We are in Chennai now, arrived here from Goa by flight on Friday night. We haven't done too much here, just relaxed and spent time with friends here. Went to a bookstore, took an hour drive to the beach for a hash run and along the way there were shacks to replace the houses that were destroyed by the tsunami. After the run caught up with a friend at her work party, had a small dance to Tamil music which was a first for us. Very interesting dances these south indians come up with. We also went to Pondy Bazaar for the last of our shopping. We fly home at 2.30am tonight/tomorrow morning. We are very sad to be leaving, we have had an awesome time here. Below are a few things to recap, a bit hard to remember everything so means we can leave some stories for when we get back :) Enjoy!
Highlights:
Shopping and eating in Mumbai, seeing the Gateway of India and staying next to Big B, Amitabh Bachan.
5 Star Thali in Ahmedabad, Gujurat.
Sunset and watching Octopussy in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Monkey Temple in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Camel Safari in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Nek Chand gardens in Chandigarh, Punjab.
Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab.
Sunrise in McLeod Ganj and being near the Dalai Lama, Himichal Pradesh.
Bargaining in the Palika Bazaar and the India Gate in Delhi.
Sunrise Boat ride in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Luxury Hotel and dinner in Delhi again.
Being with family and seeing a monster mega-mall in Faridabad.
Taj Mahal in Agra (dur)
Backwaters in Kochin, Kerala.
Goa in general. Jet Skiing, Parasailing, eating beachside, the sunsets, Anjuna Markets and being with Rita and Yasmine.
Relaxing in Chennai.
Bloopers:
Jaisalmer, 18 Nov
A bird shat on Ameets hair, face, shirt and glasses while we were getting in to our jeep for the Camel Safari.
Jaipur, 20 Nov
Taking a cycle-rickshaw for the first (and last) time and getting a driver with a bung leg so it took one hour to get somewhere that takes 10 minutes by auto rickshaw!! We felt so sad for the poor fella who was sweating profusely by the time we arrived.
Delhi, 4 Dec
Feeling good for bargaining from 300 rupees down to 230 to get to Uncles house and when we arrive being informed that it should have only cost 60 rupees...
Meeting a Pakistani man on the road who asks if I'm from England, with his english being really bad I just nodded rather than trying to get him to understand New Zealand, he then asked me how I felt when Princess Diana died....... I didn't answer.
Varanasi, 7 Dec
At the Puja on the Ghats a skinny, pathetic holy man (beggar really) came to Ameet and with the strangest and weakest voice said "Om Namay Shiva" (praising Lord Shiva) with his hand out for some money. We have a video that you all have to see when we are back!
Shimla, 9 Dec
We are walking to find our hotel at 6 in the morning, after walking round in circles to find it Rachel steps in some fresh cow shit and was not impressed. Took about a week to get it off her shoe!
So there are obviously more highlights of our trip than there were bloopers, the trip was a wonderful one, a once in a million experience and we couldnt have learnt about India better than we did over these last 2 months. We have grown a lot and bought so many wonderful things and can't wait to share them all with you once we are back in NZ. Thanks for joining us along the way and sharing our excitement with us. We will be having plenty more wonderful experiences in our next stop, KL Malaysia which we will also blog about so stay tuned for that.
Lots of love
Ameet and Rachel
xxx
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Monday, 21 December 2009
Goa - MIND BLOWING!
Goa...... Absolutely amazing, relaxing, serene, surreal and utterly MIND BLOWING.
We spent one week here. We arrived by train on a Sunday morning. After one hour of driving through beautiful landscape we came to our Guest House for a much needed shower and then set off to explore Goa and grab some breakfast/lunch. We ate at Electric Cats. The place didn't have any relevance to cats anywhere but the menu was so good, seafood all around. We soon realised that was the best part about Goa, the food. We bummed around for the day, looked at some shops, walked on the beach then watched a beautiful sunset. Next day Rita, ameet's mum, and Yasmine, Rita's friends, joined us. We hid on their balcony to scare them as they arrived then spent the rest of the day stoning together, taking in the sights and sounds of this wonderful place. Another amazing sunset as we sat on the beach having the best food and some sheesha (hukka).
Next day we set off on a boat to Anjuna Markets. Its a market place, described by Lonely Planet as "a place where you must remember to bargain hard and take along equal amounts of patience and stamina, and that once you spend just a couple of hours here you'll never want to see a mirrored bedspread, peacock feather fan or floaty Indian dress again in your life" And it was just that. The market place was so massive that it starts to become generic and overwhelming after a while and the shopkeepers yelling at you to buy their goods tires you down faster than you can imagine. The hot sun doesn't help either. It was a great experience though. The beggars dancing on the beach also adds another touch of difference. My favourite though was a lady selling bags but was wearing one on her head to escape the sun, she looked so silly and just couldn't understand why all the tourists were laughing at her!! We ate beachside then headed back to offload all the heavy shopping and relax on the beach. We had the most relaxing afternoon and evening there, ate a sad looking lobster and some other seafood.
Next day Rita and Yasmine went to have a day of pampering. Facial, manicure, pedicure, hair done while Ameet and I went for a day of water sports. We had such a great time. First we held onto a round donut looking thing that was tied to the back of a boat and got thrown about the Arabian Sea (which had us gagging as the water is soo salty!) Then once our arms had a bit of strength back we sat into another donut looking thing again tied to the back of a boat and got our backsides having a workout. Then after a much needed swim in the beach, while btw wearing our life-jackets. We had to wear them for the activities and without thinking just kept them on and went swimming, soon after we realised how stupid we must have looked, esp since the water isn't that rough! We did some Jet Skiing which was so awesome!! We had a guide at the back, went by individually with him and got to drive it but with him guiding you. It went so fast I was screaming my head off making a fool of myself! Had two rounds on the water each then we took a boat further offshore to deep water and went Parasailing. Amazing!! So so fun!! You go really high and can see the land for miles. I'm sure this was another painful experience for Ameet since the harness isn't exactly comfortable. Afterwards we sat for a while on the beach stoning over all that happened then went and met the dolled up ladies for lunch. After lunch I had a South Indian Ayurvedic Massage. Really good massage! By now we are all relaxed and feeling good. We got all dressed up in our new clothes and headed to a french restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was sooo beautiful!! It had a nice passageway lined with delicate lights and palm tree's with which you enter through. Then it opens up into this beautiful beachy restaurant. The art works were so individual and really made the place. Each table had a different colour an art work theme. There was one Rajasthani corner, one Buddha corner, one Africa looking corner. One metropolis corner with a collage of cut out magazine covers with beautiful Indian models on front. After a really good meal us ladies spent half an hour posing near the toilets where the lights meant we were only silhouettes (will put some pics up) after we realised we looked like idiots we sat near a small fountain with a comfy bed that was made for sitting on and had desert. All the while drinking wine like there was no tomorrow! After dinner we went to Tito's, the most happening place in Goa!! It was a Thursday night and they had an awesome DJ playing bollywood mixed with trance and house which was soo good! Free entry and unlimited free drinks for ladies so we sent Ameet down the road to pick up some stuff and we headed inside for a dance and some more drinks. Once we were all hammered we dragged ourselves home and stayed up til 2am talking about the awesome week we'd had as the next day and complaining about tomorrow as we were leaving :( Next morning we had our last beachside breakfast, sat there in silence as we were all sad to leave and hungover from the night before. A few nights before we met a young boy on the beach, one thing about Goa, and the rest of India, is no matter where you are or what you are doing, the locals selling goods will come up to you and try to sell things to you, the beach as you can imagine was filled with these people since there were so many tourists there. The young boy was .. on the other side of the fence from his peers if you know what I mean, and it was the first Indian one we'd met, we were so intrigued that day we'd met him that as we all sat there stoning on our last day and he walked past, we called him over. Bought some of his goods and sent him off smiling. He was soo sweet. After this Rita and Yasmine headed off to the airport while we waited around and had lunch then flew later in the day. So sad we were to leave Goa. We flew to Mumbai and then Chennai, on Anise and Thyme.... We flew with Spice Jet airways and they name each aircraft a different spice. We had Oregano on our first flight with them (Varanasi - Delhi). Will update Chennai then our departure later today!
We spent one week here. We arrived by train on a Sunday morning. After one hour of driving through beautiful landscape we came to our Guest House for a much needed shower and then set off to explore Goa and grab some breakfast/lunch. We ate at Electric Cats. The place didn't have any relevance to cats anywhere but the menu was so good, seafood all around. We soon realised that was the best part about Goa, the food. We bummed around for the day, looked at some shops, walked on the beach then watched a beautiful sunset. Next day Rita, ameet's mum, and Yasmine, Rita's friends, joined us. We hid on their balcony to scare them as they arrived then spent the rest of the day stoning together, taking in the sights and sounds of this wonderful place. Another amazing sunset as we sat on the beach having the best food and some sheesha (hukka).
Next day we set off on a boat to Anjuna Markets. Its a market place, described by Lonely Planet as "a place where you must remember to bargain hard and take along equal amounts of patience and stamina, and that once you spend just a couple of hours here you'll never want to see a mirrored bedspread, peacock feather fan or floaty Indian dress again in your life" And it was just that. The market place was so massive that it starts to become generic and overwhelming after a while and the shopkeepers yelling at you to buy their goods tires you down faster than you can imagine. The hot sun doesn't help either. It was a great experience though. The beggars dancing on the beach also adds another touch of difference. My favourite though was a lady selling bags but was wearing one on her head to escape the sun, she looked so silly and just couldn't understand why all the tourists were laughing at her!! We ate beachside then headed back to offload all the heavy shopping and relax on the beach. We had the most relaxing afternoon and evening there, ate a sad looking lobster and some other seafood.
