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And Now, The End Is Near

Greetings,

So, what has been going on since the last update. Well, when we last spoke I was in Singapore preparing to check out is numerous sights.

First stop was the Singapore Art Museum which was excellent, lots of quality exhibitions and plenty of hands-on stuff for the kids (and me!). Following this we took a ride down the Singapore river which was really good; if not for the fantastic sights and historical commentary then, one of the funniest things I've ever seen: namely an Indian man trying his absolute hardest not to fall off to sleep, who kept jolting himself upright when he almost dozed off! Following this a visit to Chinatown was in order, all in all a good day!

The following day we (we being Heather, Zoe-Lou, Gary, Nick and myself) spent pretty much the entire day at the Singapore Zoo which was awesome. Far too many animals to list them all, but the highlights were mandrills (think Rafiki from The Lion King and you're there!), polar bears, massive crocodiles (and I mean massive!), the seal show and the Malaysian Tigers. After covering the entire zoo during the day, we hung around till after dark for the Nighttime Safari which again was excellent. Driving around in the dark for a glimpse of the night-time animals in their nocturnal habitat was excellent and slightly scary too - especially when the entire tram load of us were told, under no circumstances to use flash photography as it may confuse, agitate and provoke some of the larger animals to attack - didn't stop some people though! Highlight of this was undoubtedly the giraffes.

The next day was to be my last in Singapore, so naturally we (we being the same we as yesterday's we) did what every tourist in Singapore does; goes to Raffles Hotel for Singapore Sling cocktails! Very nice actually! This was then brought back down to my usual level with a visit to Hooters for my final leaving drink!

I bid an emotional and tearful farewell to Heather, Zoe-Louise, Gary and Nick at the airport - Cheers guys, it was a pleasure doing my last trip with you!

I am now in Cape Town having completed the sights I was able to in a couple of days, but really, I've seen what I wanted. I have visited the lovely marina and waterfront area for a stroll, the Castle of Good Hope, the South African Museum and the South African National Gallery (all excellent).

Its pretty nippy here in Cape Town, and I was most concerned, due to inclement weather conditions, that I would be able to neither see nor visit Cape Town's most famous; Table Mountain. In fact, in the two days before today I hadn't seen it at all (and it is only a stones throw away form the city!). But, thankfully the weather today is glorious - the sort of brisk, crisp, English-type spring day that makes one glad that they are alive - and I got to see and visit the wonderful sight. Unfortunately though, the top of the 'table' was covered in what is known as the 'tablecloth', i.e. a fine layer of cloud that sits atop the mountain, so when I was at its summit the vistas were mostly cloudy, misty views of; well, cloud, rather than the city below. This was a shame, but the cable car ride up to the summit (before I got entangled with the 'tablecloth'!) was amazing, the views over the remainder of Cape Town, Signal Hill, the Lions Head and the Lions Rump were incredible.

Well, such a spectacular sight to finish seems rather fitting really, considering all the other spectacular things I've both seen and done over the past months.

So within the next couple of days, I will be back in England, a very scary thought indeed. All that remains is to thank friends, family and well-wishers for reading this, I have really enjoyed writing it I have to admit. Who knows, when I get back to my ordinary, mundane life, I may continue to write my thoughts on day-to-day life. Although logging onto "john's ordinary, mundane life" webpage as opposed to "john's travels" doesn't have quite the same twang does it!?

Just want to say a massive hello to everyone that I have met on my travels (can't list you all, but you know who you are!) who still keep in touch with me - you guys and girls really have made it what it was - the most incredible experience I have ever had!

Keep in touch, wherever you are - you never know, your bed/sofa/floor/shed could easily be called into use by me if I am in your neighbourhood at some point in the future! And, equally, my bed/sofa/floor/garage (sorry, we don't have a shed!) are always open should you wish to stay with me, are you ever in my vicinity!

Finally, I just want to thank my Mam and Dad back home, without whom none of this would have been possible. I love you both, and I will be with you shortly!

This is not really the end, I will be posting recent pictures and reflections on life when I get back home, so keep checking!

Keep it real, keep in touch and keep safe.

