TravelStream™ news feed for member kevandsian on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/kevandsian en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 28 May 2006 15:54:41 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1073167860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1073167860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1073167860/tpod.html Sun, 28 May 2006 15:54:41 -0400 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Kathmandu, Nepal

Happy New Year everyone!Hope you all had an excellent Christmas and New Year. Our Christmas was spent in Pokhara with lights decorating all the restaurants that lined the main streets giving it a festive feel about it. We even found a Christmas menu of sorts and enjoyed turkey on Christmas day as well as spoiling ourselves with lots of red wine. It was a gentle recovery from all our hard trekking. We are now in Kathmandu where we welcomed in the New Year in a local bar. It's freezing cold here making it feel more like home!Back to our trekking in the Annapurna region. We set off from Pokhara on the 13th December and after a bit of a late start and a two hour bus ride, we trekked the short distance from Nayapol to the tiny village of Syauli Bazar, the start of the Annapurna Santuary trek to Annapurna Base Camp (A.B.C). The track wound along next to the river past orange trees and whitewashed stone buildings and whilst we stumbled along the rocky uneven track, stripping off all the layers we had donned as the sun beat down on us, we tried to remind ourselves that we were "gently ambling". This is the description our book gives for that particular section and we realised just how unfit we had become during our months of travelling. Still, we made it without too much effort to Syauli Bazar and we prepared ourselves for the start of the 'real trekking' the next day. We had decided not to take a guide or a porter with us on the route and this left us with the freedom to warm up gently and take our time. The next day began harshly with a steep climb up to the next main town of Ghandruk and that's also where it ended! We trekked up to 1940 metres up a rocky steep path. On the way we stopped to rest in a small tea house after climbing for what seemed like ages and up hundreds of steps, we were greeted with a sign which read '4550 steps and 4km to Ghandruk', who wants to read a sign like that anyway??! Well, eventually we made it up to Ghandruk and enjoyed the beautiful views which greeted us at the top. In the distance (and still seeming very far away!) we saw the snowy peaks which encircle A.B.C, and in between, lush green valleys with beautiful, terraced fields, tiny villages and the winding aquamarine blue river far below. It was in Ghandruk that we met the Maoists (the rebel Communist group trying to overthrow the Nepali government and thus starting a civil war), a group of about 15 who were returning after fleeing a few days before when the army arrived. The army had since moved on again, so the Maoists returned. They were strikingly young and each carried a large gun displayed prominently. We were relieved when they didn't ask for any money from us as we knew that they were exploiting the tourists trekking in the region. Ghandruk was also the place which reminded us of something strange which we discovered in India but happens in Nepal too. It seems to be a common practice to dress up male babies and young boys (below the age of about 5), as girls. Complete with nail varnish, bangles, long hair in bunches, ankle bracelets, pierced ears and girls' clothes. It only becomes apparent that these cute 'girls' are in fact male when they change their clothes as often happens because nappies are non existent. We found this whole thing rather curious and have twice had the opportunity to ask why without appearing rude but we were told it's just for fun even though they are dressed as girls for years until they are 4 or 5!Our third day's goal was to reach the town of Chhomrong at 2170 metres. This would be a good day's trekking after our gentle start. Unfortunately and quite demoralising, you descend all the way back down to the river and undo all those aching steps of the previous day only to climb all the way back up again and then some! By now we were feeling more fit and it definitely felt easier and the views were worth it. The people we met were full of smiles and were very friendly and the children just run up and down the hills with little effort. Every now and then you hear the clanging of bells as lines of donkeys laden down with everything from kerosene to grain made their way along the narrow path. The fertile, green landscape reminded us very much of Ethiopia. Shortly into our third day, we again met the Maoists. This time they did want money, almost $15 each! There were just 3 of them, a girl who couldn't have been older than 16 and two older males in their early 20s. They were very friendly as they held their guns and asked us for cash but we didn't feel threatened. We told them that we were from New Zealand because they dont like the Brits with their history of training the Gurkhas, but U.S. and Belgian citizens fair worse apparently. We negotiated amicably for a little while and eventually got away with 'just' $15 in total for which they gave us a receipt so that we wouldn't have to pay again should we meet more of them - how thoughtful.... Anyway, we reached Chhomrong in the mid afternoon and were rewarded for our efforts with surprisingly great food and we enjoyed the best luxury the area has to offer - heaters! When it's freezing outside, the guest houses put scorching heaters under the tables which have blankets pinned around the edge which you put over your knees to enjoy the heat. There's even little washing lines under there to dry your towels! A fantastic system for which we were infinitely grateful. It was here that a funny coincidence occurred, we met an Irish girl who we chatted to about travelling and it emerged that she had also been to Africa and had an awful time on an overland tour with a terrible driver/leader who was "too lazy, disorganised and unreliable to do anything" and spoilt their trip completely. It emerged that it was Paul, the same guy we went through Africa with! We were reminded of just what a small world it really is.We set off from Chhomrong on our 4th day of trekking and started by once again descending all the way back down to the river so we could climb right back up the hill on the other side. This time we didn't mind so much as it was to be the last complete descent and from here on in it was up all the way to A.B.C. On the way we saw Langur monkeys swinging in the trees and on the opposite side of the narrow valley, a whole tree full of them, their bright, white, long, shaggy hair on their heads making them look like Christmas decorations on each branch. Also we saw that along the Annapurna Sanctuary route is one of the few places where cannabis plants still grow wild. We spent the night at a tiny place called Dovan at 2510 metres and set off quite early the next day, heading for Machapuchre Base Camp (M.B.C.)which still seemed so far away in the seemingly endless valley ahead of us. M.B.C. is a bit of a misnomer because Machapuchre or Fishtail mountain as it's also known , has never actually been climbed. The base camp is however, the point from which a failed expedition set off in the 1950s to try to conquer it. The mountain is sacred and attempts to climb it are not allowed. This mountain is really beautiful and the fact it has never been climbed made it even more special. M.B.C. afforded great views of Machapuchre at sunset, turning the snowy, rugged peak orange and then bright red. It was also absolutely freezing there, about -13°C we were told, but then we were at 3700 meters adjusting to the altitude before our final trek to A.B.C. the next day. It only took us just over an hour to reach A.B.C at 4130 metres and the effort of the past few days had been worth it. Almost 360° views of the jagged, snowy peaks of the Annapurna Himalayas towering right above us. We walked up, past the base camp, and could hear the thunder of avalanches all around. The landscape was barren and a huge glacier dropped away from us as we perched on the ridge above. It was really spectacular. The rolling mist and freezing cold temperatures drew us back to the cosy dining room of our guest house where we celebrated with a Mars roll (mars bar cooked and melted in a pastry thing) with custard! The mist prevented any sort of sunset but we were up at 5.15a.m. to watch dawn and sunrise. The views were clear and changed by the minute from stark white peaks silhouetted against the dark blue sky, to bright red glowing peaks at sunrise. After that it was just the steady walk back down over the course of a few days via some not so hot springs where we bathed to soothe our aching muscles. We took a different route back to Nayapol which had been our starting point and walked along a little used path through the terraced fields. Our friends from A.B.C. joined us for part of the walk and then kayaked the rest of the way, we wished we could have too!We arrived back in Pokhara in plenty of