Round the World II (with Brian): New York to Tokyo - travel notes [Part 1]

What follows are the notes I took on my long trip with Brian after he finished law school and took the bar exam. These notes have been incorporated into posts of that trip [Round the World II]

1991

August 9 Istanbul [hot & humid]

NEW YORK

Where to begin? Where is the beginning? Is it the hellish move out of the "Burg Estate" to PA? Is it the last day in New York, training the new person at my job, going to JFK to look for Brian's friend Paul (in vain)? I guess the beginning was the flight via Brussels to Istanbul. Turkish Air is fine although the stewardess' lack of English makes them rather abrupt in their speech. There was a diagram and all sorts of information on the screens of the plane showing speed, altitude, time left in the flight, etc. The map showing the flight path was the most informative.

TURKEY

Istanbul

We arrived and simply walked through customs and immigration. I had batteries ripped off from my bag (minor loss but it still pissed me off -- I didn't realize it until later). We waited forever in the heat and humidity for the airport bus which took its own good time to get us to town. Should I mention that since the move, plane ride, and carrying my backpack that my back has been ready to die as well? We made it to town, walked to our first choice of hotel to find it closed for renovation. After a brief, frantic, and hot search, we are in the sweatbox of Hotel Kul in Laleli. It is OK, but not wonderful. We are paying less than we expected anyway. The people at the front desk are friendly but distant.

After a brief shower, we decided to walk down to the old city to help us stay up later and try to beat jet lag (7 hours). We went via the covered market which is easily the best bazaar-type shopping I've ever seen - lots of leather and handicrafts. It was cavernous and went on forever!! I was really taken by some of the products, but alas we have no money nor space with which to get anything.

We continued down some winding streets and hit Aya Sophia. It was quite beautiful late in the day with the sun lighting up the dome and minarets. The Sultanahmet Mosque as well was gorgeous. This area is riddled with touts and hawkers who do not give you any peace. It's a shame for such a lovely place where you could just sit and drink in history. Their persistence in striking up conversations or selling products can be most annoying. We were hot, hungry, and exhausted.

We walked back along the main road to our hotel area Aksaray/Laleli and found a cheap roast chicken place to eat at. It was hot and we were charged for the "extras" which we didn't order, but the food was good and the waiter very friendly. We came home exhausted and fell into a fitful sleep punctuated by a mosquito attack and some loud noises from outside our window.

day one

We massively overslept (9:00am) and after a quickie breakfast, headed off for the Aya Sophia for a look around - as was usually the case (w/me anyway) half the dome was in scaffolding. That is not to say the place is not still impressive. In fact, it is awesome. We stayed quite awhile and waited for the gallery to reopen and see the upstairs mosaics. The restoration has a long way to go, but it is an awe-inspiring building. What few mosaics are left are equally as beautiful.

We left Aya Sophia and hopped a city bus back to our hotel, changed money (after a long, uncomfortable wait), and ate in an overpriced but good restaurant near the last restaurant we ate in. There we learned that if it's placed in on the table, you pay for it, regardless if you eat it or not. They tried to overcharge us as well.

We came back to the old city and visited the Mosaic Museum - nice, but not great and then the Blue Mosque. This time we were virtually taken over by hawkers. I couldn't stand it much any more. The Blue Mosque between the nagging touts & hawkers and the disrespectful tourists inside was a disaster, although its interior was ultra-impressive. We walked around the Hippodrome and then up to the great cistern. The cistern, although not beautiful, was cool, eerie, and interesting. At least all we saw thus far was truly new and exciting.

From the cistern we walked down to Eminönü and saw the waterfront, Galeta Bridge, and the Yeni Mosque. The views from the water and the bridge are excellent! The Yeni Mosque was refreshing after the "zoo" at the Blue Mosque. The nearby Egyptian Bazaar was nice as well, although the covered bazaar was far more impressive for its sheer size. We ate at one of the restaurants on the bridge which had a great view over the water and comical, multi-lingual touts!

We went back via the dock for our Monday trip to Trabzon and the Sirkeci Station (the end of the Orient Express). We met Jamey and Sulamani in the park between Aya Sophia and the Blue Mosque. They were two kids who wanted to practice their English and were very comical. On that topic, we met one man who became angry at us for pretending not to understand, another who spent time in New Orleans and took us to his carpet shop, and another who asked us many personal questions and made us wonder if he suspected we were gay? You really meet a lot of strange people.

We saw the Sound & Light Show (in Turkish) at the Blue Mosque. It wasn't nearly as impressive as I thought it might be. We were exhausted and came back to Hotel Kul to sleep and prepare ourselves for Topkapı Palace tomorrow.

day two

August 11 Istanbul [continued hot]

Last night the room was a sweatbox. So much has happened....

Topkapı was impressive, yet if you were waiting for a Versailles or Schönbrunn, it never came. For one thing, a lot of it is in need of restoration; for another, much of it is plain with only flashes of opulence. This aside, the Treasury was something else, the holy relics interesting, and the views from the pavilions absolutely unsurpassed! You could spend a whole day there easily, but after waiting in line for entrance tickets and the harem tickets (the harem really is the most important part to see - if you haven't see this, you haven't seen Topkapı) and then walking around all morning, we were ready to leave.

We had yet another rip off meal for lunch and then headed off to the Sulamaniye Mosque. The mosque itself was large and impressive and much calmer than the carnival atmosphere of the Blue Mosque. After that, we went to the Valens Aqueduct which is being restored. The restored section in a park spanning Ataturk Boulevard is impressive although sections of it have literally become parts of people's homes - it is interesting to think that the archway that is your garage is part of an ancient aqueduct.

We really didn't know what to do at this point - so we walked out to the Fatih Mosque where there were no tourists. We decided we were not only tired, but also "mosqued-out". From there we took a bus to Edirne Gate in the old city walls and climbed on the walls to the gate tower for magnificent views of the city. The walls looked like the Great Wall of China running through the city disappearing and reappearing from time to time. From there it was back to downtown.

We decided on a bus that would take us to Taksim Square directly, bypassing the old, narrow streets of Sultanahmet. The other side of the Golden Horn is much hillier and the drive up to Taksim is reminiscent of San Francisco. Taksim itself is rather dull with many gray buildings around a park (although the park was lovely). We walked down the street of the Tünel (streetcar) which was a broad shopping street with very fashionable shops and European-looking buildings.

At this point I had a horrible hemorrhoid flare-up - but things did get worse! We ate at a cafeteria to find that over in Sultanahmet and Aksaray were triple over-priced. So much money wasted! Then we decided to look for a bar in the guide book and from that moment on we started an adventure.

We met "Mustafa".

August 13 Selçuk [hot!]

"Abduction from Taksim Square"

Here we were, Matt suffering from an acute hemorrhoid attack, Brian looking for the law office he was to visit, walking along Taksim Square when the usual "Do you speak English" nonsense come up from behind us. We were wary at first, but he led us to a section of Taksim with older buildings (not really) , bought us a coke, and seemed on the up and up (especially after saying that he felt many Turks around Sultanahmet were rip-off artists). Before we knew it, were in his brother's friend's cab flying out of the city (almost to the airport) for a meal both of us didn't want (we had just eaten). Mustafa talked about sex and women endlessly, although he could be quite funny at times. We got to a restaurant where he said, "no pay, no pay, I'll treat". We were lavished with food and attention. After dinner the taxi driver (who had waited) took us on a tour (at Mustafa's urging) of most of the mosques in the old city. At first it was interesting, especially the fortress Yedikule along the sea. But after a while it became tiresome and he insisted on showing us "just one more". The Night of 1,000 Mosques" ended at Galata Tower where we insisted we wanted to go home (midnight). He then drove us to his friend's nightclub where he demanded we have a drink. At this point we were pissed off and refused. Mustafa was obviously pissed off, too, but finally agreed to take us to our room. He said he needed to make a phone call (by this time we were in Taksim Square again) and he vanished, never to return. We waited 20-30 minutes and then left the car at which point our poor cab driver informed us we needed to pay him. This escalated until a few others were involved. We went up to the police who gladly helped once they understood our poor Kurdish taxi driver got shafted for a night's work (unless he was in on it from the start ... I guess we'll never know). We got stuck paying 23,000 TL cab fare home. Needless to say, were learned quite a lesson!! We arrived back at 1:30am to our hot room and couldn't sleep for hours since we were so worked up!!

day 3

We slept late - the next day we were tired and grumpy. We had breakfast at our usual spot on Divan Yolu and even though we were treated well there, we started to have serious reservations about Turkish people's sincerity. The first stop that day was the Islamic Museum. It was interesting, hot, and small. We met a Turkish, Japanese-speaking guide (one of only 4-5 she said) who was very nice and interesting. The museum took far less time than anticipated. We trudged over to the Museums of the Ancient Near East (just ok, not great) and Archeology (super, but pales to the one in Athens). We felt exhausted.

We headed down to the park below the castle to a tea shop recommended in Lonely Planet (LP). The park was a carnival-like madhouse (it was Sunday - Turks get to use their parks, too!) The tea garden just under the palace's "tourist tea garden" was cheap and gave refreshing views over the Bosphorus. We sat, talked, and recovered a bit from our last few days I told Brian I already needed a vacation from our "vacation". Although Istanbul had some great points to it: setting, things to see, places to eat, the people (I mean the service people) drove you insane with their constant trying to get money out of you.

We retired back toward the room thinking about our escape to Trabzon the next day. We ate at a cheap place near our hotel, came back to the room (which seemed cooler) to write in journals, do postcards, and relax. When it was finally time for sleep, the room seemed hot again! Was it only our imagination? So, we had yet another night of very little sleep.

day four

Up early the next morning to change money, repack (we brought too much stuff), and get our bags stored. We decided to leave our things at the hotel while we set off for Galata Tower. After searching for the bus stop (not always easy to find), we were on our way.

The tower was actually cool on top and refreshingly away from everything. Only a few tourists were there and both the restaurants and coffee shop were dead. We stayed quite a while as the views were extraordinarily good and the breeze cool. We went down to the Tünel, Istanbul's one-stop funicular subway and then walked forever to get out to Dolmabahçe Palace. It was closed, but we had a drink in the tea garden on the water with views of the old city and the Bosphorus Bridge. Istanbul's setting is really stunning!

After a long, hot ride back to the hotel which involved a traffic jam and one bus change, we were both crabby! We bought food for the sea journey, called a taxi, an arrived at the dock to find our ship's sailing time had changed to 3pm! We were totally refunded our money, but our plans were shot to hell. We decided to head back to Sirkeci Station and see where we could take a train (the bus station was simply too far away). So we hailed a cab, or rather he hailed us, and the asshole charged us 5,000 TL just to travel less than 1 km. Our previous ride from the hotel had been 10,000 TL! We got into the station and calmed down.

Ankara seemed the best bet so late in the day. I was in line trying to decide which train while Brian guarded the bags In the end, it was the Feribot-Tren which took us to Izmir on the Aegean Coast - just where I didn't want to go! But I felt some time along the coast might chill us out a bit.

Istanbul to Selçuk (boat, train)

The boat (which left from the same dock we just came from) out of Istanbul at night was scenic, but I soon fell asleep and only woke up as we pulled into Bandirma at 1:30am. We changed to the train and again slept most of the way to Izmir (as my back is killing me again!). We decided on the boat that we would go to Selçuk first to see the Efes ruins and then go to the coast from there. Luckily, a train left for Selçuk just as we arrived in Izmir and we were soon on a crowded train going to the town where John the Evangelist died and was buried.

Aegean Coast

Selçuk

The town itself is small and we were attacked by touts who brought us to a nice hotel right near the station for only 30,000 TL per night for two with a clean, huge room and shower! We showered, unpacked a bit, and set out to see the museum. Outside of some good statues from the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders) it paled to the museum in Istanbul.

We then set off to find if there were direct buses to Bodrum (plenty). We met a carpet salesman who showed us the way to the Temple of Artemis (a heap of rubble) and we stopped for tea with him on the way back. We stayed for an hour as he explained his carpets and kilims to us. We had tea, chatted, looked at carpets and kilims, learned a lot about them, and to their disappointment (he and his brother who arrived later), left. They were disappointed but not assholes about it. We came back into town to wait out the hot afternoon before exploring the Selçuk ruins. One disturbing note: the Kurdish guerilla fighters (we think) have been active in the east, especially at Doğubayazıt near Ararat. I don't know if we will still make it out there!! But our plans have changed so much now - who knows about anything?

August 14 Selçuk [cool evening, relatively]

Came back from the carpet man, took naps, and then enjoyed the hotel terrace (marvelous view of the castle). We had dinner and then retired early.

Greco-Roman Ruins

Ephesus

The next day was Greco-Roman ruins till-you-drop. We got up early and dolmuşed out to Ephesus. It was crowded even at 8:30am, but we walked around the whole thing in about 2.5 hours. We got kind of tired due to the heat and tour crowds. The Library is probably the high point although the whole place is amazing. We walked back to the main road. We found the dolmuş only came in, not out (convenient for taxi drivers) and caught one immediately for Selçuk. We bought our ticket for Didyma and had lunch in town.

Didyma

The ride to Didyma (Didim) took us through Kuşadası (overbuilt) and finally along the Aegean Coast down to the totally over developed Altınkum Beach. We reserved our seats back (more on that later) and headed off to the Oracle of Apollo. This large temple in a "dramatic setting" had me convinced it would be another Sounion, Greece. It was on a bluff overlooking the sea in the middle of a village which closed in on the temple completely. For me, it totally ruined the effect - however, the temple was fun to explore and you could actually walk through original passages to the interior. We came back to Altınkum and walked along a beach totally packed with Brits and Turks. We had some tea and felt happy to be staying in small, undeveloped Selçuk.

When we went to come back to town, we found that through a language mix up we had been put down for the 3:15 not 5:15 bus (using German between two non-natives is dangerous). They wanted to make us pay for another ticket, but as we were firm, they change our tickets and we were on the way home. As the sun got lower in the sky the scenery as much more pleasing on the return with seeing Greek Islands offshore and searching for views of the ruins of Miletus (success) and Priene (not) in the distance. Even Kuşadası looked good in this light.

Selçuk (again)

We bought our tickets to Bodrum upon returning. We'll leave tomorrow at 9:20am. My back still aches. We both kind of have diarrhea and Brian seems to have developed some serious jock itch! What a start for us!

August 15 Bodrum [hot, but bearable]

Our last evening in Selçuk was spent packing, relaxing, and complaining that we simply brought too much stuff! (we did). One of our best sleeps to date was interrupted by a mosque call to prayer at 5:30am! And the locals gathered around the TV (in the square) until midnight to watch (lord only knows what) loudly. But, we are learning to sleep through most noises now. We got up and bought Brian jock itch cream.

Selçuk to Bodrum (bus)

We hurried to the bus station where we waited forever for the bus. It finally came and we made the three-hour ride to Bodrum passing one lake, a small yet intact temple, and a beautiful sea coast just before arrival.

Bodrum

At first sight Bodrum appears as over-developed as Kuşadası, but in fact it is only full of low-rise buildings (since they are the same size, it is not so bad). We were accosted at the station by pension-touts and decided on a 40,000 TL/night joint down in the Western Bay, a couple of blocks off the main street. The room is dingy, but there is a great grape arbor covering the outside porch that is lovely to sit under.

day one

The Castle of St Peter was dull on the artifact side, yet enchanting as a real Crusader castle with a lovely location and a beautiful clear blue sea surrounding it filled with yachts! We walked over to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus which isn't much but a foundation, but its history is interesting. Considering we've seen two of the Ancient Wonders of the World in the course of a few days, we're doing well.

Back to the hotel, we looked for boat tours (unsuccessfully - they had all left for the day). Bodrum is filled with Turkish and European (mostly British) tourists. It might be fun for a vacation, but on a budget it is expensive and dull (as we cannot afford much). Our pension guide, Bülent, is quite nice. He and I talked for over and hour about many things including the general poor service here in Turkey. He attributes it to no emphasis on customer service and no real urge to change current attitudes. He seems very nice and sincere. We had dinner here at the pension (rice & beans - but it was good) and then walked downtown to see who was around and about.

The most impressive thing was the Halikarnas Disco with its neon and lasers and neo-classical columns overlooking the bay and lighted castle - wow! Promenading up and down the streets at night is the thing to do, but Brian and I got tired and came back to the room. Brian went out again later in search of "gay life", but I'm doubtful of its existence in spite of the fact that one guidebook says it exists (but what it was exactly was not mentioned). For me, it is just too difficult to tell who is gay in another culture.

Tomorrow we'll do a boat tour with a friend of Bülent's company. It'll be the first "vacation" type thing we've done.

day 2

August 16 Bodrum [gorgeous day - at sea]

Aegean Cruise

We got up and had breakfast at the pension and hung around waiting for the boat trip. We changed more money and bought the rather expensive boat tickets to Datça (70,000 TL -return/open). We both decided that starting Pepto Bismol today might not be a bad idea due to our diarrhea. On the boat we met Özer, Kamel, and Denis - the three crazy crew members. There was Özer's girlfriend from Glasgow, Paula, and her friends from home Laura & Donald who both had such strong accents we could hardly understand them. The rest of the passengers were a few other Brits and Euros and lots of Turks. The boat felt a bit overcrowded.

On the whole, it was a pleasant and relaxing day although it got a bit long. I wasn't too impressed with snorkeling - the water was cool, no coral, and the fish were dull. Swimming was direct, off the boat, except for one beach that wasn't all that hot. On the whole, although extremely lovely, it was somewhat less than expected. Maybe after all the hype my expectations were too high.

They brought us water sports equipment that we could pay to ride (looked fun - but we are on a budget). The lunch was fish - nothing to scream about. The crew was absolutely attentive and funny. All in all, it was a good day.

Upon return to Bodrum we watched the sun set, ate a chicken döner (which we talked about doing for a few days), and had an ice cream from a traditional vendor and played the little game of try-to-grab it. It was a good day.

Tomorrow a.m - off to Datça.

Bodrum to Datça (boat, bus)

August 18 Hayıtbükü Beach [beautifully hot]

The trip out to Datça was long - we almost missed the ferry because the agent wrote a different name of the boat on our ticket!! We boarded and started the 2.5 hour journey across the bay. It was windy and got fairly cold out in the middle. It was a bit choppy as well. It was a pleasant enough ride but after having been on the boat the whole day before, I was anxious to be there.

We arrived at the port town on the other side of the peninsula from Datça. The mountains on this side were huge and dramatic. It reminded me of parts of the coast of Japan. There was a complete melee to board the buses for town which were entirely too small for everyone (and their bags). Once in town we followed a tout with a Japanese couple we met to the Tunc Pension in town. It is really a lovely place and the price is right at 40,000 TL/night. The Japanese couple are two kids (literally) studying in London on holiday in Turkey. They were OK, but not that interesting.

Datça

We showered and went to the restaurant where the Japanese couple had gone. They already left, but we ate there anyway and it was cheap and really tasty. We walked around town and had tea on the beach. Datça is really laid back and quiet with a Bodrum-like setup of two bays separated by a small headland. We had fish at an outrageously expensive restaurant that evening (although it was good) and paid nearly a New York price. That was a shock (80,000 TL).

We headed back to the hotel where Brian and I had a skirmish over laundry with me being in favor or throwing out a lot and having the rest done by someone else (no laundromats in Turkey), but Brian insisted, so he did the laundry (all of it) which pissed him off.

Knidos

In the morning, we took our clothes off the line and went to the ferry dock for an all-day trip to Knidos on the end of the peninsula. The ride out was long and my back was aching for some reason. Knidos, despite the low marks in guidebooks, turned out to be nice in terms of setting. It must have been quite the town in its day. We are now making our way back to Datça stopping here or there to swim or stay on the beach. The beach is OK, but rather rocky offshore. It is great just to sit and do nothing, however!