Love,
John x

On The Home Stretch

Hello there,

So, whats been going on since the last update. Well, when last we spoke I was on my way to Kuala Lumpur which was a great city. While there I visited the K.L. Tower which afforded fantastic views over the city and its environs, and also the world famous Petronas Towers which is like, the second tallest building in the world or something.

Following K.L. we travelled to Melaka which was built up to be a really historic old town with loads of stuff to see there and a really good vibe and stuff - but I was disappointed to tell the truth. Not a great deal at all there to neither see nor do, so that was a shame.

Still, I enjoyed Malaysia immensely, it was a fantastic place, in particular Penang which was awesome.

So, now I'm in Singapore and its now only a week till I return to England!

I'll let you know my thoughts on Singapore and Cape Town (which is to be the last port of call) when I get a chance.

Take care of yourselves and I'll see (alot of) you soon!

Thai-Highlights

Greetings to all,

I hope you are all well and looking after each other, not long now till I will return to English shores really aswell - am getting really excited about seeing alot of you again.

Anywho, enough of that for the moment, so whats been going on of late. Well, when last we spoke I was in Bangkok. I have to say that this would have to be my least favourite city so far on the travels. I mean, don't get me wrong the sightseeing is pretty good there. The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha are both majestic, as is the Wat Pho where a 40 foot golden reclining Buddha is housed and the Bangkok nightlife is excellent. There are other fantastic sights too, its just that in the tourist areas there is a deception everywhere - complete strangers lying to you about different temples being open so they can take you somewhere to sell you something, cab drivers upping the price or refusing to use the meter or when they do use the meter, take you the 'scenic route' - this sort of thing is especially wearing, and its such a shame that that will be one of the residing memories of this otherwise excellent city.

So now that the rant is over: following Bangkok we travelled south to Kanchanaburia to see the actual Bridge over the River Kwai and learn a bit more of the history about it which was good. Following this we spent four nights on the island of Koh Pha Ngan which was absolute bliss! Days were spent just lazing about on the beach, snorkelling, walking and swimming at waterfalls and I developed quite a taste for fishing - managing to catch four of the blighters during fishing excursions. Theres something satisfying about catching your own dinner, and having it served in front of your very eyes all with in the space of about 2 hours - now thats what I call fresh!

After tearing ourselves away from Koh Pha Ngan we travelled down through the remainder of Thailand and, after a brief overnight karaoke stop in Satun, into Penang in Malaysia. Penang was a wonderful place, so much to see and do there. After a look around the historic old Fort Cornwallis we set about wandering around Penang's numerous temples of varying religions. In the afternoon we went to the largest temple in Malaysia in the hills overlooking Penang; Kek Lok Si - the amount of colour and just the sheer grand scale was amazing (photos to follow eventually). After that we watched the sun set on Penang hill some 800m above sea level, and directly above the whole city - wonderful!

Next, we travelled to the Cameron Highlands which is where I am at the moment actually. The scenery here is absolutely breathtaking, stunning greenery and mountains everywhere! Earlier today we took a trip to a tea plantation and saw how the tips in the field get into your brew back home, so that was good. Following a swift cuppa at the tea factory and some strawberries at a roadside pick-your-own strawbs place we went to a butterfly garden and saw huge, beautiful butterflies - it was at this point that I had several other creatures placed about my person and had my photo taken - including; kissing a butterfly; tentatively clutching a millipede, a scorpion dangling above my mouth and a giant stick insect on my torso - all in the name of fun!

Well, as I say I am in the Cameron Highlands at the moment, so thats all to report really. Tomorrow its off to Kuala Lumpur which I am looking forward to immensely.

So, until the next time, take care and keep it real. Will speak to you soon.

Laos do you do?

Greetings,

Apologies once more for the lack of update. If anyone has any major issues, all complaints should be addressed to the Laos Internet Speed Regulation Board, or some such body.

Anywho, that said, whats been going on of late. Well, as you can guess from the above pun-genius I have been to Laos. After leaving Bangkok I travelled to north Thailand and stayed in Chiang Mai which was a nice place. In Bangkok there is an estimated 300 temples (thats in a city of about 9 million), now in Chiang Mai there are only about 170,000 people, but the quantity of temples identical to Bangkok! Extraordinary - goes without saying that temples would very much be the theme in Chiang Mai, so I set about wandering around and having a look at some of them. One of the most spectacular was the Doi Suthep temple, high in the mountains overlooking the city. Very impressive.