time for Christmas and spoilt ourselves by going to the mini supermarket to buy plenty of red wine, chocolate, biscuits and snacks to celebrate Christmas with. The hotel we had stayed in previously was quite full so they gave us a 'luxury' room complete with T.V. and bath for about 3 pounds per night. We relaxed for a few days and then headed to Royal Chitwan National Park where we based ourselves in Saurauha, a really nice little village with a curious mixture of safari type hotels for the tourists and the traditional mud huts of the villagers, each with a hand pumped well at the front and women cooking in the yards on wood fires whilst kids, goats and chickens ran everywhere. We stayed at a tiny, 4 roomed, family run guest house and enjoyed music around the fire by the guy that owned it. There was also lashings of Dal Bhat on offer, an all you can eat meal of rice, veg curry and lentil soup, really cheap and home made.Chitwan must be one of the only parks in the world where you can only do walking safaris and where tigers and vicious Sloth bears roam freely in the areas in which you walk. It's okay though because you have to take a guide and he's suitably armed with.......a big stick! We were joined by an Aussie guy Phil and after a gentle ride down the river in a flat bottomed canoe (in the rain - nevermind!), we arrived at the spot from which we would begin our walk into the jungle. The grass was more than a metre high but we soon discovered 2 rhinos, a mother and calf, grazing quite close by. We were ushered to a 'safe' distance by our guide and we watched them for a while. Apart from many birds and some monkeys we saw little else except the white fluffy tails of deer as they bounded deeper into the long grass. As we walked back to the hotel on the edge of the park at the end of the day, we came upon a trail of dugout termite nests signalling the presence of a bear sometime earlier. We were very surprised when we heard it in the forest very close by, just a short time later. Sloth bears are usually very elusive and it's not that common to see one so we were very lucky. That said, they are also extremely dangerous and we each armed ourselves with a large stick. We watched it feeding and then it looked up, straight at us. Time to go! We quickly crossed the river and made our way to the guesthouse for the night. The next morning we began another day's walk in the jungle and made our way slowly back to Saurauha. Apart from the endangered Gharial crocodile, we saw little else, but the walk in the jungle was really nice. The closest we got to a tiger was a fresh pawprint in the mud, but then we didn't expect anything more. Before leaving Saurauha we went on an elephant back ride into the forest and enjoyed the wildlife up close as they do not run away for the elephants. We saw many more rhinos, grazing, bathing and a mother with calf and also many deer, and not just their tails! It was really good although a little uncomfortable after more than 2 hours. From Saurauha, we endured a very dusty, bumpy ride of 6 hours to Kathmandu. The road wound and bumped along, often it was just a rough, rocky, narrow path after the many land and rock slides had long since demolished the original tarmaced road. Often you could just look down from the precipice and watch the rocks fall away as the edge of the road came closer as cars and heavy lorries passed. It's a bit of a shock to be back in a hectic and very polluted city but it has plenty of good places to eat (lots of steak!) and we've visited some of the city's many temples and sights, including a twisted bit of wood with coins nailed to it, dedicated to the goddess of toothaches where the locals go to soothe their dental pains! We have booked our flights to Bangkok and leave next Wednesday so we have plenty of time for more sight seeing.Anyway, we hope 2004 is a happy one for all of you, who knows, we may even come home this year! I think we've updated you on just about everything, except one thing, we got engaged just before Christmas at A.B.C!Take Care all,S & K.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1071278700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1071278700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1071278700/tpod.html Wed, 24 May 2006 16:19:47 -0400 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Pokhara, Nepal

Hi All,We are in Nepal - yeehah. We're very happy to be here, it's not too cold - yet, and we are relaxing a bit. Here's the latest since our last update.After saying goodbye to our Tibetan English students, we caught the overnight bus from Dharamsala back to Delhi. We now seemed to be almost used to the discomfort and lack of sleep, so much so that after we checked into our hotel we actually still felt alive enough to bargain a rickshaw to the U.K. embassy, to be ultra efficient and collect our new passports. Unfortunately, against our good intentions, India had decided to have a random festival holiday that meant we had to wait until the next day. We had been looking forward to heading south to the warmer climate of Delhi but surprisingly, the cold had reached there too and all the stalls that a few weeks earlier had sold thin t- shirts and dresses, now displayed thick wooly jumpers and jackets. From Delhi, a short train journey took us to Bharatpur and to Keoladeo National Park, a man made marsh area which attracts many species of birds from as far as Russia and Siberia. It boasts to be one of the world's top bird spotting sights and we thought it would make a peaceful change from other India sights. As we cycled round the tracks in the early morning, with the help of a guide, we spotted jackals, many owls, parrots, eagles, painted storks, spoonbils, kingfishers and woodpeckers. Our guide even found us two large pythons coiled up around each other, hidden at the base of a tree. Agra was next on the list and as home of the Taj Mahal, it could hardly be missed. So it was that at 6a.m, and after a rigorous security search and 750 rupees entrance fee (Indians pay 20!), we entered the manicured gardens in front of the Taj Mahal. It was built to house the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal the favourite wife (and bearer of 14 children) of Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century. For all it's hype, the building is amazing. All the white marble is inlaid with semi precious stones and the entire Qur'an is said to be written on it's walls. It didn't fail to impress us, especially as the sun rose, bathing the marble in warm red light and highlighting the amazing detail. It was well worth getting up early for, especially before the crowds of tourists started to arrive. After a few hours, it was back into the dusty, noisy chaos of everyday Agra, so we left that afternoon on the next train south to Jhansi. A long rickshaw journey then took us to the small town of Orcha and as we have so often found when visiting ancient sites, many places had been lost or just ignored until some British soldier happened to stumble across it. Orcha is one such place and now a small town has built up around the ruined palace and temples. At first they don't seem that great but on closer inspection, all the coloured tiles, wall paintings and sculptured decoration really starts to impress and the traquility of the place, with all the buildings randomly appearing out of the surrounding forest, really started to grow on us. For this reason, we didn't mind too much when we couldn't leave due to local elections, which can apparently get quite violent in certain parts of the country, so public transport is suspended. The next day, we were on our way again, back to Jhansi to catch a bus to Khajuraho and it's famed erotic temples. The competition between hotels in Khajuraho is fierce and the sales pitch discreetly starts on the bus and ends in mayhem at the station, but it resulted in a nice hotel at a good price and the town itself was very pleasant. Now that we were used to very early morning starts, and because all the temples in Khajuraho face east, we went to the entrance for sunrise and really enjoyed a peaceful wander around the beautiful gardens and elaborately carved temples lit by the rising sun. The 'erotic' title is a bit misleading as the temples have many carvings of everyday life, but some are amusingly explicit although not nearly as bad as the guides' explanations of some scenes and Kama Sutra techniques which some of them depict. The other strange thing is that many of the remaining staircases to the temples and their plinths have been repaired by randomly adding bits of blocks from other ruined temples. Afterwards we rented bikes and cycled around the other temples that are scattered around the countryside. On the way we were befriended by a couple of young Indian men, eager to practise their English and show us their home in the old village. They were really nice and when visiting their home and family, the girls insisted that they wanted to dress Sian up in an Indian saree complete with Indian make up which was much to everyone's amusement. The village tour they gave us was interesting and peaceful and included a visit to the local school which typically then asked