TravelStream™ news feed for member thehog on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/thehog en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:29:33 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1243397760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1243397760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1243397760/tpod.html Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:29:33 -0400 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Cha'am, Thailand

The heat of Thailand was very welcome after the wind chill of Christchurch....not so was the thermal swine flu screening at Bangkok's shiny new airport. Arriving at an ungodly hour, I took the shuttle over to the airports transportation terminal...8 hours later I'd made my way down Thailands gulf coast to the charming town of Phetchaburi. Having made a whistlestop visit here 3 years ago I was looking forward to seeing some sites this time around.

Feeling lightheaded after the overnight flight, I arrived at the guesthouse early morning after a swift 5km journey from the bus stop by moto taxi. Debating whether to sleep or fight through the jetlag, I quickly tucked into breakfast after a quick shower to dust the cobwebs off. Chatting to an English lad, Geoff over food I decided to join him on trip round town. First stop Wat Matathat, a very impressive temple complex, then on to Wat Yai Suwannaram via the deep fried insect stall. The heat increased as midday approached, so we dived for some shade and a spot of seafood noodle soup.

Refreshed, we headed to Khao Wang on the outskirts of town, with a palace atop the hill...reaching the ticket office I was surprised to see that the entrance fee for foreigners had more than tripled...so we decided against and headed down the hill, past the monkeys for an ice cream.

Arriving at the Khao Luang caves 5km out of town dripping in sweat we were quietly impressed by what we found...a large cave with sunlight shining through a hole in the chamber ceiling lighting the many Buddhas and stalactites.

Back at the guesthouse I made arrangements with young Geoff to meet later for food...then promptly fell into a deep sleep. Waking decidely groggy, I opened the door to see Geoff waiting all fresh and clean and ready to go. Heading for the night market, we tucked into some fine Pad Thai, a nice alternative to my recent pie diet ...Geoff choosing the Thai favourite sausage-on-a-stick to follow up while I went for the Feast.

Back to the digs for a quick Chang (boosting Moyes' transfer budget in the process)...then a well-earned sleep. Meeting with Geoff in the morning we decided on some pork noodle soup before parting company, me heading south and Geoff heading north to Kanchanaburi. An hour and half or so later and I was at the beach in Hua Hin. Noticing a few grey-haired farang milling about as I scouted for digs, I was quickly getting a feel for the place. On a previous visit to this coast, I'd been advised by a Hens - a dutchy - that Hua Hin was very "touristic"; excellent choice of word young Hens!

A quick change at the guesthouse and I headed for the beach. White sand and blue sea...first impressions were good; fried rice with seafood on a sun lounger, washed down with a Chang and impressions were getting better. This came abruptly to an end when I was given the bill and a surcharge of 60 Baht for the lounger. Normally in this situation the lounger comes for free with the food purchase; explaining this to the short Thai waitress and she didnt agree. Agreeing to differ, I made as if to take my lounger along the beach with me...cue a gaggle of Thai staff...problem solved, fee waived. Spotting a rocky headland south of Hua Hins main beach, with a large Buddha and temple atop I strolled towards it.

A few kms later and I'd reached a dead end and was cream crackered, so I about turned back towards town.

Next day I headed back up the coast to Cha'am....expecting less farang and more Thai tourists I wasnt disappointed. Arriving after the weekend I bagged a great deal at the hotel....and went for a wander around town. Strolling along the beach I noticed a few banana boats knocking about and plenty Scandinavian-looking tourists. Ending up at the fishing pier I had a good look at the fishermen arriving back with more fish than you could shake a stick at, in their quaint, wooden junks.....excellent dinner options.

Bumping into a Danish/Thai couple wandering past the pier we chatted briefly about Kaeng Krachan National Park....whose limestone hills we could see in the distance.

Wandering back to town I spotted a pancake stall....opting for the banana pancake from the Pakistani vendor, we larked about the upcoming 20/20 world cup....turns out he was originally from the southern Pakistani city of Karachi. Securing a cricketing discount on the pancake I bade him farewell...Insh'allah!

Out and about in the evening were plenty Thai families and holidaymakers out for food. Spotting a busy place with a bunch of boisterous Thais, I took a seat and ordered some seafood fare....chatting with the Thais about the EPL (English Premier League) they spoke of their fondness for the Red Devils....a bit of arm twisting later and they agreed to pledge allegiance to a decent team.

