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
Sunday 7 November 2010
Group Sex in India
Amritsar was just like the India we had known and loved the first time around, bustling streets, friendly people, delicious food and amazing smells. It's also home to the holiest shrine in Sikhism, the Golden Temple, which draws millions of pilgrims from all over the world. The temple itself is incredible and the dome is supposed to be gilded with pure gold. They have a kitchen inside the walls that caters for 60,000 to 80,000 pilgrims every day completely free of charge for anyone who visits, donations are welcome but not enforced. We thought it rude not to eat and experience the mass scale operation of preparation and the serving of food to the masses, it was pretty cool eating with a hall of a few hundred people who looked pleased we had joined them for dinner. This was just the second floor of dining halls and we were ushered out pretty sharpish as the next lot were waiting, plate in hand for their meal.
Indian Punjab seemed to be just as friendly as Pakistani Punjab as we had numerous photos and conversations with visitors. This continued at the park near the temple where Indians were killed or wounded by the British which we wanted to visit after re-watching the film Gandhi before we left. Jo was asked in the park if she wanted group sex and when she responded "No, I am with my boyfriend", she was asked if she wanted him to join us!! We don't remember Indian's being this liberal last time, it was a far cry from just over the border in Pakistan. On the subject of sex, a cycle rickshaw driver befriended us on the street and we finally gave in and got him to take us on a tour of the city. Questions about our marital status is generally standard conversation, which got onto the subject of his wife. His response was "I have no wife or girlfriend so now I have sex with my hand", which resulted in a look of disbelief from us that he saw no problem in telling us this.
After our last plush hotel disaster in China with no swimming pool, we took the plunge (no pun intended) and checked in to a fancy hotel for the night. We were so excited to have a day by the pool, on the way to the room our heart sank, there definitely was a pool but with no water in it!! We managed to agree after much deliberation they fill the pool as that was the reason for booking the hotel. It will be ready by 12 was the in initial response, this kept getting later and later until we were told 4 was the final time. Jo was fuming, we were offered a free dinner but that defeated the object of staying there for a pool so Alex spoke to the manager on the phone after the numpties behind desk couldn't resolve anything and we were promised an extra night free and the pool full the next morning which worked out so much better. It was bliss, room service, a massage in our room, a day by the pool, a bottle of French wine with dinner. C'est magnifique.
McLeod Ganj was packed with people for the size of the place but a day in we found out the Dalai Lama had been making 4 day speeches to anyone who wanted to listen. His home is in Dharmasala just down the road along with Tibet's government in exile. Set in the mountains, it was quite a peaceful place once most of the tourists had left. There was an interesting museum about Chinese oppression of the Tibetan's and we also got a history lesson off a guy who we got to book our bus onwards. He had a MA in economics but owned a travel business?? He knew so much about why the Chinese invaded and even about the separation of India and Pakistan, it was good to get a good understanding of the situation.
Onto Manali which is supposedly the most populated area for Tibetan's in exile which was to be the place Alex entered a competition to win a trip to Bhutan which a National Geographic Photographer with the story being 'Tibetan's in Exile' which you can see here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13539181@N06/sets/72157625179592758/
Manali was really chilled, probably due to having the claim of world-renowned hash growing wild in the mountains, we thought it rude not to try at least a space cake!! We stayed in Old Manali which was so much more relaxed but a lot of our time was spent trying to find people for Alex to photograph for the competition. One of the guys we met that allowed Alex to take his photo was Babaji who was probably the most humble person we have met along the way. His tales of walking across a lot of India on foot, never having a family and never marrying because all he needs is God to be happy. All he asked in return was we send him the photos taken, seeing he even came to the Tibetan monastery with us so Alex could take his photo with a monk to tell the story of Tibetan's settling in peace in North India. He joined us for a cup of chai and we promised him we print the photos right away and meet again when they were ready. 30 minutes later, we met again on the main street in New Manali to show him the photos and give him 500 rupees to help him out. His face lit up and gave both of us a massive bear-hug. The money only equated to around £7 but considering rooms are 300 and a good meal is 70, you can appreciate his amazement.
A day trip to Kullu for a festival of the gods was an crazy one, there were thousands from all over the valley that came to see the chaos. Plenty of drums and running around with statues of the gods made the carnival atmosphere, at times some of the crowd nearly being taken out.
The influence of the British Raj was self evident in the next port of call, Shimla. The main street felt like Bath had been invaded by Indians!! Everything from the red postboxes to the church, there was a definite Britishness to the place, even the children wore blazer and tie to school. Being a big tourist destination for Indian's, our budget hotel became ramshackle as there seemed to be a lot of wealth. The British ran the country from the hillstation when in power and that elitism is still seen today with some of the top school's in India situated there. Arriving early off the night bus, we traipsed round for an hour trying to meet our budget in a hotel that actually had a room. Eventually we did and it was very basic to say the least, running water became an issue for over a day of the stay and incense was needed to cover the stale smell of the room.
A few days later we jumped on a toy train that took us to Kalka, through 103 tunnels winding round mountains, it was a beautiful journey. From there, we took a connecting train to Chandigarh to see what a clean rich Indian city looks like.
Alex & Jo xx
Indian Punjab seemed to be just as friendly as Pakistani Punjab as we had numerous photos and conversations with visitors. This continued at the park near the temple where Indians were killed or wounded by the British which we wanted to visit after re-watching the film Gandhi before we left. Jo was asked in the park if she wanted group sex and when she responded "No, I am with my boyfriend", she was asked if she wanted him to join us!! We don't remember Indian's being this liberal last time, it was a far cry from just over the border in Pakistan. On the subject of sex, a cycle rickshaw driver befriended us on the street and we finally gave in and got him to take us on a tour of the city. Questions about our marital status is generally standard conversation, which got onto the subject of his wife. His response was "I have no wife or girlfriend so now I have sex with my hand", which resulted in a look of disbelief from us that he saw no problem in telling us this.
After our last plush hotel disaster in China with no swimming pool, we took the plunge (no pun intended) and checked in to a fancy hotel for the night. We were so excited to have a day by the pool, on the way to the room our heart sank, there definitely was a pool but with no water in it!! We managed to agree after much deliberation they fill the pool as that was the reason for booking the hotel. It will be ready by 12 was the in initial response, this kept getting later and later until we were told 4 was the final time. Jo was fuming, we were offered a free dinner but that defeated the object of staying there for a pool so Alex spoke to the manager on the phone after the numpties behind desk couldn't resolve anything and we were promised an extra night free and the pool full the next morning which worked out so much better. It was bliss, room service, a massage in our room, a day by the pool, a bottle of French wine with dinner. C'est magnifique.
McLeod Ganj was packed with people for the size of the place but a day in we found out the Dalai Lama had been making 4 day speeches to anyone who wanted to listen. His home is in Dharmasala just down the road along with Tibet's government in exile. Set in the mountains, it was quite a peaceful place once most of the tourists had left. There was an interesting museum about Chinese oppression of the Tibetan's and we also got a history lesson off a guy who we got to book our bus onwards. He had a MA in economics but owned a travel business?? He knew so much about why the Chinese invaded and even about the separation of India and Pakistan, it was good to get a good understanding of the situation.
Onto Manali which is supposedly the most populated area for Tibetan's in exile which was to be the place Alex entered a competition to win a trip to Bhutan which a National Geographic Photographer with the story being 'Tibetan's in Exile' which you can see here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13539181@N06/sets/72157625179592758/
Manali was really chilled, probably due to having the claim of world-renowned hash growing wild in the mountains, we thought it rude not to try at least a space cake!! We stayed in Old Manali which was so much more relaxed but a lot of our time was spent trying to find people for Alex to photograph for the competition. One of the guys we met that allowed Alex to take his photo was Babaji who was probably the most humble person we have met along the way. His tales of walking across a lot of India on foot, never having a family and never marrying because all he needs is God to be happy. All he asked in return was we send him the photos taken, seeing he even came to the Tibetan monastery with us so Alex could take his photo with a monk to tell the story of Tibetan's settling in peace in North India. He joined us for a cup of chai and we promised him we print the photos right away and meet again when they were ready. 30 minutes later, we met again on the main street in New Manali to show him the photos and give him 500 rupees to help him out. His face lit up and gave both of us a massive bear-hug. The money only equated to around £7 but considering rooms are 300 and a good meal is 70, you can appreciate his amazement.
A day trip to Kullu for a festival of the gods was an crazy one, there were thousands from all over the valley that came to see the chaos. Plenty of drums and running around with statues of the gods made the carnival atmosphere, at times some of the crowd nearly being taken out.
The influence of the British Raj was self evident in the next port of call, Shimla. The main street felt like Bath had been invaded by Indians!! Everything from the red postboxes to the church, there was a definite Britishness to the place, even the children wore blazer and tie to school. Being a big tourist destination for Indian's, our budget hotel became ramshackle as there seemed to be a lot of wealth. The British ran the country from the hillstation when in power and that elitism is still seen today with some of the top school's in India situated there. Arriving early off the night bus, we traipsed round for an hour trying to meet our budget in a hotel that actually had a room. Eventually we did and it was very basic to say the least, running water became an issue for over a day of the stay and incense was needed to cover the stale smell of the room.
A few days later we jumped on a toy train that took us to Kalka, through 103 tunnels winding round mountains, it was a beautiful journey. From there, we took a connecting train to Chandigarh to see what a clean rich Indian city looks like.
Alex & Jo xx
Monday 25 October 2010
Living it up in Lahore
Lahore was the cultural centre of Pakistan and it was an interesting city to wander round. We visited Lahore Fort which had influences from the British and also Sikhs. We did get bombarded by pakistani tourists asking for photos of us with them on a visit to one of the biggest mosques in Pakistan. We felt like celebrities for the day, even the children were pestering us for our signature, god knows why!! As soon as they went back to show their mates, a new cluster would come over and ask for the same. On leaving the fort, a toilet break was needed and it was typical lady luck again as we stumbled into the office of the park supervisor where the monument that signifies Pakistan's resolution of becoming an independent nation. A brief history lesson later, we were escorted by one of his henchmen out to the middle of the monument where none of the public are allowed to read the resolution.
A walk through the old city was a taste of real Lahore, it was a lot more run down than the rest of the city but seemed to be even friendlier. We stopped for lunch at a pretty modest looking cafe where we got talking to the owner who was such a nice man, he ended up refusing to take any money off us for the food after protesting that we would be offended if he didn't. Jo managed to get her lamb chops one evening which were so much better than Tayyabs!!
