TravelStream™ news feed for member phil_and_lisa on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/phil_and_lisa en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:35:37 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1035170160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1035170160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1035170160/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:35:37 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Cape Reinga, New Zealand

First stop in our van (Stan) was Takapuna Beach. We went out in the rain to maybe see if we could catch anyone watching the New Zealand V Australia rugby league match but couldn't find anywhere. Just when we were about to turn back we saw a light on ahead.... the Sin Bin sports bar beckoned and we managed to find a seat near the front of the big screen before 150 kiwi fans descended. What an atmosphere!! They lost in the last moments but it was such a buzz to be there.Back at the doctors, they still wouldn't release me from Auckland as the abcess wasn't healing. They couldn't use the room for the rest of the day as they suspected I might have some sort of bug that would have infected everone else! So we whizzed across to Paha which is a surf dude beach and has the highest wave count in the world. We had a walk on the beach but only saw one guy braving the surf as it was soooo rough.The next day we went for a walk to Kitekite Falls and saw absolutely no-one else the whole time. When we reached the falls we were surrounded by forrest and scrubland and it was like we had found a secret place where no-one would ever find us. Phil of course, had to get close to the edge and made me walk across the river on the stones but the views were worth all the walking and danger. New Zealand is so beautiful and unspoilt and everyone is so eco-friendly to make sure it stays that way.Back at the doctors, after some pursuasion, they let me go under strict instructions not to go walking for too far and not to go in the bush away from medical facilities. So we began our journey north and headed for Whangerei (pronounced Fun-ar-ay.... boy have we had fun with this Maori language!!) We parked up on a little bay in Whangerei heads that was overlooked by about 10 houses and only had enough room in the bay for about 2 boats. We slept there overnight with me only half asleep just waiting for someone to come and move us on - (oh how I love being British!!) Next day we headed for the Bay of Islands which was fantastic. Beautiful harbour, gorgeous beaches and fantastic mountain and forest views. Had my dressing changed (again) and found a camp site that brewed it's own lager! It was also near Hururu falls so we had a wander up there too but it wasn't Kitekite. Talking of Kitty though, we had a visitor in our van in the shape of a creamy coloured cat who plonked himself down on Phil's lap for the evening!Next day we went out on a boat from the Paihia harbour to explore the Bay of Islands. Phil got nominated chief for the trip. I'll let Phil explain what this entailed....." I was standing on the harbour side when this big semi-naked Maouri geeza came charging towards me. He was grunting a lot and waving a big stick. He came up to me and made a number of swipes at my head that I skillfully evaded by staying totally still. He then placed a twig on the floor. We had been told that this was a traditional Maouri challenge and that if I picked up the twig we came in peace. At this point I did consider replying with the traditional English challenge of 'Come and have a go if you're hard enough!' but thought better of it because he was a big man with a big stick and I was a small man with no stick. So to avoid a diplomatic incident I picked up the twig and followed the Maouri warrior to the boat where I had to press noses with him (needless to say I checked his sexual orientation before doing this). Once this was all over I was told that my wife now belonged to the Maouri warrior. Oh well can't win them all. The trip itself was great but very rough. We went out to the Hole in the Rock but couldn't go thru cos of the weather. We didn't see much of the wildlife because of the weather, just one seal. I had to hold back a laugh as a very green looking German leaned over the side to be sick and got drenched by a wave (she should have put a towel on her seat!)" Back to LJWatched the semi-finals of the cup rugby in the bar with a beer - very nice!After a bit of a lie in we headed for Whaitangi which is the most important place for in NZ historically as this is where the treaty was signed in 1876(I think ?) giving Britain sovereignty. There was a massive war canoe built to celebrate 50 years, a fab beach and a house that the Governor General used to live in. For some reason, we messed about doing Haka poses with our tongue out and Phil took a picture on the understanding that I would then take one of him. Of course he had the camera and fell about laughing at my vulnerability as he had no intenion of capturing his stupidy on film. He laughed about this all day. Yes dear. Very funny. Then it was onto Kaitia which is the last town in the North. We stayed in a park on the edge of the 90 mile beach (actually 96 kilometers not miles) and had spit roast lamb and roast potatoes while watching the other rugby semi-final in the bar with some Kiwis we met there.PTO for more exciting adventures.Pip and Red
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1034300940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1034300940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1034300940/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:24:44 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Nadi, Fiji

We've now arrived in New Zealand so this is the last installment of fabulous Fiji.We had another couple of days out before we left and spent the remainder of the time chilling out by the pool as we were told that it was snowing in New Zealand!!We took a day trip to Mystery Island on a big sailing boat but this time we had to get into a smaller boat to get onto the Island. We still had to get out in the water though and it was a little way from the shore. Yet another Kava ceremony and then out snorkelling. This was better than the other island as there were loads more fish and we were in the water for longer. I got quite brave and went around on my own while Phil dived down among the coral. We saw parrot fish, rainbow fish, lots of blue starfish, sea cucumbers and millions of other little turquoise and blue fish. Phil saw one with a pointy nose and a poisonous starfish. After lunch we went handline fishing but neither Phil or I caught anything. Then we jumped into a kayak and went off for a paddle but we are incredibly unfit so we didn't last long and we kept getting swept into shore. Then it was back on the boat for the trip home where we found that it was cloudy again despite having glorious sunshine on the island all day.The other trip we took was the best one I think. We went up into the mountains right to the top in a little minibus and then trekked down for 2 hours to a remote fijian village. All the villagers had scruffy clothes on and it looked like something out of National Geographic. We thought before we went that it might be a touristy type village but we were really pleased that it wasn't spoiled at all. We went into one of the wicker huts for another kava ceremony and Phil and our friend Martin impressed the villagers by drinking copious amounts of it. Then we had lunch on the floor served by a woman who looked like Freddy Boswell with no teeth but bless her she had put