TravelStream™ news feed for member adhigam on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/adhigam en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:24:43 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adhigam/1/1251066013/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adhigam/1/1251066013/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adhigam/1/1251066013/tpod.html Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:24:43 -0400 Adhigam: to discover, seek, be desirous of study - Sanskrit

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Amesbury, England, United Kingdom

The British summer solstice at Stonehenge is a fascinating and intriguing event, steeped in tradition and mysticism. It is the annual longest day of the year and a place the Druids centralised and immortalised as their pilgrimage and spiritual home. The stone circle was created more than 4,500 thousand years ago, for reasons still unknown and by methods still unconfirmed. All we do know is that enormous stones are of a rock foreign to their environs and placed in formations that defy logic and the known tools of the period their creation encompassed. At dawn, the sun rises between two stones, framing its astronomical significance perfectly.

We weren't sure what to expect of the Summer Solstice and its atmosphere. This year it happened to fall on a Sunday morning, so the site was filled with opportunists such as ourselves to take the weekend for the experience. It was also the first year in many recently which the party-goers were allowed right up to and inside the stone circle, and as we arrived at 10pm on the Saturday night, the party was already in full swing. The inner circle was rammed and the occasional drunk/high/crazed visitor would jump disrespectfully between the stones' flat tops. Despite no acoustic music allowed, the party was sustained by a host of drummers inside the stones. Hundreds of people milled about, mostly pushing and shoving inside the stone circle but it was much calmer outside. We settled in a field to watch from afar, but slowly realised that our quiet romantic spot under the stars was being used as a toilet for those who couldn’t be bothered to queue at the port-a-loos provided. We milled about some more, desperately (and unsuccessfully) tried to stay warm by one of the fires, chatted here and there to people. Slowly dawn came around, although unfortunately the clear sky had given way to clouds; as the moment dawn was predicted to break, we raised a cheer, disappointed that we missed Stonehenge’s annual spectacle but at least pleased to have partaken in the experience – the busiest year on record!
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Hurghada, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

Our final day in Egypt was well spent hunting presents to take home with us. Our holiday 'rep' was kind enough not only to recommend his friend’s shop for this purpose, but also to skive the day off work and take us in person! Ed, Caroline, Luke and I piled into George’s sky blue Lada and whizzed along one of Hurghada’s few motorways to an enormous shop which stocked just about every Egyptian tourist memorabilia you could wish to take home – spices, Egyptian clothes and figurines with oversized penises. We browsed and bought, before being taken to look at the papyrus gallery next door, where hundreds of different sized papyrus canvases bore oil paintings depicting Egypt’s history and culture.


We stopped for freshly squeezed fruit juice in a local caf and then George took us to a little silver shop, owned by another friend of his, where hundreds of silver jewellery pieces and adornments lined the walls. As it was Friday lunchtime, many traders had shut shop in order to pray, but George summoned his friend from his prayers to reopen for us. Again we perused, Ed finally choosing a traditional Egyptian cartouche carved with his nickname ‘Piu’ in hieroglyphics for his mum – sweet :).

Finally we returned to Hurghada’s metropolis and finely dined on greasy but satisfying pizza, before being bussed by the tour company to the airport for our return trip. So sad to leave, hundreds of reasons to return and good friends made along the way. Adhigam couldn’t ask for anything more from our introductory taster of Egypt :)
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Hurghada, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

We arose the following morning at 5am (told you about not getting lie-ins), this time of our (read: Ed's) own accord to watch the sunrise over the beach immediately outside our hotel room. I didn’t wake up particularly easily on the morning in question and was nothing short of grumpy, though Ed spent most of the time behind his camera (perhaps hiding from my mood…). We meandered down the beach slowly as the twilight sky turned to orange, only disturbed by the dedicated sun-lounge grabbers who had come out before dawn to claim their sun-spot for the day. The adage that the darkest moment is just before dawn we found to be a truism, as the morning’s orange hue dimmed, prompting us to believe the sunrise would be hidden behind hazy cloud. However, thanks to Ed’s patience, we sat it out and were rewarded when a spot and then slither of fire budded from the skyline. And as always surprises me when I see the sun rise or set, blink and you’ve missed it. We sat and watched the sun unharness its rapid ascent into the sky.

