Tales from India

This post is long overdue, as such I regret not writing it coming straight back from Mumbai & Goa with the experiences, memories and feelings still fresh in my mind and my heart. Ironically, I am sitting in the basement of a cafe in the heart of London which somehow manages to remind me of my time in India. I have escaped from the crowded streets of suit-clad workers (of which today I am one at first glance) and the bustle that seems to exist in every direction. Just in front of me though is a group of suited up business men and a woman in a sales pitch meeting. The dirty, dusty but charming streets of Mumbai seem a world apart. As I write this under the dimmed spotlights, I am surrounded by lit candles, comfy sofas, religious statues and one of an elephant and the faint smell of incense. On my table sits an iced coffee, made with ice cream, just the way they do in Barrista Coffee, Mumbai. I miss the feel of writing; just pen and pad and soft music playing in the background. No distractions of msn running in the background, dissertation in the foreground while I hastily type the words out in an email or on screen. Somehow in the process of it all something gets left behind.
On arrival in Mumbai, exiting from the airport, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people waiting around for those returning home. I had to weave my way in and out of the crowds before finding my travelling partner. As we first drove through the streets of Mumbai, sitting comfortably in the back of our taxi on our way to the hotel, it was clear to see the vivid contrast that existed alongside the streets we were driving through. Mumbai is a land of extremes co-existing with one another. I remember seeing a high end ultra modern interior decoration store, something that wouldn't look out of place on Oxford Street directly next to a building which was dirty, run down and looked like it could collapse at any minute.

Taxis are plentiful. The roads are dominated with crazy taxi drivers threading in and out of the traffic. It took me right back to Cairo where sticking to lanes is just unheard of. Some are in better states than others, some with no wing mirrors, others with just one. It also took us many a taxi journey to realise the taxis do in fact have meters and don't work on a pre agreed price as in Egypt.Mumbai is brimming with people at every corner. We sat and watched endless streams of people crossing the road, of which there did not seem to be an end to. It is a city that's hectic and chaotic but bursting with energy and vibrancy. The brightly coloured saris on the women brighten up the dusty streets and buildings.

On one of the days, we took a 'reality tour' through Dhavari, Asia's largest slums. It offers an alternative to street life which you can see exists just outside the boundaries of Dhavari where families have set up their homes all along the railway tracks. 1 million people crammed into 1.75 square kilometers. Over half of Mumbai's population live in Slums. 1 toilet shared between 1440 people. Though you can read the facts and get lost in the numbers, watch award-winning Slumdog millionaire where the film is set or read about it on the news, nothing can prepare you for the experience and the feel of actually being there and seeing it or yourself. If people ask me about my travels to India, this is the one thing I will tell them about as its an experience I'll never forget. For three hours our 'tour' group walked through endless rubbish strewn streets and narrow alleyways with open drains running through. I dread to think about what a maze it must be like at night. It was not for the faint-hearted. Cockroaches scattered the floors with the odd rat showing its face, yet children were running abround barefooted just playing happily in the streets. Though they didn't seem to mind our presence; some kids seemed excited to see some foreign faces and test out the English they had perhaps picked up at school, one kid quite unashamedly urinated right in front of us before being scolded by our tour operator, I wondered what they really thought about us. It made me feel ashamed for complaining about the somewhat insignificant things in life and not appreciating the things around me.

There was just so much for our eyes to drink in. Cameras were understandably not permitted. In every direction there was something going on. In amongst the homes of 1 million people is a thriving business centre. 5000 small scale industries (from pottery, soap to leather tanning) export goods all around the world generating 650 million US dollars revenue each year. It is bursting with energy and activity and is a true showcase of entrepreneurship. Whilst on one side of Mumbai, waste is being discarded, on the other side children are picking up the bundles of waste and scraps ready to be recycled. Over 70% of Mumbai's plastic waste is recycled. This is something that our economy would do well to learn from. We were lucky enough to see the workings of a plastics factory- where recycled plastics from households and businesses are washed, melted, moulded and made into pellets. We walked through a factory where cooking oil tins were being washed ready to be reused. From the rooftops, we could see the full spread of Dharavi and not far off lies the high rise buildings. It is truly an experience that can't help but tug on your heart strings and you leave with every respect for these people.


