Day 60 - Leaving Kuala Lumpur for Auckland...

An update from the city of the big towers...

We've gone from the squalor/poverty of India to the complete consumer paradise (depending on your point of view) of Kuala Lumpur. We decided to stay in the city for our 5 short days here (a good choice given that the 1st one was spent catching up on sleep after the flight from Mumbai!) - but we've found enough to keep us entertained in this hot, humid, busy but completely excellent city. There's even a very weird plant-fountain that looks awful...

As you can see from some of the pics, KL is home of the famous Petronas Twin Towers - a mighty impressive sight they are, both from the ground and from the skybridge (a rather disappointing 146m up in the air). We queued for an hour to get the earliest tickets and the view from the bridge was fantastic - not a sign of the smog that so choked Delhi and some of the other Indian cities.

One of the other famous attractions here is the Batu Caves, just north of the city. To be honest, we were a little disappointed with them - there are more impressive caves at Dan-yr-Ogof but to us non-Hindus it wouldn't have had the religious significance they do for Hindus. Millions of ppl come here in February to take part in a festival and stick pins in themselves for good measure. It was a little quieter when we visited but we still had the (relatively mild) torture of climbing over 200 steps in the pouring rain to get to the caves... Here's Em at the top, looking suitably knackered.

The big golden guy is Murugan, one of the sons of Shiva - a pretty bad dude, especially with his big golden spear.

So KL...there are so many shops here it's unbelievable..just everywhere but the transport system is so good (loads of metros, trains and a monorail), it's a joy to get around. The food is wonderful, every conceivable style - there's a fantasic butterfly farm with (thankfully) dead specimens of the spiders found in the highlands of Malaysia. Needless to say I won't be visiting - the biggest one was as big as my hand and had a really nasty look on his face (though, he had been pinned to a display board for some time).

We had the good fortune to think ahead while we were in Agra and book a table at the revolving restaurant at the top of the KL Tower (not the Petronas Towers, the KL Tower is a communications tower). The resturant is at nearly 300m so we were way above the skybridge we'd been at earlier in the day. It was a wonderful experience and we managed to go round completely twice in the two hours we were there - great food too. A bit expensive but I guess it costs a fair bit to get the food up to the tower (was perturbed to find a bottle of Freixenet Cava was 30ukp - a little steep?).

What was really weird was being served a bottle of Ty Nant water with our meal!

So, Emma should have finished the packing now and we have to check out soon...we're off around Chinatown to get some tasty snacks and catch a flight to Auckland at 9pm tonight (10 hours but with a bit of luck it will be a 747 so there'll be plenty of room).

Hope UK isn't too cold, I guess you could say we're on our way home now (in a way...).

Looking forward to some camping and gawping at waterfalls and lakes in NZ (along with a bit of bungee jumping if Em lets me).

:)

Day 57 - first day in Kuala Lumpur

After a delayed flight from Mumbai we've made it to KL (flew over in an enormous 747 with loads of empty seats so everyone was stretched out along 3 seats each). Still recovering from another stomach upset which tainted our last days in India but all in all we were sad to leave such an interesting country.

Kuala Lumpur is another world entirely, a bit like an american city (we don't really have an equivalent in the UK, even London isn't the same) -lots of 'scrapers around - the Petronas Towers are in the distance and we're right in the middle of the business/entertainment district, the Golden Triangle. Everything is so much cleaner here - the trains are excellent and it's a world away from India/Africa. Will be interesting to see how this changes when we venture outside the city.

After catching up on some sleep we wandered around the enormous malls for an hour and had a game of chess in a local pub - drinks v expensive here (10ukp for two drinks each) but we're staying in a cheap place so no worries.

Expect lots of photos tomorrow after our first day on the streets of KL.

J and E

Day 56 - back in the big city - Mumbai

After our relaxing days in Goa, it was time to take our last overnight train and head for Mumbai! We were really looking forward to getting here and after a day wandering around and seeing all the sights, we weren't disappointed....

