Vegetarian and booze free?

So the big move after Agra and the Taj was a long and sweaty journey to the mountain town of Nainital (there was a bus trip, a train journey - which involved Indian men and hand holding - and then a private jeep trip to the top... it became clear that we weren't the only folks making the journey, a huge percentage of India's middle class holiday makers were also en route... result? Disaster. No Vacancy. Not Possible. We have nothing. You could sleep in the barn but it will cost you your left leg. Permanent tents are only $40 madaam. What the ?!?!?

Our saviours in Nainital after 5hrs of walking up and down the the lakeside? A handsome group of Sikh men who saw the desperation in our eyes and sorted us out with a sweet room by the lake. It would mean a couple of nights of stationary sleeping as any movement resulted in someone (me) being forced onto the floor - we were three in the bed - but the shower was heavenly and the price was ok and by this stage we really didn't care!

So why did we come to Nainital again? Oh yeah, the walk up the hill (mountain) and the view of the Himalayas...

Early start... up we go... I'm feeling ok, I am pretending to like trekking when really I prefer beer drinking (or even tea drinking)... we take it easy, a leisurely stroll some might say... signs to the viewpoint... I imagine snow capped peaks... keep climbing... mind the monkeys... I see nothing... ok I see clouds... essentially though... I see nothing... ideas? Let's keep climbing up... of course, why didn't I suggest that?

China Peak is the new destination.. only about 9000 ft up... (admittedly at the time I was impressed by that.. then I went to Leh, but I'm getting ahead of myself there....)
You'll never believe what we saw from the viewpoint of China Peak... or will you? Standing by the flag that proudly relays the message "we made it" we look out into the distance and see white... as far as the eye can see... we see white... well it was a nice walk and a nice cup of chai.... let's go down now...

From romance to madness...

The Taj Mahal, nothing short of majestic really. It lives up to all expectations. It's true that at the end of the day it is just a big thing made of marble but the romance, the elegance, the meaning, it's majestic.... but I don't think I need to go about it. I mean we've all heard about it or seen it on the telly or sifted through some old friends boring pics of the architectural monster so I wont say anything more about it. So the girls (Ash and Wendy) had shot off for the day to Fatephur thing-a-ma-jig and I followed the instructions to visit the Agra fort (did I write about this already?)... the fort was gigantuan... and I loved it.. yep, I wrote about this already, I remember now imagining being somebodies concubine....

So speeding up to the next morning when I wake with the birds (the vultures to be more specific) and head to the Taj for opening time... I was surprised to be only one of a few tourists up at this hour to enjoy the peace and quiet at the Taj, pleasently surprised of course. But I was in a slight pickle, cos everyone wants a pic with themselves and the Taj, but I was without friends and without a host of tourists to annoy and ask for help... along comes the moustached saviour for today.. Like a seasoned professional he took full control of my camera and threw countless instructions at me; "sit down", "stand up", "feet up", "smile more", "stop laughing", "move there", "smile more hard" etc etc... The result was a dozen pics of me and the Taj, each one slightly off centre and rotated to the right, but each one screaming with the tears and laughter that the little moustache man had caused for me at 6am on that already stinking hot day in Agra.

Meeting the girls in Agra was a super fun relief. I mean I had only been travelling solo for a little more than 24 hours, and I am generally quite tough, but nobody wants to drink beer alone.. do they? So not only did I move up to the travelling social ladder to "travelling with friends" but I was now able to rest assured that I had a folks to share a beer with... well, so I thought.... Speed up to the evening, with the Taj out in the distance and the sun setting on a blistering hot and stinky day, Ange needs a beer. Ange then needs to twist some arms in order to convince the likes of the Dutch and the Canadian to join her... their homelands would be ashamed... but they gave in and agreed to a couple of bottles... and then they let me drink them... is this how it is going to be? Well you just wait and see what they had in mind for the next couple of destinations.... I've no doubt you will be feeling my pain....

The days start with a cup of hot chai....

Sitting on a hot and smelly train bound for Agra, the home of the world famous Taj Mahal. The tight, sweaty and uncomfortable section of our carriage included a family of six. A travelling group of four men and one (younger) woman. And an elderly chap - pushing 80 by appearance but maybe only 50 - and me. I'd been in India less than 24 hrs. Everything was new. A little scary. Often humorous. Almost always jaw dropping.

Who needs nappies for their young? Pop him on the boob. Feed him up. Burp him. Just like we'd do it at home. Until it's time for motions. Do it on newspaper. Then chuck it out the window. Each time this happened I washed my own face and hands with my little travel pack of baby wipes, gesturing to the sari clad mum that she was more than welcome to have some wipes to clean up her son, or her own hands, but each time my offers were politely turned down. Oh well.. I tried...

