Saturday, October 11, 2003
I was surprised the last entry went through as the power went out just as I submitted the post.
We woke up early Saturday and saw the Taj Mahal. Magnificient. Lots of indian tourists. They totally rip off foriegners though. 20 rupees for indians, and 750 rupees for foriegners. Even the government tries to rip you off. Pollution is really bad in Agra as well, and is apparently damaging the monument, so there are no motor vehicles allowed within a certain radius, but no one follows the rules. We parted with Seiji that morning and took the a luxury bus to Jaipur (122 rupees). It was funny, while we were waiting the Italian guy comes up asking all these questions about the bus, we of course happily answered all his questions. After some drawn out conversation he eventually asked to buy bus ticket from me. I don't look indian do I? I guess I was sitting behind a big desk and had my notebook out, and Nina was there talking Hindi. We all had a good laugh, especially because I wasn't planning on selling my seat, which I thought he was wanted. Any how the bus ride was a long 6 hours with a short break midway. Lots of farms between cities. The roads aren't too bad. I thought were going to collide with a few cars because our bus was flying and passing slower cars. I stuck head out the window for awhile and felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. The bus drivers don't mess around. Petal to the metal, literally. It was the only thing that kept the ride interesting. Well, that's if for now. We'll probably head to Bombay tomorrow after taking in the town today.
We woke up early Saturday and saw the Taj Mahal. Magnificient. Lots of indian tourists. They totally rip off foriegners though. 20 rupees for indians, and 750 rupees for foriegners. Even the government tries to rip you off. Pollution is really bad in Agra as well, and is apparently damaging the monument, so there are no motor vehicles allowed within a certain radius, but no one follows the rules. We parted with Seiji that morning and took the a luxury bus to Jaipur (122 rupees). It was funny, while we were waiting the Italian guy comes up asking all these questions about the bus, we of course happily answered all his questions. After some drawn out conversation he eventually asked to buy bus ticket from me. I don't look indian do I? I guess I was sitting behind a big desk and had my notebook out, and Nina was there talking Hindi. We all had a good laugh, especially because I wasn't planning on selling my seat, which I thought he was wanted. Any how the bus ride was a long 6 hours with a short break midway. Lots of farms between cities. The roads aren't too bad. I thought were going to collide with a few cars because our bus was flying and passing slower cars. I stuck head out the window for awhile and felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. The bus drivers don't mess around. Petal to the metal, literally. It was the only thing that kept the ride interesting. Well, that's if for now. We'll probably head to Bombay tomorrow after taking in the town today.
Friday, October 10, 2003
Day 3
We survived our first day in Delhi. It was quite overwhelming. We expected it to be difficult, but you cannot imagine all the things you face. We stayed in a touristy section of town, and our hotel was on the main bazaar in Paharanj. Everyone and their grandmother was trying to sell us (me) stuff. "Eh mate, hail the queen," anything to get my attention. No God Bless America though. I was paranoid at first, but the next day was much better. After being more mentally prepared to take on the day we went outside the tourist area, and walked to the US Embassy to register our itenerary and get info on Nepal and Burma. It was quite a long walk, 2.5 hours (Nina's idea). It was a good walk though. We were approached very little, except for the occasional auto rickshaw, and they were more responsive to no than the others. We walked through areas where there were more working class people and less poor. After the long walk we took an auto rickshaw around to take in the sites. We liked our driver since he was not pushy and took him for the rest of the day. We went to places like the Lotus Temple (very nice inside), Purana Qila (very very ancient fort), India Gate, Parliament, and the Laxmi Temple. Our driver even took us to a place to eat. We had dosas. Only one other foriegner there. Very Indian place. The driver even offered to take us to his house to eat. We declined. Later we went to get a train ticket. There's a special place for foreigners, but information is so hard to get out of them. It's all in this one guy's head, and then once you decide what you want to do, he says something to change your mind and you have to start planning all over again. Very frustrating, but we met a cool Belgium guy there we are now traveling with for the time being. We also met other traveler's as well that have given us insight to the places we are going.