We arrived just after the furore with Brad Pitt and Jolie's filimg problems erupted and there were loads of people waiting at the beach to watch them return from a boat trip...

After a mammoth 5 hour trip exploring the city (and doing lots of shopping for fabrics etc (Emma, not me)), we came to the famous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Very swish with an amazing central staircase that seems to go on for ever.

Also had to get a picture of the Gateway to India, built for a royal visit in the 1800s. The beachfront is very lively and was a nice place to enjoy the gradual cooling as the sun went down (this part of India is very hot (but not as muggy as Goa)).

We were lucky enough to get tickets for the cinema (a lovely old art-deco monster) - couldn't manage a 3-hr bollywood extravaganza so we settled for a 2 hour Bond adventure - I think Casino Royale has come out earlier here than in the UK.

I won't spoil it but Daniel Craig is good as Bond but the film is pretty trashy - none of the wit of the Brosnan releases.

Things were tainted somewhat when they started to play the National Anthem on the cinema screen (along with the Indian flag) - everyone stood up and, naturally, we stayed seated. Someone then asked us to stand-up (which we did) - but it felt funny and I'm not really sure where I stand on whether we should have stood or not. If pushed, I'd say they had no right to ask us to stand (but we are guests here so it's a tricky one).

Anyway, the rest of our time here has been great and it's even getting easy to handle the street hawkers - they just don't have the drive of their counterparts in Rajasthan.

So we're out of here today, flying to Kuala Lumpur tonight - 5 days investigating there before we hit NZ for a few weeks. Time is flying by and we'll be home all too quickly.

Still lots to do though.

TTFN

E and J

Day 54 - Agra to Goa

We have made it to Goa, Jon having recovered from his sudden onset of India-phobia, and we are loving the place. Thought you would like to see some shots of the Taj though so here you are...Agra wasn't all bad really although you may have been fooled by Jon's last blog!

So we are now at the beach and here' s the photo to prove it - yup, it's lovely here...sea, sand, sun (pretty scorchio actually but we are coping), beer (v cheap) and most excitingly of all WINE.... they actually make wine here so I have been able to enjoy a glass or two (I (this is Emma and not Jon talking in case you were getting worried) grew tired of Kingfisher long ago and have been tee-total all this time...).
So, Goa is great! We have been so lucky with our hotel here - it has a pool and hot water - and we are feeling thoroughly spoilt. The one (and only) problem (for Jon in particular) we have come across at our hotel are the flying things - bugs and mozzas seem to like the place and were trying to cozy up to us all night; we tried to barricade ourselves into our room, weighing down the curtains with all our Lonely Planets, but some still managed to get through... it is not such a great problem for me as I am not as Jon is a mozza-magnet so they usually leave me alone...tee hee hee!

We are here for another few hours before rickshawing to the station where we will catch the overnight to Mumbai (sadly, our last train journey in India) and this may be our last blog from India... so it's ta ra from India and thank you for reading!

Day 51 - A whole new world...

First, an apology..we have no pictures today...really sorry, but left the USB cable at home (hooray, I still remember what USB means!!!)
Anyway, our update...we have had a rough few days in India. It's time to spill the beans. The cards are on the table. The cat's out of the bag.

We are seriously narked with India. We left Jodhpur on Sunday morning at 9am and spent 12 hours on the train to Agra (home of the Taj Mahal). That was great, we read loads and had a nice time...even if we were famished by the end. We were ripped off by the auto-rickshaw driver but that;s not so bad at 11pm so we got to our hotel and after some food had some sleep.

We got up the next day and mooched around Agra (went to the fort - which was excellent if a little dull) - we did a little shopping and generally chilled out (sorry if this is boring - this is the truth of international jet-setting celebrity superstar round the world travel don'tcha know!).

Anyway, the crux of the problem is that we are sick to the back teeth of being offered marble artwork, sandalwood chess sets, postcards, puppets, autorickshaws, taxis, cycle rickshaws, 'silver' bangles and all the other crap that people try to push on us as tourists. I know we're visitors here and we are really behaving as such (we still acknowledge people when they randomly call out 'hello' or 'sir!' or 'madam!') - lots of other wazungu just ignore them. We were constantly overcharged by rickshaw drivers and it just gets annoying in the end. Deep breaths...