After Chiang Mai I left Thailand and travelled into Laos. After crossing the border we stayed in a small village called Houay Xai where we visited a local village to witness for ourselves how Laosians live. Great fun drinking rice whiskey and deep-fried termites with the locals.

Following this we travelled down The Mekong, which, of course, should not be confused with The Mekon; leader of The Treens and mortal enemy of Dan Dare:



I digress, we travelled in a slow-boat down the Mekong and, after spending the night in the most bug infested premises I have had the misfortune of staying in Pakbeng, we arrived the following day in Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang was a great place, plenty of things to see there, lovely temples and one especially high on a hill overlooking the town was beautiful. We also made a small excursion to a series of waterfalls nearby which were fantastic for jumping off and swimming around, and also great to look at.

After departing Luang Prabang we travelled to Phosovan where we were to base ourselves to see the Plain of Jars. To those that aren't familiar with what the Plain of Jars is, well, the answer is in the title really. There are literally stone jars spread across a plain. To what use said jars were for, no-one really knows for sure - some say for making whiskey, others say for burning the ashes of the dead. This was a mighty impressive sight.

After learning about the CIA's secret war on Laos, which not alot of people know about, we walked through the Plain past many unexploded shells and grenades and such - scary stuff!

Trivia Moment: Laos is the most bombed country in history - ever - fact!

Following Phosovan we travelled to Vang Vieng. A small place really, full to the hilt of backpackers, but it was set in the volcanic mountains providing it with some stunning scenery - beautiful! After a couple of days there (spent climbing mountains to see Buddha caves, jumping off various trees the height of a 2-storey house into lagoons and floating down the river in a tractor inner-tube, beer in hand) we left and made our way to the national capital; Vientiane.

Again, this was a lovely place - the most quiet and subdued capital I've ever witnessed. Highlights here included temples of various sorts, an Arc de Triomphe type thing (which was rather amusingly made using money from the U.S. government who were promised that a new airport runway would be built with the money), and Buddha Park which had the most incredible statues including a Reclining Buddha in excess of 30 metres long.

From Vientiane, back to Bangkok, which is where I am at time of press.

Impressions of Laos were very positive, so much more than I was expecting, some truly wonderful scenery, sights and places and a whole recent history that I didn't anything about. Fantastic.

I will leave you with a few photos from over the recent weeks. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.


Part of the Doi Suthep temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand.



A fantastic white temple we stopped at on our way to Laos.



This is the wad of Laos money I exchanged at the border, the equivalent of about 40 quid sterling!



The waterfalls. See that bit on the right? Its just perfect from jumping from!



Me on a jar. Guess where? Thats right - The Plain of Jars.



The wonderful Reclining Buddha at Buddha Park, Vientiane.



The Laos gang (l to r: Jim, Melbourne, Rob (tour leader), Me, Tanya and Maria)



And, finally I shall leave you with this quandary. Two of the three people in this photos are actually blokes - answers on a postcard please!

Wat's Been Going On?

Greetings,

When last we spoke I was on my way to Cambodia, so now that I have been there I thought I'd best you lot know what it was like!

The first port of Cambodian call was Phnom Penh. At first I was slightly perturbed as it just seemed like a big city, however, there are enough sights and other thing to do in the local area to make it worthwhile.

Firstly, I visited the National Museum which was pretty good. Alot of statues and stuff of Buddhas taken from the Angkor ruins. Next I went to the incredible Royal Palace, which was simply stunning. The beautiful architecture, and the colour of the buildings against the stark contrast of the blue sky was amazing.

After the Royal Palace I went to the Silver Pagoda next door which was superb too. So grand and almost gaudy which various Buddahs and other statues cast in gold encrusted with 25 karat diamonds. Pretty strange thought really, when you have all that decadence, when, only a few hundred yards away, you have people whose legs have been blown off by an errant landmine begging for money to feed themselves.

In the afternoon there was a definite subdued mood clouding the group as we made a visit to the S.21 prison and The Killing Fields. Both were incredibly moving, and it would be unnecessary, inappropriate and morbid to describe the brutal goings on that occurred here. Anyone that is familiar with the regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge will understand.

The next day we left Phnom Penh and travelled to Siem Riep for what would prove to be another highlight of the tour - Angkor.

