Since updating this blog has been very difficult and I am days behind on typing up my journeys I thought I would give an up-to-the-moment blog of where I am right now. We are in McLeod Ganj, a small city I guess you would call it which is at an elevation of about 1700m. It's about a 30 min bus ride from Dharamsala and is the home of the Dalai Lama. Right now there are protests going on (which we were unaware of before coming here) regarding human rights issues in Tibet. There is a hunger strike so most restaurants and shops are closed (at least for most of the day). There is an organized march back to China scheduled to reach Beijing by the Olympics but the police have been intervening apparently. Check the news for riots in Lhasa, Tibet. Apparently, also, the US speaker will be in this city next Friday.
Other than that, the town is incredibly peaceful, comprised mostly of tibetans and hippy tourists. We decided to stay an extra day here instead of rushing to catch the 10 HOUR bus ride to Shimla for the next leg of our journey. This is the first time that I've really relaxed on this trip and since I don't know when in Korea. The air is wonderfully fresh up in the mountains and is a welcome change from the stench and silt of New Delhi. This is the first time that I've seen mountains of this scale and even though I won't be hiking into the himalayas they're still nice to wake up to in the morning. Our hotel has a view of the mountains from the terrace and cost us only 300 rupees (less than $10 for 2!!). I am very happy just milling about looking in shops, eating long meals, and going to the internet cafe. We have another full day here tomorrow and then we leave for Dharamsala at 8 and for Shimla at 9pm. We'll be in Shimla for a day and then we will catch a bus to Chandrigarh, spend a day or so there, then get a train to Delhi and hopefully connect to Agra (where the Taj Mahal is).
I will keep posting back-dated diaries of my days' travels and will upload photos once we get enough time to upload them from the camera on these slow computers!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Sickness looms...
Started out the day with breakfast at another cafe on our street. I got french toast for a buck which filled a craving that I've been having and Justin got a veg burger. 55 INR for two people is amazing! Then we went across the road of death into New Delhi train station and finally found the foreigner rail reservation office. Easy, peasy up there! We got our train tickets to Amritsar for tomorrow morning (1st class!) and our tickets from Agra to Varanasi and from Varanasi to Kolkata (our last stop of the trip). Tomorrow we are going to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple ( a gold-plated Sikh temple in the middle of a body of water, surrounded by a complex of stores and rooms for pilgrims).
Then we took a prepaid taxi to Mehrauli to the Qutb Minar. I will post pictures of these ruins as my words can't adequately describe the intricate details on the giant structure. We tried to get the rikshaw to take us to the Jahal Mahal after that but it turned into a big process. He was determined to get us there so he stopped and asked everyone and literally did a once around the neighbourhood. Finally he got us to the back of it but we told him not to bother driving us around to the main entrance since it had been long enough of terrible little roads and the building didn't look overly impressive anyways. We got him to drop us off a little before the taxi stand and gave him 300 rupees (50 more than the agreed-upon price since we had him take us to the Jahal Mahal). He kept insisting that we give him 50 rupees on top of that which we refused to do and we walked away from him.
Then we walked to Jantar Mantar, a strange park near Connaught place. It cost 100 INR each to get in so we decided just to look from the fence. It has many very bizarre looking, red structures that were interesting to see but not mind-blowing. Then we walked to find some food because I was dying of hunger. We stopped at this corner snack/sandwich stand that we had seen the day before. There were TONS of Indians at it enjoying the food so we figured that it should be safe and have a good turn-over if so many people go there. I got a cheese bread pakora (a sandwich with potato curry in the middle and coated in cheese on the outside---delicious!) and Justin got a veg burger that I wouldn't have touched with a ten-foot pole because I'm picky and they never look appealing. Then we headed back to the hotel and were gonna do some laundry, internet, pack, eat dinner, and go to bed early so that we could wake up for our 7:20 train to Amritsar.
When we got into the room, Justin threw himself onto the bed saying that he was tired which was not uncommon. However, he didn't move or take his bag off which I knew was a bad sign. After 15 mins he said he thought he was sick. That night he got a pretty high fever and was passed out in bed. I did about an hour of internet and checked in on him and bought some water and juice but wasn't about to go out onto that horrible street after dark by myself for supper. I ended up eating a chocolate bar and drinking some water and heading to bed after packing up my things!!
Then we took a prepaid taxi to Mehrauli to the Qutb Minar. I will post pictures of these ruins as my words can't adequately describe the intricate details on the giant structure. We tried to get the rikshaw to take us to the Jahal Mahal after that but it turned into a big process. He was determined to get us there so he stopped and asked everyone and literally did a once around the neighbourhood. Finally he got us to the back of it but we told him not to bother driving us around to the main entrance since it had been long enough of terrible little roads and the building didn't look overly impressive anyways. We got him to drop us off a little before the taxi stand and gave him 300 rupees (50 more than the agreed-upon price since we had him take us to the Jahal Mahal). He kept insisting that we give him 50 rupees on top of that which we refused to do and we walked away from him.
