Ok, so I just had the tastiest noodles of my life and they cost me less than $2. I can't take all the credit for finding them since the restaurant was actually a Lonely Planet recommendation, but I don't care because they were amazing. I'm in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, and I'm getting a bus in 20 mins to continue my path north but these noodles were so good that I decided to take 10 mins of internet time just because I'm so excited and want to tell people how great they were.
So the noodles themselves were a rice noodle, but thicker than vermicelli. They were served with thin pieces of cucumber, carrots, lettuce, fresh mint, bean sprouts, some small pieces of pork and of some nut but I'm not even sure what kind, and I ordered mine with a fried spring roll which came cut up and served on top (also delicious). But the magic was really in the sauce. It was nutty, spicy, citrusy and just complimented everything perfectly. The whole dish was light and fresh (served cold, more like a salad) and yet super filling. I'm tempted to say that it actually gives Baton Rouge ribs a good run for my favourite meal ever...it's that good.
Ok, I have to catch a bus....
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
I've been a lazy blogger....the rest of Vietnam
Ok, so I needed a break from blogging. It's surprising how much it feels like work sometimes to sit at a computer, and the last thing I want to be doing is work. Anyway, I've been very busy over the past 10 days so this is going to be a summary blog so that I can catch up and not be continuously writing about what happened over a week ago.
Hanoi/Sapa
-flew to Hanoi and met Rainier on the plane (Vietnamese background but from Paris)
-hung out in Hanoi for a day, saw Temple of Literature (about Confucianism), and Ho Chi Minh Museum and had dinner at his friends house, with lots of good snacks (jack fruit chips are way better than banana chips)
-took overnight train together to Sapa (mountain town in Northern Vietnam) and did 2 day trekking tour
-amazing scenery!! walked with Hmong villagers and saw endless hills that have been covered with rice paddies and look like a really cool 3D puzzle because of how they patch together
-whole town and way of life now seems geared towards tourists...wonder what they did 10 years ago
-took overnight train back to Hanoi, lost Rainier, and Norm!! but then they both turned up together...close call.
-arranged to do a tour of Halong Bay right away that day so I was off again
Halong Bay
-met Cecy (pronounced like Stacy without the "t") from New Zealand and hung out with her for the 2 day tour. It was kind of nice to travel with a girl for a change.
-boat trip around the bay, gorgeous views with limestone rocks jutting out from the water everywhere
-toured 2 caves
-ate lots of food, even a gross-looking but tasty fried fish
-up early to kayak around the bay, and another tour on the boat back to shore
-bus back to Hanoi and hoped on yet another overnight train to Hoi An
Hoi An
Hanoi/Sapa
-flew to Hanoi and met Rainier on the plane (Vietnamese background but from Paris)
-hung out in Hanoi for a day, saw Temple of Literature (about Confucianism), and Ho Chi Minh Museum and had dinner at his friends house, with lots of good snacks (jack fruit chips are way better than banana chips)
-took overnight train together to Sapa (mountain town in Northern Vietnam) and did 2 day trekking tour
-amazing scenery!! walked with Hmong villagers and saw endless hills that have been covered with rice paddies and look like a really cool 3D puzzle because of how they patch together
-whole town and way of life now seems geared towards tourists...wonder what they did 10 years ago
-took overnight train back to Hanoi, lost Rainier, and Norm!! but then they both turned up together...close call.
-arranged to do a tour of Halong Bay right away that day so I was off again
Halong Bay
-met Cecy (pronounced like Stacy without the "t") from New Zealand and hung out with her for the 2 day tour. It was kind of nice to travel with a girl for a change.
-boat trip around the bay, gorgeous views with limestone rocks jutting out from the water everywhere
-toured 2 caves
-ate lots of food, even a gross-looking but tasty fried fish
-up early to kayak around the bay, and another tour on the boat back to shore
-bus back to Hanoi and hoped on yet another overnight train to Hoi An
Hoi An
-spent train ride with a Vietnamese family of 10 in what would normally be a cabin for 4 people. There were 2 couples, a grandma, 3 little girls and a baby. I slept surprisingly well under the circumstances and the next day walked the train, only to realize that EVERY cabin was as equally cramped as ours
-there were even people sleeping in the spaces between the cars on mats or chairs they brought themselves and a woman laying in the hall with her head in a box to try to get some sleep
-Hoi An itself is a very touristy town, with tailors everywhere
-so I decided I had to take a crack at designing and came out with a silk tank top and a pretty cool jacket. Although now I'm carrying a jacket around with me but it was totally worth it.
-if I had more time and money I would have left Hoi An with an entirely new wardrobe
-after a couple of days I began my journey to Laos which is a whole other story...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Happy New Year in Saigon!
I spent most of my 2 days in Saigon on my own, which was fine because there was so much going on in the city it was cool to just wander around and take it all in. Both of my nights there were spent making my way through an insane sea of people and motorbikes, watching cheesy Vietnamese New Year celebrations and an impressive fireworks display. I got a few funny looks and people asking me if I understood what was going on, which of course, I didn't. But they always seemed happy that I was there watching anyway. I actually felt quite tall amongst the Vietnamese audience, and it was great that even from far back in the crowd I could always find a spot where I could see no problem.
During my day in the city, I tried to go to a restaurant that was recommended to me by the American couple that lives in Saigon for some traditional Vietnamese food. It was a bit out of the downtown core, so it made for a nice walk through the city to find it. Unfortunately, because it's off the tourist map, like many other businesses it was closed for the holiday. By this time I was quite hungry so I ended up grabbing some baked goods at a french bakery called "Tous les Jours." Sitting there eating my baking, although it was very tasty, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed that my traditional Vietnamese lunch turned into french baking in a very Western setting and listening to ABBA. They have a huge obsession with ABBA here, and I hear them at least once a day...very strange.
The strangest thing that happened to me though, which happens to me everywhere is I'm still continually mistaken for someone else. Many of you know that this happens to me all the time in Canada and I figured being a minority for several months would decrease the frequency but apparently the Meghan-look-alikes also like to travel. I was walking through the park in Saigon when a Vietnamese woman starts waving at me and yelling hi. I guess she could tell by the confused look on my face that I had no idea who she was. She then insisted that we'd met at the airport and when I told her that I hadn't been to an airport in Saigon she became just as confused as I had been. I also had a similar experience in India, where a guy insisted he'd seen me somewhere that I hadn't been. So as unique as I like to think I am...apparently I'm not.
During my day in the city, I tried to go to a restaurant that was recommended to me by the American couple that lives in Saigon for some traditional Vietnamese food. It was a bit out of the downtown core, so it made for a nice walk through the city to find it. Unfortunately, because it's off the tourist map, like many other businesses it was closed for the holiday. By this time I was quite hungry so I ended up grabbing some baked goods at a french bakery called "Tous les Jours." Sitting there eating my baking, although it was very tasty, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed that my traditional Vietnamese lunch turned into french baking in a very Western setting and listening to ABBA. They have a huge obsession with ABBA here, and I hear them at least once a day...very strange.
