Varanasi and misc. photos

AK and I have made it to Varanasi. Unlike our Agra to Gaya overnighter, this trip was a breeze. Train was only 45 minutes late, our driver found us at the station, and our hotel is blessedly bug free.

Bodhgaya was beautiful. I don't have any photos of it as the the temple does not allow tablets or computers within its boundary. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to visit. It is definitely a place I would visit again. The Kundan Bazar Guest House was great and super clean but very buggy. It's not really the hotel's fault. The entire area was alive with critters and despite their valiant efforts nature cannot be kept out. Also... in the land of Buddah it seemed wrong to kill them... so we sucked it up and let everything live and let live. Ohmmm.

While I still have a Internet connection... here are some photos.

Red Fort, Delhi - AK in front of the receiving house

Hardiwar's, Chandi Chowk, Delhi

next time I go I'm going to get the waffles. 

The veg thali meal was excellent.

Red Fort, Delhi - an oasis in an otherwise chaotic Delhi. 

AK and me rockin' the Indian outfits in Chandi Chowk

Delhi - The ladies only section of the Metro

Guwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi

Gudwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi - at the holy pool

Jantar Mantar, Delhi

Home@F37 Hotel, Delhi - home sweet home.

Agra, India - Taj Mahal

Delhi Day 4-5: Chandi Chowk and beyond

We've had limited access to Internet the last couple of days. It could be because our hotel is full and the loads too much for the router they have. Anyways, here's a quick update on what we've been up to:

• Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib - it's about a 5 minute walk from Chandi Chowk Metro station. It is an ocean of tranquility in an otherwise mind-glowingly chaotic area of town. It doesn't have all the gold (or the holy pool) of the temple we visited on Wednesday but I kind of liked it better. It's less of a tourist attraction and more of a working temple. They also serve a lovely cup of tea in their langar. Sweet, spicy, and refreshing.
• Chandi Chowk - the bazar is insane. INSANE. Choreographed chaos.  It feels like all of humanity is walking the sidewalk with you. While the traffic is honking; the sidewalk is crumbling; and half the main thorough fare is being excavated and repaired. Scooter, auto-taxis, peddle taxis, cars, trucks, horse & carriage, wheel barrows, and stray dogs all compete for road space. That is just the main road. Turn the corner and you're down the rabbit hole into a time long forgotten. 
• Hardiwar's - it's Indian fast food at its finest. It's clean, clean, and clean. They do everything from Thali meals to pasta to sweets. Apparently their waffles are to die for. I highly recommend the restaurant, especially when food options seem dodgy.
• Parathas eaten at Paratha Walli Galli :-) Deep fried killer goodness. I had carrot and radish. AK had cauliflower and potato. Yum.

This entry is out of sequence...stupid Internet connection :-(

Beyond Delhi

I starting to lose track of days. We've been on the move for what feels like days. This combined with really spotty internet access has me feeling really disconnected. It's been a challenging few days. AK is still under the weather. I think we may have to move some travel bits around and ease up a bit.

Anyway here's a quick round up of our last couple of days. We did some additional retail therapy on our last day in Delhi; took a mid-morning train to Agra to see the Taj (it's spectacular BTW); spent and afternoon at the Oberoi hotel posing out; rode the overnight train from Agra to Gaya (an experience, while wonderful, will not be repeated); and are now crashing in Bodhgaya.

I understand from the hotel that there is a Hindu holy ceremony going on today so it might be a bit crowded. I think we may just laze at the hotel and take in the sites tomorrow.

BTW - the Indian style toilets on the train have an "oh shit" bar. Absolutely necessary when trying to keep upright while squatting on a moving train. All I can say is that I will have thighs of steel by the end of this vacation.

I'll post more when my head isn't spinning.... photos to follow.

