Prague, Cesky Krumlov

We took the overnight bus from Krakow to Prague.

We enjoyed Prague but it was a very big modern European city. From Prague, we headed south to Cesky Krumlov, a beautiful medevial 18th century city that was built into a winding bend in the river. We enjoyed it very much. Ethan went next door with an empty mug and came back with a huge draft beer for less than $1. I cooked in a great kitchen. We relaxed.

Now we are in the train station in Prague heading to Dresden Germany. We are hiring/renting a car that will take us to Berlin and then down to Frankfurt. We are both excited for the flexibility of the car and Ethan gets to drive on the autobahn!!!

More to come, our time at this cafe is up.
Sara and Ethan

Final Thoughts from Krakow

After a week in Krakow and a great time, we leave you a final picture of Krakow, courtesy of Sarah, a friend we met at the Pink Flamingo Hostel. Actually, we want to shout out to all the really cool new people that we met at the Pink Flamingo. I know that many of you have access to this website and we want to say that the world is small and I am sure paths will cross again.

Pictures and Comments...

We have updated the pictures on the www.fiataa.snapfish (or link from the right of the page) through Krakow and you are welcome to see all of them.

IF YOU ARE READING THIS...we would enjoy hearing that you are and what you think. It is
easy to post a comment to any post, just click on the comment box and type type type.

We leave for Prague this afternoon and you are sure to hear more about that lovely city. Krakow is definately a must see for any traveler and on our come-back-to list. We loved it here.

Krakow, Poland

We spent two days in Frankfurt and didn't really do much. Everything was expensive, even soda and beer. Dinner off the street of bratwurst was nice, but everything else blew our budget. I did do a full hour interview from the call center across from Frankfurt Main train station and we watched American sitcoms dubbed in German on the tv in our room. Our only English options were a rotating MTV and BBC channel or CNN.

We took our RyanAir flight to Krakow, leaving at 6AM on a two hour bus ride to Frankfurt Haun. It really is everything they say in the magazines about being a bare bones airline company where the flight attendants hawk drinks food and even scratch lottery tickets! But it was cheaper than a bus or a train and way worth the fact that we booked a $0.01 flight (we paid 4.50Euro for each of our bags and 20 for our taxes).

The streets of Krakow through a Lomo camera lens.

Krakow is awesome!!!! We love it here and the vibe of the city was so great from the first impression. Although the first hostel we picked was a loser, we moved to a great place called the Pink Flamigo and are much happier here.

The city square is full of street performers and the buidlings are amazing and really old. The restaurants are everywhere, the prices are good, and there is soooo much to see. The old Jewish quarter has become a hip area for artists and clubs and nice restaurants. There are sooooo many clubs here with lots of music of all types.

The gate of the synagogue in the old Jewish quarter.

Today we went to Auschwitz. It was very emotional as we expected. But even more so as I spent some time finding where all my great grandparents are from and learning that my fathers grandfather was from a small city in Poland. It hits home to know that I personally could have cousins that were shipped to Auschwitz. Gives me chills.

"Through work lies freedom" in german. The gates to Auschwitz.

The south gate into Birkenau.

The tracks that led so many people to the camps.

Visiting Auschwitz, a death camp where 1.5 million people were excecuted (1.2 million Jews) is an experience that really cant be explained. So many people come to see this site and the tours are done matter-of-factly. Unlike, the excessive shock valued 'Killing Fields' of Cambodia that very few people new about, most people that visit Auschwitz know the history. I was prepared for so much detail and tears and crying, but this tour was not created to shock and awe, more to educate and inform. The most shocking things I experienced were the room full of hair which was left instead of being shipped off for use in fabric manufacturing. The death wall was also a touching monument with the flowers and rocks and candlers all placed in front of it. We visited on a gloomy grey day and really got an earie view of the city. The massive size of the camp and the living quarters and the barbed wire as well as the interogation rooms was unexplainable. The tracks leading into the area gave me the creeps. I am so happy to have experienced this tour and feel more connected with my roots. With this tour, I felt inclined to research my

After Auschwitz and back in Krakow, one would never believe that a city that draws people to visit a death camp could be so full of life. It is refreshing and nice to know that the once Jewish Ghetto has become a hip cool section of this great city. There are more than 18 University level institutions in this city, one which is the oldest in central Europe dating from 1364. Schindlers List was filmed here and actually happened here. Did you know the bagel originates from Poland and was brought to New York by Polish Jews in the 1850s?

