November 28, 2003
For the next India trip
Because there MUST be another. We'll be back, badder than Arnie. Here's a short list of places we want to see again, or for the first time, on India II: Khajuraho. More time to re-examine the temples, and to see...Read this update
November 27, 2003
And now, the good stuff about Delhi
Venting is good, but it's done. For now. Delhi hasn't been all bad, just mostly annoying. Here's some of the good things that happened in Delhi: Bengali Sweet Shop. Yum. Milk sweets, pistachio, chocolate... again, YUM. (Oh, and Claudia, the...Read this update
November 26, 2003
Now DON'T piss me off!!!
As Ant has mentioned, we had some "issues" with our guesthouse, the H.K. Choudary Paying Guest House. Ant just called them the H.K. Chowderheads, but whatever, Let's Go was wrong in recommending them, they BLOW. We reserved a room weeks...Read this update
8 hours left in India
Delhi. Ugh. 2 days in Delhi. No, wait, 2 and a half, if you include the time from landing at the airport, to when I flew out for Varanasi — 2 months ago. Delhi has not made a good impression...Read this update
November 24, 2003
A lizard groped me
Ok, I expected horny Indian men, but not horny Indian lizards (or LEEEzards as Ant says). As I was killing mosquitos (29 for me, 50 for Ant) the other night, I went to close the curtain near our door. As...Read this update
The Divine and the Dump
There are certain cliches about traveling in India. Getting off a plane in Delhi, for example, is almost always described as "walking into an oven." Agra, on the other hand, is always described as "a dump." Claudia and I have...Read this update
Rickshaw Formula 1
And you thought the Formula 1 races were in some swanky European city like Monte Carlo. Apparently Khajaraho has one of it's own kick ass drivers and his name is Santosh and he drives this beast of a vehicle. Santosh...Read this update
Keychains, waterfalls, rickshaw drivers...
... and the best chai in India. Just don't try to find it in the dark. Which we just about had to do. I was about to start typing the rest of this post, when the power went out, if...Read this update
SMUT!!!!
How do they DO that??? This was a common question Ant and I would ask when we were walking around the erotic temples complex in Khajaraho. You would be amazed at the flexibility at some of these guys and chickies......Read this update
November 20, 2003
LONG days
We've been traveling for days.... Ant and I wanted to very much see the smutty temples at Khajaraho. However, they are a major pain to get to. The nearest train is 4-6 hours away in Jhansi, a dump of a...Read this update
Homemade Lemon Pickle & Gin... Rummy
Some of the coolest people we've met in India, were in our compartment on the Mumbai-Jhansi train (if you're playing the home game, that's the #1057 Amritsar Express, schedule 4 in Trains at a Glance). They asked to borrow our...Read this update
November 18, 2003
Laziness for 800R a night
When I travel, I like to do things that I don't do at home. Like check out temples, or swim in warm seas... or watch cable and drink soda. Claudia took on finding us a place in Mumbai. After conversations...Read this update
November 17, 2003
Rocking out in Mumbai
But where are the 14 million people who supposedly live here?? Ant and I rolled into Mumbai (formerly Bombay) on Sunday morning at 6:30am. We fought with our taxi driver and still got ripped off, but on our way to...Read this update
November 15, 2003
Who does what?
A lot of travel, is taking care of things. When you travel with someone, you develop routines. Ideally, those routines take into account each other's strengths, and helps make for a better trip for the both of you. Claudia and...Read this update
November 14, 2003
Boss Madam
It cracks me up every time. Last night we wound up geeking out at the cybercafe for way longer than we thought. Stumbling in the dark back towards the beach, our rumbling tummies decided we were going to dinner. The...Read this update
November 13, 2003
Steaks Walking on the Beach
Yes, there really were steaks walking on the beach and it didn't make my mouth water this time. For starters, after yesterday's amazing feat of going IN the water, I repeated it today. In fact, it was even better. Ant...Read this update
November 11, 2003
I don't know much about hippies...