on her best dress as I think we had caught her unawares when we first turned up! We had tinned fish with pumpkins, taro leaves in coconut milk, cooked corned beef with onion and cassava, washed down by real lemon tea. Only after we had eaten all we could and left the house did the villagers tuck in. We wandered around the village taking pictures of the kids who gigled and pointed at us and hid behind doorways and trees if they thought they had been seen. It was great to see a real village and see how the people and farmers really live, even if they did laugh at our hobbling about in bare feet while they strode around on the rocky ground without a care in the world. The villagers all had big grins and looked so happy and the children played with no toys but couldn't want for anything and were safe and happy. I would like to have lived there forever (but they didn't have flushing toilets!)So on 10th October we left the comfy Beachside Resort with the fabulous staff and left our new found friends to find more in New Zealand. Captain (bar and restaurant manager) wrote us a song to send us off and we discovered that one of our cats had run away so we were really sad to leave and could quite easily have stayed there for the whole year.Meanwhile, the mozzie bite on my hip was growing ever bigger and more and mroe painful to the point where I couldn't sleep. Check out the next travelog (New Zealand) to find out what happened.....Over to Phil....Bula my friends this is your Kava King speaking! Just a few important extra notes to add to LJ's report. The daytrip to Mystery Island was made especially good by the fact that you got 6 tokens for drinks each for the day. There wasn't much time to drink in the day but on the way back the Fiji Gold beer really started to flow. Shameless as we were we even managed to acquire some little old ladies tokens to drink away. In my drunken state I later discovered she was from Banbury!!The conclusion on Fiji is that it was a great place where I could quite happily have stayed for weeks. The people are really friendly and would do anything for you (except the touts!). If you ever get a chance to visit I can gaurantee you will love it.Anyway off to NZ to try the Steinlager!TTFNPip and Red
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1033872000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1033872000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1033872000/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:20:17 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Nadi, Fiji

So now we really feel like travellers as we have been away for over 2 weeks!!The last week has been spent basically relaxing by the pool and reading, drinking copious amounts of the local lager (Fiji Gold - very nice too), and chatting to other travellers (well two actually, who have become our "sharing expenses" buddies). Beachside Resort is fabulous and very quiet and clean. There are no dorms so the place attracts mainly adult couples which makes it seem like a normal holiday. Our first bure cost $45 dollars a night (divide by three to get English pounds and you'll undersatnd what a bargain this place is) but we are now in a beach view apartment at $60 per night as they got booked up. Beach view is a little ambiguous but you can see it if the wind blows the trees far enough to the left. The food is great too and our biggest chore of the day is waiting for the special to be announced whereby we spend the rest of the adfternoon contemplating what to have for tea. We've both tried the Ika Vaka Lolo which is the local fish poached in coconut milk with lime and spices ($16 dollars) and is the most expensive thing on the menu along with peppered steak at the same price. We started going through the cocktails last night but only made it to 2 (one pina colada and one angry Fijian...don't ask!) The staff are great, especially Captain who runs the bar and restaurant at only 22 (just last week) and tells us funny stories about real Fijian life. He and all the other staff make us feel like we are their special friends but I'm sure that is the way everyone feels. The only down side (apart from the black sandy beach) are the bugs. Plenty of mozzies biting into us and penty of ghekkos biting into them. We also have a fight each night with a couple of cockroaches (well Phil does, I just stand on the bed and scream "there it is!") Why they always come in two's we don't know but we just flip them on their back and leave them. We do however, now sleep with the light on to try and keep them away!We did have a couple of days out this week though:2nd October - Natadola beach (taxi $85 for four people from Nadi). This is the busiest and most beautiful beach in all of mainland Fiji. Gorgeous turquoise blue water and white sand with the occasional shell (which sometimes ended up in my hands). We say busy but someone came to sit about 200 feet away from us and I was forced to yell "There's someone sitting their mate" in my best Fast Show impersonating voice. I even had a go at horseriding! The horse was very skinny and the saddle wasn't like I'm used to and the buckles of the stirrup dug into my leg and I have a NASTY bruise. We did gallop through the waves with no helmet and just in my bikini top and pyjama trousers so it felt very romantic. So apart from the traumatic journey of getting to the beach (over a tiny wooden bridge, through a building site, but mostly along unsealed gravel roads) we had a great time even though the beach is all there is there (apart from people selling shells). Fantastic beach though.Over to Pip.Bula my friends!Before I tell you about our other daytrip I must comment on how Fiji life suits me. Everyone here is so laid back and everything happens in Fiji time. To convert the money you divide by 3 but to convert the time you times by at least 5!!! If LJ would let me I could quite happily stay here for the rest of the year.For those of you who know me well 2 amazing things have happened here. Firstly I have had breakfast every day (totally unheard of) and secondly I have had beers every night without feeling rough the next day(again unheard of). As I say Fiji really suits me.3rd Oct - Our first trip to one of the smaller islands. This was to Robinson Crusoe Island(made up name!) (cost of day trip including all the following and all drinks etc $70 each). After taking the same dodgy road as the day before we then boarded a small boat to take us to the island. Just as you would imagine for a desert island we had to get off in the water and were greeted by the islanders singing us ashore with a bula song. (Bula means life, cheers, hello....whatever you want it to) We were then welcomed onto the island by the chiefs representatives by a Kava ceremony. Basically Kava is the local drink made from taro roots that is supposed to cure everything. Picture a man in a loin cloth washing his smalls in a wooden bowl and then handing round the dirty wash water to drink and you get the basic idea! Kava actually makes your mouth go numb and tastes like bonjela. It is not alcoholic but is a bit narcotic. It causes great offence if you don't drink at least one so I pulled an old trick learned at rugby drinking games and poured half of it down my front! After the pant water it was time for some snorkelling. I thought this was great but LJ did her usual trick of swimming a-la Mark Spits from one end of the reef to the other frightening all the sharks away. We then had fresh coconuts picked from the tree (very Robinson Crusoe) and then there was more food from the lovo (underground bbq)and fiji bitter. The staff the did some fire walking and fijian dancing (pulling faces like Jonah Lomu). Then we had a crab race (which we didn't win) and then we waved goodbye via another ceremony and dancing (which oddly involved slapping ourselves on the bum) and got on the boat for home. Bu it didn't end there - there was more singing and dancing (where LJ made a fool of herself) and another ceremony involving throwing the leys (flowers) in the water to make sure we came back. I forgot to say that some of the true backpackers actually stay on the island. Having been there a while they had some lovely bunches of coconuts!!!Another tough day in paradise!!!! It will be very hard to leave this fantastic place but many more await.Well, the pool is calling our name (sorry for those of you reading this at work) and we need to get back to prepare for happy hour. Bye for nowPip and Redxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1032969480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1032969480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1032969480/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:01:41 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

