So it's been a while since I last sat my ass down and wrote a post! We're currently in Kathmandu, Nepal after completing our stay in India and our tour of Rajasthan. To get you up to speed I'll give you a whirlwind tour of what we've been up to.
My last entry was the day of our journey to Udaipur on the sleeper coach. Sleeper is an optimistic way of looking at it, as the ride is so bumpy and the cabins so cramped and uncomfortable that the only way you're getting sleep is if you're off your face or a local. In the 8 hours we were on the bus I managed 2 sweaty hours of fitful sleep at the very end and woke up disoriented on an empty bus, save for Adam sound asleep next to me. We quickly grabbed our gear, disembarked and grabbed an autorickshaw to the Hotel Krishna Niwas. The hotel was beautifully decorated by the owner, a miniature painter by trade and you can read a little about him here http://www.hotelkrishnaniwas.com/biodata.htm.
I won't go into detail about what we did on a day to basis in Udaipur, but I'll summarise a few of the places we visited; The City Palace and its amazing views across the city and its adjoining lake, the cities temples which as with the others we've seen were beautifully crafted and the local markets. A couple of days into our stay there we hired a taxi in the evening to take us up to the Monsoon Palace which overlooked Udaipur. We took in some amazing views and watched the sun set across the hills, probably our 5th such spectacular sunset but still as wonderful!
We took a late afternoon boat trip on the lake where you could look at the temple from the James Bond film 'Octopussy' however its a 5-star hotel, so looking is as close as we got. As we were in the famous setting for 'Octopussy' we decided to watch it at a local restaurant over dinner. The food was wonderful as it had been across much of India, but the film sucked!
Our final activity in Udaipur was a day excursion to Kumbalgar Fort which was quite an experience! Our taxi driver was 5 times as mental as the guy who'd taken us up the hill to the Monsoon Palace and the 2 hour journey there felt like a death ride to hell! The chap had no regard for the price of life, be it human or livestock and on many occasions almost ended up with a bumper souvenir! As the wides became narrower and windier and the ride more intense I retreated further into the comfort of my MP3 and the perfect soundtrack 'Auberge' by Chris Rea. Despite this most harrowing of journeys, I was still able to appreciate the beauty of the countryside we were traversing. Between vast areas of dry, arid semi-desert were pockets of lush green flood plains, fed by almost dried up rivers or buffalo powered wells. The fort was amazing as are all the forts in India! Again we were treated to splendid views across the surrounding hills after which we had a light lunch and prepared ourselves to get back in the taxi.
Lets just say that the rest of the day was spent thundering along narrow, twisting country roads, dodging construction traffic, livestock and locals. In between this, we stopped at a famous temple somewhere outside of Udaipur, which was again exquisitely carved. The only real notable experience I took away from there however, was a brief fight I had with a female monkey who wasn't too keen on being photographed! I say that was the only notable experience because after a while, the temple's all taken on a distinct similarity and without the signage you come to expect as in English tourist locations, their meaning and significance is greatly reduced. We could fork out for guides but half the time they're full of shit and cost the equivalent of half a nights stay at a hotel! Perhaps India's ideas on orchestrating a more structured, informative approach will develop as the 2010 commonwealth games approach but who knows. Across nearly all of the places of interest we've visited since arriving in India there has been reconstruction work of some form, obviously in light of the impending games. I sincerely hope this redevelopment continues and the sites maintained after the games, as many of the places we visited were merely empty shells in a very poor state of repair.
Anyway, during our last couple of days in Udaipur we booked our flights to Nepal and booked ourselves onto a sleeper coach to Jaisalmer, right out on the edge of Rajasthan in the desert. It goes without saying that we were hugely excited to be heading to Nepal a couple of weeks down the line and it helped us swallow the bitter pill of another upcoming bus ride. We set off at about 20:00 after meeting up with half a dozen other westerners also huddled at the bus stand. The cabins were the same as before and instead of trying to sleep, I contented myself with watching the city slowly being replaced by a beautiful starry sky as we thundered through the mountain roads and out towards Jodhpur. At one point as I stuck my head out of the window, I could see the other buses and lorries snaking their way through the windy roads, which was a simply amazing sight. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep and after a bus change at Jodhpur and 6 more hours on the road we arrived in hot, sunny Jaisalmer.
As with any arrival, anywhere in India, we were swamped with blokes wanting to drive us to their designated hotel of choice to collect their little bit of commission. However I was so tired I ignored all of them, collected our bags and stumbled to an autorickshaw of my own choice! Me and Ad crammed our gear into the back, tearing the strap on my bag (later fixed with the eternally awesome duck-tape) and squeezed in. We arrived 2 minutes later at the Hotel Golden City where we stayed for the duration of our visit to Jaisalmer. Ad went in and haggled for the room while I sat and spaced out with the bags whilst the auto driver fired off the standard questions (what country, how long you stay, have you already booked your room) to a few grunted responses. After dumping our bags we had hot showers, which by now had become a hugely welcome luxury! We discovered that a couple of American girls we'd met on the bus were also staying at the hotel and a couple of days later we headed out into the desert together on a camel safari. Had it not been for Ashley and Kris, Jaisalmer would simply have been hot, sandy and the camel safari just a little more than bearable. As it was we had a hilarious time in Jaisalmer and the camel safari although thoroughly uncomfortable and at times a little difficult, turned out to be a very enjoyable experience.
