Travelling

Wrap-up

2010-01-01T07:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back in Canada, and back at work to pay for this amazing trip. There are a few things I need to do,

1) Add pictures of final few days in Taiwan
2) Re-order my posts so that readers can start at beginning of trip
3) Sort the thousands of pictures into a coherent storyline,
4) Start planning my next escape.

It is not if, but a matter of when

2010-01-01T07:28:00.000-05:00

Down to the last few days, and while I thought there would be no more adventures in Taiwan. It was too early to send out the fat lady. I have to thank Dave for this opportunity to add to the adventure.

I have to say that this event was certainly less painful than the last time Dave and I were involved in a vehicular accident. There was no hospital visit, no ride in the back of a police car, and most importantly no damage. Of course we were riding two different scooters, and Dave's only involvement, was hearing the crash and sliding scooter, (not mine but the other guys).

I still don't know why the guy drove close enough so that his mirror (or handle bar) went under my right arm, but he did. I think he might have felt he had to be in my line of travel, and I should have let him in, BUT even if I was so inclined to let him in, it was pretty much impossible. All I know is that I felt a tug, (or pull) on the inside of my forearm, and then I heard a crash and sliding scooter behind me. I stopped the scooter and drove back to the intersection to make sure there were no injuries or damage. The guy was not injured and his scooter appeared to have no new damage and it started so all was good from my perspective. He on the other hand probable felt I was at fault, but.....

What goes around, comes around

2009-12-20T22:48:00.002-05:00

HONG KONG: 2 THUMBS UP. I am sure I could have spent another week in Hong Kong, visiting historic buildings and shopping locations. However, I will have to save them for the next visit. I definitely understand why Hong Kong is synonymous with shopping and food, although I did eat a few meals in my room at the WiFi Hotel, after a long day of sightseeing.

I was going to keep the Octopus card as a souvenir of my trip, but I found out when taking the metro that I was unable to use the card if a negative balance existed on the card, (a final breakfast at McDonald's) put me in the hole. Even though the card allows for a negative $HK 30, (there is a $HK 50 deposit), you can not use it, if you are already in the hole, and since I still had to get to the Airport I had to add more money to the card. but I was able to get a refund (less a $HK 7 service charge).

I was told that the Hong Kong Airport was a shopping mecca, and let me tell you that if you somehow managed to avoid buying a Coach Handbag, or Gucci watch (real not copy), you can blow the remainder of your Duty Free Allowance and pick up a real bargain. HOWEVER, remember I spent my duty free allowance in the guys toy store, "Exclusive" on the peak.

I wondered why my self check-in boarding pass did not give me a gate, but I guess this was because my flight was almost an hour late. Fortunately, I had fully charged my HP Netbook, and was able to upload and tag my pictures using Flickr uploadr.

Well, I realized when I walked boarded the plane, that I was not going to get an extra wide seat, but I would be stuffed in with the other passengers, and I mean stuffed. There were 8 (2 - 4 - 2) seats across, and I was in the one of the two middle seats in the set of 4 seats. While I was a little cramped, I feel sorrier for the two people who were sitting beside me, (I wonder what they were getting paid back for). I am glad that I already had lunch at Popeye's chicken, since I am sure I would have knocked my seat mates unconscious trying to eat my meal. I did have to try out the cup-holder, so I did have some orange juice and some tea.

Finally, back to Kaohsiung, and another trip through immigration, (I think I have my passport number memorized), and I have filled a page up with stamps. It has finally cooled off here, so much so that we have closed the majority of the windows in the apartment. I have also experienced my second building shaker. This time the building seemed to move in an counter-clockwise motion and for around a minute, minute and a half. Enough time that I actually thought about trying for the ground floor.

PS: I decided to figure out what "monetize" meant, so this is why I decided to drop as many brand names as possible, and maybe I can pay for my next travel adventure. r Maybe a North American road-trip, or Back pack through Europe.

Where is the line up?

2009-12-17T09:14:00.004-05:00

Another go, go, go type day. After looking at the Walking Tour suggestions, the Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau Guide book, and a map of Hong Kong Island, I arrived at a plan that would allow me to catch all the highlights, and get a little fresh air and exercise. The first stop was the Noon Day gun, (I was a little early and while I could have taken a tour of the harbour on a boat, I decided to "Griswald" it. However, as the experience starts with the first step, getting to the gun was pretty amazing. I know you should never follow someone you just met down an alley, but hey it was 11:30 in the morning. Anyway, to get to the gun you have to take the World Trade Centre Subway. Well what the guide books never said, (or I skipped over) is that the entrance to the tunnel is not in the main lobby, but rather on the side of the building and you have to walk through the steam tunnels to get to the other side of the road.

After this, I figured I would shoot to the end of the Island see the Western Building, and then work my way back to the hotel. Well I forgot to visit one of the must see's close by the Gun, and I don't think I will get a chance to see it, unless I get an early start and visit it before I head to the airport. The other parts of the walking tour were less eventful, but I am glad I spent some time in India getting used to steep stairs and walkways. While the climbs would never challenge the residents of Shimla, I am glad the incline on the stairs was gentle. I do have to add one suggestion to travelling. If you find a washroom, use it. You may not need to, but use it anyway. I have never had so much difficulty finding washrooms, as I have on this trip. I guess I must not be used to the placement strategy, or signage.

I will also not complain about the incense in Church again. I am pretty sure, but if you want to get around the smoking ban, open up a temple. I am glad I was outside walking around, as I had a chance to get rid of the smoke smell on my clothes. I did not light any prayer sticks, or strike the bell and gong, or even burn any ghost money, but I think I got a little bit of the temple experience.

I also realized that I am now a tourist. I took an escalator up the side of the mountain, for no other purpose, that it was suggested in the walking guide book, as one the longest covered escalators in the world. I may have stopped before the end, but I could not see another set when I turned back. I think I left some other tourists back a level or two. Normally, escalators are not a problem, but they were one directional, so every one I took up, I had to walk back down.

After a few more sites, some which are closed to the public, (military to prevent un-authorized access), so I only took pictures, I figured that I had better wrap up my side trip (Leisurely Garden Stroll I don't think so). However, when I started back, I realized that across this one street and probably up a few stairs, there existed another "Walking Tour Highlight", and if I did not cross the street and check it out, I would alway wonder exactly what I missed. Well, I found a place to sit for a bit, and grab a light snack. The sandwich was fresh, since the guy made it while I was waiting, and I even think he cut the crusts off the bread.

In truth, today was focused around filling in my day around a trip on the Peak Tram. It was perfectly safe, but a little weird to be looking out the window and seeing the face of a building at a 45 degree angle to the one you were heading. It was definitely worth the money, and the view from the restaurant and observation deck were amazing. I did force myself to stop taking pictures of the skyline, and just absorb the fact that I was on the Peak Observation Deck in Hong Kong. I have to add my "Two-Thumbs" up, to this recommended tourist event, and not only because of my excellent dinner at Bubba Gumps Shrimp Joint, with a view of Hong Kong.

I did run into a couple of other Canadians, sure glad I bought the Official Canadian Olympic Sweatshirt to wear. I am sure that I added to the image of Crazy Canucks as I was waiting for the return tram in my sweatshirt and shorts, while the other passengers were bundled up. I have to admit that it was cool, probably only 12 degrees, but still shorts weather.

I realized that I was in trouble, when I asked the sales guy, if they had gadget, and he grabbed this box off the stand and took me to a darkened area of his shop. No, it was not one of those type of stores. He showed me this little portable projector, and it works with a many of the other NEEDED gadgets I already have, can you say PSP. Needless to say, he hooked him a customer. Yep, I bought a few NEEDED items, but in my defence, I did not know I needed them until I saw them. It is a good thing I am on my way back to Taiwan tomorrow and I only have 5 hours in the Tokyo airport on my way back to Canada in a couple of weeks, otherwise I would probably be over my duty allowance. Oh well, I will be a good boy when I get back to Canada.

Buy copy watch, hand made suit, shirts, ....

2009-12-16T09:03:00.002-05:00

Today was spent closer to the hotel, just across the bay in Kowloon. While I have been in cities where they have had amazing and world quality museums and art galleries, today was the first time I have ever spent an entire day touring museums and an art gallery. Of course this could have been because of the free admission offered on Wednesday's, but I like to think I was expanding my cultural base.

While at the start I really tried to stop and read the little notes and pause with each display. I quickly realized that my style was more "hit and run", and not so much a detailed connoisseur. Think Clark Griswald in the Louvre. I do admit that I enjoyed the Hong Kong Museum of History and Hong Kong Science Museum, were a lot more interesting than the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Even though not a lot of display interested me at the Art museum, they had a couple of areas that I felt were good innovations. They had a couple of areas where you could attend a workshop on painting, or pottery. However, the best workshop was where you had to write a story about a number of painting, and they put the stories with the painting. I think I may do the same with a few of my photos. You could also spend a little time and make some snowflakes for Christmas.

I do agree with the lonely plant that the two other museums are must sees in Hong Kong. While I am not sure how much normal admission is, I do feel that they are a good deal, but if you can pick your time, spend Wednesday touring the museums. I think the science museum would appeal more to the hands on visitors. There were lots of displays were you could test your physical fitness, house of mirrors, How things work.... If I may borrow a movie review technique, "Two thumbs Up"

I also walked the Golden Mile, and after a few blocks, you have to get used to saying "No Thanks", "Nope", or eventually just hand gestures, and Don't slow down. When I got up this morning, the Breitling had stopped at some point that morning, but for some reason I shook it and it started to work, so I decided to wear it for the day, but I kept my Wal-Mart Coleman watch strapped on my back pack so I would have the correct time, just in case. The Omega still appears to be keeping time, but how long this will last I can not say. I hope my being less generous with the Buddhist monk yesterday, does not come back and bite me on the "butt".

I did manage to catch the Symphony of lights along the avenue of stars. WOW, let me say it again, WOW. I am not sure if there is additional lights because of Christmas, but it was pretty spectacular. This is one of my "Must see's", but once again, my camera quit before I was ready to come back to the hotel, maybe tomorrow I will come back early and recharge the camera. I guess trying to light up the city with my little flash, sure eats up the batteries. Well, live and learn.

Where were the Life-vests, and would they replay the safety video.

2009-12-15T11:00:00.002-05:00

Well, my week in Hong Kong started out excellent, no problems getting to the Airport from my buddies place, and it seems that with a multi-entry visa, everytime you arrive in the country your 60 days starts all over. This was minor compared to getting assigned to 18A, or also know as the last row in 1st class. It must have been the recent shave and shower that managed to snag me this seat.

Well, getting to the main island from the Airport did involve one snag. You need to purchase a different ticket (token, pass) to ride the other trains that don't go to the airport. Finally, this was solved, and I arrived at my hotel later than planned, but in one piece and without anymore hic-cups.

In order to make the best of my short stay in Hong Kong, I decided to spend one day in Macau, and today was it. After a somewhat late start, I managed to get on the Star Ferry to go to Kowloon, and then walked to the China Terminal to take the Hydro-foil to Macau. I am glad I decided ahead of time that I was not going to get a suit made, and I was on a time-line so I had a built in excuse for the way there, not so much on the way back. I think I found where little boys from the Taj Mahal end up using their skills.

Well, after clearing another set of customs, and running the gauntlet of "private tour guides", I caught a bus to the farthest site, and planned on walking back. Well, I made it to the A-Ma Temple and Marine Museum. After a few quick pictures, I started my hike back. Well I have to admit that I needed a proper map, and not the tourist map, since not all roads are marked, and I did not really want to stay too long in this area looking at a TOURIST map. In any case, I made it to a touristy area, (signs pointing the way to important locations). So I managed to see and photograph a few of Macau's Must see spots, Ruins of St. Paul.

