Mae Sot, Umphang, Mae Sariang, Chiang Mai, Perhentian Island 9-13-12

   After renewing our visas in Mae Sot we decided to finish off our motor biking with a trip down to a town called Umphang via the "Death Highway". The highway originally got its name due to the guerrilla activity in the area that stalled the building of the highway in the 1980s. The name remains, however, because of its 1219 hairpin turns and steep inclines.
   We figured it would be a beautiful drive and our sore behinds would be rewarded with a visit to the largest waterfall in Thailand, which is located next to Umphang. Unfortunately, we had to endure six hours of pain in our backsides only to get to a town that was cute, but not worth it. We also didn't realize until we got to Umphang that the only way to see the waterfall was through an organized tour that cost around 100 dollars. Instead we hung around the town for a couple days and then made our way back along the 160 km of winding, steep roads towards Mae Sot.
   From Mae Sot we headed straight back to Chiang Mai, stopping in a quaint town on the Mae Nam Yuam River, called Mae Sariang.
   When we got back to Chiang Mai and went to return our motorbike we found out that the rental shop had been worried sick about the whereabouts of our motorbike. The man we rented from was very nice, but a little spacey and he let us take off without putting any money down. Luckily, they were very understanding and were glad that we were okay and the bike was in one piece.
   At this point Brian and I decided to make some changes to our itinerary. Originally, we had planned to head back into the southern partof Laos for a week to motorbike up the Bolaven Plateau, but decided we were motorbiked out and thought we should check out a new country. So we packed up, hopped on a train and headed straight south to Malaysia.
   It took us 3 days of traveling via train, bus and boat to reach our final destination, the Perhentian Islands, but it was totally worth the trip.
   The islands are located off the east coast of Malaysia in the South China Sea. We chose to stay at the smaller, more backpacker friendly island, called Kecil. Our first week we stayed on a small, secluded beach at a hostel called D'Lagoon. It was very relaxing, but unfortunately I came down with a fever for the first 3 days and got severely sunburned on my chest. Basically, I had to cower in the shade the entire 12 days while Brian basked his bronze body in the sun. To make things worse, after my fever came down, I developed a debilitating canker sore on my tongue, I kid you not, and could barely eat for the next 7 days on the island. However, it was still a very beautiful place and I got plenty of relaxation.
   There are no roads on the islands so you have to take a boat or hike to other beaches, which is pretty cool. Once you get away from the main beaches it is very easy to find a deserted beach completely to yourself.
   We got to do plenty of snorkeling as well, which was excellent. We saw cuddle fish, reef sharks, parrot fish (very colorful) , lion fish, etc. we were bummed that we didn't see any turtles, but it was mainly because we were too cheap to do a snorkel trip through our hostel where you are pretty much guaranteed to see them. We also heard that people spotted a whale shark off the coast of D'Lagoon (of course, after we had already left and switched to a different beach).
   One of the days we were snorkeling we came across a very aggressive fish that looked like it wanted to attack us. When we swatted at it, it became even more aggressive. I freaked out and quickly swam to shore. Brian kept telling me to relax because it was a very small, skinny fish with a flat head and probably couldn't do much damage to us, but you never know. Anyways, I guess after I swam away Brian watched the fish take off after me. He was sure it was going to bite me and we watching for my reaction. Luckily, I returned to shore unharmed. However, I noticed a couple of minutes later that Brian was swimming quickly to shore and freaking out a bit in the water. I guess the fish had given up on me and turned to him. We were a little perturbed, having never seen a small fish act so agressively and decided to go to the dive shop and look up the fish. After searching for a few minutes we discovered that our predator was a shark sucker and completely harmless. All it wanted to do was attach itself to us and suck our skin. I'm pretty sure they don't even have teeth. We were slightly embarrassed, but I had to laugh thinking of Brian struggling in the water with a harmless fish after yelling at me for "overreacting".
   Besides our experience with the aggressive sucker fish we had a very relaxing time on the islands for 12 days. Now we are back on the train headed to Bangkok where we will be meeting up with my Dad and my sister. I am very excited!

August 19, 2012 Pakbeng, Huay Xai, Chiang Kong, Phaya Meng Rai, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Pai, Mae Hong Son, Mae Chaem, Chiang Mai, Lampang

    Our bike ride to Pak Beng was a wet one. The rain was coming down hard and all we had for protection were some small raincoats to cover our torsos. Towards the end of the ride, Cat received a phone call (which is always an exciting event) so we huddled under an overhanging tree on the side of the highway while she took the call.
    Pak Beng was a quaint border town. It's situated on the eastern shore of the Mekong River which acts as the border between much of Thailand and Laos. But since there isn't a border crossing at Pak Beng we had to spend the night and take a ten hour boat ride up the Mekong to the Laos border town of Huay Xai where we would be able to cross the following day.
    The boat ended up being far more comfortable than prior experiences. There was loads of room aboard and we sat in the kind of removable seats you find in old minivans and suburbans. Pure luxury. Even so, ten ours on a boat is a very long time.
    Huay Xai wasn't anything special but because of the border crossing hours, we had to stay the night and cross the next day.
    Crossing the river to Chiang Kong in Thailand was incredibly quick and painless. We were so excited to be in Thailand and all I could think of was laying my hands on the first plate of Phad Thai I found.
    After a short spell of tinkering with my ever fickle bike, we set off for the relatively short ride to Phaya Meng Rai (only about fifty km). We were immediately aware of the change from Laos roads to Thai roads. After the potholed and muddy roads of Laos, the roads in Thailand seemed immaculate. Not only that, but there were no hills so we could make excellent time (that day we averaged about 23 km/hr compared to Laos where we averaged about 8-12 km/hr).
    The day was a hot one and when we arrived in PMR, we realized we'd forgotten to applysunscreen. This just turned our bike shorts tans and farmer's tans into burns. That night we weren't able to make it into town for dinner because of an intense lightning storm so we ate some mediocre take out brought by the hostel owners.
    The next day on our way to Chiang Rai, we stopped for breakfast to enjoy our first true Thai meal. And so began Cat's love affair with noodle soup (called gooay deeo in Thai). When they first served it, I was thinking it looked awfully similar to the medicre Vietnamese pho and the slightly less mediocre Laos foe. I couldn't have been more wrong. The noodle soups in Thailand are so much more flavourful, with their myriad ingredients and complex broths. You also have a wide variety of toppings you can add at your table, like garlic, peppers and peanuts. Feeling appropriately rejuvenated, we easily covered the distance to Chiang Rai.
    During the ride we couldn't help commenting on how different Thailand felt compared to Laos. There's a lot more money in Thailand which is apparent everywhere you look. There's also a much larger importance placed on education. In Laos, we saw a couple of run down schools along our rides but they were always empty and abandoned. Consequently the towns and villages would be practically overrun with kids (Laos is a very young country). In stark contrast, we were astounded at how many Thai schools we passed in those first two days. The schools were very nicely kept with mowed soccer fields and taut volleyball nets. Each school was in session as well.
    After a month in cycling through rural Laos, Chiang Rai's 60,000 people felt like a metropolis. We got a nice room at a hostel in the backpacker section and headed out for a bite. There are a fair amount of westerners in Chiang Rai because it acts as a gateway to the northernmost provinces.
    After much debate, we decided to sell our bikes in Chiang Rai and continue on motorbike having biked about 400 miles across Laos and northern Thailand. Let me add here that we have not once looked back on that decision.
    We decided to wait until Chiang Mai to rent the bike because we knew we'd have to return it and we didn't want to be forced to commute the full length of Thailand back up to Chiang Rai when we finished. We spent a couple days in CR enjoying the delicious food, catching up on lost sleep and letting our bruised butts heal.
    Chiang Mai is a great city and definitely a must see in northern Thailand. It's fairly large with a population of about 120,000. Due in part to the large university and and pervading backpacker scene, the city has a very young feel and there are lots of different things to do for entertainment. It also has a great selection of restaurants exhibiting foods from Thailand and all over the world.
    We stayed in a section known as the Old City. It's a perfect square with sides of perhaps one km or so. In the past it was completely walled in and surrounded by a moat. Nowadays, almost all of the wall is gone except for the front gate and a couple sporadic ruins. The moat remains though, making the Old City feel like an island within the larger city.
    There's a large backpacker section in the eastern part of the Old City with many affordable hostels and a plethra of restaurants. After finding a lovely place to stay, our first order of business was to procure a motor bike.
   In SE Asia, the motorbike is supreme. It is absolutely ubiquitous and you come across them more than any other form of vehicular travel (except maybe bicycles). You can get bikes of different makes but by far the most common are Honda bikes. After talking with several different shops Cat and I decided to rent the Honda Dream, a 125 cc semiautomatic scooter "hybrid". Her name is the black mamba (formerly known as the black dream). We were ready to set off on the next stage of our trip.
    We spent a couple of days in Chiang MAi, trying different restaurants, sleeping in and of course visiting the local night market. This was our favorite market up to this point. We filled up on all sorts of local foods and sweets. Since everything is sold in such small quantities it's possible to try many different foods. We each had our first (and so far only) experience eating fried crickets. We decided they weren't that bad, tasting like most anything that's fried and crunchy.
    After a couple wobbly days biking around Chiang Mai, I improbed drastically and we decided to head out on a 600 km loop of the area surrounding Chiang Mai.
    Our first day took us about 70 km west to the "hippie" town of Pai (pronounced bye). The drive was gorgeous and very mountainous. I couldn't have imagined trying to bring an automatic bike on those roads. There were several roads that were probably close to a 15% grade and we had the bike in first gear screaming up the hill.
    Pai was a fun and laid back town. There was a very definitive backpacker and expat vibe but we also came across many dreadlocked locals who were just as into the lifestyle. A Thai Jack Sparrow we saw at the market comes to mind. It was in Pai that we received our first Thai massage and became addicted. We've had about one a day since. The massage costs ony $5 for an hour and is very good. The little Thai ladies are a lot stronger than they look.
    On our way back to Chiang Mai, we stopped for a night in the border town of Mae Hong Son and then on to Mae Chaem where we stayed at a dirt-cheap resort with a top quality swimming pool. The roads on these days got increasingly mountainous and winding and our butts got more and more tender.
    We returned to Chiang Mai for one night to get the bike checked on before heading south towards Lampang. While in town, we decided to get another massage and read in the Lonely Planet book about a center that employed only blind masseuses. We though that their lost sight would have finely tuned their sense of touch so that the massage would be unparalleled. We were quite wrong. It turned out the massueses were not very into their work and definitely had no real training. The man working on me was continuously belching and picking his nose (2 knuckles deep I might add) before wiping it on the bed as if I couldn't see him. When he started his practice, he literally just leaned heavily on me and randomly changed positions along my body. It was all rather ridiculous and I glanced over at Cat to see her masseuse talking on his cell phone with one hand while poking her with his other. Oh well it was definitely worth a good laugh afterwards.
    For the trip to Lampang, we had to drive on a major highway which wasn't pleasant because of the concrete scenery and the innumerable trucks whizzing past us. Luckily there is an especially wide shoulder designed for bikers such as ourselves.
    Along the way we decided to stop at the Lampang Elephant Conservation camp. We were a little put off at first when the entire museum turned out to be in Thai. The tour got much bettter though when we got to meet the elephants. The trainers were taking them all down to the pond for bathing and they stopped to let us interact with them. We took turns posing with a smaller one and playing with her trunk.
    Afterwards, the trainers and elephants put on a show exhibiting the elephants' impressive intelligence. They are incredibly trainable and could do all sorts of tricks most impressive of which was to paint convincing portraits of themselves (I am not kidding)! Afterwards Cat tried to calmly pose while feeding one of the elephants but it kept ripping the food out of her hand before we could get a picture. It was good fun.
    In Lampang we visited another colorful night market and got pampered at the massage parlor again (I'm getting way too used to this!).
    The next day we headed farther south to the city of Sukhotai. Outside of the town is the national park containing an expansive area of ruined wats from the ancient Sukhotai Kingdom. Lasting for around 200 years, Sukhotai was once the capital of all Siam (present day Thailand). We spent the whole day motoring around the site from wat to wat under the brutal Thai sun. Some of the wats were truly impressive, expecially the Khmer style ruins.
    Our next stop was Mae Sot where we are now. It's right on the border of Burma. Since we arrived in Thailand by land, we only receoved a fifteen day visa so we're going to exit into Burma tomorrow and reenter to get another visa. Mae Sot has a huge population of Burmese people and the blend of culture is very apparent when walking through the main market place. For dinner we ate at a local Burmese restaurant where the owner admitted to fleeing Burma in 1988 and participating in revolutionary groups for the next 23 years. He explained how tense the situation remains.
    After we cross back into Thailand, we plan on biking a little farther south to the rural Karen village of Um Phang. It's supposed to be beautiful with many waterfalls including the biggest in all of Thailand. Stay tuned...