We opted for the 2 day safari, which for your information is plenty! The first day we jeeped to a couple of temples, then met up with Bilal our camel guide and his mate Banoj. After mounting with surprising ease, we headed off into the blazing sun. After a relatively short period on our camels, say an hour of so we stopped for lunch beneath a tree. Here Bilal cooked and sang while we chilled with the local livestock which was more than a little eager to get its share of our food! Once we'd finished our delicious vegetable curry we set off in the slightly more pleasant afternoon sun through a couple of villages and into the dunes where we stayed the night. Before falling asleep beneath the most brilliantly clear blanket of stars I have ever witnessed (shooting stars included) we were treated to a half hearted performance from local musicians, the highlight of which was the guy playing the castanets wearing a special forces combat vest along with traditional gear haha. We spent the night chewing on our fair share of insects and awoke the next morning to sunrise over the dunes!
Day 2 started pleasantly in the early morning cool and then as we progressed through both time and distance things began hotting up. Bilal started us trotting for the first time, which was a much more comfortable ride but only possible across a few stretches. After a while as comfort levels dropped along with the conversation as people began focusing their attentions to blocking out the pain, we turned to our various mp3 for distraction. It was a pretty surreal stretch of the safari, bumping across barren terrain to the sounds of The Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine, but it certainly kept my mind off my sore posterior. At lunchtime we arrived just next to a small fresh water lake, where we ate another vegetable curry and snoozed for a little while. After that Banoj took us to the lake for a swim. The water was lovely and cool, but we couldn't help wondering whether we were due to be struck down by some awful ailment some days later! The lake bed felt like 2 day old custard and after a while a group of locals turned up on tractors to extract some water, politely telling us to get out of their drinking water! haha. Needless to say the thought of defreshening ourselves on another ride didn't at all appeal to us so Bilal simply got on his mobile phone (yes, there's signal everywhere here) and phoned for the jeep.
The next few days were spent, eating, sleeping, drinking, swimming (hotel had a pool!) and organising our exit from Jaisalmer and India as a whole. We headed out from Jaisalmer at 17
:00 on the sleeper train to Delhi, billeted in 3rd class sleeper. The girls however had managed to obtain 2nd class sleeper so after a few games of cards in our more spacious little 3rd class area, we upgraded to 2nd and slept like babies until 07:00 the following morning. Our bed time was dictated by several fat, grumpy old local chaps who got on at Jodhpur and convinced me and Adam that 3rd class really wasn't the place to be!
Our arrival and subsequent hotel search in Delhi was quite a fiasco. The drivers at Old Delhi train station were a royal pain in the ass and after watching two rickshaw drivers almost club each other to death with a brick and plank of wood, we decided to get going asap. We managed to grab 2 pre-booked autorickshaws and I rode in the 2nd with the baggage. If you want to visualise our journey, think something from The Bourne Identity. Weaving in and out of traffic at high speed whilst trying to keep track of the others in the first autorickshaw was no mean feet and after almost loosing, then rejoining group 1 with an almost CIA-like skill and eagle-eye vision we made it to the hotel.
As Ashley and Kris were departing for Dharamasala that evening we dropped off our gear and headed to a surreal little American Diner in the grounds of Delhi's Habitat Centre, which looked something like the London Barbican Centre. After good food and drinking games, we crammed into an autorickshaw, me sitting across all 3 and sped of to Old Delhi station. After farewells we headed back to the Hotel Bright for the night. Now the only way this place can legally say it was bright was because it was lined with flourescent lights, besides that the place was a dirty, overpriced shithole! Our last day in India was spent posting off goods back home, exploring the very westernised Connaught area of Delhi and buying various bits and peices for our travels. After one final fitful night sleep at the hotel, we jumped in our 03:3 taxi to the airport.
Now I have to say our exit from India was pretty uncool. We arrived at the airport around 04:00 for our 06:30 flight to Kathmandu and by the time we'd finished being fucked around by pretty much everyone 'working' there we only just got on the plane 10 minutes prior to take off. Check-in was populated by fat, smelly people with huge bags and 1 brain cell to share, then the x-ray staff took a dislike to doing their job with any speed whatsoever, following this we had to queue for half an hour to get through passport control, manned by 5 semi-functioning people and finally we were treated to the gormless nut-scratchers at the final security search before the departure lounge. Total time to endure the severe retardation that swept Delhi's International Airport that morning was 2 hours! That said the flight was most pleasant and I reclined with my breakfast whilst watching 2 hilarious episodes of Spongebob Squarepants followed by the soothing voice of Sir David Attenborough and 20 minutes of BBC Planet Earth. Our arrival in Kathmandu therefore, was a nice little counteraction for the stresses of our departure!
