Simon writes:
We journeyed forth from the village of my former pedagogical employment with gladness in our hearts at the warm and friendly people we had met (and re-met) there. We then spent some time in the company of a bus conductor with an uncanny resemblance to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Actually, although he did blow his whistle unnecessarily fiercely, this comparison does him somewhat of a disservice: he was very nice to us about the storage of our oversize bags. Well. Done. Mate.
An Indian cooking course and a visit to the Dalai Lama's gaff were the main events of our brief stay in the backpacker-encrusted hangout of McLeodganj in Western Himachal Pradesh. His Holiness wasn't about unfortunately.
A couple more pointlessly noisy bus rides later and we arrived in Amritsar, the holy city of the Sikhs. These people have got this rather cool temple with a roof made out of pure gold in the middle of a lake.
The closing of the border between India and Pakistan is a spectator sport. Groups of frilly soldiers prance about like peacocks snorting, shouting and eyeballing each other while pumped-up patriots shout slogans and wave flags on either side of the gates. It's all rather bizarre, but very entertaining nonetheless.
We're now in Lahore awaiting tomorrow night's apparently legendary Sufi cultural feast that takes place every Thursday. I've got frikkin awesome pictures of the above but no way of uploading them at present. Curses!
Wednesday 25 February 2009
Saturday 21 February 2009
Stepping back in time
Noelle writes:
We've just finished spending several wonderful days back in the town where Simon taught English ten years ago. We wandered around Alampur, Sujanpur and Jangal visiting with people Simon had met when he was teaching, all of whom were very excited to see him again.
It was such a refreshing break from the main tourist towns where people are constantly asking you to join their tour, buy their goods or just give them money. Instead, everyone seemed really excited to see foreigners and we were asked to join people's tables for meals to talk and into their homes for chai and a chat. We even got in a few games of cricket with the locals. I bowled Simon for a golden duck!
We couldn't stay too long though as we ran out of toilet paper which is unavailable in the area (bottled water is also quite scarce).
We've just finished spending several wonderful days back in the town where Simon taught English ten years ago. We wandered around Alampur, Sujanpur and Jangal visiting with people Simon had met when he was teaching, all of whom were very excited to see him again.
It was such a refreshing break from the main tourist towns where people are constantly asking you to join their tour, buy their goods or just give them money. Instead, everyone seemed really excited to see foreigners and we were asked to join people's tables for meals to talk and into their homes for chai and a chat. We even got in a few games of cricket with the locals. I bowled Simon for a golden duck!
We couldn't stay too long though as we ran out of toilet paper which is unavailable in the area (bottled water is also quite scarce).
Monday 16 February 2009
Delhi/Agra/Delhi
Simon writes:
Bombaby was cool. We were so busy sampling the food, the drink and the tailoring we didn't have much time to take photos.
Onwards: we're now based in Delhi and we did a long but worthwhile trip to Agra yesterday.
PHOTOS
This is me failing to come to terms with the eventual demise of my favourite t-shirt (11 years I've had this R.E.M.-themed bad boy. I had to face the fact that it had finally become too old and tatty, even for somebody as old and tatty as me):
This is Noelle looking angelic in one of her new Indian-style outfits:
This is a picture of a local boob with a quite ridiculous dress sense (he was actually combing his mullet when we first spotted him!):
This is a picture of an elephant walking along a busy Delhi overpass (nothing out of the ordinary apparently):
And finally, these are some pictures from Agra:
You'll notice that the last of these is of our web-footed friends. They were actually refused entry to the Taj Mahal complex. Ugly scenes ensued. We found them later drinking in a local rooftop bar plotting the downfall of the Indian government. Deep sigh.
Anyway, we've now got night bus tickets (we never seem to learn) to Sujanpur Tihra, which should be not far from a wee village containing a local school in which I had a brief spell as a teacher almost exactly ten years ago.
As far as we can tell there are no hotels in the area, I have nothing for anybody to remember me by (not even my R.E.M t-shirt) and I'm growing a beard that's making me look like a cross between the yeti and a crack addict. Fingers crossed somebody will recognise me and take us in...
Should be quite interesting to visit the place after so long. It probably hasn't changed as much as I have. I'm preparing to become quite emotional.
Bombaby was cool. We were so busy sampling the food, the drink and the tailoring we didn't have much time to take photos.
Onwards: we're now based in Delhi and we did a long but worthwhile trip to Agra yesterday.