August 6, 2012 phonsavan, phou khoun, kiou kacham, luang prabang, nong kiaw, muang ngoi, pakmong, oudomsay, muong beng, muong houn

    After our quick detour at the Plain of Jars, we headed back to Route 13 (the main road from Vientiane through Luang Prabang) via bus. We were dropped off in the middle of the night at the small junction town of Phou Khoun in the pouring cold rain. We had no idea where to stay and while I stood shivering in a small shack, Brian ran around the town looking for a guest house. We finally found a decent one and settled in for the night. Unfortunately we were stuck eating foe (pronounced fuh) for dinner which had been our meal for breakfast and lunch. Many times restaurants only serve foe, rice noodle soup with some mystery meat and your occasional ant. Brian and I have learned to love it (when we are starving while biking) and hate it so much!
    The next morning we started our two day journey by bike to Luang Prabang. The day started out misty and it was drizzling, but after ten km of downhill we escaped the mountain haze. The downhill is always incredible, but it is usually followed by Uphill and those are the moments when I regret buying the bikes. However, at the end of the day we definitely feel proud of ourselves!
    We had a short day of only 25 km from Phgou Khoun to a small village called Kioukacham. Halfway through, I was ready to give up when two old ladys came up to us and gave us two cucumbers with big smiles on their faces. This definitely brightened my day seeing people who had so little being so generous to complete strangers.
    When we finally made it to our guest house our bikes were coverfed in mud (there are a lot of areas of the road that have been destroyed by landslides).
    The next day we had 80 km until we reached the city of Luang Prabang and the majorit was uphill.
    Luckly we made a stop at a waterfall on the way which was amazing. The water was torquoise blue and there were many tiers of waterfalls and pools where you could swim! We didn't know this before and had left our bathing suits with our bikes at the boat launch (you have to take a boat to get there). We were so hot that we jumped in in our biking clothes. We even got to see elephants forced to swim with the tourists riding them.
    Eventually we made it to the beautiful quiet "city" (only 70,000 people live there) of Luang Prabang. Here we relaxed for a few days while Brian learned how to fix the gears on our bikes (which were an absolute pain in the ass) through the most versatile teacher ever... youtube. Surprisingly he did a great job on my bike, but his is still quite finicky.
    The backpackers section of Luang Prabang has a very Euopean feel to it. It's on the Mekong River and has multiple temples to visit. Our favorite thing was to get up at dawn and watch the procession  of saffron clad monks collect alms (sticky rice) from pious locals. It would have been ever morespecial if there weren't so many tourists snapping photos during it. We felt a little bad adding to the crowd, but it seems the monks have become accustomed to the paparazzi.
    After much debate we decided to take another detour from our cycling and head to the small river villages of Nong Kiaw and Muong Ngoi. At first we were planning on taking a seven hour boat ride up the Nam Ou River to get to the first town of Nong Kiaw, but the n we realized that a bus would be half the price and half the time.
    Nong Kiaw was beautiful. It is situated on the Nam Ou River and we thought it was what Vang Vieng would have been like before the partiers took it over. From Nong Kiaw we took a two hour boat ride to Muong Ngoi. The only way to access this roadless village is by boat so we expected it to not be very touristy. Unfortunately, every other tourist thought the same and the small village was full of westerners.
    However, we ended up having a great time and met a really cool couple from French Canada! The only downside to our visit was our decisionto hike to a nearby waterfall. Everyone had warned us about the mud and the leeches, but we were strong willed. We ended up hiking in ankle deep mud for 45 minutes and reaching a small pool of water with a very underwhelming stream of water coming off some rocks. I decided to take a dip since we hiked all the way and destroyed our shoes. When removing our sneakers we realized that leeches were a lot smaller than we thought and had made their way onto our feet. At this point we decided to turn around.
    We were very disappointed that we had paid for a boat to drive us up river for the hike and angry that our guesthouse had advertised it. Although the owner did advise us to take a guide. When we returned he looked quite shocked that we were back so quickly and asked if we had made it to the waterfall. We told him yes and explained our experience. He then said, "So you didn't make it to the limestone cliff with the 20 meter waterfall and the large body of water?" At this we looked at each other and were even more disappointed. We definitely should have takedn a guide. We probably had made it almost the whole way to the falls and turned around right before we got to it!
    The next day we headed back to Nong Kiaw on the boat and started the next leg of our journey towards Oudomsay. Another junction town near the border of China where there is a lot of Chinese influence.
    It took us two days to cycle the 110 km. I had read mixed reviews on the town, but we heard that the best restaurant in all of Laos resided there. The town ended up being our least favorite place in all of Laos. People were very rude and unfriendly (very different from everywhere else in Laos). The hotel we stayed at made us pay when we checked in and we then discovered hundreds of little fleas covering the bed spread. When I told the guy at the front desk he just shrugged refused to change the sheets. Lets just say I had a moment and threw a little temper tantrum. Brian was slightly embarassed by my actions to say the least. But somehow it worked as the terrified Laos man brought in a new sheet. The restaurant we were told was amazing was mediocre and all in all it was a bad experience.
    At the present moment we are on our way to Pak Beng where we will take a day boat to the border of Northern Tailand.
    It will take us three days in total and we are currently on our second leg after biking 100 km from Oudomsay. I was very happy to leave the town and even just outside of the city limits, the people were so much more friendly.
    Everywhere we go children in the small villages always yell falang falang (which means white person) and start running when they see us coming on our bikes. They always are smiling and waving and they love it when we slap them five while biking by. It is very cute and always puts a smile on our faces, even when we're exhausted from biking.
    Our first stop was in a small village with only one guesthouse called Muong Beng. We were famished when we arrived and began hunting for food (not literally). We finally found the only place in town serving foe, of course, with the added protein of ants and flys. I tried to eat as much as I could, but mainly just pushed everything around in my bowl and dropped things into Brian's when he wasn't looking.
    Lucky for us this restaurant was also a Karaoke bar. Karaoke is HUGE in SE Asia. The owner was very friendly and forcibly coerced us to partake by shoving the mic in Brian's hand (his first karaoke experience) and randomly putting on an english song, which happened to be, John Denver's Country Road, Take Me Home. This would have been somewhat normal if it weren't for the video that went along with the song, which was a bunch of white female strippers in American flag shirts. I kept wondering what they must think of our culture. The women in the bar looked horrified and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically.
    Anyways we ended up staying at the bar into the night. The owner who spoke no English treated us to many a  beerlaos and we continued to sing every English song they had on  the machine. It was one of our favorite nights thus far.