After the incredible experience of watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat we visited some other temples at the Angkor site.

First off was the Ta Prohm temple which was wonderfully atmospheric. This site is featured on the front of the Cambodia Lonely Planet guidebook. Overrun with trees and tree roots protruding from the most unlikely places it looked more like something from the set of an Indiana Jones film of something like that. In fact so much so, it was actually used as part of the Tomb Raider film set a few years back.

Following Ta Prohm we visited Angkor Thom and The Bayon site, which again were wonderful. Bayon is made of many large turrets all engraved with images of the heads of Buddhas overlooking the site which gives it such a presence and looks incredible. After that we returned to Angkor Wat for a proper look round and to climb the oh-so steep steps to its summit.

All in all, absolutely magical, I can't recommend it enough.

The next day we took a ride to the mine museum in the outskirts of Siem Riep which was really interesting. Basically, its all run by this one guy called Aki Ra who has completely devoted his life to the safe removal and disarming of landmines across Cambodia (of which there are still an estimated 3 million remaining, and those that are still there claim the lives of approximately 2 people a day). An absolute legend and modern day hero.

I thought I would share with you some of the photos that I have taken over the past few weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia so here they are:

A giant dragon in the Cantonese Assembly Hall - Hoi An, Vietnam



Me getting ready to unload a few rounds from an AK



Me and Anna (my tour leader) on the Mekong - Mekong Delta, Vietnam



The Royal Palace - Phnom Penh, Cambodia



A random monk enjoys the Angkor views - Angkor, Cambodia



Sunrise over Angkor Wat



Hoped you enjoyed those. As for me, I am now in Bangkok following a 10 hour journey (including 5 hours in a pick-up truck over the most bumpiest roads you would ever have the misfortune to drive over!) so its all good.

Right, thats all from me for the moment, hope you are all well. Take care of yourselves and I will speak to you soon.

AK47 - Accept No Substitute

Greetings,

First of all, I made a slight cock-up with the post below the other day which meant that half of it was cut off. That error has now been corrected and the post also updated with two bonus items that I forgot to mention in the initial post. Namely, the similarity between a cult film star and a communist leader, and a drugs bust that I was almost involved in!

Right, back to business. At the moment I am in Saigon, and have been for the past two and a bit days or so.

After travelling from Nah Trang to Saigon I took a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels where the Vietnamese fought, hid and lived during the American War. It was incredible to crawl through these tunnels and see how these people lived and fought and, ultimately, outfoxed their rivals during the war. Some of the tunnels you could barely fit your body through, and after crawling for just 100 metres underground through said tunnels, my legs were almost seized up and I felt like I'd been sitting in a sauna for a good hour! Unbelievable. Also shown were the various cunning traps that the Vietcong used to great effect. Loads of booby traps fashioned from only the natural materials that were around them, like pits with sharpened bamboo canes in them that opposition fighters would fall in. An amazing sight, and a testament to the spirit of survival of these wonderful people.

While at the Cu Chi Tunnels, I partook in an activity that will have the lads back home green with envy - I fired rounds from an AK47 assault rifle!

Following this I travelled from Saigon to see the Mekong Delta where "the mighty river splits into a labyrinth of channels before disgorging into the South China Sea". It was excellent to see how the people lived along the river, and how resourceful they were at creating their various wares. Really interesting and a fascinating insight into proper Vietnamese culture.

Following the Mekong Delta excursion I returned to Saigon. During a night out we went to a ‘specialty‘ restaurant where I tried several new types of food. Including; deep-fried scorpion (followed shortly after by holding a live one in my hand), snake, rat and goat’s penis (I kid thee not!).

In Saigon I visited the War Remnants Museum (rather amusingly formerly called the American Museum of War Atrocities or something like that!) which was incredibly moving. There were so many images showing how the various chemicals used during the American War had affected the Vietnamese people and the various deformities and defects it had caused. So sad.

Tomorrow I leave Saigon and Vietnam after having the most incredible time here. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Vietnam, but it is safe to say it has surpassed my expectations on so many levels – a truly wonderful country.

So, onto Cambodia next – cant wait!

Hope you are all well and are looking after yourselves. Missing you all loads, will speak to you very soon.