However, just as I was about to start walking back to the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal (about 2 KM), it started to rain, so like the rest of the tourists, I sought shelter in the archway of the ruins. I wonder how often these doors have seen the huddled masses seeking shelter. However, this delay cost me some daylight. I think if I had a proper map (paper or GPS) I would have risked a walk in the rain and dark back to the terminal, but since I only had a 4 hours to catch the last ferry, I decided to get a bite to eat and hail a cab. Well, both were easier said than done. The place I stopped for food, (deep fried chicken (I think)), was pretty slow and I think I probably missed a cab or two at the taxi stand, but the little TV above the till, was showing this shops claim to fame (for a show of some kine, an actor purchased Egg-tarts and then traded the tarts for a buskers guitar so he could woo his lady friend who left their wallet at the stand. See it took a long time for my order to come). Then for a while I was worried that there were no more taxi's but eventually two showed up, one someone stole before the stand, and the other one was going off duty, or she did not want to take any passengers. Third time's a charm, I made it to the terminal, and decided that since I was not going to gamble, the least I could do was take some photos of the lighted casinos, and Sky-line.

Then onto the ferry, well after using the wrong bathroom, (how come no stand-ups), and buying Cashews and a Coke Zero for $40, I caught the ferry back to Hong Kong. I realized something was up once the announcement came on that due to weather we would not make our scheduled arrival time. At some point I realized that I should have paid more attention to the safety video, instead of trying to take pictures of the casinos out the window. It now made so much sense, why they were hauling lots of garbage out of the ferry in Macau, lots of little white bags. There was also a pretty big crew waiting for us in Hong Kong, but I don't think they were really needed, but I could be mistaken.

Well, I managed to avoid the hand made suit sellers and Rodex sellers on the way out, and I figured they would be gone. HA, let me say it again HA. Well, lets just say that don't make an offer if you are not willing to pay it. So far so good, they are still keeping time.

What exactly is a Temple district, We have to get on that bridge, or Two Sparrows in a Hurricane

2009-12-10T19:37:00.000-05:00

As my last blog highlighted there were not as many "interesting" things about Taiwan. Although, the swarm at a light during rush hour, reminds me of Delhi, but I was in the group. In the words of my friend, Watch out for those "Yellow B*(&SRDS", and I think he forgot to add a warning about the "Blue #&(*?". Yes, the taxi drivers and delivery vans, sometimes (lots of times) decide to drive (or park) in the scooter lanes, arrrgh.

This does not mean it was not possible to find ways to entertain myself. It just meant we had to look harder. Well, it seems that university degrees, careers and adult responsibilities do not eliminate childishness. Yes, it is true, while bonds mature, most men will fight it as much as possible, or we hide it really well.

Well in addition to the "MUST DO" Night markets, there are lots of little markets all over the place. One such excursion was the Dry Market, kind of like a trip to Bulk Barn, but with a bunch of stuff that you may or may not recognize. We stuck to the tried and true, pistachios, cookies, and dried fruit. I am sure we could have bought some dried squid, but I was not sure what would happen if we re-hydrated them in water. Maybe next time.

Even though I tweaked my back, this did not mean we could not take some harmless pictures at few of the temples in the temple district. I don't think we offended anyone, but just in case, I put some money in the fortune telling dispenser and if I can find a translator, I will see if I should start paying more attention to all the chain emails I get, Especially, since I have probably burned up any slack and understanding I may have been born with. Lets Ride.

I knew you could get fresh seafood in Taiwan, (it is an island nation), but I did not realize exactly how fresh, until we travelled to Cijian Island across the harbour. We may have just missed the dinner rush, as evidenced by all the dirty tables, but we did manage to get served. Even though, I am sure they were panicking a little before their "English" speaker came and helped out out. I think the fish that was swimming in the tank, would have preferred for her to be on break, but... This was also my first opportunity to visit a black sand beach, and see some of the damage left by the various typhoons.

After a few weeks of NOTHING, it was time to once again get on the scooters and tour around the island. Since we were planning on visiting Kenting, it was probably a good idea to scout out the route. Well, it seems that damage did not only happen on the Eastern side of the island, but also inland. Specifically, one span of the bridge we needed to cross was missing, and we could not get onto the other bridge that crossed the river, (although in low tide it looked more like a marsh). Well fortunately, Dave did figure out how to get on the other bridge, so our trip to Kenting was a go.

I have to admit the scenery was amazing, the ocean on one side, and the mountains on the other side, we had pretty good weather on the way out. As we got closer to our destination (Dave and I took the scooters, and Shannon and Liam caught the bus), Dave mentioned that the wind was a little tricky, and I foolishly thought, sure, I will pay attention. WTF, he did not mention that it was like a hurricane, in that the wind changed direction every second. and at times it seemed to stop the scooters in their tracks. Suddenly, all I could think about were Sparrows in a Hurricane, what a ride.

Well eventually we made it to Kenting, (think Clear Lake, Wasaga Beach, Myrtle Beach, or any other summer city get away), surf shops, beach wear, and plenty of nice sheltered beaches. Of course it was kind of weird to see down filled parkas, wet suits, and flip flops (on the same person). Well the clouds rolled in, just as we arrived in town, and checked into the hotel, but it was still nice enough to sit on the balcony and do a little reading. Of course, I am sure that there may have been a few strange looks, as I sat in my shorts and tee-shirt reading a book. Especially, since I was a westerner who was not consuming massive quantities of beer. I guess stereotypes are tough to maintain the world over.

The next day started off windy and over-cast, and the idea of riding back to Kaohsiung on the scooters in hurricane like wind, (well for a Canadian, anyway) did not seem like a good idea. Fortunately, the sun came out, so we only had to worry about the wind. It was a good thing we had a tale wind for part of the trip, because we did manage to cut the actual travel time on the highway to just over three hours, Unfortunately, a minor GPS glitch caused a 60 minute detour, and once again I regretted not getting the model with an electronic compass. (Which way is North?). Finally, something recognizable, and we were back to the apartment. We expected that Shannon and Liam would have been home for a couple of hours already, since they left at roughly the same time, and were not restricted to a safe speed of 70 KM per hour. BUT, I guess they caught the "Milk Run" version of the bus from Kenting to Kaohsiung.

The Markets.

2009-11-11T18:39:00.006-05:00

Finally made it to computer alley, and I have to say that it is a little bigger than the back lanes back home. I am happy to say that I did blow the budget on electronics that I will have to send back as "Gifts" to Canada. In fact, I was a little shocked that the stuff we had in Canada was cheaper and had just as many bells and whistles. I hear that Japan is the place for really cool stuff, I will have to check out the airport on my way through.

As a law abiding citizen I was also pretty impressed with their ticket and towing system. First, I noticed this white tow-truck stop and back-up. Then I saw a woman running, (they patiently waited, but she was only going to a scooter), so they went into action. I think there was a pit crew of at least two, but there could have been more. In the span of 40 seconds, they photographed, ticketed, and towed the offending vehicle. I kept waiting to see if someone would rush out and try to save their illegally parked car. I guess if you really want to see the rush of the crowds, you have to follow around the truck with a crane attachment, (these guys go after the scooters).

It is true that you can buy anything at the weekend flea market. I don't know where they get all this stuff, (Mike, Andrew?), but they have a lot of it. If you were looking at buying a corded set of power tools this is the place. Hey, who doesn't need a Dewalt reciprocating saw, and a circular saw or two. Of course the saying about not needing it was completely accurate. One thing we were looking for was a snake to fix the slow draining sink. We did find snakes, I think there was a cobra in a cage, but I did not stick around to see what they were doing with it, "Snake Wine", no thanks. However, since we did not find a plumbing snake, we had to make do with the tools we already had, and guess what, the sink drains quicker.

Don't think this has been a giant, shop, shop, shopping trip. We did manage to find some time to travel to the coast and see the Strait, and some container ships. I am not sure, but I think one wave looks like any other wave, (my camera was unable to get threes complete pictures for a landscape shot). Oh yeah, another rookie mistake. At some point, I must have turned down the quality on my camera since I was only getting 1MB pictures, I may have to return to the coast and flea market one more time.

10 quakes a day, is this a minimum or maximum

2009-11-06T05:56:00.004-05:00

Well, it is true that taller buildings sway more. I remember being in a house in Ottawa when there was a tremor and it was nothing like the side to side motion of the shocks we had yesterday. Fortunately for me, the epicentre was not in Kaoshiung, but about 100kms away, so we only got the sway and not the dish rattling, window breaking, effects they had around Nantou City, and Hualien City. I did go onto the Central Weather Bureau's website to check out the quakes, and it seems that there were 10 tremors (shocks and aftershocks) yesterday, and 10 today. Just a little warning for my Canadian friends and family who are experiencing the first touch of winter, don't look at the temperatures, they will not make you feel all light and cheery, ;-)

http://www.cwb.gov.tw/eng/seismic/quake_index.htm?

Still no trip to "Computer alley", but I did manage to go to a couple of markets, and the location of a giant flea market was pointed out to me. I heard it is like Preston Hardware, in that if you can not find it here, it does not exist or you don't need it.

First trip into the country

2009-11-04T09:39:00.002-05:00

It is good to know that scooters can be used for distance travel, and Google Earth can be used for directions. After a day of nothing but reading, scratching mosquito bites, and general all around laziness, it was time to get out of the apartment and try a short road trip. After a somewhat early start, (breakfast and showers before 10am), we took to the scooters for a trip to the Fo Kuang Shan, (try to say that five times fast), about 20 KM from the apartment. I was told that the trip would take about 45 minutes, and we would be in the country.

My guide was a little off, but not by much, if we did not count the time spent getting to the city limit. After parking the scooters, and getting a quick drink, and an Ice Cream cone, we stopped by the gift shop to pick up a hat, and Dave wanted to buy a couple of souvenirs. Then onto the temple, but first we had to get our temperature checked, (I am not sure how accurate the infrared scans are but they are using them everywhere). I was told we could have taken the elevator, but my time in Shimla, prepared me for the climb. Fortunately, there were a number of interesting photo opportunities along the way, so breaks were possible.

I have never seen so many Buddha's in one place, (BuddhaLand), but it was pretty spectacular, seeing hundreds upon hundreds of identically posed statues. I was a little concerned about the photo ops, we were attempting, but I realized near the end of the tour, where we saw many different types of statues (white ones), that enlightenment does not mean "no laughter", I like to think that if the wise guy was with us, he would have suggested other pictures we could have taken with these statues. Of course, what he would think, and what those who follow his teachings think are probably not the same.

I also sat in my first ESL class. While I am not sure if I would give up my day job to teach English, I do think you could have a lot of fun teaching this subject. The problem would be adjusting your language to match your students levels.

I have also been into a Taiwanese version of Future shop, I am happy to say that I did not buy anything, but I will not jinx myself, since we still have not browsed "computer alley"

Nope, my name is not Andy.

2009-11-01T02:00:00.002-05:00

Well, yesterday (Halloween) was a trip to my favourite store. Yes, I went to Costco, and it was a little taste of home to see Kirkland brand snacks, and trays of muffins, and of course electronics. I want to thank Dave and Shannon for arranging to have their computer monitor die when I entered the country. I am not sure how they knew that I was craving some western style electronic shopping, but this whetted my appetite for a little while. Although, I hear there is a computer alley, somewhere in the city.

Well, since the scooters were full of stuff, and I did not yet have a chance to walk around the city, I decided to trust my GPS and walk back to the apartment on my own. I was pretty sure I could find my way back, but about 10 minutes into the walk, I realized I should have taken a cell phone, and maybe the full address, (in English and Mandarin). I thought I was in pretty good shape until I turned, and I was heading away from where I was supposed to, then again, could I really trust the GPS, I am a guy after all. I think I added a few extra blocks to my route, but I eventually found my way back.

