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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Feb 16, 2007 07:00 PM Goa - India - end of the legend?
Yes, I am already on the west coast of India... But it is still unknown to me South India... I came to legendary Goa - former Portugeese colony - then cheap base for the hippies located on the beautiful beaches of the Indian Ocean...
Just imagine: Goa is not one spot - it is now the state of India and it has more then 100 km of the shore line.
I decided to stay in Panjim - the capital of the state located inland - on bank of the huge river Mandavi. It is convenient transport hub if you want to visit several places around. i stay in the Republica Hotel paying just 200 rupees for the room with fan and shared bath. No nets in the windows, so mosquitos are extra and for free. I appreciate mosquito net I carry with me - it is malaria zone...
Panaji or Panajim has nice old town with narrow streets and old portugeese architecture. There are a lot of churches spread out around the whole state. The main one: wonderful Immaculate Concepcion is jest 5 min walk from my place.
I visited one by one famous beaches of north Goa: at first probably the most picturesque Vagator located in the coves. Then Anjuna - rocky spot - hippy hang-out for travellers who came for sex, drugs and rock and roll and finally: the "Queen Beach"- as they call it - Calangute - very long and wide but crowded, noisy, full of local tourists restautanst and souvenir shops. I definitely do not recommend to you this area - the village is no longer a quite retreat for the vacationers from abroad... Let me see what I'll find for you in the South Goa...
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Feb 14, 2007 07:00 PM Survive Madras (or Chennai)...
If here is written "Hotel" on the street building do not think you will find the room there... From my experience: 80 percent of such institutions serve food only - God knows why... You can have there a simple local style meal - e.g. rice with curry sauce for 20 rp - like half of dollar. A bottle of cold pepsi (0,5l) will cost you another 20 rp, if you don't want to take a risk of drinking tap water... Or ask the street vendor to open for you the coconut - it will cost you only 5 rp (8 coconuts for a dollar!)
Crowded junk buses crawl the city in different directions. For me the most important is. no 32 - from my "Himalaya Hotel" to the central railway station. It cost only 2.50 rp but watch your bag and pockets!...
Madras has the complex of interesting museums. I was very surprise at the ticket desk: the entry fee for the locals is 15 rp. Foreigners will pay 250 rp - 18 times more! I cannot imagine that in my country: somebody asking citizens of India to pay 18 times more that they charge from me...
Smog and stink on the streets - you will have enough after an hour - tomorrow I am escaping from Madras...
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Feb 13, 2007 07:00 PM South India -Temples for the money...
If you will come to Madras (people use also new name: Chennai) there are at least two places in the area you should visit: Mamallapuram (known also as Mahabalipuram) and Kanchipuram... Both known for the interesting temples. They are located 60-70 km from Madras and I planed to use local bus to get there, but after arrival I found less expensive option: the bus tour offered by Tamil Nadu Tourist Development Corp. They have their office at the end of my street: High Triplicane Rd. Full day tour will take you to both places just for 330 rp - but be prepared that it will be long and hot day - their bus is not a/c bus...
We departed at 6.30 am to Kanchipuram to visit there 3 great temples and a silk saree manufacture... On arrival our tour guide advised to leave the shoes in the bus -They can dissapear if you will leave them at the gate! OK - remember to bring solid socks with you!
The ornate gates of Kanchipuram are imposing! I was really impressed entering 59-m high "gopuram" of Shiva temple.
Entry fees are not included in the tour price. A guy in the gate asked me to pay 20 rp for use video camera inside the courtyard nad 100 rp for the entry of the foreigner. I asked for the ticket - he had only one - 20 rp for camera. It means that he just invented the second fee. Ask for the ticket first - other fees are illegal, they can ask only for donation - but it is not compulsory! And do not think they will allow you to go to the main temple - in all 3 temples of Kanchipuram only local people are allowed to go there!
In the afternoon we we driving through the local roads to Mahabalipuram. There are 5 little temples (rathas) cut-out from one huge rock to see - I liked them most... You pay here 5 USD to enter both: ratahs and the majestic (but not too big) Shore Temple on the coast. Both places are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. And are worth to see... I came back to the hotel at 7.30 pm - tired, sweaty but happy...
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Feb 12, 2007 07:00 PM Incredible India...
I have been to India twice already - visiting the north. Now I want to see the South...
It was 9 pm local time and 27 deg Celsius when we landed in Madras - Chennai airport. To avoid bargaining you can buy at the exit taxi coupon for the ride to the city. They offer it for 350 rupees (1 USD is worth 43 rupees) - still too much for the single backpacker. I went to the town by moto-rickshaw paying 200 rupees to the Himalaya Hotel in Triplane quarter. They charge 420 rp per clean room with fan - more for a/c...
In the morning I took a walk around this 4,5-million city. Can you imagine dust and garbage on the streets, a lot of barefoot people walking around, some of them sleeping on the sidewalks... Stink, heat, noise, beggars... This is India... viewed not from the window of the a/c coach. I saw only one group of tourists during whole day... There is not much to see in this big city: the Fort of St George has a museum (2 USD entry fee for foreinners but only 5 rupees for locals) and St Mary's church. In the south of the city close to the beach you can visit for free The Basilica of St Thomas - the nicest church in Madras. From the fort junk bus no.6 will take you there for just 3 rupees... For 1 USD you can have like 30 bananas... Hope you still like them...
Tomorrow I plan to visit famous temples outside Madras...
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Feb 11, 2007 07:00 PM Skyscrapers of Kuala Lumpur...
