Most people have heard of some of the challenging treks in Nepal. Mt. Everest is the most famous summit. Besides Mt. Everest, there are 1,000’s of treks, some difficult and technical with others being easy. We have just completed an overnight trek that, while classified on the ‘easy’ side, still had its challenges.  

Australia Camp

About an hour’s drive from Pokhara, is a small community called Kande. At an elevation of 1,770 meters, it is 950 meters above Pokhara. From Kande, it is approximately one and a half hours trek to Australia camp with a gain of 295 meter in elevation climbing to 2,065 meters, or 6,647 feet. This height is nowhere near the height of altitude sickness, however the sudden gain of 1,200 meters can be a shock to the system.

We left out hotel in Pokhara around 9:15 in a taxi with our guide, all of which were arranged by our hotel. While this trek did not require a guide, having never hiked in Nepal and staying overnight, a guide seemed like a good idea. We had packed overnight bags with warm clothes and basic essentials. As we did not have a porter, we kept things lights. At 10:00 we reached Kande and started out for Australian camp. Along the way we saw prayer flags, vegetable gardens, buffalos and of course amazing scenery. The day was overcast, so we were not treated to spectacular views of the Annapurna range, however what we saw was worth the effort.

Gaining 300 meters in a short time meant a lot of up-hill climbing. We took a number of breaks for hydration and well-being. 90 minutes after starting out, we reached our camp. It was the first real “flat” bit of terrain we encountered and we were relieved to arrive. Our guide checked us into the tea-house which would be our home the night. Resting, we enjoyed some tea and saw the mountains through some breaks in the clouds.

A Nepal mountain Tea-House

Wandering around the camp, we met and talked with other trekkers and then enjoyed a fabulous mountain lunch. Heading to our room, we noticed a few things that made us wonder how we would fare sleeping there. The most obvious issue was there was no heater. This was amplified by the HUGE gap between the door and the floor. While there was a shower, that came with warm water (a luxury in these parts), there were no towels. No one told us we needed towels! There was also no toilet paper, however we came prepared on that front!

Once we were settled in, our guide suggested/encouraged us to go on an afternoon hike to Pothana with an elevation of 1,890 meters. A drop of 175 meters from Australia camp, which would mean climbing up 175 meters to get back. As there was not much else to do, we headed out and started down the trail, literally, for Pothana. This is the jumping off point for the 8-day Annapurna base camp trek. Doing this also helped to adjust us to the higher elevation. 

Visiting Pothana

Pothana was very similar to Australian camp, a number of tea houses and restaurants and not much else. Looking around we headed back. There was not too much grumping when we had to climb the 175 meters that we descended to our neighbouring village. Despite working hard to climb, we were getting a bit cold. Heavy clouds rolled in, carrying a lot of dampness and they threatened rain.

It was now around 4:00 and our guide asked us what we wanted for dinner. He said you should order a few hours ahead of time to ensure you get your meal in a timely manner. Looking at the menu, Meg selected a chicken burger. Seeing that, I chose the cheeseburger, which was directly under the chicken burger. We headed to our room and read a bit. 

Dinner – never assume…

I was hungry and the burger was fine, although I was dreaming about a gourmet burger at home the entire time I ate my veggie surprise. We headed back to our ice cave and to get our iPads and then returned to the restaurant with its warm fire. I watched a movie while Meg read a book. Closing time was 8:30 and with that we returned to our room, but not before our guide recommended we get additional blankets. In all we had four down duvets which we used to pile on top of our bed. 

Hunkering down to survive the cold

After we got ready for bed, we jumped into our damp and cold bed and shifted the duvets around to keep us strategically warm. We were both wearing touques and, other than our noses, nothing stuck out. The night was long and cold, even colder when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Just trust me on that. When morning came, we saw there was frost outside, so we knew just how cold it was.

A beautiful sunrise

The morning did bring a gift, clear skies. We were treated to seeing multiple mountains change colour from pink to white. Seeing the sun creep slowly across 8,000-meter-high snow-capped mountains was magical and worth all the effort. Once we finished our breakfast, we packed and headed out on an ‘alternate’ route our guide said would be worth it. The normal tourist track goes back to Pothana, then Dhampus and ends in Phedi. The new route was truly a trek less travelled. We did not encounter anyone on the trek for the first two hours and the scenery was amazing. Going from heavy forest, to open glades with stunning mountain views and back was what everyone hopes to see. 

Heading back down the mountain

The trek today was a fair bit easier as it was all downhill.  While on the trail, we made good time as it was a downward slope. Later, we encountered the “step” section. I’m not sure how many steps there were, however there were a lot, in the 1,000’s. These tried our endurance, even though we were heading down, the steps make a lot more impact than a gentle slope, at least to my knees. 

Four hours after starting out, we arrived in Phedi and, after a light lunch, hopped into our taxi to head back to Pokhara. 