Next day I grabbed a Thai breakfast...boiled rice and pork, then went to find a bike-vendor. Getting a decent price for the full day I sped of to the tourist info for some day tripping ideas. First stop Cha'am Forest Park.....with no-one there but a straggly dog I sped round the forest trails until I'd built up an appetite for lunch.

Heading to the beach with a lunch pack of noodles and a Chang beer, I soaked up the sun and watched an odd Thai bloke looking for treasure with his metal detector. Cycling further to south Cha'am beach I wandered around as the skies darkened.

On my way back to drop the bike off with the vendor, the heavens opened and the monsooon rains fell, so I grabbed some shelter and waited for 30 minutes. During which a lady boy with a face mask on popped his head out of the karaoke club I'd been sheltering outside.

Out for a feed later that night and I'd decided to treat myself to the catch of the day. Arriving at the same restaurant I'd ate the previous night, I enquired as to what fish they had....out the waitress trotted from the kitchen with a family sized kapong fish....'I'll take it'....add some garlic and chilli and I'd a feast fit for a king. Washed down with another Chang, I was content for the night.

The following morning after tucking into a Thai breakfast I was off to the the train station. The train normally takes an hour longer than a bus journey into Bangkok, but is always good for mixing with the locals. Arriving at Cha'ams tiny station I'd sat down amongst Thai families and teenagers heading back to the city after a weekend holiday. A bunch of Thai teens found the prescence of a farang at the station highly amusing. Talking football with me they seemed like a decent bunch. An announcement in Thai over the PA let us know the train was an hour late....this quickly turned into 2 hours ...but a four hour trip up the coast to the capital via some amazing scenery should make it worthwhile.

Half an hour into the journey, with the train yet to reach Phetchaburi and we'd stopped in the middle of nowhere 'Driver not good' said an elderly Thai woman opposite me...picturing the train driver having a stroke or something like... it turned out by 'driver' she meant the trains engine! Anyway another 20 minutes later and we stopped the next express train headed north, detached its engine carriage....attached it on the front of our train and then attached that train to the back of ours....to create a Thai Super-train!

Arriving in Bangkok before dark now out of the question, I settled back to enjoy the rest of the journey, and the food on offer. All the while the elderly Thai woman was plying me with mango and lychees....tip top....while numerous locals attempted to take my photo by stealth....why oh why....

The fruit given to me by the elderly Thai turned out to be a grooming strategy....as she suggested I should go and stay at the family home and meet her only daughter....politely declining I grabbed the remaining mango from her and settled back as a monsoon storm battered the side of the train.

As dark rolled in and we moved the final few miles eastwards into Greater Bangkok the Thai teens came to bid me farewell....what a nice bunch....although with somewhat oversized sunglasses....

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1242897000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1242897000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1242897000/tpod.html Wed, 27 May 2009 00:26:15 -0400 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand

33 hours after stepping on the plane...I found myself in the pastures green of Christchurch...you beaut, or whatever they say round these parts. Flying over Canterbury, with the surrounds bathed in glorious sunshine I quickly perked up after 2 movie-packed but sleepless nights in the air.

Walking through customs I was pulled aside, routine or so I thought. 'Had any narcotics in the last 24 hours?' piped up the welcoming Kiwi border official. Realising the effect no sleep must have had on my appearance and eyes in particular, I explained this in the hope of being allowed through immigration into the welcoming world of steak and cheese pies.

Thorough immigration and onwards to my digs, I quickly changed and headed out for a stroll around and a pie. Heading towards Sydenham I wandered past some quirky vintage stores and $5 record stores...hello Christmas!

Tiring myself out in the process, I headed back for a snooze....10 hours later I awoke!
Up nice and early I grabbed some breakfast and loitered around the lounge back at the hostel...I was approached by a young German lad trying to shift his car...welcome Evan, persistent he was.

After a quick stop at the tourist info office where I was advised not to consider any outdoor activities at all due to the impending hellish weather on the way, I set off for Cashmere and the sign of the Takhape in glorious sunshine! The sun was so strong that I discarded of the sweater. A good hour later and the views of the southern Alps began to appear as I scaled the streets out of the city. Arriving at the viewing point....the impending doom of rain and wind seemed to be coming to fruition. Quickly taking a few snaps, I made my way down the slopes back for a deserved beer.

