http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/bryzabelle/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from bryzabelle en-us Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:45:35 +0000 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:45:35 +0000 I went to visit Pema and Sonam at their Temple in Mysore and it was really great to see them again. Pema is a temple artist. He paints the beautiful images inside the temple. The picture I took of one of the paintings really doesn't do his work justice. They also managed to wangle their way into the Dalai Lama's private residence area of the neighbouring temple where the DL stays when he visits. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Madikeri/blog-137460.html Back to Varkala again for a bit of rest and relaxation. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Varkala/blog-137457.html Had a fab time NEAR Darjeeling. NEAR being the key word because half way up from Siliguri where the train stops the bus I was in gave up because of bad weather. So I quickly got myself being very cold into a jeep where I met a French and Aussie girl... and we got about 10km further before again we could go no further because of snowdrifts.Our driver was a crazy 'no fear' guy but still he got http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/West-Bengal/Darjeeling/blog-137365.html I spent about a week in total in Kolkata visiting the Victoria Memorial Motherhouse and all the sites. My first impressions were it's big it's dirty and men still run barefoot here pulling rickshaws quite shocking. But West Bengalis are very proud of the city's culture and I I think I glimpsed just a little of the 'other' side of the city but I must admit the dirt here is worse than anywher http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/West-Bengal/Kolkata/blog-137358.html Pondicherry is like a little piece of Europe. It's got a cool French feel with some beautiful buildings. There are foodie restaurants bars and stylish FrancoIndian clothes. But most impressive of all I found a swish supermarket stocked with.... CHEESE Not indian paneer or processed cheese in a tin but versions of mozzarella cheddar philadelphia and many more all made at the nearby inte http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Pondicherry/blog-128668.html After Kodai went to Trichy as a rest stop on the way to Pondicherry.Temples as always one of which I had to climb up to the top of and a beautiful temple elephant. It's a more relaxing place than Madurai but the temples weren't as magical and most as a nonhindu I couldn't go inside. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Tiruchirappalli/blog-126896.html After a second stop in Madurai I took the bus up to Kodaiakanal. The only American mission hillstation in India it is absolutely gorgeous and after two months of heat the cold mountain air really reminded me of home. I even had to buy a wool scarf and wear thermal socks to bedThere's a lake with boat club and the international school set up by the americans is apparently one of India's most http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Kodai/blog-126891.html And then with the onset of fever I sensibly crawled back to the comfort of Varkala. It must be noted that even sickness does not put an Indian off the usual barrage of questions. When I was so hot I didn't think I could manage the rickshaw ride to the hospital the doctor who I saw laid me down on the couch gave me tablets after i refused an injection and then started the timeold....So what http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Varkala/blog-126888.html After Kanyakumari I took a bus up to Madurai entertained by a medical student called Felice who studies in Madurai but lives in Delhi and whose father is an advisor in the government. Rather nice getting the indian uppermiddle class view on things. Anyway Madurai is dirty dirty dirty. Really squalid in the centre of town. But for all its grime the complex of temples is amazing with a real o http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Madurai/blog-126882.html Sorry it's been so long but after a long spell of lazyness i'll finally update you on where i've been Just after new year i went to Trivandrum the capital of Kerala and Kanyakumari the southern most tip of India. Neither place was spectacular but nice enough and I went with Abhi so we met his friends and more relatives along the way. Trivandrum has a really nice palace museum with lo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Trivandrum-/blog-126875.html to be updated... http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Varkala/blog-114239.html Sorry for the delay in updates internet deadly slow where I am now but anyway a few pictures of Kochi for you. Will update more soon. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Kochi-/blog-114225.html I've been in Mysore 3 days longer than expected as the buses and trains out to Kerala are packed as it's near Christmas. The Maharaja's palace here is amazing really breathtaking. Many of the walls inside are painted with scenes of the Edwardian Raj unfortunately cameras aren't allowed so I wasn't able to take pictures but the decoration is really stunning. Mysore is famous for sandalwood s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Mysore/blog-111277.html Spent two days in the capital of Karnataka Bangalore. It's one of India's most modern cities with big software companies coffee shops and bars everywhere. It's really westernised so is a bit of a taste of home http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Bangalore/blog-111258.html Hampi is quite chilled out with the main bazaar temple and bustle on the south side of the river and a calmer scene north of the river with really nice places to stay packed with Israelis and travellers. Have spent few days wandering around the ruins of Vijayanagar which used to be the capital of one of India's largest Hindu empires. Have also spent lots of time just boulder watching the land http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Hampi/blog-109504.html Totally by chance we arrived in Hampi to find that a festival in full swing. Although small by Indian standards there were thousands of people in the Virupaksha temple where candles were lit and later there was a procession through the streets headed by an elephant. Totally amazing the pics really don't do it justice. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Hampi/blog-109372.html Spent a couple of days on the beach in Goa relaxing and trying to swat up on my 'teach yourself hindi'. Then met a fellow traveller heading in the same direction to Hampi in Karnataka. So after meeting at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Panaji on Tuesday took a bumpy bus ride to Margao pics of amazing indoor market south Goa's busiest city from which we caught the train 9hrs t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Goa/Panaji/blog-109361.html