We returned to bed and lazily got up a few hours later, with nothing planned for the morning except for a spot of breakfast. After that and some sun-worshipping and snorkelling of our own, we were collected from our hotel at 1.30pm for our final excursion of the holiday and one I was greatly looking forward to: sunset quad-biking in the Egyptian desert. We were taken to a spot only 10km outside of Hurghada by Mohammed, our crazy guide for the day, and were given a little tutorial on the quad bikes. Despite a little apprehension by all, a few laps on the quad bikes out in the sand allowed us to become accustomed to the sensitive accelerator and brakes. And then we were off, 15 quad bikes in a row and never more than a few metres apart, the speed picked up and we cruised towards the jagged mountains ahead.

The view was breath-taking – far more beautiful than I could have expected or hoped for – and I felt free as we raced across the desert (too slowly in our opinion, though not for others!). After 25km, we reached a Bedouin village, dismounted our quad bikes and assembled into a hut in the village for an introduction to Bedouin life and tea! Mohammed outlined the customs and traditions of Bedouin tribes and those of the village we were visiting, a relatively new settlement aging only 9 years. We were told of the customs of marriage, the proposals engineered by village elders over tea and acceptances metephorised by the sweetness of the tea prepared by the object of desire, the girl in question. We had a look at the well form which the Bedouin camp kept its water, a typical bread cooked over a hot coal vat and some of the herbal medicines used by the villagers.

A camel ride followed, as humorous as camels and riding them can be, and then a trip around the reptile house, which appeared to have been provided by the organisation running our excursion as a part of the tourist experience (as I mentioned, Egyptian authenticity seems sadly lacking in and around Hurghada). We took turns getting close to the snakes, chameleons and tortoises and passing around those animals deemed safe enough to be held and plonked on our shoulders, as cameras snapped and flashes momentarily blinded us and them.

As the sun slid towards the skyline again, it was time to get back on the quad bikes and make our way back to Hurghada. As appropriate for the outing, we stopped in the middle of the desert as the sun turned orange and again, this time dipping behind the rocky outcrop between us and it. It was a beautiful moment, and would have been amazingly romantic if Ed had stopped taking photos L

We sped our way back to the quad garage, passing a line of sand buggies along the way - another activity offered by the organisation - and so as we dismounted the bikes for the final time, Ed asked if we could take a sand buggy out for a quick spin. Despite the on-setting darkness and inflated cost of doing so, the organisers agreed and Ed and myself and Caroline and Luke sped around the garage in the dark in two buggies (though I think Ed regretted allowing me to drive some of it, as I was waaay off the path I was meant to follow!). We then returned to base camp where we were fed and watered, before being delivered back to Hurghada around 9pm.

The adrenaline from the day prevented us from retiring early, and as it was our last night we wandered onto the Hurghada strip for last drinks and more food with Caroline and Luke. Pizza (Hurghada-authenticity) was consumed along with shisha pipe and when tiredness finally set in Ed and I wandered back along the beach we had watched sunrise from more than 18 hours earlier.
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Hurghada, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

One of the primary reasons of our visit to Egypt was it famous Red Sea diving – Ed won't easily pass up an opportunity. So for three days, the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of our trip, Ed was let loose of the stunning underwater world of the Red Sea, whilst I was confined to classrooms, tests and homework in order to become accredited with my own PADI (scuba-diving) skill.