On our return to Rawlpindi, we phoned Uncle Masood (Steve's Uncle) to let him know we would come and visit him the following day. "We are meeting you in an hour at your hotel" was the reply which didn't seem to change so we thought it rude not to rock the boat. The problem was, we had just eaten and after learning about Pakistani culture, we felt another meal was on it's way. An hour later, there was a knock at the hotel door, where Masood stood with a close family friend called Farooq. Instead of calling for us at reception, they walked 4 or 5 flights of stairs to call on us themselves, Masood had to rest for the next 15 minutes to get his breath back!!
They also commented on the room and asked us why we were staying in such a shithole, we were slightly taken aback as we initially felt it was quite plush. It had a TV which we were not used to and a sofa, granted the sofa and the bedsheets did have a few holes in. When you take a step back and look at it from their point of view, it was a bit shoddy but if you want your money to last for 8 months, you have to deal with these things!! When we left the hotel, sure enough we were taken to a cafe round the corner for another feed which they refused to accept any money for. Both of them couldn't do enough for us, we were ordered that someone would pick us up the next morning to take us to Islamabad so we could pick up our Indian Visa, to then rest at the hotel and be picked up later for dinner at Masood's. Farooq was a cool guy, he had come back to Pakistan to look after his parents who were sick after most of his life in London and Canada.
The visa was a formality although the organistaion at the Indian embassy was non existent, which was to be expected. We were escorted by Farooq and a family relation, then dropped off after they insisted they take us to McDonalds as we hadn't eaten lunch. Later they picked us up for dinner with Masood, his wife, Farooq, Fasil (son in law) and his wife along with their children. They laid on such a feast, the food was incredible and obviously they cooked far more than we could physically eat. They had even gone out and bought us both a present, a jumper for Alex and a new shawl for Jo, definitely the best hospitality we have received on our trip!! We exchanged photos of the Anwar family and it was a weird feeling to be meeting Alex's good friend's family before he has!!
The next day we left for Lahore again by train, then onto the border for our new adventure in India which we were both so excited about. We were anxious about re-visiting a country we loved all those years ago and whether it would still live up to our favourite. The border crossing was just plain weird and very eiree, you can tell the countries don't like each other as we were the only one's crossing at the time!!
Pakistan was such an amazing experience, it's a real shame the country is so volatile and there's so much corruption as the people were are so friendly and hospitable, a far cry from the images and stories you see on the news. Jo was grateful she wouldn't have to cover up so much as she felt opressed on numerous occasions, mailnly being asked to go an eat behind a curtain at a cafe. It seems backwards that such a devote nation would still treat women the way they do, especially seeing just over the border how liberal Indians are in comparison.
We are in Chandigarh which is supposed to be India's greenest city, and for those of you who know a little about design / architecture, Le Corbusier helped design the city so there should be some interesting architecture. So far, we have been through Amritsar, McLeod Ganj, Manali and then Shimla but will update you soon.
Until next time folks, take care
Alex & Jo xxx
A walk through the old city was a taste of real Lahore, it was a lot more run down than the rest of the city but seemed to be even friendlier. We stopped for lunch at a pretty modest looking cafe where we got talking to the owner who was such a nice man, he ended up refusing to take any money off us for the food after protesting that we would be offended if he didn't. Jo managed to get her lamb chops one evening which were so much better than Tayyabs!!
On our return to Rawlpindi, we phoned Uncle Masood (Steve's Uncle) to let him know we would come and visit him the following day. "We are meeting you in an hour at your hotel" was the reply which didn't seem to change so we thought it rude not to rock the boat. The problem was, we had just eaten and after learning about Pakistani culture, we felt another meal was on it's way. An hour later, there was a knock at the hotel door, where Masood stood with a close family friend called Farooq. Instead of calling for us at reception, they walked 4 or 5 flights of stairs to call on us themselves, Masood had to rest for the next 15 minutes to get his breath back!!
They also commented on the room and asked us why we were staying in such a shithole, we were slightly taken aback as we initially felt it was quite plush. It had a TV which we were not used to and a sofa, granted the sofa and the bedsheets did have a few holes in. When you take a step back and look at it from their point of view, it was a bit shoddy but if you want your money to last for 8 months, you have to deal with these things!! When we left the hotel, sure enough we were taken to a cafe round the corner for another feed which they refused to accept any money for. Both of them couldn't do enough for us, we were ordered that someone would pick us up the next morning to take us to Islamabad so we could pick up our Indian Visa, to then rest at the hotel and be picked up later for dinner at Masood's. Farooq was a cool guy, he had come back to Pakistan to look after his parents who were sick after most of his life in London and Canada.
The visa was a formality although the organistaion at the Indian embassy was non existent, which was to be expected. We were escorted by Farooq and a family relation, then dropped off after they insisted they take us to McDonalds as we hadn't eaten lunch. Later they picked us up for dinner with Masood, his wife, Farooq, Fasil (son in law) and his wife along with their children. They laid on such a feast, the food was incredible and obviously they cooked far more than we could physically eat. They had even gone out and bought us both a present, a jumper for Alex and a new shawl for Jo, definitely the best hospitality we have received on our trip!! We exchanged photos of the Anwar family and it was a weird feeling to be meeting Alex's good friend's family before he has!!
The next day we left for Lahore again by train, then onto the border for our new adventure in India which we were both so excited about. We were anxious about re-visiting a country we loved all those years ago and whether it would still live up to our favourite. The border crossing was just plain weird and very eiree, you can tell the countries don't like each other as we were the only one's crossing at the time!!
Pakistan was such an amazing experience, it's a real shame the country is so volatile and there's so much corruption as the people were are so friendly and hospitable, a far cry from the images and stories you see on the news. Jo was grateful she wouldn't have to cover up so much as she felt opressed on numerous occasions, mailnly being asked to go an eat behind a curtain at a cafe. It seems backwards that such a devote nation would still treat women the way they do, especially seeing just over the border how liberal Indians are in comparison.
We are in Chandigarh which is supposed to be India's greenest city, and for those of you who know a little about design / architecture, Le Corbusier helped design the city so there should be some interesting architecture. So far, we have been through Amritsar, McLeod Ganj, Manali and then Shimla but will update you soon.
Until next time folks, take care
Alex & Jo xxx
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Mr Colley & Ms Beer take class for the day
A short stop in Gilgit was needed to refuel, this gave us the opportunity to plan for our next adventure! After befriending the owner of one of the local restaurants, we met his best friend the next evening who worked for an NGO who invited us for chai (as usual) and to have a look around the school. We decided to take him up on the offer and ended up meeting the family that set up the NGO in the first place. Suprisingly, they were from Colarado in the US and had been living out here for years teaching English to underpriveleged children and working in deprived areas within North Pakistan. It was interesting to get a woman's take about being veiled and how they are treated out here which is generally as a second class citizen.
North-East Pakistan was calling, the main stopping off point was Skardu which we used as a hub to travel the area. The hotel we found was one of our favourites as the staff were so friendly, the view was pretty spectacular, the beds were comfy and they brought chai to the room so we could have it in bed!! We ended up staying for a week with visits to Shigar and Khaplu in between. We ate well in Skardu, the best restaurant in town that was highly recommended by everyone felt like a second home. The owner had been a chef in Knightsbridge of all places and he told us Princess Di had been in to eat on an occasion he was working. He also had been in NY for 10 years and Moscow but he didn't seem to like the amount of drunks in London!!
Khaplu was quite a quaint little village that had a nice mixture of sand dunes and plains but still surrounded by snow capped mountains, we left after one night partly due to the worst squat toilet we had come across!! Jo did get told off by some of the women villagers for not covering her head in a certain village but that was soon rectified at a local shop where we bought some material and everybody laughing at her trying to put it on properly. Shigar was beautiful and like Skardu, we found a hotel with such a friendly owner, it makes such a difference to the impression of a place. He told us that his food was expensive and we should go to the bazaar, we ignored his advice due our hunger and he prepared a delicious feast. Expecting a hefty bill on checkout, the lunch came to 200 rupees which we couldn't believe as it's 130 to the pound. They had an amazing fort in Shigar that had been developed into a hotel so they could maintain the building and gardens. You could even sleep in the room that the king used to sleep, but this was a little out of our budget at £90 a night! Whilst wandering around we were invited to tea with the manager and his friend who was director of education for the region of Balistan.
A military flight was on the cards after speaking to a few people, we even went to the airport to try and speak to the Army Group Captain as we met his brother in Khaplu. No-one knew his whereabouts so we decided to stop being pikey and pay for a flight, it was double what locals pay and extortion for a one hour flight but it turned out to be the most incredible flight we have been on.
Back in Skardu for the last day before our flight, we promised a man we met in the street to visit his new Centre that he had set up to teach English to the underprivileged children of the area. We arrived to a warm welcome of the class consisting of mixing ages, 42 in total. Each of the children took it in turns to stand up and tell us their name along with their mother's and father's plus their age. We had to talk about ourselves which was translated by Kamal (who set up the centre) and they had a chance to ask us questions through him. Alex took portraits of each child that we will print and send to them soon! They were so excited to meet us and talk English with native speakers, it was a real boost for them.
The flight to Islamabad was a short one but incredible due to the closeness we flew to the mountains, it felt like you could reach out and touch them. We only flew around 9000ft and there are many in Northern Pakistan around 8000ft, the highlight was seeing Nanga Parbat which was the mountain we trekked to about a week earlier poking through the clouds! For some reason Rawalpindi is closer to Islamabad airport so we opted for the shorter taxi ride and to make it easier to stay with Anwar's uncle Masood.
We only spent 2 nights there, one round Rawlpindi and the other going to Islamabad to get our Indian visa. Jo was not liking Pindi after being ushered to a curtained section upstairs to be sat with other women diners out of site, it was in a cafe called Anwar's Cafe ironically. Luckily, we befriended the waiter who wanted some English coins so we could sit anywhere on the next few occasions we ate there! Seeing we had limited time left on the visa, Jo was after her lamb chops in Lahore so we decided to leave and return to Pindi to see Masood and also pick up our visa 5 days later.
Lahore was definitely the right move as it has so much more to offer than the other big cities. The owner of the guesthouse took a shine to Jo so we received 5 star treatement, bringing her roses on 2 days, free chai and biscuits, sweets and only bringing us a cushion the night we watched a pakistani folk singer on the rooftop of the hotel. Lahore felt immediately friendlier than Pindi.
Will update you on events in Lahore and meeting the Anwar family soon!
Hope everyone is well.
