Hi all,
we have created a new blog for our cycle tour of the South Island. With a new name we thought was more suitable. Click below to go to it.
http://bikesandjandals.blogspot.com
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Cycling the Mainland.....
While we were away last year cycling around Asia and Europe we realised that we had neglected our own backyard. We were constantly meeting other travellers who raved about the South Island, and all we could do was nod and agree as both of us have only visited a couple of places in the South Island. So when we moved back to Auckland at the start of the year we made a pledge to ourselves that our next cycle tour would be the South Island.
So for most of the year, we were often distracted from our work by planning our forthcoming tour. We learnt alot about cycle touring on our last tour, both about equipment requirements and also the style we like to travel in. But things will be vastly different this time, travelling in our own country and being able to speak the language. Plus the unpredictable NZ weather!!
Nick has built up a new bike, a Surly Long Haul Trucker, a classic steel frame built specifically for touring (will post some photos soon....) and Nat still has her trusty Trek that we bought in Bangkok. We will be fully sulf sufficient, carrying all our camping gear and food and water as required. We plan to camp for the whole tour although this may be weather dependent, judging by the huge storms they had in Nelson last week with 30cm of rain in 24 hours!!!!
So after a year of planning we are about to catch the train down from Auckland to Wellington then start our cycle tour of the South Island. We plan to be cycling for about seven weeks, completing a loop of the South Island.
Keep posted for further entries!! Viva la velorution!!
So for most of the year, we were often distracted from our work by planning our forthcoming tour. We learnt alot about cycle touring on our last tour, both about equipment requirements and also the style we like to travel in. But things will be vastly different this time, travelling in our own country and being able to speak the language. Plus the unpredictable NZ weather!!
Nick has built up a new bike, a Surly Long Haul Trucker, a classic steel frame built specifically for touring (will post some photos soon....) and Nat still has her trusty Trek that we bought in Bangkok. We will be fully sulf sufficient, carrying all our camping gear and food and water as required. We plan to camp for the whole tour although this may be weather dependent, judging by the huge storms they had in Nelson last week with 30cm of rain in 24 hours!!!!
So after a year of planning we are about to catch the train down from Auckland to Wellington then start our cycle tour of the South Island. We plan to be cycling for about seven weeks, completing a loop of the South Island.
Keep posted for further entries!! Viva la velorution!!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Bon Voyage India (3rd - 5th Jan 08)
After 6 weeks in India the end has arrived.
We left the state of Rajasthan and caught an overnight train down to Mumbai, where we are due to fly out. The train ride was again a memorable journey. Spending a day and a night with the same people in a carriage, always turns out to be entertaining. This time we were in 3 tier Air Con sleepers, which is about 3rd down the ranking. The carriage consists of 3 levels of bunks in an open carriage which means there is a lot of socialising and this class usually attracts the Indian middle class. We were approached by a group of 5 kids from Mumbai aged 10-15 who were at first really shy and scared to talk to us. But once the conversations started they stayed with us the whole trip. After already having dinner before we got on the train, their parents forced us to eat another dinner and would not accept no for an answer. We chatted to the kids about everything, from maths riddles to weather my parents smoke, eat meat and drink. They were Jains, who are strict vegetarians who do not even eat garlic or onions!! But these kids where so smart and curious, asking us currencies of the world and recommending places for us to eat in Mumbai. As we approached Mumbai we had our photos taken with each of them, then their parents, and finally us. But it was a great experience.
We seem to be making a habit of arriving in the biggest city in each country at the end of our trip. This is good in a way as we realise that the rest of the country is not like it. And Mumbai is no exception. It is so much more wealthy than elsewhere but there is still the very poor living in the streets.
We stayed in Colaba and only had one night to stay. We spent our time wandering along the waterfront and doing some last minute shopping.
We had a fantastic but pricey lunch at Leopolds, the bar in Shantaram (its a book). That was fun finding out whether our imaginations were right, which they werent.
