tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41378346658459696162024-03-19T11:15:05.433+00:00Between Luminosity and BrightnessFrom an Idea to an AdventureStephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-74231347591315713752013-09-27T06:04:00.005+01:002013-09-27T06:06:30.065+01:00Hue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After a brief few hours in Hanoi again, we headed to Hue, until this point we hadn't traveled on the infamous sleeper buses of South East Asia. We were not disappointed. Our bus came with complimentary being shouted at and hit several times by a very angry bus driver because we hadn't taken our shoes off.<br />
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Now I'm sorry but maybe have a sign? Or tell us? Either way it was not the best intro to sleeper buses which are also impossibly uncomfortable, and hard to sleep in, being that you are basically in a tiny slanting box.<br />
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Once we got to Hue, we set out to find our hostel, meeting our (now) very good friend Victor.<br />
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We started hanging out together and the first stop was The Imperial city, which was the fortress and palace of the emperor of Vietnam. It was very Chinese in appearance and had many Chinese characters displayed.<br />
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It was also very much in ruins a lot of it, and they were renovating it while we were there, a lot of damage had been done to it during the American-Vietnamese war, and you could still see many bullet holes. <br />
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It was a very beautiful and impressive building, and was huge in size. My favorite part through was the massive pond of Koi Carp, which would come to the surface thinking you would feed them. I found it beautiful.<br />
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After this we decided to go down the Huong river on a dragon boat. We went to look for one and a very persistent lady convinced us to go on her boat. <br />
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We were greeted on board by he husband and sons. The boat ride then turned into an hour long sales pitch, of all there various wares. First we were treated to her husbands coin collection which he was very proud of, and was very excited when Victor gave him some Swedish krona and wanted to know exactly how many American dollars it was worth, it was quickly pocketed to join the collection at a later date.<br />
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It was around this time we all noticed the husband had two thumbs! <br />
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The wife then showed us various paintings she had done (Mum and Dad this is the Artist who did painted your Christmas presents!) and various other items she had. It was actually a really lovely boat ride (although the river itself was rather boring).<br />
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We then went for diner in a night market!<br />
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The next day me and Andy did a cookery lesson, which was really good fun, we first went to the market,<br />
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and then we made some weird and delicious Vietnamese cuisine, such as Rice paper spring rolls, and Pho (the national dish made of beef and noodle soup) yummy!<br />
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The day after we did the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) tour where we met a new Australian friend Leah. Since I didn't know much about the American/Vietnamese war it was really interesting, and very sad. It was a long time on the bus, but the tour guide was really amazing. My favorite thing he said was "A million Vietnamese mothers cried for their sons, A million American mothers cried for their sons". It shows that the Vietnamese are starting to heal and move on from the war. We learnt a lot about Guerrilla warfare, about the Vietcong, Ho Chi Minh and the victory of Communism and the Vietnamese. We saw the tunnels that the Vietnamese lived in during the war. <br />
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I have no idea how they did it, it was really hot, dark and tiny down there! We also saw an old American army air base, and saw all the old aircrafts and tanks.<br />
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Next Stop Hoi An!<br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-3945997477674872872013-09-25T05:03:00.000+01:002013-09-25T06:17:45.508+01:00Cuc phuong national park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After our adventure in Ha long bay, me and Andy found ourselves back in Hanoi with a day to kill. So we went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. It is a rather bizarre concept as far as I am concerned, as Ho Chi Minh's dying wish was to be cremated and instead the Vietnamese have placed his embalmed body in a giant Mausoleum for all the public to visit... I mean c'mon guys...<br />
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But anyway we visited it. It took a long while to get there as half the roads were closed off, and then when we did we had to go through so many checkpoints to make sure we didn't have any cameras on us. We eventually got into the granite mausoleum, and walked into the room, which had 8 armed guards in it, we did a quick walk past Ho Chi Minh and that was it. So interesting but I wont be visiting again!<br />
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We then began our journey to <a href="http://www.cucphuongtourism.com/">Cuc Phuong National Park</a>. We caught the bus there, but unfortunately it dropped us miles away from the actual park, so we ended up getting a taxi to the entrance, (we luckily found a hotel and they let us use there phone)<br />
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It was getting late by the time we got to the park. They explained to us that they had accommodation at the entrance of the park, which we would be staying in that night, and then the next day we could cycle 20 km up hill into the centre of the park and stay in that accommodation for the next night!<br />
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We decided to go on a short walk around the botanic garden as it was going to get dark soon. This comprised of an over grown forest, which got increasingly dark with the beginning of night fall. We managed to get out of the "Botanic Garden" and were greeted with a display of fire flies. It was amazing, this beautiful experience was then hindered somewhat by then being barked and slightly chased by 2 dogs, which is terrifying when your in the middle of nowhere and its pitch black.<br />
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We then got to our accommodation for the night which was basic but fine, our toilet was outside and across a bridge, which was fine and you got to see alot of weird insects.<br />
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The Next day we woke up and took a trip around the 2 sanctuaries they have at Cuc Phuong. The first one was a turtle sanctuary, where most of the turtles had been saved from being made into soup (there is a big illegal trade with China for it), some of the turtles are very endangered. There was one little guy we loved, he was just so active.<br />
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The second sanctuary was the Primate and monkey sanctuary, which contained so many types of monkeys I had never seen heard or seen before. Some were very beautiful. Most of them had been injured some way or trapped by hunters and then saved. They then keep them in the sanctuary until there stronger, then they are released into a caged off part of the forest until they can survive by themselves (apparently at the beginning they all come back to the fence to wait for food), it was really amazing to see these very endangered primates. Most of them only live in Vietnam and the surrounding areas, so we were really lucky to see them.<br />
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We then hired our bikes, we then cycled towards and around a lake.<br />
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After we had been going a few km Andy felt sure we were going the wrong way, as the road didn't seem to be going uphill much, and we had been told it was uphill the whole way. We then cycled back to the start to find out it was the right way!!! So we had to start the whole thing again, but it was much better to check than to find out several hours later that we had been going the wrong way.<br />
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It was actually really fun, we stopped for a walk in the cave of the prehistoric man, which people had built a little shrine in, as it was where human remains had been found. To get to it, you had to go along these bridges which I almost managed to cycle off of!<br />
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By the time we got to our accommodation we were exhausted, I couldn't barely ride anymore. There was a little cafe a few km from where we were staying, so we went there to eat, then back to our place.<br />
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The place we were staying was super creepy. There was alot of little holiday apartments dotted around and yet we were the only ones there, in the place we were in, outside our room was a fully laid table set for high tea, with "I Love You" written on the wall in white paint.<br />
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Once we started getting our room ready to sleep in we noticed there was alot of blood everywhere. It was dotted all over our mosquito nets, and there was a large dried patch on the floor!<br />
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This was made somewhat more terrifying as the electricity in the center of the forest is only on from 6.30 - 9.30pm, so at 9.30 the lights went off leaving us in pitch black. We were scared in case there was a murder on the loose, but we survived the night!!!<br />
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The next morning we headed off for our 20km bike ride DOWNHILL!!!<br />
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It was really exciting, we were going extremely fast, we got into the center uphill in 4hrs but back it only took us 1.5hrs, and that was with the onset of a monsoon, we hid in an abandoned shack for awhile and the realized it wasn't stopping. The park staff were very kind and let us shower when we got back. We then caught a little local mini van back to Hanoi.<br />
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Next stop Hue!<br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-70295079684436251812013-09-10T05:35:00.005+01:002013-09-10T05:36:46.304+01:00Ha Long Bay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It took me and Andy a long time to decide on which cruise to do through Ha Long bay. We eventually chose the "Monkey Island" Tour, for 3 days. <br />
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We left the hostel (leaving our big packs there), early in the morning, and headed out on a bus. We were slightly dismayed to see that there wasn't many young people on our cruise which was a shame. The bus took quite awhile to reach the harbor. Once we got there we saw our ship which was really nice, we got into our cabin which was lovely! Much nicer than a lot of the hostels we had stayed at.<br />
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We were so lucky as even though the weather had been getting worse as winter was on the way, we had a beautiful warm sunny day. We started traversing the ocean. We started to see Ha Long bay in the distance, and it looked like a wall of rocks. As we sailed through a crevice we then saw the beauty of Ha long bay. The odd shapes of the rock formations, the miniature islands. We drifted through, until we got to the Dragon caves.<br />
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It sounds a lot more impressive than it actually was. Ha long bay is actually made of limestone and has a quite a few of these impressive limestone caves. This one however they had turned into Disneyland. It was full of lurid bright coloured lights. There was one limestone formation that was suppose to be the "dragon" with they projected red lights on for the "Eyes". All I can say is it looked nothing like a dragon. We were all herded back onto the boat, and we sailed to our next destination.<br />
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The next destination was a floating village where we got to Kayak around in the water. We got to Kayak through a islet with a arch in it. It took me and Andy a few goes to get through as everyone was trying to do it so there became a traffic jam of kayaks trying to get through. <br />
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We got back onto the boat and the sun started setting, as we relaxed on the top deck. <br />
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The next day we sailed to Cat ba island, we then took a bus to the middle of the island. We were then met by a guide and started a trek up the hill in the middle of the island. It was really good fun, but quite dangerous by the end, as there were so many different groups doing the walk, and the end part you basically had to rock climb to the top. The view was amazing though once you got to the top. <br />
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There was actually an incredibly rusty viewing tower at the top which you could climb up to get an even better view, but our guide advised not to go up as people had died from falling from it!!! Me and Andy decided not to climb! <br />
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We then headed back to the boat and we were delivered to Monkey island, which was a beautiful little island with golden beaches and pretty beach huts to stay in. Me and Andy did some more Kayak in once we got there, we actually kayaked up to a fisherman and said hi, which he found hilarious. We then saw flying fish which was incredible. They were small fish and if you were noisy they would jump altogether in a silver arch! <br />
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The food on monkey island was some of the best Ive ever had. They also had this cute cross eyed cat that came up and begged for food, he was really cute. They were also having an anniversary, so we had some free shots. In the night time we drank with some of our new friends, Jessica, and some Irish boys. <br />
