Keyboards are different in all parts of the world. Its amazing how difficult it is to write if the y and z are reversed or ıf the comma ıs where the apostrofy should beç Soö(what ıs thıs and I cant fınd the questıon mark!!!!) please excuse the typos and I wıll contınue. We returned from a great stay ın Pecs, Hungary and enjoyed Budapest on the way back through. It was nıce to see another cıty becsıdes the maın one of a country and we have decıded to try to do that whenever possıble. Pecs was a college town wıth a autumn country feel. The language barrıer was crazy dıffıcultö but we managed and had a great tıme. We are both tryıng to break out colds so we dıdnt go out much, but we dıd enjoy a dınner out and walks around town. Per the tourıst offıce, we stayed ın a dorm room at the Unıversıty. It was lıke gettıng ready for school agaın but ıt was also very roomy and a nıce break from bıg dorms of hostels of people comıng and goıng at all hours. We have pretty much gıven up our prıvacy and personal lıfe whıle ın Eastern Europe and Turkey as doubles are sooo expensıve and to make our money last a bıt longer, we are goıng to try to manage ın dorms.

After Pecs, we headed back to Budapest for one nıght and then to Vıenna. We had a great tıme ın Vıenna and pıcked the musıc museum or as our one museum for the day. (One can only see so many museums ın one day). It was ok, nothıng great but our next choıce was a ball. Ethan really wanted Wienershnitzel before we left Austria and we both wanted to check out these Heuriger or wine taverns that date back as an institutıon of every day lıfe. In areas where wıne ıs made, these taverns were where people drank the new wıne of the season, but they ahve become a bıt more tourısty sınce then wıth musıc and food. In the old days, one used to brıng theır own food and other beverages besıdes wıne. So we headed to the north of Vıenna on publıc transportatıon and arrıved ın thsı old cobblestone street wıth wıne gardens lınıng ıt up and down. We had no ıdea where to go but somet averns had the ghosttown feelıng of emptıness so we made lıke tourısts and followed a bus full of Japanese busıness men ınto the busınest place on the street. We pıcked well as ıt was packed and had a great spread of food. We had no ıdea how to order food and there was no menu so we dıd a lot of poıntıng and pıckıng and prayıng ıt wouldnt be too expensıve. The wıne was delıcıous and after a few 1/2 lıters of wıne, even the folk wıth the accordıan and vıolın sounded great. We feasted on ham, saurkraut, and wıenershnıtzel wıth salads and salamı and cheeses. It was great fun and we made frıends wıth a German man who was travelıng on the long weekend for fun. We lıstened to everyone that knew the words sıng along to the songs and because we were travelıng by tram and metro, we dıdnt have to worry about gettıng home, only gettıng lost! Anyone headıng to Vıenna, defınately worth the trıp!

Cheers... we have arrıved ın Turkey and wıll wrıte all about ıt after we have tıme to scope ıt out.

Budapest, Hungry: a city definately worth visiting.

So, we took a Eurolines bus from Vienna to Budapest and were told on the way, that there was some right wing problems and we should stay out of crowds at nighttime. But as we talked to others, we realized that info is like the US Embassy reports and made to just warn naive tourists of dangers. It seems that on the 50th anniversary of the uprising against Soviet rule, the country is still torn. There was violence between protestors and police and some injuries were sustained. The city continues and we are not in any danger.

We went to the Museum of Terror, a very artistic and interesting museum about Hungarian history housed in the building that the Nazis and then the Soviets occupied. It was very difficult to go into the basement, where the interrogations were done, but it was the real thing. We learned a lot.

Our other favorite thing. The baths!!!! Yes, we took a lovely dip in the old baths, housed in the original buildings from many years ago. Budapest has many natural sulfur hotsprings and the pools were a series of very cool, warm, hot, steam, sauna, showers, fountains, indoor, outdoor. It was great fun, but a nap was needed afterwards.

Tonight, we hope to hit the town and maybe go to a club. We did go shopping at some great second hand clothes stores and walked up to the fort around the Castle and took trams, trolleys, and metros. More to come.

In case you are curious, we are heading to Pecs next (south of here) and then back to Vienna to take our Star Alliance flight to Turkey. We don't have a solid plan in Turkey yet, but we will. Then we head to Germany (through Frankfurt) and we plan to go to Berlin, Prague, and Krakow (maybe Warsaw if we have time) before heading back to FL for a week and then off the St Croix for a month.

