tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61294312011-04-21T18:03:22.501-04:00Udai's BlogUdaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1168095210705711812007-01-06T09:37:00.000-05:002007-01-06T10:07:47.293-05:00

I had been planning on travelling to Mahaballipuram for some time after reading about it in my Lonely Planet. I miss the community-like feeling which many of the backpacker hangouts had in SE Asia... or perhaps I just missed being around many people who liked to travel? Or do I just miss the partying? In any case, Mahaballipuram is known as a relaxing backpacker hangout, particularly compared

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1167638834496229372007-01-01T02:16:00.000-05:002007-01-01T03:17:24.096-05:00

While in Mumbai, we knew were were going to be staying in the home of my father's cousin, in a busy neighbourhood called Collaba. Part of our travels around Mumbai involved visiting a friend at the Chinmaya Mission Ashram in Powai, a place well north of Collaba, and difficult to get to for those unfamiliar with the area. Me and my sister set out on a mission to get there on one hot and humid

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1166376668666643572006-12-17T11:54:00.000-05:002006-12-17T12:31:08.680-05:00

I arrived in Hyderabad at around 3:00 pm and went through my now familiar routine of of trying to find a room. This first involved taking a crowded public transit bus into the heart of the city, and from there, getting to a hotel by rickshaw. The whole process was tiring; I was already exhausted from a late night out with some fellow travellers (a German, a Frenchman, a Japanese guy named Yoshi

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1165847962383881042006-12-11T09:15:00.000-05:002006-12-11T10:54:22.383-05:00

I haven't been feeling well for the last day or so. Somehow, I caught a bad cold. It's strange that I should catch a cold in India of all places, where I've for once been staying in clean places (with friends and family) and where for once, I've been remaining fairly stationary, enjoying home cooking (and in Delhi, a good quantity of beer).However, if there is one thing that makes me feel good,

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1165039168490796732006-12-01T23:57:00.000-05:002006-12-03T08:13:25.070-05:00

"Are we headed to customs?" I asked the man beside me. I had spoken with him for nearly two hours on the plane, and thought it would be polite to walk with him from the boarding ramp to Indian customs. For some reason, he was speaking with a group of airport security people."Well, my father-in-law is the DIG (Deputy Inspector General) of the Delhi Police. I could get us around the customs line

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1164816290114983562006-11-29T10:15:00.000-05:002006-11-29T11:04:53.866-05:00

Phnom Penh wasn't terribly different from what I expected upon getting off the bus. It was noisy, crowded, and the tuk-tuk drivers were all competing vigorously to get customers. I was however, surprised by No. 9 Guesthouse.Lonely Planet (SE Asia Edition) recommends that when checking in to No. 9, one should look at a few rooms before deciding which one to sleep in. Indeed, the first room I

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1164375615355894752006-11-24T07:50:00.000-05:002006-11-24T08:50:48.280-05:00

Siem Reap is not the prettiest city in Cambodia, and probably isn't even close. The city has exploded as of late, in an attempt to cope with the massive number of tourists who visit the temples of Angkor. This was of concern to me; it was a priority of mine to spend a lot of time at the temples, but I didn't want to spend an excessive amount time in the city, or around massive tour groups.I had

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1163416941711127802006-11-13T06:00:00.000-05:002006-11-15T06:21:38.556-05:00

I reached the airport shuttle pick-up point a few minutes early, but a driver there kept telling me that I was late, and that I would have to take a $10 taxi instead of the shuttle. It seemed unlikely that I had missed the shuttle (nothing ever leaves early in Vietnam) so I didn't entirely believe him. He continued to badger me, telling me that another shuttle wasn't coming for three hours, and

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1162519411412924892006-11-02T20:27:00.000-05:002006-11-02T21:03:31.450-05:00

As other people in our tour group jumped off the second story of our boat into Halong Bay, I stood and watched. I was perplexed: Would I lose my glasses? Would I hit something? How high were we anyway? Isn't it dangerous to jump in the dark?I hung around with the people who chose not to jump, including an old German lady who was talking to me about India. "What about you, why haven't you

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1162164960123470512006-10-29T18:26:00.000-05:002006-10-29T18:36:00.180-05:00

I don't really have too much to be stressed out about, I suppose. I'm in Hanoi, in Vietnam, which is another new and exciting place to discover. However, I felt like I was just getting used to Laos, and now, everything has been changed again! Moreover, I found myself ill yesterday for the first time. Despite being sick, and a little travel-weary, I desperately need an Indian visa, so I

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1161498505889659782006-10-22T01:53:00.000-04:002006-10-22T02:28:25.916-04:00

Last call in Luang Prabang is around midnight, and the city generally shuts down around 11 pm. Naturally, this doesn't work well for tourists who want to party a little longer. Such tourists head to an 'underground' pub called Vietnam Bar. It's really no secret; I think they must pay the police to stay away.At Vietnam, I found myself drinking with a rowdy group of Canadians and Irish people.

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1161320882165642462006-10-20T00:40:00.000-04:002006-10-20T01:08:02.183-04:00

Leaving Pai was difficult. It's wierd how fast one can make friends while travelling, and wierder how fast a sense of "community" can develop amongst those who have just met one another. However, a traveller who stays in one place for too long isn't really a traveller at all. Moreover, I only have so much time left on this trip, and the 6 or 7 days I spent in Pai was generous.When I got off

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1160911779321713962006-10-15T07:20:00.000-04:002006-10-16T22:44:54.886-04:00

I took out my best shirt from my backpack (a light blue dress shirt) and put it on with my jeans, which hadn't been washed in some time. I wasn't sure if I was going to be over dressed for this party, but figured that at worst, I would still look good (better to be over-dressed than under-dressed).I hopped on my rented scooter, and along side my friend Lara, we both drove towards the bridge

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1160742158136224982006-10-13T08:08:00.000-04:002006-10-13T08:28:51.970-04:00

I took a sip of my soup, and lazily scratched my shin. It felt wet and somewhat sticky, so I raised my hand, and noticed blood on my finger. I glanced at my leg, and saw a long, thick line of blood running from just under my knee, nearly to the top of my socks. "Oh no!" I said out loud. My trekking guide looked at my leg, and said "It's already fallen off." She started rummaging through her

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1160202808242439272006-10-07T02:14:00.000-04:002006-10-08T09:34:11.340-04:00

I only spent a night in Ayuthaya, and slept well after my hectic temple visits. The next day, I sort of wandered around the city, running errands. I decided that I would take the night train to Chiang Mai, and not spend any more time in Ayuthaya. Waiting for the night train was tiring. I had just finished dinner with some friends I met at the hostel named Frank (Swiss) and Seske (Japanese).

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1160044629704385122006-10-05T06:10:00.000-04:002006-10-05T06:37:09.716-04:00

When I reached Ayuthaya this morning by train, I was immediately approached by a slew of tuk-tuk drivers. This was considered normal, so I started haggling. Surprisingly, none of them were willing to move very far on their prices. Finally, me and a particular driver negotiated on a 40 Baht fare. The particular driver had big teeth, big eyes, and was very animated; he took every price I offered

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129431.post-1158637668302259332006-09-18T23:15:00.000-04:002006-09-20T09:56:27.233-04:00

Dr. H is a travel doctor who works downtown. His reception room is nice; it is decorated with random African statues and a wall sculpture that looks like it was made by his children. In all honesty, I don't remember what his office was like; once I was inside, he was all business. He skimmed the form I filled out and immediately started questioning me on the details of my trip."Where in

Udaihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07395384326995994095noreply@blogger.com1