Delhi Day 3: Retail therapy and typos

Today, we spent the day at a mall, the DFS Saket Mall to be exact (think Metrotown at Christmas but then Indian and at Diwali). Got there by Metro (did I mention that I love the Metro). Took the Violet Line from Kalish Colony to Central Secretariat; transferred to the Yellow Line to Huda City; got off at Saket; and then took a tuk tuk (thankfully, this time there was no attempt to take us around the block) to the Mall

The Mall was tranquil. The Mall had filtered air. The Mall was air conditioned. The Mall had a Starbucks. As with malls in our part of the world, in the afternoon it was filled with rich wives, tourists, and kids skivving off school. In the evening, it transformed into a hot spot for families and young couples in for some shopping and perhaps a movie. There were a lot of western stores (ie, Krispy Creme, Pizza Hut, KFC, Sephora, Zara, Mango, Addidas, etc.) but also a few Indian chains (ie, Mango, Pantaloons, etc.) Part of me was appalled that we were at a mall, while, other parts were relieved. It was a much needed mini-vacation away from the hustle-bustle of Delihi, which is overwhelmingly intense any day of the week.

So here are the highlights

• Retail therapy - purchased a couple of Indian outfits. Now the proud owner of 3 Kurtas and 2 baggy Ali Baba pants. I was so disappointed to find that my calves too big to wear the skinny version of the Ali Baba pants. I can get my feet in but the won't go past my ankles (I have the same trouble back home with boots). I gave them to AK. Thankfully it fits her fine.
  
  Finally the quest for oatmeal is complete. Purchased a box at an astronomical price. Well worth the cost for peace of mind in times of tummy trouble. Reminder to self: save money, bring it from home next time.
• Spa therapy - went all girly girl and got our nails done. 
• Cafe therapy - had a hot chocolate at Starbucks. It's funny how Starbucks has become a comfort place. I almost never go there back home. It just shows you... any port in a storm.
• Entertainment therapy - We went to see a movie at the multiplex, "Happy New Year" a Farah Khan movie. It is this year's Indian Diwali blockbuster; part Flash Dance, part Ocean's 11, part 12-pack ab porn (yes ab porn. I have never ever seen so many scenes containing naked waxed male chest shots complete with wind machines and droplets of water in one movie). It was awesome. 

Tomorrow we are scheduled to go to Chandri Chowk. I think it's going to be a rude awakening after our blissful day at the Mall.

Note to self:  Just reread some of my past blog posting and realized there are some major typos, missing words, and grammar issues. Serves me right for updating at 4am in the morning. Jet lag is messing with my ability to write :-( I can feel grammar jammer's disappointment like a cold breath on the back of my neck. I'll try to go back and edit when I have more time and a better Internet connection. Our free Wi-Fi has been a little spotty of late.

India Day 2: Holy water and circles of hell

AK and are still acclimating to the hustle and bustle of Delhi. We had a late start and a early end to the day. We visited the Gudwara Bangla Sahib. Beatuiful place. We sat in the temple for a while; AK took a dip in the holy pool; and visited the adjoining museum and was highjacked by a nice old Indian gentlemen into taking the tour.

Connaught Place is a circle of hell. Not sure which one. Touts everywhere. All "helpfully" directing you to somewhere you never really wanted to go in the first place to buy crap you definitely need wanted to own. They make what should be a pleasant shopping excursion into a hellish experience.

Must apologize to AK. I lost my temper at my taxi driver. He drove us to a "shopping mall" we didn't want to go to. Forced us to go inside and then got angry at us for not buying the crap inside. While I don't mind overpaying... I hate being taken to a ride.

Ohhhmmmm... hopefully Day 3 will be more relaxing and peaceful.

PS - Delhi metro rocks though!!

India Day 1: Dead tired in Delhi

So after my blissful day at the British Museum and dicey meet up with AK at King's Cross (a hurricane wreaked havoc on the National Railway - AK was almost two hours late as a tree had fallen across the rail line and it had to be routed through Sheffield?), we finally made it to LHR.  At LHR, we were delayed as the entire check-in system went down and the airport came to a complete standstill for about 45 minutes.

