TravelStream™ news feed for member zalazala on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/zalazala en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:45:48 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1252661280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1252661280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1252661280/tpod.html Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:45:48 -0400 Around the world ... in search for smiles

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Singapore, Singapore

Hey midgets ;)
just joking ;)

so there is one of those uebergeeky websites where you can make your EVIL PLAN and mine has turned out to be ...
LIKE THIS:

Your objective is simple: World Domination.
Your motive is a little bit more complex: Money

Stage One

To begin your plan, you must first seduce a pope. This will cause the world to whisper among themselves, overwhelmed by your arrival. Who is this despoiler of all that is good and nice and true? Where did they come from? And why do they look so good in a corporate suit?

Stage Two

Next, you must steal the moon (ooh, tides!). This will all be done from a space station, a mysterious place of unrivaled dark glory. Upon seeing this, the world will tremble, as countless hordes of corporate suits hasten to do your every bidding.

Stage Three

Finally, you must release your corporate takeover, bringing about the end of all things. Your name shall become synonymous with fuzzy bunnies, and no man will ever again dare refuse to be your prom date. Everyone will bow before your extraordinary charisma, and the world will have no choice but to fall madly in love with you.

ANYWAYS, I felt like this was completely hilarious and just have to post it; also I've figured out I miss random spills of my soul on the non-existent piece of paper (think: keyboard) and as I have a new BF (yes, a new MAC 2.54, 4G, silver, mmmmm), this just has to happen anyways ;)

So for all of you, thinking, wondering and purely guessing what I've been up to, let's round it up:
= I am still in Singapore
= I was in Europe for the Summer - was AMAZING, never made it to Monte Carlo, but was in Madrid, London, Buadapest, Ljubljana and all around sLOVEnia for a month, had the BEST BDay party EVERRRR and yea - made some conclusions.

As I live my life a bit differently as the rest and believe that "normal" is a personal category - I went for a little weekend to Bali - and as a result spent the 10 days upon my return in BED = even had to go to the doctor's (it was THAT bad) - so got Mycoplasma (no idea), but after 5 days of medications and my whole collection of The L word and The Gossip Girl, I finally started to live like a normal person again ;) Haven't been sick for more than a 1.5 years and yea, it really sucks.

What else?
Nothing else, gotta go - it's FRI night ;)

xoxo to all of U! ;) will be back soon

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1243153320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1243153320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1243153320/tpod.html Sun, 24 May 2009 04:44:30 -0400 Around the world ... in search for smiles

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Singapore, Singapore

I have turned into a bit of an unresponsive person.
I am chanelling my energy into different spheres.

Think:
California
like LA Confidental

Come to Los Angeles! The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see. There are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside every house, a happy, all-American family. You can have all this, and who knows... you could even be discovered, become a movie star... or at least see one. Life is good in Los Angeles... it's paradise on Earth." Ha ha ha ha. That's what they tell you, anyway.

Perceptions of "reality"
like the opening line from Trainspotting

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday night. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life . . . But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

Learn languages
like "The Lord of War"

I had a flair for languages. But I soon discovered that what talks best is dollars, dinars, drachmas, rubles, rupees and pounds fucking sterling
(maybe forget pounds sterling) lol

About going abroad
and experience
when u taste the world

16:06
something changes in you

16:06
the "innocence" is GONE

16:06
it's like survival skill


since the last post...
I've moved to Singapore.
I've re-discovered my life.
I am HAPPY. Cuz you know what - life is marvelous! ;)

so ... what have YOU done lately?!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1236538680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1236538680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1236538680/tpod.html Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:59:51 -0400 Around the world ... in search for smiles

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Bangalore, Karnataka, India

silicon v.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1236332160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1236332160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1236332160/tpod.html Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:40:08 -0500 Around the world ... in search for smiles

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Kochi, Kerala, India

BEWARE: LONG ENTRY! ;)