The photos will always say more than my blurb when it comes to diving. As I discovered, underwater is a miraculous world of silence, where organisms of breath-taking colour and novelty swim wordlessly in front of your nose, oblivious and uncaring to your presence, stunning me into a silence I could only maintain by force – a large respirator blocking my usual yapping. I think it is this silence that makes diving so special – not only are we on the surface usually so ignorant or forgetful of the teeming beauty under the waves, but would ruin it by being able to converse, filling the atmosphere with our mindless sound.

We dived with the Aquarius Diving Club based out of Hurghada’s Marriott Hotel. We were delivered to the door of the club each morning by our tour operators, and the school was friendly and provided a range of yachts, diving excursions and excellent onboard food. My instructor, fondly known as 'General Joe’ thanks to his military career and character, pushed me to complete the PADI Open Water course in three days instead of the usual four, due to my relatively recent diving experience in Maderia. I joined Ed on the second and third days on the boat, not diving with him but in the same spot. Each time he surfaced, he was bursting with the adrenalin and excitement of spotting Fish A or Turtle B. And for the first time, I could really understand the attraction of diving as a sociable and exciting hobby, as each time you submerge yourself underwater is a new and different, risky but challenging experience. I’m hooked!

Talking of fish, we ate some delicious ones on our final night of diving with our new friends from Qatar, who introduced us to a restaurant in Hughada's Old Town, and treated us to a hand-picked selection of steaming prawns, steamed sea bass and flaky white bait, all dressed in Egyptian flavours and spices. The food and company were fantastic and plans have been made four our next trip to Qatar - watch this space!!
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Hurghada, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

On Sunday we arose at 4.45am....man, why do I never get lie-ins?! Our bus collected us shortly after and - complete with breakfast box - we boarded our (tour-operated) coach to Luxor with a number of other sleepy tourists. Our guide was called Mahmoud and not only fluent in English but also Egyptology, having read it at University. After attempting to regain valuable shut-eye, he awoke as 3 hours later as we entered Luxor - one of the hearts of Ancient Egypt.

We started by visiting the Karnak Temple – reputedly the largest ancient religious site in the world, which stretches a staggering 250 hectares. It was built over a span of 1,300 years, from 2000 BC, but was largely abandoned by the time of Jesus's birth. We were toured through the shady corridors, carved by pillars 3 metres wide and 20 tall, of the temple’s history as Mahmoud introduced us to stories of the gods, the worshippers and the pictorial representations of both.

Following the temple we were taken to the River Nile, where we lunched from a boat buffet before visiting an Alabaster factory to be shown how the stone is crafted and moulded into pots and figurines. We then arrived at the Valley of the Kings, the famed burial site of the Egyptian kings that Luxor is famed for.

The yellow valley wound from the curved cliff above, pocked by dark gaping holes of each tomb entrance. Mahmoud recommended a number of tombs to visit, all included in our excursion price, and we took respite from the pounding afternoon sun into the dark, descending into murky, humid caverns. The corridors leading away from the bright surface were covered from floor to ceiling in colourful hieroglyphics, immaculately preserved despite their 4,000 year age. Ed and I additionally decided to pay a little extra to enter the tomb of Tutenkh-Amen, the most famed of the tombs for its royal teenage occupant, the inability to find it until 1922 and the mysterious curse that struck its finders in the years after its discovery. For good measure, and quite to our surprise, the shrunk black and crusted body of the young king had been left in the tomb, protected only by a glass cage and a loin cloth. It was the first time I have seen a dead body, but this didn’t really strike me as one.

The last stop of our day was to the Temple of Hatshepsut ('Hot Chicken Soup’), which protruded magnificently from the beige stone wall it had been carved from. We dashed from our air conditioned coach to the temple’s open shady rooms, but were constrained by the time and sweltering sun, which rained 44 degrees down on us, defying our sweaty energy levels. After joking with the guards and happy-snaps, we were herded back into the bus and driven to Hurghada, replete from a day sampling morsels of the platter that is the rich Ancient Egyptian culture.
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Hurghada, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

So: we finally made it to Egypt. Not after a few failed attempts and some last-minute bargain-hunting either. Nine days before we departed, a fantastic deal popped up into our Inbox: 7-nights, 4* Hurghada hotel for £299. How could we not? Hurghada is on the Red Sea and on the 'mainland' side of Egypt, unlike the country's primary diving spot, Sharm El Sheikh. We
had seriously contemplated Sharm for its world-renowned diving, but also heard that above-water it resembles a concrete jungle. In contrast, although Hurghada is a tourist town which lines the Red Sea with resorts, the diving is still great and only 3 hours by coach from the (equally unmissable) Ancient Egypt of Luxor.