for a donation. Overall it was a genuinely pleasant experience and a personal insight into local life which unfortunately you rarely get in India as someone always wants something which leads us to our next invitation. That night we were invited to dinner at an Indian family's home. Normally we wouldn't accept such invitations as they are usually not genuine but this time we hoped it would be different. It was all a bit confusing really as the guy seemed very genuine and he was very eager to show us his hospitality by arranging a massive meal and wanting to take us to see the local sights. It was obvious that his family was quite poor but he had such big dreams and he then became a bit desperate to go into business with us as his Western sponsor. Unfortunately it wasn't going to be, so after leaving the family a gift and some chocolate eagerly demolished by the kids, we left at the next opportunity. It all just shows as we've seen so many times, that no mater how genuinely friendly Indians can be, there is almost always an ulterior motive and they always push it just a bit too much and spoil a friendly situation. The next day begins the day's events which we affectionately(?) term 'Disaster Day 1'. We got up really early (5am) in order to visit Panna Tiger Reserve where we had great hopes of spotting a tiger. Unfortunately our jeep did not show up and it was too late to arrange another as the tigers disappear deep into the park as soon as the sun gets warm. So we decided on a sharp exit on the 10 am bus which also decided not to show up. We tried an alternative route recommended to us and became stranded at a crossroads where nobody spoke English and all the passing buses to our destination seemed like a Guinness Book of Records attempt to cram as many people into a bus as possible. So we returned to Khajuraho and had to wait until 2.30 pm for the next scheduled bus, although we were warned that it too might not show. Thankfully it did and we set off on a 5 hour journey to Satna, the nearest town with rail links. At this point we had decided to go to Bandhavgarh National Park to track tigers there. The bus journey started off okay but deteriorated rapidly as the 'roads' degenerated into rubble and potholes to rival even the worst in Africa, and which spewed clouds of dust through the windows which would not close. You could barely see in front of you it was so bad. Finally after 6 hours we arrived in Satna and proceeded to find a hotel as it was too late and we were too filthy to go on to the national park. Unfortunately, and for some bizarre unknown reason, the hotels in Satna are priced quite high (by Indian standards) and we had trouble finding anything. Eventually we settled on somewhere that at least had a shower and we went to sleep hoping that our trip to Bandhavgarh the next day would go smoothly. This is the bit where we mention 'Disaster Day 2'. We got to the train station in the morning after having checked the train times and been assured that there were many going regularly. Alas, no, when we got there they told us that the next train was at 2pm, later than we liked but still in time for connecting transport. We hung around (Satna really is the middle of nowhere with nothing to see) until 1.45pm when we decided to reconfirm the train. A very stroppy Kev returned a few minutes later having been told that the train was delayed until 3.30pm. Incidentally, the trains going through Satna whilst we waited were really funny. They were so packed that there were many people sitting on the roof. We had been desperately hoping that our train wouldn't be as busy, but hey, one train as oppose to no train would have been a bonus. The delay meant that we would be too late for the connecting train and bus. We were reluctant to give up our last chance of seeing tigers in India so we decided to see about the cost of a taxi directly to the park. We successfully bargained one to a reasonable price when we realised that the cost of the taxi meant that we would not have enough cash for the park. So ensued another 2 hours of driving around Satna trying to change money. No Chance. And so we gave up as we were absolutely fed up, we decided to miss the park and go directly to Varanasi, our next destination. We couldn't get a train until 2am so we hired the hotel room again for 7 hours so that we could get a nap first, in the end the train ride was okay and we got some sleep! Varanasi was hectic at first but we had a really nice time there. We had been warned of the scams and touts and couldn't manage to get a rickshaw to the hotel of our choice as when one hotel becomes popular, other hotels change their name to something very similar to make you think that you're where you're supposed to be. Anywhere we ended up somewhere okay and then headed out to the ghats along the river Ganges. There are many ghats that run along the river for a few kms and, being far from the noisy polluted roads, they were a haven of peace and tranquility for us. We strolled along watching the colourful boats bobbing in the water, people washing in the holy river and others worshipping and performing puja at the temples on the riverbank. We came across the 'burning ghats' and saw cremations which take place around the clock. Many people come to Varanasi to die and then to be cremated by the Ganges where their ashes are scattered, in order to escape the cycle of rebirth. It is a subduing experience, witnessing it so close by but at the same time it is an integral part of the culture there. Thankfully we missed some of the really distressing sights that some of our friends had witnessed and had been affected by. We got up early the next morning and did a sunrise boat ride along the ghats in time to see the thousands of people who flock there to perform their daily cleansing activities and religious rituals. People happily wash and brush their teeth in the water despite the cows bathing and the cremations close by. The water and indeed the city, is holy and these things of concern to Westerners are not even considered here. In Varanasi we also did a little shopping (Sian couldn't resist a little more silk before leaving India and Varanasi is famous for it) and we tried to see the film that we had been extras in, Kal Ho Naa Ho, which has been released in the cinemas. The crowds turned out to be too big so we gave it a miss for now. We booked a tourist coach to Pokhara, Nepal and prepared for the long journey. The tourist bus was the best option as the Maoist activity in Nepal has resulted in many road block and police checks during which all the people (except foreigners) are checked along with their baggage. This extends the journey time considerably and curfews in Nepal mean you end up spending the night on the bus. We thought tourist bus = only foreigners = no checks = Pokhara in one day. This is where we get to Disaster Day 3! Having checked and confirmed that the bus was going our hotel duly advised us at the last minute that it was cancelled. Flights were not available and so we decided to get a train as far north as possible, then take buses. So we boarded the train to Gorakpur at 1.45pm (it too was late) for the 6 hour journey. It went smoothly at first, until commotion erupted all around as young army recruits packed themselves into the train. Most had not got tickets so there were far too many people crammed everywhere and sitting on the floor. They then thought it was hilarious to pull the emergency chain every few minutes, stopping the train so much that we spent more time stationary than we did moving. People began to get angry and then darkness fell. Just our luck, the electricity was out in our carriage - quite unnerving when the windows are all barred, it's pitch black and there are bodies everywhere blocking your exit. The train was then attacked by youths outside throwing rocks and smashing some of the windows. Finally the train moved on a little further but the young recruits then decided to hassle us. We had had enough and as the train was stopped again we decided to try and change carriage. No mean feat with our large backpacks and the huge crowds in the aisles! Eventually we managed to escape and found refuge in an empty carriage with electricity! The train eventually arrived in Gorakpur, 10 hours late. We had a quick breakfast then squashed into a jeep to take us the short 2 hour journey to the border. We got our visas and after arranging a bus, which was again apparently cancelled, we found that we were too late to catch another one and arrive in Pokhara the same day due to the police checks and curfew. It also would have meant a night sitting on the bus, so we hired a car to take us. We arrived, much relieved, later that day.Pokhara, so far, has been fantastic. We have spent a couple of days recuperating and relaxing, wandering through the town , eating good food (steak!), drinking a little red wine and strolling by the tranquil lake. The views on a clear day are spectacular, with the jagged snow capped peaks of the Annapurna range lit up by the sunlight. We are going trekkng tomorrow but we don't know how long for, we'll see how it goes. Anyway, hopefully everything will go more smoothly from now on, fingers crossed! If we don't get another chance, then Merry Christmas to everyone, we hope you all have a really good time.Take Care all,K & S.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070747880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070747880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070747880/tpod.html Wed, 24 May 2006 15:36:50 -0400 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Varanasi, India