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The next day was just a lazy day sailing back to the main land, then driving back to Hanoi! A incredible experience!<br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-76528356916506401042013-01-21T11:59:00.002+00:002013-07-11T06:20:30.127+01:00Hanoi / The start of Vietnam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After our crazy adventures in China, I was looking forward to Vietnam, partly because I had heard how beautiful it was, and partly because I had started to look forward to going places a little more touristy, because we had not met many friends in 7 weeks!<br />
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We left China on a night train to Vietnam. The border change over felt strange but was fairly straight forward, basically everyone had to get of the train in China, then get back on, go a bit further up and then get off the train in Vietnam, get your passport stamped and then your away!<br />
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We arrived into Hanoi at 5am and then luckily were allowed into our beds at the hostel straight away.<br />
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We had 4 days in Hanoi, and we were quite laid back about our time. I think you only really need 3 days there in total.<br />
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My favorite bits of Hanoi were -<br />
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The people. I loved the Vietnam people, who were so friendly and smiley,after all the country have been through you think they would be suspicious of foreigners, but they graciously accept you into their land. The way the family's operate is lovely as you see them all gather at meal ties from their various jobs (they all work long hours) and sit on little plastic chairs and eat together, while all the kids laugh and run around. The sellers are all so nice and friendly and will accept that you don't want something, if you say no.<br />
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The food. I have never tried any sort of Vietnamese food before and I have to say Hanoi was a great place to start! My favorite was pho and bun cha. Pho is a rice noodle soup with meat in it, which is really tasty. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pho</td></tr>
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Bun cha is really different from everything i had ever tried before. You were presented with pork, salad, noodles spring rolls and a pineapple water thing and then you constructed your own meal! Really delicious. And one of my personal favorites the mobile kebab people. This is not your usual kebab these are the most amazing sandwiches you will ever have!<br />
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The way the streets are laid out. Hanoi is crazy, there idea of urban planing is put everything of the same shop on the same street. Useful if you want to check several shops for the same thing, not so useful if you need something lets say a light and light street is really far away! My personal favorite streets were Christmas street (where we were staying), disco light street, and the most terrifying street of all (and the stuff which night mares are made of) Mannequin street!<br />
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The water puppet show. Like going into a crazy dream that's actual real life. The water show is a mix of tradition music, puppets, lights and water. It starts by showing a dragon and fairy (who looks like a bird) falling in love and then giving birth to 100 sons who in turn become the people of Vietnam! Really weird but really fun.<br />
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The traffic. Its so crazy, you just have to start walking out into traffic slowly and let the motorbikes and scooters swerve around you (there used to it). It takes abit of getting use to it, as you feel crazy at first, stepping out into such dense traffic!<br />
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The parks and lakes. Really nice places to hang out, and see how the locals live. And also see all the brides getting their wedding photos taken! And try and see the last 2 remaining big turtles that live in the lake (we didn't see them!)<br />
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The more sobering aspects of Hanoi were visiting the "Hanoi Hilton" (Ho Lo Prison) - which was a prison during the war for independence from the french and a prisoner of war camp during the american war. Both of which paint a very real and horrible picture of being imprisoned.<br />
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Next stop Halong Bay!<br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-28976144765987545662013-01-20T14:46:00.002+00:002013-07-11T03:26:14.404+01:00Nanning / Chinese drinking culture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had to get an overnight train to Nanning. Luckily our friend Dominic can speak a little Chinese so had managed to get our tickets for us.<br />
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The train was fine, but the walk to the hostel was really long, but once we got there the hostel was amazing. It was called the <a href="http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Nanning-Green-Forest-Hostel/Nanning/65727">Green Forest Hostel</a> and had some really lovely staff.<br />
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The first day we didn't do very much but went to the night market which was pretty cool. Andy tried duck's blood soup which was pretty horrible, like a grey broth with lumps of congealed blood in it. They also hd loads of live fish there to choose and we saw a dead dog hung up to be eaten, which was interesting, but not a nice sight, especially as I have a little dog at home!<br />
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The next day me and Andy went to the park which was really cool. There was a path that was completely misty, which they did by spraying cold steam into the air. <br />
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They also had a flower competition on and had created a dragon and a bird out of flowers, which was amazing.<br />
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It also had a small amusement park in it, where we went on a terrifying roller coaster that felt like it might break any moment, and a funny ghost house (funny because it was so bad!)!<br />
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We then went for a night out which is one of the most epic nights out ever. We met a British guy who said that all the Chinese people in the club will buy drinks for you because your foreign. We were fairly skeptical about this, but went anyway. Me and Andy bought some drinks, and then suddenly I was pulled up to the VIP area by some 50 year old men, then they started dancing with me and getting me to drink. I called over Andy and Isaac but the business men didn't like it being a joint deal and started dancing with all 3, and at the last moment we realized they had danced us out of the VIP area (we realized afterwards they were probably part of the government!)!<br />
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Another group of young guys then called us over, and effectively used us as pulling tools to get ladies over to dance with them. We found out they say gambae in China it means down your drink, and if you down drink it all they will hold it to your lips until you do. Any other conversation aside from gambae is limited to hand gestures as no one speaks English! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiaql9yCpYYhnm8gy72Sl4_8rtfoukkfJY3loK4w3nvRhY96xYQDIIIPTmzUY-4UJvFzqdhe6UkNIWgkZzihtl7XCsnf9qkZ0dRTQ3buryvIceBl38xAYmFG2gC1VenG55NX4RtxzpGU/s1600/DSC04452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEiaql9yCpYYhnm8gy72Sl4_8rtfoukkfJY3loK4w3nvRhY96xYQDIIIPTmzUY-4UJvFzqdhe6UkNIWgkZzihtl7XCsnf9qkZ0dRTQ3buryvIceBl38xAYmFG2gC1VenG55NX4RtxzpGU/s320/DSC04452.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isaac, Andy and our new friends</td></tr>
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We found all the people we danced with very generous. As soon as your cup is empty it is filled up straight away. The drinks consists of whiskey and green tea, which sounds horrible but is actually pretty nice, and quite sweet, and its very good quality whiskey. the culture in China is for everyone to sit around tables, and there isn't much dancing, and as you order drinks the bar staff bring trays of fruit over to you! Its completely different from the UK.<br />
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The club itself was very modern and swanky, they had a couple of singers on, a burlesque show and at one point handed out balloons for everyone to wave. We stayed with our new friends until they started throwing up over the table, and we decided not to out stay our welcome. We walked around the club and some Japanese business men pulled me to their table, telling me I was very beautiful, they had one of the club promoters (Charles, I cant remember his Chinese name!) with them translating for them, who I got on really well with, who was friends with another table which had some younger people on it. The ladies there were downing several drinks in the time it took me to finish one! They wanted me to drink faster but I was fairly hammered by this point. And we left soon afterwards. A little worse for wear! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TrjMcKL0Vs9RNGijV8Z5TL0GtyXj9DkhSPbVYMMtgaU81LlGPAaVQWafSP0PDa5SXnxjZbBWIi7gcWa5x6ug-vJuy-RsR4Bg2P2E0VRQHzdoH5RC1j5xyrPfYDHEZr0gcKMK7LCb38E/s1600/DSC04462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TrjMcKL0Vs9RNGijV8Z5TL0GtyXj9DkhSPbVYMMtgaU81LlGPAaVQWafSP0PDa5SXnxjZbBWIi7gcWa5x6ug-vJuy-RsR4Bg2P2E0VRQHzdoH5RC1j5xyrPfYDHEZr0gcKMK7LCb38E/s320/DSC04462.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Charles</td></tr>
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The next day we didn't do anything as we were so hung over!</div>
Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-43431429404780097382013-01-08T10:41:00.006+00:002013-01-20T12:55:12.326+00:00Guangzhou<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">We left Hong Kong quite early in the morning, and then got the metro to the
end of the line in Hong Kong. The last
stop is pretty much only a border crossing, as there was no way to leave the
station except going over to China! We
walked up to the Hong Kong border patrol and they stamped our passports, and that
was it, we were in no man’s land between China and Hong Kong. We then had to walk a fair bit, over a river
(which I’m guessing was the border between Hong Kong and China), and then we
had to fill in arrival cards for China and cross the border. That was the most tense bit, as if your
refused entry your pretty much stuck in no man’s land, with no way to leave! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Once we got over the border we were then in Shenzhen which felt really
lacking in personality, and we just boarded our train to Guangzhou. It was a really nice train, so different from
the Indian trains! When we arrived in
Guangzhou we got the metro and then walked to our hostel through rain and
cold! I really hadn't felt cold for such
a long time, it was actually quite nice.
That evening we literally just went across the street and got some fried
noodles as we couldn't be bothered doing anything else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">The next morning we got up really late and then tried to go for Dim Sum, as
Guangzhou is where Dim Sum was created.
We wondered around for ages trying to find anyone who spoke English, or
had pictures with the Menu, but no luck!
We eventually just went into a nice looking restaurant, and sort of
hoped for the best! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">We were given tea, and the Lady serving us showed us we were supposed to
wash our chopsticks and bowls with the tea, and then presented us with a menu
entirely in Chinese characters. We decided
on 3 things, based on what order we thought a menu would be in such as
starters, mains, and desserts. Some of
the menu had a star and a thumbs up, so we chose 2 of those and one ordinary
one too, for good measure.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIvOBSr1VGG_PXUMHp-xhCZVTM_9BGbzIPrEutNBhX1xGig0gONiDpAt-Y0eh7SVDQl540SOdM9A2U_gHBLVhebKFtyLNI5XNDkPC0C8ss5JoEKUJRqBHLRwFtx-urNHG8zLpnSHsfx8/s1600/DSC04345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIvOBSr1VGG_PXUMHp-xhCZVTM_9BGbzIPrEutNBhX1xGig0gONiDpAt-Y0eh7SVDQl540SOdM9A2U_gHBLVhebKFtyLNI5XNDkPC0C8ss5JoEKUJRqBHLRwFtx-urNHG8zLpnSHsfx8/s320/DSC04345.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">The first thing that came out was some sweet buns, which were delicious; we
then had some meat dumplings which were quite nice. We started to get excited thinking we had
sort of cracked the menu. We waited ages
for our last course and when it came we were very disappointed! It looked a lot like a scented candle. It was a clear jelly like substance
containing beans. It was sweet but
really not nice. We left most of
it. We then just wondered around a little
in the evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">The next day we met a new friend who is from Guangzhou called Choppy (his
English name), and he took us out for some really good Dim Sum! It was all delicious. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXv7uEaGkD7_tsi3qpcqZUK3-XKBjdSUTcESjfRZChrRyyiLcmzXqCPeIKGYgwmFI-SbnAZo9E8rUU6hRSru5i_VKMBa49ns5UGJSwLH__dWYLYVWLohz4KaRkDjimW30rxDXdqwMHTbY/s1600/DSC04364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXv7uEaGkD7_tsi3qpcqZUK3-XKBjdSUTcESjfRZChrRyyiLcmzXqCPeIKGYgwmFI-SbnAZo9E8rUU6hRSru5i_VKMBa49ns5UGJSwLH__dWYLYVWLohz4KaRkDjimW30rxDXdqwMHTbY/s320/DSC04364.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN">He then showed us around the park, the market
and a Buddhist temple. The Buddhist
temple was really cool as it had golden statues of all the monks who had gained
enlightenment. Each statue was very
different and gave you a glimpse of them as people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">In the evening we went for food called hot pot which was a really interesting
idea. You basically get a pan of boiling
flavored water (you choose the flavor) and then you cook your own meat and veg
in it. It’s a really social meal to
have!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">We then met our new friend Dominic in the evening (who you will hear about
a lot), the next day we all decided to try and do some cultural things
together. The lady in the hostel said
there was the Chen Clan Academy, which she insisted was something to do with
Jackie Chan, which couldn't have been further from the truth. It was a folk Art museum, and some
interesting things in it. We then walked
down the river and saw the French colonial buildings, and that was about it for
the day! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
On the way back Dominic introduced us to the Chinese supermarkets. They are crazy. They have everything you could ever want in
them, e.g. meat sweets (which Andy bought).