As an aside, the Taj Mahal was absolutely breathtaking and we took loads of photos. It's best from a distance but it really is a marvel of architectural engineering - so impressive and all for the wife who died after giving birth to their 14th child (built by Shah Jahan in 16th century).

The problem with Agra is that there is bugger all else there..the best way to do it is by getting the early train from Delhi and spending the day there before catching the express back. We got back to Delhi at 1pm and headed for the hotel we'd stayed in previously - v good and friendly. This morning we caught a flight from Delhi to Goa and we've spent the afternoon mooching around Panaji, looking at the old Portugese remnants and enjoying the heat (much hotter than anywhere since Africa!).
Tomorrow we go to old Goa before heading south to Colva and a day on the beach (and maybe a scooter if I can find one...)

Our Indian adventure ends on sunday when we fly out to Kuala Lumpur but not before two days in Mumbai (where Emma will probably by up half the silk material there). We've arranged our stay there and in Fiji (the Octopus resort) so things are coming together - only a tent to buy in NZ and a motel to rent in the US.

Toodlepip

j and e x

Day 50 - We've made it to Agra

A few days out of internet contact has made us eager to get down all our news (and what few pictures these 115KB internet connections can handle).
We've jetted on from Jaipur (where we stumbled across this picture of all the princes of Rajasthan taken in 1939 - in there somewhere is Emma's great-grandfather).

The funny thing was that when we got to our next stop, Jaisalmer, we were wandering around the City Palace there (which is, incidentally, wicked) and found another two photos with him in! Emma is obviously very, very happy to have found them and even persuaded the museum man to let us take pictures of them.

Jaisalmer was a lovely place and really refreshing after the slightly disappointing Jaipur - stuck near the Thar desert (about 100km from the Pakistan border), it is very dry and flat but has an amazing fort stuck on top of a hill with 360 degree views of the land. Lots of people l;ive in the fort and there are loads of winding streets (yes, we got lost a few times) - unfortunately the fort is suffering from its use by tourists and is slowly subsiding. We did our bit by staying outside it (very nice Shahi Palace) - had some great food and relaxed on cushioned alcoves looking up at the fort in the moonlight.

We managed to get ourselves a little trek on a camel in the desert - it was v v touristy and the drivers were real bastards when it came to the baksheesh (tip) but it was fun all the same. Camels really stink and I feel a bit sorry for them having to carry us around in the sand all day. Here are a few of our vehicles...

Here are some of the animals we saw on safari in Tanzania too..

and one of us in our safari jeep...

That was quite a few weeks agao and I've since had a hair cut and shave in the barber's in Udaipur - no more beard.

We're starting to plan our trip to Malaysia now (and Fiji, which is going to be super expensive). Trains are really great in India and we happily sleep all night on them now - will be sad to say goodbye to them next week.

Enough rambling I think...pics of the Taj to follow, then Goa and Mumbai later in the week.

One last one to end, taken from the Sopa lodge overlooking the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania...

Day 43 - On Indian road traffic abuses....

I know this is the 2nd blog in a day but after a few days being shuttled around the streets of Jaipur, I wanted to get some thoughts down on paper (so to speak).
There's a marked difference in the way road traffic rules are applied and adhered to in all parts of India and Britain (and I'd hazard most of the rest of the world). The concept of one lane - one direction does not really have a tight hold on people when driving in India - if you can get away with squeezing your car/rickshaw/van down the edge of the road but go the wrong way, no worries. Furthermore, dodgy u-turns in the middle of hellish rush-hour traffic are positively encouraged and I'm sure I saw one gendarme holding up a score card with 5.8, 6.0, 5.9, 5.8 on it to one successful attempt.
If people in London think they're hard done-by being jostled by black cabs and zippy bicycle couriers, they should spend a few days in some rajasthani cities and learn what it feels like to be afraid, really afraid. In traffic terms, human beans have no rights here - they are grouped together with other things that shouldn't be on the roads. Even the wandering cows are given more respect (and a wide berth - it's a imprisonable offence to kill a cow on the road). Roundabouts exist but are ignored by all and sundry (don't fancy going all the way round the long way? Just take a short cut and save yourself time!) - traffic lights are a law unto themselves (even the ones with a countdown timer that tell you how long until the next light change!).