... but I can see why they like Goa. For starters, getting around is ridiculously easy. The intrastate bus system is quite good, and cheap and... dare I say it... on time. The train station is in Margao, in South...Read this update
Pigs are Flying
And hell has frozen over. For those who know me well, you know due to my vampiric skin, I hate beaches, sun, sand, and water. I have been proven wrong. I have found the ideal beach for myself. It's in...Read this update
November 10, 2003
Pics from Jan
I just wanted to include a few pics that Jan emailed to me from our trip. The first is a photo of our sunrise cruise down the Ganges The other is a group photo which is missing the person taking...Read this update
Even Poor People Meditate Here
Fffffthick, ffffthick.... Everyone is entitled to a bit of spiritual enlightenment. What form it takes is up to you. I've found that the poor people here in India seem to have what seems to be an original way to ease...Read this update
November 08, 2003
We are sooooo going to hell...
Or we're going to be reincarnated as snails. Something like that. Claudia's already talked about our Amma Ashram experience at pretty good length, but this has been one of our most interesting and disturbing experiences so far, so I'll chime...Read this update
There Is No Spoon
I am going to be a guru. Ant had mentioned our plans of becoming gurus in a prior post and I have to reaffirm that idea after our recent excursion to the ashram of Amma, The Hugging Mother. I had...Read this update
November 04, 2003
The Coolest Silk Shop in Maha: Suba Silk House
Claudia and I have alluded to this a bit here and there, both on the blog and on our various posts on the BootsnAll message boards, but the silk shop she gots some shirts from deserves a wee plug. As...Read this update
Scary moment with Doxycycline
It's not the rush that kills you, it's the sweats at the end... If you're going to India, you're supposed to take some sort of antimalarial. There's quite a few on the market, such as Larium, but most of these...Read this update
November 03, 2003
Chennai ROCKS MY SOCKS
I can't believe it, there is efficiency in India outside of Bangalore. I've been in India 1.5 months now and I have gotten used to things taking a while to get done. Train tickets, bus tickets, whatever. So the prospect...Read this update
November 02, 2003
It Came Out of the Drain
Or, The Cockroach from Hell Call me Ishmael... No, stuff that, call me Anthony, and call me shell-shocked by some severe entomological homicide-induced post-traumatic stress disorder. After a lovely day of haircuts, laughter, mid-afternoon rain and then sunshine and clambering...Read this update
Among goats and rocks, but no dancing rats
After lopping off most of Claudia's hair, we ventured back out into the wide world of Maha. First, the beach (about 2 minutes walk). Just off the beach and behind some fence (to keep non-Indians from dodging the $10 entrance...Read this update
Hare Krishna, Hairy Krishna
I had had it with my hair. Back in Bangalore, I had meant to get my haircut, but I kept forgetting or was busy with something else. Either we were hanging out with Dusty, eating, having a frappe at Cafe...Read this update
Ant's Gone LOCAL!!!
Or maybe "loco." Being a westerner in India, my bathroom habits are somewhat different than the local Indian. I use toilet paper and not my left hand. It's a habit and custom I like to keep for myself. Some people...Read this update
November 01, 2003
Mahabalipuram
"Maha", for short, like "Baja California". From Pondicherry, Claudia and I were planning to go to Chennai for a day or two, to see if we can do some finagling with our Bangkok tickets. Over breakfast the day we were...Read this update
Gurus & Ashrams
After all these days of basking in the warm darshan glow of ashrams, ashram communities, and our ashram-run guesthouse, the divine has guided me and Claudia to accept our destiny as gurus. 1000 rupees, please. Our ashram will be called...Read this update
October 31, 2003
Mmmm... Beer & Chicken
Tempting fate, yes, but probably for the last time. We lounged a lot yesterday. Our room is huge, comfy, with a couch and a seaside balcony. We didn't want to leave, but finally we admitted that we needed to eat....Read this update
October 30, 2003
Anthony 6, Claudia 3
When mozzies (mosquitoes) bite, we fight back. Before leaving for India, I went to REI and spent about $20 on insect repellent. I haven't used a drop. Claudia will be inheriting all of it; apparently, she's the only insect repellent...Read this update
October 29, 2003
Deep in Pondicherry
Auroville is FREAKY Today Ant and I decided to take a tour of the city of Pondicherry. Most of the tour was uninteresting except for a surreal stop at Auroville. Auroville is an alternative way of living, which is summed...Read this update