I have to wonder, exactly how much we westerners appear to the locals over here. I never expect to be mistaken for someone else in Canada or anywhere for that matter, but I guess if it is going to happen anywhere, Asia is where it is likely to happen, since all us "weiguoren" or "gwai lo" look alike. On my little walk, (need to find shade), I was a little startled to hear "Are you Andy", (I feel sorry for Andy, since obviously he looks like me), ;-). I think this little unexpected usage of English threw me off, since shortly after, I made the wrong turn. Although, I am not sure if I even had to make a turn, since I think I found the spot where I turned, a block or two from the apartment.

I was a little worried that Dave and Shannon had gone back and looked for me, since they were not in the apartment when I went up. Once again, "I should have taken a cellphone", well I decided to wait outside the building for them to come back after looking for their wayward guest. Once again, my hosts have been very helpful in providing fodder for my stories, but not necessarily involving me directly. Which was especially thoughtful since I don't think 2 motorcycle (scooter)accidents in as many months would give me the confidence to get back on my bike in the springtime.

It seems that the Costco bags here, do slide on the scooters deck, and while Shannon was adjusting it back into place after it had fallen, she was rear-ended by another scooter. Fortunately, neither she or Liam (their son) were injured, although their scooter took more damage. The other guy was not as lucky, as he actually fell off his scooter onto the grassy median, but his scooter was not damaged, so it all comes out in the wash. We now have to take the scooter for repairs, and my hosts have decided that it might be a good idea to get local driving licenses, instead of IDP (International Driving Permits).

First Temple and relaxation

2009-10-30T11:23:00.003-04:00

Well, I have seen my first temple, and let me tell you it was pretty amazing. Three Giant Buddha's. I did not enter this one but rather tried to follow his story, which unfolded on tablets set counter-clockwise around the temple. After starting at the first one, we somehow reversed the order, I guess the elderly gentleman walking the route in the other direction should have been a clue. Oh well, enlightenment comes to us all, eventually.

Today was also spent working on the pictures, and trying to make sure that you can see exactly where they were taken. I think I have it worked out, the following link should take you to a map, with all the geo-tagged photos, and by double clicking on them, the location information will be shown on the lower right had side, in the additional information section.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51981689@N00/map/

Tomorrow: Halloween, or 2009 Festival of Fire Lions, (Temple district)

Mr. McDonald?, Your plane is waiting

2009-10-29T09:59:00.004-04:00

Well, I thought that I would be story-less until I arrived in the ROC (Republic of China, or Taiwan). However, I am now one of "those" people, a last minute rush to find my seat on the plane, (and in the business class section of the plane). In my defense, I did not hear the announcement for my flight, and the first thing I knew some lady was touching my shoulder and letting me know that my flight was waiting for me, arrrghhh.

I am not sure, but until this moment I am not sure if I will have the same type of adventures I had in India. They have 7-11's everywhere, Starbucks and McDonald's, which is a little bit of home in a sea of traditional Chinese characters. The only things I recognize are the numbers.

However, I have extended my riding season, yes, I am riding a scooter in Taiwan, (I would not have tried this in India). Fortunately, the rules are similar, except when making left turns. In this case, you have to go to the specially designated spot for scooters and wait. A better way to explain it is you make left turns in two stages.

I am sure glad I arrived in October, the cooler season because I am not sure I could handle the plus 33 (humidex of 40 to 50 and a UV index 11 and 14). Can you say, broiled and boiled at the same time.

I am not going back, Business class rocks

2009-10-27T20:17:00.003-04:00

Ok, just arrived in Malaysia, and I have to say, that flying business class is worth it, called 1st to board, able to get out of the plane first, free meals in lounge, and free Internet Access, (Wireless here, and Wireline in Delhi), not to mention a meal with courses, and real cutlery and glasses.

Anyway, just wanted to do a quick post, a clear break with the India part of my trip. On the flip side, I am 13 hours ahead of EST.

32 and Smoke, or Random observations

2009-10-27T11:33:00.000-04:00

I initially started this post when I arrived in India, since I noticed many things which did not fit into any one day, or only happened once. As I sit in the Delhi Airport, waiting to enter the secure area, I figured I better wrap up the blog on India. So today, will be a mis-mash of stuff, (ok, there was very little order before, but hold onto your seats, there is no rhyme or reason).

32 and Smoke was the forecast for the very first day, and I thought what does this mean, I thought it was smokey already, what would it be like if the weather network was calling for smoke. 15 days later, I still notice the smoke but it is not so bad, it is true you can boil a frog, without him jumping out of the pot. I also don't find the heat and humidity crazy, but maybe it gets warmer as the sun goes down, maybe it does. Although, I do plan on being on the other side of the security line (after 8pm), and in the AC lounge. I am counting down the minutes, not because I want to leave the country that badly, but I really want to check my bags, so that I will only have to worry about my backpack.

I don't know how it works, but it does. While my Canadian trained sense of order is amazed and sometimes shocked at the chaos and lack of regard for driving laws, people and goods do move from point A to point B. I am also amazed that corruption is so prevalent, in addition to a entry tax, we had to pay a bribe, not because we were doing anything, but so that the border service people would make our journey more "interesting" than it was. Once again, I am really thankful that I am not doing this on my own, for the first time in India.

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, and a video must be worth a 1000 times that, but even if I had full-motion video running constantly, I don't think I could adequately convey to you a complete picture, unless you have been to India, (or a similar developing country) would fully understand. For example, there is a rule of 10 people in a vehicle and it appears this is checked only at the toll booths, (which seem to be every 50 KMs). At these oasis of calm, (HA, let me say it again HA), numbers 11 through 20 would get off the vehicle and walk through the gate. While I have mentioned the motorcycle passenger limits, I could not stop wanting to take a picture of these daring people. It would be one thing, if she was holding on to the driver while riding side-saddle, but this is not the case. I did take one photo today, of a woman who was holding a baby (less than a year old, I guess), out like I would hold my nieces and nephews, and this was while her husband (?) was manoeuvring in traffic, and over rough roads, (A KLR would kick butt over here.

If you don't know ask. First, I was glad to see a western style washroom, in all the places we have stayed or visited. However, there was one component that I did not understand. I guess Crocodile Dundee would use this to wash his boots. I do have to say, that I do prefer the North American approach, especially since there did not appear to be a way to control the water temperature, and a little shot of cold water in the morning or the middle of the night, would not be my favourite way to wake up. But hey, call me crazy.

The showers (baths) are also something we are not used to, it is a bit of a shock to see a shower head without walls, curtains, or glass in those homes which have upgraded (?) to a western style shower. I question if this is an actual upgrade, because the more traditional method is very environmentally friendly, since you are limited to a set quantity of water. At the same time, you have to plan a little bit for a bath or shower, since you have to turn on the Geyser, (yep it confused me the first time also). The basic idea is that you fill a container with warm water, and then you wet down, then you soap up, and then you rinse off. I guess in a country where there are perpetual shortages of everything, you take steps to ration water. At the same time, the traditional toilet, is also more water friendly, even though it would take a bit of practice to get used to it, you would definitely not spend any additional time sitting and reading.

I know that you have to bargain for everything here, and even though I started my practice in North Bay, when buying new cell phone covers, I have nothing on the local population, however. I think that this skill goes away with time, since I believe that Ruby, actually paid the price written on the package. I now know that it is something you are either born with or learn it really early. After our walk, (no climb) to and from the mall we stopped at the little store above the house where they were also selling fireworks. There was this little boy, maybe 5 or 6 bargaining like a seasoned pro for some firecracker. I think he wore down the guy, since he was the one who looked like he should have been kissed first. I wonder if this kid would be willing to come with me when I look for a truck, hmmm

I am not sure if I would ever get used to eating and then going to sleep, especially a good, wait GREAT spicy meal. However, it is pretty common that the last meal of the day is taken just before bed Of course this follows a late lunch, (1-3pm). Aside from the unusual hours of eating, the food here has been great. I suspect that typical Canadian cooking will be a little bland when I return.

I also have to say what an excellent driver Harnek was, in fact I would recommend him (or his father, he took us to the Red Fort), to anyone who is coming to Delhi and wishes to have a reliable and English speaking car and driver. Contact me if you want his contact information, I am sure he can also put you in contact with the guide in Agra, who will be more than willing to show you "the Other side" of the Taj Mahal, I am almost kicking myself for not buying that carpet, and the inlaid marble pieces. C'est la vie.

Finally, I have to say something about the hotels, all of them were excellent, great service, very friendly staff, and beautiful rooms. The meals were excellent, and really reasonable in Canadian terms, in fact India has been a very reasonable vacation, (of course it might have been different, if I was staying in hotels the entire time, or I did not get a deal on certain hotel rooms, (special package deal), it is good to know important people. I sure hope I can return the favour when Ruby's family visits Canada. However, I am going to suggest that one should not eat and go directly to bed.

Till next time,
Cim "I really like Hot Tamales" McDonald

You have to laugh,

2009-10-26T12:22:00.001-04:00

Tonight is my last full night in India, and what better way to celebrate it, than to have a Gin and Tonic on the rooftop of the first 5 star restaurant in Agra, or the city where the Taj Mahal is located. I think that if I squint hard enough, it may be possible to see the Taj. I know it is supposed to be beautiful in the moonlight, and at sunrise, but the thought of running the gauntlet one more time, is a little daunting. I know before leaving Canada, I stated that if things got really crazy, I would hole up in a 5* and wait for my flight. I have to say, that at no time did I ever feel that this would be necessary, although, tonight I am staying in the hotel, and not venturing out for the "perfect views". Although, my roof-top perch has been set up for a private party, with all the necessary components, including a live band.

The trip from Brahatpur was uneventful, except for the last 15-20 kms, when we travelled on local roads. what a trip, I completely understand why Harnek was only going 15 or 20 kms an hour. I would not want to have to change a flat tire on that road, (and I mean on the road, because there really was no where to pull over). While I said I was done taking pictures of packed traffic situations, over-crowded buses, I had to add one more, I not only saw the gent run after the bus, but also climb on the ladder, and ride it down the highway, this deserved a picture.

The guidebook stated that you had to have a sense of humour when dealing with the "hawkers" on the way to and from the Taj. I now understand, they not only hit you up on the way in, where they try to sell you goods, (that you can not take inside), but also wait for you on the way out, (way to go Johnny Boy), I made a tragic error, I stated a price, that was obviously too high, and there was no way to get out of it, 500 rupees for a book about the stuff in Agra, and post-cards. Especially, since I bought 3 tee-shirts for 250 rupees. You win some, you lose some.

One of the scams in the guide book, was to be on the watch for "touts" who take you to special shops, to get "rock bottom", only for you prices. I figured that since I already had a driver, I would be immune to this type of situation, what I never bargained on was, my driver getting sucked in. Our guide at the Taj, who in addition to being very knowledgeable about the Taj, and where to take the best pictures, (Guiding is a family business), wanted to show us the "other" part of the Taj, specifically an inlaid marble shop, where I could white marble items, inlaid with precious gems, done in the same fashion and by the descendants of the original workers. I have to admit, that I was tempted, the prices were reasonable, and they were very nice pieces. THEN, I saw similar items, being "hawked" to the tourists who thought they were safe. Oh well.

However, the real adventure began, when we had to see a shop where they manufactured genuine silk carpets by hand, (3 persons, 3 months to create one carpet). On the way in, I passed a British lady who was on her way out, and she said "Be prepared", once again the strategy is to throw everything out, and eventually you may purchase one. In this case, I was pretty close, especially since he went from 26,000 rupees, to 10,000 rupees as his final price as I walked out the door. I guess I could have purchased it and shipped it back home, but what would I do with a hand-made silk carpet, if I could fly, maybe. (I just got the reference to flying carpet, so many of them came out so quickly, it was like they were "flying off the shelves".

Well, tomorrow is the start of a travel day, and eventually, I will arrive in my next country, without any big problems. I hope you enjoyed this part of my blog, and stay tuned for the next part, "Not another Fracking Temple", or "What do you mean, those are illegal here, I bought them at Costco, DAVE".

