We finally managed to leave Gokarna after speanding 10 days around the beaches and departed for Mangalore. This was just a stop over city to break up the long journey to Cochin, nothing really to mention apart from the people being noticably friendlier.
A few days later we arrived in Cochin on our posh air-conditioned train (first AC train we have caught) as we usually travel cheaply with the hillbillies in non-ac! The food was noticeably spicier in Kerala so we took advantage of some amazing prawn and crab masala dishes. Fort Cochin was heavily influenced by the Portuguese and we enjoyed our bike ride through the villages and backstreets where the style of architechture was very European. Cochin is famous for having Chinese fishing nets which is a very primitive method of fishing but still used by local fishermen today. We were also lucky enough to see a fish auction with giant tuna and all sorts of other fish coming straight off the boats.
A local Indian festival was taking place whilst we were in town and one night we decided to see what it was all about. We were the only foriegners there so as you can imagine, we received a lot of attention, especially Jo with the repressed Indian men! An elephant procession took place with a drum & horn ensemble, you could reach out and touch the decorated elephants that were at least 12 ft tall, the biggest we have been so close to. After the procession finished were the most dangerous fireworks we have ever witnessed. Little did we know at the time, we were standing metres away from the finale of bangers. It was like burning a dynamite wick that started at one end of the street and finished so near us, the noise was deafening and heat from the final explosion so intense it made the crowd retreat in fear of being set alight with the bangers! This triggered the actual fireworks which would rival if not beat displays we have seen in the UK. Only in India, it was mental.
Kollam followed Cochin, a few hours further down the south west coast. Our main purpose was to catch a canoe boat through the Keralan backwaters around Munroe Island as it's off the beaten track. Our ride through small canals lined with palm trees was so picturesque, we even got shown how to make rope from coconut fibre, life was so simple in these villages.
Allepey was the place most tourists opt for a houseboat tour of the backwaters on pretty much, a hotel on the water. We opted for the local ferry that goes along some of the same canals for 5 rupees as opposed to 5000+ for an overnight houseboat tour. Our guesthouse owner found us a brand new moped (more like a chicken chaser) that wouldn't go above 40km an hour to explore and check out a beach 16kms away. Even the locals were laughing at our hairdryer of a bike and we did break down due to it not having a petrol gauge!!
The 12 hour train across country to Chennai was standard practice, arriving back at our old stomping ground, the Regal Hotel which is far from Regal. This occasion we visited the large market in Chennai where people were keen to get there photo taken throughout the market by Alex. We missed Pondicherry last time we were on the east coast so we decided to make the 10 hour round trip before we flew out of Chennai on our return.
Pondy, as it's often called by the locals, was a bizarre place. Being an old French colony, the French have definitely left their mark. Half of the town's roads are still named in French while the other half are Indian. There is a definite feel of being in a small french town with cute houses along tree-lined streets with locals cycling round past restaurants serving common french dishes and the masses of french holiday-makers. We did resist the steak as we thought it would only disappoint compared to the UK. We can't wait for the massive choice of food we get home, it's often taken for granted!
On the last night we skipped dinner and opted for a liquid dinner and a bowl of cornflakes. Jo got the uncontrollable giggles after just one large beer so we decided to continue and make the most of our rare night of beers.
That wraps up our stay on the mainland as we fly to Port Blair on the Andaman Islands tomorrow morning for a month. We can't wait for some more time on the beaches which are going to be breathtaking and such a relaxing way to finish the trip.
Can't believe we have only 4 more weeks before our return to sunny England. Looking forward to seeing everyone but it's tough knowing the adventure is nearly over!
Love
Alex & Jo xx
Thursday 27 January 2011
Monday 24 January 2011
Xmas in the sun
We arrived in Chennai with a few days to spare to suss out the area so we knew where to take Reg (Jo's Dad). Out of all the big cities, Chennai was a city that made the least impression on us. There was not much of cultural significance, hence the top attraction was the second longest beach in the world.
After a loud banging on the door xmas day morning, Alex got up to answer with the thought of telling the over-friendly staff to bugger off and leave us in peace. Instead Reg bursts through the door unexpectedly, after 6 months apart, he gives Jo a big hug and kiss. It was really good to see him, he was buzzing that his adventure was about to start. We took him for a typical South Indian lunch at a veg place a few doors down and ordered a selection for us to tuck into. A tuk-tuk to the beach and he was like a lost kid wandering away from their parents looking at all things new. His first sign of abject poverty not long after was walking past a community that were living in houses that had been battered by the Asian Tsunami years back and the conditions were pretty squalid.
That evening was an all out fish fest at a restaurant called Fisherman's Fare. Crab, Tandoori Pomfret, Squid Curry and Jumbo Prawns were on the menu and not a morsel was left on the plate. This was topped off with a few draught beers at a bar to finish a very enjoyable but different xmas day. The one thing Reg couldn't get over was when we took him to a new mall that recently opened up that had everything from M & S to Dior with their fellow countrymen begging on the side of the road just outside.
