid, we weren't allowed in until the men had finished praying, so sat down. We were soon surrounded by the most entertaining and friendly street children who played games with us and wanted to say hi. We turned around and there were about 50 people standing around watching us, about 3-4 rows deep. Very very strange. They also want to have photographs with us all the time - but one by one rather than a big group, so we get stuck places for ever! It's hectic and crazy and dirty and smells of urine all the time, - far more challenging than easy Asia. But it's so much better. It's far more rewarding, far more strange and if this is the least popular city (apart from Mumbai) backpackers go to in India, I think we'll be ok.
(But I'm continually taking imodium as the state of the loos is pretty horrific!)
So had a great day, but need a bit of mental quiet time and a drink to absorb it all! Luckily we slept for about 9-10 hours when we arrived so don't feel too physically tired.
Leaving Delhi Monday afternoon for an overnight bus up to McLeod Ganj to hang out with the Dalai Lama, learn some Tibetan monk massages and do yoga and meditation too. Can't wait!
Anyway getting hungry, so lots and lots of love from us both,
Al xxx
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