The overnight hike, completed with guide, teahouse stay and mountain lodge food, was everything we hoped for.

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave any comments or questions.

Cam and Meg

Bob Seger, in his 1976 hit song Katmandu said – “I think I’m going to Katmandu”. I remember listening and singing that phrase as a youth back in the day. It is a place that is so far from “safe” Mississauga where I grew up that it held mystery. I never knew where it was and I didn’t think I would get there, and yet, here I am!

Nepal Visa Process

We arrived from Delhi over three hours late, (thank you Air India). Instead of arriving in the early afternoon, we arrived after sunset. There was the initial immigration processing and $30US fee for a 15-day visa. This had to be filled out at one of their six kiosks, half of which did not work. When we got that done, we went to the Immigration “bank” where we paid, in US dollars. It turned out that we made a mistake and I had to do mine again but surprise – this could be done online and there was free Wi-Fi in the arrival’s hall. 3 minutes later my form was redone, vs 45 painful process at the quirky kiosk. 

Once we had receipts for the payment of our visas on arrival, we could go to immigration where the standard passport stamping took place. Then a photo was taken. Interestingly, you did not need a passport photo for immigration. More on where you need photos later. We collected our luggage and then through security. That was not a type-o. You need to go through security to enter Nepal. Their process was a lot more professional than India.

Getting a Nepali SIM card

We were now in Nepal. First thing, get a SIM card. There was a lineup at the cell phone place we saw, so we joined it. If we had known there were other carriers, we would have gone around the corner and gotten a similar SIM card where there was no line. One thing you need to get a SIM card is a passport photo. If you don’t have one, no big deal, they will take one for you for 50 rupees, which is about $0.50 CDN. That’s a lot cheaper than getting it done at London Drugs.

The SIM card clicked and we had internet and a Nepali phone number. Then came the arranging transport. There were various “pre-paid” taxis booths, and of course they were all calling out to you. In the end we booked one for 900 rupees. The tout who took our money took us to a taxi, exchanged some paperwork with a guy who had a clipboard and then we got into a cab with both the tout and driver.

The Touts are everywhere

On the drive into town, our tout let us know that he had a tour company and he could “help” us book some tours the next day. How convenient. As it was now 19:00, we said we would meet him tomorrow, in the hotel lobby at 10:00 and he could take us to his office, which he said was only a two-minute walk from out hotel. That made him happy and the rest of the 30-minute ride to the hotel was fine.

Our first taste of Mo-Mo’s

Once we checked into our hotel, we searched on-line for a restaurant and selected one that served Mo-Mo’s, the local specialty, and was nearby. A five-minute walk took us down a labyrinth of alleys into an outdoor restaurant. Now normally, I love outdoor restaurants and patios, however it was 5C, dark and had no view other than the walls of other buildings. As we were tired, we ordered and kept our coats on. We both had hot tea with our mo-mo’s which were delicious. 

When we finished our dinner, we walked around the Thamel district, where we were staying. We found the shops, the people, the atmosphere and generally everything was nicer than India. One thing we noticed, almost all restaurants, if not outdoors, had all the windows open despite the cold temperature. Everyone, locals and tourists alike, were bundled up to eat. I guess that’s how they do it here.

We called it a night and headed to bed. The next morning, we headed out again and found a breakfast place that wasn’t totally outside, although it was still colder than we would have liked. Meg was happy as she got French press coffee. I had mango juice; it was the best option if you didn’t want tea or coffee.

You can tour Nepal and “my friend” will give you a good deal…

At 10:00 we met our “taxi driver arranger” and walked for about five minutes, then up two flights of stairs to a travel office. Our tout told us this was his office, however we would be better dealing with his manager and our tout left, closing the door. Our “new” friend asked a number of questions about how long we would be in Nepal, what we wanted to do, etc.

As we were talking, he drafted a plan and then presented it to us. We would have two days in Kathmandu with a car and driver and would see everything that we “should” see. The problem is, those would be 6 – 8-hour days. Not what we were looking for after the breakneck pace we had been going. We would then fly to Pokhara and tour there, followed by an overnight hike, staying a tea house in the mountains. The shock was the price, it would be $1,285 USD, not including accommodations. We were offered hotels, however we weren’t keen to book without reading reviews, we’ve been burned before.

Of course, there was high pressure to close the deal, but we stuck firm and said we’d think about it. As we left the office, we noticed our tout sitting on a milk crate outside the boss’s office. Things became a bit clearer then. Our tout was going to get a commission, that’s how it works in this part of the world.

Back in our hotel, we priced out some of the “package” and found we could do most of it for a lot less. We spent the rest of the day wandering Thamel, looking at monuments and other historical buildings. There were souvenirs to look at, spices, scenery, mountains et al. Lunch was on a rooftop restaurant in the sunshine with mountain views. The rest of the day was quiet as we mapped out how we wanted to spend our time in Nepal.

