Sleep deprivation...

So I think the goal of the first couple of days of the tour is to exhaust you for the felucca trip. LAst night was spent on a train in a seat that reclined, albeit ever so slightly. The bathroom on the train was worse than those on India's trains...

And tomorrow we must be up at 3 AM to join the police convoy at 4 AM to see Abu Simbal. (Maybe my mom will breeze right over that sentence.) It's at the soutern end of Lake Nassar.

The lake was formed by the construction of the Aswan Dam. I took the optional excursion today - like I was going to miss a chance to see a huge dam - to visit it. Quite impressive, and heavily protected. A breach in the dam would send water hurling down the Nile all the way to Cairo. Not good when 90% of your people live on the banks...

Anyway. I'm on the fallucca ride for a couple of days, so you won't hear from me. Egypt is going well, and I'm looking forward to a bit of relaxation.

I'm alive...

I am safe and sound with all of my belongings here in Cairo.

I can see why people join tours, and why they don't. It was nice to have someone go and buy the "stamp" that acts as your visa (no paperwork needed) and to tell me which line to stand in.

At the same time, the sites are packed into the first nine days, and there's not much planned the last five. Not much downtime. Not how I'd plan it.

So I may have to go back to not knowing what I am eating. I tried to secure dinner tonight at a place just down the street. It's listed in the Lonely Planet, an on my hotel's map. So I figured that a bit of English would have been introduced.

Mostly not so. "Menu" was understood, but no English menu available. "Fries and sandwich" said while pointing towards the same did nothing. Pointing has always worked before.

Conversation among others in Arabic ensued. I was directed to a man behind the counter. I pointed, he asked me something. I really wanted to answer, "I'll give it a shot, just let me have something to eat." That was out of the question.

We muddled through falafel with no salad, but tahini. I wasn't pointing at falafel, but since I understood that word, I went for it. And fries.

I don't know the correct local term, but they are tasty indeed. And served in a pita pocket. Could also have had sauce and salad on top if requested...

And Egypt seems very orderly after six weeks in India. Nothing to worry about.

One continent down....

So you might ask yourself why all these posts are coming up in the middle of the day. Or not.

It's the middle of the night here. I have a 5:30 AM flight out of Mumbai, and have been here since about 12:30. (It's not considered safe to arrive by myself at 2 AM, thus the early arrival.) It's also why the sentences are a bit simple, as I'm quite tired. At least they seem to take a lot longer to type than they should.

But anyway. This mostly means one continent down. I'm sure that Uei or Ryan will enlighten us on the exact status of Turkey, but for all intents and purposes, I'm out of Asia, and on to Africa.

I'm in Egypt for two weeks. When I finish, I'll be half way through this great adventure. Did you hear my mother shout her thanks?

It's been good, and I've learned a lot. I think I'll save the indepth anaysis for when I've had more sleep...

As and FYI, my mobile number is changed back to the Lichtenstein phone number. Email me if you need more details...

My parents have the exact intinerary for my time in Egypt. I would be greatful if my Dad posted a brief summary of it...

Hope all is well.

Juice....

On one of my inter-India flights, I was handed fresh lemon juice. By that, I mean juice in a 200 mL bottle, stamped "Packaged for Jet Air" and "Use within 48 hours of manufacture."

Sure enough, my juice had been made at 1 AM for my evening flight.

Talk about supply and demand. There's not much slack time there. And Jet Air flys over most of India. So there's some shipping involved as well.

All of these things that are more interesting to my first engineering degree than my second...

Dreeeeam The Impossible Dreeeam!

I have a sleeping bag!

I was a bit worried on Friday, and decided to check my email. The sender had not couriered the bag. A little Ebay magic, and I had his phone number. I called him up, and he sent someone to the Gate of India with my bag.

It was good for me...

What I've been doing/will be doing...

So I'm sitting in the Mumbai domestic airport. The domestic and international airports are a few kilometers away from each other. However, they share the same name.