We spent a few days touring around the city. We wandered around art galleries, the Ghandi museum, saw the Gateway to India and the Taj Hotel, walked the markets and even managed to catch 'Three Idiots' in the cinema without subtitles. Though there were many people who tried to sell us things, the warmth and hospitality of some of the people we met was heartwarming. We were stranded at CST station, Mumbai, after being kicked off the train (yup this was my fault :P) but our saviours came in the form of an incredibly lovely family who organised a taxi for us to Goa and checked up on us to make sure we were on our way.

The road to Goa

Goa is a world away from Mumbai. A 13 hour bumpy car journey (after the mishap with the overnight trains) through our first sightings of lush green surroundings (bar the park in the centre of Mumbai we came across). It is filled with tourists and hippies whizzing about on their scooters who flock to the beautiful beaches for the chilled out life. It is also in my opinion overpopulated with mosquitos, I got bitten from head to toe (despite lathering on the mosquito repellent) which meant I was forever resisting the temptation to scratch.
We stayed in Anjuna in a charming Portugese style mansion and for the four days we were there, we hopped about from beach to beach and also explored Old Goa. I enjoyed the food (of which seafood was plentiful :) ), the great company and lying in my Hammock smoking shisha whilst watching the sunset. We spent New Year's eve on a beach in Baga buying paintings from an inspiring local painter and wandering the stalls. Arambol beach was my favourite, somehow the waves seemed calmer and the scenery more spectacular than the rest and so that was where I spent my 21st. Still, I couldn't help but think Goa is a little overhyped.

But even so India is a place in my travels that is like no other I've been to. I would love to travel there again someday as there is still so much to discover, it is really such a fascinating land.


26/12/09-06/01/10

Destination: Mumbai

I'm sitting alone in Starbucks in Heathrow Airport with my latte faithfully by my side. I chose the window seat but the view is not exactly the most exciting; all I can see are monster crate like buildings and metal blocks. The lights are so dim I can barely see what I'm writing as I try and catch up on my travel journal. Christmas music is playing softly in the background.

Its so surreal. I'm filled with excitement and a little apprehension.

In just a few hours I'll be in another country. Another timezone. And a warmer climate.

Oh the wonders of plane travel..

Snapshots from the Lake District

I've always wanted to explore the Lake District, I've spent 20 years living in the UK and yet had never ventured inside England's largest National Park. But when I imagined myself by the Lakes, I had this image of me strolling through the countryside; so at ease, carefree and relaxed. What I didn't have in mind was a huge rucksack weighing a quarter of my body weight on my back causing bruises to appear at the contact points;my hips and shoulders and blisters forming on my tired, aching feet. It was not a pretty sight I tell you. In fact, I'm not entirely sure how I got through my silver expeditions completely unscathed, perhaps it was that I was in a group of girls where the walking pace was considerably slower; I remember so because I was right at the front and able to keep up!

So the expedition, we walked about 85km over 4 days. It may not seem like a lot but on that terrain, in those miserable conditions and waking up at 5.30am to the prospect of putting on wet, muddy trousers, damp walking boots and without the luxury of a shower the night before was really a challenge. Plus knowing you had an 11 and a half hour hike ahead before you get back into the comfort of a sleeping bag and hot dinner was not at all uplifting on our spirits.

On the very first day, bounding down those steep hills I'd already injured my knee. This was to be my exit strategy, each step uphill and downhill put pressure on my knee to the point where I was thinking 'We're almost at a road/able to get signal/back at a campsite, now would be a good time to just drop out.' But I didn't. Instead I focused on getting back to campsite, to a nice hot dinner of rice and beanbeast, dropping my backpack and lying in my snug, warm sleeping bag to alleviate all the tensions and aches of the day and restore our energy for the next day.