More to come! Sara and Ethan

Europe-the developed world and posh civilization in Vienna

Yup, we can tell that we have touched the developing world again. Delhi airport was the worst airport in the whole world. It is extremely small and must succumb to the pressures of international security. The lines were hours long and the extra 3 hours we allowed was all used up waiting in ques. Any question we asked was answered wrongly, so we just continued to ask again until we could make an educated guess. We did make it out on our flight and arrived the next morning in Austria. We were shocked with prices from the getgo. Way too much time spent in India to understand that things actually cost euro! From the train, we headed down town and got lost trying to find our hostel. By the time we got to it, I realized that my cold had escalated, was exhausted and angry that I had no energy to walk around Europe. Ethan took a walk without me, but when he returned to find me and get some lunch, he too layed down and we both passed out again. I made great use of our very pricey hostel and enjoyed the down comforter and pillow. In the evening, I stayed in nursing my cold after cooking dinner. Yes, I cooked for the first time since, well, since Australia.

We walked around Vienna and took a tram and saw the city. Everything is sooooo clean and old. It is amazing to see things so much older than the US. Maybe when we go back through Vienna, we will get to see the Vienna Boys CHoir or the Philharmonic, but this trip was just mouths open, gazing at the buildings and such.

FROGGER, India style.

Not much else to say about Guwahati. Ok, so there was some political issues there while we were there,but no big deal. The northeast states really didn't offer a lot. We picked that region of the country because it seemed 'less traveled' but in actuality it was very traveled, but only by Indian nationals. We were the only two foreigners of many many tourists. The State-run tourist agencies were of no use and noone could answer questions.

All in all, if we could redo a part of our trip, we both wish we could have headed north to Sikkim instead of NE States. The permits weren't that big a deal and the mountains would have been amazing. But, no what ifs, ands or buts...

Back in Delhi...we are playing Frogger again. This came up last time we were here when Ethan likened crossing the road to playing the deluxe version of Frogger. Not only to do you have to avoid auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws, cars, taxis, cows, dogs, and beggars, but you must also determine if the people confronting you as average citizens wanting to shake a foreigners hand or sly businessmen trying to mis-direct you into their stores. All of the vehicles travel at different speeds and all that are able to pick up a fare will slow down causing more confusion.It would definately make an excellent Frogger deluxe. We definately got the high score!

But, Delhi isn't that bad the second time around. We now know how to go to the bathroom in squat toilets and to always have paper on hand. We also know how to hold it for long periods of time. We also are pretty savy on the bargaining. We know the food. We can ignore the tauts and catcalling from the shops. And I can ignore the men staring at me. Really, we kind of liked it the second time around. Delhi is a big mixing pot of the whole country and we enjoyed watching the people from our balcony.

Diwali is a big Indian holiday and we were lucky enough to be in Delhi to celebrate. It is the festival of lights and with the present giving and candles everywhere kind of resembles Christmas/Hannukah in the States. Every shop had marigold garlands and candles at the door. Tinsel and crepe paper hung everywhere and everyone exchanged gifts. The best part (well for the first hour or so) was the fireworks. We have missed three 4th of Julys in the States and enjoyed watching the fireworks from all directions around the street and throughout the city. It was a major display no matter which way you looked. But after an hour or so of M80s being dropped outside your window, it started to feel a bit like a warzone. I had a bit of a cold, so Ethan headed to the roof to watch more while I took two cold pills and tried to sleep through the noise and the stink of sulfur from everywhere. I didn't do so well and actually had to sit right next to the tv to hear the movie.
I'll let Ethan describe it from the roof...
All over the city the sky was lit up from the fireworks being set off by everyone all over the city. The light displays were impressive with the constant explosions of huge firecrackers. This started around 6pm and lasted well past midnight. Looking into the sky from our balcony on the third floor I had a good view of the city and I have a feeling of what it must have been like in a city that was getting bombed. I enjoyed the specticle and celebration for a few hours but then it got old and was like the fireworks that would never end. I finally got to sleep around 1am when things slowed down. It seems surreal now looking back on it the following day.

As for the bargaining, Ethan got wanted sunglasses at one of the markets where tthe man started at Rs1000 for a pair of fake Oakleys claiming they were genuine although they were labeled "Oakeys." Ethan told the man they were not real and he said, yes yes and they sell them at the Oakley store. By the time we walked away, he called us back and took Rs100. My best bargain was for a shirt from Rs650 to Rs100, so Ethan wins the prize. We considered buying Pashmina scarves to bring home, but we know absolutely nothing about the quality and really can't justify spending more than what we spend on lodging on a scarf. Maybe next time we travel through here we will have some money to spend on some really cool gifts.

For now, we are just looking and making sure we have warm enough clothes for Europe. We leave tonight for Vienna and are trying to do the last of the cheap internet work from here.

Heading to the NorthEast States... leaving our dreams of tea farming and the most wonderful Indian town ever!

