let's be off

Chicago 03/04 - ???

2011-03-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

Sweet (?) Home Chicago

I learned many things about myself on this journey. One of them is that the perfect temperature for me is a humid 30 degrees Celcius. What is up with this cold and dreary weather here? How can anyone breathe with this dry air? My skin feels like it is going to flake right off. Coming back to a concrete jungle from a tropical one is pretty rough. It was raining and cold when we stepped off the plane. There seems to be concrete everywhere and everything looks gloomy and gray. We can't seem to adjust to the time change as easily as we did the opposite way. We can't sleep at night and force ourselves to stay awake all day. All the problems of everyday life are still here. They have been waiting patiently for our return. Thankfully we still have some time to readjust before getting back to work. More good news is that our little one bedroom apartment now seems like a palace. I feel like we live in the lap of luxury. Our car, which before seemed on the old and junky side, seems brand new. Everything is so clean and our bed is so comfortable. We were also reunited with our kitties who have settled back into their old way of life. They had a nice little vacation themselves and almost didn't want to come home as much as us.

The trip was hard in many ways. It was difficult to get used to the discomforts of travel, stressful when things didn't work out, we were sick for most of India and made a bunch of mistakes. But mostly, it was exciting, fun, and everyday was a new adventure. Yeah, it sucks being back. But, I feel very fortunate that we have the means to do this kind of trip and actually decided to go and do it. It was definitely one of the best things I have ever done. Most people in the places we visited have never left their home town, much less traveled halfway across the world. That is what stands out most from our trip...how incredibly fortunate we are. I feel that I see the world in a different way and I hope that will not fade as I assimilate back into my old way of life. And if it does....that may mean its time for the next trip.

San Juan 02/24 - 02/03

2011-03-03T06:18:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous sunsets and surfing at San Juan.

We arrived to San Fernando in the late afternoon once again in search of accommodation and found a basement room at a hotel at the edge of the tiny seaside town. It sounded bad and was a bit dumpy, but it was cheap and literally right by the sea. It had small windows and the surf would break right up at the room so it felt like we were sleeping in a ship. We rented a motorbike and drove around San Juan, the next town over, inspecting the resorts in the area and the following morning we made our move Asian style. We made a human/backpack sandwich on the motorbike – Peter sat in front with a small backpack on his chest and a large backpack on his back, then I sat behind him with my own backpack on my back and another bag hanging off my shoulder. We've seen entire families on one motorbike. One family even managed to get a dog on there. So, we were proud to tackle another form of Asian travel.

Once we settled down the vagabonding urge invaded our minds...so much to see, so many places to go. We vowed to stay at least 2 more nights, unsure if that would actually work out as we have been moving roughly every 3 days for the last three months. We've been to about 35 different places in the last 90 days and have gotten very used to being on the road. But, we began to relax. San Juan may not be as picturesque as some of the beaches we've encountered, but it has a great vibe. We were in the “resort” area which means there are a handful of small hotels with board rentals along the beach as well as some fisherman shacks. Over the weekend, the sea was packed with crowds from Manila, but once the weekenders went home, we were only two of the six tourists at our hotel. The weather was perfect, the sunsets were gorgeous and the surfing was awesome. After two days of learning to surf our plans went from an 8 hour bus trip up to Sagada (mountain cliffs with coffins hanging off them) with more trips to Bontoc and Banaue (famous rice terraces) to a trip to Baguio (mountain town with good food and music) and then Kabayan (mountain area with famous mummies in caves). Then we thought that maybe we would just make it to Baguio. But, we just couldn't get ourselves to leave. I was a perfect and relaxing end to a very hectic trip. We sat around watching the locals surf like pros and made our own daily attempts at surfing. We also drank plenty of beer as we went through the stages of accepting the inevitable dreaded return home. We met some friends to hang out with and even went to a local beach party. I am proud to say that I am no longer a karaoke virgin. Oh yes, it will certainly be very rough transition back home. I am already crying.

After walking the urine filled streets of India, the beaches
of Thailand, and the malls of Singapore....my Teva sandals
actually fell apart on me. It must have been a sign that it is
time to take a break. The second sole fell off on our trip back to Manila.

Can you see me in this picture?

Waiting for the perfect wave on a calm day.

Here it comes...paddle hard.

Finally! A wave worthy of my surfing talents.

Another calm day. Where are those damn waves.

This is the final picture before the wave wiped me out.
The sea can be quite treacherous.

Here I am with all my boards.

Here I am with my friends.

View from our hotel. The bed was super hard and uncomfortable
and the bathroom was stinky. All the more reasons to stay outside.

The karaoke master thinks our new friends, Courtney and
Mike from Canada, are pretty cool, eh? Fer sure.

Courtney and I singing "Livin on a Prayer".

Some of the best surfers were the eight year old boys
that were tearing up the waves.

The beach on our final morning where I sat and cried.

Most amazing sunsets.

Camiguin to Manila 02/22 – 02/23

2011-02-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

Balut looks so normal from the outside.

I've been searching for the elusive “balut” for about a week now. I was told that it's sold on the street in the evening and that it is absolutely delicious. However, a fellow traveler also told me that I should be prepared to throw up. Well, I finally found it last night at a night market in Manila (that's right, we are back in Manila). It looks like a regular boiled egg, but what you find inside is well past the yolk stage. I couldn't figure out how to eat it at first and some friendly vendor lady had to show me the way while a small audience gathered to see what my reaction would be. Judging from their laughter I think they got the show that they wanted. Balut may be a delicacy to the Filipinos but I just could not get past the mental block that I was eating a partially formed fetus. It even had some hair on it. I took a bite, but was unable to put the whole thing in my mouth. We also tried some hard boiled eggs covered in an orange coating and deep fried then seasoned with vinegar. This dish was delicious. But then we made the mistake of getting what we thought was fried chicken on a stick which really turned out to be intestines (I think).

Manila night market along Roxas Blvd. At one point all
the vendors started running away at once. I guess the
police showed up and they aren't officially allowed to sell their goods.

So after leaving Camiguin in clouds and drizzle we made our way to Surigao. It all went so smoothly. From Mambajao we took a minivan to the pier and just made it onto the ferry, from the ferry we just made it onto a bus to Butuan and then right onto another bus to Surigao. We were headed here because our final destination was to be Siargao island, the surfer island of the Philippines where I was to show off my moves amongst the countries best surfers. The buses we took were devoid of any tourists. We were indeed traveling just like the locals. The highlight was when one man got on with a chicken in a bag. He had a live chicken in a plastic grocery bag. The head was sticking out and there were two holes for the legs to stick out as well. It was a very useful contraption because you can easily transport your chicken and then when you let it loose the bag can function as a raincoat.

Worries began to invade our minds because throughout the entire ride it was pouring rain. We even had to drive through flooded streets. So, when we got to Surigao in the evening we contemplated if we should go on to the island at all. We first searched for hotel accommodation and found that the two most decent looking hotels were full. How could that be in this little rinky dink town? Well, apparently that evening was prom and the town square as well as all the restaurants were packed with teenagers dressed in formal wear. It was a strange sight and I am sad that I didn't have my camera at hand. We almost took a room at a pension house resembling a crack house with huge roaches and no seat on the toilet (recommended by Lonely Planet by the way), but after some persistence we were able to locate a dumpy but clean and decent place. Whew! After checking the weather forecast and finding out in a hidden section at the back of our travel guide that it is rain season on this side of the archipelago, we decided to board a plane instead of the ferry. That's how we made it back to Manila and are now headed North to explore a bit of Luzon. Somehow we made it onto a really nice bus with enormous reclining seats like those in first class on an airplane.

Camiguin 02/20 – 02/21

2011-02-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

Arrival to Camiguin Island.

We departed from our hotel in Taglibaran much earlier than we needed, boarded a tricycle for the bus station, and got right onto a bus headed to Jagna, the port town where a ferry was to take us to Camiguin. Everything was going so smoothly until I remembered that I left our passports in the safe deposit box of our hotel. Luckily we were barely out of the bus station when the horrifying thought dawned on me. The driver was just pulling out, so I got up, made a ruckus and headed out the door. We hailed another tricycle, this one didn't know where our hotel was. So we tried to direct him the best we could and actually made it back to the bus station in about fifteen minutes. There we were presented by two options. We could take a bus that was to depart at 11 am or we could take a minivan that was only slightly more expensive but was waiting around to fill up with people. We opted for the bus because 1) it was more roomy and had open windows and 2) it had a scheduled departure time. After sitting on the bus until about 10 minutes past 11:00, my panic mode set it. Why wasn't the bus moving? The minivan had already left and was probably faster than the enormous bus. I asked the driver and now he was telling me that he would leave at 11:30. Apparently, he was trying to fill the bus up and the 11:00 departure time was only an estimate. After three months of travel I am still not able to let go of a rigid schedule. How can I be sure that the driver would actually leave at 11:30? He had lied to me once already. So, off we went. I yanked our backpacks off the bus and proceeded towards the minivan where the minivan-wallah was making fun of us but seemed happy to take us on anyway. Here we again sat for a while watching as the bus departed and I had a little mental breakdown wondering if we would indeed make our ferry. We did make it just in time. The driver drove like a maniac and we almost smashed into another car along the way while Peter and I argued about how crazy I get when schedules don't work out as planned. I've had a few breakdowns already.

In the Jeepney.