On the 2nd day, we climbed up Helvelyn (if you google image it you can see some nice views of it). Except it wasn't at all like that. We climbed so high, the mist was so thick we could barely see past 10m ahead, the wind was so strong I almost got blown off the cliff (it was even more energy draining just to walk in it without getting knocked about) and the rain was being thrown directly at us. Our waterproofs were soaked through and through. Plus, we missed the path so we had to walk 1k down this steep stoney path not finding the path were supposed to take off it and had to walk back up again. We couldn't even stop because we were all soaked and probably would catch hypothermia. That was the longest day...11 hours of walking starting at the crack of dawn. By the time we got to the campsite we were so exhausted and we still had to set up our tents and cook our dinner.


The weather was pretty miserable throughout, what’s more is that most of the day we were only eating cereal bars, plus tuna and pitta bread for lunch so I quickly lost my appetite. I think I must have burned at least 4000 calories a day since we only had pasta and sauce for dinner or rice and bean feast and a slice of that heavenly ginger cake.

We did actually get the luxury of a shower on two nights out of 6!! Though it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience; cobwebs basically covered the ceiling above while spiders dangerously dangled in front threatening to fall on you in mid-shower. I had to be very careful where I stood and my neck craned upwards whilst my eyes were locked on the spiders' every move. Needless to say, I'm not a huge fan of spiders particularly when they are crawling about in my shower.
On the last night we stayed at a mountain bothy- Mosedale cottage. It is basically like an abandoned house that trekkers can use to wild camp. We had to walk in the bogs, mud and sheep shit to get there as it was really in the middle of nowhere. We found a wooden board attached to the wall which all 6 of us slept on in a row. It was rock solid and cold and I couldn't even roll over since my hips were so sore. The view from the steamed up windows were a little creepy and I tried not to catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye with the mad axe-bearing farmer with his face pressed up against the glass straight from a horror story one of the guys had so nicely concocted up for us.

On the last day, the sun came out. Typical. It was absolutely beautiful. We were all in high spirits at being so close to the finishline and the views were simply stunning. It made every minute walking through the awful misty, windy, rainy, cold weather high up in clouds worth it. It had really been a challenge; not only physically demanding but also a test of strength of character but the feeling of accomplishment at the end of it all makes it one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever come across.

25 +1 things I discovered in Egypt

1. I look Japanese. And people will not believe me when I say I'm from England. Or Germany (no matter how good my German was! ) . Or Yugoslavia. Or a faraway land next to the moon.

2. An offer of an Egyptian husband is equivalent to a wolf whistle or car honk in England. Your hand in marriage can be bought for a few million camels. In my case 3 million.

3. Magic carpets do in fact exist. If you're looking for one, I suggest Khalili Bazaar in Cairo, there is one man there who was willing to sell me one.

4. Basins in public toilets are good for sticking your head under to wash the sand out of your hair and assHOSES can double up as showers when desperate. Not particularly classy but it does the trick...so long as no one catches you doing it.

5. There are in fact millions of stars in the sky. I have never seen so many in my life as that night camping in the Black and White desert. If there's one thing that's a must on your bucket list, its to spend a night in the desert. It was truly an amazing experience.

6. Do not trust ANYONE when fully clothed and near a pool. The temptation to chuck you in is just too much. And then you end up having to bring a rucksack full of water as well as sand back home.

7. You can never have too many scarves. But do not be fooled by their cries of 'PASHMINA YOU KNOW...200 LE...I give you good price'...start from 10 LE and work your way up slowly.


8. Sand becomes a staple of your diet. It can be eaten with chicken on suspicious paper 'plates', with bread probably bought on the streets or in welcome 'shaay' tea during a sandstorm on the first day.