We got on the Darjeeling Toy Train and it was mass chaos. We were promised that the seats in 1st class were similar to those in 2nd class. But when we got on, we could barely find a place for our bags and Ethan's knees were touching the chair facing us, where there were two other people. The family we were facing were from Mombai and they were only taking the train to the first stop and then taking a taxi the rest of the way down. Their bags were already on-route. Not a bad idea as Ethan and I look at each other and think, 'next time.' Mind you, this is a 7 hour meandering siteseeing train ride on a 2 foot track, that takes only 3 hours by car. We asked the TT if we could pay the difference for 1st class and she said there were no seats, then we asked for a refund and they said that many people get off at the first stop and we could move to the other car. We agreed and were very happy for the extra room. They used the steam engine to move the cars around and it was very cool to hear the choochoo of a traditional train, but for the trip down they used the diesel engine.

The first five hours were great. We got to see people in their homes and we waved back at children, women doing washing, men planting, school children walking to school. The train came increadibly close, almost into peoples homes and shops. The same cliffs that I was too scared to look over on the way up, were now chugging along side of us and I could enjoy the view and looking over them. We saw SNOW CAPPED peaks of mountains in Nepal and Sikkim! We also enjoyed the views of waterfalls, wildflowers, and mudslides where the mountain had washed out. Wer went through the clouds, saw tea estates, men making tar and doing road and traintrack work. We made our lunch of Nepali bread with Yak cheese and a fresh apple. We were truly enjoying the trip for the first 2/3 of it, then we got bored and realized how late we were for our connecting train to Guwahati. By the time we were at km market 22, I was watching each twelth of a km pass by. If anyone knows why they measure in 22km12, 22km11, 22km10, .... please let us know.

So, by the time we got to Siliguri (3km) from NJP, the connecting station, we stopped and waited. Then we asked the TT when were leaving. He said that we should take a rickshaw and not wait for the train. He told us it should cost Rs8 to Rs20 and we headed out to the street only to be quoted Rs100. Mind you the train cost Rs45 all the way down. We went back to sit on the train and go to NJP the cheap way (yes, we are stubborn) and the Indians that told us the price were shocked that they would charge so much. The goal was to go change our tickets in and make sure we were refunded the money and rebooked for tomorrow. But, the TT told us we could do all that in Siliguri, so we got off the train again only to find out that we could rebook but could not be refunded for our missed train. The lady at the window told us to stop at the office tomorrow for a refund. We found a decent room in a plain hotel, ate, showered, and slept.

So, the next day, we went to the train station and they asked why we didn't come last night? We could have a got a full refund but now we could only get 50%. Frustrated, we just took the 50% and spent the day in Siliguri (a city, I don't recommend visiting). Nothing but industry and shops and men that stare because they don't get many foreigners stopping there. We caught the 6:15PM train to Guwahati only to find that our seats had other people in them. They showed us their tickets and claimed to have the same seats. We quickly went to the office to explain the problem and the man pushed me away claiming they were my seats and to kick the other man out. I went back and re-explained that to the four inhabitants of my seat and they just stared at me. Ethan went to find the TT and I hung back. Then I went to find the TT and Ethan hung back. About an hour later, the TT showed up and the man that showed us his ticket, fumbled to show it to the TT. He immediately kicked everyone out of our seats and the rest of the people in our bunk area gave us dirty looks. Our bunks were separated because we were waitlisted and the family surrounding me turned the light on at about midnight then off, then on at about 2AM, and then they all got up and ready at 3AM and I tried to go back to sleep. The Chai/Coffee vendor strated his rounds at midnight. Who wants coffee at midnight? But then at 4AM, we realized we had arrived in Guwahati. Wow, that was quick and what are we supposed to do in a city before the sun comes up?

We walked out of the train station and everyone was yelling "Shalum, Shalum, Shalum" and Ethan turned and said they were all saying hello and welcoming me in Hebrew. We laughed and realized that you pronounce Shillong as above. Shillong is a hilltown and they were offering spaces in their share jeeps up to that town. So we had some Chai (the worst chai ever) from a drunken vendor, then sat down in a restaurant where we confused them by asking for a menu and tea. We were exhausted, dirty, and very silly. We joked about heading to Shillong, but instead walked around the city and waited for the Tourist Lodge to open. We were barely greeted by some grumpy men with mouthfuls of Pan (red chewing nuts that you must spit out and rot your teeth and make you a bit difficult to understand). We were told there was no availibility and that Ethan went ot check out another lodge but it was too expensive. They said the attached tourist office opend at 7AM, so we waited then they told us 8AM, then we got frustrated and wanted to call Spice Jet to change our tickets and leave India. We were sick of the run around. We found out it will cost us 1/4 of the price of our plane ticket to get to the airport in Guwahati and were cranky from lack of sleep. Then we took deep breathes and decided to go to Shillong. There was great site seeing and a hill town would be way better than this god for saken dirty city with bad service, no water, and unhelpful government tourist offices. So, we found a share jeep and got to Shillong only to find there are no guest houses in this part of the world, only hotels. We sucked it up and spent Rs550 on a decent room (mind you our budget has been Rs250) and rested, booked a tour of the area for tomorrow and went searching for a cheaper room. We couldn't find one, the town is booked solid. This is a major tourist destination for Indians.We have yet to see another foreigner in the city.

