Another 762 bends and we were back in Chiang Mai with Alex and met with her friend Bee. Only a night was spent there before we said goodbye to them both as we headed to Koh Tao down south, north of Koh Phangan. One 12 hour bus journey to Bangkok was enough to ake our skin crawl with sweat and stickyness, so at 4:30am when we were dropped off on Koh San Road, we found a hostel to sleep in and finally have a SHOWER!!!! Another 12 hour bus journey later and we were waiting at 3am on Chumphon pier for the ferry to Koh Tao which left at 7. A final 3 hours later and we had arrived!!!! Diving was so close. We went and got a place with Crystal Dive (recommend to anyone, they're freaking great there) just as it started to rain... AGAIN. The next day we started our course (cost us 10,000 each, so around 210 pounds, cheapest place in the world to do it) in the classroom doing some theory. The second day was spent doing a it more theory, then a 50 question exam that no one stayed with us for... so it was more of a discussion of what answers everyone had... and then 3 sessions in the pool DIVING! Well both never forget the first time we started breathing through the regulator underwater. it's a facinating feeling, knowing that usually you'd be chocking, but somehow this feels normal. We went through some excercises underwater such as mask removal, blind swimming, out of air procedure, fin pivots, equalizing etc. This went fine, the funny highlight being Tim, who after cleaning his mask with fairy liquid (stops it steaming up) he didnt quite rinse it well enough, and so whilst underwater... as you do, he let out air through his nose... creating bubbles. At first it was fine, just a few bubbles, then it got a bit ridiculous with the whole mask filled with bubbles. I didnt know if I should go up and clear it because I didnt want the instructors to worry I was drowning or anything, so I just stayed there until they came to me to do the regulator removal exercise and then they just laughed. A lot. Sighhhh. The next day we were hitting the big blue ocean. Excitement!
Okay so no hitting the Ocean. A massive storm came and flooded the island. Waves were 4m high out at sea so no boats came or left for 3 days. The island ran low on eggs and beer. Tragic! So yeah, we didnt dive for 3 days. It rained, solidly, and very hard. Luckily our hut was on a slope so we had no trouble with leakages or flooding, but other parts of the island were hit badly. And indeed a navy warship came on day 2 to take stranded people off the island who needed to get off. We had a dive course to finish so we stayed, and headed to see the helicopters that were airlifting people to the warship out at sea. It was really cool. Apparently the news hit back home in the UK – flooding devastates Thailand, Koh Tao specifically was mentioned as being badly hit and that people had died and were stuck on the Island, apparently the british embassy had issued a message telling all tourists to get off the island. This was not the case. Indeed there was some flooding further north of us, no one died, they did on the mainland but not with us, people were not stuck, they;d been taken off by the warship if they needed to, and the embassy ahd said no such thing they'd said if you have to get off, get on the warship. When the island got internet back on the night of day 3, Tim had a few erratic and intense skyping sessions with his rents who'd been in contact with the embassy back home and been very worried as we'd had no way of contacting them. Bloody british news exaggerating everything!!!
Friday 8 April 2011
Pai
3 hours in a hot minibus and 762 bends later we arrived in Pai. A lovely small town North of Chiang Mai – a proper getaway. We rented out a Bamboo cottage and settled in for a fantastic few days in the sunshine. A day was spent looking at the town and finding out that hiring mopeds cost only 100 baht a day.. two pounds!The next Alex came up to see us. It was great having another person we knew from back home stay with us for a few days. A lot of fun was had on the mopeds. We headed out to some local waterfalls 8km away and spent the day sunbathing and jumping off the rocks into the pool below. We have a cracking photo of Zintl in her pink moped helmet climbing up the steep rocks, see facebook soon.
When we decided we'd had enough sun, we hopped back on to go and explore the surrounding roads of Pai. Zooming around we discovered helmets were annoying and didnt fit very well, in fact fell off if you went over 50kmph. Soooo after a bit of egging and a few races... we found some open roads and rather bravely/stupidly, in flip flops, t-shirt and shorts, no helmet we sped along and, Mother dont read this, managed to hit 100kmph!!!
One awesome thing about Pai was breakfast. Big's Little Cafe is a must if anyone is in the area. He whipped us up home made sausages (to die for), bacon, eggs and toast for a modest two pounds. Honestly the best sausages I have had. That might be influenced by the fact I havent had any sausages since we left over two months ago.
A great highlight of Pai was in bed with Alex (whey). We both decided to annoy her big time by spontaniously singing and meditating throughout the night. Much fun was had.
When we decided we'd had enough sun, we hopped back on to go and explore the surrounding roads of Pai. Zooming around we discovered helmets were annoying and didnt fit very well, in fact fell off if you went over 50kmph. Soooo after a bit of egging and a few races... we found some open roads and rather bravely/stupidly, in flip flops, t-shirt and shorts, no helmet we sped along and, Mother dont read this, managed to hit 100kmph!!!
One awesome thing about Pai was breakfast. Big's Little Cafe is a must if anyone is in the area. He whipped us up home made sausages (to die for), bacon, eggs and toast for a modest two pounds. Honestly the best sausages I have had. That might be influenced by the fact I havent had any sausages since we left over two months ago.
A great highlight of Pai was in bed with Alex (whey). We both decided to annoy her big time by spontaniously singing and meditating throughout the night. Much fun was had.
Chiang Mai
After booking our train to Chiang Mai, we were both rather interested as to how decent second class would be, especially just coming from 5* accommodation we were somewhat sceptical. However, after arriving at the station and grabbing a quick bite to eat complete with a very outrageous dunkin' doughnut, we walked down the platfom to our carriage. It was fab! Everything was clean and tidy, the seats were leather and comfy and when th beds finally got put down, they were more than adequate. A 15 hour journey got us to Chiang Mai which was very easy and shot past. Unfortunately however we arrived to pouring rain, which seemed to dampen our excitement. Stepping outside to find a taxi, we were approached by a woman who said she could drive us to the guest house, we were naturally sceptical. Despite this we ran to her truck, piled in, however she ran off... After waiting for 5 minutes we realised that she was being a nob especially when we saw her drive away in another car. GREAT! Soo, after a right kerfuffel we found a tuk tuk to drive us. She broke down. FANTASTIC! So there we were stranded at the side of the road with a broken tuk tuk and getting soaked by the english weather. After 10 minutes of waiting, a taxi driver took pity and stopped and after negotiating a price he drove us to Julie's Guesthouse. Paying the driver the 20 baht we had greed on seemed to go down bady as apparently he was asking for 20 each... cheeky sod! After arguing with him, the driver gave james a deathstare which we laughed at, before going on his way. Julie's was awesome, a backpackers haven full of foreigners trading in stories with stupidly cheap beer (around 60 baht or 1.20) for a litre! The room itself was basic, but clean so we were both happy :)
The first day in Chiang Mai was a bit of a washout, raining all day, so we spent the time playing pool at Julie's and heading into town to find a coffee house, a lazy day. The next morning we headed to the numerous temples in the city, feeling the need to do something cultural. The first temple Wat Phra Singh is the most popular temple in Chiang Mai due to it holding the most revered Buddha image, the lion Buddha. The temple was impressive, however, after visiting several temples in Bangkok, we realised that they seemed to be all roughly the same. What was interesting is that the monks were sitting in the chapel, eating communially while the public were walking through them and tourists taking photos. Very bizarre... Our temple hunt continued for about an hour, visiting a couple smaller and less popular temples, before we decided to head for coffee.
That evening we ventured to the night market, a bustling area fiilled with hundreds of stalls stretching from inside a large complex onto the sides of the roads. The market was vast and filled with everything you could possibly think of, yet, with no money to spend it was an anticlimax.