There was plenty of banter flying around the days we spent with Reg, as you can imagine for those who know him! We parted ways on the 27th morning with Jo acting like a mothering wife checking he's got everything and bringing him water and cake for his journey. The guy running the tour must have thought she was nuts. The train to Mangalore was a horrible start to our cross country journey of 17 hours with a further 4 hours onto Gokarna an hour after arriving.
Once we got to Om beach in Gokarna, we could tell we were going to be happy here. Alex came on his travels 5 years ago for NYE and was unsure if our visit this time would spoil the memories after hearing it's becoming more commercial. We managed to find basic huts at the last place on the beach ran by a drunk guy that told us his name was Mr Nice and his nationality was international?? After not really drinking ourselves for most of the trip, we decided to go mad and have 5 big bottles of beer each. We sat on the beach from sunset, ending up pissed and stumbling back to our hut with no torch.
Luckily we booked a fancy room for NYE on the next beach over called Kudle so we had a lot more luxury to compliment our Havana 7 rum and billtong. Jo liked the idea of spending NYE on a beach called cuddle!! We started on the rum in the afternoon and slowly drank all day until we ran out at our beautiful dinner of tiger prawns and king fish, then we started on the beers!! We spent midnight on the beach watching fireworks and people setting off chinese laterns.
We reluctantly moved out of our expensive treat and went back to basics and stayed on Kudle for the next 6 nights. There were a few visits to Gokarna town itself and an 45 minute walk through paths and over rocks to reach Paradise and Half Moon beaches which completed the set of 4 beaches in close proximity. 10 days around Gokarna sunbathing, swimming, playing frisbee and going for walks was just what we needed after we were starting to get worn out from moving around so much. Jo did get a frisbee injury that took her out of action for a few days with a callous on the finger.
In Pondicherry at present after getting back across country from our few weeks in Kerala. Heading back to Chennai in the next few days where we fly to the Andaman Islands, I just hope we don't get lost and not find our way back home for a while!!
Alex & Jo xx
After a loud banging on the door xmas day morning, Alex got up to answer with the thought of telling the over-friendly staff to bugger off and leave us in peace. Instead Reg bursts through the door unexpectedly, after 6 months apart, he gives Jo a big hug and kiss. It was really good to see him, he was buzzing that his adventure was about to start. We took him for a typical South Indian lunch at a veg place a few doors down and ordered a selection for us to tuck into. A tuk-tuk to the beach and he was like a lost kid wandering away from their parents looking at all things new. His first sign of abject poverty not long after was walking past a community that were living in houses that had been battered by the Asian Tsunami years back and the conditions were pretty squalid.
That evening was an all out fish fest at a restaurant called Fisherman's Fare. Crab, Tandoori Pomfret, Squid Curry and Jumbo Prawns were on the menu and not a morsel was left on the plate. This was topped off with a few draught beers at a bar to finish a very enjoyable but different xmas day. The one thing Reg couldn't get over was when we took him to a new mall that recently opened up that had everything from M & S to Dior with their fellow countrymen begging on the side of the road just outside.
There was plenty of banter flying around the days we spent with Reg, as you can imagine for those who know him! We parted ways on the 27th morning with Jo acting like a mothering wife checking he's got everything and bringing him water and cake for his journey. The guy running the tour must have thought she was nuts. The train to Mangalore was a horrible start to our cross country journey of 17 hours with a further 4 hours onto Gokarna an hour after arriving.
Once we got to Om beach in Gokarna, we could tell we were going to be happy here. Alex came on his travels 5 years ago for NYE and was unsure if our visit this time would spoil the memories after hearing it's becoming more commercial. We managed to find basic huts at the last place on the beach ran by a drunk guy that told us his name was Mr Nice and his nationality was international?? After not really drinking ourselves for most of the trip, we decided to go mad and have 5 big bottles of beer each. We sat on the beach from sunset, ending up pissed and stumbling back to our hut with no torch.
Luckily we booked a fancy room for NYE on the next beach over called Kudle so we had a lot more luxury to compliment our Havana 7 rum and billtong. Jo liked the idea of spending NYE on a beach called cuddle!! We started on the rum in the afternoon and slowly drank all day until we ran out at our beautiful dinner of tiger prawns and king fish, then we started on the beers!! We spent midnight on the beach watching fireworks and people setting off chinese laterns.
We reluctantly moved out of our expensive treat and went back to basics and stayed on Kudle for the next 6 nights. There were a few visits to Gokarna town itself and an 45 minute walk through paths and over rocks to reach Paradise and Half Moon beaches which completed the set of 4 beaches in close proximity. 10 days around Gokarna sunbathing, swimming, playing frisbee and going for walks was just what we needed after we were starting to get worn out from moving around so much. Jo did get a frisbee injury that took her out of action for a few days with a callous on the finger.