So now I find myself here in Nepal, writing this post after what has been pretty much a week of just pure bliss. I can't impress on you how wonderful this country is, from the people to the scenery. Besides the 3 day trek we did just outside Kathmandu, which was amazing, we've been residing in the Thamel district of Kathmandu, enjoying both the day and night life and have decided our stay until early next month. We've done alot here already but I feel this post is already far too long. Fear not for you shall be informed of the delights of Nepal before our departure but for now you can enjoy the photos I've been taking along the way. Below you'll find a list of links to my facebook photo albums to date which you can access even if you're not signed up. That's all for now. Oh and if by chance you have read this post, please drop a little hello!
India.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18675&l=a9624&id=507573769
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19285&l=2d096&id=507573769
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19287&l=1a13e&id=507573769
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19289&l=bf52e&id=507573769
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19289&l=bf52e&id=507573769
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20402&l=1971c&id=507573769
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20405&l=26bac&id=507573769
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20407&l=41be6&id=507573769
Nepal.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20888&l=5643d&id=507573769
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20890&l=33976&id=507573769
Friday, May 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Pushkar!
Greetings from Pushkar! Ajmer was crap and unfortunately we were there for a night. Soon as we could we were on a local bus to Pushkar. We forced our way onto the bus with our huge bags, crammed them into the footspace and perched on our roll-mats at the very back, much to the huge amusement of everyone on the bus!
We arrived in Pushkar, waddled down to the bazaar with our bags and were approached by an elderly chap who realised we were pretty lost. He said he owned a guesthouse (one of the 100 or so in Pushkar) so we took a chance and followed him. Turns out he was a Political Science teacher as well as a hotelier and was a most pleasant, enthusiastic chap! Our little guesthouse was lovely, painted a pastel blue, with a wonderful view across the town and the surrounding desert.
The last couple of days have just been bliss, chilling out, exploring the town and its lakeside Ghats (places where people go to wash and pray in the lake). We found a lovely rooftop restaurant, courtesy of the Lonely Planet Guide where we've eaten some lovely dinners and an amazing breakfast.
Yesterday evening we headed up the hill/mini mountain to the Shivrati temple, with amazing views across the surrounding area. It was a hard slog to the top, with sweat pouring of my eyebrows but we made it up alive. At the top we met Lizzie (Edinburgh) and Laura (NYC) who'd taken a slightly less frantic stroll to the top and swapped cameras to document our triumph of reaching the top! We chatted until the sunset and made our way down in the slightly hazardous fading light over rocks worn shiny by the thousand's of previous pilgrims and tourists. We then shared a lovely meal at the Rainbow Restaurant and swapped tales of our travels and picked up some great pointers for S.E Asia. Books are great, but getting tips from the horses mouth so to speak is priceless. After finishing our rather heavy discussion on the politics of China and the U.S and media corruption, we parted ways and returned to our hotel past a very lively wedding party near our hotel.
This morning over breakfast, one of the travellers who'd attended the celebrations recounted his experience of watching the bride and groom walk up the aisle to thumping house and trance music. What a laugh haha. Anyway, swimming to be done this afternoon and bags to pack for our sleeper coach to Udaipur at 12 midnight. Bye for now!
We arrived in Pushkar, waddled down to the bazaar with our bags and were approached by an elderly chap who realised we were pretty lost. He said he owned a guesthouse (one of the 100 or so in Pushkar) so we took a chance and followed him. Turns out he was a Political Science teacher as well as a hotelier and was a most pleasant, enthusiastic chap! Our little guesthouse was lovely, painted a pastel blue, with a wonderful view across the town and the surrounding desert.
The last couple of days have just been bliss, chilling out, exploring the town and its lakeside Ghats (places where people go to wash and pray in the lake). We found a lovely rooftop restaurant, courtesy of the Lonely Planet Guide where we've eaten some lovely dinners and an amazing breakfast.
Yesterday evening we headed up the hill/mini mountain to the Shivrati temple, with amazing views across the surrounding area. It was a hard slog to the top, with sweat pouring of my eyebrows but we made it up alive. At the top we met Lizzie (Edinburgh) and Laura (NYC) who'd taken a slightly less frantic stroll to the top and swapped cameras to document our triumph of reaching the top! We chatted until the sunset and made our way down in the slightly hazardous fading light over rocks worn shiny by the thousand's of previous pilgrims and tourists. We then shared a lovely meal at the Rainbow Restaurant and swapped tales of our travels and picked up some great pointers for S.E Asia. Books are great, but getting tips from the horses mouth so to speak is priceless. After finishing our rather heavy discussion on the politics of China and the U.S and media corruption, we parted ways and returned to our hotel past a very lively wedding party near our hotel.
This morning over breakfast, one of the travellers who'd attended the celebrations recounted his experience of watching the bride and groom walk up the aisle to thumping house and trance music. What a laugh haha. Anyway, swimming to be done this afternoon and bags to pack for our sleeper coach to Udaipur at 12 midnight. Bye for now!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Jaipur.
In light of trying to keep these entries shorter and sweeter here's a little update on where we went from Anjuna and where we are now.