Next day Rita and Yasmine went to have a day of pampering. Facial, manicure, pedicure, hair done while Ameet and I went for a day of water sports. We had such a great time. First we held onto a round donut looking thing that was tied to the back of a boat and got thrown about the Arabian Sea (which had us gagging as the water is soo salty!) Then once our arms had a bit of strength back we sat into another donut looking thing again tied to the back of a boat and got our backsides having a workout. Then after a much needed swim in the beach, while btw wearing our life-jackets. We had to wear them for the activities and without thinking just kept them on and went swimming, soon after we realised how stupid we must have looked, esp since the water isn't that rough! We did some Jet Skiing which was so awesome!! We had a guide at the back, went by individually with him and got to drive it but with him guiding you. It went so fast I was screaming my head off making a fool of myself! Had two rounds on the water each then we took a boat further offshore to deep water and went Parasailing. Amazing!! So so fun!! You go really high and can see the land for miles. I'm sure this was another painful experience for Ameet since the harness isn't exactly comfortable. Afterwards we sat for a while on the beach stoning over all that happened then went and met the dolled up ladies for lunch. After lunch I had a South Indian Ayurvedic Massage. Really good massage! By now we are all relaxed and feeling good. We got all dressed up in our new clothes and headed to a french restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was sooo beautiful!! It had a nice passageway lined with delicate lights and palm tree's with which you enter through. Then it opens up into this beautiful beachy restaurant. The art works were so individual and really made the place. Each table had a different colour an art work theme. There was one Rajasthani corner, one Buddha corner, one Africa looking corner. One metropolis corner with a collage of cut out magazine covers with beautiful Indian models on front. After a really good meal us ladies spent half an hour posing near the toilets where the lights meant we were only silhouettes (will put some pics up) after we realised we looked like idiots we sat near a small fountain with a comfy bed that was made for sitting on and had desert. All the while drinking wine like there was no tomorrow! After dinner we went to Tito's, the most happening place in Goa!! It was a Thursday night and they had an awesome DJ playing bollywood mixed with trance and house which was soo good! Free entry and unlimited free drinks for ladies so we sent Ameet down the road to pick up some stuff and we headed inside for a dance and some more drinks. Once we were all hammered we dragged ourselves home and stayed up til 2am talking about the awesome week we'd had as the next day and complaining about tomorrow as we were leaving :( Next morning we had our last beachside breakfast, sat there in silence as we were all sad to leave and hungover from the night before. A few nights before we met a young boy on the beach, one thing about Goa, and the rest of India, is no matter where you are or what you are doing, the locals selling goods will come up to you and try to sell things to you, the beach as you can imagine was filled with these people since there were so many tourists there. The young boy was .. on the other side of the fence from his peers if you know what I mean, and it was the first Indian one we'd met, we were so intrigued that day we'd met him that as we all sat there stoning on our last day and he walked past, we called him over. Bought some of his goods and sent him off smiling. He was soo sweet. After this Rita and Yasmine headed off to the airport while we waited around and had lunch then flew later in the day. So sad we were to leave Goa. We flew to Mumbai and then Chennai, on Anise and Thyme.... We flew with Spice Jet airways and they name each aircraft a different spice. We had Oregano on our first flight with them (Varanasi - Delhi). Will update Chennai then our departure later today!
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Delhi and South India
We flew out of Varanasi and into Delhi once more, this time just for one night. we picked a pretty posh hotel and went out for a nice dinner, had a nice rest on the bed in the hotel as we've only been sleeping in budget accommodation for the past couple of weeks. so it was a wonder full change and a well needed to recharge. the next day we flew out of Delhi and into Kochi, the hub of Kerala. there we stayed with aunt jean and her family in their apartment.over the next couple of days we did a variety of things including a serene boat ride down the backwaters of kerala, and checking out the ancient and very fragrant spice markets of old Jewish/Portuguese kerala(which were very similar, in terms of architecture, to the buildings of old Melacca,back home in Malaysia). The boat ride was amazing, it was like we were going down the canals of Venice,except our canals had buffalo's and people bathing in it.and our gondola had plastic chairs and it was more like an old sampan held together by string that was made out of coconut husk(which we were also shown the method of production for by the way) and our gondolier was an oooollld man who wore a dhoti that kept falling down.but along the way we saw a variety of plants and animals and it was pretty relaxing and calming.it was nice to dip our feet in the cooling waters but i don't think the fish liked it very much.
we spent the next day at Fort Kochin just wandering thru the streets and admiring the gigantic Chinese fishing nets along the shoreline. there we were seduced into buying a freshly caught fish and some tiger prawns from the beachside and one of the shops cooked it for us.turned out to be one of the top meals we've had, and i think i can say the same for the kitty who joined us for the leftovers too.we also visited a church where vasco da gama used to be buried(until he went back to Italy), and we saw the spice markets where they sell spice and all sorts of rice in bulk.the smell there was really amazing.
that night we took a train,our last for our journeys, to Goa,paradise and home to the biggest and best parties this side of the world. the train journey was a long one ,15 hours to be exact but luckily we were well stocked up for the journey by aunt jean,she had made sure we had chicken briyani, chapatis and mutton as well as sprite and mazza and some fruits for dessert.the train was delayed a bit but we managed to get our seats and begin eating by about 9.30 pm. we slept for most of the journey,this train ride wasn't as interesting as any of the previous ones but the scenery was amazing outside,mostly field and people working in them,but the way of life ,the little things that the people do along the way,that was nice.for example we saw little kids playing cricket with makeshift bats and balls,as well as bottles for stumps and an area that was so small.but it was still as intense as a game between Pakistan and India on a big scale level.we saw them ploughing their fields with their Buffalo's and cooking food on a small wood fire outside their house.bathing by the canal side and making cow dung patties for fuel.collecting coconuts and other fruits,chasing chickens and bathing cows,occasionally there was a whiff of fresh seawater in the air as we were traveling parallel to the west coast of India towards our next destination by the beach,Goa.
we spent the next day at Fort Kochin just wandering thru the streets and admiring the gigantic Chinese fishing nets along the shoreline. there we were seduced into buying a freshly caught fish and some tiger prawns from the beachside and one of the shops cooked it for us.turned out to be one of the top meals we've had, and i think i can say the same for the kitty who joined us for the leftovers too.we also visited a church where vasco da gama used to be buried(until he went back to Italy), and we saw the spice markets where they sell spice and all sorts of rice in bulk.the smell there was really amazing.
that night we took a train,our last for our journeys, to Goa,paradise and home to the biggest and best parties this side of the world. the train journey was a long one ,15 hours to be exact but luckily we were well stocked up for the journey by aunt jean,she had made sure we had chicken briyani, chapatis and mutton as well as sprite and mazza and some fruits for dessert.the train was delayed a bit but we managed to get our seats and begin eating by about 9.30 pm. we slept for most of the journey,this train ride wasn't as interesting as any of the previous ones but the scenery was amazing outside,mostly field and people working in them,but the way of life ,the little things that the people do along the way,that was nice.for example we saw little kids playing cricket with makeshift bats and balls,as well as bottles for stumps and an area that was so small.but it was still as intense as a game between Pakistan and India on a big scale level.we saw them ploughing their fields with their Buffalo's and cooking food on a small wood fire outside their house.bathing by the canal side and making cow dung patties for fuel.collecting coconuts and other fruits,chasing chickens and bathing cows,occasionally there was a whiff of fresh seawater in the air as we were traveling parallel to the west coast of India towards our next destination by the beach,Goa.
Friday, 18 December 2009
Taj Mahal and The Ganges
So we got to Agra by train. It was the most fascinating train ride so far, this one was full from station to station with entertainers (talented beggars) who performed things from dancing and singing to acrobats. Once we arrived in Agra the first thing we did was go to the Taj Mahal. We had a train that same evening to our next stop so just spent the whole afternoon there. First you wait in the looongest que, took about an hour, just to get into the first gate. Once we got through the first gate we were greeted by a big open space with pretty grass and hoards of tourists. Then we made our way to the second gate, through the second gate is the Taj Mahal and as you go through you are waiting for it to appear, slowly you see glimpses, wall, towers then POP it appears in front of your eyes in all its splendour. You stand for a few minutes just staring, absorbing this amazing structure, then start clicking away with all the other tourists. This moment makes all the annoying beggars, touts, dust and dirt seem worth it. It reminds you why you came to India. We explored the massive complex, there are gardens and fountains everywhere with someone posing here and there. We walked all the way around, taking in the beauty. We sat for a while stoning. Such a surreal moment. Then joined another massive que to see the tombs inside. The tombs of Shah Jahan, the creator of this wonder and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the purpose of the creation. We sat all afternoon then watched the sunset. One of my favourite sunsets in India. We then sadly had to leave as we needed to have dinner then catch our next train. Like sad puppies we exited the gates looking behind to remember the sight.
Next stop was Varanasi. The holiest city in India, built on the banks of the River Ganges. The edge of the river is made up of Ghats, steps for you to walk down to the water. There are temples everywhere and naked holy men walking around. At first we just walked around absorbing this strange but intriguing place then we started to mix with the locals. One awesome experience was sitting next to an Aghori. For those with weak tummies look away, Aghori's are humans who feel they are closer to God by doing .... things that we would call evil. They pick bones from the cremation sites (which are open for all to see...) and eat the leftover flesh that hasn't burnt during the cremation. They then smear the ash from the bodies all over themselves. Their legs, their arms and even, yes, their face, lips, eyes, you name it. As we sat next to him, we just stared at this amazing creature who also gives you a sense of fear, intimidation. He happily smoked some kind of drug in a pipe but not before offering us some, let us take photos then went on his way. Another awesome experience in Varanasi was watching a live, mass Puja. It was a bit commercialised as prayers are usually private but it was so good to see. About 5 or 6 priests line up on podiums layed out on the River edge and do various types of religious stuffs. The crowds were massive! We also took a boat ride down the River Ganges during the sunrise and saw the prayers and rituals performed by the locals and also all the bathing of both animal and human. Sadly only had a couple of days there but it was definitely another highlight of our trip. Our next destination after Varanasi was South India which is where we are now. Can't wait to tell you all about it in our next blog!!!
