http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , India en-us Sat, 21 Nov 09 01:18:23 +0000 Sat, 21 Nov 09 01:18:23 +0000 The following writing is another extract from some of the work in my book. I thought I'd post it up as it describes one of the notsogood times I had while travelling. I sometimes found it difficult to admit to having bad days and succumbing to loneliness and other difficult emotions but it's part of my travel tapestry and I hope some people who read it might resonate with the feeling behind http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-454644.html okay well hello and sorry for the delay in blogging but ive been busy...beaching and sunning myself at all hours of the day. well...where to begin if you've read laura's blog then im sure you'll be filled in on more details that i'd too lazy to explain. but in short...goa was amazing and i am returning one day with whoever will accmpany me. in palolem we stayed in a little guest house with tw http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Goa/Vagator/blog-454633.html Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 NovemberHow can I best describe our experience here on Keralarsquos backwaters Umm well itrsquos rather like a cross between a luxury cruise on the Nile and a pleasure boat on the Norfolk Broads. For readers whorsquove never done either perhaps I should explain... On Egyptrsquos River Nile large luxurious airconditioned cruise boats glide from temple to to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Kollam/blog-454619.html Test blog. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Udaipur/blog-454205.html By karmic or dharmic or kismatic concidance I found this extremely Bindaaz Bombay Hindi for Relaxed newspaper who uses refreshingly modern Hindi the mixed language every modern Northerner knows and speaks with lot's of English words Urdu and of course the basis is Hindi. Interesting people combined with a laidback and relaxed environment what else does a Hindipassionate want Besides th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/blog-454196.html I just found this site and I can actually upload pictures to it fairly easily it seems More to come here soon but here is a SHORT preview of photos from the trip already http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/blog-454165.html Today was pretty much just a transit day. There was still no hot water at the hotel. I really should have asked about it but didn't want to seem like the spoiled american I am.There was another long and at times bonejarring drive to Jaipur. The driver had Indian music on and it was fun to listen do while we drove. I'm now at the Shahpura House in Jaipur. It is a lovely place and best of al http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Jaipur/blog-454118.html So the morning started with a bit of a shock. My room didn't seem to have hot water. It was lukewarm at best. Big Sigh. I am a totally spoiled americanWe had cookies and coffee while waiting for the jeep to arrive. Sorry Tyler it wasn't red it was a green jeep. It started to drizzle a bit while we were climbing into the jeep. There was no roof on it and I had no waterproof clothing. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Ranthambhore-National-Park/blog-454115.html Day 3 started with a trip to another fortpalace outside of Agra. Deepak was again the guide. It is obvious how much he loves the Mogul history and the Taj Mahal. It was a wonderful and interesting palace with some great photos. Deepak took over my camera again and took the photos. I had forgotten to recharge the camera battery so it gave out during the tour. Once the camera was gone Deepak http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-454112.html On Thursday we travelled from Mumbai to Pune pronounced Poona by train. We opted for 2nd class air conditioned for our first experience of Indian trains just to be on the safe side. The 4.5 hour 100 mile journey cost us less than 4 each a real bargain. We had spacious seats and the 2nd class area was mainly filled with business types and families. Men constantly came through the carriage o http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Pune/blog-454111.html About Lord Subramaya Subrahmanya the god also known as Shanmukha is known to be the elder son of Shiva and Parvathi. He is the god of snakes. About Ghati Subrahmanya Ghati Subrahmanya temple is located at Dodaballapur about 60 km from Bengaluru. This temple is famous as one of the seven Muktisthala pilgrimage centers in Karnataka dedicated to Lord Subrahmanya. It is believed that the i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Ghati-Subramanya/blog-454086.html This blog covers the 2009 De La Salle College trip with 17 students and 5 staff to two social justice projects in India. One project is based at Keesera Andhra Pradesh and the other at Keelamudiman Tamil Nadu. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Goa/blog-454030.html This blog covers the 2009 De La Salle College trip with 17 students and 5 staff to two social justice projects in India. One project is based at Keesera Andhra Pradesh and the other at Keelamudiman Tamil Nadu. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/blog-454028.html This blog covers the 2009 De La Salle College trip with 17 students and 5 staff to two social justice projects in India. One project is based at Keesera Andhra Pradesh and the other at Keelamudiman Tamil Nadu. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/blog-454027.html Monday Nov 16th AlappuzhaToday was the first day in forever it didnrsquot rain. The trekking tour on Saturday pretty much didnrsquot take place cause it was literally down poring. I checked the weather forecast that night and there was rain predicted for the next couple of days all over India. So I changed my plans and instead of going to the Peryar Wildlife Sanctuary I went back to Koch http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/blog-453801.html NamasteWell i finally left my four new friends in Bikaner following the camel safari and got on a sleeper bus to the holy Sikh city of Amritsar home to the infamous golden temple.Eventually following a tiring bus journey I arrived in the city at 430 am I don't know what it is but the Indian buses never seem to arrive at an appropriate time. I therefore arrived in a state of complete exhaustio http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Punjab/Amritsar/blog-453650.html The Leela Kovalam hotel is the largest beach resort in Kerala. Sandwiched between two sandy beaches Leela Kovalam is perched high up on a rocky cliff thereby offering panoramic views of the Kovalam beach . There are three different categories of elegant and tastefully done up rooms in this Kovalam hotel . The Garden View Pavilion Room ensures the ultimate privacy you could ask for. Done up i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Kovalam/blog-453613.html I am now in a very posh hotel in Agra called The Mughal. The whole place is lovely...and it smells wonderful. I think they do something like the big casinos in Las Vegas and perfume the air. The day started early. We left Delhi at 800 and began a very long 4.5 hour drive to Agra. The traffic here is amazing. Not amazing in a good way. Well maybe it is a good way because I haven't seen an a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-453348.html Saturday 14 to Wednesday 18 NovemberIt rained almost nonstop during our 3 hour journey from Kanyakumari but it eased shortly before we reached Varkala. Little did we know that this was merely a lull before the stormHaving struggled to find a way by road into the Varkala Marine Palace and eventually coming to a halt at the foot of a steep incline by their tradesmenrsquos entrance we were met http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Varkala/blog-453328.html After three months already spent here in this Incredible India we realise that 6 months is definitely not enough and that we are for sure coming back for a second round.ldquoIf you think you can you can. And if you think you can't you're rightrdquo First stop Kolkata with hundredandninety percent humidity and monsoon rain. We mingled among the people cows chickens goats drinking chai http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Kangchendzonga/blog-453292.html