After a busy day and a half we caught a flight to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, our repeat city and favourite country. We have 3 days here before flying to Sydney then back home.
Overall we have loved India. There is just so much to the country, that it is hard to put it into words as to why we love it. There are also many things that were pretty horrible about India, such as people visibly shitting along the road, or cows blocking up the sides of the road, or the horrible pollution in most cities, or the touts that hassle you to death. But every country has its negatives, and India is definately a country that it is worth putting up with all the crap to be able to appreciate all the many wonderful aspects.
We left the state of Rajasthan and caught an overnight train down to Mumbai, where we are due to fly out. The train ride was again a memorable journey. Spending a day and a night with the same people in a carriage, always turns out to be entertaining. This time we were in 3 tier Air Con sleepers, which is about 3rd down the ranking. The carriage consists of 3 levels of bunks in an open carriage which means there is a lot of socialising and this class usually attracts the Indian middle class. We were approached by a group of 5 kids from Mumbai aged 10-15 who were at first really shy and scared to talk to us. But once the conversations started they stayed with us the whole trip. After already having dinner before we got on the train, their parents forced us to eat another dinner and would not accept no for an answer. We chatted to the kids about everything, from maths riddles to weather my parents smoke, eat meat and drink. They were Jains, who are strict vegetarians who do not even eat garlic or onions!! But these kids where so smart and curious, asking us currencies of the world and recommending places for us to eat in Mumbai. As we approached Mumbai we had our photos taken with each of them, then their parents, and finally us. But it was a great experience.
We seem to be making a habit of arriving in the biggest city in each country at the end of our trip. This is good in a way as we realise that the rest of the country is not like it. And Mumbai is no exception. It is so much more wealthy than elsewhere but there is still the very poor living in the streets.
We stayed in Colaba and only had one night to stay. We spent our time wandering along the waterfront and doing some last minute shopping.
We had a fantastic but pricey lunch at Leopolds, the bar in Shantaram (its a book). That was fun finding out whether our imaginations were right, which they werent.
After a busy day and a half we caught a flight to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, our repeat city and favourite country. We have 3 days here before flying to Sydney then back home.
Overall we have loved India. There is just so much to the country, that it is hard to put it into words as to why we love it. There are also many things that were pretty horrible about India, such as people visibly shitting along the road, or cows blocking up the sides of the road, or the horrible pollution in most cities, or the touts that hassle you to death. But every country has its negatives, and India is definately a country that it is worth putting up with all the crap to be able to appreciate all the many wonderful aspects.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Jaisalmer & our New Years Camel Safari (27th Dec 07 - 1st Jan 08)
The Indian Thar Desert was quite a mission to get to, as it is situated in the NW near the Pakistan border, but it was well worth it. The landscape was like no other we have seen in India and it reminded us of our time in Mongolia.
We spent a few days in the town of Jaisalmer, wandering around the beautiful sandstone buildings and the fort. There was so much stunning architecture here and also fantastic shopping. So as we only have a week left in India we spent up large with Indian handicrafts to decorate our house back in NZ.
Beautiful handmade bedspreads on sale in Jaisalmer
We were still with Tahlia in Jaisalmer so it was great exploring with her, and eating the most we can of the set Indian meals called Thali. We are now counting down our time so we are trying to get as much of our favourites as we can.
We did a day trip in a Jeep out to some beautiful temples and royal graveyards, and then watched a stunning sunset across the sand dunes. Despite the other thousand or so Indian tourists there, there is nothing quite like a sunset behind undulating sand dunes.
Nick, Tahlia & Nat (dressed like a desert woman)
Jaisalmer is one of the popular starting points to do a Camel Safari. There are many long tours organised but we only had time for a 2 day and 1 night tour. So we signed up with the infamous Mr Desert safari and set on our way for the trip. We timed the Safari so that we slept in the desert for New Years Eve. We thought this would be an unforgetable way to see the turn of the year. And it was beautiful.