Traveling in Nepal

We booked our flight to Pokhara and found a highly rated hotel. We didn’t book any tours for Pokhara. We’ve learned you can book the day before, so we’ll watch the weather and do that when the weather is good. There are countless trekking outfits, travel agents, ticket vendors and others around. Every hotel has a tour desk. We’re planning to take it one day at a time.

One thing that made us laugh, is our flight to Pokhara from Kathmandu. It is on Yeti Airlines – seriously. We’ve captured a picture of the aircraft tailfin as a memory. Of course, being Nepal, our flight was late. We were scheduled to depart at 12:40. When we checked in at the airport, (there is no on-line check in), we were moved to an early flight as our 12:40 flight was “very delayed”. The 11:50 flight we were moved to did not depart until 13:40.

We remained in touch with our Pokhara hotel as they were sending a taxi for us. Sometimes, rather than dealing with the touts and haggling, it’s easier to pre arrange.

Our flight was fine, other than it was totally in the clouds and we didn’t see any mountains. Once we landed, we waited for our luggage. Picture the luggage carts the airlines use to move luggage to/from the airplane/terminal in Canada, or any major airport. Now, picture the truck that moves those luggage carts. In Nepal, there is no truck – a couple of baggage handlers push the truck to the terminal. Then they toss it on to a conveyor belt.

We collected our luggage, met up with our taxi driver and headed to the hotel. We were pleasantly surprised with our $25/night hotel. It was clean and quiet with a large room and wonderful staff. We will now settle into Pokhara for a week or so, including an overnight trek with a stay at a mountain tea house.

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave any comments or questions.

Cam and Meg

We left New Delhi and headed for Kathmandu, a place I’ve dreamed about visiting. The name itself conjures up mystery. Everest, prayer flags, rugged snow-capped mountains, adventure! 

As for India, we spent 4 ½ weeks in total there, between two trips. I have mixed feelings which I have to make sure I keep certain emotions in check to be fair.

Our time in Delhi

Our first few days in Delhi were typical from what I’ve discussed with others. Loud, crowded, dirty, noisy, polluted. While in Delhi, we saw some things that make Delhi famous such as the Lotus Temple, however other places were closed due to Republic-day holiday. While we were wandering the partially closed Chandni Chowk market near the Red Fort, we observed a youth passing people and feeling their pockets. I guess he was planning on who to target for pickpocketing. It was at that point, with the crowds building, similar to July 1^st in Canada, we headed back to our hotel. 

A few days later, we boarded a high-speed train for Agra. Let’s be clear here, this is a high speed by Indian standards, not Europe. It could reach 160 km/hr. That is a speed people do on HWY #1.  The train left on time, however in true Indian fashion, it arrived 30 minutes late. The journey was only supposed to take 1 hr 40 minutes. 

The Taj Mahal

Once in Agra, we saw the Agra Fort and then the Taj Mahal. I was blown away by the Taj Mahal. At the Taj, we hired a guide who passed on a lot of information and took some amazing pictures of us. After our one-hour tour, we said we wanted to wander about some more and take it all in. The guide said OK and curiously said “be careful”. I didn’t think to ask “why”. 

We wandered about for an hour, taking even more pictures. Then, as it was late in the day and getting cold and windy, we decided to head out. Looking at Google Maps we saw it was a 20-minute walk to the home-stay and headed towards the stairs leading to the exit. At the top of the stairs, I went to check my phone again and it was gone.   

The loss of my cell phone

I had become the victim of a pickpocket. We went to security and they looked at the CCTV and we saw exactly where the theft took place. A group of four young males came in behind us and nudged us apart, pushing and shoving in the way that is common in India. My phone, which was in a cargo pant pocket that I neglected to zip up, was an easy target. Security tried to call the phone but it was off-line.

With the loss of the phone, we lost almost all of our Taj Mahal photos. Meg took very few. We lost our internet as I had the SIM card for India. Our Indian phone number was gone. I was devastated. Heading back to our hotel I frantically thought of what to do, but honestly, I was a mess.

How I dealt with my cell phone being stolen

The hotel staff were great, they walked me some things to do with a lost iPhone, however I could not initially access my passwords. Eventually I was able to log into my iCloud account and “lock” the phone. I have since instructed the phone to “erase”. The phone has not accessed the internet since it was stolen. From the Apple site, the phone, with that EMI number, is nothing but a paper weight. According to Apple, no one can use it until I unlock it. I’ve read the phones are used for parts after being stolen. Who knows?

The past few days have been difficult for us; however, it is getting easier and this too shall pass. I do not intend to get a new phone until I return to Canada. There are subtle continental differences in phones and warranty may be an issue. I did check my warranty and I had declined theft coverage. House insurance has a $1,000 deductible and the phone was $1,050 – not worth the time/paperwork to file a claim.