Our tour was wonderful. We saw waterfalls, caves with stalagtites and stalagmites, and the Bangladesh border. We brought our own lunch to save money. We find the people of this area a bit standoffish with us and therefor have kept to ourselves. I use my staring coping mechanism of saying 'hello' or nodding and smiling very effective. We have one more night here and then we head back to Guwahati where we fly back to Delhi (for two days) and then out of India.

We'll post more pictures when we get to Delhi.
Cheers for now.
Sara Zuckerman and Ethan Washburn

If we don't return, it's because we decided to stay in Darjeeling and become tea farmers.

Seriously, this is the greatest town. If you were worried about us having a hard time in India (especially me), you can be assured that we have found a place we feel very comfortable in. Darjeeling is a great little hill town, not far from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. There are Buddhists, Hindu, Siikks, Muslims and just a great melting pot of cultures. The Tibetan food is great. We love momos and yak cheese is so great in omelettes.

We took an overnight train from Calcutta to New Jalpaiguri (10 hours) and then crammed into a share jeep up these crazy insane thin roads up to Darjeeling (3 hours). At some points, the road had fallen down and at others we backed up so oncoming traffic could get by. It was a bit scary. We followed the toy train tracks all the way up and have booked a ticket to go back down on the train. The Darjeeling Toy Train is one of the most scenic in India and has been in continuous use since the 1800s. It will take us 7 hours instead of the 3 by jeep, but we are doing it for the siteseing and my nerves!

In Darjeeling, we found a cute guest house. The water is scarce unless you stay in the nicer hotels, so we get buckets of hot water. We are still getting used to the squat toilets too, but the view is fantastic. From our room and the balcony, we can see the valley and mountains and we occassionally get ingulfed in a huge cloud. Last night, we watched the moon peak out from the clouds as they moved very parallel to us, almost as if we were in the same plane. We had dinner at a Tibetan place that was great. They use yak cheese, which seems to have a swiss cheese taste when cooked and is fabulous as were the dumplings (momos). We also shopped and weren't attacked as we were in the rest of India. Looking is ok and the prices are fair, actually very fair as in most cities they elevate the prices for foreigners. We bought some material and a silk shirt at a government run village based co-op shop and saw some of the most beautiful saris ever there.

Today we learned about tea and bought some. We saw the plantations and learned proper seeping methodss. We alos wondered through the market and saw a glodsmith make a gold chain. We have a lot more to do here and tomorrow we wake up to go to Tiger Hill to watch the sun rise from the highest mountain in India. We will be able to see Everest if it is clear. More to come...but in case you were worrying about us...we have found our favorite Indian city. Cheers and Namaste.

Calcutta India...

First, before leaving Varanasi we sat at the train station for ever. We didn't know what to do with our bags and it was hot, very hot, so we went to the train station several hours early with the intent to just read and chill. I forgot all about the staring by the men and realized how hard it was to just be a foreign female sitting on my bag in the train station. In India, it is not rude to stare for prolonged periods of time but I am very uncomfortable with it. Ethan helped a lot though. If I stare back at someone, they don't even blink, but if he stares at them, the person gets really uncomfortable and look away or even walk away. These college ages kids came up to me at one point and asked me if they could ask a question and I was very stand-offish at first, but then I realized that these guys were rural school children that really wanted to practice English. They had come for a day trip to Varanasi (3hours by train) to pick up their school books for college. They asked probing questions and were very interested in knowing things like my qualifications and whether I was in a 'love' or 'arranged' relationship. If it got too personal, Ethan jumped in to explain that it was rude to discuss personal info in our culture. We couldn't find their town on the Lonely Planet map, but they did make me sign their school book (autograph) and talk to his brother on the cell phone. It definately made the time pass.

On the train, once in our seats (sleeper, no A/C), we were swarmed with vendors, beggars, and occassionally person using our bench until the next stop. In our six person area, we were a Thai monk, Israeli guy, wife and child of the Indian man in the next bunk, and Ethan and I. But since the woman and child were hanging with the hubbie, we got people sitting in their spots and our space on a regular basis. With a constant eye on our bags, we were wondering if we would ever get rest on this train. We finally put our beds down and laid out on our spots, put in the ear plugs, and slept to the th-thump of the tracks. We were woken by 4AM to men screaming for chai and coffee which we wanted but not at 4AM! By 6AM, there were shopping vendors selling gadgets and belts, a singing beggar, children collecting water bottles, and plenty more food vendors.


We arrived in Calcutta to a huge train station and shared a taxi with the monk and the Israeli to Sutter St. (sorry, that sounds like the opening line of a joke). We found a decent guest house, dropped our bags and I had another of my moments. I was sad for all the beggars and homeless people living on the street with the contrast of rich Indian coming to shop till they drop all around it. It is part of Hindu culture to give alms, but it amazed me the reliance on the begging and why isn't something bigger being done?