We then bought some Chinese rice spirit baijui which was about 70p for big
bottle, then went back to the hostel to drink with Andy, Dominic, and
Choppy.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryKEIwP6n9q-CcrFi4sV7CO9uygK0CzWBOE9hJpdIz-QpXepxcIG5KPDZ3VrFKd3obhUuvTbu8n29Zc2eKG_GxouLzooOEVJDRVfowvXuIusk_bgZw-6DMRZkF2n9ETXN1M5t5zfxkxk/s1600/DSC04407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryKEIwP6n9q-CcrFi4sV7CO9uygK0CzWBOE9hJpdIz-QpXepxcIG5KPDZ3VrFKd3obhUuvTbu8n29Zc2eKG_GxouLzooOEVJDRVfowvXuIusk_bgZw-6DMRZkF2n9ETXN1M5t5zfxkxk/s320/DSC04407.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLJNnr2whS2yYy9iMivqZ8ucQ6cpgmQNTVdGhPSySc0z98KLrQgtL1SIDWAHW3B-2V6_6NchTk01IzmsjYGOD6M5G6IOgbaJIDolXK9gg831ee-GDB_X6nxgsC1oNBN4mfKUUEviPfj0/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLJNnr2whS2yYy9iMivqZ8ucQ6cpgmQNTVdGhPSySc0z98KLrQgtL1SIDWAHW3B-2V6_6NchTk01IzmsjYGOD6M5G6IOgbaJIDolXK9gg831ee-GDB_X6nxgsC1oNBN4mfKUUEviPfj0/s320/IMG_1971.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Andy, Choppy, and Dominic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN">The next day we were all a bit worse for wear and we didn’t do anything
until we had to leave to get to our next stop of Nanning!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-63293893039536469772013-01-01T16:04:00.001+00:002013-01-01T16:04:19.251+00:00The start of China / Hong Kong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We arrived at Delhi Airport which was very modern. The flight was a bit weird as it was at night time so everyone went to sleep but they kept waking us up every few hours for various food and drink! I pretty much stayed up the whole flight as I just couldn't get comfortable!<br />
<br />
We arrived in Hong Kong in the morning and then had to get a long bus journey to Causeway bay which is where we were staying. When we got there we found that our hostel was an illegal hostel which was random, but it was very nice anyway.<br />
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Our first day was pretty much spent looking for a laptop which we managed to find, and navigating the metro system. The computer stores in Hong Kong are really random as they are like lots of small market shops under one roof. We managed to get an alright deal (same prices as UK) and now own a lovely net book.<br />
<br />
In the evening we went to the Supermarket which was awesome, they have live fish there, a really good sushi section, and loads of interesting food! We just got a little bit for tea and then stayed in the hostel for an early night.<br />
<br />
The next day we met up with our wonderful friend Gloria who we had met in Varanasi in India. She lives in Hong Kong so she showed us round!<br />
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We went for amazing Dim Sum with her, which was really tasty. The prawn ones were amazing! We then got the tram up the "Peak". Now the peak is a really steep mountain which when you get up it, your suppose to have this amazing vista of the whole of Hong Kong, unfortunately for us all we got to see was a massive cloud, as the weather was really against us! We got to see a little on the way down, but the tram was still a fun experience.<br />
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We then headed to Mong Kok, which is really busy, full of shops and fluorescent lights! We wandered around, and went into some pet shops where you could pet dogs (I really enjoyed this, but Andy and Gloria gave me crazy cat lady looks), we then wandered down some of the markets, had some bubble tea and street food. We then went back to the hostel and drank there with some new friends we had made.<br />
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The 3rd day we got the cable car up to see the Big Buddha The cable car was amazing It was such a long que for it, but it was totally worth it. You saw the airport really well as well as all the high rises in the city behind. You also could see a little village nestled into the mountain side as you ascended the mountain. As we went past the Big Buddha in the cable car the statue was shrouded in mist. But once we were at the top of the mountain we were greeted to a disneylandesqu shopping center, all with heavily inflated prices for food and souvenirs.<br />
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I was abit disappointed as I had though the Big Buddha was an old statue, to find out it was only made in 1997 as a symbol of goodwill between China and Hong Kong, when China took Hong Kong back in 1997. On the statue it says 1997 - 2047, which I asked Gloria about. Its suppose to mean that China can't change anything about Hong Kong for the first 50 years of it being integrated back into China, but apparently they are already changing things, to make it more Chinese, whilst Hong Kong is now striving for better democracy within its politics, even though they will have to become fully communist in 2047. Its quite a strange idea. <br />
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The big Buddha was good, but the cable car was definitely better. We then went back to get to the light show that is on every night on the water front in Hong Kong. When we got there the view was stunning. It was the most beautiful cityscape I have ever seen. The light show started and it was really fun and an awesome atmosphere. The clouds in the sky just made everything more dramatic.<br />
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We then went out clubbing, which was different We managed to get caught up in the ex pats clubbing area, which meant everything was expensive and it was alot of rich older guys, trying to pull younger women. <br />
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On the last day we met up with Gloria again and had some amazing food in a tea shop (pork and wonton noddle soup - which I think is the best food I have had while traveling!) and saw the film life of Pi which was amazing! Really enjoyed going to the cinema for abit of normality! Me and Andy then wandered over to Time square and had some really tasty street food (I had friend Chicken which was the best chicken I have ever had). <br />
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We then relaxed ready for leaving Hong Kong!<br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-75149889054291570732012-12-28T05:47:00.001+00:002012-12-28T05:47:25.854+00:00Delhi (again) / End of India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We got our train from Varanasi to Delhi and stayed at a hostel that was pretty near our first hostel, so it was pretty easy to find.<br />
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We then got a rickshaw to a Sikh temple called Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. It was very interesting as it was the first Sikh temple we had been too. Its a very gentle offshoot of Hinduism and seems miles away from the materialism of Hinduism. As we arrived they were giving out free lunch to people, we were thinking of having some but as were not Sikh's we felt we probably shouldn't have any. They then had a very efficient shoe storage area, which you didn't have to pay for (you do in Hindu temples). <br />
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Once we got in, both sexes have to cover their hair with a scarf, which I thought was really amazing, much more equal than other religions. <br />
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The inside of the temple was beautiful and everything was calm, and when you came out they gave you a sweet. They then had a sacred pool you could walk around, which had Koi Carp in it. It was a very good and interesting experience.<br />
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We then got the Metro (which is really awesome in Delhi) to the Indira Gandhi museum but it was closed due to a security breach. We then went to India Gate, which commemorates Indian people who have died in wars. <br />
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We then went to the National Modern Art Gallery, which I really enjoyed but Andy wasn't so bothered, as it was mostly paintings. I stayed so long that they turned the lights off and shooed me out.<br />
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We then went to the bar we enjoyed last time and met a french couple we had me in Pushkar. On the way home we saw a giant Hindu festival happening, and watched that for abit.<br />
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The next day we went to Qutub Minar, which is a big ruins outside of Delhi of an Ancient city, made of sandstone. We found another little Ruin of a tomb on the way which was cool as there were so many butterflies there. <br />
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When we got to Qutub Minar we just wandered around it and took photos and relaxed as it had a really nice park vibe to it, and alot of families were having picnics. <br />
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The last day we spent in Delhi, we didn't really do alot, as we had to carry all our valuables around with us, we tried to go to another Bollywood, but they wanted us to leave our bags at the back of the cinema so we refused. We then went to park and a man came up and started talking to us, he then said he was a professional ear cleaner and then just grabbed Andy's ear and started cleaning it! It was abit like ear rape as he was using a pointed mental stick, any way alot of gunk came out of Andy's ear!<br />
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We then waited in the hostel for our taxi and when it got there, we got in and then.... Nothing! The taxi wouldn't start. Me and Andy started to panic as we didn't want to be stuck in Delhi when we needed to be on our way to the airport. The taxi driver tried a few times and then me and Andy started to say were getting a different taxi, but he jumped out and got about half the street to help push the car until it started! And finally we were off. Excited for Hong Kong, but sad to be leaving the crazy world of India.</div>
Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-39660154060845089732012-12-20T06:50:00.001+00:002012-12-20T06:54:42.893+00:00Varanasi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We left Delhi in the early afternoon for a very long 16 hour train journey to Varanasi, it was incredibly hot and humid on the train during the day and freezing in the morning. We arrived in Varanasi at about 5.30am and walked though nearly deserted streets, we knew our hostel was right beside the Ganges, so we walked towards it.<br />
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My first view of the Ganges was through a thick, swirling mist, with little boats dipping in and out of sight. I just thought "wow". It was one of those sights I will never forget. We walked along the ghats, which is are the steps down the bank of the river to get to the water, and found our hostel (<a href="http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g297685-d1019177-Reviews-Ram_Bhawan_Kautilya_Society_Residence-Varanasi_Uttar_Pradesh.html">Ram Bhawan</a>), who kindly let us in and gave us an amazing breakfast.<br />
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The first day we didn't do alot as we also got free lunch at the hostel (which incidentally was the best food we have had since we were in India!) I then had a nap, then in the evening we had heard there was a Hindu ceremony by the Ganges at 6pm, so me and Pia (one of the girls in our Dorm room) went down to watch it. <br />
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It was a very complicated ritual which involved ringing bells, and doing complicated dances with fire, water, petals and feathers. There were 5 monks doing the ritual and it fel very spell binding to watch them so intently do this long ritual.<br />
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Afterwards me, Andy and Pia got a rickshaw to a mall, with the worst rickshaw drive rin the world. He was just really angry and felt like quite a dangerous driver. The mall felt very strange as it was the most modern place in India which we had been too, plus combined with the fact that Varanasi is suppose to be one of the holiest places in India, and a materailstic mall is at such odds with that.<br />
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The next day (which was Diwali) everyone in our Dorm got up at 5am and we went down to the Ganges for a boat ride at sun rise. When we got there it was pitch black, and managed to bargain a good deal as there was so many of us and no one else was around. We set off, and already the bathers had gathered at the bottom of the ghats, some people bathing and washing themselves and there clothes, and some washing their sins away, as the Ganges are suppose to be the gateway to Heaven.<br />