Our flight from Goa to Delhi was scheduled at 15:15 on Sunday so we left the hotel at 12:00 and made our way there via a death and glory taxi ride through the narrow roads and winding hill roads in an hour! When we arrived we found they'd decided to move our flight forward an hour which was unfortunate for the 30 people who didnt make it onto the plane haha.
We arrived in Delhi and headed for the pre-paid taxi booth which by now we've figured is the best way to get a taxi without getting a pain in the ass from all the drivers. We grabbed our cab and headed for the Hotel Rak International in the Paharganj district of Delhi. The journey took us through posh and plus Delhi then through to real Delhi. Paharganj is renowned for its hippy/drug scene and there were plenty of unwashed, bearded, drawn out looking travelers to reiterate for us. The hotel itself was decent enough so we dropped of our gear and headed for a nearby rooftop restaurant for some traditional mexican food! At this point I'd like to highlight just how brilliant the Lonely Planet Guide has been, all our hotels, travel and many of our eating arrangements have been solved by the guide and it almost doesn't bare thinking about loosing it!
The next day we booked out train ticket (1st class to Agra, just for the experience) and did some exploring. The exploring didn't go very well as everywhere turns out to be closed on Mondays, so we wandered round the Gandhi memorial park and got a few bits and pieces near the hotel.
Next morning we were up stupidly early at 05:15, walked to the nearby New Delhi station and hopped on our train for 06:00. 1st class was certainly the way to travel! complimentary breakfast, tea and newspaper, plenty of leg room, reclining chairs and over-efficient air conditioning. We arrived in Agra about 2 hours later where we grabbed a pre-paid taxi which would also end up being our tour guide for our stay. He took us to all the sites around Agra including the Baby Taj Mahal across the river, The Red Fort and the Taj Mahal itself. The sites were all amazing, especially the Taj Mahal which was boderline magical especially in the late afternoon/early evening light! Standing in front of it was surreal, you see it on TV and on post cards but being there is something special. The hotel we stayed in that night was the Taj Plaza which was shit. Overpriced, poorly run and characterless. Needless to say, next morning we were up and out of there and into a lovely little establishment called the Tourist Guest House just up the road. We spent our 2nd day in Agra arranging our bus ticket, getting new books, post cards and putting our pictures on CD.
That pretty much brings us to today. Up again at 05:30, on the bus, 5 hour journey and wham we're in Jaipur. Pre-paid taxi to the hotel, then back to the same driver for an afternoon tour of the sites, the last of which was the Amber Fort overlooking the entire Jaipur area. Trust me, the view was bloody amazing! Just been for a lovely Italian meal at another rooftop restaurant, by which I mean a collection of plastic garden furniture, some pot plants and some decent service! We ordered our meal and due to their establishment being unlicensed our Kingfisher beers arrived in teapots! Tomorrow more sight-seeing in Jaipur and then off to Ajmer a day or so later.
Slightly less to digest there!
Our flight from Goa to Delhi was scheduled at 15:15 on Sunday so we left the hotel at 12:00 and made our way there via a death and glory taxi ride through the narrow roads and winding hill roads in an hour! When we arrived we found they'd decided to move our flight forward an hour which was unfortunate for the 30 people who didnt make it onto the plane haha.
We arrived in Delhi and headed for the pre-paid taxi booth which by now we've figured is the best way to get a taxi without getting a pain in the ass from all the drivers. We grabbed our cab and headed for the Hotel Rak International in the Paharganj district of Delhi. The journey took us through posh and plus Delhi then through to real Delhi. Paharganj is renowned for its hippy/drug scene and there were plenty of unwashed, bearded, drawn out looking travelers to reiterate for us. The hotel itself was decent enough so we dropped of our gear and headed for a nearby rooftop restaurant for some traditional mexican food! At this point I'd like to highlight just how brilliant the Lonely Planet Guide has been, all our hotels, travel and many of our eating arrangements have been solved by the guide and it almost doesn't bare thinking about loosing it!
The next day we booked out train ticket (1st class to Agra, just for the experience) and did some exploring. The exploring didn't go very well as everywhere turns out to be closed on Mondays, so we wandered round the Gandhi memorial park and got a few bits and pieces near the hotel.
Next morning we were up stupidly early at 05:15, walked to the nearby New Delhi station and hopped on our train for 06:00. 1st class was certainly the way to travel! complimentary breakfast, tea and newspaper, plenty of leg room, reclining chairs and over-efficient air conditioning. We arrived in Agra about 2 hours later where we grabbed a pre-paid taxi which would also end up being our tour guide for our stay. He took us to all the sites around Agra including the Baby Taj Mahal across the river, The Red Fort and the Taj Mahal itself. The sites were all amazing, especially the Taj Mahal which was boderline magical especially in the late afternoon/early evening light! Standing in front of it was surreal, you see it on TV and on post cards but being there is something special. The hotel we stayed in that night was the Taj Plaza which was shit. Overpriced, poorly run and characterless. Needless to say, next morning we were up and out of there and into a lovely little establishment called the Tourist Guest House just up the road. We spent our 2nd day in Agra arranging our bus ticket, getting new books, post cards and putting our pictures on CD.