9. The 'unfinished obelisk' really is unfinished. I wasn't too impressed with having to climb all those steps in the burning heat to see.......... hah it will remain a mystery to those who did not come up to see it. For your sake I will continue to rave about how stunning and simply wonderful it was until the day comes when you will finally give in to your curiosities and pay the 15LE to see it.

10. Camel rides are very bumpy. What is scary is when they first try to stand up with you on their back or walk down a sand hill or bend down to try and lick someone else's camels..er excretions or try to eat the camel in front (I think I got landed with the strangest hungriest camel) ...hold on for dear life.

11. You can be held prisoner on top of a camel. This is handy for useless tour guides trying to extract tips out of you. The waiting game will continue until you throw money of a suitable amount at him.

12. My camera is not sand proof. I discovered this in the desert whilst tumbling down a sand dune.(It was extremely hard to climb back up) I live to tell the tale. It did not.


13. Smoking shisha is practically a national past time in Egypt, they will smoke themselves to oblivion. For purely the 'cultural experience', I tried it mango flavoured but couldn't see what the fuss was all about. That could possibly also be because I couldn't make my smoke puff out in rings.

14. Egyptians are incredibly friendly. Some a little too friendly. This could be because we stuck out like a sore thumb, even with our attempts at hiding behind our sunglasses and covering ourselves with scarves and ahem other disposable items :P. Anyhow this made a refreshing change from the scowling faces here.
15. The world's best and worst drivers live in Cairo. God knows how they weave in and out of traffic like that. Also, it really is hard to tell which side of the road they are supposed to drive on if any.

16. The horn is a vital source of communication when in your four wheeled monster of a car. It is a crime not to sound it every few seconds. Perhaps 3 honks means I go first, you wait? The traffic is absolutely horrendous in Cairo. If you are trying to cross a wide road then God be with you on this short but dangerous journey.

17. Everything starts ridiculously early. We went for a day tour to Abu Simbel with a wake up call of 2.45am. Sleep was a luxury on our trip, we managed to catch a few hours here and there sleeping on FREEZING overnight trains from place to place. Other than that it was unwanted and unexpected wake up calls at 6am which NO ONE got up to answer. How can you sleep with a big scary man THUMPING on our door? I thought there was a friggin earthquake!
18. Temples are built on a massive scale. You simply don't realise how huge they are until you see them for yourself. Karnak temple was my favourite, just awe-inspiring, you really can lose yourself amongst the towering columns with their intricately carved hieroglyphs.

19. 'Yehla' in arabic actually means 'come come!' Not to be confused with the Manglish or Singlish versions.

20. 2.5 million blocks make up the greatest pyramid of Khufu, each block weighing over 2 tonnes and the whole thing takes 20 years to build? My mind was whirring with how many blocks a day this could be. And its still standing today, some 4500 years later. Fascinating. If I felt small normally, nothing compared to how small I felt on that day up against the mighty pyramids.


21. Inside the pyramids after a very steep long passageway was a small poorly lit room with practically nothing inside, everything probably taken out for the authorities or looted but somehow it gave me a great satisfaction just to be inside the famous pyramids!

22. Desert troopers are fantastic cooks, the meal we had in the desert was the best meal we had in Egypt, possibly because we were so famished to notice after a long long journey out into the middle of nowhere. And no, they weren't just fattening us up for their own culinary experiments though the chanting and dancing round the campfire did seem to suggest so....perhaps they took a liking to ABU and changed their mind :P.

23. Do not bring an ipod along to the temples. It will cause the guards to point at the blue blob on their x ray screen, eye you suspiciously before questioning you about it (how would I know that blue blob was meant to be my ipod?!?! ) and then empty the whole contents of my bag before going back to friendly conversation and once again asking me if I'm Japanese and if I am not I have a Japanese face so I should be Japanese (and could in fact be lying and therefore a liar could easily be a suspect.)