The strangest thing that happened to me though, which happens to me everywhere is I'm still continually mistaken for someone else. Many of you know that this happens to me all the time in Canada and I figured being a minority for several months would decrease the frequency but apparently the Meghan-look-alikes also like to travel. I was walking through the park in Saigon when a Vietnamese woman starts waving at me and yelling hi. I guess she could tell by the confused look on my face that I had no idea who she was. She then insisted that we'd met at the airport and when I told her that I hadn't been to an airport in Saigon she became just as confused as I had been. I also had a similar experience in India, where a guy insisted he'd seen me somewhere that I hadn't been. So as unique as I like to think I am...apparently I'm not.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Vietnam...Mekong Delta tour
I took a bus to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and, as always, met a fellow traveller on the way. Christian is from Germany and taking a break from school to travel before he starts his PhD in physics in March...ugh. Anyway, that first afternoon we both needed to make further travel plans so we went to a few of the dozens, if not hundreds of travel agents easily found in the backpacker district. We quickly realized that travelling during the Chinese New Year in Vietnam is next to impossible. I had wanted to leave Saigon after a day or two but every bus, train and plane were booked up for at least 4 days. Good thing I'm becoming much more flexible and easy-going! :) So, I decided to join Christian on a 2 day trip to the Mekong Delta to kill some time before I could leave.
Now, on an organized tour you never really know what you're going to get. What we saw on the tour itself isn't that much to talk about. We had a lot of boat rides around "floating markets," which were kind of a disappointment and we had a lot of "how it's made" tours. I now know how they make coconut candy (which is really tasty and addictive), rice noodles and lots of honey products. The interesting parts of the tour were the people and the insane traffic.
At the end of our first day we were supposed to have a 2 hour bus ride that involved a ferry trip before we got to Can Tho, where we'd be spending the night. The tour company seemed to have overlooked the fact that it was Chinese New Year and that means that almost everyone in the country is on his/her way somewhere. The line-up for the 15 min ferry ride was backed up for kilometers. Picture this....40-some people on a bus, who at this point haven't eaten for 5 hours or so waiting without any knowledge of how long they are going to be trapped on this bus. Our tour guide did not handle the situation well. He started out by telling us we had 5 kms to go and it would take about 2 extra hours. Now, where he came up with this information, I have no idea. After a few hours of waiting and barely moving, people started to get restless. It was becoming necessary for smoke and bathroom breaks. I waited it out as long as I could but eventually, nature called. I left the bus in search of a washroom and ended up using one at a mobile phone store which was again, one of the grossest ones I've used but I was not in a position to be picky. On my way out of the store I was just in time to see my bus drive past. I thought about running up to it and trying to do an impressive jump on to the moving bus but the dozens of motorbikes beteween us made me decide against it. I wasn't worried at that point because we'd always stop a few hundred meters up the road, so I waved casually and started walking. I was actually quite happy to be out of the bus for a bit and figured I may as well enjoy the walk. But then the traffic kept moving, and I was passed what seemed to be an awful lot of cars and my bus disappeared out of view. I was still fine and figured if I hadn't caught up in 15 mins, then I'd take up one of the moto drivers on his offer to drive me until I found the bus. About 10 mins later I caught up to my bus and got on to a round of applause. Apparently, I'd caused quite the stir on the bus as many of the women (probably all of the mothers) were freaking out on the driver for not stopping and waiting for me. They were getting themselves into quite a panic about the poor Canadian girl abandonned by the bus and assumed I was in a panic as well. I actually felt kind of bad that I'd enjoyed my walk while they were all so worried about me. But I could only imagine how my mom would have felt had she been on a bus that left a girl on her own so I'm not surprised they were worried.
That was really the highlight of the bus ride for me. After that we still had several hours of waiting in which I taught Christian how to play Crazy Eights and decided even though I was hungry, that I probably shouldn't get off the bus again. I'm actually quite impressed that there wasn't more drama on the ride. One American woman started to get upset and exchanged some words with our tour guide, who actually told her to shut up. Overall, I stayed in a pretty good mood and kept laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation and the poor planning. Trips like this are all a part of travelling and I've learned to appreciate even them. Eventually we arrived at our hotel, close to 6 hours after we were supposed to arrive, found some food and was out for the night.
The next day I got to know a few more people on the tour whom I found truely inspirational. There was an American couple who have been married for 25 years and have been living in Vietnam for over a year for work and are just the sweetest couple I have probably ever met. I also met another American who is a single dad in his late forties, and is travelling for months around Asia while his daughter is finishing up her last year of highschool in China. All of these people made me feel so great about my decision to travel and gave me a lot to think about for how I want to live my life and what I may choose to do. I won't get into details here, but just know that I'm feeling optimistic and completely content with my life right now. I do still miss people though, so continue to keep in touch. :)
Now, on an organized tour you never really know what you're going to get. What we saw on the tour itself isn't that much to talk about. We had a lot of boat rides around "floating markets," which were kind of a disappointment and we had a lot of "how it's made" tours. I now know how they make coconut candy (which is really tasty and addictive), rice noodles and lots of honey products. The interesting parts of the tour were the people and the insane traffic.
At the end of our first day we were supposed to have a 2 hour bus ride that involved a ferry trip before we got to Can Tho, where we'd be spending the night. The tour company seemed to have overlooked the fact that it was Chinese New Year and that means that almost everyone in the country is on his/her way somewhere. The line-up for the 15 min ferry ride was backed up for kilometers. Picture this....40-some people on a bus, who at this point haven't eaten for 5 hours or so waiting without any knowledge of how long they are going to be trapped on this bus. Our tour guide did not handle the situation well. He started out by telling us we had 5 kms to go and it would take about 2 extra hours. Now, where he came up with this information, I have no idea. After a few hours of waiting and barely moving, people started to get restless. It was becoming necessary for smoke and bathroom breaks. I waited it out as long as I could but eventually, nature called. I left the bus in search of a washroom and ended up using one at a mobile phone store which was again, one of the grossest ones I've used but I was not in a position to be picky. On my way out of the store I was just in time to see my bus drive past. I thought about running up to it and trying to do an impressive jump on to the moving bus but the dozens of motorbikes beteween us made me decide against it. I wasn't worried at that point because we'd always stop a few hundred meters up the road, so I waved casually and started walking. I was actually quite happy to be out of the bus for a bit and figured I may as well enjoy the walk. But then the traffic kept moving, and I was passed what seemed to be an awful lot of cars and my bus disappeared out of view. I was still fine and figured if I hadn't caught up in 15 mins, then I'd take up one of the moto drivers on his offer to drive me until I found the bus. About 10 mins later I caught up to my bus and got on to a round of applause. Apparently, I'd caused quite the stir on the bus as many of the women (probably all of the mothers) were freaking out on the driver for not stopping and waiting for me. They were getting themselves into quite a panic about the poor Canadian girl abandonned by the bus and assumed I was in a panic as well. I actually felt kind of bad that I'd enjoyed my walk while they were all so worried about me. But I could only imagine how my mom would have felt had she been on a bus that left a girl on her own so I'm not surprised they were worried.
That was really the highlight of the bus ride for me. After that we still had several hours of waiting in which I taught Christian how to play Crazy Eights and decided even though I was hungry, that I probably shouldn't get off the bus again. I'm actually quite impressed that there wasn't more drama on the ride. One American woman started to get upset and exchanged some words with our tour guide, who actually told her to shut up. Overall, I stayed in a pretty good mood and kept laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation and the poor planning. Trips like this are all a part of travelling and I've learned to appreciate even them. Eventually we arrived at our hotel, close to 6 hours after we were supposed to arrive, found some food and was out for the night.
The next day I got to know a few more people on the tour whom I found truely inspirational. There was an American couple who have been married for 25 years and have been living in Vietnam for over a year for work and are just the sweetest couple I have probably ever met. I also met another American who is a single dad in his late forties, and is travelling for months around Asia while his daughter is finishing up her last year of highschool in China. All of these people made me feel so great about my decision to travel and gave me a lot to think about for how I want to live my life and what I may choose to do. I won't get into details here, but just know that I'm feeling optimistic and completely content with my life right now. I do still miss people though, so continue to keep in touch. :)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Beach Time!