AK at the Palace

The AI flight from LHR-DEL was great. Food was tasty. On board videos good. Service excellent. Customs and Immigration went smoothly or rather I waltzed into India with no questions asked. Our arrival and airport pick up was seamless. The only downside this journey was that I left my little pocket camera on the flight. Thankfully, I had just downloaded my photos to my computer the night before so I'm only really missing pics of the British Library and St. Pancras Station.

Our hotel (F@37) is in the Defence Colony area of New Delhi. It is clean, spacious, comfortable, with kick-ass internet and very helpful staff. A relaxing surprise after the convenient but very very cramped Hotel Europe in London. It's even within spitting distance of the Metro station, which should make getting around a lot easier.  I hope that moving forward all our hotels work out this well.

Both AK and I are travel weary. After four action-packed days in London, we are due for some downtime. We've decided to spend our first afternoon/night in Delhi chilling out in our hotel room with bad TV and room service.

Tomorrow is Diwali. I'l looking forward to spending it at the temple. It's going to be awesome.
More later.

London Day 3: Elementary and Lord's

AK went to visit friends today so I was on my lonesome today. To make up for the lack of good company (yes, AK you were missed), I had a low key day filled with indulgences.

• The day started with a awkward yet heartfelt hug at King's Cross (AK + me) and a minor panic attack as we realized I didn't have a phone so there was no way to keep in contact. It took us a while to figure out we just needed to work out meeting time/place the old fashioned way. 

  

  221b Baker Street
• Went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street but it was too early so went for a walk to see Lord's Cricket Pitch - the Home of Cricket. I was just going to poke my head to see if I could see the pitch but ended up taking the full tour. A lovely old gent by the name of Ken took us (me and five Australians) around the place. Apparently, the Aussie's won the test match against England last year and is the current holder of the Ashes Cup. The tour was fantastic. We saw the museum, the locker rooms, the committee room (where all the laws of cricket are made and where QEII sits if she comes to see a game), the media centre, and touched the pitch. As an aside, the pitch is celebrating its bicentenary... the club itself has been around for a lot longer. 
• Rode a double-decker bus from Lord's to 221b Baker Street.
• BUCKET LIST ALERT: Took the self-guided tour of 221b. Cheesy but strangely satisfying. I've been wanting to visit since I first read the stories when I was eleven. It was musty and dusty with really squeaky floors, just like I had imagined. 17 steps from the bottom of the stairs to the 2nd floor reception rooms. I waited around for a bit but unfortunately Mr. Holmes was not available for a consult. Maybe next time.
• Visited the British Museum and did an audio-assisted tour of Ancient Greek and Roman world. Saw the Rosetta Stone as well as the infamous Elgin Marbles, although they are no longer officially called that for obvious political reasons. However inappropriately acquired, the statues and wall reliefs are stunning. 

  

  Reliefs from the Parthenon (aka Elgin Marbles)
• Walked from the museum to Covent Gardens. Broke down and bought a second-hand tweed jacket for warmth and a pair of high-heeled mary janes because I couldn't help myself.
• Ate a fish and chip dinner at the White Hart Pub in Covent Gardens. The both the fish and the chips were awesome. It's at times like these that I wish I could drink beer. Instead I had to settle for some Indian Tonic water. It's almost the same...right? 
• Finally, I went to see War Horse. It was amazing (thanks Annie for the tip). After about 5 minutes, you for get that its not a real horse (think steam-pinked puppet horse operated by three puppeteers). I might have cried a little but, in my defence, so did the burly Scotsman sitting next to me. He did the whole hankie thing, I merely sniffled delicately. What a great evening.

Now back to regularly scheduled programming.