Pickpockets and Sunburn

Greetings,

When last I wrote I was in Hanoi having just arrived there. So, what has been going on since there then?

Well, let me start by telling you that Hanoi was a really good place, lots to see and do there for the sight-seeing traveller like your humble narrator. I visited the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh who was the leader of the communist regime in Vietnam. Am not really a person for dead bodies, but thought I would have a mosey on down there to see what the crack was.

By a curious coincidence Ho Chi Minh bears a frighteningly similar resemblance to the star of the Karate Kid films - Mr. Miyagi. See for yourself below. On the left is the leader of the Vietnamese communist regime Ho Chi Minh, while on the right is Wax-On, Wax-Off legend Mr. Miyagi!



After that, I went to the museum next door, the Confucian Temple of Literature, and then travelled to the prison where American POW's were kept. It was so funny to read all about how 'well' they were treat and all the nice things that they were given in the prison and three square meals etc. Aye right! Vietnamese propaganda at its best!

In the evening, we travelled to the 'World Famous' Hanoi Water Puppet show, which was pretty good if you like the childish splashing around of small dolls in a giant pool of murky green water. Fortunately, this is one of my favourite activities, so I had a great time. I also received a free CD of Vietnamese Music taken from the puppet show, so if its anyones birthday coming up when I am back home you might just be in for a treat!

After leaving the suicidal roads of Hanoi we travelled to Hue which was nice. Here there was the Imperial City which was supposed to have been modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City. That might well have been, but being as it has since been bombed it bears more of a resemblance to the pile of rubble in my Mam's back garden than the Forbidden City! Saying that though, there were still some buildings in tact and it was good to see those. The next day in Hue we took a cruise down the Perfume River. Don't be fooled. Unless the aforementioned scent was Eau to Water it was nothing like perfume! Still, there a cool Buddhist temple that we visited as we were sailing, and a couple more mausoleums (sans dead guys) so it was all good.

After Hue we travelled to Hoi An. Hoi An is famous for tailoring custom clothing to your exact measurements as ridiculously cheap discounted prices so as the old saying goes, when in Hoi An, do as the tourists do! All of these tailors shops (and there are a heck of alot of them) have Next Directories and various other catalogues in shop and you can just point to what you would like to be made and after a measuring and fitting, the next day you collect your brand spanking new clothes! Hoi An has been my favourite place so far in Vietnam, its a really quaint kind of place with meandering streets and loads of nice places to eat and drink (including Treats Bar which offers a Happy 'Hour' that is some 5 hours long and offers among other things 2 Double Vodka and Red Bull for 20,000 Vietnamese Dong; approximately 66 of your English Pence!). The whole of the Hoi An old town is a protected UNESCO World Heritage site with loads of temples, buildings and museums to check out.

During an evening out in Hoi An and another bout of Karaoke we travelled to an out of town club. After having been there for an hour or so everyone in the club was hurriedly ushered out the back entrance. Apparently the police were on their way to perform a drugs bust - excellent! Fortunately they failed to find the seven ounces of heroin that I had stashed about my person and I escaped scot-free!

Following Hoi An I travelled to Nah Trang for the night. Nothing much here save a touristy resort kind of place. Following a night out I was returning to the hotel and was approached by two individuals, who tried talking to me before taking off. A fraction of a second later, I find my wallet missing - I had been the subject of a most heinous pickpocketing. Not a happy chappy. After a hasty retracing of my steps I found my wallet safe and sound, but missing the half a million or so Vietnamese Dong that was previously present. D'oh. Fortunately, my debit card and the rest of my stuff was still there. I guess if that is the worst fate that befalls me in my travels, I will be return safe and sound.

After the night in Nah Trang I travelled by boat to Whale Island staying in fantastic beach bungalows right on the waterfront. Nothing much to report there except some killer sunburn while snorkelling and alot of chilling!

Following Nah Trang we took the overnight train to Ho Chi Minh City (previously Saigon), which is where I am now, so I will let you know my impressions about this place when I have formed them, so until then, take care and I will speak to you shortly.

Happy Snaps: India and China

Two posts in one day, not a bad effort even if I do say so myself. Thought I would give you all a visual treat with some photos from over the last month. There are a fair few photos so the page might take a while to load, please be patient!

Enjoy!