In Calcutta, I finished my third application and we wandered around the parks and down to the river. Once out of the touristy areas, the beggars were less but the touts were still there and we got hassled a bit for things by people that you would have thought just wanted to help or be friendly. I did find a new hobby while in Calcutta...I picked up a tube of henna ink and I henna-ed everyone in our guest house. I love to doodle and this stuff is great. I think it would be a great hit in Samoa...especially because it only lasts a few weeks instead of permanantly like tattooing. We walked around to shop, but it is really difficult to browse as there is always someone trying to move you, listening to you, and you can't stop or you will be attacked. Maybe tomorrow we can do some shopping. As for today, there is a citywide strike and nothing is open. In fact, they advise that tourists stay off the street. We draw enough attention as it is. So, with nothing else to do, we will go read our books, hang out at the guest house with the other home-bound travelers, and catch the 10PM train to Darjeeling. More to come....



Sara practicing henna on a two willing victims.... Not bad, huh?

Agra & The Taj and then Varanasi....

AGRA
So, from Udaipur, we took a 10 hour bus (sleeper) to Agra. We decided to skip Jaipur, as it is mainly a lot of the same of Jodhpur but busier and more touts. Our 10 hour bus trip turned out to be more like 16 and we were exhausted when we got there. The sleeper is great, if you can sleep on the bumpy roads, but at 6AM when the man is wailing down the isle screaming CHAI and children are crying and the lady across is coughing something that sounds like consumption, it starts to get uncomfortable. I must also make mention at this point, that there are no pee-stops like in Thailand. Well, if you are a man you can do so but for women, I find it easier to dehydrate myself and hope that I can hold it. We were lucky enough to stop next to a hotel at 10PM and they were kind enough to let me use their squat toilet for no charge (I was willing to pay) and was good for the bulk of this trip.

Agra, home to The Taj Mahal is a huge tourist city. The Lonely Planet warns of touts and scams and all sorts of bad stuff. So, we tried plan well and arm ourselves with all the info necessary to get off the bus, buy our train tickets, visit the Taj and then get out that night on the train. Didn't happen. First, the bus was very late so instead of arriving at 6:30AM, we started the day more like 10:30AM. Our rickshaw driver told us the train ticket office wasn't open on Sundays and we believed him. He took us to his 'friend' who could sell us a ticket. Very expensive and not today, tomorrow. We ditched that driver and stubbornly walked to a hotel that we found in the book. The hotel was ok and it was nice to have A/C and a television. Actually, I was glued to the Peace Debate from UDenver being broadcast on BBC until we showered and decided to head near the Taj for food and to see what all the hub-bub was about. We had a nice rickshaw driver, he seemed more honest than most and we asked him to drive us the next day to the Taj and Fort. Around the Taj area, the beggars, street vendors, and men trying to pull us into the shop were really strong and overaggressive. Ethan and I had a great time speaking Samoan so noone could understand us and we constantly used the "English no good" line. Some children began to mimic our Samoan words, it was really entertaining and useful with bargaining. It also made them loose interest. The next day, we had our driver take us to the train, where we were unable to book tickets that night, so we booked them for the next day. That meant one more night in Agra. We moved our bags to a cheaper guest house, same owners and headed to the Taj. It was amazing. Although it is Rs750 to go in, they give you a 1/2 liter of water and have refill options available for free. They put us through metal detectors and searched our bags. Ethan had his lighter and our playing cards taken away. But once inside, it was serene and beautiful. The Taj was impressive and we have many pictures for you puruse. It was definately not worth missing, but we were a bit stuck and everything was expensive in Agra. We went to see the Fort but were surprized that they wanted another Rs250 to enter, so opted to just look at it from the outside and head back to rest. We had a great South Indian meal down the street and chilled.

The next day, we lazed around and I finished one more grad school application, while Ethan worked away at finishing his book, until we left to go get the train. At the train station, we watched a festival float go by, tribute to the last day of one of the many Indian festivals. When we got on the train, our bunks were separated and the people there were convinced we should be in the A/C class car, but no, we were in their bunk and it seemed a bit odd to them. The next morning, I made the two boys day by sharing my iPod. The father seemed pleased that I was entertaining his children and the boys helped teach me my numbers in Hindi.




Varansi is the holiest of cities in the Hindu Indian world. They believe that if you die and are cremated in Varanasi at the Ghats of the Ganges river, you are freed from the cycle of death and rebirth. The city is crammed and the alleyways leading up and down to the river flood every year. They are maze-like and crazy-narrow. The touts are everywhere. Men and children following you, some helping you to get unlost and some getting you more lost. If you take a wrong turn into a home, a woman from a dark window yells 'no go' and we apologize and turn around. To quote Lonely Planet, "a walking along the ghats is a 'world class' people watching walk as you mingle with the fascinating mixture of people who come to the Ganges not only for a ritual bath but also to wash clothes, do yoga, offer blessings, buy paan (micture of betel nut and leaves), sell flowers, get a massage, play cricket, wash their buffaloes, get a shave, improve their karma by giving to beggars, or simply loiter. It is itraditional India at its most colorful and most picturesque."