Wow...one could party every night of the week here in Krakow. Who wooda thunk? Seriously, I am conditioning myself to stay up later and sleep later because that is the way that this city works. Most of hte clubs are underground making it seem like a sleepy town on the surface, but once you pick a destination and head underground, it is crazy wild and you could never go to all the clubs here. There are soooo many.

We went to the salt mines today. The Wieliczka Salt Mine, nowadays practically on the southeast outskirts of Krakow, has been worked for 900 years. It used to be one of the world's biggest and most profitable industrial establishments when common salt was commercially a medieval equivalent of today's oil. Always a magnet, since the mid-18th century Krakow's Wieliczka salt mine has become increasingly a tourist attraction. We walked underground at the depths of 120m in the oldest part of the salt mine and saw its subterranean museum. I actually licked a wall and a salt statue. This is the most amazing chapel with hand carved reliefs on the walls and everything is made from salt. The miners were starting to gather for a special service for the men trapped in the coal mine and those that died the day before in another part of Poland.

The chapel (made of all salt).

Thoughts on Turkey, traveling, and preparing to readjust.

Turkey was chill. Istanbul was ok on the way back through but because we couldnt change our flight to Frankfurt, we didn't get the extra day we wanted which means we didn't get to do a few of the sites that we had saved for our trip back through. We will jus thav eto go back. Man , we say that often. The food in Istanbul wasnt as good as it was in the rural areas, everything seemed more expensive. We did buy shoes! Both of us got a nice pair of leather shows to come back to the US in, yeh! But currently, we are both getting used to those shoes and fighting blisters from the massive amounts of walking.

We loved Olympos and Goreme. If you go to Olympos, dont stay anywhere besides Saban house. That is http://www.sabanpansion.com/ with the funky Turkish "s" if you are typing it. We also wish we had more time in Goreme and next time, we want to head east.

Its funny, as we go through this rtw trip, we keep making mention to where we will go on the next trip. What we want to add, take out, and how we will modify the next travels.

Now, we get ready for Eastern Europe and then back to the good ole US of A. Its getting to the end and now a new beginning. School acceptance and rejections are the next big thing and then we can start the next step.

We want to thank everyone that has continued to read this blog and if you are planning a round the world trip, we would be glad to help with the knowledge from the countries we have been. Who knows, maybe you will be helping us with our next trip.

Cappadocia.

We stayed in Goreme at a clean neat hostel. The only issue was the super rambuncious 5 year old reaking havok and tempertantrums all over the hostel. The dog was our tour guide to the Open Air Museum which was fun. Everyone in town said hello to Spotty the Dog and we felt priveleged to have such a popular tour guide. When we thought we took a wrong turn and pulled out the map, Spotty made sure we knew he was right and gave us this look like 'you doubt me?, silly tourist!'

The uniqueness of the region was formed by the eruption of Mt. Erciyes (ancient Mt. Argaeus) and Mt. Hasan some 60 million years ago, which spread a thick layer of ash over the area. This hardened into a soft porous stone called tufa. During the following centuries, erosion from rain and wind created valleys in the soft rock that left behind higher sections of crazy interesting formations called “fairy chimneys”.

A view of the valley.


The Cappadocia area was ruled by a series of small, independent states, under priest-kings as early as the 6th century B.C. Herodotus mentions it as the region between Phrygia and Cilicia in the 5th century B.C. Xenophon mentions people living underground in his book Anabasis although the earliest residents are unknown. In 17 A.D. Tiberius made the region a Roman Province. It became a sanctuary for Christians who hid in the existing underground cities and made their own mark by carving several thousand churches and monasteries. When the Arabs started their raids in the 7th and 8th centuries, they again went underground and continued carving elaborate cities.

Me peaking my head around the corner in the underground city. These tunnels went down 8 floors and breathing was difficult at the bottom.

Another part of the Cappadocia region, where they filmed the sand people in Star Wars, near a monastary built out of rock.

A cool looking chimney at the end of the day at the sunset time.

The opening doors of the camel (not truck) stop used in the old days of the Sikh trading route. Also, that is the Turkish flag at the door.

It was a great tour, a wonderful chill city, I only wish we had more time to enjoy the area. We would have tasted some of their wines and maybe done a little more exploring.

Ah, heaven found in Turkey (Olympos)

After a freak snow storm and some really cold weather, we were really on the fence whether we shouold go south south to the mediteranean and visit Olympos. We had heard it was cool but we didnt really want to stay in a treehouse in the middle of winter, but in the end we went there anyway and boy were we happy. The town had very few visitors, but we stayed at a bungalow place that rocked. Meral, see picture below:

is a super star host. I wanted to cook Turkish food and we cooked every night. Our bungalow was in an orange grove and the oranges were in full bloom. The average Turk drinks more than 8 cups of tea a day and was out to fit in with them. Ethan on the other hand wanted to match the tea with oranges and consumed more oranges than was thought humanly possible.