As we had a package deal, flights with Monarch were included (and not at an ungodly hour, as we are used to), and a coach met us from off the plane to transport us to our hotel. The 6pm heat was sweltering as we virginally stepped onto Egyptian soil (both of us with hand luggage
to avoid baggage reclaim, though unfortunately not the chaotic Visa queues).

Our hotel was a complex, with over 500 rooms and an array of day and evening entertainment. We procrastinated over a our room as the initial one offered to us smelt of paint and had a ground floor balcony overlooked by hundreds of families making their way to the nearby pool,
so we garnered the attention of the attentive Assistant Manager, who sat us down in his office and personally proffered room after room, until we were finally happy with a third-floor, private balcony with king-size bed (Ed's learnt a thing of two working in the hotel business). Finally, we readied ourselves for dinner, deciding to walk the strip outside our hotel front door to sample Egyptian food and nightlife.

We failed. Shop after shop, neon lights sung 'Burgers, Pizza and Pasta', and hundreds of men - as required by making a living - tried to sell us their replica Rolex watches or 'Egyptian-real' Armani jeans/belts/tops. I, unfortunately, was deflated. Hurghada didn't have a scrap of authentic Egyptian food or culture.

My initial horror at being part of the package / resort stereotype (although not unfounded) recoiled as the following morning we attended the tour operator's introductory meeting to highlight the many activities that could be arranged for us. I am normally one to turn my nose up at resorts and operator-led excursions, but we really could not fault the range of trips, level or organisation and cost efficiency the company offered us and the service delivered by friendly guides with it. By the end of our first full day in Egypt, we had the following 6 days planned out for us.

Having weighed up our options for our excursions and with the promise of returning to confirm and pay later that evening, we passed our three hotel swimming pools and took to the hotel's strip of beach. Ed, bored by 20 minutes lying in the sun, persuaded me (more than happy with a book and 38 degree heat) to hire and canoe and paddle out into the transparent blue expanse in font of us. We passed coral and the rare 'glove fish' before finding a diving platform, where i continued my sun-worship whilst Ed took a snorkel and played in the water for hours - getting rather good photos of relatively rare sealife despite being only metres from a jetty and the shore.

We paddled back (correction: I paddled, Ed swam and pretended to push me) and spent the evening guzzling free food from the 5-star hotel opposite, where our new-found Red Sea Holidays friends were staying and part of a more inclusive deal. Swathes of food was laid out before us in a range of international buffets and overlooking an under-lighted swimming pool. We later took cocktails from the exotic plastic island at its centre, silver-serviced by waiters who had no other customers and nothing better to do than shake us up a range of exotic cocktails. We played along, enjoying the rare faux-luxury, before hitting the sack not before 1am...
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Istanbul, Turkey

As I said at the outset of these entries, there i so much to say about, see and do in Istanbul that our four days could never have done it justice....and yet it is also too difficult to convey here the magical atmosphere this city exudes.

We would definitely like to return, and in doing so would visit the historic and fascinating Topkapi Palace that guidebooks and visitors alike recommend at least 4 hours to explore. I believe a trip up the Bosporus on a boat would be interesting and informative way to see Istanbul's sights, and whilst thinking about taking boats, I would certainly return to explore the Asian side, which 4 days exploring even the Old Town would never have allowed for (hell, we didn't even see most of that....)