It was a pretty magical place, hence the reason it is also a big tourist stop. We took the sunrise boat trip down the Ganges (see picture of the sun rising) and truly felt the magical vibe of the city. Our boatman gave us some nice insight after feeling trapped between buildings and salesman, drifting down the river was a great way to feel the city. We arrived on an overnight train and spent only one night here, leaving on another night train bound for Calcutta the evening after our sunrise boat trip. More from Calcutta soon....

A young Chai vendor....

Udaipur, Rajasthan

What a great city! So, we found a cheap room (Rs150) and we ate at a great restaurant. The man that ran the shops, brothers wife, Shashi, runs a cooking class. I set a goal to submit my grad school aps (at least two) and then I could take the class. Well, I did it and I tried to sign up but she was booked with her three students that day. I went in to sign up for the next day as they were finishing and they were all so happy and full. Ethan and I took the class together in this woman's home. It was awesome and the best Indian food we have had yet. In addition to food, she taught us about caste and culture and how her husband was murdered and she can't marry again. She loves to cook and this is her way of supporting herself and her two boys. We spent five hours in her home and I can't wait to share the recipes back in the US. This was the highlight of India thus far, for me. If you go to Udaipur, go to the Sunrise Restaurant and ask for Shashi. Remember that if you book classes through the spice shops, they get a cut. If you book it through her she gets all Rs400.

Us with Shashi....in her home.

Spicey Box....

We also hung out at a cool vibe restaurant on the river with a young entrepreneur named Vicki. A modern Sikh as he likes to call himself (with a Spanish girlfriend) who claims to offer Chai, Henna, and advice for free. He is a good salesman and not pushy. The food was ok, but we found ourselves going there for the conversation. His restaurant was over the bridge and to the right, cant remember the full name but it included Marine in it. Ethan and I said that we didn't sitesee in Udaipur, we peoplemet. On the last day, my iPod went missing and we spent the day retracing our steps. Now, those of you who don't know me, I tend to misplace things and it wasn't until we arrived in Agra that I found my iPod and I apologize to all the people I accused and glad that I didn't find the police station to fill out the report yet. Nela, "no laughing!"

Jaislamer and our desert camel ride

A local bus to Jaislamer from Jodhpur.

So, after a great birthday in Jodhpur, we headed by bus to Jaislamer, where we stayed in an old soapstone home with a great little nook overlooking the fort. The highlight of our two nights here was the camel safari. We opted to not spend the night in the desert, due to cash restrictions, but in the long run it wasn't a bad idea. The sunset camel walk was hot and after two hours in the desert heat and a lot of rocking on the back of a camel, we were happy to be heading back to a bed after sunset. In the desert, it was crazy. So many camels and Indian tourists from all over. They all want a picture with a foreigner and go to all the white people and take group pictures. It kind of made us feel like celebrities After the sun sets, we hopped back on our camels and headed back to the parking lot where our driver was waiting for us and rode back to town. I really liked our camel owner. He was a nice guy and shared an India cigarette "a bidi" with Ethan. Very well spoken English and laid back kind of guy, so we tipped him well. Our biggest issue with India is that everyone is trying to sell you something. Its hard to tell if someone wants to say hi and practice there English or if they are trying to pull you into their shop down the street.

Jaislamer Fort


View from our 'nook' at the sandstone guesthouse.


Look mom, no hands....


Us and Ethan's camel.


Sunset in the desert.


Holding up the sun, no so heavy.

Delhi India and travels to Jodhpur


Two opinions of Delhi and sorry, no pictures.

First Sara says....
Wow, what a large, noisy, dirty, and different city. We took the advice of fellow travelers and booked our room ahead of time and had a little sign with our name on it for our driver picking us up in the Delhi airport. Good thing. We arrived at 11PM Delhi time and turned the television on to hear about the coup happening in Thailand. It all makes sense. Our last night in Bangkok, we noticed a few weird occurances with the police. Street vendors scattering like cockroaches, black plastic bags of bribed goods from stores, and car tires locked with big clubs in front of our hotel. But, the coup is not affecting anything in the tourism world...we still have traveler friends there and everyone is ok. Actually, their new big Bangkok airport should be open by now. I think we were some of the last to travel through the old one.