In Pondicherry at present after getting back across country from our few weeks in Kerala. Heading back to Chennai in the next few days where we fly to the Andaman Islands, I just hope we don't get lost and not find our way back home for a while!!
Alex & Jo xx
Tuesday 4 January 2011
The long awaited beach
Seeing the Sikkim trek was not enough punishment for the legs, we planned a milder one to a village called Nongriat where the living root bridges are situated. The locals have devised a way of growing the roots of trees to grow across rivers and brooks out of the ground one side and then back into the ground on the other. They are over a few hundred years old and it usually takes 15 years to complete one.
Nongriat village was almost untouched by tourism, there is one very basic guesthouse with 4 rooms but no electricity and running water. We would be the only tourists staying in the village for the next two nights!! We were greeted by a friendly man called Andreas in the first house you came to in the village and this would be the only time he was sober. The lady who ran the guesthouse was located after 20 minutes, in this time we took tea and stocked up on snacks and some of his rice beer for later that evening. The amazing thing about the guesthouse was the person who ran the place changed every year with the proceeds being split with them and the village.
Mary, whose turn it was to look after us was incredible, she spent most of her time cooking. Due to no electricity, she usually prepared 3 dishes with rice for lunch and dinner on a wood fire which we were amazed by as the food was so tasty. She educated us in Khasi cuisine and even the ingredients that she picked from the surroundings that grew naturally. We spent the days walking to the different root bridges and having a dip in the natural rock pools, it felt like we had the place to ourselves and we had found our gem of the trip so far.
Finding such an amazing place meant we decided to stay as long as possible and do all travel as late as possible, this turned out to be a tough journey. We had a 2 hr bus back to Shillong, a 3 1/2 hour jeep to Guwahati and then a 21 hour train back to Kolkata in the same day. The bad news for the train was we only had one bed due to India's stupid booking system so we took turns on the dirty floor! We definitely deserved our rest day and the next night went for 'date night' back at Ballygunge. We splurged on 3 prawn dishes, one being jumbo prawns and stuffed crab, then 3 desserts to finish!!
We won't talk much about our Sunderbans tour as it makes Jo too angry. This was our xmas present to each other to go see a tiger. Unfortunately, we got ripped off and didn't see a bloody tiger. You win some, you lose some. Jo's friend, Srabany and her parents took us out for a really nice meal once we returned to Kolkata. It was really good to see her but it's weird meeting all these people from home out in India. Jo's Dad next!
Sunshine and the beach was on our doorstep as we landed in Puri. The beach itself isn't anything to brag about due to the dirtiness but it's our first sighting, enough to get excited about. After tough times recently, we stumbled on the best hotel for the money yet. It had a cute garden, table and chairs on the veranda for breakfast, a four poster bed with fresh sheets and the softest pillow. Being friendly with the staff also paid off as they managed to get us 6 crabs for 200 rupees (£3), the second night for dinner which were divine.
Another excursion on a moped to Konark was squeezed in with a few pits stops along the coast for a sunbathe. We missed the sun temple Konark is famous for because of the 25 times mark up from locals to foreigner so we opted for a walk around the grounds. Seen enough temples to last a lifetime!
Vishkhapatnam was more of a stopping off place to break up the train to chennai for xmas. Unfortunately we arrived in at 4 in the morning and were struggling with information for a cheap hotel, even a map for the town. In the end, we found there was a hotel on part of the upper floor of the railway station building. The problem was, check out was 24 hrs so bizarrely we stayed there for the 2 nights. It felt really weird going back to a railway station to spend the night. Vizag as they call it, was pretty non-descript but had a few patches of decent beach to relax on, warming up for our NYE on a secluded west coast beach with some Havana 7 rum!!
Love Alex & Jo xx
Nongriat village was almost untouched by tourism, there is one very basic guesthouse with 4 rooms but no electricity and running water. We would be the only tourists staying in the village for the next two nights!! We were greeted by a friendly man called Andreas in the first house you came to in the village and this would be the only time he was sober. The lady who ran the guesthouse was located after 20 minutes, in this time we took tea and stocked up on snacks and some of his rice beer for later that evening. The amazing thing about the guesthouse was the person who ran the place changed every year with the proceeds being split with them and the village.
Mary, whose turn it was to look after us was incredible, she spent most of her time cooking. Due to no electricity, she usually prepared 3 dishes with rice for lunch and dinner on a wood fire which we were amazed by as the food was so tasty. She educated us in Khasi cuisine and even the ingredients that she picked from the surroundings that grew naturally. We spent the days walking to the different root bridges and having a dip in the natural rock pools, it felt like we had the place to ourselves and we had found our gem of the trip so far.
