Today we had an early start to make sure we got to the port in time for either the 9.30am or 10am ferry that was taking us to Java for our next stop, Bandung. The drive took us through Jakarta (or a portion of it) and wasn't as long as the last few days - or at least didn't seem to be.
The ferry crossing was incredibly smooth compared to the last rust-bucket we were on, and it felt like we were barely moving. A good number of us sat inside watching a horror movie (nothing like scares at 9.30am) where we were following the plot using the English subtitles. Thankfully there wasn't a whole lot of dialogue, just lots of screaming. The recurring sound was from the ghost character who followed everyone around singing 'jamu ne'...I've no idea what it means but it was creeping Una out so I'm going to record it and use it as the alarm noise tomorrow morning...I'll keep you posted on how that works out! She is working on her blog entry..from Turkey (so long ago I've to dig to the back of my brain to remember). It should be with you any day now.
We got to the hotel at a reasonable time and I sat down to catch up with all the blog entries I know you've been eagerly awaiting, hope you've found them somewhat entertaining or informative :)
Once all that was sorted out I started working on the plan, or should I say Master Plan for when we get to Sydney. We've booked into a hostel for a week to rest up, get washing done and hang out with as many of the OzBUS crew as are sticking around. We're hoping to get tickets to see P!nk in Sydney on August 29th (if anyone can hook me up..please, please get in touch - I know I've seen this show twice already but I wanna go again!) From Sydney we've now got a flight to take us to Broome where we'll have 4 days and nights to hang out before we take a 10 day tour to Perth. We get a night there before taking the Indian Pacific train from Perth on to Adelaide where we've got a night to visit Ann, Cerri & Aisling. Then it's off driving the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne where I'll collect Conor from the airport and drop Una off to continue her adventure. This is all working out beautifully on my spreadsheet...now to get it to work out in reality :)
So that's what I've done in Bandung...not sure what there is to see here, like pretty much everyone else here I've not ventured out to look around. Una is busily making a birthday card for Barbara for tomorrow and some of the others are singing themselves silly in the Karaoke bar upstairs..the sweet tunage that's flowing down is amazing :)
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Day 68 (Bandar Lampung)
To be honest there isn't a whole lot to report from today. It was a longer drive day than expected – I thought there was about 30 minutes left but heard a vicious rumour about two or three hours so put the question to the front of the bus..it was confirmed. I wanted to die! Really feeling the strain of being confined on a bus for so many hours these days, so I'm very excited about flying ahead to Bali.
The drama of the day was when I roused from sleep to have Una standing over me looking very upset..I hadn't a clue what was going on. It turns out that she'd managed to delete every single photo from her memory card – we're not talking a couple of pictures here, we're talking thousands! Every photo from the day we left Dublin...the mood was blue :( The only consolation was that I had a backup of everything up until we left Koh Samui, so she's missing from Hat Yai onwards..the days I was very camera shy for once, so we don't have a whole lot to share from those days...I'm working on piecing it together from what I have and taking copies of Annie's (she takes so many pictures that we're bound to bridge the gap :) thanks Annie).
We eventually arrived over two hours late, tired and cranky (or at least I was). Having eaten most of our snacks we needed to restock for lunch so went in search of a supermarket. Beside it we found a restaurant serving steak, and a Pizza Hut. I've been craving steak for aaages...but we couldn't understand the menu, and the waitresses didn't have an English menu, or any English to help us translate it. Fearing that we'd get mushroom stuffed steaks in mushroom sauce, and not feeling adventurous enough to order mystery dishes since we were hungry enough to chew our own arms off at that point we went to Pizza Hut...AGAIN! I had Lasange..AGAIN! I tried to have a semi-healthy option by getting salad too, but then I had too much food and couldn't finish it all. As an aside, the vanilla milkshakes in Indonesian Pizza Huts are the nicest I've ever tasted...so, so, so, so good!!
The drama of the day was when I roused from sleep to have Una standing over me looking very upset..I hadn't a clue what was going on. It turns out that she'd managed to delete every single photo from her memory card – we're not talking a couple of pictures here, we're talking thousands! Every photo from the day we left Dublin...the mood was blue :( The only consolation was that I had a backup of everything up until we left Koh Samui, so she's missing from Hat Yai onwards..the days I was very camera shy for once, so we don't have a whole lot to share from those days...I'm working on piecing it together from what I have and taking copies of Annie's (she takes so many pictures that we're bound to bridge the gap :) thanks Annie).
We eventually arrived over two hours late, tired and cranky (or at least I was). Having eaten most of our snacks we needed to restock for lunch so went in search of a supermarket. Beside it we found a restaurant serving steak, and a Pizza Hut. I've been craving steak for aaages...but we couldn't understand the menu, and the waitresses didn't have an English menu, or any English to help us translate it. Fearing that we'd get mushroom stuffed steaks in mushroom sauce, and not feeling adventurous enough to order mystery dishes since we were hungry enough to chew our own arms off at that point we went to Pizza Hut...AGAIN! I had Lasange..AGAIN! I tried to have a semi-healthy option by getting salad too, but then I had too much food and couldn't finish it all. As an aside, the vanilla milkshakes in Indonesian Pizza Huts are the nicest I've ever tasted...so, so, so, so good!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Day 67 (Palembang)
Today we moved on from Jambi to Palembang. There wasn't a whole lot to note from the day really, it was just another drive day. We did however get the second of our OzBUS dinners on the beautiful setting of a riverboat berthed just beyond the one and only sight that we were aware of in Palembang – the bridge.
We had been speaking to an American guy who was teaching English in a school in Jambi last night and he was aware of the bridge but didn't know why it was noted as something to see. When we got there I reckon the significance of the bridge is the sheer volume of neon lighting used to make it standout in the night sky. It was quite beautiful..and I'm not usually a neon fan.
Dinner consisted of rice, chicken, sweet & sour fish and some vegetables in what tasted vaguely like black bean sauce. The chicken was very tasty and I'd have happily eaten a lot more of it had there been more available. I didn't wanna overstep the mark and take more than my share and then leave someone else hungry. So when we got back to the hotel I ordered pizza so I could have some then and the rest for lunch the next day.
Mel, Michelle and I booked flights with Lion Air to fly down to Bali early and avoid two long drive days on the bus. This will mean we miss Mount Bromo which is a shame, but the bus here in Indonesia is the first one that I've consistently felt motion sick on so getting away from 2 long days on it is well worth the €29 for the ticket. It also means that we get 3 days more there than we would do if we stuck with the bus which will be good.
We had been speaking to an American guy who was teaching English in a school in Jambi last night and he was aware of the bridge but didn't know why it was noted as something to see. When we got there I reckon the significance of the bridge is the sheer volume of neon lighting used to make it standout in the night sky. It was quite beautiful..and I'm not usually a neon fan.
Dinner consisted of rice, chicken, sweet & sour fish and some vegetables in what tasted vaguely like black bean sauce. The chicken was very tasty and I'd have happily eaten a lot more of it had there been more available. I didn't wanna overstep the mark and take more than my share and then leave someone else hungry. So when we got back to the hotel I ordered pizza so I could have some then and the rest for lunch the next day.
Mel, Michelle and I booked flights with Lion Air to fly down to Bali early and avoid two long drive days on the bus. This will mean we miss Mount Bromo which is a shame, but the bus here in Indonesia is the first one that I've consistently felt motion sick on so getting away from 2 long days on it is well worth the €29 for the ticket. It also means that we get 3 days more there than we would do if we stuck with the bus which will be good.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Day 66 (Jambi)
We had a pretty long drive day planned for today, but since we were going to be crossing the Equator I reckoned regardless of how long it took, it was gonna be a good day. We set off early and expected to cross the equator somewhere around 9am. I expected a big line drawn on the ground to allow people to have their picture taken with one foot on either side, but alas that wasn't what we found. Don't get me wrong, what was there was cool, just not how I pictured it would be.
We pulled up and there was a big pillar Tugu Equator written on it in big gold letters so that's where we all got our photos taken. Phone reception was slightly better in the Northern Hemisphere, I know this because I called Conor to say hello from both hemispheres and got cut off when I stepped across the imaginary line! Cool to be able to say I've crossed the equator on dry land :)
After 20 minutes of photo action we were back on the road and on the way to Jambi for the night. The hotel there had a pretty large outdoor swimming pool that I took advantage of to get some movement in my limbs after all the sitting on the bus. It was pretty special to be swimming around under the stars and the partial moon on my first night in the Southern Hemisphere. Pretty weird that I'm on the other half of the world to all of you at home until November!
We pulled up and there was a big pillar Tugu Equator written on it in big gold letters so that's where we all got our photos taken. Phone reception was slightly better in the Northern Hemisphere, I know this because I called Conor to say hello from both hemispheres and got cut off when I stepped across the imaginary line! Cool to be able to say I've crossed the equator on dry land :)
After 20 minutes of photo action we were back on the road and on the way to Jambi for the night. The hotel there had a pretty large outdoor swimming pool that I took advantage of to get some movement in my limbs after all the sitting on the bus. It was pretty special to be swimming around under the stars and the partial moon on my first night in the Southern Hemisphere. Pretty weird that I'm on the other half of the world to all of you at home until November!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Day 65 (Pekanbaru)
Another day, another border crossing, this time our last overland one from Malaysia into Indonesia.
We clambered aboard another boat with our baggage and took some seats in the upper saloon. I've never been on anything quite so rocky. I thought the speedboat to Black Moon was bad, I thought the fast ferry back from Alton Towers was bad..they were nothing compare to this monstrosity! The boat looked like a hybrid between a speedboat and a small ferry, and it ploughed through the water at a crazy speed. It was like the captain thought the waves would part for us rather than bash us around the place. I tried to stand at one point to talk to someone but had to have a lie down to stop from feeling sick. The toilet on the boat was a squat...interesting trying to use it with the boat rocking around so much and only a small handle on one wall to try maintain your balance – quite the experience!
When we got off the boat an immigration guy snapped the passports out of some of our hands despite our protests that we were in a group and were all to stick together. Mine was one of those he grabbed so I stuck to him like glue demanding he return it – he wouldn't. I followed him to the office where they sell you the visa. He handed the three passports over to the lady who was sitting waiting to take our money. I took them back and left the room to wait for Kim and the rest of the group to catch us up. The lady was demanding $25 US or 300,000 Rupiah for the visa. That didn't equate! Needless to say we were unhappy and quite vocal about the fact that we were being ripped off. I had no dollars left (they were all long gone to pay for the activities earlier in the trip) so was forced to pay in local currency – I was not a happy bunny. I was even less happy when my passport was handed from that office into the one next door where they took it behind a screen for a long, long time before finally handing it back with a receipt for $25 not the amount I'd actually paid. The guy sitting outside the screen was holding a USB device that I'm sure now contains a scan of my passport and god knows what else. It wasn't a good first impression for me..they were so aggressive and rude :(
We met our bus on the other side of the border and were greeted by Anto, our translator for the next 14 days – the yes man. The bus is grand, but it's weird that it doesn't have enough stowage space for our baggage..most of it is inside the bus with us and is being used as a mattress by one of the drivers when he needs to rest up!
Pekanbaru was a lot bigger than we expected. It was back to a KFC dinner (I really, really wanna eat something different now but am too scared of getting sick again).
We clambered aboard another boat with our baggage and took some seats in the upper saloon. I've never been on anything quite so rocky. I thought the speedboat to Black Moon was bad, I thought the fast ferry back from Alton Towers was bad..they were nothing compare to this monstrosity! The boat looked like a hybrid between a speedboat and a small ferry, and it ploughed through the water at a crazy speed. It was like the captain thought the waves would part for us rather than bash us around the place. I tried to stand at one point to talk to someone but had to have a lie down to stop from feeling sick. The toilet on the boat was a squat...interesting trying to use it with the boat rocking around so much and only a small handle on one wall to try maintain your balance – quite the experience!
