Monday, 31 October 2011
Welcome to Bangkok
Goa to Bangkok 31/10/11
To arrive in Thailand from Goa took us at total of 26 hours of nonstop traveling. The journey began in a insanely hot and incredibly cramped bus from Mapusa to Mumbai. It was so packed you had people sleeping in the isle on some newspaper. The busdriver put on a really bizarre Bollywood movie, it just kept cutting to random scenes of indian strongmen fighting people and then suddenly breaking into song and dance and then out of nowhere a car chase! mental but not boring. When we made it to the outskirts of Mumbai we were about 2 hours behind schedule so we had to flag down a autorickshaw, the driver was a oldman with white hair streaming from his face and ears. He was pretty slow and almost drove into a truck but we managed to board our flight just on time. We touched down in Suvarnabhumi Airport and found a taxi, it was bright pink and the taxi driver was carrying hangcuffs.. When we got to the hostel 'We Bangkok' we had to climb over a load of sandbags, This was the first sign of the worst flooding that had hit Thailand for 60 years. The hostel is nice with a roof garden, pool table and beanbags and the receptionists are so enthusiastic. It was Halloween and lots people where going out, but tonight I needed my rest.
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Goa
Anjuna Beach 27-30/10/11
The coach journey that started at 7:00pm finally concluded at 9:00am but it was a experience all the same, as soon as we left the bus in Mapusa we got swamped by beggars and taxi drivers, we hoped on the cheapest taxi we could find and onto our destination, The Silvermoon guest house in Anjuna. The place was run by Maria a really nice lady and her family. We stayed in a guest house with some more 'western' travelers. Up till now we hadnt met that many tourists in Mumbai, the bunch of people we stayed with were a great lot and looking back on it I wish i'd stayed in Anjuna longer. So after introductions we donned the beachware to go discover this hippie's paradise. The water was so warm although quite murky and the beach was good too, lots of cows there too emma. I brought a sarong. It was such a stark contrast to where we were less than 15 hours ago. I tried to stay awake to chat to fellow travelers but fell asleep on a beachbed as the sun went down. After my nap we were going to checkout the beachbars but about halfway down it poured with rain, thunder and lighting. None the less we made it to a clifftop bar and had a few beers watching the lightning strikes out at sea, the electrics in the bar flickering from time to time. The barman was on acid or something, he had majorly bug-eyes and was dancing like a crab, he got really mad and throw his tray at us because we wouldnt tip him, the service really wasnt that good though.
Today we rented out scooters from Maria and drove to Baga for the day, a much larger stretch of beach. The roads are insane though people just overtake in the smallest of gaps and well you just have to be pretty switched on. massive trucks and coaches would pass in the middle of the road, scooters and cars would pullout seconds in front of you, and then you had to avoid the occasional sacred cow. But when you found a good quiet road it was great, (check out mumford and sons, the cave music video to see what i'm talking about) Baga is India's answer to Ibiza and it was packed with Indians all traveling here on holiday, its pretty weird because I think they come here to get away from the hustle and bustle but even in the sea its crowded. You can only swim between the flags and not out very far because I think there is quite a dangerous riptide. In the water a few people wanted a photo, I assumed they wanted me to take it but they were saying "tom cruise, tom cruise" and they got in a photo with me, slightly flattered very confused. We traveled further south to Fort Aguada where you could see the full stretch of Goa. In the evening we had a meal with housemates and onto the beach bars, as the night went on the tide crept up, so a few people lost flip flops and got a bit soggy, great night.
