After taking in the beautiful and majestic sights of the Taj, Jeff and I escaped the incessant honking and street noise at a very quiet garden restaurant/guesthouse. It wasn't our guesthouse as we were staying in a total rat hole and paying under 6$/night..we realized later that sometimes saving money is not always the best plan!
We had a quiet dinner at this garden restaurant, Sheela Guesthouse, and met a lovely couple from Holland, currently living in Portugal. We started chatting with them and they invited us to join them the next day to Fatephur Sikri, about an hour drive from Agra. The fort in Fatephur used to house the wives of Akbar duringthe 1500's. It became abandoned when there was a shortage of water and is now considered a ghost town. It was a lovely way to spend the day with Wilma and Jan. Especially before another long train ride to Varanassi. We were sadto leave the Taj Mahal but happy to leave the noise of Agra...
Our train ride was rather uneventful, the only thing was that we almost missed our train as we didn't realize that there are 3 train stations in Agra and another one about 30 km's away...ofcourse, our train was departing from the further station and we had to burn some serious fuel to getthere in time. We took a rickshaw there, our driver had that thing floored on the highway! huge trucks were passing us by, but we made it with time to spare and only 2 u-turns on a highway!! only in India!
Many people had told us that we were going to love Varanassi and the culture it had to offer..we were skeptical but in the end it was quitethe experience. We met another great couple, Raquel and Jude. We spent our days there with them and toured around, and I haveto say for a city it was pretty incredible...all the different ghats along the Ganga River, the holy river and all the Saddhus, holy men.
I will update more but my time is up right now....
must go eat...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Pushkar, sunsets and Taj
Taj Mahal
Taj, with thousands of visitors
on "Republic Day"
Sunset on small mountain with temple.
Sunset Pushkar, the best yet!!!!Ok, there are some beautiful
sites in India.
Rebekah on temple looking downover Pushkar.
Camels, Forts and snakes
Beck on the camel named Michael Jackson (not sure why and didn't ask!)
Jodphur Fort -very big and has never been taken.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Land of the bobble heads, holy cows and beautiful sunsets...
We arrived in Delhi 12 days ago and it feels like a lifetime....Our first experience with India was the late arrival of our plane (not the first time we we late getting somewhere!) From the advice of friends and the trusty guide book, we had arranged to be picked up at the airport...we were so grateful for that as we were not hounded upon. We stayed in the backpacker area of Delhi, Paharganj and stayed at a less than dodgy guesthouse. However our first meal here was truly amazing. Once we checked in we went out exploring and came upon a locals diner. It was so good and we left entirely satisfied, there were many pleasant smells of chai and curry which was far better then the smells coming from the streets. The smells that great you on the streets of India are a true combination of open sewage, cow dung (among other aminal, human included), chai masalas and curries! There were so many people in the streets all yelling hellos and Namaste's...
We decided to do a tour of Delhi the next day which we had organized through our guesthouse. The tour was ok. We saw the sites we wanted to see, a beautiful mosque which can accomodate up to 30 000 people! The National museum which gave a good history of the country. Our driver was nice and all but after a while the true Indian came out and he wanted to bring us to all sorts of places where he was going to receive a commission for taking us there. We asked to go for lunch, we gave him our price range and he brought us to a very expensive westernized restaurant. we looked at the menu and left immediatley letting him know in the nicest of Canadian ways, that we were unimpressed...he just shook his head in a way that we like to call the "bobble". It isn't exactly and nod "yes" or a side to side "no", it is a ear to shoulder bobble which doesn't mean yes and it doesn't mean no, it just mean that "I have heard you and acknowlegde that you are speaking!" We were warned about this bobble but didn't really realize that everyone does it...it is as common as Canadians saying "eh"!
You can understand our frustrations when we ask for directions...need I say more....
Delhi is a very busy city, Jeff and I were not too thrilled with it as cities aren't our thing but it was good to check out and good to leave! There are just about as many people living in Delhi as there are in all of Canada!!
Our tour of Delhi ended a few hours early as we didn't not get on very well with our guide, he relentlessly brought us to places we didn't want to go to. We made our way to the train station and bought a ticket for Bikaner. We left that night....
On the train we met another couple of travelers from Germany who had been living in the south for the few months working in a hospital. we had some great chats and exchanged travel adventures...our train was supposed to be 12 hours, we were 4 hours late at arriving at our destination..good times...in the morning we were sitting chatting and looked over to the Indian man lying down under a blanket in front of us, he was talking on the phone to his wife doing none other than...pleasuring himself...only in India..We can say that was quite the experience..talk about AWKWARD!!!!