When we got off the boat an immigration guy snapped the passports out of some of our hands despite our protests that we were in a group and were all to stick together. Mine was one of those he grabbed so I stuck to him like glue demanding he return it – he wouldn't. I followed him to the office where they sell you the visa. He handed the three passports over to the lady who was sitting waiting to take our money. I took them back and left the room to wait for Kim and the rest of the group to catch us up. The lady was demanding $25 US or 300,000 Rupiah for the visa. That didn't equate! Needless to say we were unhappy and quite vocal about the fact that we were being ripped off. I had no dollars left (they were all long gone to pay for the activities earlier in the trip) so was forced to pay in local currency – I was not a happy bunny. I was even less happy when my passport was handed from that office into the one next door where they took it behind a screen for a long, long time before finally handing it back with a receipt for $25 not the amount I'd actually paid. The guy sitting outside the screen was holding a USB device that I'm sure now contains a scan of my passport and god knows what else. It wasn't a good first impression for me..they were so aggressive and rude :(
We met our bus on the other side of the border and were greeted by Anto, our translator for the next 14 days – the yes man. The bus is grand, but it's weird that it doesn't have enough stowage space for our baggage..most of it is inside the bus with us and is being used as a mattress by one of the drivers when he needs to rest up!
Pekanbaru was a lot bigger than we expected. It was back to a KFC dinner (I really, really wanna eat something different now but am too scared of getting sick again).
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Day 64 (Melaka)
Our second and final day in Malaysia – man time flies!
We left Penang and hit the road for Melaka with a planned pit stop in Kuala Lumpur to give people a few hours to sightsee, shop or just relax in the Petronus Twin Towers. We also had to pick up Todo who'd stayed on in Koh Samui for an extra couple of days. The drive to KL was quicker than expected so we had more than 3 hours to venture around the place and explore. We were dropped at the twin towers and that' where most of us stayed.
First stop was to look for money exchange to get Indonesian Ruppiahs to pay for our visa the next day during our final overland border crossing. The visa price was to be $25 US or 238,000 in local currency. Given that there might be problems changing Euros in Indonesia and that was the only cash I had left, I cleared out a bank in the Twin Towers by getting €100 changed up. That's the end of my cash :( Was hopeful I'd make it to Australia and have that note left to change there! After we'd got our cash situation sorted we went in search of food...and found....an O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bar! I was tempted but it didn't look as good as it is at home, and I wanted to try something local given how much Western food I've been eating of late. After my tummy issues I'm a bit wary of eating in most local food places, but I figured in a shopping centre at least there are less flies and things landing on the food before I eat it! I had some noodles and chicken that was reasonably tasty.
There were no tickets left for the walkway at the towers so I half considered going to the BT tower to have a look at the city, but instead went to a net cafe to book my Sydney Harbour Bridge climb and start work on revising my plan for arrival in Oz.
With Todo collected and everyone else back at the bus we ventured onward to Melaka for the night. The guide again pointed out the sites to see and suggested that we all head to Jonker Walk for the night markets where we'd be able to buy anything and everything we wanted (waiting until as late in the night as possible to buy guaranteed the best price). In addition to stuff for sale there were lots of food stalls, and a stage set up that had locals and tourists up singing – very bizarre. I parted with the equivalent of €1.50 for a new pair of flip-flops (a girl can never have too many pairs) and resisted the temptation to buy anything else. A gang of us headed into a pub on Jonker Walk called the Geographer for some food and drinks. The cocktails seemed pretty alcohol free to me, but the food was quite tasty. There was a guy playing keyboards and guitar and singing some of the worst covers I've ever heard of some pretty good tunes. Toward the end of the night the manager came over to take our photo so if OzBUS 10, 11 or whatever make it there, look out for us...we may be on the wall of fame :)
We left Penang and hit the road for Melaka with a planned pit stop in Kuala Lumpur to give people a few hours to sightsee, shop or just relax in the Petronus Twin Towers. We also had to pick up Todo who'd stayed on in Koh Samui for an extra couple of days. The drive to KL was quicker than expected so we had more than 3 hours to venture around the place and explore. We were dropped at the twin towers and that' where most of us stayed.
First stop was to look for money exchange to get Indonesian Ruppiahs to pay for our visa the next day during our final overland border crossing. The visa price was to be $25 US or 238,000 in local currency. Given that there might be problems changing Euros in Indonesia and that was the only cash I had left, I cleared out a bank in the Twin Towers by getting €100 changed up. That's the end of my cash :( Was hopeful I'd make it to Australia and have that note left to change there! After we'd got our cash situation sorted we went in search of food...and found....an O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bar! I was tempted but it didn't look as good as it is at home, and I wanted to try something local given how much Western food I've been eating of late. After my tummy issues I'm a bit wary of eating in most local food places, but I figured in a shopping centre at least there are less flies and things landing on the food before I eat it! I had some noodles and chicken that was reasonably tasty.
There were no tickets left for the walkway at the towers so I half considered going to the BT tower to have a look at the city, but instead went to a net cafe to book my Sydney Harbour Bridge climb and start work on revising my plan for arrival in Oz.
With Todo collected and everyone else back at the bus we ventured onward to Melaka for the night. The guide again pointed out the sites to see and suggested that we all head to Jonker Walk for the night markets where we'd be able to buy anything and everything we wanted (waiting until as late in the night as possible to buy guaranteed the best price). In addition to stuff for sale there were lots of food stalls, and a stage set up that had locals and tourists up singing – very bizarre. I parted with the equivalent of €1.50 for a new pair of flip-flops (a girl can never have too many pairs) and resisted the temptation to buy anything else. A gang of us headed into a pub on Jonker Walk called the Geographer for some food and drinks. The cocktails seemed pretty alcohol free to me, but the food was quite tasty. There was a guy playing keyboards and guitar and singing some of the worst covers I've ever heard of some pretty good tunes. Toward the end of the night the manager came over to take our photo so if OzBUS 10, 11 or whatever make it there, look out for us...we may be on the wall of fame :)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Day 63 (Penang)
Farewell Thailand, hello Malaysia!
Our first of two stops in Malaysia was the island of Penang which is separated from the mainland by a 13km long bridge. The guide for Malaysia was a hoot, the guy came out with the most random stuff in addition to all the really excellent historical information he shared. We passed a Tesco on our way into Penang that sent him into a chorus of 'Tesco, Tesco, Tesco' in the way you expect a Japanese tourist to be singing 'photo, photo, photo' when on holidays. He explained that Penang was heaving that weekend with every bit of accommodation in the place fully booked because there was a big celebration for the feast of St. Anne that was at it's height the next day and attracted people from all over.
When we got settled into the hotel we went in search of all the historical sites he had been explaining on the way in. Of course we got horribly lost and then distracted by a shopping centre boasting a Starbucks (I'm having severe coffee cravings even though I've had practically none in weeks) and a McDonalds that was calling to the girls. There was also a cinema there which we went to check out once I mentioned that Ice Age 3 was out and I'd heard good things about it. That was the end of looking for the historical sites, instead we were cooped up in the air-con'd cinema for the evening. After the movie we went for some traditional food in a restaurant in the shopping centre before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the next days drive. It wasn't too long, and for once we had a couple of hours break during the day to have a look around Kuala Lumpur.
The hotel had a limited number of postcards and ran out of stamps so apologies if you normally get a card but don't this time...I had only a couple to send. I'll hook you up in Indonesia ;)
Our first of two stops in Malaysia was the island of Penang which is separated from the mainland by a 13km long bridge. The guide for Malaysia was a hoot, the guy came out with the most random stuff in addition to all the really excellent historical information he shared. We passed a Tesco on our way into Penang that sent him into a chorus of 'Tesco, Tesco, Tesco' in the way you expect a Japanese tourist to be singing 'photo, photo, photo' when on holidays. He explained that Penang was heaving that weekend with every bit of accommodation in the place fully booked because there was a big celebration for the feast of St. Anne that was at it's height the next day and attracted people from all over.
When we got settled into the hotel we went in search of all the historical sites he had been explaining on the way in. Of course we got horribly lost and then distracted by a shopping centre boasting a Starbucks (I'm having severe coffee cravings even though I've had practically none in weeks) and a McDonalds that was calling to the girls. There was also a cinema there which we went to check out once I mentioned that Ice Age 3 was out and I'd heard good things about it. That was the end of looking for the historical sites, instead we were cooped up in the air-con'd cinema for the evening. After the movie we went for some traditional food in a restaurant in the shopping centre before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the next days drive. It wasn't too long, and for once we had a couple of hours break during the day to have a look around Kuala Lumpur.
The hotel had a limited number of postcards and ran out of stamps so apologies if you normally get a card but don't this time...I had only a couple to send. I'll hook you up in Indonesia ;)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 62 (Hat Yai)
I woke up not wanting to leave Koh Samui and was sorely tempted to stay on a bit longer. I would have loved the time to myself and the break from the bus, but wasn't sure enough about staying to make a move on signing off the trip. I hadn't done any research on how or when to catch up with the bus if I stayed behind so I sucked it up and got on the bus to the ferry port.
The ferry was a big one and was nice and smooth the whole way across to the mainland. When we were on there Kim passed around the itinerary for Indonesia. I'd established when I got on the ferry that had I elected to stay behind for a week as I had been thinking, that I would have missed Malaysia in it's entirety and the first few days in Indonesia including one of the big things on the trip for me – the equator crossing! Phew!! So glad I didn't go with the knee jerk reaction!
Hat Yai was a lovely place, not a lot to do that we saw, but they had a restaurant serving pizza that wasn't Pizza Hut (if I ever see another Pizza Hut or KFC it'll be too soon). The hotel was lovely, but the reception was fully of mosquitoes because the front door was open. Not the best when you're enjoying sitting there chatting on Facebook to people you miss from home but you're being gnawed alive and coming up in big angry red lumps from the bites. One thing I'm really looking forward to about getting home is the lack of mosquitoes...
The ferry was a big one and was nice and smooth the whole way across to the mainland. When we were on there Kim passed around the itinerary for Indonesia. I'd established when I got on the ferry that had I elected to stay behind for a week as I had been thinking, that I would have missed Malaysia in it's entirety and the first few days in Indonesia including one of the big things on the trip for me – the equator crossing! Phew!! So glad I didn't go with the knee jerk reaction!
Hat Yai was a lovely place, not a lot to do that we saw, but they had a restaurant serving pizza that wasn't Pizza Hut (if I ever see another Pizza Hut or KFC it'll be too soon). The hotel was lovely, but the reception was fully of mosquitoes because the front door was open. Not the best when you're enjoying sitting there chatting on Facebook to people you miss from home but you're being gnawed alive and coming up in big angry red lumps from the bites. One thing I'm really looking forward to about getting home is the lack of mosquitoes...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Day 57, 58, 59, 60 & 61 (Koh Samui)
There's one word to describe Koh Samui – PARADISE!
We started the trip planning on going overland the whole way from home. Our journey from Dublin to London was by ferry followed by three trains. The plan was then to take the bus from London to Kolkata, then Bangkok to Bali and finally Darwin to Sydney. A third flight was added (Tehran – Karachi) to the trip so I knew there was no way I could say it was an overland journey anymore. At that point I weighed up the options and rather than endure the 12hours on a bus we decided to fly down for the sum of €71 each – a bargain. We flew a day earlier than the bus so missed a day in Bangkok, but because of the drive time it meant we had 2 days more than the people on the bus in Koh Samui.
Wrecked tired, slightly hungover and excited to get to the beach we boarded our plane in Bangkok around 8.30am. We landed in Koh Samui before 10am (after a 35 minute flight) and were on the beach before 11am – nice!! The resort we were staying at was beautiful – our hut was about 20 metres from the beach which was pebbly rather than sandy. Not Curracloe standard beach, but still it was wonderful. The water was warmer than any I've felt before and the salt content had me bobbing around in the deep water without any real need to tread water. We had a nanna nap to catch up on some sleep after having a dip to test out the water. Later in the day we headed into Chaweng Beach to see the main shopping/party area where we ate in a pub called the Islander. The food was excellent, so much so I went back the next day to sample their baked potatoes...Mmmmm!