The Aim today is to book transport back to Mumbai for the flight to Thailand. We went out on the scooters to try and find a train station. On the way the skies opened again with torrential rain and thunder and lightning, It was too dangerous to drive in this (especially with so many massive mining vehicles on the road) so we took shelter under a shack. Once the rain cleared the roads quickly dried up and on we went on our epic voyage for the train station, After a few more hours of searching the scooter ran out of gas, and there was a petrol shortage in Goa, luckily a local offered to take Andy to get petrol about 15km away. Literally as soon as we had refuels Andy managed to look the scooter key in the compartment under the seat, pretty funny huh, so we were about to ditch the bike and get a coach back when another local saved the day by reaching under the back of the bike and flicking a switch (so let that be a lesson, don't store things under the seat) Eventually we found the train station but all trains were fully booked until the 15th of November, balls! so we stopped of in Mapusa and booked the cheapest coach back we could get, going back to Anjuna we got lost again and had to work it out in the dark, but it was all fun. the evening was far more relaxing, few beers with the housemates.
Today is our day in Goa so we took out the scooter and followed one of the guys who had been exploring Goa for a while to the most northern tip, the beach here was the best by far nice sized waves and good sand with not to many cowpats. The city life is nice to experience and everything but I think this chilled beach deal is much more my thing. On the way back we took the scooters for a bit of offroading up a big hill to look over the cliffs and Anjuna. There were lots of Eagles gliding in the thermals right in front of us. We packed up said by to the housemates and Maria and went to Mapusa to be picked up by a very cramped bus which turned out to be a 16 hour journey to Mumbai for our flight to Thailand. On the journey I just kept thinking, why didn't I stay longer in Anjuna.
The coach journey that started at 7:00pm finally concluded at 9:00am but it was a experience all the same, as soon as we left the bus in Mapusa we got swamped by beggars and taxi drivers, we hoped on the cheapest taxi we could find and onto our destination, The Silvermoon guest house in Anjuna. The place was run by Maria a really nice lady and her family. We stayed in a guest house with some more 'western' travelers. Up till now we hadnt met that many tourists in Mumbai, the bunch of people we stayed with were a great lot and looking back on it I wish i'd stayed in Anjuna longer. So after introductions we donned the beachware to go discover this hippie's paradise. The water was so warm although quite murky and the beach was good too, lots of cows there too emma. I brought a sarong. It was such a stark contrast to where we were less than 15 hours ago. I tried to stay awake to chat to fellow travelers but fell asleep on a beachbed as the sun went down. After my nap we were going to checkout the beachbars but about halfway down it poured with rain, thunder and lighting. None the less we made it to a clifftop bar and had a few beers watching the lightning strikes out at sea, the electrics in the bar flickering from time to time. The barman was on acid or something, he had majorly bug-eyes and was dancing like a crab, he got really mad and throw his tray at us because we wouldnt tip him, the service really wasnt that good though.
Today we rented out scooters from Maria and drove to Baga for the day, a much larger stretch of beach. The roads are insane though people just overtake in the smallest of gaps and well you just have to be pretty switched on. massive trucks and coaches would pass in the middle of the road, scooters and cars would pullout seconds in front of you, and then you had to avoid the occasional sacred cow. But when you found a good quiet road it was great, (check out mumford and sons, the cave music video to see what i'm talking about) Baga is India's answer to Ibiza and it was packed with Indians all traveling here on holiday, its pretty weird because I think they come here to get away from the hustle and bustle but even in the sea its crowded. You can only swim between the flags and not out very far because I think there is quite a dangerous riptide. In the water a few people wanted a photo, I assumed they wanted me to take it but they were saying "tom cruise, tom cruise" and they got in a photo with me, slightly flattered very confused. We traveled further south to Fort Aguada where you could see the full stretch of Goa. In the evening we had a meal with housemates and onto the beach bars, as the night went on the tide crept up, so a few people lost flip flops and got a bit soggy, great night.