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We then went up to the other side of the Ganges to where the burning ghats are which is where they cremate the bodies before putting them into the river. You could see the smoke all the way along the river, rising up from the banks. They cremate everyone out in the open on the banks, and we were given a "tour" around it. It was very eye opening, at how close life and death in India is. We saw the white piles of ashes of bodies which had already been cremated, and the "untouchables" who work there shoveling the ashes into the river. We also saw them performing the death ceremony on one body, where the eldest son has to go round the body 5 times with fire before lighting the pyre. It all felt very surreal.<br />
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We then went and met up a new Indian friend we made, called Sarabjeet, and he showed us round a Hindu temple for the monkey god, which was really interesting as it was one of the busiest worshiping temples we had been too, and everything was painted in orange.<br />
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We then wandered around the University which was like a ghost town since everyone had gone home for Diwali. We the went to a second temple which they had made a giant picture on the floor made of coloured sand which is called Rangoli, which was amazing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdNTmqXFt_URhaqEAac0EPenkmQ3L_L6MVVlhCF1UEJmqdsSSLuDC3a5yONFSCVsdYgsfCcGoEBA65X7tSl3ag-hdUQBEMWWqaTzlTSrTCw7IFRBeFqPR_OeNDfOOK3SfhWNsVwvccZw/s1600/DSC_0427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdNTmqXFt_URhaqEAac0EPenkmQ3L_L6MVVlhCF1UEJmqdsSSLuDC3a5yONFSCVsdYgsfCcGoEBA65X7tSl3ag-hdUQBEMWWqaTzlTSrTCw7IFRBeFqPR_OeNDfOOK3SfhWNsVwvccZw/s320/DSC_0427.JPG" width="320" /></a>Me and Andy then went back to the hostel for the Diwali celebrations. We all sat on the roof top and watched as the city lit up with fireworks in all directions. It was really beautiful and magical, and it was made more exciting by the fact that there doesn't seem to be much safety regulations in India, so fireworks exploded just above us, came rushing past us, and we saw children firing fireworks out of plastic bottles next door, and also building a fire and throwing fireworks in! It was a crazy night and food we had a the hostel was amazing. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCIr2Y2_T6KiAmErveYMi3HyONAXkMOkhYVYltyqII0n7vNpESAuxl_9qD_ZToq8sCj95Ecxab7x8CIX-FH4VNvya0Wl9yBUiI8GOK60kBX24xVPIA3cqeSGKzjjbV-13BR_KWr3gT7Q/s1600/DSC_0411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCIr2Y2_T6KiAmErveYMi3HyONAXkMOkhYVYltyqII0n7vNpESAuxl_9qD_ZToq8sCj95Ecxab7x8CIX-FH4VNvya0Wl9yBUiI8GOK60kBX24xVPIA3cqeSGKzjjbV-13BR_KWr3gT7Q/s320/DSC_0411.JPG" width="320" /></a>We also had a firework show on our roof top too, run by the kids there. When one fire work didn't go off they just built a fire around it. All the westerners ran away but the kids just stood there as fireworks flew in all directions! The party went on all night, but I headed to bed at around 12.30am!<br />
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The next day me and Andy went to Sarabjeet's house for lunch, and his Mum cooked us the best Indian food I've ever had. It was really lovely being in his house and meeting his family. There was one awkward moment where he was like "would you like to see my Mums shop", and me and Andy just looked at each other like "Oh no were being scammed again!" but it was fine, they just showed us the workshop,and explained alot of her clients were ladies going to Kitty parties which is basically a weekly meetup for richer ladies. <br />
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We then went to where Buddha did his first sermon called Sarnath, and had a look around the temple and the site. I am quite interested in Buddhism anyway as my Mother is a Buddhist and I realized how much nicer Buddhism is that Hinduism, as no one in the temple hassled you for money or tried to scam you, and there was just a feeling of peace and serenity. <br />
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I then went back to the hostel and Andy went to a bar with some people. Me and Gloria (another girl from our Dorm room) went to the Ganges and saw there late night ceremony of taking statues of each of the Gods down into the river and doing a ceremony in a boat. This was combined with crazy drumming and dancing while local children set off huge firecrackers. It felt completely insane and you could feel the explosions from the firecrackers. We then danced with the locals who all wanted photos with us. Then headed back to the hostel.<br />
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The next day me and Andy just wandered along the ghats for a few hours which was really interesting We saw where the monsoon period has completely covered the ghats in mud, and people clearing it with huge hoses. We then when out with our little Dorm family, Gloria, Dominic and Sarabjeet and got some Lassi's, and then watched a sitar performance which was amazing. <br />
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On the last day I just wandered around the back streets and got lost for awhile, and then wandered up the other side of the ghats and was offered Opium cookies which I declined! I then met Dominic from our Dorm and we sat and chatted for a few hours, and bought some things off a child seller called Monica who was the cutest kid I met In India.<br />
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We then all me, Andy, Gloria, Dominic and Sarabjeet met up and had cake together. We were saying goodbye to our little travel family, which was so sad as it was the first group of people we met that we had loved so much!<br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-62344340146560130052012-12-04T10:52:00.001+00:002012-12-04T10:52:53.808+00:00Delhi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We arrived in Delhi very late from Agra, as our train had been delayed by 4 hours. We weren't really looking forward to being in Delhi as we had heard alot of people being very negative about Delhi saying how horrible, busy and smelly it was. We had also read the reviews for our hostel there, and people had been saying it was in a slum! So we were abit nervous of it!<div>
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Our first impression of Delhi was busy but good. We were in Pahar Ganj which is the touristy area. After wandering around for ages we found our hostel down a set of winding back streets with tiny shops set in them, definitively not a slum! So we were quite relieved.</div>
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We decided to go out for a drink, and found a cheap looking bar, inside we found.... Europe! It was a little bar selling beer (mostly Indian guys there), with a mixture of rock and pop music playing. </div>
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We sat down, and one Indian guy started trying to talk to us, and another guy pulled him away. We weren't sure what was happening, but later we realized it was a security guard, so basically Indians aren't allowed to mix with tourists, which is what we found alot in India, which I find strange.</div>
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We found 2 cool Swedish guys who we chatted to most of the night, although one had to dash off home to the toilet as he had "Delhi Belly". </div>
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The next day we went for breakfast and then headed off to Varanasi! But yeah we liked Dehli!</div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-35882123768128765902012-12-02T10:17:00.002+00:002012-12-02T10:17:10.694+00:00Agra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We left Jaipur really late at night (after napping for a few hours in the evening), our train was at 2am and arrived at Agra 6am. It was definitely one of the worst trains, as we didn't have much time to sleep and the other people spent the whole time listening to loud music on their phones.</div>
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<br />Agra is not a nice city, its polluted, noisy, busy and has open sewers everywhere, the only saving grace is that the Taj Mahal is there. We got into the hostel and had to wait about 5 hours to get into our room. The reason we chose this hostel was you could see the Taj Mahal from the roof terrace but the Taj was so covered in mist and fog we could barely see the outline. Our hostel was awful it was the smallest room we have stayed in and covered in mold (by the time we left all our clothes were and smelt of damp). </div>
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We had hoped to go and see the Taj the day we arrived but unfortunately we arrived on a Friday which is the only day it is closed! Luckily I had my guide book and it explained that there is a big pubic garden behind the Taj where you could see the Taj Mahal for alot less money called Mehtab bagh . We decided to get there at sunset, and then relaxed for most of the day.<br />
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We got a rickshaw over and just managed to make it over before they stopped allowing people in. We walked through a tree lined path and then there it was, the icon of India - The Taj Mahal.<br />
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It is one of those places where you think "is the hype real?" As so many people say how amazing it is, but it really is breath taking when you see it in real life. We weren't sure how it would look from behind but it actually looks exactly the same as the front. The best bit was that because it was a Friday and the Taj was closed we got pictures of it with NO tourists in it, which is unbelievable, even the park wasn't crowded!</div>
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We spent ages photographing and just looking at it in all its splendor. It changed colour in the different lights, which is suppose to represent Allah (as it is a Muslim building and has a mosque on each side too). <br />We then went back and went to bed early for the main event of the next day, which was getting up at 5am and going to the Taj Mahal at sun rise.</div>
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<br />It was a freezing cold day and we had to line up for an hour at the West side, we were then scanned and frisked before being allowed to enter the bit before the Taj Mahal, you walk along and there is a arched entrance way and then you see the image you have seen on every poster, advert, and film about India, the Taj Mahal. We got there early enough that it wasn't too crowded We again photographed it to within and inch of its life and looked in awe at it, and then went inside it. </div>
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<br />You realize as you get closer to it that the Taj Mahal does look best from abit of the distance. It does have beautiful craftsmanship up close but it sort of loses it grandeur. Once you get inside though it is really beautiful. It is delicately carved with flowers with semi precious stones set into the marble. The marble itself is white, smooth and cold, and defiantly gives a sense of purity. As you get to the main hall, you see the reason it was all built - the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. The emperor Shah Jahal was so in love with his wife that when she passed away in child birth he built her the Taj Mahal to house her tomb, and when he passed away his tomb was placed beside hers,which is the only thing that is not perfectly symmetrical in the whole building.</div>
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I really did find the Taj Mahal wonderful and quite moving, its a beautiful embodiment of romantic love. </div>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-5871692373695665662012-11-12T04:35:00.001+00:002012-11-23T16:35:36.328+00:00Jaipur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We left from Pushkar and got the train over to Jaipur. On the train I was speaking to a family of a mother, grown up son, daughter and the daughter had a baby. They asked if me and Andy were married, now sometimes we say yes, but they were such lovely people I thought I would say the truth and we were just friends. The Mother couldn't believe it, she said that her only friend was her husband. It's so different over here. They then made me hold the screaming baby to take photos of me and her together, she obviously wanted her Mum and not me!<br />
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We then got into Jaipur and got a taxi to our Hostel which was lovely. The family there was really lovely, and our room was really big and clean. We were still tired from sleeping in the desert the night before, so we just had some food and relaxed.<br />