PHOTOS
This is me failing to come to terms with the eventual demise of my favourite t-shirt (11 years I've had this R.E.M.-themed bad boy. I had to face the fact that it had finally become too old and tatty, even for somebody as old and tatty as me):
This is Noelle looking angelic in one of her new Indian-style outfits:
This is a picture of a local boob with a quite ridiculous dress sense (he was actually combing his mullet when we first spotted him!):
This is a picture of an elephant walking along a busy Delhi overpass (nothing out of the ordinary apparently):
And finally, these are some pictures from Agra:
You'll notice that the last of these is of our web-footed friends. They were actually refused entry to the Taj Mahal complex. Ugly scenes ensued. We found them later drinking in a local rooftop bar plotting the downfall of the Indian government. Deep sigh.
Anyway, we've now got night bus tickets (we never seem to learn) to Sujanpur Tihra, which should be not far from a wee village containing a local school in which I had a brief spell as a teacher almost exactly ten years ago.
As far as we can tell there are no hotels in the area, I have nothing for anybody to remember me by (not even my R.E.M t-shirt) and I'm growing a beard that's making me look like a cross between the yeti and a crack addict. Fingers crossed somebody will recognise me and take us in...
Should be quite interesting to visit the place after so long. It probably hasn't changed as much as I have. I'm preparing to become quite emotional.
Wednesday 11 February 2009
Mumbai
Simon writes:
I always said there was more to travelling in India than the acquisition of stomach complaints. It seems I was right. I love being right, it's so invigorating! To whit, we've so far seen ritual dipping and burning in Varanasi (pictures as promised at the end of this post), visited two tailors in Mumbai so that we'll be appropriately clad in Pakistan and Iran and been entertained and guided by an uber friendly Mumbaiker - a friend of a friend from London.
We've also turned down numerous offers to appear in Bollywood movies - our agents just couldn't agree terms. Actually, that's a lie. We just decided that, although it could be interesting, our packed schedule will not give us time to hang around in North Mumbai for hours on end cheering inanely and repeatedly on request.
Our packed programme before heading off to Delhi on Friday will include a visit to the parents of our London-based Mumbai saviour (Eklavya, if you're reading this, you're a star!), a big night out Mumbai stylie and a trip to Elephanta island (caves, temples, peacefulness etc).
PS: Beard update - I look like a tramp.
I always said there was more to travelling in India than the acquisition of stomach complaints. It seems I was right. I love being right, it's so invigorating! To whit, we've so far seen ritual dipping and burning in Varanasi (pictures as promised at the end of this post), visited two tailors in Mumbai so that we'll be appropriately clad in Pakistan and Iran and been entertained and guided by an uber friendly Mumbaiker - a friend of a friend from London.
We've also turned down numerous offers to appear in Bollywood movies - our agents just couldn't agree terms. Actually, that's a lie. We just decided that, although it could be interesting, our packed schedule will not give us time to hang around in North Mumbai for hours on end cheering inanely and repeatedly on request.
Our packed programme before heading off to Delhi on Friday will include a visit to the parents of our London-based Mumbai saviour (Eklavya, if you're reading this, you're a star!), a big night out Mumbai stylie and a trip to Elephanta island (caves, temples, peacefulness etc).
PS: Beard update - I look like a tramp.
Friday 6 February 2009
We made it to India!
Noelle writes:
We made it here by train and are now in Varanasi. The train ride to Varanasi was interesting to say the least. We had many people wanting to sit next to us and hear about where we're from and how they can get a working visa for England. One guy even wanted Simon to give him advice on how he should expand his computer business. Simon had a hard time trying to convince him that he doesn't know about the computer business. When I asked the same guy about his family and how many children he had he responded with "I have two children and one girl". Gives an interesting insight into how important women are here. He also wanted to discuss porn with Simon and find out if he had any good movies or photos of women.
Here in Varanasi we are enjoying the roof top restaurants and strolling by the Ganges. Our guesthouse is right near where they perform the rituals of dipping dead bodies in Ganges and then cremating them on the banks.
This morning we also had a good standoff with the monkeys outside our room. They kept coming up to the glass and baring their teeth and opening their mouths really wide against the window. So I attempted to do the same but trying to look scarier. Not such a good idea as the monkey then jumped onto the window with all fours. So glad that there is a barrier between us and them.
We're off to Bombay tomorrow. So excited!!
Photos to follow when we're in a better internet cafe...