The ferry ride was very bumpy and quite fun as we hit many large waves. We arrived to Camiguin in the late afternoon and took a Jeepney to Mambajao on which we met several nice people who told us that our noses were long and pointy. The ride was fun until the driver ran over a dog and just kept on going as it wriggled and wailed on the street behind us. The horror and noise reminded me of India. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Mambajao, the place to be on the island as it has several streets, a market, and a karaoke machine at the restaurant in our hotel where locals wailed day and night. We were also surprised to learn that we would be staying in the Mickey Mouse room which was, of course, completely decorated in a Mickey Mouse theme. The plan was to stay on this island for several days. Camiguin is tiny, and made up entirely of volcanoes, one of which is live. There are constant rain clouds at the volcano peaks and the beaches are made up of black volcanic debris. It is certainly off the tourist trail as there were only a few stray hippies and older men with young Filipino wives that we encountered. It was quite nice because we felt like we were staying in a real Filipino town rather than a tourist area where people are constantly hassling you to buy something. People were very friendly, several individuals told me with pride about how safe their little island was, and even tried to help us out and gave us advice without wanting anything in return. The following day we rented a motorbike, this one was more of a dirt bike/motorcycle and was a bit more challenging than the scooters we were used to because it was not automatic. We explored the beaches, visited the waterfalls, and swam in the hot springs. We visited pretty much everything there was to visit on the island in one day.

Volcanic beach.

Volcano in the distance is covered in clouds.

This is the airport. No wonder there are no flights.

Downtown Mambajao - view of volcano from our hotel.

Bad-ass motorbike - not ours!

The stations of the cross are a huge crowd draw during
religious holidays. People gather from miles around to
make the journey to the stations carved into the volcano.

This sunken cemetery apparently went
under after the volcano erupted killing
thousands of people.

Hot Springs. The water is heated by
the volcano.

Village along the slopes of the volcano.

We seem to have become quite the vagabonds because the following day we figured it was time to move on. We came, we saw, and other than climbing the live volcano itself (we contemplated this but decided against it because of the constant rain at the peak and the steep, long hike to the top) there was nothing left to do except....relax?

This little doggy has his sea legs.

Bohol 02/18 – 02/19

2011-02-21T03:27:00.000-08:00

After much contemplation and discussion, we reassured ourselves that we could not physically see everything in the Philippines and finally made a decision as to where to go next. Man, it was a tough one. No matter where we go, it seems we can't go wrong. The fretting comes from missing out on all the other areas we don't have time to explore. We could have easily stayed on the island of Luzon, which is where Manila is located, and gone to see rice terraces, caves, mountain, volcanoes and still had time to hit up some islands and gone surfing. I really wish we had two more months to do the Philippines justice. But, because we were still a bit wary from our Sapa experience and the forecast looked rainy and foggy up in the Cordilleras (northern Luzon mountains) we decided to head south, a bit off the tourist circuit, and hit up a few islands with some less famous mountains and volcanoes packed into a small area. First stop was Bohol island.

After a short plane ride to Cebu City, we hopped on a ferry to Tagbilaran on Bohol. The ferry was very strange. We had to put our luggage through security like at the airport. They played a move (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) after a short prayer on the television and snacks were dispensed just like on a plane.

We finally made it onto the island after dark and headed to our hotel of choice only to find out that they only had an “executive suite” available which was a bit out of our price range. Ugh. After much squabbling, we decided to take it because the nearby accommodations were too scary looking. The following morning we searched for another hotel, but apparently Tagbilaran is home to some of the crummiest hotels. We had actually made it to the most decent one and were excited to learn that we would be able to downgrade to a regular room for our second night. Also, the food at this place must have been prepared by some secret master chef because we had the best soup and most delicious chicken and pork adobo, a typical dish of marinated meat in vinegar and garlic

Having sorted out all the annoyances of travel, we headed out to Bohol's Chocolate Hills. It was a good two hour drive out to the hills, but through some of the most beautiful rural settings. We passed through villages, rice fields, forests, and hills. The Chocolate Hills are a sea of almost identical hills formed from the uplift of ancient coral deposits. They're called Chocolate because they turn brown in the dry season. The drive was definitely worthwhile as the hills were amazing. They kind of looked like a grassy, green moonscape.

Forested road to the Chocolate Hills.

On the way back I practiced riding the motorbike since the country side was almost completely deserted. Peter is usually the one who drives because I am too scared of traffic. We also stopped at the Tarsier Research and Development Center to see Tarsiers in their native habitat. An endangered species, the Tarsier is a cute and cuddly primate with huge eyes. It's much smaller than I had expected, about the size of my fist. I wanted to give it hugs and kisses, but apparently they don't like that, their bones can be easily broken if you pick them up, and they have very sharp little teeth which they like to bite with.

The Tarsier.

Rice fields and lush tropical foliage.

Water Buffalo.

Friends from the road. As usual in SE Asia,
safety is of utmost importance.

Tagbilaran traffic as seen from our motorbike.

The Bohol rickshaw is a motorbike with an added seat that is
extremely small, barely enough space for two,
plus a cover. They look like a funny little cars
and each has a special message like "In God We Trust"
or "Glory to the Son of God" and "I Love God Above All".

Manila 02/16 – 02/17

2011-02-20T07:09:00.000-08:00

Manila, Manila...I am not sure what the heck is going on in this city. Are we even still in Asia? We pay in pesos and all the street names are in Spanish. There are churches and cathedrals rather than temples and pagodas. Sometimes it feels like we are in South America rather than SE Asia and I keep expecting people to speak to me in Spanish. Yet, the language is unrecognizable except for a few English words that seem to be scattered in every once in a while. Also, everyone speaks English and the people here are the friendliest we have encountered so far.

Jeepney traffic.

It's all very strange and this city is huge. Manila is basically a city made up of a bunch of smaller cities. Each seems to have its own look and vibe. You can go from a posh city with Gucci and Channel shops to one resembling Mumbai with open sewers, grime, and swarms of people within a short cab ride. Cabs are a must because of the distances and thankfully they are super cheap. Our other transport option is the Jeepney which is a tricked out extended open jeep-like vehicle. Its fun to ride, but hard for us to figure out the routes. There is also, of course, the Philippine version of the tuk-tuk or rickshaw which is the smallest form of transportation yet. It's a tiny, roofed sidecar bolted onto a motorcycle or bike.

Peter contemplates the transportation choices,

Food in the Philippines is definitely the weirdest we have come across yet which is something I definitely did not expect. Yes, there are regular things to eat. There is fried chicken everywhere and we tried some from Max's - probably the best fried chicken ever. But we are always willing and excited to experience the local dishes. We tried the Philippine version of spring rolls. These are called “lumpia” and had unrecognizable vegetables wrapped in a tortilla/crepe roll. Peter described their odor as “toilet bowl cleaner.” We also had “Krispy Sisig”, which is basically chopped up pig ears with onions and egg, and “Pinakbet”, vegetables and pork skin in liver sauce. Both very tasty and a bit gross at the same time.

Krispy Sisig on the left and Pinakbet on the right.

Street food is delicious and hygienic.
My bowl was covered in a
clean plastic bag prior to being
filled with soup

We spent one day exploring Rizal Park, Ermita, and Intramuros, an old walled Spanish city dating from 1571 which was mostly destroyed in WWII. Another day we spent walking down Roxas Boulevard and hanging out in Makati, downtown Manila. The rest of our time we explored the streets as best we could.. We also fretted over what to do in the Philippines. Since we did no prior research we were unaware of all the Philippines had to offer (mountains, rice terraces, volcanoes, islands, beaches, and caves) and now we had to decide how to best use our short time left.

Intramuros.

Illegal phot0graph inside San Agustin Church, Intramuros.

Dramatic ceilings inside San Agustin Church.

Safety first! Children play on the streets of Ermita.

These armored vehicles are everywhere. Also, there
are guards at all restaurants, shops, and banks with huge guns.

Trying to decide on the best route.

A fancy grave at a really cool cemetery. We made it here one
evening and were given a "tour" by a group of young boys.
There were all sorts of people that seemed to be living
at the cemetery next to these elaborate graves.

Domed chapel at the fancy mall in Makati.

Adventures in Asia

2011-02-15T18:04:00.001-08:00

Sadly we decided to say goodbye to Vietnam today. Always looking for the best deal, we found that the least expensive flight to our next destination meant that we would need to book two separate flights instead of one combined flight with a layover. This was fine with us, saved us a bunch of money, but meant that we had exactly 2 hours between the arrival of our plane until the departure of the next one....which really meant that we had precisely 1 hour between landing and check-in closure. We were cutting it really, really close. The first Tiger Airways flight was perfect. No delays. We blew through immigration and customs which meant that I ran like a mad woman and knocked people out of my way. Peter says it's the Russian in me – no offense to any Russians that may happen to read this. And then we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited for about 30 minutes to pick up our luggage. Apparently, they were taking their time. We sprinted from the arrivals area to departures for the next check in with only 20 minutes left to check-in closing time only to be told that we would not be allowed to board the plane. Philippines immigration law says that you must have proof of onward travel to be allowed past immigration. We would not be allowed on the plane because we would be deported right back to Singapore and the airline would be fined...unless of course we booked an onward ticket right then and there. We both stood there silent for a few minutes. I knew about this requirement. Every country we had been to has it, but none of them actually enforce it. Even India, with all their paperwork and bureaucracy, didn't enforce that rule. I did my research before we left for our trip, but I did not anticipate that we would go to the Philippines, hence did not know about this little glitch. With about ten minutes left we again found ourselves at the Tiger Airways counter in Singapore buying yet another ticket. This time, though, we were able to buy the least expensive ticket out of Manila within the next 30 days so it only cost us a bit more....but it sure was a harrowing experience.

