We are in Delhi... whitch officially wins the prize as the dirtiest city so far. Our tour is over and we are enjoying doing our own thing and taking a slower place. We come home soon, so we are putting up the details incase anyone needs to check them (cough-dad-cough).
Thai Airways
Flight No: TG 0991
Arriving Brisbane 22:50 (10.50)
Cools, hope all is well!
Love kathy and eliza
Edit: Whoops realised we forgot some details like the the day (Tuesday the 15th), also it will say Bangkok as the place of departure. Ok cool hopefully this gets checked. lovelove.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Indiana Gawnes
Thanks for commenting!
We have been in India for nine days now and are certainly getting a feel for the country. Varanasi and the Ganges River was interesting but very dirty, busy, smelly and touristy. The Indians view the river as a god and pilgrims come from all over to bathe in its dirty holiness. All Indians aim to get cremated in the ganges, but if they don't make it in time they just throw their ashes into it. The oldest son or daughter has to light their parent on fire... how hard would that be! After boat riding through the dirt and ashes it was pleasant to go out into the Indian 'countryside' and breathe fresh air. We went on another bike ride, after El's disastrous cycle in Kathmandu, and this time Eli was much more confident. The cycle was through a bird sanctuary and there were roads (with only a few potholes) so it was fairly easy going.
We've visited a few traditional villages and have seen the locals cook, clean and work, often with no or limited electricity or water. I feel very spoilt having living such an easy life in Aust!
India has many forts/temples/palaces, mainly built in the 16th century. They are usually very ornate and the entertaining tour guides give informative histories and excessive jokes involving 1000 wives and viagra. One maharana in Rajahstan had 1600 wives who all lived in the one palace with their own rooms. The wives were rarely seen in public and had their own balconies (covred) to view the activitie in the palace. There is such a massiv difference between the lives of different Indians - there are still beggars in the streets while others live in secluded luxury.
We've been in Udaipur for a few days now & it seems much cleaner than other cities. Yesterday afternoon we took a boat ride on the Lake and watched the sunset. Beautiful! The palace on the Lake was in one of the James Bond films 'Octopussy' so the Indians are very proud of it. We were hassled by shopkeepers and beggars in the streets of Jaipur and it is so nice to wonder around without this. We've been having a great time. El has a bit of 'Delhi belly' even though we don't get to Delhi until tomorrow! (Overnight train tonight). We are enjoying the warmer weather, especially the nights. Some of the Indian hotels are very cold. Sometimes the rooms have their own specific air conditioning such as gaps at the windows or holes in the walls covered by wire. OK in the summer but not the winter!
We will be spending 3-4 days in Delhi and then fly home. It feels like we've been away for months! Delhi, like many other Indian cities, is (supposedly) very polluted and busy. The persistance of the shopkeepers is admirable but also, after an hour or so, very annoying. We are hoping to visit the unique bazaars and markets and put our new found skills of haggling into practice. Eliza is very clever at this but I find myself buying more than I intended.
Hope you are all well. Looking forward to my comfortable, clean bed and some cuddles from Zip.
Kathie & Eliza.
We have been in India for nine days now and are certainly getting a feel for the country. Varanasi and the Ganges River was interesting but very dirty, busy, smelly and touristy. The Indians view the river as a god and pilgrims come from all over to bathe in its dirty holiness. All Indians aim to get cremated in the ganges, but if they don't make it in time they just throw their ashes into it. The oldest son or daughter has to light their parent on fire... how hard would that be! After boat riding through the dirt and ashes it was pleasant to go out into the Indian 'countryside' and breathe fresh air. We went on another bike ride, after El's disastrous cycle in Kathmandu, and this time Eli was much more confident. The cycle was through a bird sanctuary and there were roads (with only a few potholes) so it was fairly easy going.
We've visited a few traditional villages and have seen the locals cook, clean and work, often with no or limited electricity or water. I feel very spoilt having living such an easy life in Aust!
India has many forts/temples/palaces, mainly built in the 16th century. They are usually very ornate and the entertaining tour guides give informative histories and excessive jokes involving 1000 wives and viagra. One maharana in Rajahstan had 1600 wives who all lived in the one palace with their own rooms. The wives were rarely seen in public and had their own balconies (covred) to view the activitie in the palace. There is such a massiv difference between the lives of different Indians - there are still beggars in the streets while others live in secluded luxury.
