On our last morning in India we were up early and had a great breakfast from room service and were off to the airport for our flight to Jordan. We arrived early especially since it was an international flight and because of all of the tight security at Indian airports. There were many last minute check-ins from the locals who never think they need to arrive early and therefore are always late. We arrived early only to find that we had arrived too early with nothing to do. The Cochin airport security was not as strict and there was nothing to occupy our time. Our flight had a lay-over in Dubai that was supposed to be only 2 hours, but we had a 2.5 hour delay in our flight. We tried to get into the airport lounge (fail) and so spent some time browsing all of the duty free shops instead. We arrived in Amman and were greeted by our driver Hamza and a company rep. From the start, we knew that the tour in Jordan was going to be more relaxed than the tour in India. For starters our vehicle was not a brand new SUV driven by a man in a formal uniform. Hamza was driving an early 2000’s Chevy sedan that smelled of smoke and Hamza was in jeans and a T-shirt. We checked into the hotel and were excited to continue the last leg of our trip in 5 star luxury.

The next morning we toured Amman & the countryside. Our first stop was Ajloun, an Islamic military castle that was used by the Islamic armies of Saladin to protect the region against the crusaders. Six meters of the upper level of the castle was destroyed by an Earthquake in the middle of the 700’s AD. The castle is on a peak of a mountain range overlooking the entire region. We didn’t have a guide at Ajloun, so we had to make up stories to tell each other about the purpose of each room; it sure was an interesting castle!!

Spice Shop in Cochin

The next day we were excited to get to Thekkady, even despite the six hour drive to get there! The landscape changed from estuaries and rice paddies to rolling hills, coffee, tea, and spice plantations. This region is known for growing just about any spice you can imagine and these spices are a defining element of human history. Europeans waged wars and traveled the world in search of routes with better access to these earthly riches. The area grows cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, tea, vanilla, star anise, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, chilies sandalwood even frankincense and mirh! Along with this you can find many kinds of nuts including almonds, cashews, hazelnuts and many types of fruit including pineapple, mangoes, oranges, bananas melons, and the list goes on! This was the first time we’ve seen the plants that produce a lot of these spices and nuts. For foodies like us this was a real treat.

The road to Thekkady was lined with plantations and surprisingly …. mansions. The plantation owners are well off and built themselves near palace like homes, and why not? They are all brightly colored and gated. Along the way there were many stupas or small 3 story shrines to central figures of Christianity (Mary, Jesus, and various saints). These sights were amazing enough to take our minds off the ever present threat of a head on collision on the tiny narrow road (with no guard rails) that switch-backed up the mountain side with cars constantly dodging oncoming buses and rickshaws.

Indian martial arts

Jeep Rollercoaster

Relaxing on the houseboat

Sunset on Thekkaddy houseboat

Goodbye from India

Cochin Chinese Fish Nets

We stepped off the plane in Cochin into the humid tropical heat. The 10 days of relative cold in northern India somehow made us forget the past 4 months of 90-100% humidity and +30 degree temperatures we got used to. Cochin is a diverse port city, spreading over 5 islands and peninsulas. The main town, Ernakulam, is on the mainland. All the islands are connected by a ferryboat network and a few small bridges. Around the headland of Fort Cochin, a group of cantilevered Chinese fishing nets dip into the sea at high tide to bring up fish.

Cochin Fish Market

After checking into our hotel, the Casino (sadly there were no betting tables, seems a bit like false advertising) we headed out for an evening harbor cruise. It was a typical tourist boat with old plastic chairs and a fresh coat of paint. For some reason we had the boat to ourselves, it could probably have seated 20. The harbor is quite industrial and not overly scenic, but the sight of the fishing nets at sunset from the water was really amazing. The Chinese fishing nets were erected between AD 1350 and 1450 by Chinese merchants. The nets are made of teak wood and bamboo poles and work on the principle of balance; they are lowered to the bottom of the river/estuary and after some time lifted out, trapping the fish in the nets. The fishermen weren’t lucky when we were there and only caught a few small fish. We on the other hand were quite lucky and got to see 4 dolphins swimming a few meters from the boat!