The next morning Michelle & Alet arrived early having elected to fly down ahead of the bus rather than sit on it for 12 hours. We had a dip, lay in the sun for a while and just chilled out. It was so good to be stationary for 2 days at that point and know that we had 3 more days of relaxation to look forward before we were on the move again. Mel and I headed back into Chaweng Beach in search of beachwear and lilos, but rather than being there for an hour or two we ended up staying there for most of the day wandering the shops and stalls and ending up back in the Islander for food and pitchers of beer. By the time we got back to the resort the rest of the bus gang had arrived and most of them were already in bed, wrecked from the long day. We got changed and decided to take a dip in the sea under the stars and go to the bar up the beach for a nightcap. It really is the life – I could have stayed there a whole lot longer.
On the third day there I hoped to go Koh Pao for the day but by the time we got in gear to go it was gonna be too late to get a ferry back that day. So that idea was shot, at that stage it was also a bit late in the day to do any of the tours of the island, and I'd be paying full day rate for a car that I'd only get for half the day if I rented one so I just kicked back at the resort and caught up with my journal and photos. It was a relaxing day but I couldn't help but feel like I should be doing something or making more of my time there. I decided to get up early the next morning and make the most of the day.
Early start on the fourth day, but in typical Murphy's Law fashion I was raining. Not a bucketing rain, a kind of misty drizzle. I had no intention of going driving in so I headed off down the beach for a walk. I stopped for a moment to take in the scene and got bitten by some kind of ant – I obviously attract every biting thing on the planet – mosquitos, bugs, spiders, Unas...you name it, they bite me! I strolled back to see what everyone was up to and to see if there was any more information on the Black Moon Party that was on Kho Phangan that night. We had heard that the ferry was at 5.30pm and the first one back was at 7am so I was pretty confident I'd be skipping it in favour of my lovely hut. While I'd been walking they'd found out that we could get a taxi collection at the resort at 10pm with transfer to Chaweng Beach, speedboat to the party, speedboat back at 5am and taxi transfer back to the resort. Since the time I was potentially going to be sitting alone on the beach while everyone was hooking up with other partygoers was lessened, and I figured I'd never really have the chance to go again, and because I was tempted by the glo paint I decided to go. Una was more sensible and elected to enjoy having the hut to herself for the night.
Nine of us headed off to the party. The speedboat was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, but one of the funniest too. When we got on (after wading out into the water and climbing up onto the back of it) the guy directed us to the front section of the boat. He took off and at first it was bumpy but controlled so quite funny. Then the lights disappeared around us and it got a bit more scary. The waves were higher, we were going faster and it felt like we were launching into the air off pretty much every wave. This is of course when I was told to to the Titanic standing at the front with arms in the air, and of course I obliged. But rather than stand I was half kneeling on the seat to try maintain my balance..all nice and ladylike until the boat launched off a big wave and I was thrown into the air coming back down kneecap first into the bench which cracked and shattered under me so I ended up having to perch on the remaining bit of seat (about 1cm wide) while holding onto the bar behind me for dear life for the rest of the journey. It was the cause of much hilarity to everyone, me included, but the worry was what would they say when we got off the boat and they discovered the broken seat?! I tried to patch it up but given the pitch blackness, the bumpiness and the fact that the wood had shattered and splintered and was not likely to be repairable it was a waste of time. I ended up with a bruise along my thigh from the 1cm wide section of seat I was balancing on...fun times!
The party was brilliant and I was so glad I went. We got in there and got painted up, I naturally elected to have a dotted gecko painted on my back..I see them everywhere I go so it seemed appropriate. I got flowers on my arm and a shamrock too. Then we tried to get a pot of paint for free to pour on ourselves, it wasn't happening so we gave the guy 100 bhat (about €2) and off we went to flick, splash and finger paint in on...so, so much fun :) We went back for more on a couple of occasions so that explains the many coloured splashes of paint all over us in the pictures. The buckets at the party were actual sandcastle buckets, different to what we'd seen in Bangkok – so much cooler.
Our taxi was set to meet us outside the party at 5am. We tried to round up the troops but were missing 4 people. We reckoned 3 of them were ok but were unsure about one girl, she'd been beside us a couple of minutes before and then disappeared. After several laps of the beach we couldn't locate her so went to see if she was waiting at the taxi, she wasn't. He waited for as long as possible but when there was no sign of her by 6am he insisted we had to get to the harbour or the boat would leave without us. Reluctantly we left, hoping that she'd be at the harbour waiting for us – she wasn't :( The other 3 missing folk were located there. A speedboat had already left so it was possible that she had been on that. The guy said the boat was leaving so either get on or make our own way back to Koh Samui. Again, reluctantly we got on the boat (a different one to the one we'd gone out on – no broken seat!) and did the crazy ride back in sunlight. What a sight we must have looked, soaking, covered in sand and glo paint!
We got back to the resort shortly after 7am. I went for a few hours sleep and hoped that when I got up the missing girl would be back. She wasn't :( I was super worried as was everyone. The police wouldn't do anything until she was missing for 24 hours, there was nobody matching her description in the hospital in Kho Phangan, so it was a waiting game. Eventually she turned up, she had had quite the ordeal. Realising the time she got to the harbour about 5 minutes after we'd left. She had the sense to get to the ferry that was leaving at 7am and managed to get onto it, but fell asleep and so missed the stop in Kho Samui and ended up back on the mainland! Doh! She had to wait there for the ferry to sail back again so was on the boat for about 12 hours altogether. Thank god she was ok and nothing bad had happened!
Again the day ran away from me and it was too late to do any sightseeing, so in addition to Bangkok I need to return to Thailand to see Koh Samui properly!
For photos from Koh Samui click here.
We started the trip planning on going overland the whole way from home. Our journey from Dublin to London was by ferry followed by three trains. The plan was then to take the bus from London to Kolkata, then Bangkok to Bali and finally Darwin to Sydney. A third flight was added (Tehran – Karachi) to the trip so I knew there was no way I could say it was an overland journey anymore. At that point I weighed up the options and rather than endure the 12hours on a bus we decided to fly down for the sum of €71 each – a bargain. We flew a day earlier than the bus so missed a day in Bangkok, but because of the drive time it meant we had 2 days more than the people on the bus in Koh Samui.
Wrecked tired, slightly hungover and excited to get to the beach we boarded our plane in Bangkok around 8.30am. We landed in Koh Samui before 10am (after a 35 minute flight) and were on the beach before 11am – nice!! The resort we were staying at was beautiful – our hut was about 20 metres from the beach which was pebbly rather than sandy. Not Curracloe standard beach, but still it was wonderful. The water was warmer than any I've felt before and the salt content had me bobbing around in the deep water without any real need to tread water. We had a nanna nap to catch up on some sleep after having a dip to test out the water. Later in the day we headed into Chaweng Beach to see the main shopping/party area where we ate in a pub called the Islander. The food was excellent, so much so I went back the next day to sample their baked potatoes...Mmmmm!
The next morning Michelle & Alet arrived early having elected to fly down ahead of the bus rather than sit on it for 12 hours. We had a dip, lay in the sun for a while and just chilled out. It was so good to be stationary for 2 days at that point and know that we had 3 more days of relaxation to look forward before we were on the move again. Mel and I headed back into Chaweng Beach in search of beachwear and lilos, but rather than being there for an hour or two we ended up staying there for most of the day wandering the shops and stalls and ending up back in the Islander for food and pitchers of beer. By the time we got back to the resort the rest of the bus gang had arrived and most of them were already in bed, wrecked from the long day. We got changed and decided to take a dip in the sea under the stars and go to the bar up the beach for a nightcap. It really is the life – I could have stayed there a whole lot longer.
On the third day there I hoped to go Koh Pao for the day but by the time we got in gear to go it was gonna be too late to get a ferry back that day. So that idea was shot, at that stage it was also a bit late in the day to do any of the tours of the island, and I'd be paying full day rate for a car that I'd only get for half the day if I rented one so I just kicked back at the resort and caught up with my journal and photos. It was a relaxing day but I couldn't help but feel like I should be doing something or making more of my time there. I decided to get up early the next morning and make the most of the day.
Early start on the fourth day, but in typical Murphy's Law fashion I was raining. Not a bucketing rain, a kind of misty drizzle. I had no intention of going driving in so I headed off down the beach for a walk. I stopped for a moment to take in the scene and got bitten by some kind of ant – I obviously attract every biting thing on the planet – mosquitos, bugs, spiders, Unas...you name it, they bite me! I strolled back to see what everyone was up to and to see if there was any more information on the Black Moon Party that was on Kho Phangan that night. We had heard that the ferry was at 5.30pm and the first one back was at 7am so I was pretty confident I'd be skipping it in favour of my lovely hut. While I'd been walking they'd found out that we could get a taxi collection at the resort at 10pm with transfer to Chaweng Beach, speedboat to the party, speedboat back at 5am and taxi transfer back to the resort. Since the time I was potentially going to be sitting alone on the beach while everyone was hooking up with other partygoers was lessened, and I figured I'd never really have the chance to go again, and because I was tempted by the glo paint I decided to go. Una was more sensible and elected to enjoy having the hut to herself for the night.
Nine of us headed off to the party. The speedboat was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, but one of the funniest too. When we got on (after wading out into the water and climbing up onto the back of it) the guy directed us to the front section of the boat. He took off and at first it was bumpy but controlled so quite funny. Then the lights disappeared around us and it got a bit more scary. The waves were higher, we were going faster and it felt like we were launching into the air off pretty much every wave. This is of course when I was told to to the Titanic standing at the front with arms in the air, and of course I obliged. But rather than stand I was half kneeling on the seat to try maintain my balance..all nice and ladylike until the boat launched off a big wave and I was thrown into the air coming back down kneecap first into the bench which cracked and shattered under me so I ended up having to perch on the remaining bit of seat (about 1cm wide) while holding onto the bar behind me for dear life for the rest of the journey. It was the cause of much hilarity to everyone, me included, but the worry was what would they say when we got off the boat and they discovered the broken seat?! I tried to patch it up but given the pitch blackness, the bumpiness and the fact that the wood had shattered and splintered and was not likely to be repairable it was a waste of time. I ended up with a bruise along my thigh from the 1cm wide section of seat I was balancing on...fun times!
The party was brilliant and I was so glad I went. We got in there and got painted up, I naturally elected to have a dotted gecko painted on my back..I see them everywhere I go so it seemed appropriate. I got flowers on my arm and a shamrock too. Then we tried to get a pot of paint for free to pour on ourselves, it wasn't happening so we gave the guy 100 bhat (about €2) and off we went to flick, splash and finger paint in on...so, so much fun :) We went back for more on a couple of occasions so that explains the many coloured splashes of paint all over us in the pictures. The buckets at the party were actual sandcastle buckets, different to what we'd seen in Bangkok – so much cooler.
Our taxi was set to meet us outside the party at 5am. We tried to round up the troops but were missing 4 people. We reckoned 3 of them were ok but were unsure about one girl, she'd been beside us a couple of minutes before and then disappeared. After several laps of the beach we couldn't locate her so went to see if she was waiting at the taxi, she wasn't. He waited for as long as possible but when there was no sign of her by 6am he insisted we had to get to the harbour or the boat would leave without us. Reluctantly we left, hoping that she'd be at the harbour waiting for us – she wasn't :( The other 3 missing folk were located there. A speedboat had already left so it was possible that she had been on that. The guy said the boat was leaving so either get on or make our own way back to Koh Samui. Again, reluctantly we got on the boat (a different one to the one we'd gone out on – no broken seat!) and did the crazy ride back in sunlight. What a sight we must have looked, soaking, covered in sand and glo paint!
We got back to the resort shortly after 7am. I went for a few hours sleep and hoped that when I got up the missing girl would be back. She wasn't :( I was super worried as was everyone. The police wouldn't do anything until she was missing for 24 hours, there was nobody matching her description in the hospital in Kho Phangan, so it was a waiting game. Eventually she turned up, she had had quite the ordeal. Realising the time she got to the harbour about 5 minutes after we'd left. She had the sense to get to the ferry that was leaving at 7am and managed to get onto it, but fell asleep and so missed the stop in Kho Samui and ended up back on the mainland! Doh! She had to wait there for the ferry to sail back again so was on the boat for about 12 hours altogether. Thank god she was ok and nothing bad had happened!