We've been in Udaipur for a few days now & it seems much cleaner than other cities. Yesterday afternoon we took a boat ride on the Lake and watched the sunset. Beautiful! The palace on the Lake was in one of the James Bond films 'Octopussy' so the Indians are very proud of it. We were hassled by shopkeepers and beggars in the streets of Jaipur and it is so nice to wonder around without this. We've been having a great time. El has a bit of 'Delhi belly' even though we don't get to Delhi until tomorrow! (Overnight train tonight). We are enjoying the warmer weather, especially the nights. Some of the Indian hotels are very cold. Sometimes the rooms have their own specific air conditioning such as gaps at the windows or holes in the walls covered by wire. OK in the summer but not the winter!
We will be spending 3-4 days in Delhi and then fly home. It feels like we've been away for months! Delhi, like many other Indian cities, is (supposedly) very polluted and busy. The persistance of the shopkeepers is admirable but also, after an hour or so, very annoying. We are hoping to visit the unique bazaars and markets and put our new found skills of haggling into practice. Eliza is very clever at this but I find myself buying more than I intended.
Hope you are all well. Looking forward to my comfortable, clean bed and some cuddles from Zip.
Kathie & Eliza.
Monday, December 31, 2007
India in-da-house
hello! we are in varanasi.. went for a boat ride on the ganges yesterday and saw some cremations and bathing and laundry. yaya cool. Not really in the mood to blog... we have a long train ride tonight but i will do some main facts:
- we saw mt. everest
- we went on an elephant-back ride through the jungle
- we saw rhinos and monkeys and deer andbirds and stuff
- indians make the best food in the world
- people here understand every english word except for no
- i am spending new years on a train
- we have six new people joining our group tomoorow... that will make a total of 11!
- the matresses here are really just for show
- when you order food in rural areas you have to allow at least an hour for it to arrive, because they literally go out and catch or buy the ingredients after you order
- i have a chest cold which is annoying
- mum got her haircut yesturday by a lady with no english skills... hilarious! but it looks fine (depending on your taste :) )
- i am craving music that i can sing along to
- that is all
love you guys!
eliza :)
- we saw mt. everest
- we went on an elephant-back ride through the jungle
- we saw rhinos and monkeys and deer andbirds and stuff
- indians make the best food in the world
- people here understand every english word except for no
- i am spending new years on a train
- we have six new people joining our group tomoorow... that will make a total of 11!
- the matresses here are really just for show
- when you order food in rural areas you have to allow at least an hour for it to arrive, because they literally go out and catch or buy the ingredients after you order
- i have a chest cold which is annoying
- mum got her haircut yesturday by a lady with no english skills... hilarious! but it looks fine (depending on your taste :) )
- i am craving music that i can sing along to
- that is all
love you guys!
eliza :)
Monday, December 24, 2007
kathy-mandu
hehehehe how amusing of me.
Well we're now in Nepal and have left beautiful Bhutan. We had such an awesome time visiting the gazillions of dzongs (temples) and looking at the snow-capped mountains. I never thought mountains were cool until i came to the himilayas... turns out they can be quite amazing. The people were all ridiculously friendly in Bhutan. We werethere for their National Day and saw the men perform in an archery tournament, their national sport. The target is 150 yards from where they shoot from.. i have no idea how they managed to hit it... especially considering the quantity of alcoholic beverage being consumed. After they celebrated by singing and dancing and El and I were able to join in. We had a few difficulties keeping up with the steps but luckily some of the men had been drinking Arra (the national drink) and were very patient with us! Very funny and embarrassing... stupid westerners who couldn't even do a simple circle dance! Oh well we had a lot of fun.
In Paro, one of the major cities, the highlight was hiking to the 'Tiger's Nest' monastery. It was very strenuous and very steep! I only made it halfway (coincidentilly the level of the cafeteria) but Eliza went the full distance, 3140 m, and visited the monastery which is built on the side of a cliff! Many of the dzongs were built in the sixteenth century out of wood and stone on the side of very steep mountains. The Bhutanese are extremely fit people! They walk everywhere, up and down massive mountains.
We are now in Kathmandu - a noisy and polluted city. Unfortunately the mountains are not able to be seen from the main city due to the pollution. We've visited Baktupur, a medieval city in Kathmandu. Yesterday we went on a bike ride to some of the villages outside Kathmandu. It was very interesting watching the women wash their clothes (in a bowl outside or in the river), wondering how some of the older people carry such huge loads on their backs and enduring the rocky, muddy track. The traffic in Kathmandu is manic with no apparent road rules. Cycles, motorbikes, cars, trucks and people use the road (what we would call a track) and you negotiate the way by looking for spare spaces and avoiding drivers using their horns. Eliza is still developing her cycle skills and found the whole experience terrifying. We both have many sore spots this morning (no further explanation neccessary). Today we're about to go shopping which is also an experience in kathmandu. Bartering is a huge part of buying and its fun discussing why you want the item reduced in price. The clothes are so cool and this is officially my favourite place to shop.