Rachel and Ameet
xox
Next stop was Varanasi. The holiest city in India, built on the banks of the River Ganges. The edge of the river is made up of Ghats, steps for you to walk down to the water. There are temples everywhere and naked holy men walking around. At first we just walked around absorbing this strange but intriguing place then we started to mix with the locals. One awesome experience was sitting next to an Aghori. For those with weak tummies look away, Aghori's are humans who feel they are closer to God by doing .... things that we would call evil. They pick bones from the cremation sites (which are open for all to see...) and eat the leftover flesh that hasn't burnt during the cremation. They then smear the ash from the bodies all over themselves. Their legs, their arms and even, yes, their face, lips, eyes, you name it. As we sat next to him, we just stared at this amazing creature who also gives you a sense of fear, intimidation. He happily smoked some kind of drug in a pipe but not before offering us some, let us take photos then went on his way. Another awesome experience in Varanasi was watching a live, mass Puja. It was a bit commercialised as prayers are usually private but it was so good to see. About 5 or 6 priests line up on podiums layed out on the River edge and do various types of religious stuffs. The crowds were massive! We also took a boat ride down the River Ganges during the sunrise and saw the prayers and rituals performed by the locals and also all the bathing of both animal and human. Sadly only had a couple of days there but it was definitely another highlight of our trip. Our next destination after Varanasi was South India which is where we are now. Can't wait to tell you all about it in our next blog!!!
Rachel and Ameet
xox
Monday, 14 December 2009
The Big Capital - Delhi
Hi everyone, sorry trying to get up to date with our blog when we have time :)
Next was Delhi. We arrived by train. We had heard that the touts etc were at their worst in Delhi esp at the train station so we hopped off the train with our bags tightly tied to us and our guards up but surprisingly it was fine, we weren't really bothered at all. Either that or we've been in India too long.....
It took about an hour to get to ameets uncles friends place with whom we were staying but at the 6 in the morning we didn't really care. Once we arrived we sat and chatted for a few hours, had breakfast showered, saw (and kind of took part in) a Puja (Hindu prayer) next door. The lady of the house had been fasting for a long time and broke her fast with the Puja. The whole neighbourhood decided to join in. It was...... interesting. The Pandit (holy man) did some strange things, and was a bit strange himself, and we stood inside the house with an open fire (they don't have smoke alarms here, tsk tsk) and threw cow dung and dirt into it and then the Pandit threw water at us all.... Enlightening. Oh and then we had to eat Prashad (food) with that same hand we threw cow dung with.... None of us realised until we finished eating. We then got ready to go out and see the sights. However by the time we left the house (indian timing) it was already the afternoon and most sights close around 4pm but we managed to sqeeze in a few things... Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, kind of like a mini Golden Temple but without the Golden structure in the middle... Ok so maybe not a mini Golden Temple but it was pretty impressive. We then went to Cannaught Place, the centre of Delhi, for some shopping. We ended up at the Palika Bazaar. It was underground shopping with all the things us youngsters desire. We got a few things and I proved to Ameet that my bargaining skills had become pretty good here during this trip. The shopping was originally about 3,000 rupess but I got it for 1,750 rupess. Almost half price... After Cannaught Place we rushed to the Jama Masjid, biggest Mosque in Asia, and then the Fort for an interesting Sound and Light show. Then a quick visit to a Jain Temple which also had a Bird Hospital. The Temple had the most amazing paintings on the walls and domed ceilings. Next door was another Gurudwara. Didn't go inside but it was pretty amazing to see. The fort, Jain Temple and Gurudwara are all in Chandni Chawk, a crazy part of town, filled with shopping eating, temples, strangely Jain, Hindu and Sikh temples are all next door to each other. After seeing all this we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Haldirams. It wasn't exactly food though... it was an All American Banana Split but OMG it was good. A little bit of comfort from back home (not that we are American, but the style was similar and when you're away from home for a long time and eating strange food anything will do!). Then we went for the hour rickshaw ride to Uncles house. Had dinner with the family then slept.
Next day we were detirmined to leave the house earlier so we could see more sights and boy there are a lot of sights to see in Delhi!! Unfortunately it wasn't much of an improvement. Left early afternoon again (think this indian timing thing has rubbed off on us!! Uh Oh....) This time we saw the National Museum. Normally we aren't so fussed for Museums unless they are short and straight to the point but reading about the artifacts this museum had for so much indian history we were tempted. Took a few hours, wasn't the most interesting museum we had ever seen but we had paid 600 Rupess to see it so were going to get our moneys worth. Once we had finished it was 5pm.... all other sights were shut. Damn. So we decided to go back to Chandni Chawk and have a look around. Just as we were about to walk out from the Museum they told us to go back inside the grounds and shut the big metal gates on us. We were a bit confused but it all made sense once we realised what it was all about. The president was about to come down the street and anyone walking down the road had been pulled behind the nearest gate and all cars were diverted. Minutes later a bunch of cars with sirens and all that nonsense came through then a few mintues later we were allowed back out of our cage. We walked a few minutes then were greeted by the India Gate in all its Glory. Its one long road (we HAD to be at the opposite end of it haha!) so we walked closer and closer. Magically the sun was setting at that time so as we got closer the lights became brighter and the streets got more crowded. We had heaps of fun taking pictures that look like we are leaning on the Gate, holding it in our hands and even licking it - you can guess who did that one... :) The area around the Gate is surrounded by people selling things, some useful, souvineirs, postcards, some just plain weird, whistles, random toys and a scary animal puppett thing! After this we went back to Palika Bazaar. We had only an hour or so and we enjoyed it there so much so went back and had a look around. Got a couple more things. Then took the painful hour ride back home for some much needed dinner and sleep.
Next day, again we were detirmined to leave early! We did leave earlier but maybe not enough. We only managed to see a couple of things. We went to Raj Ghat, which is where some of the influencial people of India had their cremations and have memorials set in beautiful gardens. We saw Mahatma Ganhi's one, very serene. It is simple, a big black stone structure with flowers around it and a flame in a glass container that burns 24/7. We then went and saw Gandhi's museum. Spent about an hour or so reading about his life, very interesting. Also saw a couple of things like a bench he once sat on to make a speech, a jeep he once sat in and a remake of a cell in prison that he once was in. We then headed off to Chandni Chawk, looked around, had some lunch, saw a Sikh Museum, spent some time there, then again took the hour rickshaw ride home. But not before eating some KFC nearby! Again, comfort food. Haha. It is soo damn vegetarian here that seeing KFC is just too tempting!! The KFC's here though are really high class. The menu is all posh, they have a bar that makes all nice (non-alcoholic) drinks, the design is a dream, feels like you are in a posh restaurant and the staff! OMG I have never been served by such happy staff before! They were working so hard and were very passionate about their work. Amazing! For all of those who buy KFC in NZ you will understand why it was so amazing. Haha. Then took the hour ride home.
Next day!! Gotta keep this blog going!! We spent the morning with Uncle, had breakfast, chatted then Ameets Uncle that we met in Amritsar but lives in Faridabad, Haryana, came to pick us up. He wanted to spend the day with us before we carried on with our travels. Faridabad is about an hour drive south, the same direction our next stop is in so it worked out good. Faridabad is amazingly urbanised. There were big fancy malls, really well done roads and highways and the houses were so pretty! We rested most of the day, sat with Uncle and another Uncle and their families telling stories about our travels and helping them to understand why we are backpacking around India haha indians just don't seem to travel like this so they were quite intruiged. Evening time they wanted to take us out to a nearby mall. It was soo massive and had everthing you can dream of inside. They wanted to buy a couple of things for us and although we resisted I left with two pairs of earrings and Ameet left with some shirts. Baqsheesh they call it. Gifts for meeting family members after a long time (or in our case for the first time) Me being kiwi the concept is hard to grab haha. Back home we all had dinner together, watched some hindi comedies on tv then slept. Next morning we had an early morning train (which we almost missed by a few minutes but lucky for us it was late!!) then our next stop was Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. But I'll have to leave you in suspense til we can access internet again :)
Til next time!
Lots of love Rachel and Ameet
xox
Next was Delhi. We arrived by train. We had heard that the touts etc were at their worst in Delhi esp at the train station so we hopped off the train with our bags tightly tied to us and our guards up but surprisingly it was fine, we weren't really bothered at all. Either that or we've been in India too long.....
It took about an hour to get to ameets uncles friends place with whom we were staying but at the 6 in the morning we didn't really care. Once we arrived we sat and chatted for a few hours, had breakfast showered, saw (and kind of took part in) a Puja (Hindu prayer) next door. The lady of the house had been fasting for a long time and broke her fast with the Puja. The whole neighbourhood decided to join in. It was...... interesting. The Pandit (holy man) did some strange things, and was a bit strange himself, and we stood inside the house with an open fire (they don't have smoke alarms here, tsk tsk) and threw cow dung and dirt into it and then the Pandit threw water at us all.... Enlightening. Oh and then we had to eat Prashad (food) with that same hand we threw cow dung with.... None of us realised until we finished eating. We then got ready to go out and see the sights. However by the time we left the house (indian timing) it was already the afternoon and most sights close around 4pm but we managed to sqeeze in a few things... Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, kind of like a mini Golden Temple but without the Golden structure in the middle... Ok so maybe not a mini Golden Temple but it was pretty impressive. We then went to Cannaught Place, the centre of Delhi, for some shopping. We ended up at the Palika Bazaar. It was underground shopping with all the things us youngsters desire. We got a few things and I proved to Ameet that my bargaining skills had become pretty good here during this trip. The shopping was originally about 3,000 rupess but I got it for 1,750 rupess. Almost half price... After Cannaught Place we rushed to the Jama Masjid, biggest Mosque in Asia, and then the Fort for an interesting Sound and Light show. Then a quick visit to a Jain Temple which also had a Bird Hospital. The Temple had the most amazing paintings on the walls and domed ceilings. Next door was another Gurudwara. Didn't go inside but it was pretty amazing to see. The fort, Jain Temple and Gurudwara are all in Chandni Chawk, a crazy part of town, filled with shopping eating, temples, strangely Jain, Hindu and Sikh temples are all next door to each other. After seeing all this we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Haldirams. It wasn't exactly food though... it was an All American Banana Split but OMG it was good. A little bit of comfort from back home (not that we are American, but the style was similar and when you're away from home for a long time and eating strange food anything will do!). Then we went for the hour rickshaw ride to Uncles house. Had dinner with the family then slept.