Today we arrived in Agra on the train to see the Taj Mahal, but it's closed and will instead see it Saturday. We're still hanging with the Belgium guy, Tail, and this other japanese dude, Seiji. Both are very good company. Scams everywhere, not just in Delhi. After the second day I feel like a bit of a pro (probably should not though) as we have bargained well (I think) and spent little money. I believe we are averaging around 5 dollars a day. Here in Agra, everyone one is scamming everyone else, so we all decided to join the game and play both sides of the table to our benefit. Taxi drivers get commission to take us to certain stores, these stores charge a lot, but we have to stay there for like 5 minutes. This told to us by the rickshaw drivers, so we helped them out. After a while we said no more bargained to get the taxi ride for free, as the original price was much less than the commission they would recieve. They tried to get us more places, but we put our foot down to take us back to our hotel. People will tell you anything to make a buck here. Lies on top of lies, but we have managed to get by quite well without any hassles. We had a good meal at the hotel on the roof top where we could see a good view of the Taj Mahal, but the pollution is so terrible, you can't see far. Well, internet time is almost up. We'll be in touch later, and will be going to Jaipur Sunday, then Bombay after. Ciao.
Oh one more thing, everything has a price, and thank goodness for Nina's Hindi.
We survived our first day in Delhi. It was quite overwhelming. We expected it to be difficult, but you cannot imagine all the things you face. We stayed in a touristy section of town, and our hotel was on the main bazaar in Paharanj. Everyone and their grandmother was trying to sell us (me) stuff. "Eh mate, hail the queen," anything to get my attention. No God Bless America though. I was paranoid at first, but the next day was much better. After being more mentally prepared to take on the day we went outside the tourist area, and walked to the US Embassy to register our itenerary and get info on Nepal and Burma. It was quite a long walk, 2.5 hours (Nina's idea). It was a good walk though. We were approached very little, except for the occasional auto rickshaw, and they were more responsive to no than the others. We walked through areas where there were more working class people and less poor. After the long walk we took an auto rickshaw around to take in the sites. We liked our driver since he was not pushy and took him for the rest of the day. We went to places like the Lotus Temple (very nice inside), Purana Qila (very very ancient fort), India Gate, Parliament, and the Laxmi Temple. Our driver even took us to a place to eat. We had dosas. Only one other foriegner there. Very Indian place. The driver even offered to take us to his house to eat. We declined. Later we went to get a train ticket. There's a special place for foreigners, but information is so hard to get out of them. It's all in this one guy's head, and then once you decide what you want to do, he says something to change your mind and you have to start planning all over again. Very frustrating, but we met a cool Belgium guy there we are now traveling with for the time being. We also met other traveler's as well that have given us insight to the places we are going.
Today we arrived in Agra on the train to see the Taj Mahal, but it's closed and will instead see it Saturday. We're still hanging with the Belgium guy, Tail, and this other japanese dude, Seiji. Both are very good company. Scams everywhere, not just in Delhi. After the second day I feel like a bit of a pro (probably should not though) as we have bargained well (I think) and spent little money. I believe we are averaging around 5 dollars a day. Here in Agra, everyone one is scamming everyone else, so we all decided to join the game and play both sides of the table to our benefit. Taxi drivers get commission to take us to certain stores, these stores charge a lot, but we have to stay there for like 5 minutes. This told to us by the rickshaw drivers, so we helped them out. After a while we said no more bargained to get the taxi ride for free, as the original price was much less than the commission they would recieve. They tried to get us more places, but we put our foot down to take us back to our hotel. People will tell you anything to make a buck here. Lies on top of lies, but we have managed to get by quite well without any hassles. We had a good meal at the hotel on the roof top where we could see a good view of the Taj Mahal, but the pollution is so terrible, you can't see far. Well, internet time is almost up. We'll be in touch later, and will be going to Jaipur Sunday, then Bombay after. Ciao.
