OCT 5
Greetings from India
arrived @ 00.20am Sunday temp 28c humidity 75% not hotel no way of getting there but as told by my friendly travel agent no problem book at the airport so as I go through customs feeling a tad apprehensive 2 guys at a window in the airport have the information re hotels so book on in an area from my book called Cabala (this is in Mumbai by the way) had been told DO NOT jump in taxi without pre paying so after booking hotel next window pay for taxi I have to admit the term Donkey ears comes to mind, the guy says do you want a/c or no a/c feeling the heat already said a/c which cost another 250Rs get taken to India's version of a people carrier (that's the same size as ours only it takes 30 people) now the airport is approx 15k from the hotel and we drive all the way with the passenger window open (this is a/c remember) arrive at the hotel at 1.30am but as it's 4.5hrs behind SA wasn't sleepy ended going to sleep at 3 up with the birds at 9.30 next day to start my sight seeing of Mumbai. 1st stop was the Gate of India (for the boys reading this that's the monument not the restaurant) it was Sunday but the place was heaving but having said that the population is 18million so everywhere is heaving decided to avail myself of a guide and for 2hrs he took me round most of the interesting places including the main washing area where 6000 men (only men) work washing clothes by hand as you stand higher it's a site you have difficulty taking in I took a couple of photo's but I'm not sure if it will capture the scene properly, by the time that was over I was knacked so went back to the hotel for a rest in preparation for my 1st proper Indian meal, and I wasn't disappointed, the only thing was the place was full of westerners, next day Mon had chat with taxi driver about cost for half a day, and off we went 1st to the tourist office who where very helpful about trains and things and told me I could buy an Indian rail pass to cover all the places I want to go, but I needed to decide how long in each place, so sat down and worked it all out and the rail reservation place was next door, so off I trot to next door where smiles are left at the door @ the window for non Indians what I didn't know was that they only dealt with foreign currency luckily i had dollars with me, now my list of places to go was 7 cities long which caused much head scratching & long face but she sorted me out or so I thought, she gave me the main ticket plus a separate sheet which you hand over to the collector, and then sent me to another window which at the time I didn't know why but 2hrs later I found out which put paid to any further sightseeing.
My first impressions of India are the heat, the humidity, the smells both good and not so good, the body's lying around (I think they were all alive) the begging from both adults and the smallest children you could imagine, the sharks, the street sellers, as you walk up the road past all the stalls it's like a scene from a surreal movie when everybody's face is in yours as you walk by, it's well "wonderful" for all the not so good bits, it's something I have never experienced before (to those people who have I hope you understand)
Anyway now off on my travels by train for the next 21 days I will try to keep in touch as I go.
PS on my 2nd night had Bombay Duck (in Bombay)
OCT 14
Greetings yet again keeping on the move in case anybody catches up with me, before I start I would like to thank those who have been sending me emails. It's much appreciated to those of you who haven't sent me anything, nothing, zilch, since before I left England shame on you, this is a two way thing and it's nice to hear from people now and again so get those typing fingers moving, sermon over.
The train journey to Ahmadabad was during the day and took 8hrs, mainly uneventful except part way through the journey the guy next to me got off the train at a stop and came back on with some food wrapped in newspaper which he described as a fried potato and veg dumpling with two types of chilli, so I ordered one from the food whala on the train the only thing different was I got white slices of bread unlike my mate who had buns, now this makes all the difference so a family on my other side offered me some buns +chillies, I have found if you talk to people with a smile on your face they respond in kindness, had been having trouble trying to contact a hotel on my mobile so another guy offered to ring for me and I booked he then asked me if I had been to Ahmadabad before, and offered to help, which I was glad of, now I've been trying to work out the best way to describe the place and I'm having difficulty, but imagine Wembley and 100,000 people leaving all at once in the same direction 10% walking 20% on push bikes 30% in auto rickshaws and the rest on scooters and that's what Ahmadabad is like ALL the time I have never experienced anything so manic ever even though it has a smaller population than a lot of places it's so concentrated, crossing the road is like running down death alley, so you just do what the locals do and walk out in front of them and pray, overall with so many places to see and the constant heaving of the city I found it an intriguing place like something from another planet, now Ahmadabad is in the state of Gujaret which is dry ie TT + most of the restaurants are vegi, so I spent 4 days with no meat and no alcohol (will he survive he asks), so after 4 different days I moved on to Udaipur which is a complete opposite, by Indian standards anyway the place is in a valley with a lake in the middle and surrounding all of this are a range of mountains that remind me of sleeping Armadillos it's very pretty the hotel I was in was on the opposite bank to the main buildings, palaces etc so when I had my dinner I had a view over the lake of the city palace facing me and on my right the island palace now a very posh hotel when both areas were bathed in light it was beautiful, but after doing the palace that was it, so time to move on, I forgot to say from Ahmadabad to Udaipur I was on a sleeper I have never been on one ever never mind in India most interesting but too long to go into now, but the next journey was Udaipur to Jaipur again by sleeper again too long to explain but this is the place of the Pink City and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed, now the obvious question is what did I expect and I don't know but it wasn't what I expected, but went on a conducted tour from 9.00am to 6.00pm I was knacked at the end but saw most things there are to see, so had a spare couple of hrs and I'm sat here typing away before I leave yet again on a sleeper to Delhi from there to Agra (that's the Taj Mahal for all the ones who didn't do history) and 3 more cities after that so I think Sri Lanka will be for R&R will be in touch.