There were things that were magnificent in Northern India. The Taj was amazing, Jaigrah Fort in Jaipur had incredible displays and only a fraction of the crowds of the nearby Amber Fort. Some things in northern India left a lot to be desired. For example, when we were heading to Jaigrah fort, we ordered an Uber from Meg’s phone. While walking to the pick-up point, we saw what could only be described as feral people in the streets and alleys. Everywhere was dirty and dusty. 

Jaipur Homestay – a bright spot in our travels

One exception was our homestay in Jaipur. Our was beyond amazing. It was the best hotel experience we have had in India other than the safari lodge which was $400/night. In Jaipur, we truly felt like family and we welcomed to dinner with the host and another travelling couple.

Pollution in Delhi – terrible on a good day

Delhi was dirty. Air quality index hovered between 375 and 500. People in Victoria go crazy if the index hits 20. You could see the pollution in the air. When we flew from Mauritius to Delhi, on an overnight flight, we landed at Delhi’s airport around 8:00 AM. This was well after sunrise. As we were on our final approach, I honestly thought we were still flying through clouds. At about 100 meters from the ground, we saw the runway break through the smog and the plane touched safely down.

Our flight from Jaipur to Delhi had a similar experience. Half way though the 75-minute flight, the pilot said the visibility in Delhi was 50 meters due to haze, they don’t like to say the air is polluted. In order to land they would require a CAT 3 trained crew. The pilot then said the crew was CAT 3 trained and as long as the visibility stayed at 50 meters or better, they could land. Similar to our previous arrival from Mauritius, we did not see the runway until about 100 meters above ground.

There is no way they would try that in Canada, however if they did not do this in India, they simply would not fly. Beside, the alternate airport likely had the same visibility so why use the alternate? A number of Indian people we met said India is famous for two things – people and pollution. There does not seem to be a will to fix the pollution problem. Breathing the air is like smoking a pack or two of cigarettes a day. I wore a mask about half the time. Meg wore her mask about 95% of the time.

Moving forward and being safer

I hope to write more about India, because I did enjoy much of it, I am hopeful I won’t paint the entire country with the brush of one organized pickpocket group. As for me, I am getting used to not having my security blanket (phone) next to me. I have tightened up my personal security, zipping pockets and using a money belt. I am thankful that my passport was not stolen, nor my credit cards.

Thanks for reading and stay safe.

Mauritius was a place that was never on my radar, however our latest cruise through the Indian Ocean ended there, so there we were. Mauritius is about as far away from Victoria as you can get. It is 12 time zones away, so that means it is half way around the world based on longitude.  It is 20° South of the equator and, with Victoria being 49° North, there is a differential of 69° of latitude. The distance is, according to a site that plots great circle routes, 10,500 miles or 16,900 km. By comparison, Japan is only 4,680 miles from Victoria.

It’s too far to get there from here without some stops

The route shown takes you over Russian airspace, which is out of bounds these days so you need to go via Europe, making the journey even longer. Obviously, you can’t get there from here without stopping at least once. London, Paris or Vienna are good places to change planes and airlines if you want to venture here.

Our first impressions were very positive. The people were friendly, the roads in good condition and the weather was great. The ocean looked like a postcard, light blue with surf crashing on reefs off shore and then gentle waves lapping the shore. We could see the waves and reef from our Air BnB balcony and it was tempting to stay seated there all day.

Some early Mauritius history

Mauritius was first discovered by Arab traders and at that time the island had no inhabitants. Over the years the French, Portuguese and British all staked claim to the Island with the British eventually winning. Independence was granted in 1968. Today, 1.3 million people call Mauritius home and there seems to be everything you could desire on the Island. The language is English, French and Creole, with French seeming to be the most predominate. The island is popular with European travellers as it is not too far and the weather is good. Being south of the equator, our winter is their summer, and highs range in the mid 30’s with high humidity.

We rented a car for our time here and, unless you wanted to go from your hotel to the beach and not explore, a car is a good idea. They drive on the right, so it is an adjustment for North Americans, especially roundabouts, which are popular here. There are a number of tourist sites as well as beaches. We explored another beach on our second day and realized our 8km white sandy beach was just as nice so we stopped looking at other beaches.

Natural wonders in Mauritius

Some of the sites we saw included the Seven Colour Earth. The island is volcanic, even though it has been dormant since forever. The lava et al brought up many metal elements including iron and aluminum. These two elements repel each other and they oxidize differently. These metals, along with others created an area where you can see seven different colours of earth.

Being a tropical island, certain fruit grows really well here and other things do not grow so well. For some reason, pineapples do not get all that big here. This pineapple was from a street vendor, who peeled it for us so we could eat it for breakfast. There is a one litre juice box next to it for scale. When we were in the grocery store, things like lettuce and apples, that thrive in a cooler climate, were very expensive.

On our last day, much of the Island was shut down due to a possible cyclone. Things didn’t seem too bad to us, however a week earlier eight people died on Mauritius when a cyclone came in harder than anticipated. Our lunch reservations were cancelled and many shops and restaurants were closed. We carried on, as tourists often do, and explored Curepipe, a town in the middle of the island with a lot of history, including a Royal College, built, not surprisingly, by the British.