Then we walked to Jantar Mantar, a strange park near Connaught place. It cost 100 INR each to get in so we decided just to look from the fence. It has many very bizarre looking, red structures that were interesting to see but not mind-blowing. Then we walked to find some food because I was dying of hunger. We stopped at this corner snack/sandwich stand that we had seen the day before. There were TONS of Indians at it enjoying the food so we figured that it should be safe and have a good turn-over if so many people go there. I got a cheese bread pakora (a sandwich with potato curry in the middle and coated in cheese on the outside---delicious!) and Justin got a veg burger that I wouldn't have touched with a ten-foot pole because I'm picky and they never look appealing. Then we headed back to the hotel and were gonna do some laundry, internet, pack, eat dinner, and go to bed early so that we could wake up for our 7:20 train to Amritsar.
When we got into the room, Justin threw himself onto the bed saying that he was tired which was not uncommon. However, he didn't move or take his bag off which I knew was a bad sign. After 15 mins he said he thought he was sick. That night he got a pretty high fever and was passed out in bed. I did about an hour of internet and checked in on him and bought some water and juice but wasn't about to go out onto that horrible street after dark by myself for supper. I ended up eating a chocolate bar and drinking some water and heading to bed after packing up my things!!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Day 7 and Delhi on foot...
We awoke early and stumbled out the door by 9am today. We went looking for a place to eat on our street and found a restaurant called Cafe Koshala that we had seen about 10 foreigners eating outside at last night (always a good sign). We sat on the side of the street under a tin roof with the flies and the street dogs and ate two fried eggs on toast for 25 INR (just over 50 cents!) and a veg sandwich as we shooed away beggar kids. Luckily for me, India overflows with tea so I get to enjoy my favourite beverage for about 10 cents everywhere! The only strange thing is that most places don't have mugs for tea and coffee so they serve hot beverages in juice glasses which are very hot and hard to manage!
From there we were hassled into a travel office down the street which went from a two minute ordeal to a five minute ordeal and led to us just walking out. Then we took the metro to Connaught Place (the swanky shopping area) to find the government tourism office to see about trains for the next leg of our journey. We finally found the office and talked with a man who had a very strained and funny voice. He couldn't issue us tickets and was of little help but quickly proceeded to pass us along to a "friend" of his at a travel agent who would help us out. Of course we knew we were in for a swindling good time but we decided to go, directions in hand, and see what garbage he would try to spit at us. First, we went to a coffee shop to really finalize our plans and then found our way to the office through a long line of glares and laughs from vulture street men. The travel agent kept ripping apart our plans and tried to sell us more than we wanted or needed, of course. I was willing to listen to what he had to say in case something amazing jumped out at me but not much did. He didn't have a computer so he had to call in the train tickets and told us to call him back at night. We walked out knowing that we would not be going through him and now needed to try to find the foreigner train reservation office...after some sightseeing first.
From there, we took a prepaid autorikshaw to Humayun's Tomb which was a very quiet and impressive site. Then we tried to get a cab to Lodi Gardens but all the cabs were charging too much. We got one to agree to a price that was still astronomical but more fair to us and everything should have been ok. After about 1km the rikshaw conveniently "stalled" and he pointed to me and slapped the seat next to him, implying that I was to ride up front. "Tsk, NO." Then he pointed to Justin and did the same saying something about the weight being an issue. We were not impressed to say the least. Justin was fuming and walked out, refusing to pay anything. I got pretty nervous because the guy followed us a little. I really don't know what any of these men are capable of so I get uncomfortable doing stuff like that but it really, really, has to be done in some cases or else you'll be swindled out of all your money eventually.
So, we walked about 600 or 700m to the Lodi Gardens. They are a magnificent set of gardens really in the middle of nowhere but extremely peaceful inside. However, we were so tired by then and annoyed that we decided to push on and try to see more since most of the day was spent haggling. Like usual, every time we want a cab there isn't one, so we walked to Safdarjang's Tomb. It was not very impressive at all but I can say that I was in the complex. I had to get an ice cream from a cart right outside because I hadn't eaten from breakfast and was starting to get faint. Their ice creams are great and are very, very affordable.
Then, we walked to Gandhi Smirti, a museum and the site of Gandhi's assassination. I forgot that it is Monday and most all sites are not open on Mondays so we could only walk around the grounds. We were able to see where Gandhi was shot and it was a very eerie experience. Since the site was technically closed, there were no children running around and no crowds to navigate through. When you circle the first building, you come to a walkway with a path of concrete footprints beside it. You amble down the path beside the last steps of the leader until you get to a monument at the spot where he fell. To literally see the footprints of him and walk, in a sense, in his shoes, was very moving.
It is extremely difficult to get a cab here any time after 4pm if you are not at a bus station or a train station because of the rush hour traffic. So, back to walking and a very long and dusty trek to the metro by the Central Secretariat (which we were at the other day). By the time we got there it was dark outside and we were going by the military area with men coming out of buses, etc, which was a bit of a nervous experience for me. Finally, we made it back to our hotel. Then we tried to find a Korean restaurant that we saw a poster for but it was down many alleyways that were dark and very sketchy...again very nervous for me. We decided to go to Gem and try their food and get a beer. We got their Thali (a mixed platter that comes with dal markhani (my safety dish!), rice, another two curry dishes, curd (I avoid this for digestive purposes), papadum, and naan for only 65 INR ($1.75 or so!)).