Just a few steps from the palace is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, which traces its history to nearly 2000 years ago. In 1948 the community numbered 2500 and today there are fewer than 30 people. The one Jewish family that remains is still centered round the original community and its crown Jewel, the Paradesi Synagogue. Built in 1568 and reconstructed after a Portuguese bombardment in 1662, the synagogue is distinguished by its tile roof and bell tower. The small synagogue is also known for its hand-painted, willow-patterned, blue and white Chinese floor tiles, and the many brass and crystal lamps that hang from the ceiling donated from all around the world.

Traditional performers in Cochin

Gate to India

Our flight into Mumbai showed us the contrast of city life that you can only see from the air. The outskirts of the city were extremely packed with tin-roof shacks. They are small, right next to each other, and sometimes a few stories tall. They stretch on for kilometers. Then almost as if by magic, the landscape transforms into high-rises and modern buildings, paved streets and green spaces. Mumbai is the country's financial and commercial hub and has a principal port on the Arabian Sea. There are many perceived opportunities for work so hundreds of thousands of people flock to the city in an attempt to improve their lives, often only to end up in the slums, which have earned Mumbai the title of the most densely populated city in the world. There are 18 million people living in Mumbai, and that is the official number, realistically it could be closer to 25 million.
We spent our first day waiting for 2 hours in the lobby to check into our room at the hotel (we’ll spare you all the mind numbing details). We eventually gave up and wandered the city, doing a little grocery shopping and grabbing some lunch. We returned to the hotel and decided to spend the night in, purchasing the extremely expensive internet to upload our 1000+ photos and to unwind from the previous 10 days of travel in northern India.

The next day we were picked up by our first female guide. We had a very good time with her, she was a no-nonsense type of person. She figured out pretty quickly that we didn’t want the typical tourist run-around. She customized the day and chopped it down into a half day excursion. We started with the Hanging Gardens, also known as Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens. The gardens were built in 1880 over three reservoirs, which store 30 million gallons of water pumped here for cleaning before being supplied to the town. The reason the reservoirs had to be covered is that there was a Zoroastrian temple adjacent to the reservoir. This religion leaves their dead on the top of peaks, to be devoured by vultures and other birds, in order to allow them to be recycled back to nature. However, the potential of dropping rotting diseased flesh into the town water supply necessitated a solution and relocating the temple was not an option, so the reservoirs had to be covered.

Gandhi

Clock Tower at Mumbai University

Marine Drive Mumbai

Mumbai Flower

LIfe is good at the Maharajas Hunting Lodge

The next morning we were up and on our way for the long 7 hour drive to Udaipur with the now common road-side stop for lunch. This place was the best of very few. Not many tourists drive from Jaipur to Udaipur as it is much easier to fly. The food was strange and not that good, but when you are hungry just about anything will do and we didn’t get sick at all! We fed some of the stray puppies with our left overs, some of them are so adorable you want to play with them, but this is not such a good idea here. We made it into the city an hour and a half before sunset and pulled into our hotel at the Maharaja’s old hunting palace. This heritage hotel (Shikarbadi) was beautiful and tranquil. It is surrounded by the Maharaja’s horse stables, complete with many of his prized horses, his own private airport, a deer park, peacocks and lots of monkeys in the trees. After supper, while trying to feed one of the horses, we apparently disturbed a monkey who was sleeping in the tree above us. In retribution, he tried to pee on us from the top of the tree, but got out of the way before getting hit because we heard the rustling in the tree.

The city of dawn, Udaipur, is surrounded by what were once azure lakes (Lake Pichola), hemmed in by the lush hills. Udaipur has a long history of being the inspiration for poets, painters and writers. It is also known as the jewel of MEWAR – a kingdom ruled by the Sisodia dynasty for 1200 Years who never succumbed to the Mughal or British rule. The modern Udaipur is a small (by Indian standards) city that has surprisingly clean, tiny winding streets in the city center.