Speaking to the car selling German Evan later, I joined him, a Swiss and a couple more Germans for a well organised pub crawl. After a few scoops we lost a couple of Germans but gained an Aucklander. Ending up in a bar called the Stock X Change, it was not like any other bar I'd ever been in. Behind the bar was a stocks and shares style electronic price board, and ....yep, you guessed it, the price of drinks fluctuated throughout the night....the trick being to buy when stocks were down....a pint of $6 Tui later and we were out back in the beer garden.

Seeing a few cricket related news clippings on the bar wall, it suddenly twigged that we were in bar made infamous by NZ cricketer Jesse Ryder putting his hand through a toilet window after a one day match with England last year.

Waking late the next morning, I decided on a lazy day. Evan tagged along with me while we went all cultural and visited the art gallery in Christchurch. With a disparate number of post-modern, kitsch, European and other art pieces it was definitely not worth an admission price.

My final day in Christchurch led to a leisurely bus ride out to the small harbour town of Lyttleton. A change in the wind direction from north to south caused temperatures to plummet and blood to freeze. After a quick frost bitten wander around the small town, I haeding for some much needed fush n chups and a pint of the black stuff.

Well after toasting my stay in Christchurch that night, it was on to pastures new....and as I headed for the airport the following day in the words of 2 famous Kiwis 'I'm not crying, it's just been raining on my face...' (no, really it is raining!)....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1229344440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1229344440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1229344440/tpod.html Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:44:40 -0500 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India

On the train to Chennai, my sleeper booth contained a Sikh lady with 2 hairy teenage sons and a motherly lady from Delhi who decided to ply me with chapati for the duration (2000km) of the trip. As hairy as a pair of Dave Lee Travis lookalikes and tooled up to the hilt the Sikh brothers were no trouble at all until the elder of the two decided to go on a toe-nail picking spree...27 hours worth, I kid not.

Arriving in Chennai after a marathon trip south east I quickly headed to my hotel in the pleasant area of Triplicane, then darted to the Hotel Comfort for a beer with some old acquaintances...SJ and Big P, Longy, Deaf John and Adrian (aka Foxy) were amongst the crowd. Unable to get a beer as the bar closed, I headed to the bottle shop with Big P and SJ for whiskey and coke.

The following day meeting up again with Terry and June, after purchasing our cricket tickets, we headed south for a spritely walk to a shop containing ethnic tat. After a quick look around we were on a bus to Marina Beach....stuck in a jam for half an hour led to the dynamic duo headed back to base. Continuing to the beach I bought some peanuts off a scruffy wallah and watched the locals splash around in the murky water.

All sunned out I dived for shade and an ice cream....quickly followed by a pestering tout/rickshaw driver....offering me a free lift to my hotel if I accompanied him to an ethnic tat shop; I refused and he decided to follow me and beg. Anger rising he disapppeared just in time.

Later that evening it was back to the rooftop bar at the hotel Comfort. A few more new arrivals included Hoover aka Jon Dyson (infamous editor of Twist), Welsh Steve and a wispy-bearded bloke called Petras who wouldnt look amiss as Mr Tumnus in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. After discussing for 15-minutes plus the make up of Englands top order, Petras chirped in with 'Who opens the batting for England?'...almost distracting Hoover from his tandoori chicken/Dal Fry marathon.

Arriving at the ground for the match the big talking point was what security would be like and more so what items were to be confiscated. A curveball was thrown.....and backpacks/rucksacks were not allowed in....although you were allowed to take the contents of said bags into the ground!

3 and a half days of decent cricket later and we were getting ready to chalk up a rare but famous win in Chennai....a day and a half later we were considering a feckless defeat.

In between was rather amusing. Indian male cricket fans seem to release all their hormones when watching India play and return to a foetal state. On the 4th day a couple of young lads, Rajah (with a dodgy mo') and Saravanas decided to sit amongst us...excitement was written all over their faces. Once Yuvraj approached the boundary the excitement turned into hysteria that took the form of shrieking and howling at the top of their voices to Yuvi...shades of NKOTB fans c1988.

Walking back to Triplicane after this we happened to stop for a juice...who should be working the juice stall?...yep Rajah and his Dad!....he had a rather sheepish look on his face which roughly translated into 'I hope they dont tell the old fella that I've been acting like a teenage girl at the cricket'

Also featuring at the cricket was a previously unseen fan from Doncaster named Richard...I first noticed him with a silly santa hat and some odd St. Georges flags painted on his cheeks. A few overs, samosas and chai's later and we were acquainted. He did provide some amusement by attempting to charm an 'Are You Experienced' traveller by the name of Kate. Cards close to his chest the following day, and Kate off to join John, Paul, Ringo and George in an ashram it would be safe to assume that romance failed to blossom!