October 26, 2003
Bangalore is like Portland
No kidding. After a few days here, the greenery, the coffee, the tech, the laidback feeling — constantly the thought runs through my head that this town is similar to Portland, Oregon. And that is a compliment Bangalore deserves. Claudia...Read this update
October 25, 2003
Chillin in Bangalore
Happy Diwali!!! Today is the Indian New Year. Ant and I have been spending some quality time relaxing at the home of Dustyshoes, a friend of ours who with her family has been extremely generous in putting our sorry butts...Read this update
October 22, 2003
Hotel Potma
And The Eagles say, "Welcome, to the Ho-tel Mar-i-juana..." Every time I leave our room, the smell of burning pot transports me back to Eugene, home of hippies and hemp. Some contact buzz, huh? Our first day at Hotel Potma...Read this update
October 21, 2003
A short man in India
An exchange with an Indian chap (maybe in his mid-50s?), on the sleeper train from Varanasi to Kolkata: "How old are you?" he asks me. "25, sir." "You look much younger," he says. Claudia snickers. "You very small, more like...Read this update
October 20, 2003
Bhubaneswar Lites
My first real job was at a newspaper, The Roanoke Times, in Virginia. One of my favorite parts of the job was skimming the news wires, and over the New York Times wire there would now and again be an...Read this update
Improved Attitude, Sort Of
I'm almost 100% recovered from my battle with dehydration and all seems to be back to normal, including my appetite. One of the things I have been making sure to do is to be really vigilant with my choices of...Read this update
October 19, 2003
I'm a Liar
Right now, Ant and I are in Bhubaneswar, a city on the eastern side of India, about a third way down from the top. It's known for it's temples, and there are hundreds of 'em!!! As with all other tourist...Read this update
The Taxi Haggle of Howrah
Bottled water: 10R Sweet lassi: 13R Toilet paper: 25R Taxi to Kolkata's Howrah train station? Well, that depends... Chowringhee Street at the corner of Sudder was a taxi scrum. A river of yellow tops stood stalled; there was hardly room...Read this update
October 18, 2003
Eye contact
How Claudia and I look at India is totally, literally different: she looks down, and I look at. Today is the first time that difference has hit me. We were walking down Kolkata's Chittaranjan Ave., a massive thoroughfare with tons...Read this update
October 17, 2003
Functioning at 80%
Like the title says, I think I'm on the mend. I watched minimal TV, which is also a sign. It also could have been the oh so pleasant documentary on how global warming is going to lead to Armageddon in...Read this update
City of Carnivores
Well, 2 carnivores anyway. Yes, yes, we know that eating meat in India is poo-poo'ed. Vegetarian, vegetarian, vegetarian. If meat, then expect lots of toilet. Telling that to me and Claudia though... well, look, we aren't Hindus. We. Like. Meat....Read this update
October 16, 2003
Low Tolerance for BULLSHIT
I'm going to beat the shit out of someone. I am still not 100% mended. However, I can't lie around all day in a hotel room so Ant and I went out to Barista, as a treat for me. Barista...Read this update
All's Chill in Kolkata
Well, save for the weather, though today hasn't been nearly as bad as the past couple of days - mainly because it's raining. Claudia and I ducked into NetFreaks on Sudder Street, which has some pretty fast connections and a...Read this update
October 14, 2003
Calcutta Madness
Calcutta is CRAAAAAAAAAAAZY. We arrived in Calcutta this morning after a long-ish train ride from Varanasi. People are just everywhere. We attempted to go find a place to eat and between the heat and the hunger, Ant and I almost...Read this update
October 13, 2003
Morning in Varanasi
On our last day in Varanasi, Claudia and I thought about taking a sunrise boat ride up the Ganges. She's still not feeling quite up to snuff though, so after getting up at 5:30 we talked it over and decided...Read this update
October 12, 2003
New face
Well, we can't let Claudia have all the fun. This is Anthony, chiming in for the first time on here. I just joined up with Claudia in Varanasi, and now that the jetlag has worn off and - so far...Read this update
Still Sick in Varanasi
Well, Ant arrived safe and sound. Instead of him being jet-lagged and pooped, it is me who was beat and all lathargic. I keep coughing and hacking, which is very tiring. I might have a few hours with no coughing...Read this update
October 08, 2003
"Deep" Spirituality in Rishikesh
Too many deep people... I have been in Rishikesh's Swarg Ashram area for about a day and a half now. I must say, I am throughly unimpressed. I am staying at a blah hotel (Green Hotel) that has a redeeming...Read this update
October 04, 2003
Varanasi Ain't So Bad!!!