August 21 Pamukkale [hot]

The rest of the ride from Knidos was pleasant, but all of those boat rides drag on much longer than is necessary. We returned, ate a cheap meal, repacked (throwing out stuff we wouldn't use - we simply brought too much and our packs were too heavy). We briefly chatted with the Japanese couple who had been kayaking and spearfishing!

Datça to Pamukkale (boat, bus)

The next day it was another mad scramble with too many people and bags onto the mini-bus out to the ferry. The sea was very rough on the return and I was happy to be on land in Bodrum again. We had been on boats for four consecutive days! Enough.

So we changed money, posted our postcards, ate lunch, and bought tickets to Pamukkale. The Pamukkale Bus Co. sold us a ticket on a minibus for the 5.5 hour ride. Half the time it acted as a dolmuş picking up peasants here and there with huge sacks of vegetables. Some of the mountain scenery along the way was gorgeous and the road went quite high up until it felt cool and alpine with superb views into the valleys far below (and no guard rails). The vegetation and terrain always amaze me. We go from lush to arid passing through regions looking like the savannahs of Africa and then across valleys with rich cultivation.

The ride was hellish and my back was killing me. Then, on our supposedly direct bus, there was an engine problem in Denizli and we took a crowded dolmuş the rest of the way with Atila of the Kervansaray Pension leading us there. As it turned out, it was the pension we were looking for anyway and although 50,000 TL/night was a bit too high, it was a very nice place with nice people and a pool. It was quiet, too.

Pamukkale

On the way to Denizli, some olive oil got all over Brian's pack and he was very upset. (Luckily, none seeped through and we were able to wash it out. Needless to say, it was the last time we'd ever take Pamukkale Bus Co.! That evening, while Brian cleaned up his pack (we ate on the terrace of the hotel and watched the sun set - gorgeous), I walked through tiny, touristy Pamukkale Village. It was a mini-tourist trap, but on such a small scale, it was inoffensive.

Walking around I met Atila (another one) at his travel company and we started up a long conversation (he had excellent English) in which I learned the plight of his recent marriage to a young American doctor and his difficulties obtaining a visa for the US. He was very nice and didn't even want to talk business in spite of the fact that it was his agency. I signed us on for the Aphrodisias tour the next day. I came back and we went to bed.

Aphrodisias

Aphrodisias was a long bus ride away in the middle of nowhere and it was hot there in the midday sun. However, Brian and I agreed that it was the most impressive ancient site to date and we both liked it a lot. Most striking were the amphitheatre (remarkably preserved) and the stadium which could hold 30,000!! Hard to imagine a total, intact ancient football stadium, but there is was! We were hot and stopped at the only restaurant for lunch where our bus was conveniently picking us up. (as usual, we had to walk about one kilometre to the pick-up point because they wanted to make sure we ate there!) We returned to Pamukkale "ruined out" for a swim in the hotel pool.

Travertines

Then it was up to the travertines for sunset with the tourist hoards. They are quite lovely in spite of overdevelopment. They are also much more impressive close up than even from their base in Pamukkale Köyü where they appear to be dirty white cliffs. The pools are mostly cool water with channels diverting the main flow of water here and there. Some of the pools are dried out (due to the channeling of the water? If so, the Turks are destroying their own natural wonder). Some are filled with water so that when the sun hits them at the right angle, they look slightly bluish. Some of the travertines are large with stalactite-like formations appearing to hold them up. The whole surface is chalky and although it appears to be slippery, it's actually not in the least! So, we walked around, took pictures avoiding the hawkers with postcards, "ancient" artifacts, and whatever else. They were a nuisance.

We walked around the museum area a bit just to get oriented for the next day's exploration. We stopped at a fine place for the sunset and waited. It was really glorious with the light reflecting off the water and the hazy green valley below with tall mountains in the distance. To be there in off season alone must be incredible.

We returned, ate dinner, and Brian repacked while we discussed our future travel. I was hesitant to go the whole way to Cappadocia overnight because I thought my back would kill me, but the only reasonable overnight would be Eğirdir in the mountains on a lake. It was only three hours away which reduced the long ride to Cappadocia to seven. We decided to press on to Cappadocia and hope my back holds out. The recent swimming has helped somewhat - we'll see. We went to sleep, exhausted.

This morning we checked out of the hotel and left our bags as we wanted to swim up at the old Roman sacred pool (in the Pamukkale Hotel).

Hierapolis

The pool with its floor strew with columns and pediments is like a movie set! The water is warm soda water that fizzes. It was fun to splash around there (in spite of the crowds). We stayed an hour and then left to explore Hierapolis.

Hierapolis was less than exciting - only its situation near Pamukkale really made it worth visiting. The amphitheatre interior is quite well-preserved, however. The rest of it is really in bad shape. The only other interesting area was the huge necropolis and all the elaborate mausoleums. It was simply too hot to enjoy anything. We retreated to the village, ate lunch, bought a melon and wait our our bus tonight on the cool terrace of our hotel.

I hope my back will survive.

Pamukkale to Cappadocia (bus)

August 23 Göreme, Cappadocia

The bus ride as neither direct nor as fast as promised, but nothing comes as much of a surprise any more. On the bus we met Jane, another American who was fun to talk to, although we got reprimanded for talking too loudly because some people were trying to sleep (in spite of the fact a baby was howling and we stopped every hour for tea and all the bus lights were turned on).

Cappadocia

day one

We arrived at about 6:45am and there were no touts, only a tourist office which directed us to pensions who advertised in their office. I looked for the one the owner of Kervansaray in Pamukkale recommended, but the man wasn't certain if he'd have any beds, so we ended up a bit lower down in a large, rock-hewn, cool room at Sarihan. It is nice, although it smells kind of smokey. Maybe it was once a smokehouse?

Göreme and Uçhisar

We dumped our stuff in the room after breakfast and inquired about some tours to the Ihlara Valley. Then we walked through the Göreme Valley Open Air Museum. The setting among the "fairy chimneys" was great. The churches were OK (Brian liked them more), but the tour groups were awful! You couldn't even get one moment alone in any of them. Entry was steep as well! We walked back to town and found the "hidden" church along the way which had a magnificent view of Göreme and Uçhisar. Göreme itself is really a country town with farm animals and carriages - as if the tourists don't even exist. It is a wonderful little town - too bad so many tourists came. We met Jane (from the bus) and LeeAnn, whom she was sharing a room with. We promised to have dinner in Uçhisar together that evening.

Brian and I were dead tired from lack of sleep on the bus, so we took a nap and then got up and took a dolmuş to Uçhisar where we explored, watched a glorious sunset over the valley from the top, and eventually met Jane and LeeAnn. Uçhisar was like a city out of Tolkien with a single, high rock filled with the holes of former dwellings on top of a mount that holds a cluster of houses. The whole feel of the place is like a fairy tale and the views over the valley were beyond compare. We (Brian & Me, Jane & LeeAnn) had dinner at a rather pricey place and then Brian and I walked back to Göreme through the strange, moonlit formations. We paid our money for Ihlara and were told to show up at 9:00am the next morning. We came back and fell into deep sleeps.

day 2

Ihlara Valley

The next day we bought a picnic lunch and then went to the tour office to begin a total fiasco of a day. Since we were the only people who signed up for that tour, we were stuck on another French tour that was much more rushed. Brian was furious and acted stupid all day. We fought - it was awful. The guide was a big "sukebe" (Jap: pervert) and we grew to detest him.

However, the valley was gorgeous! It reminded me of Colorado near Grand Junction. The churches were so-so, but Brian enjoyed them. We also saw an old kervansaray (not much to see, but a very functional building), a crater lake (stupid), and two underground cities: Derinkuyu and Mazıköy. I only saw the first - bending down for the low passages killed my back. While waiting for the group at Mazıköy I spoke with a few of the village children and then Yauz, a nice young man whole had taught himself reasonable English through a correspondence course. How could our guide be such an ass and this other man who wanted to guide us for free be so kind? Turkey made us crazy that way.

We returned exhausted, ate dinner, and Brian vented on the travel agent. We found a note from Jane saying she was off to Aksaray tomorrow. We'll ride bikes around the area if all goes well and we don't kill each other after today!!

day 3 - bicycle tour

August 24 Göreme [cool, wonderful]

We got up, "discussed" yesterday's fiasco, and went on to have our usual yogurt breakfast. Then we priced rental bikes. We got the best deal from a rather tough/shady looking guy and then started down toward Çavuşin. Çavuşin's John the Baptist Church was much in ruin, but fun to climb around. The children who wanted to ride our bikes were a nuisance and I started up with diarrhea. We met an old Australian couple there as well (69 years old!) who were climbing around, too.

We hit another church with a lot of frescoes on leaving the village (and more children!). Then it was off to Zelve where we had fun exploring the old city dwellings. The churches were a bit dull, but climbing around the passages was great fun! We spent a couple of hours there and then pressed on to Avanos where we met Maggi from Iceland. He had been biking in Eastern Turkey and was quite interesting. He joined us for the long ride to Ürgüp and then on to Ortahisar. Ortahisar Castle was fun to climb (almost all interior) and we spent a lot of time on top chatting in the cool breeze.

We finally made it back to Göreme where we had some tea together and parted ways. Maggi was one of the most interesting people we met yet. We had dinner in the pension (a bit expensive) and then discussed both tomorrow's trip and onward plans. Tomorrow we visit Eski Gümüşler near Niğde if all goes well. But, after Cappadocia our plans are still unknown!

day 4 - Eski Gümüşler Monastery

August 25 Göreme [cool all day!]

The monastery at Eski Gümüşler was far. It took us until lunch to get there (and then it was closed for lunch!). We had bread, egg, & cheese sandwiches, cookies, and sodas for 6000 TL from a nice man in a market nearby. The monastery was interesting with lots of passages underground (well-lit) but the frescoes, especially in the main church, were simply beyond compare. It was really worth it to see some in almost pristine condition. We also saw some bones in some of the graves (weird).

One return we stopped at Nevşehir for a walk to the long distance bus station and, unfortunately, they were the same exact companies as Göreme! So we came back to the room and decided on heading to Kayseri and (hopefully) getting on an overnight bus to Trabzon. Otherwise, we're just packing and writing postcards and relaxing. I'll be sorry to leave this great weather!

August 27 Trabzon (finally) [clear, then cloudy]

Göreme to Kayseri to Trabzon (bus)

Going to Kayseri, other than it being the only place to catch a bus to Trabzon, was a disaster. We luckily flagged down a bus in Göreme at 7:30am and were in Kayseri by 9:30am.

Kayseri

Kayseri is dominated by Mt. Erayes which looms to the south. We walked to the tourist office and ere literally hassled all day thereafter by carpet merchants who made those in Istanbul look tame! Brian and my nerves were definitely frayed.

Interesting things that happened in Kayseri:

We saw (or tried to) the castle, some madrasa, tombs, and a couple of mosques. They were all in Selçuk style and almost all restored quite well (everything Islamic is). But the Selçuks were rather plain except for ornate entryways, so we left feeling bored.

We met a soldier who barely spoke English that we drank tea with. He was the only person who was truly kind to us in Kayseri.

The fruit was cheap and excellent!

After doing as much downtown as possible, we decided to wait the remaining hours at the Otogar. We hung out there (with many soldiers) - it was armed forces day, or rather, induction day, so everyone's family was there to see off new recruits. What a mess! Our bus didn't leave without some confusion, but soon we were on another "bus from hell".

On the road to Trabzon

"Fatima" and her four children directly behind our seats screamed and jumped for 10 of the 12 hour ride and the rest of the soldiers (half the bus) smoked and smoked and smoked. We got little sleep between that and the hourly tea stops. By the a.m. we were riding along the Black Sea - green mountains and sea. It was refreshing after the near desert-like conditions elsewhere

Trabzon

We arrived in Trabzon, took a dolmuş into town, and checked into the Erzurum Hotel for only 40,000 TL/night. It is a big, rambling place filled with Soviets. So, we got ourselves settled, had a bite to eat, and, before we knew it, were on a tour to Sumela (because it was clear and gorgeous).

Sumela Monastery

The ride up was scenic, though marred by a lot of highway reconstruction. The area around the monastery is a national park next to a steep mountain in mostly pine forest. It reminded me a lot of Japan. The walk up to the monastery was brutal after such little sleep, but the views down the valley were sensational. The central chapel of the monastery was covered in ornate frescoes, but most were heavily damaged. The rest of the place had been gutted by fire. There really wasn't much to marvel at except its clifftop (side) location. The construction was quite a feat.

The tour group was international and we talked to Paul and Jot from the UK (Jot is British-Indian). They seem quite nice and we'll have a bite to eat with them tonight. We'll see the sites of Trabzon tomorrow and then it's off to Artvin. We're just not sure when we'll actually go there, although I could use an extra day to recover from the long bus ride.

August 28 Artvin [pleasantly cool, high in the mountains]

Brian and I checked out of the Erzurum Hotel with glee since it was rather overrun with the Georgians we had seen the day before at their pitiful flea market in Trabzon. They were great to talk to, however, and were much friendlier than the Turks. We got two free spoons even though we insisted on paying! Anyway, many of them are "living" at the Erzurum Hotel which made morning toiletries a real pain.

We ate breakfast and met Paul & Jot for an excursion to Aya Sophia, Trabzon. It was well worth the trip with a beautiful setting overlooking the sea and some great frescoes. We came back to town and agreed to all try to make the 1:30pm bus. Brian & I changed money (a pain), saw the city walls - impressive but not much left, and walked through the city. We ate lunch at a horrible, expensive lokanta and then picked up our bags and waited at the wrong place for a dolmuş to the otogar (wrong information from the tourist office). We finally got there to meet Jot & Paul who had already purchased tickets.

Trabzon to Artvin (bus)

The minibus ride was right along the sea and we chatted, dozed, and admired the scenery (which was lovely). Of course, in Hopa we were put on a dolmuş for the journey to Artvin. Paul & Jot were outraged, but by now Brian & I have come to accept most everything. The ride up to Artvin was spectacular and reminded me of the mountains in Central Taiwan - tall, lush, and green. Then we descended into a long valley which led to Artvin.

Artvin

Artvin is poised high on a hill in a steep valley. Its situation is not only dramatic, but unbelievable. Our arrival was met with considerable disappointment. The hotels were not great and Paul & Jot were not received too kindly (I think because they think she's a Turk and he looked a bit ragged). They ended up in a very expensive place while Brian & I got a cheapo room with disinterested management. We bought our tickets onto Kars and met a few townspeople who were quite friendly (as opposed to the hoteliers!) Too bad we really can't stay on here as the hiking around must be extraordinary. We should get some good views tomorrow out over the valley.

August 29 Kars [hot in the day, cool at night]

Artvin to Kars (bus)

Artvin was cloudy in the a.m. and a bit of a hassle leaving. We found another Georgian Market there. We picked up Jot & Paul, met Fel & Tom, and started on another wild bus journey. Our "direct bus" turned out to be a series of three dolmuş: Artvin town to the otogar; the otogar to Ardahan; Ardahan to Kars. They were crowded and uncomfortable, but the scenery, especially from Artvin to Ardahan, was simply spectacular. It was like how Switzerland must have been 200 years ago. We went up and up and up and finally arrived on the upper plateau which was as dull and plantless as the valleys before were verdant and rich. We met very nice people all along the way.

Kars

Kars, in spite of its being out of the way and full of military, is very pleasant with nice people. We arrived, found accommodation (no attached bath - oh well) for 30,000 TL/night, and set off for the tourist office to get information (after being accosted by a tout at the bus station). We found the tout to be right, so we're off to Ani first thing. Then we will come back for lunch and zoom off to Doğubayazıt in the afternoon.

We gained another day, so we might be adding Antakya back to our plans. Anyway, we all had a nice dinner together and then it was off to play cards and go to bed. Things are going better than I thought...

August 31 Doğubayazıt [cool]

Ani

Up early, ate breakfast, and we were off on our tour of Ani. We had a slow start due to paperwork and then a bus breakdown right outside of Ani that made us late, but we still got our full two hours there. Ani was great because it wasn't classical, but rather it was Armenian which is quite different. The city was mostly in ruins and there was a very rural village outside the gates. However, the remaining walls and churches were quite impressive. Also impressive was the gorge, the Soviet border fences and fortifications, and the general wind-swept feel of the place. Two hours was just enough to quickly go through everything, but three hours would have been perfect. The climb to the top of the mosque minaret was difficult, but gave gorgeous views.

We arrived back in Kars so late we only had time to buy lunch and then get on our way to Doğubayazıt.

Kars to Doğubayazıt (bus)

The ride was mostly barren and came close to the Armenian SSR for a long stretch. The Soviets have all the guard towers and the Turks, mostly shepherds. At any rate, going along the border was interesting. From about 70km away we could see Ararat. It loomed huge in the distance. The day was superb with the evening sun lighting it up beautifully. We couldn't take good pictures from the moving bus (dolmuş - yet another "direct" bus didn't materialize). We all hope tomorrow will be better.

Doğubayazıt

We've added Hans & Sonja to our group as they have the same intinerary. We'll all do the Doğubayazıt tour tomorrow and go onto Van in the afternoon. Brian & I must slow down. Hopefully, we'll stay in Van more than a few days.

September 1 Van [getting hot again]

So, our tour of Doğubayazıt and the surrounding area was great. The ruined citadel of Ishak Paşa was superb in its view and architecture. It was refreshing to see interesting non-Christian architecture again! Our tour guide, Sinan, although wanting me especially to know that he felt Bush f..ked the Kurds was, by far, the nicest person we've met so far. He enjoyed talking about his culture and, unfortunately, said we were only the second tour group in six weeks who had been nice to him. But as we warmed to each other, he became increasingly pleasant. We drove by a nomad camp and a Kurdish village where we stopped briefly, but we all insisted to carry on since we thought our presence was intrusive (although I think we failed to explain our reason clearly to Sinan).

Mt. Ararat

We continued on a back road that gave superb pictures of Ararat and stopped and took a lot of pictures. We then found the resting place of the Ark (ha, ha). Hans & Sonja and Brian & I talked more with Sinan while Jot & Paul explored the "Ark" (a rock formation in a boat shape - excavated by some American and then covered in a tabloid of which we read the article). We then set off right to the Iranian frontier and turned off just a few meters before to see a meteor crater (small & dull) and looked into Iran. We returned exhausted, ate lunch (with Sinan), and then left by dolmuş for the three-hour ride to Van.

Doğubayazıt to Van (bus)

We saw the site where 52 people died in a bus crash only a few days before (weird) and then later a waterfall (Muradiye). It was nice, but three hours in a dolmuş with Sinan's creepy boss, Mehmet, was gross. We drove along Lake Van for a long way (beautiful) and the headed inland for Van. After about an hour of searching we found a hotel, had dinner together, and all collapsed.

September 2 Akdamer Island, Lake Van [sunny and hot]

Van

Finding the dolmuş to Hoşap was a series of misdirections and people trying to lead us off to different shops. It was awful. We finally got off to realize we had a private dolmuş! It was fast and nice. Hoşap was beautiful from a distance perched up on a rock, but the ruins themselves were rather disappointing. We also stopped at Çavuştepe, but it was only foundations and Brian (in addition to being pissed off because no one else wanted to stop) walked around. We returned to town, ate melon at the museum, and Hans and I looked for buses to Urfa. Unfortunately, there were no buses at night, so we'll overnight in Diyarbakir (we're all a bit hesitant) and then go onto Urfa where I just learned that some more tourists were kidnapped.

