Blogs from Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Asia - page 15

Leaving Hampi was the start of the trip north - and heading to the colder climates. The first leg was to Chennai by train - a nice relaxing 11 hour cross-country trip. Everytime you get off a train you manage to forget the tiny details that make it special - the smell of poo and wee whenever the train is slow-moving or stationery (because it goes straight out of the toilets and onto the tracks and sits steaming in the sun), the constant stream of unfortunates waving their various disabilities or very evident poverty under your nose begging for a few rupees, the fact that it doesn't matter if you've been allocated a seat, someone will inevitably be sitting/sleeping in it and will look horribly offended when you ask them to move, the way that Indians ... read more

Well I've had my Indian introduction. And luckily it was a slow easy one. The bus ride from Kathmandu to Kakaoibhitta at the border only took 15 hours, despite the 3 hours it took us to leave the Kathmandu Valley. I was actually crossing the border painlessly, as the only person in line, by 8 am. An hour jeep ride brought us to Siligory and Sid's parents lovely garden house. Siligory isn't much of a city, it is really a road junction, but their house is a little paradise on earth where I spent two days getting fed, reading in the garden, and catching up on my television habit. It was like normal life! I have to admit I kind of miss having a place of my own to just chill in. I decided I should ... read more

Eurgh. Sick and stressed. I am ordered to take 2 days off rehearsal. 2 out of 7 days..we perform in 3....breathe breathe. trying not to stress out. Just going to do a bit of text work today, keep it low key. Take it slow.... read more

Dad took us to India We have already told you about the trips we made to Milan and Berlin earlier this year. But in between those we actually managed to squeeze in yet another trip. That one was to India and we are going to write about it here. Mum and dad have been to India before. Dad has in fact been there twice before. You see, mum and dad are both very old and they also travelled for many years before we were born. It can’t have been very fun for them to travel without us all those years because we always come up with many great ideas on what to do and where to go. But travel they did nevertheless. On this trip to India mum decided not to come along. She had enough ... read more

It really doesn’t help your patience when you have a dodgy tummy but the touts and nasty rickshaw drivers are like flies to shiz with the tourists in Agra. Unless you can afford a luxury AC automobile you’ll be harangued and hassled and bullied into visiting crummy guest houses owned by brothers or cousins and handicraft shops and other useless places. But Tom made it very clear to our rickshaw driver that our answer to all of the above was NO. Then the driver sat in silence for a bit before he said “Angry is not good”. To which Tom replied “Not angry, just firm” which then began a hugely philosophical conversation about protecting ones wife and being careful with ones money vs. all white people are rich and I don’t need your money I just ... read more