The best so far

2009-10-26T01:18:00.000-04:00

Well today was a travelling day from Jaipur, the pink city towards Agra, or the Taj Mahal. At the suggestion of my most excellent host in Shimla, it was suggested that I stay a night (or visit) the UNESCO recognized Bird Santuary in Bharatpur. I have to admit that I was a little, "whatever", but upon reaching the hotel, AMAZING. It is kind of like a little resort in the middle of chaos. There are 25 spread over 4 villas, there is a pool and spa, as well as a yoga class, hmmm, do I try yoga in India, after having taken 6 weeks off, a little part of my brain is saying yes, while the rest of my body is saying take the book, decisions, decisions.

I am not sure how many other guests are staying at this hotel, (The Bagh), but there can not be many. I saw a few earlier today, before heading off to the sanctuary, but since I have come back, there has been no one except the staff, (ok, Kingfisher in a crystal glass, potato chips in a blue fired pottery bowl and cloth napkins, is it too early to retire and collect my pension and have it sent here, hmmmm). I will probably eat later tonight, as tomorrow will be a completely slacker day, not getting started until 11am, and then a short 2 hour drive to Agra, (65 kms), then a tour of the Taj Mahal, I have not picked up any Taj related souvenirs up to this point, but I guess I should. I have done really well until now, but that is probably because I have been limited for space, and I will probably spend the evening repacking ( there is no TV in my room) to see exactly how much space I do have.

Well, I decided that since I was here, I might as well visit the sanctuary. Once again foreigners paid more for the pleasure of visiting this tourist attration, 200 versus 25 rupees. I know I can afford it, but from a utility perspective, the locals would get more from the tour, since they don't have quiet green spaces. At a certain point there was no traffic noise, just the sound of the guy beathing as he was peddling the rickshaw. Yes, I added another form of transportation, I will probably not add the train, and riding on top of a bus, or hanging off the back of a jeep, but there is one more. I don't think I need to add these last two forms, but never say never. Just kidding mom.

I was pretty blasé about the whole, look, there is a yellow billed blackbird, (I am making this up, but you get the idea). However, I did manage to take a few pictures of parakeets, (For Wanda and Yannick), and an Indian Inspector, (I think it somehow protects the other birds with its tail, that is V-shaped, once again, Economist not Orthonologist). Then we got off the rickshaw and walked down this path, where we saw Herons, (Not a big as I pictured), other little birds, BUT then a stork was visible in the distance. This is the only time I wished I had brought the big camera. I zoomed as close as I can, and I will have to rely on Photoshop to make the bird recognizable, but I have a picture of a stork, that I took with my camera. Then after deciding to go back, the guide noticed that the stork had come closer, I rushed back to take a better picture, but I only managed to get a few of them as he took off, Once again photoshop, will clean these up, and make a recognizable bird picture. That is all for today, nothing really interesting happened, which is a good thing,

Next: The Taj Mahal

Good luck customer is the first customer of the day and I'll have my drink in a dirty glass

2009-10-24T12:05:00.002-04:00

Since I don't want to tease too much about my trip, I will not spend too much time on the fact that I am writing this blog on the roof on a very classy hotel, drinking a Kingfisher beer, in my shorts and tee-shirt. Yes, I know that October can be short weather for me, but I am warm, and the breeze is just enough to cool off the 35 plus day, and keep the pollution at bay. Of course this may be because I have been here 12 days, and I have forgotten what clean air smells like, BUT, I know what 34 degrees feel like, and it is Vacation, :-).

Well today, was a good day, I managed to find some cereal, so I started my day off right, but I had to use vanilla milk instead of cold milk, well maybe tomorrow. On this note, I have to say I discovered that if you take plain yogurt and sprinkle it with pepper, you have a very tasty treat. Of course, the consistency of the yogurt we have in Canada is different from that in India, but Ruby, says that adding buttermilk to it back in Canada will get the right consistency.

In any case, before I start on how great the food has been let me get onto today. Today we started at the observatory, where I got an accurate description of how a sundial works, and now maybe the guide as looking at my watch, but he was able to tell me exactly what time it was, down to the minute. This is nothing, with the big sundial (Guinness book of World records) they are accurate to within 2 seconds. In addition to the sundials, (three of them)' you could determine in which sign of the Zodiac the sun was currently, and what your horoscope would be for that day. What is amazing is that there were constructed over 300 years ago, without modern measuring tools or super-computers to get correct positioning and angles. Forget, traveling back to see the construction of the pyramids, the number guy in me, says "lets go back to the construction and calculation of this place".

Next we went to the City palace, which from a historical view is way more important than the Observatory, but from a picture taking perspective, not so good. In fact, all the places you would want to take pictures, (i.e., the textile museum, the weapons museum, the hall of the maharaja's) you could not take any. HOWEVER' you had to pay for your camera, but I did receive an audio tour of the exhibits, so I think it all evened out in the wash. Aside from paying to have my picture taken with some royal guards, (after the fact, maybe the RCMP could look into this as a source of income on Parliament hill, although I don't think the money I gave made it to the central fund), and getting into another tourists vacation picture, only two things really stood out. The weapons armoury, (I am a guy what can you say), and the two giant silver water jugs, (another Guinness record, I think), which were used to carry water from the Ganges to London during the visit by the Maharaja of Jaipur, a long time ago. Yes, I know, a history buff, will say I am playing fast and loose with the facts, but hey, I am an economist.

After this, what visit to Jaipur would be complete without a visit to their market. I know I don't have room, and many miles to go before I get home, but I had to try my hand at bargaining. After the first shop, where the guys were opening up and tossing out stuff by the handful, I realized that I would not go into a shop, to "LOOK" at something again. So in typical "Cim" style I set a couple of ground rules, "first, don't start ripping stuff-out, because I will walk", after this I entered a couple of shops and did purchase a few items after haggling with the guys. While I may not have gotten the best deal, there were a few rounds, and I managed to pick the stuff up for less than the starting price, so it was all good, even though their starting price was less than I would have paid in Canadian dollars. Besides, the driver Harnek, may not have gotten that much better a deal, but who knows. It was my first foray into the Jaipur bazaar, and I did not pay first price, so all is good.

At this point,we decided to get some food. I was ok, but Harnek who slept in the car, had not eaten, so we found this little diner. I suspect Ruby would have felt safe eating here, since it was a super busy place and locals were coming by taxi to eat here, so the food was probably fresh and good. While I am sure I could have eaten here and had no problems, I did not want to risk it, but Harnek did have lunch. I had, fresh pineapple juice, a Lhaso (served in a clay pot), and some ice cream.

After this lunch, we had to cross the street for a fourth time. (I have to remember that they drive on the other side of the road, so traffic is coming from the other direction). I am not sure where these skills came from, especially since I grew up in Dauphin, where people obeyed traffic laws, but more important, I think the park across street from this hotel has more people than the entire population of Dauphin. But I digress, I MADE IT, note I missed at least one crossing opportunity while filming this video.

Now onto the really challenging part, the inner gate. While I am sure two people holding hands could have brushed their shoulders on the opposite walls, if they were brave enough to do this. We had to get through this portal with Cars, tuk-tuks, bicycles, rickshaws and other pedestrians heading in both directions. This was doable, all you had to do was wait for an opportunity and take it. What was more difficult was doing this in the car, with no-one acting as a traffic marshal. I think they were all trying to catch tourist cabs making wrong turns. Although, I am not sure if they could have organized this chaos into something that any North American would recognize as movement of traffic.

While, I could have gotten a computerized astrology sign made for me if I knew the exact time of my birth, I decided to find this little out of the way artisan's gallery. It was difficult to find, since it was in his home, but we did manage to find it, and would you believe I could probably see his house from my hotel room. Finally, a quick stop for some banana's and back to the hotel and writing this entry, (on the rooftop, where there is a breeze, and it is a nice and warm 31 degrees Celsius, and I have finished my beer).

I noticed there is a western style mall, across the street, and I may or may not go and check it out once the traffic dies down, but I think I may have had enough of crowds, and "just look, you don't have to buy" for one day, besides, I have no room in my bags. I might have to pare down the stuff I am carrying onto Taiwan. Do you think the, "Sorry Dave, it is amazing, I could only find the Hot Tamales, and nothing else on the list" excuse would work. Ahh, who am I kidding, I would have to add, AND, security had to open and check to make sure they were not illegal, so here is your Red Hot Tamale", :-).

Next: You mean, Bird sanctuary was not code for a bunch of British girls seeking refugee in Bharatpur?, (I am so PC, it hurts, ;-)) or 6th floor view is great, sleeping under an Indian Dance club not so much.

Now my trip is complete, I can leave India, saying I experienced it all

2009-10-23T12:17:00.000-04:00

Well, after a somewhat later start caused by the traffic in Delhi we made it to Jaipur, and eventually found the hotel. Even though we still asked for directions, The guide book, (India: Lonely Planet) and the India Road Atlas & State Distance guide proved useful, well for me anyway, as it helped me orientate myself in this historical city. After checking in and putting away my bags, I wanted to go and see at least one place, since tomorrow will be a very busy day. Unfortunately, we arrived as they were closing the gates at one place (Jantar Mantar), and only 15 minutes remained at the other place (City Palace) , and the cheap economist in me, said "No Way" we will try to jam everything in tomorrow, besides I have a few blogs to post, and some pictures and video to upload.

Well, I was not going to write about our little incident in Delhi, but given the two events that happened today, I figured that I might as well. One of the things that also happened in Delhi was the Vehicle-pedestrian interaction. I suspect that this happens on a regular basis. although I suspect our incident was pretty mild, or at least the cab driver never stopped. I really don't think he could have, without causing a vehicle-vehicle interaction. In Jaipur, we had at least one vehicle-vehicle interaction, although there may have been another. In this case, the car was hit from behind by a motorcycle, although the guys was pretty friendly, he smiled as he pulled up beside us, "No blood, No Foul".

The other incident, happened because they turned a major roadway into a one-way road only. This meant that we could not get back to the hotel the same way we left it, so we had to take back roads until we could get back on the right path. Well, after going in one direction, and then another, and finally another, we came back to the main road, unfortunately, it was still a one-way in the wrong direction. At this point, the driver made an executive decision, and drove the wrong way down the street. Everything was ok, until we were caught by the traffic police. I have to hand it to Harnek, (my driver), he tried really hard to get out of a ticket. I even think he went back to the street and showed there were no signs, (always try the ignorance card). Later, I heard that for only $200 rupees, he would forget he saw anything illegal. However, since Harnek is a very honest fellow, he decided to take the ticket. In this case, this was the most economical decision, as the ticket was only $100 Rupees.

Next: The Pink Palace and how to tell time without a clock

Political Rally, Cattle Drive and different rules for every vehicle

2009-10-23T12:01:00.002-04:00

First, I want to thank Ruby, his family and friends for giving me a chance to get used to India before I struck out on my own. I am now on my own, somewhat, since I am traveling with a taxi driver who has been vetted by his family. Now I only have to make sure that I am up and ready to go, tomorrow morning, as there will be no 6:30 wake-up call to make sure that I was ready for the taxi to Delhi. After a final firecracker, (it was payback for the dog, who was barking like early this morning), I started my trip down the mountain. There is no way to describe the actual trip, so I will just add a video, that shows what we saw through the front window. When watching the video, note that many times the road went right to the edge of the cliff, and we never really encountered a car passing a bus on one of the curves coming at us in the video, but it happens all too often, and sometimes you are the car passing.

On this trip, I was traveling with the driver and one of his friends, (which is good, since he will have someone to keep him company on the way home, and he had someone to help with the navigation to the hotel). After about 5 hours of driving we stopped for lunch, and I would have the opportunity to try my skills ordering food. In terms of time, I probably should have went with the thali, but I was not willing to risk it. So, I ordered vegetable and cheese porgoras, (sp?) and a coke. I figured that deep frying this stuff would have killed anything that I might not have an immunity to. Did you know that hot peppers look suspiciously like green beans, but are A LOT hotter.