Hi Guys,You can read our update from Varanasi, India in our entry from Pokhara, Nepal entitled 'Escape from India!'.Cheers,K & S
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070402460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070402460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070402460/tpod.html Wed, 24 May 2006 15:32:18 -0400 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Khajuraho, India

Hi Guys,You can read our update from Khajuraho, India in our entry from Pokhara, Nepal entitled 'Escape from India!'.Cheers,K & S
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070143080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070143080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1070143080/tpod.html Wed, 24 May 2006 15:22:47 -0400 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Agra, India

Hi Guys,You can read our update from Agra, India in our entry from Pokhara, Nepal entitled 'Escape from India!'.Cheers,K & S
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1069711140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1069711140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1069711140/tpod.html Wed, 24 May 2006 14:59:56 -0400 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Dharamsala, India

Okay, so scrap the bit in the last entry about missing winter, we've changed our minds! We're freezing but soon heading back to the heat and hassle of India again. Anyway here's the latest news of what we've been up to.Well despite how much we liked Udaipur, it soon became time to move on again, this time by sleeper coach where the luggage rack of a normal 'luxury' coach is replaced by a small but relatively comfortable 'cell' that allowed us to lie down for the 9 hours to Jaipur. We arrived in the early hours of the morning to the endless hassle of rickshaw wallahs and hotel touts who were quickly dispatched with before our next hotel hunt started. Jaipur is a dismal city with expensive (relatively speaking) and dirty hotels but we eventually found an acceptable one (which means it had cleanish sheets) and later we headed on out by cycle rickshaw to the main bazaars of the Pink City, so called because it was painted pink for King Edward V111's visit and it has stayed that way ever since. Unfortunately the city has little to offer but endless hassle and lots of chaos. The streets are even more packed than normal with all vehicles from buses and trucks to cycles and hand carts, all blasting their horns incessantly or tinkling their bells like anyone can hear them over the general din. The stalls spill out onto the pavements and then onto the road itself, along with vendors frying snacks next to the obligatory cows wandering aimlessly in the middle of the traffic. It was complete madness and nobody left us alone for a second. The next day we decided to tour the sights by hired rickshaw just to escape some of the chaos. We saw another city palace with an amazing collection of old and beautifully crafted weapons but it was otherwise generally unremarkable. There was also a fascinating ancient observatory where a guide explained the workings of many old (and massive) but surprisingly accurate instruments. We then saw a cenotaph and the city's Amber Fort, a crumbling relic of a grand palace sitting high on a mountain ridge where sad, painted elephants carried toursists up the hill for one dollar. As part of the deal for the tour our rickshaw driver then drove round a couple of shops for which he received commission for taking us too. Unfortunately for him, we didn't buy anything but we did see a small village factory where they printed cloth by hand with intricate designs using wooden hand carved printing blocks. Finally we visited a small clothes shop where a young Indian man enthusiastically tried to convice us to carry gems (Jaipur is gem capital of India) for him back to the U.K. for which we would be paid $10000 so he could avoid paying tax. The whole thing was a very shady scam that would have involved getting money out of us somehow if we'd stayed around long enough despite the fact that he tried to convivce us it was all 'perfectly legal and people do it all the time!!' We escaped Jaipur early the next day on a 6 hour bus for Delhi, found a nice enough hotel in a busy, noisy but atmospheric main bazaar and crashed out. The next day was really productive. As our passports are now just about full we applied for new ones at the extremely efficient consulate and then toured past New Delhi's grand monuments and parliament buildings before walking right into another scam as we went to buy train tickets. As we entered the railway station a man insisted he help us and led us and other tourists to a travel bureau (which he told us was the foreign tourist counter we had been looking for) where they told us all separately that the trains we wanted were full and we would have to buy expensive bus tickets from them instead. Being very sceptical we walked out but not before telling the other tourists of our doubts, which upset the tour touts greatly. We eventually found the correct office and booked our tickets to Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama and other exiled Tibetans. Delhi is meant to be notorious for scams but it had a nice atmosphere to it and parts of the city are quite pleasant. There is the usual chaos of rickshaws, carts and cows and too many begars, touts and terrible victims of leprosy, but it is without the constant hassle.Unfortunately, after fourteen months of travelling relatively heathily, Sian fell ill in Delhi and we ended up cancelling those train tickets which were so hard to get in the first place! We resorted to another overnight bus journey a few days later so that we could arrive in Dharamsala for Kev's 30th birthday. So it was that on the 13th Nov we left Delhi on a small bus full of a mixture of tourists and Buddhist monks and nuns dressed in their customary red robes. The journey wasn't quite as horrendous as some have endured but we accepted that we would get no sleep. The bus climbed into the hills where Dharamsala and the higher town of McLeod Gang sit in sight of the Dhauladar mountain range, part of the Indian Himalayas. Arriving at the small bus stand we were instantly hit by the extreme cold, the town however has a nice feel to it. Two narrow main streets of crumbling buildings and shacks full of small restaurants, cafes, bookshops, tourist shops, stalls and colourful markets line the roads where as you walk you catch glimpses of the snow capped mountains between the houses. Our first choice of hotel down a steep, winding street was exceptionally clean but bitterly cold and so noisy during the early hours of the morning that we decided to move back up the hill with our heavy bags to a hotel with a much warmer room and great views over the valley where the sun sets and casts red light onto the snowy mountains. (Kev thinks he's gone soft since he left Aberdeen because he's feeling the cold!) The first few days of bitter cold and even rain gave us our taste for winter which we had begun to miss and the highest mountaintops had a light covering of snow. Thankfully the sun has now returned and warmed things up considerably during the day. We have also found a good cafe which serves yummy Tibetan food, on the premises of a monestary run by monks, most of whom are exiled ex political prisoners. In the afternoons we have been teaching English to Tibetan exiles who are also mostly ex political prisoners and have horrific stories to tell of their time in Tibet under the constant persecution of the Chinese government. One timid nun we teach every day was locked up for 5 years for declaring that Tibet was not part of China, for which she was beaten and tortured in ways that she cannot describe in English, and even after her release, both she and her family were persecuted to such an extent that her only option was to escape to India through the Himalayas. That is a four week journey in the middle of winter ( as the weather is too bad for the Chinese to police the area effectively). They slept in the open or in rough shelters, carried their only food (barley oats) and paid about 50 dollars to be guided through the mountains to Nepal. Many die on the way or suffer terrible frostbite and this is a journey which is still undertaken on a relatively frequent basis as people continue to escape the oppressive Chinese rule. As political refugees, many gain asylum here in Dharamsala but some go home again and end up with further prison terms. For the nun we teach she may never see her family again as long as the Chinese occupy Tibet (they invaded in 1959 and there are no signs of them leaving any time soon). The Chinese government's policies of destroying