Oh one more thing, everything has a price, and thank goodness for Nina's Hindi.
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
We're in India... Um yah. Well, we got here at 1:30 am and as soon as we walked outside the airport, it is a completely different world. It seems like everyone desparately wants our money. We were approached several times just outside the airport, very dodgy. Fortunately we had arranged transportation to our hotel in advance. Driving at night was not advised by our travel book, and now I know why. The only rule that seems to exist is that there are no rules on the road. People driving down the wrong way, little cars dodging big trucks, people shouting to other cars, horns tooting, yaks blocking the road... It's a bit insane. But we made it to the hotel safely. Squat toilets. I'll post pics later.
We woke up late today and are now just walking around getting our bearings on the city. Today I have already been approached by countless merchants trying to sell me something. They think I'm Australian or English. My shoes are a dead giveaway. In an attempt to blend in I have acquired an Indian style shirt. I will continue to adjust my outer wear so people will be more likely to leave me alone. I bartered with the merchant and talked him down to 80 rps from 100. I'm sure I still got ripped off quite a bit, but it was only my first time. I'm working on my technique. We're in Connaught Place right now in New Delhi. It's very busy and crowded here. There's a McDonald's and Pizza Hut here. US influence very evident. Well I think we're going to go eat now. Thank goodness Nina speaks Hindi. "No" from her is better than "no" from me. Laters.
We woke up late today and are now just walking around getting our bearings on the city. Today I have already been approached by countless merchants trying to sell me something. They think I'm Australian or English. My shoes are a dead giveaway. In an attempt to blend in I have acquired an Indian style shirt. I will continue to adjust my outer wear so people will be more likely to leave me alone. I bartered with the merchant and talked him down to 80 rps from 100. I'm sure I still got ripped off quite a bit, but it was only my first time. I'm working on my technique. We're in Connaught Place right now in New Delhi. It's very busy and crowded here. There's a McDonald's and Pizza Hut here. US influence very evident. Well I think we're going to go eat now. Thank goodness Nina speaks Hindi. "No" from her is better than "no" from me. Laters.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
The Hong Kong Run:
Here I am straight from Hong Kong! Today is our fifth and last day, and ever since we got here I feel like weve been on the go non-stop, which pretty much summarizes the city life here. There are means of seclusion, but not so easily found. Thus far the beginning of our trip has been awesome having been able to see the sights, experience the Hong Kong culture, learn some more Cantonese, and eat lots of really great Chinese food, of course.
Day 1 – Our flight, Cathay Pacific 873, arrived at 6:30am in the morning. Wide awake from the 14 hour time difference we hit the ground running. As I got off the plane I quickly remembered how I disliked Hong Kongs hot and humid weather, with the temperature around 28 degrees Celsius (and it was only 6:30am). My uncle who was waiting for us at the airport promptly took us on our first drive into the city. From the airport, on Lantau Island, we drove to the New Territories, mainland, and visited a Buddhist temple to honor my deceased grandparents. The area was much less developed than the rest of Hong Kong, which is littered with high rise buildings, mostly residential, to accommodate the ever growing population (approximately 6.5 million!) The temple was quite serene, and the presence of a deep tradition was most apparent.
After paying our respects we were off to Tsuen Wan where my uncle's office was located. This area of town was more industrial looking with lots of dingy storage buildings, but then again any building in Hong Kong that was over ten years old was pretty dingy looking, except for the office buildings often seen on post cards. The office was small, but it looked like a place where a business deal was just waiting to happen any second. We took an early lunch nearby and had dim sum (#1), something we would be doing quite often. I think we had dim sum 3 or 4 times in the matter of two days. To say the least, we are dim sum'd out. Well, that goes with Chinese food period. Later on we visited the Lee's where we had, you guessed it, more food. At the end of our first day, we happily crashed, but little sleep was gotten because of the jet lag, and those darn mosquito's. I didn't know I was going to be sharing the same room as them.