Match over, I bid goodbye to Paul, SJ etal and Triplicane ready for my train west.....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1228661760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1228661760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1228661760/tpod.html Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:53:56 -0500 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

Arriving at Kota, I left the train to a scene of much excitement; yes....a tourist has arrived in Kota! Feeling suitably special I headed for the autorickshaws lined up outside the station....jumping into a shared rickshaw, I waited for it to fill, enjoying being out of Delhi. Almost full, off we set for the centre of Kota. Arriving at the bus stop junction a few km's down the road I parted with 5 rupees (7p), thanked the driver and wandered over to the bus stand. Luckily a bus to Bundi was waiting so on I hopped, and waited for the off. The light was fading fast, but I was still hoping to reach Bundi before sunset.

An hour and a half later and I was in Bundi, unfortunately it was after dark so no chance of a sunset trip up to see the palace and fortress (
Taragarh Fort) that towers over the small town. Instead I searched for a haveli (small family-run guesthouse) meandering through the winding streets that are a feature of this charming town.

Finding a place for R100 I decided to try some family cuisine. Whilst waiting for the mother of the house to prepare the food I chatted with her 2 young daughters on the rooftop. One was 12 and one 14....both speaking excellent English; I soon found myself roped in to helping the younger daughter with her homework. Lassi and curry arrived.

Wandering around town the pleasant locals eager to say hello, I bumped into a local with a small internet cafe that operated local tours of the area. Chatting away, out of the blue he decided to offer me some drugs; not amused with the local drug-peddler out to make a fast buck I intimated that he should offer some to the local police...to which he immediately pointed out that his father was a local policeman!

Back at the guesthouse I was beginning to feel a fever develop...regretting the lassi with ice that I had earlier. With the intention of getting up for sunrise at the Taragarh I went to bed. A horrendous nights sleep led to the next day being spent in bed.

The following day, still feeling shaky I took the steep walk up to the Fort. Well worth the trip.

Back at the bus stand I bought a ticket to Ajmer...'in 3 minutes the bus will arrive' I was informed. A bus arrived, I was directed towards it by the ticket master, grabbed a seat and settled back for the 5 or so hour journey to Ajmer. On leaving Bundi the conductor made his mandatory trip to check and issue tickets; on staring at my ticket he looking distinctly unhappy...'change at next stop'! It would seem that this was the bus to Ajmer but not the bus for which my ticket was issued...the conductor spent the next 5 hours trying to obtain the fare from me....a) he was well within his rights and b) there was no chance of me coughing up more cash or changing buses. First asking me for R60 this had reduced to R30 at which point he simply gave up.

From Ajmer it was a small 30 minute bus ride up the hill to Pushkar, home of the famous Pushkar camel festival. Wandering through the streets the next day I spotted something I recognised in the distance....flailing arms, healthy tan....and as it approached, a distinct dialect....Welsh Steve!

Catching up over chai he filled me in on his Middle East trip. More chai followed. Discovering he was taking a train to Chennai from Jaipur the following day I headed to the post office to try and book something similar. With no availability out of Jaipur I booked the a train ticket from Agra to Chennai.

A travel day to Jaipur followed where I left Steve, then another day to Agra. Approaching Agra I noticed we were skirting the north of the city, being surprised but not unduly concerned. On arriving at a crossroads with a road sign pointing south stating 'Taj Mahal 6.5 km' and one pointing east 'Kanpur and Delhi' and the bus pointing toward Delhi, I swiftly grabbed my bags and headed for the bus exit. With 10-or so locals having already got on the bus, and at least 20-30 fighting to get on I crowd surfed into the waiting hordes to leave the bus.

Looking at a 10 km journey to Agras train station I flagged a rickshaw negotiated a price and headed for that train.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1197296280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1197296280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1197296280/tpod.html Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:43:48 -0500 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Kandy, Sri Lanka

Well, after the 5-0 thrashing at the hands of the Aussies earlier in 2007, it was off to Sri Lanka for the next instalment in the England Cricket teams overseas jaunts.

Now Sri Lanka was where I saw my first overseas Test Match in 2003 so I had fond memories of the place despite the inept 1-0 defeat. Since then the island had been devastated by the 2004 Tsunami and like Indonesia and India was somewhat overlooked in the aftermath despite suffering so much; much of the attention focused on Thailand due to the numbers of foreign tourists there.