July 26, 2012 Into Laos (Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Plain of Jars)

    Our last experience with the Vietnamese was getting severely overcharged for our bus ride over the border into Laos. We thought we had agreed on a price before we boarded the bus, but found out that they wanted an extra 210 bucks. This was very typical of the Vietnamese (especially on the buses) and we had read a few horror stories about tourists getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere when they refused to pay the extra charge.
   After arguing with the entire bus for about 20 minutes, (no one spoke English on the bus) we finally convinced then that we didn't have any money, which was kind of true (we had been lucky there was an ATM at the border to pay for our visas). Then after driving a few miles after crossing into Laos they stopped the bus and told us we were at our destination. Brian was positive that it was not since no one else was getting off the bus and thought they we deserting us because we refused to pay the extra money. However, once we got off we found that we were actually in the right place, a little border town called Lak Sao.
   We immediately felt a totally different attitude in Laos. The people were much more laid back. It is crazy that two countries can be so close together and yet have such different demeanors.
   We found that many times the Vietnamese were pushy and loud and many times tried to rip you off (keep in mind the majority of places we visited were on the tourist route and these were our experiences with the people in these places). This definitely got old after awhile. We always had to ask "how Much?" before doing anything and sometimes they would pretend not to speak English in order to rip you off. We finally learned how to say "how much" in Vietnamese ("baw neo"), but couldn't say much else because the language is totally based on tones and it is almost impossible to pronounce anything correctly.
   Another note on Vietnam... I would suggest not to take an "Open Tour Bus" as a means of transportation in Vietnam. When we first arrived it seemed like a great idea because we heard it is the cheapest and best way to travel around, but this is not exactly true. You can definitely take a hard seat train for cheaper, although it may be more uncomfortable. The sleeper trains would be the best way if you're looking for comfort. The sleeper buses are just plain bad. They pack way too many people in them and, as a Westerner, you barely fit in the seat. Also everyone on the buses are predominantly Western and it makes you feel like you aren't even traveling in Vietnam. They all went to the same placed and you saw the same tourists everywhere! It felt very contrived.
   I think if we could do it again we would do it by motorbike and go to the less touristy parts of Vietnam where it feels a little more real. All in all Vietnam was a beautiful country, but we could have picked a more original way to tour through it.
   Anyways, after arriving in Lak Sao, Laos we found a local bus to bring us to Vientiane where we would being our bike journey.
   Side note: Because we are restricted by time, we have to throw our bikes on top of buses and sawngthaews (basically a pickup truck with seats and a cover over the bed) a few times in order to see everything we want to see.
   Vientiane was a beautiful city. It is the capital of Laos, but it is very quiet and laid back for a city (the population is only around 200,000). There is a lot of French influence throughout Laos, especially in Vientiane. Signs were in French, Laos and English and the city is well known for its baguettes and pastries (they were very good!).
   We decided to test out our new bikes by doing a cycle tour of the city. We saw tons of wats (Buddhist temples) which are scattered throughout the city, along with a visit to the Patuxai, a monument in the center of Vientiane that is modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in France. The city is on the Mekong and you can actually see Thailand right across the river.
   After a couple days sightseeings in Vientiane we started the first leg of our biking adventure. We weren't exactly in shape for the endeavor and it turned out to be pretty exhausting, but somehow we ended up doing around 100 KM (70 miles) and finished in a small villages called Thinkeo. The views during the ride were incredible. We went through many small farming villages (mainly rice farms) and up through mountains (I was trying to enjoy the scenery through the burning in my legs). Everywhere we went people were always smiling and saying "sabai di!" (hellos in Lao).
   Everything seemed to be going well with our bikes until Brian's gears started to act up and he was not able to switch into low gears on the hills.
   The next day we decided to bike only a short distance and take a sawngthaew to our next destination in Van Vieng (wehre we hoped someone could fix Brian's bike).
   Vang Vieng was a very interesting place. Originally known for its cave and outdoor activities, it has recently become a tourist hub for partying. The second we arrived we were very aware of this fact. Most tourists rent tubes for the day and drive up the river to the drop off point where they proceed to float down the river and get wasted and then do it again all day. The town is also perfectly set up for your hangover the next day with every restaurant either playing "Family Guy" or "Friends" on full blast. people can actually lay down while watching and eating.
    At first, Brian and I thought tubing sounded appealing, but it ended up raining both days we were there and everyone seemed to be off the river and watching TV in the restaurants instead. We decided biking to a nearby cave was a better option. We ended up bike a few kilometers and then hiking a small distance into a dark cave with a statue of Buddha laying in the middle surrounded by incense and different alms. It was very peaceful. Afterwards we even got to swim in a turquoise blue lagoon at the foot of the cave with rope swings and all. All in all a pretty good day!
   Vang Vieng was beautiful, but the party scene definitely ruined it. It almost felt like tourists were going there to escape from the real Laos.
   The day we were supposed to start out ride up to Luang Prabang it was downpouring (we didn't take into account the fact that it was monsoon season when we bought our bikes) and we decided to change plans and take a bus to Phonsavan where we would see the mysterious Plain of Jars.
    It ended up ebig a 6 hour drive for only 15 minutes of looking a the jars, but they are definitely cool. It is literally a field full of large ancient jars that look like giant granite boulders from afar. The crazy thing is, is that no one knows what purpose they had or who built them. This was also the site where a lot of fighting between the US and Vietnam took place. Laos is actually the most bombed country in history, the majority of the bombing happening during the Vietnam War. They say that over 2,000,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Laos during the course of nine years.
    Today, there are countless UXOs (unexploded ordinances) scattered throughout the country that still kill or dismember people every year. Event the hostel we stayed at in Phonsavan used many UXOs as decoration, such as key chains, pots for plants and the pit for the fire. We read in our guide book that some hotels have UXOs on display that haven't been diffused, so we kept our distance.

July 25, 2012 Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Vinh

    Hoi An was a quaint little coastal town in central Vietnam. Previously colonized by the French, the colonial architecture and style is still very apparent. The first thing we did on arrival was to head to the tailor to get some clothes made. Cat got fitted for two dresses, one of which is to be her bridesmaids dress for Sara and Pat's wedding. I decided to get a couple of suits and was helped out by the minuscule, but fiery Bich (that was her name). Over the next few days we had to return for several more fittings and we also decided to get some nice leather shoes made at the cobbler next door.
    Hoi An had a great selection of food as well, our favorite which was Cau Lau (pronounced Gow Lao), a local specialty. It is a noodle dish with special wide noodles said to be made specifically with water from the local well.
    The Full Moon Festival coincided with our visit to Hoi An and it was a fun experience. No electric lighting or cars were allowed on the main street along side the river so the area was aglow from candles and paper lanterns. We sat by the river and watched the myriad of floating lanterns drift downstream.
    After a couple of days, we headed north along the coast for a short distance to the city of Hue. We spent the first day seeing some of the local sites, including the massive walled citadel built sometime in the 1800's. Many parts of the walled palace had been destroyed by the Vietnam War and is still being rebuilt. The outer wall encompassed some 10 KM and there were two walled areas within. It was quite impressive.
    We then set out on a day long journey to visit the newly discovered Phong Nha Paradise Cave. It's thought to be the largest dry cave in the world and visitors can explore the first 1 KM. Despite the long journey (8 hour round trip), the cave was incredible. There were stalactites and stalagmites of all types and sizes. The cave itself was massive.
    That night we took another horrible sleeper bus north to the capital city, Hanoi. Hanoi was a very enjoyable city and we were surprised by the relative order and cleanliness. The local food options were boundless and we tried many new foods and developed a couple favorites. Along with eel rolls, snail soup and grilled dog, we tried Xoi Yen, yellow sticky rice covered with savory toppings, and Bun Bo Nam Bo, a
bowl of noodles with beef, fried onions and a delicious, almost sweet, broth (this was Cat's favorite). We also had some of our favorite our favorite coffee in Vietnam in Hanoi, including coffee with beaten egg whites and our favorite, coffee with yogurt.
    Another amazing experience was the Bia Hoi culture. All over the city there are small Bia Hoi shops with dozens of laughably small plastic chairs and tables outside, selling Bia Hoi. Bia Hoi is a locally brewed beer that is served by the glass instead of the bottle. It is cold and refreshingly delicious and costs next to nothing (about $0.25 per glass). During our time in Hanoi we spent many enjoyable hours squeezed into a tiny chair sipping cold brew and watching the local life.
   There are endless things to do in Hanoi from Temples to museums, so we did our best. We visited the Museum of Fine Art, the National History Museum, the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, the Temple of Literature (Vietnam's first national university built in 1070 that is now a temple dedicated to Confucius), and, of course, Uncle Ho at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Of these we really enjoyed the prison and seeing the living conditions of the inmates. The prison was originally built by the French and they used it for years to detain "enemies of Imperialism". When they left the Viet Cong used it to imprison their enemies, including captured US pilots. They even put John McCains flight suit on display and pictures of him while he was held there.
   Our visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was interesting. It is free to go inside, but under very strict conditions. They literally march you in a single file line inside while armed and uniformed guards keep a close eye out to make sure you aren't wearing a hat or putting your hands in your pockets (one of the many rules). Inside, completely and utterly against his wishes, they have put revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on display for the public. You might picture a skeleton or something, but no, the Vietnamese have embalmed their former leader so that when you look into the glass case and see him peacefully lying there he could be sleeping. Supposedly he is shipped to Russia for a couple months every year for "repairs and Maintanence".
   Our next venture was to Cat Ba Island in the picturesque Lan Ha Bay, directly adjacent to the famous Ha Long Bay. After two buses, a boat and a third bus, we finally arrived in Cat Ba town, which turned out to be the Vietnamese version of the strip at Hampton Beach (NH). We had been hoping for a quite laid back town...
   The following day we decided to go check out the bay. Instead of the uber touristy tour boats we thought that renting a kayak would be fun and more relaxing. It turned out to be a big mistake. We spent the first couple of hours trying to make our way out of the maze-like harbor and into the bay. Once we finally got out into the bay, we found that the waves were larger than we anticipated. Already exhausted, we decided to make for the first deserted beach we saw which ended up being covered in trash and debris (including a used syringe). Totally burnt out (literally and figuratively) and very frustrated, we headed straight back to the harbor.
   The next day we opted to pay more and check out the bay the easy way. So we boarded an overcrowded tour boat and set out for our second day on the Bay (one day is probably enough). The scenery was incredible, with thousands of small islands of limestone (karsts) jutting out from the sea everywhere you looked.
    While on the cruise, we met a traveling duo from Aus and the UK who were touring Vietnam on motorbikes. Their trip sounded amazing and we became inspired to do something similar. We decided to ship home our bags and get a pair of hybrid mountain bikes. It took us several says in Hanoi to get everything we would need for the journey, but after a bit of stress and a lot of interrogation we finally settled on what seemed like sturdy bikes. Cat ended up getting an Asam (we think it's made in Taiwan, but not sure) and I got a Giant bike built for me by a local bikeshop (which ended up not being the most reliable place).
   We then headed to the Canvas and leather street of Hanoi (every street in Hanoi is dedicated to selling one thing. You will find entire streets with shoes and every store next to each other have the same exact things. We don't understand how they make money). On this street we found the perfect bags (panniers) for the back of our bikes. After a few adjustments and strapping a plank of wood on the back of the bike to hole the bag we were ready to go.
   Our next stop was to head back south before crossing the border into Laos. We stopped in a small town called Vinh where we felt much more welcome and less exploited than in other parts of Vietnam. People seemed genuinely friendly and you could tell that few tourists passed through.

