December 2009
39 posts
Watchindia - a video recap.
“the use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of...”
– samuel johnson
“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do...”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Day 1 - Delhi
Overwhelming traffic and mass of humanity. What is that smell? Sulfur? Fire? Mothballs? Urine? Incense? Women riding sidesaddle in a sari on motorcycles. Random speed bumps. No street signs. STOP HONKING.
Day 2 - Delhi
Pay the man 20 rupees to mind your shoes while you visit temples. Wet taxi seats. The Red Fort is closed on a Monday - oh. ATM crisis - find one that takes a Canadian card. Kingfisher 1 litre beers on the patio. Rickshaw rides all over town. Dogs - not fixed. Cows - everywhere. Your heart tears a bit with the sight of the homeless begging with smiling babies on hips. ‘No, i don’t want a taxi’....
Day 3 - Agra
Early rise. Stand out from everyone else on the train platform. Have 2 minutes to get on the train when it stops in the station and leaves. A/C carrier. Tea kits with thermos’ of hot water. Squish 3 people and luggage into one rickshaw. Get harassed to buy Taj Mahal snowglobe keychains. 500 rupees for tourists. 40 rupees for Indian nationals. See the Taj Mahal greatness and stare and wander in...
Day 4 - Jaipur
Morning bus to Jaipur. Why doesn’t anyone clean or dust anything? Sweat. Walk to the old Pink City. Shops galore. Textiles, food, bangles, watches, pottery. Diwali decorations. Drink Kingfisher’s on the roof of the Jaipur Inn. Can’t stop napping. Have said ‘Canada’ in response to ‘what country?’ at least 70 times now.
Day 5 - Jaipur
Rise early to catch a rickshaw for the day for 500 rupees per 3 people. Cheap. See the Amber Fort, the most beautifully painted elephants, the Tiger Fort from a distance, the Monkey Temple (mean monkeys!) and the Hawa Mahal. Also make it to the City Palace and look at historic Indian dress and weapons. Sweat. Eat lunch in an amazing hole in the wall rooftop patio. Share Canadian coins with the...
Day 6 - Pushkar
Leave Jaipur on a new bus to head to Pushkar. See the pretty lake city of Ajmer. Check in to the most beautiful hotel in Pushkar, complete with swimming pool and cabanas. Grab a 4pm camel safari and parade through town on ‘Johnny’. See a ton of hippie westerners who must live here. No alcohol, meat or eggs allowed in the city, but definitely bhang. Do not attempt to understand the bhang hippie...
Day 7 - Pushkar
Rise at 5am to climb to the top of the Savrati Temple - 706 metres up, to watch the sunrise. View point infested with dogs and monkeys. Watch them being handfed cookies by friendly mountaintop shop keeper. Walk back down and almost break neck slipping on a rock. Eat breakfast at the Rainbow Room Cafe. Walk back to hotel for swim and a nap. Attend a yoga class that is relaxing and amazing, but...
Day 8 - Udaipur
Catch a bus from Pushkar to Udaipur - the scariest bus river ever. Sleeper compartments above bus seats - weird. Scary India driving. Funny horns. Bright orange, pink, and yellow saris and turbans the deeper we get into Rajasthan. 8 hours on a bus. Ugh. Sketchiest hotel room so far. Eat at overpriced Garden Hotel restaurant after mixing it up with other restaurant on the property.
Day 9 - Udaipur
Walk the streets looking for Canada friendly ATM - no luck. Visit the City Palace, and see the Lake Palace. Indian Maharanja’s have a lot of time and luxury on their hands. See the Jagdish Temple - over 500 years old. Burn feet on hot stone while looking around. Walk for another 2 hours around town and find a Canada friendly ATM. Praise the lord! ATM is out of money, of course. Have a nap and go...
Day 10 - Udaipur
Wake up late and wander to the Whistling Teal for breakfast. Have an amazing coffee and club sandwich in a tented courtyard. Hire a tuktuk to Ahar to look at huge white monoliths erected in memory of great fathers and their wives. 5th generation cemator tells us how he prepares the bodies and the rituals of death. Also, how he and his parents must save to pay for the weddings of his two sisters...
Day 11 - Mount Abu
Catch a long ass bus ride to Mount Abu - India’s Switzerland atop a hill. The drive up is slow and winding. Monkeys everywhere. Walk down to the lake and get accosted by vacationing Indians who have never seen Westerners in real life before. Rent a rowboat for 8 and row around the lake while being followed by Indians in pedal boats and swans. Walk up to the Taj hotel to look at the view of the...
Day 12 - Ahmedebad
Take a long and winding bus journey down the hill from Mount Abu. Swerving road does not agree with hangover and try to sleep and not look out the window. Stop at roadside cafe and eat veg biriyani. Yum! And of course, Limca. Feel better. Get into Ahmedebad around 4pm. Sleeper train to Mumbai at 9pm. Rent group hotel room to store luggage and rent rickshaw to get to Ghandi’s ashram and museum....
Day 13 - Mumbai
Get into Mumbai suburb of Bandra at 6am. Ride the yellow and black mini taxis through the city to our hotel in trendy Colaba. Pass by the Dharavi Slum, Asia’s largest, and have to cover nose because of dirty, rotting fish smell. Freshen up in hotel room and head to Cafe Mondegar for breakfast. 45 minutes after I order, am informed the grill is not working. Walk to India Gate which is...
Day 14 & 15 - Calangute and Baga Beach, Goa
Catch flight from Mumbai to Goa. Tropical paradise. Hotel with pool and palm trees. Have last group dinner at amazing seafood restaurant. Discuss how amazing past two weeks have been and celebrate ith more Limca and more Kingfishers. Spend next whole day drinking coconut flavoured ice coffee and cold Kingfishers on the beach. Kids performing for money. People selling souvenirs on the beach. ‘No,...
November 2009
2 posts
October 2009
89 posts
WatchBecause…
I’ll take any opportunity to dance with the locals!
Gibara, Cuba.
“‘tis not too late to seek a newer world … to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars” — ulysses #quote #travel
I give it to Melbourne .RT @Gadling RT @markbroadhead RT @LonelyPlanet 10 best cities in the world for coffee http://bit.ly/1Etl7O
Ahh! Yay! RT @GAPadventuresBC That’s enough to provide books and teaching resources to a library in Guatemala! PLUS Gap will match $ for $.
http://twitpic.com/mmoai - thx for your contributions! $105 so far to @gapadventures @brucepoontip Planeterra! Donation just made!
Wow - thoughts put in perfect words. RT @gapadventures Great piece by @nomadicmatt Everyone Say I’m Running Away http://bit.ly/vZDaP