Next day we were detirmined to leave the house earlier so we could see more sights and boy there are a lot of sights to see in Delhi!! Unfortunately it wasn't much of an improvement. Left early afternoon again (think this indian timing thing has rubbed off on us!! Uh Oh....) This time we saw the National Museum. Normally we aren't so fussed for Museums unless they are short and straight to the point but reading about the artifacts this museum had for so much indian history we were tempted. Took a few hours, wasn't the most interesting museum we had ever seen but we had paid 600 Rupess to see it so were going to get our moneys worth. Once we had finished it was 5pm.... all other sights were shut. Damn. So we decided to go back to Chandni Chawk and have a look around. Just as we were about to walk out from the Museum they told us to go back inside the grounds and shut the big metal gates on us. We were a bit confused but it all made sense once we realised what it was all about. The president was about to come down the street and anyone walking down the road had been pulled behind the nearest gate and all cars were diverted. Minutes later a bunch of cars with sirens and all that nonsense came through then a few mintues later we were allowed back out of our cage. We walked a few minutes then were greeted by the India Gate in all its Glory. Its one long road (we HAD to be at the opposite end of it haha!) so we walked closer and closer. Magically the sun was setting at that time so as we got closer the lights became brighter and the streets got more crowded. We had heaps of fun taking pictures that look like we are leaning on the Gate, holding it in our hands and even licking it - you can guess who did that one... :) The area around the Gate is surrounded by people selling things, some useful, souvineirs, postcards, some just plain weird, whistles, random toys and a scary animal puppett thing! After this we went back to Palika Bazaar. We had only an hour or so and we enjoyed it there so much so went back and had a look around. Got a couple more things. Then took the painful hour ride back home for some much needed dinner and sleep.
Next day, again we were detirmined to leave early! We did leave earlier but maybe not enough. We only managed to see a couple of things. We went to Raj Ghat, which is where some of the influencial people of India had their cremations and have memorials set in beautiful gardens. We saw Mahatma Ganhi's one, very serene. It is simple, a big black stone structure with flowers around it and a flame in a glass container that burns 24/7. We then went and saw Gandhi's museum. Spent about an hour or so reading about his life, very interesting. Also saw a couple of things like a bench he once sat on to make a speech, a jeep he once sat in and a remake of a cell in prison that he once was in. We then headed off to Chandni Chawk, looked around, had some lunch, saw a Sikh Museum, spent some time there, then again took the hour rickshaw ride home. But not before eating some KFC nearby! Again, comfort food. Haha. It is soo damn vegetarian here that seeing KFC is just too tempting!! The KFC's here though are really high class. The menu is all posh, they have a bar that makes all nice (non-alcoholic) drinks, the design is a dream, feels like you are in a posh restaurant and the staff! OMG I have never been served by such happy staff before! They were working so hard and were very passionate about their work. Amazing! For all of those who buy KFC in NZ you will understand why it was so amazing. Haha. Then took the hour ride home.
Next day!! Gotta keep this blog going!! We spent the morning with Uncle, had breakfast, chatted then Ameets Uncle that we met in Amritsar but lives in Faridabad, Haryana, came to pick us up. He wanted to spend the day with us before we carried on with our travels. Faridabad is about an hour drive south, the same direction our next stop is in so it worked out good. Faridabad is amazingly urbanised. There were big fancy malls, really well done roads and highways and the houses were so pretty! We rested most of the day, sat with Uncle and another Uncle and their families telling stories about our travels and helping them to understand why we are backpacking around India haha indians just don't seem to travel like this so they were quite intruiged. Evening time they wanted to take us out to a nearby mall. It was soo massive and had everthing you can dream of inside. They wanted to buy a couple of things for us and although we resisted I left with two pairs of earrings and Ameet left with some shirts. Baqsheesh they call it. Gifts for meeting family members after a long time (or in our case for the first time) Me being kiwi the concept is hard to grab haha. Back home we all had dinner together, watched some hindi comedies on tv then slept. Next morning we had an early morning train (which we almost missed by a few minutes but lucky for us it was late!!) then our next stop was Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. But I'll have to leave you in suspense til we can access internet again :)
Til next time!
Lots of love Rachel and Ameet
xox
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Dharamshala - Little Tibet
okay so the bus ride wasnt thaaat comfortable, it was a local bus thou so one of those ricckety bumpy one where the luggage is on the roof and all.the windows were always opening or closing depending on the bumps we went over and the amount of people changed at every single stop.this being an intertate bus was also doubling as a normal side street bus.so at one stop we had only 10 people,then by the next stop we were over capacity with about 50-60 people on board.occasionally there was someone selling something on the bus much like those people on the television, trying to sell things like juicers and tablecloths that would not tear.so very interesting.
dharamshala had a nice cool breeze to it as we entered the mountains.and watching the sun set over the hills was pretty amazing as well.from dharamshala we had to catch a small cab to head up the mountain, which was about 2kms away.up the mountain is a small town called mcleod ganj,the actual home of the dalai lama and the tibetian government n exhile.we found the hotel alright and spent the night with a couple of tourists,who also happened to be from nz.we found a bar and they had some shisha, so it was pretty interesting.we didnt drink anything but the other guy got himself a kingfisher and it came up to 150 rupees for a 1liter bottal.
that night we didnt sleep much as we wanted to wake up just to see the sunrise over the mountains,from our balcony we watched the sun rise over the himalayas and the buildings that littered the hillside,the light from the sun shines differently over the mountains,the glow from the clouds below casts an impressive golden-purplish light all around.but the best best part about it was the fact that there was absolute silence all around.
that day we went for a walk around the 2 streets that made up the entire mcleod ganj,a tourist hippie like place where every other person was trying to find their spirituality by some means or another,amusing for the locals as well as being very lucrative for them.so you have these people walking around buying things like tibetian bells or little figurines,hashish and crystals,clothes that look horrible on westerners and things like that.the worst was one guy who bought a stick...he bought a long stick that had no purpose whatsoever except for maybe leaning on,or poking something...so we have this weird hippie looking guy holding a stick standing in the middle of the main square looking all weird...and then...you get another weird hippie guy coming along and very happily asking,where'd you get your stick from? and then he troddles of to buy one himself...so you can see, thats why the tibetian people,monks as well as locals (who have been displaced from their country btw,something like refugees) are holding things like iphones and mini dvd player and wearing nike and things like that.really mind blowing.
mcleod ganj was a perfect getaway a well as a place to redefine yourself spiritualy, the onlly thing was we missed seeing the dalai lama by one day.but all good, it was just amazing being in the same vicinity as him.
we were there for about 3 days in total, enjoying the views and the funny people.then we left to get ourselves to shimla. the bus to shimla was an overnighter and it wasnt thaaat interesting except for the fact that we sat in front so it was pretty exhilarating.think about it, its 3 in the morning, the driver looked high, the road was less than one laned,we had a ravine on one side and a huge dirt wall on the other,and at a speed that you could never imagine a bus to be able to go at,but the cold breeze from the mountains kept us awake and fresh thru it all.
shimla is a mini england,well according to rachel at least,she's been there,to england i mean.but it was a really beautiful place,like a little european resort up in the mountains and it was very organised,having one main street where cars couldnt drive on.shimla was really clean as well,the law is such where you cant spit or throw rubbish or carry plastic bags in the city.so it was a nice change from the norm.we spent the day trying to figure out our next steps and trying to book our tickets for the next bits of our trip. that was pretty hard for us as well as the travel agent took us to a cybercafe to do his booking and then in order to pay for it all we had to find the only money changer in the entire city to change our money,then wait 30 minutes for his guy to bring a wad of cash for us.haish...india...
anyways we left with high spirits as we were going on the train to kullu which headed thru about 130 tunnels high in the mountains,althou we didnt see much as it got dark very fast. the amazing thing was that as we passed around the mountain and were going into the valley, when you look up on the other side,where the next or previous mountain was, you could see all the lights where people were living scattered on the side of the mountains,it looked like the milky way,except here on earth.that was beautifull.
from kullu we caught the night train to delhi.
next stop, the capital of India,and where all the money is being pumped into as well.
dharamshala had a nice cool breeze to it as we entered the mountains.and watching the sun set over the hills was pretty amazing as well.from dharamshala we had to catch a small cab to head up the mountain, which was about 2kms away.up the mountain is a small town called mcleod ganj,the actual home of the dalai lama and the tibetian government n exhile.we found the hotel alright and spent the night with a couple of tourists,who also happened to be from nz.we found a bar and they had some shisha, so it was pretty interesting.we didnt drink anything but the other guy got himself a kingfisher and it came up to 150 rupees for a 1liter bottal.
that night we didnt sleep much as we wanted to wake up just to see the sunrise over the mountains,from our balcony we watched the sun rise over the himalayas and the buildings that littered the hillside,the light from the sun shines differently over the mountains,the glow from the clouds below casts an impressive golden-purplish light all around.but the best best part about it was the fact that there was absolute silence all around.
that day we went for a walk around the 2 streets that made up the entire mcleod ganj,a tourist hippie like place where every other person was trying to find their spirituality by some means or another,amusing for the locals as well as being very lucrative for them.so you have these people walking around buying things like tibetian bells or little figurines,hashish and crystals,clothes that look horrible on westerners and things like that.the worst was one guy who bought a stick...he bought a long stick that had no purpose whatsoever except for maybe leaning on,or poking something...so we have this weird hippie looking guy holding a stick standing in the middle of the main square looking all weird...and then...you get another weird hippie guy coming along and very happily asking,where'd you get your stick from? and then he troddles of to buy one himself...so you can see, thats why the tibetian people,monks as well as locals (who have been displaced from their country btw,something like refugees) are holding things like iphones and mini dvd player and wearing nike and things like that.really mind blowing.
mcleod ganj was a perfect getaway a well as a place to redefine yourself spiritualy, the onlly thing was we missed seeing the dalai lama by one day.but all good, it was just amazing being in the same vicinity as him.
we were there for about 3 days in total, enjoying the views and the funny people.then we left to get ourselves to shimla. the bus to shimla was an overnighter and it wasnt thaaat interesting except for the fact that we sat in front so it was pretty exhilarating.think about it, its 3 in the morning, the driver looked high, the road was less than one laned,we had a ravine on one side and a huge dirt wall on the other,and at a speed that you could never imagine a bus to be able to go at,but the cold breeze from the mountains kept us awake and fresh thru it all.
shimla is a mini england,well according to rachel at least,she's been there,to england i mean.but it was a really beautiful place,like a little european resort up in the mountains and it was very organised,having one main street where cars couldnt drive on.shimla was really clean as well,the law is such where you cant spit or throw rubbish or carry plastic bags in the city.so it was a nice change from the norm.we spent the day trying to figure out our next steps and trying to book our tickets for the next bits of our trip. that was pretty hard for us as well as the travel agent took us to a cybercafe to do his booking and then in order to pay for it all we had to find the only money changer in the entire city to change our money,then wait 30 minutes for his guy to bring a wad of cash for us.haish...india...
anyways we left with high spirits as we were going on the train to kullu which headed thru about 130 tunnels high in the mountains,althou we didnt see much as it got dark very fast. the amazing thing was that as we passed around the mountain and were going into the valley, when you look up on the other side,where the next or previous mountain was, you could see all the lights where people were living scattered on the side of the mountains,it looked like the milky way,except here on earth.that was beautifull.
from kullu we caught the night train to delhi.
next stop, the capital of India,and where all the money is being pumped into as well.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Amritsar!