Hope everybody is well and good!
Merry Christmas to all... we will be thinking of you :)
Love kathie and eliza (mwa!)
Well we're now in Nepal and have left beautiful Bhutan. We had such an awesome time visiting the gazillions of dzongs (temples) and looking at the snow-capped mountains. I never thought mountains were cool until i came to the himilayas... turns out they can be quite amazing. The people were all ridiculously friendly in Bhutan. We werethere for their National Day and saw the men perform in an archery tournament, their national sport. The target is 150 yards from where they shoot from.. i have no idea how they managed to hit it... especially considering the quantity of alcoholic beverage being consumed. After they celebrated by singing and dancing and El and I were able to join in. We had a few difficulties keeping up with the steps but luckily some of the men had been drinking Arra (the national drink) and were very patient with us! Very funny and embarrassing... stupid westerners who couldn't even do a simple circle dance! Oh well we had a lot of fun.
In Paro, one of the major cities, the highlight was hiking to the 'Tiger's Nest' monastery. It was very strenuous and very steep! I only made it halfway (coincidentilly the level of the cafeteria) but Eliza went the full distance, 3140 m, and visited the monastery which is built on the side of a cliff! Many of the dzongs were built in the sixteenth century out of wood and stone on the side of very steep mountains. The Bhutanese are extremely fit people! They walk everywhere, up and down massive mountains.
We are now in Kathmandu - a noisy and polluted city. Unfortunately the mountains are not able to be seen from the main city due to the pollution. We've visited Baktupur, a medieval city in Kathmandu. Yesterday we went on a bike ride to some of the villages outside Kathmandu. It was very interesting watching the women wash their clothes (in a bowl outside or in the river), wondering how some of the older people carry such huge loads on their backs and enduring the rocky, muddy track. The traffic in Kathmandu is manic with no apparent road rules. Cycles, motorbikes, cars, trucks and people use the road (what we would call a track) and you negotiate the way by looking for spare spaces and avoiding drivers using their horns. Eliza is still developing her cycle skills and found the whole experience terrifying. We both have many sore spots this morning (no further explanation neccessary). Today we're about to go shopping which is also an experience in kathmandu. Bartering is a huge part of buying and its fun discussing why you want the item reduced in price. The clothes are so cool and this is officially my favourite place to shop.
Hope everybody is well and good!
Merry Christmas to all... we will be thinking of you :)
Love kathie and eliza (mwa!)
Friday, December 14, 2007
Baby when the lights go out...
... which seriously happens once every 5 mins but whatever. We are in the wonderful and windy Wangsu Prodshan. We left Thimpu this morning and travelled through some steep, frosty mountains. On our way we saw some of the Himalayas covered in snow. As it was a nice, clear day we had a good view of them. We went on to have morning tea at a very rustic cafe and i tried some traditional butter tea. After lunch we visited the Dragon nest Zong (temple) which was built in the sixteenth century and is made of stone and wood products. We learnt a lot about the monks and Buddhist Wheel of life. Monks are dedicated to their life when six or seven years old! The temple was full of roosters that the monks looked after for farms. We spent some time at the local shops and saw some Fosters beer for sale. We spoke with a young girl and met her family who all helped run the shop and she gave us bubble gum.
We're eating big meals including some with chillies.
Bye for now Eliza and kathie.
We're eating big meals including some with chillies.
Bye for now Eliza and kathie.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Bhutantastic
Today we left the smog of Bangkok for the pristine, crisp air of Bhutan. We flew in Star Wars style through the mountains & looking at the Himalayas above the clouds. We met our guide and driver who drove us from Paro to Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan. The trip was eventful as the roads are currently being built. Imagine fitting work trucks, construction workers, machinery and two lanes of traffic on one lane of rocks with sporadic bitumen. Also, at one point a truck in front of us broke down& our driver and guide hopped out and helped to push but alas....so after attempting to take a detour and reversing back along the detour we took another route. After we arrived in Thimpu and we checked in our guide took us to the National Library which has the world's largest book & then went up a mountain to view the city, fortress, palace and surrounding mountains. We also had the opportunity to view Bhutan's national animal, the tapin, which is a cross between a cow and a goat. Th countryside is very interesting and couldn't be more different from Brisbane. All our love.