London Day 3 - Jet lag sucks

So I'm wide awake again at 4:00 am. AK is snuffling away. I'm so envious. On the upside, I've got unfettered access to crisps (hey you snooze, you lose) and it's giving me a lot of alone time to write. 

 

Observations: Walkers' Baked Wotsits are wonderful. They are like Cheeto's lite. Slightly less orange but just as cheesy. Good stuff.

London Day 2.2 - Feet sore but fancy free

Our second day in London was epic. The weather was perfect. It was unseasonably warm, beautifully sunny, and simply teeming with people. We walked, trained, and sailed all over the city. My feet, well I still can't feel my feet.

Here some observations about this city:

• People seem to be from everywhere else but London. If you stand still and listen you hear the world. Russian, French, Italian, Arabic, and American English (yes I'm counting that as a separate language) spoken at every corner. Very few people are native English English speakers. 
• Recent and/or temporary immigrants seem to run/staff the tourism/service industry here. From barmaids to hotel staff, everyone is from somewhere else. 
• Having said this, many of the tourists are English. 
• Europeans dress well, at least the city folk. This is especially true of outerwear. Everyone seems to own really killer coats and jackets. I seem to be the only one walking around in only my short sleeve shirt...but hey it's nowhere near cold here and I'm from Canada. 
• The women are (for the main part) not skinny (in a good way). I feel almost normal (take that you super skinny size 0s - people are supposed to have curves).
• On the other hand, people have big feet. Women's shoes start at US size 7. Very hard to find anything under that. I'm apparently an English size 3. I feel tiny.
• Bond and Oxford street on a Sunday afternoon is scary and not for the feint of heart. For some reason many of the shops organize their sales items by colour not size. Very confusing.
• There are relatively few English Asians of the ecru variety. Significantly, more English Asians of the South Asia Sub-Continent variety.
• Public transportation is awesome and efficient. Rush hour travel should be avoided at all cost. I not nearly aggressive enough to push myself off a train. 
• Architecture is stunning and varied. Some old, some new but almost always avant-garde. Buildings come in all shapes and sizes (circles, triangles, spheres, upside-down triangle, right-side up triangle, etc.). Weird and wonderful. And sometimes both. 
• Food, so far, has been great. We haven't ventured anywhere exotic so I'm going to reserve judgement. 
• Elevators at the Underground stations are vertigo inducing. They are steep and deep. I need to keep staring at random ads on the wall the keep from freaking out. I've skied less vertical.
• Traffic is insane. Cars move fast and with purpose. Pedestrians do not have the right of way. 
• Having said this, the native seem to like crossing against the light at intersections. They hop from one street island to another. Suicidal if you ask me... but then again by the end of our first full day, AK and I were following suite. Crazy making.
• The word "alight" is in common usage. Go figure.

Here's a rundown of what we saw today (photos to follow as still missing camera to computer cable): 