Tibet's cultural heritage including their monasteries and ancient treasures and their oppressive regime is only really brought to the world's attention by their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Despite the Dalai Lama having a very tight schedule (he was with George Bush last week and meets the Pope next week) we somehow managed to meet him personally outside his modest quarters at the local monastery and Buddhist temple. We were very lucky and a few peple had gathered to see him, after rigorous security checks, we filed past, said hello, shook hands and received a Kalachakra ribbon. It was all a bit surreal really, especially as our students had only ever met him once upon their arrival in Dharamsala and had been too overwhelmed to barely look at him. Anyway we count ourselves extremely fortunate a we know this doesn't happen every day!We have also been keeping busy wandering through Dharamsala and exploring the sights. We attended a Buddhist philosophy class where a wise old Lmaa recounted verses from ancient texts to help people on their path to enlightenment. The class was very interesting, thought provoking and not at all religious (which technically Buddhism isn't anyway). Once again it was one of those things which will not happen to us everyday! We have also visited the local Buddhist temple, spinning prayer wheels clockswise on the way and we trekked to a waterfall where we had the sparkling clear pool at the bottom to ourselves as most people don't climb that far. We managed to find a place which showed the rugby matches in a local hotel and there is even a local 'cinema' where we watched a movie. Yes, we've settled into this place rather well overall!Unfortunately we can't stay too long and it seems Nepal might be back on the agenda as we have friends there at the moment who say that all is fine there. We're really looking forward to seeing more of the Himalayas after our little taster here.Well, that must just about bring you up to date with a very thorough account of what we've been up to!Take Care everyone and drop us a line to tell us what you've been up to.K & S.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1066042980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1066042980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1066042980/tpod.html Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:16:49 -0500 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Cochin, India

Hi Everyone!A quick update from India so far...In the heat and humidity of Mumbai, we toured the streets and sights, visiting hustling markets and regal museums, passing the crumbling colonial buildings that have all been renamed from their old British, to more appropriate, Indian titles. Somehow, it still feels like an old British colony. Perhaps it's the thousands of old British advertisements, the hundreds of Morris Minor like taxi cabs or just the streets and buildings themselves. The constant harrassment from the street vendors, rickshaw wallahs, beggars and other touts, was getting a bit too much so we decided to head south to a town named Mysore, stopping on the way at a small town called Lonavla. Lonavla is very unremarkable in itself but is the site of ancient Buddhist cave temples carved deeply into the side of a mountain and to which we slowly climbed up a twisting stone staircase. Along with hundreds of Indian tourists we passed stalls of dubious drinks, peeled cucumbers and other refreshments along with offerings of incense, flowers and blaring Hindu music tapes. The caves themselves, from the 2nd century B.C., were impressive and a more recent Hindu temple at their entrance provided entertainment as the worshippers danced, chanted, and chimed their way around the temple.We caught a train to Mysore that night, it was all very civilised with the conductor waiting for us with sheets, towels and pillows. We both slept well and the other passengers were all very friendly and welcoming. We arrived in Mysore quite late and in the middle of a monsoon downpour but we found decent accommodation at a good price which was surprising as we had luckily arrived just in time for the town's major festival, Dasara. Mysore is also the home of Karnataka's Maharaja and a tour of his beautiful and extravagant palace was a must see. It was magnificent, with silver doors, chandeliers and gold leaf everywhere. At night the whole place was lit up by thousands of bulbs and we stayed for a complimentary Hindu singing concert. We've come to the conclusion that tunefulness and lyrics dont count for much but what obviously matters is how long you can keep going from one single breath! In the case of the lady we saw, it was more than enough. Still we were shown excellent hospitality by some of the locals and it made an interesting evening. The next day we made our way to Somnathpur, a tiny village outside Mysore famed for it's intricately carved Kashava temple to the Hindu god Krishna. Although it's almost 800 years old, it was still in amazing condition with layers of carvings depicting elephants, gods, dancers, animals and scenes from the Hindu holy books. The whole place was extraordinary and well worth the rough local bus rides to get there, even if it did mean suffering more blaring Hindu music and the Indians' love for sounding their car horns incessantly and for no apparent reason. We stayed in Mysore until the Sunday and the climax of the festival with a colourful and lively parade through the crowd packed streets. The highlight was the procession of colourfully decorated elephants which we thankfully saw after searching over an hour through the bustling crowds for a good vantage point. From Mysore we headed south-west to the coast and to the tiny but historic town of Fort Cochin. To get there we caught a night bus and 10 hours of hell later, we arrived in rain drenched Ernakalum, then rickshaw, ferry and rickshaw later, we finally found a bed. It took us a while to recuperate but Cochin was the ideal place. A little touristy but quiet and with a few nice sights it has been quite relaxing. One night we watched a fasinating performance of the famed local dance, Kathakali, in which the actors meticulously made up and dressed, perform their roles using various body, face and hand movements to tell a story. It was very dramatic and as with all things Indian, a little intense. We also sampled the local Kerala cuisine during a excellent boat cruise through the region's backwaters. In both natural and man made canals we silently drifted, passing local villages and houses and calling in to watch them spin ropes, mats and carpets from coconut husk fibre. It was pretty amazing to watch and really impressive that they make a living purely from coconuts. We were also given our first yoga lesson by a hippie couple from Australia who were really nice. Unfortunately, Cochin has become a bit boring now so it's time to move on further north to Gokarna, just south of Goa. We are on a bit of a strict schedule as we'd like to get to Nepal for the peak trekking season but need to keep our options open as Nepal has a few problems at the moment but we'll see how it goes. Anyway, take care all,Kev and Sian.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1068141600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1068141600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1068141600/tpod.html Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:09:30 -0500 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Udaipur, India

Hello again,We're still in hectic and very hot India. Things at home must be getting cold now and we are actually starting to miss winter! Anyway, here's the latest so grab a coffee. We arrived in Gokarna on the West Indian coast on Siân's birthday where (for $3) we found a gorgeous hotel room with T.V and balcony before wandering through the small, traditional town to a long sandy beach. We watched the locals play cricket and paddled in the warm Arabian sea, then watched sunset, accompanied (as is normal everywhere in India) by (beach) cows. The next day, after visiting one of the many ancient temples in the town, we set off to find Om Beach, a picturesque and secluded beach far from the hassles of everyday India (and God did we need it!). We trekked for hours in the hot sun, past the town's open air communal swimming, bathing, washing and who knows what else tank. We then climbed high into the hills, before eventually decending to the beautiful, unspoilt, sandy beach where a handful of locals lived in huts and a few foreign tourists hide in the palm trees in a small café / hostel. Our route back was a little more adventurous as we followed the meandering cow paths along the long rocky coast to another sandy beach where the stars had fallen out of the sky and left hundreds of imprints all over the sand (they were star fish that had been washed ashore!). We eventually arrived back in town with enough time for Siân to do some (obviously essential) clothes shopping before dinner. After another long, gruelling bus journey inland we arrived in Hospet late at night and clambered into a rickshaw to take us to the ruined city of Hampi. Once the capital of the area and full of