New York, United States

Way Hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're on our way at last. Sorry it has taken a while to start this imfamous travelogue but like everything in NY internet access is expensive. We have now found out its free in the public library.Anyway we are in the Big Apple, probably home to the most unfriendly people in the world but ask us again in a year!We arrived safe and sound and wimped out and went straight to a hotel at the airport. This was nice and easy for the first night. The biggest thing that happened here and could turn out to be the highlight of the trip was bumping into Paul Daniels and Debbie Magee at dinner. We walked into the buffet and Paul said......."Your gonna like that, not a lot" and he was right.Friday 20th we set off on the Subway for the City and to try and find our hostel(what a come down from the Radisson). It was at this point we realised that either our bags were to big or our bodies too puny. To kick a man when he is down we were told our room was on the 5th floor and no lift. Central Park Hostel is Ok if a little noisy.(Private room with shared bathroom $75 per night) Married life is not the same in bunkbeds. The Hostel is about 100 yards from Central Park where we have spent many hours reading and sunbathing cos this is free.Saturday 21st we went to the Museum of the Native American (Free!!) and then went on a walking tour of the Financial district (free again). We also got into american life by having breakfast in the park. Like everything else here this is huge. A cwarfee or hat chacklit and a bagel or danish for about $2 each although this varies alot depending on where you are. The drinks come in a pint cup and the danish with an arm brace to help you lift it. After lunch we went on the Staten Island Ferry (free - are you catching a theme here?) where you get a good view of the Statue of Liberty and the NY skyline. The Statue cannot be climbed at the moment so we didn't stop.Sunday 22nd and we decided to go to the Empire State Building, after cwafee of course. You have to go up 2 different lifts to get to the viewing deck and the views are amazing. I have to say at this point that our plans for skydiving and bungee jumping in NZ have been put in serious doubt after looking over the edge.Now one of the major things about this trip is to try the cuisine of the countries we visit. So when in NY you have to try.......Ethiopian?! This was a real experience to say the least. Before I describe it I need you to think about taking up an old carpet and seeing the foam backing that has fallen off. Now amagine this folded up and served with every meal you have and you have a good picture of Ethiopian food!!!Anyway I've run out of time now so I'll continue this another day.TTFNPip and Red
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1061647320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1061647320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1061647320/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 05:48:15 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

21st Aug - It was now time to worry about Jaipur after hearing similar horror stories to Agra but again we found things were okay. The train journey was very quiet and comfortable as we'd splashed out a bit and gone for an air con as it was 7hrs and another obscenely early start.We went to our chosen hotel which had gone more than a little up market since it's entry in the Lonely Planet. We negotiated and got a very nice room in a lovely quiet hotel with a garden and little people running around in white suits and red berets looking like Captain Sensible to look after us. While I was negotiating, the driver that we got from the train station was showing Pip his family photo album in a bid to convince us to book him for the next day. 22nd Aug - Sightseeing Day 1. Jaipur is known as the pink city as the old parts of the city, within the city walls, were painted (unsurprisingly) pink as a sign of welcome to the Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VII. It's kind of an orangey pink and not everyone keeps up with this but you do get a pinky feeling in the old city nonetheless. We drove through the bazaar area which is actually shops rather than any ethnic type market and we walked around for a while trying to find the entrance to the Heaven Piercing Minaret. Eventually we found it out the back of a shop and wound our way up the slope to the top. It was quite dark because there were pigeons nesting in the trellis windows and we saw lots of newly hatched chicks (aaahhh). From the top we had amazing views over the city with thousands of flat rooves and the mountains surrounding us studded with temples and forts. After this the days sightseeing went a bit wrong. We had said that we wanted to see the bazaars, which we believed we had, but our driver wanted to take us elsewhere. In usual tuk-tuk style, he would get money just for taking us to a shop plus commission for anything we bought. We went to the government place to check prices but the quality of the goods wasn't up to much. Then we went to the place he wanted to go to and it was pretty rotten there too so after a few hours of looking and being pressured we came away with nothing but a bit of knowledge about what we did and didn't want. They ticked us off in this place straight away by trying to tell us something was hand stitched when the million trillion stitches were all exactly the same length. To try and prove his point he pulled a thread and a long line came away which made us even more distrusting about the quality. We were starting to run out of time and had intended to go to a particular fort a little further out. Instead we negotiated with him to have another day tomorrow with a car, as we wanted to go to another fort that was too steep for the tuk-tuks. Instead of the original plan we went to the city palace where the maharajah ruled from. The buildings were so ornate and stylish and we found ourselves taking lots more photos. There were several small displays dotted around the enclosure - textiles showed the various styles of turban in Rajasthan as well as saris and some of the maharajah's clothing. There is a huge coat from one of the maharajah's who was over 6ft tall and weighed over 250kg!! There was a weapons display as well featuring the most ornate guns and knives we have ever seen. They were encrusted with jewels and carvings and made from all types of precious and semi precious stone. They