The next day it was raining AGAIN. Apparently caused by the earthquake near Japan. We wanted to make the best of Chiang Mai so after a good few games of Pool, we ventured out to see what the shops had, and to go to the Black Canyon Coffee House again (best one we've ever been to!) We managed to stumble across a Tailor's shop... intrigued we asked the price of two, three piece suits. After a starting price of 7000 baht each (150 pounds) we got him down to 5000 each (solid 100 pounds). We then shopped around to make sure we werent being ripped off and indeed he had offered us a very reasonable price. We went back and after a bit more chit chat we had 2, three piece bespoke suits, with 4 silk ties and 2 hankerchiefs all for a modest 10,000 baht. Materials were chosen – italian cashmere, grey for Tim, blue for James. Tim chose a grey suit with blue and white striped silk linings. James chose a blue suit with red and white striped silk linings. We visited later on to be measured up and set him the task of making them by the tme we got back from Pai 4 days later.
The first day in Chiang Mai was a bit of a washout, raining all day, so we spent the time playing pool at Julie's and heading into town to find a coffee house, a lazy day. The next morning we headed to the numerous temples in the city, feeling the need to do something cultural. The first temple Wat Phra Singh is the most popular temple in Chiang Mai due to it holding the most revered Buddha image, the lion Buddha. The temple was impressive, however, after visiting several temples in Bangkok, we realised that they seemed to be all roughly the same. What was interesting is that the monks were sitting in the chapel, eating communially while the public were walking through them and tourists taking photos. Very bizarre... Our temple hunt continued for about an hour, visiting a couple smaller and less popular temples, before we decided to head for coffee.
That evening we ventured to the night market, a bustling area fiilled with hundreds of stalls stretching from inside a large complex onto the sides of the roads. The market was vast and filled with everything you could possibly think of, yet, with no money to spend it was an anticlimax.
The next day it was raining AGAIN. Apparently caused by the earthquake near Japan. We wanted to make the best of Chiang Mai so after a good few games of Pool, we ventured out to see what the shops had, and to go to the Black Canyon Coffee House again (best one we've ever been to!) We managed to stumble across a Tailor's shop... intrigued we asked the price of two, three piece suits. After a starting price of 7000 baht each (150 pounds) we got him down to 5000 each (solid 100 pounds). We then shopped around to make sure we werent being ripped off and indeed he had offered us a very reasonable price. We went back and after a bit more chit chat we had 2, three piece bespoke suits, with 4 silk ties and 2 hankerchiefs all for a modest 10,000 baht. Materials were chosen – italian cashmere, grey for Tim, blue for James. Tim chose a grey suit with blue and white striped silk linings. James chose a blue suit with red and white striped silk linings. We visited later on to be measured up and set him the task of making them by the tme we got back from Pai 4 days later.
Bangkok
This was a pretty sweet start to Thailand. Tim's parents put us up in 5* accommodation – The Metropolitan Hotel – which was just the most amazing hotel either of us have ever been to. We made the best of it for sure – Tim wrote a list of trains and flights and activities to research, then gave it to the receptionists to do for him! Cheeky bugger. They did a fantastic job though. For the 4 days we were there we went and did a number of thngs. Firstly the Long-tail boat trips – these were incredible. It was like being in a Bond movie, shooting down the River Kwai with a fat Vsomethng engne behind us. We also went to see a few temples, which now we have realised are all roughly the same in Thailand. Big dragons at the front, stairs leading up to a temle with a golden Buddah iniside and on top of the temples large finger shaped objects poining up to the sky. Oh and they all have stain glass walls or some other object. A really good part of Bangkok was taking bikes out and doing a 22km route in 37 degree heat around the backstreets of Bangkok, seeing the “real” Bangkok – see photos on fb. Finally we spent a fair amount of time making good use of the facilities at the Metropolitan. Swimming Pool, massive jacuzzi, steam room, complimentary EVERYTHING, massive rooms and beds and oh the pillows.. the pillows were sublime. In the end we did drag ourselves away and went to Chiang Mai.
Friday 18 March 2011
Kathmandu
Okay havent blogged in a while... so thinking back to Kathmandu.. Another beastly bus journey there to finally arrive in Paraknajol (North Thamel, Kathmandu). Thamel was actually really cool, had a massive array of shops selling all sorts of stuff, most of which we had already seen in Pokhara (and bought!). Tim did get a ridiculously cool fruit bowl (!?) that has a sort of spiralling cut in the flat part, meaning it falls out slightly at the bottom creating a bowl instead of a plate! A couple more pure pashmina and cashmere scarves were bought too.. What did we do in Kathandu... not a huge amount really as we only had 2 days there. We met up with the Danish guys again for a Kareoke night which was hilarious, and painful as all the girs were into old crappy Britney Spears songs. Which James loved. The next night we once again hit the clubs of Kathmandu which was a bit of a fail really, seeing as the Nepalese have a curfew at 11pm and after this the police come round all the pubs and bars to kick everyone home. We sought refuge in this quiet back-alley pub until 2am – we werent actually allowed out for a while because the police were outside as they knew the pub owners had customers upstairs! Finally the next day we flew to Thailand!!! EXCITEMENT!
Chitwan National Park
After pre-booking a package tour (turns out much cheaper in low season) we headed to Chitwan via another dreaded bus journey. It only took 5 hours or so and was cnosiderably easier on the bum than the previous Sinauli – Pokhara bus. We're staying at the Gorkha Hamlet Resort in Sauraha right on the edge of the National Park. On the evening of the first day here, we went out for a jungle walk and, as luck would have it, saw our first One Horned Rhino which is extremely rare to see as they are so few. It was a great experience because there was the suspense the whole time due to the fact that there could e any number of dangerous creatures and animals around, hidden in the bushes and grassland. The next day we got up super early at 05:30 to be out for a jeep safari at 6. This started off badly as our jeep ran out of fuel halfway to the park, great! However it wasnt long before we were off again towards the jungle. We went along at a laisurely pace, giving us time to try and spot any wildlife that was lurking in the bushes/trees. First spotted were some Monkays, leaping around in the tree canopy above us. Then there was a few Eagles, which close up are absolutely massive, having a wingspan of around 2m. Deer were a common sight, spotted and brown, however the most interesting time was when we thought we saw a leopard stalking a group of deer, but after watching for a few minutes we realised the “leopard” would have attacked by then, so we moved on. Our guide stopped the jeep deep in the jungle for us to get out and go for a short walk across the river to the marshlands to see some Marsh Mugger Crocodiles, the most viscious crocs found in Nepal. We have to say, we were glad they were at least 50m away. Apart from these animals there were a range of birds from cuckatoo's to kingfishers, and a Wild Boar. We came back to the room, had a quick breakfast and headed out to the activity that both of us have most enjoyed (apart from Paragliding) so far. Elephant Bathing! Being able to sit bareback ontop of an elephant while it uses its trunk to spray you with water, and lies down sideways throwing you off its back so it can wallow underwater, was pretty special. Later on that afternoon we once again met with the eleahnts for an elephant safari, to roam through the jungle ontop of another elephant, trying to spot some more wildlife with our guide Jumangi, who pointed out the animals to us the most interesting being the feared and famous Jungle Chicken. The highlight of this ride came about an hour into the trip as we spotted two One Horned Rhinos, Mother and Baby, in the clearing ahead of us, Due to the fact that we were ontop of elephants, the Rhino's were not bothered by us and thus we could get really close, probably about 3m away at the closest point – Tim has video evidence. We then moved on through the forest to the end of the trip. That evening we went to see the Tharu tribe who live in the village nearby and performed a series of traditional stick-dances, including fire whirling, ladyboys, and stickfighting. This was pretty cool in itself but what made the night for us was the fact that they invited the audience to partake in the stckdance, and thus being us, we did! After a large cheer from the audience for volunteering we danced with the tribe, flapping our arms and legs looking like idiots, but who cares, you only live once. We also met a group of very friendly Danish people who are around our age and can speak English! The rest of the evening was spent getting to know them and their Danish ways of life.
Today we got up early again, and went off with the Danes for a canoe ride down the river to try and spot some crocs. We did, but it was a baby marsh mugger, however we knew its mother was around somewhere so it kept the suspence high! Although we didnt see any major wildlife we werent disheartened as we had seen most of it the day before and we were in good company. Due to the fact there are only two of us, our itinerary got swapped around a bit and we had nothing to do until 3, so we went and joined the Danes with the elephant bathing again, it was even more fun the second time around as we knew the elephants behaved and knew when we were going to be thrown in the water!!