Finding such an amazing place meant we decided to stay as long as possible and do all travel as late as possible, this turned out to be a tough journey. We had a 2 hr bus back to Shillong, a 3 1/2 hour jeep to Guwahati and then a 21 hour train back to Kolkata in the same day. The bad news for the train was we only had one bed due to India's stupid booking system so we took turns on the dirty floor! We definitely deserved our rest day and the next night went for 'date night' back at Ballygunge. We splurged on 3 prawn dishes, one being jumbo prawns and stuffed crab, then 3 desserts to finish!!
We won't talk much about our Sunderbans tour as it makes Jo too angry. This was our xmas present to each other to go see a tiger. Unfortunately, we got ripped off and didn't see a bloody tiger. You win some, you lose some. Jo's friend, Srabany and her parents took us out for a really nice meal once we returned to Kolkata. It was really good to see her but it's weird meeting all these people from home out in India. Jo's Dad next!
Sunshine and the beach was on our doorstep as we landed in Puri. The beach itself isn't anything to brag about due to the dirtiness but it's our first sighting, enough to get excited about. After tough times recently, we stumbled on the best hotel for the money yet. It had a cute garden, table and chairs on the veranda for breakfast, a four poster bed with fresh sheets and the softest pillow. Being friendly with the staff also paid off as they managed to get us 6 crabs for 200 rupees (£3), the second night for dinner which were divine.
Another excursion on a moped to Konark was squeezed in with a few pits stops along the coast for a sunbathe. We missed the sun temple Konark is famous for because of the 25 times mark up from locals to foreigner so we opted for a walk around the grounds. Seen enough temples to last a lifetime!
Vishkhapatnam was more of a stopping off place to break up the train to chennai for xmas. Unfortunately we arrived in at 4 in the morning and were struggling with information for a cheap hotel, even a map for the town. In the end, we found there was a hotel on part of the upper floor of the railway station building. The problem was, check out was 24 hrs so bizarrely we stayed there for the 2 nights. It felt really weird going back to a railway station to spend the night. Vizag as they call it, was pretty non-descript but had a few patches of decent beach to relax on, warming up for our NYE on a secluded west coast beach with some Havana 7 rum!!
Love Alex & Jo xx
Friday 24 December 2010
Our British Winter
We ended up spending a week in Darjeeling as the weather was so cold and misty that you couldn't see the surrounding mountains. One of the last mornings in town, Alex had an early morning wake up call from Jo who was like a kid at xmas because she had poked her head round the curtains to see a clear view of Khangchendzonga (third largest mountain in the world). Alex was ordered to dress and get on the balcony to appreciate it properly.
There were a few lazy days spent in due to the weather, making the most of the good food around town, especially the freshly baked donuts. There was an amazing little cafe owned by Tibetans that made an English Breakfast that would better most back home! Another Tibetan cafe was frequented which served the best noodle soups and Tibetan bread, we really didn't want to leave. To burn off the calories, we went for walks through some of the local villages which was really peaceful and picturesque.
The zoo proved interesting as they were breeding some himalayan animals that are becoming extinct, we caught sight of a Tiger which is hopefully a pre-cursor to our National Park visit to see them in the wild. It's such an impressive animal. There were all kinds of other animals including a red panda, tibetan wolves, snow leopards and black bears.
Heading North West into Sikkim for better views of Khangchendzonga, it remained elusive but we enjoyed some pretty hardcore trekking. The start point was Pelling where we spent a day visting an impressive monastary and ruins. An early start on day 1 of the trek, we walked for 6 hours up and down valleys, through local villages, across rivers and finally arrived at Khecheopalri Lake for an overnight stop. The next day to Yuksom was an even more challenging one, only 5 hours this time but the last incline up the mountain was a killer. There was a further walk in the morning to Tashiding but similar to others we met doing the same circuit, our thighs and calves had burnt out and were screaming out for a break. The scenery throughout the trek was incredible so we had a day to recover in Pelling before our descent back to Siliguri on the train ready for another adventure in Assam and Meghalaya.
Our train to Guwahati, the capital of Assam was around 4 hours delayed when we arrived at the station. We initially joked that it's likely to turn up at the time of arrival in Guwahati 9 hours later, unfortunately this was true!! Not sure how we survived the boredom but at least we saved money on an hostel from our new overnight train. There was much confusion with our nationality around the town as India were playing New Zealand in a cricket test match and most thought we were the only kiwis that made the journey to the back arse of India. The game meant hotels were booked up and after half an hour of searching we found a room in a pokey little place only to be turfed out after they found out we weren't married!! Tiredness gave in and we settled on a decent hotel in the end 3 times our usual budget but were glad for a bit of luxury. Nothing else to report really as it was a bit of a dump except a quality Assamese restaurant where we tasted some local specialities.
Seeing our initial reaction to Guwahati was far from good, we moved on to Meghalaya with the prospect of exploring Assam more at a later date. Shillong was a good 3 hours jeep ride away but we turned up expecting a small underdeveloped town and we got quite the opposite. The most interesting time in Shillong was wandering the market which seems to be the most animated in Asia. In the North East states, there are still lots of tribes, which was detectable from the locals buying and selling their wares.