We all took the dolmuş to the Rock of Van for sunset which was spectacular, although we were bothered by children and some "friendly" guides on the way back (how can you ever tell when people are sincerely friendly?? We'll never know). We came back for a pricey pizza dinner. We also had our laundry done for us - what a luxury!

Akdamer Island, Lake Van

This morning again was a pain finding the dolmuş and getting started. We bought groceries, bus tickets, and changed money. I am sick of being misdirected, but we're finally here at Akdamer. The church was nice (like the others but the rock friezes were superb). We ate a nice picnic lunch: bread, tomatoes, and cheese (what else?) and then went for a swim. The water was really slimy, but it was a beautiful blue, so we're hanging out waiting for the boat and to go back.

September 3 Diyarbakir [hot day, cool night]

At the end the excursion to Akdamer turned sour. We met some really weird Turkish guy (who had been talking with Hans & Sonja since the day we arrived and they couldn't get rid of him) and he said some really inappropriate sexual things. On the ride back we met some Israelis (recent immigrants from Oz and S. Africa) who were nice, although one was a total asshole. We came back to town, found a great pide salonu (i.e., lamacun in Kurdish), packed, and slept early.

Van to Diyarbakir (bus)

Getting up early and over to the bus early was hard on us all. The road was winding and then when we dropped out of the hills it got hot.

We arrived in Diyarbakir, took a dolmuş to the center of the old city (bags and all, inside the van, and we were already eight). We met two S. African women on the bus who were nice and found Turkish people outside of Istanbul very nice. Amazing how people can view the same situation differently. Touts hassled us initially as we walked toward town, then some of us watched the bags as the others found the hotel. The hotel is nice, near the old city walls.

Diyarbakir

We then set off for the tourist office (multi-lingual staff, but indifferent), got bad maps, and saw the sights. Ulu Cami, the grand mosque, was not beautiful, but very different in design. The restored Kervansaray is now a bazaar (ugh) and we found an old man who showed us around some old Armenian and Catholic churches. He was really a character, and the churches were fascinating. He showed us books over 700 years old that we could touch! We climbed around the city walls (with a pesky young man), went to the bazaar - authentic but dull, and then all went out for dinner.

We bought our bus tickets to Urfa tomorrow. We all agreed Diyarbakir is nice in spite of a bad rap and a few "overfriendly" people.

September 6 On the road to Ankara [cool and clear]

Diyarbakir to Urfa (bus)

So much has happened in a few days once again. We left Diyarbakir and never said goodbye to the friendly young Şehmus at the ticket office. The ride to Urfa was across some god-forsaken territory and the bus was sweltering. We passed some huge radar devices as well. It was a scene from after a nuclear holocaust, just rocks thrown over baked earth with little vegetation. We reached Urfa and took a mule-cart to the center of town which was quite amusing (and a bit embarrassing).

Urfa

We had the usual search party for a hotel and settled on the Istiklal because of its garden. Then we all decided to get information on Harren and Nemrut Dağı. After much discussion, we all decided the plan would be Harran then afterward Nemrut (day tour). see Urfa, and our jolly band would split up and go our separate ways. Little did we know that things would not turn out that way.

We couldn't negotiate Mr. Sleazeball Harran Tours down from 20,000 pp, so we booked a taxi through the tourist office. Then at the last minute Mr. Sleazeball dropped his price to 13,000 pp and we were on our way in a van to Harran.

Harran

The ride was pancake flat through heavily irrigated land awaiting even more water through an extensive system of conduits being built. We arrived at the mud huts and ruins of Harran and were disappointed. The castle was in total ruin and I was badgered by a young "guide" the whole time. The "beehive" houses were interesting, but it was a whole working village, so walking around was in violation of the "Prime Directive". So, we all laughed at ourselves for wanting to spend a long time at a place that was worth not even one hour. The mosque/university site was of mild interest, and the nagging children took away from it.

We all had some tea at the castle. There we met George from Greece - rich and foreign-educated. He made for nice conversation. We agreed to meet him for dinner that evening. Sonja was mobbed for the little toys she gave out (it got quite ugly with the children following her and grabbing at her). Jot regretted giving her trinket ring to one exceptionally beautiful young girl and they all wanted one after that. We came home with our driver singing Kurdish folk songs.

We went out for a nice dinner, booked our passage to Nemrut, and retired to the hotel for some some fruit in the garden. Jot, George, Brian, & I stayed up late talking and finally when Brian & I wanted to sleep we discovered bedbugs and made the fatal error of sleeping anyway!!

(the saga is to be continued as writing on this bus is a pain!)

September 7 Ankara [perfect weather]

So, in the morning Hans and Sonja reported that the night before they called home and some of the kidnapped tourists have been shot. They dropped going to Nemrut and got a bus to Cappadocia that morning. We all had a quick farewell breakfast with much agitated conversation. George and Jot called Greece and England - no news there. None of the Turks heard anything. Could they have been mistaken? Perhaps, but the asshole guy at the travel agency gave them back only 50,000 of their 130,000. So, at the last minute with Paul and I very doubtful, we got in a dolmuş with an Australian couple and a French couple and the weird Japanese guy from Harran. We're off to Nemrut.

Nemrut Dağı

The Australians, Jenny & Neil, were nice with a wealth of information on India for us. The French couple were more reserved, but friendly. We stopped at Ataturk Dam - dull, then in Kahta for tea, and finally started the climb through the mountains to Nemrut. We stopped at a burial mound (dull), a Roman bridge (excellent), some old tombs with a long rock cut staircase (interesting), and then finally after a break for dinner, began the bone-rattling ascent to Nemrut with our driver (who seemed unfamiliar with the roads). The last bit was cobbled and in good condition, but the ride was brutal.

From the parking lot it was still a 20 minute hike, so we only had about 1.5 hours there (after traveling all day). We met the Japanese woman and her American boyfriend from Van. They paid only 70,000 TL for a two-day trip! the site had many people, but it still wasn't too crowded. Paul and Jot shot some interesting film.

Then it was time for the long and frightening journey back. Would we be stopped by the PKK and killed? Would we drive off a cliff with our kamikaze driver? Or would we just be shaken apart? We did make it back, and we all fell into an exhausted sleep (us in a different room). We all wished it had not been such hell to get to a very beautiful (and interesting) place. The views were magnificent and the ruins intriguing, but was it worth all the shaking? I don't know.

Brian & I woke from our sleep to find our bodies covered in welts from bedbugs It was terrible. The manager, a total asshole, refused any kind of refund, so we complained to the tourist office who sided with the manager. We were ready to leave Turkey that instant! That morning after bickering about our bedbugs and putting our poor, young interpreter in a very bad situation, we were all furious.

We walked into downtown Urfa (hot) to see the bazaar, the various mosques and carp-filled ponds, and Abraham's birthplace (a hot, stuffy little cave filled with pious worshippers - men only). Jot couldn't enter and was pissed. We came back to the center of town and went to the otogar where Paul & Jot found a cheap ticket to Kayseri (for Cappadocia) and we (after much tense discussion) got a ticket for Ankara. Brian desperately wanted to see Antakya, but I was fed up and couldn't bear an extra overnight on a bus. Besides, I felt as though we needed a few days to relax! Brian's still pissed off - oh well.

We had some tea in the nice tea garden at the bazaar while Jot had baggy pants made and Paul had his altered (I think they look stupid). We all had a farewell dinner (everyone's favorite - lamacun), and we were off to the station. Traveling with Paul &Jot and Sonja & Hans was trying at times, but in the end I was happy to be in a little group in the East. It felt less intimidating.

Urfa to Ankara (bus)

The bus ride was awful. We were itchy sitting in the back seats of the bus that don't recline with a screaming baby in front of us. At the end of the ride I almost shit my pants as a sudden BM came over me!! But we made it to Ankara and, after some confusion, found a bus downtown, and after 20 minutes, a hotel.

Ankara

day one

The hotel is a bit expensive (60,000 TL/night), but this is Ankara and were too tired to check them all. The hotel room is nice, however, and quite large. We checked in, showered, and were off to take care of business here in Ankara.

First, we reconfirmed our flight to Bombay (we think), bought train tickets to Istanbul for tomorrow night, and walked a long way to the US Embassy to find it closed (Saturday). We ate at McDonalds (just for a change) and then went up to the Archeological Museum. The walk up to the museum was interesting, but I was so tired I had little energy to put into seeing the place. The Hittite stone reliefs were great. We then walked through the "village" built inside and around the old citadel and up on its walls to admire the view and relax. The "village" (and it truly is) set here in the citadel of modern Ankara is quite a juxtaposition. We returned via a fruit and vegetable market and collapsed on our beds for a bit of R&R. Ankara has been great: nice hotel, nice people, no hassle. What a change!

Note:

Sights missed: Antakya, Bursa, Bosphorus cruise, Black Sea cruise

day two

September 10 Istanbul Airport [cold and clammy]

Our second day in Ankara we walked and walked and walked: first to drop our bags at the train station, and then to search for tourist information (that took a long time). We found them to be sympathetic to our problems and even gave us the name of the Minister of Tourism to write to. He also told us we could get chloroquinine at any pharmacy, but as it was Sunday, few were open. So, we walked and tried to find pharmacies (I felt even more tired).

Then, we decided to see the Ataturk Mausoleum. It is monumental; there are nice mosaics on the interior. It is very plain - it reminded me of the the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial in Taiwan, but not as beautiful. One thing, we were tired and were not permitted to sit anywhere in the mausoleum or its adjacent plazas. I felt cranky and tired of marching around.

We found a park and had our last bread, cheese, and tomato sandwich (not really). Then we caught a bus for a tower that we saw in the distance as well as the Presidential Palace in Çankaya. As it turns out, we reached the tower first, got off the bus, and found it to be a huge shopping mall. The mall was very Western and non-descript, but the tower provided excellent views over the city. Most striking was how the city just ended and barren hills began. We had an overpriced glass of juice at an outdoor cafe (Ankara was cold) and drank tea in the central park overlooking the fountain and pools. It's a bit brisk and Brian was freezing as he didn't unpack his jacket. After milking every last bit out of our teapot, we left for the train station and got our bags. We were on our way to Istanbul.

Side adventure - the search for malaria meds

One more note from Ankara: there was the excursion to the hospital in search of chloroquinine. After finding a pharmacist who consulted a book, he definitively told us we could not buy it through a pharmacy. Then, we went to the large university hospital where a young doctor told us that we could only get the drug through a government institute and being Sunday, it was closed. They would have some in Istanbul though. With hope that we might actually get cholorquinine before reaching India, we departed.

Ankara to Istanbul (train, ferry)

The train journey was relatively quiet (for Turkey) and the seats larger than on the bus - however - they left the lights on all night and at each stop there was some commotion, so we woke up. I realized that morning that I had diarrhea (again) and was feeling out of sorts. We finally arrived at Haydarpaşa Station (beautiful - I would say it is the best, then Ankara, and in last place, certainly, the terminus of the Orient Express, Sirkeci). We soon were on a ferry gliding across the Bosphorus. It was cloudy and cold - could this really be the same city we sweltered in just one month earlier?

Istanbul (again)

We got off the boat, took the tünel, and found a room at Hotel Dünya. At least it was close to the airport bus, even its walls were peeling, it lacked hot water, and the room had mosquitoes. We slept in the same bed (for the first time) and it was cold. After cold showers, we were off to the American Consulate who have us the address of the Malaria Institute (down in Sultanahmet). There were a great number of security checks at the consulate as well as a marine in full uniform - strange.

We stopped by Turkish Air to check on a few things like departure taxes, buses, etc. Their computers were down. At least the bus hadn't gone up in price and there was still no departure tax.

I was feeling lousy, but we walked over to Sultanahmet.

Note:

We looked for more film along the way - Brian underestimated the number of pictures he would take greatly and had to get more. I was slightly better off although I still shot more than I anticipated in Turkey (or felt that I had really taken). I can't imagine I took 9 rolls of 36.

We finally found the institute after numerous wrong directions and found an American-educated Turkish doctor who was in charge of the program in Istanbul. He was kind and informative. Apparently, now we only had to take two doses of chloroquinine with an hour of each other and were good for two months. He advised us to get more doses in India, not Nepal. We'll try at Bombay Airport.

One thing out of the way, we decided to go on a Bosphorus cruise (something on our "list"), but when we reached the docks, it was too confusing to figure out which boats went where. Although it had cleared off somewhat, it was still cold. We stomped around the Egyptian Bazaar, but I found it much less interesting after the ones of the Southeast. I was sick and grumpy. We ate our last bread, cheese, and tomato. Then we returned to the hotel where I crashed and Brian went out to eat and then found the address of his law firm. We fell into deep sleeps, but I was concerned over my stomach problems.

Dolmabahçe Palace

We got up the next morning, packed our bags, and checked out of the hotel. We headed for a couple of hammams (baths) and decided to give them a try later. Then it was to Dolmabahçe Palace with a stiff no student 25,000 TL entrance fee which wiped out our cash. The guided tour was awful. We barely understood the guide's English. The place had a few nice rooms, but it was mostly poor copies of European excess. Some of the parquet floors were excellent. Its position right on the Bosphorus and its gates and gardens were nice. No cameras (additional fee), but it would have been too dark for most pictures anyway.

We returned to Taksim, changed a bit more money, and Brian was off to his first law office visit. I tracked down a barber and had a shave and a haircut. Then I whiled away the afternoon back at the American Consulate Library (which I forgot to mention we visited yesterday on the way back to the hotel - I devoured all the Sunday NYT). This time I read Time, National Geographic, and the Herald Tribune. Brian returned, forgot to ask the office to post some books, pissed me off, and then we walked back to Taksim vainly searching for a çay garden. Brian decided to buy some film.

We bagged the hammam - too expensive. We were disappointed but 100,000 TL for us was just too much and we were ahead of budget, so it was probably better we didn't in case of any later emergencies. I sat in Taksim Park and waited for Brian. I read the India book in preparation for our arrival in Bombay. Are we ready for this??

Brian returned and I felt ill. He also had a headache. We had a sandwich with our few remaining lira (we didn't want to change more). We waited for the bus and when it finally departed we were in a traffic jam. We arrived at the airport an checked into a virtually empty flight. They called me out to identify my bags. They were ours lying on the tarmac. Will they be in Bombay tomorrow? Who knows?

INDIA

Istanbul to Bombay (flight, bus)

September 11 Bombay [sunny, hot, and humid; evening cool]

Well, the bags did arrive. Our flight was a bit too short for an overnight - only 6 hours. We didn't get much sleep, but Turkish Air was great for the second time. The flight was virtually empty and only a handful of us got off in Bombay. Immigration was long (for only a few people). But our bags awaited us outside - no customs check at all (we haven't had one yet!). We changed money and met up with an English couple who were going in our general direction (i.e., Colaba). We found hotels through a government booking agency which neither of us took: theirs was gruesome - ours too expensive.

The bus ride into town was an adventure. Not only was the normal airport bus service on strike, but today was the Bombay Ganesh Festival and virtually everything was closed or running at half-speed. Our bus took forever from the airport making millions of starts and stops taking a very indirect route. We were finally dropped at the edge of Colaba where touts led us into the hotel district.

Bombay

day one

We split off from the other couple as they were going the total budget route. We found a place fairly fast, Whalley's Guest House. We have a small room, ceiling fan, lovely bathroom, and clean for 276 Rps. It is much less than we anticipated paying. The Asst. Manager and the Manager are very insistent for us to change money with them, but thus far we refused. I can understand their need for dollars, but their persistence is annoying. We showered, had the laundry taken out (cheap), got bottled water, and left.

We walked by the Gateway of India and the stinking harbor waters. The Taj Mahal Hotel is unimpressive (although the interior is really fine - we saw it later). It was hot walking. First, the Amex Office - it was closed. Then we hit the tourist office - open and helpful. After that we stopped at the GPO to mail some books back (it was expensive - more than $10 sea mail!) The whole experience of mailing the package from the man who sewed up the parcel bag to the numerous clerks was a good introduction to the Indian bureaucracy. But we got it mailed and we hope it will get back to the US.

Then, we walked into the huge and beautiful Victoria Terminus to have a look around. That suburban station was a madhouse and its Central Reservations an air conditioned wonder. The exterior is simply the most beautiful train station I've ever seen. We found the place to buy Indrail Passes (we've been debating getting them all day) and then returned via the Prince of Wales Museum which has some fine reliefs from South India and some good Assyrian artifacts from Iraq as well. The rest of the museum I found tacky although I must admit the grounds and building were refreshing. The many Indians there showed their interest in their own cultural heritage.

We returned to the hotel via the Taj Hotel and the Gateway and took a long nap. Lunch: how could I forget our 60 Rps, vegetarian,, totally delicious lunch? F..k eggplant and tomatoes, Turkey - we were in heaven. After we got up, we had a Chinese meal which was mediocre, but at least it was different. We spent a lot of money on our first day, but then again we got a lot accomplished!

September 12 Bombay [hot and humid - what else?]

day two

We slept well with just the fan, no A/C. We needed the sleep. We ended up with a late start. Breakfast came (not much to write home about, but it was brought up on a tray!) We decided to get a 21-day Indrail Pass. So, first to Amex where we found a hidden commission on buying traveler's checks in India off a personal check - shit! Brian was furious (at me for insisting we not buy all the chccks at the beginning). But, we couldn't afford the charges so we got some TC and a lot of cash ($500) which means we are both carrying around a lot of rupees and that makes us nervous.

We met a German guy there that didn't speak English well. He just lost his air ticket home, his passport, and some TC because he trusted a guy who watched his bags while he took a shit. He was really shaken. We helped how we could, but then a German-speaking staff showed up, so I guess he was OK.

We had lunch at the same veg place - this time we both ordered too much!! But as we're not tired of the food, it was OK (for now). We went to the Western Railways Booking Office (met our friends from England from the flight there) and got seats (first class, non-AC) to Ghandidham for tomorrow. We have to reconfirm them in the morning. We also want to go to Elephanta Island tomorrow early to make it back in time for the Taj Hotel buffet lunch, but now it might not be possible.

Then we set out to get our anti-malarials since we have doubts about our two-month immunity. On the way we had a huge fight over the pace of the trip and sightseeing. My position was that all we do is run around and try to see everything (even minor sights) and Brian's was that he didn't want to sit around all day and be bored. We didn't find the chemist's and Brian was going to go off to the Hanging Gardens, but decided against it as it was too late (and he wanted to make nice with me).

We came back to our room, relaxed, and then had an ice cream at the foreigner hang-out, Leopold's. Expensive, but an interesting crowd. We stopped at some curio shops on the way back and picked up a couple of things. Our hotel manager again requested we change money. By now, he is giving me the creeps. We had another good veg meal back at the hotel, bought some anti-malarials (for 5 weeks), and came back. We'll get more drugs when we need them. This whole malaria thing scares us both a bit. Tomorrow out of Bombay!! and into the real India.

September 15 Bhuj [hot and dry]

day 3

Another whirlwind of events...

We took all morning to change our train seats to reserved AC sleeper on the VIP Quota as well as part of the afternoon. It was Indian bureaucracy at its worst, however, everyone was quite friendly.

We did a rush trip out to Elephanta Island through filthy Bombay Harbor. It is a busy port with both commercial and military ships. We arrived at Elephanta, waded through the tourist stalls up the stairs to the rock-cut caves. Although after Turkey, I was a bit burnt-out on rock-cut anything - the carvings were different than what we'd seen before. They were mostly in an advanced state of disrepair and, apparently, the Portuguese had done a fair share of damage as well. However, a few were well-preserved and quite impressive. I was still feeling somewhat queasy the entire day, so I don't know how much I really enjoyed it. The island was a small, tropical oasis in the Bombay area and the far side made your think you were on a remote island. We returned on the first-class boat (to the consternation of those aboard, but we were told to board it!).