tales of gold, gems and impressive buildings, the small town that now exists is littered with ruined temples, monuments and grand, granite buildings. Arriving in the town at night with the moon lighting up the ruins was really cool. The landscape was surreal, like someone had dropped huge boulders from the sky littering the landscape as far as the eye could see. They were precariously balanced one on top of the other with the columns of ruined buildings perched on top, contrasting against the sky. The next day we lazily wandered around the shops and gypsy stalls, snacked in the coffee shops and prepared for our early morning guided tour the next day. We set off with two other couples on hired bikes, going round all the monuments, temples, palaces and gardens with an excellent guide. After lunch we took a small round boat (coracle) down the river, (which looked like teacups floating along), to the facinating Vittala temple. The solid stone columns of the temple ring like bells when tapped, each having a different sound yet looking identical. We then climbed up a mountain to watch sunset over the ruins, before wandering down to the town's main temple during worhip time (puja), where a cheeky young girl entertained us with her antics.From Hampi we headed for Badami, home of more magnificent cave temples carved into a mountain side rich with amazing decorations, statues and scenes from ancient Hindu tales and myths. We again climbed to the top of a temple packed hill (gradually getting Siân ready for the Himalyas!) for a view of the town. Another bus ride North took us to Bijapur and now is probably a good time to describe the hell of Indian bus journeys! A bouncing, swerving metal cage with bench seats (just like the truck was in Africa) absolutely packed with Indians of every generation, background and wealth with no space for our backpacks (oh and children throwing up!- nice). Amazingly, everyone ensures they get a seat for the frantic, bumpy journey ahead. As the buses career down the narrow roads, sounding their horn at every opportunity and winding in and out of the traffic, it's often best to concentrate on the scenery or 'people watch' the locals as they do us incessantly. Staring is not considered rude here and they just look you up and down for ages whilst you shift about uncomfortably. Bijapur was nothing special really, we visited a massive mausoleum, where after climbing up the high towers, you reach a whispering gallery that echoes every sound over ten timnes. Unfortunately, it is packed with loud Indian tourists who as normal, have no qualms about being as loud as they possoibly can be with little or no regard for anyone else! It has really surprised us just how,(by western comparisons), rude and obstructive people can appear to be and what's more amazing is that in a country as populated as this, with so many cultures, languages and religions, somehow it is all just accepted, and everyone just gets on with it. There is no concept of quiet, even at 4 in the morning when most are still sleeping, they yell and scream at each other and on transport, personal space is non existant. It's taking some getting used to! In the train and bus stations, queues of people wait in turn while others just barge to the front, when getting on the buses or trains, grown adults push and shove each other like children to get on, even before others have started getting off, leaving no room for anyone to go anywhere. But that's India! From Bijapur, we started another long, gruelling journey North by bus and train to Aurangabad, after which we slept solidly for a day, only venturing out to eat at the friendly local restaurant and watch the fireworks for Diwali. Diwali is one of the biggest festivals of the year across India and the beginning of the Indian financial new year. It combines celebrations, fireworks (randomly and dangerously set off in the streets by the children and bursting all ear drums in a 20 metre radius) and street art (rangoli) to welcome Laxshmi, the godess of wealth into their homes. When we eventually recovered we visited the small town of Ellora, famous for fabulous Buddhist cave temples from around the 6th Century. The size, scale and work that went into the elaborate scenes and statues, all hewn from the side of a mountain, is amazing. Even more so, a whole temple cut from the rock was just too incredible and we left feeling a bit 'templed out'. The next site of Ajanta was a bit of a disapointment, really touristy (local tourists) with limited access to the temples and the highlight, the 2nd Century B.C cave paintings, really badly lit and clumsily 'restored'. The site itself was really impressive, a horseshoe shaped cliff face with grand cave entrances looking down onto a winding river running below. But this alone wasn't enough to impress. We left Ajanta later that day after peacefully sitting with our bags by the side of the road waiting for a bus. We found a gorgeously clean hotel room (the best in India we're sure!) that night in Jalgaon and arranged our 11 hour train journey North to Ahmedabad the next day. We are gradually coming to accept that hotels with anywhere near clean bedsheets are a rare find in India which can be really horrible at times. The following day the train was packed! Siân found a seat next to a disgruntled Indian family (so far we've found that generally the more educated and wealthy, the less friendly and generous) while Kev sat with an Indian soldier on a bunk high up in the train carriage. It was long, tiring and bizarre. Travelling by train is a whole other experience that we just won't understand .....ever. Sometimes tickets can be reserved in advance, sometimes not, mostly not for the class of travel that you want, but often you can just jump on with a general ticket, fight for a seat and try to avoid the inspector. It varies so dramatically from being led to your bunk and handed towels, pillows and clean sheets by the inspector, to standing for hours in a carriage packed with families, being bumped and abused by the vendors of chai, highly annnoying kids toys and Bombay mix type stuff and other snacks. Our original plan was to head to Nepal next for a bit of trekking during peak season, but there are a few problems there at the moment so we decided to delay a little and head North to a hill resort called Mount Abu. We arrived at night and endured a long winding taxi ride which took us to Indian tourist central in the peak season (we thought Diwali was finished but the holiday lasts longer there). All hotels were full with no room to spare, luckily we found one with a wonderfully peaceful rooftop terrace where they offered to let us sleep in the open but we convinced them to allow us to pitch our tent much to the delight of Kev who has been carrying it for the last 5 weeks with no sign of using it. We had thought of sending it home as we won't really need it until Australia. Staying on the rooftop terrace in Mount Abu was so relaxing. The guy who works there, Lalit, does morning and afternoon walks to little known and unbelievably peaceful sights considering the tourist chaos of the rest of Mount Abu. We went with him and a few other foreign tourists to a deserted 'secret' lake and to a mountain ridge for sunset. However, by far the most spectacular sights were the Jain temples. Jain's are a very strict branch of Hindus who do not believe in killing any living thing (because God is present in everything) and their temples carved completely out of white marble are spectacular, even for the most temple weary visitors. From the outside, very plain, but inside the most amazing, intricate, elaborate and beautifully carved patterns, figures, animals and scenes on columns, walls and ceilings on such a large scale. We left Mount Abu early on Monday 3rd Novemeber on a 5 hour coach journey to Udaipur, famed for (amongst other things) being the set of James Bond's Octopussy. Udaipur has been and is, excellent. The India we had been hoping for. We have been staying in a peaceful and friendly family haveli (a large, converted mansion surrounding an open courtyard). The first couple of days turned into extended shopping trips with Siân getting beautiful, made to measure, silk outfits. We also visited the elaborate city palace and cruised the lake at sunset to the sound of Indian army bagpipes! and we found some of the best food in all of India at a small local café. Udaipur has been really good but tonight we move North to Jaipur by sleeper coach. Nepal is still on the cards as we have a Canadian couple, Winston and Jen, heading there to report on it for us! We are really hoping it works out and we can go.Anyway, that about brings you all up to date. Take care all and write to us with what you've been up to.K & S.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1064713560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1064713560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/rtw_2002/1064713560/tpod.html Wed, 08 Feb 2006 16:06:32 -0500 Breezed through Africa, Struggled through India, Trekked in Nepal, Relaxed in Asia, Drove Oz & NZ, Danced through South Am, Explored Central and N. Am, Froze in Canada... 2.5 years wasn't long enough!

