http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Mell/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Mell en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:14:30 +0000 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:14:30 +0000 MelI arrived in India and was only delayed a couple of minutes by the masked and white coated doctorlike people at Abu Dhabi and Mumbai airports. They put on a big show of preventing swine flu entering their countries but if there were any cases of it I think they would have easly got in. One masked guy in Abu Dhabi gave me a form to fill about swine flu. Even though I told him I am not staying http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-408842.html 1. It is not a place for foreigners.2. The inhabitants are not nice.3. The inhabitants are stupid. This is what is wrong with Kurukshetra according to every Indian we mentioned it to since Ralf recommended it as an off the beaten but not too off the beaten track destination. I trust the advice of His well travelled Dudeness so two days after Christmas we left the backpacker hovel Hotel Navrang http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Haryana/Kurukshetra/blog-386210.html Mel The queues at the airport in Moscow were incredible. First a half hour in the passport queue even though I wasnt leaving the airport. Then I joined the 100M queue to get to the gates. It did not take so long to get to the top of it because some men decided that the ladies are to be first and cleared a path for me and a girl with long blonde hair. Then a bunch of guys came alone and tried to go http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Kyrgyzstan/Kochkor/blog-364776.html India Christmas 2008 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-360756.html Emails exchanged between Mel and Dirk Jan in June 2007MelWe got a lovely hut in the middle of the jungle for just 150 bahts per night. The huts are only 3 months old and we are the only customers. I did not need to bring the blanket because they gave me and lyds a towel and blanket each. Everytime we order some food in the cafe the guy there phones one of the family members who goes to the mark http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Khao-Sok-NP/blog-313659.html Sunday morning 13 October 2007RE The Hamburg Ballroom Hello Dirk JanThere were lots of druids at the heavy metal club last night who handed in the blankets and pieces of animal fur to the cloakroom and asked the bartender to refil their drink horns which looked suspiciously shiny enough to be made from plastic.I think my photo is going to be on the internet again. Thankfully there is no stripp http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/District-of-Hamburg/Hamburg/blog-272295.html Emailing between Estonia and Germany. April 2007. MelI am in the Old Town inside the town walls. It is georgous. Lots of shops and bars but you have to look carefully for them because the signs are subtle and don't ruin the scenery at all. I did not have to carry my own bag into the city because the airline lost it. There were stacks of bags around the baggage collection area which they lost yest http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Estonia/Tallinn/blog-259721.html 15th September 2000 Hello Gnther You asked in your last letter what the area I live in is like. Along the river at night both sides are safeas long as you stay AT the river and don't wander down any side steets you don't know are safe between Ushers Quay and certainly as far as the end of Georges Quay. I have never been beyond Georges Quay at night so I am not sure. Past Ushers Quay at night http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Dublin/Dublin/blog-250049.html 18th November 07 Dear Mom and Dad I decided to go see someplace which is not one of the main tourist stops. Piazza del Campidoglio. It was designed by Michael Angelo in 1550 for the pope of the time. I was at a loss about how to get there with all the Windy streets so I went to the Colosseum where I was pursued by a Roman guard wearing a helmet and dress trying to sell me a plastic sword. Are http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-246655.html 21st October 2007Well here I am in the Axis of Evil.Arriving here did not even feel half as scary as when I arrive in most third world countries.Probably because people are so laid back. Around a third of the staff at the airport were asleep at their desks. Even the Internet lady at this place was asleep when I got here.And also there was not a single tout or anybody else to bother me when I arriv http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iran/West/Esfahan/blog-243209.html