On the plane I noticed that someone left their boarding pass in the magazine compartment of my seat. It was for the Tiger Airways flight we were on this morning. We were on the same exact plane that we were on earlier today. We, along with our bags, had gotten off the plane and then after 2 hours of hassle and stress got right back onto the same aircraft. Finally, upon arrival in Manila, the immigration official did not check our onward ticket even though there was indeed a sign proclaiming that it was required.

Sapa 02/11 – 02/14

2011-02-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

Sapa woman and fresh meat on a stick.

After Hanoi the plan was to either move on to the mountain town of Sapa or the coastal paradise of Halong Bay where “incredible islands rise from the emerald waters” as Lonely Planet put it. But, from the photos in the hundreds of travel agencies around Hanoi Halong Bay looked a lot like Krabi and Ko Phi Phi. So, since the weather was so great in Hanoi we opted to first go to Sapa and see if we still wanted to get to Halong Bay upon our return. Weather is usually cold, rainy and there is low visibility due to fog during the months of February to April in Vietnam. But the weather forecast looked good so we took a chance. Also, we have been lugging around hiking boots for the entire trip which we were supposed to use in Nepal, so I was determined to get some serious hiking in and put those boots to good use.

We booked an overnight tourist train to Lao Cai, arriving exhausted at 5am and were taken on to Sapa in a tightly packed minibus. We drove peacefully through beautiful misty hills carved with rice paddies in the early morning light only to be overrun by minority hilltribe women awaiting the tourist minivans in Sapa town. Apparently, women from the local tribes come to Sapa to sell souvenirs that they make. Because it is low season, there are actually very few tourists but many, many hilltribe women. They tried to sell us pillowcases, bags, earrings, and other trinkets before we even got off the bus. They would knock on the window saying “You buy from me?” It must be quite a harsh living they have to scrape out during the winter months.

We got to our hotel and were very happy to learn that we could already check in even though it was only 7am and took a much needed nap. The rest of the day we spent exploring Sapa and planning the next two days which were to include motorbiking through the mountains, visiting all sorts of hilltribes, hiking up Mt. Fansipan and just overall having a wonderfully exhausting time exploring the beautiful landscape. Yes, it was a bit foggy. You couldn't see for miles around. But, it was sunny and overall clear, the temperature was warm in the sunshine and refreshingly crisp and cool in the shade. We even had a very nice view from our hotel.

The following morning we awoke to an impenetrable fog. You could barely see two feet ahead and it was cold and wet. There was no way we could hike or ride a motorbike in this weather. Saddened by this turn of events we consoled ourselves by eating bbq meat on a stick and conversing with locals and hilltribe women in town. We also met a group of young engineers from Hanoi. Seems that Sapa is a popular place for Hanoi tourists. They come to hang out and drink rice wine which they shared with us. It was pretty harsh. Kind of tasted like moonshine. Thankfully, our hotel was nice enough to provide us with a room heater and an electric blanket (there is no heating in most Vietnamese hotels) and even gave us a bottle of wine as an apology for the ruckus that the Hanoians were making from their party in the room next to ours (we hadn't even complained). The following day there was more fog. It wasn't quite as dense so we attempted a hike to the closest village - Cat Cat Village, home to the Black Hmong Tribe. The fog did clear for parts of the hike so we did see some rice terraces, glimpses of the beautiful landscape, got some exercise and finally muddied our boots properly.

View from hotel on arrival.

View changed quite a bit the next day.

Sapa town engulfed in fog.

The "food court" at Sapa market.

Views from our trek to Cat Cat Village.

Rice paddies up close.

Village architecture.

Hmong tribe children.

A cock fighter we met in town.

We decided to cut our stay a day short and return to Hanoi the following day on the day train in lieu of the night train. The trip took 11 hours as the day train is much slower and stops at every station along the way. Fortunately we booked ourselves the soft seats. They were tiny, seemed to be designed for children and even the smallest Vietnamese looked a bit uncomfortable, but at least they weren't the hard seats. We got a glimpse of those on our way to our coach and by “hard seat” they really mean a wooden bench. So we sat squished into our luxury seats and I stared out the window for about 7 hours while Peter played games on his phone and computer. I even managed to fall asleep for a while in a contorted position. I was exhausted from constantly being on the road, from the cold, and the frustration involved that goes along with booking travel arrangements, not being able to communicate properly, being constantly harassed to buy something that I don't want while at the same time feeling terrible about it, and the mistakes we have made in the last few days. We ate boiled bamboo, boiled peanuts, and strange tiny fruit resembling a cross between an apple and a plum. Just like the local travelers. And although the ride was long, the scenery outside was a treat. Rural Vietnam really looks just like it does in the movies – tiny thatch roof huts, rice paddies, water buffalo, and yellowish-red dirt roads enveloped in lush tropical greenery. The rice paddies are amazing. They seem to go on forever and the cultivating methods have not changed for hundreds of years. People still use water buffalo to plow, wear conical hats and sow by hand. Every once in a while there were small cemeteries or just single graves interspersed within paddies.

We arrived back in Hanoi late in the evening and still had time to get in a delicious meal – a hot pot soup with clams, fish, and vegetables. Since the weather is so cold and dreary, we decided to skip Halong Bay and the coastal towns that we were to go to next. No point in traveling to more places that you can't fully enjoy or sitting around waiting for good weather. We are leaving behind Vietnam in search of a tiny bit more sun and paradise before its time to return to the cold and gloom of Chicago. Hopefully we will find it.

Last meal in Hanoi.

Hanoi 02/08 – 02/10

2011-02-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Hanoi early in the morning, exhausted after waking at 4 am for our “budget” flight out of Singapore. We had no idea where our hotel was, forgot to exchange or take money out at the airport, but knew to take the $2 minibus into the Old Quarter so that is where we ended up in a sleepy daze. The minivan was packed and the man behind us sniffled and snorted the whole way and it was really, really gross. We had to pay with US money and were pleasantly surprised that we were given the correct change in Vietnamese dong. After reading travel guides, we were expecting to be ripped off and attacked by touts. Vietnam isn't as horrible as the guides make it out to be. Yes, there are some not too persistent touts, but they are few and far between. It is, however, true that prices are higher for tourists than for locals and even though everything is still super cheap, that part is pretty annoying.

Peter buys fruit amongst the chaos of motorbike traffic.

Old Quarter market street.

There are motorbikes everywhere. They drive super slow but
are constantly beeping. To cross the street you have to walk
very slowly so that oncoming bike traffic can swerve around you.

Our first day we took it easy and explored the Old Quarter. We ended up getting some local Bia Hoi, freshly brewed local beer, which costs about $0.25 a glass, and hung out drinking and people watching on a popular corner. We copied a local man buying soup from a lady. Everywhere in Hanoi there are women walking around with baskets ready to produce a tasty meal – soup, omelettes, fried meat on a stick, etc – they have their own tiny stools, utensils, cooking supplies, and ovens. The soup we got was full of noodles, green vegetables, and tiny snails which was both kind of gross and very tasty. Everyone here seems to be eating tiny snails. We noticed that when the locals paid for their soup the lady would hide the payment process behind her traditional Vietnamese so that we wouldn't see how much the soup actually cost. Ours was definitely more expensive.

Peter is happy with his Bia Hoi.

Grumpy local man with the soup lady.

Snail soup on a tiny stool. All streetside restaurants and cafes
have tiny chairs and stools.... its like eating in kindergarten.

Because we were lazy and didn't want to get out of bed early, we missed seeing Ho Chi Minh's preserved body. The mausoleum is open only in the mornings. But, we did explore most of the other sights. Hanoi seems quite small coming from Singapore and everything is within walking distance so we covered most of the central city in one day. Other than that, we ate a bunch of delicious food. One time I ordered some spring rolls from a street vendor and got the most delicious fried squid I have ever tasted. We also had cha ca and bun cha which I had never heard of before. Apparently, these are two traditional and very delicious Vietnamese dishes.

I love the graceful roofs on traditional Vietnamese architecture.

More graceful roofs.

A homeless person in front of the mausoleum.

Cha Ca at Cha Ca La Vong. Cha Ca is fish fried
tableside in greasy oil. You add it, along with
greens and peanuts to noodles. Cha Ca La Vong is
a famous Hanoi restaurant that only serves this one dish.

Bun Cha - different types of fried pork which you also add to
noodles along with greens and other unrecognizable vegetables.

Omelette lady.

Vietnamese coffee tastes like dark chocolate.

Two things really stood out for me about Hanoi. One is that although you can really see the communist presence in the city, you really don't feel it. There are oppressive looking monuments, dour officials, and red flags everywhere. But, the mood of the city is lively. The locals seem to spend a lot of time hanging out at restaurants eating, drinking and smoking. Also, although it may be a poor country, everything, from basic provisions to iphones, is readily available and the cost of living seems very low. The other is that the people are very loud and quite cheeky. They yell instead of talking. Also, one time when Peter was paying for some fruit he gave the woman a 10,000 dong bill instead of a 100,000 dong. She seemed to get upset, started yelling and ranting. But, then she smiled and went on her way. It seems that this is just their way and once you figure this out about the locals, they can be very fun to converse with.

Everywhere in Hanoi, but especially around the lake, people
seem to be taking posed wedding pictures.

Not sure what is going on here. Women dressed in traditional
dresses take photos of another woman picking up leaves?

Also, weather in Hanoi is perfect. We are glad to have waited the cold spell out.

Singapore 02/05 – 02/07

2011-02-08T03:27:00.000-08:00

The two main activities in Singapore seem to be shopping and eating. Unfortunately, we arrived to the city right after the Chinese New Year and many places, such as the hawker centers (food markets) we were so excited to try, were closed. Who would have known? But, we were not deterred and explored a huge portion of the city-state by MRT and walked miles and miles every day until our calves ached.