Today we got up early again, and went off with the Danes for a canoe ride down the river to try and spot some crocs. We did, but it was a baby marsh mugger, however we knew its mother was around somewhere so it kept the suspence high! Although we didnt see any major wildlife we werent disheartened as we had seen most of it the day before and we were in good company. Due to the fact there are only two of us, our itinerary got swapped around a bit and we had nothing to do until 3, so we went and joined the Danes with the elephant bathing again, it was even more fun the second time around as we knew the elephants behaved and knew when we were going to be thrown in the water!!
Paragliding the Himalayas+last of Pokhara
We woke relatively early. We had to be at the centre by 11 so this was early for us. A good breakfast of honey porridge, a bottle of water and we went on our way. As soon as we reached the centre we waited 15 minutes before being thrown in a jeep to be taken to Sarangkot, the take-off zone. The journey took half an hour, half an hour too long if you ask us, we were so excited! Driving up to the take-off spot made us appreciate how perfect the conditins were, almost clear skies, enaling us to see the snow-capped mountains of the Annapurna Massif (Himalayas). Upon arrival our parachutes were laid out, we were fitted into our harnesses and before we knew it the kite was up, we were running and the ground was no longer beneath our feet. This was an experience that just cannot be described unless you have done it before. After flying around in thermals to gain a decent height (1900m) we headed across the ridge gazing at the views (will be uploaded) and following the birds of prey to get the best thermals. To cut an hours flight short, we did this for 50 mins or so before heading back down over the Phewa Tal to the landing spot. Now, we had set each other the challenge of who could get the guide to do the best stunt. Typically they did the same one. Once over the water each of our guides made sharp turns until we were spiralling, at what seemed out of control, towards the ground raising the G-force to ridiculous levels. Landing was simple and straightforward, and also came wth a slight relief that we were back on terra firma.
That evening we went to an amazing restaurant called Once Upon A Time. It was really chilled, they gave us free popcorn, and they had a massive tele which we were able to watch the England-India cricket match, cracking stuff!
Th last night we intended to be a nice, friendly evenng with the guys at Peace Eye Guesthouse, however this was somehow quashed by the fact that our hotel had told us we could pay by card for the room and upon trying to pay with non-embossed STA travel cards, they pulled out an old-school card imprinter, instead of the chip and pin machine we were expecting. So after telling them that we couldnt pay because we had no other cards or money (we did but they were being arsey so we decided to be difficult too) they started to get a bit aggressive which naturally we were having non of, and put them in their place by telling them how the customer is always right, and how their incompetance and obnoxious service would not get them anywhere in the future. Also being a new establishment directly opposite the LPs top rated hotel, they didnt stand a chance of gaining any customers in the future. After that was sorted (Tim paid by a magically appearing spare debit card) we resumed our evening back at Peace Eye Guesthouse where Chiran (the manager and chef) served us up some of his freshly made vegetable and tofu soup, followed by the best hot chocolate Nepalise can make, all on the house. Lad.
That evening we went to an amazing restaurant called Once Upon A Time. It was really chilled, they gave us free popcorn, and they had a massive tele which we were able to watch the England-India cricket match, cracking stuff!
Th last night we intended to be a nice, friendly evenng with the guys at Peace Eye Guesthouse, however this was somehow quashed by the fact that our hotel had told us we could pay by card for the room and upon trying to pay with non-embossed STA travel cards, they pulled out an old-school card imprinter, instead of the chip and pin machine we were expecting. So after telling them that we couldnt pay because we had no other cards or money (we did but they were being arsey so we decided to be difficult too) they started to get a bit aggressive which naturally we were having non of, and put them in their place by telling them how the customer is always right, and how their incompetance and obnoxious service would not get them anywhere in the future. Also being a new establishment directly opposite the LPs top rated hotel, they didnt stand a chance of gaining any customers in the future. After that was sorted (Tim paid by a magically appearing spare debit card) we resumed our evening back at Peace Eye Guesthouse where Chiran (the manager and chef) served us up some of his freshly made vegetable and tofu soup, followed by the best hot chocolate Nepalise can make, all on the house. Lad.
Friday 25 February 2011
Pokhara
Finally, thank goodness we arrived! No more banging bus. All there was left was a short taxi ride to our hotel, which unforutnatey our hotel forgot to send for us. So we got a local taxi and made the hotel pay. It's great being in Nepal in the low season, we're pretty sure we've been the only people staying in this rather large hotel, so we managed to barter down the room price from 700 to 500 rupees a night. So, a double room, with ensuite, tv, balcony, and views of the himalayas, we're paying about two pounds twenty five each a night. Cracking.
We woke up the next morning with a hot shower and breakfast in the hotel before setting out to explore. Within 5 minutes of venturing out, we were both in heaven. The large main street in lakeside (part of Pokhara) is full of bustling shops selling the most wonderful array of clothing, traditional buddhist items such as singing bowls and prayer wheels, book shops, music shops, as well as the huge variety of restaurants. The most incredible part of Pokhara is the laid back and relaxed atmosphere, no touts, no horns, no tuktuks nothing but tranquility and the occasional sound of the Chillies coming from a nearby restaurant. We spent the day shopping, buying jumpers made from 100% yaks wool and traditional nepali hats, which felt like we were breaking the bank but I guess for a jumper and 3 hats for 1800 rupee isnt too bad, seeing as that comes to around 16 quid! In the evening we ventured out to find some food, by venturing out i mean going next door from our hotel to the better one which has a very chilled restaurant with guitars and drums you can play freely and great food. We did feel slightly cheeky walking outside and literally across the road but whatever, we now do it every single breakfast and as I write this we are relaxing across the road too. The hotel is called Peace Eye, which is recommended by the LP as the best budget hotel in town.
The following day we spent finding out what to do in Pokhara and a bit more window shopping. We then took out a boat on the Phewa Tal lake for 3 hours, soaking up the rays and reading up on the famous Ghurka soldiers. That evening we went to the LemonTree restaurant and had our first carnivorous meal in over 2 weeks, relief! James had a locally caught fish from the Phewa Tal lake, whereas Tim had the Chicken sizzler, which literally sizzled as it was brought to the table.
The next few days should be good fun doing some hill treks to specific points around Pokhara, bit more shopping - Tim's going buy a few Khukuri knives - also going on an hours paragliding flight over the Himalayas!!!
We woke up the next morning with a hot shower and breakfast in the hotel before setting out to explore. Within 5 minutes of venturing out, we were both in heaven. The large main street in lakeside (part of Pokhara) is full of bustling shops selling the most wonderful array of clothing, traditional buddhist items such as singing bowls and prayer wheels, book shops, music shops, as well as the huge variety of restaurants. The most incredible part of Pokhara is the laid back and relaxed atmosphere, no touts, no horns, no tuktuks nothing but tranquility and the occasional sound of the Chillies coming from a nearby restaurant. We spent the day shopping, buying jumpers made from 100% yaks wool and traditional nepali hats, which felt like we were breaking the bank but I guess for a jumper and 3 hats for 1800 rupee isnt too bad, seeing as that comes to around 16 quid! In the evening we ventured out to find some food, by venturing out i mean going next door from our hotel to the better one which has a very chilled restaurant with guitars and drums you can play freely and great food. We did feel slightly cheeky walking outside and literally across the road but whatever, we now do it every single breakfast and as I write this we are relaxing across the road too. The hotel is called Peace Eye, which is recommended by the LP as the best budget hotel in town.
The following day we spent finding out what to do in Pokhara and a bit more window shopping. We then took out a boat on the Phewa Tal lake for 3 hours, soaking up the rays and reading up on the famous Ghurka soldiers. That evening we went to the LemonTree restaurant and had our first carnivorous meal in over 2 weeks, relief! James had a locally caught fish from the Phewa Tal lake, whereas Tim had the Chicken sizzler, which literally sizzled as it was brought to the table.