The Red Fort, Delhi



Me and my harem, Pachewar



Tracy and I cross swords on the Maharaja's throne, Pachewar



The Ganges Gang (l to r; Carrie, Tanya, Bishal, Tracy, Myself, Kat and Simon)



The Taj Mahal, Agra



On the way into the Forbidden City, Beijing



Wise words, inside the Forbidden City



Me at the Great Wall



The Great Wall of China



The Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an



Steve and I put good use to a train delay to create the Great Card Tower of China



The Princess Jeannie cruise liner is in safe hands as Andy, myself and Steve plot our course on the Yangtze



Myself, Claire and Steve conserve precious warmth on the cruise liner deck at about 4am in the morn!



The China group on my last night (back l to r; Ian, Carl, Joan, Karen, Mel, Steve, Andy, Alex (tour leader), Claire, Danny; front l to r; Butch, Cody, Fiona, Jane, Carole, Vicki, Bruce, Vanya; front sprawled over the majority; Snugglebug (my nickname!) a.k.a. Me

Fine China

Greetings,

First of all, apologies for the tardiness of my posting - but this time there is a valid excuse! Because of laws that control Internet access/content in China there are very few Internet places. Apparently there are only two official, licensed ones in the whole of China (in Beijing), all the other ones are illegal! So you will forgive the lack of updates and emails that have not been forthcoming.

So, now I have completed my China experience I will give you the edited highlights. Without doubt (and I think it goes without saying) my personal highlight was the Great Wall. Completely blown away by it. To think that it was started in the 6th Century B.C and spans over 6,000 kilometers is incredible. Used to keep out marauding enemies, it is said that the beacon lights that warn of an attack could be lit up over all 6,000 kms worth in just two hours! Awesome!

I felt slightly let down by the Terracotta Warriors though, it just wasnt what I expected. Not sure whether it was the fact that they were preserved in a giant airport hanger type thing that ruined the ambiance slightly or the various conspiracies and rumours that only one warrior was actually found, and the rest manufactured as a tourist ploy, but I wasnt as blown away as I thought I would be.

The Yangtze River cruise was excellent and the scenery through the gorgous gorges that we went through was beautiful. Add this to the fact that our 3-star cruise liner wasn't operating and we were 'forced' to upgrade to a 5-star liner instead made it all the better.

Yangshou was the last place I travelled to and was my favourite. Just a really quaint kind of place, with meandering streets and markets and stuff all set within the mountains. Absolutely beautiful.

The social aspect of this trip was excellent, made really great mates with a group of Brits; Steve, Andy and Claire, and we had such a blast together. Add this to the fact that I performed karaoke for the first time, and won a beer drinking competition during talent night on the cruise ship makes it something I won't forget in a hurry!

So, after missing my flights to Hanoi (long story!), I finally arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam tired but safe and sound.

So, thats all from me for me for the moment. I hope you are all fit and well. Hopefully t'internet access will be less sparse through the rest of S.E. Asia so I can keep you all better informed and email more and stuff.

Take care and I will speak to you soon.

Hong Bong

Greetings to all,

How are you all doing there? Hope you are fit and well and taking good care of yourselves.

When last we spoke I had just left Delhi and was in Hong Kong. So, what was Hong Kong like then? Well, for the sightseeing traveller like myself, it has to be said that there is bugger all there really! I mean, there is a nice park area in Kowloon with a maze and sculptures and stuff like that, which was OK. And there is the famous skyline views of the Central district, which were OK too. There is also a really nice look out high above the city on a mountain, but given the inclement weather and terrible pollution it would have been futile to go up to said viewpoint.

However, if you are interested in being repeatedly offered either:
a) imitation Rolex watches
b) tailor-made suits
or
c) marijuana
while walking down the front street, then Hong Kong is very much the place for you my friend. As for me, I didnt care for it too much.

At the moment I am in Beijing which is a cool place. There is a heck of a lot to see here, loads of temples and cool stuff like that. So far I have visited the Summer Temple which was beautifully serene. Also, I have been to the Temple of Heaven and also to the Lama Temple all of which were excellent. Althought given my lack of prowess with the Mandarin language getting around and getting stuff is fairly amusing!

In the next few days I will be visiting the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall of China. So till that time I will bid you farewell.