Were we going to be able to leave on time?

There were a lot of flights cancelled and we weren’t sure we would get out on our scheduled Wed flight. When we woke up Wednesday, the storm had not been upgraded from a tropical depression, but had moved west, so it was near the airport. The winds had lessened and all was well. We checked in for our flight and got ready to check out of our Air BnB.  The host allowed us to stay past check out and we left after lunch.

We toured the Island some more, stopping at plantations and beaches, seeing interesting flora and fauna. While at the beach, we saw an Emirates Airbus A-380, the HUGE double decker one, pass overhead. This was followed by two other wide body aircraft within 20 minutes. We figured things would be ok for us and our 21:15 departure. 

Leaving Mauritius was sad…

We headed over the airport, returning our rental car and then checking in. The check-in process took a bit longer than I anticipated. The flight was an Air India code share on Air Mauritius. Travelling to India, you need a visa. At least Canadians do. They asked to see our visas and then asked when we had used them before. We answered and, thankfully, we obtained multiple entry visas. Then they asked for our onward travel documents.

Before checking out of the Air BnB, I took some time to prep for our next leg of the trip, Delhi to Kathmandu. I couldn’t find our tickets and it took about 30 minutes to locate our locator number et al and get copies of the e-tickets, which I saved to my laptop. When the service rep at Air Mauritius asked for our next leg, I pulled out my laptop and showed her the file. It was difficult to get the computer under the security screen so she could see, however in the end she was satisfied. I then asked if they wanted to see Meg’s and she said no, as long as you are travelling together. 

Security was the normal issue, post 9-11. We then settled into the lounge for a bit prior to boarding. Of all the airports and lounges I’ve been in, this is one of the nicest. The lounge does not serve sparkling wine, they serve champagne. If you can’t guess what we both drank in the lounge…

Thus ends our five days in Mauritius. I would love to come here again. The people, the warm ocean, the activities; all great. It is reasonably priced. It is clean and we felt safe. The only downer is the distance.

Thanks for reading, please let us know if you have any thoughts or questions on Mauritius.

Cam and Meg

Today we checked onto the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn. We sail for Abu Dhabi this evening. It is great to be on a clean ship with tap water you can drink – the simplest things can make you the happiest!

The cruise ship has it’s drawbacks and one of them is internet. Of course there is internet, however they require a King’s ransom to get it.

So, until we arrive in Mauritius on January 20th, this will be my last post.

Thank you for reading. I hope you are sticking to your resolutions and making the start of 2024 your best year yet. We’ll see you towards the end of January.

Cam and Meg

It is late on December 24^th here in India. Our readers in North America have a few hours left to buy those last-minute gifts, if they need to. As for us, we are in Coonoor, a hilltop tea plantation outpost. It was 26C today but with poor air quality. I miss Victoria’s pristine air. We are fully packed, and leave tomorrow at 09:00 for Munnar, another hilltop tea plantation town. It’s not that far, but the average speed you travel at is 30 km/hr. So 120 km takes about four hours of painful travel, with lots of horns, stops, bumps and cows on the road.

Christmas Eve Church Service

We will be getting up early tomorrow, not to exchange gifts. We decided the trip was our gift to each other and we simply didn’t have the space to lug gifts around for six months. Our church has a Christmas Eve candlelight service and they also do it by Zoom. I’ve sent the details out to family and if anyone is interested, please let me know and I’ll get you the details. It starts at 8AM December 25^th India time, 6:30 PM December 24^th Vancouver time.

Tonight we had Apple music playing a Christmas classic loop while we ate dinner. There are decorations around, trees, lights et al. It’s not the same. By participating in the service, which was not possible pre COVID, we can integrate with our family/community and fill the need within.

Traffic congestion in India

India is a unique country. Today for example, we were out sightseeing with our dedicated driver. There was also, what I felt, was half of India on the same road. As were leaving Lamb’s Rock in Coonoor, we were in gridlock. After over an hour, we had moved maybe 150 meters. At that point I said to Meg, “it’s 2.3 km to the restaurant we want to eat at, let’s walk.” Meg, always the trooper, was all in. 

We told our driver, who doesn’t speak the best English, we were going to walk. Then, hopping out of his car, we started walking and truly could not believe what we were seeing. The road, which could fit one car comfortable, was blocked both ways. There were buses that were trying to do three-point turns, more like a 103-point turns, on the narrow road. This of course blocked traffic even worse. Then some folks decided the traffic was too bad, so they got out of their cars and walked to the attraction. The problem was this: they left their car in the middle of the road, so now it is an alternating one way. Oh My…

Christmas Dinner – sort of…

We arrived at our restaurant after 30 minutes, ordered, and had lunch. Looking at the calendar, and having spoken to all three children within the past 24 hours, we were both feeling a bit lonely being away, so we agreed a pizza would be a good meal to cheer us up. It was as good as any thin crust pizza we have eaten. The meal picked us both up. Our next stop was the botanical gardens. We called our driver, who was still stuck in traffic and told him where we were and when to pick us up.