From there we were hassled into a travel office down the street which went from a two minute ordeal to a five minute ordeal and led to us just walking out. Then we took the metro to Connaught Place (the swanky shopping area) to find the government tourism office to see about trains for the next leg of our journey. We finally found the office and talked with a man who had a very strained and funny voice. He couldn't issue us tickets and was of little help but quickly proceeded to pass us along to a "friend" of his at a travel agent who would help us out. Of course we knew we were in for a swindling good time but we decided to go, directions in hand, and see what garbage he would try to spit at us. First, we went to a coffee shop to really finalize our plans and then found our way to the office through a long line of glares and laughs from vulture street men. The travel agent kept ripping apart our plans and tried to sell us more than we wanted or needed, of course. I was willing to listen to what he had to say in case something amazing jumped out at me but not much did. He didn't have a computer so he had to call in the train tickets and told us to call him back at night. We walked out knowing that we would not be going through him and now needed to try to find the foreigner train reservation office...after some sightseeing first.
From there, we took a prepaid autorikshaw to Humayun's Tomb which was a very quiet and impressive site. Then we tried to get a cab to Lodi Gardens but all the cabs were charging too much. We got one to agree to a price that was still astronomical but more fair to us and everything should have been ok. After about 1km the rikshaw conveniently "stalled" and he pointed to me and slapped the seat next to him, implying that I was to ride up front. "Tsk, NO." Then he pointed to Justin and did the same saying something about the weight being an issue. We were not impressed to say the least. Justin was fuming and walked out, refusing to pay anything. I got pretty nervous because the guy followed us a little. I really don't know what any of these men are capable of so I get uncomfortable doing stuff like that but it really, really, has to be done in some cases or else you'll be swindled out of all your money eventually.
So, we walked about 600 or 700m to the Lodi Gardens. They are a magnificent set of gardens really in the middle of nowhere but extremely peaceful inside. However, we were so tired by then and annoyed that we decided to push on and try to see more since most of the day was spent haggling. Like usual, every time we want a cab there isn't one, so we walked to Safdarjang's Tomb. It was not very impressive at all but I can say that I was in the complex. I had to get an ice cream from a cart right outside because I hadn't eaten from breakfast and was starting to get faint. Their ice creams are great and are very, very affordable.
Then, we walked to Gandhi Smirti, a museum and the site of Gandhi's assassination. I forgot that it is Monday and most all sites are not open on Mondays so we could only walk around the grounds. We were able to see where Gandhi was shot and it was a very eerie experience. Since the site was technically closed, there were no children running around and no crowds to navigate through. When you circle the first building, you come to a walkway with a path of concrete footprints beside it. You amble down the path beside the last steps of the leader until you get to a monument at the spot where he fell. To literally see the footprints of him and walk, in a sense, in his shoes, was very moving.
It is extremely difficult to get a cab here any time after 4pm if you are not at a bus station or a train station because of the rush hour traffic. So, back to walking and a very long and dusty trek to the metro by the Central Secretariat (which we were at the other day). By the time we got there it was dark outside and we were going by the military area with men coming out of buses, etc, which was a bit of a nervous experience for me. Finally, we made it back to our hotel. Then we tried to find a Korean restaurant that we saw a poster for but it was down many alleyways that were dark and very sketchy...again very nervous for me. We decided to go to Gem and try their food and get a beer. We got their Thali (a mixed platter that comes with dal markhani (my safety dish!), rice, another two curry dishes, curd (I avoid this for digestive purposes), papadum, and naan for only 65 INR ($1.75 or so!)).
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Delhi daze...
Wake up. Run out the door. Hassled on the street. Passed the good restaurant. No breakfast for Cindy. Fight to get to the metro. Peace and calm in the tube...
Took the metro to Central Secretariat which is a massive complex of government buildings. The entire thing looks very imperial and pretty impressive. We tried to follow the walking tour from one of our guide books but got lost in the back streets in the estates behind and were not impressed so we took an autorikshaw to the India Gate. From there we walked to Purana Qila, a huge set of ruins with a serene garden in the middle. The calm within the monument walls is totally amazing compared to the hell of the city. Next to the Purana Quila is the zoo. We debated going in but then decided to. On the way, a beggar woman grabbed my shirt and tried to pin a paper Indian flag on me for "only one rupee, ma'am." She had my shirt pretty firmly so I grabbed her hand and pushed it away which ended up ripping her little flag. Simultaneously, a strange transvestite ran up in a sari and grabbed Justin asking for money. It was a whirlwind of activity and definitely a very strange experience. There were monkeys wandering around the zoo stealing ice cream cones and entertaining people. I wasn't about to get close since Indian monkeys have been known to be very dangerous. The elephants and tigers were very interesting because they were much more active in their natural habitat than we are used to seeing. After that we were very hot and tired and went back to our hotel for dinner. We went to Diamond, a place recommended by the Lonely Planet. It has a huge menu, cheap prices, and pretty good food. I got a falafel platter which satisfied the craving that I had had for awhile! I went to bed very happy!