After the emotionally draining days in Phnom Penh, I decided to see what the beach life in Cambodia has to offer and heading South to Sihanoukville for a couple of days of chillaxin'. Since my previous 2 travel partners were very spontaneous, fly by the seat of your pants kind of guys, and I'm trying to go with the flow and not over-plan I didn't book a place to stay in advance. I arrived at the beach town and hoped on a "moto" (basically a taxi that's just a motorcycle, which are everywhere in Cambodia and cheaper than a tuk tuk) and just asked him to take me somewhere relatively cheap to stay. After going to a few places that were all full, I started to regret my spontaneity and figured I'd just have to suck it up and spend a little extra. Our last hope was a spot right on the beach for $5/night. When you see the pic of the room you'll know why, and I didn't even bother to take one of the bathroom. But really all I need is a bed so I figured, ""why not?" I enjoyed a nice, relaxing afternoon on the beach and just kept to myself, read my black-market copy of The Lonely Planet and did some journal writing. I did have to continually decline the dozens of offers for fresh fruit or massage or mani/pedi by the women who wandered up and down the beach, but otherwise was undisturbed... such a tough life, I know. :) I watched the sunset in a comfy nest chair on the beach and had a great dinner under the stars.
Aside from the beach, I realized that the only other reason people go to Sihanoukville is to party. Whether it's to take advantage of the "Happy Hours" that last for 3 or 4 hours or the tuk tuk drivers who all seem to be dealing something, there is no struggle to satisfy vices. But that wasn't really what I was there for so I passed on the parties and headed to my room. I didn't think I'd have to use the mosquito net provided because they didn't seem that bad until I heard something hit the bed beside me and looked to see one of the grossest bugs I've ever seen. I have no idea what it was but it was about 2" long and fat and very crawly. So I decided I needed to protect myself and opted for the net. Now, being right near the beach may seem like a good idea and be convenient during the day but listening to other people party isn't all that much fun. So the next morning I decided to do the responsible thing and spend the extra $7 on a nice, clean room where I could actually get some sleep. (Mom, aren't you proud of me?)
That day I rented a bike so I could check out some of the other, less popular beaches and I'm so glad I did. I found a beach with hardly anyone there and had a peaceful aftenoon and a great swim in the surprisingly warm water. That's really pretty much all I did...I biked around some more, had dinner, and actually ended up watching the inauguration since I didn't want to feel so out of touch with what's going on back in North America.
Today I headed back to Phnom Penh and tomorrow I'm off to Vietnam. I know there's a lot here that I didn't see but I'm still not leaving Cambodia with the same desire to return as I did with India. It's definitely a beautiful country though and recovering from a horrible past.
Aside from the beach, I realized that the only other reason people go to Sihanoukville is to party. Whether it's to take advantage of the "Happy Hours" that last for 3 or 4 hours or the tuk tuk drivers who all seem to be dealing something, there is no struggle to satisfy vices. But that wasn't really what I was there for so I passed on the parties and headed to my room. I didn't think I'd have to use the mosquito net provided because they didn't seem that bad until I heard something hit the bed beside me and looked to see one of the grossest bugs I've ever seen. I have no idea what it was but it was about 2" long and fat and very crawly. So I decided I needed to protect myself and opted for the net. Now, being right near the beach may seem like a good idea and be convenient during the day but listening to other people party isn't all that much fun. So the next morning I decided to do the responsible thing and spend the extra $7 on a nice, clean room where I could actually get some sleep. (Mom, aren't you proud of me?)
That day I rented a bike so I could check out some of the other, less popular beaches and I'm so glad I did. I found a beach with hardly anyone there and had a peaceful aftenoon and a great swim in the surprisingly warm water. That's really pretty much all I did...I biked around some more, had dinner, and actually ended up watching the inauguration since I didn't want to feel so out of touch with what's going on back in North America.
Today I headed back to Phnom Penh and tomorrow I'm off to Vietnam. I know there's a lot here that I didn't see but I'm still not leaving Cambodia with the same desire to return as I did with India. It's definitely a beautiful country though and recovering from a horrible past.
Phnom Penh
On the 17th, I left behind the beauty of the Angkor temples and took a 6 hour bus ride to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I met Yuval, an Israeli and avid traveller, on the bus and this time tagged along with him to find somewhere to stay. If I had thought Daniel was good at bargaining, Yuval was amazing! He actually likes bargaining with tuk tuk drivers or people selling water, or pretty much anyone. It was quite entertaining to watch and I learned that basically everything should cost about 1/4 of what they ask you for initially.
My time in Phnom Penh was not what you'd call a "vacation." It centered around the mass genocide that took place in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge in the 70s. Although, I knew vaguely what had happened here, visiting the killing field and the genocide museum put it in a whole new persepective. In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh with AK47s and forced everyone out to the countryside in a mass exodus. Under Pol Pot's rule, anyone who was educated had absolutely no human rights and were either forced into years of hard labour and starvation or were just instantly executed. He abolished literacy, arts, music and religion. It is believed that 1.7 million people died during the 4 years of his tyranny, until January 1979 when the Khmer Rouge were finally forced out by the Vietnamese. So as a warning, this entry won't be all that fun, but hopefully you'll be more appreciative of how lucky we all are and for some of you, like me, a little more aware of what happened.
Our first afternoon there, we decided to go see the killing fields of Choeung Ek. This is the location of the mass graves that were found where thousands of prisoners were taken to be executed. The field is scattered with large holes that were the locations of the mass graves uncovered and many are labelled with signs about the people found there. There are also signs describing the locations of where the truck would unload the prisoners, where they would wait to be executed, where they stored the chemicals to cover the stench, and the tools they used to kill them. In the centre of the field, they have built a memorial that is a huge glass case on all sides and houses around 8000 skulls of victims found at that site, along with a pile of their clothes that they were buried in. This day was just the beginning of my learning about the genocide and it was a strange experience to have with someone I just met.
The next day Yuval and I went to the Tuol Sleng Museum (or Genocide Museum). The museum is located at the former S21 prison, which had initially been a high school but the calss rooms were turned into cells and torture champers under Pol Pot''s regime. It is estimated that around 17,000 people were held here over the years before they were executed, and only 20 prisoners escaped with their lives. Our tour started with a movie that told the story of some of the prisoners and featured an artist who was one of the lucky few to be held at S21 and live to tell about it. In the 80s, he did a series of paintings that depicted either events he experienced, witnessed or was told about during his time in prison. The paintings are graphic portrayals of torture and in the movie he actually walks around with a former guard from the prison and asks him if these things happened. It was such a bizarre thing to see...a former prisoner and former guard having a discussion about the methods of torture used. The rest of the museum is filled with photos of former prisoners, both before and after execution and actual torture devices that were found in the rooms. There are thousands of mug-shot-type photographs, many of them women and children, and as a collective you can almost just walk right past them. But if you stop and look at individual pics you can see the sadness or fear or sometimes just an empty gaze looking back at you, because you know they've already given up hope. It is an experience I will never forget.
