Arrival: 07/08/2009
Departure: 07/10/2009
Sight Seeing: Sacared Hindu Lake (Dried)
People: Decent
Food: Poor tourist crap
Accommodations: Hotel Narayan Palace ($4 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Same situation as Udaipur. India is still very hot and dry and our bodies are still weak from heat exhaustion. We did have the opportunity to be blessed in the holy lake and to say a prayer. You remove your shoes and are then escorted to the "lake" which is more like a swimming pool on the side of the dried out lake. Your escort gives you flowers and says a prayer that you repeat with them. After throwing the flower in the lake, you wet your eye brows, and ears and the escort puts a dot of dried red dye on your forehead. Surprisingly it was a very emotional experience. The rest of our stay in Udaipur was spent in the room trying to say as cool as possible. As we were leaving town to catch a 13 hour over night bus to Agra, the long awaited monsoon decided to poor rain on us until we were completely soaking wet. Yeah, it was good times on that bus ride.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Udaipur, India
Arrival: 07/04/2009
Departure: 07/08/2009
Sight Seeing: Lake Palace, City Palace, City Temple, Cooking Class
People: Nice
Food: Decent
Accommodations: Pushkar Palace ($9 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: It's hot! The main attraction, lake palace, was dried up so Udaipur wasn't our favorite spot. I got sick. Adam got sick. At this point, India was really taking a toll on us physically and emotionally.
Departure: 07/08/2009
Sight Seeing: Lake Palace, City Palace, City Temple, Cooking Class
People: Nice
Food: Decent
Accommodations: Pushkar Palace ($9 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: It's hot! The main attraction, lake palace, was dried up so Udaipur wasn't our favorite spot. I got sick. Adam got sick. At this point, India was really taking a toll on us physically and emotionally.
Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India
Arrival: 07/01/2009
Departure: 07/03/2009
Sight Seeing: Beach, Fort Area
People: Nice
Food: Delicious
Accommodations: J.W. Marriott
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Stayed in the hotel most of the time. Not much to say.
Departure: 07/03/2009
Sight Seeing: Beach, Fort Area
People: Nice
Food: Delicious
Accommodations: J.W. Marriott
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Stayed in the hotel most of the time. Not much to say.
Panjim (Goa), India
Arrival: 06/27/2009
Departure: 06/30/2009
Sight Seeing: Miramar Beach, Old Goa
People: Nice
Food: Delicious
Accommodations: Poor
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Renowned for India's beautiful beaches, Adam and I saw a different picture during the monsoon season.
Details: Adam and I walked to Miramar beach one day where the water was rough and not swimable. It was nice just sitting on the beach listening to the waves though. We bought a couple bottles of vodka and hung out at the hotel room. The following day we went to Old Goa to explore countless Catholic Cathedrals. Absolutely breathtaking.
Departure: 06/30/2009
Sight Seeing: Miramar Beach, Old Goa
People: Nice
Food: Delicious
Accommodations: Poor
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Renowned for India's beautiful beaches, Adam and I saw a different picture during the monsoon season.
Details: Adam and I walked to Miramar beach one day where the water was rough and not swimable. It was nice just sitting on the beach listening to the waves though. We bought a couple bottles of vodka and hung out at the hotel room. The following day we went to Old Goa to explore countless Catholic Cathedrals. Absolutely breathtaking.
Hampi, India
Arrival: 06/24/2009
Departure: 06/27/2009
Sight Seeing: Red-Orange Boulder Landscape, Temples, River, Bike Rides, Elephant Bath
People: Friendly
Food: Delicious, if you find the right place
Accommodations: Suresh Guest House ($6 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Highly recommended by another traveler, Adam and I decided to visit Hampi for it's unique red-orange boulder cover landscape that is interlaced with luscious green palm trees and ancient temples. Throw a river in there and you have one of the most picturesque cities we've seen on the trip. Gorgeous!
Details: After a long and very bumpy overnight bus ride we arrived in Hospet early the next morning. A rigshaw took us about 15 kilometers to Hampi where we immediately found a guest house and crashed out. Later that day we took a short walk around the area studying local temples and ancient ruins. The following day, we rented a couple of bikes and checked out more ruins. The ride was very nice, but really hot.
A short walk from our guest house is a beautiful river where people wash their clothes and take a dip. There's not too much swimming because it's quite dangerous. One of the major highlights of the trip thus far was watching a man guide his elephant down to the river for a bath. Definitely not something you see everyday. The elephant lied down while the man scrubbed him clean like it was his car.
Departure: 06/27/2009
Sight Seeing: Red-Orange Boulder Landscape, Temples, River, Bike Rides, Elephant Bath
People: Friendly
Food: Delicious, if you find the right place
Accommodations: Suresh Guest House ($6 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Highly recommended by another traveler, Adam and I decided to visit Hampi for it's unique red-orange boulder cover landscape that is interlaced with luscious green palm trees and ancient temples. Throw a river in there and you have one of the most picturesque cities we've seen on the trip. Gorgeous!
Details: After a long and very bumpy overnight bus ride we arrived in Hospet early the next morning. A rigshaw took us about 15 kilometers to Hampi where we immediately found a guest house and crashed out. Later that day we took a short walk around the area studying local temples and ancient ruins. The following day, we rented a couple of bikes and checked out more ruins. The ride was very nice, but really hot.