Took the metro to Central Secretariat which is a massive complex of government buildings. The entire thing looks very imperial and pretty impressive. We tried to follow the walking tour from one of our guide books but got lost in the back streets in the estates behind and were not impressed so we took an autorikshaw to the India Gate. From there we walked to Purana Qila, a huge set of ruins with a serene garden in the middle. The calm within the monument walls is totally amazing compared to the hell of the city. Next to the Purana Quila is the zoo. We debated going in but then decided to. On the way, a beggar woman grabbed my shirt and tried to pin a paper Indian flag on me for "only one rupee, ma'am." She had my shirt pretty firmly so I grabbed her hand and pushed it away which ended up ripping her little flag. Simultaneously, a strange transvestite ran up in a sari and grabbed Justin asking for money. It was a whirlwind of activity and definitely a very strange experience. There were monkeys wandering around the zoo stealing ice cream cones and entertaining people. I wasn't about to get close since Indian monkeys have been known to be very dangerous. The elephants and tigers were very interesting because they were much more active in their natural habitat than we are used to seeing. After that we were very hot and tired and went back to our hotel for dinner. We went to Diamond, a place recommended by the Lonely Planet. It has a huge menu, cheap prices, and pretty good food. I got a falafel platter which satisfied the craving that I had had for awhile! I went to bed very happy!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Goodmorning, Delhi...
We arrived in Delhi at Nizamuddin rail station and were attacked on the platform with prices for taxis that we were having no part of yet. When we pushed our way out to the queue we were bombarded by taxis and autorikshaws gauging us with ridiculous rates. We finally got a price that was still too high but one we could live with to New Dehli station. Once there is was sheer chaos. The second you get outta the cab they are shouting at you for a cab. If I wanted a cab I would ask. Oh, and they don't understand what NO means. All we had to do was cross the street of endless rikshaws, autorikshaws, and buses, walk up the busy bizaar without getting hit, and find our hotel. FINALLY we found it. It was called the Smyle Inn. It was pretty quaint inside with wicker curtains and lampshades and was great to me for the price. Turns out we couldn't get hot water so showering and washing clothes was taxing but had to be done. We left the room after that and found the metro to go to Chandni Chowk...a VERY busy street/bizarr area. From there we walked to the Red Fort, a massive complex of red stone right in the heart of Old Dehli. We also went to Jama Masjid, the largest mosque. We only had ten minutes there because it was almost sundown but it was still impressive. Then we tried to find our way around the city (or rather Justin tried to and I followed him as usual). We tried to find this restaurant from the Lonely Planet in the bizaar area called Karim's but we couldn't find it. I ended up having a bit of a panic attack in the small, crowded, noisy streets and needed to get out, STAT!
We continued to look for places to eat that didn't look like they would give us AIDS if we even sat down in them and finally I saw a sign for a fast-food place called Haldiram's. Turns out it's a fast-food place that serves the same sit-down Indian foods and is very cheap. I got Dal Markhani and rice which is black lentils and red kidney beans in a curry sauce with a bit of butter and cream mixed in. It was delicious and is my new safe dish! After dinner, we were hot, dirty, and in need of a stiff drink so we went back to Paraghanj (the foreigner area) and got a Kingfisher at Gem which is just up the street from our hotel.
We continued to look for places to eat that didn't look like they would give us AIDS if we even sat down in them and finally I saw a sign for a fast-food place called Haldiram's. Turns out it's a fast-food place that serves the same sit-down Indian foods and is very cheap. I got Dal Markhani and rice which is black lentils and red kidney beans in a curry sauce with a bit of butter and cream mixed in. It was delicious and is my new safe dish! After dinner, we were hot, dirty, and in need of a stiff drink so we went back to Paraghanj (the foreigner area) and got a Kingfisher at Gem which is just up the street from our hotel.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Last moments in Mumbai...
Today was our last day in Mumbai. We were out the door with bags packed by 9:20am. We walked around the city on our way to Victoria Terminus to take pictures of the outside. We saw Flora Fountain and Horniman Circle with a very peaceful park, St. Thomas' Cathedral, etc. After that, we tried to find Crawford Market but must have been on the wrong side of Victoria Terminus because we ended up walking down a large industrial looking street and into this extremely sketchy market that I was in a bit of a panic to exit immediately. So....like the rest of the trip...more walking. And, quelle surprise, when we emerged from the filth of the market, we had to walk to find a cab that would take us to Colaba and none would! On the way we walked alongside a shanty-town with really nice Indians in it who wanted us to take their picture and two little boys who ran after me like I was a celebrity just to get my empty plastic water bottle.
Then we walked to Colaba and went to the Prince of Wales Museum which was nice in some ways but we were too hot and exhausted to really enjoy it. We had to catch a 5:40 3 A/C train to Delhi at 5:40 so around 4:15 we left the internet cafe that we slipped into after lunch of curry at Food Inn, got our bags from the hotel, and took a cab to Mumbai station. Traffic was bad and I was starting to get nervous that we would miss our non-refundable train but we made it there and got on it with no hassles.