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The next day we got a rickshaw driver for the day, through the hotel called Mr Raju. He was such a lovely man and took fun photos of me and Andy such as jumping ones with out us asking him too! He first took us through the city gates into the "pink city" which is Jaipur's old city. We were abit dissatisfied with it as we imagined it to be very pink (like Jodhpur is very blue) but the pink colour didn't really stand out at all! We then went up the Isar Lat. Which is a very tall minaret, which has great views of the city below. We then went to Hawa Mahal (palace of the winds), which is where ladys of court would be able to look down on what was happening below through hundreds of screened windows, while remaining in purdah.<br />
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The next (and best attraction of Jaipur as far as I'm concerned) was Jantar Mantar. It was built by Jai Singh as an observatory, with 18 huge stone measuring devices. They were so strange and amazing looking, really modern and abstract, and surrounded by a beautiful garden.; My favourite was the sunken semi circles that were cut out, and also the biggest one which was a huge sun dial that we dubbed "the royal slide", as that's what if looked like from the palace!<br />
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We then saw some more cenotaphs which were lovely and made of marble.; We then went to the Amber palace which I really enjoyed. It was up a big hill and when you finally get inside it has a pretty palace structure and a gorgeous garden, and you can imagine the princes and princesses wandering around in the summer heat. It also had a gorgeous room covered in mirrors, and you were left to explore the place with all the nooks and crannies by yourself which was fun. We then walked along the secret underground tunnels which then come above ground take you up to the fort. We walked all the way up to the fort and decided not to go in.<br />
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We then went to a charity/co-operative textile factory, for poor/low caste people to work in. We saw how they made the material and coloured in the golden patterns (the men were completely golden coloured), and I bought a bag from them. We then went to a Jewry shop where Andy bought a ring. And I then got henna done!<br />
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We then got dropped off at MI road as we had heard it was the main street but all the food places were too expensive so we went (to our shame) to McDonald's. We then got a cycle rickshaw home. We both felt so awful as this poor man was really struggling up a slight incline. We both felt like getting out and cycling for him. I have never felt more like a rich western bastard in my life! We paid him extra money when we got out, but I guess you have to remember that this is their livelihood and not to use them is actually worse as they can charge westerners more!<br />
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The next day we went to monkey temple (Galta) called so because of the hoards of monkeys who live there. We went with an older guy called Neil who wanted to join us and went with the rickshaw driver Mr Raju again as he had been so lovely from the day before. As you drive up to the entrance there are so many wild peacocks its amazing. You then get there and there is a guy selling monkey food, so of course we bought some peanuts. <br />
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As you walk in there is abit of an abandoned Disneyland feel, as you can tell it was once a colourful magnificent temple now fallen into disuse. There were half broken statues staring at you (one very forlorn looking broken cow statue), then you see all the monkeys! <br />
They come upto you and take the nuts out your hand, and the babies are so cute, sort of scared of you, but wanting the nuts more. You realise how human they are with all the interactions they have, they seem more human though the younger they are! <br />
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We then walked up past the 2 sacred springs (where people where bathing, with fish and terapins) and up to the sun temple at the top, where we were rewarded with a stunning vista of Jaipur. The buildings were cloaked in veil of pollution so we couldn't see the further most part of the city. The rest of the city seemed to be growing by itself with little or no planning. <br />
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After we did this we went to an awesome restaurant called the peacock (which our friend Neil suggested) and had some lovely food and beer. We then all went back to the hostel to pack to go that night to Agra! </div>
Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-66565563109207716732012-11-08T14:35:00.001+00:002012-11-09T16:18:14.310+00:00Pushkar<div><p>We were getting the train over to pushkar at 7am, therefore we were suppose to get up at 5am, to have showers and pack. Luckily I woke up and checked the time, we had both slept through our alarms, and it was 6am!  We literally threw everything in our cases, and went to the station, and luckily we got there with time to spare! </p>
<p>We then got into Ajmer station and got a taxi to Pushkar. Our hostel was amazing, it was a family run place, the wife was a lady from the UK who had gone traveling and fallen in love with an Indian guy, and stayed and got married, and they now have 2 kids. I thought it was kind of amazing.</p>
<p>Pushkar itself was werid. It's suppose to be one of the holiest places in India, as in Hinduism, the creator Brahma, dropped 3 lotus leaves which turned into the lakes at Pushkar and meant Pushkar was the first place ever created. But although its really holy, holy people don't think twice about trying to scam you out of your money. </p>
<p>We went down to the lake and were made to do the holy ceremony to bless you and your family. It was a nice ceremony, but the whole time your thinking, when does the money bit come in. Once they finish the ceremony they put a bracelet on you which is known locally as a "pushkar passport" which means the other holy people will leave you alone as they know you have done the ceremony. After the ceremony you then have to argue a price, and then escape.</p>
<p>The second day we were there we went on a camel safari, which is one of the best experiences I have had in India. </p>
<p>The guys picked us up with 2 camels, one Andy got on, and the other was pulling a cart which I got into. We then went along into the desert. We then swapped and I rode the camel and directed it with a harness. My camel was called slowmo. And every so often one of the guys had to chase slowmo so he would hurry up. When slowmo ran it was horrible as there wasn't much to hold onto and I almost fell off! </p>
<p>We went through farms, where the people were still living as they would have done for century's and then came to our sleeping place, where we lay blankets out, and then helped to peel garlic for our food.  The guys made us food which was delicious, and a type of bread which they buried into the hot coals to cook, which was very heavy and dense.</p>
<p>We then lay under the stars and saw shooting stars and sang songs together. It was all very lovely, until the stray dogs we fed to leftovers too decided we were its new best friends and came and sat on me through the night. It stayed with us all night and then in the morning followed us back to town. We affectionately called him mangey. </p>
<p>On the way back we both rode one camel, which meant I only had Andy to hold onto. We then walked through the town on camel back, along roads (which felt abit ridiculous!) With our mangey friend following us and getting into fights with other dogs along the way.</p>
<p>I absolutely loved the camel trek though and totally think everyone should have ago! At it!</p>
<p>We were then dropped off in our hostel before getting a train onto Jaipur! </p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zhnOvIf2ua11UJ3sT1tkprnQoy00rF95szkOmNQA4JyNkEcZPjGHoE96ALJKivByqD24I7_BYJYfk15dIzmitlq2-sI9U-9SZSXsn1iubtWUS8_bDK8z41ACDm2m9KnMfvVfpLyrRB0/' /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-90199551419367415152012-11-08T14:22:00.001+00:002012-11-08T14:46:12.457+00:00Jodhpur<div><p>We caught a bus from Udaipur to Jodhpur and it has defiantly been the best mode of transport so far. We had a big double compartment, which had a glass screen and a curtain across it to give you some privacy. We also had a big window to get some air too. The only problem is people kept opening our glass screen and curtain. I am unsure why, apart from them wanting to check me and Andy weren't up to anything! We saw a red moon, as well, as we had been crossing the desert. It was beautiful.</p>
<p>My first hint that I was still unwell was when we were trying to get off the bus. The simple act of trying to get my bag down from our compartment made me feel sick and dizzy, and I thought I would pass out.  We got a rickshaw and then had to walk up a hill to get to the hostel. I felt very unwell but felt worse when trying to eat, (apart from when a lizard jumped on Andy),  I went to bed.</p>
<p>The next day I tried to go out but just walking down stairs made me feel like I would faint. My legs went shakey, like bambi legs. I decided at this point to call the Dr. It cost 500 rupees (£5) for the Dr to come and tell me I had tonsillitis and about 60p for the prescription. I spent 2 days in bed (the second day I made it half way to the fort before almost fainting).</p>
<p>The 3rd day I went to the Mehrangarh fort by myself (Andy went the day before) it was an amazing place. Huge and really beautiful inside, with loads of interesting peices, such as babys cradles, and  palanquins (for carrying ladies around) and the audio tour was very interesting. They had some very luxerious rooms, such as the room of mirrors! While I was there people were constantly doing things, and we found out Naomi cambell wad having a party there the next day!  Me and Andy then walked along the city wall until a local shouted at us that we couldn't walk along it.  We then walked to a memorial of one of the princes which was a beautiful marble cenotaph. </p>
<p>Our hostel was amazing. Jodhpur is called the blue city because the old city is all painted blue (in olden times only the high caste, brahmin, were alowed to paint their house blue) and we were right in the middle of the blue houses over looking the fort, and it was spectacular!</p>
<p>In the evening Andy did a zip wire around the fort, but since I was still ill, I desided not to Do it! </p>
<p>Tomorrow onto Pushkar!</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOqsIG6kQxTb3mjHGuaRpEg_irNUhLIzZPVN20_9XQ8B4h4y0WroeTdEbcoS8obwTzCeJOKPGC5k5qjwrKd-LH_EGUj8uEtDcK7rZ3ecl9Bcb6z9sUYfZoLM4XdPDHig-8tF2RcpwNwQ/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoaEZ3brqqhHlKF1iXArHgDNjF-Lx202OvPymLwOrml0_24UjR_ZRqzwksovnuqQ4agQH1vHDsk__bRfVDuK7gHhi7s5kiEJ1UCyGA48h6R8ExQ9z9H6-Daza66KU1CIxgIcTGPidqfA/' /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-58555752513776656582012-11-02T17:27:00.001+00:002012-11-08T05:31:20.334+00:00Udaipur<div><p>So we escaped Ahmedabad, and got on our sleeper train. We were in a compartment with a sweet family, who got us to talk to their daughter on the phone, and invited us to their village, which we declined!  The sleeper beds were hard and as soon as the train was going it became freezing inside. Everyone on the train seemed to be very ill too. </p>
<p>We arrived into Udaipur and the hostel had sent a driver to pick is up which was amazing. The hostel itself was a beautiful blue and pink place up a small hill, with amazing views across Udaipur! </p>
<p>We didn't do much the first day we went to a temple in the center of town. The second day we hired a rickshaw driver for the day for 600 rupees, so about £6! He took us to loads of interesting places. </p>
<p>First he took us to lake Pichola, which was beautiful, and we got the boat ride around it, the lake is huge and has 2 hotels on it, and is surrounded by mountains! He then took us to a local market. We then went to a royal cremation ground. It was full of beautiful cenotaphs, all different for different royals. It was a huge place. Now we were the only ones there, and our driver said to pay on the way out, he said he might be able to get the price down. But the guy we paid was a secruity guard and he made us go behind a wall to pay him, so I guess we weren't actually alowed in there and we just paid a bribe to get in! </p>
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After this we went to a Hindu funeral ground which was very peaceful. We then went to sahelion ki bari, which is gardens with beautiful fountains. We also went to a tailor and I got a salwar kameez top made, which is beautiful.