My time in Phnom Penh was not what you'd call a "vacation." It centered around the mass genocide that took place in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge in the 70s. Although, I knew vaguely what had happened here, visiting the killing field and the genocide museum put it in a whole new persepective. In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh with AK47s and forced everyone out to the countryside in a mass exodus. Under Pol Pot's rule, anyone who was educated had absolutely no human rights and were either forced into years of hard labour and starvation or were just instantly executed. He abolished literacy, arts, music and religion. It is believed that 1.7 million people died during the 4 years of his tyranny, until January 1979 when the Khmer Rouge were finally forced out by the Vietnamese. So as a warning, this entry won't be all that fun, but hopefully you'll be more appreciative of how lucky we all are and for some of you, like me, a little more aware of what happened.
Our first afternoon there, we decided to go see the killing fields of Choeung Ek. This is the location of the mass graves that were found where thousands of prisoners were taken to be executed. The field is scattered with large holes that were the locations of the mass graves uncovered and many are labelled with signs about the people found there. There are also signs describing the locations of where the truck would unload the prisoners, where they would wait to be executed, where they stored the chemicals to cover the stench, and the tools they used to kill them. In the centre of the field, they have built a memorial that is a huge glass case on all sides and houses around 8000 skulls of victims found at that site, along with a pile of their clothes that they were buried in. This day was just the beginning of my learning about the genocide and it was a strange experience to have with someone I just met.
The next day Yuval and I went to the Tuol Sleng Museum (or Genocide Museum). The museum is located at the former S21 prison, which had initially been a high school but the calss rooms were turned into cells and torture champers under Pol Pot''s regime. It is estimated that around 17,000 people were held here over the years before they were executed, and only 20 prisoners escaped with their lives. Our tour started with a movie that told the story of some of the prisoners and featured an artist who was one of the lucky few to be held at S21 and live to tell about it. In the 80s, he did a series of paintings that depicted either events he experienced, witnessed or was told about during his time in prison. The paintings are graphic portrayals of torture and in the movie he actually walks around with a former guard from the prison and asks him if these things happened. It was such a bizarre thing to see...a former prisoner and former guard having a discussion about the methods of torture used. The rest of the museum is filled with photos of former prisoners, both before and after execution and actual torture devices that were found in the rooms. There are thousands of mug-shot-type photographs, many of them women and children, and as a collective you can almost just walk right past them. But if you stop and look at individual pics you can see the sadness or fear or sometimes just an empty gaze looking back at you, because you know they've already given up hope. It is an experience I will never forget.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Cambodia...Siem Reap
My visit began in Siem Reap, which is home to the most popular tourist attraction in Cambodia...Angkor Wat. I met a dutch guy named Daniel on the flight from Bangkok who tagged along with me to my hostel. (For any of you who watch "Weeds," he reminded me of Andy, fun and kind of quirky.) We hired a tuk tuk (motorcycle that pulls a 2 bench cart behind it) for the afternoon and went straight to the Angkor temples. We spent that afternoon and the next morning touring around to the different temples all over the grounds. The temples date back 800 to 1000 years and it's still unclear as to how they managed to build such huge structures. What was most impressive was the intricate carvings on every surface. It was great having Daniel around since he was much better at bargaining with the tuk tuk drivers than I was, but is kind of a sucker for the kids selling stuff so they'd bug him and leave me alone. :) I think I'd become somewhat immune to their sales pitches since I was coming from India. Although, it was almost more difficult to say no, since they are less aggresive here but you know they need the money just as much.
The next day Daniel headed back to Thailand and I spent the afternoon on a tour of a floating fishing village on the Tonle Sap lake. It's the largest freshwater lake in Asia and according to Vien (my guide) is home to 400 Vietnamese families, 500 Cambodian families and 10 muslim families...just in case you were wondering. Vien explained how the families have to move their houses depending on the season and the water level, and that the reason people live on the water is because that don't have enough money to buy land. But the village has a few floating schools, churches, police stations and some people even keep pigs in floating crates (which they didn't seem to enjoy). There are also little boats that people take around to sell produce, kind of like a convenience store that comes to you.
The next day Daniel headed back to Thailand and I spent the afternoon on a tour of a floating fishing village on the Tonle Sap lake. It's the largest freshwater lake in Asia and according to Vien (my guide) is home to 400 Vietnamese families, 500 Cambodian families and 10 muslim families...just in case you were wondering. Vien explained how the families have to move their houses depending on the season and the water level, and that the reason people live on the water is because that don't have enough money to buy land. But the village has a few floating schools, churches, police stations and some people even keep pigs in floating crates (which they didn't seem to enjoy). There are also little boats that people take around to sell produce, kind of like a convenience store that comes to you.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Udaipur
I finally arrived in Udaipur and made my way to my guest house and took a much needed, although quick, hot shower. The water heaters here are quite small so hot water is limited. Udaipur is known as the Lake City and the rooftop restaurant from my hostel had a beautiful view of one of the lakes and the Lake Palace.
My first stop, however, was the City Palace which is yet another amazing building that's been turned into a museum. I opted to be cheap and just paid for admission and skipped the audio tour or getting a guide. I lucked out again by starting my tour at the same time a tour group with a guide that talked really loud, so I pretty much got a tour for free anyway. :) So I learned all about Maharana Pratap and his horse Chetak and how he was such a great warrior. There are statues of him and his horse all around the city so it was nice to know why. On my way out I started chatting with an Aussie guy, and we grabbed lunch and exchanged travel tips before he headed out of the city.
That evening I went to the water's edge to watch the sunset and met 3 Norwegian girls. We had dinner together and made plans to take a tour of the city together the next day. I was feeling pretty good at this point about my ability to meet people, which I know I wouldn't have been doing if I wasn't travelling on my own. The tour of Udaipur was good. Our guide, Rizwan, had a good sense of humour and took us to some beautiful gardens and lakes around the city. He also grew up in Udaipur and was eager to chat about his life and show us his favourite places that aren't all tourist spots. We had a great all-you-can-eat vegetarian lunch for Rs60 ($1.60) called a thali. You get 5 different vegetable dishes, rice, papadum, chapatti and dessert. I know I keep telling the prices of everything but sometimes I still can't believe it.
I spent that night and the next morning just wandering around and exploring the city. It was nice to leave the tourist area and walk in town with the locals to escape from the constant efforts to sell me stuff. On my walk I met a nice guy from Kenya, who's in university in Udaipur and wants to come to Toronto to do his masters. He's worried about the cold and from what I've heard, rightly so....-22C or something like that? I can't say that I miss that at all!
In the afternoon I did a private Indian cooking lesson. I was picked up on a motorbike, which was definitely one of the things I wanted to do before leaving India, and went to the home of Vijay and his family. I got to choose an appetizer, 3 curries, a rice dish, chappati, tea, and a dessert to learn how to make. We had the lesson in the middle of his main room and I wrote everything down as he cooked on 2 gas burners on the floor and his 1 year old daughter and 3 year old nephew played around us. It was a great experience and I left stuffed with fantastic food. His family also has a farm where they grow all of their own spices organically, so the ingredients were all super fresh. The highlight for me was probably the vegetable pakora....mmm, so tasty.
That night was my last night in India, so I decided to spend it at a Hindi movie. I had seen posters for "Ghajini," in every city I'd been to and I'd heard from the Australian girl that it was pretty good. Fortunately, on my way there I ran into an Indian guy that I'd met the previous day and he decided to join me so I had an interpreter when necessary. There was a bit of English in it, but I'd say it was 90% Hindi. It was very similar in plot to "Memento," which is one of my favourite movies, so it wasn't too hard to follow. It's considered an action movie and has some decent fight scenes in it but what had to be the best part were the random singing and dancing numbers with the goofy costumes. I know that's part of the Bollywood thing, and it wouldn't be considered a good movie in India without them, but they seemed so out of place to me.