The third class compartment of the train is nothing special but also could have been A LOT worse. Thankfully most people speak English in this country and the men in our compartment were very helpful. We got lots of food and it was pretty good, too! It still doesn't compare to the curry that we had on Thai Air!!
I slept with all the bags behind my legs on the top bunk because I can fit up there no problem. The ride was relatively smooth except for one record-breaking snorer in the next compartment and one disagreement over alcohol that drew crowds and cops at one stop. Overall, train, piece of cake...
Then we walked to Colaba and went to the Prince of Wales Museum which was nice in some ways but we were too hot and exhausted to really enjoy it. We had to catch a 5:40 3 A/C train to Delhi at 5:40 so around 4:15 we left the internet cafe that we slipped into after lunch of curry at Food Inn, got our bags from the hotel, and took a cab to Mumbai station. Traffic was bad and I was starting to get nervous that we would miss our non-refundable train but we made it there and got on it with no hassles.
The third class compartment of the train is nothing special but also could have been A LOT worse. Thankfully most people speak English in this country and the men in our compartment were very helpful. We got lots of food and it was pretty good, too! It still doesn't compare to the curry that we had on Thai Air!!
I slept with all the bags behind my legs on the top bunk because I can fit up there no problem. The ride was relatively smooth except for one record-breaking snorer in the next compartment and one disagreement over alcohol that drew crowds and cops at one stop. Overall, train, piece of cake...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Holy Bollywood...
We're on a set right now. It's 5 to 8 in the morning. We just ate something that I think might be called paratha. This morning we got up at the crack of dawn and left the hotel to meet at the McDonald's for the free bus to the site. When no one was there for a good ten minutes we realized that our watches were still wrong and were 30 mins fast so we walked around the area passing all the street vendors who were snuggled in their flea-infested blankets sleeping on or beside their stalls. The bus here was very old and it was a very bumpy ride. When we arrived we were given little to no instructions, just directed to a concrete wall with food on it. Turns out the shoot is outdoors and the only place to sit is on concrete bleachers or in the sun on the grass. Justin has just wandered off and left me sitting here. A group of Indian men have migrated my way which is disturbing but mostly annoying...
later...
Turned out the site was outdoors all day. They started picking people for "roles". Some guys were part of a Canadian soccer team, others were just fans in the stands with painted faces. Justin didn't have to change or have his face painted. A very odd white Indian guy came up to me and said, "You, pom poms, ok?" and made a little cheerleader gesture. Against my better judgment, I decided that there were worse things in life and that I would do it. Myself and four other girls were taken to a trailer out back and told to wait until our costumes arrived. Many moons later our black little numbers arrived. Little wrap skirts, spanx, and crop tops (with small tears) arrived. Oh goody. I've gained weight from many buffet trips and imbibing multus maekju (much beer) in my last week in Korea. That plus the sticky tape residue on my back from my back patches (*I'll note here that if you can find those hot cold back patches for pain you should buy then in mass quantities if you plan on travelling and ever suffer from back pain because they are a WONDER!!) made me oh so attractive for the Canadian team. All of a sudden they just pointed and drove us onto the field and said "cheer." And we were like, "uh....ok???" "Do some steps or something," the guy said. As if, dude. It was very hot on the field and very degrading. After many, many takes we were allowed to go relax and eat. By this point it was about 2pm and I had had it! The whole day was an awkward mess and I started to get one of my oh so common panic attacks. After 30 mins of working up the nerve to go and find my clothes in the trailer I changed and we ran away from the site. I know, I'm very mature. I say "dude" and teach small children "Englishee."
Turns out we were in some remote area with a giant petroleum station, many trucks, and many men. We walked along the side of the road for awhile looking for a cab. There were tons of autorikshaws but none would take us. It was a very sketchy area and I was not happy. Finally an autorikshaw agreed to take us to the border of where the autorikshaws can go which was close enough for us. Autorikshaws are insane little scooters with caps but are very fun at times. We had to walk again to try to find a cab after getting dropped off and it was very hard to avoid being hit by some kind of moving vehicle. Finally we got a cab to Haji Ali Mosque (a mosque on an island that you walk a long bridge or roadway to get to). From there, we walked to Malhalaxmi temple through winding, busy streets. We stopped at a gas station to buy a snack and bought some "Mint Mischief" Lays. I plan on buying lots of different chips while I'm here!
We went home at about 4pm hot and tired, took showers, went for some vegetarian curry ($4 for two!) and then went to a sports bar for two much-needed beers. We saw the bus with the movie people roll in at about 7:30pm!!! A couple walked into the bar and told us it was "Hell." So glad I bailed! We went to bed early to be ready for the next day...
later...