My philosophy is that if you would like to really see the world and be able to (at least partly) understand it - it's wise to see different parts and different spheres; here in particular I'm talking about my "train experience" I've taken a sleeper train from Agra to Varanasi and I must say that it was not that bad! - Once you get over the initial "toilet shock" it's ok ☺
Train comparison:
· China:India (who's the winner)
Smell: same same (china worse tho, especially TOILETS - don't go!!)
Hygiene: excuse me, what?! Hygi.. what?
Beds: same same
Spitting: China, of course, is an absolute winner as people spit everywhere
Openess of people: People are super curious in India - but then again, there's less of a language barrier!
And the winner is ... :
SWITZERLAND ;) lol

Well, let's go first back to my Agra trip.
Agra used to be the old Moghul capital and it's Red Fort (yes, another one!) was built for Akbar who was a Casanova and had a harem of 5000 women (that's what my guidebook says). But first let's talk about the obvious - people go to Agra to see the Taj = Taj Mahal! Therefore it's full of tourists and well... a terrible place, where people hassle you 24/7, has awful traffic and worst pollution I've seen for a while! The Red Fort is impressive and (in my opinion) way better than the Red Fort in Delhi! We've visited the Baby Taj (which is a smaller version of Taj Mahal) and another tomb of someone I can't remember, which had a nice blue ornaments outside. The majority of these buildings date back to 1500something and are in a good condition - considering the pollution, etc.

And THEN, there was THE Taj, which is well - pretty classic: expensive, full of weird rules, tourists and 'guides' hassling you on every step! So the next day I went to Fatepuh Sikri wich used to be the old residence of Akbar, but they ran out of water and it was abandoned. That's where Akbar kept his harem of women from across the world and it has a "lover tower" - which is officially "a place of contemplation, where Akbar was enjoying quiet summer evenings"(official version) or (guidebook version)"a tower where Akbar would have orgies and opium parties along with gigantic amounts of alcohol". You decide ☺

After surviving the sleeper train I arrived to Varanasi, which is supposedly the holiest of Indian cities and filled with people.
And it was ;)

You can literally see EVERYTHING in Varanasi, especially "disturbing" are the beggars and sick people. As I've mentioned before, being the holiest city also means that many come here to die. Therefore... Varanasi does not leave you standing still - it touches you - as it has this great ability to throw LIFE right in front you, real life, with all the faults and beauty, with disease and happiness, with sorrow and euphoria. It's all there for you to grasp, touch and feel.

Located on the Ganges, the holy river, which gives life to the people and is conveniently (ab)used by them. Famous for its ghats, the steps on the river banks - one of those typical images of India, with people washing clothes, bathing themselves, burning the dear. It's all still there. The ghats have different purposes - even today, I've heard that they burn up to 300 people DAILY - it's basically a on-going "activity". Wood is placed on a fire and body, wrapped in a sheet is surrounded by it and then burned. So the cycle of life brings you back to nothing, the ashes are blown in the river, your physical form is destroyed by the flames. It does not matter, they told me, as the soul lives forever.

I spent a couple of days in Varansi and then it was time to move on - went to Calcutta (Kolkata), spent a night there, the next day boarded a plane, flew to Chennai, took another plane, flew to Trivandrum. That's SOUTH. And filled with tourists.

1st stop: Kovalam
2nd stop: Varkala

Staying in the "uebertourist" areas has the downside = there was nothing to do = but there was the BEACH. But there is something I have to say about Varkala;
It's located on the cliff and has a nice sandy beach, a beautiful mosque and great accommodation. And I've LEARNT YOGA!(www.yogavarkala.com)

So in case you ever go to Varkala, do yourself a favor and stay for a bit longer. I've discovered a GREAT place, it's called "The Bohemian Masala" and even though is a bit pricier than normally, you get the heaven! The people are amazing, the atmosphere is great - at night the garden is lit with candles, they have hammocks, chilled music, magazines, books. It's all eco-friendly and they have wi-fi! Amazing. And the cottages are never hot - which you will normally find if you stay in concrete buildings, simple, cute and homely.