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That evening me and Andy met Raj, my Uncle Philips friend. We had an amazing time. He picked us up on his motorbike (3 of us on the motorbike, abit of a squeeze!) And we went to the hotel he's the manager of, which was over looking the lake! We had lovely conversation.
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The next day we went to city palace, we just went round the museum bit, it was quite beautful in parts, with stained glass Windows, and rooms full of mirrors. And there were a few beautiful courtyards. The best bit was a courtyard that was embellished with 3 mosaic peacocks, which was just stunning. The tour got abit thin towards the end, and they had a lot of paintings which didn't really interest me! We then went over to Raj's house and had a lovely home cooked meal with him and his wife Suchi. It was all delcious, but I had started go come down with a fever, so couldn't eat much, and I spent the evening very ill in bed.
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We hired the same rickshaw driver the next day and went out of the city and saw some temples, and we then saw a dance and puppet show in the evening. The dancing was very good, all traditional dances, one girl danced with a pot of fire on her head!
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We then changed from our hostel to a hotel for some luxery. The reason we picked the Anjani hotel was that.it had a swimming pool. But when we got in it was FREEZING! So didn't spend ages in there. I was feeling abit sick, so spent most of the day relaxing in room. We then went up to the roof top terrace to take pictures of the sun set. I started to be violently sick over the side of our nice hotels balcony, luckily Noone else was around! We then met up with Raj and Suchi in the evening which was lovely.
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The next day hung around the hotel,and then Raj came to see us, he then let me try riding his bike, I was pretty ok, for a first time, and I saw my first elephant! It was then time to catch our bus to Jodhpur! Bye Udaipur!
<font color ="#000000">the</font></p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggL81ANN_FRLg7YXsc5KqIcdnWvLn86DC80YEDV_DAk-2Nb5AYCK2qXCSl89mCYgYRBvKRvyNsSI6l4Rr8J4iwCVWB2oxArtMPFS02cTFj3tPh3MCjUK_NO79YOON9ZZEBbefctBKrikc/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaL3Y8rbaK7lQ6exqI6ph7BL-TG6lXbnGJplEnLcfzgGHQLX7hYcLUkd0VZDz5FYBhCpR2jk-zEJaxTAQAqkjkRs8xwRSWLVD1EYUeFH_aHI49XGDEbcU0IjqF4OBqph1889nti8N_5g4/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJNqZ79TTiFd61l4TWLvqpowSr_b3FXyY_xGPQmO6kP7Q8uJ8ZzC08TzOxBcS7XDo4pgU1SYykvMf8AopZHlu7_OYwvWfRP-vDaIWlPWTsR31Pjw7NFKxo4U101muVcKMu9J6e5u_ato/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtJybhS3DewX5rx0m3AAaMcHoHGQvDuKykzT1HP15jdkGG0cOnoGCH8bBstcaqa98MpNpdVFkATEVgNjQsKZiFpBeL0VIZ_irL_1sWaLts5m83sZBmNStmJi1gEBosZH5lDnZcXoUDQg/' /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-27574701668450014022012-10-26T15:53:00.000+01:002012-10-30T03:10:46.233+00:00Ahmedabad<div><div><p> Our train journey to Ahmedabad was long. We were in second sitting, and weren't actually together, but after a lot of pointing etc we managed to swap with a man and sit together. The seats were very hard and cramped, so after 9 hours we were pleased to get off. Although our sweets we bought from Mumbai helped us not think so much about the train.</p>
<p>Our first view of the city wasn't a good start. It was a confused mass of noise and people trying to take us to hotels, even though we explained we had one. One guy wouldn't leave us alone, and I got quite annoyed at him and was quite rude, Andy said he looked very angry, as Ahmedabad isn't too keen on women's rights, and I don't think a women would have ever spoken to him like that.</p>
<p> The traffic here was the worst of any city we have been too, much worst than Mumbai. I had to close my eyes at some points because we would be sitting across a lane of traffic in a rickshaw, with a bus coming towards you, showing no sign of stopping! Luckily nothing bad did happen! I would not want to drive on Indian roads.
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<p>We got to the hotel which was, to put it lightly, a crap hole. We had been worried as after we booked they sent us the terms and conditions, and it said if you were posing as a couple, you had to be able to prove it. Now we were worried that it might apply to us, (even though were just friends) and we might be rejected from the hotel.  Luckily thus wasn't the case (might be a rule just for Indians). The room itself was dirty, and revolting.</p>
<p>In the morning we got up late and went to train station and managed to book a train to Udiapur. We were so happy we managed to do it! The way of booking tickets in India is very werid and confusing. </p>
<p> We then went to a mosque but women were not alowed inside! So we left for the one thing I was actually excited about doing in Ahmedabad, Sabarmati Ashram, which is the ashram that Mahatma Gandhi set up. </p>
<p> The ashram was very peaceful and had a small collection of his personal items, and his room was set up how he had, had it. There was also a museum bit that was about his life, which was very interesting. The strangest bit was a letter he wrote to Hitler, asking for peace! </p>
<p> We then just relaxed in our room until it was time to get our train, and had a lovely time doing nothing! </p>
<p> Once we got to train station, we had to wait a few hours for our train. Andy left me at one point and when he came back I was surrounded by s crowd of people all wanting to look at me! Once he came back they all left.q Ahmedabad was definitely the place we got stared at most. I guess because no westerners go there. We only saw a handful of westerners the whole time we were there. I found the best way to combat being stared at was to wave and smile back, and then they would do the same, so it was a nice exchange!
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<p> So that was the end of our time in Ahmedabad! Yay!
</div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-37340042877921009112012-10-23T16:47:00.001+01:002012-10-26T07:27:12.871+01:00Mumbai <div><p>Well I'm in Mumbai now, and I have to say, I felt great trepidation before coming here after all the stories we have been told by other travellers, but I have actually loved it here! </p>
<p>It is a city of great contrasts, and the poverty is on such an unimaginable scale its hard to comprehend. I have found that I have been switching off to it, as I get really emotional if I think too much about it. But it has cemented my idea about adoption and I will definately be adopting an Indian child, if there is still a need for it, when I want children.  It's also made me want to do more charity work for street children and the people who live in slums. But more on that later.<br>
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The trip from Goa to Mumbai was very memorable. We got a sleeper bus, and were very happy to discover on its arrival that it was air conditioned. We hopped on and found we had a double bed at the end of the coach. Unfortuently we also had our bags with us (as we have heard stories of people stealing stuff when they are below) this meant it was pretty much 3 people and consequently I spent all night on my back, as any other way resulted in me almost being thrown out the bed, as it was an extremely bumpy ride.</p>
<p>Our first view of Mumbai was the side of a motorway and the extreme poverty hit you straight away. We then had a tussel with a band of taxi drivers, who were still not sure if they were trying to scam us or not!</p>
<p>Our first day we went to the gateway of India and the Mumbai museum. They were both ok, but the museum wore thin quite quickly. In the evening we saw a bollywood movie "student of the year". It was really good, pretty easy to follow, good music and parts were in English (it switched between Hindi and English words the whole way through). It was interesting because people shout out during the film and wolf-whistle etc. The film dipicts the lives of 3 rich Indians, and the stark contrast between fantasy and reality was apparent as soon as we left the cinima, As we then got chased by a pack of stray dogs. </p>
<p>On the second day we did a slum tour. Now we were abit iffy about the ethics of it. We were scared it would be abit like look at the poor people. But in actual fact it was amazing. We booked with reality tours, and 80% of their profits go back into the slum community. The tour guide had grown up in the slums and had a vast knowledge. We saw the industry side of the slums, how they recycle plastic. It's like a little production plant, one lot of people do one thing and then pass it next door to the next one. In total the slums actually turn over £70 million a year. So a lot of people stay in the slums with their community, even if they make a lot of money. The slums are like a rabbit warren, but also like a city within a city. They have shops, and most children go to school. All the kids we saw were happy and well looked after. We also saw the community center reality tours run, which had English and i.t lessons. It definately makes me want to do more for charity. The highlight was when the women making poppodums asked if we would like to have a go, I of course jumped at the chance. I think I'm officialy the worlds worst poppodum maker, they all laughed at how bad I was :) </p>
<p>Yesterday we went to Elephanta island. You get a boat across to an island and then they have this majestic cut of the stone temples, with intricately caved tableaus. They were mostly of Shiva (a Hindu God). I found it very peaceful and beautiful. There were also loads of monkeys on the Island. In the night it monsooned. It was an amazing amount of rain! </p>