So that was pretty much the end of India for me. I left the following afternoon on a flight that eventually brought me to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I will try to write some final thoughts on India in one more entry but that's it for now!
My first stop, however, was the City Palace which is yet another amazing building that's been turned into a museum. I opted to be cheap and just paid for admission and skipped the audio tour or getting a guide. I lucked out again by starting my tour at the same time a tour group with a guide that talked really loud, so I pretty much got a tour for free anyway. :) So I learned all about Maharana Pratap and his horse Chetak and how he was such a great warrior. There are statues of him and his horse all around the city so it was nice to know why. On my way out I started chatting with an Aussie guy, and we grabbed lunch and exchanged travel tips before he headed out of the city.
That evening I went to the water's edge to watch the sunset and met 3 Norwegian girls. We had dinner together and made plans to take a tour of the city together the next day. I was feeling pretty good at this point about my ability to meet people, which I know I wouldn't have been doing if I wasn't travelling on my own. The tour of Udaipur was good. Our guide, Rizwan, had a good sense of humour and took us to some beautiful gardens and lakes around the city. He also grew up in Udaipur and was eager to chat about his life and show us his favourite places that aren't all tourist spots. We had a great all-you-can-eat vegetarian lunch for Rs60 ($1.60) called a thali. You get 5 different vegetable dishes, rice, papadum, chapatti and dessert. I know I keep telling the prices of everything but sometimes I still can't believe it.
I spent that night and the next morning just wandering around and exploring the city. It was nice to leave the tourist area and walk in town with the locals to escape from the constant efforts to sell me stuff. On my walk I met a nice guy from Kenya, who's in university in Udaipur and wants to come to Toronto to do his masters. He's worried about the cold and from what I've heard, rightly so....-22C or something like that? I can't say that I miss that at all!
In the afternoon I did a private Indian cooking lesson. I was picked up on a motorbike, which was definitely one of the things I wanted to do before leaving India, and went to the home of Vijay and his family. I got to choose an appetizer, 3 curries, a rice dish, chappati, tea, and a dessert to learn how to make. We had the lesson in the middle of his main room and I wrote everything down as he cooked on 2 gas burners on the floor and his 1 year old daughter and 3 year old nephew played around us. It was a great experience and I left stuffed with fantastic food. His family also has a farm where they grow all of their own spices organically, so the ingredients were all super fresh. The highlight for me was probably the vegetable pakora....mmm, so tasty.
That night was my last night in India, so I decided to spend it at a Hindi movie. I had seen posters for "Ghajini," in every city I'd been to and I'd heard from the Australian girl that it was pretty good. Fortunately, on my way there I ran into an Indian guy that I'd met the previous day and he decided to join me so I had an interpreter when necessary. There was a bit of English in it, but I'd say it was 90% Hindi. It was very similar in plot to "Memento," which is one of my favourite movies, so it wasn't too hard to follow. It's considered an action movie and has some decent fight scenes in it but what had to be the best part were the random singing and dancing numbers with the goofy costumes. I know that's part of the Bollywood thing, and it wouldn't be considered a good movie in India without them, but they seemed so out of place to me.
So that was pretty much the end of India for me. I left the following afternoon on a flight that eventually brought me to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I will try to write some final thoughts on India in one more entry but that's it for now!
Sleeper Class
I had a 10:40pm departure time for the overnight train to Udaipur. There are many different classes of tickets for trains in India but when I went to buy my ticket the previous day I just took what the guy sold me and figured it would be fine. I thought it seemed awfully cheap...just under $6 for a 10 hour train ride but I do like a bargain so I went with it anyway. When I got to the station and saw the other "sleeper class" cars and the state of the station itself I was starting to think maybe I should upgrade. But the line at the reservation counter was crazy so I had to go with what I had and figured it was all a part of the experience of travelling in India. So I waited at my platform and spent as much time as I could walking around with my bag because as soon as you sit down you become an easy target for people asking for money.
When I finally got on the train I realized that I was stuck in a middle berth, but fortunately of the 8 beds available in my section there were only 3 occupied. So I settled onto a bottom bunk with my bag behind me and was very glad I was short and Canadian. It was cold enough in sleeper class to occasionally see your breath since the windows don't close properly and it was going down to about 6C at night. It was managable but without a sleeping bag it was a chilly night.
I passed the first part of the night chatting with a guy from Saudi Arabia who was travelling in Jaipur and he showed me all of the pics on his camera of where he'd travelled and pics from home. There were photos of a muslim festival that had taken place in Saudi where there were guys that would put knives through their skin and walk in a procession. I'm not just talking about one or two knives either. There was one guy that had dozens of knives (steak knife size) pushed through about a half inch of skin in rows all down his arms and legs and even on his chest and stomach. This may sound graphic but it's no where near as bad as having him zoom in on the camera over and over again so I can get a really good view. It still made for some interesting conversation though and was a good way to pass the time until I was ready for sleep.
I didn't sleep all that well, in part because of the cold but also because I was worried about sleeping through my stop. I didn't have a lot of confidence that someone would wake me up when we arrived in Udaipur but I set my alarm and hoped for the best. I woke up early in the morning and passed a bit more time trying to get a good pic of the mouse that had been running around between the bunks all night. I named him Chester and actually did get a good pic. (Mom, I know you love hearing about that).
Overall, I'm glad I did the sleeper class train and it wasn't really that bad but for future reference...bring a sleeping bag in the winter in northern India if you want to travel really cheap.
When I finally got on the train I realized that I was stuck in a middle berth, but fortunately of the 8 beds available in my section there were only 3 occupied. So I settled onto a bottom bunk with my bag behind me and was very glad I was short and Canadian. It was cold enough in sleeper class to occasionally see your breath since the windows don't close properly and it was going down to about 6C at night. It was managable but without a sleeping bag it was a chilly night.
I passed the first part of the night chatting with a guy from Saudi Arabia who was travelling in Jaipur and he showed me all of the pics on his camera of where he'd travelled and pics from home. There were photos of a muslim festival that had taken place in Saudi where there were guys that would put knives through their skin and walk in a procession. I'm not just talking about one or two knives either. There was one guy that had dozens of knives (steak knife size) pushed through about a half inch of skin in rows all down his arms and legs and even on his chest and stomach. This may sound graphic but it's no where near as bad as having him zoom in on the camera over and over again so I can get a really good view. It still made for some interesting conversation though and was a good way to pass the time until I was ready for sleep.
I didn't sleep all that well, in part because of the cold but also because I was worried about sleeping through my stop. I didn't have a lot of confidence that someone would wake me up when we arrived in Udaipur but I set my alarm and hoped for the best. I woke up early in the morning and passed a bit more time trying to get a good pic of the mouse that had been running around between the bunks all night. I named him Chester and actually did get a good pic. (Mom, I know you love hearing about that).
Overall, I'm glad I did the sleeper class train and it wasn't really that bad but for future reference...bring a sleeping bag in the winter in northern India if you want to travel really cheap.
The more real Jaipur
After our tour I said goodbye to my friends and faced the reality of travelling alone. At my request they dropped me off at an internet cafe (I use the term "cafe" very loosely...a bunch of computers crowded into a small building in an alley). I found a place that wasn't too expensive (Rs1200 = $32) and ventured out to find a rickshaw that would take me there. It was my first ride in a rickshaw since we'd always had drivers or taken cabs up until then. I can admit now that it was a little scary being on my own and figuring things out for myself but I made it safely to my guest house and it was nice and clean and I was happy to spend the night.