Alex & Jo xx
North-East Pakistan was calling, the main stopping off point was Skardu which we used as a hub to travel the area. The hotel we found was one of our favourites as the staff were so friendly, the view was pretty spectacular, the beds were comfy and they brought chai to the room so we could have it in bed!! We ended up staying for a week with visits to Shigar and Khaplu in between. We ate well in Skardu, the best restaurant in town that was highly recommended by everyone felt like a second home. The owner had been a chef in Knightsbridge of all places and he told us Princess Di had been in to eat on an occasion he was working. He also had been in NY for 10 years and Moscow but he didn't seem to like the amount of drunks in London!!
Khaplu was quite a quaint little village that had a nice mixture of sand dunes and plains but still surrounded by snow capped mountains, we left after one night partly due to the worst squat toilet we had come across!! Jo did get told off by some of the women villagers for not covering her head in a certain village but that was soon rectified at a local shop where we bought some material and everybody laughing at her trying to put it on properly. Shigar was beautiful and like Skardu, we found a hotel with such a friendly owner, it makes such a difference to the impression of a place. He told us that his food was expensive and we should go to the bazaar, we ignored his advice due our hunger and he prepared a delicious feast. Expecting a hefty bill on checkout, the lunch came to 200 rupees which we couldn't believe as it's 130 to the pound. They had an amazing fort in Shigar that had been developed into a hotel so they could maintain the building and gardens. You could even sleep in the room that the king used to sleep, but this was a little out of our budget at £90 a night! Whilst wandering around we were invited to tea with the manager and his friend who was director of education for the region of Balistan.
A military flight was on the cards after speaking to a few people, we even went to the airport to try and speak to the Army Group Captain as we met his brother in Khaplu. No-one knew his whereabouts so we decided to stop being pikey and pay for a flight, it was double what locals pay and extortion for a one hour flight but it turned out to be the most incredible flight we have been on.
Back in Skardu for the last day before our flight, we promised a man we met in the street to visit his new Centre that he had set up to teach English to the underprivileged children of the area. We arrived to a warm welcome of the class consisting of mixing ages, 42 in total. Each of the children took it in turns to stand up and tell us their name along with their mother's and father's plus their age. We had to talk about ourselves which was translated by Kamal (who set up the centre) and they had a chance to ask us questions through him. Alex took portraits of each child that we will print and send to them soon! They were so excited to meet us and talk English with native speakers, it was a real boost for them.
The flight to Islamabad was a short one but incredible due to the closeness we flew to the mountains, it felt like you could reach out and touch them. We only flew around 9000ft and there are many in Northern Pakistan around 8000ft, the highlight was seeing Nanga Parbat which was the mountain we trekked to about a week earlier poking through the clouds! For some reason Rawalpindi is closer to Islamabad airport so we opted for the shorter taxi ride and to make it easier to stay with Anwar's uncle Masood.
We only spent 2 nights there, one round Rawlpindi and the other going to Islamabad to get our Indian visa. Jo was not liking Pindi after being ushered to a curtained section upstairs to be sat with other women diners out of site, it was in a cafe called Anwar's Cafe ironically. Luckily, we befriended the waiter who wanted some English coins so we could sit anywhere on the next few occasions we ate there! Seeing we had limited time left on the visa, Jo was after her lamb chops in Lahore so we decided to leave and return to Pindi to see Masood and also pick up our visa 5 days later.
Lahore was definitely the right move as it has so much more to offer than the other big cities. The owner of the guesthouse took a shine to Jo so we received 5 star treatement, bringing her roses on 2 days, free chai and biscuits, sweets and only bringing us a cushion the night we watched a pakistani folk singer on the rooftop of the hotel. Lahore felt immediately friendlier than Pindi.
Will update you on events in Lahore and meeting the Anwar family soon!
Hope everyone is well.
Alex & Jo xx
Thursday 30 September 2010
Fairy Meadows and the Killer Mountain
Karimibad was a place to relax as our legs needed a well deserved rest, this was lucky for us as the whole town pretty much shut down due to the end of ramadan. We managed to catch a local volleyball game which overlooked the valley in the middle of snow-capped mountains, it was a strange variation called 'shooting' which meant you had to keep your hands clasped to hit the smaller than normal ball. There was plenty of banter due to Karimibad playing the local rivals which nearly resulted in a ruck but everything calmed down and were satisfied with making noises to put the other team off.
The town itself showed signs of what the tourist industry was like as there were so many hotels but hardly any foreigners to fill them. It's been a familiar story, after 9/11, Pakistan's reputation took a massive dent which is not suprising due to all the bad press they receive. Most of the people in the tourism industry are really struggling to keep afloat and now with the floods, it doesn't look like things will get much better. So far, the hospitality shown by many Pakistani's has been incredible and the west could learn a lot from their attitude to others. It's a shame the extremists and the taliban are ruining the country for the majority.
Our arrival in Gilgit was a little overwhelming as the place was crawling with Army and Police which put us a little on edge. We heard there had been some sectarian violence the week before but the main reason was the town was a stronghold for the road leading to Kashmir. This was just a hub for our mission to Fairy Meadows to do a 4 day trek near the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the Killer Mountain.
3 hours down the KKH, we arrived at Raikot Bridge, the dropping point for our adventure. We were faced with the decision to pay a heavy price for a jeep ride about an hour up into the mountains or a 4-5 hour walk to where the road was blocked from a landslide. This is before you embark on a further 2 hours to reach Fairy Point and the first possible place to sleep. The jeep seemed like the best option at the time and it still was as we climbed the rocky road for at least half an hour before the scariest moments of our life! With no barriers and the road dipping up and down, winding around the mountain, there were a number of heart in mouth moments where the jeep travelled inches from a drop that we wouldn't like to think how far you would tumble. We felt it a blessing that the road was blocked from where it dropped us as we were both on the edge of asking the driver to stop the car so we could get out and walk!
The remaining uphill walk from the block was pretty challenging in itself but there were many more parts affected by landslides. Eventually, we arrived at Fairy Point and decided that was enough for one day instead of continuing further to Fairy Meadows which is a lot more scenic but another 3 hours up a steeper path over a mountain! We did meet some Pakistani boys (wouldn't really call them men) who were around 21, from Multan in Punjab. They tried to get Jo to cook after they made us chai because the men shouldn't if women are present. The look on Jo's face when one of them tried to get her to man the stove, to her further disgust, when she refused they looked at Alex as if to say 'sort your woman out and get her cooking' much to his amusement. Obviously, they were left cooking for themselves!
The second day was a 3 hour climb up and over a mountain through a beautiful village that grew all kinds of things but mainly wheat before reaching Fairy Meadows with a view of Nanga Parbat which was breathtaking. The intention was to have lunch and push on through to the next stop called Beyal which was closer again to the base camp but the mountains became shrouded with clouds and the propect of a wooden hut with a fire was too tempting not to stay for. The people who ran and helped around the hotel 'Raikot Serai' were so friendly and it was interesting talking to them about everything from expeditions that had reached the summit to more political topics about the country and life as a local. It was pretty surreal but one of the men who came to light our fire in the evening also helped organise our matresses, blankets and pillows. The surreal part was he looked like Osama Bin Laden and Jo was tucked in by him!
Waking up to the clearest view of Nanga Parbat on the third day was the highlight. Base camp proved to much as a 3 and a 1/2 hour round trip to a view point near it was enough, knowing we would have another 2 back down to Fairy Point after a spot of lunch and a rest back at the Fairy Meadows. Alex had sickness that night so the walk all the way back down to Raikot Bridge for our bus back was a tough slog on sugary water and a few handfulls of sultanas. Thankfully at the bottom, we met a tour group that gave us a lift back in their jeep which cut the journey time.
Of all places, the guy whose tour company it was is from Putney in London!! He's half Pakistani with family out here but years ago he brought a group of mates out to show them round and they told him he should set up a tour company, so he did. On this occasion he was sponsoring journalists to promote his company, one of the British women has written for Time Out, The Guardian and lots more respectable publications. She seemed interested that Alex has been taking photos out here so there could be potential to feature some of them in articles she is writing. We got on so well with them that we are going to cross paths with them in Lahore so Sohail (guy from Putney) can show us round. Jo's extremely happy as he has informed us that we can get the kind of legendary lamb chops you find at Tayyabs in London!! Looks like we will be spending at least a week in Lahore.
Alex & Jo
The town itself showed signs of what the tourist industry was like as there were so many hotels but hardly any foreigners to fill them. It's been a familiar story, after 9/11, Pakistan's reputation took a massive dent which is not suprising due to all the bad press they receive. Most of the people in the tourism industry are really struggling to keep afloat and now with the floods, it doesn't look like things will get much better. So far, the hospitality shown by many Pakistani's has been incredible and the west could learn a lot from their attitude to others. It's a shame the extremists and the taliban are ruining the country for the majority.
Our arrival in Gilgit was a little overwhelming as the place was crawling with Army and Police which put us a little on edge. We heard there had been some sectarian violence the week before but the main reason was the town was a stronghold for the road leading to Kashmir. This was just a hub for our mission to Fairy Meadows to do a 4 day trek near the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the Killer Mountain.
3 hours down the KKH, we arrived at Raikot Bridge, the dropping point for our adventure. We were faced with the decision to pay a heavy price for a jeep ride about an hour up into the mountains or a 4-5 hour walk to where the road was blocked from a landslide. This is before you embark on a further 2 hours to reach Fairy Point and the first possible place to sleep. The jeep seemed like the best option at the time and it still was as we climbed the rocky road for at least half an hour before the scariest moments of our life! With no barriers and the road dipping up and down, winding around the mountain, there were a number of heart in mouth moments where the jeep travelled inches from a drop that we wouldn't like to think how far you would tumble. We felt it a blessing that the road was blocked from where it dropped us as we were both on the edge of asking the driver to stop the car so we could get out and walk!
The remaining uphill walk from the block was pretty challenging in itself but there were many more parts affected by landslides. Eventually, we arrived at Fairy Point and decided that was enough for one day instead of continuing further to Fairy Meadows which is a lot more scenic but another 3 hours up a steeper path over a mountain! We did meet some Pakistani boys (wouldn't really call them men) who were around 21, from Multan in Punjab. They tried to get Jo to cook after they made us chai because the men shouldn't if women are present. The look on Jo's face when one of them tried to get her to man the stove, to her further disgust, when she refused they looked at Alex as if to say 'sort your woman out and get her cooking' much to his amusement. Obviously, they were left cooking for themselves!