<p>This morning were have had street food called kanji vada, which are abit like savory donuts with a spicy sauce! Now just waiting to go to Ahmedabad, our next <font color ="#000000">stop!</font></p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKdTHOTSboPetk6IecXrdmmrniK4KG61Lk7d0LEXqLTl7t44K9b6UcEXQktEZlZMQvYD3TOpTWfkOga2VLUB539rjxVs-OZLnCAf5SACZV5UZtrPFhHgeTp2mWvH5Ff_fq7UUPxOi-T0/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgr5SZ3oeK0H1HRUayQxJhe0T6aLsvpHhKrftlwWP8Crgt-BCFj0R2P6mvvb-ElLOPVBEmQKt1pSuANZE9yiKysRlu02VUuMyanoDT4mMgFjDCl2WuKaETjWl1pTAI5XTx3wFStAexU0/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUSEvGM9eJd88ieBIQc72Eo8DgDwM1lmV0D0MLCx43JXoUqdM2cCXNsBlrUEx1ARUdmWpB9-md6tl9sSi32Bw8HI5q7A4ChBx6JGudRuWfcrE8BLuNXZ_1YKeKze2lfd9efbBohj6_ZY/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJadOZZLFqpv-SG5wDKD5tBO7IUfNmlI_YsdRDL6vdaNAYmre1DPrarkdcAhpm5RQR6V3P6LETBOhMbguUnnvewZdHm3gneOLk5Pc5N058j-fPCtnRtR_0SsD5XxR7Fw2dWfd8qYPDrWI/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrPRNiUo6prVZKF_YXfDNlFW_nfMVQeXiGjL_8izHVbGzDPkiXQfbDVmHoZcvuwfcVY0wyYIeqNv2Yn-3s9f6WdC01xBw-oFTHIaXnD1U0v_qLq1C0GXXjA2_Um8mHr-_oLto9u2aE9s/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnenbMnbjN5TP3BcnAtsatX8RzhST1uTpHlb2GmvOB0wc1dfZGc58hLmid4AoMmnoBIHJgnTJ5uEMbWR3glqCSKAE7xpgMFfC8dUVzYuzbidA8c9NLnV5O3vm6_4e8csCPCpmD9VKHMUo/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFZjpDYBFX-1PhcyFhgDqbdmyMg9tSaWDQScrdj9cHI4IRB-Zc3WcvaUZLB1uh8JOOrN929i1bstV5_P1XK6kjF61xWpehLg5w6Mdf8JaeF-Qs5wg8jv-BRCCv3QS3UGtDpQkdplyqeE/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1werJXo-WDyTigFQRLKHBo_J-PtDclDwI-nVZCZi8e_6nCSzZrJvGbUaLWKUHnWn423fgjOIL9tMDTMzJc0w1qmyhGXcbmB2TyWPn9B-_6gzs0X88cy9Rnx4u-AwG4RBnWMrPgqsuAuM/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLP0-itUH0oLFAGgRn-oy1MSG50fev69evMwL0CbqGmignP7g0axBhqsz9e9d8tDlY3ufxF4-WP55IMR72XkfPBiM-2Zn6ZE2WHrH2OPJY-EhzqTGSnQevO7lbhpiIdObJAnPzfRUMqM/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-fRpNBt4Ra5BDpb67Cc9IVCA8rkcdz3G4tYxA-UeSXvpcGzJ_MvFyIr1uitQ1W2J8JBzTkzjIJt9vMqiBRmN1fVK1S11yIT3AIf1cIoErfutuyg8L1-SuWzLzZP4w_RKDTUDO2fLT9k/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_uk4mMhwPEoxu3_4L5dqXsFosrHiK9-PyhyPTgBanGIKQHh0k-oxrrDljDDJmj_1s8t7qWqc6ab4m048Lxqgfu4TcAxMzJfcKycH780vk7R81LY_zMO3RljXIQFyfHtkHRiXl8xMF74/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWN7OoDloxsXhKEnmfOZYXGmfLhonQfqN3s82UrV2dJ_0CPGA7526nMuRt27n3FWQwxzfXMM2k6aKIahnFLLIh43NsSIfAx9UnRCsF4f76klpefF3972gSXkGBNDxOkIl9jF5Z47QU0c/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrOHGvB_dvYvLg63yEI4XHR1NC1ojgR7n7OCGPyt58BRgHDvRaW7b-e-OOYkLriP50CwJSZfsz9nMpqdHjTBPZRd3As_EKdZIEJ3rh9NupHISL0yyEWFMZWYYgNHeMFKfMywlyzOL1sw/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPknXVHIWs2ZnOQOmKfW5XSaizraEUETsr8r2r2f36nskxdGoL12Ocr8gZikVpnApW2-N639TrRf5RCftyfiys2hXdhycdYVqUtn6i06j87Y-U9ClgyPkBV4t9XM3TrcuqRIErFW5s_U/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-H6U8QaTnuQhqs4x6qqOLoRSnMwupvdlRIm-pR3quOlMwjcn3IwAR9ICyKUVCrFUY6AmKVui5CPJpETQmQ2atWgTNsfDvPSoq8ZzIWIcZT2WEn2q6lAxRgVd6JnDe7RYnoLu3izlCJs/' /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-3734397708378680072012-10-20T11:33:00.001+01:002012-10-20T12:46:33.724+01:00Scams of India<div><p>After posting such a lovely blog the other day about Goa I feel the need to balance it out with something bad.</p>
<p>Today thrice we have had people trying to scam us.</p>
<p>The first 2 of the day were by our "lovely" hostel owner. Now don't get me wrong, I still think this hostel is amazing, and you should stay here, and the owner is lovely, but just check your change twice. And always check how much your hostel should be (that goes for any hostel though) </p>
<p>The first time she tried to charge us 300 rupees more than we owed and the second was she gave us 100 rupees less than she should. We delt with these quickly and they may have been a mistake but both me and Andy felt it was a scam.</p>
<p>The third was a lot more elaborate.</p>
<p>Yesterday at the beach two young Indian guys, stopped us and started talking to us, they seemed genuine and interesting and very modern. They then invited us to their house to have lunch. We agreed and they said how no other westerners would talk to them. We thought how sad it was that no one else trusted the Indians, and how exciting it was to see a real Indian home. </p>
<p>Today we walked down to the meeting spot, and they picked us up on mopeds. The ride was exciting and I found it so joyful. We arrived at the house they were "housesitting" for their uncle and there younger brother was there. </p>
<p>We all sat and chatted. And then the "bosses" came in. The others left (at one point there were 7 people with us.) And he told us about his importing/exporting jewellery buisness and how taxes were high for exporting a certain amount. I though he seemed like he was on some drugs as he seemed to be chewing or gurning a lot. But then he left and they said he was just checking the house was ok. </p>
<p>The guys then showed us how to make aloo paratha, which is sort of a spicy potato cake (very tasty). They were good fun, but asked us not to take pictures in kitchen as it was bad luck in there culture. We of course complied. </p>
<p>The buisness men then came back and started the sales pitch. We could export jewellery for then to Australia, and make log of money. We didn't even need to take it with us. They would just send the package to Australia and then we would just pick it up with there people in Australia and then we would get money. </p>
<p>Me and Andy declined very quickly and made our excuses about going to yoga and left.</p>
<p>The atmosphere went very werid when the buisness guys came.  Everyone else went silent, and I think they were definately trying to make us into drug mules, which is quite scary.</p>
<p>It's sort of made my heart drop abit. Everything in India seemed magical up until then, and its kind of brought me down to earth, and realize people are out to scam you, and not to trust people just because they are lovely and friendly. I want to trust everyone but now it feels like there will always be an ulterior motive. To be fair it is s poor country and we have to remember people are living hand to mouth, and will do extreme things to survive. So I guess this is the 'real' India we wanted to experience.</p>
<p>We have checked our bags and luckily there is no drugs or anything in there, so I think we have got off lightly with no harm done, apart from bruising our gentle hearts and naive idealism. </p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-6K59esWM5B93FccoEDjMzSyi15QVeVb9ekAdm53JrWCznphHeJxHAPgQywQorF36Sa0R7zab9J6efduUEK7-VrRSyc7Mc_QmHUPUbJqj3UrmuUHYO6FkFDl-vAyicw6G021iNZplyU/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitB2vjBsKZ_5Adby2pfNhqH_akDA6Om-wl922ru9sPRf7SwMgU21dmt5Ww496nmb9JoPrlmQjTnhRDpeDGYbpyAB0a1zLGOkn0iVnqxs9d8ws4yqRu9hQqOBWXRDqfX-EKMA23V7lsyok/' /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-77340655549098343292012-10-18T18:52:00.001+01:002012-10-20T08:01:51.707+01:00Goa!<div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So were in Goa! It's very chilled and relaxed here. It's still India and crazy but a more relaxed crazy! Our time in India started at 3.30am inside a tiny, hot airport. We thought there would be a airport lounge to hang out in, but once you clear security your outside! We got talking to a lady called Maria and then got a taxi with her once the sun came up.
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The first taxi ride will be one of my most magical and enduring memories. The sun was rising through the palm trees with the smells of smoke and damp soil. The people were going about there daily routines. Selling fruit by the road side, children waiting for the school bus, roadside shrines everywhere. This overload of sences is before the crazy traffic, drifting in and out, around people and each other, almost crashing but never quite.
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The first hostel was ok, the people weren't for us, but the place was lovely called Vagator. More of an Indian Tourist destination, but its apparently flooded by Russians in a few weeks who "drink Vodka, smoke and don't buy much" according to one Indian we spoke too.
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We saw so many cows and went to the beach, were followed by stall holders trying to get us to buy stuff, they can be quite aggressive!
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We then walked up to a fort and went to a proper market, we were pretty much the only western people there, and one stall holder followed us the whole way round and got angry when we didn't want anything from her stall. You have to be very firm with people here.
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Were now in Anjuna, and I prefer it here. Were staying at the Evershine hostel, Sabastiana who runs it, is a star. Everyone is so chilled out here and we have met loads of cool people already. We sat around yesterday listening to Justin playing and singing guitar (he was doing it in his room, but Sebastiana told him to come and play for all of us. It's just such a friendly place. The beach is beautiful and I had a perfect moment just sitting staring at the sea thinking how amazing my life is now. And how grateful I am that I'm here.
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Today me and Andy met my Uncle Philip's friend Sabu. And it was really insightful talking to him about India. We ate coconuts and sat in a cafe. And later were going swimming!