After the temple, we went to the City Palace. Standing on the east bank of lake Pichola, is a massive series of palaces built at different times from 1559 A.D. The balconies of the palace provide panoramic views of "Jag Niwas" (the worldwide famous Lake Pichola palace hotel), Jag Mandir on one side and on the other the city of Udaipur. The palace is like many in Northern India, filled with many arches, series of courtyards, terraces, corridors and gardens. The Krishna vilas is a palace within the City Palace that was constructed in memory of a princess of striking beauty who poisoned herself to avert a bloody battle for her hand in marriage by two rival princes. The palace now contains many antique articles, paintings, decorative furniture and utensils. The Mewar rulers have been known throughout history for their contributions to charity and the downtrodden. At certain ceremonies the king would weigh himself on a giant scale and give away his weight in gold coins to the masses. Presently the Palace is still occupied by the royal family and much of it is cordoned off to the public, but they allow many artisans to take residence in the courtyards to sell their goods.

Amber Fort all lit up

After an early breakfast we were on the road for a long day of driving and sight-seeing. We first drove to Fatehpur Sikri, which is 37 km west of Agra. Jalal-ud-din-Muhammad Akbar, ‘Akbar’ was made the king at 14 and shortly after met the founder of the Chisti order of SUFIS. Akbar was blessed by the saint and in gratitude he ordered the great mosque of Fatehpur Sikrin to be built. Akbar transferred his capital here to Jaipur and built Jodhabai palace and many other buildings. He was a very forward thinking person and was tolerant of all religions. He had a Portuguese Christian wife, a Hindu wife and a Muslim wife. He encouraged an era of prosperity in the arts, learning and tolerance. While we were touring Jodhabai’s palace we were again pleasantly surprised by the lack of other tourists.

From Fatepur Sikri we drove to Abhaneri. We were on the highway for almost 4 hours and it was a driving experience. Our driver was very good and dodged everything in his path, cows, goats, and trucks coming at us head on…on a one way highway. Everyone drives like they are the only car on the road and also in the middle of the highway; there is no point of even having lines painted on the road because no one uses them. The scenery was constantly changing from mountains to sugar cane fields, to desert. The state of Rajasthan is beautiful. We stopped for lunch at a little resort that was just being built in Abhaneri. On the inside the restaurant looked like a little palace decorated in marble. We were given 5 large silver bowls full of the local cuisine; stuffed small eggplants, potatoes sautéed with cumin seeds, chicken curry, vegetable curry, curds in sauce, naan bread and rice…what a feast!

After a quick visit of the Baori, we went 20 steps south to the Harshat Mata Temple. This temple dates back to the tenth century AD. All of the walls & surroundings around the Temple were of carved stone depicting the abodes of Gods & Goddesses Aradhnarishwar, Nag-Nagin, Prem Mudrakan, Natraj, Lord Vishnu & Budhas. It also shows a few scenes of kama sutra. This Temple which was looted and destroyed by the Mughals is in ruins and pieces of sculpture are scattered all around. The Archaeological Survey of India is trying to restore the Temple. Of course we weren’t able to visit these two sites on our own. We were greeted immediately by an ‘official tourist guide’ for the area who repeatedly told us that he was the local expert. We weren’t charged anything for the visit, but there was the outstretched hand and rubbing fingers together ‘give me a tip’ gesture. Now, we don’t mind tipping but we really dislike the forced tour and services that all have the expectation of tips afterwards. Coming from a background of doing everything yourself, it is hard to adjust to having someone do everything for you, from opening doors, carrying your bags, dishing up your food, practically washing your hands for you, on and on it goes. We can understand that it helps to provide jobs for everyone and helps to give them a living wage, some situations just take some getting used to and some, stern brushing off in others. Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan which was occupied by the Kshatriya warrior caste before they made alliances with the Mughal emperors and the later British invaders to enjoy a privileged position under their powers. Jaipur is also called “The Pink City” because the city was washed with pink paint in honor of a state visit by the British Prince Albert. Our hotel was located just outside of the old part of the city. A quick turn off of one of the small cluttered local roads lead to a courtyard with a beautiful heritage hotel. We loved the little hotel, and the food at the restaurant. We did run into some problems with our internet (boo hoo us) and no hot water. The real problem with the internet wasn’t accessibility it was the horrible service from the reception.