Not that much has been written by travellers in the North East so we were exploring territory off the beaten track a little and found an absolute Gem not far from a place called Cherrapungee. The town itself is very small and fairly non-descipt but their is a kind of eco-resort 14km out and this was where we headed. Rooms were expensive so we opted for a tent fitted out with the comfiest double matress and pillows!! Poking our head out the tent at night to watch the glittering starts, we definitely chose the right option. The view from the resort also looked out towards the plains of Bangladesh, seeing we are not going there now, at least we got a glimpse. The lady that owned the place was so hospitable and helped us prepare for a trek to the main attraction which are Living Root Bridges. We also discovered that Cherrapungee is the wettest place on earth, luckily this was their winter and the weather was sunny!!
In Chennai at present, meeting Jo's Dad in the next few days for xmas curry. Hope everyone has a great xmas and a happy new year!!
Alex & Jo xx
There were a few lazy days spent in due to the weather, making the most of the good food around town, especially the freshly baked donuts. There was an amazing little cafe owned by Tibetans that made an English Breakfast that would better most back home! Another Tibetan cafe was frequented which served the best noodle soups and Tibetan bread, we really didn't want to leave. To burn off the calories, we went for walks through some of the local villages which was really peaceful and picturesque.
The zoo proved interesting as they were breeding some himalayan animals that are becoming extinct, we caught sight of a Tiger which is hopefully a pre-cursor to our National Park visit to see them in the wild. It's such an impressive animal. There were all kinds of other animals including a red panda, tibetan wolves, snow leopards and black bears.
Heading North West into Sikkim for better views of Khangchendzonga, it remained elusive but we enjoyed some pretty hardcore trekking. The start point was Pelling where we spent a day visting an impressive monastary and ruins. An early start on day 1 of the trek, we walked for 6 hours up and down valleys, through local villages, across rivers and finally arrived at Khecheopalri Lake for an overnight stop. The next day to Yuksom was an even more challenging one, only 5 hours this time but the last incline up the mountain was a killer. There was a further walk in the morning to Tashiding but similar to others we met doing the same circuit, our thighs and calves had burnt out and were screaming out for a break. The scenery throughout the trek was incredible so we had a day to recover in Pelling before our descent back to Siliguri on the train ready for another adventure in Assam and Meghalaya.
Our train to Guwahati, the capital of Assam was around 4 hours delayed when we arrived at the station. We initially joked that it's likely to turn up at the time of arrival in Guwahati 9 hours later, unfortunately this was true!! Not sure how we survived the boredom but at least we saved money on an hostel from our new overnight train. There was much confusion with our nationality around the town as India were playing New Zealand in a cricket test match and most thought we were the only kiwis that made the journey to the back arse of India. The game meant hotels were booked up and after half an hour of searching we found a room in a pokey little place only to be turfed out after they found out we weren't married!! Tiredness gave in and we settled on a decent hotel in the end 3 times our usual budget but were glad for a bit of luxury. Nothing else to report really as it was a bit of a dump except a quality Assamese restaurant where we tasted some local specialities.
Seeing our initial reaction to Guwahati was far from good, we moved on to Meghalaya with the prospect of exploring Assam more at a later date. Shillong was a good 3 hours jeep ride away but we turned up expecting a small underdeveloped town and we got quite the opposite. The most interesting time in Shillong was wandering the market which seems to be the most animated in Asia. In the North East states, there are still lots of tribes, which was detectable from the locals buying and selling their wares.
Not that much has been written by travellers in the North East so we were exploring territory off the beaten track a little and found an absolute Gem not far from a place called Cherrapungee. The town itself is very small and fairly non-descipt but their is a kind of eco-resort 14km out and this was where we headed. Rooms were expensive so we opted for a tent fitted out with the comfiest double matress and pillows!! Poking our head out the tent at night to watch the glittering starts, we definitely chose the right option. The view from the resort also looked out towards the plains of Bangladesh, seeing we are not going there now, at least we got a glimpse. The lady that owned the place was so hospitable and helped us prepare for a trek to the main attraction which are Living Root Bridges. We also discovered that Cherrapungee is the wettest place on earth, luckily this was their winter and the weather was sunny!!
In Chennai at present, meeting Jo's Dad in the next few days for xmas curry. Hope everyone has a great xmas and a happy new year!!
Alex & Jo xx
Friday 10 December 2010
Diwali in Varanasi
Another stroke of luck, we got a tip-off to get on the tourist quota for the trains after accepting our fate of not getting to Varanasi for Diwali (biggest festival similar to our xmas). The last two tickets awaited and we managed to leave the day before the main event on the overnight train. The journey was an experience, imagine the rush before xmas day but people crammed into every bit of space on the train. There were people everywhere, we felt sorry for the Indian's who got the unlucky seat resting their head on the toilet door who were obviously disrupted every time it got used. Jo hardly got any sleep due to someone trying to join her on the same bed!