Saturday 6/30/12 - From Nepal to South East Asia

    We spent ten days in the laid back town of Pokhara in central Nepal. Positioned on the south east shore of the large Phewa lake, Pokhara is a big destination town for foreigners and Nepalese tourists alike. The big things to do there are para glide over the lake and rent a boat and explore the lake. While we had neither the interest nor the budget for the former, we decided to rent a small paddle boat and spent the day relaxing on a pebbly beach on the far side of the lake.
    After several less than impressive experiences at local restaurants, we decided our favorite place to eat was the Moon Dance Cafe. We ate several meals there until we were forced to leave due to a couple overly aggressive cockroaches.
    While in Pokhara, Cat decided to embellish on her current tattoo and had the Nepalese protection mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum" inked in a circle around the eye. The new tattoo turned out very well and she is excited about it.
    After finishing the book Born to Run (which is excellent, READ IT!!!), I was convinced that Cat and I could go on a day long run to see some of the local sites. After about five km though, she informed me that it was slightly overzealous; I relented.
    After much relaxation (and a little boredom), we finally took the bus back to Kathmandu and flew to Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam.
    HCMC was a very pleasant surprise. We had heard that it would be overwhelming with so many people and scooters as well as overaggressive vendors. To our surprise, we found it to be very clean with the vendors being not too difficult. After India, it was a piece of cake. We started experimenting with the local cuisine but it wasn't very long before I had my first debilitating food illness of the trip.
    After a full night and day of recuperation, we headed on a tour to the Cao Dai temple followed by the Cu Chi tunnels. The temple is the biggest temple of the Cao Dai religion in all of south east Asia. The religion is very unique in that it blends the beliefs and deities from several major religions including Buddhism, Confucionism, Taoism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. The temple was very colorful and ornately decorated. We viewed a local prayer ceremony where some fifty parishioners, garbed all in white, kneeled in similar fashion to Islamic prayer.
    Next we headed to the historic Cu Chi tunnels. For those of you from my generation, these were a series of complex underground tunnels used by Vietnamese fighters and other villagers to escape from US bombing raids. Located about two hours north east of HCMC, the tunnels extend underground for some fifty km and are complete with rooms, booby traps, and three levels of tunnels. The most impressive part of the tour was seeing the many different types of booby traps inflicted on US forces.
    There were many different types, varying in complexity, but they all were very painful and very well designed. The majority included some swiveling contraption that was weight triggered and consequently would stab long steel poisonous barbs through specific parts of your body. The barbs were poisoned with cobra venom or when that was unattainable, the Viet Cong would use human fecal matter.
    There are sample tunnels left from the war that have been slightly widened for western tourists but even so it is a tight and uncomfortable fit.
    Next we stopped in the Mekong Delta, south east of HCMC, for a couple of days. We visited the towns of My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho. In Can Tho we got on a tour boat and floated amongst the largest floating market in the delta. There are copious amounts of boats selling and buying all sorts of produce; it's pretty impressive.
    We then booked an overnight sleeper bus ten hours north to the beach city of Nha Trang. There were fully reclining tiny little beds on the bus that would be perfectly comfortable for a a Hobbit but posed slight problems for Cat and I.
    In Nha Trang, I spent three days getting my Open Water Dive Certification while Cat snorkeled, sun bathed and picked up some of the local sites including a dilapidated aquarium set in a pirate ship and some impressive Champa ruins. Tonight we are taking another sleppless sleeper bus to Hoi An, where we will spend several days getting fitted for clothes, enjoying the local culinary experience, and taking in the supposedly beautiful and historic scenery. Cheers!

June 4, 2012 Flight from Lukla

    We flew out of the mountain town of Lukla today into Kathmandu. Many trekkers decide to start their treks here if they are on a time constraint or don't feel like doing the long 6 day hike from Jiri.
     Originally, Brian and I decided to hike in and out from Jiri because we heard that the airport in Lukla is one of the most dangerous airports in the world, but after the long and grueling hike from Jiri we decided to take a risk and fly.
    I was a little terrified when I spotted the runway. It is a small landing strip that literally drops off a cliff. I imagine landing would be frightening, considering the plane only has about 200 yards to land and brake before hitting a cement wall. Taking off was equally exciting because you have the same distance before you drop off a cliff face. 
    Before we arrived in Lukla we found out that people had been stranded for a week and a half waiting for the weather to clear and for flights to come in. Luckily, the weather cleared a couple days before we got there and we were able to take off on time.
    The day before our flight a Dutch couple informed us that a plane from Lukla had crashed a week before killing all 20 people on the flight. Supposedly a fog came in covering the tips of the peaks and the plane clipped one of them. 
   All in all the flight was okay, a little nauseating, but we are alive and that is what's most important.

May 31, 2012 Gokyo Ri

    Today we hiked up to Gokyo Ri, about a 2,000 foot vertical climb. We started out at around 4:45 AM in order to reach the top at sunrise. The view from the top was incredible. You could see Everest and all of the tallest mountains in the world surrounding you. Below, 3 of the 5 Sacred Lakes were visible from the top. All looked bright green in the morning sunlight.
    After taking some pictures of the view and a bunch of what we thought was Everest, we descended back to our lodge in Gokyo to take a nap. Later on that day we started looking at some of the pictures in the lodge of the Himalayas and realized that what we thought was Everest was actually a mountain called Cholatse (6501 meters). We were really embarrased because we had even told a young couple from the States that Cholatse was Everest. They were amazed that it was so close and started taking pictures.
    As I look through out photos now, I realize that Everest is much further in the distance and doesn't stick out like you think it would. As of now, we have a multitude of pictures with Cholatse as the focal point. I only noticed one picture in our slew of photos with Everest faintly in the background. Hopefully tomorrow we will get another chance to spot the real Everest and get some more pictures.
Side note: Luckily, we were able to get some pictures from another view point along the trail.