We made it here by train and are now in Varanasi. The train ride to Varanasi was interesting to say the least. We had many people wanting to sit next to us and hear about where we're from and how they can get a working visa for England. One guy even wanted Simon to give him advice on how he should expand his computer business. Simon had a hard time trying to convince him that he doesn't know about the computer business. When I asked the same guy about his family and how many children he had he responded with "I have two children and one girl". Gives an interesting insight into how important women are here. He also wanted to discuss porn with Simon and find out if he had any good movies or photos of women.
Here in Varanasi we are enjoying the roof top restaurants and strolling by the Ganges. Our guesthouse is right near where they perform the rituals of dipping dead bodies in Ganges and then cremating them on the banks.
This morning we also had a good standoff with the monkeys outside our room. They kept coming up to the glass and baring their teeth and opening their mouths really wide against the window. So I attempted to do the same but trying to look scarier. Not such a good idea as the monkey then jumped onto the window with all fours. So glad that there is a barrier between us and them.
We're off to Bombay tomorrow. So excited!!
Photos to follow when we're in a better internet cafe...
Monday 2 February 2009
Sunday 1 February 2009
Kathmandu
Friends, Romans, Countrymen; lend me your beards! Lest you think I jest, I mean this quite seriously. We're going to Pakistan and I've been advised that a full beard goes down very well with the locals, particularly if you're the kind of person who's not overly keen on getting kidnapped/shot. Here's my effort so far:
Hmm. I flatter myself to think I have an array of talents, but beard-growing doesn't appear to be one of them.
And so, seemlessly, to our big news: we are going to attempt to get back to Europe overland via Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. There are three principle reasons why we're doing this:
1. The penguins forced us into it (I've got the post-traumatic stress disorder to prove it)
2. All that stuff about kidnapping and shooting was, in fact, in jest (hahaa, the double bluff!). Everybody we've spoken to has said that the Pakistanis are the most hospitable and kind people they've ever met and it should be an amazing country to visit for this and many other reasons.
3. I reckon getting all the way there and all the way back again overland would feel like a real achievement.
The sticking point appears to be getting from the safe haven of Lahore across the potentially dangerous Western half of Pakistan and into Iran. The main route is not all that far from the Afghanistan border, where things can get a bit ropey. Still, we've got a get-out clause if the authorities deem it too dangerous for four souls (two human, two penguin) to travel from Quetta to Taftan, even with an armed escort (routinely provided gratis by the Pakistan government): we'll go South to Karachi and, horror of horrors, board a plane to Tehran or Istanbul.
So, other than mulling over all of that and filling out mountains of infuriating paperwork to get the visas sorted out (should be all done in the next couple of days), we've just been hanging around in Kathmandu really. Not much to report. Oh, the penguins did get stolen briefly by a difficult child who for some reason took a liking to them. I know, beats me too! Here are some pictures, with one of the penguins attempting to break into the Pakistani embassy to follow in due course:
Hmm. I flatter myself to think I have an array of talents, but beard-growing doesn't appear to be one of them.
And so, seemlessly, to our big news: we are going to attempt to get back to Europe overland via Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. There are three principle reasons why we're doing this:
1. The penguins forced us into it (I've got the post-traumatic stress disorder to prove it)
2. All that stuff about kidnapping and shooting was, in fact, in jest (hahaa, the double bluff!). Everybody we've spoken to has said that the Pakistanis are the most hospitable and kind people they've ever met and it should be an amazing country to visit for this and many other reasons.
3. I reckon getting all the way there and all the way back again overland would feel like a real achievement.
The sticking point appears to be getting from the safe haven of Lahore across the potentially dangerous Western half of Pakistan and into Iran. The main route is not all that far from the Afghanistan border, where things can get a bit ropey. Still, we've got a get-out clause if the authorities deem it too dangerous for four souls (two human, two penguin) to travel from Quetta to Taftan, even with an armed escort (routinely provided gratis by the Pakistan government): we'll go South to Karachi and, horror of horrors, board a plane to Tehran or Istanbul.
So, other than mulling over all of that and filling out mountains of infuriating paperwork to get the visas sorted out (should be all done in the next couple of days), we've just been hanging around in Kathmandu really. Not much to report. Oh, the penguins did get stolen briefly by a difficult child who for some reason took a liking to them. I know, beats me too! Here are some pictures, with one of the penguins attempting to break into the Pakistani embassy to follow in due course:
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