The next day I decided I wanted to find something a bit cheaper for the next couple of nights so it was back to the net. I ended up choosing a family-run place called the Janpath Guest House. It was only going to cost me Rs550 ($15) a night and that included 3 meals a day. Now I will say that the room left something to be desired and when you see the pics I know some of you would have turned right around and walked out but I'm so glad I decided to stay. Kapil is a 76 year old who opened up his home to guests a couple of years ago. He lives there with his daughter in law and 2 grand-daughters and has 17 rooms open for guests. He has a few boarders who have lived there for up to a year and is the most hospitable man I will probably ever meet.
My first day there he offered to give me a ride into the tourist info centre in town, which I thought was great. It turns out the office was closed because of a muslim holiday, but the ride turned into a 3 hour private tour of the city. He took me right into the middle of the festival because he talked a police oficer into moving a barricade that allowed us to drive right into the centre of the action.
Our next stop was a Hindu temple. He bought some ladu (looks like a timbit and tastes like a nutty shortbread), we took off our shoes and went inside. There were people already waiting and organized into rows all leading up to an alter surrounded by a marble railing. It was decorated all in silver and bronze and in the center there was a red curtain across the alter. People would ring a bell that was hanging by each entrance to scare away evil spirits, I've been told. So we were all just standing there for 10 mins or so and I wasn't really sure what we were waiting for, when the curtain opened to reveal a 6' tall, orange statue of Ganesha. Ganesha is a very popular Hindu deity that has the head of an elephant and is known as the remover of obstacles and therefore, widely worshipped. Everyone chanted something and then a bunch of men came around and started taking the ladu from the worshippers and making a gesture o offering toward the statue and then would crumble it into a bowl. People also brought strings of flowers that were placed at Ganesha's feet.
We went to a beautiful marble temple as well that was built by Kapil's previous employer of 40 years. It was great to have a personal tour by a man who is obviously so proud of his city. That night we had an indepth conversation about Hinduism and I learned a lot about Kapil, his values and his family.
That night I also met Andrea, who is an Australian woman staying at the same guest house. She is staying in Jaipur for a year and is volunteering at a school for orphaned, abused or destitute girls. The next day I went with her to the school to check it out and it looks like an amazing program. Some of the girls come from horrendous circumstances and they give them somewhere safe to live, teach them a few hours a day of school and trades like jewellery-making or sewing. They loved having their pictures taken so I have some great pics to remember them by.
That night I showed off my photo album that Marcia gave me for x-mas. It's full of pics of home and everyone was very interested in seeing what life in Canada is like. From the pics they all think Canada is fantastic and that I'm tension-free since I'm always smiling or dancing. :)
I spent the next day with Andrea and I had my first ride on a city bus. It was kind of crazy but overall went rather smoothly. We wandered around the city, she bought some jewellery, I finally gave in to the street food and had a samosa with curry, some sugar cane juice and went to a chaiwalla (tea shop). All of that cost me Rs28 (about $0.75), talk about a cheap day out. That night I headed out on an overnight train to Udaipur and the details of that will have to be another post altogether.
Jaipur was a great experience and I have actually started to think that I may need to return to India and spend some more time in one place.
The next day I decided I wanted to find something a bit cheaper for the next couple of nights so it was back to the net. I ended up choosing a family-run place called the Janpath Guest House. It was only going to cost me Rs550 ($15) a night and that included 3 meals a day. Now I will say that the room left something to be desired and when you see the pics I know some of you would have turned right around and walked out but I'm so glad I decided to stay. Kapil is a 76 year old who opened up his home to guests a couple of years ago. He lives there with his daughter in law and 2 grand-daughters and has 17 rooms open for guests. He has a few boarders who have lived there for up to a year and is the most hospitable man I will probably ever meet.
My first day there he offered to give me a ride into the tourist info centre in town, which I thought was great. It turns out the office was closed because of a muslim holiday, but the ride turned into a 3 hour private tour of the city. He took me right into the middle of the festival because he talked a police oficer into moving a barricade that allowed us to drive right into the centre of the action.
Our next stop was a Hindu temple. He bought some ladu (looks like a timbit and tastes like a nutty shortbread), we took off our shoes and went inside. There were people already waiting and organized into rows all leading up to an alter surrounded by a marble railing. It was decorated all in silver and bronze and in the center there was a red curtain across the alter. People would ring a bell that was hanging by each entrance to scare away evil spirits, I've been told. So we were all just standing there for 10 mins or so and I wasn't really sure what we were waiting for, when the curtain opened to reveal a 6' tall, orange statue of Ganesha. Ganesha is a very popular Hindu deity that has the head of an elephant and is known as the remover of obstacles and therefore, widely worshipped. Everyone chanted something and then a bunch of men came around and started taking the ladu from the worshippers and making a gesture o offering toward the statue and then would crumble it into a bowl. People also brought strings of flowers that were placed at Ganesha's feet.
We went to a beautiful marble temple as well that was built by Kapil's previous employer of 40 years. It was great to have a personal tour by a man who is obviously so proud of his city. That night we had an indepth conversation about Hinduism and I learned a lot about Kapil, his values and his family.
That night I also met Andrea, who is an Australian woman staying at the same guest house. She is staying in Jaipur for a year and is volunteering at a school for orphaned, abused or destitute girls. The next day I went with her to the school to check it out and it looks like an amazing program. Some of the girls come from horrendous circumstances and they give them somewhere safe to live, teach them a few hours a day of school and trades like jewellery-making or sewing. They loved having their pictures taken so I have some great pics to remember them by.
That night I showed off my photo album that Marcia gave me for x-mas. It's full of pics of home and everyone was very interested in seeing what life in Canada is like. From the pics they all think Canada is fantastic and that I'm tension-free since I'm always smiling or dancing. :)
I spent the next day with Andrea and I had my first ride on a city bus. It was kind of crazy but overall went rather smoothly. We wandered around the city, she bought some jewellery, I finally gave in to the street food and had a samosa with curry, some sugar cane juice and went to a chaiwalla (tea shop). All of that cost me Rs28 (about $0.75), talk about a cheap day out. That night I headed out on an overnight train to Udaipur and the details of that will have to be another post altogether.
Jaipur was a great experience and I have actually started to think that I may need to return to India and spend some more time in one place.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Jaipur tour
The next day of our tour, after the Taj Mahal, was around Jaipur. It is known as "The Pink City" because in 1876 all the buildings were painted pink before a visit from the Prince of Wales. Today, it is just the old part of the city that remains pink, although it's not really even pink... it has an orange tint to it, but I won't split hairs.
We saw a lot of the tourist attractions of Jaipur: Wind Palace, Water Palace, City Palace (yes, there are a lot of palaces in India), an observatory, but the highlight had to be the Amber Fort. Our visit to the Amber Fort began how I now think all palace visits should....with an elephant ride. You have to share an elephant, so Joel and I got a lift from "Bubbly." Not what I would pick as an elephant name since he (or she, not sure) didn't seem all that bubbly, but maybe he was just shy. We went a little photo-crazy with the elephants and the turbins that Christina and Nigel bought on the trip up. Yes, there are even people following you as you make your way up to the palace on the elephants, still trying to sell you things. But I'll admit that the turins made for some good pics.
The fort was quite impressive. The Maharaja certainly knew how to live. There were bedrooms built for each of his two wives for the different seasons. The winter rooms would get more sun and were full of mirrors to reflect more light. The monsoon rooms had special drainage systems that would fill a pool in the middle of a courtyard. And the summer rooms I can't really remember but I'm sure they were probably built to get a cross breeze or something. If you're going to have multiple wives, it's at least nice to know that he was thinking of them while building his palace. They had a saffron garden on either side of the palace so the wind would carry the smell.