Elephant ride on the way to Amber Fort

Hanging out infront of the Taj Mahal

We were both a little worried about our 2nd class train journey on the Indian train, but we shouldn’t have been! Not after travelling on the train all throughout Europe, Russia and China….nothing will beat the 13 hour Vietnamese train from hell. This was not bad, even the bathrooms were bearable, which is hard to say about other trains around the world. The second class wagon has AC and is quite comfortable as far as sleeping wagons go, we even had some sleep that night! The train was only an hour and a half late so we got to sleep in the next morning until 05:45! We were lucky because right across from us were a couple of Japanese girls with their tour guide who spoke English who let us know when to get off the train since there are no announcements where the train was stopping so either you know or you don’t. We also met a random Indian man who like all the other Indian men in India have an opinion about everything and are also always correct (even though this one got Canada mixed up with Australia and thought that 80 yen would pay for a tour of India). We also met a few urologists who were travelling to a conference. We got into Agra at 7 in the morning and we waited by our wagon for our guide to pick us up…they specifically said “DO NOT LEAVE THE TRAIN STATION”, we can just imagine past travellers leaving the station wandering the streets of Agra looking for their guide. He was there right away and took us to the Trident Hotel which was a beautiful new hotel. We were also greeted by the same friendly driver we had in Delhi, Mr. Kandu. We had just enough time to freshen up and have a gourmet breakfast with the most amazing coffee we’ve had so far in India, and then we were off to THE sight…if the only sight to see in India…the TAJ MAHAL. Our guide and driver picked us up from the hotel and drove us most of the way and then we took a Tonga ride which is a small carriage pulled by a horse up to the gates of the Taj. One of the reasons we took the Tonga ride is that no cars are allowed within a kilometer of the Taj Mahal. The Indian government even closed all of the factories within the city and surroundings so that this very popular tourist site would not be covered in smog and pollution. All the people in this area now rely on tourism and cottage factory manufacturing instead of industry to feed their families.

Taj Mahal

When we came back to the hotel after our day of sightseeing we were surprised to find our room to be very chilly. Apparently we left the AC on when we left and now, as the temperature was dropping with nightfall, our room was only 19 degrees. We tried to use the thermostat on the wall, but found out that it is only for AC, not heat. Looking through the amenities guide for the hotel, we found that you can call room service for a space heater! We were all over that and within a short time we had a toasty little oven in our room to keep us warm through the night. Who would have ever thought you’d need a heater like that in India!

Our company provided the following summary of Varanasi, which we want to pass on to you all:
“Picturesquely situated on the crescent shaped left bank of the holy River Ganges, Varanasi, is one of the ancient seats of learning in India. It is said to be a compound of the names of two streams, the Varuna and the Assi, which still flow into the Ganges from the north and south of the city respectively. Varanasi is probably one of the most ancient living cities in India. From time immemorial it has been a great religious center for Hindus and one of their most sacred places of pilgrimage, being visited by millions of people every year. To every visitor Varanasi offers a breathtaking experience. The rays of the dawn shimmering across the Ganges; the high-banks; the temples and shrines along the banks bathed in a golden hue …soul stirring hymns and mantras along with the fragrance of incense (and smoke) filling the air…and the refreshing dip in the holy waters gently splashing at the Ghats. Baths in the Ganges are suggested for locals only! Varanasi abounds in the art of silk weaving, an exotic work of art which manifests itself in silk saris and silk brocades which are cherished as collector’s items across the world today. “ To sum it up…an amazing place to experience.