Again the day ran away from me and it was too late to do any sightseeing, so in addition to Bangkok I need to return to Thailand to see Koh Samui properly!
For photos from Koh Samui click here.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Day 54, 55 & 56 (Bangkok)
We've now had the second OzBUS flight of the journey to get us from Kolkata to Bangkok. The flight started off quite scary when just seconds after take-off we hit a bit of turbulence (pretty bad to be honest, some of the worst I've come across in all my travels) and one of the girls had a panic attack and couldn't breathe. It was only her second ever flight so she didn't really know what to expect with turbulence and got a bit freaked out – the crew got out an oxygen tank and hooked her up to help calm her down. Thankfully all was ok within a few minutes and order was restored. The flight was with Jet Airways, superb service and an airline I'd definitely use again :)
The flight passed really quickly, probably due to the distraction of having so many in-flight movies to choose from – I went with 17 Again as I would appear was the choice of half the bus. The hotel in Bangkok was lovely, and really close to Khao San Road which was great, but also very dangerous!
First stop on arrival was the laundry place around the corner from the hotel to get us hooked up with some clean clothes. Though we've mastered the hand wash at this point, there's nothing quite as nice as clothes that have been machine washed and smell really fresh. From there we went a few doors back toward the hotel to a restaurant called the Cozy Corner where I had the best Pad Thai ever, and Una decided to try out meatloaf for the first time (weird choice in Thailand if ya ask me!). A couple of the crew headed off to Khao San Road to see what was going on down there, while I rather sensibly headed back to the hotel to get some rest in advance of the touring that was planned for the next day.
Our first full day in Bangkok was spent driving around some of the distant sites on the bus. We visited the floating markets where I bought more than everybody else combined (it was reminiscent of my time with the ASWS crew in Vegas - I had so many shopping bags getting off the boat, though it cost me a tiny fraction of the price). In addition to the JEATH War Museum we took a 2 hour ride on the Death Railway which ended after we'd passed over the Bridge on the River Kwai. That was quite an experience, one that had me pondering all sorts. In between these major sites we visited a coconut plantation where in addition to an orchid farm we saw how they make coconut sugar, butter and how they get the dried coconut out of the shell. They had a big market there with all sorts of wares for sale. I'm getting much better with the haggling thing. I don't think I'll ever master it, but I've got to the point where I don't even listen to their opening price. The issue that I have is that I tend to start with the most I'll pay rather than some ridiculously low price. I don't buy unless I get it for what I'm prepared to pay but I'm sure I could get it for less. Still it works for me...and they eventually part with what they're selling for what I'm willing to pay, even if I walk away..they follow. We also went to a wood carving factory where I saw some of the most beautiful furniture I've ever seen. If I ever win the lotto and buy a mansion I know where to go to furnish it. With all the driving around to see these places we were within a 3 hour drive of the Myanmar border. What I would have given to just go there and get a postcard for Mr. Green, but alas it wasn't to be...next trip, I promise! We also passed really close to the famous Tiger Temple but weren't able to stop because we were on a strict time line to get to the train, would have been cool to see it, so again, something for my next trip to Thailand :)
The day lasted a lot longer than we had thought it would and we were pretty late getting back to the hotel. We thankfully made it back in time to get our laundry *bounce*. While we were there a couple of the girls sampled the waxing techniques of the lady in the laundrette (they were a multipurpose business). After that we headed out to Khao San Road so they could have a stiff drink or three to absorb the pain and I was introduced to Bacardi Buckets. I'd been told about Samsong Buckets already and was set to try one even though I don't really like whiskey, but then I was saved when I saw beautiful bacardi on the menu. One bucket turned into a couple and I ended up in a club called 'The Club' with a glowstick wrapped around my arm dancing like a crazy lady until they kicked us out some time after 4am. We stumbled back to the hotel and stayed up chatting until around 5.30am when we figured it was time to get some sleep. Shortly after 6am we were about to go climb into bed when we saw a note being pushed under the door – Mel & James were leaving Bangkok 2 days early to get some more time by the beach in Koh Samui and she was bidding us farewell. Rather than leave them to eat alone at breakfast we joined them and finally got to bed some time after 7am!
We eventually woke up at 3.15pm...most of the day wasted! As we were leaving the next morning to fly to Koh Samui a day early this was rather silly as that day was our only opportunity to see the sites in Bangkok. After getting up at that time it's obvious we didn't manage to see anything – Doh!! Instead we rushed to the MBK shopping centre to meet Michelle who had got us tickets to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – whoop whoop! There was a crazy moment after all the weird ads where a short film came on starting off by asking us to be upstanding in respect of the king. The whole cinema rose to their feet so we did too and then watched as there was a 5 minute long movie with clips of the kings life – very bizarre! The feature film was excellent and I was so happy we'd got to see it.
Rather than eat at the shopping centre we headed back to the hotel to see what the rest of the gang were up to. A lot of them were ordering room service so they could get ready for a major night out in Khao San Road. As we had no intention of going out due to the 6am start the next morning to get to the airport for our flight to Koh Samui, Una and I went to another small eatery near the hotel to sample the local cuisine cooked by locals. The owner was a crazy man who on hearing we are Irish said 'howya' in the most convincing Dublin accent I've ever heard from an Asian person. He had a cupla focail too that was nice to hear. Food wasn't great, but there's nothing quite like eating at the side of the road in the shadow of a construction site with an Asian waiter who's dancing around like a leprechaun. We tried to sneak back into the hotel without being seen for fear we'd be cajoled into going out again. I thought we were in luck when we'd got through reception, into the lift and up to our floor without being spotted – no such luck! As we turned the corner from the lift into our corridor we were faced with Michelle, Abby, Emily, Jacinta & Sarah all dolled up and on their way out the door. We stopped for a chat and then when we tried to pass to go to our room I was literally dragged into the lift by Abby & Emily – damn my slippy flip-flop soles! We weren't packed, we had a flight to catch, but off we went to Khoa San road for one, that turned into lots and again we ended up in the club (me with a new glowstick to add to the old one so I now had a necklace not a bracelet) and were kicked out at closing time having had a few too many buckets. We stumbled back to the hotel, packed up our bags and I crawled into bed for an hour before we had to get our asses into a taxi.
So, my overall view on Bangkok – I need to go back, I didn't really get to see the place as the only thing I did was visit Khao San Road and the organised tour day. I didn't see the Reclining Buddha, the Palace or anything else that I had thought would be good to see. Anyone fancy a holiday in Thailand when I get back home and get some money saved up?
For photos from Bangkok click here.
The flight passed really quickly, probably due to the distraction of having so many in-flight movies to choose from – I went with 17 Again as I would appear was the choice of half the bus. The hotel in Bangkok was lovely, and really close to Khao San Road which was great, but also very dangerous!
First stop on arrival was the laundry place around the corner from the hotel to get us hooked up with some clean clothes. Though we've mastered the hand wash at this point, there's nothing quite as nice as clothes that have been machine washed and smell really fresh. From there we went a few doors back toward the hotel to a restaurant called the Cozy Corner where I had the best Pad Thai ever, and Una decided to try out meatloaf for the first time (weird choice in Thailand if ya ask me!). A couple of the crew headed off to Khao San Road to see what was going on down there, while I rather sensibly headed back to the hotel to get some rest in advance of the touring that was planned for the next day.
Our first full day in Bangkok was spent driving around some of the distant sites on the bus. We visited the floating markets where I bought more than everybody else combined (it was reminiscent of my time with the ASWS crew in Vegas - I had so many shopping bags getting off the boat, though it cost me a tiny fraction of the price). In addition to the JEATH War Museum we took a 2 hour ride on the Death Railway which ended after we'd passed over the Bridge on the River Kwai. That was quite an experience, one that had me pondering all sorts. In between these major sites we visited a coconut plantation where in addition to an orchid farm we saw how they make coconut sugar, butter and how they get the dried coconut out of the shell. They had a big market there with all sorts of wares for sale. I'm getting much better with the haggling thing. I don't think I'll ever master it, but I've got to the point where I don't even listen to their opening price. The issue that I have is that I tend to start with the most I'll pay rather than some ridiculously low price. I don't buy unless I get it for what I'm prepared to pay but I'm sure I could get it for less. Still it works for me...and they eventually part with what they're selling for what I'm willing to pay, even if I walk away..they follow. We also went to a wood carving factory where I saw some of the most beautiful furniture I've ever seen. If I ever win the lotto and buy a mansion I know where to go to furnish it. With all the driving around to see these places we were within a 3 hour drive of the Myanmar border. What I would have given to just go there and get a postcard for Mr. Green, but alas it wasn't to be...next trip, I promise! We also passed really close to the famous Tiger Temple but weren't able to stop because we were on a strict time line to get to the train, would have been cool to see it, so again, something for my next trip to Thailand :)
The day lasted a lot longer than we had thought it would and we were pretty late getting back to the hotel. We thankfully made it back in time to get our laundry *bounce*. While we were there a couple of the girls sampled the waxing techniques of the lady in the laundrette (they were a multipurpose business). After that we headed out to Khao San Road so they could have a stiff drink or three to absorb the pain and I was introduced to Bacardi Buckets. I'd been told about Samsong Buckets already and was set to try one even though I don't really like whiskey, but then I was saved when I saw beautiful bacardi on the menu. One bucket turned into a couple and I ended up in a club called 'The Club' with a glowstick wrapped around my arm dancing like a crazy lady until they kicked us out some time after 4am. We stumbled back to the hotel and stayed up chatting until around 5.30am when we figured it was time to get some sleep. Shortly after 6am we were about to go climb into bed when we saw a note being pushed under the door – Mel & James were leaving Bangkok 2 days early to get some more time by the beach in Koh Samui and she was bidding us farewell. Rather than leave them to eat alone at breakfast we joined them and finally got to bed some time after 7am!
We eventually woke up at 3.15pm...most of the day wasted! As we were leaving the next morning to fly to Koh Samui a day early this was rather silly as that day was our only opportunity to see the sites in Bangkok. After getting up at that time it's obvious we didn't manage to see anything – Doh!! Instead we rushed to the MBK shopping centre to meet Michelle who had got us tickets to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – whoop whoop! There was a crazy moment after all the weird ads where a short film came on starting off by asking us to be upstanding in respect of the king. The whole cinema rose to their feet so we did too and then watched as there was a 5 minute long movie with clips of the kings life – very bizarre! The feature film was excellent and I was so happy we'd got to see it.
Rather than eat at the shopping centre we headed back to the hotel to see what the rest of the gang were up to. A lot of them were ordering room service so they could get ready for a major night out in Khao San Road. As we had no intention of going out due to the 6am start the next morning to get to the airport for our flight to Koh Samui, Una and I went to another small eatery near the hotel to sample the local cuisine cooked by locals. The owner was a crazy man who on hearing we are Irish said 'howya' in the most convincing Dublin accent I've ever heard from an Asian person. He had a cupla focail too that was nice to hear. Food wasn't great, but there's nothing quite like eating at the side of the road in the shadow of a construction site with an Asian waiter who's dancing around like a leprechaun. We tried to sneak back into the hotel without being seen for fear we'd be cajoled into going out again. I thought we were in luck when we'd got through reception, into the lift and up to our floor without being spotted – no such luck! As we turned the corner from the lift into our corridor we were faced with Michelle, Abby, Emily, Jacinta & Sarah all dolled up and on their way out the door. We stopped for a chat and then when we tried to pass to go to our room I was literally dragged into the lift by Abby & Emily – damn my slippy flip-flop soles! We weren't packed, we had a flight to catch, but off we went to Khoa San road for one, that turned into lots and again we ended up in the club (me with a new glowstick to add to the old one so I now had a necklace not a bracelet) and were kicked out at closing time having had a few too many buckets. We stumbled back to the hotel, packed up our bags and I crawled into bed for an hour before we had to get our asses into a taxi.