Another highlight of the day was our visit to a textile factory/store. We saw how they print silk and how they make hand knotted carpets. It's amazing how much time goes into making these things. I was so impressed that I made my first purchase of the trip and splurged on a small hand knotted carpet. It was perfect timing to buy since I could send it home with Nigel's friend and it will be waiting for me when I eventually get home and sometime when I actually have a place to live again, I'll get to use it!
We saw a lot of the tourist attractions of Jaipur: Wind Palace, Water Palace, City Palace (yes, there are a lot of palaces in India), an observatory, but the highlight had to be the Amber Fort. Our visit to the Amber Fort began how I now think all palace visits should....with an elephant ride. You have to share an elephant, so Joel and I got a lift from "Bubbly." Not what I would pick as an elephant name since he (or she, not sure) didn't seem all that bubbly, but maybe he was just shy. We went a little photo-crazy with the elephants and the turbins that Christina and Nigel bought on the trip up. Yes, there are even people following you as you make your way up to the palace on the elephants, still trying to sell you things. But I'll admit that the turins made for some good pics.
The fort was quite impressive. The Maharaja certainly knew how to live. There were bedrooms built for each of his two wives for the different seasons. The winter rooms would get more sun and were full of mirrors to reflect more light. The monsoon rooms had special drainage systems that would fill a pool in the middle of a courtyard. And the summer rooms I can't really remember but I'm sure they were probably built to get a cross breeze or something. If you're going to have multiple wives, it's at least nice to know that he was thinking of them while building his palace. They had a saffron garden on either side of the palace so the wind would carry the smell.
Another highlight of the day was our visit to a textile factory/store. We saw how they print silk and how they make hand knotted carpets. It's amazing how much time goes into making these things. I was so impressed that I made my first purchase of the trip and splurged on a small hand knotted carpet. It was perfect timing to buy since I could send it home with Nigel's friend and it will be waiting for me when I eventually get home and sometime when I actually have a place to live again, I'll get to use it!
The Taj Mahal
On Jan 6th we were up early and in the van by 7am for the drive to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. We stopped enroute to visit Fatehpur Sikri, the deserted capital of Emporer Akbar. It was built in the 16th century of red sandstone but the city was abandoned 12 years later due to a lack of water. It still stands completely intact and although it seemed impressive at the time, seems somewhat unmemorable now after the Taj Mahal.
The Taj Mahal was amazing! It is by far the most impressive building I’ve ever seen and pictures cannot do it justice. While walking around the grounds I was basically in constant awe. It just has such a huge presence and I can't even comprehend what it would have taken to build. Taj Mahal literally translates into “crown palace,” but it was actually built strictly as a mosoleum. It was created by emporer Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. She had 14 kids over 19 years so I’m not surprised she was his “favourite.” It took 22 years to build and was the work of 20,000 men and over 1,000 elephants. I’m going to refer once again to Wikipedia if you want more info because I’m not really writing this as a history lesson. But if you ever have the opportunity to go and see it for yourself, definitely take it!
I know I’ve said this before, but the drive home was once again the craziest drive of my life. I have never seen fog like this before. There was probably a few hours of the drive that you really couldn't see even a meter in front of the van. I have no idea how we managed to avoid all of the many people that were still wandering across the road or on bicycles or the oncoming traffic that we sometimes encountered because you couldn't even see the road to know which side you're supposed to be on. The drive took about 7 hours and is only 232kms, just to give you an idea of how slow we were actually going. Needless to say, our driver got a big tip just for getting us home alive.
The Taj Mahal was amazing! It is by far the most impressive building I’ve ever seen and pictures cannot do it justice. While walking around the grounds I was basically in constant awe. It just has such a huge presence and I can't even comprehend what it would have taken to build. Taj Mahal literally translates into “crown palace,” but it was actually built strictly as a mosoleum. It was created by emporer Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. She had 14 kids over 19 years so I’m not surprised she was his “favourite.” It took 22 years to build and was the work of 20,000 men and over 1,000 elephants. I’m going to refer once again to Wikipedia if you want more info because I’m not really writing this as a history lesson. But if you ever have the opportunity to go and see it for yourself, definitely take it!
I know I’ve said this before, but the drive home was once again the craziest drive of my life. I have never seen fog like this before. There was probably a few hours of the drive that you really couldn't see even a meter in front of the van. I have no idea how we managed to avoid all of the many people that were still wandering across the road or on bicycles or the oncoming traffic that we sometimes encountered because you couldn't even see the road to know which side you're supposed to be on. The drive took about 7 hours and is only 232kms, just to give you an idea of how slow we were actually going. Needless to say, our driver got a big tip just for getting us home alive.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The rest of Goa
Ok, I have a lot to say about the rest of my time in Goa but I will never catch up if I write about everything. From the 30th until Jan 2nd I spent my time in Goa with Lindsay and Nigel's American friends. Christina took us on a tour of Old Goa and we saw St.Francis Xavier's cathedral along with other historical buildings and learned a bit about the history. I do remember some of it but if you're interested it would probably be more accurate to just look it up on Wikipedia. :)
Our nights were full of more great food and parties. There were fantastic Italian and French restaurants that we went to and in 2 short weeks not only have I started eating seafood but also drinking beer and tea as well. Crazy, I know! New Year's Eve was great and spent with lots of friends and family at a small club with live music for dancing and of course more fireworks.
On Jan 3rd Lindsay, Joel, Charles (Nigel's friends) and I went on a bit of an adventure to go white water rafting and on a safari. It was a 4 hour drive to Dandeli in Karnataka on the craziest roads I've even been on. There are no street signs anywhere, lots of dirt roads and even when they are paved there are some of the biggest potholes I've ever seen. Combine that with all of the big trucks, crazy turns, constant passing and of course the monkeys, cows, dogs, pigs and goats everhwere and it's bound to be an interesting drive. I actually saw my first stop sign and I tried to get a pic of it but unfortunately, we didn't actually stop at it so it didn't turn out too well.
We did make it to our Jungle Lodge and that afternoon went white water rafting on the Kali River. It was a lot of fun but honestly, if you want to go rafting just head to the Ottawa river...bigger rapids. The next morning we were up at 5am to go on our "safari". Apparently, there are black panthers and elephants that live in this area but we were warned that we weren't all that likely to see them because of all of the poachers. Needless to say, we sat in the back of an open jeep, driving around in the dark and cold and I saw more animals on my drive to the lodge than on the safari itself. But it was all part of the experience and the ridiculousness of it still made it fun.
That afternoon we took a relaxing trip down the Kali River to spot crocodiles and birds. Our boat was a circle made from bamboo with a tarp wrapped around the bottom. I will post pics on facebook when I can because it's something you just have to see to understand. The tour was great though, and we actually saw a few crocodiles, one about 12 feet long and tons of birds. I never thought bird watching could actually be interesting.
The drive back to Goa seemed less crazy this time because you get used to everything here and that night we were ready to go and ended up crashing a wedding of a friend of Nigel's. Well, we not only crashed it but also left quite an impact. Joel played the sax with the band and had a collection of groupies afterwards, Lindsay caught the bouquet (again), and we were definitely all a presence on the dance flo0r in the wedding video.
On Jan 5th I said goodbye to Lindsay as she headed home to Canada and I headed off with Christina, Nigel, Joel and Charles on our trip to Jaipur and Agra.