Eliza and Kathie
Eliza and Kathie
Monday, December 3, 2007
Itinerary & Maps
Here is the itinerary for our trip. It's really basic and boring but i couldn't be bothered typing up what we will actually be doing. Hopefully we can do that when we are there. The maps are just a rough plan, They don't show everything perfectly but it's a good visual overview. yay.
Monday 10/12/07
Thai Airways flight TG 0992 departs Brisbane 23:59, arriving in Bangkok 06:10 (9 hours)
Tuesday 11/12/07
Stay in Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel
Wednesday 12/12/07
Drukair flight KB 0125 departs Bangkok 06:50, arriving Paro 10:20 (via Calcutta) (4 hours, 20 min). Meet guide, travel to Thimpu. Stay overnight in Phuntsho Pelri Hotel.
Thursday 13/12/07
Sightseeing in Thimpu. Stay in Phuntsho Pelri.
Friday 14/12/07
Drive across Dochu La to the Phobjikha Valley (5 hours 30 mins). Sightseeing in Wangdue Phodrang and Rinchengang. Stay at Dragon Nest Resort in Wangdue Phodrang.
Saturday 15/12/07
Drive further into Phobjikha Valley (2 hours, 30 mins). Sightseeing in Phobjikha Valley. Stay at Hotel Dewachen.
Sunday 16/12/07
Sightseeing in Phobjikha Valley. Stay at Hotel Dewachen.
Monday 17/12/07
Drive to Punakha Valley (3hours, 15mins), sightseeing. Stay in Hotel Zangtopelri. Confirm Drukair Flight.
Tuesday 18/12/07
Sightseeing in Punakha Valley. Stay at Hotel Zangtopelri.
Wednesday 19/12/07
Drive to Paro Valley (5 hours). Sightseeing in Paro. Stay in Olathang Hotel.
Thursday 20/12/07
Sightseeing in Paro. Stay in Olathang Hotel. Last night with guide.
Friday 21/12/07
Drukair flight KB0206 from Paro to Kathmandu departs 13:50, arrives 14:45 (1 hour). Stay in Nirvana Gardens Hotel.
Saturday 22/12/07
Sightseeing in Kathmandu. Stay in Nirvana Gardens Hotel.
Sunday 23/12/07
Sightseeing in Kathmandu. Stay in Nirvana Gardens Hotel.
Monday 24/12/07
Geckoes Tour begins. Sightseeing in Kathmandu. Stay in Nirvana Gardens Hotel.
Tuesday 25/12/07
Sightseeing in Kathmandu. Stay in Nirvana Gardens Hotel.
Wednesday 26/12/07
Travel by bus to Royal Chitwan National Park. Sightseeing. Stay in Jungle Lodge.
Thursday 27/12/07
Sightseeing in Royal Chitwan National Park. Stay in Jungle Lodge.
Friday 28/12/07
Travel to Lumbini (Buddha’s Birthplace), Stay in Sonauli.
Saturday 29/12/07
Cross border, travel to Varanasi (10 hours).
Sunday 30/12/07
Sightseeing in Varanasi
Monday 31/12/07
Sightseeing in Varanasi. Sleeper train to Agra.
Tuesday 01/01/08
Sightseeing in Agra
Wednesday 02/01/08
Travel to Bharatpur, Keoladeo Ghana National Bird Sanctuary.
Thursday 03/01/08
Travel to Jaipur (5 hours), sightseeing.
Friday 04/01/08
Sightseeing in Jaipur, Amber Fort.
Saturday 05/01/08
Travel to Nimaj (5 hours), sightseeing.
Sunday 06/01/08
Jeep ride to Jodhpur (3 hours), sightseeing.
Monday 07/01/08
Sightseeing in Jodhpur, bus ride to Udaipur (six hours).
Tuesday 08/01/08
Sightseeing in Udaipur.
Wednesday 09/01/08
Sightseeing in Udaipur, sleeper train to Delhi.
Thursday 10/01/08
Sightseeing in Delhi. Last night of tour.
Friday 11/01/08
Gecko’s trip ends. Delhi sightseeing.
Saturday 12/01/08
Delhi
Sunday 13/01/08
Delhi
Monday 14/01/08
Thai Airways flight TG 0316 departs Delhi 22:00, arriving in Bangkok 03:30 (4 hours 5 mins)
Tuesday 15/01/08
Thai Airways flight TG 0991 departs Bangkok 08:05, arriving Brisbane 22:50 (11 hrs, 45 mins).
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