We reconfirmed our train seats for the millionth time. We had lunch at Leopolds, picked up our bags, and took a long taxi ride through the city to Central Station. We found our train (we had been told the wrong platform) and boarded.

Bombay to Ghandidham, Gujurat (train)

We got settled on the train and met the man who was to change our lives for the next few hours. Mr. Kenia was a retired politician and we spoke of a million things (joined later by Zubin, a hotelier). Mr Kenia invited us to his home and we all went to sleep. The AC sleeper was much nicer than I expected in terms of size, but it far from luxurious. We arrived in Ghandidham and met Lila, his wife and were whisked off.

Gujurat

Ghandidham

We stopped at his sister's hospital where his wife lived and was a nurse (he spent most of his time in Bombay). We saw the clinic, met his sister, and all had a Gujurati breakfast. Ugh - it was so sweet, like a triple course of fudge in the morning! Brian and I felt half-sick.

We showered and then went off to see a local temple. It was a long ride over bad roads, but the countryside was interesting. The temple itself wasn't beautiful, but it was interesting to walk around inside. Our taxi driver showed us around. We returned for a delicious lunch with the Kenia's. Then we got in a cab (arranged by Mr Kenia) and were on our way to Bhuj.

Ghandidham to Bhuj (taxi)

We stopped off in two tie-dye/block print places and bought some material and gifts for people. The process was shown to us - it was fascinating. The places are dirty and primitive, yet make the most beautiful bright colors and patterns. I was very excited to see where "India sheets" were made, but Brian was more reserved about it. We finally arrived in Bhuj - the state of these roads is abominable. We check into the Prince Hotel which was totally luxurious!

Now to mention one thing: Mr Kenia had arranged everything. Brian and I were rather embarrassed, but he said he'd be insulted if we refused. He did give us much useful information regarding travel in India including manners and customs. He really was just incredibly nice to us.

Bhuj

day one

In Bhuj, we found the next day the bazaar would be closed, so we did some frantic shopping. The bazaar area was not as "fun" as those of Urfa or Diyarbakir or Istanbul, but there were some excellent cloth shops. We returned to the hotel. Brian had run a fever on the train the night before and it was coming back again even worse. He went to bed and I went to meet Mr. Randhawa, the Collector, to whom we were given a letter of introduction by Mr. Kenia.

It turns out he's the district magistrate and runs the whole area. He has an interest in the handicrafts and folk art of the area. His house (very nice) is filled with local art. He and his wife were quite genteel, but then again, if you had a crew of servants, you'd be, too. Their children were beastly. He gave me some great information on the areas north of Bhuj as well as the name of his assistant to help us get the permits in his absence (he was leaving for Ghandhidam). I returned and fell into a deep sleep (Brian was already asleep).

day two

We woke up and I discovered Brian had sweat all night. I was worried and decided to stay in Bhuj one more day and go north to some villages. We called Mr Bhatti, Mr Randhawa's assistant, who helped us through the two-hour process of getting the forms on a Sunday. He also is helping us (we hope) to get our railway reservations from Ghandhidam to Ahmedabad. Although it took all morning, we finally got what we needed.

We ate lunch nearby the Collector's Office and they continually screwed up our order which pissed us off. We walked down to the old palace and snooped around - it was gawdy, a rundown mix of Indian and European stuff gathered by the last Raj of Kutch. It was fascinating to stroll through, but it was mostly rundown, expensive junk - it was fun anyway. We climbed the clock tower of the new palace for good views over the city. Then we pressed onward to the Kutch Museum which was not as interesting as the palace (many ethnographic/textile displays were duplicated). We returned to our hotel where we'll set up tomorrow's taxi and try to get prepared for our long journey in Rajasthan. I must call Mr Bhatti to see if he heard any news of our train tickets and Mr Randhawa to thank him for his hospitality and help. Brian is sleeping - I hope he is OK.

September 17 on the train to Jodhpur [hot and dusty]

We set up everything for the trip into the Kutch hinterlands and then wanted to eat something. Being it was Sunday evening, nothing much was open. I really wanted to eat thali at Hotel Anam, but it was closed!! We searched in vain for another Lonely Planet suggestion and returned to our hotel for a good, fancy meal that was still cheap.

Day three - Journey into the Rann of Kutch

We awoke early the next day, got in our taxi with a driver other than originally promised as he had a heart attack the night before (so we were told). After a slow start, we were soon speeding toward the village of Dhordo. The scenery on the way was mostly flat and barren. Just when we thought we'd never get there, at the end of a long secondary road, was Dhordo where we were greeted by the village patriarch, Golbeg, and his English-speaking son-in-law, Abdul. We were invited for tea and after a somewhat awkward start, we were soon learning all about village Dhordo and its "fame" (and its many problems, i.e., lack of water).

In times of drought (most of the time) the women supplement their income by embroidery. It is folksy, but well-made. Brian and I bought some pieces for gifts and ourselves. I felt a bit uncomfortable in the commercial atmosphere as they really had to sell these things in order to survive. We saw the interior of Abdul's house and then after a long explanation to the driver, we set off for two other villages.

The first, Hodka, was much the same as Dhordo, although they spoke less English. We never found the second village - the driver got lost. However, he ended up taking us almost to the Rann (which was forbidden). Seeing it glisten in the distance with silhouettes of camels was worth it. We made two more unrequested stops: the first, at a village where the women took off all their jewelry for us to inspect. That was interesting, but a bit uncomfortable. The next place was another touristy village selling crafts, and as it had its own spring, it was in a beautiful, lush setting.

We were tired and a bit pissed at the incompetence of the driver as we had wasted about an hour or more (and it was starting to get hot). However, the glimpse of village life was definitely worth it. We called Mr Bhatti who started to work on our train tickets, bought stamps for postcards, and had a great lunch at Anam. All-you-can-eat veg food, yum! We returned and waited for our train reservations. Brian searched in vain for pajamas. We are boiling in our clothes that we brought with us. He returned angry.

Bhuj to Ghandidham (taxi) to Ahmedabad, Gujurat to Jodhpur, Rajasthan (train)

We got the green light on our reservations, checked out of the hotel, and said thank you to the extremely helpful manager. Then we took a share-taxi (with some persistence) to Ghandidham. We arrived and got our places on the train and slept as our arrival in Ahmedabad was the next morning at 3 a.m. was brutal.

We tried to get retiring rooms, but they were filled, so we ended up in the first class waiting room (not luxurious) to wait for the morning when we could make an onward reservation on the train to Jodhpur. Getting the reservation was the usual hassle, but we're here in a non-AC first class coupe to ourselves getting dustier and grimier asa the train chugs along toward Jodhpur (we're late!). Brian is feeling somewhat better. We are both exhausted and look forward to some peaceful nights in a hotel.

Rajasthan

Jodhpur

September 18 Jodhpur

day one

We arrived in Jodhpur only under an hour late, got a taxi-wallah who insisted we go to a different hotel, but we went to the tourist bungalow anyway. The driver finally agreed to price (he asked double for on arrival!) Our room was huge, but with mosquitoes, so during dinner they sprayed it (ugh!!). We had a glorious shower and ate an absolutely huge dinner which neither of us could finish!

We asked about city tours (none-the bus was broken!), so they recommended a taxi for 250 Rps! We were also quoted 350 Rps for a taxi to Osian to see the temples there. We decided to think about Osian and to do the city on our own.

day two

We got up the next morning, had a leisurely start with breakfast, and then went to the train station to book our train to Jaisalmer. It was only a bit confusing and there we met our Kiwi traveling companions, Jamie & Jo. We toured the city with them for the rest of the day. After searching for a four-seat autorickshaw in vain, we settled on cramming into one small one and got the driver down to 80 Rps for the day.

First stop was the Umaid Bhawan Palace, a museum, maharaja family's residence, and luxury hotel. The building was magnificent although at times the interior and its collections a bit tacky. The hotel was superb, but there was a 100 Rps cover charge and the beers were about 100 Rps, so we decided against it. Our semi-tour guide's English was awful, but the palace and grounds were magnificent.

Then we were off to Mandore Gardens which were surprisingly beautiful, although the strolling minstrels who wanted to sell their instruments and the beggar children were annoying at first. There were some great mausoleum buildings there. Thanda Mausoleum was superbly built with a great view of the fort and city below.

We made an unscheduled stop at a teahouse which pissed us off. Then we went up to the castle. Although the entrance fee was hefty, and I refused to pay the camera fee, the view over the city was excellent and the stone lattice work, beautiful. Our guide was excellent as well. I was most impressed with this as being the best fort I had perhaps ever seen. We spent some time on the ramparts with excellent views and a fine breeze. Then we descended for a brakeless ride down the hill from the castle to the market where the charge was more than agreed to! However, we only paid what was agreed and walked away.

The market was colorful and there was a beautiful clocktower there as well. We finally found our light cotton pants on the way out of the market and a place to make our shirts! (in only six hours). We walked to the Kalinga Restaurant for a drink and decided to try the Ajit Bhawan Palace for dinner. Unfortunately, we arrived much too early for dinner and settled for a beer in their courtyard. We decided to head back to the Kalinga for dinner and we picked up our material to drop off en route.

Our dinner was fine and we parted ways with Jo & Jamie to see them in Jaisalmer a day later. We hope to get to Osian to see the temples there tomorrow somehow. We ran to the tailor, dropped off the material, and we'll pick up our shirts after 6pm tomorrow. We came back to the hotel and we're trying to phone our first choice hotel in Jaisalmer for a room, if possible.

September 21 Paradise Hotel, Jaisalmer [sizzling]

Well, well, well... our extra day in Jodhpur was a total waste. We woke up, packed our all-too-full bags, and checked them at the front desk of the hotel. After breakfast we got a cab down to 250 Rps to go to Osian and back. Although the ride out was on good roads and our driver was quite kind, the temples were a huge letdown! Osian is on the edge of the Thar Desert and there are some small dunes nearby The first and oldest set of temples were abandoned in fields just outside of town They were very minor although beautifully crafted and in rather good repair. The main Hindu temple in the center of town was a mishmash of styles and was totally unimpressive once inside. The last temple (Jain) was a bit more interesting, but not worth an hour's taxi ride. We met a throng of schoolboys there who resided at the temple as a boarding house. They were thrilled by our presence.

We got back to Jodhpur, had lunch again at the tourist bungalow, and then set off for the City Museum, a park, and the zoo. The museum was unkept and stupid outside of two carvings showing bestiality and "69"! The park was without any benches in the shade. The zoo was pitiful and, of course, our foreign faces were far more interesting than the animals! There were some beautiful tigers in an enclosure of buffalo nearby that we assumed they ate.

We went to the market, Brian got some pants, and we walked around. It was quite colorful and interesting. We picked up our shirts which were finely done and then headed back to the park where we relaxed (or tried to with all the "hello, what is your name?" kids around us). We stayed until near sunset.

Then we were off to the Tourist Bungalow for a drink in their drab lounge. We went down to the Ajit Bhawan Palace for dinner, got lost along the way (I was furious with Brian as he was certain he knew the way), and finally after a short wait got seated for dinner. We ate with some Americans, two Brits, and two Israelis. It was a fun dinner.

We hurried off to the hotel and train station after a lengthy autorickshaw bargaining session and boarded the train with Jamie from England who turned out to be quite fun.

Jodhpur to Jaisalmer (train)

I developed severe diarrhea from the dinner during the night, so I didn't sleep well at all. The train was late in the early morning by two hours, so I chatted with the Northern Railways inspector with whom we shared our compartment. I also talked more with Jamie who was born in India and was visiting for his second time. We arrived in Jaisalmer to a policeman who said the touts were rather dishonest and that before we exited we had to decide which hotel. Unfortunately, our jeep driver lied and said he was from Jaisal Castle and he wasn't. We were taken the long way around the city and dropped at the gates.

Jaisalmer

day one

We then walked a long way to Jaisal Castle which drivers knew was full. It was a scam of the taxi driver, a camel tour agent, and Jaisal Castle! We were really tired and furious. Luckily, we met Jamie & Jo on the street who recommended their hotel nearby called Paradise. We checked in as their rooms were OK. They had one fabulous room with a balcony, but that went to a British couple who were only staying one night. We returned to our taxi who demanded payment. We were pissed, but we paid and dragged our bags to our simple rooms and took much needed showers! We listened to our hotelier's spiel on camel tours and deferred the decision until we met up with Jamie & Jo again.

I wasn't happy at all with our arrival in Jaisalmer, but the city is the best yet in India and maybe on the whole trip. It is a maze of small streets with ramparts around the edges and beautifully carved houses. The view from below it is beyond fairy tale! It really exceeded expectations Anyway, we met Jo & Jamie again and they told us they signed up for a full day jeep tour the next day and we could join them if we wanted. However, that would mean no camel trek which Brian & I both thought we would do (in spite of Jo & Jamie's warnings about camels). We said we'd talk to their agent and think about it.

We had lunch at Monica's, which for me was the best thali thus far (Brian didn't think so) and the met smooth-talking Mahendra at Adventure Travels who gave us details on all his trips. There were too many options to digest, so we deferred the decision until later. We returned, told Jo & Jamie we had to think about it and relaxed for a few hours in the room.

We got up, met them, and headed off for dinner. In a last minute decision, we went with them. Brian was disappointed about the camels, but I had severe reservations that the reality was far worse than what the romantic visions of it might be. We had a nice dinner and retired early for our 4:30am departure the next morning.

September 22 On a stopped train just outside Jaisalmer [fucking hot!]

day two (the jeep tour)

The morning departure was brutal - the jeep picked us up near the hotel and ferried us by wild dogs which roam the streets at night - really! We traveled at light speed to the dunes and there relaxed a bit picking out the many stars. The dawn came slowly and we mounted our camels for a brief jaunt into the dunes. The camels were intimidating at first, and when they stood up, it required holding on! But the ride was easy - the only problem was the camel flies. What a nuisance, especially as the day grew hotter. The dunes were small, but we had fun stomping around taking pictures and watching the sunrise. We guided our camels back to camp "on our own" (they knew the way) and got in our famous "push-start" jeep.

We had a whirlwind tour of of Rajasthani villages, temples, and sites. It was an excellent day and our guide, JD, was not only good, but very kind. We learned a lot about the caste system in Rajasthan as well as Hinduism and some of the effects of partition with Pakistan. It was extremely hot and the information got a bit monotonous, but I think we were all just tired. We had an excellent day - he was another good guide similar to Sinan in Doğubayazıt, Turkey.

We came back, bought some beers, napped, and had a nice meal together at Monica's. We agreed to split the cost of our room with Jo & Jamie so they could keep their bags and shower there. We hoped to get on a train the next evening. We slept like the dead. It was an excellent day.

day three

Today we got up, got our names on the waitlist at the station (not promising) and had breakfast overlooking one of the havelis. We met Jamie & Jo and decided to meet again for dinner later in the afternoon. Brian & I spent the day exploring the fort, the old palace, and the temples as well as the havelis. It was hot, but Jaisalmer really is my favorite place for far in India. After much last minute consternation, JD got us a seat on the train. We're on the way to Jodhpur and Udaipur after that. We hope all goes well.

September 24 Udaipur [after the desert - cooler]

Jaisalmer to Jodhpur to Udaipur (train)

We arrived back in Jodhpur and had to wait nearly an entire day to connect to the next train. It ended up being a "missing day" (I almost didn't include it in the journal). We sat all day and did nothing - yuchh. But as we had Jamie & Jo for company, it wasn't too bad.

The train to Udaipur was with the "pajama couple" - a man and woman we keep running into. The man wears sleeping pajamas everywhere and never combs his hair. We all went to sleep early and outside of the usual toilet calls and other interruptions, I slept till morning. We were only one hour late. In the morning the pajama couple gave us a few good hints on Nepal and Darjeeling.

Udaipur

day one

We arrived in Udaipur and first went to the small palace hotel, Rang Niwas. However, although luxurious, it was just a bit too expensive. We went with our taxi driver to the Raj Palace which he was pushing and decided to stay. Brian and I had to wait a long time for our room to be ready. We finally got in our room, had laundry done, and showered. We went over to the train station to make reservations out of here - from here to Chittorgarh was OK, but Chittorgarh to Jaipur we are waitlisted. The man seemed fairly confident we'd get a seat. I sure hope so1

We returned and our hotel manager, Raghu, kept pushing his shop and his tours on us. We refused. He is nice enough, but a bit crafty. We had lunch at the Rooftop Cafe and it was nice with views of the palace. We then set off to see the palace and Jagdish Temple. The temple was not that great, but the palace was massive with great views over the lake. The palace museums were dull, but they were overall enjoyable to walk through.

We stopped at Raghu's friend's shop on the way back and were not impressed. We waited for a taxi to take us to the Monsoon Palace. That never materialized so we flagged down our own autorickshaws and flew out toward the palace for sunset. We just missed it and Jamie was pissed. However, that soon was all forgotten when the full moon rose over the city and its lakes. It was gorgeous. We returned down a small, bad, winding road in the dark and got dropped at the Rooftop Cafe where we had another good meal (with live music). We returned pretty early and just want to begin repacking and catching up on things.

September 25 Udaipur [cool evening]

day two

We got up, had some coffee & toast, and swore to drink liquids all day to prepare for the feast tonight at the Lake Palace Hotel. We walked a lot today, down to the bathing ghats, out to a temple, and then along the lakes to a park - an island and another fountain park. None were absolutely the most beautiful (as indicated in the guide book), but all were tranquil and cool, away from the hot sun.

We posted cards from the GPO, stopped at the Government Emporium (waste of time), and came back for a rest at the hotel. While Brian rested I had a beard trim and shave (10 Rps), then had a furoshiki hemmed and dropped off material for a shirt. We tried to account for gifts today; we assigned all that we bought, but we also must send more things back as well as buy more. We have too much stuff.

We walked out to the sunset point for a beautiful view out over the lake at the end of the day and then returned and boarded the launch for the Lake Palace Hotel. That hotel is gorgeous and really lives up to its reputation. We stopped off at their gift shop and got some silk paintings. Then we saw Rajasthani dancing and had the "buffet". It was good, but not great - although the overall experience was good, we were not that impressed with the food. We returned home and retired early

September 27 First Class Waiting Room, Chittorgarh Station ]hot!]

day three

Our final day in Udaipur was marked by a massive hemorrhoid flare up for me, so I fasted and got cranky. We went to the zoo, which was a disappointment, and spent the rest of the day shopping. Brian got most of the rest of Adrianne's gifts (clothes) and I picked up a few more things. as well. We saw beautifully embroidered Kashmiri shawls, but their price was way beyond what we wanted to pay. I got a new shirt tailored which I really like (no one else did). We changed some money at a good rate and recouped the loss on our T/C fiasco. We repacked and I gave some of our old clothes to the tailor as he was very nice.

We all had a late lunch together and then Brian & I bid farewell to Jo & Jamie and agreed to meet in Agra on the 30th at a restaurant. Brian & I relaxed the rest of the time as we had to get up at 4:30am for our train.

Udaipur to Chittorgarh (train)

We woke up, got our autorickshaw, and were at the station. Shortly after 5:00am we found our seats in a first class, non-AC chair car. It was the most uncomfortable ride thus far. We arrived at Chittorgarh on time, stowed our luggage, and found the train reservation office opened in an hour, so we set off for breakfast at the nearby tourist bungalow.

Chittorgarh

The Lonely Planet guide was again way off and we were "lost" (in this small town) for 40 minutes and it was hot. Finally, we found the bungalow and restaurant and had breakfast. The restaurant manager was very kind and explained there was a curfew due to Hindu-Muslim tension over a recent incident. We couldn't see the fort until after 3pm, so we returned to the train station where we were informed that our names would appear on the the train and that they couldn't confirm our reservation. Let's hope our name is on that train because, thus far, this has been quite disastrous!