Dramatic skies and new construction at Marina Bay.

Singapore's back side.

Singapore is a lot like a US city except a bit cleaner and more future forward. Everything costs about the same as in Chicago. The roads are huge and in great shape. There are no crowds. It is super clean due to strict litter laws. There are plenty of beaches and even some tropical rainforests. The public transportation system is quite sophisticated and seems to link pretty much everything together. Also, there are shopping malls literally everywhere in the city center. Like the US and fortunately for us, shopping malls do not acknowledge holidays. To enter or exit an MRT station, you go through a shopping mall. Orchard street, kind of like Magnificent Mile on steroids, is not a street with shops but a street with shopping malls. One high rise mall is next to another high rise mall and this goes on for miles. I counted about six Prada stores just in one small area. Same for Channel, Adidas, Nike...and so on. One day we basically spent all day shopping without actually buying anything. We found one mall that seemed to be all entertainment based with movie theaters, karaoke bars, gaming rooms with computers, gaming rooms with video games, and gaming rooms packed with just those machines where you put money in and steer some contraption to retrieve a trinket or a teddy bear.

Kachong - tasty shaved ice treat with sweet,
colorful syrup, corn, and colorful noodles underneath.

Mmmm....tasty pork soup with homemade noodles.

Dim Sum lady at the mall? Now that is a mall I can shop at.

These fish were on display at a riverside restaurant.
They are meant to be consumed.

These are the largest crabs I have ever seen.
They are literally about the size of my head and are to be consumed
in the famous Singaporean dish "Chili Crabs" which is basically
crab with hot chili sauce.

Waiting for the train at the MRT.

The best mall had to be the new one at Marina Bay which had live performances, a skating rink where children were ice skating on plastic ice (it was pretty slow going), and waterways with boat rides. Peter suggested that we go to the food court since we were hungry and I was horrified at the thought of eating Subway or Burger King in Singapore of all places. But, turns out that the food courts in the shopping malls are basically cleaner versions of hawker centers and have a great variety of delicious food. So we ended up spending a lot of time eating in the malls.

Aerial performance at the mall.

Trinket/Teddy Bear arcade.

Today we are off to Hanoi. Not sure if this is a good idea. A chilly and foggy 19 degrees (Celsius), it may be a bit cold for us as we have gotten pretty used to something more around 29 – 31 degrees. I don't even want to think about the bitter cold that is awaiting us in Chicago. Also, it's a bit out of the way now that we have gotten all the way down to Singapore and are thinking of moving on to Java and Bali for the final leg of our trip. But, we already have visas, so we figured why not and when will we have another chance to go? I booked us a ticket on Tiger Airways, the super budget Singaporean airline. But, upon arrival at the airport we found out that I booked the ticket for the wrong day! The day was actually correct, but I was about a month ahead. My brain must have gotten fried in the tropical heat because I checked the date several times while booking. We had to pay a hefty fee to change the ticket and I am not even going to tell you what it was because it makes me want to throw up. Sometimes a simple, small mistake could cost you dearly.

Locals enjoying the seaside on our last day.

Krabi 02/01 – 02/04

2011-02-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

It seems like every place we visit in Thailand is more beautiful than the last. We just spent three days in Krabi and that was definitely not enough. There are so many beautiful beaches, cliffs, and caves to explore here that you can spend at least a month just in this one area. We got ourselves another scooter and visited several beaches near our home base in Aonang Beach. Some were full of people, others completely deserted. The landscape is amazing. There are many rocky islands off the coast, some are very close and when the tide is low, you can walk right up to them.

We went on a jungle hike we discovered on our scooter in a secluded area. There were no other people on our hike which led to a mountain top with excellent views of the area. Although there may have been no people, but we could tell that we were definitely not alone. There were all sorts of strange sounds in the jungle that we had never heard before. One was like a saw but must have been coming from an insect. There were also geckos, giant ants and butterflies. Thankfully we didn't run into anything scarier than the ants. The trees were enormous and vines snaked all over everything. There was also a bamboo grove and even a change in ecosystems halfway up the mountain.

A view like out of some storybook.

I also finally broke down and decided we should go on an elephant ride. I have been on the fence with this because I read that sometimes elephants are not treated very well, but we had driven by this one place a few times and it was small, seemed to have a family of elephants and looked like it might be ok. The ride was pretty scary and I kept screaming because it felt like the seat on top of the elephant would just slide right off. These animals are huge and you rock back and forth in your little seat. The elephant trainer kept making fun of me, mimicking my screams, but he did get me to ride sitting on the elephants neck which was pretty cool.

Our last day we took a boat over to a few of the more secluded beaches, ones you can't get to by car. These were, of course, packed with tourists and expensive resorts, but we found one beach with a very nice hippie vibe where you can sleep near the beach in basic shacks with rock climbers and beach bums for company. We explored some caves and watched as the climbers attempted to tackle the jagged cliffs. We wished we could stay longer. I could lay around on the sand and watch while Peter could rock climb. I guess we can do that next time. Adding it on the “to do” list for next year.

Rock climbers practice climbing and laying around in the sand.

I made my own sad attempt, but didn't get very far.
I think my bony arms are not suited for this activity.

Our plan was to head next to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, but because we have gotten so lazy we failed to book one of the many, many cheap flights to KL. We barely even made it onto a flight to Singapore. Our flight leaves at 10:30 pm and our entry permit expires at midnight tonight. If we left any later we would have been jailed. Just kidding. They make you pay a fine for overstaying by a day or two. The point is, though, that we have stayed way too long in the islands. We have heard that this happens quite often. I, for one, can stay here forever. I can live in a shack on the beach and have a pet monkey.

My future home.

Ko Phi Phi (aka Pee Pee Island) 01/29 – 01/31

2011-02-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

We managed to get a very cheap boat ticket to Ko Phi Phi which included a bus transfer and wondered what the catch would be. We arrived by minivan to the pier and the boat looked ok. Only after some time, as we waited and waited to get going, did we see that they were packing the boat in like it was the last boat to ever depart for the island. They packed people in like sardines in a can. We had to sit on deck as there were no seats available inside. It was definitely over capacity. But, good news was that we didn't sink. We did go through a tiny storm and everyone on the deck huddled together in the tiny space that offered some cover.

We've arrived. Hurry, everyone get your camera out!

Our cheap boat ride.

The ride was worth it though. Ko Phi Phi is amazingly beautiful. It's really an archipelago with a tiny mainland, Ko Phi Phi Don, where there are shops and guesthouses. The other islands are uninhabited. There is no motorized traffic on the Ko Phi Phi Don. There really wouldn't be anywhere to go. There is only a small living/eating area and the rest of the island is impassible unless you can hike and climb through towering cliffs. At the bay areas of the islands, there are small patches of beach. It's the most beautiful island I have ever been to (besides Maui, but I was there when I was 16, a very impressionable age). The waters are crystal clear, some of the beaches have coral where you can swim with fish right up at the shore with limestone mountains soaring overhead. There are other sights as well. Seems the island is a huge party place for the college crowd. Which means buckets of booze (literally) and all night parties, screaming girls and drunken waving around of lit cigarettes as well as meatheads displaying their muscle toned bodies.

The village on Ko Phi Phi Don.

Buckets of Booze.

Our first night on the island, we headed out for a night on the town, thinking we could keep up with the kids. We went to a bar where there was to be more Muay Thai boxing. They were advertising free buckets of booze for anyone who would volunteer to fight in the ring. I, jokingly, said to Peter that he should go fight so that we could get a bucket. I really was kidding! But, he took me up and got his butt kicked just a little bit. Most people fighting had no idea how to fight, much less throw a punch. It was all in good fun. But, Peter was paired up with some guy with Muay Thai boxing experience. Peter still did great. He lost, but he got some mean punches and kicks in. The crowd cheered him on and he even made some fans. And, besides a fat lip and some bruises, he didn't hurt anything too bad.

The following day, though, he was not really up for exploring the islands. So, I had to abandon him after our hike to the viewpoint and went on a snorkeling tour of the islands. I visited several other islands in the archipelago including one with the famous Maya beach, where they filmed “The Beach”. During the boat ride we visited Monkey Beach and one of the monkeys got so excited that he swam up to our boat like he was on a mission, jumped in, stole someone's bag of potato chips and popped it open with a big pop. He sat there until he ate all the chips and was scared away by our boat captain. The next day Peter felt much better so I made him go kayaking. My reasoning was that he could relax and lick his wounds while I rowed, but turns out I suck at kayaking. Who would have thought? Peter ended up doing most of the rowing while I helped by veering us off course. Wouldn't want to make things too easy on him.

The captain from my snorkeling trip.

Perfect area for snorkeling.

Monkey Beach

Viking Cave on one of the islands.

Cliff Diving. I'm the one making the splash.

Potato Chip Monkey

Phuket 01/26 – 01/28

2011-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

When one thinks of Phuket images of palm trees, white sand beaches, and turquoise water come to mind. Well, Phuket pretty much delivered on all fronts...except in the spirit of true adventure we were also chased by a wild pack of dogs and were in a scooter accident. I'm being dramatic. Nothing bad happened. You can stop your worrying.

Snorkeling beach.

As soon as we arrived we, of course, rented another scooter. It's really the best and most economical way to visit the islands. We scooted through hilly terrain flanked with limestone cliffs and views of jagged, mountainous islands scattered in clear blue waters and found a small, quiet rocky beach where we snorkeled amidst some shoreline coral. The highlight of the ride though, was when we encountered a pack or rowdy dogs that seemed to be chasing motorists and of course they went right for us. We were going slow because the road was downhill and winding but we had to speed all the way up to 60 km/hr to shake them. I couldn't believe they actually kept up with us for at that speed for several seconds.