Bikaner was ok but we found the streets particularly dirty..men using the walls to relieve themselves...who needs public toilets when you can find a wall somewhere! We had plannedto do a camel treck but decided not to as Jeff got a cold from the train ride... which was by the way the worlds coldest night...we put on every item of clothing we owned and even had bought blankets forthe ride...we still froze...we thought we were escapingthe cold...well the cold found us in Rajasthan....
From Bikaner we made our way by local bus to Jasailmer. It was quite a journey...we had to change buses at one point, but our bus was late and we hadto flag the other bus down in the middle ofthe highway (which really isn't a highway but a bumpy road). The bus master (guy in charge of collecting money) rushed us off the bus, some other guy cut Jeff off as he was gettting off the bus and he flew on his ass!! It all happened so fast! it was truly one of the funniest moment ever! everyone on the bus got up to see what had happened to the foreigner! Poor Jeff was covered in dirt...being the good little wife...I laughed so hard till my eyes watered, my stomach ached and i nearly peed my pants!! I was glad that Jeff was laughing too! When things get hectic and we get flustered we just think of him flying off the bus on his ass and laugh because in the end.."it is what it is"....
Jasailmer was really nice and relaxing. We stayed at a really chill guesthouse which had a beautiful view of the fort there. So far Jasailmer is one of our favorite spots. We did a jeep tour for an afternoon, as Jeff was still nursing a cold instead of doing a camel trek and camping overnight in the desert. We did get our token camel ride to watch the sunset..I think 30 minutes on a camel is all that is needed..really!
After a few days in Jasailmer, we took a bus to Jodphur. There we got husseled! We thought wehad our street smarts about us but no, once we were tired from the day of traveling and the fact that it takes 7 hours to travel 270 kms! (no joke). We were had...a young boy started talking to us, and asked if we would have chai with his family which led to having dinner with them as well. Once dinner was done we were asked to visit his spice shop...how can you bring a cook to a spice shop and not buy anything!! We showed great restraint and in the end bought a small bag of chai tea..of course! More because we felt guilty not too, let me rephrase that, I felt guilty not too. The owners of the guesthouse laughed at us because the woman Nisha had even warned us about these scams. In the end we got a dinner out of it and only spent 90 rupees on tea which is the equivalent to about 3$! Not that much lost in the end...
Pushkar was next on our journey, we spent2 days there doing pretty much nothing, sleeping reading and relaxing...taking in the sites and trying th eunderstand the ways of India...like how could you have Holy cows wander the streets freely and let them feast on gargage, plastic bags and cardboard...if I am ever reincarnated, I do not want to come back as a cow in India, I would rather be a cow at the Tutt Ranch in BC where i know I would be treated as Holy! The open sewage system hereis slightly mindboogling as well...there are these trauf oonthe side ofthe narrow roads for drainage, well, dogs and cows drink out ofthem..yummy! and as I have seen now many times little boys doing number 2 in them! there's a view!
I do haveto saw that there are many beautiful things about India...the food, the women beautifully adorned in vibrant coloured saris and glittering jewels, the breathtaking architecture of forts, palaces and of course the majestic Taj Mahal! Pictures do it no justice! It is truly a masterpiece! We sat and watch the Taj Mahal during sunset...it was lite in beautiful colours of orange and red...
Jeff and I have one more major spot on our journey of India before we head up to Nepal as we feel the mountains are calling us...
We leave Agra tomorrow night on the night train, clad with more blankets....to Varanassi.
We decided to do a tour of Delhi the next day which we had organized through our guesthouse. The tour was ok. We saw the sites we wanted to see, a beautiful mosque which can accomodate up to 30 000 people! The National museum which gave a good history of the country. Our driver was nice and all but after a while the true Indian came out and he wanted to bring us to all sorts of places where he was going to receive a commission for taking us there. We asked to go for lunch, we gave him our price range and he brought us to a very expensive westernized restaurant. we looked at the menu and left immediatley letting him know in the nicest of Canadian ways, that we were unimpressed...he just shook his head in a way that we like to call the "bobble". It isn't exactly and nod "yes" or a side to side "no", it is a ear to shoulder bobble which doesn't mean yes and it doesn't mean no, it just mean that "I have heard you and acknowlegde that you are speaking!" We were warned about this bobble but didn't really realize that everyone does it...it is as common as Canadians saying "eh"!
You can understand our frustrations when we ask for directions...need I say more....
Delhi is a very busy city, Jeff and I were not too thrilled with it as cities aren't our thing but it was good to check out and good to leave! There are just about as many people living in Delhi as there are in all of Canada!!
