Blogs from India, Asia - page 1927

Hi everyone! Yes, we are still alive. And still on the beach....... I think we may be able to pull ourselves away after this weekend. It's time to head north and see the "real" India. We've been having a great time in Goa. Have been living in luxury on the beach doing a lot of nothing and hanging with great people. As a result, we haven't really been too inspired to sit at a computer for a couple hours in a non-air conditioned internet cafe with a not-too-quick internet connection. We had a fabulous time in the ancient town of Hampi. Hampi is famous for its ruins dating back to the 1400's, and for its geology. It felt like we were living in Bedrock. If you want to see some photos, go to www.larrythellama.com/journal and click ... read more

Saturday I went down to Bangalore to visit my "auntie" (who got her PhD in Hawai'i and whom I have seen since 1987). It's funny how you can not at all realize how important someone is until you see how other people look at him/her. My auntie is the Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka State. It's a long title that essentially means she's the second in command of the state. And here I come waltzing in and calling her Auntie. She took me to see the Mysore Palace, which is not only beautiful, but surprisingly well preserved. Mysore was a three hour drive from Bangalore (we took a government car with a light on the top) and after my huge Andhra thali plate, the swervy, bumpy night ride did me no favors. As soon as we ... read more

After leaving Agra, and the glorious Taj Mahal, I travelled by train to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Rajasthan means "land of kings." It is a desert state, replete with camels, mountain top forts, legendary and living maharajahs, women in colourful saris, labyrinthine bazaars filled with turban-topped sellers of silver, slippers, cloth, and much, much more. This is one of the most touristed areas of India, and for good reason. It is magical. I loved it. Kerala, Delhi and Rajasthan are thus far my favourite places in India. However, my entry to Rajasthan was not magical. I arrived at midnight to a typical Indian train station scene -- incredibly aggressive autorickshaw drivers vying for our attention. Luckily, I was with Rob and Jill, and Rob is a big guy. They helped me to find my driver, ... read more

Well, Steph and I arrived in Mumbai after another 12 hour journey. I am really looking forward to the day when I don't have to take these overnight buses anymore. One more to Goa and we should be done. This ride was not much better then the others. Actually, I may have feared for my life more on this one because the driver was insane. He kept weaving in and out of trafic, missing transport trucks in the other lane by inches! YIKES! I can not believe the size of this City. It is absolutely huge. But, I can say one thing, it is the cleanest City that I have been to in India. And, there is no cow poop on the streets so I can actually look around as I walk instead of looking at ... read more

Well, Steph and I have had a hectic couple of days. We took an overnight bus from Udaipur to Amedebad (I don't think I spelled that properly) which ended up taking 16 hours. I am not sure how to describe the journey. A- I was afraid for my life and B- it was soooooooo long. If you can imagine for a second being stuck in a small compartment above the seats in a bus for 16 hours, the two of us, with our bags! The first 10 hours were o.k, after that, it got a little uncomfortable. Especially because we were told it would only take 12. Word to the wise, anytime and Indian tells you it will only take a certain number of hours, add a couple on. If he/she tells you the bus will ... read more