Turned out the site was outdoors all day. They started picking people for "roles". Some guys were part of a Canadian soccer team, others were just fans in the stands with painted faces. Justin didn't have to change or have his face painted. A very odd white Indian guy came up to me and said, "You, pom poms, ok?" and made a little cheerleader gesture. Against my better judgment, I decided that there were worse things in life and that I would do it. Myself and four other girls were taken to a trailer out back and told to wait until our costumes arrived. Many moons later our black little numbers arrived. Little wrap skirts, spanx, and crop tops (with small tears) arrived. Oh goody. I've gained weight from many buffet trips and imbibing multus maekju (much beer) in my last week in Korea. That plus the sticky tape residue on my back from my back patches (*I'll note here that if you can find those hot cold back patches for pain you should buy then in mass quantities if you plan on travelling and ever suffer from back pain because they are a WONDER!!) made me oh so attractive for the Canadian team. All of a sudden they just pointed and drove us onto the field and said "cheer." And we were like, "uh....ok???" "Do some steps or something," the guy said. As if, dude. It was very hot on the field and very degrading. After many, many takes we were allowed to go relax and eat. By this point it was about 2pm and I had had it! The whole day was an awkward mess and I started to get one of my oh so common panic attacks. After 30 mins of working up the nerve to go and find my clothes in the trailer I changed and we ran away from the site. I know, I'm very mature. I say "dude" and teach small children "Englishee."
Turns out we were in some remote area with a giant petroleum station, many trucks, and many men. We walked along the side of the road for awhile looking for a cab. There were tons of autorikshaws but none would take us. It was a very sketchy area and I was not happy. Finally an autorikshaw agreed to take us to the border of where the autorikshaws can go which was close enough for us. Autorikshaws are insane little scooters with caps but are very fun at times. We had to walk again to try to find a cab after getting dropped off and it was very hard to avoid being hit by some kind of moving vehicle. Finally we got a cab to Haji Ali Mosque (a mosque on an island that you walk a long bridge or roadway to get to). From there, we walked to Malhalaxmi temple through winding, busy streets. We stopped at a gas station to buy a snack and bought some "Mint Mischief" Lays. I plan on buying lots of different chips while I'm here!
We went home at about 4pm hot and tired, took showers, went for some vegetarian curry ($4 for two!) and then went to a sports bar for two much-needed beers. We saw the bus with the movie people roll in at about 7:30pm!!! A couple walked into the bar and told us it was "Hell." So glad I bailed! We went to bed early to be ready for the next day...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Day We Got Swindled...
This morning we walked around Colaba (the foreigner area where we're staying). We realized that our hotel is RIGHT by the Gateway to India (a giant, impressive gate)and the Taj Hotel. We ate at the "Leopold Cafe" which is next to our hostel. It is quite expensive (for Indian food--still only 8 bucks for two people!) but has good food and lots of foreign things. Then, we went to Victoria Terminus (the train station) to see what the fuss is about. The architecture outside really is quite amazing. Inside...not so much. We tried to find the foreigner ticket booth but were confused and were confronted by a nice Indian lady who spoke amazing English. Her name was Sandy and she had great chat about how horrible India is and how she was trying to go back to North America. She and another man helped us to book tickets. The man left for a long time to get the tickets which should have been the first clue. It was...but I'm lazy and didn't really care! The prices they gave us seemed kinda confusing and didn't exactly add up but I honestly didn't care because of how uncomfortable I was feeling in the country. Then Sandy offered to take us around the city for the day. We knew it was probably a rip but I was fine with someone showing us around because I was totally clueless. The trip was OK but nothing spectacular. We went in a taxi to see the consulates, the Hanging Gardens (very uninspiring...but I don't think that's where we were really), Gandhi's home, the red light district (very very disturbing!), and more, including a stop at a long light where a boy with no right hand and a mangled left hand begged for money through the cab windows. So many things were sketchy about the tour but I was more than happy to give her the $20 or so for two people that she got from us. We didn't know until later that they took extra money for our train tickets, too, but overall a matter of maybe $50 for two people. Frankly, she needs the money more than I do. One "highlight" of the tour was a Jain temple that we stopped at. Outside was a blue sign with a list of things that we were to do which included: not turning our backs to the diety, removing our shoes, and not entering if I had my period. Rewind. What?! Yes. I took a pic. I'll post it soon...
We left Colaba after the tour and walked to Mumbai University to take pictures of the clock tower. It really is a striking building. The inside of the building looks like it's straight outta the 1950's but overall interesting. We also saw the High Court which was impressive outside, too.
When we got back to Colaba, we were stopped by a young Indian who asked us if we wanted to be extras in a Bollywood film. We said we would try to do this by going to Film City and waiting outside the buildings when we were in Korea so when the opportunity presented itself we kinda had to say yes. The guy said it would be 500INR each for 12 hours work and we would have to meet at 6:30 am. We agreed with hesitation saying, "fuck it, let's do it." I can't tell you how many times this saying has gotten me into trouble.
After hearing that we would have to get up at about 5:30am we decided to take it easy. We went to a local restaurant for curry. Justin got mutton something and I chicken biryani. That plus a lime soda cost us a whopping $2.50!!! On the menu were a series of items with brain. Yes, BRAIN. Unless it's some Indian word like "braheen" I'm pretty sure we'd be eating some animal's thinker and I'm really not sure I can bring myself to that. I wouldn't eat silkworm larvae or dog soup in Korea, I think brain is outta the question. After dinner we found an internet cafe thanks to the Lonely Planet,on the way to which I was stalked by a little flower-toting beggar girl. Indian children are much cuter than Korean children and they call me "ma'am" and "madam".