The following day we decided to take it easy and hang out at Patong Beach, the area where we were staying. The beach here is huge and literally packed with tourists. It's good for people watching and sleeping after a night out partying. Patong Beach is also the place on Phuket island for nightlife and the drink of choice is a bucket of booze. Doesn't really matter what's in it but it usually contains a can of redbull. We explored a bit, but after a full day of sun and exploring, we just can't hang with the partying crowd anymore, much less drink a whole bucket of booze.

Patong Beach.

Peter amidst the throngs of people at Patong Beach.

Our scooter accident occurred when we were headed for the beach that day. Peter was driving and claims to have been paying attention to his mirrors instead of looking straight ahead (He was probably checking out the ladyboys that seem to be everywhere in Patong. Some of them are pretty amazing.). A car ahead of us slowed to turn and Peter broke too late. We didn't hit anything, but due to the sudden break, we toppled over and off the bike. Our knees were bruised and I scraped my toe which was super annoying because it would hurt every time I stepped into the salty water. I stayed away from the scooter for the rest of that day. In the evening, we managed to get some tickets to a Muay Thai boxing match. We only saw the last two fights, but it was still an exciting event.

Funny gas station for scooter petrol.

Nightlife at Patong.
For some reason Guns N Roses and Metallica are big
hits here in addition to the buckets of booze and ladyboy shows.

Mmmm. Tasty fish for dinner.

Ko Samui 01/22 – 01/26

2011-01-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

The trek around the waterfall. Not much time for pictures.

Resting at one of the beaches.

The view from our ride.

Every day is an adventure when you are on you own trying to get from place to place and explore without going on any organized tourist tours. We arrived to Surat Thani by plane and had no idea how we would get to Chaweng Beach on the island of Ko Samui other than some advice from wikitravel. But, there was a bus awaiting our plane at the airport so we hopped on that and it shuttled us to a ferry which took us to the main pier of the island. We then took a “songthaew” to the beach town and it was a pretty fun ride. A “songthaew” is basically an open pickup with some seats and a roof added on. The crazy driver swerved through the twisting hilly streets and we almost collided with other motorists several times. We almost fell out as well. I wondered how our backpacks, which were thrown on top of the roof, would make it. On arrival we walked the streets searching for a decent hotel and exploring the neighborhood.

Although it is not supposed to be monsoon time in Thailand, we learned that there are slight variations along the east and west coasts with a north and a south monsoon hitting the different coasts at different times of the year, so the weather was fairly gloomy and rainy. No beach time for us. Instead we rented a scooter and explored the island's towns and hilly terrain as well as took in some nightlife.

Our first day scooting around the island, we headed over to a nearby waterfall. There was also elephant trekking and a monkey show...but of course we would never indulge in such silly tourist attractions. No, we decided to hike up the muddy, slick mountain to see the waterfall from the top. There was a trail and plenty of jungle vines to help us along the way. But, we must have climbed way past where we were supposed to because we ended up at the top of the mountain and there was no way I would be able to make it down the slippery slope. It was too steep and slippery, soon to be dark, and it took us far too long to make it to the top. So, we decided to find a road and make our way down a more sensible way. We met some men at the top of the hill digging ditches and asked them for directions. They told us that they would give us a ride, but they still had much work to do. So, off we went. I was angry by that point, exhausted and hungry and wondering why in the world I let Peter talk me into such things. We walked and walked for what seemed like a very long time, our calf muscles burning from the constant up and down trekking when the nice men from the ditches finally picked us up and gave us a lift back to our scooter. The elephant park was closed by then and there were elephants roaming everywhere, eating and taking baths, resting from a full day of work.

The following day we did more scooting through the hills. The terrain was beautiful with lush groves of palm trees and hills full of tropical jungles and tiny villages. We got lost quite a bit. But, it wasn't our fault. The roads on the map (which were shown as large and paved) sometimes ended or were muddy dirt ditches filled with rain puddles. Most of the roads through the hills weren't even on the map. We spent all day on the bike and returned to our hotel exhausted with stiff legs and achy butts.

Hip bar on the island.

Today we are on our way to Phuket along Thailand's west coast. Thinking that it would save us hassle to book the trip (which includes transfer to the ferry, ferry ride, bus to Phuket Town, and then transfer to Patong Beach) through a travel agency, we were reminded once again what a trap the tourist trips are. They take you from one bus to another, shuttle you between minivans and busses, and basically take much longer to get anywhere than necessary. Also, our bus almost broke down on a steep incline through the hills. Everyone sat with wide eyes wondering when we would all make it to Phuket as we sat waiting in silence, the smell of burning engine in the air. Then, the bus turned into a commuter bus stopping at every bus stop picking and dropping people off. These people had to stand and they packed them in real good. But, at least they get you there at some point. We would have done each step of the way ourselves, but there are no songthaews available in town in the mornings, so we would have had to take a very expensive taxi. Ah, such a luxury does not exist in our very strict budget much less the very convenient 1 hour direct flight from Ko Samui to Phuket. I guess that is what we signed up for.

Fishing boats leaving for work as we depart Ko Samui.

The bus ride with local commuters.

Back in Bangkok

2011-01-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are back in Bangkok for a short stop before our flight tomorrow to the islands. We were dropped off at Banglamphu, the "Backpackers Ghetto" in Bangkok, and we ran into a bug cart so I thought I'd post a picture. I have been building myself us to trying these, but I just couldn't do it. Nope. Too disgusting.

Siemp Reap, Cambodia 01/18 – 01/21

2011-01-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

Enormous tree roots take over the temples.

Can you find me in this picture?

More gigantic tree roots.

This is how I climb down the stairs. What were the Kmers thinking making such narrow and steep steps?

A statue in Angkor Wat.

Enormous faces sculpted out of boulder like stone at Angkor Thom.

As usual, Peter is doing something he probably shouldn't be doing.

We made it across the border into Cambodia with no problem. Our bus dropped us off at the other end of a huge market and we had no idea where the border was, so we had to wander around a bit. I was pretty anxious because the crossing is notorious for scams and I was unsure if we were going to make it to the real Cambodian immigration once we cleared Thai customs. The guidebooks say there is a fake one somewhere at the border and that there are all sorts of touts pretending to be Cambodian officials so you essentially you end up either paying for a visa twice if you buy a fake one or just overpay for some guy to get you one. But we were prepared. We knew not to pay more than $20 for a visa and we researched where we should walk to get to the legitimate place. We arrived late so there were no lines and actually very little hassle. We cleared customs and got our Cambodian visa with only a 200 baht “processing fee.” Apparently you can stick to your guns and not pay the fees the officials claim as “processing fees” but by paying the fee you get your visa within a few minutes. If not, then you wait until the officials feel like giving it to you....which can be hours. Since there were no other tourists around to take a shared taxi we had to pay an enormous $40 for the 2 hour taxi ride into Siem Reap! The taxi/bus stand told us that there were no more buses, which was probably a lie, but how would we know. So, as it was getting late and it would be dark soon, there was no other choice. We were dropped off in Siem Reap on a dusty road where a “free” tuk-tuk picked us up and took us to our hotel. Free meant that he would drive us to our hotel if we would hire him to drive us around the next day.

We arrived at our hotel to a warm greeting, cool towels, and delicious Cambodian iced tea. Our hotel was very pretty, comfortable and the people were super nice. We learned that the amount quoted by the tuk-tuk driver was fair and that we would need transportation anyway to get to and around the temples. The next day we hit the temples full force. We spent about 8 hours driving around the archeological park. We visited several different sites including Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat. The following day we rented bikes and did a 30 mile loop from our hotel and back visiting the rest of the temples. We saw pretty much everything and it was totally awesome. By the end of the second day were exhausted and all templed-out. The Angkor temples are unlike anything I have seen before. Totally worth the trip. They are massive, some in very good shape with elaborate carvings and bas reliefs. Some in shambles and engulfed by tree roots. Some are terrifying to walk through due to the enormous boulders that make up arches, hallways, and lintels that seem to be collapsing. But the amazing thing is that you can. You can walk on and through the temples. You can climb up the narrow, steep boulder-like steps to the very tops of the structures. These are the remains of several capitals of the Khmer empire from the 9^th - 15^th centuries. There seems to be much speculation as to the purpose of the temples and the fall of the Khmer empire. But from the remains it seems that the empire was quite a large and powerful one.

Our way out of Siem Reap was yet another adventure. We were planning to head to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and then up north along the Vietnam coast up to Hanoi and Halong Bay. But, due to stormy weather along the coast and freezing temperatures up North, we decided to abort that mission and head back to Thailand instead. We will travel South and hopefully end up in Singapore. Maybe we will still make it to Vietnam afterwards, maybe we will go elsewhere, or maybe we will get stuck on Thailand's beaches. So, we booked another bus ticket to Bangkok. This one, all the way from Siem Reap to Bangkok, cost us $7 each. But, that ride was a fiasco. I guess that is why it was so cheap.