In the end, everything was alright. 

Reflecting on Christmas

Today, or when you read this, you will know that we took time to reflect on the gifts we have been given in 2023. To me, Christmas is not only for rejoicing but for reflecting. When we were young, Christmas was about anticipation. Now, as we are older and wiser, there is reflection to go with the anticipation. As I write this, I am anticipating a future Christmas, shared with our children, mothers and friends. I reflect on Christmas’s of yesteryear.

I also looked up at the cloudy skies this evening, but I didn’t see anything. The clouds were blocking everything, including the full moon.

May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve.

Where ever you are, whatever you are doing, may peace, joy, love, happiness and good health bless you and your clan today and always.

Cam and Meg

On our second day in Mumbai, we woke up and enjoyed the wonderful breakfast at our hotel. Before heading out, we made sure we were all packed and ready to go. Having seen numerous games of Cricket the day before, we walked back over to the Oval Maidan, the local Cricket pitch. This is a large, Grade I recreational ground, situated in South Mumbai, about a ten-minute walk from our hotel. It is so named because of its oval shape and is where anyone can play Cricket. On the weekends, up to 50 games are being played with balls crossing into each other’s area. 

The passion for Cricket in India cannot be under estimated. I very much enjoyed watching despite not having a clue of what the rules are. The only issue I had with taking all this in, was there were no females playing. Heading back to our hotel, we checked out of hotel and met up with our driver for the day. Heading through the traffic for The Gateway of India where we would catch a ferry to Elephanta islands.

Elephanta Island

The one hour and ten-minute ferry ride took us to the UNSECO world heritage site where we met our guide for the tour of the Island. Only residents of the Island, about 1,200 in total, can be guides. We learned a lot about the symbols, the carvings and life on Elephanta Island during our two-hour stay. Catching the ferry back our driver took us to our travel agent “India Someday”. They could not have been kinder or more helpful. They confirmed the number of details and gave us more advice and pointers for remaining 2 1/2 weeks.

We returned to our hotel, which was only about five minutes away, where we claimed our luggage, having left it after check out. Ready to head to the overnight train we went down the road and got some street food to snack on for dinner. The travel agent warned us the food selections at the train terminal were not great.

Getting to the train station

Driving the one-hour and 20 minutes from south Mumbai to North Mumbai was chaotic. Arriving safely at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, or LTT train station around 7:00 PM, we munched on our dinner sitting in the utter chaos that was the terminal. Our 8:50 PM train was announced around 8:00 PM and we went to our platform, finding the position where our car would be. The train arrived at 8:30 and we boarded, going to our two person sleeper cabin.

Our cabin and meal options.

For those who have not taken a train in India, it can be an experience. They were sleeper cars with 80 berths in them however, our sleeper car only had 24 berths. That is the difference between travelling first class and third class in India. First class also gives you air conditioning and since the overnight low in Mumbai was 28, air-conditioning was a very good investment. The train left a little bit late and after we got underway a room steward brought us our sheets. He then confirmed that we wanted dinner.

He seemed somewhat surprised that we were happy with a vegetarian meal. While we are not vegetarian, after 12 days on a cruise ship, eating beef almost every day, a vegetarian meal was a good break for our system. Our meal started off with tomato soup, which was unlike any tomato soup I had ever tasted. It was very good, however, it was very spicy, and Meg was unable to finish hers due to the heat.

We then received a tray with five dishes on it, and it was quite tasty. We ate in our cabin and after finishing, the steward came and cleaned we are plates. It was now 10:30 PM and the steward came back and said he had some breath mints and how much of a tip would we be giving him? I kind of looked at him and his friend standing next to him with his arms folded across his chest. There were signs all over do not tip staff, but curiously, his plate with breath mints on it also had some bank notes on it. I looked at him, and then he said how much you tip me? Caving into the basic extortion, I gave him 100 Rupees just so he would go away.

We then got into bed and tried to fall asleep to the trains rocking. Our coach was only two cars back from the engine and, similar to Thomas the Tank Engine, the horn sound incessantly. This naturally woke us up regularly throughout the night. We seemed to sleep best when the train stopped, which I thought was at a station, however I never looked out the window to confirm this. We were due to arrive in Goa, at the Madgaon station at 5:40 AM and we dutifully each set an alarm so we would not sleep through. This is where it got interesting…

A temporary panic attack!

