Grand Adventure - Part 2 (London)

It's my first time in Europe!

I arrived in London around dinner time on August 31st hoping to quickly get to my hostel, check-in, and find myself a good meal. Those hopes were almost dashed when I saw a long snaking lineup for customs which took about an hour to get through (not that bad compared to some of my other colleagues who flew to Heathrow as well). Anyhow, thanks to well-marked signs everywhere, I got an Oyster Card (for you Hong Kong-ers, it's like the Octopus card, but you can't pay for food with it) and boarded the Tube towards Holborn.

I got to my hostel for the next two nights, checked-in, threw down my bags, met my roomies for the night, and went off in search for Jamie's Italian. I think I was the only person in the restaurant dining by myself, but being a bit of a foodie I was pretty darn happy and I didn't care! I had some tasty antipasto and slurp-a-licous pasta.Yum! Not only that, I was loving the weather and being able to walk around without the gawking and staring (not to mention feeling pretty safe at night)!



The next day, blessed with blue skies, warm temps, and sunshine, I set out on a whirlwind tour of the city hitting all the main sights:

Buckingham Palace

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

Tower Bridge (it's up as a boat crosses through!)

St. Paul's Cathedral

London is an amazingly easy city to get around in. There are signs and maps everywhere, transit running every which way, and if you can afford it, taxi cabs. I also have to mention that Londoners all look so fashionable ... at least a little if not head to toe. Didn't see too many people wearing jeans with runners (like I) and not a pair of Lulus in sight (see FB link to an article critiquing Vancouver's lack of fashion-sense).

My friend and fellow Capacity Support Officer, Paddye, was supposed to arrive in the evening, but got stuck in the customs line-up at Heathrow for over two hours. We were going to go for a late dinner, but after 9pm, I figured I better go eat before the restaurants close. I got back, there was still no sign of her so I got ready for bed. The next day, as I was up at 6am (and as was she) I heard her voice checking out while I was packing downstairs. I learned she didn't get in until really late and barely got a wink of sleep. We briefly said hello and she was off to the airport to fly into Shannon, Ireland, whereas I was going to take the scenic route through the UK to Holyhead via train to board a ferry to Dublin, then take another train to Limerick. We said our "see ya later" and started our journeys to find us some Leprechauns.

And here is a link to my favourite London photos. 

Grand Adventure - Part 1 (India)

Oh boy, I'm gone for a month and there's a brand new Blogger template and Facebook has changed yet again.

I've been back in Colombo now for just over a day and it's been a bit of a rough go. Having been surrounded by familiarity and people from back home I love the last month, coming back has felt a bit isolating again. I'm sure in a few days I'll reconnect with the friends I haven't seen here the last month and all will be well again!

Well, a lot has happened in the last month so I will blog about it over a few posts.

On August 26th I departed for India, sick and tired. It seemed I had yet another virus. Despite being excited for the trip, I had no energy to be excited. Anyhow, I boarded a plane at night to Delhi via Mumbai. Mumbai airport is bare and stark (although modern). Not a place for a tired traveller to nap on the floor (darn!). Anyhow, I arrived in Delhi around 5:00am the next morning ready to find a taxi to the train station. After 45 minutes of searching the airport for the left luggage counter (it's above the metro entrance, by the way), I found the pre-paid booth, purchased my ticket, and off I went. Lucky for me, it was rather straightforward and hassle-free!

First order of business was to head to Agra to meet up with my very good friend Linda. She had been travelling for over three weeks by this point, been sick almost the whole time with what we thought was a parasite, and harassed endlessly by Indian men. When we finally saw each other, we gave each other a GIANT hug and then we gabbed for probably what was a couple hours over food and soda. We made plans for the next day and then to bed we went!

The not so honest man from the back.
He worked hard, but because of his
greed we felt unsatisfied. "You happy,
I happy. You pay if you happy." Then
at the end we weren't that happy ... so
after we handed over some cash, he
then asked "how about more?" We just
walked away. 

Next day before the break of dawn we headed to the Taj Mahal. We wanted to capture it at sunrise, but the sunrise was rather blah this particular morning. Oh well. The best part likely is that we beat the big crowds giving us the freedom to shoot photos with a minimal number of people in it. It's hard to believe that these grounds were built by hands without any modern tools. The precision with which the carvings were done and stones were laid is mind-boggling! The rest of the day we felt rather unmotivated to see anything else. It was still summer temperatures (i.e. pushing 40 degrees) and I was drenching my tops in sweat. We eventually hired a cycle trishaw who took us to a few places ... he had promises of being honest but in the end, greed reared it's ugly head and we were done with that. That evening, we boarded an overnight train to Varanasi.



The Ganges unfortunately was really high when we were there, so no river tours, and the Ghats were mostly covered. We did visit two Ghats, where at one of them I walked by some bodies that were wrapped up gorgeously and ready to be cremated. A bit creepy, but amazing at the same time. No photos though as they were sacred places. Walking around old Varanasi wasn't too bad aside from the cow dung and garbage almost everywhere. It was probably the place we were least harassed and the most interesting. There was so much in all the little shops! This place definitely had character.

The real Brown Bread Bakery in Varanasi. 

Nice gentleman number 1. I can't find
his business card so I don't remember
his name. 

India has some really cutthroat people, but there were a few people who were worth mentioning for the kindness of their hearts. First was the man who helped me hire a motor rickshaw at a fair price and helped me find my guesthouse in Agra. I wish we could have communicated more easily but thank you for being honest. Second, was the man who sold me my "bling" to go with my Salwar in Varanasi. You enjoyed what you do and you had so much patience with my indecisiveness. And to top it off, you threw in a free gift for my friend and I. Very unexpected for culture that has greed woven intricately with it's traditions (a generalization, I know). Third, for the kind gentleman who took us in at his shop for a chat and some chai when we were at our wits end trying to arrange some travel. In the end, I know it helps you do your business (How could I resist not buying a bunch of scarves!). But, I know you would have been perfectly fine with us not buying anything at all. Like the second man, you threw in a couple freebies for us. Also very unexpected. (For those of you who want to know, this guy has his shop in the same building as the Brown Bread Bakery - the real one - an amazing restaurant/bakery that trains locals in the restaurant and also funds a school, in addition to empowering local women).

Even though I was only there for 5 days, I was exhausted in the end. I was tired of being seen as $. I was tired of worrying about whether my next meal would make me sick or not. I was tired of the heat. I missed home. To top it off, when I got to Delhi airport 7 hours before my flight, they wouldn't let me go into the arrivals hall (where people are picked up) so I could go take a shower or check in early so that I could go past security to use the showers in the departures area. I couldn't wait to board the flight to London! I don't know if I would go back ... probably not to that region. Maybe the North or the South in the future, and definitely not in the summer.

And your reward to reading the whole post, a link to my favourite photos from India.