Combine this with the ongoing civil war and the island was due a change of luck. Well, just when you need it the England cricket team turns up to make you feel good (or let you win easily)

Joining me on this trip were a few familiar faces from years gone by. Neil aka the Eggman met me at the airport in Colombo, full of enthusiasm (soon to be beaten out of him) for what was to be his first full tour. Now what he lacks in cricketing knowledge he makes up for in his Steve Harmison-like all action style, with a love of Puressence bordering on insanity.

So off we set in a tuk tuk. Arriving in Negombo the plan was to take the commuter train to Colombo Fort station then hop on a train over to Kandy. However as with so many things it wasnt quite that simple. Having over half hour to spare after arriving in Negombo we decided to catch up over breakfast. Time flew and we missed the train into Colombo.

Plan B....bus into Colombo. Now the Eggman has an oversized rucksack so had to pay for 2 seats rather than the one. The conducter seeing 2 whiteys thought hed make a fast buck and overcharge us. However his mathematical skills didnt shine through and he quoted us a price indivisible by 3...better luck next time.

Now as anyone who has visited Colombo will know, the traffic into the centre of Colombo in the day time is horrendous. For this reason there was a possibility that we would miss the train we'd pencilled in to Kandy.

Being dropped a kilometre from the station we jumped in a tuk tuk and advised him to put his foot down. The distance lent itself to a R80 fare; being generous I decided to give him R100. Hurtling out of the tuk tuk outside Colombo Fort, I discovered quickly that R100 was not going to be acceptable. Barging past him towards said station, at which point he surprised us both by retreating to the rear of his tuk tuk and searching for ...a stick? a gun? a brick?.....oh no, a piece of elongated flacid rubber!....Cue hilarious laughter.

Just managing to jump on the train in time, we parked ourselves by the door, bags surrounding us and enjoyed the view. At one point a very friendly 70-year old Sri Lankan beckoned me towards him as if to tell me something as the Eggman puffed away on a cigarette in the background.....'Filthy habit' he said to me, gesturing in the Eggmans direction. Soon enough - 4 hours - we'd arrived in Kandy.

Hopping off the train in mid afternoon. Attempting to reorientate myself with Kandy we headed the wrong way out of the station and entered the bus station. Turning around and heading back towards town we bumped into a fellow backpacker - Scott. With aviators on and a skateboard attached to his backpack, we exchanged pleasantries and headed towards the centre of town.

Finding a guesthouse within walking distance to the cricket ground in Kandy we headed into town for a look around. Losing the Eggman who was off in search of a SIM card, I meandered towards the Koffeepot for some... yep, you guessed it, coffee and pastries. Sat facing the street, the odd Englishman abroad would wander past the front of the café, looking distinctly pale and usually with a lost expression on their face.

After a while 2 friendly faces appeared.....Gooner Guy and Evertonian Jeff....also cricket tragics. Catching up over coffee we lamented the injury-hit England squad and mused over the problems afflicting the stadium in Galle. Finally the Eggman and Scott aka Beak turned up.

After a few early evening beers we headed back to the guesthouse for an early night.

Arising bright and early the following morning we feasted on a hearty breakfast at the guesthouse, before a leisurely stroll into town to meet up with Paul and SJ, cricket touring veterans.

A quick coffee and catch up and we were off to the Asgiriya Stadium for the eagerly anticipated first instalment of England v Sri Lanka. After grabbing our tickets we were confronted with a mammoth queue to enter into the seated section. Reluctant to queue we wandered to the front and merely walked in.

With ticket in hand we found a seat and remarkably watched England have a fantastic day, shooting Sri Lanka out for 188 which should have been better. A nice surprise after the underwhelming experience of Kuwaiti Airlines on the way to Sri Lanka!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1175555520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1175555520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1175555520/tpod.html Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:38:15 -0500 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Hong Kong, China

Dumping my bags on my sleeper berth of the overnight bus to Nanning, I was perturbed at the amount of room I had. Sized for the average Chinese, the bed was at least 2 foot short of being comfortable. Seeing two mechanics decked in oil and smashing the undercarriage of said bus with a spanner made it clear why I'd decided to sidestep the Chinese sleeper buses thus far.