I was washing my hands after using a "EWC" - All I can figure is English WC, instead of the IWC - Indian WC. I noticed a hand drier, which didn't work when I placed my hands under it. I then turned on the switch for the outlet (common feature in India). To my great surprise, the drier started to play Jingle Bells. All I can think of is that they want the machine to be so loud and annoying that it's not on unless someone is actually using it...

I've also been trying to purchase a sleeping bag. Not so easy in India. There are a couple of nights on a boat in Egypt, and since it can get down in the 40's, I figured a bag is a good idea.

India Ebay to the rescue. There are several on offer in Mumbai, where I will end my trip. My cousin lives here, so in theory, it's easy to get it couriered to his house. In practice, this has been a great headache.

I have a US based Ebay account, so PayPal (called PiasaPal here in India, as Paisa is equivalent to cents in the US) has a security issue with the charge. There doesn't seem to be a way to contact the people who are concerned. They sent me an email, which doesn't accept a reply, to tell me that my payment is being processed, and please make sure my contact info is correct. There's no way to put in the phone number for my Indian mobile, unless I change the country where my ebay account is registered.

It's admirable that they're concerned, but they need a better system in place when they are concerned...

I may brave the Mumbai traffic - a crazy idea - and hand deliver payment and get the bag...

Anyway. I'm off to Aurangabad. It's a base camp of sorts for the Ellora and Ajanta Caves. Man made caves (200 BC-600 AD or so) with paintings. Should be quite impressive...

Hope all is well...

Sales...

So I'm at the beach in Kovalam. It's a great beach, but it's been a long time since I've been anywhere this touristy. Honestly, if I were deaf, I could be in Europe right now...

Anyway. There is one odd thing here, but it will take a bit of explaining to get to it, so bear with.

One of the things all of the "round the world" planning books tell you is that you shouldn't pack things you "might" need, only those things you know you will need. And the catch phrase is "Anything that is appropriate will be available locally."

The next train of thought is the sales ability of Indians. It's quite high. Or rather, they are persistent and clever in the sales pitch:

"Would you like a cold drink, madam?"
"No thanks."
"Perhaps some chai instead?"

So I am quite shocked that I can not find a floppy hat. I'm looking for something with a brim all around to keep the sun off. Nothing. Nada. Maybe a baseball cap, but even then, hard to find.

The hat I bought in Bali was starting to fade, and was actually a touch small. So I sent it home after Thailand. I remembered to pack light, and if I were somewhere where I would need a hat, it would most likely be available...

So I guess the crux of it is that the sales pitch is for things that are common and available in India. It seems that the emphasis is on assimilating visitors to India, instead of making an "outside" solution available. Even though the floppy hats would sell like hot roti's, they just don't have them. It's "sell what we have" (I can buy a whole pineapple if I want), but the innovation isn't there.

There are smart cookies who took a floppy hat with them, so they know about the floppy hats. But no one's made the jump to make floppy hats cheaply and charge a fortune for them...

Resolved?

I think that I fixed the autoupdate, but I'm not sure. If you signed up for the autoupdate, and receive this via email, please drop me an email and let me know...

For any of you who would like to automatically (in theory) receive updates in your inbox when I make a post, please send an email to

MSH-Blog-update-subscribe@googlegroups.com

to get setup...

testing day 2, n3

testing, day 2, n2

testing day two

try this process again...

Oh - yeah

I'm alive. I didn't see any tigers nor elephants at the national park. BUt it was great to see mountians and not see the air I breath.

I found out where tea, coffee, and cardamom come from. It was nice. I head to the beach tomorrow...

MH

Auto update...

It's been brought to my attention that the auto update feature is again broken...

I've figured out that it's not blogger.com, as I receive email from them when I set the system to notify me.

That leaves google at fault. I usually set blogger to notify the google group, which then automatically notifies you all...

I can email googlegroups directly, and I see the post on the googlegroup website. But I don't receive an email that indicates a new post to the group.