We left Colaba after the tour and walked to Mumbai University to take pictures of the clock tower. It really is a striking building. The inside of the building looks like it's straight outta the 1950's but overall interesting. We also saw the High Court which was impressive outside, too.
When we got back to Colaba, we were stopped by a young Indian who asked us if we wanted to be extras in a Bollywood film. We said we would try to do this by going to Film City and waiting outside the buildings when we were in Korea so when the opportunity presented itself we kinda had to say yes. The guy said it would be 500INR each for 12 hours work and we would have to meet at 6:30 am. We agreed with hesitation saying, "fuck it, let's do it." I can't tell you how many times this saying has gotten me into trouble.
After hearing that we would have to get up at about 5:30am we decided to take it easy. We went to a local restaurant for curry. Justin got mutton something and I chicken biryani. That plus a lime soda cost us a whopping $2.50!!! On the menu were a series of items with brain. Yes, BRAIN. Unless it's some Indian word like "braheen" I'm pretty sure we'd be eating some animal's thinker and I'm really not sure I can bring myself to that. I wouldn't eat silkworm larvae or dog soup in Korea, I think brain is outta the question. After dinner we found an internet cafe thanks to the Lonely Planet,on the way to which I was stalked by a little flower-toting beggar girl. Indian children are much cuter than Korean children and they call me "ma'am" and "madam".
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Leaving on a Jet Plane...
Today we left for Mumbai, India. We caught an airport bus from Itaewon at about 6 in the morning. Turns out we were wrong about the flight time so we were about four hours early for our flight. We got the usual Subway sub from the airport. After smaller portions in Asia it really is startling when you look at a 12" sub! The bread was a tad stale but overall it was still glorious. Our flight was TG 629 to Bangkok via Hong Kong. Thai Air has excellent food and great service in business AND economy class it turns out! We were both sad to the see the lady at immigration take our Alien cards away from us before we boarded our flights. I liked being an official ALIEN.
We had to get off of our plane in Hong Kong for 30 mins while they cleaned it and then get back on for Bangkok. When we arrived in Bangkok we rushed through the security check thinking that we would relax at our gate and window shop, etc. Turns out that Bangkok airport is like a prison where you wait for your gate to open and show your pass to get in and once in you don't leave. No bathrooms were open before our gate was open except for ones at one gate that we finally allowed to walk down to. We watched some Grey's Anatomy on Justin's ipod to pass some time.
It definitely was an eye-opener landing in India. You know you're in a "developing" country (aka 3rd world) when there are flies in the airport and men in uniform when you step off the plane. There was TONS of construction so the airport was a total mess and was a little confusing. There were security checks EVERYWHERE! Outside it was dusty, dirty, hot, bug-infested, and filled with many shouting Indians. We walked down the ramp and saw a man with a sign for us so we knew that was our hotel. He and THREE other men drove us to the hotel. Two men sat in the back with our bags on their laps, two in the front, and us in the middle. They played American dance/hip hop songs for us which added to the air of absurdity. The long drive to the hotel was startling. I've never seen slums like that before in my life. No seat belts, tons of honking, lost of autorickshaws, and tons of men just hanging out on the sides of the street. We drove by tons of shanty towns, just pure poor squalor. "Dear God, what have I gotten myself into??!!"
We had to get off of our plane in Hong Kong for 30 mins while they cleaned it and then get back on for Bangkok. When we arrived in Bangkok we rushed through the security check thinking that we would relax at our gate and window shop, etc. Turns out that Bangkok airport is like a prison where you wait for your gate to open and show your pass to get in and once in you don't leave. No bathrooms were open before our gate was open except for ones at one gate that we finally allowed to walk down to. We watched some Grey's Anatomy on Justin's ipod to pass some time.
It definitely was an eye-opener landing in India. You know you're in a "developing" country (aka 3rd world) when there are flies in the airport and men in uniform when you step off the plane. There was TONS of construction so the airport was a total mess and was a little confusing. There were security checks EVERYWHERE! Outside it was dusty, dirty, hot, bug-infested, and filled with many shouting Indians. We walked down the ramp and saw a man with a sign for us so we knew that was our hotel. He and THREE other men drove us to the hotel. Two men sat in the back with our bags on their laps, two in the front, and us in the middle. They played American dance/hip hop songs for us which added to the air of absurdity. The long drive to the hotel was startling. I've never seen slums like that before in my life. No seat belts, tons of honking, lost of autorickshaws, and tons of men just hanging out on the sides of the street. We drove by tons of shanty towns, just pure poor squalor. "Dear God, what have I gotten myself into??!!"
Monday, March 3, 2008
Errand Day!
or the day we thought we couldn't fly out of Korea!
We had lots and lots of running around to do today which was annoying but very satisfying in the end. Most importantly, we got our passports from the Indian Visa Application Centre so we can now fly to Mumbai tomorrow on schedule. Then, it was time to struggle with Korea Post trying to mail things home. Korean postal workers are crotchy old women and I am thoroughly not impressed! I managed to send home the airmail gifts and some surface odds and sodds that I was toting from Gwangju. All systems GO at this point.