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So basically I love Goa and Mumbai will be such a change! <br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nmgY3Hwt11SclnTkOsjQ8endhyGVMGigJ6AMioV5F46213GyJlpCOlrC2F56Ehp1kYT7J74EO7CJTV0AhVjygQ4MeH4DWfdIl4KgFtwwJit6K3Ug7PL1wHQMWTzpprUyc76a2pxhOwA/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjtK4nJqEYykl6BjWS_42FWuEes_q-gBeMaVgDFrhO3-2r3XqPMg8LX41YKxiHbnq7ehQATtrOkjbXAYOIB-X-aivYdTMbbC55wp-C_wqpGwmufzuV25Bzyb9TfFzE02FUS4FMMJUrt4/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jRUE6KyAw6skRzK4CMtc5s8amDXwFQYU-b3BtK7Du_54v7HQm6idFvQ6-knvDSZc02Gt0BN4ZN-MFnDh_SSFEXo35ETnJ6q9kHz3PTtXOBVXMJWkHGsA2FZwdTcFv5s1O1_vIKegttQ/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16T2krnUt6rYuu1VRhS9lO6ZgcJ0aKtc-UlzsYjhGVPgdDbs7ZWg_em_m7G3VYmFeN3rbwNNi2-KwGklDyxP_i6sjybHRitEWBUO0uuM80b1viCeQ7YmAx12RYDAB82Od_xJws4jJCiE/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBk-oc0bSnxzN2zByH2Oz1nOzSs7A1pZGWm6HUq1VTYUbp4S-tbo8W77oD_hUBrmxU5qE1EXyE41I3xATemKy75yyBjzM_7IehP2jZ-gJ22mmj_-tqtvanrA5zR7f4H8NCwcUXiqqUtk/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbZXIPKT_AoqbIzfSuIr3eFBMB1rfjxA8447JsFI5os9he9ggl1W_Fdb9Yd16wuz8X-F5BsLFbpkyhIqcRchX8N1ur4mmXB_uDB045XBhSbvh5SVuEkRUanf0bdqySDUQBjqCukmUyjw/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe-Ev_L0f4FItGaxlZKKSCanfLH69zlmc-hjCwVwYIhLKBTrz6yYU7m8mDsgywCHPJNFXcn8RPM-bq_b2K1PybPjEowNpjEy7uBoZOfkIxRgB9z9RsMV-lGyWfxgTxmxVGTj6Ee_XRAQ/' /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-29428024262416928322012-10-14T01:07:00.001+01:002012-10-14T01:07:45.540+01:00Well, I guess it's goodbye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well this is it, I'm leaving the UK at 9.45am tomorrow morning. It's all abit crazy, especially since i'm amazing at leaving everything to last minute! Its been abit of a crazy rush as my (amazing, caring and wonderful) parents drove me round, helped me throw away my stuff, and pack my bag. I'm am very lucky to have such awesome parents!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM49LOasGiCqji-srWmQ3-MSaLqkjaz4hSGP8AktWBE3QE8H5KQi0Jw3u7ClqInlMclkmqvyKl5ZSFy9DqNyAUjfo7NBBt7yVaDe9LJutlOVuArfqvYMX4x7_BhBB-bgaQLGxPo52AZcw/s1600/IMG_2263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM49LOasGiCqji-srWmQ3-MSaLqkjaz4hSGP8AktWBE3QE8H5KQi0Jw3u7ClqInlMclkmqvyKl5ZSFy9DqNyAUjfo7NBBt7yVaDe9LJutlOVuArfqvYMX4x7_BhBB-bgaQLGxPo52AZcw/s320/IMG_2263.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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But amazingly I think I'm ready to go now. Although I really don't feel like I'm going. I think because its all been such a last min rush for everything! <br />
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I would like to thank all my friends and family for the support and love we have been given. I love you all for coming to our leaving party, and it was the perfect night!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF44RhAjpzXhzMDmMo0LwjlUAt9_5hv64lBBIoIa9CzJMDwQsHTOTYyHE6ESK6LFHybr2iq2lB7SvXIZjAhI7OlYXkD3gnjj9SQAcyb6P7bPTa5qBy-Pk-5CbpEA_J0hxhw-5Phyphenhyphenr7Fo/s1600/andy+and+steph.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF44RhAjpzXhzMDmMo0LwjlUAt9_5hv64lBBIoIa9CzJMDwQsHTOTYyHE6ESK6LFHybr2iq2lB7SvXIZjAhI7OlYXkD3gnjj9SQAcyb6P7bPTa5qBy-Pk-5CbpEA_J0hxhw-5Phyphenhyphenr7Fo/s320/andy+and+steph.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me and Andy at our leaving party</td></tr>
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But Its time I finish everything and go to bed and next time I write I will be in India!<br />
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LOVE!<br />
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<br />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-43681846961559814202012-09-30T21:12:00.002+01:002012-09-30T21:13:43.284+01:00Sorting my life outIts now 2 weeks until I step onto a plane, and Sometimes I wonder if im just making a big deal out of all of this traveling. I mean its a big deal for me, and for my family, but for everyone else, does it really matter? People seem to have life changing experiences every day and for most people a gap year is now du jour.<br />
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But traveling for me, and telling my story does mean alot. Its something I have always wanted to do, growing listening to my Dads stories of living in Australia for 6 months, and my Mum living in New York when she was a teenager. These are the things that coloured my childhood and left a strong imprint. The fact I have no family (apart from immediate family) around where I live has meant I have no strong attachments to where I live, not improved by the fact that nearly all my friends have moved away. I feel as though I am being kept here by a thread, which is my family bond, and although I will miss my Mum, Dad and Brother, I need to fly free.<br />
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I am hoping that this trip will change me, for the better. There are alot of traits I do not like about myself, which I feel are learnt behaviors, and hopefully a complete change will help me break the habits of a lifetime. I also hope to become less introverted, and more able to start conversations freely with new people. I feel staying in hostels will be a baptism of fire, which I badly need!<br />
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I feel I am half way there, having thrown and sold a lot of my old life, its quite exciting, to know I will have very little apart from what is in my backpack. It really isn't material possessions that matter after all, but the experiences we create and have and the people we meet along the way.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-87500683126145027342012-09-14T11:51:00.004+01:002012-09-14T11:56:41.380+01:00How time flies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27cFcrLB6ha5-2rQiFhEZP4DzATPstLVPE8PGTIl6NcOW_-fo4H-448-YyEDwRKpis75LQxlw73ykHwvqBz4iLgLKTjvn_ezLCe2mOkdAYJGOXf7c6v2VuOlwU0rXnpJMDb17Wy9d5t4/s1600/30days.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27cFcrLB6ha5-2rQiFhEZP4DzATPstLVPE8PGTIl6NcOW_-fo4H-448-YyEDwRKpis75LQxlw73ykHwvqBz4iLgLKTjvn_ezLCe2mOkdAYJGOXf7c6v2VuOlwU0rXnpJMDb17Wy9d5t4/s200/30days.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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When I started this blog, this adventure was all just magical dreams. It was so far in the future, it felt like I would never manage to get there. <br />
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But time has moved forward, the days kept disappearing. To begin with slowly, but last month went at a phenomenal speed. Were now at the last leg of our journey before flight from the UK. It feels so good to be at this place now. We have done most of our planning (and have completely booked all our trains, buses and hostels in India), the rest we will plan along the way.<br />
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I feel very fortunate to be partaking in this traveling with an amazing friend and companion. I really don't feel like I could have done this with anyone else, and sure we annoy the hell out of each other, but I think our personalities and strengths meld well together, especially on a long trip like this.<br />
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So thank you to everyone who has helped us take this massive leap into our dreams, and I hope you follow us on our trip, because as well as being magical it will be downright dirty, messy and funny, and its going to be one hell of an adventure.<br />
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<br />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-49093547794608290102012-09-11T23:16:00.002+01:002012-09-11T23:26:40.470+01:00How to get your Immunisation Injections for free<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Or at least not pay for most of them, if you are a resident of the UK.<br />
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You really can get most of your travel injections for free in the UK. I managed to get Hep B, Hep A, Typhoid, Polio, Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Cholera from the NHS. You have to sometimes be a bit sneaky, and you really have to be persistent and know what you need, and research alot, so it takes time and energy but you can do it.<br />
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First you need to go to your Dr or nurse and ask for your immunisation history which they should have on record. Get them to check over what you have had, and if you missed anything important as a child (which hopefully you haven't). You will have had some of your immusations in school, if you can remember what they are thats great, if not check wether you have a crazy big scar on your arm entphalitus in a circle, if you have then congratulations you have had the BCG, and are therefore protected against TB!<br />
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Next on the list is Polio, Tetanus, and Diphtheria. Now you should have received all your booster shots in school, but if your unsure, get a jab, or if its 10 years or just under since you last got them, get a jab. The boosters only last 10 years, and polio is still floating around in South Asia. You need to ask your nurse to give you this one, but its should be free. If she refuses for whatever reason, go to a different clinic. Simple.<br />
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Typhoid is similar, but shots only last 3 years, so you will probably have to ask for this one too. Same as above go to the Nurse, and it should be free.<br />
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Now its time for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B. One of the common vaccines is twinrix and is a combination of the 2. If your job involves working with people alot (so most jobs), you are entitled to this (especially if you work in care industry), again this should be free. Bare in mind, this is a scheduled 3 or 4 shot vaccine. The 3 shot one is over 6 months, the 4 shot one is over 28 days (on specific days), and then the last shot a year later. If your on a tight time limit go for the 28 days one, but just remember to have the last one a year later, and that should cover you for 5 years.<br />
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Lastly its cholera. Now you dont strictly, really need cholera unless your going into an outbreak, but since I'm traveling around India and South East Asia, I feel its a case of safe and not sorry. On the NHS website they state they will pay for Cholera vaccinations as it is something that could spread really quickly around the UK. The way I got my prescription was by filling in a prescription request form at my Dr's, and stating the reason I wanted Cholera was because I am going to an area of cholera. Then basically you have to wait to see if the Dr will give you a prescription. Mine did, and as a prescription on the NHS it cost £30 but if you do it privately it will probably cost you double that. The prescription is a liquid you have to drink and the dose is 2 "drinks" one week apart.<br />
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Now there will still be more injections you will need to get, but you will probably have to go to a specialized travel clinic for them, and just make sure you research fully what you need, and take enough time to budget, as they can be very expensive. <br />
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The 4 main ones seem to be<br />
Malaria<br />
Rabies<br />
Japanese encephalitis<br />
Yellow fever<br />
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Yellow fever for instance you HAVE to have before going to certain countries!<br />
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Here is a link for the <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Planners/vaccinations/Pages/traveljabsonthenhs.aspx">NHS Travel vaccine site</a>, so check it out.<br />
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<br />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-89704567387741580202012-07-20T13:18:00.000+01:002012-07-20T13:18:07.805+01:00Injections<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJt58ERmjxPHQbK1KcqrDxK5wxNdtOoaVYCAAXznysCTuISc9orfC0BGrwN8ajBbnsGzSdf27G_9Jf52QFIdubJxSyX9Qi-LjhgnwGLOaYlIWcRIAl3vCxlHAVPHDjHlAIUOVXq1TFX4/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJt58ERmjxPHQbK1KcqrDxK5wxNdtOoaVYCAAXznysCTuISc9orfC0BGrwN8ajBbnsGzSdf27G_9Jf52QFIdubJxSyX9Qi-LjhgnwGLOaYlIWcRIAl3vCxlHAVPHDjHlAIUOVXq1TFX4/s320/Picture+1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well the good news is I have started getting all my injections today for traveling, I had my first shot of Hep A and B. Need 2 more before I go, and 1 a year later, so will have to do that in Australia!<br />
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Going to the <a href="http://www.welltravelledclinics.co.uk/">Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine </a> next week as they have a walk in clinic in the mornings, so will hopefully get all the other jabs I need, need to visit the Dr first to check what I have had already, and then hopefully it wont be too expensive, although I know Malaria tablets are expensive, and as you can see from the malaria hotspot map above, pretty much everywhere we are going are malaria hotspots!<br />
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The injections I think I will need are Cholera, Japanese encephalitis, Rabies, TB, and Typhoid but<br />
Im pretty sure im protected against Polio and Tetanus/Diphtheria.<br />
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Its all getting very close now!<br />
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<br />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137834665845969616.post-67112457924814772522012-07-06T10:04:00.003+01:002012-07-06T10:21:20.793+01:00100 days left until traveling or 3 months until I finish work :DToday is the best day so far, as we now only have 3 months left of work, and 100 days until traveling! I thought I would make the occasion by showing you this piece of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNogdpHeuiE&feature=related">youtube amazingness</a>! I would really like to visit this elephant sanctuary as the elephants paint! Yes Paint! <br />
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Please watch the video, I find it amazing, especially as the elephant can paint better than myself!<br />
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<br />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00420992248998274712noreply@blogger.com2