Day 2 – This was the most fun and most packed day. A tour guide was graciously volunteered to take us around the island. Ga-Men, a son of my uncle's co-worker, met us early in the morning, after dim sum (#2). In short we saw all there was to see and do pretty much. That entailed going to the most famous shopping centers, riding the ferry across the harbor, eating dim sum (#3) at the floating restaurant in Aberdeen (no more junks, only yachts), going to Stanley (coastal area) and its flea markets, meeting up with more of Ga-Men's friends, eating large dinner, taking the Peak Tram to Victoria's Peak (spectacular view of the city at night), and hitting up some night life. Phew! Long day. It was also PRC, a national holiday of the Peoples Republic of China, so lots of people had the day off. There was a large population of Filipinos out. This is because most maids/servants are from the Philippines because of the cheap labor. They live in the house of their employers and therefore on their day off must go elsewhere. The beach and parks are popular places to go. They are everywhere, seemingly out numbering the native Chinese in some places.
Day 3 – Sunday was much more relaxed. We were shown around by the Lee's who took us to all the cheapest shopping markets. Lots of name brand stuff, but I got really skeptical about the merchandise when it said it was made in Italy, and was only 5 dollars US. Hmmm... I didn't buy anything, no room for souvenirs, sorry guys maybe next time. And we ate of course. Not because we were hungry, but it was just that part of the day. It was explained to me that hunger is not important. We were guests and it was time to eat. I did not have any rebuttal. The rest of the day was shop, nap, eat, sleep.
Day 4 – Finally, a day to sleep in! We got up around 1:30 pm, and got the sleep I so desperately required to functional at nominal levels. We met up with Ga-men again who took us around more, nothing special, but I was able to load pic's finally. Check out the photo gallery Leg 1. We later met up with my uncle and Ga-men's mother who took us to have seafood at the harbors edge. There were tons of restaurants vying for our business, and were very much in our faces. I must say though the food was delicious. Perhaps the best seafood I have had in my entire life; lobster, crab, some other undersea crustacean, abalone, and so on. Extremely delicious. I was actually still hungry after the meal, a first!
Day 5 – Our last day in Hong Kong we are all packed and ready to go, but I think we're running a bit behind our conservative schedule, but it is conservative so I will continue writing, heh heh. It’s around 2pm now, and our flight leaves for Delhi at 10:55pm. We have to go meet my uncle for dinner, taking all our gear on the MTR, subway, and get some shopping done in between. I also have to secure accommodations and transportation in Delhi. What? There’s still time…
Well, as I said before, our time here has been great, and busy like the Hong Kong life style. I'll close this post out with a few key words and phrases I jotted down on my way through the city: fast paced, hustle and bustle, outrageous housing costs, seeking opportunity, let's make a deal, hard working, efficient, people everywhere all the time, Buddhism, shipping, hospitable, hygiene (SARS), mixing bowl, food, competition.
Here I am straight from Hong Kong! Today is our fifth and last day, and ever since we got here I feel like weve been on the go non-stop, which pretty much summarizes the city life here. There are means of seclusion, but not so easily found. Thus far the beginning of our trip has been awesome having been able to see the sights, experience the Hong Kong culture, learn some more Cantonese, and eat lots of really great Chinese food, of course.
Day 1 – Our flight, Cathay Pacific 873, arrived at 6:30am in the morning. Wide awake from the 14 hour time difference we hit the ground running. As I got off the plane I quickly remembered how I disliked Hong Kongs hot and humid weather, with the temperature around 28 degrees Celsius (and it was only 6:30am). My uncle who was waiting for us at the airport promptly took us on our first drive into the city. From the airport, on Lantau Island, we drove to the New Territories, mainland, and visited a Buddhist temple to honor my deceased grandparents. The area was much less developed than the rest of Hong Kong, which is littered with high rise buildings, mostly residential, to accommodate the ever growing population (approximately 6.5 million!) The temple was quite serene, and the presence of a deep tradition was most apparent.