Now for the drama. It was time to mail home my laptop. There are many FedEx Kinko's listed online but we weren't sure if they would handle our computers so we got the address for a place and walked that way. We walked all around the area and asked for help only to be told to continue walking. Then, we finally discovered that the one we were looking for was ON the US army base. Not cool. So, high-tail it to a PC bang (PC room) and then find another address, get in a cab, try for round two. On the way we saw a kinko's and got the nice cabbie to stop.
I was so flustered that I barely noticed Namdaemun all boarded up. Namdaemun is Korea's No.1 historical relic, an old gate that has stood in the midst of the bustling city. An old, disgruntled Korean man recently set fire to the monument which had most of the country in tears.
Back to Fed Ex...
It took a very long time to figure things out, especially since they said that our parents would have to go to the depots to sign for the computers so that they could clear customs. Total hassle all told. $110 later my computer got mailed in a small box with little padding. Fingers crossed, everyone.
I am STILL carrying around the painting that I brought back in my large backpack from Hong Kong because Korea doesn't seem to have poster tubes and no boxes are long enough for it. Language problems plus crotchy mail people make Cindy a sad girl.
We had lots and lots of running around to do today which was annoying but very satisfying in the end. Most importantly, we got our passports from the Indian Visa Application Centre so we can now fly to Mumbai tomorrow on schedule. Then, it was time to struggle with Korea Post trying to mail things home. Korean postal workers are crotchy old women and I am thoroughly not impressed! I managed to send home the airmail gifts and some surface odds and sodds that I was toting from Gwangju. All systems GO at this point.
Now for the drama. It was time to mail home my laptop. There are many FedEx Kinko's listed online but we weren't sure if they would handle our computers so we got the address for a place and walked that way. We walked all around the area and asked for help only to be told to continue walking. Then, we finally discovered that the one we were looking for was ON the US army base. Not cool. So, high-tail it to a PC bang (PC room) and then find another address, get in a cab, try for round two. On the way we saw a kinko's and got the nice cabbie to stop.
I was so flustered that I barely noticed Namdaemun all boarded up. Namdaemun is Korea's No.1 historical relic, an old gate that has stood in the midst of the bustling city. An old, disgruntled Korean man recently set fire to the monument which had most of the country in tears.
Back to Fed Ex...
It took a very long time to figure things out, especially since they said that our parents would have to go to the depots to sign for the computers so that they could clear customs. Total hassle all told. $110 later my computer got mailed in a small box with little padding. Fingers crossed, everyone.
I am STILL carrying around the painting that I brought back in my large backpack from Hong Kong because Korea doesn't seem to have poster tubes and no boxes are long enough for it. Language problems plus crotchy mail people make Cindy a sad girl.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Bye Bye Blues...
Last night was our going away party in Gwangju. About 50 people or more from the community showed up to say goodbye to 7 teachers from my school who are leaving (Myself, Justin, Steve, his wife Aneta, Geoffrey, Adam, and Rose). There were tables all the way down the restaurant strewn with kimchi and lettuce and meat being cooked. I bought some Yellowtail "Bubbles" before the dinner (It was on sale for $15 instead of $19-FATE!) for the occasion. We went on a bit of a pub crawl-actually just to "Big Apple" (formerly known as "Big Fun" but was never big fun). We woke up today around 11am and finished the final bits of packing and cleaning. I had already moved all of my stuff to Justin's on Thursday so that the school could have another apartment for the new teachers. That dinner plus free shabu shabu from our boss the night before was amazing.
Early afternoon Paul (the guy from our work who helps us do things around the town) picked us up from Justin's apartment with a driver and a Brighton van to take us to the bus station. Pulling out of Pungam was very sad and the pair of us got misty-eyed.
We ate Lotteria one last time in the Gwangju bus terminal. Lotteria is like McDonald's but it's a Japanese company and it is amazing. I went all out on a disgusting feast consisting of all of my favourites: 2 chicken fillet strips, pomegranate juice, yogurt salad, 2 cheese sticks, and a paprika bacon beef cheeseburger (a double cheeseburger that has black olives and yellow pepper on it!). After the four hour bus ride to Seoul we met our old coworker Ryan and his two friends in Itaewon (the foreigner area) for dinner and drinks. Great night. Great goodbyes. Time for the panic...
Early afternoon Paul (the guy from our work who helps us do things around the town) picked us up from Justin's apartment with a driver and a Brighton van to take us to the bus station. Pulling out of Pungam was very sad and the pair of us got misty-eyed.
We ate Lotteria one last time in the Gwangju bus terminal. Lotteria is like McDonald's but it's a Japanese company and it is amazing. I went all out on a disgusting feast consisting of all of my favourites: 2 chicken fillet strips, pomegranate juice, yogurt salad, 2 cheese sticks, and a paprika bacon beef cheeseburger (a double cheeseburger that has black olives and yellow pepper on it!). After the four hour bus ride to Seoul we met our old coworker Ryan and his two friends in Itaewon (the foreigner area) for dinner and drinks. Great night. Great goodbyes. Time for the panic...
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