That pretty much brings us to today. Up again at 05:30, on the bus, 5 hour journey and wham we're in Jaipur. Pre-paid taxi to the hotel, then back to the same driver for an afternoon tour of the sites, the last of which was the Amber Fort overlooking the entire Jaipur area. Trust me, the view was bloody amazing! Just been for a lovely Italian meal at another rooftop restaurant, by which I mean a collection of plastic garden furniture, some pot plants and some decent service! We ordered our meal and due to their establishment being unlicensed our Kingfisher beers arrived in teapots! Tomorrow more sight-seeing in Jaipur and then off to Ajmer a day or so later.
Slightly less to digest there!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Megapost from Agra.
So I haven't really found time to write a decent post as yet, so over that last few days I've been drafting a little tale of what we got up to in Anjuna, Goa. It might not make for Pulitzer prize winning reading but I hope you'll enjoy a little incite into what we've been up to!
Goa has definitely been the right place to get our feet wet with the world of traveling. From the quaint and cultural Panjim district where we spent a quite few days exploring the sites, we packed up and headed a little further north to Anjuna and the surrounding beaches. It was only the day before we left that I realised that this was the very same beach where the entire Scarlett tragedy began. It is all still very much in the newspapers, mainly pertaining to tales of police incompetence! More on the local police later...
Anyhow we arrived at the Anjuna Inn Sunday lunchtime. It was lovely inexpensive, well equipped guesthouse complex just around the corner from the beach. By well equipped I mean a room with Air Conditioning, hot shower, loo roll, ceiling fan and Cartoon Network. The hotel facilities included a pool with surrounding loungers, restaurant, internet and laundry.
On our first trip to the beach we wandered through the impromptu market street where we were immediately set upon by the stall holders, all women and all brandishing their best mockney accents for the sake of these bright white londoners! After fighting our through with promises to return later, we made it to the beach. Although not a huge beach it is long enough to accommodate about 10-12 restaurant/bars, many of which provided sun loungers and table service out front. That first afternoon we grabbed a couple of drinks, kicked back watching the people and absorbed the chilled out atmosphere. On the way back through the stalls (we'd yet to discover the route that circumnavigated them) I made a point of proving my rookie traveler status by handing over 500RP (5 quid) for a pair of semi transparent 2nd hand swim shorts. After securing the swim shorts we stopped to get towels at a stall out front of the hotel. The lady was also reading from the same page as the other chap and at first asked for 600RP (6 quid) per towel. After getting wise to the 'shaft the fresh tourist' game that was being paid, we handed over 600 for the pair, said our pleasant goodbyes and headed for the hotel pool feeling our credibility had been partly restored.
That evening we returned to the beach bar we'd visited earlier but this time we went armed with empty stomachs and torches. On the advice of everyone we'd spoken to regarding India we stuck to our vegetarian diet and enjoyed a lovely meal and a few kingfisher beers while watching the stars. The walk back proved interesting. Several beers, considerable darkness and hight tide all contrived to cause us drama, however we were prepared and used our torches to light the way. Adams headmounted LED light proved sufficient so we made minimal use of my lightsabre power beam (leaving gift), which wielded enough light to divert both the coastal shipping and blind anyone within a mile radius.
Breakfast at the Anjuna Inn never failed to be a pain in the ass. Trying to get across that you wanted a cup of tea each, 2 bowls of cornflakes and a plate of pancakes proved too much for the waiting staff. It was the same for all the guests as looks of exasperation spread from face to face. Despite this, it was nice to sit and read the local paper with its pioneering use of words that not even the English use anymore!
Our first full day there was spent exploring on a couple of scooters we hired for 250RP each. I shotgunned* the best of the two for which karma would make me pay a few days later. First off we headed up the coast to Vagator where we had our first encounter with a coach-full of Indian tourists. These chaps I found difficult to interpret. I'll use this first group to illustrate an example. They seemed preoccupied with looking cool, each had their cameraphone, silver chain, D&G sunglasses, Diesel Jeans and overly molested hair. They swaggered round with cigarettes lit like extras in a John Wayne Western, perching on the rocks and drinking cans of Fosters whilst listening to tinny music from their speakerphones. An educated guess was that they were trying to emulate elements of Western culture they'd been exposed to on TV and let me tell you, what passes as Western culture on Indian TV is very warped!
*The term shotgun refers calling for use of something first i.e. shotgun first in the shower.
Anyway after removing ourselves from Vagator we headed up the hill to Fort Chopura which was once manned by the Portugese during their tenure of Goa. After scrambling over the baking rocks to get to the fort we were greeted by a 'tourist representative' named Raj who gave us a brief rundown of the history and took a couple of photos of us. He seemed a decent enough chap so after we explored a little we headed back over and bought a couple of mango juices for his troubles. After scrambling back down to our mopeds in the intense heat we bumped into a couple of Scandinavians in need of sunscreen. For the use of this they imparted us with some knowledge on the other beaches in the area. Apparently Baga was a bit more lively but was pack full of "fat white whales" as they so eloquently put it! Not to be deterred we headed down through the narrow, winding, palm tree lined roads. It was of course as stated and sitting in the beachside bar you could have easily been in Clacton or the Costa Del Sol.