After spending a few hours in the morning riding the hard camel seat, we stopped under some shady trees for lunch to be cooked. Then we had a few more hours in the afternoon riding through the desert on the camel. The scenery was stunning, and it was great to be out enjoying the Indian landscape. Then we stopped and watch the last sun set of 2007 before we set up camp on some isolated dunes. There were about 10 people in our group, so it was nice to have some people around to chat to on New Years.
Nat on the camel safari
Then we slept on mattresses and tonnes of blankets under a sky full of stars. It was suprisingly cold out in the desert, so we had pretty much all our clothing on during the night. But it was a fantastic experience, and highly recommended to anyone who comes to India.
Nat & Nick setting off the next morning
We spent a few days in the town of Jaisalmer, wandering around the beautiful sandstone buildings and the fort. There was so much stunning architecture here and also fantastic shopping. So as we only have a week left in India we spent up large with Indian handicrafts to decorate our house back in NZ.
Beautiful handmade bedspreads on sale in Jaisalmer
We were still with Tahlia in Jaisalmer so it was great exploring with her, and eating the most we can of the set Indian meals called Thali. We are now counting down our time so we are trying to get as much of our favourites as we can.
We did a day trip in a Jeep out to some beautiful temples and royal graveyards, and then watched a stunning sunset across the sand dunes. Despite the other thousand or so Indian tourists there, there is nothing quite like a sunset behind undulating sand dunes.
Nick, Tahlia & Nat (dressed like a desert woman)
Jaisalmer is one of the popular starting points to do a Camel Safari. There are many long tours organised but we only had time for a 2 day and 1 night tour. So we signed up with the infamous Mr Desert safari and set on our way for the trip. We timed the Safari so that we slept in the desert for New Years Eve. We thought this would be an unforgetable way to see the turn of the year. And it was beautiful.
After spending a few hours in the morning riding the hard camel seat, we stopped under some shady trees for lunch to be cooked. Then we had a few more hours in the afternoon riding through the desert on the camel. The scenery was stunning, and it was great to be out enjoying the Indian landscape. Then we stopped and watch the last sun set of 2007 before we set up camp on some isolated dunes. There were about 10 people in our group, so it was nice to have some people around to chat to on New Years.
Nat on the camel safari
Then we slept on mattresses and tonnes of blankets under a sky full of stars. It was suprisingly cold out in the desert, so we had pretty much all our clothing on during the night. But it was a fantastic experience, and highly recommended to anyone who comes to India.
Nat & Nick setting off the next morning
Magnificant Jain Temples (26th - 27th Dec 07)
We caught a typically bumpy bus north of Udaipur to a town called Ranakpur. Ranakpur is a tiny village that has a stunning Jain (a religion similar to hinduism) temple carved out of white marble. The whole temple has 1400 pillars, all carved with amazing detail.
Inside the Ranakpur Jain Temple
The detailed carving of the temple
We were told by our cooking teacher in Udaipur to try the temple food hall. This was a large dining hall with stainless steel tables and a set meal which cost 60cents. The food was traditional Jain - which is pure vegetarian and no onions or garlic as they are hot foods that interfer with emotions. The food was served by male waiters who would pile more on your plate as soon as you looked like you were getting low. Out back the women were cooking and nick got invited back to try and test his chapati (flat bread) rolling skills. This was one of the best meals we have had in India, and in a temple dining hall which was a unique experience.
Nat & Tahlia in Ranakpur
The scenery here was very similar to Queensland, with red parched rocky hills and abundent wildlife. The valley was a truly peaceful place and our cottages were set on a lake, so it was a beautiful spot for breakfast. Our eardrums received a well deserved rest after the chaotic noisy Indian cities.
Inside the Ranakpur Jain Temple
The detailed carving of the temple
We were told by our cooking teacher in Udaipur to try the temple food hall. This was a large dining hall with stainless steel tables and a set meal which cost 60cents. The food was traditional Jain - which is pure vegetarian and no onions or garlic as they are hot foods that interfer with emotions. The food was served by male waiters who would pile more on your plate as soon as you looked like you were getting low. Out back the women were cooking and nick got invited back to try and test his chapati (flat bread) rolling skills. This was one of the best meals we have had in India, and in a temple dining hall which was a unique experience.