September 28 Evergreen Hotel, Jaipur [hot!]

We ate lunch at the same place we had breakfast and inquired at the tourist office where they said the curfew was probably lifted and soon we were on our way to the fort. We were added to a tour from Calcutta - all Indian, but the people were quite nice, neither too friendly nor unfriendly. We went through the part of town under curfew which was at the base of the fort. It was mostly shuttered up and there were only a few people about. It was like an early Sunday morning except it was midday on a weekday.

We rode up through the gates and ramparts to the fort which has an excellent view over the plains. "Fort" is really the wrong word as it is more of a small city which is 5km long and 0.5-1.5km wide. The setting is really quite stunning - it is like a battleship rising above the plains. The walls are still intact, but most of the palaces are in ruin. The temples have all been restored as well. It was hot, but well worth the hassles of getting there and walking around in the sun. Its sheer size made it impressive.

We came back to town hot and exhausted, relaxed in the First Class Waiting Room, retrieved our bags, and zipped back to the restaurant for dinner. We almost didn't find the train (again) as the platforms were arranged end to end and we were waiting in the wrong end.

Chittorgarh to Jaipur (train)

We got in the A/C sleeper and talked our way into it, even though we were only waitlisted. We both slept in nice A/C comfort. We arrived in Jaipur and looked for Jo & Jamie at the station (we found later they had left before we arrived).

Jaipur

day one

On exiting, we were besieged by rickshaw men. We agreed to one for an incredible one rupee ride, checked into a basic, clean room at the Evergreen, showered, and went back to the station where we made reservations to Agra. We returned to the hotel, had breakfast, decided which places we would visit, and engaged our driver to take us to some gardens and then the city palace.

Dealing with autorickshaw drivers always pisses me off, but we were on our way. We saw two old outlying palaces on the road to Agra in a deep mountain pass. Both would have been lovely with water in their fountains, but due to the drought conditions, there was none. The road there and back was dusty and awful. We arrived back in the city, took pictures at some of the lovely city gates, and were dropped at the city palace where we agreed to hire our driver again for the trip to Amber Fort the next morning.

We toured the city palace which was impressive on the exterior, but the museum pieces seemed like what we had seen most other places and the interior was not that great. I think I'm just sick of palaces, but the orange/pink painted walls were quite nice. In fact, the whole city is thematic that way (the Pink City) and it gives a regal sense to the place. We next went to the observatory which at first looks like some huge piece of modern art, and was quite remarkable in its day. The most impressive was the huge sundial. Views from some of the platforms were excellent as well.

We ran the gauntlet of merchants and rickshaw drivers and then actually took a picture of the Palace of the Winds without being sucked into a shop. We entered the palace, but I was exhausted and there really wasn't too much to see except a rather lame archeological museum. The place's real value is the graceful facade.

We had a great lunch at LMB in the old city where we met Wali, a nice Indian who will meet us for dinner and drinks tonight. Hope it turns out to be "normal" as after leaving there we were besieged by people who wanted to speak to us. We've not experienced such hassle since Kayseri, Turkey. We were both fed up with the whole thing by the time we returned.

Brian bought Adrianne's last few articles of clothing (what a hassle that has been - she'd better appreciate it) and a few more omiyage. Brian attempted to mail his package (in vain) although he did get it packaged up. He'll have to mail it from Agra. I got our next batch of postcards ready as well. Jaipur is lovely but what a hassle just walking the streets!

September 29 Evergreen Hotel, Jaipur [hot, clouds today!]

We met Wali & Kamal for drinks and had some interesting conversation, but Brian was quiet. The conversation quickly degenerated into sex and the usual BS. They invited us to see Wali's father's gemstone factory the next afternoon and we agree to meet them for lunch after returning from Amber. They seemed nice enough, but after the "Mustafa Incident", we are both fairly wary of being taken. We had a good sleep.

day two

We got up for our 8:30am rickshaw. We rode out to Amber, a lovely ride once out of the city, through an old gate and past walls very similar to the Great Wall - hanging on the mountains in ruin. Amber and Jaigarh Forts are very impressive and we looked forward to our morning. But, as Sona Ram, our driver had told us the day before, it was closed in the morning for a group of visiting dignitaries. We even asked in Jaipur the day before and they said Amber would be open! So, we decided to wait and in the morning climbed some ramparts on the other side of the valley. I thought it was great - Brian was less impressed.

Finally, at 12:30pm the masses were allowed inside and we fought our way through two ticket mobs and were finally inside Amber. The fort isn't very well restored, except for one beautiful mirror pavilion. But, you are free to roam nearly 90% of it, so you really get a feel for the place. I was exhausted, but we pressed upward to Jaigarh Fort which has awesome views, but not much else. By that point I was running on empty anyway.

We returned to Sona Ram who had patiently waited. We returned via the Water Palace (not much to see) and some old cenotaphs (ditto) as well as a small-scale carpet factory where we learned the process in detail. It was interesting, but we didn't buy - much to their chagrin. We paid Sona Ram more for his patience and came back to the room and relaxed.

We totally blew off Wali & Kamal, too bad - but seeing Amber was more important to us. We had a nice dinner and now have another early morning rise to get to Agra which we feel will be a hassle kind of town.

Jaipur, Rajasthan to Agra, Uttar Pradesh (train)

September 30 Tourist Rest House, Agra [hot, but not horrible]

We got to the station to find our train double-booked (two sets of first class reservations put in one carriage). Massive confusion ensued but Brian and I scored a couple of top bunks and kind of dozed the whole way to Agra. At Agra Station we were besieged by autorickshaw drivers, but we kept them at bay by saying we were only buying tickets to change trains. Getting tickets was a bit of a hassle, but now we're number one and two waitlisted on the train to Lucknow. Let's hope we don't have too much of a problem getting on the train. After getting that straightened out, we exited the station to find a hotel.

Uttar Pradesh

Agra

day one

We arrived at the Tourist Rest House and got their last very basic room. I am a bit sick of basics, but it's better than running all over the place looking. We checked in, showered, and were off to the GPO - again, a Brian-led misadventure. The GPO was awful - even getting post cards franked was difficult. Sending Adrianne's package (the albatross of India) was even worse. A nice man from a carpet shop helped us and I met his cousin Raja who I promised to meet tomorrow afternoon after Fatehpur Sikri.

We returned to the hotel, ordered lunch, and met up with Jo & Jamie who related their adventures as we related ours. They went the whole way to the Tiger Reserve and found it closed until October 1 (only two days later). We chatted with them and got in an autorickshaw for Akbar's Tomb. It was a long ride through crowded, bad streets. The tomb was magnificent, however, and worth the effort. It was virtually deserted as well, which really made it pleasant.

We returned just in time for sunset at the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a gorgeous building and walking up to it through the gardens and reflecting pools is fabulous. We had a nice, leisurely look. I took tons of photos and we relaxed on the terrace overlooking the river. We ran into Jamie & Jo again - they accompanied us to the restaurant and then back to the hotel. All in all, it was a good day. Brian and I got quite a few bed bug bites at the Evergreen Hotel and my hemorrhoids have been terrible! Tomorrow, dawn at the Taj and then Fatehpur Sikri.

October 2 Tourist Rest House, Agra [cooler]

day two (Fatehpur Sikri)

We got off to a really rough start in the morning. Brian was late getting ready, Jo & Jamie were ready to go, the morning light was growing, and I locked Brian in the room (which infuriated him). We arrived at the Taj - no hassles in the early morning. It was beautifully calm. We took more photos. and then left about an hour later for breakfast. My bowels had finally moved, so I ate big.

We were dropped at the bus station, got on a waiting bus, and were soon on our way. The bus wasn't horribly crowded like I thought it would be and we reached Fatehpur Sikri by 10:30am. We were approached by a guide. Neither Brian nor I were interested, but Jo & Jamie were. Once we established that he really was a guide, he began to take us around. He was sort of knowledgeable, but it was all rote memory stuff. He told us eventually that he was illiterate. I discussed a few Muslim issues with him and began to understand how little he even knew of his own religion (as if I were an expert!!).

So, we toured the ruined city which was deserted of almost all tourists as well. It was well worth the effort. I was tired out at the end as there is much to absorb. We were lured to a shop for a beer to find there was none. We left in a huff, refusing to pay our soda bill and went to the bus station where we had drinks waiting for the bus. There I had a huge watery bowel movement - the sign of worse things to come. I felt rather ill the whole way back on the bus. Our autorickshaw driver met us one station early and took us to the hotel.

We relaxed a bit then set off walking to visit the carpet shop of the guy who helped us at the GPO. After a search, we found it and he was happy to see us. We looked at many carpets (I seriously wanted to send one to Craig & Tina), but as Brian hated all of them, we decided against buying. The carpet shop owner's cousin/brother Raja, whom I had also met, came and accompanied us to a restaurant. Then we we entered the twilight zone -

Our autorickshaw driver entered, said some things to Raja, and he left nervously without telling us what was wrong. Our uninvited autorickshaw driver then explained he was a "bad sort of boy", not honest like himself. We were confused and furious. I no longer trusted Raja nor the driver. We finished dinner, Raja came back, and we all walked to an emporium near the carpet shop where things were too expensive. Our driver was outside waiting. We left the whole group of them and walked to the hotel despising Agra and everything about it. We cancelled that man's autorickshaw for the next morning. All the while, my stomach was rumbling.

We returned to the hotel, played UNO for a long while (which was great fun!) and went for an early sleep. I was really feeling cranky and suffered another night of several shits.

day three

Then we awoke to pack our bags and get yet another asshole autorickshaw driver to take us to the fort to see the sun rise over the Taj. It was fabulous! The morning was cool, the fort was empty - it couldn't have been better. We continued on to the "mini-Taj", another stunning marble mausoleum. There the autorickshaw broke down. We walked a long way until we found an autorickshaw driver who understood us. We finally got one, and I was feeling really dreadful.

We came back, moved our bags to Jo & Jamie's room, and had a light breakfast. We played more UNO, compared some travel notes on Nepal, and then I went to Agra Cantonment Station to check on another train while everyone else ate lunch. The train I wanted no longer carried first class, so I returned to the restaurant for a bowl of yoghurt and then back to the hotel for a nap while the others went to see a market.

Everyone returned, disgusted again with the autorickshaw driver, their guide at a mosque, and Agra in general. So, we all laid around waiting for our train in the evening. Jo & Jamie will go to Khajuraho tomorrow (by plane). We agreed to leave messages for each other at the Amex Office in Kathmandu. We all hope to meet again as we've had some good times together. Right now, Brian & I are just hoping to get on the train to Lucknow without a hassle!

Agra to Gorakhpur (train)

October 3 Raj Hotel, Gorakhpur [hot and humid!]

Surprise, surprise! We got seats on the train to Lucknow, no problem, although figuring out which was our train was again the problem! Then in Lucknow we asked the Station Superintendent who said to contact the conductor. We waited in the First Class Waiting Room for about an hour and then approached the very kind conductor who gave us a whole four-tier A/C sleeper section to ourselves! We just slept and ate on occasion. The ride to Lucknow was cold, but onto Gorakhpur the A/C was comfortable. Arrival in Gorakhpur was dreadful - hot and humid. All the touts were screaming for buses to Kathmandu. It was awful. We checked the train schedule and it just wasn't worth a 5.5 hour ride when the bus was only 3 hours.

Gorakhpur

We checked into the very clean Hotel Raj. The manager was a sleaze trying to get us to pay 375 Rps for a taxi to Kushinagar and then book with him to Kathmandu. We just ignored him and then walked the long road downtown in search of the tourist office (which didn't exist). It was hard to find anything on the Lonely Planet map (no surprise), so we ended up at a Chinese restaurant where we met an Italian couple who spent three months trekking in Nepal. We traded our info on India for Nepal.

On the way back, we got the bus to Kushinagar information as well as checked on buses to Sunauli on the border. We found one honest man who told us that the 1:30pm bus would be better for us as it was relatively faster and that it would be 17 Rps payable on the bus. He gave us useful information on Kushinagar as well - a refreshing change after all the assholes we've dealt with lately.

So, it's an early rise tomorrow, so we can get to Kushinagar and back to check out of the hotel by noon and then catch the bus at 1:30pm. We should be in Nepal tomorrow night!

October 4 City Guest House, Bhairahawa, Nepal [cool tonight, but earlier hot]

Kushinagar

We awoke horribly early. I didn't sleep well - between the multitude of insects in the room and just nerves, I hardly slept. I guess I was nervous about Nepal. Anyway, we got on the bus and the ride out in the early morning was cool, fast, and misty. It really was the India I'd seen on TV: rice paddies, villages, lakes with water buffalo - all in the morning mist. The sun rose slowly and we rode directly into it. It was a bright red orb that grew in intensity as it got higher. The bus seats were uncomfortable and my back really hurt.

We arrived at Kushinagar, walked down past an array of temples, and found what we believed to be the main sight - a large, reclining Buddha, a stupa, and extensive ruins in a marshy, lotus-filled area. We weren't sure, however, until we found the Japanese temple with a Sri Lankan priest, Mr Assaji, who explained everything to us clearly over tea. He was charming and informed on the area (but less so on Buddhism). We found the three main sites were: where Buddha died, his last drink, and his cremation spot. We walked down the road to his cremation spot. A short time later we hurried off to the main road again to catch the bus back. It was well worth the trip. I picked flowers for Michi's dad (purple, death spot; red, last drink; orange, cremation).

We took much longer to get back to town and then got off at the wrong spot! But we made it to the hotel, ate a quick lunch and grabbed the next bus which we thought was the 1:30pm departure, but was actually the late 12:15pm.

Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India to Bhairahawa, Lumbini, Nepal [bus]

We had to pay to have our bags put on the roof, then two men tried to rip us off by selling us tickets for twice the amount. The bus conductor gave us looks like "don't believe them" and we stayed put. The waiting was hot and they crammed more and more people on. There were about 10 foreigners in the back, all of whom had bought expensive tickets through to Kathmandu. They were all ripped off as they were promised two-to-a-seat. A fight broke out over the issue between and Indian woman and an Australian woman. The short of it was that it was a slow, crowded bus and we were hot and tired. Although we got the local price, it was a hellish ride to the border.

What chaos there! We got our bags off the roof, exited India (walked back to immigration), and then dealt with Nepali immigration, customs, and a long wait at the bank. We took a crammed share taxi to Bhairahawa and started our hotel search. We found a relatively clean hotel with a very friendly manager.

We'll go to Lumbini tomorrow. Today was hellish!

NEPAL

Lumbini Province

Bhairahawa

October 5 City Guest House, Bhairahawa [HOT}

We slept badly - heat and mosquitoes! UGH! We awoke, had a super sweet breakfast at the restaurant where we ate dinner the night before, and then purchased bus tickets for Pokhara (dep. 6:15am) It will take nine hours.

Lumbini

Then we got on the long, hot bus ride to Lumbini. It was a milk run, stopping all along the way - 22km in 50 minutes! The site itself was rather dull. It is being converted slowly to a huge center by the Japanese. For the moment it is a small group of ruins in the middle of nowhere. We took our time and met some med students on a tour of Nepal. After lunch we returned via another hot, slow bus. I hope tomorrow's ride will be bearable.

I'm glad we saw Lumbini, but Kushinagar was better. I picked a leaf from the Bo Tree there for Michi's father.

Bhairawa, Lumbini to Pokhara, Gandaki (bus)

October 6 Pokhara [rain!]

The bus ride was slow, hot, aggravating, and agonizing as we crossed the Terai and then doubled back through the valleys to Pokhara. The gorge between Narayanghat and Mugling was very beautiful. Once we got into the mountains it was cloudy, but still sunny. Then about 30 minutes outside of Pokhara, rain! After all the anticipation and all the long rides, not to see the Himalayas is a bitter disappointment.

We had a bit of a hassle getting around the touts and into a hotel, but Brian found a superb one. We looked forward to a nice bed, hot showers, and a real room! We pigged out at dinner. We had eaten nothing all day! Tomorrow, we start to prepare for the trek.

October 7 Gauri Shanka Guest House, Pokhara [sunny, but no mountains]

Gandaki Province

Pokhara

day one

The sun came out in the valley and we only saw the very peak of Fishtail Mountain for about one minute today. Anyway, we slept late, had breakfast, and rented bikes. We rode over to Nepal Airlines (RNAC), but it wasn't open until 10am, so I rode on to mail our postcards (a hassle, but nowhere near as bad as India). I came back to find Brian had waitlisted us for Wednesday on a flight to Jomsom and confirmed seats for Thursday.

We then joined the throng at immigration to get the trekking permit. In spite of the complicated procedure, it ran fairly smoothly. We ate lunch, met some people and chatted, and returned for our permits. We found a shop to rent a sleeping bag. Then we started the long quest for rafting information. 90% of the people knew zero about rafting. We finally met a guy who did know and he basically told us to do it from Kathmandu for a better run. I guess we will do the Trisuli which is a grade 2-3 with one big 4. We'd like to leave Kathmandu, raft to near Chitwan, see Chitwan, and return to Kathmandu. We'll see.

We bought a map, a cap for me, and discussed trekking details. We had dinner and retired later than usual, 8:30pm! Tomorrow, the final preparations for trekking. One note on Pokhara: it is totally devoted to tourists. In a way it is refreshing to have everyone speak English and understand what we can be like, but in another way, what do the Nepalis think of this yearly "invasion" after the monsoon?

October 8 Gauri Shankar Guest House, Pokhara [clearing]

day two

Finally, we saw about 40% of the mountains this morning. Even with such limited visibility they are an awesome sight. After breakfast, we got more malaria pills, a new camera battery for me, and checked on our flight "waitlist" status (still no word). We rode to Devi Falls south of town which plunge into a a ravine/cave and disappear. As a phenonmenon it's really interesting - as something of beauty, it isn't. It was a long, hot ride back to town! We spent the rest of the day with last minute trekking details. We might be off tomorrow!! I hope so.

October 10 New Annapurna Guest House, Kagebeni {TREK 1}

day three

After slogging to the airport early and not getting on the flight to Jomson, we were disappointed. Only one seat turned up - as we were waitlisted 1 & 2, it was impossible.

Basically, we just hung out all day. We rowed out on the lake to the temple and then across to a restaurant where we met a strange German hippy. We returned, talked to one of the guys that worked at the hotel, and learned a lot about Nepal in general. He spoke about the changes in Pokhara over the years in particular. It was interesting.

Not much else other than we met the two British women we met in Jaipur at the Evergreen and later at the Taj Mahal. We swapped stories and they told us a lot about Kathmandu.

Pokhara to Jomsom (flight)

Today, another early rise and out to the airport. We went hand-in-hand with three small boys who just wanted to walk with us. It was very cute. At the airport we met Frank & Michael from Germany who had the same plan as us. I think we will travel together for a few days as they are quite nice.

The flight to Jomsom was incredible! The best views were from the right side (we were on the left), but it was spectacular nevertheless. We flew up the valley we'll trek through between the mountains. We got off the plane, had a bite in Jomsom and then started toward Kagbeni.

Trekking in Nepal

day one

They were filming an Indian movie at the bridge in Jomsom and since we couldnt cross, we decided to walk up the opposite side of a river where there seemed to be a trail. After an hour, we had to ford the river! It was quite an adventure and we all almost froze in the water after we stripped to our undies.

The walk to Kagbeni was easy enough, but as we were getting used to the altitude and just starting out, we were exhausted upon arrival (the river crossing had also taken an hour!). We ate lunch, found our lodge, and just hung out talking, playing UNO, and meeting other travelers. I had a bit of a headache, but it should be OK by tomorrow.

Tomorrow off to Muktinath.