We woke up early to be ready for a driver to pick us up at 7:30 am, but he arrived way early so the hotel manager asked him to come back for us later. We waited and waited and the driver finally showed up at 8:15 (our bus was to depart at 8:00) and drove us down to the dusty road. I guess that was the “bus stand”. Tuk-tuk and cab drivers swarmed us, apparently knowing something we did not (like there was no bus or it had already left) and waiting for us to cave and hire them. We waited for about an hour before heading back to our hotel which took great care of us, called the agency where we bought our tickets, and had the travel agent come down to talk to us. He assured us that we would get on a bus at 11am. He said the bus was having some “problems.” Another driver would come for us. So we waited and a driver did come but didn't take us to a bus. We were taken to a shared taxi where we met two other travelers, one from Australia and one from South Africa. So, the ride was pretty good because we got to talk quite a bit and exchange travel information. We learned that the South African guy was told that he missed the bus and that he would have to buy another ticket. His ticket was $13, so he paid a total of $26 for his ride. We also learned that the man from Australia paid $41 for his Cambodian visa. Once at the border, I couldn't believe there was actually another bus waiting for us. It was a real bus, too, not a minivan or a scooter. Just another typical day in Asia, I guess.

Relaxing after an exhausting full day of temple visiting.

We also took our bikes into town. This is downtown Siem Reap.

Peter made a new friend. This one ate all of our bananas.

Peter is swarmed by cute little hawker girls. Children were everywhere selling anything from clothing to jewelry to books. Everything also cost $1.

The "bus stop."

Bangkok 01/12 – 01/17

2011-01-19T05:34:00.000-08:00

Peter is excited to be at the delicious food market.

Meat on a stick everywhere.

Temples upon temples. Bangkok has tons of temples.

The giant reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. Interior is solid brick with plaster exterior and gold finish.

A big, modern city, Bangkok was just what we needed after the last couple of weeks. Seems like we needed a bit of a vacation from our “vacation” in India. Don't get me wrong, India was a fun and exciting place to visit. However, our itinerary, constant illness, the cold weather at the end, and the general dirt and hassle were exhausting. So, we stayed longer than we intended in Bangkok. Peter found some sweet deal on a fancy hotel and we just didn't want to leave the never ending hot showers, the huge comfortable bed, and the rooftop pool. We explored the city some, visited some temples, but for the most part we just hung out, ate, and relaxed at the pool. We also learned about the death of our dear friend and family member, Reks. Reks was a great and loving dog and we were very sad to learn of his passing and that we were not there for his last days. We will miss you baby Reks.

Bangkok is a lot like western cities. We felt almost like we were at home except for the delicious street food, temples, and fried bug carts. Supposedly the city is pretty dense, but all the people must be in their cars stuck in traffic jams because the streets are fairly empty. Bangkok is huge and pretty hard to get around unless you are on a metro or skytrain line, which we were. We took a taxi a few times as well and it took forever. The other option would be to take a scooter taxi so you can weave between cars. Also, Bangkok is so clean. The guidebooks say it's dirty, but after seeing Madurai and Varanasi it seems to sparkle with cleanliness to us.

We were so relaxed that we actually managed to get scammed. I couldn't believe it after all those times we managed to avoid it in India! The difference in Bangkok, though, is that there are actually very few rickshaw-wallahs and touts hassling you so you forget about them. There many not be many, but the few that are there can be very organized and elaborate. Here is how the scam went. We were heading over to the city palace, walking and looking at our map, when a very friendly man approached us and told us that all the sights are closed for lunch. (First sign of a scam. Guidebook says to never listen to anyone who approaches you because they are touts and never trust anyone who tells you a sight is closed. Duh.) But, he said there are plenty of other sights to visit which he pointed out to us on our map. He even wrote down which bus lines to take to get to the sights. “But, it's much easier to take a tuk-tuk which only costs 20 baht.” (Second sign of scam - Tuk-tuks are not that cheap.) “Oh, here's a tuk-tuk right now. That's a good tuk-tuk because it has a yellow card which means its legit. You don't want the tuk-tuks with white cards.” (Third sign of scam - I have read nothing in our guidebooks about yellow vs. white-card tuk-tuks. Fourth sign of scam – his English was too good.) He explained to the driver where we are going and told him to charge us 20 baht. The friendly driver happily agreed and we were on our way. That's when I turned to Peter and said “I think we're being scammed.” But, we were already in the tuk-tuk. It all happened so fast. So we decided to see where this goes. First stop was some Buddha temple. Yes, this is where the guy said to go. It was pretty nice, but no other tourists there. We were approached by a very friendly “engineer” (Apparently in Thailand scammers are called “engineers”). We talked about where we are going. He told us about himself and offered to take us into the temple. He asked us where our next stop was. We told him it was the “National Textile Museum”. “Oh, how wonderful. I was just there with my wife last week. She bought so many dresses and suits because it is very cheap. This week is a special promotion. There are extreme discounts and no taxes charged. The quality is excellent and so inexpensive compared to the US. You have heard about famous Thai silk, yes? Famous Thai cashmere, yes?” I said yes, but no I have never heard of famous Thai cashmere. (Scam!) This guy was obviously working with the fist guy. I wasn't sure about the tuk-tuk driver though. But, now we were even more interested in where we were headed next. So, back to the tuk-tuk we went. We showed the driver on the map where he was to drive us. (LOL. As if he didn't know.) He took us to a shop called “National”. We went inside and it was a shop with cashmere suits....pretty much the kind you would get at Jcrew. We took a look around and walked right out. Onto our next stop we told the tuk-tuk driver. No big deal. He didn't seam distressed that we left so quickly and purchased nothing. We showed him where we were to head next and off we went. A few minutes later, he stopped and asked for our map again. He said he wanted to take us to another shop. His English was very poor so all I got was “shop” and “you give me 500 baht” and “no buy, just look”. We got out of the tuk-tuk and paid him the 20 baht, not so much for the ride as for the entertainment and the reminder about how careful to be with the touts. They're not dangerous, but they will definitely waste your time taking you to places you don't want to go.

Inside one of the temples. This one had three levels, each level had a different framed architectural view.

So, after recharging on some much needed rest and delicious food (we sure have gotten skinny in India) we were ready to return to our vagabonding this morning. Last night we ended our stay with a Thai massage – one in which hands, feet, and elbows are used and stretching is involved. Mmmm...got to have more of those when we come back to Thailand. As I write, we are on a bus to Aranya Prathet, a Thai city at the Cambodian border. From Aranya Prathet we will try to locate the border where we will attempt to avoid minefields (just kidding) and visa scams and enter Cambodia. Then we will take a shuttle bus to Poipet (Cambodian border city). Here we will catch a shared taxi or bus to Siem Reap, home of the Angkor Temples which are supposedly the seventh wonder of the world (not sure if that's true). Once this is posted, you will know that we have safely reached our destination. Yes, it would have been easier flying in to Siem Reap....but what would be the fun in that?

New Delhi Belly 01/10 - 01/11

2011-01-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Crazy statue of Lord Hanuman at metro entrance.

New Delhi view from Moti Masjid Minaret.

Peter devours meat at Karim's.

Yes, the puddle is pee.

We arrived in New Delhi Monday morning and after checking in at our hotel immediately set out on exploring the city. Wow. New Delhi is huge. There is no way to see the whole city in 2 days. You probably need at least a week here if you want to hit up all the important points on the map. The monuments are enormous, the streets are jam packed with people and traffic, and the distances are far. We decided to make use of the brand new (2002) metro system and it was very nice...clean and modern. You have to go through security to get in just like at the airport. The cars are set up New York style to fit in as many people as possible and boy were there lots of people on the train. We took the train around 11 am, which is not a very high traffic time, and we were literally squished in the car. I was the only woman there as they have special woman only cars where most women seem to go. Those were not as packed. Getting in was daunting because a mass of people exits at about the same time as another mass of people enters and you can only hope that you will make it in, or out. Everyone pushes and shoves. But, I guess that is pretty typical of India. Usually, when you stand in line people stand super close to the point that you are pressed up against the person in front and in back of you....there is no such thing as personal space. And not everyone uses deodorant! Also, in line at the ATM everyone looks at your screen while you enter your information and get money.

So, our first day we visited Old Delhi and walked through walls of people on the street markets. It seemed like we walked for miles because it was so difficult to weave through the masses. We tried to visit the Fort, but it was closed and so we visited the Moti Masjid, which is the largest Mosque in India. We ate the best dinner we have had in our entire stay in India at Karim's. We had an entire tandoori chicken as well as a few kebabs and the best naan in the world. We tore into our dinner like meat deprived carnivores. We also tried to return to our hotel on the metro, but the masses during rush hour proved to be our breaking point. As we watched people attempt to contort their bodies in order to fit into the tiniest bit of space between arms, legs, and the closing doors, we decided to take a rickshaw back. I wish that I had taken a picture, but photography was “strictly” prohibited and I was not about to take any chances with law enforcement in Asia.

Unfortunately, though, that night the infamous Delhi Belly struck once again. This time it was nausea and vomiting. I spent most of the night in the bathroom and most of the next day sleeping. So, we did not get to explore any more in Delhi. We missed out on Connaught Place, the Lotus Temple, and Humayun's Tomb. My last dinner in India was a banana while Peter went back to Karim's for another meat and naan feast.

Today we boarded the plane for Bangkok. We had a great flight. Thai Airways is excellent. The plane was spacious and comfortable...probably the best flight I have been on. There was a whole bank of bathrooms in the back of the plane. Each seat had a TV with a ton of movie options. It was so pleasant. When we arrived in Bangkok the airport was spotless and the city seems to be deserted compared to Delhi.

Udaipur 01/07 – 01/09

2011-01-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Peter admires the stonework at Jagdish Temple.

Jagdish Temple

A woman gives money to a Baba. Baba's are religious gurus or priests. They sit and think and take in the sun.

Crazy mod stained glass at the City Palace.

View of Lake Pichola and hills beyond from the City Palace.

Room at the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Glass and Mirrors) inside City Palace.

Courtyard at the City Palace.

Me at the City Palace.

Rest stop on hike up to Monsoon Palace...destination can be seen in the distance.

