http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/hugh_lostandfound/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from hugh_lostandfound en-us Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:33:51 +0000 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:33:51 +0000 For the past five days I could swear that I have not been in India if it were not for the fact that there are still Indians everywhere. Therersquos no one trying to sell me anything no one trying to rip me off no one really begging. And then on top of that Irsquom on a small island with loads of deserted beaches to relax and lounge on. Okay itrsquos not really as nice as Irsquom makin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Daman-and-Diu/blog-21206.html Any expectation I could have had or prediction I could have made would not have prepared me for the absolute assault on the senses that constitutes the Indian experience. Since the first moment I stepped out of the airport at 2 o' clock in the morning I was confronted with a place that was unlike any other that I had every seen. The roads were teeming with scooters bicycles cyclerickshaws car http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-19734.html This is a hugely belated blog posting but Sri Lanka is definitely a blogworthy country. There's been a lot of news circulating for such a small country as of late. Last year it was the tsunami and this year it's on the verge of civil war but even through the turmoil it is an enchanting country. The people have such a strong spirit. Spirit that keeps a person optimistic after his wife's legs are http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Sri-Lanka/Southern-Province/Unawatuna/blog-40501.html I'm still uncertain as to how to refer to this enigma of a country. Calling the country Burma subtley voices disapproval at the fact that it is ruled by an oppressive military junta whereas Myanmar is what the government has declared the name of the country to be. It's a country where people can go to jail just for speaking against the government as is the case with the comedy troupe the Moustac http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-37107.html From Diu to Mumbai to Goa to Karnataka that has been the story of my past few weeks. I worked some sweet dance moves as an extra in a Bollywood movie for 14 hours I experienced the roughly tantalizing effects of a 'famous' head massage on Chowpatty beach in Mumbai and have been working on doing some uberrelaxation at some Indian beaches. Unfortunately the weather hasn't exactly been cooper http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Gokarna/blog-23587.html The love story or Shari and Raji begins on a blustering hot midSeptember day in the city of Bikaner in the state of Rajestanhellip As we stood in the courtyard of small desert villa 20 km outside of Bikaner we met for the first time. Their figures were striking legs that seemed to travel downward forever narrow hips and a humpish voluptuousness long curling eyelashes pouty lips surprisin http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Bikaner/blog-20373.html Hopped a train on my birthday from Delhimdashdisgusting dirty marvelous Delhimdashto see the great pearl of India in Agra none other than the Taj Mahal. But with the glut of tourists that the Taj brings so come the touts and the beggars and the salesmen. Basically everyone wants to be your friend ldquoNo buy only lookrdquo and they are relentless. Irsquove only been here for a sho http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-19882.html Moscow the nerve center of the Russian Federation whose landmass constitutes the majority of Asia and formerly extended all the way to the edges of W. Europe this is the epicenter of the former communist experience where you can find the buildings of the former but still infamous KGB the Kremlin and the tomb of their still preserved icon Lenin planted firmly in the middle of the Red Square. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Moscow/blog-18919.html RUSSIARussia for me conjures up images of grayness of communism and thoughts of the Cold War. I guess more recently I think of the Yukos Oil debacle whose head is now entertaining the idea of running for Parliament from jail or of the war in Chechnya. None of these things painted a particularly rosy picture in my mind and additionally I had heard that Russian people were generally quite rude. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Saint-Petersburg/blog-18918.html And now the change of planshellip.I donrsquot know if Irsquod mentioned that I was planning to go directly to Moscow from the Ukraine or not but that was the original plan. However as I was sitting in Lviv and considering my options I realized that about anything was a better option than a 33 hour train ride from Lviv to Moscow. Now if you look at a map yoursquoll realize that Lviv is http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Lithuania/Vilnius/blog-18815.html Somehow the cities and countries slip away from me so fast. I am constantly thinking of what I am going to write in an attempt to communicate with you what not only my experiences are as I travel but also how each place is unique amazing and memorable to see. Unfortunately I many times find myself lacking the words or the coherent commentary to describe all the things that are happening to me. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Lviv/blog-18810.html Finally...after 23 hours on a train in a compartment by myself I arrived in Kiev. True I slept most of the way but nonetheless by the end of it all I was nearly singing to myself and playing out entire scenes in movies. The most excruciating part of the journey however had to do with the border crossing that occurred around 100 a.m. in the morning. Evidently the Ukraine has different sized t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ukraine/Kiev/blog-16343.html It seems that I exist in a time vacuum having no concept of the days of the week or the uncanny ability that time has to fly by. Really it's unbelievable to me that it is now August another month is gone and another country awaits. However the next stop will not be reached without a considerable amount of suffering as my train trip from where I am now in Suceava Romania to Kiev Ukraine wil http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Bucovina/Suceava/Suceava/blog-15461.html I really don't have a lot to say today not much to tell really. I've been in Bulgaria for the past 5 days in Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo 107410771083108010821086 1090107210881085108610741086. They're both nice places or should I say nice places to tour. They have lots of old ruins around and generally the Stari Grad Old Town is very nice to wander a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/North/Veliko-Tarnovo/blog-13490.html Those of you I havenrsquot heard from in some time comment send me a message let me know yoursquore out there Also Irsquom now without my laptopmdashvery sadmdashso all my writing for the next year will be unrevised right out of the head writing apologies in advance for any errors or omissionsSofia BulgariamdashJuly 3rd 2005Thinking pondering wondering debatingmdashwhat d http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Kosovo/Centre/Prishtina/blog-12799.html Tirana the capital of Albania can only be characterized as a bustling out of control city where organization of the infrastructure and people just does not seem to exist. Example When crossing the street whether in a crosswalk or otherwise you do so at your own risk because drivers have absolutely no regard for pedestrians. You are forced to quickly bobandweave in between moving cars th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Albania/West/Tirana/blog-11988.html The suspense is now over we have finally arrived and tomorrow we depart. As logic normally will tell you though people rarely listen is that the hype is usually nothing like the actual experience. It reminds me of the buildup to a GREAT New Yearrsquos Eve party. Every time you have all the hype and all the expectation it is never what you think it will be. In our case we heard a lot of n http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Albania/North/Shkod-r/blog-11876.html By request I am including a small post with pictures that include myself as well as scenery. Yes I am alive and well and haven't become Eurotrendy a mountain man or dirty traveler at least not yet.And a couple of good travel and life quotes Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey. Fitzhugh MullanThe traveler was active he went strenuously in search of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Montenegro/Kotor/Kotor/blog-11677.html Last week was the beginning of my second departure and in many senses the greater departure of the one made previously. I am no longer departing for a place where I will live for some time as I did in Slovenia. I am now on the road traveling to many places varied and distant. I will make my home within the journey in many different and temporary places but enjoying each place for what it ha http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Serbia/blog-11387.html First The Travelerrsquos Manifesto for the next year and a half. Letrsquos lay out the initial plan and see what happens to the plan as it morphs and the world turns as I travel across its great expanse. For a quick summary Irsquom currently in Ljubljana Slovenia studying for the next 5 months. Thenceforth I am planning on traveling to various countries in Eastern Europe namely Turkey http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovenia/Upper-Carniola/Ljubljana/blog-5297.html