I would also return to say sorry to the lovely old man who we haggled with for a simmit - a dough ring which universally cost 1 lira across the city, but as we only had 60 of those things that make up liras and had just left Haggle Central that is the Grand Bazaar, thought we could pull a cheeky one. But we were wrong, and despite our best intentions as we talked and haggled with the kind-looking man, a police man appeared from nowhere and faster than the blink of an eye swiped the man's entire simit basket and along with it, his income. My heart shattered into a million pieces as I looked into the man's pleading eyes, and has never fully recovered. I regret not just giving him whatever we had for the plesaure of trying one of his simits. Instead, he pleaded with the policeman but left empty-handed into the unknown.

Whilst in Istanbul - and this is a must - we enjoyed (separately) a Turkish bath and hammam, recommended to us by our friend who sold us copious amounts of Turkish Delight and Baklava at the Spice Bazaar. It was 20 euros for the full experience, including a soapy masssage, but as Ed found out, it pays to tip your masseur that little bit extra for the proper deep-tissue massage and cracking of every bone you have. I was at first washed with water, before being sent off to the sauna, where I quickly realised the norm here was to be naked (watch out for this one). Following that, I was roughly exfoliated (no mean feat when you watch layers of dirt and dead skin roll off your body), washed down and then lay flat on the warm marble to be soaped down and massaged. My masseuse was lovely, though didn't speak a word of English. Lastly, I took at dip in the elevated and underlit plunge pool, which was perfectly cool and refreshing without being chilly. It was incredibly relaxing. We found an off-the-path Turkish bath, and thought it was fine - you could pay at least double the price we paid for a more 'tourist-friendly' experience and miss its authenticity.

Finally, one of the highlights of our trip to Istanbul was being upgraded to our hotel's suite, which boasted a view over the Aegean Sea, encompassing a 180-degree view of the city's banks and mosques, and a balcony the size of my bedroom to enjoy it from. Highly recommended - if you can blag it!

And our trip home was eventful too. We had a met a plesant English guy in our hotel, who had let slip that he had paid for a taxi to take him to the airport. Ever the opportunist, I asked whether we could hop in, as he was flying at the same time we were. I should point out at this point that I did check that he was flying from the same airport we were. However, the taxi turned out to be a shuttle bus (we'd paid for our seats of course ;-) ), but as it started out I knew we were heading in the wrong direction, travelling further inland on the European side, arther than crossing the Bosporus and heading south on the Asian side, where our smaller (Easyjet) airport was located. As we pulled up at Istanbul's main, international airport, I prayed the driver was going to take us on to the other airport, but he didn't - and looked incredulous that we were even going to attempt to make it there before our flight was due to leave. The English man, depsite initial confusion as to which airport he was meant to be flying from (idiot!), was sent indoors but the drive who knew better than he did. And we were left stranded at the wrong airpot!

Our taxi driver called his boss and we negotiated (we've learnt this trick now) a small fee for a private car to take us to the other aiport. Fortunately we hadn't paid a penny to anyone by this point (oops), and it turned out it would be pretty steep - but cheaper than a new flight home Ed pointed out. And actually, we couldn't regret a minute of what had happened, as we were assigned a CRAZY driver, who sped along the motorwar cruising across lanes whenever a space became available. At first it was scary - he was doing three times the speed limit!! - but it was responsible....and even barged into a queue for the toll at the front of a line of 20 cars! The view was beautiful as we crossed from the European conintent over the Black and Aegean Seas into Asia, and our driver got us to the airport with time to spare. This is only one of the many examples of the kindness and warmth that was displayed to us by Turkish people throughout - even they are a reason to go back :)
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Istanbul, Turkey