After this lunch stop, we were ONLY 120 km from Delhi, so I might be able to do something when I got in. HA, let me repeat, HA. I don't know how it happened, but somehow we ended up off the "fly-over" in Panipat, and took the local streets. Even, though we were not traveling at the lightening speed of 80 km/hour, we were moving, not like the other side, where a political rally, stopped traffic. I was glad we were not heading that direction, finally we made it back to the fly-over, and were well on our way. WRONG, there was a rally our side of the highway. Yes, I said it ON THE HIGHWAY, well in typical Indian driving, everyone who did not want to follow or attend the rally, crossed over the divide and traveled on the other side, (a sudden Diversion, as they would call it here), until we were able to cross back.

Then clear sailing to Delhi, NOPE, we ran into a cattle drive, coming at us on the highway. At this point, I can only shake my head and like a good tourist, take a picture. I may be getting used to the traffic, but I don't think so, since I still tense up when I see someone crossing the highway with a bag full of straw on their head, or cars coming at us from the other direction in the wrong lane. It is all good, and part of the story I have been telling.

Finally we reached the hotel, about 3.5 hours after leaving our lunch break, I was so happy, that I probably over tipped the driver by 500 rupee's, (or just over 10$). I will not get used to the large numbers. Once in my room, and dropping off my bags, I had to check out the bathroom, THERE IS A SHOWER and TUB, thank you for luxury hotels. Once again, I found myself eating after 8pm, but I wanted a light meal, so I had some tomato soup, and vegetable biryani, so far so good.

Next: More adventures, or I should have listened to Ruby, and not mixed vegetable dishes.

There was more adventure, (aka, Will they never learn)

2009-10-23T11:46:00.001-04:00

There was more adventure, (aka, Will they never learn)
Well, don't say nothing happens in India when you are in relaxation mode. While we did have a completely relaxing day, only a short trip to the mall, late in the day. I have to admit that a few breaks were necessary, but not as many. On my last day in Shimla where we really pushed the boundaries, this was supposed to be a running around and doing all the stuff I wanted to do before leaving this great location, (some shopping, some money exchange, final hotel booking).

The adventure started with a walk up the hill to the taxi stand, (I left early, so I would not slow down my hosts), and then we took a local bus. Yes, a local bus, while we did not brave this during rush hour, it was pretty crowded. However, the other passengers were very polite, with men giving up their seat to women. I am not sure how the conductor keeps track or even moves on the bus, but he is responsible for collecting the fare. A daunting task, given that there are two doors, and the aisle is packed with people.

After a number of attempts. (American Traveler's checks) are not as widely accepted as American dollars, we finally managed to find a place that would do currency exchange, and take travelers checks. After this it was off to find some shops to buy some stuff, (i.e., a notebook, day bag, and some post cards). We also had some "Indian Chinese" food, I am not exactly sure if this is better than the North American version but it is quite flavourful it is eaten with a fork, not Roti breads like all other meals.

We also met one of Ruby's brothers friend, and we strolled along the mall until we reached that area, which foreign nationals, in fact anyone should not enter without permission, Yes, it was a military zone. After a quick photo op, which caused much laughter among the local vendor's in the area, our new friend took us through the gate, and up the the officer's club. Of course, this would not have been that big a deal, if not for the fact that just over a week ago, we were fled from a possible international incident. Of course, I am sure we would not have been thrown into a military jail, but....

Next: How to travel 300 KM, in only 10 hours.

A rookie mistake on our last touristy day

2009-10-20T00:45:00.000-04:00

Right off, I was not the only one to make this mistake. I think the concern, (ok, fear) of visiting the Monkey God and his earthly representatives caused both Ruby and myself, to be a little unfocused. What tourist goes out without checking the power level on their camera batteries? After taking a cab to the Viceregal lodge, (or the Indian Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS)), and taking the first picture I noticed a little flashing red light in the upper right corner, not a good sign. I let Ruby know, and he suggested that I save my batteries for the visit to Jakhoo temple (Monkey God). He then mentioned that his batteries were only half charged, and before the end of our guided tour his light started flashing red. I guess you could say that between the two of us we were working with a just under a full set.

Anyway, this was our first visit to the Viceregal lodge, I have an excuse, first time in the country, but I am not sure about Ruby, I guess he was too busy cruising the chicks on the mall, wearing his smuggled clothing. The walk to the temple is identified as a classic Shimla walk which is a short (4km) relatively flat walk from the ridge, (or Scandal point); however, in the interest of getting as much in as possible, we cabbed it. I have to say that if this is relatively flat, then growing up in Manitoba has given me a serious case of "making a mountain out of a molehill".

As we approached the grounds, I immediately realized why the British Raj and the Indian Prime Ministers choose this location as their summer get away. This building and the manicured lawns would fit right into any English estate without raising so much as an eyebrow. It is amazing that this building, which has so much history, the agreement to separate India and Pakistan was signed (we saw the room and the table on which the document was signed) is now used by visiting scholars as a research institute who live in the main building on the second and third floors between 3 months and 3 years. I am sure this was not the first time a library has been converted from rooms which originally had other purposes, but I am sure no other library can claim it served as a dining hall to such famous guests as Queen Victoria and Mahatma Gandhi, (at different meals I am sure). It is probably one of the few libraries in the world which can boast Belgium chandeliers from the 19th century.

Like a typical Canadian, whenever Canada or Canadians are mentioned anywhere there is a little moment of pride. This happened when I came across the Earl of Elgin, a good old Montreal born boy who was the Viceroy from 1894 to 1899, way to go Victor. Anyway, it turns out that during his tenure India suffered a bubonic plague and a famine which affected over 70 million people. I can only hope Canadian will not affect the country in a similar fashion.

Next, the Monkey God temple, or otherwise known as the highest location in Shimla. I have to admit that I was also feeling a little apprehensive about the visit. Especially, since we were not carrying nuts to trade for any items that were snatched off our persons, (glasses, hats, cameras ...). Even though they are vegetarian, and would not bite, in life there are no guarantees, I was also told to not freak out if one jumped on my leg, since they can sense fear, and to not look at them just keep my eyes on the ground. In my defense, it was this type of advice that heightened my level of concern, and the fact that they are intelligent, and can act in groups. At this time I am not sure if I was overly concerned, since I did feed the monkeys, (and no this does not mean anything else), but I did see a monkey holding a set of glasses, and one of the guides (?) was trying to get them back with a bribe, a little bag of temple offering's that he showed, but did not give to the junior member of the Jakhoo Mafia.

Since there are no big outings, or trips planned before I head onto my next destinations, my next post could be a day or two in the making. I will try to caption some of the pictures posted, and look at putting up links to my GPS tracking log.

Next: ????????

Today we traveled with Happiness

2009-10-19T00:10:00.002-04:00

Well, today was the first time I felt a little nauseous, and not because of the food, but rather because we signed up for a roller-coaster ride without seat-belts or any type of safety feature, unless of course we count the magical horn. Which in this case was actually quite useful, in signaling to other drivers that another vehicle was approaching the curve. In most cases this worked like a charm, although at one point it seemed the bus horns cancelled each other out, since there was an emergency braking situation. I think we were in the right, (or at least on our side of the road), since the other bus backed up.

I have to say that the views out the windows were amazing. In fact, you could almost forget that the edge of the road dropped away, just below your window, and the road was barely wide enough to accommodate two cars meeting on straight sections, (I think there might have been one), never mind two buses meeting on blind curves. I maybe should have taken some Gravol, to make my ride more enjoyable, but I do know that there were some on the bus, who definitely needed some.

Our "ride" started just after breakfast, when we caught a cab to the elevator at the bottom of the mall. Since it was Sunday, the mall was not busy, so we were able to take some pictures without the crowds. I even took one of the local landmarks, "Christ Church", which could be the starting point, if we wanted to walk to the highest point in Shimla. I am not sure if this is a valuable way to spend a day, but if I get bored with sitting in the sun, and enjoying the +25 degree days, I may reconsider.

On a side note, while I was taking pictures, I am sure a few were being taken of the "big white guy in shorts and a tee-shirt in winter", in fact; I posed with a couple of them. What I should have done was ask the family that was wearing winter gear, if I could take a picture with them in their parkas and ear muffs.

From the tourist office, we had to walk down to where they have a skating rink in winter, who knew. On the way down, we passed shops which used to sell smuggled goods, I guess prior to the opening of the Indian economy, if you wanted to impress the ladies, (this may even be the case today for the young), you had to wear western clothes. I think this meant blue jeans, but who knows it might have included big belt buckles and cowboy hats.

When we were discussing philosophy over a drink or two at the side of the road in Chandrigrah, (one of two laws broken), it was pointed out that all Indian names have a meaning. I suspect this holds in all culture. for example, Two-Dogs, wait, stay on target. Anyway, at Fuga it was pointed out that one of the little girls' who was traveling with her family was named Khushi, or Happiness. About Fuga, this is where I had to use the rest facilities, on the way out Ruby, asked me what they were like, and I don't think it gave him confidence that I and the other guy who were using the facilities both laughed. I guess turning on the water only happens at certain times of the day. Without getting too detailed, I think I found an entry for that web site which makes little boys laugh, and lose their dinner at the same time.

The other two stops were quite interesting, first we stopped at the Ski Resort, where we had dinner, picked up a few souvenirs. We also had the opportunity to travel on horseback into the valley, or a drop of 4000 feet. There was no interest in taking this excursion, and not only because we may have gotten fleas, but the size of the horses, (I would call them ponies), gave me pause. Because, even if there was no problem going downhill, I would not have inflicted this on them on the way back up the hill. This brings us to our next stop, the highest and maybe the oldest golf course (and probably the toughest) in Asia; I have to admit, that in terms of view versus effort, Fuga wins hand down. I am sure there were good views, at that other side of the forest, but not from the hill and pathways we were on. And even though we stopped at one other place, we never left the bus, as we could take pictures of the apple orchard (??) from the windows.

Next: The Monkey God and the chair Queen Victoria sat in.

Happy Diwali

2009-10-18T12:08:00.001-04:00

Well, Diwali was a relaxing day, which after the unassisted climb up the mountain. I was going to refer to it as the hill, but since I was taking frequent breaks, a hill would not do it justice. Of course I could always use the excuse that the altitude and thin oxygen were to blame, but this would be a lie. In any case, we did go for a walk, and there were fewer breaks, so it is all good.

The day was spent organizing pictures, figuring out how to resize them and geo-tag them, so that you can all see exactly where they have been taken. As I expected, it was constant firecrackers and rockets last night. Even though there were a few eager beavers who lit some off way too early, the majority of the sound show started around 6:45 and continued until past my bedtime, or 10pm. I am still hearing the occasional BOOM this morning. I have to say, it was pretty impressive, and I am wondering if it is possible to bring some back to Canada, but I am sure that having firecrackers, especially the big boomer in my luggage or carry-on would not be a good thing.

In the words of Ruby, "He was maximizing his utility", we made a new friend, who made a special visit to see the "Englishman". This little boy brought up fireworks to set off on the lower deck, and after using his own stash, he graciously helped us use our supply. When we took a break, or were slowing down, he went home and went through more of his own stuff, and then he came back once that was finished and helped us clean up our ration for the evening. We did keep some so that we can wean ourselves off the explosives gradually. I mention explosives, because they were powerful enough to blow out a candle 6 feet away.

The walk today was to go pick up some more fireworks, and this amazing dessert (Jalebi). Imagine if you will, a pretzel shaped pastry, that is deep fried, and filled with liquid sugar, and it is still warm from the deep fryer. If they make these in your town, you have to try them. I checked this morning to see where we walked to, (the mini-mall area), and I have to say, I will not complain about the DRIVE to the Gloucester centre anymore.