October 11 New Annapurna Guest House, Kagbeni [sunny] {TREK 2}

day two

No sleep last night, trips to the bathroom with a flashlight - it was awful. I only got a few hours sleep. It must be the altitude. I was worried about going to Muktinath, but after we got started, I felt better. In fact, I made it OK (although tired with a headache), but Michael got sick and only made it to the town before. The views were spectacular, especially from the temples at Muktinath.

I felt queasy all day. I hope I sleep better tonight. The return was windy, but fast. We met two Californians and spoke to them. They had just come over the Thorong La Pass. It sounded very difficult.

Tomorrow onto Marpha.

October 12 Paradise Guest House, Marpha [sunny, at night cold!] {TREK 3}

day 3

We woke up and finally left the dismal guest house in Kagbeni. We're having problems pacing ourselves as everyone has different speeds. We had a second breakfast in Jomsom and arrived in Marpha at around 11:30am. The guest house is lovely and the shower was HOT! We had a few drinks, ate lunch, and then walked around the town. Although Kagbeni was a fascinating town, Marpha is far more picturesque (although a bit touristy). We played UNO, ate dinner, and retired early. We hope to make it as far as Ghasa tomorrow.

Trekking leaves me surprisingly bored as the scenery is rather dull, the walking difficult, and the stops all the same: one lodge, one menu, and many Western tourists. Tonight they played 70's disco music during dinner! It is not my view of Nepal nor trekking. If this continues, I believe we will end the trek early.

October 13 Kaligandai Guest House, Ghaza [sunny] {TREK 4}

day 4

We got up and out by 7:00am. We started fine, but then Frank & Michael started to make more and more stops until finally we went on ahead. The scenery was spectacular and really made me feel much better about the trek. Frank & Michael, however, are beginning to get annoying as they are not prepared for the trek nor do they have any idea of pacing. Anyway, Brian and I walked alone and reached Kalapani very tired.

We ate mounds of dal bhat and then met Michael & Frank again. We left ahead of them and started the long walk to Ghasa. We arrived late and couldn't get into the Eagle's Nest (I was angry as we could have arrived an hour earlier at least had it not been for our German companions!). We also were late due to meeting Loni from the States and Dominick from Australia whom we spoke with on the way. They were very nice.

We got a room here in Ghasa just before the crush of people arrived. The place is very simple, but it's better than nothing.

Tomorrow Tatopani

October 14 Kamala Guest House, Tatopani [sunny] {TREK 5}

day 5

The lodge at Ghasa was bearable. We met an American and his Scottish wife who made for some interesting conversation. I slept just OK. We woke up, got off to a late start, and started the hellish walk to Tatopani. It was mostly downhill and Brian's knee was very problematic. My foot started aching as well. It took us five hours, which is very long, but we arrived in one piece.

We met our many traveling companions from the past (Kagbeni onward) and had a fine time with them in the afternoon and at dinner. Tatopani's hot springs are not too exciting, but their situation along the river is quite nice. The scenery today was spectacular. One of the guides of another group found us a room at Tatopani (nice guy) and for Frank & Michael as well. We are really getting tired of them as they are not good traveling companions. They made us late and they just don't understand how to be "proper citizens" where they travel. How to drop them is a problem.

We also met Hank & Alan from Kagbeni who are quite pleasant to talk to. In fact, this evening at Tatopani has been very good. I'm happy we'll stay here another day!

October 15 Kamala Guest House, Tatopani [sunny] {TREK 6}

day 6

Today was spent relaxing and chatting with all those who came through the dining area of the guest house. We soaked our aching joints (Brian's knee, my foot) in the cold river water and then the hot springs. We ate lots. I hope tomorrow we'll be ready for the long climb toward Ghorepani. The question is... how far will we make it?

day 7

Lost to illness

October 17 Sunrise Guest House, Birethani {TREK 8}

day 8

We got up and off to a great start from Tatopani and were well ahead of all the others. We even kept pace with Christian & Ulrich, the two Swiss guys we met. We kept going up and up. We reached Chitre, had lunch (it took a long time), and then started the last hellish 1.5 hours to the top. We had met an Israeli along the way who made for a few hours of interesting conversation. We also met Frank & Mike just as we left Chitre who said they weren't feeling well and would stay the night (I was glad!).

The last ascent was brutal and cold. I caught a terrible chill by the time we reached Ghorepani. It was cold so you could see your breath!! I collapsed after finding a lodge and felt like death. I had the chills, it was cold, and the place was shit as well (we heard later everyone found Ghorepani to be shit ... this ran contrary to all the news along the trail). I had a horrible night. Brian got sick later as the food was awful.

day 9

Everyone woke up very early for the slog to Poon Hill. Brian left early and I followed after seeing how clear the weather was outside. I walked up, found the view to be less than impressive, and Brian & I returned together for breakfast. After we paid and left, we saw Dominick & John from Australia who had arrived late after us. They were pressing on to Tikhedhungga later. Unfortunately, because Brian took forever to get ready, we ran into Frank & Mike who both felt like shit, but insisted on going onto Ghandrung and the Annapurna Sanctuary. They had diarrhea and so did Brian (he had a few loose shits later along the trail). I felt better just to leave cold Poon Hill and Ghorepani.

The walk to Ulleri was through a lush rhododendron rainforest and was gorgeous (although neither of us were in much mood to enjoy it). Ulleri was a tea/shit stop, then we faced the long stairs to Tikhedhungga which took one hour straight down. We had a dal bhat lunch there and then continued the last two long hours to Birethani. It was hot!

We arrived, got a place (no hot shower as was rumored) which was lightyears better than Ghorepani. I was feverish again and Brian too felt weak. I, at least, am glad of the decision not to go to the Annapurna Sanctuary (although Brian as usual - in spite of my and his health - regrets it!) I really looked forward to getting back to Pokhara. We should be able to climb the valley to Chandrikot tomorrow in the morning and continue back by car. We should that is... We've heard so many different stories; I'll be surprised if we make it at all.

Meanwhile I feel like shit and I'm pissed at Brian for pushing too much out of the trip and running us both down!

October 18 Trekker's Lodge, Sarankot {TREK 10}

Last night I had horrible gas pains and then the shits all morning - great! We ate breakfast and started the long hike to Chandrikot. It was bad, but we made it in the proper amount of time and pressed on to Lumle where we found definitively there were no buses or trucks today (a holiday). So, we walked down the road to Naudanda, ate a humble lunch, and made the fateful decision to go to Sarankot. It took three hours and although we passed beautiful and prosperous villages (and the scenery was nice), we were running on empty.

We arrived in Sarankot to find the place almost shut down due to the holiday (f..king holidays always screw us up!). We took the last remaining room - a damp, gross place with mold and wet mattresses - but we simply couldn't make it to Pokhara today. So we suffer yet another day of trekking and make the two (or three) hour walk to Pokhara tomorrow! What awful luck - we're exhausted, dirty, and sick! Sarankot is far from the quaint place it's made out to be as well.

October 20 Gauri Shankar Guest House, Pokhara {TREK 11 - final}

We got up early at Sarankot and saw the view (cloudy), but I preferred it to Pool Hill as it seemed more majestic. The walk down was murder, especially on Brian's knee. It was stairs all the way! We finally got to the bottom, arrived in town, and ran into Jamie and Jo! It was great to see them again and we promised to meet later after we cleaned up. They were even staying at our guest house! Too weird.

Pokhara (again)

day one

We arrived and found only common bath and shower available, but after trekking it was luxurious. We retrieved our bags, showered, hung clothes, and had some lunch. I repaired my shoes and then tried to sell them in the trekking shops, but they offered me so little, it was better to take them back with me. We have too much stuff - it's getting out of control. I can't wait to send some stuff home from Singapore.

We booked a ticket for the day after next to Kathmandu which gave us all of today free. I needed a rest day! We had dinner with Jamie & Jo and swapped stories. They gave lots of good information on Khajuraho, Varanasi, and Darjeeling. The are going to Kathmandu the day after us, so we're sure to see them there. It really is pleasant to see people you know and like again.

I chipped a tooth at the bistro. I hope it doesn't give me too much problem until I can get it fixed again. It doesn't look bad, but know knows? Brian's jock itch is getting bad again, too. Both of our cases of diarrhea have calmed (we hope) for the bus ride tomorrow.

day two

We got up late (8am) compared to our trekking and started the process of packing our stuff. We had breakfast with Jo & Jamie and ran into Hank & Alan from the trek! We promised to lunch with them later. We went over to the Fishtail Lodge for the view and saw an Indian starlet in all her vain glory being ferried ahead of us. It was no less ridiculous than star treatment back home. The Fishtail Lodge was less than impressive, although it had nice gardens. The view was cloudy, but still it is a nice setting.

We came back and packed some more and then met Hank & Alan and met up with the other two Dutch guys Franz & (??). We all ate together and had a long lunch. We returned to pack yet more and write some postcards. We'll go to the cultural program tonight at the Fishtail Lodge with Jamie & Jo and have dinner. The Dutch guys will all go to Kathmandu tomorrow so we'll probably see them there as well. I don't look forward to the bus ride, but the change of scenery will be nice.

October 22 Potala Guest House, Kathmandu

Of course, it poured just as we were to go to the cultural program, but we waited for the worst to be over and ran over there (Fishtail Lodge). It was good, but I was a bit tired. We decided to try a "new" restaurant (not one of the three we always went to) and it turned out to be a fiasco. We agreed to meet in Kathmandu the day Jo & Jamie arrive and parted ways.

Pokhara, Ghandaki to Kathmandu (bus)

The bus the next day was OK, but it stopped and picked up passengers en route. There were people standing in the aisles, too. Both things we were promised would not happen. We finally got on our way after waiting a long time to pick everyone up. We met Alan & Hank en route at the Mugling rest stop.

The ride from Mugling onward was just as horrible as everyone said and we couldn't wait to arrive. Surprisingly, arrival in Kathmandu was hassle-free - only a few touts, and we walked to the Potala Guest House and checked into luxurious rooms for $11/night (which is a lot of money, but we needed a nice room after trekking).

Kathmandu

arrival

I told Brian I refused to return by bus and that I wanted to do rafting or fly. He chose rafting, so now we are looking into rafting trips which isn't easy as there are so many (bad) companies with many different departure dates and itineraries. We had dinner at the supposedly good Narayan restaurant with some obnoxious American inflicting his conversation on us. The food was mediocre and the company worse. We were happy to retire into a deep sleep at 7:30pm!!

day one

We got up today, reconfirmed at Singapore Airlines, got the info on sending our bags ahead of us (expensive), and decided we'd probably mail the stuff. We checked out a few white water rafting companies and then went for a tour of Durbar Square. The square was really old and great, but as Brian wanted to stop at each and every building, I got bored. We had lunch at a slow service restaurant on Freak Street. I developed a headache and returned to the hotel while Brian, guidebook in hand, continued to look at each temple he came across.

I relaxed at the hotel and then checked out more white water rafting companies as well as Rhino Lodge (where we'll stay at Chitwan). It looks like going to Chitwan and getting tickets to the border will be easy. It's just the rafting that will be hard to coordinate. At breakfast this morning we met Hank, Alain, & Lani and all agreed to have dinner together tonight as Lani leaves tomorrow.

We tried to find Jo & Jamie, but we couldn't. We'll try to meet them at Rum Doodles during our dinner. It's great to be a nice hotel for a long time (at least six nights). I hope Brian doesn't run me ragged sightseeing!

October 23 Potala Guest House, Kathmandu [sunny]

We met up with Jamie & Jo who were exhausted from their bus ride. They only found a shitty place for that evening, but were moving to our hotel this morning. We agreed to meet them in the morning. Dinner with Alain, Hank, and Lani et al was fairly awful (food), but it was a fun evening. Brian, me, Hank, Alain, Franz, & Luke all went to Maya's Bar for beers afterward. It's the first time I've been drunk in ages. We all had a great time! We're still trying to figure out if any of the Dutch guys are gay or not. It is hard to tell with Europeans.

day two

I had a slight hangover this morning. We met Hank, Alain, & Lani for breakfast at Pumpernickel and then said goodbye to Lani. She is a very nice woman. We returned to the hotel, talked to Jo & Jamie, and made a plan for the rest of the day. They mailed a parcel and pronounced it "doable", so Brian and I will make one up soon.

We paid the money for Rhino Lodge and now are trying to line up white water rafting with White Magic (an excellent company), but we need to get more people for our dates. Otherwise, we may have to go with Rhino's own rafting. We met an interesting American woman at the Rhino office as well that gave some good suggestions on things.

We had lunch, then walked down to the old palace and looked around as well as did two walking tours. We bought more gifts for people at home in anticipation of mailing our parcel. For dinner we watched After Hours at a restaurant near the hotel. It was nice to see an English movie.

Tomorrow we'll go to Swayambunath.

October 24 Potala Guest House, Kathmandu [sunny]

day three

We got up, met Jamie & Jo (who have been doctoring a poor Nepali guy's hand each day), and had breakfast at Pumpernickel. We rented bikes and wound our way through old Kathmandu (not pleasant) to Swayambunath for the morning. It was an interesting, active place. Then we moved on to Balaju to see a garden and a Vishnu image and finally rode to Pashupatinath and Badrinath to see the temples over there.

Riding bikes outside the city was OK, better than inside on the crowded streets. We were all tired by the end of the day. Brian & I shopped some more, ate dinner with Jamie & Jo, and returned to relax in our room a bit more. Tomorrow more shopping and touristing. I'm tired - we still haven't sorted our package for mailing and I dread mailing it.

October 25 Potala Guest House, Kathmandu [sunny, night is cold]

day four

We met Jo & Jamie for breakfast and then rickshawed off to Patan for morning sightseeing. It was less hectic than Durbar Square in Kathmandu and very beautiful. We saw it all, had lunch, and returned to town where we finally settled our white water rafting problems. We were recommended a company by Rhino Lodge and they had a tour leaving on the 28th. So, we paid and on the morning of the 28th, we're on the river for 2.5 days! It should be a lot of fun! I hope the people we are going with will be nice.

We met Luke at Patan Durbar Square and found out that we missed Hank & Alain - they left today! We told him we'd see him at Pub Maya tonight to get their addresses (Franz & Luke) before they leave tomorrow, but we never found him. Franz was sick, however, so they may have stayed home. Too bad, all four Dutch guys were really nice. Maybe we'll catch them somehow tomorrow.

We had Tibetan dinner (everyone's was good but mine - it was bland) and retired early. We've been shopping a lot in preparation for sending our parcel home. I hope it won't be too heavy, but it seems like it will be.

Tomorrow Bhaktapur.

October 26 Potala Guest House, Kathmandu [sunny, cool evening]

day five

We got up, had breakfast at the hotel (slow service) and got on the bus to Bhaktapur. It took a bit to find the bus, then to wait for it to fill up and go, but we got there in 30 minutes. We found ourselves in the middle of another damn Indian movie which was taking up the entire Durbar Square. It was interesting to see the hoards of Nepalese watching the filming. As a tourist it was a pain, so we walked around the filming and saw the rest of town.

It is a lovely old city, much more of an old feeling than Patan and Kathmandu. I had a good time, but I was still burned out on temples and such by the afternoon. We had lunch there and walked around a little more, shopped, and came home.

Brian and I finally decided which things to take with us and which to mail tomorrow. We have (or will have) two huge parcels to mail. I hope it's not too much of a hassle (or too costly). We spent the day with Jamie & Jo and had dinner with them as well. Tomorrow is our last day traveling with them; too bad, they made great travel companions.

Tomorrow is a Post Office day and preparation for rafting.

October 27 Potala Guest House, Kathmandu [sunny, cold night]

day six

We got up, had breakfast with Jo & Jamie at KC's (slow - is there a fast breakfast in Kathmandu?), made reservations for 8pm tonight, and they went shopping. We went to the GPO to mail our gift. The GPO was bureaucratic, but painless. It cost about US$80 to send our parcels! We ate lunch on Freak Street, sent postcards, and returned to the hotel to pack.

Unfortunately, Jo showed up and said Jamie's father had died and they were off to New Zealand tomorrow. So, they went on a shopping spree getting ride of rupees. Amazingly, they got on a flight tomorrow early morning. We got together tonight at KC's (again slow service). It made us sad to see them go. They made good travel companions. So, off to white water raft tomorrow! Hope the water's not too cold.

Kathmandu to Royal Chitwan National Park, Bagmati (bus, raft, bus)

October 30 Rhino Lodge, Chitwan National Park [hot in the day, cool at night]

day one

We were picked up from our hotel by a scruffy-looking character who turned out to be one of the leading white water rafters of Nepal - a strange guy, but more on him later. We got seats in the front of the bus with a group of Hong Kong Chinese. The ride was awful and went on forever. In fact, we passed our put-in point, Bhaireni, and continued to Charaudi where we all got off and met each other.

The lunch they served was abysmal, especially when each meal to follow was a gourmet feast! The characters were: Angus & Allison, the Brits - novice travelers just arrived in Nepal; Lucy, the space cadet, Angus & Allison's friend (or at least was their friend); Marcus, another Brit of low IQ; Stephen, a nice Dutch guy; Michael, an eccentric Dane who had traveled a lot and his girlfriend (?) Kathy from New Zealand, nice but with a b...h streak.

The first thing we noticed was that we weren't at the proper put-in. We were all disappointed (with lunch and then just getting the rafts in the water took forever). They were rear-frame rafts which meant the guide did the essential rowing and paddling. Our rowing was only in truly difficult places and "for show".

Rafting down the river was beautiful. It beat the bus, but the dust from the road filtered down and set me off sneezing. Also, you could always hear the traffic from the road - it detracted from the otherwise serene atmosphere. Most rapids were splashy, but not too thrilling. One, called "upset", was really good and bit frightening. We stayed on the river a long time to get to camp. We were frozen to the bone and Brian felt sick from the bus horn - we sat right over it on the way. I felt chilled to the bone.

We all changed, claimed tents, drank lots of hot liquids, and waited for dinner. Brian slept all evening. We all sat and talked and then ate a marvelous meal. I sat up late talking to "Dave", the scruffy guide and learned much about rafting and its problems in Nepal. Apparently, we didn't stop at Bhaireni because the equipment wasn't there - it was in Charaudi. So, that's why we started there. Delivery of the equipment is always chancy apparently - or maybe this was all bullshit, who knows? I didn't sleep well at all and got up very early the next morning.

October 31 Rhino Lodge, Chitwan National Park [clear, beautiful]

day two

It was cold in the morning and we all hoped that we wouldn't start until it warmed up and our clothes dried. They never dried completely, but it did warm up. We got in the raft (only 9 of us left) and had a good, short day rafting. We had one excellent rapid at Mugling, ate lunch, and then rode to a wonderful beach while it was still sunny and pretended we were by the sea.

Marcus & Lucy soon were on their way to Chitwan (Marcus was such an airhead), and Angus & Allison later said Lucy who they knew from Britain turned out to be quite the same. So that left 7 of us for a pleasant evening of conversation. Michael traveled a lot in Africa and talked a lot about that. He was rather opinionated, but still a nice guy. We all sat around the campfire and then retired.

day three

I slept well, but about 4:00am a freezing wind kicked up and continued through the morning. We all almost froze to death waiting for the sun to hit the valley. We didn't look forward to getting wet in the raft nor rafting at all. By now I think we were a bit tired of each other's company.

The rafting trip was slow and we were soon out of the mountains and on the long, flat stretch to Narayanghat. It was hot, we were hotter in the life vests, and all felt tired of sitting in the raft. Lunch was on a small beach just north of Narayanghat with a superb view back over the mountains. Even the snowcaps were visible!

