'The Nallys'
Hi there,Nick and Ally
Here we go again, this time backpacking the monster....India
We hope you enjoy the blogs as much as we enjoy your comments ;o)
Love
Nick and Ally
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Travel Blog Posts
January 11th 2012
Goa, Goa, Gone.... The week after Christmas was great, bordering magnificence. We headed north to the lovely Mandrem, where we stayed at a hotel that was designed to look like a face, a weird face. However, Mandrem had a beautiful and quiet beach with fun surf, and beach shacks that conjured up food with a taste dangerously close to decadence. It was a pleasure to be somewhere chilled, where we could relax without risky motorbike journeys, hassle from hawkers, and catch a bad strain of man flu... We spent a few swill infested nights with a fun American couple, Brian and Lindsey.. took a day trip to brave the freezing pools at Dudhsagar water falls.. enjoyed the eclectic tones of that modern pop music at Sunburn Dance festival (with Bonnie and Lee).. and watched people light ... read more
Hawkers, Gawkers, and Russian Roulette at Christmas...
Published: January 7th 2012Asia » India » Goa » BagaJanuary 7th 2012
I am writing this blog on a rattling 14hr train journey heading south to Kochin, Kerela. It's pandemonium around us, with plenty of staring and head wobbles, but we do have a small bunk with a curtain. So forgive me if I waffle on.......... ...I just saw a mouse! Hawkers, Gawkers, and Russian Roulette at Christmas. After only three days in sleepy Cavelossim, South Goa, we were on the move again. We would have stayed longer, but the accommodation was already booked. Still not never normal after food poisoning, we took a taxi to the boisterous, booming and brash town of Baga, North Goa... Luckily for nicetaximan, and friend, the two passengers in the back managed not to barf after every bump@?#!. We passed through small villages and settlements with huge bright white churches? ..Probably the ... read more
A Perilous Journey to South Goa that was Perilous, Too Perilous.
Published: December 28th 2011Asia » India » GoaDecember 28th 2011
We arrived at Victoria Terminus Station, Mumbai, at 4.30 am. It was a magnificent building built by the British during the colonial days. Around 2.5 million people a day pass through the station, therefore, it's a tad busy, almost, too busy? As we walked with our backpacks through the sea of bodies asleep on the floor, a women stood holding a fish, a goat walks by, and flobingonthefloor man turned up.. we were glad to be leaving fawlty towers, and Mumbai. But there was a small problem with our ticket in that it wasn't valid yet. Although we booked and paid for it in August, the trains were so busy throughout December that our ticket was 'waitlisted', meaning, you are in a queue hoping for cancellations. After speaking to several unhelpful ticket 'attendants', we finally gathered ... read more
December 28th 2011
After years of planning, farewell parties, hangovers and emotional goodbyes...we finally boarded an old and tired looking British Airways 747 to Mumbai. We both had a mixture of feelings from tiredness and nerves, to eventually, excitement. This was be a long trip of at least three or four years, so emotions we running high. A smooth nine hour flight with crummy food, cruddy on-flight entertainment, and frumpy trolley dollies, saw us land safely in Mumbai. As we left the plane the humidity hits us "yes, we're somewhere exotic!". The feeling soon evaporates as the stench off dirty diesel, human waste, and curry vibrantly lifts the room. It's 4am, and there is only three or four thousand people waiting for a mere two hundred and fifty passengers, most of them taxi drivers frantically awaiting our overpaying custom. ... read more
November 20th 2006
Via AirAsia (Aisa's version of EasyJet), Ally and I flew from Kuta to Kualur Lumpur, which is the capital city in Peninsular Malaysia. We had arrived at the height of the monsoon season, and it was safe to say that most passengers where apprehensive when a violent lightning storm surrounded the plane as we approuched 'KL'. The clouds surrounding the plane where amazing, eg, huge white fluffy clouds reaching up in to the atmosphere, surrounded by dark thunder clouds. It were proper nice, but proper scary too!...Anyway, we landed safely, then made our way into KL city, which conveniently was 70km away! I'm not going to blabber on about KL, as it was a hot, dirty, sweaty dive! We walked to the Petronas Towers - which used to be the tallest towers in the world...but apart ... read more