The next couple of days we made full use of the beach and its bars. Swimming in the Arabian Sea was amazing. It was just like being a kid again, riding the waves and bodysurfing! We spent the rest of the time laying on the sound loungers listening to music and reading. One of our evenings was spent at the Sea Queen restaurant along from our hotel, where we ate local Kingfish and watched Casino Royale on large screen.
Wednesday was the final Anjuna market and everyone was desperate to sell their wares. The market itself was a huge collection of stalls of people from all over India and Nepal, all selling the same things, pashminas, jewelery, CD's and all sorts of tourist bits and bobs. Needless to say the market was a bit intense so we bailed out and headed for the beach armed with 2 chillout CD's and a new pair of flowery swimshorts (far cheaper than the first).
That same evening we decided to visit Paradiso Club next door to the lovely Zoori's beach front restaurant we'd been eating at. We had a few drinks before hand and then wandered over, paid our 600RP entrance fee (including free drinks all night). The club itself was like a set of caves painted white with a dancefloor in the middle and terraces overlooking the beach at the back. Needless to say we made full use of the bar and wandered out at some point in the morning, a little worse for wear! When we got in, Ad passed out straight away and I stayed up watching The Hunt for Red October, which takes on a whole new dimension when you're drunk out of your face!
We spent the next day recovering on the beach and decided to hire another set of mopeds the following day to explore further south. After quickly discovering our mopeds were heaps of shit (Karma), we filled up and headed for the nearest ATM at Calangute. At some point just before reaching the town we were flagged down by two motorcycle police officers who were pulling over every fresh looking tourist passing by. As we pulled in we gleaned enough from a conversation occuring with another young chap that there was nothing 'official' about this police stop. As we pulled up a short, rotund, badly toothed officer asked for our licenses whilst his taller, better presented counterpart finished dealing the other tourist. When he finally sauntered over we were definitely aware that all was not cool, he began examining each license for a good minute apiece and then entered into a monologue about how our licenses didnt cover scooters. Now this may or not be the case although Im sure they did, so he gave us an 'option'. Apparently the official ticket fine was 1500RP but he then proceeded to ask us how much we had on us. Being skint at that point, hence the trip to Calangute, I abdicated responsibility of our freedom to Ad who luckily had 1000RP on him. After accepting this with some amiable chit chat they bid us farewell. Ad's scooter started and off he went, however I had to sit there for a further 30 seconds/eternity while mine refused to start. When it finally did, I bid the officers a sarcastic 'have a nice day' and gunned it round the bend.
After we grabbed some cash, we headed down to Fort Aguda where the day threatened to take a turn for the worse after I left my key in the scooter. Quickly realising my mistake we started up and rode off to refuel and post a package I'd been intending to post since my first day in Goa. The post office was tiny and the clerk seemed most put out by my enquiries. Fingers crossed it arrives! We then grabbed a drink on Candolim beach overlooking the grounded tanker 'River Princess' which was just like being on the set of Waterworld! Having put a little too much in our tanks we decided to burn some off by heading North to Morjim beach. Our route obviously circumnavigated the spot where we were earlier stopped and it ended up being a very picturesque little scoot. By the time we reached the beach at Morjim I was in dire need of some moisture, so I jumped right in, shorts and all! Now 2 days earlier 3 people had drowned at this beach and from the pull of the current I could feel why. We didnt stay long and headed back to our own Anjuna beach for one last evening swim. There's definitely something magic about swimming in the calm of sunset!
Right, I think thats far more than enough from me. If you required an adrenaline shot or some form of medical treatment to revive from the coma this post induced, then please don't send me the bill! Next post will be short sweet and only the details ;) Thats all for now!
Goa has definitely been the right place to get our feet wet with the world of traveling. From the quaint and cultural Panjim district where we spent a quite few days exploring the sites, we packed up and headed a little further north to Anjuna and the surrounding beaches. It was only the day before we left that I realised that this was the very same beach where the entire Scarlett tragedy began. It is all still very much in the newspapers, mainly pertaining to tales of police incompetence! More on the local police later...
Anyhow we arrived at the Anjuna Inn Sunday lunchtime. It was lovely inexpensive, well equipped guesthouse complex just around the corner from the beach. By well equipped I mean a room with Air Conditioning, hot shower, loo roll, ceiling fan and Cartoon Network. The hotel facilities included a pool with surrounding loungers, restaurant, internet and laundry.
On our first trip to the beach we wandered through the impromptu market street where we were immediately set upon by the stall holders, all women and all brandishing their best mockney accents for the sake of these bright white londoners! After fighting our through with promises to return later, we made it to the beach. Although not a huge beach it is long enough to accommodate about 10-12 restaurant/bars, many of which provided sun loungers and table service out front. That first afternoon we grabbed a couple of drinks, kicked back watching the people and absorbed the chilled out atmosphere. On the way back through the stalls (we'd yet to discover the route that circumnavigated them) I made a point of proving my rookie traveler status by handing over 500RP (5 quid) for a pair of semi transparent 2nd hand swim shorts. After securing the swim shorts we stopped to get towels at a stall out front of the hotel. The lady was also reading from the same page as the other chap and at first asked for 600RP (6 quid) per towel. After getting wise to the 'shaft the fresh tourist' game that was being paid, we handed over 600 for the pair, said our pleasant goodbyes and headed for the hotel pool feeling our credibility had been partly restored.