The next few days should be good fun doing some hill treks to specific points around Pokhara, bit more shopping - Tim's going buy a few Khukuri knives - also going on an hours paragliding flight over the Himalayas!!!
Crash... Bang... Wallop!!
The following morning was another early wakeup, having to be out by 5.30 to catch a 3 hour bus to the border at Sunauli. Finding the bus was relatively straight forward, getting on at around 6 to the welcome of an appalling bollywood film that was being played at full volume through the tiny television at the front of the bus. Sooo the time passed by as we drifted off to sleep again, up until a mile away from reaching the border, where things took an exciting turn for the worse. Pcture the scene... a lorry in the lane to the left, an oil tanker in the lane to the right. Now our evidentally inept bus driver decided to cruise down the road at a solid 50mph, however the also retarded oil tanker who hadnt quite worked out how to use his mirrors decided to pull out just at the wrong moment, cutting into our lane just as we reached him. Our bus driver admittedly did a good job at avoiding a head on collision swerving left to try and squeeze inbetween the lorry and the oil tanker; due to the speed he was going and the poor braking distances the bus could manage, we ploud straight into the sides of the two other vehicles, wedging us between the lorry and oil tanker. We'd crashed! Luckily for all of us, everyone walked out without a scratch, say walk out, I mean clambering out of the drivers window... Looking back on it now, we were extremely lucky! After retrieving our bags from the back of the bus we headed to the front to assess the damage, at which point, we suddenly heard shouting from behind us, looking round finding all three drivers in a punch up walloping each other in sheer anger and to be honest each completely oblivious whose fault it actually was. We realised that getting back in the bus and driving the last part of the journey probably wasnt going to happen, so we walked the last mile to the border. Our trekking had started a ittle while before we had anticipated.
Upon arrival at the border we got stamped out of India and walked right through into “no-mans-land” where neither country own the small strip between border posts. We then had to go to the Nepalise border police to be stamped into Nepal, a process we thought would take ages, but we were through in about 10 minutes! We then visited a tourist information office to find the bus to Pokhara, and to change our money. Immediately we were struck by the friendliness of the Nepailse people who showed us to the tourist info/bus stop etc with no air of wanting a tip or a fee. So after buying bus tickets from the tourist info guy we hopped onto a jeep to be driven to the bus stop. Now this jeep was made for about 6 people max. We had about 15. 10 inside and 5 clinging to the back. Thankfully it was a short journey and we got off to be shown to our next bus, the bus to Pokhara which would take 8 hours. It looked okay at first, relatively comfy seats and a quick bus driver. However as the hours passed, and as we drove over some pretty awful potholes, we took a fair beating. Sleeping was out of the question - try sleeping in what felt like an eathquake at point 6 on the richter scale – so we instead tried to appreciate the scenery around us, which again was a bit of a mission seeing as the bus was hurtling around tight mountain bends with huge drops to one side scaring the bejesus out of us.
Upon arrival at the border we got stamped out of India and walked right through into “no-mans-land” where neither country own the small strip between border posts. We then had to go to the Nepalise border police to be stamped into Nepal, a process we thought would take ages, but we were through in about 10 minutes! We then visited a tourist information office to find the bus to Pokhara, and to change our money. Immediately we were struck by the friendliness of the Nepailse people who showed us to the tourist info/bus stop etc with no air of wanting a tip or a fee. So after buying bus tickets from the tourist info guy we hopped onto a jeep to be driven to the bus stop. Now this jeep was made for about 6 people max. We had about 15. 10 inside and 5 clinging to the back. Thankfully it was a short journey and we got off to be shown to our next bus, the bus to Pokhara which would take 8 hours. It looked okay at first, relatively comfy seats and a quick bus driver. However as the hours passed, and as we drove over some pretty awful potholes, we took a fair beating. Sleeping was out of the question - try sleeping in what felt like an eathquake at point 6 on the richter scale – so we instead tried to appreciate the scenery around us, which again was a bit of a mission seeing as the bus was hurtling around tight mountain bends with huge drops to one side scaring the bejesus out of us.
Agra to Gorakhpur
Sooo, the next few days were pretty knackering! In order to get up to Nepal, we had to spend a few days travelling. We woke up at 5 in Agra to catch a 6 hour train up to Lucknow. We hadn't travelled Second Seater class up until this moment. Hmmm to describe SS... think of British trains, diminish their standards by about 50x and you are still nowhere near. It is the pits, but yno, for around 2 quid what can you expect. After sleeping the majority of the way, we arrived in Lucknow, at around 12 and with 3 hours to kill before out next train we decided to walk about, find some food and catch up on some reading. Upon looking at the selection of food at one of the train stalls, we were approached by two 7 year old beggars, who instead of asking for few coppers demanded that we bought them a pepsi. Obviously after being pestered for the previous 2 weeks by beggars, we knew how to deal with them, giving them a firm 'no' and ignoring them. These girls were persistent little buggers however, pestering us for about 5 minutes. After a few minutes a tourist police officer walked over to ask if we needed any help or information and upon seeing the two street kids irritating us, took more severe actions than just a firm 'NO'.. Instead this policeman decided to wallop the older girl around the face! That got them running and although it did seem somewhat excessive to us both, we did find it also mildly amusing, to be honest after being annoyed on numerous occasions by beggars, some form of extreme action was a little relieving!
After grabbing some food and reading for a few hours we finally hopped on the train, in luxurious 3AC! By luxurious we mean that they had glass windows, comfier beds, curtains, air con, and most of all peace and quiet! A drammatic contrast to sleeper class! The train journey seemed to rush by, reaching Gorakhpur at around 9pm. Gorakhpur is nothing more than a small town that many people use as a night stop on their journey up to Sunauli. We found our hotel, grabbed some room service and collapsed, worn out from an entire day on trains.
After grabbing some food and reading for a few hours we finally hopped on the train, in luxurious 3AC! By luxurious we mean that they had glass windows, comfier beds, curtains, air con, and most of all peace and quiet! A drammatic contrast to sleeper class! The train journey seemed to rush by, reaching Gorakhpur at around 9pm. Gorakhpur is nothing more than a small town that many people use as a night stop on their journey up to Sunauli. We found our hotel, grabbed some room service and collapsed, worn out from an entire day on trains.
Thursday 24 February 2011
Agra!
After saying farewell to all the staff in the hotel who had treated us like family during our stay the following morning, we jumped in a taxi which took us to Ajmer station around 11, to catch a train to Agra!! Trains in India are somewhat an experience to say the least, especially when you are slumming it like us and taking sleeper class everywhere you go. Never again will we complain about National Rail trains back at home! The beds are no better than an elaborate bench, where we had 4 people squished on each row... After 7 hours we reached Agra, getting a lift with the hotel pickup service with another backpacker. Our driver stopped at the side of the road about 10 minutes into the journey, got out and ran over to a wall next to where we parked up.. we naturally followed, to find our first sitings of the Taj! Despite being dark, just seeing the outline immediately clarified how sensational it is. What makes the Taj Mahal even more breathtaking is that Agra itself is a massive dive; to find this beautiful masterpiece plonked right inbetween slums, shanty's and delapodated housing truly emphasised its beauty. After arriving at the hotel, we caught a quick bite to eat at the rooftop restaurant, which had some of the best views of the Taj in Agra, which we definitely agreed with. Tucking into a cheese and mushroom omelette with those views was surreal.