The second day was a 3 hour climb up and over a mountain through a beautiful village that grew all kinds of things but mainly wheat before reaching Fairy Meadows with a view of Nanga Parbat which was breathtaking. The intention was to have lunch and push on through to the next stop called Beyal which was closer again to the base camp but the mountains became shrouded with clouds and the propect of a wooden hut with a fire was too tempting not to stay for. The people who ran and helped around the hotel 'Raikot Serai' were so friendly and it was interesting talking to them about everything from expeditions that had reached the summit to more political topics about the country and life as a local. It was pretty surreal but one of the men who came to light our fire in the evening also helped organise our matresses, blankets and pillows. The surreal part was he looked like Osama Bin Laden and Jo was tucked in by him!
Waking up to the clearest view of Nanga Parbat on the third day was the highlight. Base camp proved to much as a 3 and a 1/2 hour round trip to a view point near it was enough, knowing we would have another 2 back down to Fairy Point after a spot of lunch and a rest back at the Fairy Meadows. Alex had sickness that night so the walk all the way back down to Raikot Bridge for our bus back was a tough slog on sugary water and a few handfulls of sultanas. Thankfully at the bottom, we met a tour group that gave us a lift back in their jeep which cut the journey time.
Of all places, the guy whose tour company it was is from Putney in London!! He's half Pakistani with family out here but years ago he brought a group of mates out to show them round and they told him he should set up a tour company, so he did. On this occasion he was sponsoring journalists to promote his company, one of the British women has written for Time Out, The Guardian and lots more respectable publications. She seemed interested that Alex has been taking photos out here so there could be potential to feature some of them in articles she is writing. We got on so well with them that we are going to cross paths with them in Lahore so Sohail (guy from Putney) can show us round. Jo's extremely happy as he has informed us that we can get the kind of legendary lamb chops you find at Tayyabs in London!! Looks like we will be spending at least a week in Lahore.
Alex & Jo
Saturday 25 September 2010
Tuesday 21 September 2010
Finally, a beautiful cup of Chai
Kashgar was unlike any other Chinese city we had been to so far and it felt as if we were in a totally different country! Due to the location in the far west of China, it borders Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan so Kashgar was an ethnic melting pot. There was even influences from Turkey but we assume this is all down to the old silk road with traders and merchants coming from all over to exchange their wares.
Initially the place felt a bit hostile as you don't see too many foreigners and there was more staring than normal. We had accepted the staring in China as Alex pretty much dwarfs the whole population added to the fact we are a western couple anyway. After reading accounts from the Danzinger book and a bit of the history, most of Kashgar is filled with Uighur people who have their own language and are mainly Afghan descendents (we think). The reason it put us a little on edge to begin with was we didn't know how we would be received and we knew they are regarded as second class citizens over the Chinese which means they take all the shit jobs. In Kashgar, you hardly ever see a Chinese man cleaning the streets, as a taxi driver or as an attendent at the bus station. I can imagine the Uighur's feel opressed just living there so on the whole they weren't the friendlist people we had come across. Once we started making more of an effort to greet people, most became very friendly back.
The night market was very chaotic, you could still find delicacies like sheep head but we opted for a slightly safer option of liver, sausage and god knows what kebabs. The etiquette for sitting paying and eating our kebabs with the locals was unknown so it was a little awkward to begin with but you soon learn watching everyone else even if most of them are watching you! We headed to the legendary Sunday Market on Sunday believe it or not which is known to be the biggest in Asia. You could pretty much find anything you possibly wanted there but we were there to people-watch and it seemed like such an interesting place to do so because you saw the cultural diversity of the place on a massive scale. Over the few days we found our first taste of Pakistan, right round the corner from our hotel was the Pakistan Cafe where we indulged in our first curry, chapati, chai (the most amazing tea made with all kinds of spices) and then lassi (sweetened curd) to finish it off.
Our most important concern was getting to Pakistan and quite a few people we had spoke to were telling us we would struggle to get to Sost which is the first town in Pakistan for customs and immigration. There was a direct bus that didn't go daily and wouldn't leave until full, we heard stories of people waiting days before giving up and this wasn't ideal seeing we only had a few days left on our visa before the Chinese start charging £50 each, everyday you overstay!! We decided to wing it and head for Tashkurgan which is closer to the border still and leave it to fate. We weren't entirely sure the bus would go as it needed over half a bus load to not get cancelled, fate was on our side and we headed off on a full bus.
Tashkurgan was just a small stopover and we managed to hear of a bus leaving for Sost the next day, definitely nowhere near as difficult as people were making out. Now for the strangest border crossing we have made, we cleared immigration for China in Tashkurgan then had to travel 2 hours to get to the Khunjerab Pass on the actual border and then a further 2 hours to reach immigration on the Pakistani side in Sost. This was and probably is one of the most spectacular bus rides we will ever have, starting fairly non-descript through afghan style villages in desert-like terrain but after an hour or so winding through snow-capped mountains before driving through snow-covered mountains with icy roads until you reach the Khunjerab Pass (actual border) before decending through the most mountainous region on earth on the Pakistani side, everywhere you turned it was immense.
It was nice to arrive in Sost and be greeted in English by plenty of friendly Pakistani's. A tiny hotel just off the one street town was found with some guidance and an old man trying to sell Jo the Shalwar Chamise (native dress) and exchange money with Alex. We were so excited to be in Pakistan and it felt like the Pakistani's were happy with us visiting their country!
We kept bumping into a Pakistani man we met at immigration on the Chinese side trying to get further south to Gilgit to see his family. Our paths crossed again at dinner and then the next morning when he was beside a minibus heading the direction we needed. After a quick discussion with the driver, space was made for us so a quick run to the bank (the old man we met on arrival who is known as the moneychanger) and check out from the hotel meant we were ready to get going. We always manage to get lucky and meet people who help us out, he even offered to show us round his home city of Lahore when we get there but we established he will be back in China on business so his brother wil show us!
A half an hour ride ensued until we reached a collapsed bridge on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which was a result of the recent floods. Out of the first bus, help everyone get the luggage and numerous boxes off the roof and back seats before walking across the collapsed bridge and re-negotiating the second bus onwards to Passu. We were dropped at the requested guesthouse only to realise no-one was around until after the minibus had driven off and no map to speak of. Again, more people to the rescue, this time two young policemen employed by a Chinese agency to police the highway. They walked us up the road to another place which was a far better location up on a hill overlooking the valley. Our initial disappointment of being told they had no rooms was shortlived because he didn't have any but he provided a tent, camping mat and sleeping bags. This definitely topped any camping spot view and all for £1.50 a night.
Ahmed, the guy who owned the place was really nice and we found it very interesting to finally start getting the chance to ask people about their culture. With 80% of the population being able to speak English, we shouldn't have a problem throughout the rest of the country. Much to our suprise so far, people didn't have any issues addressing Jo as we thought they might address Alex all the time especially when we only saw one woman on the street in the whole of Sost! On occasions, only Alex was spoken to but most seemed a lot more liberal than we first thought.
One of the issues we were unsure of about coming to Pakistan was if people would feel it insensitive to come after the disaster but most people want tourists coming through and spending money which is going directly into the hands of the locals. As for the disaster, some have even been joking about it's inconvienience and are just getting on with their life.
Seeing the surroundings were so beautiful and Ahmed was so informative, we decided to go on a full day hike with him as our guide through the mountains, past glaciers, lakes and villages. The scenery was incredible and we lost track of how many people we shook hands with who welcomed us to their country. Along the way we were able to pick apricots and apples from the trees which were the tastiest we had ever tried, Ahmed told us that everyone shares so you can pick fruit off any tree you fancy. We stopped off in two villages to have Chai and Bread with Ahmed's relatives who were very hospitable, we were grateful of the breaks to refuel as we knew it was 6-7 hours of walking! We had to have another 2 more chai stops as villagers had spotted us with Ahmed and invited us in, on one occasion he hurried around the corner of a dwelling not to be spotted again as we needed to finish the trek.
Near the end of the trek, we rested on what was an old fort that had been decimated in fighting between religious groups but with views over the town of Gulmit. The town was affected by the floods and almost half of it was underwater, which was a result of a landslide that blocked part of the Hunza River and created a lake. There was no denying it was a beautiful lake that will be there for good but we were astonished that it takes 2 hours to get to the other end by boat and this lake never existed before the landslide. Luckily, none of the villagers died but quite a few have had to move further inland.
After getting the boat over part of the lake with the intention to hitch a ride, we eventually got picked up by two men who knew Ahmed, later to find out they were policemen! Back at camp we ate with the policemen who were pretty dodgy characters, when we were picked up they looked like 2 del boy's with a pair of 6 x 9's in the back playing loud pakistani music. One kept apologising he was drunk and then offering us some Hunza wine which we politely declined to start with as if it were a trap to be drinking alcohol in a dry country. We have been informed Hunza wine is commonly consumed in that region!! Seeing they were such dodgy characters and they policed the region for illegal immigrants, he seemed to like the fact Alex pretended we didn't have a passport or visa. The policemen along with many other Pakistani's, have been hassling Alex about why we are not married but their way of doing things is far different from the west!
Off to Karimibad and then a trek to near the base camp of the 9th biggest mountain in the world, Nanga Parbat, also known as the killer mountain due to the amount of lives it has taken. This only applies to reaching the summit so we are not on a suicide mission, we promise!
Alex & Jo xx
Initially the place felt a bit hostile as you don't see too many foreigners and there was more staring than normal. We had accepted the staring in China as Alex pretty much dwarfs the whole population added to the fact we are a western couple anyway. After reading accounts from the Danzinger book and a bit of the history, most of Kashgar is filled with Uighur people who have their own language and are mainly Afghan descendents (we think). The reason it put us a little on edge to begin with was we didn't know how we would be received and we knew they are regarded as second class citizens over the Chinese which means they take all the shit jobs. In Kashgar, you hardly ever see a Chinese man cleaning the streets, as a taxi driver or as an attendent at the bus station. I can imagine the Uighur's feel opressed just living there so on the whole they weren't the friendlist people we had come across. Once we started making more of an effort to greet people, most became very friendly back.
The night market was very chaotic, you could still find delicacies like sheep head but we opted for a slightly safer option of liver, sausage and god knows what kebabs. The etiquette for sitting paying and eating our kebabs with the locals was unknown so it was a little awkward to begin with but you soon learn watching everyone else even if most of them are watching you! We headed to the legendary Sunday Market on Sunday believe it or not which is known to be the biggest in Asia. You could pretty much find anything you possibly wanted there but we were there to people-watch and it seemed like such an interesting place to do so because you saw the cultural diversity of the place on a massive scale. Over the few days we found our first taste of Pakistan, right round the corner from our hotel was the Pakistan Cafe where we indulged in our first curry, chapati, chai (the most amazing tea made with all kinds of spices) and then lassi (sweetened curd) to finish it off.