The Aim today is to book transport back to Mumbai for the flight to Thailand. We went out on the scooters to try and find a train station. On the way the skies opened again with torrential rain and thunder and lightning, It was too dangerous to drive in this (especially with so many massive mining vehicles on the road) so we took shelter under a shack. Once the rain cleared the roads quickly dried up and on we went on our epic voyage for the train station, After a few more hours of searching the scooter ran out of gas, and there was a petrol shortage in Goa, luckily a local offered to take Andy to get petrol about 15km away. Literally as soon as we had refuels Andy managed to look the scooter key in the compartment under the seat, pretty funny huh, so we were about to ditch the bike and get a coach back when another local saved the day by reaching under the back of the bike and flicking a switch (so let that be a lesson, don't store things under the seat) Eventually we found the train station but all trains were fully booked until the 15th of November, balls! so we stopped of in Mapusa and booked the cheapest coach back we could get, going back to Anjuna we got lost again and had to work it out in the dark, but it was all fun. the evening was far more relaxing, few beers with the housemates.
Today is our day in Goa so we took out the scooter and followed one of the guys who had been exploring Goa for a while to the most northern tip, the beach here was the best by far nice sized waves and good sand with not to many cowpats. The city life is nice to experience and everything but I think this chilled beach deal is much more my thing. On the way back we took the scooters for a bit of offroading up a big hill to look over the cliffs and Anjuna. There were lots of Eagles gliding in the thermals right in front of us. We packed up said by to the housemates and Maria and went to Mapusa to be picked up by a very cramped bus which turned out to be a 16 hour journey to Mumbai for our flight to Thailand. On the journey I just kept thinking, why didn't I stay longer in Anjuna.
Friday, 28 October 2011
Busy City
Mumbai 25-27/10/11
Throwing ourselves in the deep end the first port of call was Mumbai India, and literally the second you step out of the airport the frantic madness of this city hits you along with the nights heat. We had pre-booked a taxi with the hostel we were staying at and saw a little guy with our names and Traveller's Inn, sorted, but he lead us well away from the airport towards a pretty dodgy road with half constructed buildings and people standing round fires, I held back and kept checking over my shoulder because unmarked taxi drivers were well known for robbing tourists straight out the airport and this didn't look promising, It certainly didn't help that the little fella spoke very little English, from what I could decipher he was saying that you had to pay to park directly in front of the airport so he moved his taxi further away. After a very cautious walk we did manage to make it to a oldskool black and yellow taxi and we on the way to the hostel we saw some of the slums of Mumbai, (62% of the population live in these places) We experienced for the first time Mumbai roads, they are scary, people appear to drive with reckless abandonment for their lives, motorbikes squeezing through the smallest of spaces between moving cars, trucks cutting up others on the motorways etc. It had crossed my mind that if most of the population believe in reincarnation maybe they don't see their life in the same way as I do, but who knows these things. We stayed in a three bed dorm with a couple of fans to keeping us cool and two taps at crouch level, one in a toilet on in the 'shower' basic but adequate. The staff were very helpful but I did end up stepping on one in search for bottled water, It seems they sleep in the corridor of the hostel at night.
The next day we walked towards the Gateway to India in the port of Mumbai. The way is dangerous, there are no pavements just busy roads and big concrete walls masking government buildings, the locals were walking on the edges of the road so we gingerly set off, It was a tad unsettling to see the amount of road signs bent by traffic accidents. The Gateway to India was built during colonial times to commemorate the visit of King George V to Bombay and ironically it is also the port where the final British troops left India. To get anywhere near the gate you must pass a security checkpoint I assume put up in response to the 2008 terrorist attack on a nearby hotel. Once through you are brushing shoulders with lots of tourists, touts, beggars and street venders. In a attempt to escape all the people selling things and asking you for money we hopped on a boat to take us on a 10km trip to Elephanta Island. No elephants though, just snakes and lots of little highly caffeinated monkeys, (they steal your cola) The island actually got its name from the beautiful carvings of one of India's Elephant headed Deities. The temple at the top of the island is carved out of solid rock and has places of meditation and spiritual power and lots of impressive statues (badly damaged due to the Portuguese using them for target practice. Many of Shiva who our guide explained is the creator and destroyer. After talking to the guide for a while he showed us his village on the island and the village meeting involving the heads of families. He asked us where we came from and asked how big the village of London was. We got back to Mumbai for sundown and ate the best indian food I have ever tasted, it was simple just naan bread and vegetarian tofu like stuff but the dips are so tasty and just the right level of spiciness. Strolling onto one of Mumbai's many bustling street markets there where venders everywhere trying anything to catch your attention, many people living on the streets too, homeless children sleeping alongside homeless dogs, its really sad and hard to get used to but seemingly commonplace. Everyone spits everywhere too, you soon see why when you first blow your nose or run your hands through your hair the air is so smoggy here and people seem to discard there rubbish where they stand, for all these problems there is something wonderful about Mumbai, everyone is happy to help you and there is so much happening, people here are really leaving in the now.