I've also tried to set up a forward from my email account to googlegroups. This would automatically forward the blog post to my email account, which would forward it to the googlegroups account, which would send it out to everyone in the list. This doesn't work. I can see that the filter is set up correctly, so the message is flagged.

So it seems that an email sent to the googlegroups email address (MSH-Blog-update@googlegroups.com)isn't being sent out to the membership as a whole.

Confused?

So am I, which is why it's still not fixed...

Does anyone out there know enough about googlegroups to help me out?

Bathrooms

Based on conversations with more than one of you, I should elaborate on the bathroom situation. Don't worry, this is informative, not gross.

Reference the picture of the bathroom in Thailand's Kanchaniburi. This is not the exception, it is the norm. There is usually a confusing mix of plumbing (at least in India) on the wall for a bucket bath or a shower. But there's no shower stall per say. Plumbing, toilet, sink (usually). It's been a long time since I've seen a shower curtain in my bathroom. It's just not done. I suspect that it has to do with the mildew factor in the tropics...

Since there's no curtain, the toilet usually gets spray from the shower. I've learned to lift both the lid and the ring when I shower. That way, the critical parts are still dry after I shower. Nothing worse than your bum feeling wet when you sit on the ring.

See? That wasn't so bad...

My first bus breakdown...

So I was on my way to Munnar. There was a 9:30 and a 10:45 bus from Kovallam. I decided to go for the earlier, as it's about a five hour ride. Honestly, it's a bit early for me, but I decided to suck it up.

I had more difficulty than usual in determining which bus to get on. I saw someone else as the station manager which bus went to Munnar. So I resolved to watch this guy like a hawk, and when he moved, I would move.

Worked like a charm. But it turns out that the bus had a flat tire. They fixed it in about 20 minutes. There was no annoucement that the bus was leaving. It wasn't in the spot that it should have departed from. The only reason I knew to get on the bus was because I kept my eye on the Indian of Interest.

We drive, and drive and drive. About three hours later, they tell us that the engine has gone bad. An hour until they fix it... I ended up catching another bus going from parts unknown to Munnar.

I should have slept in and taken the later bus.

But I am feeling like I'm out of the funk. I have a desire to go see things again. Talking with the family yesterday really helped.

So tomorrow, I'm spending some money. I've hired a taxi to take me to Periyar National Park. I looked up the tourist agent recommended by the Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, and everyone else. There's a lot to see in Munnar, as it's tea plantation and cardimom plantation, and hills and nice weather. So I have a nice little tour planned for the morning before I head to the park. The agent told me that the busses to Periyar were worse than the others. Only small busses can make the tight corners, so the busses end up very crowded. That, and the limited time I have made me go for the splurge...

I'm not sure when you will next hear from me, as I'm staying in the park, and I don't know if they have internet access... I'm at the park for a couple of days before resuming movement...

Kochin...

I have arrived safely at Kochin. This afternoon, I'm going to go see a synagogue, and some fishermen with Chinese nets. The irony of it all...

I had to take a vacation day. I know. I know. I'm on vacation. I just needed a little break from India. I was sure the day wasn't going to go my way when I had a cow bump into me. I was walking down the sidewalk, or rather, the place where the sidewalk would be if it were not under construction. There were a couple of cows grazing on some grass or trash, not at all unusual. But when I walked by, one lifted its head and shoved it into my right leg. I wasn't even thinking evil thoughts about the animal. My leg is a bit sore, but not bad.

I had lunch, visited the market for some fruit, and returned to my hotel. I put on my PJ's, and watched TV. I got to see Oprah and a couple of movies... I couldn't have felt more American.

This is the post my brother has been waiting for...

So we talked about the 80/20 rule... 80% works out, but without warning, 20% of your time goes south. My brother has anticipated the coming of the 20% from Day One.