The following morning we wanted to wake early to catch the sun rise over the Taj while also attempting to avoid the flocking numbers of tourists the it brought in. By 5.45 we were queueing outside, with luckily only around 20-30 people in front of us. We were told by our hotel that we could get in at 6 however upon arriving at the ticket booths, that turned out to actually be 6.30 and so, after 45 minutes of waiting, the queue rose from numbers of 30-40's to several hundreds! Due to the Taj being a World Heritage Site and arguably one of the most beautiful sites in the world, security was tight, taking us about 5-10 minutes to get through the metal detectors, body searches and bag search... The guards initiating the laborious process were suprisingly friendly, however the bag search turned out to be somewhat ridiculous. Obviously waking at 5 to get there, we had a few snacks in our bag to keep us going before we had breakfast, but understandably wanting to keep the site clean from litter no food could be eaten in the grounds. The guards spent time lecturing us about how we shouldnt eat inside resulting in them wanting a 'promise' from us that we would not have a munch walking around... Despite that really being the only notice about forbdden items, what happened next was hilarious, in fact so ridiculous that we thought the two guards were taking the piss and leading us on. They found... our playing cards! So we opened the box to show them that they were simply cards; after examining them for several minutes (we both thought they were going to start a game of whist) they instructed us to either put them in a locker or a bin outside, both of which would mean having to join the massive queue of people once again. Both shocked at the absolute absurdity of the rules and restrictions, Tim had to venture outside once again and bin them... WE WERE DEVASTATED.
Luckily having a laugh with the guards meant that Tim was let straight back in, bypassing the line that by now had grown to what seemed like a kilometre in length! Walking through the south gate alone was stunning, surrounding us with red stone walls with impressive detailing, reaching the main gate and firstt seeing the views of the main attraction was out of this world. Many people say that seeing a photo of a panoramic mountain view or a historic, famous site like the Taj is enough, we both entirely agree. It's one thing seeing a photo, and its something completely different in the flesh.
It was built by Moghul Emporor, Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, standing now as a symbol of eternal love, not a bad memorial if you ask me! The solid marble structure is the finest example of Mughal architecture, combining elements of Persian, Islamic and Indian styles, it truly is the most beautiful building either of us have ever seen. We walked down towards it, passing the fountains and taking snaps as we went. Walking on the marble plinth that it sits on was incredible and we took full advantage perching on the wall and just staring for at least an hour! The image inside of the two tombs, King and Queen together centralised was incredibly powerful. Taking a moment to appreciate the incredible opportunity that we had been lucky enough to experience, we walked back slowly, peering over our shoulders every 30 seconds in sheer astonishment of the view before leaving the site to head back for breakfast!
That afternoon we booked our train tickets up to Sunauli, stoppig off in Lucknow, managing to get a second seat train to Lucknow and have the luxury of 3AC from Lucknow to Sunauli!!
The following morning we wanted to wake early to catch the sun rise over the Taj while also attempting to avoid the flocking numbers of tourists the it brought in. By 5.45 we were queueing outside, with luckily only around 20-30 people in front of us. We were told by our hotel that we could get in at 6 however upon arriving at the ticket booths, that turned out to actually be 6.30 and so, after 45 minutes of waiting, the queue rose from numbers of 30-40's to several hundreds! Due to the Taj being a World Heritage Site and arguably one of the most beautiful sites in the world, security was tight, taking us about 5-10 minutes to get through the metal detectors, body searches and bag search... The guards initiating the laborious process were suprisingly friendly, however the bag search turned out to be somewhat ridiculous. Obviously waking at 5 to get there, we had a few snacks in our bag to keep us going before we had breakfast, but understandably wanting to keep the site clean from litter no food could be eaten in the grounds. The guards spent time lecturing us about how we shouldnt eat inside resulting in them wanting a 'promise' from us that we would not have a munch walking around... Despite that really being the only notice about forbdden items, what happened next was hilarious, in fact so ridiculous that we thought the two guards were taking the piss and leading us on. They found... our playing cards! So we opened the box to show them that they were simply cards; after examining them for several minutes (we both thought they were going to start a game of whist) they instructed us to either put them in a locker or a bin outside, both of which would mean having to join the massive queue of people once again. Both shocked at the absolute absurdity of the rules and restrictions, Tim had to venture outside once again and bin them... WE WERE DEVASTATED.
Luckily having a laugh with the guards meant that Tim was let straight back in, bypassing the line that by now had grown to what seemed like a kilometre in length! Walking through the south gate alone was stunning, surrounding us with red stone walls with impressive detailing, reaching the main gate and firstt seeing the views of the main attraction was out of this world. Many people say that seeing a photo of a panoramic mountain view or a historic, famous site like the Taj is enough, we both entirely agree. It's one thing seeing a photo, and its something completely different in the flesh.
It was built by Moghul Emporor, Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, standing now as a symbol of eternal love, not a bad memorial if you ask me! The solid marble structure is the finest example of Mughal architecture, combining elements of Persian, Islamic and Indian styles, it truly is the most beautiful building either of us have ever seen. We walked down towards it, passing the fountains and taking snaps as we went. Walking on the marble plinth that it sits on was incredible and we took full advantage perching on the wall and just staring for at least an hour! The image inside of the two tombs, King and Queen together centralised was incredibly powerful. Taking a moment to appreciate the incredible opportunity that we had been lucky enough to experience, we walked back slowly, peering over our shoulders every 30 seconds in sheer astonishment of the view before leaving the site to head back for breakfast!
That afternoon we booked our train tickets up to Sunauli, stoppig off in Lucknow, managing to get a second seat train to Lucknow and have the luxury of 3AC from Lucknow to Sunauli!!
Monday 21 February 2011
Pushkar (and Ajmer..)
We boarded a train to Ajmer the day after. As ever the train ride was a bit funky. Sellers of all kinds of goods roamed up and down, asking you countless times if you wanted to buy their stuff. There was even a band playing in our carriage. At first we didn't have the heart to tell them they couldn't play very well, this was up until they had played right next to us for about 30 minutes and it got tiresome! Another normal thing now is just being approached for money. About 2hrs into the journey this man walked down, and thrust a tin box in our faces without saying a word, just expecting us to hand over some cash. After we ignored him he just stood there, shaking it, but we held fast and carried on ignoring him until he left. It seems harsh but at the end of the day, you can't save the world, and most of the beggars now work for larger organiisations that thrive off the generosity of tourists.
Upon arrival in Ajmer we got a Tuktuk to the Regency Hotel. The driver tried to take us to all sorts of different hotels but you just have to be really stern with them and within 15 minutes we were there. We had planned to spend 2 nights in Ajmer but after seeing the lack of other tourists, things to do, and general state of the room we decided to leave the next day to Pushkar, a half hour bus journey away. That night in Ajmer was when things took a bit of a nosedive. The food was horrible but edible, or so we thought. The next morning Tim had got the dreaded Delhi Belly. So with Tim feeling pretty awful, James tired and an hours journey on buses and rickshaws ahead of us, things were a bit down. With Tim flumped in the corner James then spent 10 minutes arguing with the owner, refusing to pay the hotel for the food we had ordered, eventually working in our favour. The hotel ordered us a horse and cart to take us to the bus stop which was an interesting experience, especially as we were followed half the way there by a woman holding a child begging for money and giving us the death stare. The bus was another affair. We paid 40rps for the trip to Pushkar, and thankfully got on early, because by the time the bus left, it was jam packed full of people. Luckily we got to Pushkar with no incident and then a Tuktuk driver whom we'd asked to take us to the Everest Hotel tried to rip us off 100rps for the 4 minute journey. We paid him 30rps. Later on however we found out that two other travellers who were staying at the same place as us, were so tired after getting off the long bus journey they had done, paid one of the drivers 300rps for the 4 minute journey! Hilarious!
The next few days were a bit of a blur. Tim spent the time either sleeping or dashing to the bathroom, whilst James took the time to catch up on some reading, playing cards and sorting anything out that needed sorting. We had to get the Doctor in on day 2 of the illness after Tim did a miraculous chunder, fountaining all over a wall, the (locked!?) bathroom door, and narrowly missing James. James went downstairs to ask for a doctor. Being James, I knew I was going to be in good hands, as he went and requested/demanded the best doctor in town so we could get this illness sorted. Indeed 5 minutes later, the leading doctor of the hospital in Pushkar came over to treat Tim. It was a huge relief when Tim woke up a couple of days later feeling much better and finally we could continue our adventure!!