Nat & Tahlia in Ranakpur
The scenery here was very similar to Queensland, with red parched rocky hills and abundent wildlife. The valley was a truly peaceful place and our cottages were set on a lake, so it was a beautiful spot for breakfast. Our eardrums received a well deserved rest after the chaotic noisy Indian cities.
Christmas in the Lake City of Udaipur (23rd - 26th Dec 07)
After getting a bit fed up with Jaipur we caught an overnight train to a city called Udaipur. This was just what we needed as we both really enjoyed Udaipur. The town is set on a lake with two amazing hotels on islands in the middle of the lake. We of course couldnt afford $500US a night, so we stayed on the mainland at a guesthouse with great views. Udaipur is famous for parts of the James Bond film Octopussy being filmed here. The locals overdo their claim to fame, with reruns of the film being played at every traveller restaurant each night.
Overlooking the lake at Udaipur
In Udaipur we met up with Tahlia, who is an Australian women we travelled around the south of India with. It is great to have a new travel companion, especially one that we both get along so well with. It will be the three of us, until we have to head back to Mumbai to catch our flight out.
So we were in Udaipur for Christmas day. This was a great place to be as there many restaurants situated on rooftops with stunning views. I thought it would be fun to organise an art class so that we painted our own Christmas cards on the day. They all turned out suprisingly professional, thanks to our teacher who did a few touch ups for us. But it was a fun experience, and will be something that we will keep as memorabilia.
Our Christmas day cooking course
We also organised a cooking course for our christmas dinner. This course was quite different to the one that we did in Southern India as it was much more professional with a more demonstration style, rather than the home-style one we did in the south. The dishes that we made were excellent and we learnt so much theory and background to Indian cooking, that hopefully we have greater knowledge to recreate the dishes in NZ. Then we ate what we cooked sitting on a rooftop with an amazing view across the lake. Overall it was a great laid-back day.
One of the fabulous dishes we made
So in Jaipur we were getting tired with India, but Udaipur restored all faith. From Udaipur we have a few exciting towns to visit, so we are looking forward to our remaining few weeks.
Overlooking the lake at Udaipur
In Udaipur we met up with Tahlia, who is an Australian women we travelled around the south of India with. It is great to have a new travel companion, especially one that we both get along so well with. It will be the three of us, until we have to head back to Mumbai to catch our flight out.
So we were in Udaipur for Christmas day. This was a great place to be as there many restaurants situated on rooftops with stunning views. I thought it would be fun to organise an art class so that we painted our own Christmas cards on the day. They all turned out suprisingly professional, thanks to our teacher who did a few touch ups for us. But it was a fun experience, and will be something that we will keep as memorabilia.
Our Christmas day cooking course
We also organised a cooking course for our christmas dinner. This course was quite different to the one that we did in Southern India as it was much more professional with a more demonstration style, rather than the home-style one we did in the south. The dishes that we made were excellent and we learnt so much theory and background to Indian cooking, that hopefully we have greater knowledge to recreate the dishes in NZ. Then we ate what we cooked sitting on a rooftop with an amazing view across the lake. Overall it was a great laid-back day.
One of the fabulous dishes we made
So in Jaipur we were getting tired with India, but Udaipur restored all faith. From Udaipur we have a few exciting towns to visit, so we are looking forward to our remaining few weeks.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Respiratory infections after 3 weeks in India (20th - 22nd Dec 07)
We have been spending a few days in the Rajasthani town called Jaipur.
We have both had a nasty cold for the last few weeks, which doesnt seem to be going away due to the pollution problems. So we are going through a bit of a despression about India, as it is hard to see all the positive things when our noses are pounding, and we are blowing out black stuff. Every time we leave our guesthouse there are horrible car fumes and dusk that is permantely around. Natalie has taken to wearing a head scarf and covering her face (looking like a Muslim women) just to filter out some of the dust. So now we are trying to arrange the remaining part of our trip that minimises our time in the larger cities. Yet this is hard as most of the great sights are in the larger cities.