Speaking of walking versus driving, we also witnessed the basic steps of house construction, getting the materials to the job site. In this case the delivery crew, was quite large, I would say 10 men. The crew size was necessary, since they had to carry the bricks down the steps to the building site on their backs. I was told that these fellows were Gurkhas, and after watching them navigate the steps with a sizeable load on their back, I understand why they were the British Army's commando force. I briefly though about hiring a few to carry my large out of shape western butt around the region, but it would be wrong.

Next: A tour bus view of the city

Desire is the root of all unhappiness

2009-10-17T01:40:00.001-04:00

A complete time adjustment has finally been made, it is before 6am (local time) and I am awake and have been conscious for an hour or so. However, I now have an appreciation for the torment friends have had with barking dogs. I am not sure what made this one bark, but I am sure glad that it stopped, well for a few hours anyway. Now the birds are starting to call each other, but no HORNS, although I did hear an engine start a few minutes ago.

It is a little chilly right now, (I suspect mid to high teens), but the air is crisp, and clean which really helped with sleeping once the dog stopped. There is also something about waking up in the mountains, at around 6200 feet. I understand that the highest part of town is at 8000 feet, probably a little more than I want to climb on my first day or two, but I would not be against taking a cab. I also hear this is where the Monkey god resides, or at least his representatives on earth. Fortunately, they are vegetarian, and very smart, so it is possible to bargain for your stuff back.

This weekend is a big holiday for Hindu's the world over, even President Obama has attended celebrations in Washington, so I suspect that the market will be jam packed. I expect that we will be venturing out into the crowd for the experience and to pick up firecrackers. If last night was any indication, tonight the valley will be filled with enough booms to make it sound like Thor is using his hammer to tenderize a tough steak. We did journey to the mall, where the tradition of boys chasing girls and girls letting them be chased is still going strong. This street mall had some amazing views of the Himalayan’s and even though it was relatively flat we were still able to look down on one part of the mall, from another, so I guess you could call this a two story mall. While there was another level, since it was outside the "no traffic" gates, I don't think this other street counts.

Like malls everywhere, there was a delivery system in place to bring your goods home. Although in this case it was a single independent contractor or store employee who carried the good on his back. After our climb of 1000 feet to the mall, (I suspect that my legs will be a little stiff tomorrow), I was not sure I could keep up with this fellow, even though I was only carrying whatever I could fit in my pockets. In fact, after I snapped a quick picture, he disappeared into the crowd; I don't feel so bad, because I think he left the person who bought the whirlpool fridge behind also. We also went to the official tourist office, where we booked and paid for our tour on Sunday, which will be cancelled if six other passengers don't show up. If our tour gets cancelled, we will probably hire a taxi and follow the route as given in the brochure.

I have to mention that I was asked by "Ruby" (Which is Sharanjit's official nickname, and not "Duck", as he went by at Laurier); if I was in good enough shape to walk up hills to the market. Well, .... I have to admit that I am not in the best shape of my life, but I am not sure if I would have ever been in good enough shape to hit these "hills" with the ease everyone seems to. There were many times when a picture taking break was needed, although there were a few times when I tried to get a few different views of the same building. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be here long enough to improve my cardio condition enough to do it without breaks, but I sure hope (Desire) to reduce the number of breaks.

Next: How quick can I throw away a lighted firecracker? OR Are acts of stupidity covered under my insurance policy?

PS: Don't worry, part of the solution is recognizing that there is a problem.

Flickr Badge now includes photos from India.

2009-10-16T01:42:00.007-04:00

I have modified the photo part of the blog to include pictures of India, and all others that I will tag with travelling.

But just in case here is the address:
India Photos

Imagine if you will, a journey of less than 200 km that takes 4 hours.

2009-10-15T09:38:00.001-04:00

Well, I think the adjustment is almost complete, we have been awake during the day, and slept when it was dark. Of course this means that we will have to give up on the life of vampires. After waking up at 9am, and having a light breakfast, we said our goodbyes to our excellent hosts, and started our travel to Shimla, home for the next week or so.

Once again I am grateful that we are leaving the driving to a local. Even though we were traveling along a main (somewhat) highway, we climbed over 3500 feet in less than 200 kms, and most of that in the last 100 kms, I think we are now in the mountains. This is evident by the cool fresh air that is blowing through the house. I am positive that most Canadian would view the road we traveled as a poorly maintained logging road. I have to give the construction crews credit, since they were patching the asphalt in a few locations without any type of signage at all. In fact, the first sign that construction was taking place was the fellow spreading oil in the hole to be patched. After this there was a fellow pouring out the asphalt and another on the roller.

This is all the more amazing since it seemed at times we were on the upward part of a roller coaster, and then suddenly another set of cars would appear on our left right side going the same direction, and sometimes a car from the other direction on your tracks. (Honking their horn of course). I think I discovered an upgraded version of the hand shield we saw in Old Delhi). At the same time, it may be obvious that you should never pass on the inside of a curve, but there was only one curve marked as such, so I guess (and it was proved through actual experience) that passing trucks on the inside was allowed, especially if you had a fully loaded scooter, (2 adults, and two children).

Next: Are you sure we have to leave the house, those hills look pretty steep.

The music stopped for a bit, nothing interesting happened today, but the day is not over, ;-)

2009-10-15T09:36:00.001-04:00

Today is the day when we finally get to adjust our internal clocks, so that we are not sleeping the days away. After waking up at 2 pm, writing the blog of the last two day's adventures, it was time to check out the "must" see of Chandrigrah, the Rock Garden. I have to agree with the Lonely Planet, this is a must see for anyone who comes to this city.

For this part of the journey, we had to experience the thrill of leaving the house with an objective, but no plan for getting there. In order to reach our destination, the Rock Garden, we took one of the famous 3-wheeled auto rickshaw, after this experience, I am glad that we tried it on the organized streets of Chandrigrah, and not in Old Delhi. Just because it is a more fragile vehicle, this does not mean the drivers are any less adventuresome.

At the ultimate recycling job, we saw another use for all types of household waste, from light sockets, to bathroom tile. Do not be disappointed by the first little bit, since it really looks like a rock garden. No colour and stones with a few different recycled items. Then you crawl and squeeze through a door, and you are into a waterfall, which you can refill you water bottles if you choose, drinking water is available. Things are looking up, and you realize that maybe there is a reason this is a world famous destination, and not only for young couples trying to find a quiet area away from parents, authorities and Canadian Tourists with cameras. I only have one regret, is that we started the tour a little too late, in that we had to see phase 3 and the third waterfall in the dark. At least I got a chance to try out the night settings on my camera.

After this cultural tour, we met another cousin, and proceeded to do what young urban professionals do, when they are disposing of their disposable income. We broke at least two laws, but it seems that with the proper incentive (in other words a bribe), you can avoid serious consequences. It is refreshing to see that the basic laws of economics work everywhere, and across different cultures, when the price is high, you don't buy as much, or in other words when the price is low, you buy as much as you can get across the border without getting in serious trouble.

Our second restaurant meal, we ate at Happy Millions, a Chinese food, pizza shop, and Indian food restaurant. And even though I was told that the Indian version of Chinese food was something to experience, I figured that I would stick with the local cuisine and eat what the young would after an evening of drinking in the car. Finally, we went back to the "in-laws" for a well deserved sleep, upload some pictures and recharge the camera battery. We are almost completely adjusted to the new schedule.

I am sure that sleeping on sheet of plywood covered with a thin futon, is good for the back, and in a few nights, it will really help my back, the next couple of nights might be a little rough. I have to admit that at some point through the night, I became a little cold, and had to turn down the fan. However, if I had waited a few minutes the power system would have remedied this problem for me, but shutting off power to the entire complex. It does get warm without a fan, and it is really dark with no outside light pollution.

How naive I was, thinking that the best Indian bread was Nan, I found out that there are three types, and Nan, is the White bread version of this dietary staple. There are two others, one a high fibre, healthier version (Roti), and an olive oil drenched taste sensation (parantha), I have to admit that adding oil to any dish sure makes the flavour come out, ummmm, ummmm, good.

We did not include a night in a military prison in our schedule, so.....

2009-10-15T09:31:00.001-04:00

I first off have to thank my friend and his cousin for providing this excellent adventure, they say it was completely unplanned and his cousin is embarrassed, but..

Anyway, who figured that you needed to ask permission, before having foreign nationals staying in PMQ's. In any case, we did find a part of Indian society that actually follows the rules. If I thought that it took a long while to get my Visa, it would have taken a lot longer (maybe never) to receive permission to spend a night or two in the PMQ's, especially since we were not Citizens of India. My buddy may have passed, but there was no way I could have pulled this off, and this was noticed right-away at the front gate to the housing complex.

After a visit by the officer in charge (who appeared to be off-duty), and a phone call to see if permission was possible, it was determined that we could not be in that apartment, and if we did not leave immediately the MP's would be sent to remove the offending parties. Well, we may have broken a rule or two, but we learn quickly, and before you can say, "I want to contact my embassy", we skedaddled. The problem became one of, "where do we go" while waiting for our car and driver who was out of town on another trip and would not be back for 3 hours.

It was elementary, we would go to the mall, they stayed open until midnight, and there were security guards. This would not be a problem since our driver was expected at 11pm, an hour leeway, we would be ok. So after grabbing a bite to eat, (no time to eat, in our rush to leave), we sent his cousin back, I understand that it not safe for a female to be traveling by herself at night, and our driver was only 30 minutes away. Ah, but Delhi traffic, well after watching the security guards turn off the lights, and all the mall workers leave the area, we figured that we might really have to experience the local culture, but since we were newbie’s, we would have to take shifts sleeping, (A one star Delhi hotel would have been nice at this time).

However, we were worried for no reason, our faithful driver showed up, like a white knight in his white (not grey), Toyota (not Suzuki), Indiacar. Now we were ready for our 5 hour drive to the In-laws, in a way it was good that we did not leave right at 11pm, but closer to 1am, since we would have woken up our hosts in the middle of the night. Well, if we were able to find their house that is. Even though my people have be born with great navigation skills, so great that I question the GPS, I am a little out of my element when faced with a first visit to a new place and I was not given the actual directions to where we were staying.

We did manage to locate the right district, with the help of many helpful locals. We found a three wheeled taxi driver who took us in the right direction, a few pedestrians who knew where we had to go, and finally a couple of teenagers who were able to bring us the final leg, (we overshot the street, so we had to reverse a little). After asking at one guardhouse, we arrived at the correct compound, just as they were turning out the lights for the day. It is really tough to find the address, or look up a phone number when there are no lights, but they did it. Finally, we reached our destination, a few hours (ok lots) ahead of schedule, and still on Ottawa time, tonight we will make the final adjustment, well if we can sleep after waking up at 2pm, or (4:30 Ottawa). Our hosts have no Internet, so I will have to upload these posts a little later.

A few observations, Please use Dipper, Blow Horn and Good Luck. Some of the routine bumper stickers we saw over the course of the night road trip. I believe they all have something to do with passing. I especially like the Good Luck wish, and if you have ever driven on the Indian Highways, actually any Indian road, you will understand that this is a very important wish.

Next: Let the adventure continue, or will the music ever stop........

Should I be concerned, that you are asking me for directions

2009-10-15T09:08:00.002-04:00

Today we (Sharanjit and myself) experienced some (ok most) the what Delhi had to offer. We started off in one of the "Fun Cabs", which meant no AC. I think the fact that the cab had AC should have told us it was a "fun" cab, like everywhere running AC puts extra strain on the motor, and in Old Delhi traffic, (not the stop and go we normally experience in Canadian Rush hours, but more like stop and stop and move forward and stop), the car overheated, and our driver had to push us out of the way. I guess we could have gotten out and pushed, but there was not enough room to open any doors, and I don't think I could have climbed out a window. Eventually, the car started, and we braved the Delhi heat and pollution, without AC. We survived.