So, my overall view on Bangkok – I need to go back, I didn't really get to see the place as the only thing I did was visit Khao San Road and the organised tour day. I didn't see the Reclining Buddha, the Palace or anything else that I had thought would be good to see. Anyone fancy a holiday in Thailand when I get back home and get some money saved up?
For photos from Bangkok click here.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Toothbrushing Across The Universe
Thursday, July 16, 2009
More posts...coming soon!
I had way too much fun in Nepal to get the posts ready for having net access proper again. Our three days back in India passed in a blur so again I didn't get to type anything up or right my journal. Now here in Thailand so will take some time out on the beach in Ko Samui and get back on track. If you're bored in the meantime..drop me a mail! I like mail :)Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Day 53 (Kolkata)
So today I finally lost my mind and track of time and locations. I thought we were on the way to Maldah when in fact we were on the way to Kolkata for a one nighter before flying to Bangkok. I think the copious amounts of rum drunk last night had rotted my memory too much :)
We had a long drive day with pretty much everyone suffering from hangover or tiredness from the birthday celebrations the night before so the sleeper bus was such a blessing. I got on, selected a bottom bunk in the middle of the bus and tucked myself into my sleeping bag for pretty much the whole day.
I was surprised by how bustling Kolkata was as we pulled in as I had a preconception about what it would be like. I expected it to be really dirty, smelly, overcrowded and broken down, but the side of the city we saw was nothing like that. Our hotel seemed to be in a pretty good location with a main shopping street less than 5 minutes walk away that had a McDonalds that helped to feed all the hangovers. After we'd eaten we wandered around a little bit and found a net cafe to check in with things back home, before visiting a chemist to find some ointment for one of the girls. Trying to explain what we were looking for to the indian pharmacist was one of the funniest moments in the past few weeks...hilarious with the miming and pointing and slow speech.
For photos from Kolkata click here.
We had a long drive day with pretty much everyone suffering from hangover or tiredness from the birthday celebrations the night before so the sleeper bus was such a blessing. I got on, selected a bottom bunk in the middle of the bus and tucked myself into my sleeping bag for pretty much the whole day.
I was surprised by how bustling Kolkata was as we pulled in as I had a preconception about what it would be like. I expected it to be really dirty, smelly, overcrowded and broken down, but the side of the city we saw was nothing like that. Our hotel seemed to be in a pretty good location with a main shopping street less than 5 minutes walk away that had a McDonalds that helped to feed all the hangovers. After we'd eaten we wandered around a little bit and found a net cafe to check in with things back home, before visiting a chemist to find some ointment for one of the girls. Trying to explain what we were looking for to the indian pharmacist was one of the funniest moments in the past few weeks...hilarious with the miming and pointing and slow speech.
For photos from Kolkata click here.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Day 52 (Malda)
Happy Birthday Amazing Emily :)
We had a single night stop in Maldah where the excitement of the day was to celebrate Emily's 22nd birthday with a rooftop dinner and copious amounts of rum and coke. The food wasn't great, but the company was as always excellent. We drank and danced and had a great night until the restaurant staff actually turned off the lights to get us to leave and go to bed.
For photos from Maldah click here.
We had a single night stop in Maldah where the excitement of the day was to celebrate Emily's 22nd birthday with a rooftop dinner and copious amounts of rum and coke. The food wasn't great, but the company was as always excellent. We drank and danced and had a great night until the restaurant staff actually turned off the lights to get us to leave and go to bed.
For photos from Maldah click here.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Day 51 (Siliguri)
India....oh no..not again :(
We crossed back into India today from Nepal for 3 stops over 3 consequtive nights: Siliguri, Maldah and Kolkata. I didn't want to go back to India and contemplated flying from Kathmandu on to Bangkok but as the flight from Kolkata had already been paid for and I'd be missing Emily's birthday if I went ahead I stuck with the plan. At this stage we've become pros with border crossing so we got through it pretty quickly and with complete ease. My passport is filling up nicely..still got a ways to go but I reckon I've nearly as many stamps in this new one after 4 months as I had in my old one after 9 years! I wonder what US immigration will make of me the next time I rock on up to their border :)
Nothing to report from the day really, it was a pretty average day with the only excitement being the new bus we got for the rest of our time in India..a sleeper bus with beds for everyone..NICE!
We crossed back into India today from Nepal for 3 stops over 3 consequtive nights: Siliguri, Maldah and Kolkata. I didn't want to go back to India and contemplated flying from Kathmandu on to Bangkok but as the flight from Kolkata had already been paid for and I'd be missing Emily's birthday if I went ahead I stuck with the plan. At this stage we've become pros with border crossing so we got through it pretty quickly and with complete ease. My passport is filling up nicely..still got a ways to go but I reckon I've nearly as many stamps in this new one after 4 months as I had in my old one after 9 years! I wonder what US immigration will make of me the next time I rock on up to their border :)
Nothing to report from the day really, it was a pretty average day with the only excitement being the new bus we got for the rest of our time in India..a sleeper bus with beds for everyone..NICE!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Day 48, 49 & 50 (Kathmandu & Everest)
After the thrills of the last few days with white-water rafting and canyon swinging I took things easy with a guided tour of Kathmandu to see temples, stuppas, the living goddess' house and some other bits and bobs that I can't remember. Poor Una missed out on all of this as she was bedridden with her sunburn from the rafting :(
We hung out and visited some of the western style eateries around the place to get some 'normal' food. Twice we visited a steakhouse called K-Too..first time was amazing, second time not so good proving every restaurant has their off days..same dish served differently on two nights..I preferred the first chef's version!
A large portion of the group had booked onto a Yeti Airlines flight to go see Everest so on our last day in Kathmandu we were up early to go to the airport..the weather was not promising but we had to go check it out. We waited it out hoping that the weather would clear, but it didn't..we waited until the first flight of the morning got back to see if visibility was any better higher up, but alas no. So, all bar one of us wanted to try again the next morning to see if we could get up there and see mighty Everest before we left for Hetuda near to the Indian border at noon. Again we were up early and off to the airport with the weather looking like it was going to spoil our fun for the second morning in a row. As we were booked on the first flight of the day we were the scout flight to see what was visible up there..and we were not let down. Once we cleared the layer of cloud that was spitting rain down on Kathmandu we were blessed with spectacularly clear views of the heavenly Himalayas...my god...breathtaking!
For photos from Kathmandu click here.
We hung out and visited some of the western style eateries around the place to get some 'normal' food. Twice we visited a steakhouse called K-Too..first time was amazing, second time not so good proving every restaurant has their off days..same dish served differently on two nights..I preferred the first chef's version!
A large portion of the group had booked onto a Yeti Airlines flight to go see Everest so on our last day in Kathmandu we were up early to go to the airport..the weather was not promising but we had to go check it out. We waited it out hoping that the weather would clear, but it didn't..we waited until the first flight of the morning got back to see if visibility was any better higher up, but alas no. So, all bar one of us wanted to try again the next morning to see if we could get up there and see mighty Everest before we left for Hetuda near to the Indian border at noon. Again we were up early and off to the airport with the weather looking like it was going to spoil our fun for the second morning in a row. As we were booked on the first flight of the day we were the scout flight to see what was visible up there..and we were not let down. Once we cleared the layer of cloud that was spitting rain down on Kathmandu we were blessed with spectacularly clear views of the heavenly Himalayas...my god...breathtaking!
For photos from Kathmandu click here.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Day 45, 46 & 47 (Pokhara, Last Resort)
Halfway mark aboard OzBUS, can I get a woop woop? It's mental to think we've been on the bus for 45 days at this stage, it doesn't seem like it's been that long but in another way it seems like a lifetime has passed since we got the Sail & Rail from Dublin.
We got up at crazy o'clock to drive for 3 hours to get to the rafting place between Pokhara and Chitwan. The rafting was to be about 2 hours long and it was at grade 3+ because of the level of rain the day before. It's fair to say I was very, very nervous! I had been considering pulling out what with feeling unwell but was convinced to do it because in fairness I may never get the chance again, and I certainly won't get the chance to do it there and with this gang of people again. I am soooo glad I was talked into it (thanks Mel). When we finally got to the office and were kitted up with our lifejackets, helmets and paddles, we stumbled down the hill to the riverbank where there was a scramble of people wanting to get into either the fast or slow boat. Given how unadventurous I was feeling I went with the slow one, while Una the crazy lady hopped into the fast one....but this is where it got weird..the slow boat took off and finished before the fast one?!?
We had a few practise strokes and were semi-ok..then we hit the first rapid. Holy Hell!! My boat went in first with the guide screaming at Richard to paddle and him struggling to find water to paddle in. Panic set in to all of us and even though we thought we were paddling, we obviously weren't doing enough so 5 of the 8 of us in the boat got tossed out into the rapid..scary times! I got sucked underwater and struggled to get back up, when I did I saw Sara's arms ahead of me but the rest of her was completely submerged so I yanked her up and in turn got myself sucked under again. When I clawed my way back to the surface again I saw that the boat was at least 25 feet away from me with most of the crew clambering back onboard. I meanwhile was too far away to swim to them so took the opportunity to collect the many paddles, sandles and flip-flops that were shooting past me in the water while waiting for the rescue canoe to come get me. I had to climb up onto that holding onto all the gear and wait while the canoe guy worked his way over to my boat. Meanwhile, on the other boat 8 of the 9 people aboard had ended up in the water seconds after us. Una was one of them and had got trapped under the boat..she'll be able to explain better if she ever gets her finger out and writes about it (I jest..she's currently beside me writing up the entry about the turkish baths..better late than never eh?).
After that first rapid we were all so terrified of the potential to end up getting chucked back in again, and so determined to stay aboard that we wedged ourselves into the boat good and proper and paddled with so much ferosity that we did indeed all remain inside the boats. That was until we chose to jump into the river to have a swim on the quiet parts. The water was filthy, really muddy from all the land around the river that had been rained on so heavily the day before. (The silt was really shiny and my clothes had to be washed several times to get it out!) The only casualty from the rafting was one of James' flip-flops..everyone else managed to get off intact :)
We met Kim and the other 5 passengers after 2 hours or so on the river during which time we'd all been sunburned through our sunscreen, Una pretty badly as the pictures show. After lunch we hit the road to Kathmandu where we had 5 nights accommodation paid for by OzBUS, one of which I was foregoing to go to the Last Resort on the Nepal/Tibet border to see the crazy loons in the group do bungee, swing and canyoning. I half considered the swing but needed to see it in action first to gauge how terrified I'd be and the likelihood that I'd actually go through with it if I paid for it. The drive up there was long and rough going with bumpy, windy roads pretty much the whole way. But once we got there it was totally worth it – the place was a little bit of heaven.
Pretty much as soon as we arrived the bungee and swing guys were tied up and sent to the bridge to get their activities done before lunch. We watched from the viewing area and though it looked quite scary I thought that I'd be able for the swing so reckoned I'd do it the next day before we left to go back to Kathmandu to rejoin the group. So, the next morning I get up and find out that they don't do the swing on Thursdays, only Wednesdays and Saturdays or something like that. I was a bit upset but inwardly relieved that I didn't have to do it in a way because I figured once I got out on the bridge and into the harness then my bravery would fail me and I'd chicken out. I was taking advantage of the plunge pool to cool down when Mel came limping over (after a bungee accident the day before) to tell me that a gang of overlanders from EOE had arrived and were looking for bungee and swing action so there were enough people for it to make sense for the guy to open up the bridge. So now, no excuses, I was doing it!
I told Nadia it was on and she wanted in too, so the both of us headed into the bar to be weighed up and then off to the bridge to be harnessed up. There were 5 people for the swing, three of whom were doing the bungee too along with two of their other mates. The bungee/swing people went first, then Nadia and I was left til last. What you see from the viewing platform is completely different to what you see from the bridge. I had watched as they faltered and then walked off the platform into what looked like a short drop..then they disappeared from sight so we assumed they were swinging. What actually happens, and what I realised for the first time when the first guy walked off was that you freefall 100m into the canyon (the height of the bungee) with your rope in your hand but it's completely slack until you get to the bottom of the 100m when it tightens up and you're sent into a pendulum 240m wide at around 150km per hour until you come to a stop. I stood in silence, gulping for air and wondering what the hell I was thinking when I voluntarily agreed to be strapped up, attached to a long rope and walk off a bridge to drop into the canyon below. I wanted to chicken out but I knew everyone was watching and I'd been so sure I wanted to do it that there was no way I could back out when I was already on the bridge and had parted with my cash. I hoped I'd be second in the queue but alas no..I was last so I had to stand back and watch everyone else go and let the nerves build up to the point where I thought I was gonna cry.