We met a really cool guy (Udof) who lives in Berlin and gave us great info and we promised to meet him for coffee when we get there. The second evening Ethan and Udof went ot see the Chimera fire Flames that never extinguish. They have been that way for centuries and pirates were known to use them to find the cove. Ethan blew one out and it mysteriously relit itself as was expected. I stayed and cooked with Meral.

Chimera Flames!

The last night Meral treated us to Raki (Polish anise flavored liquer) and we would up spending an extra night there. We had amazing fish for dinner. The food there was the best we had in all of Turkey. I also went mushroom hunting on the mountain with Meral. Ethan swam in the Mediteranean Sea! Yup, it was cold but he did it. We also hiked around the area and saw the ruins too. It was our favorite time thus far in Turkey.

Just a short walk from our bungalow.

King of the Mountain!

Pamukkale and Hieropolis





In Pamukkale, most visitors go for the calcium pools, like the picture:


They were very interesting, but not beautiful like the pictures of them in the brochure guide. Instead of crystal clear water and people lounging around in bikinis, we found murky water being diverted to form new pools because the older ones were eroded. We took our shoes off and got our feet wet in the steamy water. It was an interesting natural phenomenon that had been over visited and they are trying now to preserve it a bit to keep the tourists coming. But the real beauty of the area is Hieropolis.

We spent the day behind them exploring the ancient city of Hieropolis pretending we were
archaeologists.

Sara leaning against an ancient pillar.

Ethan pretending to reassemble the ruins.

The town was like a ghost town and we had an alright dinner at our pension. The touts were strong to get us into one pension over the other and the bus was actually stopped short of town because a man that gave us a flyer in the previous city had called a woman to tell her we were on that bus. We got angry and wouldnt even look at that pension. One night we had excellent Turkish pizza.

Gallipoli and Selcuk.

We have spent the last few hours loading pictures to snapfish and are overinternetted so we dont have much time to blog but we will share a few pictures if you want more. But please visit snapfish for the full reports of all the pictures from Turkey.

Ephusus in Selcuk.

Ethan on the ancient throne (latrine) and Sara hugging the Turkey LP.

The theatre of Ephusus.

Istanbul, Turkey

So, we arrıved ın Turkey to cold wet weather. Mmmm, not so fun for us ısland people! We are stayıng ın a fun socıal hostel wıth lots of drınkıng last nıght. We ate lamb shısh and the local beer ıs good. We also met a current PCV from Moldovıa (sp?) and we talked a lot of Peace Corps lat nıght, makıng us home sıck. We are really startıng to mıss and wonder about our famılıes and frıends ın Samoa, so ıf by chance you are readıng thıs from Samoa...we mıss ıt there and you and everythıng about ıt. If you are leavıng soon, enjoy ıt because you too wıll mıss ıt once you leave. If you make ıt out to eıther of our vıllages, send our love and best wıshes and when we have tell them we wıll call when we have the means too (ie:$).

Anyway, we are enjoyıng the ancıent cıty. We lıstened to Muslım prayer at the mosque behınd the hostel last nıght and then agaın at 5AM. It woke us up, but I thınk we are both so used to prayer from Samoa that ıt was almost soothıng rather than shockıng. Tomorrow maybe we wont even wake up.

The streets are all cobblestone and the buıldıngs are all old, very old. Today, we saw the Sultan's Topkapi Castle and learned all about harem and how the sultans were not just royal prınces, but the rulers of the country. We got to see the old baths and harem hangouts and bedrooms and we also got to see the precıous stone collectıon. We saw a 86 karat diamond! I mean talk about heavy...who would wear such a thıng?

The Grand Bazaar was well, grand but pricey. we enjoyed walking around it but that was enough. No shopping until we get back to Istanbul.

Just outside the Grand Bazaar.

We took this walking back down to our hostel. Unfortunately we ran out of time and didnt get to go in but we here it is amazing and we'll just have to go back another time to Turkey to visit it and of course to buy a carpet.

The Blue Mosque. The Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I.

Spıce market which we never made it to, either...

AyaSofia was amazing. It was originally built in the first century as as a Greek Christian Church but during the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a Mosque and the amazing mosaics were simply covered over. There is years of restoration to be done, but as of now you can see the amazing use of the building both as a mosque and before that as a church.

The inside of AyaSofia.

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.