View of Lake Pichola from Cable Car Summit.

Time for rest and taking in the views at the Moon Palace.

Some sights from our hike up to Moon Palace.

Udaipur street full of color, murals, and electric lines.

Indian style building. If there is a tree in your way, you work around it. We have seen this approach everywhere.

Udaipur street - visual chaos.

I was reckless and did not avoid photography. I also climbed on it.

Sunset view from our hotel room.

Last meal in Udaipur

It was a long and bumpy bus ride to Udaipur but completely worth the trip. We arrived in the evening and found our hotel to be spotless and comfortable and the city cleaner and quieter than most Indian cities. Udaipur is located along a series of lakes in Rajasthan and surrounded by hills. It's a town full of palaces, one of which is located on Lake Pichola, now a fancy hotel. The antibiotics and fresh(er) Udaipur air turned out to be just what we needed.

Our intentions of taking it easy, though, did not last. Our first day we visited the main temple in town. Jagdish Temple is an extraordinary structure composed of intricately carved stone and built by Maharana Singh in 1651. Although we were not allowed to photograph the interior of the temple, here unlike in other Hindu temples we were allowed inside. There was a great deal of commotion as people lined up to pray to Vishnu whose image was portrayed at the main altar. There was an elderly woman sitting on the floor selling small chunks of rice and a man in front of the altar dispensing water. People ate the rice, drank the water and then ran their hands over their heads with the water. There was also a flame on the altar. People would capture the flame or smoke and then run their hand over their heads with this as well. I am not sure what any of this meant and there was quite a bit of chaos inside. Afterwards, we visited the City Palace. This was a spectacular complex located along Lake Pichola, composed of a series of palaces interlinked by a labyrinth of narrow passageways. Apparently it was specially planned this way to avoid surprise attacks by invaders. Each palace has its own particular style, one is made up of glass and mirrors another of pearls and intricate mosaics. We spent a good portion of the afternoon weaving through the passageways between palaces.

The next day we had “nature day.” We began by taking a cable car ride up to the top of one of Udaipur's hills and then hiking down. We ran into a very scary playground for children with rusty monkey bars, steep slides made of stone and others of poker hot metal breaking your fall at the end with jagged bits of rock. We then decided to hike all the way up to the “Monsoon Palace,” built to watch monsoon clouds and located in a wildlife preserve. We did not see any wildlife here, but we did see an elephant walking in the street on the way to the preserve. It took us a good 2 hours to hike up to the top. We were the only hikers there. The palace itself is not worth much of a visit, but the views from the top and the feeling of accomplishment were awesome.

As I post, we are on an overnight train to Delhi. Train and bus connections from Udaipur to Jaisalmer (next stop on our itinerary) turned out to be overly difficult. Plus we are pretty much ready to move on from India. There are only so many dosas one can eat and masala tea one can drink. The next leg of the trip was going to be Nepal. But, due to weather conditions, we are going to opt out. It's probably best not to hike in fog and sleep in freezing mountain teahouses. We will just have to add Nepal to the “to do list” for next year. Sometimes life can be really hard like that and one cannot have everything one wants. Sigh. So, next stop Delhi and then we are off to Bangkok.

Jodhpur 01/04 – 01/06

2011-01-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

View of the "Blue City" from above.

Peter relaxes on the hotel rooftop.

Colors and chaos at the bazaar.

Nightime Fort view from rooftop restaurant.

Palace inside the Fort.

Rajasthani shoes for sale. I, of course, had to get a pair.

The infamous Omelette Shop where all travelers converge to eat delicious omelette sandwiches.

The "Blue City" at street level.

Courtyard within the hotel.

Indian hospital with conveniently located pharmacy right next door.

Funny turban man at the bazaar.

"Blue City" side street.

Monkeys and turbans at the Fort.

The following morning we checked out of “Heaven” amongst much ado. “Where are you going, you are leaving? Why? I give you better room, just look...no stay, just look!” We didn't care to see the other rooms although I am sure they were just as good as all the reviews said they were. We felt like we were tricked into staying there. We also didn't appreciate the third degree interrogation at checkout. The lady sounded just like the touts that pester us everywhere we go. ”Just look, no buy!”

We went in search of different accommodation and found many rooms available. The competition must be cutthroat. We ended up in an old “haveli”, a Rajasthani mansion turned into a guesthouse. It was full of murals, stained glass, and mosaics. Quite beautiful. A quiet oasis away from all the beeping and dust. It even had a rooftop terrace with a view of the Fort...the main attraction in Jodhpur. And here we rested for the next two days. We didn't do too much sightseeing in Jodhpur. We visited the main market square and the bazaars. We also visited the Fort which was very impressive and looked like something out of Tomb Raider. We were both feeling tired and sick and decided it was time to go see a doctor. We couldn't find any travel clinics so our only choice was to visit an Indian hospital. But we were assured by our hotel that the doctor knew how to speak English and was the doctor for the Taj (the swanky, super expensive hotel that only the extremely rich can afford). So we went.

The Indian hospital was a small, communist style building. We had to pay up front for the visit, 200 INR (~$4.50). Inside the doctor's office there was a desk with some chairs in front of it, a few chairs next to the desk (waiting area), and an examination table screened with a curtain. We waited in the waiting area while the doctor examined someone behind the curtain and then spoke with a woman at his desk. Then as I was examined and interviewed, people waited in the waiting area for their turn. I guess there is no doctor – patient confidentiality. Anyway, turns out we probably have upper respiratory infections. Apparently many travelers catch colds due to the new environment which can then very easily develop into bacterial infections due to all the dust and grime in the air. This is why our colds just wouldn't go away. We got some antibiotics and this morning I woke up feeling much better. As I write, we are on our way to Udaipur. We are on a bus and the roads are horribly bumpy and the driver is a maniac! Its like riding a roller coaster. Once this is posted, though, you will know that we have arrived safely and have not been thrown out the window of the bus.

Jaipur 01/02 – 01/03

2011-01-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

Ornate Mirror at the City Palace,

Here I am at Galta with the tank beyond.

Looking out to the tank.

We arrived in Jaipur early in the morning and checked in to a very clean and pleasant hotel...hot water AND heat this time. We sure are getting spoiled. It was still an Indian budget hotel, so of course there were annoyances like outlets not working and the tv being locked into one channel while black bars floated on the screen. But, we really can't complain about those kinds of details when basic necessities are provided and there are people sleeping outside under thin blankets, roaming around without shoes, and making little bonfires of garbage on the street for warmth. These are very typical sights in India.

We were both tired and in a daze while visiting Jaipur. At this point, we had both suffered from diarrhea and were both already in the throes of our second cold. We have both been sick with one thing or another for the last two weeks. But, of course, we carried on....roaming the streets of the “Pink City”. We visited the bazaars, the City Palace, and a strange park full of astronomical and astrological instruments called Jantar Mantar. That was pretty cool. Overall, though, the Pink City was just ok. It wasn't really Pink, it was kind of salmon colored. And, it was mostly just full of shops. The main excitement of the day was when we found a restaurant with butter chicken. We haven't eaten meat for weeks.

The next day we visited “Monkey Palace”, also known as Galta, which contains several ancient temples squeezed into a rocky ravine. There is a freshwater spring that keeps the tank full there as well and is where people as well as monkeys bathe. We accessed this area by climbing over a hill at the end of the Pink City. We passed many, many monkeys on the way there. It was a bit of a hike, but very pleasant, beautiful scenery, and great views of the city. Afterwards, we went to visit Nahargarth Fort perched atop the hills surrounding the city. This one was not even close to being as spectacular as the one in Agra....there was really nothing there except for a really awesome wall and more beautiful city views We wandered around a bit looking for the main path to the fort and then once we found it we embarked on another, even bigger hike.

We boarded our train to Jodhpur after an early dinner of Kachori and a panicky search for our train. There was no indication at the station of which platform our train would arrive on...or even any acknowledgement that our train existed. But, by some miracle it was there. When we arrived at Jodhpur I was immediately approached by two rickshaw-wallahs as I stepped off the train. “Where are you going? Where are you going?” they repeated over and over as they circled me like flies. I just stared at them with wide eyes and shook my head slowly until the repetitious phrase slowed and they started shuffling away. Ahah! That is the key. Just look and act crazy and they will be confused and tire eventually.

This is the way to Galta....inviting no?

Descent down to the tank and temples after a long hike uphill.

"Pink City" rooftop view from the walk to the fort.

Cool fort wall.

As we left the platform, we noticed that there was someone waiting to pick us up from the guesthouse we had booked. Having the fancy internet stick, all the recent bad experiences with hotels, being sick and just needing a comfortable place to relax for a few days and recover, we researched well and chose a place with the best reviews on tripadvisor - 98% thumbs up from 60 reviews. You would think that this one would be a winner for sure. Also, now this pickup that we didn't expect? We must have done good. Nope. The rickshaw brought us to the guesthouse called “Heaven” where we were told that all the rooms were booked but that they have another room in another house somewhere and we could get a better room the next day. This after Peter called to confirm from the train and we were told that yes they have several different rooms available. We were taken through a maze of dark alleyways, a good five minute walk from “Heaven” to another guesthouse. The room was tiny at best...only fit one double bed, no sheets, no bathroom. But, again, arriving in a new city late at night what could we do? Start calling around for other hotels? Walk the streets hoping to find something better? We had, after all, just come from the train station where small barefoot children were sleeping on the ground in the chilly night. Yes, we would take the room and sleep on the cardboard-like beds. We were lucky to be sleeping indoors anyway and at least it seemed clean. I wondered if they would mind if I made a little bonfire out of the garbage in my bag to keep us warm. Silly me, of course it would be fine. Anything goes in India, after all.