My time in Goa was amazing and I would definitely suggest it as an alternative vacation destination to the carribean. If you want an easy introduction to India it's the place to start. Great food, lots of parties, perfect weather....what more could you ask for?
Our nights were full of more great food and parties. There were fantastic Italian and French restaurants that we went to and in 2 short weeks not only have I started eating seafood but also drinking beer and tea as well. Crazy, I know! New Year's Eve was great and spent with lots of friends and family at a small club with live music for dancing and of course more fireworks.
On Jan 3rd Lindsay, Joel, Charles (Nigel's friends) and I went on a bit of an adventure to go white water rafting and on a safari. It was a 4 hour drive to Dandeli in Karnataka on the craziest roads I've even been on. There are no street signs anywhere, lots of dirt roads and even when they are paved there are some of the biggest potholes I've ever seen. Combine that with all of the big trucks, crazy turns, constant passing and of course the monkeys, cows, dogs, pigs and goats everhwere and it's bound to be an interesting drive. I actually saw my first stop sign and I tried to get a pic of it but unfortunately, we didn't actually stop at it so it didn't turn out too well.
We did make it to our Jungle Lodge and that afternoon went white water rafting on the Kali River. It was a lot of fun but honestly, if you want to go rafting just head to the Ottawa river...bigger rapids. The next morning we were up at 5am to go on our "safari". Apparently, there are black panthers and elephants that live in this area but we were warned that we weren't all that likely to see them because of all of the poachers. Needless to say, we sat in the back of an open jeep, driving around in the dark and cold and I saw more animals on my drive to the lodge than on the safari itself. But it was all part of the experience and the ridiculousness of it still made it fun.
That afternoon we took a relaxing trip down the Kali River to spot crocodiles and birds. Our boat was a circle made from bamboo with a tarp wrapped around the bottom. I will post pics on facebook when I can because it's something you just have to see to understand. The tour was great though, and we actually saw a few crocodiles, one about 12 feet long and tons of birds. I never thought bird watching could actually be interesting.
The drive back to Goa seemed less crazy this time because you get used to everything here and that night we were ready to go and ended up crashing a wedding of a friend of Nigel's. Well, we not only crashed it but also left quite an impact. Joel played the sax with the band and had a collection of groupies afterwards, Lindsay caught the bouquet (again), and we were definitely all a presence on the dance flo0r in the wedding video.
On Jan 5th I said goodbye to Lindsay as she headed home to Canada and I headed off with Christina, Nigel, Joel and Charles on our trip to Jaipur and Agra.
My time in Goa was amazing and I would definitely suggest it as an alternative vacation destination to the carribean. If you want an easy introduction to India it's the place to start. Great food, lots of parties, perfect weather....what more could you ask for?
Waterfall
On the 29th Lindsay and I along with Nigel's friends, decided to take a trip to the largest waterfall in India, Doodhsagar Waterfall. After a bit of negotiating, we took a taxi for the hour or so drive until we stopped at a corner and we were told we were there. We then had to get into a 4WD vehicle for another hour or so drive to the waterfall. It was a one lane, very bumpy road, as we drove over rocky red clay and even through streams to get there. The best part was when there was a car behind us that still wanted to pass...Goans will pass in any situation (I'll write more about the driving some other time). We saw tons of huge termite hills that really look more like sand castles and are actually pretty cool. And then there were the monkeys. There were monkeys everywhere and despite there being signs about not feeding the monkeys they also had people selling bags of food specifically for feeding monkeys. So like all good tourists, we fed them grapes and nuts and they'd come take it our of our hands or even catch them if we threw it.
When we finally got to the waterfall we were able to go swimming at the bottom and even go right underneath it. Although it's 310m high, since it's the dry season it doesn't really have that much water coming down so the pressure wasn't too much. It was still really loud though and not nearly as romantic as movies make waterfalls out to be. So I don't suggest planning a romantic swim under a waterfall. After our swim we got to be a little closer to nature than I would have liked when we saw a true Animal Planet moment....monkey sex. I say "moment" because it was literally about 5 seconds but it did make the monkeys seem a little less cute. I won't go into details but if you really want to know, you can ask me later.
When we finally got to the waterfall we were able to go swimming at the bottom and even go right underneath it. Although it's 310m high, since it's the dry season it doesn't really have that much water coming down so the pressure wasn't too much. It was still really loud though and not nearly as romantic as movies make waterfalls out to be. So I don't suggest planning a romantic swim under a waterfall. After our swim we got to be a little closer to nature than I would have liked when we saw a true Animal Planet moment....monkey sex. I say "moment" because it was literally about 5 seconds but it did make the monkeys seem a little less cute. I won't go into details but if you really want to know, you can ask me later.
Wedding
I feel that so much has happened since I wrote last and I'm realizing that I probably won't be online as much as I thought...so bear with me.
I guess I should write about the wedding since that's technically the reason I came to Goa. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun. It was a catholic mass and it wasn't all that different from what I'm used to, although it was a long one, about 1 hour 45mins. It was in a big white church that's close to 400 years old and they had lots of gorgeous flowers and rose petals down the aisle. The reception began with the bride and groom driving around in a vintage car (sorry, no idea what kind) while once again everyone threw petals on them. They also had fireworks, some fire-juggling buskers, the area decorated with thousands of white x-mas lights, and most importantly a very tasty buffet dinner.
I spent the dinner sitting with Nigel's friends from the US (he lives in Chicago), and we've been hanging out with them ever since. Lindsay also managed to catch the bouquet, after it came to me but I deflected it quickly in her direction. I'm not really looking to be the next one in line to walk down the aisle. They also made Nigel take off Christina's garter but put a bit of a twist on it. First of all they blind-folded him and then also wouldn't let him use his hands. Then they pulled Christina out of the chair and one of their other guy friends sat in her place. Needless to say it didn't take Nigel long to realize it wasn't Christina's legs but not before they had a good laugh.
Once the reception was over we all headed out to a club (minus the bride and groom of course) to continue the party. Lindsay went in her bridesmaid dress and everything so we stood out a little bit but had a good night of dancing regardless.
I guess I should write about the wedding since that's technically the reason I came to Goa. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun. It was a catholic mass and it wasn't all that different from what I'm used to, although it was a long one, about 1 hour 45mins. It was in a big white church that's close to 400 years old and they had lots of gorgeous flowers and rose petals down the aisle. The reception began with the bride and groom driving around in a vintage car (sorry, no idea what kind) while once again everyone threw petals on them. They also had fireworks, some fire-juggling buskers, the area decorated with thousands of white x-mas lights, and most importantly a very tasty buffet dinner.
I spent the dinner sitting with Nigel's friends from the US (he lives in Chicago), and we've been hanging out with them ever since. Lindsay also managed to catch the bouquet, after it came to me but I deflected it quickly in her direction. I'm not really looking to be the next one in line to walk down the aisle. They also made Nigel take off Christina's garter but put a bit of a twist on it. First of all they blind-folded him and then also wouldn't let him use his hands. Then they pulled Christina out of the chair and one of their other guy friends sat in her place. Needless to say it didn't take Nigel long to realize it wasn't Christina's legs but not before they had a good laugh.
Once the reception was over we all headed out to a club (minus the bride and groom of course) to continue the party. Lindsay went in her bridesmaid dress and everything so we stood out a little bit but had a good night of dancing regardless.
The next day a bunch of family and friends all got together on a boat trip in the evening. It was basically a pirate ship....minus the eye patches and booty. But once again with food and drinks and music. It was nice to get a different view of Goa and watch the sunset.
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