Hey guys sorry for the delay...again...there wasn't much Internet access where we were for the past week or so.well there waaasss...but not much time to get online and update.i guess you'd need to be backpacking in a totally foreign land to be able to fully understand.heh.
so anyways,continuing with our travels, we left Chandigarh to get into Amritsar and the bus ride was a long and tiresome one,the best parts about it was the one stop we had along the way (at THE MOST fabulous roadside rest stop I've ever seen, complete with a five star bathroom and restaurant that is able to rival any Indian restaurant in NZ,and a dodgem cars rink, AND a food court with candy floss and popcorn.the lights were amazing and the toilet was clean enough to eat off,albeit a little packed with Punjabi's heading along the same route), and the other nice thing about the bus was the free packaged water and a Hindi movie that was played along our ride,first one in India too.
we reached Amritsar in the evening and made our way to our room,it was a long walk but we decided to take in a few sights along the way to better understand the surroundings.we stopped for dinner at a dhaba in a little alleyway,food was good,extremely cheap too.Amritsar has the busiest streets just outside the golden temple itself,filled with all sorts of shops ranging from Punjabi clothes shops to turban and bicycle and sweet shops and a dominoes pizza shop and sword(kirpan) and other Sikh religious shops.so it was all hustle and bustle to get to the hotel.the hotel itself was pretty bad,room was under renovation and the hotel owner tried to convince us that its actual worth was about 400rupees more than the 500 we were paying for it.the entire hotel was under renovation so we couldn't do much,especially since it was pretty late when we arrived.it was a short sleep and the next morning we packed our stuff up after breakfast and headed out to find a different room.along the way a tout approached us and offered us a room for about 300 rupees,we checked it out and although is smelled like smoke,it was pretty decent,the hotel guys cleaned it for us and we went out for a walk to explore the shops.
the shops around the golden temple,which is in a huge complex about 800m - 1 km by 1km in size, sell mainly suits,jutis (Punjabi shoes), turban cloth and blankets and stuff.so we explored all that, and b the time we finished the main streets we went back to our apartment for a rest and freshen up before planning to go to the golden temple.just before we decided to go out we looked up the list of families that papa had given me before coming to India,of relatives that we have around Punjab and such.it took a while but Rachel convinced me that they wouldn't bite my head off if i did call them. so i did,the first number that i tried was the one for Massi (aunt) Beena. and when they answered it took a lot of trying to explain who i was and how i was related to them,but only because my Punjabi was crap and I'm guessing they couldn't hear very well either due to the connection.anyway all i heard was OK come over,now, and it ended up with papa's cousin(massi beena's son) coming to pick us up.he told us he'd see us in about half an hour so we quickly got ready and went downstairs to get something to eat,(as it was pretty late and we figured that they had already eaten dinner), I bought some sweets from the shop for them and stood nervously waiting outside the hotel for them. as we sat waiting Rachel mentioned how it would be funny if they came on a motorcycle to pick us up,sure enough after an hour and a half of waiting (Indian timing)...a motorcycle did come to pick us up. shit,i forgot to mention there was two of us, but then bunty, my uncle, who is very shy BTW, found us a rickshaw and set us off on our way to meet the rest of my long lost clan.although i guess we are the long lost ones to them...
meeting uncle and aunt was one of the most memorable things about India,they took us in with open arms and told us to sleep there that night,even though all our stuff was still in the hotel.they had made dinner but were waiting for us to eat with them, so we did, then spent a long while talking before going to bed in one of the most comfortable and warm beds ever.it was like being at my own grandmothers house.
after a good nights rest, we had a breakfast of rotis and sabjhi before heading out to the golden temple and to pick up our stuff(from the hotel we didn't actually use),we got the stuff, and headed for the golden temple.we left our things with one of Bunty's friends who owns a shop just outside the temple and put our shoes away and went thru the procedure of washing our feet and hands in the warm water outside(it was pretty cold in Amritsar) then we went inside,through one of the main entrances and as we stepped down the stairs to enter the compound the view that we were greeted with was one that was so powerful,just seeing the Harmandir Sahib gleaming in the sunlight is enough to bring such a profound feeling to anyone.
we took a walk around the complex,stopping at every thing that had some kind of significance,such as each Grant Sahib that was in the area,the bathing areas,( where we stepped inside the water from the pool, Amritsar, around the temple itself) washed in its water and then we went to the langar hall to see how big it was,and my was it huge.the amount of people eating there was magnificent,we had a bowl of tea and continued.around the other side of the complex, there was a procession of small kids in traditional clothes and instruments, getting ready for a parade , it was all very colourful and full of festive spirit(we later found out that it was in honour of one of the Gurus, for his birthday that day).we then went inside the actual temple in the middle of the pool,there was a long line of devotees and pilgrims but everything was pretty organised,which was quite a contrast from outside.the feeling of entering the temple was awesome,we had a quick look at all the three floors housing the main Guru Granth Sahib and then at the roof,which was plated in gold,it was very bright.I realised that the Golden Temple was much like Club med : free food and drink at anytime,constant and different forms of entertainment to keep you active such as the various celebrations going around us, a pool...and all the ambassadors i.e nihangs, with their awesome weapons. after that we left to see the other structures in the complex. we then headed out home as Bunty had made plans for us for our stay in Amritsar.
Over the next few days we did an array of things such as visited families,about 6 of them/people representing them, to be exact, we also watched the changing of the guard at the wagah border(if you don't know what that is,take a look at it on youtube,although the energy produced by the crowds watching was more fun than the actual event itself), the maharajah ranjit singh panorama(which was by far the BEST museum in all of India,plus finding out that you are related to the top generals in his army,priceless),seeing the Pind, (village) and learning about the history of my grandfathers and my grandmother,the Ram Tirath temple which was better than any amusement park I've ever been to, and SHOPPING of course,i bought a blanket for myself and Rachel got herself some cool stuff.but all that you'll see when we get home.
we didn't want to leave Amritsar but in the end we had to go.we had a good 5 days in the heart of the land of the Soldier Saints and our next stop, 7 hours away by bus, Dharamshala home of the Dalai Lama and Tibet in exile.
so anyways,continuing with our travels, we left Chandigarh to get into Amritsar and the bus ride was a long and tiresome one,the best parts about it was the one stop we had along the way (at THE MOST fabulous roadside rest stop I've ever seen, complete with a five star bathroom and restaurant that is able to rival any Indian restaurant in NZ,and a dodgem cars rink, AND a food court with candy floss and popcorn.the lights were amazing and the toilet was clean enough to eat off,albeit a little packed with Punjabi's heading along the same route), and the other nice thing about the bus was the free packaged water and a Hindi movie that was played along our ride,first one in India too.
we reached Amritsar in the evening and made our way to our room,it was a long walk but we decided to take in a few sights along the way to better understand the surroundings.we stopped for dinner at a dhaba in a little alleyway,food was good,extremely cheap too.Amritsar has the busiest streets just outside the golden temple itself,filled with all sorts of shops ranging from Punjabi clothes shops to turban and bicycle and sweet shops and a dominoes pizza shop and sword(kirpan) and other Sikh religious shops.so it was all hustle and bustle to get to the hotel.the hotel itself was pretty bad,room was under renovation and the hotel owner tried to convince us that its actual worth was about 400rupees more than the 500 we were paying for it.the entire hotel was under renovation so we couldn't do much,especially since it was pretty late when we arrived.it was a short sleep and the next morning we packed our stuff up after breakfast and headed out to find a different room.along the way a tout approached us and offered us a room for about 300 rupees,we checked it out and although is smelled like smoke,it was pretty decent,the hotel guys cleaned it for us and we went out for a walk to explore the shops.
the shops around the golden temple,which is in a huge complex about 800m - 1 km by 1km in size, sell mainly suits,jutis (Punjabi shoes), turban cloth and blankets and stuff.so we explored all that, and b the time we finished the main streets we went back to our apartment for a rest and freshen up before planning to go to the golden temple.just before we decided to go out we looked up the list of families that papa had given me before coming to India,of relatives that we have around Punjab and such.it took a while but Rachel convinced me that they wouldn't bite my head off if i did call them. so i did,the first number that i tried was the one for Massi (aunt) Beena. and when they answered it took a lot of trying to explain who i was and how i was related to them,but only because my Punjabi was crap and I'm guessing they couldn't hear very well either due to the connection.anyway all i heard was OK come over,now, and it ended up with papa's cousin(massi beena's son) coming to pick us up.he told us he'd see us in about half an hour so we quickly got ready and went downstairs to get something to eat,(as it was pretty late and we figured that they had already eaten dinner), I bought some sweets from the shop for them and stood nervously waiting outside the hotel for them. as we sat waiting Rachel mentioned how it would be funny if they came on a motorcycle to pick us up,sure enough after an hour and a half of waiting (Indian timing)...a motorcycle did come to pick us up. shit,i forgot to mention there was two of us, but then bunty, my uncle, who is very shy BTW, found us a rickshaw and set us off on our way to meet the rest of my long lost clan.although i guess we are the long lost ones to them...