were also very well displayed and some were laid out in patterns with one set forming the word "Welcome". (This seemed a little weird - "Welcome" in guns...) There are also 2 urns displayed here that are the largest single pieces of silver in the world and they were used by the maharajah when he went to visit King Ed in Blighty. Apparently he filled them up with water from the Ganges as he didn't trust the English water - how ironic is that! The guards around the compound wore smart white suits, bright red chunri's (turbans with tails) and had fab curly moustaches and we took a classic photo of one of them hiding behind a pillar. It's all the more amusing as the guard is a person of restricted growth and was about 2.5ft tall. (Look out for this picture on day 3 of our slide show). We got asked for our photo pass here so we think he was actually a plant and we were glad we had gone back to get a pass as we would have been fined! We got back to the hotel and haggled some more with our driver who told us the price for the next day included two shops but we were adamant we didn't want to go which of course meant that the price went up. We settled on a price but he asked for his money for today and yesterday so we suspected he wouldn't appear in the morning. Relaxed in the quiet gardens with some tea watching the squirrels - how British!23rd Aug - CORRECT! - no driver. Went to McDonalds instead and booked a car through the very helpful people at the hotel. Our driver Sightee (how appropriate) was dressed in the white suit again and was extremely helpful and never once tried to take us to a shop or restaurant. We went to Amber fort first overlooking Jaipur and opted to walk up the steep cobbles. You can take an elephant adorned with paint and decorations but it was quite expensive. At the top we had amazing views over the surrounding areas and the fort palace itself was beautiful. It never fails to amaze us that the Indians made such stunning and intricate buildings so long ago (this one built in 1592) and yet now they seem to have no pride in them, for here, yet again, the walls and floors were covered in red splashes and blotches from betel nut chewing, which really show up on white marble. Standing on the steps admiring the views of the fortress walls tracing the mountains around us, and watching the elephants and listening to the old men playing instruments was all very atmospheric and we decided that we were really starting to like India, even if only Rajasthan. The women are more colourful and jingly here with very bright dotted and tie-dyed saris and lots of silver on their feet and gold on their ears, noses and foreheads. This is more the Indian we hoped we would find! This palace fort had an amazing mirrorwork ceiling and the usual intricate marble lattice work and inlay work and the whole thing was a fabulous example of Rajput architecture. Slightly higher up the hill was Jaigarh fort built in 1726 and this was a complete contrast. Very fortress like plain walls and lots of narrow corridors with guards making sure you didn't stray somewhere you shouldn't. High up on one of the ramparts is Jaya Vana, the largest cannon in the world. Further up the hill still was Tiger Fort which is the one we needed the car for. We only got a quick look around as it was about to close but it wasn't too big. There were 9 identical rooms, one for each of the maharajah's 9 wives so we only looked at 2. The views from the flat rooves here were the best of all and we could look at all the places we had visited in the last couple of days. It was also here that we enjoyed our first beer in India! We had one purely to celebrate that 4 weeks today we will be home in Britain! It started to drizzle a bit but we went up to the ramparts anyway to watch the sunset. We had great views but the sky was cloudy and we couldn't see the sun at all. Nevertheless the sky turned the most amazing magenta and purple colours so we felt it was worth the trip for sure. Very romantic and a wonderful end to our first stop in Rajasthan.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1062080340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1062080340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1062080340/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 05:42:17 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India

We asked the waiter for the desert and we ended up here in Jaisalmer!25th - This was only our second bus journey in India and we were not looking forward to it but it was actually okay. Both our seats reclined and it wasn't too bad a road so the 5 hours went fairly quickly. We passed various landscapes along the way including some sandy types and scrubby types and knew we were getting nearer to the dessert. Along the whole distance we saw hundreds, if not thousands of pilgrims walking to Jaisalmer to worship a particular god at a particular temple. This pilgrimage happens every year with people walking from all over Rajasthan with their belongings and children. They do a bit of worship when they get there and then walk back. Some got a bit tired and got on our bus and there were even people on the roof. We were mildly hassled by touts on the bus as the hotels want your camel safari business so they are desperate for you to stay with them. When we got off the bus there was such a commotion that we had to scream to be heard telling them to buzz off. They all seemed to have the same leaflet with different named hotels and each one would say "that one is bad, come to mine it is more romantic". We settled on the Golden City and told them up front we didn't want any camel safaris and they were okay with this but some places actually throw you out if you book one with someone else. It was here that we had our cheapest room of the entire years trip - 100r which is less than 1.30 (pounds)!! Since arriving in Rajasthan it has been really hot and humid but the clouds started to gather as we made our way up to the famous fort and we suspected that our sunset was about to be spoiled. The fort is where 25% of the city's inhabitants live so it is a living museum (the only one in the world) and looks like something out of the Arabian Nights with it's narrow alleys and tall buildings. We chose an Italian restaurant which came highly recommended and the views were stunning. We were virtually on top of one of the many ramparts and we could see the edge of the city and beyond was the Great Shar Dessert where we were thinking about a visit. We could see the black storm coming towards us and we headed for cover just in time. The food was quite nice but the setting was amazing and it was fun trying to find our way back through the maze of alleyways in the dark without treading in something or getting lost!26th - Had a bit of a wander around a couple of private museums but it looked like no-one had been there since the British left. We went down to the lake and looked at all the golden buildings and cenotaphs with their intricate carvings and sat on the steps taking in the atmosphere. Jaisalmer is soooo quiet compared to everywhere else, even Jodhpur, so you can really absorb the scenery and history of the area. There was a group of men in a minaret by the lake singing and clapping and we felt the calmest and most relaxed we have felt since arriving in India. Rajasthan has certainly been more enjoyable and traditional than elsewhere and we are finding ourselves having a really good time. Our faith in travelling was partially restored but then in the afternoon we ended up doing a short camel safari. The next log tells the story of our dessert adventures ..............