A short walk from our guest house is a beautiful river where people wash their clothes and take a dip. There's not too much swimming because it's quite dangerous. One of the major highlights of the trip thus far was watching a man guide his elephant down to the river for a bath. Definitely not something you see everyday. The elephant lied down while the man scrubbed him clean like it was his car.
Mysore, India
Arrival: 06/18/2009
Departure: 06/23/2009
Sight Seeing: Jaganmohan Palace (Art Gallery), Zoo, Chamundi Hill and Temple, Maharaja's Palace, St. Philomina's Church, Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Illuminated Garden and Dam
People: Very friendly and curious
Food: Delicious
Accommodations: Adhi Manor ($18 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Having no expectations for this small 1.2 million population city, Adam and I were pleasantly surprised by it's charm. There are endless activities and sight seeing.
Details: When in Mysore, Adam and I opted to due our first organized bus tour of our entire trip. It costs about $10 per person and took us to to a ton of cool sights around the area. Visiting the zoo was an extra special treat because it was the first zoo Adam and I have ever been to outside the U.S. and we both agreed it was by far the best. We saw tigers, elephants, bears, monkeys, lions, hippos, rhinos, and all the standard zoo animals. Another favorite sight was the Maharaja's Palace. During the day the palace is extravagant, but by night 40,000 lights illuminate the palace making it look like Christmas lover's dream. We also met a very nice family on the trip who we took pictures with and exchanged emails.
Departure: 06/23/2009
Sight Seeing: Jaganmohan Palace (Art Gallery), Zoo, Chamundi Hill and Temple, Maharaja's Palace, St. Philomina's Church, Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Illuminated Garden and Dam
People: Very friendly and curious
Food: Delicious
Accommodations: Adhi Manor ($18 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Having no expectations for this small 1.2 million population city, Adam and I were pleasantly surprised by it's charm. There are endless activities and sight seeing.
Details: When in Mysore, Adam and I opted to due our first organized bus tour of our entire trip. It costs about $10 per person and took us to to a ton of cool sights around the area. Visiting the zoo was an extra special treat because it was the first zoo Adam and I have ever been to outside the U.S. and we both agreed it was by far the best. We saw tigers, elephants, bears, monkeys, lions, hippos, rhinos, and all the standard zoo animals. Another favorite sight was the Maharaja's Palace. During the day the palace is extravagant, but by night 40,000 lights illuminate the palace making it look like Christmas lover's dream. We also met a very nice family on the trip who we took pictures with and exchanged emails.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Ooty (Udhagamandalam), India
Arrival: 06/15/2009
Departure: 06/18/2009
Sight Seeing: Botanical Gardens, Lake, Horse Races, Bazaar
People: Very friendly and curious
Food: Delicious
Accommodations: YMCA ($12 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Situated at a cool 3,500 ft above sea level, this small town was a great introduction to India. It's the perfect place to observe the Indian lifestyle from up close and afar.
Details: After a long overnight bus to Ooty, we found a room and slept. Later that day we walked around the small town which was spread around a race horse track. The following day we walked to and around the Botanical Gardens. They were beautiful and the people watching was incredible. Although, we weren't the only ones watching. We were approached by a large Indian family who just wanted to talk to us, shake our hands, and have their little girl give me a kiss on the cheek (so cute!). They laughed, we laughed, and then parted ways. Their curiosity and friendliness is a welcomed change from the reserved South East Asian mentality. We almost felt like celebrities.
The next day, we watched a horse race and walked to the "lake" which was more of a dump with water sprinkled around. Next, we found ourselves mazing through the tarp covered bazaar to see wonderful vegetables and spices. If only we had a kitchen! Everything looked so delicious. The food has been incredible and we can honestly say, it's been the best on the trip.
The following morning we made our way the bus station for a beautiful drive to Mysore.
Departure: 06/18/2009
Sight Seeing: Botanical Gardens, Lake, Horse Races, Bazaar
People: Very friendly and curious
Food: Delicious
Accommodations: YMCA ($12 per night)
Pictures: Pictures of India
Summary: Situated at a cool 3,500 ft above sea level, this small town was a great introduction to India. It's the perfect place to observe the Indian lifestyle from up close and afar.
Details: After a long overnight bus to Ooty, we found a room and slept. Later that day we walked around the small town which was spread around a race horse track. The following day we walked to and around the Botanical Gardens. They were beautiful and the people watching was incredible. Although, we weren't the only ones watching. We were approached by a large Indian family who just wanted to talk to us, shake our hands, and have their little girl give me a kiss on the cheek (so cute!). They laughed, we laughed, and then parted ways. Their curiosity and friendliness is a welcomed change from the reserved South East Asian mentality. We almost felt like celebrities.
The next day, we watched a horse race and walked to the "lake" which was more of a dump with water sprinkled around. Next, we found ourselves mazing through the tarp covered bazaar to see wonderful vegetables and spices. If only we had a kitchen! Everything looked so delicious. The food has been incredible and we can honestly say, it's been the best on the trip.
The following morning we made our way the bus station for a beautiful drive to Mysore.
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