OCT 23
Having re-read my last email I feel I didn't get over what I wanted to say properly, I don't want to labour the point but 2 things both about Ahmedabad (which as I'm on my 8th city is still the most interesting) on the 1st day I went looking for the tourist office and got lost when I saw this forlorn looking auto rickshaw driver just standing there so told him I wanted to go to the tourist office, It was then that I realised a. he couldn't read and b. he didn't know his own city we stopped 4 times in half km looking for the office, I told him to wait and when I came out did a deal for the day, well the good point was he had to stop every 5mins to ask directions which meant I reckon I went down every side ally in the old city, which was full of cows, donkeys, goats hogs, dogs, with smells to suit plus most of the houses? had beds outside it certainly was India in the raw, the other point was in the tourist office I asked the guy for a good restaurant, which turned out to be next door but to quote the guy very expensive so that night I pop next door to a roof top restaurant with a mosaic floor so clean you could have eaten your dinner off it, and the cost was the enormous sum of 200Rs and all you could eat (remember this is vegi territory) so for all those members of the "Save Tommy Hunter" club the solution is have a whip round and send Tommy here to build him up.
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OCT 31
Greetings from Sri Lanka, but not to get too far ahead the last time we talked I was on my way to Bangalore, the most western city in India (so the blurb said) well yes it is very different from other Indian cities, it has a pub culture night clubs etc but from a western point of view very 1970s all the bars are virtually men only the music is played at 1 zillion decibels and the groups are Led Zeplin, Deep Purple, Judas Priest (who they Ed) but I felt it was necessary to check out other bars to see if the same applied, so for 3 days i walked the streets sampling the bars and "stuff" it certainly gets you relaxed and ready for Sri Lanka.
Arrived on Wednesday pm it was raining? I believe we're in the middle of change over from monsoon to dry, it's rained 3 out of the last 5days but it's like walking around in a hot shower, anyway reading my book it said that there are 26 holidays in the year 12 of them when it's a full moon (sic) what it didn't tell me was that on full moon days no alcohol is allowed, and guess what it was on Wednesday yes a full moon (I'm beginning to wonder if somebody is sticking pins in me) have decided to play the roll of beach bum, stroll along the beach ,call into a bar, bit more strolling bit more stopping, I'm sure you get the picture, thinking of hiring a car and driver during the week to visit Kandy for the day (at least it will keep me out of bars) then on Friday off to Japan, winds & shakes permitting, keep in touch.