Setting off around 90 minutes late, we sloped out of Xingyi, over Maling Gorge as the sun wound down. Arriving in a small town whose name I have no idea of, we stopped aside the road, as the bus owner chatted and smoke to his hearts content with two friends. Twenty minutes later, off we set again, two friends on board and fully armed with cigarette supplies and lighters. Moments later, the domino effect took hold and the bus turned into the Towering Inferno, as Chinese after Chinese followed their lead and lit up.

Bored with the staple Chinese movie on board I adopted a crab-like position and tried to get some shut eye. Rudely awoken around 1am...as we made a food stop, I
decided to take advantage of my emergency food supplies instead of dining in the roadside restaurant; the blood-splattered walls putting me off somewhat.

An hour or so later, back in crab-like position and again rudely awoken, we stopped at the side of the road in pitch black in the middle of nowhere, as the driver, bus owner and gaggle of friends disappeared for 45 minutes.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1228143660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1228143660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1228143660/tpod.html Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:16:38 -0500 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Delhi, India

Well back in India at last!...after watching the events in Mumbai unfold on BBC while back home...2 days later I was back on the Ganj in Delhi....Parhganj that is. Delhi's an amazing city with some of the Indian subcontinents finest architecture. The big question was....has it gotten any cleaner?; an unequivocal 'no'. After moving hotels due to a combined problem of mice and pigeons, I settled into fighting off touts and getting stuck into this interesting city. With the alarming development of Indian touts with cockney accents and aviator shades this was to be harder than before.

The England team having flown home about the time I was arriving I was itching for a cricketing fix so off I rickshawed to the Kotla stadium to catch the 2nd (and what prove to be final) day of a remarkable match Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Orissa. Many of Indias cricketing superstars were on display...Sehwag, Ishant Sharma and Gambhir the main attractions. Arriving too late to catch Viru bat....I was treated to a rapid bowling display from Ishant... 90 mph plus.

Content with 3 hours of cricket I left the Kotla as Orissa lurched towards defeat in 2 days. Heading over to the Red Fort (Lal Qila) via Delhi's relatively new Metro system I was very impressed at the order on display and efficiency of the service...very un-Indian like; engineered in response to Delhi winning the bidding rights for the 2010 Comnmonwealth games.

Jumping off the Metro at Chandni Chowk I meandered towards the Red Fort. On arriving the queues to enter the Fort were lengthy; being Sunday Indians made up the bulk of those attempting to jostle their way in so I took few snaps around the Fort and decided to head for a dosa and a lassi instead.

Back on the Metro at rush hour I realised disorder was starting to slowly creep onto the platforms after being whiplashed by a Ronnie Corbett lookalike whilst getting on the train. A small observation about Delhi-folk....they go where they want, when they want...and most annoyingly at their own pace, encapsulated on the carnage that is Parhganj. For those of you unfortunate enough not to have experienced this...I'd compare it to the '3 urinal' quandry. Poor toilet etiquette is to select the middle urinal of 3 if all are free, ensuring anyone entering the toilet after you has to choose a urinal next to you or retire to a cubicle. This is Parhganj in an essence...the middle urinal!...in more ways than one. For those of you happening to be female, I cant think of a female-toilet story equivalent so you can make your own up.

Later that evening I was to be reacquainted with the Paharganj police after having my camera swiped. They were about as helpful as I can remember from 2006; not being able to dangle a curry in front of their noses didnt help matters.

My final day in Delhi was spent scouring for cameras...and ended with a much more relaxing visit to Jama Masjid.

Now during my first weekend in Delhi the cricket tour between England and India was rejigged (pending agreement from the ECB) Mumbai was replaced with Chennai and Ahmedabad was replaced with Mohali. And just to make things more difficult for English fans in India, Chennai comes first. Hoping to explore the Gujarati coast before the initially scheduled 1st test in Ahmedabad...it now requires a much longer trip to the south-east Indian coast if and when KP and others return.

My time in Delhi almost up I have a train ticket south in my hand...fewer touts and less Indians pissing against walls will be most welcome. Tourist Board of India....vacancies?
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1213773780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1213773780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1213773780/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:31:12 -0500 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Th'Ulverston, United Kingdom

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1218128940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1218128940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1218128940/tpod.html Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:39:54 -0400 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Gower Peninsula, United Kingdom

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1217525460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1217525460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/thehog/india2006/1217525460/tpod.html Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:17:19 -0400 Well, er....India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Oz, Laos and China....Sri Lanka and New Zealand

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Inis Corden, Ireland

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