The views in Istanbul, with its seven hills, can be stunning, particularly at sunset when the mullahs call evening prayers. From the Pierre Lotti café / mirador there is an almost unparalleled view of European Istanbul, peaked by the Topkapi Palace and mosques either side of the river - one for each of the seven hills. Additionally a walk along the Galata Bridge at sunset should be enjoyed, as the fishermen continue to sling their lines and fish silver slithery fishys until beyond dark. We took a beer and sat in the middle of the Bosporus to enjoy the atmosphere (though there were plenty of bars below the road above), and we would recommend a 'ship kebab' from the banks, where steaming boats rock violently as uniformed, gold-tassled waiters and cooks scurry and shout to cook you their version of the national dish.
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Istanbul, Turkey

We sampled some fantastic food whilst in Istanbul - home of the kebab (kebap in Turkish) and would recommend sampling an array of kebabs whilst there - the stall food on every corner served the best-tasting of them all.

However, a trip to the fish market was a rewarded jaunt out of The Old Town and is highly recommended. The tourist bus stops there, but otherwise you would have to take a taxi, bus or metro. Twenty or so shop fronts make up the market, which backs directly onto the sea, and stock a similar but wide range of fish, both dead and alive. In the many restaurants overlooking the sea behind the market, it is possible to pick your own catch and have it served up to your taste, but we didn't opt for that (nor do I necessarily trust the claim). Nevertheless, the fish was fresh and tasty - we particularly enjoyed the sizzling prawns served in chilli and garlic, overlooking the calm sea.

There is also a stretch of restaurants down the hill from the Bazaar - Sultanahmet area. We were taken by a hotel pick-up for free, but of course that limited our choice of restaurant (we wouldn't have discovered the area by ourselves but do regret not walking around a bit more, as after dinner we rounded a corner to see maybe another 50 restaurants in the heart of the street party.) The atmosphere was carnival, with numerous musicians and the occasional amateur belly dancer. We were told there was similar area behind Taksim Square.

There is a pleasant café / bar also between the Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque where it was possible to smoke a water pipe - it had to be done! Many of these cafes sell various juice and snacks whilst the pipe is being smoked, and also give lessons to beginners like us about how to get the most smoke from the pipe. Apple flavour also seemed to be popular across the board. The odd little lizard scurrying up the walls only added to the authentic ambience of the Turkish past-time.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adhigam/1/1244146380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adhigam/1/1244146380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/adhigam/1/1244146380/tpod.html Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:14:14 -0400 Adhigam: to discover, seek, be desirous of study - Sanskrit

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Istanbul, Turkey

The bazaars in Istanbul are numerous and immense fun. In fact, despite thriving largely off tourist income alone, its one of the few places you can banter (and barter) with the locals, who go to great lengths to welcome you, chat with you in broken English and proffer a @good price" for their array of goods. Ed and I were both taken aback at how lovely the Turkish were, and we resorted to using them as tourist guides to ask advice for the best hammam by the end of our stay!

The Grand Bazaar, as its name implies, is the largest of the markets and the focus for Turkish trinkets, selling T-shirts, lamps, rugs etc. It is closed on Sundays but the streets surrounding the building tend to remain open all week-round, despite being quieter on these days. We found shoe-street and near-by got dragged in to buy "Turkish-real" Armani (etc) jeans.

The Spice Bazaar is a treat - so go hungry! All the stores sell mainly Turkish Delight and Baklava, but a venture beyond the front display of these and most shops also stocks spices, nuts, herbal teas and remedies for various ailments (impotence seemed to be the most prolific). In the centre of the Bazaar, there's a courtyard which stocks pet food and not surprisingly, pets, but also houses the all-important toilets (cost: 25 of the things that make up Liras). We also ventured outside and behind the main Bazaar and found a stretch of shops similar to those of the Grand Bazaar - shirts, shoes, jeans and all in between. Bargain central  (though my pair of cheap shoes resulted in a foot infection :$)...

Finally, the little Arasta Bazaar which snakes one side of the Blue Mosque was quainter and was lined with shops selling rugs, lamps, crockery and other ornate goods. Beware the expensive kebabs in the café courtyard alongside the Mosque - you pay a premium for the view.
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