The head wobble. What the hell does it mean? Anyone who has been to India will understand the confusion of the head wobble. It's still my day one. Simple questions. Do you mind if I sit here? Is this the station for ? Can I take a photo of you? Would you like some chips? Do I get off here? All are answered with a quick little sideways head wobble. Not quite a yes. Not quite a no. Confusing as hell. But super funny. I found myself just making up questions that I knew the answers to in order to test my head wobble theories. After 4 hours on the train. I still hadn't worked it out. But at least I'd had a good laugh!

Agra. Finally. Time to find Wendy and Ashley. I followed their email directions to their hostel and I found it at the end of a smelly little alleyway lined with open sewers. Nice. Why the hell would they stay here I remember thinking. But I quickly learned that all alleyways in Agra seemed to be lined with open sewers. One of the most magestic buildings in all of the world in the background... open sewers in the foreground... watch your step folks!

I killed some time that afternoon visiting the monstrous Agra Fort. I wandered about imagining life a few hundred years ago as a prisoner or a guard or a concubine! Overlooking the Taj Mahal the fort itself took my breathe away. I am in India. 2km from the Taj Mahal. And 6 weeks away from school and work and responsibility. Time to take a deep breath Ange. And soak it all up.....

As instructed, I returned to the hostel in the early evening to wait for the girls. What a refreshing feeling to see familiar faces and have familiar conversations! And almost as quickly as we'd said hello I pleaded with them to join me for a beer... their first in a week of travel?! Whoops - their healthy, walking, trekking, muesli eating habits might cop a hiding now that I'd joined the troupe! Despite being full of numerous amounts of dangerous chemicals I drank that beer like it was the first I'd had in years... drinking it on the rooftop, with a wonderful view of the Taj... some kind of wonderful.

The only chick in shorts....

I arrived in Kolkata last Sunday afternoon - a slightly delayed departure from Bangkok (will explain later!) meant I had a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time in order to catch up with my work colleagues and India travel buddies - Wendy and Ashley. In my very first test of backpacker toughness I was faced with the choices of (a) a marathon 24hr train journey or (b) a budget breaking 1hr flight.... hmmm... decisions decisions... how to justify the budget breaking domestic flight? I could not eat for a few days? Or go easy on the beer at some point? Ease up on internet and mobile phone addiction? Spend a day or three in a hammock reading a book? Surely I could claw back the misspent dollars? Regardless... I was alone, in Kolkata, being harassed by every man woman and child in sight. I hadn't even opened up my guidebook, was only vaguely familiar with Kolkata's geographical location, I was blowing the budget on day one and taking a flight to Dehli!!

Arriving in Dehli, 10pm, single, white, female... in shorts.... not a good idea Molony... time to consult the bible (aka The Lonely Planet)... suggestions for solo female travelers: Plan your trip so that you don't arrive after dark. If you arrive after dark, get your hotel to pick you up. Don't take a pre paid taxi.... My arrival went something like: arrived after dark... hotel wouldn't pick me up... i took a pre paid taxi... Hmmm... I was feeling a little nervous.. but lived to experience the ghetto that is budget accommodation in Delhi! Weary from the days adventures I slept like a log in that smelly light starved concrete holding cell and jumped out of bed grabbed my pack and fled to the bustling train station at first light... destination: Agra - The Taj Mahal and Wendy n Ashley...

Finding the want to write...

It's not been easy for me this year... finding the want to write I mean. For a few months there last year I was all about my blog. I was all about telling stories and posting pics and sharing the fun and adventures of my life here in Bangkok. Then I lost the time. Or I lost the energy. Or I lost the motivation. I don't know what it was. And while my best mates Alex, Paddy, Ash and Kent all continued (and started) their blogs, I was distracted, and drunk and unproductive. It's not like I haven't been on any adventures, hell, since February, I've been on a butt load:

1. Liveaboard adventure out to the Similian Islands (read Paddy's blog or Ash's for the scoop)
2. A zip lining crazy adventure in Loas where I spent the best part of three days in a harness screaming along wires at ridiculously unsafe heights.
3. A super quick weekend trip to Melbourne for my best mate's wedding
4. A heap of weekend getaways - Kanchanaburi, Phuket, Pattaya, Kanch again and again
   
5. A week long trip to Vietnam with my Grade 10 students

But finding the energy to blog about it has been difficult... this past year has been difficult... but, I think, I hope, that I am well and truly on the road to happiness now, well, I am certainly off the road to destruction, thank God! Maybe, just maybe, this all means that I have something to blog about now.

So where do I begin? Do I forget the last few months and start from now (that would mean missing out on telling you about some brilliant folks (one in particular) that I have met this year)... but maybe that's all a secret I can keep to myself... at least for now...

So... let's start from right now... I am back in at school (first official day of the summer break)... trying to tidy up my classroom without the hassle of the kids being about, trying to get ready for my 6 week adventure to India... tomorrow, Ashley, Wendy and Myself will fly into Kolkata... totally unprepared for what we might see or do.. but heads up, it's going to be a blast... I hope...

although I will be missing some people... a lot...