We’ll be gone till September, gone till September

Since our last entry we have traveled around the state of Rajasthan, from Mandowan and a hotel the like of a palace in Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom – double wooden doors to enter room, high ceilings, painted art work, opening on to central cout yard lobby – to a 5 star mud hut in the desert and thats just some of the accomotation we have stayed in.

Biskaner was our 4th day in India, we visited Junagarh Old Fort. The first of many forts, palaces, temples, and museams. Moved on to the Golden city of Jaislmer, which is entiley built out of a golden sandstone brick, so looks gold(ish) those newer buildings our painted a golden coluor to match. It has an interesting fort dating back 855 years, the highlight was a little museam called Desert culture and Folklore museam. I’m not the biggest fan of museams but this one is a private collection of a Mr. Nand Kishoe Sharama, who is a very interesting Little man who remembers the time before independance, and was kind enough to take us on a tour of his collection, well worth a visit.

After Jaisalmer was Jodpur and another Fort!

We moved up into the mountains after Jodpur and away from the crazy cities, traffic is nutts. To a peaceful forest hotel and a very nice hindu temple. We just can’t remember the name of the place! We spent much time just hanging around the accent temple, unlike many in India it wasn’t a tourist trap no mineral water stands, no kids selling postcards. Just peaceful, with the strangest religous moment of our lives: There is no entry fee to the temple (which is made entirely made of white marble and looks like a temple u would imagane in ur mind) there is a holly man with great english skills walking around with a donation tray. The holly man walks towards us and introduces the temple and himself and then blesses us a honoured guests placing an orange bindi (dot on forhead) and then asks for a donation, “as much as u like”. Seems fair to us I give him some change around rs 20 while Amanda has no smallish change asks me if I have any more cash (unable to give too big a donation need money to get tea no atms in forest) Holly man opens donation tin and pulls out change, i’ve never seen anything like it made us laugh, getting change from a donation and from a holly man no less.

after swinging past Udaipur we found Pushkar, more of a backpackers haven. Wlked up 586 steps plus slops to the top of a mountain to visit a temple and watch sun set. Skiped the temple and watched the sun set with a group of other backpackers. The market in pushkar is very good, and the holly lakes are surrounded by the town. They are holly so you ust take of your shoes 40 feet away from the edge, somthing we didn’t know and which equalled some shouting from local people. Puskar was enjoyable and nicely laid back, with some temples that we skiped after two weeks we were templed out.

We moved to Jaipur (I hope people are following this on a map) to Jaipur the Pink city look more orange to me. at the City palace have seen the worlds largest individual piece of silverwear a big jug. Visited the Amber and tiger forts, and watched a modern bollywood film at the cinema. The film was very chessey in hindi and english, it was enjoyable and a nice evening out something different recommended. The audience partisipation is second to none, shouting whisling at the screen. Lots of shouts during bikini scenes on beach.

curently in Varanase have seen the taj mahal and river ganges, very impressive. we now are back packing as we have no driver, FREEDOM!!! been on a rickshaw a few times always funny as some bloke peddles away with us sitting in the back, i’m not exactly light weight poor guy. the roads make it a fun ride as the pot hols sometimes turn into roads, sometimes.

Amanda is coming down with a cold so chances are i’ll get it sometime in hongkong, something to lookforward to.

In other news 3 weeks in and miller smells! today amanda washed my towel for me as it smelled, i knew it did but was holding out until the next wash, early next week. but it was stinking out the bathroom. got pictures next week i leave all my lothes to smell maybe i get them washed. maybe not.

doing well have sent some postcards, be good.

On arrival to Delhi we did the dumb thing of getting a “taxi” with one of the locals, as he followed us around “taxi” Taxi”. At first decline and walked on looking for metered taxis, finding none and having our new friend follow us, plus being very tired after the 8 and a half hour flight. (got only 2 hours sleep before flight as we went to the pub, tom I blame you). We got into the “taxi”, our drivers name was Lucky, who after checking said he knew where we where going.

Culture shock 1: Driving in India!! Watching 3 guys on an old motorbike zip through traffic, the only signalling anyone does is with the horn. Overtaking undertaking, just stopping for no reason. Very exciting.

Culture shock 2: turning corner to be faced with cow eating out of trash can.

As we pulled into New Delhi after the excitment of the dual carrage way, I say dual but 3 cars in a line was normal. Lucky decides he doesn’t know where our hotel is, yet we had repeated the hotel address a number of times and shown him our hotel voucher. He starts pointing very nice hotel cheap as we drive around aimlessly, NO NO! add the no tip find our hotel, and a few swaer words possibly. This changed Luckys ideas as we showed that we where not getting out of car until he found hotel. We told him to ring and find direstions, we pull up to a dark ally “one of you come with me we ring” No chance, but it seemed he didn’t mean ally but the Government tourist office next door. which I’m writting this from as long as the electricity holds, it cut out earlier as I wrote this. It seems Lucky lucked out as our hotel was 100 meteres up the road.

Once we got there and gave him a small a tip as our notes would allow, cheecky git asked for more. we walked away into the hotel. Lucky was Lucky to get a tip, never again. We know better than to get into unmarked taxis but when u are tired next time I walk.

We leave the UK Saturday 8th October 2005 first stop Delhi India. While in India we will hopefully head up to Nepal and Katmandu.

We fly out of Delhi for Honk Kong for a short 4 day trip on the 29th October, leaving on the 2nd November for Bangkok. We have till the 28th of December to get to Singapore airport. So 2 months around South East Asia our only plans so far is to be in a pre booked hostel for xmas in Singapore on the 24th december until we leave for Australia.

A working visa will see us around Australia, working up the coast from Sydney to Cairns. Meeting a mate Mark somewhere in OZ, before heading on to NZ end of March. then the end of April it is South America.

South America we hope to visit Chlie, Argentina, Brazil and Peru, possibly Uraguy and Paraguay while there. Then on to Canada sometime early summer. Our last stop will be a weekend in New York for the Hell OF IT, just spend what money we have left or put a bunch on a credit card and enjoy all the tourist traps of the Big Apple.

Hope to be home sometime around September 2006. The trip plans are VERY flexible dates, countires all could change. But will be in Oz for the New Year after that No idea, So watch this space for up dates.

Pre trip photos.

I’m pointing at a sign saying Prague castle before anyone asks.

Myself and Amanda met at University in Stoke back in 2000, living in the same halls having the same mates made it easy to become friends. Five years later and we still knock around with the same group of friends, last year we went away to turkey in a group of 6. Had a great time.

We were up in Durham on a night out with friends back n March 2005. After a drink or two or three or four (I was dancing it takes a few for me to do that) we some how decided to go travelling, as you do! Both disillusioned with where we were and what we were doing, I had dropped out of doing my Master’s Degree at Newcastle University and Amanda hated with passion her job, neither of us had a career job or idea of what we wanted to do. At 22 I don’t believe you need your life all planned out, so with no kids, mortgage or serious commitments we decided if ever was a good time to do something different NOW was the time.

Around the end of May we both moved back in with are parents and would like to thank them for letting us live rent free for a couple of months, the best and only way we could pay for this trip. Got new jobs and have been working overtime and any other time to make the money, it has all fallen together well once you start the injections and buy a few items of gear it really hits home that you are travelling. Well with less than 5 weeks I can’t wait!