Varanasi is a hectic place anyway but for Diwali, it was absolute chaos. Strangely, both of us came here on a previous trip before we met and it was one of our favourite places then. This time round, everything was so much more intense, I lost count of the amount of times we were asked for a boat ride down the Ganges. We watched the ritual of puja, which is an offering to the river that takes place every day and then watched fireworks from our hotel rooftop. All over the city, people were setting off fireworks from their rooftops, it went on through the night.
Whilst booking our train from Delhi, we decided to book an onward train to Kolkata to save hassle in Varanasi. We didn't need to catch the train for 4 days but for some reason Jo was adamant that we left at 6pm from the time of booking. For this reason, Alex trusted her and accepted the train left at that time. On the way to the station, we pull out the ticket just before 5pm in the tuk-tuk and realise the train leaves in 5 minutes and we are stuck in a traffic jam! We arrive at the platform 20 minutes late and frantically ask people if our train has gone as it's not up on the board. Luckily for Jo, the train had come all the way from Amritsar and was running an hour late.
After visiting Delhi, Kolkata was a refreshing change for such a big city. Off the train, we took a ferry crossing across the river which was more like something you would do in New York. From a sea of black & yellow taxis, we hailed a cab that is the type of car that would escort royalty in the 60's, an ambassador. The buildings around Calcutta, as it was called, have a heavy influence from the British Raj era with some impressive architecture. There was also a Memorial for Queen Victoria that was a cross between the Taj Mahal and St Paul's with some interesting artwork inside and information on the history of Kolkata. The gardens were filled with Indian couple's canoodling with their lovers, no bench went unutilised.
We met Alex's friend, Debbie who has been working out here for almost a year who showed us Birla Mandir which is a Hindu temple and probably the grandest temple we have seen, it even had 3 chandeliers lighting the interior. The promise of prawns for the both us at Debbie’s favourite restaurant was pretty exciting due to our lack of seafood since July. Every dish was new to us and Bengali food didn’t disappoint, we already have plans to re-visit on our return to Kolkata for lots more amazing prawns and fish curry. After our trip round Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya, we will be returning to Kolkata so we only spent a few days exploring.
The common practice if you don’t use taxis for locals is to get pulled on a hand drawn rickshaw. We have been on tuks and cycle rickshaws but never been pulled by a barefoot man! Trying to flag a cab was proving useless at the time we needed to catch our train to Siliguri so after 15 minutes we decided to give in to the requests from the men with hand drawn rickshaws. After insisting it’s too far to the station, the responses were they were strong men and they go there all the time. We didn’t know whether to feel bad for carrying us or feel good for giving them a well paying job, we tipped them quite a bit which they seemed to be chuffed with. It was one of the calmest journeys through a big city as we got pulled through the backstreets, there was no noisy sound of the two-stroke engine from the tuk and it we got to see some of the real neighbourhoods.
The overnight train to Siliguri was a formality and after a bit of breakfast we headed to a small town called Kurseong which is supposedly like a smaller Darjeeling. We had just entered Ghorkaland which was being protested by locals near the station the day after we arrived. We think the population is predominantly Ghurka and they want their own state, obviously called Ghorkaland. Darjeeling was the next dot on the map, we took afternoon tea in an old colonial hotel which was spiffing. You can already see the change in features as we encroach on the Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan border.
Will update you on our adventure towards the state of Sikkim soon.
Alex & Jo
Varanasi is a hectic place anyway but for Diwali, it was absolute chaos. Strangely, both of us came here on a previous trip before we met and it was one of our favourite places then. This time round, everything was so much more intense, I lost count of the amount of times we were asked for a boat ride down the Ganges. We watched the ritual of puja, which is an offering to the river that takes place every day and then watched fireworks from our hotel rooftop. All over the city, people were setting off fireworks from their rooftops, it went on through the night.
Whilst booking our train from Delhi, we decided to book an onward train to Kolkata to save hassle in Varanasi. We didn't need to catch the train for 4 days but for some reason Jo was adamant that we left at 6pm from the time of booking. For this reason, Alex trusted her and accepted the train left at that time. On the way to the station, we pull out the ticket just before 5pm in the tuk-tuk and realise the train leaves in 5 minutes and we are stuck in a traffic jam! We arrive at the platform 20 minutes late and frantically ask people if our train has gone as it's not up on the board. Luckily for Jo, the train had come all the way from Amritsar and was running an hour late.