In Delhi, I had a minor breakdown, ready to ship back to the US or Samoa, or anywhere besides Delhi and we decided we would spend as little time as possible in the city and do our shopping when we came back through. We changed to a more reasonable hotel and were steered the wrong direction when trying to book our train tickets, but besides the men staring and me realizing the dress is more conservative than Samoa, I made it out. We booked a train to Jodhpur, Rajasthan and decided to spend our first week in that state. As we waited for the train, men and women were staring at me like I had six heads. I finally realized that my below knee length skirt made the men drool and the women give me a 'you slut' look. I packed that skirt away at the bottom of my bag, not to wear again until, well, I don't know when. Jodhpur is a little city that I spent my 32nd birthday. We splurged and spent almost $20US on a great top rooftop room of an old Haveli and had a great time cooking with the Nepali staff. Also touted for the best spice shopping, I jumped a bit too quick and purchased a few, which we now have to carry around for a while. I also jumped on a birthday outfit, a Salwar Kameez, the traditional (other than a sari) outfit that most women wear in India. We enjoyed the city and then headed out to Jaislamer.


Ethan says...
What an amazing place!!!
We arrived at the Delhi airport around 11pm after a two-hour delay leaving Bangkok
(Something to do with an unknown bag that had to be found). We were very tired and ready to get to a bed and shower. We booked a hotel the day before, one that included hotel pickup. As we walked in to the main terminal it was incredibly overwhelming. There were hundreds of people yelling and shouting to get our attention from taxi drivers, hotels, and beggars just wanting money. We found a sign with Sara’s name on it and I became a little more relaxed, booking a hotel with airport pickup prior to arriving, was defiantly the best way to go.
As our driver carried our bags to his car more and more people started following us. When we got to the car these random guys opened the door to the car and but the bags in to the car. I thought wow, everyone is very helpful… as soon as we got in and were ready to leave several guys stuck their hands in to the car and asked for tips. We told them that they didn't do anything, NO.
The 45 min. ride to the hotel was crazy, cars, trucks, motorbikes and rickshaws were everywhere blaring their horns and cutting everyone off. Hectic and I'm glad that I was not driving. When we got to the hotel we were helped into our room. The room was nice a/c, hot water, sheets the works. It was about $30 per night and the most we have spent on lodging on our travels yet. We had a great night sleep.
The next morning we ventured outside to check things out and find a cheaper place to stay. As soon as we opened the doors to the lobby it was sensory overload with the traffic, smells, cows, a man playing a flute, incense, and just about everything you can think of. We walked down the street and were immediately offered taxis and invited in to everyone's shop to take a look. The smells on the street were interesting from; great smells of food, exhaust, urine, and incense. We found a place that was ok after looking a few guesthouses with A/C and bathroom for $12. We didn’t really need the A/C but the room was sealed and kept out the noise from the busy street outside
After walking back getting out bags and putting them into our new hotel we were exhausted. There was so much going on outside we was nervous to go outside. We had a bite to eat and walked to the train station to get tickets. I thought that the airport was bad. If some one wasn't trying to sell us something they were steering us away from where we wanted to go (scam) telling us that the office was closed, or didn't sell tickets for trains today.
After finding the tourist ticket office, that was open and veryhelpful we bought tickets to go to Rajasthan for the following night. We were now getting used to the city and were not so overwhelmed as we were before. I wasactually enjoying the hustle. We found an Internet café and got caught up onwhat is going on in the world. We leave tonight at 8:30pm for our first trip on the trains of India, wish us luck! I'm looking forward to the adventure. I will write to you when we get someplace. I'm looking forward to the adventure. - Ethan


The clocktower in Jodhpur and main market.


View from our room in Jodhpur.

View from the top of the fort, where we had a birthday sweet.


Birthday dinner at the Haveli.


After Jodjpur, we headed to Jaislamer, where we took a camel safari into the desert to see the sunset. We also climbed a top a very old fort in the city and stayed in a sandstone guest house. The next adventure requires more time....so check back soon. Remember, check pics at www.fiataa.snapfish.com.

Cambodia.

We seem to like lounging in hammocks, in our bungalow...no matter which country.

Wow, Ethan has written this blog twice, but today I tried to post it and somehow deleted it for the second time. The first time, Ethan had written it and the power surged and he lost about an hour worth of work. This time, I have spent 20 minutes trying to change the Korean language that this computer is defaluting to back to English, gave up, tried to hit post, but accidentally hit delete. Ethan is going to kill me.

We are trying to keep an updated blog but at this rate, who knows.

So, I will fill you all in on Cambodia briefly, feel free to email us or tell us if you want more details on a bit of our travels, but internet cafes are all different, power surges are regular and I know you all want to at least hear that we are well.