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1062233280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1062233280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1062233280/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 05:38:38 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

28th - After another bus trip we returned to the blue city of Jodhpur. We spent the afternoon trying to get a decent cup of tea which you would think was easy in India but not so. Can't recal if we told you already but the tea here (chai) is made from milk and not from hot water and incidentally they don't seem to have kettles at all so when we ask for a pot of black tea it takes ages. Then because we have asked for black, we have to ask for seperate milk and on this occasion the young chap still didn't understand so we had to resort to immitations of cows and udders. Then the milk was dodgy as they serve it hot so you often get bits floating in it. In the end we gave up! The evening was better as it was dry so we ate on the roof with a cool breeze looking out over the lights of the city and up to the huge fort above us. On another roof, a family were having a concert so we listened to diddly-dee Indian music for a while as we sipped a cold beer. As much as we are looking forward to coming home, times like this make us wish we could stay travelling forever. Such a simple and unexpected pleasant evening and all seems well with the world!29th - Set off on our village tour with two young Scots girls and a mad driver. Our first stop was a cow dung hut in the middle of the savanna. We looked around while the young lad of the family interrogated Pip as to his cricket knowledge. Luckily Pip's a bit of a fan so the lad took him off to his sleeping area to show him his posters and chat about Nassar Hussein and Mick Jagger (not sure what Mick has to do with cricket but I wasn't going to show my ignorance by asking.) Then Pip got a hard time about his beard from the old woman of the family. I asked our guide what the problem was, religion maybe? He replied "No, she's just a bit crazy!" We all sat on a mat and the old lady made us opium tea. She put opium paste into a little conical fabric bag and poured water through it several times into a little silver vessel which she then used to pour it into our hands for us to slurp it up. As the only male guest, Pip assured the crazy lady that he now felt much stronger and full of sexual prowess although none of us felt anything at all! While all this was going on the little girl of the family tried to relieve the girls of their jewellery and took a particular liking to my engagement ring. Luckily I used my knowledge of Hindu to distract her - this worked because they knew the same word in Hindi as I did! After assuring them that we wern't all married to Pip, we took our leave and headed for the next village.This one was bigger and could realistically be called a village and there were lots of people milling about as it was yet another festival day. We looked around another simple house with holes cut from the cow dung walls for shelves and a cupabord with holes in which was the larder. Pip tried on a turban (didn't really fit his big head) which was 9 metres long when we unwound it! There are so many versions of this Indian headgear with the various colours and styles all meaning differnt things that it can be very confusing! The kids here spotted our sweets and we were soon swarmed with little people hiding their hands behind their backs and pretending they hadn't had any yet - children are the same the world over!We stopped briefly at a bird park which was a fenced off area around a water hole but most of the birds were out for the day and we only saw goats and sheep. We did see one egret though (the ones here look a bit like herons). We then stopped at a durry house where the man makes rugs from heavy duty fibres as part of a co-operative. He showed us all the pictures from the posh magazines around the world featuring his work but unfortunatly none of the rugs appealed to any of us so we moved on to lunch. We stopped briefly to have a game of hide in the hedge with some wild peacocks and also saw some gazelles hopping about the fields.We had lunch at a rich villagers home. Rich meant they had land, it didn't mean they had a toilet, we had to use the field around the back! We played with the new born calf and then had salted melon while they cooked for us on their little bricks. We had to try and eat watery curd and vegetable soup with chapatis cooked over a cow dung fire. I got hungry in the end and tipped it up to my mouth which actually wasn't rude despite my initial concerns. We also had some sort of flower bud from a tree so all in all quite interesting but I wouldn't want it again. On our way out we saw them washing up in cold water using dirt and grass as scourers with cows wandering nearby!On the way to our penultimate stop we saw a very cute tiny donkey desperately trying to keep up with mum as she trotted through the scrub land. We arrived at the potters place and were amazed at just how cool the pots keep the water. We'd seen so many women and girls carrying these great pots on their head from the village wells and we could now see the use in them. The potter got on his knees in the yard and threw a small cosmetics pot and matching lid all by eye in about 3 minutes - we were enthralled! The two scots girls had a go and it didn't go so well but he was very complimentary. I bought a decorated version of the pot he made for 52p and after careful contemplation decided not to haggle with him. There was just enough time to stop at the block printers and make more purchases of bargain table cloths and bed spreads before continuing back to our guest house. As we got to the city I spotted a tiny baby elephant and our driver screeched around so that we could go and say hello. He was so sweet but he kept trying to eat my camera so I don't know how the photos will come out! We returned home tired but happy with great memories (and hopefully photos) of yet another side of Indian life.30th - Our last day in Jodhpur and we couldn't leave without seeing the fort so eventually we plucked up the energy to walk up there. We got lost among the alleys and steps but kept climbing and now and then someone would stick their head out of their front door and shout hello or tell us which way to go. Because of the pilgrims the fort was crazy with people, many of whom are not used to westerners. We were given an audio guide here amazingly but this just made people stare more as they don't do them in the local dialect. People kept trying to talk to us while the earphones were on as they didn't know what they were and they wanted photos of us or us to take photos of them if they didn't have a camera! At one stage while I was listening to the guide, a large group came in and starting touching my clothes and the camera and the head phones as if I was another exhibit! The fort itself was amazing as we've come to expect here but we are always gobsmacked by their ability to build on jagged rock so high up! We saw marks from cannon balls where the fort was attacked and hand prints of the 15 maharajah's wives that they made just before they all jumped on his funeral pyre (sati). We were most amazed by the zenana which was amazingly intricate. Zenana refers to the area where women lived in purdha (meaning veil) which kept them protected from "the lustful gaze of men" which I could appreciate. The jali screens around the courtyard meant they could see what was going on around the palace without being seen themselves. Here we both had our palms read - this is another story which we won't bore you with, suffice to say it wasn't completely accurate but did provide us with something to talk about. His parting advise to us was that he thought we were thinking about living together and we should go ahead because it was the right thing. He looked a bit miffed when we told him we'd been living together for the last 11 years and were heading for our 5th wedding anniversary - he'd obviously missed my wedding ring and the fact that we had the same surnames!After a good couple of hours bimbling about we headed for the beautiful white mausoleum for the maharajahs. It was eerily quiet compared to the fort and we again had amazing views of the city. Although not particularly blue overall, parts of the city are very blue indeed as painting the house in this shade is believed to keep away the mosquitos. Does it work you ask? Has it taken on elsewhere??!