Despite all this, I've yet to see a road accident of any kind, traffic keeps moving, people don't lose their rag over the smallest hold-up and you can guarantee that at some point you'll get to where you're going.

My only gripe, and it's a big one, is that for the love of all that is holy about being able to hear properly, please will everyone stop using their BLOODY horns!

Feel better now.

Day 43 - More belated pictures

We are now in Jaipur after a really good train journey two nights ago...spent yesterday looking around the capital of Rajasthan (much dirtier and smellier than Udaipur sadly, though lots to see. Off on a trek around some forts later today before we get another train to Jailsalmer tonight at midnight....both fit as fiddles now which makes a nice change....

Have dug out some photos from earlier in the trip...

Some elephants in in Ngorongoro Crater...

And a hippo pool in the Crater...

And we couldn't really leave out Tim's monkey..yes, he's still with us after all this time, at the bottom of my rucksack, having a good sleep.

Anyway, the trip continues and more pics will come up as we get them. Keep sending us comments, it's great to get them.

Toodlepip.

Day 41 - Lovely Udaipur

For all of you who have been waiting for more pictures and less text, your prayers are about to be answered....finally got some for you.

Here are some shots of Udaipur, where we're staying at the moment:

And one of a nice sunset from last night...

It really is that nice here..not surprised they used it for 007. We spent yesterday in the back of an autorickshaw being shown the sights of Udaipur...then went for an ayervedic massage (Em feet, Jon head) to chill out. Weather is always great and there is an enormous fort here, owned by the current maharana who seems to be sitting in his little (big) house, counting up his piles of money and not doing much else.

We seem to have recovered from illnesses now - which is a blessed relief - another train journey tonight from Udaipur to Jaipur - looking forward to doing a camel safari in Jaisalmer later in the week....

J and E x

Day 40 - Left Delhi and our illnesses behind

Ok, I just wanted to start by answering the barrage of questioning and needling that has ben coming through via email in the thousands of messages ppl are sending us...we hear the cry for 'more photos' and 'less text!' but we just don't seem to be able to upload live pics from our cameras at the moment - a technical hitch so please bear with us.

Also some more detail about the tortoise island back on Zanzibar, ooh, nearly 6 weeks ago...

some of you will have seen the video we took but we also took some pics and as soon as we can get them up here, we will...

To sate your appetites, here are some pictures of us near a waterfall in Marangu nr Kilimanjaro..

They were amazing creatures and could move like you wouldn't believe, especially if they saw you with a bunch of spinach in your hand..some were 200 years old and looked a bit the worse for wear. They just lolloped around searching for food and opening and closing their gummy mouths. Would make v sweet but impractical pets.

We should soon be able to put up some pics of the safari too (we have over 200 I think - from 4 days!) but they're currently whistling their way back to the UK on CD...bear with us.

Anyway, so we've left Delhi behind (with a tinge of happiness thanks to the bout of coughing, high fever and cold that seems to have enveloped both of us since we arrived at Shimla last week). Delhi was a bustling place that overwhelmed with the smells and sights (so many people - everywhere we went!). We caught the overnight train to Udaipur and woke up to find ourselves in a beautiful dusty ochre coloured landscape, lots of little hills and greenery all around. This is where parts of Octopussy were filmed and we're staying in a great haveli overlooking the lake and the palace - all very very cool.

We're going to go exploring now - our friendly rickshaw man has arranged to take us on a petrol powered tour of the new city tomorrow so it's shanks' pony around the old town today - maybe a viewing of Octopussy on the rooftop restaurant tonight (apparently all the hotels show it, every single night). It's great being a tourist!

TTFN