meeting uncle and aunt was one of the most memorable things about India,they took us in with open arms and told us to sleep there that night,even though all our stuff was still in the hotel.they had made dinner but were waiting for us to eat with them, so we did, then spent a long while talking before going to bed in one of the most comfortable and warm beds ever.it was like being at my own grandmothers house.
after a good nights rest, we had a breakfast of rotis and sabjhi before heading out to the golden temple and to pick up our stuff(from the hotel we didn't actually use),we got the stuff, and headed for the golden temple.we left our things with one of Bunty's friends who owns a shop just outside the temple and put our shoes away and went thru the procedure of washing our feet and hands in the warm water outside(it was pretty cold in Amritsar) then we went inside,through one of the main entrances and as we stepped down the stairs to enter the compound the view that we were greeted with was one that was so powerful,just seeing the Harmandir Sahib gleaming in the sunlight is enough to bring such a profound feeling to anyone.
we took a walk around the complex,stopping at every thing that had some kind of significance,such as each Grant Sahib that was in the area,the bathing areas,( where we stepped inside the water from the pool, Amritsar, around the temple itself) washed in its water and then we went to the langar hall to see how big it was,and my was it huge.the amount of people eating there was magnificent,we had a bowl of tea and continued.around the other side of the complex, there was a procession of small kids in traditional clothes and instruments, getting ready for a parade , it was all very colourful and full of festive spirit(we later found out that it was in honour of one of the Gurus, for his birthday that day).we then went inside the actual temple in the middle of the pool,there was a long line of devotees and pilgrims but everything was pretty organised,which was quite a contrast from outside.the feeling of entering the temple was awesome,we had a quick look at all the three floors housing the main Guru Granth Sahib and then at the roof,which was plated in gold,it was very bright.I realised that the Golden Temple was much like Club med : free food and drink at anytime,constant and different forms of entertainment to keep you active such as the various celebrations going around us, a pool...and all the ambassadors i.e nihangs, with their awesome weapons. after that we left to see the other structures in the complex. we then headed out home as Bunty had made plans for us for our stay in Amritsar.
Over the next few days we did an array of things such as visited families,about 6 of them/people representing them, to be exact, we also watched the changing of the guard at the wagah border(if you don't know what that is,take a look at it on youtube,although the energy produced by the crowds watching was more fun than the actual event itself), the maharajah ranjit singh panorama(which was by far the BEST museum in all of India,plus finding out that you are related to the top generals in his army,priceless),seeing the Pind, (village) and learning about the history of my grandfathers and my grandmother,the Ram Tirath temple which was better than any amusement park I've ever been to, and SHOPPING of course,i bought a blanket for myself and Rachel got herself some cool stuff.but all that you'll see when we get home.
we didn't want to leave Amritsar but in the end we had to go.we had a good 5 days in the heart of the land of the Soldier Saints and our next stop, 7 hours away by bus, Dharamshala home of the Dalai Lama and Tibet in exile.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Chandigharh - Punjab
We took the bus from jaipur at about 2.30 in the afternoon to get to Chandigarh and it wasn't too bad a journey actually,quite interesting watching the landscape changes in between the desert world of rajasthan and entering the 'bread basket of India',Punjab with its enormous trucks and huge fields of wheat. the amount of greenery increases and its a lot easier on the eye,there's a calming effect as we drive into the city of Chandigarh but i guess its mainly due to the more organised way of driving that the people of the city use."they actually obey traffic lights here!" i exclaimed to Rachel as we stopped for the tenth time one one street,that and they beep their horn less around(the beeping everywhere else had started to become a background noise we were used to). the bus station there was one of the best we've come across,cleaner than any other and more organised than all the rest.they had people to organise the rickshaws for us as well and we knew we were re-affirmed about our entry into Punjab by the occasional shouts of 'phand-chod' all around as the Punjabi boys were playfully talking to their friends.
the taxi to the hotel took a bit of time as the driver got himself lost(the address we were given,like most addresses in India use a specific landmark to identify their position,most likely a big building known to all of a statue of some sort,and with India,the bigger the better,so they decide to put landmarks that are known to more people but not necessarily close to them. i.e like saying i live close to the kl twin towers...even thou my actual home is about 20 minutes away...) but we eventually found ourselves at our hotel - the hotel diamond plaza,which was by far the most posh room we've had on the trip.as good as a decent 3-4 star hotel back home and for less than 1/10th the price of course, but as it was somewhere in the afternoon we decided to get a bit of a rest before continuing our journey.in the evening we read our 'bible' the lonely planet and came to the conclusion that other than offices and government buildings, there wasn't much else to see in Chandigarh besides a rock garden...so the plan was to get our tickets out of here for our next destination in Punjab - Amritsar the home of the Golden Temple. so we asked around and the hotel guys directed us to a street about a block from where we were to get our tickets, see Chandigarh, being the most organised city in India, was designed by an eccentric Swiss architect, Le corbusier, who made the entire place in a perfect grid system where each block was about 1km by 1km and all the government blocks in one area,entertainment in another,transportation in another and parks and residential areas in another.in between the blocks there are roundabouts and everything is labeled by sectors,so we stayed in sector 22 and the ticketing office was on the other side of it,so we caught a rickshaw and sorted our tickets to Amritsar out before dinner.for dinner we decided to try a Chinese restaurant nearby which was recommended by lonely planet,according to Rachel, the food has put her off from eating Chinese food in India completely,but for me it wasn't anything like Chinese so it was like eating a completely new type of cuisines, the spring roles came and they were served with an entire bowl of sauce,so we've got these tiny spring roles yeah,and a huge bowl of sauce which ended up becoming a gravy for my rice,which was basmati rice BTW.all in all the food wasn't too bad and we came away learning a bit more about the Indian culture.
the next morning we set off for the rock garden of nek chand.back in the day there was this dude, nek chand, who went around collecting rubbish and broken bits of things,like cups and plates and bangles and stuff...he made little statues of people and cows and things like that.he then put them all around his hut,just on the outskirts of the city centre,then one day as some local officials were walking around,they stumbled across all these statues and stuff right,so they decided to give nak chand some funding,some workers and 22acres of land to pursue his dream of building this fairytale /Alice in wonderland type park,which now has become the 2nd most visited attraction in India. so that means the Taj Mahal,the most famous erection man has made for a woman, has a rock garden as its next rival. pretty cool huh, so we decided to see it. it cost 10 rupees to get in...about 30NZ cents and 80+Malaysian cents, and you have to walk around windy and very interesting looking rock formations,statues and fountains and waterfalls.very interesting the whole thing and people have weddings and school functions in the middle.it was very interesting to see young Punjabi boys running around playing and looking at the Punjabi girls posing for photographs by the waterfalls. Rachel has put some photos of her and i at one of the waterfalls in the last post as well.
we then made our way to sector 17,where the shopping was.just entering the sector and looking at all the big brands,cars and bling the Punjabi's were wearing made it seem like we entered the most posh place of Punjab.because it was a Saturday everyone was out in their best,and the shops all stocked the best brands too.we ate some food and were off to the bus station.
Next Stop - Amritsar :D
the taxi to the hotel took a bit of time as the driver got himself lost(the address we were given,like most addresses in India use a specific landmark to identify their position,most likely a big building known to all of a statue of some sort,and with India,the bigger the better,so they decide to put landmarks that are known to more people but not necessarily close to them. i.e like saying i live close to the kl twin towers...even thou my actual home is about 20 minutes away...) but we eventually found ourselves at our hotel - the hotel diamond plaza,which was by far the most posh room we've had on the trip.as good as a decent 3-4 star hotel back home and for less than 1/10th the price of course, but as it was somewhere in the afternoon we decided to get a bit of a rest before continuing our journey.in the evening we read our 'bible' the lonely planet and came to the conclusion that other than offices and government buildings, there wasn't much else to see in Chandigarh besides a rock garden...so the plan was to get our tickets out of here for our next destination in Punjab - Amritsar the home of the Golden Temple. so we asked around and the hotel guys directed us to a street about a block from where we were to get our tickets, see Chandigarh, being the most organised city in India, was designed by an eccentric Swiss architect, Le corbusier, who made the entire place in a perfect grid system where each block was about 1km by 1km and all the government blocks in one area,entertainment in another,transportation in another and parks and residential areas in another.in between the blocks there are roundabouts and everything is labeled by sectors,so we stayed in sector 22 and the ticketing office was on the other side of it,so we caught a rickshaw and sorted our tickets to Amritsar out before dinner.for dinner we decided to try a Chinese restaurant nearby which was recommended by lonely planet,according to Rachel, the food has put her off from eating Chinese food in India completely,but for me it wasn't anything like Chinese so it was like eating a completely new type of cuisines, the spring roles came and they were served with an entire bowl of sauce,so we've got these tiny spring roles yeah,and a huge bowl of sauce which ended up becoming a gravy for my rice,which was basmati rice BTW.all in all the food wasn't too bad and we came away learning a bit more about the Indian culture.
the next morning we set off for the rock garden of nek chand.back in the day there was this dude, nek chand, who went around collecting rubbish and broken bits of things,like cups and plates and bangles and stuff...he made little statues of people and cows and things like that.he then put them all around his hut,just on the outskirts of the city centre,then one day as some local officials were walking around,they stumbled across all these statues and stuff right,so they decided to give nak chand some funding,some workers and 22acres of land to pursue his dream of building this fairytale /Alice in wonderland type park,which now has become the 2nd most visited attraction in India. so that means the Taj Mahal,the most famous erection man has made for a woman, has a rock garden as its next rival. pretty cool huh, so we decided to see it. it cost 10 rupees to get in...about 30NZ cents and 80+Malaysian cents, and you have to walk around windy and very interesting looking rock formations,statues and fountains and waterfalls.very interesting the whole thing and people have weddings and school functions in the middle.it was very interesting to see young Punjabi boys running around playing and looking at the Punjabi girls posing for photographs by the waterfalls. Rachel has put some photos of her and i at one of the waterfalls in the last post as well.
we then made our way to sector 17,where the shopping was.just entering the sector and looking at all the big brands,cars and bling the Punjabi's were wearing made it seem like we entered the most posh place of Punjab.because it was a Saturday everyone was out in their best,and the shops all stocked the best brands too.we ate some food and were off to the bus station.