• Started the day off at London Bridge (which, ironically, is not the London Bridge of song). Nice enough bridge though...with a spectacular view of Tower Bridge (which is the London Bridge you imagine when you hear the song of the same name).
• Walked along east along the north shore of the Thames River to Tower of London. 
• Ate an Oyster (a delicious fake soft-serve ice cream made of a white cream-like petroleum product served between two clam shell-shaped edible styrofoam waffles half-dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with nuts) at 10am in the square next to the tower. AK had this weird plastic cone of fake ice cream with a gum ball at the bottom (apparently a nostalgic childhood favourite). No judgement please, I'm on vacation. Note: in their natural habitat, AKs can track and locate a soft-serve ice cream truck faster than I can say "what ice cream truck". 
• Saw the breathtaking "poppy" installation. Over 888,000 ceramic red poppies are currently being "planted" to circle the Tower complex. It will be complete by November 11, in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of WWI. Each poppy represents a English soldier lost during that war. 
• Across the Tower Bridge (the one that evokes the bridge from the song) and back towards the London Bridge. We got lost looking for a Tesco's or rather a bottle of 7-up for AK. Ended up at a M&S food outlet. Almost bought a fruitcake but decided against it due to its weight. Lugging a 3 pound (weight not cost) loaf of preserved fruit goodness seemed a bit daunting. Settled instead on a 320 gram tin of Sea Salt & Black Pepper Cashews in stead. Delicious. 
• To rest our feet, we decided to take a boat to the London Eye from near London Bridge (not of the song). Got to say, it's my new favourite way to travel. $16 CAD pp for a ten minute boat ride what's not to like.
• Along the ride, we caught a glimpse of the Tate Modern; went under the Millennium Bridge, sailed past the Globe and National Theatres; and whizzed by Somerset House.
• Got off at Embarkment Pier and walked over the Golden Jubilee Bridges to the London Eye.
• Took a wee by the river at a swanky public toilet. Admission to the toilet was 50p but since I lacked the correct change (and the automated entrance thingy didn't give change) I plastered myself against AKs back and gatecrashed. I'm such a crappy rebel.
• I don't care what anyone says, the London Eye on a sunny day is spectacular. You can see everything. It's one thing to orient yourself to London by using a map, it's another to get a bird's eye view. Note: I highly recommend paying a little extra to get fast track access. Yes it's ridiculously pricey but it will save you hours of waiting in line. 
• From the Eye, across the Westminster Bridge to see Parliament Building; the clock tower (aka Big Ben, although that's the name of the giant bell inside the tower not the building itself); and Westminster Abbey (tragically closed on Sundays to non-believers and heathens).
• Up Whitehall to, well, Whitehall and its various ministries.
• Passed No. 10 Downing. You can't actually go up to residence like you see on TV or in the movies. The whole street is protected and cut off with security gates on each end. It's an apt metaphor for government - PR makes it look accessible but in reality members of the public are kept well away from the seat of power by pointy iron gates, a metal detector, and dour security guards with automatic weapons. Note: the security guard who draws the short straw is pimped out by his fellow guards to be on "have their photo taken with the tourist"duty.
• Next to 10 Downing are the Horse Guards. Like the RCMP musical ride, except without the music or the ride. Beautiful black horses, looking miserable, standing stock-still, guarding nothing. The guy on top looked proud though. My money is on the horse being the brains behind the operation. 
• Walked all the way down Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. Admiral Nelson stand proud atop a giant marble penis. Since he won against the French and Spanish, I guess he's entitled. 
• BTW Canada House, which is on one side of Trafalgar Square, is currently under renovations. I didn't get to see the actual building as it was under tarp, but it is huge, really huge. We could probably pay off our national debt by selling off the real estate. 
• Passed by the National Gallery (must go back to see what's on the inside). BTW not sure what's the heck is up with the Giant (and I mean Giant) Blue Cock that's currently in front of the gallery. It's impressive, really really blue, and located just behind the Nelson phallus. Not sure if it's a metaphor for anything. Hmmm???
• Did you know that feeding pigeons in Trafalgar Square is an offence. You could be fined up to 500 pounds? So unlike Paris or Rome, there aren't any avian rat swarms or touts trying to scam you into taking photographs with them on your head. Yeah London for taking positive action against the pigeon mafia. I HATE pigeons.
• Cut around the National Gallery to Leicester Square. Bought myself a ticket for tomorrow night to see War Horse in Covent Gardens. I'm told it's a big horse puppet spectacular. Can't wait.
• Back down to the Mall and straight down it to Buckingham Palace. Along the way we passed, St. James Park, Carlton House, Malbourough House, and St. James Palace (Lancaster House + Clarence Houses). All I can say is that's a lot of houses for a single family. Not sure why they keep building one "house" next to another. Surely, given the thousands of rooms per building, they could have just shared one.
• Buckingham Palace is a lot smaller than I'd imagined. I mean the building is huge but somehow anticlimactic. It does however have an impressive super shiny, super tall, woman on top, phallic display in front of it which is pretty. The marble effigy of Queen Victoria makes her look formidable but constipated. How come statues are never smiley?
• Across Green Park, back underground to Oxford and Bond Street. By far the biggest crush of the day. Nearly got pushed off the sidewalk onto the street by the crowds. More people here than at all of the historic sites combined. Consumer culture at its best.