After paying our respects we were off to Tsuen Wan where my uncle's office was located. This area of town was more industrial looking with lots of dingy storage buildings, but then again any building in Hong Kong that was over ten years old was pretty dingy looking, except for the office buildings often seen on post cards. The office was small, but it looked like a place where a business deal was just waiting to happen any second. We took an early lunch nearby and had dim sum (#1), something we would be doing quite often. I think we had dim sum 3 or 4 times in the matter of two days. To say the least, we are dim sum'd out. Well, that goes with Chinese food period. Later on we visited the Lee's where we had, you guessed it, more food. At the end of our first day, we happily crashed, but little sleep was gotten because of the jet lag, and those darn mosquito's. I didn't know I was going to be sharing the same room as them.
Day 2 – This was the most fun and most packed day. A tour guide was graciously volunteered to take us around the island. Ga-Men, a son of my uncle's co-worker, met us early in the morning, after dim sum (#2). In short we saw all there was to see and do pretty much. That entailed going to the most famous shopping centers, riding the ferry across the harbor, eating dim sum (#3) at the floating restaurant in Aberdeen (no more junks, only yachts), going to Stanley (coastal area) and its flea markets, meeting up with more of Ga-Men's friends, eating large dinner, taking the Peak Tram to Victoria's Peak (spectacular view of the city at night), and hitting up some night life. Phew! Long day. It was also PRC, a national holiday of the Peoples Republic of China, so lots of people had the day off. There was a large population of Filipinos out. This is because most maids/servants are from the Philippines because of the cheap labor. They live in the house of their employers and therefore on their day off must go elsewhere. The beach and parks are popular places to go. They are everywhere, seemingly out numbering the native Chinese in some places.
Day 3 – Sunday was much more relaxed. We were shown around by the Lee's who took us to all the cheapest shopping markets. Lots of name brand stuff, but I got really skeptical about the merchandise when it said it was made in Italy, and was only 5 dollars US. Hmmm... I didn't buy anything, no room for souvenirs, sorry guys maybe next time. And we ate of course. Not because we were hungry, but it was just that part of the day. It was explained to me that hunger is not important. We were guests and it was time to eat. I did not have any rebuttal. The rest of the day was shop, nap, eat, sleep.
Day 4 – Finally, a day to sleep in! We got up around 1:30 pm, and got the sleep I so desperately required to functional at nominal levels. We met up with Ga-men again who took us around more, nothing special, but I was able to load pic's finally. Check out the photo gallery Leg 1. We later met up with my uncle and Ga-men's mother who took us to have seafood at the harbors edge. There were tons of restaurants vying for our business, and were very much in our faces. I must say though the food was delicious. Perhaps the best seafood I have had in my entire life; lobster, crab, some other undersea crustacean, abalone, and so on. Extremely delicious. I was actually still hungry after the meal, a first!
Day 5 – Our last day in Hong Kong we are all packed and ready to go, but I think we're running a bit behind our conservative schedule, but it is conservative so I will continue writing, heh heh. It’s around 2pm now, and our flight leaves for Delhi at 10:55pm. We have to go meet my uncle for dinner, taking all our gear on the MTR, subway, and get some shopping done in between. I also have to secure accommodations and transportation in Delhi. What? There’s still time…
Well, as I said before, our time here has been great, and busy like the Hong Kong life style. I'll close this post out with a few key words and phrases I jotted down on my way through the city: fast paced, hustle and bustle, outrageous housing costs, seeking opportunity, let's make a deal, hard working, efficient, people everywhere all the time, Buddhism, shipping, hospitable, hygiene (SARS), mixing bowl, food, competition.