Our most important concern was getting to Pakistan and quite a few people we had spoke to were telling us we would struggle to get to Sost which is the first town in Pakistan for customs and immigration. There was a direct bus that didn't go daily and wouldn't leave until full, we heard stories of people waiting days before giving up and this wasn't ideal seeing we only had a few days left on our visa before the Chinese start charging £50 each, everyday you overstay!! We decided to wing it and head for Tashkurgan which is closer to the border still and leave it to fate. We weren't entirely sure the bus would go as it needed over half a bus load to not get cancelled, fate was on our side and we headed off on a full bus.
Tashkurgan was just a small stopover and we managed to hear of a bus leaving for Sost the next day, definitely nowhere near as difficult as people were making out. Now for the strangest border crossing we have made, we cleared immigration for China in Tashkurgan then had to travel 2 hours to get to the Khunjerab Pass on the actual border and then a further 2 hours to reach immigration on the Pakistani side in Sost. This was and probably is one of the most spectacular bus rides we will ever have, starting fairly non-descript through afghan style villages in desert-like terrain but after an hour or so winding through snow-capped mountains before driving through snow-covered mountains with icy roads until you reach the Khunjerab Pass (actual border) before decending through the most mountainous region on earth on the Pakistani side, everywhere you turned it was immense.
It was nice to arrive in Sost and be greeted in English by plenty of friendly Pakistani's. A tiny hotel just off the one street town was found with some guidance and an old man trying to sell Jo the Shalwar Chamise (native dress) and exchange money with Alex. We were so excited to be in Pakistan and it felt like the Pakistani's were happy with us visiting their country!
We kept bumping into a Pakistani man we met at immigration on the Chinese side trying to get further south to Gilgit to see his family. Our paths crossed again at dinner and then the next morning when he was beside a minibus heading the direction we needed. After a quick discussion with the driver, space was made for us so a quick run to the bank (the old man we met on arrival who is known as the moneychanger) and check out from the hotel meant we were ready to get going. We always manage to get lucky and meet people who help us out, he even offered to show us round his home city of Lahore when we get there but we established he will be back in China on business so his brother wil show us!
A half an hour ride ensued until we reached a collapsed bridge on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which was a result of the recent floods. Out of the first bus, help everyone get the luggage and numerous boxes off the roof and back seats before walking across the collapsed bridge and re-negotiating the second bus onwards to Passu. We were dropped at the requested guesthouse only to realise no-one was around until after the minibus had driven off and no map to speak of. Again, more people to the rescue, this time two young policemen employed by a Chinese agency to police the highway. They walked us up the road to another place which was a far better location up on a hill overlooking the valley. Our initial disappointment of being told they had no rooms was shortlived because he didn't have any but he provided a tent, camping mat and sleeping bags. This definitely topped any camping spot view and all for £1.50 a night.
Ahmed, the guy who owned the place was really nice and we found it very interesting to finally start getting the chance to ask people about their culture. With 80% of the population being able to speak English, we shouldn't have a problem throughout the rest of the country. Much to our suprise so far, people didn't have any issues addressing Jo as we thought they might address Alex all the time especially when we only saw one woman on the street in the whole of Sost! On occasions, only Alex was spoken to but most seemed a lot more liberal than we first thought.
One of the issues we were unsure of about coming to Pakistan was if people would feel it insensitive to come after the disaster but most people want tourists coming through and spending money which is going directly into the hands of the locals. As for the disaster, some have even been joking about it's inconvienience and are just getting on with their life.
Seeing the surroundings were so beautiful and Ahmed was so informative, we decided to go on a full day hike with him as our guide through the mountains, past glaciers, lakes and villages. The scenery was incredible and we lost track of how many people we shook hands with who welcomed us to their country. Along the way we were able to pick apricots and apples from the trees which were the tastiest we had ever tried, Ahmed told us that everyone shares so you can pick fruit off any tree you fancy. We stopped off in two villages to have Chai and Bread with Ahmed's relatives who were very hospitable, we were grateful of the breaks to refuel as we knew it was 6-7 hours of walking! We had to have another 2 more chai stops as villagers had spotted us with Ahmed and invited us in, on one occasion he hurried around the corner of a dwelling not to be spotted again as we needed to finish the trek.
Near the end of the trek, we rested on what was an old fort that had been decimated in fighting between religious groups but with views over the town of Gulmit. The town was affected by the floods and almost half of it was underwater, which was a result of a landslide that blocked part of the Hunza River and created a lake. There was no denying it was a beautiful lake that will be there for good but we were astonished that it takes 2 hours to get to the other end by boat and this lake never existed before the landslide. Luckily, none of the villagers died but quite a few have had to move further inland.
After getting the boat over part of the lake with the intention to hitch a ride, we eventually got picked up by two men who knew Ahmed, later to find out they were policemen! Back at camp we ate with the policemen who were pretty dodgy characters, when we were picked up they looked like 2 del boy's with a pair of 6 x 9's in the back playing loud pakistani music. One kept apologising he was drunk and then offering us some Hunza wine which we politely declined to start with as if it were a trap to be drinking alcohol in a dry country. We have been informed Hunza wine is commonly consumed in that region!! Seeing they were such dodgy characters and they policed the region for illegal immigrants, he seemed to like the fact Alex pretended we didn't have a passport or visa. The policemen along with many other Pakistani's, have been hassling Alex about why we are not married but their way of doing things is far different from the west!
Off to Karimibad and then a trek to near the base camp of the 9th biggest mountain in the world, Nanga Parbat, also known as the killer mountain due to the amount of lives it has taken. This only applies to reaching the summit so we are not on a suicide mission, we promise!
Alex & Jo xx
Sunday 12 September 2010
Saturday 11 September 2010
A man's best friend, not in China
As a treat, we booked a fancy hotel in Yangshuo with Jo's birthday STA travel voucher, the only problem was we booked it because it was supposed to have a swimming pool but on arriving we were told that they never had one! After Jo's initial disappointment, we realised we should be able to blag another free voucher for being mis-sold the hotel. An extra 2 nights in a decent hotel brought a smile to both of our face so instead of our pool we went for a dip in the local river.
Yangshuo was such a beautiful little town surrounded by karst mountains but a few too many tourists for our liking. This didn't deter us as we hired push bikes on two consectutive days to explore the countryside. Jo was the only person who managed to get her mountain bike that clogged with mud that the back wheel wouldn't go round! After 10 mins of Alex going mad as he fixed the bike whilst getting caked in mud, we succeeded in getting the bike moving much to Jo's amusement.
Following on from the last post, we stumbled on the local farmers market and it wasn't the best place for dog lovers! There were a few stalls with skinned dogs on meat hooks hanging in full view ready to take back for a delicious dinner. The horrible part was you could see the live dogs in cages out the back awaiting the same treatment! It was weird to see but they are animals bred to be eaten just like animals we are used to eating back home.
Next stop was Xingping which was probably what Yangshuo was around 20 years ago, a quaint little village with a lot more traditional chinese architecture and locals just going about their daily lives. The most scenic bike ride ensued through rice fields and fruit plantations along with another swim in the river all to ourselves. Following this was an incredibly tough climb up a very steep mountain, it felt like a walk up a stony path to reach your Kung Fu master!! After we stopped sweating a little, we took in the 360 view which was spectacular. There were even a few photographer's with tripod's that had made the journey just for the photo opportunity.
The next day and an 6.30 start for a boat ride down the Yulong River. Unfortunately we weren't blessed with a beautiful sunrise as it always seems to be too hazy in most of China for nice sunrises and sunsets. Maybe it's the time of year. An hour and half ride up river dropped us of for a 3 hour hike back along the river with a much deserved stopoff to swim.
We couldn't beleive our luck with the view from our next guesthouse in a place called Dahzai which ended up being one of the cheapest. It was set in the Longji Rice Terraces, half an hour walk up a mountain through all the rice terraces. The area is such an incredible feat of farming, built over generations by the locals with a natural irrigation system where the water flows over one terrace, down to the lower terrace and so on. We enjoyed our time their so much we had to add an extra day to the visit. A few days earlier after debating whether we would eat a cat or a dog, Jo remarked she couldn't eat a cat as she loved them so much but I had never seen someone volunteer so quickly when we got offered what we think was a 2 month old kitten that had been cooked up by the family of the guesthouse. We got it's little leg which was rather tasty!!
When we did finally leave, it was a 3 hour mission back to Guilin to get our 19hr train to Chongqing which was a city renowned for hotpots. There always seems to be some incident on the trains and started with us having difficulty finding our beds. This time round with lots of pushing and shoving in the aisles to get through, some Chinese man was trying to push past Alex while he was waiting for people coming the other to get through and make space, this resulted in a palm to the chest and the Chinese man was sent flying backwards. Typically, it turned out to be the man whose hillybilly family we shared a compartment with! They had boxes, buckets and all sorts of shit everywhere before we actually found our beds which left no room for both our bags. Jo's managed to go on an overhead rack but when Alex started trying to re-jig the bags that must have been the hillbillies, it was met by them tapping and shouting at us. About 5 mins followed with no success in getting our bags up so Alex resorted to taking one of their cases off and having a kind of 'push of war' with the mother in the aisle. Alex's bag went up after pointing out they had taken up every inch of space within the carriage, our first encounter with Chinese 'pikeys'. In the midst of all this Jo found something that looked to come off one of their bags which she asked if we should give back but Alex threw it straight out the window which sent Jo into a state of hysterics!!
The latest hostel was very well chosen as we discovered they had a movie system through the TV in the rooms. This was perfect timing as we had been travelling a fair amount with lots of bike rides and walks so a day relaxing and watching films was an exciting change. Chengdu was the next target on the map which was where we had booked a flight to Urumqi as the alternative would have been about 3 days travel across land. It looks like a small distance when planning your route but the size of the country is vast.
Since we didn't find hotpot in Chongqing, we were reccomended a place by one of the staff at the hostel so Jo decided to make it date night and put on a frock and a bit of slap. The hotpot was delicious, you have this massive wok that sits in a hole within your table heated underneath by a gas flame. The wok has two ring compartments, one mild and one spicy that you put your raw ingredients that you chose into either section to cook yourself. Once it was ready, you fished for it with your chopsticks and dipped whatever you found into a sesame oil mix of garlic and herbs before devouring it. Apart from the fact we were sweating a bit from the heat it was giving out and the chillies and spices probably didn't help, it was the nicest meal so far. Most of the staff kept laughing at us because they couldn't communicate from the start what the protocol was so we had to watch other tables to see what you were supposed to be doing!!