After visiting Delhi, Kolkata was a refreshing change for such a big city. Off the train, we took a ferry crossing across the river which was more like something you would do in New York. From a sea of black & yellow taxis, we hailed a cab that is the type of car that would escort royalty in the 60's, an ambassador. The buildings around Calcutta, as it was called, have a heavy influence from the British Raj era with some impressive architecture. There was also a Memorial for Queen Victoria that was a cross between the Taj Mahal and St Paul's with some interesting artwork inside and information on the history of Kolkata. The gardens were filled with Indian couple's canoodling with their lovers, no bench went unutilised.
We met Alex's friend, Debbie who has been working out here for almost a year who showed us Birla Mandir which is a Hindu temple and probably the grandest temple we have seen, it even had 3 chandeliers lighting the interior. The promise of prawns for the both us at Debbie’s favourite restaurant was pretty exciting due to our lack of seafood since July. Every dish was new to us and Bengali food didn’t disappoint, we already have plans to re-visit on our return to Kolkata for lots more amazing prawns and fish curry. After our trip round Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya, we will be returning to Kolkata so we only spent a few days exploring.
The common practice if you don’t use taxis for locals is to get pulled on a hand drawn rickshaw. We have been on tuks and cycle rickshaws but never been pulled by a barefoot man! Trying to flag a cab was proving useless at the time we needed to catch our train to Siliguri so after 15 minutes we decided to give in to the requests from the men with hand drawn rickshaws. After insisting it’s too far to the station, the responses were they were strong men and they go there all the time. We didn’t know whether to feel bad for carrying us or feel good for giving them a well paying job, we tipped them quite a bit which they seemed to be chuffed with. It was one of the calmest journeys through a big city as we got pulled through the backstreets, there was no noisy sound of the two-stroke engine from the tuk and it we got to see some of the real neighbourhoods.
The overnight train to Siliguri was a formality and after a bit of breakfast we headed to a small town called Kurseong which is supposedly like a smaller Darjeeling. We had just entered Ghorkaland which was being protested by locals near the station the day after we arrived. We think the population is predominantly Ghurka and they want their own state, obviously called Ghorkaland. Darjeeling was the next dot on the map, we took afternoon tea in an old colonial hotel which was spiffing. You can already see the change in features as we encroach on the Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan border.
Will update you on our adventure towards the state of Sikkim soon.
Alex & Jo
Friday 26 November 2010
Thursday 25 November 2010
Surrounded by bloody hippies
Chandigarh was unlike any other Indian city, the streets were wide, the roads on a grid system so generally straight, a lack of people for the space, it was just weird. It's India's first experimental city that was designed by Le Corbusier who was a renowned painter and furniture designer, before attempting architecture. The city was very green and after wandering through many 'sectors', as they were called, you could see it was a city for rich Indians. Le Corbusier's influence was massive on the style of architecture and he even incorporated tapestry of his paintings on the walls of buildings such as the High Court almost spanning entire walls.
The other highlight was an Indian version of the Terracotta Army, a rock garden designed by a guy called Nek Chand. The garden was a fantasy world made from recycled materials containing tree sculptures that looked real but were made from concrete. People and animals were also sculpted in concrete but decorated with materials like smashed china plates and bangles.
Haridwar was just a stopover before Rishikesh but it turned out to be well worth a visit. It's another holy city on the Ganges, similar to Varanasi with less burning bodies! It was a complete contrast from Chandigarh, beggars everywhere, pilgrims bathing and splashing around in the river, the hustle and bustle, it's what's so interesting about India. We saw puja on the river which is a daily offering to the gods where flowers in a leaf bowl are sent floating down the Ganges. The funniest part was, wandering down the river away from the crowds, we saw a young boy stood on rocks trying to catch some of the bowls incase people had put a few rupees in so he could pocket the money!! We watched him, unaware of us, from a bridge above and he didn't seem to be getting much joy. We know it's wrong to do but we appreciated his entrepreneurial spirit and gave him some rupees for the sheer audacity. The hotel we stayed at was half decent but you know you’re doing budget travel when you wake up during the night itching!!
The hotel in Rishikesh was quite the opposite and it felt like a second home, the owner was a spiritual man who couldn't do enough for us. This was the case when we left 5 days later as his personal car dropped us to the bus station free of charge. We were in the home of yoga and meditation which is known worldwide and you could sense it by the amount of the hippie types. The place made us feel the most relaxed we have been the whole trip. Jo managed to get on an Ayuvedic Massage course after doing some research and endured the best massage we have ever had!! It was that good, Jo signed up for a 3 day course and we went back for another bout of research 2 days later. One of the days, we hired a moped for an exploration of the surroundings which were perfect for biking, winding roads hugging the Ganges. After seeing the Ganges on our last trip in Varanasi, we never thought we would see it with beaches, let alone a colour that actually resembles a river.