Two berths down the coach from our two-person room, was a family in a four-person unit including two children. The three-year-old child had a tantrum of epic proportions after getting on the train which lasted about 30 minutes. Eventually everything was quiet. At one point I woke up during the night, when it was pitch black, and heard the child speaking. I thought to myself, “are we there? Are they getting ready to get off?” I looked at my phone and it was only 4:30 AM. Then I panicked and thought “is Goa on a different time zone?” I searched the internet and found all of India is on the same time zone, which I knew, but for some reason, at 4:30 AM, I could not remember. 

Well, I was up now, so I crawled down from my upper berth, managing not to step on Meg who was fast asleep on the lower berth, and went to the loo. Returning to our berth, I thought I might as well stay up, since I’ll be getting up shortly. I did a quick search of Google maps and found we were only half way there. This was supposed to be a nine hour journey, we had been travelling for seven hours, what’s up with that? I have now learned Indian trains do not seem to run with the same efficiency as Japanese trains. I turned off my alarm and tried to find Meg’s phone to silence hers, but woke her up doing so. 

Traveling along India’s train routes

I texted our driver to say we would be late. He replied back immediately, saying he was following the trains and would meet us there when we got there. Just before 9 AM we arrived at Madgaon station in Goa, over 3 hours late. Our driver was waiting for us. We then did the 40-minute drive to our hotel through lush forests and fields.

Arriving at our resort at 10 o’clock in the morning, we weren’t able to check in. Depositing our luggage with the concierge, we went and had a late breakfast, changed into our bathing suits and went swimming in the Arabian sea. We then walked around the town, scouting out places to eat et al. 

Goa is beautiful

Our first impressions of Goa were very similar to beach resorts in Mexico, but without the vendors on the beach. Of course, there were vendors in the town, which is basically one road in this part of South Goa. The north part of Goa is a bit livelier, translation, party town. Goa’s south is more family orientated. The beach is amazing: about 2 ½ km long of fine sand and between 50 – 100 meters from the buildings to the ocean, depending on the tide. Being only 15 degrees north of the equator, the sun and heat are relentless and the days are 11 hours long at the winter solstice.

We are now on day four of our four-day beach phase of our India trip and absolutely loving it. This has allowed us to catch up on outstanding chores, including updating the web site and Instagram pages. We are working on visas for the next phase of our trip and getting ready for our 4:30 AM departure from our resort to the airport 

Thanks for reading.

Feel free to ask any questions or suggestions in the comments section.

Here we are, on December 6^th, 2023. Last time I wrote, we were leaving Japan and I highlighted the cost of that trip. Since then, we have been to Taiwan, Singapore and then boarded a cruise ship. Internet is spotty, hence the delay in posting.

Where our cruise has gone so far

On the ship, we have visited Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. After visiting these three, we are now sailing for India – we have our visa’s and we’ll see what awaits us as we embark on a three-week tour of the southern part of India. We have multiple hard copies of our visas and passport pages.

It was not too long ago that Sri Lanka, Ceylon before 1972, was in the midst of civil unrest, protesting against the government. Most Canadians will recall, not that long ago, a minority of Canadians were protesting against the government and making international headlines. Today, in Sri Lanka, everything seems fine on this lush tropical Island nation of 22 million people. They were very warm and welcoming and we intend to return here to explore more of the island and its food.

Tours in Sri Lanka

We took two tours in Sri Lanka, one in Hambantota and one in Colombo. Both times Tuk-Tuks were our method of transport. Our first Tuk-Tuk had a sun-roof, which is a rare thing here. We spent a lot of time standing up with our heads sticking out of the window. You can see a video of that on Instagram. The Tuk Tuks’ don’t travel that fast, maybe 60km flat out, and they are rather noisy, but are they ever an experience!

Hambantota – gateway to Yala National Park (and elephants!)

Our first trip, from Hambantota, had us in a Tuk Tuk for about 45 minutes, then transferred to a safari jeep. We then toured Yala national park in search for animals. We saw a number of birds and mammals and just as we exited the park gates at the end of our safari, we saw an elephant. 

This beautiful elephant, completely wild, was just hanging around at the side of the road, drinking from a stream and “shooting” water. It was like a scene from the movies. The elephant headed over our way and the guide gave him a melon, which he “crunched” in one bite. Then two bunches of bananas were passed and devoured, peels and all. It was awe inspiring to watch the elephant gracefully use his trunk to feed himself. Where there was no more food, the elephant got bored with us and headed back for some leaves. 

Asian vs African Elephants

Seeing this majestic animal, it is devastating to believe anyone could hunt these animals for their tusks. Our elephant, who had no tusks, was likely an Asian male elephant. Noting the broken branches on the road, the elephant was likely “marking” his territory, according to the guide. A small percentage of Asian male elephants do not have tusks. Female Asian elephants do not have tusks. Both male and female African elephants have tusks.

From the safari, we went to a restaurant for a very late lunch, 4:00 PM in fact. Conveniently, it was at the restaurant of a “friend” of our guide, and rather out of the way. While the food was good, it was not earth shattering. 

Colombo, Sir Lanka – a beautiful city.