It is said that (enter name here) dropped a lotus flower in the sand and Pushkar was created, it is truly beautiful. After an epic breakfast of honey and banana porridge, we ventured out into town in the morning of the 14th to discover the wonderful narrow streets, rows of colourful shops and stalls, relaxed locals and of course the breathtaking lake. We felt being the main attraction the lake should be our first port of call. Once past the bustle of touts located at all the entrances trying to sell flowers, blessings and tours, we found ourselves gazing out to the most wonderful views of the lake scattered with over 30 ghats or bathing pools which were each blessed by a religious figure (the most obvious example being the Ghandi Ghat, blessed as it is said that some of Ghandi's ashes were sprinkled into this pool). The sights of hundreds taking prayer, washing and swimming in these sacred waters truly was sensational and we both felt immediately calmed when we later took a perch next to one of the less popular and thus tranqual ghats on the other side of the lake. Before this, we were approached by two 'priests' who immediately told us of their love for the place and the need for us to drop a flower into the water, take a prayer and release our bad karma. We were obviously scheptical at first after reading up on 'pushy priests' in the lonely planet guide, however we eventually decided to just go for it and see what happened; after all its not every day that you are sitting by one of the most sacreed lakes in the world and being blessed by a Hindi priest. We both took a seat next to a ghat as the priests performed their blessings on us, asking us to repeat a prayer after them to keep everyone safe back home and for a smooth journey ahead. When reaching the end, we were given a wrist band to prevent us from being hassled again at the lake, and despite being told before hand that no money was required as you 'simply pay with the heart', they bugged us for a charitable donation. After starting at 500rps both of us spent time haggling down a price to pay, luckily James paid 80rps and Tim only 50rps as it was the only money we had on us! We did feel it was somewhat cheeky but at the same time just over a pound to be blessed and release all our bad karma wasnt too dreadful. After chilling for 3 hours at the lake we headed back for some lunch. That evening we decided to go and watch the sunset from the top of a nearby mountain. After getting lost on the way we met Ellie wandering around aimlessly like us, and after a pointer from a 4yr old kid, the three of us started the ascent. The views from the top were stunning, a panoramic shot of mountains as far as the eye could see, combined with a vegetated desert. We stayed and got to know Ellie while watching the sun set, before heading back to our hotel for a meal. Ellie joined us which was nice, and we got chatting to some other travellers; the Germans whom had been ripped off 300rps for the Tuktuk ride to the hotel, After much laughing, sharing stories, and drinking Chai we hit the hay.
The following day we had a leisurely morning, being up and out by 10am. Unfortunately we had to spend most of the day doing admin, desperately trying to find/book a train to Agra, along with accommodation. After numerous powercuts we finally found a train for friday! Due to lack of availability we had to pay extra the following morning to confirm seats. Word of advice, if travelling around India by train, get you hotel to book it all, saves a lot of hassle! For luncheon we found a new retaurant in another hotel that we had been recommended. Amazingly we found pasta on the menu. Immediately we both ordered a white mushroom sauce penne. It was such a nice change from chapatis and Alu Matar! After lumch we spent some tme checking out the market stalls. In doing so we found two amazing leather shops, that sold items from small purses to large weekend bags, all for ridiculously cheap prices. The most expensive being 1000rps (under fifteen pounds). Luckily we had no money on us otherwise we probably would have spent several thousand rupees each in that shop, all of which we would have had to carry around Nepal for 2 weeks.
Yesterday was a pretty sweet day. We finally managed to book the train to Agra! After this success we rewarded oursevles by going to a pizzeria that was recommended to us by another pair of travellers staying in the hotel. We then headed back to the hotel to be picked up by motorbike, transporting the three of us to the camels! The three hour camel trek was just incredible. After an interesting “saddle up” - where at a point you're almost virtical, clinging on for dear life as the camel brings up its back legs, then the front – we set off into the desert for a bumpy 3hr experience. Halfway through we stopped in valley, where we were surrounded by steep dunes either side of us. Our guides told us to grab some water and a camera and go chill up at the top of one of the dunes. Gleefully relishing the prospect of running up a sand dune, we started off strong, however within a few minutes we appreciated how steep and difficult the soft sand was to run up. But we got there. And it was totally worth it. The views were stunning and it was really peaceful with a light breeze to cool us down. After half an hour chilling and taking snaps, we childishly dived and jumped back down the dunes, which was insanely good fun leaping out into space falling a fair way and then coming to a cushioned halt atop the soft sand. We ended the trek with a few short gallops that apparently was not allowed but obviously our guides liked us so made an exception. This was definitely an experience that we both agree we will not forget for a long time. Not many people can say they have spent a day chilling on top of a camel.
The last day in Pushkar we decided to splash out a bit on the main bazaar. All the little boutiques and shops were treasure troves for little goodies to bring home. We probably spent about 2000 rupees each on quite a lot of stuff that would have come to hundreds of pounds in the UK. So... we spent just over 20 quid each.. WIN.
That afternoon we went to find a pizzeria that had been recommended to us by Bernaardo, another backpacker. Upon arrival we were in heaven. They made us glorious pizza in a proper pizza oven, and they had a tv which showed some of the cricket world cup, and then the guy switched it over to an episode of Friends, could it get any better? After having a leisurely lunch we decided to venture back through the bazaar and back to the hotel to start sorting our tip of a room as we were leaving the next morning...
Upon arrival in Ajmer we got a Tuktuk to the Regency Hotel. The driver tried to take us to all sorts of different hotels but you just have to be really stern with them and within 15 minutes we were there. We had planned to spend 2 nights in Ajmer but after seeing the lack of other tourists, things to do, and general state of the room we decided to leave the next day to Pushkar, a half hour bus journey away. That night in Ajmer was when things took a bit of a nosedive. The food was horrible but edible, or so we thought. The next morning Tim had got the dreaded Delhi Belly. So with Tim feeling pretty awful, James tired and an hours journey on buses and rickshaws ahead of us, things were a bit down. With Tim flumped in the corner James then spent 10 minutes arguing with the owner, refusing to pay the hotel for the food we had ordered, eventually working in our favour. The hotel ordered us a horse and cart to take us to the bus stop which was an interesting experience, especially as we were followed half the way there by a woman holding a child begging for money and giving us the death stare. The bus was another affair. We paid 40rps for the trip to Pushkar, and thankfully got on early, because by the time the bus left, it was jam packed full of people. Luckily we got to Pushkar with no incident and then a Tuktuk driver whom we'd asked to take us to the Everest Hotel tried to rip us off 100rps for the 4 minute journey. We paid him 30rps. Later on however we found out that two other travellers who were staying at the same place as us, were so tired after getting off the long bus journey they had done, paid one of the drivers 300rps for the 4 minute journey! Hilarious!
The next few days were a bit of a blur. Tim spent the time either sleeping or dashing to the bathroom, whilst James took the time to catch up on some reading, playing cards and sorting anything out that needed sorting. We had to get the Doctor in on day 2 of the illness after Tim did a miraculous chunder, fountaining all over a wall, the (locked!?) bathroom door, and narrowly missing James. James went downstairs to ask for a doctor. Being James, I knew I was going to be in good hands, as he went and requested/demanded the best doctor in town so we could get this illness sorted. Indeed 5 minutes later, the leading doctor of the hospital in Pushkar came over to treat Tim. It was a huge relief when Tim woke up a couple of days later feeling much better and finally we could continue our adventure!!