Our tour of Delhi ended a few hours early as we didn't not get on very well with our guide, he relentlessly brought us to places we didn't want to go to. We made our way to the train station and bought a ticket for Bikaner. We left that night....
On the train we met another couple of travelers from Germany who had been living in the south for the few months working in a hospital. we had some great chats and exchanged travel adventures...our train was supposed to be 12 hours, we were 4 hours late at arriving at our destination..good times...in the morning we were sitting chatting and looked over to the Indian man lying down under a blanket in front of us, he was talking on the phone to his wife doing none other than...pleasuring himself...only in India..We can say that was quite the experience..talk about AWKWARD!!!!
Bikaner was ok but we found the streets particularly dirty..men using the walls to relieve themselves...who needs public toilets when you can find a wall somewhere! We had plannedto do a camel treck but decided not to as Jeff got a cold from the train ride... which was by the way the worlds coldest night...we put on every item of clothing we owned and even had bought blankets forthe ride...we still froze...we thought we were escapingthe cold...well the cold found us in Rajasthan....
From Bikaner we made our way by local bus to Jasailmer. It was quite a journey...we had to change buses at one point, but our bus was late and we hadto flag the other bus down in the middle ofthe highway (which really isn't a highway but a bumpy road). The bus master (guy in charge of collecting money) rushed us off the bus, some other guy cut Jeff off as he was gettting off the bus and he flew on his ass!! It all happened so fast! it was truly one of the funniest moment ever! everyone on the bus got up to see what had happened to the foreigner! Poor Jeff was covered in dirt...being the good little wife...I laughed so hard till my eyes watered, my stomach ached and i nearly peed my pants!! I was glad that Jeff was laughing too! When things get hectic and we get flustered we just think of him flying off the bus on his ass and laugh because in the end.."it is what it is"....
Jasailmer was really nice and relaxing. We stayed at a really chill guesthouse which had a beautiful view of the fort there. So far Jasailmer is one of our favorite spots. We did a jeep tour for an afternoon, as Jeff was still nursing a cold instead of doing a camel trek and camping overnight in the desert. We did get our token camel ride to watch the sunset..I think 30 minutes on a camel is all that is needed..really!
After a few days in Jasailmer, we took a bus to Jodphur. There we got husseled! We thought wehad our street smarts about us but no, once we were tired from the day of traveling and the fact that it takes 7 hours to travel 270 kms! (no joke). We were had...a young boy started talking to us, and asked if we would have chai with his family which led to having dinner with them as well. Once dinner was done we were asked to visit his spice shop...how can you bring a cook to a spice shop and not buy anything!! We showed great restraint and in the end bought a small bag of chai tea..of course! More because we felt guilty not too, let me rephrase that, I felt guilty not too. The owners of the guesthouse laughed at us because the woman Nisha had even warned us about these scams. In the end we got a dinner out of it and only spent 90 rupees on tea which is the equivalent to about 3$! Not that much lost in the end...
Pushkar was next on our journey, we spent2 days there doing pretty much nothing, sleeping reading and relaxing...taking in the sites and trying th eunderstand the ways of India...like how could you have Holy cows wander the streets freely and let them feast on gargage, plastic bags and cardboard...if I am ever reincarnated, I do not want to come back as a cow in India, I would rather be a cow at the Tutt Ranch in BC where i know I would be treated as Holy! The open sewage system hereis slightly mindboogling as well...there are these trauf oonthe side ofthe narrow roads for drainage, well, dogs and cows drink out ofthem..yummy! and as I have seen now many times little boys doing number 2 in them! there's a view!
I do haveto saw that there are many beautiful things about India...the food, the women beautifully adorned in vibrant coloured saris and glittering jewels, the breathtaking architecture of forts, palaces and of course the majestic Taj Mahal! Pictures do it no justice! It is truly a masterpiece! We sat and watch the Taj Mahal during sunset...it was lite in beautiful colours of orange and red...
Jeff and I have one more major spot on our journey of India before we head up to Nepal as we feel the mountains are calling us...
We leave Agra tomorrow night on the night train, clad with more blankets....to Varanassi.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Part 2 of our travels: India and Nepal
We are leaving the beaches of Thailand and starting the second part of our journey: India and Nepal. Our plans have often changed especially after talking to fellow travelers and gaining insight on their experiences. Originally we were going to head south to the beaches of Goa and decided there was moreto see. So we are staying our journey will begin in Delhi. If our plans don't change, which I am sure they will...we are planning on doing a loop through Rajasthan. The places we have so far planned to visit are: Delhi, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Pushkar, Jaipur, Amber, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra (the Taj Mahal), Varanassi and then we plan to make our way north overland into Nepal. It will be a quick whirlwind tour but we our looking forwardtothe adventure ahead.
