Because 2 weeks of traveling isn’t enough
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Merry Christmas!
We did not wake up at the crack of dawn to see if Santa came. We did not have a decorated pine tree overflowing with presents to open. We did not have cookies, pie, or bismarks. We did not have family to spend it with. Staying in our hotel room until after noon with breakfast…
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Udaipur
We’ve been in Udaipur in the south of Rajasthan for three days now, and decided to stick around until after christmas. We’re settled in a lovely guest house, where we feel more at home than we have anywhere in the past 2+ months. Last night we ate aloo gobi with the family on their bed,…
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Traffic
Anyone who likes playing racing games would probably enjoy driving in Indiai.
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Who is the Elephant?
Despite a good amount of western tourists in India, the immense local population insures that we are few and far between, comparatively. This leads to a lot of singling out of us whities for “hellos”, stares, and begging. In Agra, we were siping our spice laden chai on a street lit by candles. The electricity…
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45 Rupees is $1 US
Today’s expenses: 4 Rupees – cup of yummy chai (tea steeped in milk with lots of sugar) 10 Rupees – bottle of mineral water 25 Rupees – basic Thali (rice, bread, daal, curry, curds) at the cheap place 30 Rupees – an hour of internet access from one of the plentiful internet houses 35 Rupees…
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A Feast for the Senses
First impressions of Delhi/India: * Dingy, sparse airport * Persistent and dodgy touts * Zoo of taxis and more touts outside * Hazy polluted air, but cool and “sunny” * Rubble homes, tents, and cooking fires in the Delhi sprawl * Cows standing on the “highway” * Men pissing on the curbs * Indescribable mess…
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One Night in Bangkok
Leave Melbourne at 2:10pm Arrive in Bangkok at 7:40pm (11:40pm australia) Eat Phad Thai at airport Try and sleep until checkin at midnight Wait until flight leaves at 3:50 am Arrive in Delhi at 7:10am, (8:40am Bangkok, 12:40pm australia) The things you do for cheap flights.
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Back from the Outback
We ate lunch Monday in Parachilna, a town with a population in the single digits, at a hotel restaurant licensed in the late 1800s. The population has steadily declined since then like many near outback towns since their brief years of prosperity from gold or otherwise. In Australia, McDonald’s and Best Western are relegated to…
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Lessons Learned in Australia
1) Euros are not a currency. They look an awful lot like kangaroos. 2) “But it’s a dry heat” is just something people say to make themselves feel better. 3) Laughing kookaburras are relaxing if you feel comfortable in an insane asylum. 4) There is a distinctive line where wheat stops growing. We spent a…
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33 degrees and climbing
After five years of drought in southern Australia, the ground is rock hard, the fire bans are daily, and the scenery is 40 shades of brown. This could make for a camping disaster. However, the abundant national parks offer an oasis of trees, free electric BBQs, and, when needed, a borrowed mallet for pitching the…
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