It is said that (enter name here) dropped a lotus flower in the sand and Pushkar was created, it is truly beautiful. After an epic breakfast of honey and banana porridge, we ventured out into town in the morning of the 14th to discover the wonderful narrow streets, rows of colourful shops and stalls, relaxed locals and of course the breathtaking lake. We felt being the main attraction the lake should be our first port of call. Once past the bustle of touts located at all the entrances trying to sell flowers, blessings and tours, we found ourselves gazing out to the most wonderful views of the lake scattered with over 30 ghats or bathing pools which were each blessed by a religious figure (the most obvious example being the Ghandi Ghat, blessed as it is said that some of Ghandi's ashes were sprinkled into this pool). The sights of hundreds taking prayer, washing and swimming in these sacred waters truly was sensational and we both felt immediately calmed when we later took a perch next to one of the less popular and thus tranqual ghats on the other side of the lake. Before this, we were approached by two 'priests' who immediately told us of their love for the place and the need for us to drop a flower into the water, take a prayer and release our bad karma. We were obviously scheptical at first after reading up on 'pushy priests' in the lonely planet guide, however we eventually decided to just go for it and see what happened; after all its not every day that you are sitting by one of the most sacreed lakes in the world and being blessed by a Hindi priest. We both took a seat next to a ghat as the priests performed their blessings on us, asking us to repeat a prayer after them to keep everyone safe back home and for a smooth journey ahead. When reaching the end, we were given a wrist band to prevent us from being hassled again at the lake, and despite being told before hand that no money was required as you 'simply pay with the heart', they bugged us for a charitable donation. After starting at 500rps both of us spent time haggling down a price to pay, luckily James paid 80rps and Tim only 50rps as it was the only money we had on us! We did feel it was somewhat cheeky but at the same time just over a pound to be blessed and release all our bad karma wasnt too dreadful. After chilling for 3 hours at the lake we headed back for some lunch. That evening we decided to go and watch the sunset from the top of a nearby mountain. After getting lost on the way we met Ellie wandering around aimlessly like us, and after a pointer from a 4yr old kid, the three of us started the ascent. The views from the top were stunning, a panoramic shot of mountains as far as the eye could see, combined with a vegetated desert. We stayed and got to know Ellie while watching the sun set, before heading back to our hotel for a meal. Ellie joined us which was nice, and we got chatting to some other travellers; the Germans whom had been ripped off 300rps for the Tuktuk ride to the hotel, After much laughing, sharing stories, and drinking Chai we hit the hay.
The following day we had a leisurely morning, being up and out by 10am. Unfortunately we had to spend most of the day doing admin, desperately trying to find/book a train to Agra, along with accommodation. After numerous powercuts we finally found a train for friday! Due to lack of availability we had to pay extra the following morning to confirm seats. Word of advice, if travelling around India by train, get you hotel to book it all, saves a lot of hassle! For luncheon we found a new retaurant in another hotel that we had been recommended. Amazingly we found pasta on the menu. Immediately we both ordered a white mushroom sauce penne. It was such a nice change from chapatis and Alu Matar! After lumch we spent some tme checking out the market stalls. In doing so we found two amazing leather shops, that sold items from small purses to large weekend bags, all for ridiculously cheap prices. The most expensive being 1000rps (under fifteen pounds). Luckily we had no money on us otherwise we probably would have spent several thousand rupees each in that shop, all of which we would have had to carry around Nepal for 2 weeks.
Yesterday was a pretty sweet day. We finally managed to book the train to Agra! After this success we rewarded oursevles by going to a pizzeria that was recommended to us by another pair of travellers staying in the hotel. We then headed back to the hotel to be picked up by motorbike, transporting the three of us to the camels! The three hour camel trek was just incredible. After an interesting “saddle up” - where at a point you're almost virtical, clinging on for dear life as the camel brings up its back legs, then the front – we set off into the desert for a bumpy 3hr experience. Halfway through we stopped in valley, where we were surrounded by steep dunes either side of us. Our guides told us to grab some water and a camera and go chill up at the top of one of the dunes. Gleefully relishing the prospect of running up a sand dune, we started off strong, however within a few minutes we appreciated how steep and difficult the soft sand was to run up. But we got there. And it was totally worth it. The views were stunning and it was really peaceful with a light breeze to cool us down. After half an hour chilling and taking snaps, we childishly dived and jumped back down the dunes, which was insanely good fun leaping out into space falling a fair way and then coming to a cushioned halt atop the soft sand. We ended the trek with a few short gallops that apparently was not allowed but obviously our guides liked us so made an exception. This was definitely an experience that we both agree we will not forget for a long time. Not many people can say they have spent a day chilling on top of a camel.
The last day in Pushkar we decided to splash out a bit on the main bazaar. All the little boutiques and shops were treasure troves for little goodies to bring home. We probably spent about 2000 rupees each on quite a lot of stuff that would have come to hundreds of pounds in the UK. So... we spent just over 20 quid each.. WIN.
That afternoon we went to find a pizzeria that had been recommended to us by Bernaardo, another backpacker. Upon arrival we were in heaven. They made us glorious pizza in a proper pizza oven, and they had a tv which showed some of the cricket world cup, and then the guy switched it over to an episode of Friends, could it get any better? After having a leisurely lunch we decided to venture back through the bazaar and back to the hotel to start sorting our tip of a room as we were leaving the next morning...
Jaipur
Although Jaipur is another bustling city we both felt it was completely different to our experiences in Delhi. We jumped in a Tuktuk at 10am which cost us 400 rupees for the entire day, roughly five and a half pounds! Lucki our driver was amazing. He too us to the Hawa Mahal (temple), Janter Mantar (observatory), Albert Hall, Nahagarah Fort and Amber Fort. The Jantar Mantar observatory was pretty incredlble. It was made up of loads of massive sundials that could tell the time to the nearest 2 seconds. The Albert Hall was quite a large museum, showing artifacts of all sorts. Swords, guns, detailed vases and ornaments, and an addition of the Qu'ran which Alex had no trouble reading as she speaks Arabic. Having Lucki was a Godsend as we were able too experience part of the Indian culture that we would never have been able to if it wasnt for him. En route to the Nahagarah Fort which was situated up in the mountains and surrouded the city with the “Great Wall of Jaipur”, we stopped a Hindi Temple. Upon entering we were met by a very domineering hindi priest – spitting image of the chief villager in India Jones and the Temple of Doom, long grey beard, painted face, earrings etc – who blessed us, thus allowing us to enter. Ths consisted of taking off our shoes, sitting in front of their God, having a holy mark put on our forheads, drinking holy water and eating some sugar crystals. After this we climbed the tower in the Temple with Lucki, giving to us the most impressive view, look out over the whole of Jaipur and the mountains. We made our way to the Amber Fort, back down the mountain in this little Tuktuk, overtaking all sorts of vehicles round bends in the potholed and broken road. The Amber Fort was vast and seemed somewhat a challenge to walk to the top, but we manned up and did it. Again this was completely worth the effort as we got more stunning views from a different watchpoint, this time looking over the lake at the bottom of the Fort. Lucki had stopped to show us the “Water Palace” a massive temple for the Maharagah that is soon to be turned into a Hotel. It is situated in the middle of the lake, only access to it is by boat. We were told there are another 3 buildings underneath the water that you only had access to via the main temple; you could clearly see this incredible site from the Amber Fort.
The day was pretty insane, enjoying every moment, taking in the stunning surroundings n the 30 degree heat, truly starting to comprehend why we decided to come to India n the first place.
The next day we spent chilling in the Krishna Palace Hotel, all this running around was getting tiresome and we had a lot of catching up to do in terms of emails, and booking hotels/trains for the next few days.
The day was pretty insane, enjoying every moment, taking in the stunning surroundings n the 30 degree heat, truly starting to comprehend why we decided to come to India n the first place.
The next day we spent chilling in the Krishna Palace Hotel, all this running around was getting tiresome and we had a lot of catching up to do in terms of emails, and booking hotels/trains for the next few days.
Tuesday 8 February 2011
Things are picking up!