November 3rd 2006
(Appologies for the long blog, here goes........) The ferry from Ketapang (Java) to Gilimanuk (Bali) only took one hour. We had been awake since 3am climbing Mount Bromo, and had been traveling all day in a mini bus. We now had a six hour (packed and stuffy) coach ride to Denpasar, the capital of Bali. It was around 10pm when we finally arrived. According to the map, the distance from the ferry terminal to Denpasar was around 150km, which shouldn’t usually take six hours, but we are in Indonesia after all, i.e., stopping at every available bus stop, café, pull-in, town, village, street, etc... We were tired and needed sleep, so we went to the nearest hostel/lodge, which was absolutely filthy. We were too tired to care!! The next day we haggled with the Bemo (taxi/van) ... read more
November 2nd 2006
From Yogyakarta we took a 10hr hair raising mini-bus through to East Java...our mission...to climb an active volcano called Gunung Bromo... Gunung Bromo is natures Borobudur, compared with Java's other major peaks, Bromo (2392m) is a proper midget mind! But it's: 'the beauty within its setting'...which makes it Java's best destination...apparently? "Shuttup! thats just another mountain volcano fing init?"...well no, Bromo is one of three volcanoes that have risen from the guts of a huge 10km crater, Tengger Caldera (in case you were wondering!) We were woken early (again..grr) at 3.30am by the hired driver...then hastefully shoved into the back of a 4x4. We were also joined by two Dutch dudes, who also looked half asleep. The roads were incredibly fogy and very very steep! It was an eerie drive! After an hour we reached our ... read more
October 30th 2006
Java's Two Major temples There was a unsubtle knock on the door at 5am by the bloke we hired to take us to Borobudur (the largest Buddhist temple in Indonesia), and Prambanan (the largest Hindu complex in Java)... Twenty minutes later we were racing trough the streets of Yogya narrowly missing motorcyclists (sometimes four people on one moped!), stalls, animals, etc.. Towering on our right was Gunung Merapi, a MASSIVE, and very active volcano. Few of South East Asia's volcanoes are as evocative, or as destructive as Gunung Merapi - which has been erupting continually for decades. the last eruption was in July this year..ekk! At 2911m, this monster volcano looms over the surrounding plains, Yogyakarta, Borobudur & Prambanan. It makes for a great picture too! Borobudur Like Angkor Wot in Cambodia, Java's Borobudur makes the ... read more
October 27th 2006
Java Facts Major City: Jakarta Main Industries: Manufacturing, textiles, rice production & Fags...billions of them! Population: 120 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A venture into the unknown Within Indonesia's vast collection of 17,000 Islands, Java is the main man. It's home to about 60% of Indonesians, and although it doesn't look like it, has more money, power and privilege than the rest of Indonesia combined. Despite its rapid modernization, smelly streets, massive over-population, sanity problems, disease, etc...('what have the Romans given us"?)...it is an Island of stunning natural beauty with rice fields, barren beaches, lots of beautiful (active) volcanoes, and is home to major Buddhist and Hindu temples. We started our Indonesian adventure its turbulent capital, Jakarta. Like any other typical Asian city is over populated, polluted big time, and poli... read more
October 24th 2006
We had three days in Singapore until our connection flight to Jakarta, Java. We were concerned that this small 'weekend' trip would burn a hole in our wallets - as Singapore is very expensive. The Republic of Singapore is a country in the continent of Asia at the southern end of the Malay peninsula. 4.4 million people live in Singapore, and many of them (76%) are Chinese. The important languages of Singapore are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, with most Singaporeans speaking English. Singapore is located 137km (85 miles) north of the Equator. Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links, its port is ... read more
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