May 29, 2012 Gokyo

    We have finally made it to our final destination in Gokyo. Right now Brian and I are sipping tea outside our lodge basking in the sun at 15,500 feet. We are surrounded by the tallest mountains in the world and we are sitting at the foot of the Dudh Pokhari Lake, a lake which flows in the Dudh Kosi River which we have been following our whole trek. It is also one of the five Sacred Lakes. The lake is emerald green and almost looks surreal with enormous snow covered peaks surrounding it.
    During our 3 hour trek from the village of Machermo it took us 30 minutes before we realized that we were alongside Everest. Brian even took a few pictures of the peak without realizing it was the tallest mountain in he world.
    Once we discovered this we tried to see if we could spot any people summiting. Only four days ago we overheard a group of guys sitting at a table next to us in Namche saying that part of their Everest trekking group were summiting at that moment. May is supposedly the best month of the year to attempt the summit so we happened upon a few people who were coming down from the top. You could tell by the drastic sunglass tan on their faces or the slight frostbite on their cheeks that they had been high in the Himalayas.
    Brian and I have decided that we value our lives more than summiting a mountain and thus have agreed that people who do it are bordering on insane.
    During our hike we both read "Into Thin Air" (if you haven't read it, it's well worth it) about the 1996 Everest disaster. Based on this novel and two documentaries we watched in Namche it is obvious that you have to be willing to die to reach the top.
     One woman we met during the first part of our trek was on her way down from a failed Everest attempt at the summit. After sever altitude sickness, being told that she was too slow to make it to the top and the guide asking the group if they were willing to die in pursuit of the summit, she decided she wasn't cut out for Everest. 
    It appears hat the only qualification to partake in the climb is to pay 70,000 dollars. After that your body decides whether or not it can handle the lack of oxygen. On Everest, at about 29,000 feet, you are at the same altitude as a cruising commercial jetliner and the oxygen level is about one third the amount of oxygen at sea level. According to Jon Krakauer, the author of "Into Thin Air", if a person is flown up to the top of Everest and dropped off they would be able to enjoy the glory of being at the top of the world for a few minutes before they lost consciousness and died. Therefore the trekking groups attempting to summit have to spend weeks slowly acclimatizing. Going from Base Camp to Camp 1 then back down to Base Camp then up to Camp 2, etc until the weather seems good and they are ready to reach the top. Even then, after spending a couple months preparing  it is, in no way, guaranteed that your body will not succumb to HACE (cerebral edema) or HAPE (pulmonary edema). In fact, the majority of fatalities usually occur on the way down from the summit.
    One of the documentaries we watched in Namche, called "Sherpa", shed some light on the trek from the point of view of the Sherpas. Basically the Sherpas do all the work. They carry all of the trekkers' gear and get up early ahead of everyone to set the ropes for the climb. Many of the sherpas don't want to continue doing their line of work, but are forced to because of the money. In Nepalese standards, sherpas are paid well for each trek, but it is crap by US standards and many Sherpas die during the trek. The same woman we met who had given up on the attempt to the summit told us that one of the Sherpas on their trek died after falling during the ascent. This would be enough for me to turn around.
    When someone dies on the mountain, their body is left where they pass away because it is too difficult and dangerous to bring the body back down. During the 1996 expedition, Jon Krakauer talks about passing dead bodies on the way up. Another reason why I would turn around.
    Some people even try the attempt without oxygen in order to get the "ultimate high" on the top of the world. In the documentary  Sherpa  one of the trekkers was attempting the climb sans O.  He made it to the top, but on the way down became dellusional. The one Sherpa with him tried to give him o2 but in his delirium he ripped the mask apart. He then proceeded to ask everyone on the way down if they had an extra mask, but when his Sherpa tried to give him his own mask he refused. Finally two other Sherpas were able to meet them and give them Oxygen and the man seemed to convalesce. After descending a couple more hours, the Sherpa felt a tight yank on the rope almost sending him backwards. When he turned around to see why the man had yanked the rope he realized he was dead. 
    The same documentary shows that after some miscommunication between guides and Sherpas the Sherpas arrived at camp 2 to see that the trekkers had left a lot of their equipment behind. Thus, the Sherpas had to haul 26 kilos up to camp 4 compared to the original plan of 12. Another instance in which Sherpas carry way more than they should is portrayed in Into Thin Air when one member insisted on bringing her espresso machine and complete subscription to Vogue magazine. Of course, the Sherpas were left to carry all of it. Pretty disgusting.
    Anyways, I am happy to be sitting at my lodge staring up at the peaks above. I would much rather be warm and cozy than delirious and frostbitten at the top of the world.
     

May 25, 2012 Ringmo, Bupsa, Musey, Monjo, Namche

    We arrived yesterday in the bustling town of Namche Bazaar. It feels almost like a city compared to the small villages we have stopped in along the way.
    As we passed by the town of Lukla we noticed a large influx of tourists on the trails. Most trekkers fly into the town of Lukla before beginning their trek. This cuts off about 8 days of hiking. However, it is also known as one of the most dangerous airports (more like airstrip) in the world. Many times flights are delayed or cancelled due to precipitous changes in the weather and many planes have been known to crash by clipping tips of mountains. This is the main reason Briana and I decided to hike the extra 8 days and also because we have a 45 day visa which allows us to do so. However, due to a couple unplanned rest days on the way to Namche we have decided that it would be best to fly back to Kathmandu from Lukla. We have heard many wonderful things about the second largest city in Nepal called Pokhara and we want to make it back with enough time to relax for a week in this city.
    Tomorrow we head out to our final destination, Gokyo. Gokyo is at approximately 4,750 meters which is around 15,500 feet. It will take us around 4 days to hike there. Each day we will hike about 3 hours or less in order to slowly acclimatize to the high elevation. In Gokyo we plan to stay for 3 days in which we will hike t Gokyo Ri which is a 5,360 meters or 17,500 feet! On one of the days we also plan to hike to the Sacred Lakes, 5 lakes high in the Everest Region. During the Sacred Thread Festival in August hundreds of Nepalis make a pilgrimage to immerse themselves in the lakes. Brian and I are contemplating doing this, but I am afraid I might become hypothermic.
    Side Note: We did attempt to get into the 5th lake and immediately regretted our decision when we realized that it was A: freezing and B: the mud at the bottom was so slippery that we were afraid we wouldn't be able to get back out of the lake. We ended up stripping down and only getting in up to our knees.

May 19, 2012 Jiri, Shivalaya, Bandar, Sete, Junbesi, Ringmo

    After spending four days in Kathmandu tying up odds and ends we finally hopped on the 9 AM bus to Jiri, a village up in the mountains. The bus ride was exciting, to say the least. We wound up and down mountains and valleys picking up various people along the way. By the time we arrived in Jiri (10 hours later) we had accumulated enough people to fill the bus and the roof rack along with 20 huge bags of rice, which took up most of the aisle. We were very glad to get off when we finally arrived in Jiri. However, the ride did make us more and more excited for our trek because the views were amazing. Everywhere we looked we were surrounded by rolling green hills with terraces running up and down the sides. Each terrace was man made in order to provide the villages with adequate land to grow crops. The further we got away from the city the more beautiful the landscape became. We also noticed the culture changing as well from fast paced city life to rural Sherpa villages. We passed people with large baskets on their backs hauling crops up the mountain.
    It is incredible seeing people carry large loads like this on their backs. Many times during the hike we saw people carrying multiple large jugs of water up the trail and most of the weight is distributed on their head where a thick strap is placed to carry the loads. Sometimes they use small walking sticks (that resemble upside down mallets) that force them to bend over almost at a 90 degree angle. Occasionally they stop to res on the mallet, balancing their loads on the flat top. I feel bad every time I complain that my back or feet hurt while carrying only 40 pounds. Most of the time we get passed by people carrying what looks to be almost 100 plus pounds and usually the man or woman carrying it looks about 75. It's pretty incredible.
    So far we've made our way to a village called Ringmo (it has taken us 6 days) where we decided to take a rest day, mainly because we drank too much of the local beer called Chaang (it looks similar to pureed corn). We have also been drinking a lot of Raksi which is another local liquor. They call it Nepali whiskey, but it tastes more like bad rice wine and looks like water.
    The hike thus far has been very tiring. Each day we have spent anywhere from 7 to 9 hours hiking from village to village. The weather has been great though, which definitely helps. Most of the hikes have very steep ascents and descents and your feet feel like hell at the end of the day. Our average ascent is about 3,000 vertical feet a day and we have 40 pounds on our back. I have to say I've been pretty proud of myself so far!
    Although the hiking can be physically straining, the scenery makes up for it. Nepal is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. Almost all of the villages we have stopped in are only accessible by foot. Every material in the villages is either hauled in on foot or taken from the land. We have even seen men with multiple long 2 by 4s about 8 by 10 feet on their backs bringing them up the mountain to build new lodges. Unfortunately, during part of our hike we witnessed what the trekking industry has done to the land. Many people living in the mountains have begun housing and feeding trekkers as a main source of income and thus a large amount of deforestation has occurred in order to build lodges, heat food and water, etc. Our trekking guide book has been very adamant about trying to avoid places that use wood and gravitate more towards propane and solar energy. A few times we have even seen lodges using what looks like a reflective satellite dish to heat water in the sun. Brian and I have also strictly been using our UV water purifier for water. We have noticed that there is no form of trash pickup or recycling available in many of the villages so many lodges just dump their trash into  valleys or rivers. Therefor we are trying our hardest to "leave no trace".
    The food at many of the lodges is the same (lots of soups, rice and noodles) and we find ourselves fantasizing about food from home during our hikes. I've decided that I am going straight to New York Subs (in Bend, OR) when I get back and getting a turkey sub with cheese, mayo, lettuce and grilled onions. Brian has been craving a fat juicy cheeseburger. It's the little things in life.
   We have also discovered that Snickers are like gold here. All trekkers want them so lodges can charge almost 2 dollars a bar! But we are almost always willing to pay.