It is the 26th of October 2011 today is Diwali, the festival of light conquering dark in India, although it does seem to just be an excuse to let off lots and lots of fireworks, everyone in Mumbai loves making noises, whether it is constantly beeping your horn (the road customs here are different to England) or letting off as many bangers as possible. we strolled into town to sort out a train to the beaches of Goa, the hippy capital of India. We were told however that this was impossible due to the festival, so after a lot of what we thought was bartering we booked a coach, a coach the travel guy was insisting was the best one around "6 axis! Volvo! Volvo! Very Nice" We booked the last two seats for a 12 hour journey later tonight, We also got a taxi driver to take us round to a few sites, like Chowpatty Beach, a sandy oddity in the middle of Mumbai where no-one swims and they have gardens designated by how old you are.
We explored Gandi's house too, after perusing through his life's work it is amazing how one man at one point so controversial could effect so many people (he is on every Indian Rupee) I saw some letters he sent to Hilter and Roosevelt when he was trying to prevent what was coming. Before his assassination he said if he were to be killed he must look at his assailant and smile because there must be no fear or anger when he leaves the world. Next stop was where all the people from the slum areas do their laundry. We brought another Indian takeaway (or is it just takeaway) for our coach journey ahead and the food again was incredible, unfortunately I can't say the same about the coach ride to Goa, 12 hours on a seat not made for a 6" 4 guy with 2 fatblokes above your head in 'sleepers'. there was a guy opposite refusing to sit in his sleeper because of cockroaches, what a wimp. So instead he stood in the isle with his arse right by my face, wonderful..
Throwing ourselves in the deep end the first port of call was Mumbai India, and literally the second you step out of the airport the frantic madness of this city hits you along with the nights heat. We had pre-booked a taxi with the hostel we were staying at and saw a little guy with our names and Traveller's Inn, sorted, but he lead us well away from the airport towards a pretty dodgy road with half constructed buildings and people standing round fires, I held back and kept checking over my shoulder because unmarked taxi drivers were well known for robbing tourists straight out the airport and this didn't look promising, It certainly didn't help that the little fella spoke very little English, from what I could decipher he was saying that you had to pay to park directly in front of the airport so he moved his taxi further away. After a very cautious walk we did manage to make it to a oldskool black and yellow taxi and we on the way to the hostel we saw some of the slums of Mumbai, (62% of the population live in these places) We experienced for the first time Mumbai roads, they are scary, people appear to drive with reckless abandonment for their lives, motorbikes squeezing through the smallest of spaces between moving cars, trucks cutting up others on the motorways etc. It had crossed my mind that if most of the population believe in reincarnation maybe they don't see their life in the same way as I do, but who knows these things. We stayed in a three bed dorm with a couple of fans to keeping us cool and two taps at crouch level, one in a toilet on in the 'shower' basic but adequate. The staff were very helpful but I did end up stepping on one in search for bottled water, It seems they sleep in the corridor of the hostel at night.