Incredible India

When last I spoke to you guys I was in Khajuraho in India. This was a pretty cool place. Here you can find some 20 temples (from over 80 that were there originally) with most depicting the various elements of the Kama Sutra! Quite an eye-opener I can tell you!

From here, we travelled to Varanasi. This was more like the 'proper' India I was expecting in Delhi. In other words, absolute bedlam! We arrived at 1am and you would have thought it was London rush-hour at 5:30pm! Varanasi will certainly live long in the memory - although possibly for some not so good reasons. When we were there we floated on the Ganges river and watched some ceremonies taking place on the Ghats (stairs) that lead down to the river. They also perform cremations and stuff on the banks of the Ganges too - and, incredibly, people drink the water straight from the river!?! How they manage not to get sick I really don't know.

After Varanasi most of the group left for Nepal. So after a tearful farewell to Kat, Carrie and Bishal, Tracy and I continued back by sleeper train to Delhi. We were fortunate enough to catch the celebrations of Holi while we were in Delhi. This celebrates the end of winter and the start of summer (although, what kind of 'winter' has 35 degree celcius heat is beyond me, but, I digress) with a festival of colour. People buy coloured powders and either mix them with water or throw them dry over one another! Some of the people were just covered head to in a shocking pink or a dark green, or any other number of various hues! Really funny to see, and although we managed to avoid getting 'whacked' there were a couple of close instances in the back of our transportation!

So, after an afternoon of being ejected from the Claridges Hotel swimming pool and an evening of drinking with Tracy, I bid an emotional, fond farewell to her and India and made my way to Hong Kong.

Impressions of India are highly favourable (despite the hit-and-run attack of our Varanasi tuk-tuk driver on a cyclist, which was the only downside to the whole two weeks). I would definetely like to come back in the future here. The food was just incredible (I think a conservative estimate of one stone would be roughly the amount of weight I have put on in two weeks!). And believe it or not, my friends, I ate veggie (with the exception of one meal) for the entire two weeks - hope you are suitably impressed!

Right, thats all from me for the moment. From Hong Kong its on to Beijing. Looking forward to speaking to you soon.

Taj Very Much Like

Greetings,

Hopefully you are all fit and well and are looking after yourselves. I am just champion thank you very much - and enjoying India immensely.

When last we spoke I had just arrived in Jaipur. Jaipur, which is also known as The Pink City due to the buildings in the old part of the city, (although they looked more terracotta to me, but it doesn't have the same ring I guess!) was a quality place, loads to see there. First I rode an elephent to the Amber Fort which sounds kind of exciting, but the whole experience was not exciting at all and to be honest fairly nauseating! Still, the Amber Fort itself was very beautiful. Also, we visited a very famous site which is basically the facade of a building called Hawa Mahal. Although it was covered in bamboo scaffolding when we were there still it was good to see. Finally, we went to the observatory. This was absolutely fascinating. The largest sun dial in the world resides here and is accurate to 20 seconds! Pretty cool stuff!

Leaving Jaipur we travelled to Agra for what will probably be the highlight of this trip, and most probably my life: The Taj Mahal.

Seeing it for the first time was one of those moments in life that makes it so worth living. I felt goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight on end. The building itself was just to beautiful and perfect in every way that you almost felt reluctant to go up close to it in case its beauty was diminished. This was not the case. It is every bit as incredible up close as it is from a distance. An absolutely awesome building that now tops my list as the most amazing building I have ever seen.

From Agra we travelled to Orchha. This was a funky little place. Here there was a magnificent old fort that was quite run down (as if it had not been restored since it was built in the 17th Century) but it had a real character and was great for just exploring. While we were in Orchha there was a large Hindi festival going on and there were hundreds of pilgrims that had come to Orchha from the surrounding areas to observe this festival. We had a wander round the square next to the temple where all these people were. We got some stares from the locals I tells ya!

Now we are currently in Khajuraho having just arrived here earlier today. Take care of yourselves and I will update and speak to you soon.

PS. To those that have emailed, I will be getting back to you, but my Hotmail is playing up at the moment (for a change!).

Not So Smelhi Dehli

Greetings to all from India. I hope you are all well and looking after each other.