So yesterday started with the hotel trying to overcharge me. They either should have given me an A/C room with no breakfast, or a fan room with breakfast. They tried to have an unacceptable option, and I let them know that. They did back down. It was irritating that they even tried.

Next, I needed to recharge the mobile. You go into a shop with an "Airtel" sign, give them some money, and then an amount, less taxes and fees, is added to your account. So the shop owner offered me an amount that's a good deal in Pondy, but not for my New Delhi phone number, even when he knew his rates were for Pondy only, and also knew I didn't have a Pondy number. Bottom line is the government made out like a bandit on my recharge. And the shop owner is powerless to do anything.

I was met by Tout Central in Mamallapuram. All I wanted was a place to drop the big bag, as all of the sites I had time for were within walking distance. I smiled nicely, and the man behind the desk at a guidebook-recommended hotel agreed to hold my bag. And he even refused the 20 Rp I offered.

So with this bit of good luck, I really thought that I was out of the 20%. That should be the first warning sign that I'm not.

I was at one of the sites, which are basically rock carvings. There was a monkey, and I thought that the Sundheims would appreciate a shot of it. I take the shot, and out of nowhere, the alpha monkey runs up to me. He hisses, and swipes at the plastic bag I had hooked to my main pack.

I forgot that I had some bananas.

You never try to stop a monkey, as it could have rabies.

This wasn't the worst part:

The monkey ate my Snickers bar.

The mighty Snickers bar is an emotional crutch for me. They are not so easy to find, so when I do find them, I stock up. They are such a comfort as they taste the same everywhere. It's not like Coke or pizza, which vary. It's always just like home.

So this monkey* ate it. Along with the dried fruit and nuts package. The crackers were not so good, so the baby monkey was allowed to have them. I'm hoping the alpha monkey has GI issues.

I was able to replace the bananas and buy some nuts. I could find no Snickers bar, only a Kit Kat. I bought two, and gave one to the man at the hotel.

On the bus back to Chennai, I do score a seat. It was actually the conductor's seat, so it is at the VERY front of the bus, adjacent to the driver. So I witnessed rush hour Chennai traffic from the front of a large bus. Fascinating, and terrifying at the same time. I'm still not sure if this belongs in the 80% or the 20%.

*

Rules of Engagement...

And by this, I mean the unwritten rules, expectations, customs we all follow, knowingly or unknowingly.

I was at the New Delhi train station, and needed to get to the airport for my flight to Chennai. There is a kiosk you can go to get a pre-paid vehicle. It's nice because you don't have to haggle for the price, and you can assume that you're not being overcharged because you are a foreigner. A local person may be able to bargain and get lower, but pre-paid is about as good as I can do. It's also a bit safer, as there is a record of my name, and the vehicle I traveled in.

So I go to the counter, give my destination, and am quoted a price of 80 rupees. No problem. I take out a 100 Rp note, and hand it to the man behind the counter. He starts typing the form for the cab driver. I go to put my money away, and the man says, "80 Rupees."

I look down and there's a 50 Rp note on the counter. I have several 50's, and think, "Oh, maybe I did pull out a 50 Rp note." So I hand over another 50, and I'm given proper change.

So the bottom line is that the guy behind the counter, employed by the Tourism Association of New Delhi, pocketed an easy 50 Rp. I'm certain now that I pulled out a 100 Rp note.

So he capitalized on my uncertainty, combined with the fact that I don't expect deceitful behavior from someone working for a service designed to help me, to in fact, cheat me.

And the other half of it is that I am powerless in the situation. I can report him to his supervisor, who will be placated when the subordinate gives him 25 Rp. But short of yelling at him that he cheated me, I can't do much. There's no proof, and none of the rules that we expect.

So the bottom line for me is that I have a new custom. I don't take my eyes of the money when someone is giving me change.

TV...

In India, I've been staying in places a bit nicer than those in my other ports of call... It's all good and well, as I don't think that I want to experience the bottom of the barrel, or rather, the bottom of the bathroom in a budget place...