Since my first visit years ago the capital of Malaysia changed o lot... Every traveller kwows about Petronas Towers - the highest twin building in the world. They are open for visitors but since the visit is free there are a lot of tourist. -You must be there at 7.30 am to get a free ticket! said my host. Yes. I have been there on time but it was Monday - the maintenance day - no tourist visits. Sorry - you will also know that now!. If you get a ticket they will take you to the skybridge linking towers on the level of 41th floor (170 m). You can stay there 8 minutes only - otheres are waiting!
I decided to visit KL Tower - the fourth highest telecom tower in the world... Here you pay 20 ringitts for entry but the express lift will take you much higher - 276 m. The view is excellent!
For travel inside Kuala Lumpur they built very convenient monorail - the ride cost 1,20 to 1,60 ringitts - you will have two rides for your dollar. I used monorail to get in the evening to the Sentral Station - on my way to the airport. I am departing to South India!
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Feb 10, 2007 07:00 PM Welcome to Malaysia!
Can you imagine? All people around speak English and I can read all information at the bus stops and stations! It is different world - I am already in Malaysia... In Kunming going by city bus no.103 to the airport I was passing the dusty bazaar spending some time in the traffic jams. Few hours later in Kuala Lumpur I boarded express KLIA train going in 28 minutes directly to the center of the capital of Malaysia. Malaysia is well organized, people are very friendly - they just celebrate 50th anniversary of independence.
I stay in the friendly Equator Hostel near Times Square. They charge 40 ringitts for clean single room with shared facilities and the breakfast is included. No alcohol and no pork in the hostel - I am in the Moslem's country again!
In Kunming there was 5 deg during the night, it was 25 deg Celsius when I landed around midnight in Kuala Lumpur. Hot, hot and humid... I slept only few hours last night after delayed flight. In the morning I took a bus (2,5 hours - 9.40 ringitts) to Malacca - old colonial town on the west coast. There are monuments and museums to see, and on the other side of the river there is little but picturesque Chinatown. - I took more then 50 pictures... They pay 3.46 ringitts per USD...
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Feb 09, 2007 07:00 PM Kunming - the spring city...
The capital of the Yunnan province lies on the level of 1900 m above the sea. It has mild climate all over the year, so they call it Spring City. The backpackers place to stay is Camelia Hotel - they charge just 30 yuan for dorm bed and 120 for double room with breakfast... You will meet many other travelers there...
Kunming is huge city - like 4 million people live here... It is easy and cheap to move around Kunming by public bus - it cost 1 only yuan per ride (keep your change ready entering the bus). But the problem is to know where the buses go... On the bus stop everything is explained but in Chinese only!
I took bus 71 to the Golden Temple - 11 km out of center. They charge 20 yuan entry there. They you must climb like 20 min up the hill. The temple is very small (6x6m maybe) but it is interesting because it is all made of copper panels...
The other Kunming's Temple not to be missed is Yuantong. It is hidden in the center of the city and they charge only 4 y entry fee. It is alive place - many people come there for worship...
Coming back to the hotel I have unpleasant event on the street: a girl - maybe 12 years old put a hand into my bag... It was open because I just put there my camera and wanted to use it again in a minutes... I dot not loose anything... but... Be alerted - there is always one black sheep in the crowd!
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Feb 08, 2007 07:00 PM China - the Stone Forest...
Did you hear about the Stone Forest in The Yunnan province?
It is one of the main tourist attractions in the Southern China.
The tourist minibus from Kunmings Camelia Hotel to the forest -Shilin- cost 70 yuan round trip. It takes two hours to come to the gate where they will charge you hefty 140 y for entry - tourist attractions in China are VERY expensive now.
But I think that it is worth to pay - I spent 4 hours in the labirynth of stone columns and other karst formations - there are needles, pyramids, grottos... The nature invented many fantastic shapes. At the end of my stay there were also some folk dancing and singing - lovely, sunny day!
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Feb 07, 2007 07:00 PM Open roads to Tibet....
In Dali I stay at the Fiends Guesthouse. They charge 50 yuan per double room with bath. Sorry, no heaters - so I use 4 blankets to survive the cold nights. There are more then two dozens of different guesthouses in Dali, but my guesthouse is very quite and it is located just in front of the ornate South Gate... Worth to recommend...
No, I am not going to Tibet - I crossed it already years ago in crampy Chinese buses from Golmud via Lhasa to Nepal...
They say that the main land roads to Lhasa are now open for foreigners without any limits. So you can pass overland from Kashgar to Kunming. It is hard route and a big challenge for traveller but sooner or later somebody of us will do that.
I am taking the bus to Kunming -train is more expensive- bus cost 75 yuan and it takes 5-6 hours.. Bye, Dali...
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Feb 06, 2007 07:00 PM Dali - on the doorstep of Tibet...
Brrr... It is cold here... It is still Yunnan - China, but the west of Yunnan and on the level of 1970 m abve sea level. Believe or not - I am under snow-capped peaks of Cangshan -Jade Mts.
In the past Dali was the capital of independent Nanzhao Kingdom. The old town is well preserved - with imposing city gates and the city walls. There are cobbled streets and traditional wood-and-stone ornate houses... It is low season now, so fortunately there are not much tourist. I think that for the traveller it is one of most interesting places in China...
I took a chairlift to the Zhonghe temple over the town for the beaitiful view of the great lake Erhai Hu. They will charge you 30 y entry to the national park plus 60 y for the RT lift.
From the temple you will see Three Pagodas - very nice landmark, but when later I came to the entrance I recognized that it is private property now and they charge hefty 120 yuans for entry. Sorry, I just take the photos from outside and hitchhiked to the vilage of Xizhou - 18 kms north. Bai people live in this area (Burmo-Tibetan mix). They built interesting mutli-courtyard ornate houses and in Xizhou there is quite a lot of them. Some of them converted into museums (10 y entry). I was walking along narrow streets having my daily noodle soup in the main square eatery... Wonderful day! But the night will be cold again!
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