Priests performance at the Ghats

The security at the airport in Delhi (in India generally) is much more strict. You are checked before you even enter the airport and multiple times on the way to the plane. There is a final check just before boarding of your carry on baggage. Our flight to Varanasi was filled with tourists. There were probably only 10 or so Indian people onboard. Arriving in Varanasi, we got a taste of what an ‘authentic’ Indian transportation hub might be like. There was very little security and the terminal is common for departures and arrivals, with nothing more than one counter, a few bathrooms and a luggage belt that is only 20’ long. It was frustrating and funny to watch people scramble to get their luggage from the belt before it landed on the floor in the mountain of luggage piling up at the end of the short belt. It really seemed like all the tourists were scared someone was going to run away with their luggage.
After being met by our guide and driver we dropped off our luggage at the Hotel Hindustan International. The hotel was dated to say the least. We were a little surprised by the dirty sheets and blood stained wall (from squished mosquitoes it looked like). We were alright with the hotel, it was the one recommended by all of the Indian travel companies that we received quotes from. Varanasi is one of the most unique and amazing places we have seen, and you have to take the good along with the bad. A few minutes later we were on our way.

Lighting our prayers and letting them float on the great Ganje

Inidan train sleep compartment

From the Sydney airport we flew with Emirates airlines to Bangkok for an overnight stay before making the final leg of the journey to Delhi. We’ve decided that Emirates is our new favourite airline. The service is great, there is tons of leg room and the entertainment is amazing. Very many movies, tv shows, music and games to choose from. The 9 hour flight melted away and we were in Bangkok before we knew it.
Our quick layover in Bangkok was just long enough to remind us of how much we enjoyed Thailand. The people and the culture is so warm and welcoming. The air has a particular scent and the food is great! We both agreed that Thailand is a country that we will definitely visit in the future. The one thing we forgot about was the departure tax of $25 US per person, which must be paid in cash. It’s really one more chance to rip off foreigners one last time before the lave the country, especially if you only have a lay-over and don’t have any Thai Baht handy. We started the trip to India with a quick introduction to Indian culture. We went to the gate to check in for our flight and were bombarded with a rush of 20+ Indian men raging to check in and get their goods on the plane. All of the passengers were men and they apparently came to Bangkok to buy big screen TV’s, remote controlled helicopters and other similar toys. As we tried to stay in line, we were elbowed and bowled over by trolleys. It took us about 5 seconds to figure out that there really was no line at all. All of the men were checking-in in groups, so if one person was ahead of us in line, it turned out to be really 8 people, it was extremely frustrating. Luckily the Bangkok ground agent saw Ewas frustration and ushered her to a separate check in counter. The flight had the most demanding passengers we have ever seen. The sound of the attendant call button being pushed was non stop. Everyone on the plane wanted something and they wanted it NOW. For example, there was a man already seated and he simply took off his jacket and held it into the aisle. When the attendant came close he looked at her, said thank-you and forced the jacket into her hands, expecting without question, please or thank-you to deal with the jacket.

When we landed in Delhi we were greeted by our Compass (our tour company) representative who was waiting for us along with our driver. He told us that Delhi had their Independence Day on January 26th; we were 3 days late to make it 6/6 with all of the other national holidays we’ve hit in other countries (China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Australia). It was already after 10pm and we went straight to the hotel making a stop at an ATM. We are normally cautious and careful at ATM’s, but this time we were more nervous than usual. Our guide and driver both escorted us to the ATM, which was also guarded by two security officers with guns. We’ve since learned that this is not normal for other ATM’s, but it was an intimidating beginning to the trip. The hotel we checked into was decked out in marble and had one of the most comfortable beds we have stayed in since Singapore. Going to sleep that night we were thinking that this leg of the trip was going to be a strange blend of poverty outside our hotel doors and the comfort we would enjoy each evening.