NOV 7
Greetings from the land of the rising sun, but before that my last few days in Sri Lanka, went to Kandy by car with driver called in to an elephant orphanage, most of them looked fairly old with just 2 babies 1 only 3 months old reminded me of Gilly, had 1 uncomfortable moment, went for a stroll on the beach it was quite hot so off came the shirt taking in a few rays when 2 guys came up to me and said they wanted money, as they where not the begger type on came the shirt and into the nearest bar, it was after that, that I started to feel uncomfortable going out of a night, upto now the only place that it's happened, you could say I was quick witted, but would that be an oxymoron (me & quick witted?) wasn't too impressed with Sri Lanka so was pleased to leave. Arrived at the airport on Friday night for a midnight flight as I was booking in two young Japanese guys were in front with 2 of the largest surf boards I've ever seen we get talking well sort of and when they found out I was going to Tokyo asked me if I had anywhere to stay, answer no so offered to help me find a place, after my experience of the other day was a bit weary but they seemed ok we sat in different parts of the plane so I didn't see them until the baggage pickup and they said ok so jumped into their car and off we went, the airport is 66ks from central Tokyo so that was a good start took me to a district called Ueno and found me a Ryokan, this is a traditional type of Japanese room shoes off at the door mattress on the floor and a communal bath all for 50$ which in Japan is cheap, we then went for a meal, and WW3 nearly broke out when I offered to pay, but I insisted, then one of the guys said he would show me round Tokyo (me thinks here comes the pitch) so I asked him what he would charge this time WW4 most offended didn't want any money so he is coming round tomorrow to show me round will let you know how it goes, the area of Ueno I'm in has a shopping area called Ameya Yokocho Arcade which according to my book is one of the best old style shopping areas in Tokyo and my hotel is right in the middle it's like the bazaars in India only a hell of a lot cleaner the place is buzzing till late, have been walking round the area visiting Museums and such and am feeling totally knacked so off for my first communal bath (you have to wear a kimono to enter) don't think too hard, staying here for a few days before going to Kyoto will update you further.
NOV 17
Greetings from Kyoto, at the end of my last email I mentioned my new found mate who was coming to pick me up and show me round, well Monday morning and at 9.00am he turns up and off we go seeing the sites of Tokyo, at lunch time he mentions we are meeting his girlfriend at 12.00 (it's 12.15) so off we pop and meet her Colombian mother Japanese father brought up in Colombia and has a degree in Psychology over here studying Behavioural science of the criminal mind (and at first I thought she kept looking at me because she fancied me) anyway off we went to see the sites which included a Buddha made of copper 14mts high and 700years old pretty impressive this was quite a way out of Tokyo in fact it was the other side of Yokohama, on the way back we had to change trains there but instead they took me round the place, it's changed a bit since Gilly was here it has one of the largest Malls I have ever seen (it will be interesting when I go to the states to do a comparison) so having left the hotel at 9.00 got back at 10.30 pm great day, the 2 new best friends turned up trumps won't bore you with all I've done except to mention the district of Ginza which is the shopping area for Tokyo it makes Harrods look like a second hand shop in a seedy part of London (memo to Joanne I know you think America is the tops but just jump on a plane with your C.Cards and try here) spent 6 nights in Tokyo and I have to say I could live here it's a very impressive city, from there moved on to Kyoto for 6 nights this is my last night before moving back to Tokyo for 3 nights then off to Oz Kyoto has some nice places and great sites but Tokyo is the place for me for anybody who hasn't been here and I think that covers most of you try to come at least once it really is a great place.
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NOV 24
Greetings from Oz. To finish off my adventures in Japan, went back to Tokyo for my last 3 days an had a ball on Saturday (my last night) went out with my 2 new best friends on the way I was asked if I liked Japanese food which I thought I had been eating for the last 2 weeks (wrong) we went to a small restaurant and I will keep the menu basic for the nesh amongst you but it included fish heads on skewers snake outers and inners plus intestines and finished off with a fish dish in which you pour green tea into the bowl to make a kind of soup, and it was delicious, and quite expensive but I had offered to pay before we went out, they had brought a friend so for 4 people the bill was 60 pounds which they paid regardless of my protests we then went around town to places I would never have found and had a great time on the way, as we got back to my hotel (midnight) they gave me a T shirt, the fact that it had 2 Sumo wrestlers on the front was just coincidental (so they said) so that's 2 more people added to the email list it's becoming quite international now. The next morning jumped on the plane for 8hrs to Kuala Lumpur where I spent 4hrs before catching the plane to Sydney another 8hrs arrived 8am Monday spent the day in Sydney sorting out my ticket looking at clothes (having used the washing service in India the clothes where knacked) and then went home to my mate's house after he had finished work, got to bed after approx 42hrs but Tuesday back on song, but took it easy, so today am in Sydney looking at cars trying to decide whether to buy or rent have been round different dealers for prices (they are all in Kings Cross) for those that don't know KC here has the same reputation as KC in London but I'm keeping everything crossed, going to make a decision today and then be on the road in a couple of days, for those who are interested I will be following the coast down to Melbourne and on to Adelaide then right up the middle past Alice Springs and Ayres Rock and into Darwin and then following the coast down past Cairns through Brisbane and back to Sydney should take about 10 weeks and 8000kms so watch this space.
Yours with the Roo's