With that explained, I have a TV in my room. This is quite new for me. I have seen TV, even Indian TV on our trip last year. But I found something disturbing in the places I'm staying, and I don't remember this happening before.

It seems that the same stations are broadcast on multiple channels. So you'll see Station A, Station B, Station A, Station B. Right now, I have three channels of HBO, all showing the exact same thing. It's a bit mentally disconcerting. I'm flipping the channels. I'm still flipping the channels. But I don't see new channels. It's like a bit of deja vu in your daily life. Each time this happens, part of me worries that I've slipped into the Twilight Zone of Indian TV.

Still alive...

So I took a bus to Pondicherry. It was my first Government of India bus. Let me start with that. Gently set aside the images you might have of people holding onto the bus with two fingers, or sitting on top of the bus piled with luggage. It wasn't quite that bad.

It was a unique experience. The man who sat next to me was obviously drunk. He was "sleeping" but literally fell out of the seat with no outward reaction. Twice. The first time, people tried to wake him up as I was having flashbacks of the Spaniard. The second time, they just let him lie in the aisle. Three minutes later, someone else took his seat next to me.

The bus also had a DVD player with speakers. Don't let that fool you. The VIP bus in Thailand had a DVD player as well, showing a movie set in LA featuring strippers and guns. But that bus had the shocks that enabled a player to run without issue. So the first 20 minutes of the ride were spent alternatively listening to a blaring Hindi movie, and watching the conductor run to the front of the bus to fix the player. It seemed as if the bumps in the road were sufficient to knock the DVD out of alignment, and stop the player.

Yes, I used earplugs on this journey.

As an aside to those who track my every movement to the extent that they secretly wish that I had a GPS chip implant, it turns out that we drove right through Mamallapuram. So I will investigate the logistics of a short stop there on Monday. I am in Pondy tomorrow, and Mon night I have an overnight train to Mysore out of Chennai, departing at 9:45 PM. So I have most of the day to do as I please. I just need to figure out what it is I please...

Chennai

I'm in Chennai today. I didn't end up going to Mamallapuram, which is a bit disappointing. My flight out of New Delhi was delayed. I didn't end up in bed until 1 AM. The tour started at 6 AM, and wouldn't conclude until 7 PM. I didn't think that I could handle that on such little sleep. I've been feeling better, but this would be the type of thing to push me back...

So I've done a lot of nothing today.

I should mention that I am warm again. Highs here are in the upper 80's...

I head to Pondicherry tomorrow. This was a French colony. I'm looking forward to it, as I have a slight hope of being able to read the signs that aren't in English.

Egypt

Yes, the subject is correct. I just wanted to let you all know that I've booked a tour for Egypt. I get an airport pickup, all accomidation, a guide, and an airport drop off as well. So I won't be going alone. It worked out well, as their tours start and finish on the same days I have flights in and out of Egypt.

Here's the website:

http://www.gobusegypt.com/

They seem to be geared towards backpackers, so the cost is pretty reasonable.

New Years

Ummm... Actually, I was in bed by 10 PM with a raging sinus issue. I've had some tummy issues, but the doc here thought that this was due to the antibiotics that I was taking... I seem to be getting better without it getting too bad...

Sorry to disappoint...

MH

India Program

Here is my agenda for the balance of my time in India:

4th: Overnight train to New Delhi
5th: Evening flight to Chennai
6th: Chennai
7-8: Pondicherry
9: Return to Chennai for overnight train to Mysore
10-11: Mysore
12: Cochin by way of train/flight to/from Bangalore
13: Cochin
14-15: Kerela backwaters
16: Kerela mountains; Kottayaen, I think
17-18: Periyan - National park
19 : travel back to Kottayaen
20-21: Trivandum/Kovalum = beach
22: Kanyakumari - southern tip of India
23: Trivandum
24-26: Ellora and Ajunta Caves
27-29: Mumbai

29: Fly to Eqypt early AM