Next, we drove past the imposing India Gate, the Parliament building and the Rastrapathi Bhawan, the President’s residence. The parliament buildings are a monumental structure built by the British and now occupied by the Indian government. Security is tight and we were not allowed to enter. The India gate is the Indian version of the Arc d’triumph in France. Only, just like the parliament buildings, the gate was built by the British. It is inscribed with the names of 90,000 soldiers who died in the war of the British Indian Army and lost their lives fighting for the British Indian Empire, or more correctly the British Empire in India British Raj in World War I and the Afghan Wars.

We stopped for lunch at what was to be our first of many ‘tourist’ Indian restaurants. The front door is armed by guards and inside there were many servers and no locals. The meal was great, but at the end, our waiter tried to enforce an ‘extra service charge’. Ewa, using her now fully matured and keen backpacker senses saw through the scam and told the waiter that if it is a required charge as he was implying, to put the charge on our bill. After a minute or so of arguing, our guide came to check on us. A few curt exchanges between our guide and the server in Hindi, and we were on our way without paying the added charge.

Taking off cover that Ewa had to wear to be in the Mosque

Welcome to the Whitsundays. Land of beautiful white sandy beaches and turquoise waters… which you can’t swim in. The waters here are filled with jellyfish, including Irukandji and box both of whose stings can be fatal. So, in order to go swimming in the ocean, you need to wear a ‘stinger suit’. They are usually a 3mm wet suit, or sometimes a thinner lycra version. They are supposed to limit the surface area exposed to potential stings. However, your feet, hands and neck/head are still exposed. We didn’t rent a suit so we couldn’t even swim in the ocean. The great thing about the city is that they built a huge lagoon a few feet from the ocean to serve as the local swimming hole. The lagoon is nearly the ideal swimming pool, it’s surrounded by palm trees, green space with sand and there is a separate kid’s pool too! There are showers, toilets, water fountains and plenty of little shops to eat at; everything that you need to stay for the whole afternoon. The only downside is that the pool is only about 5’10” deep at the maximum and with the high temperatures and strong sunlight it gets to body temperature or even warmer. It’s not really a great place for cooling off.

We couldn’t get onto our sail ship for a few days because the first sailings were booked. Instead of spending the extra days around Sydney, we thought that we could spend them diving on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and swimming in the ocean. As it turns out, there are no day trips from Airlie to the GBR. The town is set up great for sailing but not diving. To do a diving here you have to do a live a board. We were disappointed the travel agent didn’t tell us these things before we came, and if we knew, we would have made other plans. We checked into our hostel, the ‘Backpackers by the bay’ which is a dirty little mini-motel. The staff was fun and hosted trivia night and they showed movies at night until the screen broke (like many of the things at the hostel).

The day before we sailed, we changed hotels because the tour operator provided accommodation the night before and after the sailing. The ‘Wander’s Resort’ wasn’t any better than the Backpackers we had just left behind. At night we even had to defend ourselves against several small spiders (potentially life threateningly poisonous in Chad’s paranoid mind) and one huge, nearly fist sized spider. We spent 10 minutes trying to kill the large spider with the toilet scrub brush, but the spider was too quick and we were too scared to get too close. We eventually managed to kill it by throwing a towel over the spider to trap it and then smashing all over the towel just to make sure we got it!

The Sollaway Las

Whithaven beach

We went snorkelling and also went for one dive. We were looking forward to diving the Great Barrier Reef for a long time and since we couldn’t get too far out, this was going to have to do. We were still on the reef and happy that we could do even one dive. The snorkelling was great too, it was very amazing to see the amount and variation of fish life and the coral was beautiful. Our dive went smoothly, it was a bit murky because of the weather. We even took our camera diving since the max depth we would be going to would be 14m. We took lots of pictures and even two videos. After we had dinner, the captain announced that someone would get whipped! On our first day, he had explained that if anyone disobeyed the marine park rules that they would get flogged, some of the offences are no big deal like for example bringing sand onto the boat, that can get cleaned up – some big offences are taking shells or coral from the beaches (along with flogging it is a $3000.00 Aus dollar park fine).

Diving the Great Barrier Reef