The capital of India welcomed us after a horrible overnight bus journey that didn't involve much sleep. We thankfully booked ahead and it ended up being a pretty nice hotel for a good price considering we were in Delhi. The owners were Sikh and seemed to be a common characteristic that they are incredibly friendly and it was much the same this time. Our time in India was looking to be cut short due to only a 3 month visa granted in Pakistan when a 6 month is granted as standard in the UK. A fake itinerary and a slight amendment to our online flight booking to Mongolia and we were ready to take on the Indian buearocrisy. Our hopes kept getting dashed with people on forums and in person telling us that extending was near impossible but we had come prepared and they granted the extra 2 months required to finish our trip with a month in the Andaman Islands and a flight home on 26th Feb.
Our meeting with Alex’s friend’s, Adam & Chitra, was sooner than anticipated. In between sorting our visa, we had a stroll near the Gateway of India and Jo spots a couple who pull their camera out simultaneously and take the same photo, to her amusement it was the two newbies fresh off the boat. They literally landed hours before, just embarking on their sightseeing tour and we bump into them in a city of 13 million, it was surreal. We met later that evening for dinner and a few beers for an update of gossip back home.
The Gandhi museum was a lot to take in but the most interesting part of our Delhi experience, there was a quote that rang true with both of us:
“Death is a highway which all of us must tread, whether we wish to or not. And though countless travellers tread it, it ever seems deserted. Hence this is also the path of supreme peace. He who is afraid to take it, feels agitated, he who remains fearless enjoys the bliss of peace”
On that uplifting note about death, we will try and give you some more news soon.
Alex & Jo xxx
The other highlight was an Indian version of the Terracotta Army, a rock garden designed by a guy called Nek Chand. The garden was a fantasy world made from recycled materials containing tree sculptures that looked real but were made from concrete. People and animals were also sculpted in concrete but decorated with materials like smashed china plates and bangles.
Haridwar was just a stopover before Rishikesh but it turned out to be well worth a visit. It's another holy city on the Ganges, similar to Varanasi with less burning bodies! It was a complete contrast from Chandigarh, beggars everywhere, pilgrims bathing and splashing around in the river, the hustle and bustle, it's what's so interesting about India. We saw puja on the river which is a daily offering to the gods where flowers in a leaf bowl are sent floating down the Ganges. The funniest part was, wandering down the river away from the crowds, we saw a young boy stood on rocks trying to catch some of the bowls incase people had put a few rupees in so he could pocket the money!! We watched him, unaware of us, from a bridge above and he didn't seem to be getting much joy. We know it's wrong to do but we appreciated his entrepreneurial spirit and gave him some rupees for the sheer audacity. The hotel we stayed at was half decent but you know you’re doing budget travel when you wake up during the night itching!!
The hotel in Rishikesh was quite the opposite and it felt like a second home, the owner was a spiritual man who couldn't do enough for us. This was the case when we left 5 days later as his personal car dropped us to the bus station free of charge. We were in the home of yoga and meditation which is known worldwide and you could sense it by the amount of the hippie types. The place made us feel the most relaxed we have been the whole trip. Jo managed to get on an Ayuvedic Massage course after doing some research and endured the best massage we have ever had!! It was that good, Jo signed up for a 3 day course and we went back for another bout of research 2 days later. One of the days, we hired a moped for an exploration of the surroundings which were perfect for biking, winding roads hugging the Ganges. After seeing the Ganges on our last trip in Varanasi, we never thought we would see it with beaches, let alone a colour that actually resembles a river.
The capital of India welcomed us after a horrible overnight bus journey that didn't involve much sleep. We thankfully booked ahead and it ended up being a pretty nice hotel for a good price considering we were in Delhi. The owners were Sikh and seemed to be a common characteristic that they are incredibly friendly and it was much the same this time. Our time in India was looking to be cut short due to only a 3 month visa granted in Pakistan when a 6 month is granted as standard in the UK. A fake itinerary and a slight amendment to our online flight booking to Mongolia and we were ready to take on the Indian buearocrisy. Our hopes kept getting dashed with people on forums and in person telling us that extending was near impossible but we had come prepared and they granted the extra 2 months required to finish our trip with a month in the Andaman Islands and a flight home on 26th Feb.
Our meeting with Alex’s friend’s, Adam & Chitra, was sooner than anticipated. In between sorting our visa, we had a stroll near the Gateway of India and Jo spots a couple who pull their camera out simultaneously and take the same photo, to her amusement it was the two newbies fresh off the boat. They literally landed hours before, just embarking on their sightseeing tour and we bump into them in a city of 13 million, it was surreal. We met later that evening for dinner and a few beers for an update of gossip back home.
The Gandhi museum was a lot to take in but the most interesting part of our Delhi experience, there was a quote that rang true with both of us:
“Death is a highway which all of us must tread, whether we wish to or not. And though countless travellers tread it, it ever seems deserted. Hence this is also the path of supreme peace. He who is afraid to take it, feels agitated, he who remains fearless enjoys the bliss of peace”
On that uplifting note about death, we will try and give you some more news soon.
Alex & Jo xxx
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