http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Mitrompeta/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Mitrompeta en-us Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:22:29 +0000 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:22:29 +0000 As we arrived in Kathmandu from Bangkok after a 3 hours flight the first thing we noticed was that things looked quite similar to India. The airport which looked a bit like an old school building was alright. But as soon as we stepped in the open air the sound of cars and people the horrid smell of open sewers freely mixing with that of spice and thee shops left little illusion. Yet although http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/blog-459263.html The journey to Vang Vieng proved to be quite an ordeal especially for Ilse. Normally I'm the one who has trouble with travel sickness but this time it was Ilse's turn. In the end the trip can be summarized as 8 hours of more twist and turns than one can count and the driver running out of plastic bags. Sadly this made her largely oblivious to the beautiful countryside we were passing. Finally af http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vientiane/blog-444284.html After getting stuck for one day in Udomxay which wasn't half that bad as the lonely planet makes it out to be we continued to Nong Khiaw. We were originally planning to stay here for a couple of days but on the advise of 2 Laotians we jumped on the boat to Muang Ngoi Neua which is located 1 hour upriver from Nong Khiaw. This one hour trip is about as scenic and beautiful as it gets.Still somewh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Luang-Prabang/blog-443705.html I can put it quite simple Hop on the first plane to Bangkok jump on a bus towards Vientianne and get here asap. Because if there is any country capable of inspiring men and cause tears of joy to well up in even the stoutest of hearts it is Laos.Why this is so is difficult to explain. it is like explaining the chaos of Mumbai streets to someone who hasn't been to India yet. Or trying to capture http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/North/Luang-Namtha/blog-440399.html This perhaps a bit short and unimaginative update might feel a little less than the usual. Still it is required to keep the story going and there is much more to come as I begin writing on Laos.After our expedition to Angkor Wat we stayed for 2 more days in Bangkok. These days were quite fun as we find Bangkok a truly enjoyable city. This short respite also gave us the time to arrange onward trans http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-438417.html We arrived in Bangkok late in the evening and decided to overnight at the airport. Next days we explored the town a bit and arranged our next trip. This took some time as our next destination is Angkor Wat in Cambodia. But before going into that Irsquod like to say one thing on Bangkok.Having spent 34 days in this city I canrsquot help but feel that It can compete with any of the worlds oldes http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-435615.html After our longhouse adventure and good previous experience we rented the motorcycles for 3 more days. The first day we visited the wind and fairy cave. The wind cave was totally dark moist and had lots of bats. This made it somewhat scary but and lots of fun. The fairy cave was simply amazing. So amazing that Ilse went for a panorama shot. The only other place she ever did this was high in Truind http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sarawak/Kuching/blog-434502.html Or as one of our Portuguese friends remarked Headache hunters. Referring to the amounts of alcohol consumed. But this rather amusing yet slightly negative remark does no good to the greatness of these people something I will write about later.First we arrived in Kuching the capital of Sarawak the western Malaysian province in Borneo. Kuching is definitely a nice city and for the last couple o http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/blog-434035.html By overnight train we arrived from Kota Baru in Singapore. Here we met our German friend Julia again. We've been running into Julia everywhere since we met her first in Tama Negara. At this time Julia was traveling with a father and son from Switzerland annd son from Switzerland annd son from Switzerland and we decided to join for a bit. During our Journey to Singapore it was Ilse who attended us http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/blog-432071.html Obviously before you lose paradise you'll have to find it. We found it somewhere in the South Chinese sea at least for a couple of days. Jet our arrival at paradise wasn't that great. It was in the middle of a tropic storm to be precise. We tried to outrun the storm by quickly jumping on a speedboat. But it caught us mid sea anyway and had us soaked in mere seconds. Its a great experience though http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Terengganu/Perhentian-Kecil/blog-429134.html The journey to Jerantut transport hub for Tama Negara national park TM was uneventful. The bus was not overcrowded no one had tried to rip us off nor did we have any near collisions with other traffic or cows. Still the landscape was great as we traversed through many forest jungles and plantations. In Jerantut we were picked up by a travel agency which arranged our trip to and from TM. No http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Pahang/Taman-Negara-National-Park/blog-427845.html The first few steps into a new country are usually the hardest. It simply takes time to get used to all the new things. In most severe cases this can lead to mental overload or culture shock something which we experience in India. Malaysia is different however. We arrived at Kuala Lumpur KL airport from Chennai Madras and apart from some trouble with our baggage transfer all went fine. Luckil http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Wilayah-Persekutuan/Kuala-Lumpur/blog-427838.html From Mcleod Ganj we went to Manali were we arrived at 430 in the morning. Obviously we traveled at night which gave us some concern beforehand. Even more so because there had been several accidents near Manali in the last couple of days. In the end we arrived in one piece mostly because the good driving and the little traffic encountered on the road. I should know because I spend the whole 7 hou http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Manali/blog-419434.html DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOMEFirstly because we used to joke back home about us starting a survival series much like those on discovery channel. Yet we didn't count on making it past the first episode due to being iced by a falling tree or something. Secondly because we are not that professional concerning survival see us failing to make fire and forgetting valuable equipment on the top of a mountai http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Mcleod-Ganj/blog-416152.html These 3 things have in common that we experienced each one in the last couple of days.In Shimla we took an easy time. Partly because we had to acclimatize to the slow pace and more laid back attitude opposed to the chaos in Delhi. For activities we conducted a few short hikes and indulged ourselves in the national cuisine. Often with unexpected results some good some bad. Sadly Ilse was often http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Mcleod-Ganj/blog-413295.html After 4 days in New Delhi of which one spend mostly in Agra we traveled on to Shimla. Looking forward towards the scenic trip on a toy train through the mountains it ended as a bit of a hellish ride for myself.What caused it all was probably the meal we received on our train ride from Agra back to Delhi the day before. The result was that my stomach disagreed with everything I tried to put into i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Shimla/blog-411394.html Unlike previous endaviors everything went according to plan this time around. Monday we explored the fort area in mumbai which wasn't so different from the Colaba district where we were staying. This doesn't necessarily mean it was dull. Nothing seems to be dull in India. Just the same experience that bombards the senses. maybe we are finally getting used to it.In the evening we saw a bollywood m http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-409444.html Pune Didn't happen.What did happen was a major body breakdown due to heat. Apparently walking for 56 hours a day in subtropical temperatures reaching 35 degrees isn't such a great way to start an adventure. More so if your arriving from a relatively cold country such as the UK. I can still hear myself say it I never get sick yeah right. What it comes down to is that 1 day after my first upd http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-409129.html These Words should be printed in bright yellow letters on all guides on India especially guides on mumbai. But before getting into that let me tell you something else.Were alive very much alive. After spending 3 great days in London UK chilling out visiting museums enjoying comedy going out and generally having a great time. We jumped on a plain to Mumbai India. After an 85 hour flight and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-407182.html Prologue In the beginning. There was an idea voiced by a woman on a particular terrace at the ldquoonze lieve vrouwe pleinrdquo Maastricht. Heard by a man whose initial reaction was a mix of opposing emotions. Fear was replaced by opportunity opportunity replaced by worry worry by possibilities. And although no decision was made at that instant it was the start of a journey to lands at th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/Limburg/Maastricht/blog-396139.html