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1061971020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1061971020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1061971020/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 05:29:02 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Jaisalamer, India

26th Aug (part 2) - Two English gap year students, Pip and myself, all climbed into our jeep for the journey into the desert. We sped along with Indian diddle-dee music blaring as the radio was locked into one position and it made us jump each time the music started. The first stop was the royal cenotaph area for all the maharajahs and each shrine was decorated in typically intricate Rajasthani style. The stone from Jaisalmer is used all over the area as it is soft enough to carve fine detail and the golden colouring is what gives Jaisalmer it's nick name of the Golden City. It is more golden than Jodhpur is blue or Jaipur is pink because it is the natural colour and no-one has to go to the expense or trouble of painting their homes. Further out into the desert, which was scrubby and very flat, we stopped at a very simple and boring Hindu temple. Along the way we passed the occasional nomad village with their big tents and portable cooking areas. We also passed many herds of goats being shepherded about by young children seemingly miles from any buildings. Further on still we stopped at a Jain temple ("no leather or menstruating women please") which was so intricate and detailed with the carvings that it was mind boggling. Before long we picked up a few stray men and one of them sat on me in the front rather than asking me to move. I found out that this was our camel guide and we soon reached the said camels. Pip and I as the two adults got a camel to ourselves and the two youths rode with a guide behind them. We briefly spoke to the group coming off the safari that had stayed our over night and they were extremely glad to be going back as it had rained so much in the night and they had sat huddled under a small piece of plastic. After the initial fright of the camel standing up, we were off and I can tell you that it was agony from minute 1. Camels have a very odd gait that swings you backwards and forwards when they walk so my knickers were rubbing within seconds. Then we started trotting which was much more comfortable for the boys but was even worse for me. I was wearing several tight layers to try and minimise the bounce I had been warned about but it was no use. I had to hold my chest with my hands to stop myself getting black eyes but that meant I couldn't hold on. Walking or trotting, chaffing or jiggling, which was worse I cannot tell you. Anyway, the desert. We went through lots of scrubby savanna and apart from the camel flatulance it was eerily quiet. Every now and then we could hear the tinkling of the bells on the goats or the chatter between the guides and we could see nothing but scrubland all around us. Oddly some of the ground was very wet and the camels had to slurp their feet through the sandy wet soil which they didn't appear to like and grumbled and growled like Pip when it's time to get up in the morning. It was wonderful to be riding off towards the sunset and doing something completely different, even if it did hurt a bit. Of course, being India, there was a downside. I appeared to have picked out as the soft touch being the only female and the lead guide who reappeared after an hour began his patter on me. He told me how poor they all were and how there were not many tourists at the moment but he has to make sure everyone is happy because if you are happy you give tips. He went on to explain that people have given 1000 or even 2000r (13 or 26 pounds!!!) and that he is often given clothes, shoes, watches and jewellery. He believed English people gave the most which I disagreed with and told him how hard we have to work for each pound in our country but it didn't do any good. Each time I turned the conversation around to the camels of the scenery he would steer it back to costs and money. It's normal to give small tips or gifts to your camel guides but there was no-way we were giving anything now as I was made to feel so uncomfortable (by him not the saddle) and we had already paid a lot for the trip. I spotted some tracks but he couldn't explain what the animal was. Does it look like a mouse I asked, yes a big desert mouse he agreed. Later we saw a small gazelle leaping through the scrub and we all pointed to the 'big desert mouse' laughing. After 2 hours of chaffing and jiggling and "oh I'm so poor" we met the jeep among the dunes. We jumped off quickly and headed off into the sand rather surprised that our tour was over already. It was an hour from sunset so we had to wait around but then we looked at the sky - where the sun should be was thick white cloud, behind us the sky was black and it looked very dramatic against the yellow sand dunes. Unlike Sam sand dunes a little closer to Jaisalmer, these dunes were VERY quiet and unvisited by many tourists so it was a good area but we were disappointed in the quality of the tour and the lack of sunset. To cap it all the camel guides were still waiting for us at the bottom of the dunes when we were done exploring and the leader whispered to me about his money when we got in the jeep. I told him no sorry, and he walked away looking extremely annoyed, as was I. Why did he ask me for money and no-one else? We told the owner when we got back (2 hours early) and he was suitably embaressed but didn't offer any compensation.27th - Headed out to the fort to have a good explore around. The huge walls rise out of the barren desertscape giving a vision that shoudl only exist in fairytales. We got lost many times threading through the narrow alleys adorned with bright blankets and table cloths and milling with goats and cows. We got stuck at one point because a big bull was laying across the path but we managed to gently squeeze past avoiding his horns. I had my shoes sown up (flapping again) by a small boy for 15r and we took pictures of the brightly dressed women with huge gold coins through their noses and strings of gold around their hair and a ball of gold hanging on their foreheads. We visited some of the many temples within the walls of the great fort that stands over the city. The city was strategically important through it's position in the camel train routes between India and central Asia but now is important as it is so close to Pakistan. Partly due to the weather, there had been several power cuts each day here and big storms each night. Today the storm came early and was torrential with thunder and lightening and the works. We tried to venture out for dinner but the roads were too flooded. We tried the restaurant but it was still raining and it was open air so we had no choice but to eat in the room. About 3 minutes after it was delivered, the power went off and we ate our dinner in bed by candle and torchlight. Very romantic! During the night 3 rooves inside the fort collapsed but luckily no-one was hurt. We also discovered that 2 bombs had exploded in Bombay and killed about 50 people, there had been a stampede at a pilgrimage site in the east and about 30 people were killed, and a bridge collapsed killing a few more people. These are daily occurrences here with the population and infrastructure as it is but we were very glad not to be near any of them. Obviously we keep an eye on the Bombay situation but we've given up reading the papers here as they so full of gloom. On a much brighter note, we headed back to Jodhpur (the blue one) in the morning for a spot more sight seeing and some better weather.