http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ellepatel/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from ellepatel en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:33:22 +0000 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:33:22 +0000 In the variety of its charms and the power of its spell I know of no place in the world which can compare with it. Not only has it great snow peaks looming above the clouds more than two miles overhead gigantic precipices of manycolored granite rising sheer for thousands of feet above the foaming glistening roaring rapids it has also in striking contrst orchids and tree ferns the delecta http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-312590.html Saying goodbye to Iquitos I headed down south to Arequipa for the classic gringo trail that takes you on a loop through the Andes Mountains around to Puno and ending in Cuzco to see Machu Pichhu. There are few cities Ive seen as gorgeously albeit dangerously situated as Arequipathe towering Mount Misti capped with snow year around stands against the backdrop of the cityseveral other fa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Arequipa/Arequipa/blog-312577.html Last weekend I headed 140km upriver on the Rio Amazonas to a lodge on the Yanayaku Riverthe lodge partners with a local community giving them a part of the proceeds from the company in exchange for conserving the large birds and mammals in the area that have gone extinct in other parts of the Amazon. As a result this expanse of the Amazon is one of the few places closes to a major city where http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-299681.html Cebiche I was told that it would be a crime a shameful and unforgivable crime to leave the country of Peru without having experienced one of the country's most beloved national foods. Cebiche is a dish of raw seafoodfish shrimp and stuffed crab in this particular dishmarinated with fresh onion garlic cilantro and lemon juice all sitting on top of sweet potato yuca potato and my pe http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-299676.html To get to Mazan the town where the road from Iquitos ends you first make your way through the chaotic Puerto de Productoresa dock where the local vendors for fruits and meats begin their morning around 5amthe boats come in filled with plaintains or other fruits fish or chickens and up and down the rickety wooden staircase you see a file of men marching with burlap sacks filled with goods w http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-299653.html For my first foray into the field I started out in Mazan by meeting up with my two guidesa husband and wife couple that were farmers and knew the area well. Janet was a short stout and hardy woman who spent most of the time skipping through the jungle in her flip flops but would start whimpering whenever we encountered a cow. Yes cowsanimals that are larger than us to be fair but can al http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-290392.html The first thing I knew about Iquitos is that it's the largest city in the world that you can't get to by land meaning either you fly and flights can be difficult because the airport can be shut down from time to time if the local vulture population acts up and attacks an incoming plane or you take a boat down the Amazon river a few hundred kilometers from the nearest city that is linked to Lima http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-286300.html When Francisco Pizarro first chose his sight for the capital of Peru La Cuidad de los Reyes City of Kings it seemed the perfect locationthree rivers converged by the city providing access to almost the entire country its harbor on the coast ensured trade with Spain and other countries' and the lush fields and mild temperature made it a pleasant place to live. What he probably did not s http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/Lima/Lima/blog-286249.html Well advised by wise previous travelers I left Cairns the morning after I arrived and headed straight for Cape Tribulation named by explorer James Cook in 1770 because that's when their ship ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef and was damaged so badly it took weeks to repair Cook sent two of his men up the tallest peak to see how far the Reef extendedthe men never returned and he christen http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-184856.html Tired of the 4 wheel drive cars and buses the swags the drunken 20year olds that dominate many of the backpacker trips here in Australia I was looking forward to my weeklong bushwalk in Watarrka National Parkthe chance to strap everything you need in life to your back and hike into one of the most beautiful areas of the red center. In the bush life is about the simple pleasureswatching p http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/King--s-Canyon/blog-181734.html Most people come through Alice Springs to see Uluru the largest rock in the world and mother is it bigthey tried to get to the bottom of the thing to know how big it really was and had to stop digging after 6km because there seemed to be no end. There is of course the size factor but to many there is the spiritual significance Uluru has to the Anangu people that count it as one of their ho http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Uluru/blog-181804.html The signs about say it all. The Northern Territory outback is supposed to be some of the roughest country in Australiatales of mass aboriginal murders counter attacks on colonizers and cattle breeders and explorers and rather harsh weather at times have created a certain don't mess with meness about the place. The best example is in nature itselfthe spinifex grass found throughout this http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/blog-176204.html As our initiation into Kakadu National Park before we had our lunch our guide broke off a bulbous green tree ant colony off a branch wrong considering what it was about to be used for passed the leaf bulb around to each of us where we were to pick off an ant hold it firmly in our fingers and carefully because they can deliver quite a pinch and yes lick it's bum to taste an exceptionall http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Kakadu-National-Park/blog-174879.html Shimla is probably one of the most filmed places in Bollywood. The plunging valleys verdant landscape and almost yearround beautiful weather make it perfect for those song and dance sequences between the hero and heroine when they first discover they are madly in love with each other. The shooting usually takes place in a clearingmdashthe hero is surrounded on all sides by tall evergreens http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Shimla/blog-80543.html If I were a poet I would compose a beautiful verse about the mango. But Irsquom not. I canrsquot even write a limerick. So I will say only this about the mango it is my salvation. It is the only reason why life is worth living during these miserable months of heat and rain and dust storms. There are green mangoes and orange mangoes ovular mangoes and appleshaped mangoes firm mangoes a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-73133.html ldquoYou know Shah Jahan life and youth wealth and glory they all drift away in the current of time. You strove therefore to perpetuate only the sorrow of your hearthellipLet the splendour of diamond pearl and ruby vanishhellipOnly let this one teardrop this Taj Mahal glisten spotlessly bright on the cheek of time forever and ever. Rabindranath TagoreThe Taj Mahal has the dis http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-69251.html There is that flickering moment when the cyncism drops and I realize all the reasons why I love India. They include the following1. I love that I can take a yoga class 5 days a week with warm and funny instructors who chant their instructions in English with a Sanskrit bent pleeeeeeeease to raiiiiiiise your right leg namah for a mere 250 Rs. a month thatrsquos 5 bucks2. I love that I c http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Punjab/Amritsar/blog-67935.html ok the title is a cheap ploy to catch attention which I freely admit. Dad don't worryall I really learned this weekend is how much money people can make off of suckers seeking spiritual enlightmentMy attempts at inner peaceharmony have been largely unsuccessfulmdashI think because I find most teachings on spirituality to be hokey or silly. So then I thought what better way to dea http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Pune/blog-66220.html Bangkok I arrived at 5 in the morning blearyeyed and exhausted from the redeye flight from Delhi. We were having a reunion of our Cairo posse in the only city we could all agree upon. Mariam came into town that afternoon from Kuwait from a 10 hour flight and we decided rather than even make a pretense at being skilled adventure travelers we would spend an afternoon in the comforts of stayi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-62967.html Those words are inscribed on the pavilion of the Red Fort Lal Qila a majestic structure built by Shah Jahan in the heart of Old Delhi. Shah Jahan built the fort to serve as the new capital for his Mughal Empire but his son Aurengzeb deposed and imprisoned Shah Jahan before the move from Agra was complete.The red fort today is a strange mixture of history family outing ground and tourist ho http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-61500.html