Kodai, Kerala, and Kathmandu

"What  you were is forever what you are."
    -Salman Rushdie

    The bus ride from the valley up to the hill stations was a very scenic one. There were large spanning views of the valley and the quiet little villages perched delicately on the steep terrain. Everywhere you looked you could see lush green terraces making their way up the hillside. But I was blind to the beauty as I clutched my gurgling stomach and popped Imodium like m&ms.
    According to zee Germans, the place to be was a small place outside Kodaikanal called Vattakanal. Having secured a taxi ride, we arrived in Vatta in the early evening. The first set of houses we visited were fully booked so we walked across the street to look at some of the rooms there. They were large and very nice but out of our price range. At this point we were getting very tired of lugging around our packs and the light was starting to fade.
    We decided to take the next house we looked at because the price was so good (and we had just walked up a brutal hill to get there). Now at about this time we realized the house had no running water and it was a lot more run down than we had originally thought. We started having second thoughts and asked the owners about any other options. They explained that there were some western tenants next door and we could simply move in with them when they got back. Still very unsure, the landlady offered to show Cat another option for the night which she later described to me as someones permanent residence. By this time it was dark out and we resigned ourselves to our current situation for the night. Later that evening the electricity cut out as well so we found ourselves in a scenario where we were paying someone to allow us to enjoy the comforts of camping. We told ourselves we would find a better place the next day and it would all be ok.
    It got worse as later that night Cat came down with food poisoning and was constantly fleeing to the bathroom to wretch. With that, the night from Hell reached its grisly climax.
    The next day we fled the house and Vattakanal and made straight for the modern comforts of Kodai. In Kodai we found a youth hostel that ended up being our favorite stay in India thus far. The hostel was perched at the top of a cliff with the most spectacular 180 degree view of the valley, thousands of feet below us. At 6500 feet, we were directly in the cloud line and they were constantly swallowing us only to spit us back out minutes later. It was absolutely incredible! For the following several days we relaxed in Kodai allowing the peace and quiet to wash away illness aches pains.
    For the first time in India we slept with blankets at night and the water was so pure and cold. We were visited every day by some wild bison that lived in the area. The males were massive, towering to my height and perhaps weighing 1500 to 2000 pounds. They were constantly walking up the terraces to our hostel and pacing the pathways around our rooms.
    Having fallen deeply in love with Kodai we reluctantly scheduled our twelve hour bus ride into the state of Kerala. Our destination was the coastal town of Kochi. We arrived in neighboring Ernakulum at four in the morning and wandered the barren streets to find a hotel (I had acquired a rosewood baton in Kodai for protection). After several hours of sleep we set out for Kochi. There are several different islands in the bay so its necessary to commute via ferry over tiny stretches of water.
    Kochi was very peaceful with none of the hassling we'd come to expect in other cities. We meandered around the city for a couple of hours taking in the sights. We stopped in the 'Jew Town' district where apparently a Jewish colony had settled sometime centuries earlier. Then we headed back to the coast to watch the sunset and got some splendid photos of the Chinese fishing nets. Reminiscent of giant spider webs, these huge nets are attached to the shore by several long wooden arms. Apparently this obsolete technology requires four men to operate. After a delicious dinner of coconut prawns (actually turned out to be shrimp) we headed back to our hotel.
    The next day we hopped on a bus south along the coast to Allapey. This is one of the traditional starting points for back water tours. Back water tours are a big thing in Kerala and many tourists indulge in spendy house boat trips up and down the water ways. The houseboats themselves are really cool. They're huge, sometimes multiple stories, and are completely covered with bamboo and palm leaves. Since we couldn't afford a trip of this caliber we had decided to take a local ferry that serviced residences and villages up and down the back waters. Costing a mere forty rupees and spanning three hours we figured it would suffice.
    Our time in Allapey was a time for total relaxation without many highlights to speak of. We met Phil and Suzy, a fun German couple, at our hostel and spent a lot of time with them. They taught us the joys of many of the local sweets and we partook.
    With just a couple days left on our India visa we decided to head further south still. We stopped at the small beach town of Kovalam. The next 48 hours were full of great food and lots of sunshine. After such a short stop it was sad packing up to head to the airport in the neighboring city of Trivandrum.
    Our flight was painless and after a couple hours we made it to Delhi but our flight to Kathmandu wasn't for about 22 hours. We decided not to spend any money on a taxi or hotel so we nestled down on the floor safely out of eye shot behind some nice potted plants. 24 hours later we were in Kathmandu.
    We are now spending a couple days here preparing for our trek. We're staying in the Thamel district which is the the traditional backpackers district. So far it is very lovely. The people seem friendly and the streets are cleaner and have bigger sidewalks (we've been used to walking in the street in India).  
    In a couple days we'll set off on our trek. The whole trip will take thirty two days starting here in Kathmandu at an altitude of 4000 feet and culminating at the peak of Gokyo Ri at a lofty altitude of 16,0000 feet. We also plan to do a small side trip from Gokyo to see some sacred lakes. We'll be taking the Gokyo trekking route up to Gokyo but on the return we decided to follow the 3 Passes trekking route (we won't be on any of the 3) to see a different area of the Everest region. We should be getting our first glimpse of Everest itself on the seventh day of our trek so we are obviously very excited. On the way to Gokyo we will be staying at rudimentary lodging so thankfully there is no need for a tent or sleeping bags. There will rarely be electricity so we will be disconnected from the inter-web for the next month (NOOOOOO!!!!). So until then wish us good luck and speedy travels.

April 24, 2012 Hampi, Mysore and Ron Paul

    Hampi was our favorite place so far in India. It is located in central Southern India in the State of Karnataka. It is a small town on a beautiful river called the Tungahbadra. The town is smack dab in the middle of a multitude of ruins and ancient temples nestled in a boulder ridden landscape. From the rooftop restaurant of our hostel the the towering form of the Virupaksha temple was completely visible and only about 100 yards away. It towered over the town and at night when it was lit up you could see monkeys climbing all over it.
    We decided to rent bicycles to tour through the ruins since some are far away from Hampi in all directions and rickshaw drivers tend to rip you off. This was also another great decision since we found out that half of the town was being demolished by the government in order to preserve the ruins. This meant we had to bike 4 km to the town over in order to buy any groceries or use an ATM. This also meant, unfortunately that many of the residents were forced to leave their homes and relocate to land that the government set up for them. We sadly looked on as people took down their homes with their own hands to salvage useful materials to build anew outside of Hampi. Our hostel owner told us that each family was going to receive the equivalent of 3,000 dollars compensation for the relocation. For some this might have been reasonable, but many business owners and hotel owners were being cut short. Even the family who owned the largest hotel in Hampi (25 rooms) was receiving the same amount. It definitely didn't seem fair.
    Besides the depressing sight of the demolition, Hampi and the surrounding area was beautiful. The river was the first clean river we have seen on our trip and we were even able to hike through banana plantations and rice fields to a waterfall where we were able to swim. It was very refreshing and peaceful. Later we found out there were crocodiles about 1 km upstream, so I'm glad I found that out afterwards. We were lucky to even find the water hole. Most people need a guide because the trail abruptly stops and you are forced to wander aimlessly over boulders. Luckily, we happened upon a group of young boys from Hampi who were heading there and decided to follow.
    The friends we had met earlier that day were not as successful. Brian and I told them about the waterfalls and pointed on the map the general location of the falls. We told them we would meet them there a little later. By the time we got there they were no where in sight and some guy told us later that he had seen four lost white people wandering around in the banana plantations. He said he tried to help them but they brushed him off thinking he was a guide doing it for money (which is a reasonable assumption most of the time).
    When we later met up with them at the hostel they told us that they had gotten lost for three hours and got stuck in deep mud. Brian and I were definitely glad we had followed the boys.
    It was nice to finally meet some tourists in Hampi. We were approached by a very friendly Hungarian man and his Dutch girlfriend along with a spunky Swedish girl and an English bloke from London (who was a die hard Gooner).
    The Hungarian man was very excited to meet Americans and immediately asked us if we followed politics closely. I shrugged and said not really and pointed to Brian who admitted a little interest. It ended up being somewhat of a mistake. This man was somewhat of a Ron Paul fanatic. He and his girlfriend believed that by supporting him that they were a part of a political revolution. During his discussions with Brian, I overheard his girlfriend say, after recording Brian talking about what he's read in the news, "It is so interesting hearing Americans talk about politics because they all say the same thing. They just repeat what the media says."
    According to the couple the major news networks are spitting out false information about the elections and we are all misinformed (Ron had a much better chance of victory than Mitt). We asked how they knew this and they told us that the only accurate news is "Russia Today", "Aljazeera" and various Ron Paul blogs.
    I do not follow politics closely, but I found it quite interesting that two Europeans who have never lived in the US are following the election so intently. We weren't the only people who they gave the spiel to either. Anyone and everyone who they met they told about Ron Paul and his revolutionary ideas. I am very curious to see what will happen with Ron Paul because according to everything I've heard, he's not going to win.
    Now we are in Mysore which we thought would be a little more interesting. The Mysore Palace is pretty spectacular from afar, but once you pay 250 Rupees to get in, they take your camera along with your shoes and proceed to herd you around like cattle with a piercing whistle, it loses it grandeur. Brian and I were literally running out the gate.
    Tomorrow we head to a hill station called Kodiakanal which a German couple recommended. Supposedly, you can rent small houses on the hillside with a veranda and a fireplace and shop at the local market to make your meals. The weather is supposed to be very comfortable during the day and cool at night. Brian and I will probably spend a fair amount of time there, just relaxing. It almost sounds too good to be true!