The next day we walked towards the Gateway to India in the port of Mumbai. The way is dangerous, there are no pavements just busy roads and big concrete walls masking government buildings, the locals were walking on the edges of the road so we gingerly set off, It was a tad unsettling to see the amount of road signs bent by traffic accidents. The Gateway to India was built during colonial times to commemorate the visit of King George V to Bombay and ironically it is also the port where the final British troops left India. To get anywhere near the gate you must pass a security checkpoint I assume put up in response to the 2008 terrorist attack on a nearby hotel. Once through you are brushing shoulders with lots of tourists, touts, beggars and street venders. In a attempt to escape all the people selling things and asking you for money we hopped on a boat to take us on a 10km trip to Elephanta Island. No elephants though, just snakes and lots of little highly caffeinated monkeys, (they steal your cola) The island actually got its name from the beautiful carvings of one of India's Elephant headed Deities. The temple at the top of the island is carved out of solid rock and has places of meditation and spiritual power and lots of impressive statues (badly damaged due to the Portuguese using them for target practice. Many of Shiva who our guide explained is the creator and destroyer. After talking to the guide for a while he showed us his village on the island and the village meeting involving the heads of families. He asked us where we came from and asked how big the village of London was. We got back to Mumbai for sundown and ate the best indian food I have ever tasted, it was simple just naan bread and vegetarian tofu like stuff but the dips are so tasty and just the right level of spiciness. Strolling onto one of Mumbai's many bustling street markets there where venders everywhere trying anything to catch your attention, many people living on the streets too, homeless children sleeping alongside homeless dogs, its really sad and hard to get used to but seemingly commonplace. Everyone spits everywhere too, you soon see why when you first blow your nose or run your hands through your hair the air is so smoggy here and people seem to discard there rubbish where they stand, for all these problems there is something wonderful about Mumbai, everyone is happy to help you and there is so much happening, people here are really leaving in the now.
It is the 26th of October 2011 today is Diwali, the festival of light conquering dark in India, although it does seem to just be an excuse to let off lots and lots of fireworks, everyone in Mumbai loves making noises, whether it is constantly beeping your horn (the road customs here are different to England) or letting off as many bangers as possible. we strolled into town to sort out a train to the beaches of Goa, the hippy capital of India. We were told however that this was impossible due to the festival, so after a lot of what we thought was bartering we booked a coach, a coach the travel guy was insisting was the best one around "6 axis! Volvo! Volvo! Very Nice" We booked the last two seats for a 12 hour journey later tonight, We also got a taxi driver to take us round to a few sites, like Chowpatty Beach, a sandy oddity in the middle of Mumbai where no-one swims and they have gardens designated by how old you are.
We explored Gandi's house too, after perusing through his life's work it is amazing how one man at one point so controversial could effect so many people (he is on every Indian Rupee) I saw some letters he sent to Hilter and Roosevelt when he was trying to prevent what was coming. Before his assassination he said if he were to be killed he must look at his assailant and smile because there must be no fear or anger when he leaves the world. Next stop was where all the people from the slum areas do their laundry. We brought another Indian takeaway (or is it just takeaway) for our coach journey ahead and the food again was incredible, unfortunately I can't say the same about the coach ride to Goa, 12 hours on a seat not made for a 6" 4 guy with 2 fatblokes above your head in 'sleepers'. there was a guy opposite refusing to sit in his sleeper because of cockroaches, what a wimp. So instead he stood in the isle with his arse right by my face, wonderful..
Thursday, 20 October 2011
The Trip
So a new adventure begins,
Myself and Andy are embarking on a 8 month long journey around the
world, visiting India, Thailand, Lao, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore,
Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the west Coast of America and hopefully
a few other places along the way. Andy is my like minded friend I met
at Plymouth Uni who also decided that after so many years of education
and work it was time to put things on hold and wander round the place a
bit. I'm 22 right now and figured how much longer am I going to have no
strings attached so I can just pick up a rucksack with a few clothes and
travel for over half a year?
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