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1060085460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1060085460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1060085460/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 05:26:11 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Varanasi, India

5th August - We arrived in Varanasi on time but tired and feeling very grubby. Thankfully our bags were still with us after we padlocked them to the seat. Apparently not a day goes by on this journey without someone arriving without their backpack. The main budget area of Varanasi is down in the old town by the river but we thought we would rather stay away from the madness in the cantonment area. This turned out to be a very good choice as the hotel Surya was really nice. It is set overlooking beautiful gardens and has its own good reataurant. Our room was far better than the "decent" one in Calcutta and for half the price.Varanasi is one of the holiest places in India. It is set on the banks of the river Ganges and people come to bathe in the holy waters. They also come here to die as this is a very sacred place to be cremated and have your ashes sprinkled in the Ganges. As we only had a couple of days in Varanasi we had a quick shower and headed out again. We agreed a price with an autorickshaw for a few hours sightseeing and set off to try and get to the fort. The fort was on the other side of the river but the driver took us where we could get a boat to the fort. Unfortunately he dropped us miles from the fort and the boat would have cost a small fortune so we abondoned the idea. Instead he led us to one of the burning ghats (steps down to the water) where people are cremated. Before seeing it I had a vision of a huge blaze that you wouldn't be able to get near. Instead we saw what looked like about 6 small garden bonfires in varying stages. Some had been burning for a while where others had not yet been lit and you could see the shrouded body sitting on top. In one of the burning ones one of the workers was levering around a large log and we wondered why. It then dawned on us that it wasn't a log but a body where the arms and legs had burnt away. It was fascinating to see this sight although a little weird. The family of the deceased sit around watching this surrounded by the cows, dogs and goats that run free everywhere. There are a number of burning ghats at Varanasi and they all carry out numerous cremations each and every day. Luckily we didn't see any women committing sati which is where they throw themselves onto their dead husbands funeral pyre in self immolation. It's been outlawed for years but it does still happen as widows have a really hard time in India being women with no male support.As well as burning people Varanasi is also famous for it's silk weaving and somehow our driver managed to con us into a silk shop. It was interesting to see the child labour doing the weaving but we really didn't want to be in the shop. The owner was very friendly (well he would be wouldn't he) and kept getting out more and more silks for us to see. LJ then said to me that she felt faint and needed to get back to the hotel. We made our excuses to the owner and he feigned concern. Once outside it turns out she was ok and had faked it to get out - how devious can you get?! Worn out we returned to the hotel and booked a more organised tour for the next morning.6th - Up at 4.30am (yes AM!) to join our tour with four other English people and our guide Tripati. The reason for this early start was to do a boat trip on the Ganges at sunrise. We boarded our rowing boat at one of the ghats and our 2 oarsmen rowed us up and down the Ganges pointing out the various ghats and other sites. The sunrise was stunning especially against the backdrop of the Ganges. We were amazed at the number of people bathing in the river all along the riverbank. It was even more amazing to see people brushing their teeth and drinking the highly toxic water. Apparently, people who bathe in the river regularly live 10 years less than people who don't which makes you wonder why they think this is such a good idea. You have to realise that many of the sewers run straight into the river and the ashes of hundreds of people are also poured in each day. Apparently some people can't afford the cremation fees and are just dumped straight in the river. Our guidebook had warned that you might see the odd corpse floating by but luckily we missed this. After messing about on the river we were then taken to visit a couple of temples (which I can't remember the name of). The first was in the grounds of the university which is apparently the 3rd largest in the world. The second was really busy with a room packed with men frantically chanting away - and all this before I had even thought of breakfast! On the way back Tripati made a big play about the fact he was taking us to a government approved silk shop not one of the rip-off merchants that the rickshaw drivers take you too. Of the hundreds of shops in Varanasi guess what, we ended back at the shop we had escaped from the previous day. The owner was very pleased to see us and said he had prayed for LJ but we still didn't buy anything.That evening we boarded another sleepless sleeper train bound for Delhi.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1060530480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1060530480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/phil_and_lisa/pj-ljdotheworld/1060530480/tpod.html Mon, 06 Dec 2004 05:20:56 -0500 Old marrieds travel the world taking in Fiji, NZ, Oz, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and India.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Delhi, India