Last time we talked I was just leaving Sydney for Delhi. Everyone warns against Delhi being a complete culture shock, being constantly harassed and it being smelly and stuff like that - but I didn't experience that at all; which is a good thing I guess. I arrived at the airport expecting the absolute worst, but everything was cool so that was good. The ride from the airport was 'interesting' as the roads and more particularly the drivers there are not so hot! Although we did arrive in style in an Ambassador car which was a bit stylish!

In Delhi, I met the rest of my group (who are all cool, so thats good news) and we spent the day in Delhi. First off, I saw Humayun's Tomb which was built in the 16th Century by the emperors widow. That was good so see, although the pricing strategy was interesting: Local people pay 10 rupees and tourists pay 250 rupees! I tried to pass myself off as a local but the guy at the desk was having none of it. Still, 250 rupees is about 3 quid sterling so you can't really complain!

Then we went to a Hindu temple for a look around then to the war memorial India Gate, which is alot like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The park area around the India Gate was a real treat. Me and another girl in our tour group (called Tracey) were the only westerners in the entire park area, so we got some looks I can tell ya!

Then we saw the famous Red Fort which was spectacular.

After leaving Delhi on the train we travelled to Pushkar. The trains were not the classic, stereotypical image you have of Indian Trains that you will do doubt have in your mind - although some of the areas of absolute poverty that we travelled through were so sad.

Pushkar was absolutely excellent. There we visited the Hindu Brahma temple. According to this religion Brahma was the creator of the universe. This Brahma temple is the only one in the world as Brahma's wife promised to curse those that ever built one after a bit of a spat with her hubby.

Pushkar is built around a Holy Lake, and during my second day there I was fortunate enough to partake in a special Hindu blessing ceremony on the shores of the lake praying for my and my friends and family's happiness for my travels and for the rest of our lives and hoping that we have good Karma in the future. The ceremony itself was superb. We offered various things to the gods by casting them into the lake. Absolutely incredible - I felt so amazing after it.

So, after another couple of temples in Pushkar, sunset by the Holy Lake and being pestered constantly by two strange men on our way up a hill to visit another temple, we left Pushkar and travelled to Pachewar.

Pachewar was a 'proper' Indian village. Really traditional people leading their everyday lives. We took a walk around the village and witnessed the making of clay pots and the traditional food stuffs (which were very tasty!) all accompanied by an entourage of some 10-20 smiling, laughing kids that were obviously loving the attention and talking to the strange visitors to their town.

In Pachewar we stayed in a 300 year old fort that the King of Rajasthan used to live in that has been converted to a hotel. This was absolutely class, so many cool bits and bobs to explore, although one of the girls (Kat) sensed some strange paranormal activity in her room as we were arriving. Fortunately, I didn't see anything in the haunted fort, although I did get 'attacked' by a bat there!! (well, OK, it flew close to me and scared the crap out ot me!)

Right, at the moment I am in Jaipur having just arrived not too long ago. So, I will leave the impressions of Jaipur till the next time. Looking forward to it! Take care mes amis, and watch this space.

Australia-ving

Hello there,

Well, now that I am leaving Australia I thought I had better dash off another quick blog update with my thoughts.

Having spent just over the last week in Sydney I can say that I totally love it. Sydney is a fantastic city, its as simple as that really. There is so much to see and do here, and the sights are superb. The harbour area and the Opera House are incredible, I have lost count of the number of hours I have spent just gazing at the Opera House. There are wonderful museums and gardens and park areas that add to the fantastic feel of this city.

Actually, a few days ago I climbed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge which was excellent and thoroughly recommended. Don't do it if you are expecting an adrenalin rush as it is not that sort of thing - but if you want stunning 360 degree views of the harbour and city then its a must do, and great fun (apart from the ghastly grey jump suits that they clad you in!).

I have enjoyed my time in Australia completely. It goes without saying really (as you have read my thoughts on this subject already!) but my personal highlights were scuba diving, the opera house performance, skydiving, Uluru and Ramsey Street! All superb and must do activities I feel.

So, next to India. I am kind of nervous about it, as it is a few months since I was in a developing country, and after a relatively cushy time in NZ and Oz it will be a bit of a shock going back to another 2nd World Country. Still, thats what its all about I guess. Can't wait for my plane to land at two in the morning in Delhi!!

Watch this space.