Then it came to my turn. I'd watched the day before as Emily and Jacinta faltered on the platform so knew that if I was to do it, it needed to be fast – like ripping a band-aid off! So, I stepped up to the edge, turned to the camera for a photo and was gone.....screaming 'ooooohhhhhhh fffuuuuuuucccckkkk' for the 7 seconds of freefall before the rope caught hold and I swung across the canyon...MAGIC! I loved it..it terrified me, but I loved it!
On the way back from the Last Resort half the people decided to sit on the roofrack of the bus. Had I not been so sunburned from rafting I would have joined them, but I figured sitting in the sun for 3 hours or more was probably a bad move so I enjoyed the full seat inside the bus to myself the whole way back to Kathmandu.
For photos from the white-water rafting and my swing at the Last Resort click here.
We got up at crazy o'clock to drive for 3 hours to get to the rafting place between Pokhara and Chitwan. The rafting was to be about 2 hours long and it was at grade 3+ because of the level of rain the day before. It's fair to say I was very, very nervous! I had been considering pulling out what with feeling unwell but was convinced to do it because in fairness I may never get the chance again, and I certainly won't get the chance to do it there and with this gang of people again. I am soooo glad I was talked into it (thanks Mel). When we finally got to the office and were kitted up with our lifejackets, helmets and paddles, we stumbled down the hill to the riverbank where there was a scramble of people wanting to get into either the fast or slow boat. Given how unadventurous I was feeling I went with the slow one, while Una the crazy lady hopped into the fast one....but this is where it got weird..the slow boat took off and finished before the fast one?!?
We had a few practise strokes and were semi-ok..then we hit the first rapid. Holy Hell!! My boat went in first with the guide screaming at Richard to paddle and him struggling to find water to paddle in. Panic set in to all of us and even though we thought we were paddling, we obviously weren't doing enough so 5 of the 8 of us in the boat got tossed out into the rapid..scary times! I got sucked underwater and struggled to get back up, when I did I saw Sara's arms ahead of me but the rest of her was completely submerged so I yanked her up and in turn got myself sucked under again. When I clawed my way back to the surface again I saw that the boat was at least 25 feet away from me with most of the crew clambering back onboard. I meanwhile was too far away to swim to them so took the opportunity to collect the many paddles, sandles and flip-flops that were shooting past me in the water while waiting for the rescue canoe to come get me. I had to climb up onto that holding onto all the gear and wait while the canoe guy worked his way over to my boat. Meanwhile, on the other boat 8 of the 9 people aboard had ended up in the water seconds after us. Una was one of them and had got trapped under the boat..she'll be able to explain better if she ever gets her finger out and writes about it (I jest..she's currently beside me writing up the entry about the turkish baths..better late than never eh?).
After that first rapid we were all so terrified of the potential to end up getting chucked back in again, and so determined to stay aboard that we wedged ourselves into the boat good and proper and paddled with so much ferosity that we did indeed all remain inside the boats. That was until we chose to jump into the river to have a swim on the quiet parts. The water was filthy, really muddy from all the land around the river that had been rained on so heavily the day before. (The silt was really shiny and my clothes had to be washed several times to get it out!) The only casualty from the rafting was one of James' flip-flops..everyone else managed to get off intact :)
We met Kim and the other 5 passengers after 2 hours or so on the river during which time we'd all been sunburned through our sunscreen, Una pretty badly as the pictures show. After lunch we hit the road to Kathmandu where we had 5 nights accommodation paid for by OzBUS, one of which I was foregoing to go to the Last Resort on the Nepal/Tibet border to see the crazy loons in the group do bungee, swing and canyoning. I half considered the swing but needed to see it in action first to gauge how terrified I'd be and the likelihood that I'd actually go through with it if I paid for it. The drive up there was long and rough going with bumpy, windy roads pretty much the whole way. But once we got there it was totally worth it – the place was a little bit of heaven.
Pretty much as soon as we arrived the bungee and swing guys were tied up and sent to the bridge to get their activities done before lunch. We watched from the viewing area and though it looked quite scary I thought that I'd be able for the swing so reckoned I'd do it the next day before we left to go back to Kathmandu to rejoin the group. So, the next morning I get up and find out that they don't do the swing on Thursdays, only Wednesdays and Saturdays or something like that. I was a bit upset but inwardly relieved that I didn't have to do it in a way because I figured once I got out on the bridge and into the harness then my bravery would fail me and I'd chicken out. I was taking advantage of the plunge pool to cool down when Mel came limping over (after a bungee accident the day before) to tell me that a gang of overlanders from EOE had arrived and were looking for bungee and swing action so there were enough people for it to make sense for the guy to open up the bridge. So now, no excuses, I was doing it!
I told Nadia it was on and she wanted in too, so the both of us headed into the bar to be weighed up and then off to the bridge to be harnessed up. There were 5 people for the swing, three of whom were doing the bungee too along with two of their other mates. The bungee/swing people went first, then Nadia and I was left til last. What you see from the viewing platform is completely different to what you see from the bridge. I had watched as they faltered and then walked off the platform into what looked like a short drop..then they disappeared from sight so we assumed they were swinging. What actually happens, and what I realised for the first time when the first guy walked off was that you freefall 100m into the canyon (the height of the bungee) with your rope in your hand but it's completely slack until you get to the bottom of the 100m when it tightens up and you're sent into a pendulum 240m wide at around 150km per hour until you come to a stop. I stood in silence, gulping for air and wondering what the hell I was thinking when I voluntarily agreed to be strapped up, attached to a long rope and walk off a bridge to drop into the canyon below. I wanted to chicken out but I knew everyone was watching and I'd been so sure I wanted to do it that there was no way I could back out when I was already on the bridge and had parted with my cash. I hoped I'd be second in the queue but alas no..I was last so I had to stand back and watch everyone else go and let the nerves build up to the point where I thought I was gonna cry.
Then it came to my turn. I'd watched the day before as Emily and Jacinta faltered on the platform so knew that if I was to do it, it needed to be fast – like ripping a band-aid off! So, I stepped up to the edge, turned to the camera for a photo and was gone.....screaming 'ooooohhhhhhh fffuuuuuuucccckkkk' for the 7 seconds of freefall before the rope caught hold and I swung across the canyon...MAGIC! I loved it..it terrified me, but I loved it!
On the way back from the Last Resort half the people decided to sit on the roofrack of the bus. Had I not been so sunburned from rafting I would have joined them, but I figured sitting in the sun for 3 hours or more was probably a bad move so I enjoyed the full seat inside the bus to myself the whole way back to Kathmandu.
For photos from the white-water rafting and my swing at the Last Resort click here.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Day 43 & 44 (Pokhara)
My goodness, my cysts of E. histolytica! That's what I've got...a parasite in my system. Nice to know what the problem is, but not so pleasant having it...
We arrived in Pokhara after an Immodium filled bus journey for me. I hadn't made a fuss about being sick, because I knew an awful lot of the group were either feeling crappy or had already been and we'd all survived this far without there being anything seriously wrong. I'd been unwell on and off since leaving Iran so was trying to keep a stiff upper lip and breathe through the cramps that I reckon were pretty close to labour pains. After we'd checked into our room and I'd got myself into a semi-comfortable position there was a knock at the door..Super-Kim to the rescue. She obviously got wind of how bad I was feeling and was on the case suggesting that if I was as bad as I seemed then a doctor would be advisable as it could be something pretty bad. The doctor was gonna cost a bit and might end up referring me to the hospital, but if I went direct to the hospital they would see me for an A&E fee of triple what the locals pay what with me being a wealthy foreigner..the admission cost me a whole 900 ruppee...or €9! I couldn't believe how cheap it was! Because I was a VIP I was rushed by all the waiting locals to see the doctor who reckoned I might need to be kept in overnight for a drip to get my fluid levels back up given the number of bathroom trips I'd had, how I was looking, my temperature of 101 and the fact I felt weak, dizzy and sore all over. They did a blood test and stool analysis (never been through anything quite so disgusting in my life..why they give you such a small pot I will never understand) which took an hour to analyse (costing the grand total of €19)! I was given drugs to bring down my temperature and the doctor explained that I'd managed to get a parasite in my system and that's what was causing me the grief (and more pills to deal with that). I had an amoeba not a worm as Una was thinking! The doc said it could be contagious (which he later retracted) so we got Una a new room and for the first time on the trip I had space to myself for two whole nights...BLISS (even with feeling crap)!
The plan for our full day in Pokhara was to get up really early to go watch the sunrise at Sarangot, but the weather wasn't cooperating..rain, rain, rain!! This was bad news because we were also booked in to give paragliding a go later in the day. This was my preparation for the skydive my colleagues kindly set me to do in New Zealand, and I was pretty excited about it, but unsure if my tummy would hold up for the whole hour. I was debating on and off and on and off, but in the end it was cancelled because of the weather so we went shopping. Later in the evening we went up to Sarangot to see the sunset which was spectacular. The visit to Pokhara wasn't a waste afterall, though it would have been great to get the paragliding done and I'd love to have tried my hand at kayaking if I'd been feeling up to it.
Verdict, if you get the chance for a stop in Pokhara, it's beautiful..go there!
For photos from Pokhara click here.
We arrived in Pokhara after an Immodium filled bus journey for me. I hadn't made a fuss about being sick, because I knew an awful lot of the group were either feeling crappy or had already been and we'd all survived this far without there being anything seriously wrong. I'd been unwell on and off since leaving Iran so was trying to keep a stiff upper lip and breathe through the cramps that I reckon were pretty close to labour pains. After we'd checked into our room and I'd got myself into a semi-comfortable position there was a knock at the door..Super-Kim to the rescue. She obviously got wind of how bad I was feeling and was on the case suggesting that if I was as bad as I seemed then a doctor would be advisable as it could be something pretty bad. The doctor was gonna cost a bit and might end up referring me to the hospital, but if I went direct to the hospital they would see me for an A&E fee of triple what the locals pay what with me being a wealthy foreigner..the admission cost me a whole 900 ruppee...or €9! I couldn't believe how cheap it was! Because I was a VIP I was rushed by all the waiting locals to see the doctor who reckoned I might need to be kept in overnight for a drip to get my fluid levels back up given the number of bathroom trips I'd had, how I was looking, my temperature of 101 and the fact I felt weak, dizzy and sore all over. They did a blood test and stool analysis (never been through anything quite so disgusting in my life..why they give you such a small pot I will never understand) which took an hour to analyse (costing the grand total of €19)! I was given drugs to bring down my temperature and the doctor explained that I'd managed to get a parasite in my system and that's what was causing me the grief (and more pills to deal with that). I had an amoeba not a worm as Una was thinking! The doc said it could be contagious (which he later retracted) so we got Una a new room and for the first time on the trip I had space to myself for two whole nights...BLISS (even with feeling crap)!
The plan for our full day in Pokhara was to get up really early to go watch the sunrise at Sarangot, but the weather wasn't cooperating..rain, rain, rain!! This was bad news because we were also booked in to give paragliding a go later in the day. This was my preparation for the skydive my colleagues kindly set me to do in New Zealand, and I was pretty excited about it, but unsure if my tummy would hold up for the whole hour. I was debating on and off and on and off, but in the end it was cancelled because of the weather so we went shopping. Later in the evening we went up to Sarangot to see the sunset which was spectacular. The visit to Pokhara wasn't a waste afterall, though it would have been great to get the paragliding done and I'd love to have tried my hand at kayaking if I'd been feeling up to it.
Verdict, if you get the chance for a stop in Pokhara, it's beautiful..go there!