We finally arrived and everyone was ready to carry on to their next destinations, have a shower, and a proper rest. The luggage wasn't there at the landing point. We waited a long, hot, 45 minutes and finally it arrived. We also tipped our guide 300 Rps under pressure from the others. It was way too much. It's the problem of traveling with a group like that. Besides, we barely had any Nepalese rupees left!!

We put the others on the bus to Pokhara and then ourselves on a small bus to Tadi Bazaar. Our bus broke down once for a short time, but finally we arrived at Tadi Bazaar and were soon whisked off to Rhino Lodge in a jeep across fields and through villages as the sun set red across the landscape and the Himalayas lit up behind it. We were dead tired, however, and only cared about getting our room.

Bagmati Province

Royal Chitwan National Park

We checked in, had a shower, and soon were eating dinner with Marcus & Lucy who told us of their elephant ride the day before. The place seemed nice enough, but we were exhausted. I felt a bit sick from a cold that got progressively worse while rafting. Dinner was mediocre, but the chickens were freshly slaughtered (we saw them being purchased).

We went to sleep early to prepare for a full day of activities starting early the next morning. I slept well that night, but woke up with a terrible cough and head cold.

November 1 Rhino Lodge, Chitwan National Park

We got up early, had breakfast, and prepared for our jungle walk which at the last minute became an elephant ride. We were three to an elephant - Brian, me, & a Brit named Lina. It was cramped, but an interesting experience nonetheless. We boarded our elephant, waded across the river (steep uphills and downhills were a challenge to hang on!), and plodded through the two-meter high elephant grass in search of rhino. The setting was superb - small forests here and there, a seal of grass, and the snowy caps of the Himalayas always in the background. We could see the mountains more clearly here than any other place we had been!

Our search went on for an hour. We saw horribly huge spiders, some wild chickens, a deer, and then finally, two rhino. It was exciting even if they were rather obscured by the grass. What huge animals they are. We lumbered off, back to the park entrance where we looked at a small, but interesting exhibit on the park. The nearby river and northern park boundary was a busy place with elephants, tourists, and locals wading or ferrying across.

We returned, had a couple hours rest where we met Lina's traveling companions - a pleasant group, and then were informed that the jungle walk and the canoe trip would begin at 1:30pm. So, we had lunch, got in our safari clothes (no bright colors), and boarded a dugout canoe for the park interior.

The canoe barely rode above the water level and the oarsman tipped it back and forth as he rowed. It was disconcerting. The views across to the mountains (the Annapurnas, in fact) were magnificent. Unfortunately, we didn't see any crocodile which was disappointing. We landed, had a lecture on jungle safety (which put the fear of God in us), and started tramping through the grassland and riverine forest in search of animals.

It was hot in the grass and difficult to see ahead. The grass gave cuts as well. The forest was much easier going and we found some monkeys and followed them for a while (I hate monkeys). We saw a few birds and had many facts about wildlife explained to us by our very well-informed guide. Then we ran into sloth bears!! As they are the most dangerous animals in the park and will attack unprovoked, we beat a hasty, quiet retreat. We all had quite a fright and our guide's description of an attack (they claw you in the face) left us all happy we never really had a close encounter.

We returned via another trail where we saw a deer and a peccary (or rather bushes moving) as they fled our stumbling through the forest. Then, on the return, we spotted fresh rhino tracks and followed them to the edge of the grassland where we heard it moving around and grunting. I was tired by this time and a bit unnerved about chasing after a rhino, but it was exciting.

We came back as the sun set and lit up the mountains and turned the river red in the evening light. The sight of the elephant grass silhouetted against the sky and river and mountains from our dugout canoe was straight out of National Geographic. It was one of the most impressive sights we've seen.

We returned for dinner and an evening of conversation about Britain's role in the EC with Marcus making idiotic comments all the time. We found out he's an attorney! Heaven help Britain. We retired early - I dreaded the bus ride of the next day.

Brian got up early this morning for birdwatching (I had enough nature) and I lounged around, repacked, and relaxed. Today's bus is at 6:00pm and we are to arrive at Kakarbhitta, the border town, sometime the next morning. I just hope we have seats! We're almost out of Nepalese rupees, too. Hopefully, we'll have enough to see us to the border.

All in all Nepal was good, but I'm also happy to leave (although not happy to return to India). The only thing I didn't like in Nepal was transportation. Chitwan was a pleasant surprise - I enjoyed it far more than I expected.

November 2 New Elgin Hotel, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India [COLD]

We basically sat around our last day in Chitwan at Rhino Lodge. After we bid farewell to the Brits with whom we had done our activities. Brian had done birdwatching that morning, but I passed. We talked to the staff who were quite nice, watched new people arrive, and spoke with the very bright eight-year-old son of one of the partners. He really is bright! We had lunch and then finally the time to go came.

We should have read the signs early that this was to be no ordinary adventure!

Royal Chitwan National Park to Kakarbhitta, Nepal to Siliguri to Darjeeling, West Bengal, India (bus)

The lodge jeep stopped at the river and we had to get off and transfer to a very crowded jeep after walking on planks across the river. We arrived at Tadi Bazaar to find we "missed" our bus. What the man meant to say was that it had broken down on the way and now we are on the 9pm bus instead of the 6pm. So we waited until about 6:15pm and then took a local bus with a man who bought the tickets to Narayanghat to catch the bus. There were goats on the bus that pissed and shat everywhere.

We arrived at Narayanghat and sat down and waited and waited. The air got colder and colder. The bus arrived at 9:30pm and we left at 10pm. Our seats were in the back, not in the middle, and although it was a nice bus, we bumped an jostled along the road all night. There was little if any sleeping. The road was dreadful. Jo & Jamie had said it wasn't too bad? Whatever - the ride was worse than the Pokhara - Kathmandu one.

We were almost dead from being bounced and exhaustion, but we arrived at Kakarbhitta border at 9:30am, had a painfully slow breakfast, got hassled over tickets into India, and started the process of crossing. We spent all of our last rupees on Vitamin C and food (we both have colds now). We breezed through both sides immigration and custom on foot. It was farther to walk than in Sanauli, but OK.

Then we got to the Indian bus stand. We realized we really were back in India. There was no way we could fight the masses of people with our bags to get to Siliguri. All the taxis that zoomed by were already full from the border We should have hired one. I was very angry as we are always trying to be cheap and this time we screwed ourselves! Anyway, we got an autorickshaw driver to take us the 30km to town for 50 Rps. He really farted around collecting passengers and getting us there. We were very tired and very angry.

On the advice of the man at Indian Immigration, we were dropped at the Siliguri City Railway Booking Office. Before you knew it, we had AC chair car seats to Calcutta on the day we wanted! Now, just to get to Darjeeling! We took a cycle rickshaw to the State Transport Terminal and booked on the next bus a few minutes later. It was so easy to get tickets and get a seat. We couldn't believe we were on our way! But, the bus was jammed with standees and as my seat was near the door, I got smashed all the time.

We stopped for gas, then ran into several traffic jams on the mountain road. It got colder and colder. One jam lasted 30 minutes. The bus was packed. I thought I would go insane. We finally arrived at Darjeeling. It was cold and dark.

INDIA (again)

West Bengal

Darjeeling

We had some drunk Tibetan man follow us as we made our way through the maze of streets. We tried one hotel, too expensive. Then we found another less expensive one with "character". We had dinner (a huge, Indian feast) and collapsed into bed!! We slept straight through to the morning. Now we'll look for a cheaper place to stay. This place is charming, but simply too expensive. The journey from Chitwan here was one of the most grueling yet!

November 3 Continental Hotel, Darjeeling

day one

After some searching, we found this hotel with hot water (supposedly) within our price range (barely). We had breakfast at Glenary's Bakery with great views over the mountains. Breakfast was only fair. We walked down all the way to the Tibetan Self-Help Center to find it was closed except for the gift shop which was disappointing (and mobbed with Indian tourists).

We booked a Tiger Hill tour tomorrow at 4:00am (COLD) and we'll try to do the toy train as well. Many things were closed today as it was Sunday. Lunch at the Shangri La Restaurant recommended by Jo & Jamie sucked! We had nice tea at Glenary's and a fair dinner at Devonas where we saw the two Brits we had met at the border yesterday. We talked with them quite a long time. So we're back to the room to sleep as tomorrow is an early day.

November 4 Continental Hotel, Darjeeling [COLD!]

day two

We woke up at 3:30am to catch our taxi out to Tiger Hill. It was a freezing ride out there and an even colder wait. There were millions of Indian tourists and then the dawn wasn't all that spectacular although Kachenjunga lit up in the early morning light was impressive. We also saw the "tip" of Everest (big deal). It was OK to go and do, but on the whole the views weren't much better than in Darjeeling itself.

We had breakfast in town, checked on the buses to New Jaipalguri (confusing) and bought our tickets for the toy train. The train ride was short, fun, and gave several good photo opportunities. We inquired about schedules at Indian Airlines and then had lunch at Glenary's. We walked out to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and fought on the way out there as I was tired of running around. We definitely have had disagreements over the pace of the trip. The zoo was OK and the Mountaineering Institute interesting, especially the relief map of the Himalayas.

We returned to the hotel and complained about our non-existent hot water and then ate dinner with the two Brits we've run into on & off since the border, Julian and Julia. They brought along a Swede, Thomas, who was quite interesting. He just wrote a book on Calcutta and lent us his room to stay at the Astoria. We had a nice evening of conversation.

We again returned to our room to bicker over the non-existent hot water and go to sleep as we are exhausted. We heard tomorrow's a holiday as well - we hope it doesn't screw up our travel down from Darjeeling.

November 5 New Jaipalguri Railway Station [WARM!]

day three

We woke up to the only brief hot water we were to see in Hotel Continental and then had breakfast at Devonas where we met Thomas, Julian, and Julia again. It was quite pleasant. We walked down to Happy Valley Tea Plantation and had a rather poor English tour, but it still was an interesting process to go through - drying, pressing, baking, cutting, sifting. We walked back to town and started the long saga of trying to get a direct bus to New Jaipalguri Train Station. I tried to buy tickets on the way back and found I was too early.

We checked out of the hotel, refused to pay extra for hot water for one night, and then had a quick lunch at Devonas again. We went to the bus station where, as typical of India, we wondered if we were ever actually going to be on a bus going where we wanted, but after much waiting, were on a nice express bus that took us right to New Jaipalguri Station!

Darjeeling to Calcutta (bus, train)

We met a woman from Goa at the station as well who threw up the whole way down. It was a long, winding ride. I am sure glad to be off buses for a while. The festival (Diwali) didn't mess us up (for a change) and Siliguri was lit up like a carnival as we came through. I was quite impressed.

It's nice to be back in the warm, although I have some major reservations about Calcutta. Hopefully, staying in Thomas' room will help us out. The train just arrived - it's off to Calcutta.

November 6 Astoria Hotel, Calcutta

The train ride was long and I slept fitfully, but still it beats buses in Nepal! We arrived 30 minutes late due to congestion in Calcutta. We found the taxi queue, waited a bit, and then took a metered taxi to the hotel.

Calcutta

day one

We gave the hotel manager the note from Thomas and we didn't have to pay (as Thomas suspected we might), but the room was fairly basic. We looked at others, but they were out of our price range. So, we're in Thomas' room for free - which is very centrally located. We had breakfast on the roof (the room is on the roof) and then headed off to Indian Airlines where we reserved seats for Varanasi - Khajuraho - Delhi. Unfortunately, Khajuraho - Delhi has only one of us confirmed, the other is on the waiting list. We made the reservation anyway and said we'd return to pay if we wanted it.

We next went to railway reservations where we booked our seats to Gaya, but found we could not book for Varanasi as it's only a four-hour journey. It should be OK. We ate some good Indian food for lunch and then paid for our plane tickets after. The whole process of travel-arranging took all day. Tomorrow we're booked for a half-day city tour which should be easy enough. The rest of the day will be spent sightseeing and preparing for Gaya/Varanasi.

We stopped at the government emporium to shop, saw the cultural show at the Oberoi Grand, and had a nice Western buffet at the Fairlawn Hotel. We met some Brits there and had some good conversation. Calcutta thus far has been quite a nice place (for an Indian city). It's far less stressful than we anticipated.

November 7 Astoria Hotel, Calcutta [perfect weather]

day two

We woke up early, walked to the West Bengal Tourism Office, and soon were on our bus for the tour of Calcutta. There were only four white people on the bus - us and a French couple. We couldn't understand a word the guide said over the PA system. We lurched along through the traffic - first through Colonial Calcutta's fabulous old buildings and then across Howrah Bridge to the Ramakrishna Temple.

The temple allowed no photos and as it was built fairly recently, I didn't find it particularly enlightening. It did have a fine location on the Hooghly River however. We then visited a Kali Temple on the other side of the river and after that, a Jain Temple. I preferred the Jain Temple, but neither of them were so great that I would recommend them to others. In fact, the bus tour was 90% sitting in traffic anyway.

We finally arrived at the Victoria Memorial where we bid farewell to our strange, incomprehensible guide. The memorial seems incongruous with an independent India. It's as if the Brits still were in control. I'm surprised they didn't tear it down. The outside is impressive and the interior is only for serious buffs of the Raj in India. We walked to St Paul's Cathedral after, but it was closed. So, we walked back up toward the hotel.

We had a nice Chinese lunch and then returned to the hotel where we relaxed. Brian pressed on to the Indian Museum and I stayed behind (I couldn't bear another museum). I packed and then went over to the Fairlawn for a couple of beers. I met the Irish women we ran into in Darjeeling. We chatted up a storm. They've been nursing all over the world in refugee camps - interesting stuff.

We left a note for Thomas thanking him for room and all that's left is to get over to Howrah for our train. We are uncertain about getting from Gaya to Varanasi, but we hope all will work out OK. Calcutta has been much better than anticipated, but I'm happy we're moving on toward Delhi.

[to be continued in the next journal - filled up the notebook!]

November 9 Pradeep Hotel, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh [day hot, night cool]

We made it to Howrah across the bridge with no problem and had time to eat and relax in the first class waiting room. Howrah is a bustling, clean station. It's the best set-up that I've seen in India.

Calcutta, West Bengal to Gaya, Bihar (train)

The train departed on time, but I guess due to the holidays the trains were packed with well-wishers. We had a side berth in the AC car which isn't nearly as good as the "interior" ones. Some fat b...h next to us talked at the top of her lungs all night and the attendant never brought us our bed rolls. It was the worst AC sleeper either of us had taken. We arrived in Gaya grumpy and tired.

Bihar

Gaya

We checked our bags, no problem, but no restaurants were open. We set off in search of food and decided to walk to the autorickshaw/bus stand for Bodhgaya. After receiving directions from a kind old man with good English, we arrived in time to get on a bus instead of an autorickshaw. The bus ride was cold. On the way we met two Japanese and spent a lot of time with them for the next few hours. It turns out Yumi lived in Fort Lee and Manhattan and did a homestay in Lancaster. Small world!

Bodhgaya

The Japanese couple looked for a place to stay and we had a friendly breakfast at the Sri Lanka Guest House. Early in the morning Bodhgaya is quiet and empty. We saw the "daibutsu" (big Buddha) as well as the Japanese, Tibetan, Bhutanese, Thai, and Chinese temples. The most beautiful was the Bhutanese, but the Japanese have sunk a lot of money here as well. They built one good public hospital, too.

We arrived at the Sacred Bo Tree and Temple and the tourists had arrived. It was a weird place - the enclosure around the sacred pool, the temple, the stupas, and tree were immaculate (unlike that filthy Kali Temple in Calcutta). There was little hassle inside, but there were a few maimed beggars just in front of the tree and the "very pious" at the tree shrine itself. One Western woman was prostrating herself repeatedly on a plastic sheet. I picked up a bo tree leaf for Michi's father as well.

We met up with our Japanese friends again who plan to spend time at the Japanese Monastery. They would stay there for the night and then head onto Varanasi. We agreed we might all see each other again, especially Yumi who goes to New York City to visit friends on occasion. As with the other places, the early morning was a lovely time to visit in peace: no crowds, everything quiet. This was more touristy than Kushinagar or Lumbini, but it was interesting to see the Bo Tree and the Diamond Throne.

One morning incident was when we didn't contribute to one monk at the main temple. He flicked us away with one hand - some Buddhist. That was very strange. There were tons of Indians who spoke Japanese - to rip off the tourists. Quite a strange change from English.

We rode back on top of the bus, pleasant enough for a short ride (beware of tree branches) and enjoyed the rural scenery. We made it to town in enough time to eat, phone Pradeep (Varanasi) for a reservation, get our luggage, and place ourselves strategically on the platform. We bought an unreserved ticket that morning when there was no crowd, but what a crowd on the platform!

Gaya, Bihar to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (train)

The train ride was supposedly 5.5 hours and we were nervous about being stuffed in a second class carriage for so long. The pandemonium that broke out to get a seat was horrible. We were lucky just to get on with our bags. We put ourselves in the aisle and prayed we'd last to Varanasi standing. After the first 30 minutes, the train cleared enough for us to sit down on our bags and in a little over an hour, we had seats. After that, Brian had the whole upper berth for himself and our bags. It didn't seem too bad. But, the train stopped for long periods and it became tiresome. The countryside was lovely and the air fresh and clean. The sunset was gorgeous - then came the mosquitoes. They hounded us until Varanasi. We had bites everywhere!

We reached Mughal Serai 8 hours after we left Gaya and waited forever for them to change trains and take us the last few kilometers to Varanasi. The ride ended up being 12 hours, but only our fatigue from the night before and the initial rush and mosquitoes really bothered us. We were thrilled to get to Varanasi and got an autorickshaw cheap (5 rps) to Pradeep.

Uttar Pradesh (again)

Varanasi

Our room was clean and we were happy to arrive, but karma brought us Hindu/Muslim riots just hours before. The city was under curfew. The manager said to report at 5:30am for dawn at the ghats, but in reality no one knew what the situation would be in the morning. We slept soundly (for five hours)

We went downstairs to find everything problematic. Our best bet was to walk downtown and see if the police let us by. Only one time we were stopped and talked our way by. We arrived at the ghats and were swarmed by boatmen. We got one down to 40 Rps for 1.5 hours, and we got a good idea from that. It was even a bit long for me. We were both disappointed due to the curfew. There weren't many people or much activity. We saw two cremations, some dead bodies (human and cow) in the river, and lots of dhobi ghats. The sunrise was nice but perhaps our expectations were too high. We both felt that it was interesting but not fabulous. Our boatman/guide wasn't too good and soon started pressing us to go to a silk shop. We arranged for another morning tour the next day (and promised to go to the silk shop).

We were starved for breakfast, got lost on the way back, and I felt nervous and conspicuous so obviously ignoring curfew. The way down wasn't bad because no one was up and around so early, but by 8:00am only a few people darted nervously about and on every few streets were clusters of police. Most people peered from windows and rooftops. I felt it to be very tense. It detracted from our experience (but also took away 99% of the hassle).

We had a huge breakfast at Pradeep and then set off for our one-hour search for Indian Airlines. They had moved offices and we received so many unclear directions that we were lost and frustrated by the time we finally got there. The rickshaw and autorickshaw drivers (and shop keepers) out of the the curfew area were real a-holes. We finally got to Indian Airlines to find my seat confirmed from Khajuraho to Delhi. We were very happy. Now we can start to make plans for our last week (at least, I hope we can - I won't believe it until we're in Delhi).

Sarnath

We caught an autorickshaw to Sarnath, the last on my quest of Buddhist holy places. It was by far the least interesting and most developed. There isn't much to see and the drink sellers, guides, and other hawkers take away from the peaceful atmosphere. There is a huge stupa, ruins, and a newer temple nearby (which was closed for lunch while we were there). Again, tour groups and beggars detracted. As there was no one focal point like at Bodhgaya, it was hard to get a feel for the place. The museum was excellent, however, with a superb capital from an Ashokan Column (which became a symbol of India). It was worth seeing and the museum - although small, is clean and beautiful. I left satisfied to have seen the four places - Kushinagar remains my favorite.