That evening we returned to the beach bar we'd visited earlier but this time we went armed with empty stomachs and torches. On the advice of everyone we'd spoken to regarding India we stuck to our vegetarian diet and enjoyed a lovely meal and a few kingfisher beers while watching the stars. The walk back proved interesting. Several beers, considerable darkness and hight tide all contrived to cause us drama, however we were prepared and used our torches to light the way. Adams headmounted LED light proved sufficient so we made minimal use of my lightsabre power beam (leaving gift), which wielded enough light to divert both the coastal shipping and blind anyone within a mile radius.
Breakfast at the Anjuna Inn never failed to be a pain in the ass. Trying to get across that you wanted a cup of tea each, 2 bowls of cornflakes and a plate of pancakes proved too much for the waiting staff. It was the same for all the guests as looks of exasperation spread from face to face. Despite this, it was nice to sit and read the local paper with its pioneering use of words that not even the English use anymore!
Our first full day there was spent exploring on a couple of scooters we hired for 250RP each. I shotgunned* the best of the two for which karma would make me pay a few days later. First off we headed up the coast to Vagator where we had our first encounter with a coach-full of Indian tourists. These chaps I found difficult to interpret. I'll use this first group to illustrate an example. They seemed preoccupied with looking cool, each had their cameraphone, silver chain, D&G sunglasses, Diesel Jeans and overly molested hair. They swaggered round with cigarettes lit like extras in a John Wayne Western, perching on the rocks and drinking cans of Fosters whilst listening to tinny music from their speakerphones. An educated guess was that they were trying to emulate elements of Western culture they'd been exposed to on TV and let me tell you, what passes as Western culture on Indian TV is very warped!
*The term shotgun refers calling for use of something first i.e. shotgun first in the shower.
Anyway after removing ourselves from Vagator we headed up the hill to Fort Chopura which was once manned by the Portugese during their tenure of Goa. After scrambling over the baking rocks to get to the fort we were greeted by a 'tourist representative' named Raj who gave us a brief rundown of the history and took a couple of photos of us. He seemed a decent enough chap so after we explored a little we headed back over and bought a couple of mango juices for his troubles. After scrambling back down to our mopeds in the intense heat we bumped into a couple of Scandinavians in need of sunscreen. For the use of this they imparted us with some knowledge on the other beaches in the area. Apparently Baga was a bit more lively but was pack full of "fat white whales" as they so eloquently put it! Not to be deterred we headed down through the narrow, winding, palm tree lined roads. It was of course as stated and sitting in the beachside bar you could have easily been in Clacton or the Costa Del Sol.
The next couple of days we made full use of the beach and its bars. Swimming in the Arabian Sea was amazing. It was just like being a kid again, riding the waves and bodysurfing! We spent the rest of the time laying on the sound loungers listening to music and reading. One of our evenings was spent at the Sea Queen restaurant along from our hotel, where we ate local Kingfish and watched Casino Royale on large screen.
Wednesday was the final Anjuna market and everyone was desperate to sell their wares. The market itself was a huge collection of stalls of people from all over India and Nepal, all selling the same things, pashminas, jewelery, CD's and all sorts of tourist bits and bobs. Needless to say the market was a bit intense so we bailed out and headed for the beach armed with 2 chillout CD's and a new pair of flowery swimshorts (far cheaper than the first).
That same evening we decided to visit Paradiso Club next door to the lovely Zoori's beach front restaurant we'd been eating at. We had a few drinks before hand and then wandered over, paid our 600RP entrance fee (including free drinks all night). The club itself was like a set of caves painted white with a dancefloor in the middle and terraces overlooking the beach at the back. Needless to say we made full use of the bar and wandered out at some point in the morning, a little worse for wear! When we got in, Ad passed out straight away and I stayed up watching The Hunt for Red October, which takes on a whole new dimension when you're drunk out of your face!
We spent the next day recovering on the beach and decided to hire another set of mopeds the following day to explore further south. After quickly discovering our mopeds were heaps of shit (Karma), we filled up and headed for the nearest ATM at Calangute. At some point just before reaching the town we were flagged down by two motorcycle police officers who were pulling over every fresh looking tourist passing by. As we pulled in we gleaned enough from a conversation occuring with another young chap that there was nothing 'official' about this police stop. As we pulled up a short, rotund, badly toothed officer asked for our licenses whilst his taller, better presented counterpart finished dealing the other tourist. When he finally sauntered over we were definitely aware that all was not cool, he began examining each license for a good minute apiece and then entered into a monologue about how our licenses didnt cover scooters. Now this may or not be the case although Im sure they did, so he gave us an 'option'. Apparently the official ticket fine was 1500RP but he then proceeded to ask us how much we had on us. Being skint at that point, hence the trip to Calangute, I abdicated responsibility of our freedom to Ad who luckily had 1000RP on him. After accepting this with some amiable chit chat they bid us farewell. Ad's scooter started and off he went, however I had to sit there for a further 30 seconds/eternity while mine refused to start. When it finally did, I bid the officers a sarcastic 'have a nice day' and gunned it round the bend.