What else did I do? I READ! ;) I finished Stephen Hawking, The Twilight, two super stupid chick books that I can't even remember the titles (but there were so stupid that I was able to fully concentrate on something else while reading them), The power of NICE, The Labyrinth, The City of Jinns, which talks about the life in Delhi - it's a highly amusing book ;) I met some cool people and we celebrated Giovanni's 30th Bday! A LOT was going on! ;)

After "beachbumming" for a while, it was time to leave, and I'm in Kochi now. (yes, the MAP is your friend!) ;) But I'll be back soon. Beach = life!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1235225100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1235225100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1235225100/tpod.html Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:05:55 -0500 Around the world ... in search for smiles

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Trivandrum, Kerala, India

Triv...
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Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India

Chennai
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Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India

COOL
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Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Varanasi
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Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

agra
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1234264920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1234264920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zalazala/mycrayzlife/1234264920/tpod.html Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:24:29 -0500 Around the world ... in search for smiles

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New Delhi, India

And there was another plane ... Sometimes I really admire my nomadic life ;) Flew through Doha with Qatar Airways - we had a BRAND new plane from Doha to Delhi - it even smelled new (yuk - imagine: plastic/plastic/weird smell). Generally Qatar: good experience! Arrived 2 Delhi @ a non-humane 3.45am and waited for like 1.5hr before my taxi from a hotel finally arrived and another 1.5hr before my room was ready! Argh! ;) But these are all minor things ;)

Of course, one of my first highlights of Delhi (@ 5.30 am) was a COW looking @ me through the glass door of the hotel (neat!). And "cows were banned from central Delhi!?" (at least that's what my guidebook states) does not apply to my experience! My (Vivek) hotel has a cool restaurant on a rooftop, which represents a great break from the craziness of the metropolis! You can really see EVERYHITNG on the streets of Delhi! (like EVERYTHING!); from legless people begging for money, to wannabe Bollywood movie stars with big sunnies, who've missed the city (they thought they were in Bombay), kids chasing dogs, people milking cows, rickshaws, tuk - tuks (auto rickshaws), taxis, beautiful girls in colorful saris, mice, chai sellers, ... I feel sorry for tourists who have never been in a crazy city before! ☺ It's very ... like ... European cities from 1500's. Why?! Well, remember your history lesson - bad sanitation, animals and waste everywhere, diseases, chaos, merchants, specialty shops (shoe shops, fabrics sellers,...), animal- driven traffic ... but then there's the other side of the coin: people smiling, music playing and you, a foreigner in the crowd, observing this different world, trying to catch a glimpse of it. And it does not take much - a dusty rickshaw ride, the "must" chai stop somewhere in the centre of the city and a good amount of humor. It's very easy actually ;)

I've checked out the Old Delhi with its narrow streets, the Red Fort (one of Delhi's capitals. It's said that Delhi is actually built/rebuild from 7-8 cities), the Jamma Masjid (the biggest mosque in South Asia), which was absolutely packed (it was Sunday!). I went inside and was just sitting on the floor among other people - kids come up to you and ask you: "Excuse me maam, what's your name?!" ☺ It's soooo cute!;) And hassling ... it's BAD, but it's not THAT bad: if you say "no, thank you, they generally leave you alone!" It's all business here, you learn it quite fast! ☺

I'm starting 2 understand why they say that India is another CONTINENT! ;) the culture is different, like nothing I've experienced so far ( well the closest I came across was in Malaysia - but again => there are a lot of Indians), but yeah: another country to learn from scratch! ;) And looks like I'm doing pretty well: went for a coffee in Haus Khas (South Delhi) and they brought me a giant ice tea for free (since I'm soo cool - RIGHT!);) Looks like the world gives as much as it takes - if you're good 2 the world, the world is good 2 you ☺ Simple logic which should work everywhere.

It's amazing how much traffic Delhi has - in different forms - from pedestrians to trucks and now imagine the amount of pollution, yes, even pedestrians do it, with their brilliant attitude to trash ("why would I use a bin if I can throw my empty chips bag on the floor?!"). Generally, I see quite a potential in Delhi - South Delhi is green, with new shopping destinations, less traffic (less hectic), ... Plus, hey, I've only been here for three days! ☺
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