We arrived in Ahmedabad, after a long, but comfortable bus ride. We were dropped off in the middle of no where, surrounded by Indian men trying to take us in their rickshaws (we obviously didn't fit in), serve us chai, and take photographs with us. This was India.
We finally saw Alana, the only other white person around, and were thrilled to take our first rickshaw ride back to her apartment. After buying some fruit and trying on my first pair of Indian MC Hammer pants, we settled in and did some catching up. Off to Buhj tonight with Alana to celebrate the Hindu holiday of Holi. Google it, you will be entertained.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Bombay
Another pleasant flight, from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai, except that it was in the middle of the night and neither of us got any sleep. Needless to say we arrived in Mumbai exhausted and ready for a nap, we hopped in a prepaid cab, and made our way through the city at dawn as the city started to come to life. Through the slums, past the cooking fires on the street, and finally to Colaba - the tourist center of the city. With a few hours until we could check in, we dropped off our backpacks and wandered around the neighborhood. Our hotel was blocks from the Gateway to India - a large arch to commemorate King George V's visit to Bombay in 1911. Great for people watching and right next to the Taj Mahal Hotel, one of Mumbai's grandest hotels and also the site of the 2008 terrorist attacks.
After a few hours of needed sleep, we met up with David, a friend of Alana's who is carrying out his Jewish fellowship in Mumbai at a drug rehabilitation center. It was nice to have a guide through Mumbai's Colaba and Fort neighborhoods, home to Colonial architecture and the Victoria Terminal. We ate vegetable thali for dinner, a sampling of vegetarian dishes, learned a lot about what was to come, and headed back to the hotel early to catch up on more sleep (still trying to stabilize our sleeping habits).
The next morning we caught an early ferry out to Elephanta Island, about an hour off of Mumbai's eastern coast, to check out 5 cave shrines dedicated to the god Siva (and others). Dated from around 600 AD, the caves were filled with ornate carvings and temples depicting the god and his many personalities. We also saw our first pesky monkeys.
We made our way back to the city and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon on a "walking tour." We walked through many of Mumbai's wealthier neighborhoods, dodging traffic and the sun. Finally ran out of steam, and took a taxi back to the hotel to collect our bags and make our way to the bus "station." On this two hour cab journey we saw the real Bombay, leaving behind the comfort of our tourist neighborhood. There are no addresses in India, our bus stop was at a hotel opposite a tour company, the only problem was the hotel was an incorrectly spelled cafe. In rush hour traffic, driving is a sport and may the most aggressive man win. Anxiety set aside, we made it to the neighborhood with twenty minutes to spare, just enough time for our cab driver to question numerous locals and rickshaw drivers about the location of this bus stop. As we sat on the side of the road, we finally saw our a/c sleeper bus in the distance. As the bus slowly rolled by we hopped on and could relax. Fourteen hours later we arrived in Ahmedabad.
After a few hours of needed sleep, we met up with David, a friend of Alana's who is carrying out his Jewish fellowship in Mumbai at a drug rehabilitation center. It was nice to have a guide through Mumbai's Colaba and Fort neighborhoods, home to Colonial architecture and the Victoria Terminal. We ate vegetable thali for dinner, a sampling of vegetarian dishes, learned a lot about what was to come, and headed back to the hotel early to catch up on more sleep (still trying to stabilize our sleeping habits).
The next morning we caught an early ferry out to Elephanta Island, about an hour off of Mumbai's eastern coast, to check out 5 cave shrines dedicated to the god Siva (and others). Dated from around 600 AD, the caves were filled with ornate carvings and temples depicting the god and his many personalities. We also saw our first pesky monkeys.
We made our way back to the city and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon on a "walking tour." We walked through many of Mumbai's wealthier neighborhoods, dodging traffic and the sun. Finally ran out of steam, and took a taxi back to the hotel to collect our bags and make our way to the bus "station." On this two hour cab journey we saw the real Bombay, leaving behind the comfort of our tourist neighborhood. There are no addresses in India, our bus stop was at a hotel opposite a tour company, the only problem was the hotel was an incorrectly spelled cafe. In rush hour traffic, driving is a sport and may the most aggressive man win. Anxiety set aside, we made it to the neighborhood with twenty minutes to spare, just enough time for our cab driver to question numerous locals and rickshaw drivers about the location of this bus stop. As we sat on the side of the road, we finally saw our a/c sleeper bus in the distance. As the bus slowly rolled by we hopped on and could relax. Fourteen hours later we arrived in Ahmedabad.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Well we survived the first leg of our trip, a day in Abu Dhabi, and two days in Dubai. Two cities that don't know what to do with their recently acquired wealth, more buildings under construction then are currently there, and of course the man made islands (one palm island almost finished, two in the works, and a map of the world off the coast of Dubai). Despite our exhaustion from the 10 hour time difference, we managed to see most of Dubai, from the working class older neighborhood where we stayed, to the indoor ski hill at the Mall of the Emirates. The difference between the two is night and day, we fit in better with the regular people, and were stared at as we tried to approach the grounds of Dubai's 7 star hotel, which is in the shape of a sail.
Citizens make up only 20 percent of the population, leaving the other 80 percent to build and service the rest. It was an eclectic mix of Indians, Chinese, Pakistanis, Bangladeshans, and more. From our hotel room we could hear the call to prayer from about 5 different mosques, but unfortunately Paul was already awake at the 4:30 call (our body clocks are totally off).
Well we are ready to board our flight to Mumbai, we arrive around 5 am and are excited to be in India. I'm sure we will have plenty to write about after a few days in the world's largest city.
Citizens make up only 20 percent of the population, leaving the other 80 percent to build and service the rest. It was an eclectic mix of Indians, Chinese, Pakistanis, Bangladeshans, and more. From our hotel room we could hear the call to prayer from about 5 different mosques, but unfortunately Paul was already awake at the 4:30 call (our body clocks are totally off).
Well we are ready to board our flight to Mumbai, we arrive around 5 am and are excited to be in India. I'm sure we will have plenty to write about after a few days in the world's largest city.
Friday, February 19, 2010
The day before take off
I finally set up our travel blog! One more thing we can cross off of our long list of things to accomplish before we leave the country, next on the list - skillfully packing our backpacks for our three month journey.
We are off to the Las Vegas of the Middle East, Abu Dhabi and Dubai for three days and two nights. Can't wait to see the world's tallest building, but won't be traveling to the top - the brand new skyscraper has faulty wiring. But I'm sure that the clear waters of the Persian Gulf will be enticing and the man made island in the shape of a palm tree.
Hopefully I'll be able to write almost every day, I can even do it from our new toy - the ipod touch. Hope everyone can keep up with us on the adventure.
We are off to the Las Vegas of the Middle East, Abu Dhabi and Dubai for three days and two nights. Can't wait to see the world's tallest building, but won't be traveling to the top - the brand new skyscraper has faulty wiring. But I'm sure that the clear waters of the Persian Gulf will be enticing and the man made island in the shape of a palm tree.
Hopefully I'll be able to write almost every day, I can even do it from our new toy - the ipod touch. Hope everyone can keep up with us on the adventure.
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