Booking a train onwards from Urumqi was proving pretty difficult again as we had been trying to pre-book it for weeks. In the end, a flight to Kashgar worked out only just more expensive and the prospect of an hour and 40 flight was too tempting for the money than 24 hours on a train.
Before we left London, one of Jo's work mates suggested reading a book called Danzinger's Travels - Beyond Forbidden Frontiers by Nick Danzinger. Jo finished the book around the start of our China adventure and I have just read the section about Kashgar in Western China which is where we have just been through. It's interesting to read someone's account of places you have been / are going to so you have comparisons.
Little things we have picked up on, like the chilldren having slits in the back of their trousers as most can't afford nappies so it makes it easier for the parents if they need to go to toilet without pulling their pants down and it encourages them to go on their own. This is something we have noticed all across China. His route took him from London through Europe to South Turkey, through Iran, Afghanistan and then was the first foreigner to cross from Pakistan to Western China since the revolution in 1949. He disguised himself as a muslim to keep under the radar as he was travelling illegally after Iran.
We met a guy from Burnley of all places who was quite an interesting bloke that we had a few beers with (typical northeners) who was now a sushi chef in Melbourne to a Japanese wife who traded gems and were both extremely well travelled. He was in Pakistan 11 years ago and had nothing but good things to say about the country and the people but recommended we buy the local attire of a shalwar chamise to try blend in and also a great way of keeping cool. This was also the the same dress that Danzinger became accustomed to along his travels.
Will update you on Kashgar soon and hopefully we can start updating the blog again in Pakistan more regularly.
Hope everyone is ok.
Love Alex & Jo x
Yangshuo was such a beautiful little town surrounded by karst mountains but a few too many tourists for our liking. This didn't deter us as we hired push bikes on two consectutive days to explore the countryside. Jo was the only person who managed to get her mountain bike that clogged with mud that the back wheel wouldn't go round! After 10 mins of Alex going mad as he fixed the bike whilst getting caked in mud, we succeeded in getting the bike moving much to Jo's amusement.
Following on from the last post, we stumbled on the local farmers market and it wasn't the best place for dog lovers! There were a few stalls with skinned dogs on meat hooks hanging in full view ready to take back for a delicious dinner. The horrible part was you could see the live dogs in cages out the back awaiting the same treatment! It was weird to see but they are animals bred to be eaten just like animals we are used to eating back home.
Next stop was Xingping which was probably what Yangshuo was around 20 years ago, a quaint little village with a lot more traditional chinese architecture and locals just going about their daily lives. The most scenic bike ride ensued through rice fields and fruit plantations along with another swim in the river all to ourselves. Following this was an incredibly tough climb up a very steep mountain, it felt like a walk up a stony path to reach your Kung Fu master!! After we stopped sweating a little, we took in the 360 view which was spectacular. There were even a few photographer's with tripod's that had made the journey just for the photo opportunity.
The next day and an 6.30 start for a boat ride down the Yulong River. Unfortunately we weren't blessed with a beautiful sunrise as it always seems to be too hazy in most of China for nice sunrises and sunsets. Maybe it's the time of year. An hour and half ride up river dropped us of for a 3 hour hike back along the river with a much deserved stopoff to swim.
We couldn't beleive our luck with the view from our next guesthouse in a place called Dahzai which ended up being one of the cheapest. It was set in the Longji Rice Terraces, half an hour walk up a mountain through all the rice terraces. The area is such an incredible feat of farming, built over generations by the locals with a natural irrigation system where the water flows over one terrace, down to the lower terrace and so on. We enjoyed our time their so much we had to add an extra day to the visit. A few days earlier after debating whether we would eat a cat or a dog, Jo remarked she couldn't eat a cat as she loved them so much but I had never seen someone volunteer so quickly when we got offered what we think was a 2 month old kitten that had been cooked up by the family of the guesthouse. We got it's little leg which was rather tasty!!
When we did finally leave, it was a 3 hour mission back to Guilin to get our 19hr train to Chongqing which was a city renowned for hotpots. There always seems to be some incident on the trains and started with us having difficulty finding our beds. This time round with lots of pushing and shoving in the aisles to get through, some Chinese man was trying to push past Alex while he was waiting for people coming the other to get through and make space, this resulted in a palm to the chest and the Chinese man was sent flying backwards. Typically, it turned out to be the man whose hillybilly family we shared a compartment with! They had boxes, buckets and all sorts of shit everywhere before we actually found our beds which left no room for both our bags. Jo's managed to go on an overhead rack but when Alex started trying to re-jig the bags that must have been the hillbillies, it was met by them tapping and shouting at us. About 5 mins followed with no success in getting our bags up so Alex resorted to taking one of their cases off and having a kind of 'push of war' with the mother in the aisle. Alex's bag went up after pointing out they had taken up every inch of space within the carriage, our first encounter with Chinese 'pikeys'. In the midst of all this Jo found something that looked to come off one of their bags which she asked if we should give back but Alex threw it straight out the window which sent Jo into a state of hysterics!!
The latest hostel was very well chosen as we discovered they had a movie system through the TV in the rooms. This was perfect timing as we had been travelling a fair amount with lots of bike rides and walks so a day relaxing and watching films was an exciting change. Chengdu was the next target on the map which was where we had booked a flight to Urumqi as the alternative would have been about 3 days travel across land. It looks like a small distance when planning your route but the size of the country is vast.
Since we didn't find hotpot in Chongqing, we were reccomended a place by one of the staff at the hostel so Jo decided to make it date night and put on a frock and a bit of slap. The hotpot was delicious, you have this massive wok that sits in a hole within your table heated underneath by a gas flame. The wok has two ring compartments, one mild and one spicy that you put your raw ingredients that you chose into either section to cook yourself. Once it was ready, you fished for it with your chopsticks and dipped whatever you found into a sesame oil mix of garlic and herbs before devouring it. Apart from the fact we were sweating a bit from the heat it was giving out and the chillies and spices probably didn't help, it was the nicest meal so far. Most of the staff kept laughing at us because they couldn't communicate from the start what the protocol was so we had to watch other tables to see what you were supposed to be doing!!
Booking a train onwards from Urumqi was proving pretty difficult again as we had been trying to pre-book it for weeks. In the end, a flight to Kashgar worked out only just more expensive and the prospect of an hour and 40 flight was too tempting for the money than 24 hours on a train.
Before we left London, one of Jo's work mates suggested reading a book called Danzinger's Travels - Beyond Forbidden Frontiers by Nick Danzinger. Jo finished the book around the start of our China adventure and I have just read the section about Kashgar in Western China which is where we have just been through. It's interesting to read someone's account of places you have been / are going to so you have comparisons.
Little things we have picked up on, like the chilldren having slits in the back of their trousers as most can't afford nappies so it makes it easier for the parents if they need to go to toilet without pulling their pants down and it encourages them to go on their own. This is something we have noticed all across China. His route took him from London through Europe to South Turkey, through Iran, Afghanistan and then was the first foreigner to cross from Pakistan to Western China since the revolution in 1949. He disguised himself as a muslim to keep under the radar as he was travelling illegally after Iran.
We met a guy from Burnley of all places who was quite an interesting bloke that we had a few beers with (typical northeners) who was now a sushi chef in Melbourne to a Japanese wife who traded gems and were both extremely well travelled. He was in Pakistan 11 years ago and had nothing but good things to say about the country and the people but recommended we buy the local attire of a shalwar chamise to try blend in and also a great way of keeping cool. This was also the the same dress that Danzinger became accustomed to along his travels.
Will update you on Kashgar soon and hopefully we can start updating the blog again in Pakistan more regularly.
Hope everyone is ok.
Love Alex & Jo x
Sunday 22 August 2010
What you doing in Taiwan boy............
Not updated for a while as China is not the best place for freedom of speech so the blocking of blogging sites has been a bit of a problem!!
Getting back to Ulanbaator from Moron was possibly the worst journey we have experienced ever!! We thought it would be a decent size coach with a fair amount of legroom like our first bus ride into the countryside but it was a cross between a 4x4 and a small bus. Alex couldn't get his knees in between the seats and there was hardly any legroom anyway due to us being sat over the wheel arch. To top it off, they had at least 8 people sat on bags dotted down the aisles so we knew it was going to be a nightmare trip before we set off, lucky we packed some vodka!! Hardly any sleep ensued and we managed to make it back to pick up our chinese visas later that day.
We decided to leave Mongolia early in the end so our 2 week extension proved to be useless but Jo was happy at the prospect of eating something other than mutton in China after falling ill for a few days in Moron. She has not been disappointed since!!
Sleeper tickets were bought for the cheaper version of the trans-mongolian train to the Mongolian town of Zamyn Uud where we were hurried off the train into a jeep to cross the border in the most bizarre border crossing we have ever seen in our lives!! Everyone had to cross the border in licensed ex-soviet jeeps or on buses which we were informed were the slower option. It was like wacky racers, jeeps flying everywhere trying to jostle for their starting place at the border crossing where you received a number from border officials. Then the border opened and everyone was jumping off road to fight for position for the next phase of the crossing, it was so surreal. We almost didn't get through customs as Alex didn't get a tiny stamp from the London Mongolian Consulate but after a 15 minute wait and Alex blocking the window of the customs official, we were dealt with. You knew you arrived in China by the hotel like building with air-con and a military precision operation to get you through their side of the crossing!!
The next bizarre moment was getting on a sleeper bus in a town called Erleen on our way to Beijing where we were confronted by hospital type beds that felt like you were in a cocoon. The trip wasn't too bad altough you were in bed from 4 in the afternoon til 7 the next morning!! Beijing was a pretty cool city and we were excited about trying some new dishes, a lady we met who was moving to China to improve her Mandarin recommended we have the Peking Duck in a restaurant behind the well known night market. We opted out of the delicacies at the market suprisingly but they had a range of treats like sheep's testicles, scorpion, seahorse, worms, beetles and much more to test your bottle. The great wall was bypassed due to the amount of money, time and effort it would have involved, not to mention the millions of tourists. A visit to the forbidden city was the highlight along with wandering the back alleys.
A trip out of Beijing took us on the equivilent of the Japanese bullet train to a place called Taiyuan which was just an overnight stop but took the train conductor by suprise when we were going through the station onto Pingyao at our mis-pronounciation and thought we wanted to get to Taiwan!!