Agra 12/31 - 01/01

2011-01-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

The next morning we searched for better accommodation nearby, but everything looked pretty horrible. So, we stayed at the same hotel but upgraded to a nicer, more fragrant “deluxe” room. It wasn't too bad considering that the entire shanty town smelled like a sewer. We even had a trickle of slightly warm water from the shower. We really were living it up. Only the best to ring in the New Year! Peter wasn't feeling so good that morning (the traveller's disease finally got him), so after we settled in I left him to rest and went to explore Agra Fort which was quite spectacular. It's a huge fort with very well preserved palaces inside, views of the Taj Mahal in the distance, and an alligator moat (currently green slime, no alligators).

In the evening we went up to the rooftop restaurant of our hotel for their New Years Eve Party, met a couple from Australia and another from Germany. We exchanged travel recommendations and had some beer. But, our party didn't last long. Peter was feeling even worse by then so we went back to the room where I watched as he laid in bed with violent chills and a high fever. I thought we would have to go to the hospital, but the chills subsided quickly and by morning the fever was gone. So since Peter was able to walk without pooping or puking, we finally went to visit the Taj Mahal...the sole reason for which we had come to Agra in the first place. Taj Mahal is huge! I didn't expect it to be so big. From a distance it looks like something out of Star Wars and from up close...yeah it still looks like something out of Star Wars. It's just so massive and white. Set up high with the only backdrop being sky, it has a very magical surreal quality. The detail is amazing as well....all the pietra dura and marble work is beautiful. You can feel the blood and sweat that went into constructing this massive shrine.

Shanty town where we stayed right outside of the Taj.

Inside one of the palaces of Agra Fort.

New Year's Eve (Chicago Time)

Long lines to enter Taj Mahal.

More long lines.

Those little dots on top of the base are people.

The moat at the Fort.

We were supposed to leave Agra that evening, but because our train was 5 hours late again, it would mean that we wouldn't leave until midnight, arriving in Jaipur at 4 am. Unacceptable. We were too tired and Peter was too sick for that. We opted to stay another night and take an early morning train instead. This one originated in Agra, so there was a good chance for it to be on time. But, we really needed to change hotels so that we could finally wash. So, for the rest of the day we searched for better accommodation and we found a nice, clean hotel with hot water away from the craziness of the Taj. We also went back to the Fort (I didn't want Peter to miss out on that) and walked around like celebrities. People stared at us, whispered, and there were at least three occasions where we were asked to take pictures. Very strange. When we were in the South, people didn't seem quite so shocked by us, but since arriving in the north we seem to cause quite a stir wherever we go. I would think that somewhere like Agra, where there are many tourists, people would be used to them. But, I guess not. The requests for photos all seem to occur when Peter is around though. When I am by myself people leave me alone....except for young men who stare at me and snicker and follow me around.

Early the next morning we arrived at the train station in the dark. There were a group of commuters, all men, wrapped in blankets in the waiting area. When they saw us, the came out in awe, encircled us and proceeded to stare and smile. One man asked Peter if I was his wife. I was very creeped out. But they were harmless, just curious, and we boarded the train finally making it out of Agra.

Varanasi to Agra - 12/30

2011-01-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

I woke up early in the morning and hooked up with some very nice Japanese tourists from our hotel for the famous Ganges boat ride during sunrise. Peter was grumpy because the monkeys kept him up during the night. Apparently they were throwing chairs and slapping each other. I didn't sleep through the night either as there were bells ringing for at least an hour during the night.

We made a mad dash through Varanasi traffic to the train station only to learn upon arrival that our train was delayed by several hours. No matter. We had our precious internet stick, so we spent our time at the train station booking more trains, hotels, and making plans. I love the magic internet stick.

This is how we sleep on the train.

Stinky Room.

Our train turned out to be over 5 hours late arriving in Agra. It was midnight by then and I absolutely hate arriving that late at the train station. It's scary and all the rickshaw men and taxi drivers flock to us like hungry wolves to raw meat. They always quote us a price we know is way more than what it should be. But this time what could we do? It was late and there was a dense fog in the air. You could barely see ten feet in front of you. Also, our hotel was not within walking distance. In addition to all this, there was a creepy young guy following me in very close proximity, staring at me like I was some alien. Very creepy indeed. We managed to find a fairly nice taxi driver who didn't rip us off too bad and made our way to the shanty town right outside the Taj Mahal. Our room was a nightmare. We have been staying in budget hotels which I am fine with, but this place was horrible. Thanks a lot Lonely Planet! The bed took up the size of the entire room, the attached toilet barely had enough room for you to use the actual toilet AND the toilet emitted a horrible sewer smell. It was disgusting. The sheets looked dirty so we slept in our sleeping bags after washing in the trickle of ice cold water that came out of the sink. It was not a very pleasant night.

Varanasi 12/28 – 12/29

2010-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

I was feeling a bit better the next day and had slept for most of the night...although there was quite a monkey ruckus during the night. Sounded like the monkeys were having a civil war. Also, there was very loud chanting around 5:00 in the morning.

We started out by exploring Varanasi along the ghats....which were full of touts asking us to go on a boat ride, buy flowers, puja (offerings), jewelry, etc. We could not walk more than a few feet without being approached by someone asking us to take a boat ride. It's understandable because those people are just doing their jobs, but it can be very tiring after hours of travel or being sick. You want to help but you can't help everybody and it seems like everyone wants a piece of you. But, the ghats were interesting anyway. Ghats are basically steps that go down to the river. People bathe here. They do laundry. And most importantly, they cremate people at the burning ghats. The entire ghat area is constantly filled with smoke as they burn people 24 hours a day every single day and the smell of burning bodies is a constant presence. The bodies are wrapped in white cloth and placed on a stack of wood. It takes several hours to reduce a body to ashes. Once it is done, a family member (males only) will throw the leftover fragments into the river. Hindus believe that if you die or are cremated in Varanasi, you are guaranteed release from the incarnation process.

We made it to the main burning ghat quickly as it was very near our hotel. As we got closer, a man approached us and told me that it was forbidden to take pictures at the burning ghats. He told us he was an untouchable, the lowest class, and was one of the preparers of the bodies. He told us about the burning ghat and about how there are people living in the tower at the main burning ghat awaiting death. These are people with no families and hope for donations of powder (?) used as offerings during their burning ceremonies. He, of course, wanted us to make a donation. We told him that we had just arrived, we would think about this, and come back later. This, of course, upset him and he called us selfish people. We later learned from our guidebook that this is a typical ocurrance one should try to avoid at the burning ghat.

In the afternoon we headed inward past the old city to visit Monkey Temple when we ran into an Italian girl asking about a hotel recommendation....we tried to help and ended up following her to her homestay and then going off to explore the city with her and her companion Fernando. We spent the rest of the day with them hanging out in the city.

Varanasi is very strange...said to be the oldest city in the world. Its so old and filthy it feels like you are in medieval times. People seem to live in close relation with animals, there is crap and urine everywhere, cows and bulls walk the streets just like the tourists, the streets in the old city are tight and cool and smelly, there is a fog that hangs over the city, and of course there is the ever present smoke. Then there are the nightly noises. There can be chimes, bells, chanting, and people just yelling strange things in the night. Since there are so many small temples everywhere, it can be pretty loud due to all the ceremonies that take place day or night. It is quite surreal.

The Burning Ghat.

Lunch Time.

Sunset Cruise.

Puja Ceremony.

Bulls on Parade at the Ghats.

Peter explores with fellow travelers.

Downtown Varanasi.

Me at crazy bamboo construction site.

Locals relaxing.

The next morning I awoke to find out that Peter broke the internet USB driver! He was up most of the night because of dogs howling outside our window and had apparently dropped the computer directly onto our internet stick!. We were going to have to somehow find a new one in this ancient town. We wandered around the streets until we found what were looking for...which of course meant having to jump through some hoops involving documentation on our hotel's official letterhead and some special stamp. In the evening we took a sunset boat ride to observe the city from the river and went back to the ghats to watch the Puja ceremony. This is a ceremony that occurs daily at the ghats in honor of the gods.

Varanasi - 12/27

2010-12-31T08:35:00.000-08:00

Afternoon Traffic in Varanasi.

Arrival in Varanasi - Walk down to Ghats.

Toward the end of the day at Chennai, I started to feel a bit sick and wouldn't you know it, I got the dreaded traveler's diarrhea again! This time it was much worse. I was unable to enjoy my comfy Ikea bed because I was up all night. I did enjoy the nice bathroom though.

The next day we took a plane to Varanasi, which in total took around 7 hours due to a layover in Kolkata and a random stop in Lucknow (which is by the way past Varanasi). Peter suggested we postpone our trip, but I was determined to make it North and stay on schedule. No way stomach cramps and diarrhea were going to stop me. It was quite a miserable trip though. Peter also did not sleep much due to a mosquito that mysteriously made it into our windowless room. We were both crabby and exhausted. I had a breakdown and yelled at the security guards at the airport because they didn't give me their stupid security stamp for my carry on bag...which I didn't know I needed until I had to board the plane and then was directed back to security which I had already cleared!

But, we finally made it to Varanasi by late afternoon. I was in no shape to visit the city at that point. Our hotel, though, was located right on the ghats and had a central courtyard/restaurant overlooking the Ganges river. It even had toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, and lemon tea! Heaven for someone with dysentery. But the best part was that it had monkeys living there. Red butted monkeys roaming around like they owned the place. I don't think they were kept by the hotel because some guy kept trying to scare them off with a big stick. But, they were having none of that.