24. Baby Crocodiles are kept as pets in Egypt. And there is huge huge mummified one in the Egyptian museum in Cairo. We had a lovely home cooked meal in a nubian village home where their welcoming gesture was to launch their baby crocodile at you and place it on top of your head. Nice. :)
25. Egypt is a truly beautifully fascinating place with such a charming history and culture, the people are very friendly, things are cheap once you've mastered the art of haggling and it is a definite must for the savvy adventurous traveller. I return with such wonderful memories, stories and I had an awesome time with my fellow Queens and Royal party. I will definitely return there someday.

+1. Always trust that an Egyptian will know better when it comes to reading Arabic. This means you Mel. If an Egyptian says you are reading the paper upside down, he is most probably right. There is no need to argue over it :P


Signing off for now
Queen Cleopatra aka Tat

Egypt, where mummies await...

I'm off to Egypt on Monday! I absolutely can't wait...although it hasn't really sunk in that we are going yet. It could possibly be because we booked it on the spur of the moment after Scarlett invited us along one girly movie night...only a week ago. I haven't really had time to prepare myself for the usual pre-holidaying excitement; the countdown to departing, the fluttering around town in search of holiday clothes (although we did take a trip up to Birmingham to buy our matching floppy hats- very non Indiana Jones style like much to my disappointment) & the packing! Still haven't packed yet :/ am torn between a modest backpack/mammoth rucksack/suitcase....since this is really no ordinary holiday. It will be an adventure- somehow visions of us escaping from resurrected mummies, narrowly missing swipes from masked bandits & fleeing on camels come to mind. The imagination has run a bit wild with possibilities of thrilling escapades but in none of these can I imagine myself carrying around a huge rucksack....I guess for Indiana Jones' sake this would be pretty impractical.

Anyways, the reality of it all is I along with my fellow partners in crime: Vonne, Mel & Gary are joining Scarlett and some others to venture around Egypt (in N. Africa- contrary to popular belief in our royal palace :P ) to hop between places and cover as much as we can in the space of 8 short days. Egypt has always been a country I have longed to visit with its unique archaeological treasures and fascinating tales of past Egyptian life and so I'm looking forward to immersing myself in the culture; sampling the local delicacies, meeting the locals of a predominantly muslim country, picking up a bit of arabic & discovering and seeing for myself the history behind it all. I'm leaving behind all my preconceptions and western ideals to open up my mind and heart to a country which although only 5 hours plane ride away seems a world of a difference to familiar England. We won't be joining a tour group so hopefully it will allow us some flexibility in what we can see...off the touristy route :) But nonetheless we have roughly planned our own itinerary...

Day 1:
Arrive in Luxor after 5 hr flight from Gatwick. Find our hotel and explore Luxor.
Day 2:
Touring around Luxor- Valley of Kings & Queens, Temples of Karnak & Luxor. Take the overnight sleeper train to Cairo.
Day 3:
Discovering Cairo- Old Cairo, City of the dead, Sphinx, Pyramids
Day 4:
Taking a Jeep to board on camels into the 'black and white desert'. Camping overnight underneath the stars.
Day 5:
Another day to explore Cairo- the town, local markets...shopping? Taking the overnight sleep train to Aswan(3rd largest city in Egypt).
Day 6: Aswan market, sail across the Nile?, temples..
Day 7: Day trip to Abu Simbel to see Temple of Nefertari, Ramesses II Temple...train back to Luxor.
Day 8: Taking in the final sights in Luxor before boarding on a plane back to England!

Hopefully I shall return with a gazillion pictures to show, wonderful memories and a broader picture of the world with its diversity of cultures...oh and some authentic desert sand for those who have missed out on our trip :) And for now I will content myself with reading up on some of the history and places to visit, useful Arabic phrases.....oh and pack eventually.

Does this work?

Woop! So I created a new blog to document my travels in the hope that I will be able to travel far and wide uncovering those undiscovered and forgotten corners of the world :)

Hah...and it actually took me ages to figure the whole blog template thing out mainly through trial and error and fiddling about with photoshop, I'm no computer whizz kid :/ but I think it turned out ok :)...