Next stop was Pingyao, a preserved ancient city and most of the guesthouses were in tradional style homes. We passed on most of the usual siteseeing activities and were happy wandering the town and on the second day decided to get a tandem bike which was pretty a great way to see the town. Alex was convinced to have a pedicure as Jo was missing her pampering, you should have seen the ladies face when she saw the state of his feet!! The next day we indulged (if you can call it that) in a neck and back massage where they really worked your muscles, it was bordering on pain at times.
Xi'an was a fairly quick stopover to go and see the Terracotta Army which was incredible. They have 3 pits that were excavated and some that are still being excavated, it was recommended we worked backwards from pit 3 which had the smallest amount of life size warriors upto pit 1 which was at least the size of a football pitch. If you ever get the chance to go to China you should definitely add it to your itinery.
The 28hr mammoth train journey to Guilin nearly topped the nightmare journey in Mongolia. After turning up at the station and approaching our booked carriage we noticed everybody sitting on hard seats and not laying on hard beds as we thought we had booked!! The next issue was one of the seats was double booked and we were sitting 4 to 3 seats with a very pissed off Jo & Alex. Even our translated piece of paper with 'can we get an upgrade' didn't come in handy like it did on a previous train so we resorted to sitting back down and cracking open the beers for a long night ahead. Luckily within an hour, a guard approached saying they had found 2 beds for the upgrade which was such a relief. We just felt sorry for some of them we managed to speak to who were spending 2 days on a hard seat!!
In Yangshao at present, which is absolutely beautiful but we will update you in the near future. Lets just say, a man's best friend is not a saying that some of them would agree with!!
Jo & Alex
Getting back to Ulanbaator from Moron was possibly the worst journey we have experienced ever!! We thought it would be a decent size coach with a fair amount of legroom like our first bus ride into the countryside but it was a cross between a 4x4 and a small bus. Alex couldn't get his knees in between the seats and there was hardly any legroom anyway due to us being sat over the wheel arch. To top it off, they had at least 8 people sat on bags dotted down the aisles so we knew it was going to be a nightmare trip before we set off, lucky we packed some vodka!! Hardly any sleep ensued and we managed to make it back to pick up our chinese visas later that day.
We decided to leave Mongolia early in the end so our 2 week extension proved to be useless but Jo was happy at the prospect of eating something other than mutton in China after falling ill for a few days in Moron. She has not been disappointed since!!
Sleeper tickets were bought for the cheaper version of the trans-mongolian train to the Mongolian town of Zamyn Uud where we were hurried off the train into a jeep to cross the border in the most bizarre border crossing we have ever seen in our lives!! Everyone had to cross the border in licensed ex-soviet jeeps or on buses which we were informed were the slower option. It was like wacky racers, jeeps flying everywhere trying to jostle for their starting place at the border crossing where you received a number from border officials. Then the border opened and everyone was jumping off road to fight for position for the next phase of the crossing, it was so surreal. We almost didn't get through customs as Alex didn't get a tiny stamp from the London Mongolian Consulate but after a 15 minute wait and Alex blocking the window of the customs official, we were dealt with. You knew you arrived in China by the hotel like building with air-con and a military precision operation to get you through their side of the crossing!!
The next bizarre moment was getting on a sleeper bus in a town called Erleen on our way to Beijing where we were confronted by hospital type beds that felt like you were in a cocoon. The trip wasn't too bad altough you were in bed from 4 in the afternoon til 7 the next morning!! Beijing was a pretty cool city and we were excited about trying some new dishes, a lady we met who was moving to China to improve her Mandarin recommended we have the Peking Duck in a restaurant behind the well known night market. We opted out of the delicacies at the market suprisingly but they had a range of treats like sheep's testicles, scorpion, seahorse, worms, beetles and much more to test your bottle. The great wall was bypassed due to the amount of money, time and effort it would have involved, not to mention the millions of tourists. A visit to the forbidden city was the highlight along with wandering the back alleys.
A trip out of Beijing took us on the equivilent of the Japanese bullet train to a place called Taiyuan which was just an overnight stop but took the train conductor by suprise when we were going through the station onto Pingyao at our mis-pronounciation and thought we wanted to get to Taiwan!!
Next stop was Pingyao, a preserved ancient city and most of the guesthouses were in tradional style homes. We passed on most of the usual siteseeing activities and were happy wandering the town and on the second day decided to get a tandem bike which was pretty a great way to see the town. Alex was convinced to have a pedicure as Jo was missing her pampering, you should have seen the ladies face when she saw the state of his feet!! The next day we indulged (if you can call it that) in a neck and back massage where they really worked your muscles, it was bordering on pain at times.
Xi'an was a fairly quick stopover to go and see the Terracotta Army which was incredible. They have 3 pits that were excavated and some that are still being excavated, it was recommended we worked backwards from pit 3 which had the smallest amount of life size warriors upto pit 1 which was at least the size of a football pitch. If you ever get the chance to go to China you should definitely add it to your itinery.
The 28hr mammoth train journey to Guilin nearly topped the nightmare journey in Mongolia. After turning up at the station and approaching our booked carriage we noticed everybody sitting on hard seats and not laying on hard beds as we thought we had booked!! The next issue was one of the seats was double booked and we were sitting 4 to 3 seats with a very pissed off Jo & Alex. Even our translated piece of paper with 'can we get an upgrade' didn't come in handy like it did on a previous train so we resorted to sitting back down and cracking open the beers for a long night ahead. Luckily within an hour, a guard approached saying they had found 2 beds for the upgrade which was such a relief. We just felt sorry for some of them we managed to speak to who were spending 2 days on a hard seat!!
In Yangshao at present, which is absolutely beautiful but we will update you in the near future. Lets just say, a man's best friend is not a saying that some of them would agree with!!
Jo & Alex
Saturday 7 August 2010
Alexander the not so great!!
The last post was a bit delayed due to a lack of internet so this is our more recent activity.
After spending a few days in Khatgal which is a small town at the entrance to Khovsgol lake, we decided to embark on a 3 day horse trek. We were originally planning on a four day trek but after the first day soon decided that 3 days would be more than enough.
We named our horses Bob and Betty who started off quite well, then for some reason whatever we tried, the horses would barely move and on occasions we thought Bob was going to keel over! At one point Jo turned round and Alex was in the distance trying hard to command his horse to move from a stationary position and Bob was having none of it. This in turn, made Jo have a giggling fit! On the way to our camp, we stopped a few times and as soon as our feet touched the ground we could barely walk. Now we know why John Wayne walked the way he did!
After lunch, we had another few hours before we encountered a boggy stretch of land which the horses decided to try and sidestep by going across a stony section near the lake. To get there involved manouvering the horse under a fallen tree, Jo went first and managed fine but Alex had a little more trouble!! Bob attempted to clear it but due to Alex being MASSIVE he was taken out and left clinging to the tree. This scared Bob shitless and he ran as fast as he could to escape, Alex luckily got away with a few minor scratches and a bruised ego! As Anwar Nuseibeh would have said 'Tree got taken out by a fellow tree'. Thankfully, our guide Naka, managed to retrieve the horse but Alex was no longer allowed command of the horse and had to be dragged along to our lakeside ger!
Day 2 was a better riding day as we were getting used to controlling our horses and by day 3 we were able to get our horses to trot on demand for longer stretches. The lake itself was really beautiful and in the end we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Back in Moron now, heading to the capital tomorrow where we will pick up our passport with the Chinese visa in and try not to get tasered. Hopefully we will be in China within four or five days.
When near Russia, Moscow
Alex & Jo xx
After spending a few days in Khatgal which is a small town at the entrance to Khovsgol lake, we decided to embark on a 3 day horse trek. We were originally planning on a four day trek but after the first day soon decided that 3 days would be more than enough.
We named our horses Bob and Betty who started off quite well, then for some reason whatever we tried, the horses would barely move and on occasions we thought Bob was going to keel over! At one point Jo turned round and Alex was in the distance trying hard to command his horse to move from a stationary position and Bob was having none of it. This in turn, made Jo have a giggling fit! On the way to our camp, we stopped a few times and as soon as our feet touched the ground we could barely walk. Now we know why John Wayne walked the way he did!
After lunch, we had another few hours before we encountered a boggy stretch of land which the horses decided to try and sidestep by going across a stony section near the lake. To get there involved manouvering the horse under a fallen tree, Jo went first and managed fine but Alex had a little more trouble!! Bob attempted to clear it but due to Alex being MASSIVE he was taken out and left clinging to the tree. This scared Bob shitless and he ran as fast as he could to escape, Alex luckily got away with a few minor scratches and a bruised ego! As Anwar Nuseibeh would have said 'Tree got taken out by a fellow tree'. Thankfully, our guide Naka, managed to retrieve the horse but Alex was no longer allowed command of the horse and had to be dragged along to our lakeside ger!
Day 2 was a better riding day as we were getting used to controlling our horses and by day 3 we were able to get our horses to trot on demand for longer stretches. The lake itself was really beautiful and in the end we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Back in Moron now, heading to the capital tomorrow where we will pick up our passport with the Chinese visa in and try not to get tasered. Hopefully we will be in China within four or five days.
When near Russia, Moscow
Alex & Jo xx
Thursday 5 August 2010
Wednesday 4 August 2010
Yak's cream, fresh baked bread and a wood stove
Tsetserleg was described as the most beautiful aimag (province) capital and it didn't dissapoint. Leading into the town were tree lined streets set between alpine mountains that wouldn't look out of place in switzerland.
We found a cheap hotel this time round which was a treat to sleep on a bed with a matress although over the next few nights we began to realise why it was so cheap! The first night was where the error happened, we left the window open all day not realising it would invite a fair number of beetles into our room. Not as much sleep as we would have liked followed as the occasional beetle would fall from the ceiling onto our head or somewhere on the bed. Wising up to it the second night, we lined a water tray outside the door and used a wet towel on the inside to stop them getting under the door. Armed with a flip flop each, we went on a killing frenzy which resulted in two almost bug free nights and some good sleeps.
There was a really interesting museum that showed everything about the traditional mongolian lifestyle including their clothes, hunting tools, musical instruments etc with some beautiful artworks detailing real life scenes. Even how they pack up their gers when they move from place to place.
Our next stop was a place called Tariat and after our last successful hitching mission, we decided to give it another go. Three long boring hours ensued before we gave in depleted and organised a private car and a driver to take us. The option turned out to be the best as it was a comfortable ride, the driver was incredibly helpful and after seeing how many people went in the same direction plus the state of the roads, it was no wonder people were laughing at us trying to hitch to Tariat! We stopped along the way to try some fermented mare's milk which we won't be having again and arrived 5 hours later where our driver dropped us at the door of a guesthouse.