Next Stop - Amritsar :D
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Jaipur - Pink city of shopping
Hey everyone!
Sorry about the delayed post,it became quite a mission to find a proper internet connection in Jaipur as well as Punjab,the latter being because we were quite busy meeting relatives,more on that in a bit.
So it looks like we last left you at the camel safari? Well just after that we managed to make our way from Jaislamer (by overnight train) to Jaipur. The journey itself was nothing spectacular as it was mostly at night and in the desert its pitch black outside as soon as the sun sets,the interesting bit about the journey is that if you aren't in one of the AC classes,your cabin is sure to fill up with sand along the way,just as we noticed halfway thru our journey when the entire car began to look like a scene out of Lawrence of Arabia,sand everywhere and in the air,it was like a sandstorm except it was in the train and minus the camels...
But all ended well and we were arrived in Jaipur at about 5 in the morning. We were eventually picked up by the owner of the hotel we were supposed to be staying at,Hotel Krishna and we checked in at about 5.45,slept off our previous journey and woke up at about 10 am. The interesting thing about our hotel was that we ate breakfast on the lawn outside,which was a rarity in the entire Indian region so far,most places we'd eaten at were either on the top of roofs or indoors.so it was a nice change from the norm, to have some green around you. after breakfast we ventured out into the town.Jaipur is made up of one main street (MI road)(not for mission impossible thou...it meant Muhammed Ismael or something like that, but it was a Mission Impossible getting from one side to another) and on the northern side of this road was the Old City,which is a fort, and on the southern side the new city lay sprawled across the lands. we began our trek up MI road from the beginning of it where I saw a mall and thought it would be good to do some shopping in something i was more familiar with i.e a mall.that was not the case thou as we soon found out, the mall looked nice and posh from the outside and as we entered i was checked by security for bombs and guns and stuff,but when we got inside...there were about 3 shops that were open...and the rest had things in them but were run down and shabby and mostly closed.of the three stores that were open thou,there wasn't much on sale so we decided to leave and find something else to do, we found another mall but it was equally as bad,maybe even worse as this one had a lady charging people to use their escalator...but it was an empty mall with 4-5 shops open...so...by then we had decided that malls in rajasthan aren't that good.
allittle bit up MI road we stopped for a snack at the peacock hotel which is a really eccentric place in a housing area which had interesting artsy chairs which looked like they were made by someone who had been given too much encouragement for his artsy side,nonetheless it was an interesting place and the decoration was a nice change from the dusty streets downstairs. we carried on walking and checked out a bunch of interesting stores at the sides of the road,i bought a book to read and some magazines as well,and by then it was pretty late so we had some dinner and began to proceed home again.as we left we decided to take one of those cycle rickshaws back....bad idea...especially after eating...for some strange reason we got one with a driver who had a bung leg...so he had a very different and strange way of cycling his bike.and a very slow was too.of course it didn't help that we had just put on a couple of extra kg's from dinner.but it took about 1.5 hours to get back to the hotel.not to mention the MOST bumpy ride we've had so far(not helping my already bruised bottom from the camels)and everything from people in vans and jeeps to people on foot seemed to be passing us.we felt so sorry for him but he insisted on taking us so...heh
the next day we spent most of the day inside the actual fort,exploring the many streets to see each and every bazaar there was,each with its own speciality,one for clothes,one for books,one for vegetables and fruits,one for paints,men's suits,wedding stuff,gold,silver,food,spices,teas,household needs and things like that. but the old city inside the fort was designed using a grid like formation following an old Indian-feng shui technique which architects back in the day used for their cities. its impressive and relatively easy to navigate. BTW the entire city is a peachy red colour which for them is actually pink. hence the pink city. here we also managed to see the Hawa Mahal (made for the womenfolk in the kings harem), Jantar Mantar (for astrology) and a great number of temples here and there in the city. we also made our way up to the sun temple at the eastern side of the city.amazing sunset views from there because you can see the sun setting on the western side of the city casting an impressive reddish glow onto an already pinkish city and from there you can actually admire the vastness of the capital of rajasthan - Jaipur.
oh and on the way down from the temple, we got to feed monkeys, (or get attacked by monkeys) pigs, and even a cow and some goats. then on the next day we began our journey to Punjab - the land of the Saint Soldiers and my homeland.
Here are some pics from Jaisalmer when we did our Camel Safari and the most recent one's from Jaipur as well.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Jaipur Update
Hey guys, so we're in Jaipur now.yeah it gets confusing for us too.jodhpur,jaislamer,jaipur,udaipur....anyways, udaipur is the city by the lake, the white city, then we've got jodhpur which was the blue city,there wasnt much to do there so we just spent a day there.but there was a dog there called chilli and she was nice to hang out with.Then we've got jaislamer which is the golden city,also the city with the camel safari,which i'll tell you about in a short bit.today we're in jaipur the capital of rajasthan and also the pink city.a bit sissy for the capital for the rajputs but oh well.i like pink so i'm happy here.heh.
the camel safari:
The camel safari was by far one of the most coolest things we've done in rajasthan, it took half a day and the experience was just unforgettable. it started with an hour long jeep ride in one of those old police jeeps you see in old hindi movies, to the middle of the thar desert, some 64km's to pakistan,not too far from the places that the nuclear bombs were detonated not too long ago.along the way to the camel village we stopped at a few local small tiny desert willages with the average population in each not surpassing 400 people. needless to say we were treated like superstars in each of the villages we went to.the womenfolk surrounded us and poked and prodded everything they found interesting.rachels henna, her clothes and her glasses were just fascinating to them.then i decided to smile and my peircing showed itself,and then the girls were just shocked/excited/i dont know/and some kids even started to cry. but yeah the villages were cool and the people very hospitable,allowing us to wander about in their houses and take photographs of them doing everyday things like slapping the cow, washing stuff and playing with cow dung patties...
we eventually got to the camels but not before stopping for tea at a 'desert kitchen' and a ride atop the jeep. the desert kitchen consisted of one tree/wall and one squatting chef who was preparing food for some of the workers not too far away.we stopped there and he brewed up the most amazing burnt wood flavoured masala chai ever.
the camels were really cute and cuddly,when they were far away from us.up close on the otherhand they are huge scary creatures who take pleasure in shitting and pissing every few minutes.but they were awesome and had amazing personalities.although they all had a generic name of either gora(for the white ones) and kalu ( for the darker ones), there was even a mongrel that followed us on our journey...his name...not suprisingly, kalu...
sitting on the camels watching the sunset and experiencing a different type of pain between my legs was most unforgettable.the sun sets in a different way in the desert i think.a bit more magical,and the hues of the sky play a symphony of colours while the only sounds you hear are that of the desert and the camel munching on something or rather... when we got to the dunes there was a small fire and lo and behold!! more tea...we had the a really delicious meal cooked right there and rachel even took part in making the chappaties with her hands ie no rolling pin. the food was good and by the time we finished dinner all the stars in the universe had come out to greet us.then the singing began.the rajputs sang traditional songs: mostly about drinking and girls.then they told us to sing.we failed miserably, then they decided to sing for us again this time...they sang 'i'm a barbie girl'...but rajput style. we left that night at about 11 pm and by the time we got back we were so tired we just fell asleep. now all we have left of that are the memories and a nagging pain between our legs from the bumpy camel ride.
we also heard about the train that derailed and some people have died and lots in hospital, one being a new zealand woman, so just so you guys know we are fine.it was very near where we were travelling but thankfully we weren't on that train.
ok bye.
ameet and rachel.
the camel safari:
The camel safari was by far one of the most coolest things we've done in rajasthan, it took half a day and the experience was just unforgettable. it started with an hour long jeep ride in one of those old police jeeps you see in old hindi movies, to the middle of the thar desert, some 64km's to pakistan,not too far from the places that the nuclear bombs were detonated not too long ago.along the way to the camel village we stopped at a few local small tiny desert willages with the average population in each not surpassing 400 people. needless to say we were treated like superstars in each of the villages we went to.the womenfolk surrounded us and poked and prodded everything they found interesting.rachels henna, her clothes and her glasses were just fascinating to them.then i decided to smile and my peircing showed itself,and then the girls were just shocked/excited/i dont know/and some kids even started to cry. but yeah the villages were cool and the people very hospitable,allowing us to wander about in their houses and take photographs of them doing everyday things like slapping the cow, washing stuff and playing with cow dung patties...
we eventually got to the camels but not before stopping for tea at a 'desert kitchen' and a ride atop the jeep. the desert kitchen consisted of one tree/wall and one squatting chef who was preparing food for some of the workers not too far away.we stopped there and he brewed up the most amazing burnt wood flavoured masala chai ever.
the camels were really cute and cuddly,when they were far away from us.up close on the otherhand they are huge scary creatures who take pleasure in shitting and pissing every few minutes.but they were awesome and had amazing personalities.although they all had a generic name of either gora(for the white ones) and kalu ( for the darker ones), there was even a mongrel that followed us on our journey...his name...not suprisingly, kalu...
sitting on the camels watching the sunset and experiencing a different type of pain between my legs was most unforgettable.the sun sets in a different way in the desert i think.a bit more magical,and the hues of the sky play a symphony of colours while the only sounds you hear are that of the desert and the camel munching on something or rather... when we got to the dunes there was a small fire and lo and behold!! more tea...we had the a really delicious meal cooked right there and rachel even took part in making the chappaties with her hands ie no rolling pin. the food was good and by the time we finished dinner all the stars in the universe had come out to greet us.then the singing began.the rajputs sang traditional songs: mostly about drinking and girls.then they told us to sing.we failed miserably, then they decided to sing for us again this time...they sang 'i'm a barbie girl'...but rajput style. we left that night at about 11 pm and by the time we got back we were so tired we just fell asleep. now all we have left of that are the memories and a nagging pain between our legs from the bumpy camel ride.
we also heard about the train that derailed and some people have died and lots in hospital, one being a new zealand woman, so just so you guys know we are fine.it was very near where we were travelling but thankfully we weren't on that train.
ok bye.
ameet and rachel.