At this time we were about 1.5 km, from the Red fort, (I will check GPS for exact distance later), but we did not want to lose our ride back to our "crash pad", So we stayed in the Cab, and rode for another click, and then we decided to get out and walk the remaining distance and then call the driver to pick us up. After a excellent tour of the fort, where it was strongly advised that I should not take a picture of the machine gun emplacement, (pointed at the entrance, I suspect that the fort may still hold significant strategic importance, unlike Canada, where the defense of our forts has not kept up with the times, and what is the rate of fire for a cannon or musket now adays anyway, but I digress). I did take a picture of the moat, (which has been dry for many years). After calling the cab, and taking a few more pictures, I managed (ok, did not say no forcefully enough) to bargain for some postcard books. I think I did pretty good, in any case way better than how I have felt leaving some car dealerships, we started to look for our ride.

As we approached the gate, it became apparent that the driver was unable to meet us at the gate, (Wellington and Sussex, at rush hour and with Canada Day pedestrian levels). So following the instruction we "crossed" at the lights and started looking for our ride. Well, I was not sure why we had to play "squirrel" during rush hour, I have not seen a the friendly little walking man, or red hand anywhere, they may exist, but I am pretty sure the walking man would be burried some place if he stopped long enough for someone to draw a stick figure of him. Anyway, we crossed, and "no blood, no foul", HOWEVER, I suspect that my instructions to remember direction pretty important and should not be taken lightly. I am sure it was the stress of being stuck in downtown Delhi as night approached which flustered my friend, but I was glad I remembered where the subway was, and when we exited it we had to turn left. Eventually we contacted our driver again, and were told that we had to "cross back" to the same side as the fort. This time we were going to use the subway tunnel. This time it must have been my, stress level which heightened my vision, as I had to hold back my friends enthousiastic scramble past the Subway entrance, personally I think he wanted to brave the street crossing one more time. Well, it turns out that "cross the light" can also be translated into exit the fort, then turn left and cross the lights on the same side of the street.

We made it back to our "crash pad", and with only a little snag at the front gates, we reached safety, or so we thought......

A few observations that could be their own complete entry. Motorcycles can easily hole two adults, two children and their luggage, especially if one child does not mind sleeping on the tank. for adults, three is the limit. Fear is an alien concept to young children everywhere, but more importantly to young children in Delhi, riding in a rickshaw being pulled diagonally across traffic. I tried to figure out how many lines, (not lanes) there were, but I am not sure if I took a picture I or anyone else not used to this traffic could count.

Next: Our flight from safety, or it may be easier to ask for forgiveness, than ask for permission, but you have to deal with the consequences.

Who says mayo has to be flavourless.

2009-10-13T01:20:00.004-04:00

After a two hour bus ride, an hour and bit wait in the Montreal airport and a 6 hour flight, I arrived in Amsterdam. My first meal in a foreign country, (1/4 pounder, fries and a diet coke), I did not order beer, but I did have Mayo with my fries, and not the chicken sauce, but mayo for Fries.

After a little waiting (ok, lots), we qued with the other passengers, and went through a rigorous security check, no questions, but all the necessary precautions. Finally, after an 8 hour flight, in the very middle (port and starboard and front and back, I don't think I will ever cross my arms again), we arrived in New Delhi. I was told to prepare for a long, long wait. Not really, once we sorted out the order, the health check (Canada is on the list of Problem countries for H1N1), immigration, and baggage claim, we were through customs, in just under 90 minutes.

One of the first things I noticed was the smell, it was like being in a camp ground, with everyone burning dirty wood. I have not been outside in the daylight, so I am sure the heat will be the next thing that hits, after the noise, (are there now noise restrictions). At the same time, traffic laws don't appear to be strictly enforced. It seems motorcycles and buses have their own set of guidelines, as long as they are honking their horns anyway. I personally thing the horn is hooked up to the odometer, and depending on the setting and you can have a beep ever 1/2 km or even ever 1/10 km.

Well, that is all, no pictures, this time, but I will make sure to post some ASAP.

Only one bag, was I dreaming

2009-10-10T16:22:00.003-04:00

Ok, I started packing last night, and I quickly realized that if I wanted to put on clean clothes after showering, I would have to bring a second bad. At the same time, I needed room for stuff to bring over, and of course souvenirs to bring back. I am trying to limit the electronics, and I have to wonder how anyone travelled before without a Net book, and GPS. Wait a minute, they got lost, and mistakenly identified the locals. Since I am not looking to conquer (or discover) new worlds, I should be, ok, BUT, just in case I will keep my GPS close by.

Next post: On the bus.

3-4, then 5-7, then Expedite, then fax, then ...

2009-10-05T15:25:00.000-04:00

Ok, after a week or two of doubt about whether I will be cancelling the India portion of my trip, I finally received my Passport with Indian Visa, now my passport is sitting with TECO, and I should be able to pick it up on Wednesday. I hope the fact that I am staying in the country for more than 60 days, will not cause a problem. I leave on Sunday.

India then Taiwan: Fall 2009

2009-09-16T20:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, after a few years of not travelling, looking at my passport, I realized that I had better try to fill it up before it expires in 2011. Since my friends have allowed me to invite myself to visit them or tag along while they visit family, I decided to take advantage of Leave with Income Averaging (LWIA) to travel through Asia this fall.

I have already purchased my plane tickets, and am currently in the process of getting my Visas, and hopefully there will be no snags. Any suggestions for must see's in India, or Taiwan are most welcome.

Travel day to Rio (Day 12)

2007-02-21T05:25:00.000-05:00

It is currently raining, and since I am not sure what the Internet situation will be like in Rio, I wanted to let you all know that today we will be travelling from Recife to Rio for a few days and then back to Canada on Saturday for arrival on Sunday, in time for work on Monday, have to pay for this trip somehow.

Ciao

It's already Tuesday (Day 11)

2007-02-21T05:09:00.000-05:00

Well, it all had to end eventually, today is our last full day in Recife, before flying to Rio for tomorrow. This was basically a wind-down, do whatever you wanted to kind of day. Colin and Amy decided that they needed one more beach day, which they were able to fulfil by taking a taxi to Itamaraca for the day.

Mark wanted to make sure he was able to visit all the friends he had made the last few times he was in town, so he stayed back to barbeque. And me, well I will probably regret not spending another day at the beach when I get back to Ottawa, I just wanted to chill a little, make sure I had as much loot as my suitcase could carry, (just carrying on the old world tradition of pillaging Brazil).

And Karen the brave soul, went to Olinda for a final kick at Carnival, Mark and myself were going to join her, but a "It is nuts here", made us reconsider our earlier thought of joining her and Andrea's family in Olinda.

Finally, we once again dined at the sushi bar before trying to give the artisans one more crack at our money. It was win, win again.

When not trying to have fun, you have it (Day 10)

2007-02-20T07:52:00.000-05:00

Another trip into the interior. This time, instead of overwhelming our poor brazilian hosts with "Gringos", who speak no portuguese, there was only myself to worry about. In this case, Karen, Mark and myself went with a large group of Brazilian tourists into the interiour to see a carnival of Maracatu groups. This entire day was one of pleasant surprises, from experiencing the full-on Brazilian driving experience, (two solid yellow lines mean two vehicles can pass each other at the same time, especially if one is a motorcycle). This was a trip to see how some of the non-city Brazilians live, and it was a great experience. I think we Canadians, (I wanted to use Germans, when not giving in to the local shakedown crew, but our sense of national pride would not allow it), provided as much entertainment to the Brazilians as they did for us, or at least a direct subsidy to "Skol" in a few cases.

I sure hope that this festival does not grow faster than their capacity to handle the crowds. There was space to sit, the timing of the groups was a nice change from the day before, and more importantly the streets were clean, you could find a garbage can to throw away your trash. Although, it was mentioned that the street cleaners appeared to be men dressed as women, hmmmm. This raised a few questions, because there did seem to be a large percentage of men dressed as women. Ok, some were obviously drag queens, but a few were old men in ratty old dresses. A Statcan study for next year on the "% of straight Brazilian men who dress as women", let me start my proposal right now. Could this be the "lost shakespearan actors" tribe we have been searching for.

After grabbing something to eat and drink in the shade, us Canadians were able to "out-carnival" the hosts as we were the last of our party to leave. This was a wise decision as we stopped in Tracunhaem to view some local artisans. We viewed a couple of shops and were able to purchase an item or two, as well as take a few pictures.

On way back to home base, Karen figured that to really experience Brazil, we needed to see all economic ranges of the Brazilian people. From those living in the Favela's (should be safe it was daylight), upper lower class living, and the lower middle class (apartment complexes). A tour of the bio-waste facility was also necessary, and a Brazilian police take-down (don't take a picture). Eventually we arrived back at the apartment, where everyone was pretty tired, so it was a quick trip to a nice restaurant for "fish stew" and a shrimp casserole. After this full day, everyone kind of decided to relax, finish reading, catch up on emails or plan an intinerary for the next day.

Photos are nice, memories better (Day 9)

2007-02-19T05:38:00.000-05:00

The day started off fairly early, (who would have thought it was the Canadians slowing down the Brazilian), we decided that we should try to experience as many different flavours of Carnival as possible. With the help of Andrea (0ne of Karen's many Brazilian friends), we took the group to Bezerros to see the papangu's (Brazilian Mummers).

This was a nice outing from the city along a four lane highway that had some CIDA links, (enviromental studies). Why do I mention the highway, well unfortunatly I believe (and supported by others) that the carnival in Bezerros has grown a little too quickly. It was interesting to experience a local Carnival, but the lack of shade, seating and places to eat cut short our time in this potentially quaint little village. After watching a parades and not seeing any big congregation of Papangu's we decided that we had had enough, and called it quits. Since we were all starving, we decided to stop at the King of Coxinhas for a totally loaded hamburger (fried eggs, bacon, hotdog, ....)

After a somewhat tiring day in the sun, there were not many takers for another trip to Old Recife (Antigo) for more of the same, crowds, drumming, dancing, eating, drinking. I have to say that this was a highlight of the trip. The 3 Manitobans, scratch that "Dauphinite's, and our Brazilian hosts (Karen and Andrea), braved the crowds once more to see some of the shows and try to experience the crush of a full on Carnival Mosh pit. We succeeded, after the traffic jam, questionable parking location and walk into the site, we stopped to watch a few of the indigineous groups prepare for their entrance, think beaded bikinis, and giant beaded and feather headdresses. It was quite entertaining.

After actually watching a few performances on a secondary stage, we made our way to the main stage. Along the way, we decided that the best approach was to follow in a drumming group, as they will clear the way, and we will just go with the crowd. WRONG, I think the only safe spot, would have been to carry a drum, and even then. Well after a few minutes of "Where did they go", Brad spotted the girls about 25 feet in front of us, when he turned to tell me he saw them, they disappeared. After a few more tense moments, we spotted them beside a tree and made our way towards them, across three lines of opposing people, and at least one in our own direction. I guess two tall, Canadian males are pretty easy to spot in Brazil, as the were waving towards us. I think being able to speak the language would have lessoned my tension, but as they say, "No blood, no foul".

We finally arrived at the main stage, where the Maracatu's were performing. Since we were going to see them the next day, we were not that concerned, but it was good for Brad and Gillian to see them as they figured that it may not be possible to go with us. On a positive note, even though there were some dissenters regarding the necessity for so many groups of this type, the announcer stated that every group deserved a chance to show their culture and many of them had worked quite hard all year long for their 15 minutes of fame.

Carnival begins, The group prepares for pain (Day 8)

2007-02-19T05:08:00.000-05:00

The day started off a little later then the day before, I guess all the bloco's were heading to old recife to get their spot in the million person mosh pit. Us Canadians decided that it was probably a better idea to not attempt this right off the bat. So while two intrepid members went scuba diving, the rest of the gang met up with some of Karen's Brazilian friends (to be added later) to head into Olinda (7 hill, 10,000 churches and only 150,000 people).