Our autorickshaw driver only brought us to within a five-minute walk from Pradeep. He was nervous about the police and curfew in spite of getting an OK from the police to continue. He dropped us off and walked back where we ate an excellent lunch. I wanted to catch up on the journal and Brian wanted to change money (no one took TC in Calcutta - strange). We hoped to go back to the old city in the afternoon, but the curfew seems even more enforced since we're back from Sarnath. Brian is worried about our cash lasting through to Delhi.

Tomorrow, it is early morning to the ghats (I really don't look forward to it - I'd rather walk around the old city a bit and then go). Our bus to the airport leaves at 10am, so we'll be off to Indian Airlines about 9:30. I wish it had been under different circumstances here in Varanasi, but we saw the ghats and that's the most important thing. I'll be sorry to leave our nice hotel, but happy to be on our way to Khajuraho.

November 10 Hotel Sunset View, Khajuraho, Madya Pradesh [cloudy but pleasant]

We got up early, walked to the ghats where our friend waited to take us on another boat tour. We told him we didn't want a boat, but we wanted to walk along the ghats. He gave us a half-hearted tour, then we sent him away. The riverbank wreaks of shit, but seeing the activity close up is interesting. The curfew cut down the number of bathers, but it was still an interesting walk. We saw the sunrise again as well.

We returned to the silk shop where his boss (a slime) showed us a lot of silk with gold threads. We declined his tea and buying anything on the premise it was a Christian holiday until noon. He really pressed us to buy, but we remained firm and told him we'd return at 12:30pm to buy (ha, ha). Our guide took us to see the Golden Temple and a mosque. Neither was that interesting, but the back streets of Varanasi old town are really like a maze. We left with promises to return and I felt no guilt. If we are lied to constantly, why not return the favor?

We returned to the hotel, ate breakfast, and then our hotel manager (who swore he never cheated people) tried to charge us 75 Rps for the 1km ride to Indian Airlines via his friend's taxi! We said we'd walk and we soon had a rickshaw for 10 Rps. I was disappointed with the hotel manager - he seemed like a good helpful, man at first! But, he turned out to be a slime like all of them.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to Khajuraho, Madya Pradesh (plane)

Then, the airport bus never materialized and we had to take a share taxi for the long ride to the airport. The taxi drivers had us where they wanted, but it could have been worse. We arrived at the airport and saw the confusion of check-in for the flight before ours and wondered nervously about our own. What is hilariouis was that finally we were only seven people on the plane as it was returning empty after dropping a tour group in Varanasi. The flight had sort of a long landing, but now we are in Khajuraho - in only 45 minutes! We took a taxi to the Sunset View (Jo & Jamie's recommendation) and found a room we liked.

Madya Pradesh

Khajuraho

We immediately toured the Western Group of temples. The temples are set in beautiful lawns and surroundings. Khajuraho is literally in the middle of nowhere, but still it can make you reconsider the splurge to get there. The temple complex looks like Mexico and it is very clean with few dogs, children, and beggars. We found Hotel Sunset and will stay until tomorrow. We leave for Delhi late afternoon.

We met people who went to Ranthambore and loved it. Hopefully, we can do it with minimal hassle. We both doubt it. Tomorrow is a full day in Khajuraho and the late afternoon flight to Delhi. Today's dinner was good and we were happy (not Brian).

November 11 Khajuraho Airport [cold, wet morning and sunny later]

We got up early to clouds and some lingering drizzle. It had rained the night before. It was very cold. We both woke up congested - it must have been something in the room. We walked to the Western Group and it was simply too cold with not light enough for pictures anyway. We were very disappointed, so we walked over to the Raja Restaurant for breakfast. Brian wanted to go to the Tourist Bungalow, so we trudged up there, ordered in a cold, breezy, mosquito-filled room and both were miserable (Brian finished his postcards anyway).

We returned to the temples where it was light enough to take pictures - just as we finished, the sun came out beautifully (it figures). We rented bikes and saw the Eastern and Southern Temples. It was interesting riding through the countryside. Those temples weren't nearly as impressive except for one of the Jain Temples. We finished at around 11:00am and went to Indian Airlines to reconfirm (all systems go), showered, and checked out of the hotel. We biked up to town for a Thali lunch which I enjoyed and Brian didn't. Then I had a bad shave, beard trim, and haircut while Brian roamed the Western Group.

I spent the rest of the afternoon talking with the Austrians from our hotel. They had been to Sumatra last year and loved it. They gave us some good advice. We then checked out and cycle rickshawed to the airport. Outside of some very disappointing weather and very nagging salesmen outside, it was worth it. These are by far the finest classical Hindu temples we have seen.

Next, Delhi. I hope all goes smoothly.

November 13 Castle Jhoomar Bauri, Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan [misty, cold morning then sunny]

Khajuraho, Madya Pradesh to Delhi (flight)

The flight to Delhi was, of course, screwy. We flew back to Varanasi and then changed planes and flew to Delhi. There were some real a..hole French package tourists that didn't understand it was free seating on the plane. We met two Belgians who were quite nice and talked with them on the flight. We arrived in Delhi, got our bags, and after some confusion, took the EATS bus into town. It dropped us at the northern end of Connaught Place where we were besieged by rickshaw wallahs and hotel touts. We got rid of them, walked the short distance to the station, and set off to find lodging in the cheap bazaar area.

Delhi

Walking through the those crowded streets with a backpack when you are tired and being hassled by touts is rather dreadful. The hotel Jo & Jamie recommended was full, so we started the process of searching for another. We left the bags another place that had a basic room if all else failed, and I started up the street. I had one very persistent tout follow me, but eventually I landed in the Ajay Guest House which had a clean, quiet room with a bath. We went right to bed.

Then started our "hell day" in Delhi. We woke up early and had a bad breakfast in a Lonely Planet recommended place (which might have made me sick). We changed money and then went to the computer reservation office to find that the foreign tourist office was in New Delhi Station and wouldn't open until 10am. So, we decided to go to Singapore Air and Amex instead.

At Amex our long-anticipated mail call produced one letter from Adrianne which was almost all bad family news for Brian. Surprisingly, there was nothing from my mother. Maybe she didn't understand that she could write in non-emergency situations. Whatever the case, it was disappointing. We walked to Singapore Airlines and reconfirmed. We were told to report three hours before our flight which gives a good idea of how chaotic the airport is.

Then we returned to New Delhi Station to find that the Foreign Tourist Office had been open since 7:30am. We were angry, especially as there was a long line of people. We managed to get regular second class sleeper to Sawai Madhapur that evening, but couldn't book the return. We started a phantom search for the Lonely Planet "first class booking office" to find it didn't exist.

Then we went to have a lamb burger at Wimpy's. It was like stepping out of India for a few minutes. I really enjoyed it, but it also might have made me ill (Brian was OK, however). We went to the Tourist Information Office which was not very helpful as they sent us on a wild good chase for the Delhi City Tour.

We went shopping at the Government Emporium and then the Kashmir State Emporium. We bought a sandalwood elephant and shawls for our mothers. The Kashmir Emporium had a sale on, but they acted as if they didn't want to sell anything. Then I started to get sicker and sicker. I think I ate something bad and just all the walking and stress of Delhi got to me. I returned to the hotel with a case of diarrhea which continues. I relaxed and dreaded traveling more.

Brian took over and made return train reservations (wait list only), hotel reservations, and bought City Tour tickets. We had dinner at Metropolis on their rooftop, but it was already cold and clammy. We stored our luggage at the hotel and only took a small bag with us with essentials.

Then we started the long train ride to Sawai Madhapur.

Delhi to Sawai Madhapur, Rajasthan (train)

The train was an hour late departing and we couldn't find our carriage. I felt awful. It was absolute chaos. We finally got settled and I had bad chills/diarrhea. I didn't think we'd ever get here, but we are at a beautiful former palace on a hill just outside the park. I feel like shit and wonder if I'll even go out to see the tigers. I also wonder if I'll make it back to Delhi OK. We have two full days of luxury, however. Outside of not being able to eat, it should be enjoyable.

Rajasthan (again)

Ranthambore National Park

November 14 Castle Jhoomar Baori, Ranthambore National Park [sunny and pleasant]

I stayed in bed all day yesterday. I shit until there was nothing left to shit. Brian went out in the afternoon and saw a tiger at the end of the day. He reported that the park is loaded with game. I really just stayed in bed all day. This morning Brian got up early for more game viewing. I stayed behind. I finally felt better by around 9:00am and had some toast and tea. So far, so good. Brian saw two tigers this morning. I hope to go out this afternoon if my health holds.

I finally got to see our hotel and its setting. It really is quite a luxurious place in a stunning setting at the edge of the park. It was a good choice to be sick here (ha ha). I hope I continue to improve so I can enjoy these last few days in India.

November 15 Castle Jhoomar Baori, Ranthambore National Park [sunny, mild]

I managed to be well enough to go out on a jeep in the afternoon. It was bumpy and I felt a little queasy, but otherwise it was great. Entry to the park is via a narrow canyon and a series of gateways. It is all lushly forested and really gives the sense of going somewhere different from the dusty plains. We checked in at the gate and then started a slow circuit around lakes and marshes and over ridges looking for tigers.

We saw spotted deer, samba, wild boar, parrots, monkeys, herons, cranes, kingfishers, vultures, crocodiles and then finally just at dusk - a tiger. It is amazing that all the game in the park is quite inured to these camera-clicking tourists wheeling about. Neither the deer nor the tigers seemed concerned: we drove right up to some samba and spotted deer groups with beautiful racks.

Fresh tiger footprints were spotted at one point, but it came to nothing. Our driver stopped frequently at wildlife with the engine off for us to view the game in peace. He also stopped to hear the warning calls of the deer because that indicated a tiger. At the end of the day, warning calls were heard and about 15 jeeps and one truck/bus converged on a tiger strolling through a herd of samba. The animals didn't care that these jeeps were frantically pulling forward and back, jockeying for positions trying to follow the tiger. The deer were afraid of the tiger but weren't running. The tiger just growled a bit and walked by it all. It was a magnificent creature and very exciting to see in the wild (in spite of the jeep melee). The light at the end of the day was gloriously golden as well.

In spite of feeling sick, it was well worth it. We returned to to see the huge red sun setting over the plains. We relaxed a bit and then had dinner with two Kiwis that had been out on the jeep with us. Tomorrow we'll go to Kota with a Dutch couple who also want to stay at the same hotel. They were out on the jeep with us (and with Brian before). We met two Brits and gave them all the info we could on Nepal as they decided to go there at the last minute and had no information whatsoever. I didn't sleep all that well. I think my stomach isn't quite right, but at least the diarrhea has stopped.

Ranthambore National Park to Kota [taxi, train]

November 16 Navrang Hotel, Kota [nice weather]

We woke up, had breakfast, and lounged around until our taxi was ready. I felt much better although we were wary of the trip to Kota in unreserved second class. We arrived at the station and Helen got into the ladies queue (Helen & Robert are the Dutch couple) and got us four tickets fast. The train then arrived early and left early. We were nervous that it was the correct one although the conductor told me it was. We also arrived early. The trip was uncrowded and pleasant. When we arrived in Kota after haggling with the autorickshaw drivers - a nice Indian man showed us the tongas into town and came with us to our stop. It was only 2 rps each!

Kota

Then our bad luck started. The Palace Hotel was not only full, but very unfriendly. It was fully booked by a tour group. They said we could not see inside, have a meal there, not even a drink!! We met a strange man there on the package tour who said Kota was dangerous and we should leave immediately! We were very disappointed and a bit shocked at the attitude. We came to the Navrang with nice, but overpriced rooms and all debated what to do next. Brian and Robert went on to look for another hotel but came back with only reports of a fleabag. We tried to call the tourist office but no one answered! We were so frustrated. Finally, our friends decided to stay in the fleabag and we at the Navrang. We agreed to meet for dinner that evening.

Then we went to the hotel restaurant and waited 15 minutes for the waiter to announce it was only serving omelettes! We had a snack on the street and set out to see the sights. The Lonely Planet map was horribly off and we wasted a lot of time walking around looking for tourist information. When we finally did find it (after we had given up), we got another bad map (the one Lonely Planet had copied) and a little good, useful information. As it was Friday and the important museums were closed, we thought to go to gardens nearby, but we found they were actually five kilometers away. We bagged that idea.

We did see some old tombs and the huge artificial lake with a small place-island in the center of it. If Kota didn't have such huge industry nearby with smokestacks dominating the skyline, it would be much more lovely. We stopped and talked to our Dutch friends at their awful hotel and then came back to relax in the room. For doing nothing all day, we were tired. We had a nice dinner at another hotel (maybe we all should have stayed there) and turned in early. Kota seems so noisy after Ranthambore, but at least our room is fairly quiet.

I got up early and had diarrhea again, but not as bad as before - no chills or fever, no cramps. Hopefully, it will go away. I think last night's dinner was too much rich food too soon, but I was hungry. Per advice of the tourist office we are seeing the Divisional Commercial Supervisor at the station who will help us move our ticket from waiting list to seat assignment. At any rate, we must be on that train (or some train) to Delhi tonight! We plan to see the museums after sorting out our tickets and then on to Bundi for the afternoon. I so look forward to being in Singapore.

November 17 Indira Ghandi Airport, Delhi [warm, cold at night]

After we woke up and had breakfast, we went to see the Divisional Commercial Superintendent. It took some doing, but we found him and he very quickly got us berths. He was the be all, end all of seat assignment for Kota. It was interesting to see him processing the myriad of requests being shoved in front of him - an organized chaos. But, we got our seats and stored our luggage.

We took a tempo to the central bus station and then a cycle rickshaw to the palace. The palace was more impressive than anything else in Kota, but paled in comparison with others in Rajasthan. The famous museum of the Maharaja and the murals were nice, but not really worth the trip to Kota. I was regretting we came and I even questioned if going out to Bundi later was worth it. We met Helen & Robert at the museum (they were leaving for Bundi around the same time we were). They, too, looked forward to leaving Kota. Brian & I finished with the museum and then got back to the bus station where we caught a bus. We met Helen and Robert again.

Bundi

The ride to Bundi was amazingly uncrowded and smooth. We arrived in Bundi with the palace and fort looming over the town. Helen & Robert set out in search of accommodation. We didn't meet after that, so we'll never know what happened with them. Brian & I looked for a place to eat, but only one of the Lonely Planet suggested restaurants existed (and it was only a food stall). We were afraid to eat much so we only had samosas and a few drinks.

Then we headed up through the old city to the palace/fort. Bundi was great - no hassles and very old. It was like Bhuj, but with more to see in the town itself. I wish we hadn't felt so pressed for time, but as it was, we rushed through the town, up to the palace where we climbed up to see the courtyards and some other murals as well. They aren't well-preserved, but there are rooms just covered in them. We had a watchman show us some of them by flashlight. We walked up the ramparts for views over the town and then up the steep road to the fortress which dominates the ridge. It isn't in a great state of preservation, but it was still worth the climb up. We hastened down and back to the bus.

We arrived in Kota, had a fast meal at the railway station, and soon were on our train speeding toward Delhi.

Kota, Rajasthan to Delhi (train)

We luckily had a coupe to ourselves. Brian very prudently ordered bedrolls at the last minute. They were a godsend as it turned freezing at night even in our clothes under the blankets! Still it was nice to have our last train journey be hassle-free! I couldn't believe we were on our way to Delhi. I slept, woke up, and slept again. It was about usual for the train for me. I couldn't believe how cold it got! Then then attendant came around about an hour early for our warm bedrolls. We got to New Delhi Station only 10-15 minutes late. We walked down the street to our hotel and got a cheap room. Unfortunately, we couldn't get our bags until later in the afternoon since the storage room was closed.

Delhi (again)

We showered, changed, and prepared for our tour of the city by bus.

November 18 Peony House, Singapore [HOT]

We had a good (but rushed) breakfast at Nirula's Potporri. I thought the tour left at 9:00, but it was really 8:30am. I felt a little stuffed and worried about a diarrhea occurrence all morning. We stopped at a luxury hotel to pick up a bunch of Indian tourists and then waited and waited and waited.. We found our guide hadn't shown up and they didn't know what to do. So, we started anyway and went to the nearby observatory.

They found us some old guru-type guide (about the same as Calcutta's guide) who whisked us about. Brian & I walked off to take photos independently. The park and observatory were amazingly clean and the juxtaposition against the modern buildings was actually nice. We stopped for a view of Parliament, the President's House, and India Gate. In viewing these buildings you can see what a phenomenal scale New Delhi was built upon. The Brits knew no bounds! It truly is impressive. Unfortunately, India Gate was only a vague shadow in the morning mist.

We continued on to Hamayoun's Tomb - that was also well-kept and nice to walk around. It was historically interesting as the first example of Moghul architecture. Then we stopped at a f....g carpet shop!! We couldn't believe it on a government tour. And, we were already behind schedule. We finally got to Qutab Minar and its ruins - swarming with local tourists (it was Sunday). That detracted a bit, but the ruins were extensive and the tower amazingly ornate and tall. It was worth seeing.

Then we came back to town at 1:45pm and were told to eat lunch at the hotel restaurant (expensive) and regroup at 2:30. Brian and I were worried about getting the airport bus ticket as well as getting back to the hotel on time to pack. We ditched the tour, bought our bus tickets, ate at Wimpy's, and went to the ITDC Office. There we demanded a refund. I had to write a formal letter of complaint which was examined (of course it was their lunch hour) and then told to write a "brief" version without the carpet shop and we could get our money. It wasted time, but we felt better about it.

We took an autorickshaw to Red Fort which was on the whole disappointing. After Agra Fort the interior looks sadly neglected. What is impressive, however, are the walls and gates. The bazaar after the main gate is touristy, but gives a real Middle Eastern flare. The buildings of the fort interior and the interior itself are extremely damaged and in a state of disrepair. There is a sound and light show, but who would want to see it?

We hurried out to take pictures from the parking lot of the fort and literally ran to the Jami Masjid and found it closed for prayer. We waited 15 minutes on the steps watching the activity from the entranceway. There were great views across to Red Fort as well. We were let in - just as the sun had reached that wonderful red-ball phase that it so often gets to in India. It was gorgeous. We rocketed off some photos and soon were out the door on our way back to the hotel.

We arrived, got our bags, packed, and got to the EATS office in time for a Wimpy's shake. We waited about 30 minutes (fine with me - Brian is forever cutting things to the last minute) and soon we were whisked off to the airport.

Delhi, India to Singapore (flight)

The airport was uncrowded, but in true Indian fashion still a hassle. We had to have our bags x-rayed and pay our departure tax, however, neither facility was open for 20 minutes. We waited, and then the x-ray machine process was halted because the tagging machine broke. Then we paid airport tax, checked in, reconverted money (unbelievable), and went to the lounge to wait. After about 30 minutes, we went to the gate and again waited. Finally, we were on the plane.

We were exhausted and should have slept, but we would have missed a Singapore Airlines meal and special treatment. It was fantastic. We slept about two hours and arrived in Singapore. We breezed through immigration and customs, tried to call home (no one was around in PA or Chicago), and then our problems started.

First of all the exchange was awful - it was only 1.60 SGD to 1 USD. We weren't sure if it was just the airport rate or everywhere. If it was everywhere, Singapore was going to be really expensive (it was everywhere). Then the information desk told us we couldn't ride the bus with luggage. We weren't sure what to do, then another Westerner told us that it was fine, and we should get on the bus. We did. It was uncrowded and clean. We got dropped at the YMCA near Bencoolen Street.

[continued in Part 2]