So after a half decent nights sleep with dogs and vehicles making all sorts of mad noises, we had our second day in Delhi. Up at quite an early hour... (9am, but to you guys thats 3:30am) to get our tai driver whom we had hred for the day. We started off at abuddist temple which was nothing special apart from the fact some guy decided that walking with us and pointing out the names of statues (that were on the wall anyway) was worth a decent tip. We disagreed. We then were taken to the parliament houses which were pretty cool as they were symmetrical – looked the same either side of the road – with fancy fountains and armed police. The police were probaby there due to the fact that the presidents house was at the end of this road which was equally good. From here we then went to the India Gate, a vast archway which marks New India from the Old India. Ummm then onto the Lotus Temple: architecturally stunning, shaped like a massive Lotus Flower however unfortunately due to the masses of Indians wanting to get inside, we were not able to in the time that we had :( After this we were taken to a Tomb which was by far the most beautiful place we had been so far. Vast main building made from marble with additional gates to enter the tomb. Finally due to the traffic being so awful we headed to our last stop, The Red Fort, which due to the lack of time we were not able to get a lot from the numerous temples in the fort and although at parts the detailing was subime the majority was graffitied so let it down somewhat. So after the red fort we said our goodbyes to our driver at the train station where we experienced our first taster of sleeper class trains. The 5.5hr journey between Delhi and Jaipur you naturally would think to be rather boring, however we had quite an interesting time. Firstly we met two english speaking indians who were absolutely lovely. It was a relief to finally meet some people who genuinely interested in us, without the pretence that they would want money from us in due course. We taught them the game 'Snap' which to our amazement entertained the whole carriage with aroud 15 people crowding round us watching in amazement at a game that we find quite simple and juvinile back in England! Things toook a turn for the worse, however still rather exctiing. James went to get a pen from his daysack only to find that it had been stolen! A first we were all rather shocked, includng the two friends we had made who both said they had never experienced this, neither had their friends, both of whom had lived here their entire lives. After a bit of effing and bliding from us both we settled back and came to the conclusion that it was a good lesson learnt – thankfully there was nothing of huge importance in the bag. Our two friends were a godsend. They flagged down a policeman (very imposng people) walking along the carriage and within five minutes we had 4 domineering officers surrounding us taking down details using our english/indian speaking friends to translate. This once again got even more people watching the charade!
So we arrived in Jaipur at 8pm and immediately noticed a difference in air quality and beauty. Having not seen the sky in a few days, seeing the stars and having panoramic views of the mountains was stunning. Arriving at Krishna Palace, where we would be staying for three nighs was amazing, the staff were extremely friendly, huge room and a rooftop restauarant to enjoy the beautiful views while demolishing ome good hearty food. To our surprise, Alex and Paul a lovely dughter and father from Florida who we met in Delhi, happened to be sitting up on the rooftop when we went to grab a quick bite to eat. We spent the next 2 and a half hours laughing an chatting away with them, getting to know one another; they have been incredible, given us valuable advice not only about india but thailand too so we thought the least we could do was buy them both a beer the following evening...
So we arrived in Jaipur at 8pm and immediately noticed a difference in air quality and beauty. Having not seen the sky in a few days, seeing the stars and having panoramic views of the mountains was stunning. Arriving at Krishna Palace, where we would be staying for three nighs was amazing, the staff were extremely friendly, huge room and a rooftop restauarant to enjoy the beautiful views while demolishing ome good hearty food. To our surprise, Alex and Paul a lovely dughter and father from Florida who we met in Delhi, happened to be sitting up on the rooftop when we went to grab a quick bite to eat. We spent the next 2 and a half hours laughing an chatting away with them, getting to know one another; they have been incredible, given us valuable advice not only about india but thailand too so we thought the least we could do was buy them both a beer the following evening...
Saturday 5 February 2011
First Impressions...
Wow... so yeh. Lets start with the plane. Seeing as neither of us had been on a long haul flight in... 10 years we werent sure what to expect. However, after finding out at Heathrow the airline had overbooked our flight, we were placed in seats with heaps of legroom, an incredible entertainment system and complimentary G&T's throughout the flight. So after enjoying 8 hours of comfort, we didn't have time to appreciate that we were now in one of the most culturally different countries on the planet! After arrival at the airport we were flagged down by our pleasant taxi driver who when we asked how he knew who we were (almost too quickly) he quoted "you look like the sort of person with a double-barreled surname. First impressions of Delhi were somewhat a little unnerving, being driven at what seemed like 70 in the middle of the road, weaving in and out to overtake traffic. Arrival at the hostel down dusty streets at 3am with stray dogs and even the odd cow walking next to us made us slightly apprehensive. In addition we had to wake up the receptionist who didnt seem remotely impressed at our choice of arrival time and so put us in a standard room next to the doorway... until they realised we'd paid for a 'duluxe' room so hasitly moved us upstairs, much to our delight (bigger room, tv, and considerably cleaner).
Day one in Delhi. Despite having prepared ourselves for a dramatic culture shock, what we woke up to blew away our expectations. Having slept in until 10.30, we caught breakfast, consisting of mango juice (EPIC) an egg sandwich and Cornflakes before braving the busy and hectic streets on the Main Bazaar, situated just outside our window. After booking a train to Jaipur, and a tour of Delhi tomorrow, we stepped outside, immediately having to avoid heavily bearded motorcyclists and rickshaws driving down the narrow alleyways. Once we managed to guide our way onto the Main Bazaar we were bombarded by touts, trying to take our train tickets away in exchange for "cheaper" ones, until we met... Sunny! Sunny told us he was learning English and his teacher told him to talk to tourists. Obviously we were at first very cautious however after we got chatting it was relatively clear his intent was goodwilled and he wasnt trying to con us. He showed us to a fantastic cafe about 5 mins from our hostel and even joined us for our first indian lunch. Which James enjoyed... Tim not so much, however it'll have to be something to used to. After that first hectic adrenalin rush of only around an hour in the Bazaar we were exhausted (+jetlag) so we decided to take it easy and have a siesta. We braved it all again around 5pm for dinner and ended up going back to the same restaurant Sunny showed us to, because it was the only one that seemed relatively clean, and also well priced (less than a quid each) mainly because we were overcome by the number of people invading our personal space. We settled for naan and and a much more agreeable cheese, onion and herb stuffed naan, which went down well.
So now we're planning an early nights sleep to then go on a tour of Delhi tomorrow at 9am with a personal driver before heading off to Jaipur in the afternoon.
All in all it's been an insane first impression of delhi despite the fact that it has been initially stressful, an interesting and eye-opening day to say the least.
Bring on tomorrow!
Internet is rather intermittent but will try to update in Jaipur.
Much love as always,
James and Tim
xxxx
Day one in Delhi. Despite having prepared ourselves for a dramatic culture shock, what we woke up to blew away our expectations. Having slept in until 10.30, we caught breakfast, consisting of mango juice (EPIC) an egg sandwich and Cornflakes before braving the busy and hectic streets on the Main Bazaar, situated just outside our window. After booking a train to Jaipur, and a tour of Delhi tomorrow, we stepped outside, immediately having to avoid heavily bearded motorcyclists and rickshaws driving down the narrow alleyways. Once we managed to guide our way onto the Main Bazaar we were bombarded by touts, trying to take our train tickets away in exchange for "cheaper" ones, until we met... Sunny! Sunny told us he was learning English and his teacher told him to talk to tourists. Obviously we were at first very cautious however after we got chatting it was relatively clear his intent was goodwilled and he wasnt trying to con us. He showed us to a fantastic cafe about 5 mins from our hostel and even joined us for our first indian lunch. Which James enjoyed... Tim not so much, however it'll have to be something to used to. After that first hectic adrenalin rush of only around an hour in the Bazaar we were exhausted (+jetlag) so we decided to take it easy and have a siesta. We braved it all again around 5pm for dinner and ended up going back to the same restaurant Sunny showed us to, because it was the only one that seemed relatively clean, and also well priced (less than a quid each) mainly because we were overcome by the number of people invading our personal space. We settled for naan and and a much more agreeable cheese, onion and herb stuffed naan, which went down well.
So now we're planning an early nights sleep to then go on a tour of Delhi tomorrow at 9am with a personal driver before heading off to Jaipur in the afternoon.
All in all it's been an insane first impression of delhi despite the fact that it has been initially stressful, an interesting and eye-opening day to say the least.
Bring on tomorrow!
Internet is rather intermittent but will try to update in Jaipur.
Much love as always,
James and Tim
xxxx
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