What a day. Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit slower. Need to catch my breath and sit still.

London Day 2: Tea kicks coffee's ass

Screw coffee. Tea is awesome. Especially the builder's tea at our hotel's free breakfast. The rest of the grub (toast, egg, sausage, bacon, and of course beans) is also pretty fantastic. I ate alone this morning 'cause AK is a bit under the weather (a combination of congestion and whiskey). Fingers-crossed she will bounce back to her normal self after a shower and a gallon of water. Sometimes being a teetotaller has benefits.

London Day 1: Jet lag and all that jazz

It's 4am in the morning and I am wide-awake. It's the result of jet lag and unavoidable emergency coffee consumption. This normally caffeine-free girl had three Americanos yesterday in a bid not to keel over from lack of sleep. I think AK is impressed with my stamina. Frankly, I'm impressed with my stamina.

Day one in London was a blurry blast. It's been a bit of a learning curve remembering to photo document rather than just gape. Hey I even photo-documented one of my meals. It's not much but it's progress. Hopefully, today will bring more clarity, better Internet access, and the ability to download photos from the camera (must find connector, I thought I packed it damn it!).

London is beautiful but weird. It's kind of like home but not. It's got the same chain stores but they're all located in 200 year old buildings; similar people except they all speak with funny accents; the same but infinitely younger looking Queen on their currency; same movie posters different walls; familiar looking Lays potato chips bags sold under a different company name "Walker" with slightly different flavours; etc. Very disorienting.

In a nutshell (and before I forget), here's what we did on day 1:

• Got a Oyster Card. Very cool.
• Rode both the Underground and the National Railway system. Very very cool and awesomely efficient. Giggled every time the announcer lady said "Piccadilly line to Cockfoster" because how is that not funny.
• Ate convenience store pre-packaged sandwiches (weirdly they come in packages of three and are lovely); steak pie at a pub (hot water crust pastry is my new favourite thing); donair (spelling) kebab and chips; chips; chips; chips; and crisps. This is day one and I think I may have reached my fried potato limit. I didn't even know I had a fried potato limit. AK has eaten twice the amount of chips that I have...she's my new potato hero.
• Took in a jazz concert in Barnes featuring music and performance by Ross Lorraine (aka OldDog from ccMixter). It was a wonderful evening of great music and new-ish friends. As an aside, it is very odd meeting old online collaborators in person - it's like dejavu but not. BTW Ross is a lovely lovely human being and a kick ass jazz composer/pianist. 
• Visited the Harry Potter installation at Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross. Got to go back and take a photo when the crowd is smaller.
• Had beer at a pub. OK, AK had beer; I stole a sip.... that still counts in my book. 
• Went to Sainsbury (the supermarket). Love supermarkets. 

Totally looking forward to today.

PS - I just found out that a new movie about Alan Turing is coming out with Cummberbatch in the title role - my cup runneth over.

India: puddle jumping the Atlantic YVR to LHR

It nearly didn't happen. AK and I completely missed finding each other at the airport. For a tense couple of minutes I thought she missed the flight and I was India bound without her. Thankfully she found me on the plane. 

So here is a to double trouble and double chins. Chilling out after a surprisingly tasty airplane veggie meal and a double shot of rye whisky (at least for Top Shelf). What a way to start our epic trip. 

India T-1: the night before

Little under 24hrs until we're airborne. Packing done. Homework, maybe tomorrow. Just some last minute quality snuggles with the cat. I appreciate the kisses. But damn her tongue is rough. 

I wonder if she's gonna miss me? India here I come.