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Mumbai (Bombay), India

Yes, we are in India and don't we know it! Everybody said it would be intense but the past few days have been unbelievable. Firstly, back to Cape Town. After staying there for over three weeks we said 'goodbye' to our friendly, quiet, hostel which had become our 'home' and hired a car to take us to Johannesburg via a few South African sights. Initially we decided to hire the car for a few days as it worked out to be the cheapest method of transport but, well we extended it and blew our budget a bit. Too late now though! We drove along the famed 'Garden Route' stopping at a couple of the 'must see' beautiful bays and beaches. Overall the scenery was pretty nice where the forested mountains drop dramatically to meet the sea and where an old steam train follows a track right on the edge of the coast. However, tourism has really set in big time and the once beautiful bays are now full of new B&Bs, cafes and tourist hotels, but at least the surfers were entertaining. We stayed a night at a horse ranch where the next day we coaxed two stubborn horses through forest tracks. This was Sian's first time ever on a horse and only Kev's second so we must have been an amusing sight. Kev's horse grabbed every opportunity to stop for a bite to eat while Sian's was a little more erratic about which route to follow, some of which were definitely not wide enough for them both to avoid the branches with Sian letting out random yelps. Back on the road with purple bruised knees, and after a few more stops at quaint little towns along the coast, we reached Port Elizabeth and a wonderful hostel set amongst the rich suburbs. It was here that we found out about a Lion Park that allows visitors to hug captive bred lion cubs. It was a must for Sian who had waited patiently to see cubs in the wild, which just hadn't happened. So, joined by two German girls who felt the same, off we went. The park itself was fascinating, being able to get so close to lions of all ages really brought home how beautiful and powerful they are, but we're still not sure about the ethics of captive breeding animals such as these, and the adults there seemed a little frustrated in their enclosures. Meeting the cubs was very special. One in particular really captured our attention. White lions (not albino) are very rare and although part of Northern African mythology, were only ever found in the wild in one part of South Africa. The lion park had a white lion cub, as white as snow with blue eyes, they had called him 'Mr. Whitey'. He was about six weeks old, very playful but also very sleepy, Sian was in heaven as it snuggled on her lap suckling her thumb. The other cubs were gorgeous too but a couple of weeks older and much more boisterous. There were also three cubs which were only two weeks old, too young to handle but tiny and unbelievably cute!From Port Elizabeth we set off to discover the 'Wild Coast', an area apparently undisturbed by tourism and full of natural beauty, but having seen so many beautiful beaches in Africa already it didn't make that big an impression. So, we left early and headed into the Drakensberg mountains. The hostel we chose was at the foot of the 'Sani Pass', the only road into the mountainous country of Lesotho from the East. The road was quite rough, even to the hostel, so we trekked for a few hours to take in the dramatic mountain scenery and Eucalyptus forests before driving further North to the Drakensberg Amphitheatre, an array of peaks that form a massive horseshoe shaped enclosure where even the views from the hostel were fantastic.Next we drove through the rolling plains of Kwazulu Natal and into dreaded Johannesburg. Taking care not to get lost, it wasn't that bad, for all the hype it gets we found our way around easily enough and although we camped in the garden of a hostel that was securely locked at night, it was perfectly fine. We arranged our Indian visas and flights and as we had 5 days before they were processed we decided to head off towards Kruger National Park for a few days, our last NP before leaving Africa. We passed through a fascinating former gold mining town called Pilgrim's Rest and visited 'Bourke's Potholes' where two rivers meet and the swirling water combine with rock particles to create strange rock formations. We also visited 'Gods Window', where spectacular views of the Blyde river canyon can be seen, but unfortunately, not by us as the clouds rolled in and the weather turned pretty miserable as soon as we gained altitude, visibility was cut to a few metres. We stayed a night in Phalaborwa, a small town on the edge of Kruger so that we could get into the park early the next day (6:30 am). The morning's game drive along the perfect tarmac roads (not the norm for game parks) was pretty uneventful with only a few elephants, giraffe and zebra about but the weather was a little wet and windy - not the best for game viewing. Later on, some young hyenas wandered onto the road and mischievously tried to chew the bumper off the car in front. Then the rain arrived again but that didn't stop two lions from tucking into a new kill near a watering hole. We camped that night in the park and set off early again on dirt track roads heading further East near the border with Mozambique. It was on this road that we found a pride of 5 lions lazing in the early morning sun, the most lions that we had ever seen. Along with a few other cars, we watched them for a while before a couple of younger lionesses approached the roadside and started digging into a drainage tunnel which ran under the road. More of the lions took an interest as they investigated the commotion and it became obvious that an animal was trapped in the tunnel. Slowly, one by one about 12 lions appeared from nowhere, howling through the tunnel as they dug frantically but just couldn't squeeze themselves in. The big male took a disliking to a Mercedes car parked just a little too close by and proceeded to chew the edge of the boot! Once the lions had lost interest in whatever was in the tunnel they retreated back into the bush, out of sight and then suddenly they began to howl which echoed loudly around us, the most amazing sound ever! We set off again and soon came across a (not so elusive anymore) leopard sitting in a distant tree with a new kill. We saw more elephant, deer, buffalo and giraffe and cautiously passed a troop of baboons walking along the road, one carrying the body of a long dead baby. Just before sunset we found two lionesses with cubs sitting in the long grass amazingly close to the road. Sian was so pleased that we had seen cubs in the wild that after another night camping in the park we returned early the next morning for a better view. Unfortunately they soon attracted so much interest, with around 15 cars parked at all angles vying for a better view, that the lioness backed off leaving the cubs alone and squawking. Thankfully though she soon returned to pick the cubs up by the scruff of their neck and take them further into the bush. We then headed into the far South of the park, searching for Rhino. The landscape became really dry and rocky with few animals to see. This year has been particularly dry and most of the water holes and rivers have dried up leaving the animals with little vegetation or drinking water. It is due to this that we had our best sighting. As the sun was setting and we headed towards one of the park exits we visited just one last watering hole, which seemed almost empty, when suddenly, from nowhere, a leopard casually wandered over, lay down for a drink, then got up and disappeared