For photos from Pokhara click here.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Day 41 & 42 (Chitwan)
I think that Chitwan may well be the place on the trip that I've felt most at ease and most relaxed so far, which is strange as it's where I started to be pretty ill (normally that'd be a major demerit for a place).
We arrived in the early afternoon having driven through some of the most phenomonally beautiful landscape I've ever witnessed on the way from Lumbini. On arrival at our digs for the night we were greeted by a mahoot with his elephant who greedily chomped on the bananas that Kim had picked up for us to have a go at feeding them with. The animal was huge, but so cute! I was nervous about handing over the banana but didn't get much choice when the trunk started moving my way when it had smelled out all the others and eaten them. It was one of the weirdest experiences of my life thus far, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought the day would come when I'm feeding an elephant and then patting it's trunk...very bizarre :)
The lodge we stayed in for the two nights was fabulous. We paid $75 per person to go to Chitwan (not quite sure if that was just for the activities and food or if it included our accommodation too – something I will ask about when I get myself a bit more organised). They had a raised bar / restaurant area that was like a tree-house for adults and the rooms were spacious enough to hang washing and have our bags strewn all over the place. The food they laid on for us was top class, very tasty and plentiful, nobody was going to go hungry there. On the rooftop of the building we were staying in there was a paved area for sunbathing, but it was way too hot to lie out for too long. I tried to give it 10 minutes to dry out after our activities but I was burning up after 5 and had to head back inside.
Activity wise we had a lot of stuff on, all of it was excellent and went a long way to easing the annoyance at the Corbett Tiger Reserve having been cut from the itinerary. After we'd settled into our rooms and the elephant had left we met with two local guides who took us out to see the village and show us the ways of Tharu life. One of them was pretty quite so I stuck with the other, Gopal for the most part so I'd get to see and learn as much as possible. He showed us native plants, animals, insects etc before taking us to the Tharu Museum to explain the history and the culture of the people and the Chitwan area. I saw a traditional stove (nothing like we use at home), a mousetrap and a whole lot more besides – what struck me was the simplicity of everything. The mousetrap was a piece of bamboo sealed at one end with a piece of string that catches the mouse once it walks in far enough..so simple it was crazy! The tour also took us into the houses of some of the locals to see how they actually live and we chatted to some of them before seeing their handicrafts (that I got sucked into buying of course!). From there we moved on up to the riverbank where the majority of the crew had been sitting for a while taking advantage of the happy hour in one of the bars there. Apparently shortly before we arrived one of the crocodiles in the river had eaten a dog who got a bit too close to the bank...this was the river we were to canoe in before washing the elephants the next day!
We went to see the local cultural programme where the men of the village performed the traditional stick dance..it was amazing. It reminded me a lot of Stomp the musical because the had so few instruments on the stage and were using their sticks to make the beat for the most part. I took lots of video clips and will post one if I can figure out how :) Then at the end they invited the audience to join them on stage, so yours truly (with an amount of rum and coke in her system) jumped up and started dancing like a crazy lady. Funny sight since I don't normally dance...it was brilliant craic and I was having so much fun I even broke out the D'unbelievables dance and got some of the others in the crowd to join in. After the music stopped and we were getting ready to leave, Sara and I wanted picture with the dancers so climbed back on stage. Then the encore dancing started with Una, April and I getting paired off and being spun around the dance floor. Quite the work out..and such great fun!
The next morning we were up early doors to get out onto the river in some wooden canoes. The guides were pointing things out as we went – I saw crocodiles, kingfishers, monkeys, deer and fish. Not a bad morning's work. From the canoe we trekked on foot through the jungle, again listening to Gopal talk about what was around us until we arrived at the elephant breeding centre. Here we fed the baby elephants and got up close and personal with them. They can pack away a lot of biscuits and aren't afraid to go sniffing them out let me tell ya! After that we went to bathe with the elephants in the river...now that was a pretty funky time. We had to climb from the bank of the river onto the elephant's back by stepping on their heads..then sit down until we were out in the water. When there a good portion of the crew stood up on the elephant's backs..I was too scared I'd loose my balance and fall off so stayed happily planted on it's back with my hand wedged in the rope around it's neck to hold me in place...or so I thought. After spraying us continually for a few minutes the elephant decided to lie down in the water sending Todd and I into the water and into the strong current. The mahoot grabbed hold of me and with a bit of effort got me shoved back up onto the elephant...hilarious! Later in the afternoon we went on an elephant back safari through the jungle where we got to see wild rhino and deer. There was a snake in one of the trees that we passed, but thankfully I didn't see it :)
Our final night in Chitwan passed in a blur of trips to the bathroom for me. I should really just have taken up camp on the floor in there but I hoped it was a temporary thing so struggled on...you'll find out what was wrong in the Pokhara installment.
So, the Nepalese adventure continues and just keeps getting better..let's see what else it can throw at us :)
For photos from Chitwan click here.
We arrived in the early afternoon having driven through some of the most phenomonally beautiful landscape I've ever witnessed on the way from Lumbini. On arrival at our digs for the night we were greeted by a mahoot with his elephant who greedily chomped on the bananas that Kim had picked up for us to have a go at feeding them with. The animal was huge, but so cute! I was nervous about handing over the banana but didn't get much choice when the trunk started moving my way when it had smelled out all the others and eaten them. It was one of the weirdest experiences of my life thus far, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought the day would come when I'm feeding an elephant and then patting it's trunk...very bizarre :)
The lodge we stayed in for the two nights was fabulous. We paid $75 per person to go to Chitwan (not quite sure if that was just for the activities and food or if it included our accommodation too – something I will ask about when I get myself a bit more organised). They had a raised bar / restaurant area that was like a tree-house for adults and the rooms were spacious enough to hang washing and have our bags strewn all over the place. The food they laid on for us was top class, very tasty and plentiful, nobody was going to go hungry there. On the rooftop of the building we were staying in there was a paved area for sunbathing, but it was way too hot to lie out for too long. I tried to give it 10 minutes to dry out after our activities but I was burning up after 5 and had to head back inside.
Activity wise we had a lot of stuff on, all of it was excellent and went a long way to easing the annoyance at the Corbett Tiger Reserve having been cut from the itinerary. After we'd settled into our rooms and the elephant had left we met with two local guides who took us out to see the village and show us the ways of Tharu life. One of them was pretty quite so I stuck with the other, Gopal for the most part so I'd get to see and learn as much as possible. He showed us native plants, animals, insects etc before taking us to the Tharu Museum to explain the history and the culture of the people and the Chitwan area. I saw a traditional stove (nothing like we use at home), a mousetrap and a whole lot more besides – what struck me was the simplicity of everything. The mousetrap was a piece of bamboo sealed at one end with a piece of string that catches the mouse once it walks in far enough..so simple it was crazy! The tour also took us into the houses of some of the locals to see how they actually live and we chatted to some of them before seeing their handicrafts (that I got sucked into buying of course!). From there we moved on up to the riverbank where the majority of the crew had been sitting for a while taking advantage of the happy hour in one of the bars there. Apparently shortly before we arrived one of the crocodiles in the river had eaten a dog who got a bit too close to the bank...this was the river we were to canoe in before washing the elephants the next day!
We went to see the local cultural programme where the men of the village performed the traditional stick dance..it was amazing. It reminded me a lot of Stomp the musical because the had so few instruments on the stage and were using their sticks to make the beat for the most part. I took lots of video clips and will post one if I can figure out how :) Then at the end they invited the audience to join them on stage, so yours truly (with an amount of rum and coke in her system) jumped up and started dancing like a crazy lady. Funny sight since I don't normally dance...it was brilliant craic and I was having so much fun I even broke out the D'unbelievables dance and got some of the others in the crowd to join in. After the music stopped and we were getting ready to leave, Sara and I wanted picture with the dancers so climbed back on stage. Then the encore dancing started with Una, April and I getting paired off and being spun around the dance floor. Quite the work out..and such great fun!
The next morning we were up early doors to get out onto the river in some wooden canoes. The guides were pointing things out as we went – I saw crocodiles, kingfishers, monkeys, deer and fish. Not a bad morning's work. From the canoe we trekked on foot through the jungle, again listening to Gopal talk about what was around us until we arrived at the elephant breeding centre. Here we fed the baby elephants and got up close and personal with them. They can pack away a lot of biscuits and aren't afraid to go sniffing them out let me tell ya! After that we went to bathe with the elephants in the river...now that was a pretty funky time. We had to climb from the bank of the river onto the elephant's back by stepping on their heads..then sit down until we were out in the water. When there a good portion of the crew stood up on the elephant's backs..I was too scared I'd loose my balance and fall off so stayed happily planted on it's back with my hand wedged in the rope around it's neck to hold me in place...or so I thought. After spraying us continually for a few minutes the elephant decided to lie down in the water sending Todd and I into the water and into the strong current. The mahoot grabbed hold of me and with a bit of effort got me shoved back up onto the elephant...hilarious! Later in the afternoon we went on an elephant back safari through the jungle where we got to see wild rhino and deer. There was a snake in one of the trees that we passed, but thankfully I didn't see it :)
Our final night in Chitwan passed in a blur of trips to the bathroom for me. I should really just have taken up camp on the floor in there but I hoped it was a temporary thing so struggled on...you'll find out what was wrong in the Pokhara installment.
So, the Nepalese adventure continues and just keeps getting better..let's see what else it can throw at us :)
For photos from Chitwan click here.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Day 40 (Lumbini)
Before I get too engrossed in telling the tale of our first night in Nepal I need to say Happy Birthday Mairead – hope it was a good 'un and sorry I missed it!
So, here we are in country number 13 on our list, the fabulous Nepal (one day and I'm in love with the place!). We had a pretty long drive from Varanasi so left at crazy o'clock in the morning to allow us enough time to get to the India / Nepal border and get through before it got too late and we ran the risk of having to just go straight to the hotel and see nothing of the place. Our driver was an even more crazy man than normal and I thought we were going to end up in the back of a lorry in front of us or smashed into oncoming traffic on more than one occasion. I don't think there's any way I could be persuaded into driving in Iran, Pakistan or India...they're bloody nuts! Bikes, motor bikes, rickshawks and pedestrians everywhere and rather than following the path of the road they take shortcuts wherever they feel like it – even if it means driving down the wrong side of the road. Nuts!
The border crossing was smooth and hassle fee. Since I had my visa already I was processed in about 5 minutes and off in search of a money exchange for some Nepalese Rupees to add to my stash of Indian Rupees for the three nights we have to venture back into India before flying from Kolkuta to Bangkok.
We got onto our 5th bus of the journey and it's pretty much a copy of the Indian one but seems to have a bit more leg room than that one. Some people are having to double up in seats again (thankfully I've been lucky enough to have a seat to myself pretty much all of the time – dunno if that's cos people are scared to ask me to budge over in the mornings for fear of getting snarled at or not, but either way it's a good thing). Tis great to be able to stretch out on long drive days and catch up on sleep, blogs, reading etc.
Before checking into the hotel we drove out to the birthplace of Buddha for a look around. It was a very serene place, somewhere I could have happily sat down for a few hours to read a book or just kick back and think. They had a pathway snaking around the ruins leading to a building in the centre of the area. All around the pathway was shrubbery and trees draped in Tibetan prayer flags that were so colourful and pretty that I took a whole heap of photos of them. There was a large tree next to the central building where a guy was giving blessings. The building encased part of the ruins with a stone on which Buddha was born, pretty random, but a cool thing to see.