We were warned to leave just about everything behind, fortuately, we were a little more brave and decided to at least bring a camera, sunscreen, money and purell. Even though we took a few photos and videos, there is no good way to describe the sensation to those who have never moshed in the baking sun at a good summer festival. This would probably be a close approximation of the experience, but remember Brazilians have a smaller personal space.

I am sure glad that we were all keeping our heads, a beer or two in the heat was enough to replenish some salt and fluid, but it was necessary to keep up the water intake, (at least 2 litres on my side). Near the end, within sight of the exit, there was one drink that was local to residents of Olinda, so we decided to try it. It was at this time, I was really glad to not have drunk more beer or capis, as I am sure this was for the Olinda Taxi's and not the population. In few words home brew without the smoothing effect of javex. I also believe we found the next NASCAR racing champion, just the right amount of braking, applied with the right amount of gas. Lesson: If in a hurry, take an Olinda cab.

Our trusty divers, learned a valuable lesson: Take seasickness pills, before diving on the ocean and keep the sunscreen very close.

That night we all went into Old recife for some more Carnival, had some supper and followed one of the Maracatu bands into the centre stage area. After some impromptu dance lessons, Amy and Colin were showing off their moves to the locals. I think they may have impressed a few, since we had a couple of wandering dancers join the group, "For an old guy, he sure boogie's" and "That is capoera dancing, not frevo". Amy and Colin's dance instructors were not impressed.

The sun will kill you (Day 7)

2007-02-17T05:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, unfortunately, I somehow picked up too much sun, so the events of this day would not be very interesting as I spent just about the entire day in my air conditioned room. While the rest of gang visited the studio (and met) of a famous Brazilian artist and then a wood carving print shop.

Amy and Colin then tried their hand in negociating with the beach vendors, (see day 5), before going out to dinner before heading to Olinda for an evening pre-carnival celebration where I hear capi's are $R1.5. Unfortunatley, I was unable to join them for the trip to Olinda, and I was going to skip dinner, but it was a "Death by Meat", place so I took one for the team.

(TBC)

Quality control is not the same in Brazil (Day 6)

2007-02-17T05:19:00.000-05:00

Since our last visit to the centrum was a focused, goal orientated event (municipal ball costumes). It was necessary to return for another run at the local vendors. Fortunately, for us our trusty translator was able to haggle us some good deals or at least not their first price. However, before this more money was needed, and since Amy wanted a complete pedicure / manicure, we dropped her off while we went for money (the AC in the bank, makes me think we should do this everyday), and pick up some groceries for breakfast.

If anyone is coming to Brazil and they like peanut butter, you may want to bring your own as it is one of these things which are very hard to find, and / or expensive $R 30 for an old jar of skippy. Also bring lots of sunscreen, as the cost is more expensive than the peanut butter $R35 for a medium sized tube.

From my limited exposure, I think the primary rule of negotiating with street vendors is to not take the first offer, and be prepared to walk away. On many occassions, I think we were able to drop the price by 5-10% immediately and eventually 20-25%. I should have followed this when buying my generico ray bans for $R8 or $C 4. They did not last the entire day.

After this direct subsidy to the education of a street vendors child, we were prepared for a little more shopping first for some knock-off soccer jersy's ($R20), and other stuff that will be a surprise to people back home (how did they get that through customs). Anyway, we had a blast Mark was able to practice his Portuguese, we were able to spend money, the Brazilians were able to take our money. It was basically a win-win-win situation for everyone.

After this we had another evening of gaming with Flavio, who unfortunately was not able to bring home the Canada-Brazil board game cup. Some of you may be wondering if the Canadians played fair in the third and final match, (3 Canadians vs 1 Brazilian). I have to say yes, since we had not played this game before and it was in German, so all things were equal.

Brazil Day 5 - $19.00 for 4 bottles of water? or You wanted those flowers ACTUALLY delivered on the day you requested? Mark goes postal!

2007-02-15T07:40:00.000-05:00

Well, what an eventfull day. (In some ways, not so much!)
Amy, Cim, Mark and I rented a cab for the day, quite inexpensive to do actually, and went to Porto de Galinhas for some snokeling and shopping. It's a small sea-side resort type town. It's well known for it'sWhen we arrived, unfortunately, the sky was clouding over and it looked like rain. As per all beaches we were set up with lawn chairs, with an umbrella and some drinks.

(TBC)

There are two 5 o'clocks in Brazil also (Day 4)

2007-02-13T23:04:00.001-05:00

Well the day started in a better position than the day before, the view from the balcony's is excellent. Especially when the sun is breaking the horizon, and it has not filled up with people trying to sell you anything you could possibly want or ever need.

After waiting around for some other movement in the group, Colin and me decided that it was probably a good idea to try and work off some capi's and barbeque meat, so a 8km return run / walk down the beach (ok way more walking), was necessary, and since at some time you need to pull the plug on sunscreen, none was applied. We will see if this was a wise decision tomorrow morning.

Once again we had a healthy breakfast with fresh pineapple and mango, great bread and a parmesean type cheese spread, excellent. We then realized that we were all running rapidly out of money, so off to find an international ATM, were we could pick up the cash necessary for food and drinks. After this short walk, it felt like the shower we had was a waste of time, but I now realize that two or three showers (cool) is the best way to deal with the heat. Finally we took the 910 bus to Olinda of the 7 hills and 10,000 churches, (ok not that many but walking from one to another and trying to not look like tourists, (pulling out a map did not help), so that we would not be approached by the unofficial Olinda tour guides for their 5 real tour.

Fortunately, we found the two we absolutely had to see inside of, and managed to do it without formally hiring a guide. I would probably have worried more if we had a guide as some of the alleyways to the churches were a little suspect and I am sure would have set off all kinds of alarms. We will see on Saturday how different the town is when carnival kicks off. Finally after all this excitement of riding a local bus, conversing with the military, and charming the locals, we needed a touch of home. For this we called Flavio, a fellow gamer Mark had met during his first visit to Recife, for a night of gaming. I am happy to say that the Canadians managed to hold the Brazilian team (of one) to a 1 - 1 draw.

Rest and Recovery (Day 3)

2007-02-12T20:19:00.000-05:00

After a full on attack on the beach with Sungas blazing, and a full on attempt to tire out the meat on sword waiters, the crew was ready for a R&R day. It started out a little rougher for some of the gang, (won't mention names but you don't have to get too far past the "B" names to find them).

Fortunately, there were individuals who did not try to drink the bar dry and were able to pull themselves together to make coffee and more importantly go out for breakfast food. After a great breakfast on the balcony, we figured that it was necessary to spend some time on the beach, sunning, (of course this meant applying lots of sunscreen, sure glad yoga has improved my flexibility, allowing me to reach all parts of my back), relaxing and deciding on our next move. No more Julio, only Mario

By the time we returned from the beach and showered it was too late to head to Olinda by bus, so we decided to take a catamaran tour of Recife, which gave us another view of the old city and some parks with interesting sculptures. After the tour, we waited around for Karen to join us (and give us a ride) for supper. Of course, by this time we were quite hungry, so a little plate of fried manioc root did not do the trick, and we really wanted to eat somewhat more healthy, so it was back to the "Death by Meat" place. They all remembered us from the night before and I think I saw the manager call in extra staff, fortunately for our systems, we stayed on the patio and took advantage of the sushi, (which happens to be a very common local dish) and the beverage of choice ................. WATER

It's only day 2!!!

2007-02-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

After a extremely late night, trying to party like Brazilians the Canadians, (or at least these Canadians) had an extremely slow start. Some political discussion over coffee's was followed by our first trip together to the beach. We had to wear the sunga's, I am not sure who was more appalled; the Brazilians who were probably blinded by the glare, or our companions. I do suspect that we may have contributed to any new laws regarding sale of sunga's to foreigners.

Who would have thought that you could buy quart sized beers, hard boiled quail eggs and grilled cheese on stick rolled in oregano, (my new favourite food, ummm) on the beach. We also tried out the new suits in the water, and yes they did stay on, and were actually quite comfortable. It was a good time to get in the water, as our chairs were in the shade so the sunscreen washed off by the water was not as necessary to protect our colourless skin.

We then followed this mini-excursion with a trip to the "Death by Meat" restaurant, where I suspect the object of the waiters circulating the restaurant with their swords of meat was to keep us away from the salads located centrally. Once again there were many capi's consumed, (notice the trend), and this time we did not have the excuse of having travelled for the past 24 hours to explain our enthousiam for this local beverage. However, it was Colin's birthday, so that may have helped.

Finally since we all needed to walk a little more we decided to check out a little market, where there were many bargains to be had, some items were purchased, and I think we may not have been overcharged too much because of our obvious "touristness". The walk home did us some good and it was nice to feel the cool breeze of the Atlantic at night without the glaring sun. Which goes down at 5:30pm, but it also rises at 5:30am, so there is not much sleeping in.

Feed them to the Sharks (Day 1)

2007-02-11T08:11:00.000-05:00

After a brief sleep, we needed to find costumes for our trip to the 43rd Recife municipal ball, (coincidence that this is almost the same age as some of our group, hmmmm). It was thought that our best bet was the Centrum. When I asked what this was, it was described as kind of a "Market Scene in an Indian Jones movie with fewer (not none) gun fights" Fortunately for our loved ones, there were no gun fights, but I don't think many tourists go here as it seemed that "rubbing the shoulder of pale female's" is good luck. Or maybe they were checking to see if it was make-up.

After picking up accroutments for our costumes, we needed a brief break in this shopping frenzy so off to another mall for some AC, food and a place to get out of the crowds. For about $12 each we had excellent meals, and an alcoholic beverage. We were gouged, but then what would you expect in a mall sit down restaurant, ($C 1.50 per beer).

After this brief respite, it was off to another mall (closer to what we North Americans expect) to pick up some essentials, 1) Beach flops, 2) Sunga's 3) groceries for supper (we were eating in), and maybe check out some prices. I forgot to mention that our first outing (without the two Portuguese speakers) was across the street to the beach. Where we sort of stuck out like tourists, pasty white skin, long shorts, and leather sandals. After a few minutes and being approached every few feet by someone who wanted us to sit on their section of the beach and let them provide us with beer, we figured we may not stick out so much if we were wearing more Brazilian swimwear, and maybe not having tan lines that start at the knees. Fortunately, for all of you, I have sent a link to work collegues and family and none of them want to see me in a Sunga, so I will not be posting one, but there is a comparison picture of sunga and normal summer shorts on the photo page.

We then returned to our 10-star accomodation, each floor only holds one apartment, (4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 2 living-rooms and 2 maids quarters). We all needed a beverage, and some food, after cooking a late dinner (for us 7:30pm), we started to get ready for the ball, (no Cinderalla slippers on this group), and even though we left at 10:13, we were not the last to arrive. In fact, I am sure there were more people arriving when we left at 3:30am, (at intermission), there may still be people there right now, you never know. You know you are in a civilized country when you can order a litre of booze to your table and it is the price of mix that controls how much you drink (it might have been cheaper to mix rum with beer, but I don't want to think of the hang-over that would create).

Recife via San Paulo via Toronto

2007-02-10T18:07:00.000-05:00

We left the chilly capital of Canada at 7pm, where the temperature was approximately -13 celsius, and less than 24 hours later (15 hours approximately), we were in San Paulo where the temperature was only 21 degrees. After a 4 hour layover, and a 3 hour flight we arrived in Recife where the temperature was a cool 30 degrees with a humidity of approximately 70 percent.

An interesting fact not told to us until San Paulo was that the Brazilian toilet system was not designed for paper, and you did not flush the tickets, but rather put them in a basket located in each stall. Sure wish I knew this earlier.

Brazil for Carnival

2007-02-10T06:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, for those of you left in the chilly (ok COLD) Canadian winter, this is a daily summary of the events as I remember.