We will keep updating our blog as often as possible so you can travel with us....
Big hugs and lots of love, Beck and J-ro
We will keep updating our blog as often as possible so you can travel with us....
Big hugs and lots of love, Beck and J-ro
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Bangkok!!
Khaosan Road!
We ran into these guys in Bangkok!
The canadian boys.Dave, J-ro and Spiritwalker!
The final farwell! For now!
saying goodbye to Marc and Jayne. We'll miss you guys!
Yoga and leaving Had Yuan!
Rebekah in Inversion Swing.Showing off!!!!
J-RO in the Inversion Swing!!
This is proof that i actually did some yoga while we were there.
"Joe" the apprentice driver setting anchor Had Rin beach while we were leaving. See you in a while dude.
more photos Haad Yuan!!
Rebekah and Jeff New Years!
chillin at a beach bar Northern Ko Phangan on our "motobike tour" day. Samran and Beck after the fight!!
Our good friend David, leavin' the beach! Peace bro!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
More Haad Yuan Pictures
Night boat to Surat Thani 25th..
Christmas Eve dinner
Christmas Eve dinnerGunter's place.
Marc and Jayne,
Kona (who came to meet us for xmas) and we were sooo happy to have here there with us....
and Chris "spirit walker".
Edith (Gunter's sister from Italy), Tom (Nelson-on the world wide tour), and J-RO.
Haad Yuan, Ko Phangan, 20days lost in Paridise
We arrived at Had Rin beach looking for our boat to Had Yuan and we found our friend Son there welcoming us and a quick trip we were back in Had Yuan. We had looked forward to this for the last couple of weeks. we were met with smiling faces and many laughs at the fact that some friends didn't recognize me because of my thick beard.... finally time to relax. We immediately met some great people and had an amazing time there with all. Our days were spent on the beach or at yoga. Rebekah was at yoga twice a day and i started at the beginning but was "side tracked" for a 5 day period. But i did go back and got into it quiet a bit. Christmas was great and highlighted with a great dinner at Gunter's place and many drinks with friends......
On the 25th evening we headed to Burma for a visa run, as the Thai Govt decided to change entries by land to only a 15 day visa. So we were screwed, either you pay the over stay for your visa or do a visa run on Christmas. Marc and Jayne were in the same situation so we left at 830pm to take the night boat to the mainland then mini-bus to Ranong. We returned the next evening at 830 pm. 24 hrs of travel later. So we can say we have been to Burma for 5 minutes. We crossed over by boat. Paid 10$$. And started heading back. As we say while travelling on this trip.. "It is what it is...."
New Years was a blast and it turned into a 9 am swim followed by breakfast, then to bed.
The rest of the days we spent relaxing and hanging out. On the 2nd we went to Tong Sala to watch our friend Samaran fight in Muay Thai boxing match. It was a good time and he won by knock out in the second round... He was really happy to have us there to chear and support. (as we had about 15 of us from Had Yuan come to watch.) Finally it was time to leave the beach and fly back to Bangkok. We travelled back with Jayne and Marc as they were on the same flight. We spent two nights in Bangkok and ran into our Canadian friends "spirit walker", AJ, and Dave at a street side bar on Rambutri, needless to say it was a long night. The next day we sorted out or India visa and discovered it wouldn't be ready for 5 days instead of 3. So once again we had to change our flight to Delhi and will have to pay for over stay for our Thai visa.... "it is what it is..."
We are in Ayuthya hanging here for a few days checking out some great ruins and relaxing.. We leave for India on the 13th. Will update more before we go. Cheers
,
Luang Prabang up the Mekong to Thailand
After Luang Prabang (see temple picts added) we headed up the "slow boat" up the Mekong to Pak Beng. We had a good view of the daily life on the Mekong. Really great trip. Then conitnued to Thai border the next day. We passed the border crossing by grabbing a quick longtail boat and running to catch them before they closed at 6 pm. we got there at 6 pm. With our new friends Marc and Jane joining us, we grabbed a mini bus to Chaing Mai. This was the usually Indy car style driving but at least it was a new van. We arrived there 3 hours later which was supposed to take 4. We had a day in chaing Mai to prepare for our "beachtime" and caught our flight the next day to Ko Samui, and ferry to Ko Phangan.
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