7th August - Arrived safely in New Delhi and walked to out chosen guest house as it wasn't far up the road. As usual on any walk anywhere, I was bumped and touched and added more bruises to my already sore body. Women aren't seen on the streets very much but any that are seem to be treated as fair game (especially western women) and are jostled just for the fun of it, it seems. Main Bazzar is a narrow road lined with shops selling clothing and some items of tourist tat and then guest houses, cafes and internet places etc. It also has a variety of chemists so has everything the tourist needs in one street.We had breakfast in a place with mice and then crashed out in a hot room but it was only 250r. When we managed to get up we headed to Connaught Place which is a circular area with upmarket shops and eating places. We found McDonalds! It's air conditioned and had plasma screens showing Indian music videos. Unfortunately it doesn't sell beefburgers, or bacon burgers due to the Hindu and Muslim traditions so we could only choose from chicken burgers, filet-o-fish or some dodgy sounding veggie things. It was heaving with people and goes to show that you make a place work if you do your research - 8 years of work before they opened in India! We went in search of a tourist place to book a tour of Delhi and as usual we had to fight off people trying to steer us into things we didn't want. After visiting various offices that pointed us somewhere else we found we didn't want to do the tour they offered - DEJA VU!!!!! Back in Main Bazarr it had suddenly got busy - India doesn't seem to wake up till lunchtime which goes against every other Asian nation who try and stay out of the heat. It was hard work walking towards our hotel avoiding rickshaws (auto and cycle varieties) beggars, touts, cars, buses and of course cows. Cows are a particular problem for me as animals don't like me and I worry that I will get stampeded or something. You have to be very careful of the horns end and of course the back end because the cattle, like the tourists, often have a runny bottom. Vehicles don't mind if they hit you or each other and in avoiding a car I was cycled into and got a nice tyre mark down my leg. Somehow I managed to find a salwar suit amongst all the mayhem - denim top and white scarf and trousers so it doesn't look too ethnic but they are certainly very comfortable. Not bad for about 5 quid!! This time I was more forceful with the sales men and asked them to leave the changing room and not to "help" me out of my clothes thanks.We had a bit of a problem in the room when we went back in that there was no electricity in one socket so they sent a little man to help. He put Pip's shoes on (rubber) which was lucky as he got several shocks and then he tried to get Pip to part with his swiss army knife even though it had his name on!8th - Checked into the Shelton across the road as it was bigger and had air con and a lovely powerful shower so we don't have to use a bucket. By the time our breakfast had gone down, Pip had come down with a dose of Delhi Belly and we were once again confined to barracks. With all these major and minor incidents we are starting to get paranoid that someone has it in for us and we have had it too easy up till now. We are both really tired (don't laugh we know we haven't been to work for ages) and both run down and very ready to come home so our immune systems are not working at their best. We also really can't be bothered with it all and it is taking a lot of willpower to keep going. I managed to brave the evening chaos and visit the chemist for Pip and we are so well aquainted with tummy upsets now that I even told the chemist what antibiotics he should have. Scared that he would end up in the hospital (he was so much more ill than me) we made sure he had lots of oral rehydration salts and that the air con was on full blast and by the end of the night he was feeling less toilet bound.9th - An appointment with the tri-nations on TV prevented us from going too far today (even though Pip was feeling much better) so we just headed to the train station to book our onward tickets. As we headed up the stairs to the foreigner booking office we were stopped and told it was being decorated and we should go to the head office. We were then led to a tuk-tuk to take us there and we got very suspicious and wanted to see the office being decorated. You might think this is crazy but we have really learnt that things are not usually as they seem. We had an argument with the people involved who didn't like us questioning their advice and another tourist asked them for ID and they got really narked. Eventually we went back to the stairs and there was a lot of shouting and they grabbed Pip's arm (not for long....) and demanded that we stop. Sure enough at the top of the stairs was a very open and very busy foreigner booking office. There was more shouting in there too (typical Israeli behaviour we have learned) due to a dodgy queuing system. This was all too much for us and we hid in the room till dinner time when we ventured out to TGI Fridays! The decor and style of food was the same but the menu was very small as again no beef (no tacos, no steak, no burgers, no chilli.....). We ordered far too much for our depleted appetites but really enjoyed the familiar food.10th - Started off in an imporium looking at pashmina shawls, bedspreads, silks, scarves and other lovely things (we avoided the nasty stuff much to their annoyance). After a few purchases we went back to McDonalds for lunch until the start of our tour (that we decided we would do in the end). At the counter I realised I had left my bag at the shop and we had no idea where it was or what it was called as a tuk-tuk took us there. Somehow we managed to give directions to another driver and all was safe although there was a lot of arguing with the driver and he insisted that our problem was solved entirely by him alone. Having left my hat in a shop yesterday I am seriously beginning to question my sanity and brain capacity and therefore my ability to return to work when we get home.Our tour started with a drive-by view of the blood soaked gate. The guide was speaking English but we found it hard to understand him but we think it was where the last moghals where killed by the British. Next stop was the garden area where Gandhi was cremated after being shot by a Hindu who didn't agree with his ideals of every religion living together. His ashes were thrown in the ganges in Varanasi so this is where people come to remember him and there is a service every Friday which is the day he was killed. The stone is inscribed simply "oh God" - his last words. There was a couple of young Irish girls on the bus wearing very little and they couldn't understand why all the men were staring and wanting to take photos of them rather than the memorial stone. I tried to broach the subject of them covering up a little but it fell on deaf ears - at least I tried. Our next stop was the old fort but only a few buildings remain - a beautiful mosque, the gate house, and the octagonal tower which was Hamuyan's library and where he fell to his death. Don't ask us who he is as we never did understand that part but the fort used to be the city of Delhi a long time ago. (Delhi has been moved several times, not including old Delhi and now New Delhi.) True to the guide's word "every twenty feet or so you will see young couples having the good time". Each bush cast shade over a couple canoodling and we noticed that the men were kissing and holding hands too but this is just their culture - homosexuality is quite hidden here. Hamuyan's tomb was next and was stunning. Apparently the Taj Mahal was modelled on it though they are made of different materials. They both have water out the front and big onion domes for the roof and this one contained 110 burial sites all together. The grounds were so well kept and it was actually quite peaceful which just prooves that people can keep things clean and nice when they try. Of course the guard who pointed the right exit out wanted a few rupees for his trouble and a souvenir seller was insistent that our life would not be complete without a wooden snake so we knew we were still in India. It is such a place of contrasts with these beautiful buildings and their amazing history and obviously the horrible bits we've explained but despite this India is really starting to grow on us!
]]>