The lady that owns the guesthouse also owns 3 gers down by the 'White Lake'. We took the option to cook for ourselves as we are embracing the nomad lifestyle, it's been pretty cool making a fire for the wood stove and using traditional cooking pots. Seeing it's a freshwater lake, we have been drinking directly from the lake and using the water for boiling and steaming. Our morning shower has been a quick dive into the lake which is definitely enough to wake you up in the morning even if Jo needed a bit of encouragement!
Grandma, who lives in a ger a few metres away has been treating us to fresh bread, yak's yoghurt, yak's cream and yak's cheese which makes a nice change to our current diet of cabbage, potatoes and rice. The land of blue skies hasn't been that blue here, more like a winter white haze but hopefully that will change when we head of to do our horse trek.
After a 4 days of relaxing and going for walks in the country, we left Tariat for Moron. We were intially told it would take 6 hours but due to a dodgy russian jeep and an exageration of the truth, we arrived 13 hours later only after ditching the jeep and asking a tour of thai ladies to take us the remaining few hours. It was such an entertaining few hours as they always seemed to be laughing about something.
The disappointment of missing the annual nadaam festival (wrestling, archery and horse racing) in the capital was soon forgotten as our first day was the beginning of moron's local nadaam. Alex managed to get entered into the wrestling competition and came a respectable third, you can see a photo of the winner above!! Over the past few days, we have encountered so many pissed mongolians, some even passed out on the street. Most want to befriend us which can be a little annoying when they won't leave you alone and you don't have a clue what they are saying!! The thumbs up tends to go down well.
Off to the pearl of mongolia to see one of their largest freshwater lakes and try to fit in the horse trek and maybe a bit of hiking.
Love to All
Jo & Alexander the Great xx
We found a cheap hotel this time round which was a treat to sleep on a bed with a matress although over the next few nights we began to realise why it was so cheap! The first night was where the error happened, we left the window open all day not realising it would invite a fair number of beetles into our room. Not as much sleep as we would have liked followed as the occasional beetle would fall from the ceiling onto our head or somewhere on the bed. Wising up to it the second night, we lined a water tray outside the door and used a wet towel on the inside to stop them getting under the door. Armed with a flip flop each, we went on a killing frenzy which resulted in two almost bug free nights and some good sleeps.
There was a really interesting museum that showed everything about the traditional mongolian lifestyle including their clothes, hunting tools, musical instruments etc with some beautiful artworks detailing real life scenes. Even how they pack up their gers when they move from place to place.
Our next stop was a place called Tariat and after our last successful hitching mission, we decided to give it another go. Three long boring hours ensued before we gave in depleted and organised a private car and a driver to take us. The option turned out to be the best as it was a comfortable ride, the driver was incredibly helpful and after seeing how many people went in the same direction plus the state of the roads, it was no wonder people were laughing at us trying to hitch to Tariat! We stopped along the way to try some fermented mare's milk which we won't be having again and arrived 5 hours later where our driver dropped us at the door of a guesthouse.
The lady that owns the guesthouse also owns 3 gers down by the 'White Lake'. We took the option to cook for ourselves as we are embracing the nomad lifestyle, it's been pretty cool making a fire for the wood stove and using traditional cooking pots. Seeing it's a freshwater lake, we have been drinking directly from the lake and using the water for boiling and steaming. Our morning shower has been a quick dive into the lake which is definitely enough to wake you up in the morning even if Jo needed a bit of encouragement!
Grandma, who lives in a ger a few metres away has been treating us to fresh bread, yak's yoghurt, yak's cream and yak's cheese which makes a nice change to our current diet of cabbage, potatoes and rice. The land of blue skies hasn't been that blue here, more like a winter white haze but hopefully that will change when we head of to do our horse trek.
After a 4 days of relaxing and going for walks in the country, we left Tariat for Moron. We were intially told it would take 6 hours but due to a dodgy russian jeep and an exageration of the truth, we arrived 13 hours later only after ditching the jeep and asking a tour of thai ladies to take us the remaining few hours. It was such an entertaining few hours as they always seemed to be laughing about something.
The disappointment of missing the annual nadaam festival (wrestling, archery and horse racing) in the capital was soon forgotten as our first day was the beginning of moron's local nadaam. Alex managed to get entered into the wrestling competition and came a respectable third, you can see a photo of the winner above!! Over the past few days, we have encountered so many pissed mongolians, some even passed out on the street. Most want to befriend us which can be a little annoying when they won't leave you alone and you don't have a clue what they are saying!! The thumbs up tends to go down well.
Off to the pearl of mongolia to see one of their largest freshwater lakes and try to fit in the horse trek and maybe a bit of hiking.
Love to All
Jo & Alexander the Great xx
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Monday 19 July 2010
The husband, wife, grandad & 2 kids................
Mongolia is proving rather difficult to get around due to a lack of public transport and the condition of the roads (if you can call them that!). Plus the fact, we don't know what most of them are saying.
We managed to get an extension to 46 days and applied for our chinese visas. Fingers crossed everything is in order this time but we don't find out until we finish our loop and end up back in Ulanbaator. The chinese visa experience was a bit scary, the security guard was a bit militant to say the least and kept ordering people round with his baton which doubled up as a taser. At one point Jo thought I was going to get a few volts through me and end up on the floor!!
Lots of people we spoke to have been making trips out of the capital only to return before making other trips out telling us they can't get any further. We are refusing to believe them! The alternative is going on an organised tour which is very expensive and the thought of being dicated to is not sitting well with the both of us, not that we are stubborn or anything.
After Ulanbaator we arrived in a town called Kharkorin, which is accesible by public bus, where we stayed at a very basic guesthouse in our first ger. For those who don't know, a ger is basically a glorified tent with a few beds, a light and a fire. It's refreshing living so basic, we even left our big backpacks in Ulanbaator to maximise the potential of fitting into any transport we find!
Whilst in Kharkorin, we tested out the hiking boots and scaled a mountain overlooking the town, you can see from the photo. Apart from visiting Mongolia's first Buddhist monastry, there was not much else to do so we found out there was a public bus to Tsetserleg which was the next port of call.
We were also offered a ride in a private car which left earlier in the day and would get us there quicker (we thought!). Little did we know at the time it was joining a mongolian family which included the husband, wife, grandad & 2 kids. This, at the time, we thought was a pretty cool way to get around but due to a breakdown in communication and a lack of mongolian, we ended up in a place called Tsenkher, 30km short of where we wanted!! At least we are making progress we weren't sure we were going to make.
Whilst walking round the town trying to find places on the map, we quickly realised we were in the wrong place! To add to this, we were banking on withdrawing money in Tsetserleg as we were down to our last £1.50 after paying accomodation. After a quick panic and a chat to some foreigners, we were able to exchange 15 of the queens to help us on the way.
An early start, and thumbs up along the roadside we hitched a ride off a mongolian couple on their way back to Tsetserleg for small fee.
Overall, the mongolian people are so friendly and helpful and the scenery incredible. We aim to spend a few days enyoying the mountains before attempting to hitch to one of the national parks.
The netbook is coming in very handy as we are writing this basking in the sun, on the side of a mountain overlooking the city.
Love Alex & Jo
We managed to get an extension to 46 days and applied for our chinese visas. Fingers crossed everything is in order this time but we don't find out until we finish our loop and end up back in Ulanbaator. The chinese visa experience was a bit scary, the security guard was a bit militant to say the least and kept ordering people round with his baton which doubled up as a taser. At one point Jo thought I was going to get a few volts through me and end up on the floor!!
Lots of people we spoke to have been making trips out of the capital only to return before making other trips out telling us they can't get any further. We are refusing to believe them! The alternative is going on an organised tour which is very expensive and the thought of being dicated to is not sitting well with the both of us, not that we are stubborn or anything.
After Ulanbaator we arrived in a town called Kharkorin, which is accesible by public bus, where we stayed at a very basic guesthouse in our first ger. For those who don't know, a ger is basically a glorified tent with a few beds, a light and a fire. It's refreshing living so basic, we even left our big backpacks in Ulanbaator to maximise the potential of fitting into any transport we find!
Whilst in Kharkorin, we tested out the hiking boots and scaled a mountain overlooking the town, you can see from the photo. Apart from visiting Mongolia's first Buddhist monastry, there was not much else to do so we found out there was a public bus to Tsetserleg which was the next port of call.
We were also offered a ride in a private car which left earlier in the day and would get us there quicker (we thought!). Little did we know at the time it was joining a mongolian family which included the husband, wife, grandad & 2 kids. This, at the time, we thought was a pretty cool way to get around but due to a breakdown in communication and a lack of mongolian, we ended up in a place called Tsenkher, 30km short of where we wanted!! At least we are making progress we weren't sure we were going to make.
Whilst walking round the town trying to find places on the map, we quickly realised we were in the wrong place! To add to this, we were banking on withdrawing money in Tsetserleg as we were down to our last £1.50 after paying accomodation. After a quick panic and a chat to some foreigners, we were able to exchange 15 of the queens to help us on the way.
An early start, and thumbs up along the roadside we hitched a ride off a mongolian couple on their way back to Tsetserleg for small fee.
Overall, the mongolian people are so friendly and helpful and the scenery incredible. We aim to spend a few days enyoying the mountains before attempting to hitch to one of the national parks.
The netbook is coming in very handy as we are writing this basking in the sun, on the side of a mountain overlooking the city.
Love Alex & Jo
Wednesday 14 July 2010
Coffee and a bit of goat please
Bit of a disaster to start the trip as our bags got left in Moscow due to the delayed flight from London and a sprint to the gate!
Met a really nice mongolian girl on the flight whose parents gave us a lift into town, if only we managed to print off the location of the guesthouse! Luckily, we found an internet cafe and we solved the rest.
Got a visa extension today and picked up our bags in the process so at least they are not gone forever.
Writing this just after a quick coffee and a goat kebab, it was a ram good meal! Working our way through the mongolian animals as we had a lucky dip on the non-english dinner menu last night and possibly ate a horse, who knows.
Met a really nice mongolian girl on the flight whose parents gave us a lift into town, if only we managed to print off the location of the guesthouse! Luckily, we found an internet cafe and we solved the rest.
Got a visa extension today and picked up our bags in the process so at least they are not gone forever.
Writing this just after a quick coffee and a goat kebab, it was a ram good meal! Working our way through the mongolian animals as we had a lucky dip on the non-english dinner menu last night and possibly ate a horse, who knows.
Thursday 1 July 2010
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