April 19, 2012 Scooters and River Cruises

    We decided to rent a scooter yesterday which ended up being a great choice. We finally had the freedom of going wherever we wanted (well, at least along the 10 miles coast of Northern Goa). We had tried to rent a scooter the day before to go to Panaji, but the man who rented them told us we would have to get an international license to go into the cities. On the touristy beaches you see Westerners driving scooters more than you see Indians! According to the man they were all illegally riding them, but the police either didn't care or weren't around (we weren't quite sure which one).
    Anyways we rented the scooter and made our way 7 miles south to an old Portuguese fort called Fort Aguada. The fort was really cool with a moat surrounding it and it overlooked the mouth of the Mondavi River where the Arabian Sea met the river. It was very beautiful, but of course we forgot the camera and have no pictures.
    We do however have some pictures of the "river cruise" we took on the Mondavi. Brian and I expected to go on a booze cruise on the river and look at the sights while listening to a live band. The Indian version of this is a little different. When we got to the top level of the boat there were hundreds of chairs lined up facing a stage with a deejay blasting some heavy bass music.Surprisingly, the entire boat filled up with Indian families, couples and teens. We were the only white tourists on the boat. As the boat left the dock we were introduced to some traditional Goan folk dances which were a little better than the deejay. After a few minutes of the folk dancing the deejay returned and invited all the children to come on the stage. He then blasted a popular Bollywood song and all the kids began to dance and sing in unison. It was very cute. Clearly they had all memorized the dance from a movie. After the children he invited up couples to dance to some cheesy "reggae" cruise music and then invited anyone and everyone to come dance. At this point every single male on the boat went onto the stage and had a massive dance party with zero females. As I said before men are very close here. We also realized there was a separate disco area down on the first floor where ladies were free and men had to pay 50 rupees or the equivalent of a dollar. Did I mention the boat ride was only one hour? It was entertaining, at most, but we felt like we wasted an hour of our time. Luckily, it was only 3 dollars.

April 18, 2012 Transport

    We have definitely mastered cheap transport in India. The bus is by far the best way to go short distances. During the day you'll probably get a seat, but at night they cram people into the tiny buses like sardines (I'm not exaggerating). For long trips the train is awesome. You can sleep on a bed and there is fully functioning AC which is a lifesaver. Sleeping in the hot, humid air has caused us to have a few restless nights. Brian and I have started looking forward to our nights on the train where we actually need to use blankets.

April 17, 2012 Panaji

    Brian and I took a day trip away from the beach today to Old Goa and Panaji. The Portuguese settled in the small state of Goa and therefore there is a lot of Christian influence. Panaji and Old Goa are especially reminiscent of Portuguese culture. There are many cathedrals and chapels scattered throughout the two small cities (Panaji is currently the capital of Goa and Old Goa was the former capital until residents were forced to leave due to an outbreak of cholera and malaria).
    They are both very quaint cities with beautiful white churches spotting the streets. Panaji even reminded me of Valparaiso, Chile with it's small streets lined with brightly colored buildings.
    

April 15, 2012 Ellora, Mumbai, Goa

    Sorry for the delay of our newest posting, but I admit we have been distracted. I am writing this passage as Cat and I are enjoying pure paradise and as you can imagine, it's easy to lose track of time in paradise. But before I describe our experiences here in Goa, it is necessary to go back so that we can proceed chronologically. We last left you before our trip from Aurangabad to the Ellora religious caves. This trip was the main reason for our visit to the area and it absolutely lived up to its hype.l The caves are entirely man made; dugout from top to bottom and vary in origin from about 600 AD to 1000 AD. There were 3 distinct types of caves which were spatially segregated. They were built by Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains in that chronological order and have very distinct structural and artistic differences. The caves are believed to have been used as monasteries, dining halls, temples and gathering places. We started our walk at the oldest caves which were built by Buddhists. The very earliest caves were smaller with less intricate details but as we continued forward in timed they got much larger and more ornate. The Buddha sculptures were ubiquitous and varied in size but each cave had a centrally located large Buddha. Farther ahead there were even multi leveled caves with carved stairs connecting floors. The transition into Hinduism was obvious due to the plethora of deities carved in stone. Of the caves, these were my favorite and none could compare to the incredibly massive Kailasa "cave". Calling it a cave is a little misleading due to its sheer size and level of detail throughout its several buildings and stories. The largest monolithic structure on the planet, its wider and taller than the Pantheon in Greece. The cave was built by many workers who, over the course of some 200 generations, moved around 200,000 tons of rock. This temple (I can't even call it a cave) was truly mind blowing.
    On the journey back to Aurangabad, we couldn't find out where to catch the bus so we decided to hop into one of the unofficial jeep taxis. In northern India, you can see these silver jeeps everywhere and they all look the same. We were told it would only cost 30 rupees for a seat so we got in. On the way to Aurangabad, the jeep kept stopping for passengers, piling us on top of each other and cramming people into the rear. Before we knew it, there were 18 people inside of a small jeep. Needless to say, we haven't ridden in another since.
    Having taken an overnight sleeper train, we arrived in Mumbai early in the morning. We got an astronomically overpriced cab (150 rupees~3 bucks) to the Salvation Army Hostel located in the Colaba quarter. This section is on the southern part of the bay and is traditionally home to the Mumbai fisherman. We were slightly weary of the rumors of bed bugs at the hostel, but decided to brave it because it was by far the cheapest option. On the first day we worked our way up to the far north point of the bay. We stopped along the way at Chowpatty beach to marvel at the multitude of massive concrete tetrapods meant to "retake land from the sea" (whatever that means). At the very northernmost point, we stopped and rested at the Bananga Tank, a very large pool said to be where the earth began. From there, we moved back south to the Ghandi museum located at his Mumbai abode. We finished the day watching the sunset on Chowpatty enjoying roasted corn on the cob and Bhel Puri (a south Indian specialty). After a sleepless, bed bug infested night we headed off to Crawford Market. There we walked down the many aisles of fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, sweets and most anything you can imagine. While in the fish and poultry area, Cat's head became a landing pad for an airborne fish carcass, so we took some time to recover from that ordeal. Next stop was the uber touristy Gate of India and across the street to the historic 5 star hotel, the Taj Mahal. We spent some leisurely time enjoying the powerful air conditioning until our rest was cut short as I was chased out of the "residents only" pool area. On the walk home we hot caught up in a swarm of cricket fans making for the Mumbai Indians evening game. Then back onto the train for an overnighter into northern Goa (the state where Indians go for vacation).
    Author's note: It's funny that our best nights rest consistently comes on sleeper trains which is most likely due to the effective air conditioning.
    The next morning we hopped the most uncomfortable bus I've ever been on in my life to Aranmbol. Even with people taking every single seat, standing neck and neck in the aisle and people hanging out the door, they kept packing us in. I could not believe they were able to close the door behind us but there was hardly room to inhale. It was rather impressive how the money collector still managed to make his rounds up and down the aisle. And finally here we are right back where I started in paradise, more specifically a little beach called Mandrem in the northern part of Goa. With all of the hassles of traveling forgotten. Since its the end of the tourist season here and many hotels are closing down, we managed to score an ocean front bamboo hut for dirt cheap. We are spending about seven days in Goa hopping from beach town to beach town working our way south. Then it will be on to Hampi.

April 8, 2012 "The Very Good Enjoy"

    After 14 hours on a train we have arrived in the South Indian state of Maharashtra. The train was surprisingly very comfortable. It had full working AC and each person had their own bed. Brian and I shared a cabin with an Indian family of 4. The beds are set up like bunks and we had the top two. It was a little tight, but once you were laying down it was quite comfy. I was especially happy to be on the top bunk after spotting a few mice scampering around on the floor.
    The train ride went by quickly because it was an overnight ride and we slept the entire night.
    This morning we arrived in Jalgaon, a transit town on the way to the Ellora/Ajanta caves. The caves are ancient man made temples (a mixture of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain) that have been carved out of a mountain side and supposedly have remained almost fully intact.
    Right now we are sitting on a bus that will take us to a city called Aurangabad which is close to the caves.
    The second we got on the bus we were bombarded with questions by a fellow rider. He spoke decent English and was excited to practice with the only white people on the bus.
    Everyone in India is very keen on practicing their English. Everywhere we go people stop us to ask where we are from and want to take pictures with us (we've recently started politely refusing to take pictures because it has become a little irksome). We suddenly feel like overnight celebrities. Everyone is very friendly and looooves when we speak Hindi. They also love Barack Obama. Every time we say we are from the United States they always say "Barack Obama" and give us a thumbs up.
    We also noticed that people are very touchy here. Men hold hands (as friends) when walking down the street and they always put their hand on your knee when talking to you. This doesn't just happen to me, it happens to Brian too!
    One thing that we hear over and over from the Indian people is,"you must take the very good enjoy". The saying has definitely grown on us.

Whiskey and Mutton (April 6, 2012)

    Our meal with Sanjay was delicious! He picked us up from our hotel and we went to a nearby "restaurant", if you can call it that, to eat. It was more like some guy's hut that he cooked out of. We weren't quite sure whether or not Sanjay had actually cooked any of the meal, but we knew for sure that he had brought the ingredients to the man in the hut.
    While we waited for the food to be cooked Sanjay and his other driver friend cracked a bottle of "Bagpiper" (Indian whiskey) and we proceeded to drink the entire bottle. In India they say "ram ram" for cheers and drink the whole drink in one sip. Brian and I did this for the first round, but after that returned to slowly sipping our drinks.
    The mutton was served with chapatie (bread) called roti, which is similar to naan but not cooked in a tandoori over. We ate the chest of the goat and the meat literally fell off the bone! We told them before hand that we liked a "little bit of spice", which in India is still incredibly spicy. Sanjay seemed worried when we said it was spicy. We kept having to reassure him that it was very good and that we were just not used to spicy foods. That night we went to bed very satisfied and slept like babies after getting buzzed off the Indian whiskey.
    The next day we ate breakfast at the hotel and hopped into the car for our 6 hour drive to Agra to see the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal.