In Indian towns there are two main means of getting around (other than walking). There are auto-rickshaws which are like the Thai tuk-tuks, and then there are cycle rickshaws. The auto ones are much faster, but after our little grumble about pollution we have since converted to the cycle ones. We feel a bit sorry for the poor man pulling us along on a rickety old bike without gears, but its a great environmentally friendly means to travel.
On the back of a rickshaw
(an autorickshaw ahead on the left, and a cycle rickshaw ahead on the right)
One thing that Jaipur is famous for is the Juntar Mantar, which is a type of observatory that has a collection of sun dials and other instruments that utilise shadows to pin-point the current time, suns position, longitute and latitude, etc. It dates back to the 18th century, so was pretty fascinating for the science-inclined tourist.
The largest sun-dial in the world
Jaipur is also known for its famous Hindu cinema. While we were in Jaipur we were told all about the latest releases of Bollywood movies. But unfortunately there were no English sub-titles so we decided not to go along. The cinema itself is also pretty famous for its lobby and exterior which looks a bit like a giant meringue.
A famous Hindu cinema
It is pretty amazing that today is the 22nd of December and Christmas is in 3 days. We have not seen a single christmas tree or heard a carol the whole time in India, and it has been fantastic. We both hate that pre-Christmas build up in New Zealand, along with all the stress associated with it, so we are glad we timed our return in the new year.
For those who are interested in our plans, Nat is coming back to Ak in mid-Jan, whereas Nick will be returning in mid-Feb as he has taken up a 1 month contract with his former employees in Aus (a way to replenish the funds after not working for a year).
We have both had a nasty cold for the last few weeks, which doesnt seem to be going away due to the pollution problems. So we are going through a bit of a despression about India, as it is hard to see all the positive things when our noses are pounding, and we are blowing out black stuff. Every time we leave our guesthouse there are horrible car fumes and dusk that is permantely around. Natalie has taken to wearing a head scarf and covering her face (looking like a Muslim women) just to filter out some of the dust. So now we are trying to arrange the remaining part of our trip that minimises our time in the larger cities. Yet this is hard as most of the great sights are in the larger cities.
In Indian towns there are two main means of getting around (other than walking). There are auto-rickshaws which are like the Thai tuk-tuks, and then there are cycle rickshaws. The auto ones are much faster, but after our little grumble about pollution we have since converted to the cycle ones. We feel a bit sorry for the poor man pulling us along on a rickety old bike without gears, but its a great environmentally friendly means to travel.
On the back of a rickshaw
(an autorickshaw ahead on the left, and a cycle rickshaw ahead on the right)
One thing that Jaipur is famous for is the Juntar Mantar, which is a type of observatory that has a collection of sun dials and other instruments that utilise shadows to pin-point the current time, suns position, longitute and latitude, etc. It dates back to the 18th century, so was pretty fascinating for the science-inclined tourist.
The largest sun-dial in the world
Jaipur is also known for its famous Hindu cinema. While we were in Jaipur we were told all about the latest releases of Bollywood movies. But unfortunately there were no English sub-titles so we decided not to go along. The cinema itself is also pretty famous for its lobby and exterior which looks a bit like a giant meringue.
A famous Hindu cinema
It is pretty amazing that today is the 22nd of December and Christmas is in 3 days. We have not seen a single christmas tree or heard a carol the whole time in India, and it has been fantastic. We both hate that pre-Christmas build up in New Zealand, along with all the stress associated with it, so we are glad we timed our return in the new year.
For those who are interested in our plans, Nat is coming back to Ak in mid-Jan, whereas Nick will be returning in mid-Feb as he has taken up a 1 month contract with his former employees in Aus (a way to replenish the funds after not working for a year).
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