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Rajasthan Update
We are in Jaisalmer now, it is in the Great Thar Desert near the Pakistan border. We stayed in Udaipur for 3 days, it was absolutely magical, then we took the scariest 5 hour bus ride through the mountains and cliff edges to Jodhpur where we stayed for just one night then took an overnight train to Jaisalmer. Jodhpur was nice although not as magical as the rest of Rajasthan. Tomorrow we will head to Jaipur, our final destination in Rajasthan.
We are well, enjoying our trip. The food is delicious, the people are nice. But we are missing everyone back home :)
Love ya'll
xox
hey everyone,its ameet here.just thought i'd put up a quick post,we're doing well and still alive,rajasthan the land of the rajputs is quite the place,its forts and cities are just spectacular and the people here are heaps different from back home.althou you still get your healthy dose of cow poop smell as you wake up each morning.the actuall temperature of the surroundings is starting to drop as we head further up north.the food is awesome as always and the types of spices used up here are so much different from down south.heh.anyways love you lots.talk to you soon ya.
ameet
We are well, enjoying our trip. The food is delicious, the people are nice. But we are missing everyone back home :)
Love ya'll
xox
hey everyone,its ameet here.just thought i'd put up a quick post,we're doing well and still alive,rajasthan the land of the rajputs is quite the place,its forts and cities are just spectacular and the people here are heaps different from back home.althou you still get your healthy dose of cow poop smell as you wake up each morning.the actuall temperature of the surroundings is starting to drop as we head further up north.the food is awesome as always and the types of spices used up here are so much different from down south.heh.anyways love you lots.talk to you soon ya.
ameet
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Rajasthan
We are in Rajasthan!!!
We have been in Udaipur for 3 days now, this afternoon leaving for Jodhpur. Rajasthan is soo amazing!!! The buildings are beautiful and the views are nothing short of magical. The Palaces are magnificant and fairy-tale like. Nightime is the best!! We watched some dancing last night and a puppett show. One dancer carried 10 pots on her head and danced on glass, it was pretty amazing. We went on a boat ride on the lake, made some friends and saw some squirrels too!! We are looking forward to seeing more of Rajasthan. Bye for now!!
Rachel and Ameet
xox
We have been in Udaipur for 3 days now, this afternoon leaving for Jodhpur. Rajasthan is soo amazing!!! The buildings are beautiful and the views are nothing short of magical. The Palaces are magnificant and fairy-tale like. Nightime is the best!! We watched some dancing last night and a puppett show. One dancer carried 10 pots on her head and danced on glass, it was pretty amazing. We went on a boat ride on the lake, made some friends and saw some squirrels too!! We are looking forward to seeing more of Rajasthan. Bye for now!!
Rachel and Ameet
xox
Monday, 9 November 2009
Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Monday 9 November 2009
So we are in Gujarat today, came by overnight train and are leaving tonight by overnight train. Gujarat is..... a bit less crazier than Mumbai. The streets are cleaner but we are still 'superstars' haha oh and there are donkeys, elephants and cows roaming the streets freely. Very weird feeling!! Tried to watch a hindi movie at the cinema but no english subtitles (and they only show one movie haha!) Not much happening here so next stop is Udaipur, Rajastan!
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Saturday, 7 November 2009
Excitement!!!
Hey Ameet and Rachel,
Glad to see you both having fun. Cannot wait to see more pics and hear all about your trip! WOW Mumbai and now Gujurat awesome!!!
Keep safe, try wear ur back packs in your front in crowded places as people cut open from behind, locks do nothing, so yeah. But WOW, speechless! So lucky! Well deserved. Keep posting and I will keep checking your blog out!
Take care and live it up like crazy!!! :)
Meenu x0x
Glad to see you both having fun. Cannot wait to see more pics and hear all about your trip! WOW Mumbai and now Gujurat awesome!!!
Keep safe, try wear ur back packs in your front in crowded places as people cut open from behind, locks do nothing, so yeah. But WOW, speechless! So lucky! Well deserved. Keep posting and I will keep checking your blog out!
Take care and live it up like crazy!!! :)
Meenu x0x
Mumbai to Amhedabad, Gujurat
We are leaving Mumbai tonight for Amhedabad, Gujurat by overnight train!! Here's 2 pics of us in crazy Mumbai.
Friday, 6 November 2009
Day 5 in Mumbai!
Hey everyone
So we have been in Mumbai for 5 days now. Seen the good, bad and the ugly. We met up with a friend of our's over here and got some well needed advice on what to do and where to go. Rachel did her first bartering for some new chappals (jandals) they cost about $3 NZ.. not bad huh?
Looks like we will be catching a 9 hour train to Gujurat tonight or tomorrow morning, we will update again shortly. We will also upload some pics soon too!!
Lots of love
Rachel and Ameet
xox
So we have been in Mumbai for 5 days now. Seen the good, bad and the ugly. We met up with a friend of our's over here and got some well needed advice on what to do and where to go. Rachel did her first bartering for some new chappals (jandals) they cost about $3 NZ.. not bad huh?
Looks like we will be catching a 9 hour train to Gujurat tonight or tomorrow morning, we will update again shortly. We will also upload some pics soon too!!
Lots of love
Rachel and Ameet
xox
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Colaba, Mumbai
Hi everyone
We landed safely in India yesterday in Chennai and then flew in the evening to Mumbai. We had a crazy 2 hour drive in a cab to find our first night's accommodation, carefully ventured out for some food then had some much needed sleep. This morning watched the sunrise over the roof tops of the mumbai flats then went out and had McDonalds for breakfast as we hadn't yet gotten brave enough yet to try the local restaurants. Saw the 'Gateway to India' and the Taj Hotel after eating Biryani outside the Mumbai stockxchange then spent an hour looking for an internet cafe!! Mumbai is,... well interesting.... it's happening, noisey, crazy, dusty and so much more!! Oh and we might be on the local tv : ) we got interviewed on the side of the road about our opinion on why mumbai ppl die younger than anywhere else in india....
We are well, enjoying the experience and don't have Delhi Belly yet haha! Tomorrow looks like Elephanta Island, which is caves and some other cool stuff that we don't know about yet! Should be able to update again in a few days!!
Love you all
xox
We landed safely in India yesterday in Chennai and then flew in the evening to Mumbai. We had a crazy 2 hour drive in a cab to find our first night's accommodation, carefully ventured out for some food then had some much needed sleep. This morning watched the sunrise over the roof tops of the mumbai flats then went out and had McDonalds for breakfast as we hadn't yet gotten brave enough yet to try the local restaurants. Saw the 'Gateway to India' and the Taj Hotel after eating Biryani outside the Mumbai stockxchange then spent an hour looking for an internet cafe!! Mumbai is,... well interesting.... it's happening, noisey, crazy, dusty and so much more!! Oh and we might be on the local tv : ) we got interviewed on the side of the road about our opinion on why mumbai ppl die younger than anywhere else in india....
We are well, enjoying the experience and don't have Delhi Belly yet haha! Tomorrow looks like Elephanta Island, which is caves and some other cool stuff that we don't know about yet! Should be able to update again in a few days!!
Love you all
xox
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Our Farewell
Hello!!
Our farewell has been confirmed:
Fri 30 Oct @ 7pm
Chambers Bar
O'Connell Street
CBD
- O'Connell Street runs parallel to High Street, parking will be on Shortland Street, high street, princes street, there is also a Wilson car park building on Shortland Street.
See you all there! : )
Ameet and Rachel
xox
Monday, 12 October 2009
WE'VE BOOKED OUR FLIGHTS!
Hi everyone
Well we booked our flights today!! Yay!! We are leaving NZ on the 31 Oct and coming back 17 Feb 2010! Fri 30 Oct will be our farewwell, details are yet to be confirmed.
Exciting times!!
Rachel and Ameet
xox
Sunday, 4 October 2009
October Update!
Hi everyone
Well well well, it has been so up and down with this trip!! We had things holding us back from leaving the country and doing this trip and now finally we have freedom to plan and more importantly GO!! We haven't booked our flights yet though, we went and got quotes from travel agents and did our own research online as its pretty expensive and will finalise flights this week!! (Finally!!) Looks like this is the plan now (we have had to rejigg things)
30 October - Farewell Party! Location & time TBC
1 November - Leave NZ for India!!
22 December - Leave India for Malaysia
Xmas and New Years in Malaysia yeayah in your face :)p
Mid Feb - Leave Malaysia and head back to NZ
March - Start University!!!
Thats the plan for now! Dates might change a day or two depending on flights and we will keep you guys updated!!
Ameet and Rachel!
xoxox
Friday, 31 July 2009
Update!
Hi everyone!!
Glad to see Meenu has left a post, you guys are welcome to too :D haha
Well, looks like we've had some minor bumps with our plans, we are not sure of our dates now so aren't going to book flights just yet but once we do you guys will be the first to know.
Anyways, everyone's thoughts on this blog thing would be cool
Love ya xox
Ameet and Rachy
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Welcome
Yay... I'm in. Well no I have completed one step, I will need to ensure I keep checking and learn how to use this blog. It's an awesome idea tho! LOL but i feel so computer illiterate coz of this.
Practice and time will allow for me to get better at it.
Well I'm very excited now!
Practice and time will allow for me to get better at it.
Well I'm very excited now!
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
July 2009
Rachel and Ameet's OE to asia!!
Where: India, Nepal and Tibet
When: Approx 4 months
What: Backpacking!!
Why: Because we can! Because we're young! Because we want to! ^_^
Who: AMEET AND RACHEL!!
Progress.....
We are hoping to secure flights this week and start buying our gear!!!
Exciting!!!
We also think a blog is the way to keep in contact best with all of ya'll back home while we are away.....
Let us know what you think?!
Where: India, Nepal and Tibet
When: Approx 4 months
What: Backpacking!!
Why: Because we can! Because we're young! Because we want to! ^_^
Who: AMEET AND RACHEL!!
Progress.....
We are hoping to secure flights this week and start buying our gear!!!
Exciting!!!
We also think a blog is the way to keep in contact best with all of ya'll back home while we are away.....
Let us know what you think?!
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