April 4, 2012 No Tigers

    Our trip to Ranthambhore thus far has been somewhat disappointing. Not only did we not get to see any tigers on our three hour safari, but my "Delhi belly" also decided to kick in a little today. I was wondering when it would hit.
    Our tour guide on the jeep told us that the jungle was rife with hyenas, leopards, tigers and jackals. The only thing we saw were deer and peacocks. Brian and I realized that the tigers weren't always going to be in plain sight, but we did wonder if it was some sort of tourist scam. However, at breakfast this negative thought was squashed when one of the Indian boys sitting across from us told us that his jeep had seen one. We were disappointed that we hadn't jumped onto his tour, but decided that we had just been unlucky.
    When we returned to the hotel we discovered that Sanjay had a whole night of activities planned for us. According to his driver friends he is an excellent cook and he planned to cook us a dinner of mutton.
    Yesterday when talking with Sanjay he told us that he was an anomaly compared to other Hindus. He chicken, mutton, tobacco and whiskey whereas most Hindus are vegetarians (the cow is considered "Mother" and they roam the streets like kings here) and drink mainly tea.
    Brian and I didn't know what mutton was having never tried it before. We noticed on our hotel menu that it said if you wanted to order mutton you had to place the order 4 hours in advance. When we asked Sanjay why this was he informed us it was because they slaughtered the goat literally right before they cooked it. "Very fresh!" he said with a smile. I wondered if he was going to do the same thing for us before he cooked our meal.
    Our other activity for the day was to get a hot shave. Not for me, of course, but for Brian. They have little shops all over the place for this. Brian will finally be cutting off his long mutton chops. We noticed that a lot of Indian men sport the "handlebar" mustache so Brian decided to go for this look. He tells me he wants to be able to curl up the edges like Salvador Dali. I was just hoping that the straight blade wouldn't cut his throat! But they did an excellent job and Brian said it felt really good.

April 3, 2012 (Brian)

    Right now we are on the road leaving Jaipur and heading to Ranthambhore (I've given up any attempt on correct spelling) where we hope to see some tigers in the wild.
    Jaipur, also called the Pink City, is in the desert state of Rajasthan and it was brutally hot all day (approaching 105). The city lived up to it's name with pink buildings and palaces everywhere you looked.
    Sanjay doesn't like Jaipur because the traffic is terrible and the motos and tuk tuk drivers don't know their place in the traffic. He tells us that on the street the order of importance for a driver is as follows: 1) driver skill 2) working brake 3) working horn 4) working AC (my addition).
     We arrived in Jaipur after our 5 hour drive from Delhi. On the way we stopped for breakfast on the side of the road and enjoyed an "Indian breakfast" of unsweetened yogurt soup, called caerd, with cheet barota, bread stuffed with potato, cheese and onion.
    After dropping our luggage off at the hotel our first stop was to the famous Raj Mander movie theater to see the new Bollywood film, Agent Vinod. The historic theater was very impressive. The foyer included a grand carved staircase and was adorned with several low hanging chandeliers. The theater itself was very large with a curtain hanging in front of the screen. The movie was awesome. Agent Vinod is the Indian James Bond complete with shootouts, knife fights, car chases, tuk tuk chases, plot twists and lovely ladies. The audience is very different here though, with whoops and catcalling heard throughout the film.
    Back out into the blistering heat we headed to the Aryuvedic massage parlor to end the day. They took us to separate rooms and we got an hour long massage, saturated with oils.
    The next day we set out in the morning to check out some of the historical architecture. We saw the Window Palace, which didn't live up to the expectations. And then headed to the Water Palace which sits in the middle of the lake.
    Our favorite of the ventures was the Amber Fort. Built in the 17th century for a powerful Raja it was an impressive spectacle. The palace was in a small valley surrounded by hills and spanning the hills was a long continuous wall that rose and fell with the terrain. The wall resembled (in my mind) a less massive version of the Great Wall of China. Tourists paid to ride elephants up the hill to the palace while paupers such as ourselves had to play hopscotch with the resulting excrement. The palace was massive and very well preserved with endless passageways, chambers and turrets with expansive views. From the palace you could see down the hill to the "Royal" lake where Sanjay explained that the elephants went to do Kama Sutra.
    At this point in the day, the heat drove us back to our hotel to enjoy our "luxurious" outdoor pool, which was actually quite enjoyable.
    The following day we left Jaipur and set out for Ranthambore in search of tigers. On the way we stopped off at the Monkey Palace that kept reminding me of Indiana Jones' trip to India (Temple of Doom I think). The palace was impressively cradled by the crook of the canyon. The place was overflowing with playful and fearless monkeys. After failing to convince Cat that it would be like petting a dog, we hopped back in the car and set out.

April 2, 2012 Good Driver, Good Brake, Good Horn

    Right now I am sitting in the back of the car with Brian writing in our journal while Sanjay drives us to Jaipur, a city about 4 hours west of New Delhi. I am struggling to keep my penmanship neat as Sanjay flies around corners and slides in between semis.
    The driving here is insane and none of the seat belts work. Half the time I'm not sure which side of the road we're supposed to be on because the cars are going in every direction. Honking is a must here in India. If Sanjay didn't honk furiously at every car or truck we passed I'm pretty sure we'd have crashed by now. However, I do feel comfortable to know that Sanjay has been doing this for more than 20 years and is very familiar with the ways of the road. He even keeps a bat in the trunk in case anyone gives him any trouble.
    Although, there have been a few times when I thought we were going to hit a pedestrian. People literally walk in the road and large groups cross the highway forcing cars to screech to a halt. According to Sanjay there are three important rules to driving in India: good driver, good brake and good horn.

India (New Delhi)

    One of my friends told me that you imagine India being dirty, but in reality it is 100 times worse. She was spot on.
    The streets of New Delhi are not only packed wtih people, dogs, cars, tuk tuks and rickshaws, but everywhere you turn there is trash covering the streets. Even the parks, where families picnic and kids play cricket (the most popular sport in India), are covered in trash. But besides the smell and the thick smog lingering above the skyline New Delhi is a beautiful city. Our favorite thing so far has been to people watch. There are so many different sounds and smells that fill your senses as you walk down the streets. Cars are constantly honking and street food is being cooked around every corner.
    Our first, and only day in Delhi was jam packed with things to do. Our hostel owner informed us that we had arrived during a nine day festival called Devi Festival (No Vitara). People were celebrating all over the city and it was a holiday (vacation) for everyone.
    When he found out that we had literally packed our bags and arrived in India with no plans or trains booked he became very worried. He told us that because of the festival people were traveling all around India and it could take weeks to get a train. He explained, "In India people are not organized, but very organized at the same time."
    He also said that the next morning we had to go to the International Tourist Center to talk to a travel agent and book our trains. We were a little surprised beacuse we had figured that we would plan as we go. Now we were being told that we had to plan everything in advance.
    The next day we met with Lucky for some chai tea (which is delicious here!) and he introduced us to our personal driver for the day. We were confused and didn't want to spend money on a driver, but he assured us that it was on the house. We were skeptical, but decided to go with it.
    The driver brought us to breakfast first, where we enjoyed some traditional dishes of paper dal (which is an incredibly thin and HUGE fried pancake filled with curried potatoes and vegetables and served with various dipping sauces) and another sort of spicy pancake (thicker, more like a pancake you can get in the States) with an abundance of different spices on top. We were very excited to get such a filling meal for only 1 dollar each!
    From there he brought us to the Tourist Center where he patiently waited outside while we met with a travel agent. We were still confused and skeptical about why the hostel was doing this for us, especially for free. I assumed that we would be charged later for everything.
It turns out, going to the tourist agency was the best decision of our lives! We told the man all the places we wanted to see and things we wanted to do and within ten mintues everything was planned and set into motion.
    Originally we decided to only tour the South, but we were convinced to check out a few things in the North. According to everyone we met the North was the most culturally rich part of India. We decided to check out Jaipur, aka the Pink City, and then head to Rathambour National Park to see tigers! From there we would head to Agra to check out the Taj Mahal. Not only would we get to see all this, but we would have a private driver the entire time! We then found out that many tourists hire a private car to get around. It is inexpensive and incredibly convienient. When we asked the travel agent if it would be easier to take cabs or tuk tuks (small three wheeled, open aired cabs that are very cheap) he replied, "Would you rather pay the same price to get somewhere with or without an argument?" With that we decided to get a private car. Two minutes later we were introduced to Sanjay, our new driver for the next week.
    Sanjay is from the countryside, about four hours from New Delhi. He works as a private driver and every couple of weeks drives all the way down to New Delhi to drive tourists from around the world to various places in Northern India for days or weeks at a time. He has informed us that he loves women and whiskey. He tells us that while he waits for us in the car park he talks with his other driver friends, enjoys, and looks at all the beautiful ladies.
    When we hopped into Sanjay's car he asked, "where would you like to go?" in somewhat broken English. We were completely clueless about any of the sights in Delhi so we told him to take us to all the good spots. We then proceeded to hit every tourist spot in the city including the Lotus Temple, a park dedicated to Gandhi, some gardens, Parliment and a few different tombs. All were very beautiful especially the gardens, but because of the holiday we had to suffer through the crowds and unbearable heat (while being jet lagged). At each spot Sanjay dropped us off and waited in the car park with all the other tourist vehicles. When we returned we hopped in the car (with AC) and headed to our next spot. So far, so good!