Right, Cambodia. We arrived in Cambodia after a fitfull night of rest on the floor of the Bangkok airport. It didn't fit our budget to go all the way into Bangkok after a late flight in and early flight out, so we found the area of the airport where the loudspeaker was minimal and the floor not SO dirty and laid out our hammock. The flight was uneventful and we arrived in Phom Penh without a guidebook ,feeling a bit naked. You never realize how much a guidebook does for you until you don't have one. We found a Spanish couple searching for the same as us and we agreed to share the taxi into the city and work from there. We were all a bit stubborn about the taxi driver picking the hotel, so left the driver and meandered through a local market with suitcase in tow (the Spanish couple had a lot of baggage). The market had frogs without skins and great veggies, all different than what we had seen in Laos or Thailand. We took a trip on Sunday out to the park and watched as hundreds of people flew kites. It seemed a big social occassion and as someone told us, it was the end of monsoon season and it was their way of celebrating. Very serene and peaceful as we sat back and watched the children run around, a bit scared of our white faces and just enjoyed the moment.


Interesting Facts: I bet American Bacardi doesn't have "Established in Cuba" logo on it's bottles. We are convinced it tasted better from Cuba, than from Puerto Rico.

The beggars were more than in Thailand, so was the pressure to take a tuktuk or a taxi, or to buy this or to come into a store, so we opted to rest and eat at our guest house. We actually had a room with TV, so we took advantage of it and watched a movie (on local television, not dubbed). We went to the Killing Fields which was very emotional. For those of you who don't know, Cambodia had a holocaust of sorts in the late 70's, when Pol Pot, exterminated educated and intellectual Cambodians. I am reading a book now on it, but the Killing Fields was where they did their "interrogations." On the way out, again the driver asked if we wanted to go shoot big guns at the range, but somehow after seeing so much death (in your face), shooting seemed like the last thing one would want to do. The next day, we headed to Sihanoukville by bus. This area was a bit off season and now we understood why. We walked a good distance to the beach, again too stubborn for a motorbike taxi. Yes, the local way is to put my bag between the drivers legs and sit behind him. Ethan would do the same on another guy. I wasnt up to it, so we walked. We were on a hunt to find a way to get to Bamboo Island, as a fellow traveller had told us all about it. But, the place that ran one bungalows said it was closed for another week or two. They couldn't give us the name of the other place (we knew there were two bungalows on the island), so we booked at Cloud Nine, a great little place off the main beach with a great view. We did find the other managers, but realized that one place was mainly used for daytrippers and the other for sleepovers and we were happy that we didn't book with the daytripper side and enjoyed our stay at Cloud Nine. The seafood was fantastic and a very good value for the money, but there was an abundance of beggars and beach vendors all around us. We bought local crayfish and squid from some vendors that were extremely tasty, cooked in front of us with their portable hibachi coal pots.


The lady who cooked our squid. MMmmmmm....lobster tails, squids and beer.

From Sihanoukeville, we took a early morning bus back to Phon Penh and then another to Siem Reap. Over tired and a bit hungry, we took the first tuktuk that had a somewhat honest face us and had him take us to the guest house of our choice. Although a bit overpriced, we ate some food and passed out. The next day, Sa, our driver came back and we booked him for the day and agreed to discuss using him to get to Angkor Wat the next. We went to see the silk factory and were amazed by a great free tour of how silk is made. We did puruse the gift shop, but nothing matched our budget. We also visited the Aki Ra landmine museum, which was an amazing experience ( http://www.akiramineaction.com/) This man was forced to plant landmines as a child and is now working a small non-profit to demine Cambodia. Landmines are still being made in the US and that was a frightning thought after seeing the damage they could do. They rarely hit the enemy, they usually get field laboreres or children. Visit his site for more info. We met some children there too, who were being schooled and taught new skills, that they could do with or without a limb.

Then comes Angkor Wat. Wow... so one time in Thailand, we actually saw part of a National Geographic special on Angkor Wat, which got us really excited for this part of our tour through Cambodia. I will cut and paste some facts about Angkor Wat and encourage you to visit the separate album of the pictures taken there. Also know that during the Pol Pot regime, these amazing historical structures were almost destroyed along with the people of the area.

from Wikipedia.com:
Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat) is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. The largest and best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre—first Hindu, then Buddhist—since its foundation. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temples. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 km (2.2 miles) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is orientated to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. As well as for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, the temple is admired for its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

That's it. We could have spent days visiting the Wats around Angkor, but with only one day, we pushed off back to Bangkok. We had heard the roads were bad on the Cambodian side of this journey, but we never imagined that we would be in a small minivan, silent, deaf(from the noise of the banging vehicle with the rocky road), and without a pee break for ever. Four or five hours later, we arrived at the Thai border and were rewarded with Thai vendors selling familiar foods and a deluxe bus with a/c, reclining seats, a toilet, and Lord of The Rings...all the way back to Bangkok.

Bangkok was not so bad on the way back through. We were pleasantly surprised that we were much more comfortable in Bangkok this time through and even managed to take a local bus to the mall. Yup, the mall.... We atre our last streetside Pad Thai and pressed on out to India. More to come from Delhi soon.
Fa


After in-your-face sex tourism in Thailand, this was refreshing.

Oh, pics are having trouble loading, but they are all on albums on snapfish, so click the link: www.fiataa.snapfish.com .