Leaving behind my cozy little routine in Pushkar (it had gotten to the point where I was so well-known around my haunts that the local waiter gave me a bracelet!), I returned to the mayhem of Delhi to join up with my next Intrepid tour, which would take me from Delhi all the way to Kathmandu. Delhi felt a little different this time, a little less threatening, but it was still a wild experience and one I don’t feel particularly tempted to repeat… It’s just such a “full-on” city (as the Aussies would say) - a constant assault of people, smells, [View Full Entry]

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... oh, what a week. My last 12 hours in Jaipur were interesting, to say the least. I got thoroughly yelled at (perhaps 'chastised' is a better word) by a stranger on a street corner, which opened my eyes to how I've been seeing this portion of the trip. V and I were racing around the city in our usual "avoidance" march of blank stares and brisk pace when a man whose "hello"s we'd been ignoring suddenly said "so you don't speak to Indians?" It was insulting, and yet embarassingly on point. A rather heated conversation followed in which we were [View Full Entry]

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I've officially survived my first 10 days in India, praise be! India is a manic place, hectic and noisy and frenetic and just all-around intimidating... But I've survived! I think joining up with the Intrepid tour has a lot to do with that, India is not a place I would want to brave alone. I arrived in Delhi and the representative of my hotel pick-up service was nowhere to be found, so I tagged along with a couple I'd met on the plane and ended up staying in their hotel. I was a little sick (funny getting sick BEFORE getting to [View Full Entry]

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{backdating to pretend I'm keeping up on this} Ko Phi Phi is the quintessential island paradise. White sand beaches, swaying palms, beautiful limestone cliffs dropping off into waters so clear you can see 30 ft to the bottom, while dangling your legs off the side of a boat and cruising by islands straight out of "The Beach". It is not, however, a hidden paradise, but rather (one of) the most touristy places I've ever been. Sandwich and 'pancake' shops far outnumber thai restaurants, and it's definately impossible to "eat local" as I've been trying to do. Everything and everyone on the [View Full Entry]

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Hoi An: Hurtling towards my next stop on yet another bus of death (driving in Vietnam is an adrenalin sport) I had visions of silk dresses and custom-made suits dancing in my head, as tiny, beautiful Hoi An is THE place to get tailor-made clothes... However, I quickly discovered that I'm not a pressure-shopper, and being manhandled by little Vietnamese ladies trying to coerce me into their shop is the worst way to get my business. Rather than, like most, spending all my time in the city in one tailor shop or another, I enjoyed walking (well, wading, it is the [View Full Entry]

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Dalat/Mui Ne/Nha Trang [It's been quite a hectic couple of weeks; the weather in Vietnam has been less than spectacular so there's been a lot of moving. If it keeps raining I may be headed to Thailand/India earlier than I thought.] Dalat is the "kitsch capital" of Vietnam, a European-style city founded by frenchmen up in the mountains. Although going somewhere cold (or at least somewhere where I could maybe put my fleece to use) seemed like a quaint idea, the novelty quickly wore off as along with the cooler temperatures came rain. The city itself was also nothing particularly special; [View Full Entry]

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Welcome to Vietnam! Leaving Cambodia was a little hard to do, but I've read so much and heard so many great things about Vietnam I was excited to get started on that portion of my trip. Spent a couple of days in Phnom Penh seeing the last few things I wanted to, but mostly getting the logistics arranged for getting to Vietnam. There's essentially two ways to get into the country; either take a long bus trip straight to HCMC/Saigon, or meander your way through the Mekong Delta. Considering I'd spent five hours on a very bumpy road in a mini-van [View Full Entry]

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Cambodia is, without a doubt, one of the most emotionally-rivetting places I've ever been. Traveling here over the last two weeks has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, hurtling me from one to another with only moments in between. There are moments of delight in face of the beautiful scenery - lush vistas of green grass, red earth, blue sky, mirrored waters, and simple but beautiful thatched homes, surrounded by the idyllic figures of farmers and their beautiful children (for Cambodian children are everywhere, and they truly are amongt the most beautiful people I've seen), followed ju [View Full Entry]

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{apologies for the late entries, computers in Cambodia leave something to be desired, plus the last week has been a little hectic.} Leaving Bangkok, I was (I thought) prepared for what innumerable travelers had told me would be the hellish path to Angkor Wat. In a country of bad roads, the road from Poipet (the border town) to Siem Reap remained infamous. Leaving the guesthouse at 730 am, I arrived at the bus depot and was rushed onto an 8 am bus (I'd planned on making the 9, if not 930). Already harried, I settled into a five-hour bus ride, and [View Full Entry]

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It was with a bit of trepidation that we approached Ko Pha Ngan, an island infamous for its full-moon parties. It's all well and good to be considered a "backpacker haven," but as any morally superior traveler meandering around Thailand discovers, if Khao San Road is the first and foremost backpacker destination... You'd do well to avoid any places that try to follow in its footsteps. However, despite my best intentions, I found it very hard to do anything but fall in love with the island. True, it is incredibly touristy and over-run with all sorts of backpackers, including those that [View Full Entry]

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