again. We were all alone watching him and it was such an amazing sight and so rare. Even as we drove out of the park we continued to spot animals lit by the glow of the last rays of sun and made our memories of Kruger really special. We stayed the night in a town called Hazyview, where a couple had just set up a new backpackers hostel. The guy is a park ranger and runs courses in game ranging and anti-poaching with an almost guaranteed job at the end of it. We were so tempted to sign up for one but India was calling and we were a bit 'Africa'd out' by then. You never know though, we may return because working on an animal conservation and anti poaching unit really appeals! Back in Johannesburg we picked up our Indian visas with no problems at all and spent a few days relaxing before heading for the airport on the morning of Sunday 21st September. As we reached the back of the massive queue for checking in, we knew that the flight would be crowded, we then found out that it was overbooked by 80 people and it took two hours to check in, luckily we were among the last to squeeze on. The Kenya airways flight actually left twenty minutes later, three hours later we arrived in Nairobi airport, a grotty place, very grubby and rundown with power cuts every ten minutes and boarding announcements called by staff rushing into the sweltering, packed canteen and just shouting half remember calls for flights. A brief welcome back to Africa! We were unsurprised when after a six hour flight and at 5am in Mumbai airport, we found that our bags had not made the flight.As we left the airport and walked out into the hot (yes, hot at 6am) and humid air, jumped into an old Austin A60 style taxi, India suddenly hit us. The taxi ride was frantic as our driver cut in and out between lumbering old lorries and London style busses, past rickshaws and the occasional cow with everyone beeping horns like it really made a difference. We passed the Sheraton hotel on one side and at the other a multitude of two storey tin shacks lined the side of the road where in the early morning light people were emerging from sleep, from the 2 foot deep second storey, they climbed down a rickety ladder straight onto the road - washing, brushing teeth and dressing in the filthy overcrowded streets. Even at that time in the morning Mumbai was one heaving, stinking, noisy and hellishly hectic city. We headed into Colaba, Mumbai's 'tourist centre', where the first couple of hotels we checked out seemed to double up as shelter for the homeless. We eventually found a nice enough place, clean and at a decent rate (as Mumbai's accommodation price can easily rival any western city) and crashed out. We woke up 12 hours later and grudgingly went in search of food. Our meal that night was excellent, real Indian cuisine in a simple café-restaurant, for about two pounds. When we returned our hotel guy asked us if we'd like to appear as extras on the set of a Bollywood (India's Hollywood) film. We readily accepted as it would be a great introduction to India and early the next morning we jumped onto a bus with a few other westerners bound for the city's film studios. We were given costumes for the parts, Kev in a suit and Sian in an Indian style dress, and positioned as guests at a party, drinking, dancing, clapping and generally making fools out of ourselves during one of the films big song and dance routines.Apparently the big names of the film (Kal Ho Naa Ho) are major Indian movie stars (Shuruk Khan and Priety Zinta) and appearing in the film was a major privilege. Imagine our horror when we discovered it'll be released in the U.K. too! The grand, colourful set and the filming was fascinating to watch and all the colourful dancers and the performances were really impressive. It was however, a really long day with loads of rehearsals, takes and just sitting around waiting. We were well fed and watered and even got paid a whole 500 rupees each (around $10) for the day which was hilarious. The Iranian couple who arranged it all then helped us to get back to the airport (by vastly overcrowded train and rickshaw) where we were finally reunited with our bags and about $50 compensation each which wasn't bad at all for a 24 hour delay. Mumbai itself is reasonably westernized but really intense. Everywhere there are people trying to attract your attention to sell you everything from balloons and drums to silk and incense. The people are mostly friendly and genuine and there are many beggars and street children but only the kids persistently hassle you for money and they all have a story to tell. We have been sightseeing at a leisurely pace, mainly to silk and silver markets, art galleries and just wandering past the many old British colonial buildings, crumbling and stained from the constant traffic. The Gateway to India is not far away, where the recent bomb blast hit but everything seems normal enough, for what we expect of India anyway. There is so much to see in the country that it has confused our original plans a bit, but there's no real hurry!Anyway that's enough for now. We've been away a year already and can hardly believe it! Hope you are all well and happy,Take care,K & S.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/scotland_pod/1136041080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/scotland_pod/1136041080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kevandsian/scotland_pod/1136041080/tpod.html Sat, 14 Jan 2006 18:23:52 -0500 'Be happy while ye'er leevin, for ye'er a lang time deid.' (Scottish proverb)

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Caerlaverock, United Kingdom

Having spent a couple of days after Christmas at Sian's Dad's, it was time to leave so we decided to stop in Dumfries and Galloway on the way back to do a bit of sightseeing. We saw a sign off the motorway for King Robert the Bruce's cave which turned out to be a small cave at the back of a campsite where he reputedly hid from the English king during the Wars of Independence. It was whilst there that he watched a spider spinning a web, falling and then getting up and trying again which inspired him further and he went on to defeat the King of England and re-establish independence for Scotland. It's a cool story if nothing else!! We carried on along the South West coast and stoppped next to look at the Ruthwell Cross. It's an 18ft cross from the 8th century which was smashed and buried during the Reformation. To be honest it was very uninspiring or maybe that was just the location as it's kept in a church, but we didn't think much of it! Our next stop though was quite the opposite, Caerlaverock Castle - a picture perfect ruined castle which is easily one of our favourites. It's really characterful with a moat around it but bizarrely, inside is the Rennaissance style Nithsdale Lodging built by the Earl of Nithsdale during the 1600s - so its effectively a building within a building. We wandered in and around it, taking lots of pics, before heading further West along the coast to our last stop of the day, Sweetheart Abbey. Another good story - the abbey was founded by Devorgilla de Balliol from whom it takes it name. She carried around the embalmed heart of her husband (John Balliol, founder of Oxford college) for the last 22 years of her life until she died and was buried along with it, in a casket in the abbey. Although it was founded in 1273 it's pretty much intact apart from it's roof. Definitely worth a wander around although it was starting to get dark and wet so we didn't stay long.Anyway that's it for now, more exploring Scotland to follow in 2006!K & S.
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