After that short stop we headed back towards the border to the hotel and checked in. Una and I lucked out getting a massive room (our bathroom was about the size of the other folks rooms) with a balcony. In our delight at the lovely room we were trying everything out, the chairs, desks, tables etc before coming to opening the balcony door to have a look out. I open the inner door and was about to open the outer screen door when I thought I saw a shadow at the bottom corner of it. Before we knew what was happening the biggest gecko I've seen to date ran in under the screen door, up the curtains and hid in the folds of material – he was even faster than Conor. It sent me into a panic and I was up on one of the chairs screaming and whimpering like a little girl! One of the hotel staff was passing the door and spotted me on the chair and Una on the bed so came to the rescue telling us there was nothing to be scared off because gecko's wouldn't harm us (I wonder if he's ever woken up with one encased in a mummy shaped sleeping bag liner with him – that might change his tune a little bit...it's scarier than you'd think). He banged and walloped at the curtains and wall and in the end reckoned it had disappeared back out the door – I didn't think so but figured enough was enough..it's time to stop being so scared of them. While Una was out in search of an ATM the guy came back with one of the other lads and a can of some kind of spray that he assured me would sort out the situation...he banged on the curtain again..then started spraying, and within .5 of a second the blasted thing was out running around the walls again *shudder*. That of course was my que to jump up on the furniture again and start whimpering. The gecko disappeared behind a wardrobe and the unit Una's bag was resting on and didn't budge again no matter how much the boys banged so they said not to worry it wouldn't be bothering us again (and it didn't that I know about – I slept through without any teeny tiny footsteps on me).
So first day in Nepal, the atmosphere is nicer than India, the landscape is more what I had expected in India and I've got a warm and fuzzy feeling about the place that I was missing during the time we had in India so far. Maybe the three nights we go back there for will sit better with me and make me rethink my current evaluation. But for now, roll on the adventures in Nepal!
For photos from Lumbini click here.
So, here we are in country number 13 on our list, the fabulous Nepal (one day and I'm in love with the place!). We had a pretty long drive from Varanasi so left at crazy o'clock in the morning to allow us enough time to get to the India / Nepal border and get through before it got too late and we ran the risk of having to just go straight to the hotel and see nothing of the place. Our driver was an even more crazy man than normal and I thought we were going to end up in the back of a lorry in front of us or smashed into oncoming traffic on more than one occasion. I don't think there's any way I could be persuaded into driving in Iran, Pakistan or India...they're bloody nuts! Bikes, motor bikes, rickshawks and pedestrians everywhere and rather than following the path of the road they take shortcuts wherever they feel like it – even if it means driving down the wrong side of the road. Nuts!
The border crossing was smooth and hassle fee. Since I had my visa already I was processed in about 5 minutes and off in search of a money exchange for some Nepalese Rupees to add to my stash of Indian Rupees for the three nights we have to venture back into India before flying from Kolkuta to Bangkok.
We got onto our 5th bus of the journey and it's pretty much a copy of the Indian one but seems to have a bit more leg room than that one. Some people are having to double up in seats again (thankfully I've been lucky enough to have a seat to myself pretty much all of the time – dunno if that's cos people are scared to ask me to budge over in the mornings for fear of getting snarled at or not, but either way it's a good thing). Tis great to be able to stretch out on long drive days and catch up on sleep, blogs, reading etc.
Before checking into the hotel we drove out to the birthplace of Buddha for a look around. It was a very serene place, somewhere I could have happily sat down for a few hours to read a book or just kick back and think. They had a pathway snaking around the ruins leading to a building in the centre of the area. All around the pathway was shrubbery and trees draped in Tibetan prayer flags that were so colourful and pretty that I took a whole heap of photos of them. There was a large tree next to the central building where a guy was giving blessings. The building encased part of the ruins with a stone on which Buddha was born, pretty random, but a cool thing to see.
After that short stop we headed back towards the border to the hotel and checked in. Una and I lucked out getting a massive room (our bathroom was about the size of the other folks rooms) with a balcony. In our delight at the lovely room we were trying everything out, the chairs, desks, tables etc before coming to opening the balcony door to have a look out. I open the inner door and was about to open the outer screen door when I thought I saw a shadow at the bottom corner of it. Before we knew what was happening the biggest gecko I've seen to date ran in under the screen door, up the curtains and hid in the folds of material – he was even faster than Conor. It sent me into a panic and I was up on one of the chairs screaming and whimpering like a little girl! One of the hotel staff was passing the door and spotted me on the chair and Una on the bed so came to the rescue telling us there was nothing to be scared off because gecko's wouldn't harm us (I wonder if he's ever woken up with one encased in a mummy shaped sleeping bag liner with him – that might change his tune a little bit...it's scarier than you'd think). He banged and walloped at the curtains and wall and in the end reckoned it had disappeared back out the door – I didn't think so but figured enough was enough..it's time to stop being so scared of them. While Una was out in search of an ATM the guy came back with one of the other lads and a can of some kind of spray that he assured me would sort out the situation...he banged on the curtain again..then started spraying, and within .5 of a second the blasted thing was out running around the walls again *shudder*. That of course was my que to jump up on the furniture again and start whimpering. The gecko disappeared behind a wardrobe and the unit Una's bag was resting on and didn't budge again no matter how much the boys banged so they said not to worry it wouldn't be bothering us again (and it didn't that I know about – I slept through without any teeny tiny footsteps on me).
So first day in Nepal, the atmosphere is nicer than India, the landscape is more what I had expected in India and I've got a warm and fuzzy feeling about the place that I was missing during the time we had in India so far. Maybe the three nights we go back there for will sit better with me and make me rethink my current evaluation. But for now, roll on the adventures in Nepal!
For photos from Lumbini click here.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Day 38 & 39 (Varanasi)
By the time we arrived in Varanasi I was shattered from doing nothing but look out the window and sleep all day, and starving having only had a bag of crisps and a few biscuits for lunch. We pulled up to the hotel for the two nights and were pleasantly surprised by it's location, countryside rather than dirty city..a welcome change :)
There was a large garden at the side of the hotel that was a nice place for us all to gather and chat which is something we've been missing out on a bit now that we're in hotels rather than hostels so there isn't really a common area so to speak. We were talking about going to a silk factory on the first evening so that our full day wasn't so full that people were too tired to do things then and end up missing out on something that could have been done the previous evening, But before we could go anywhere food was required. I ordered a cheese omlette (I know..I keep ranting about having eaten too many eggs already, but omlette is different). I was the first order in and then the masses descended with their requests. I figured, omlette, very quick, first order in...no problem. They came out after about 15 minutes with an omlette, but gave it to Ronan who had ordered well after me :( I figured mine would be next...I was wrong. They'd run out of egg after a single omlette and as the chef was the waiter and shopper there was no possibility of getting more eggs til he was done with other orders (but instead of telling me this so I could change my mind they said, just five minutes, every 10 minutes for more than an hour. The omlette eventually arrived when I thought I was going to pass out! I don't think I've ever eaten so fast in my life!
When everyone had had some food to fill the gap before dinner, there was a call for the silk factory. The number of people wanting to go had dropped to 8 so they said they'd take us in one car (we've gotten into the Indian spirit of fitting as many people as possible into a single vehicle – be that car or rickshaw). I was curious to see what was on offer and the only thing I had in mind to buy was enough silk to make a sleeping bag liner, or have one made for me. But, once I got there and saw how they make the fabric and the amount of effort that went into it, I was drawn to buy myself something bigger in the form of a bedcover – a beautiful piece of Indian handicraft that I'll have forever. It's the first proper souvenier of the trip that I've allowed myself to buy..the only thing to date I've been treating myself to is a badge for my rucksack from each country we visit. I got a liner too – they made one up for me and even made a bag to hold it in...I can't wait to have an excuse to sleep in it. It's almost too nice to use, so I'm waiting for a requirement rather than a just because :) I wasn't the only one drawn into buying from the best salesmen in the world...all of us emerged with something!
The main purpose for the stop in Varanasi was for us to see the Ganges. We got up at crazy o'clock (4am) to go on a sunrise boat ride on the river. I watched in horror as people bathed and swam in the river., and did a double take every time I saw someone drink from it. I don't understand how they can drink the water knowing what's gone into it...I appreciate their religion dictates it's a very holy place, but it's filthy and smells so bad! The rain started shortly after we pulled out onto the river and didn't let up, I reckon I was easily the winner of the wet t-shirt competition because I was sat by myself at the front of the boat while everyone else was perched side by side along the length of the craft so had some rain protection on either side. I had contemplated bringing my raincoat but didn't bother with it – doh!
After the boat ride we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and I took a power-nap before heading out on a city tour in a rickshaw with Abby & Ana. We were shown the college and several temples, one of which was called the Monkey Temple – but had no monkeys (phew!). It was interesting to see life in another Indian city and I started to warm to the place slightly. It wasn't as dirty as Agra and we weren't hassled to the same degree, but the poverty was hard to look at. It's part of the trip (take the good with the bad) so I'm dealing with it, but feeling guilty about my charmed life.
In the evening about half the group went back to the Ganges to see the sunset and watch some of the cremation services that were taking place. The idea of going back really didn't appeal to me so I stayed behind to pack and get ready for the drive to Nepal tomorrow...bring it on! As I said, I warmed to India..and maybe the 3 nights we'll be back here after Nepal will entice me to return someday, but for now it's still a no thank you.
For photos from Varanasi click here.
There was a large garden at the side of the hotel that was a nice place for us all to gather and chat which is something we've been missing out on a bit now that we're in hotels rather than hostels so there isn't really a common area so to speak. We were talking about going to a silk factory on the first evening so that our full day wasn't so full that people were too tired to do things then and end up missing out on something that could have been done the previous evening, But before we could go anywhere food was required. I ordered a cheese omlette (I know..I keep ranting about having eaten too many eggs already, but omlette is different). I was the first order in and then the masses descended with their requests. I figured, omlette, very quick, first order in...no problem. They came out after about 15 minutes with an omlette, but gave it to Ronan who had ordered well after me :( I figured mine would be next...I was wrong. They'd run out of egg after a single omlette and as the chef was the waiter and shopper there was no possibility of getting more eggs til he was done with other orders (but instead of telling me this so I could change my mind they said, just five minutes, every 10 minutes for more than an hour. The omlette eventually arrived when I thought I was going to pass out! I don't think I've ever eaten so fast in my life!
When everyone had had some food to fill the gap before dinner, there was a call for the silk factory. The number of people wanting to go had dropped to 8 so they said they'd take us in one car (we've gotten into the Indian spirit of fitting as many people as possible into a single vehicle – be that car or rickshaw). I was curious to see what was on offer and the only thing I had in mind to buy was enough silk to make a sleeping bag liner, or have one made for me. But, once I got there and saw how they make the fabric and the amount of effort that went into it, I was drawn to buy myself something bigger in the form of a bedcover – a beautiful piece of Indian handicraft that I'll have forever. It's the first proper souvenier of the trip that I've allowed myself to buy..the only thing to date I've been treating myself to is a badge for my rucksack from each country we visit. I got a liner too – they made one up for me and even made a bag to hold it in...I can't wait to have an excuse to sleep in it. It's almost too nice to use, so I'm waiting for a requirement rather than a just because :) I wasn't the only one drawn into buying from the best salesmen in the world...all of us emerged with something!
The main purpose for the stop in Varanasi was for us to see the Ganges. We got up at crazy o'clock (4am) to go on a sunrise boat ride on the river. I watched in horror as people bathed and swam in the river., and did a double take every time I saw someone drink from it. I don't understand how they can drink the water knowing what's gone into it...I appreciate their religion dictates it's a very holy place, but it's filthy and smells so bad! The rain started shortly after we pulled out onto the river and didn't let up, I reckon I was easily the winner of the wet t-shirt competition because I was sat by myself at the front of the boat while everyone else was perched side by side along the length of the craft so had some rain protection on either side. I had contemplated bringing my raincoat but didn't bother with it – doh!
After the boat ride we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and I took a power-nap before heading out on a city tour in a rickshaw with Abby & Ana. We were shown the college and several temples, one of which was called the Monkey Temple – but had no monkeys (phew!). It was interesting to see life in another Indian city and I started to warm to the place slightly. It wasn't as dirty as Agra and we weren't hassled to the same degree, but the poverty was hard to look at. It's part of the trip (take the good with the bad) so I'm dealing with it, but feeling guilty about my charmed life.
In the evening about half the group went back to the Ganges to see the sunset and watch some of the cremation services that were taking place. The idea of going back really didn't appeal to me so I stayed behind to pack and get ready for the drive to Nepal tomorrow...bring it on! As I said, I warmed to India..and maybe the 3 nights we'll be back here after Nepal will entice me to return someday, but for now it's still a no thank you.
For photos from Varanasi click here.
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