After we grabbed some cash, we headed down to Fort Aguda where the day threatened to take a turn for the worse after I left my key in the scooter. Quickly realising my mistake we started up and rode off to refuel and post a package I'd been intending to post since my first day in Goa. The post office was tiny and the clerk seemed most put out by my enquiries. Fingers crossed it arrives! We then grabbed a drink on Candolim beach overlooking the grounded tanker 'River Princess' which was just like being on the set of Waterworld! Having put a little too much in our tanks we decided to burn some off by heading North to Morjim beach. Our route obviously circumnavigated the spot where we were earlier stopped and it ended up being a very picturesque little scoot. By the time we reached the beach at Morjim I was in dire need of some moisture, so I jumped right in, shorts and all! Now 2 days earlier 3 people had drowned at this beach and from the pull of the current I could feel why. We didnt stay long and headed back to our own Anjuna beach for one last evening swim. There's definitely something magic about swimming in the calm of sunset!
Right, I think thats far more than enough from me. If you required an adrenaline shot or some form of medical treatment to revive from the coma this post induced, then please don't send me the bill! Next post will be short sweet and only the details ;) Thats all for now!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Greetings from the Arabian Sea.
A big 'ello from Anjuna, Goa! After our little stay in Panjim, which was quaint, rich in history and quite charming, we decided to move a little north to sample the beaches and nightlife on offer.
Panjim was the perfect place to acclimatise and rest up, with a little light tourism to get us going. We stayed in a couple of places and ate at some very nice local joints, the pick of which was Viva Panjim, where we sampled the local chicken dish and drank frozen kingfisher beer (not cool!).
My thoroughly white South London self hasnt been dealing with the sun too well and I currently resemble a red indian extra from an old John Wayne western! but hopefully with some judicious application of suncare products and more controlled exposure I can sort it out haha. Word has it that home has been experiencing snow which makes the tiniest bit jealous.... haha, i dont think!
Im very much enjoying our new fluid lifestyle and the freedom of not really being held to any constraints. We're currently ironing out the rest of our travel plans for India, the timing of which depends on how much we like it here in the South.
Tomorrow we're off to explore the area by moped in the hope of gaining a better understanding of what this areas all about. Anyhow, Anjuna Inn with its lovely pool and ample facilities will be our home for the next few days and hopefully I'll find some time to put up the first batch of photos, and also those from the new point and shoot camera we picked up a couple of days back.
Shower time!
Panjim was the perfect place to acclimatise and rest up, with a little light tourism to get us going. We stayed in a couple of places and ate at some very nice local joints, the pick of which was Viva Panjim, where we sampled the local chicken dish and drank frozen kingfisher beer (not cool!).
My thoroughly white South London self hasnt been dealing with the sun too well and I currently resemble a red indian extra from an old John Wayne western! but hopefully with some judicious application of suncare products and more controlled exposure I can sort it out haha. Word has it that home has been experiencing snow which makes the tiniest bit jealous.... haha, i dont think!
Im very much enjoying our new fluid lifestyle and the freedom of not really being held to any constraints. We're currently ironing out the rest of our travel plans for India, the timing of which depends on how much we like it here in the South.
Tomorrow we're off to explore the area by moped in the hope of gaining a better understanding of what this areas all about. Anyhow, Anjuna Inn with its lovely pool and ample facilities will be our home for the next few days and hopefully I'll find some time to put up the first batch of photos, and also those from the new point and shoot camera we picked up a couple of days back.
Shower time!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Finally!
Where to start! I've finally given up on waiting for my old blog address to be unblocked and have created a new one. Theres alot to update on but for now I'll keep it short and sweet.
After landing in Mumbai we had a couple of interesting days of getting used to being in a new country and what that meant. The Hotel New Bengal was in the Fort area in the south of Mumbai and lucky for us was conveniently located next to the train station for Goa!
After getting hold of our train tickets we got our gear ready to leave at 5.30am the next morning for our 12 hour marathon train journey. I wont go into details yet, needless to say it was an interesting and enjoyable experience.
Goa is lovely, hot and full of character. We are currently staying at the Panjim Inn although tomorrow we'll be switching to the lower priced but nice enough Afonso Guest House just next door. Anyhow, clocks ticking. More soon!
After landing in Mumbai we had a couple of interesting days of getting used to being in a new country and what that meant. The Hotel New Bengal was in the Fort area in the south of Mumbai and lucky for us was conveniently located next to the train station for Goa!
After getting hold of our train tickets we got our gear ready to leave at 5.30am the next morning for our 12 hour marathon train journey. I wont go into details yet, needless to say it was an interesting and enjoyable experience.
Goa is lovely, hot and full of character. We are currently staying at the Panjim Inn although tomorrow we'll be switching to the lower priced but nice enough Afonso Guest House just next door. Anyhow, clocks ticking. More soon!
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