Since coming to India, and before, people have warned me about Varanasi, the city where my tour concludes. It's evil, you will be molested, it's a terrible place is the consensus. I disagree. Maybe it's my ability to stick my...Read this update
Sunset at the Amazing Taj
In the immortal words of Keanu Reeves, "whoa." There are a few times I have been awed like this. No, I take that back, just one. When I saw the Pyramids, my breathe was taken away. When I saw the...Read this update
Random Jaipur Extravagances
As I was about to write about my experiences in Agra, I realized I had forgotten about a great day in Jaipur. The begining of the day slips my mind and I think it involved the Amber Fort which I...Read this update
September 30, 2003
Pushkar
"Madam, everything is possible" I visited the small holy Hindu city of Pushkar for a few days and this was the catch phrase of every salesman. I felt like I was back in Yangshuo, China because of all the eastern/western...Read this update
ET is out to get me in Japiur!!!
Anyone who knows me, knows I was traumatized as a kid by the movie ET. It has never ceased to haunt me, and I never thought it would happen again in India. Ok, so the group decided to stop at...Read this update
September 27, 2003
Bundi
Bundi is the city of tubas and pharmacies. As our train rolled into the smallish town of Bundi, we had a strange predicament, no rickshaws!! Most train stations are packed to the brim with pain in the ass richshaw-wallahs who...Read this update
September 24, 2003
Luxury and Decadence in Udaipur
Bond, James Bond Last night I dined at the Lake Palace Hotel here in Udaipur. This is the amazing hotel/palace where where the James Bond flick Octopussy was filmed. It did not disappoint. Opulent huge chandeliers, small intimate rooms scattered...Read this update
September 23, 2003
Frustration and then Relaxation in Udaipur
I was in a very "anti-India" mood last night. Nothing was working out the way I wanted it to because of Diwali in October. I couldn't get train tickets for the days I needed because they were all booked up....Read this update
September 20, 2003
Trains and Jaisalmer
The train system in India actually makes sense. Loads of other things don't but for some reason (I suspect the British influence), the trains are well organized and generally on time. However, booking a ticket can be wacky because each...Read this update
September 19, 2003
One hump, two humps
Those would be camel humps. For the last day I was out in the Thar Desert riding a very tall camel whose name I forget. He was a well behaved camel and I couldn't complain. The group was a bit...Read this update
September 16, 2003
Holy RATS!!!!!!!!
I am Indiana Jones.... This morning I visited the Karni Mata temple. This temple is where thousands of rats run free among a temple, while you walk around barefoot. Being this is a holy Hindu temple, shoes are not an...Read this update
September 15, 2003
Delhi #2
Waiting for it.... I'm waiting for Delhi Belly. It hasn't happened yet and I've been here 2.5 days. I've been so busy today and yesterday. Today was definately more fun. As I have never been to India before and arrived...Read this update
September 13, 2003
Delhi
I have arrived, and I am about to melt. It is about 1pm here in Delhi and I'm in a small internet shop, with a fan blowing on me, and I'm ROASTING. I guess I'll get used to it!! This...Read this update
August 01, 2003
The Indian Consulate
I figured today's chore, acquiring an entry visa for India, was going to be a painful one. When I applied for my Egypt visa it was a long day of being questioned "why am I going to Egypt", the shuffling...Read this update