This morning, we arrived in the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. After leaving the ship, we went to the shuttle which took us to the entrance of the port. Not surprisingly, the touts were waiting for us, and our fellow passengers. The first tout wanted $50 for a three-hour tour but soon dropped that to $30. Considering his English was “pigeon” at best, we passed and decided to walk a bit.

Of course, other touts took the opportunity to entice us with various offers and prices. Eventually we settled on $20 for three hours with a fairly decent English speaking Tuk Tuk driver. This is still likely more than we need have paid, however considering the economic plight of the residents of this country and our blessings, I didn’t bargain too hard.

Buying Local

The tour was fine, not remarkable, but fine. Of course, it was about 20% of the cost of a similar one from the ship. One thing that was impressive about Colombo, was the number of green spaces and the friendliness of the local people. Naturally, half way through the tour, we were taken to a “tea factory”. After the requisite demonstration and samples came the “sales pitch”. We up and left as we are not going to lug stuff around India for another 3 ½ months. Our guide then took us to a “gem store” and we said “no”. “Oh Sir, you do not have to buy anything”.

It was at this point Meg said “that’s why we’re not going in, please drive away”. We know the drivers get a kick back, but we are really not interested in tea or gems. The tea was about $15 CDN for a small pouch, about double what you would pay at David’s tea. They also sold cinnamon, which I’m sure was laced with gold, considering the price. I had wanted to go into a grocery store to see if they had any cinnamon, just to compare prices, but we didn’t find the time.

Lunch on the tour

When we asked to go somewhere for lunch, we drove around for 10 minutes to a restaurant we were assured was “nice”. The sign read “Indian food”. We said “no, Sri Lankan food”. So, after another 10 minutes of driving, we were deposited at a buffet, where we had a decent meal for about $4.25 CDN each. We were not sure about any kickbacks here. There were a number of Uber eats vehicles outside the restaurant.

After lunch, we were dropped off at the port and then we walked a bit and found what was likely our highlight of Colombo. A bakery. The deserts were out of this world good and they were about $0.50 each. Yup, less than a buck CDN for two scrumptious pastries. 

From there we headed back to the ship, continually being asked by other Tuk Tuk drivers if we wanted a lift. Once onboard, we relaxed until sailing time.

Tomorrow will take us to India. We are so excited and a bit nervous. I’m really not aware of anyone who doesn’t say India is fantastic. Everyone also says it is a total assault on the senses. From that point, we are thankful we are starting in the south first. Of course, the visa thing is “out there”. Even though it is settled, who knows? Our visas were in place a week before the “storm”.

Our pending arrival in India

We’ll let you know how our travels in India go.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions for things to do/see in India.

Our tour of Japan was based on a few things. I (Cam) wanted to show Meg so many of the things I experienced during my six-month posting in 2021/22. There were also a number of things I did not get to do while I was here, I was working after all. My schedule had me working 11 days out of 14. I had Friday’s off and every second Saturday. 

Looking at commercial tours of Japan and seeing what there was, I crafted our itinerary and then went over it with Meg. I also thumbnailed a budget and, I’m happy to say, we came in under budget.

Transportation

A mix of transportation is how we got around in Japan. This included local, limited express and Shinkansen (Bullet) trains, buses, local subways and of course walking. The only trains you need reservations for are the Shinkansen and selected limited express trains. 

I have had a lot of success scheduling train travel in Japan by using Google Maps. Simply enter your start and end points and various routes will be offered, including prices. A note about train prices in Japan. The route you take to get from A to B will determine the cost. I’ve shown an example of travelling from Yokosuka-Chou Station to Nestay Inn Tokyo. 

The first option below uses the Keikyu line to the Oedo Line and then walking, costing ¥890 and takes 1 Hr and 31 Min. Option B would also leave at 6:36PM on the Keikyu line but transferring at Yokohama to the JO Yokosuka Line and then transferring again to the Shinjuku Line and walking. This travel would cost ¥1,170 or ¥280 more than the first option and it takes 11 minutes longer. Why would anyone do that? Well the JO line is operated by JR Rail, and if you had a JR Rail pass, you may want to use that line as part of the travel would be covered by the pass. Travel on the Keikyu and Oedo lines would not be covered. When you transfer trains you often have to “tap out” and “tap” back in again if the lines are operated by different companies.

Learning Japanese trains

I’m sure I spent way more money than I had to when I first arrived in Japan, simply because I didn’t understand the process. The first time my friend and I went to Tokyo in 2021, it cost us ¥2,000 and took 2 ½ hours. We spent over an hour in Yokohama station wandering around, we were so lost. Finally, a kind ex-pat took pity on us and pointed us in the right direction.

Our transportation costs for our time in Japan was $1,896 CDN for 49 days or $19.75/day/pp. This included four rides on the Shinkansen, all subways, local and limited express trains. Our travels took us as far north as Nikko and as far south as Hiroshima and criss-crossed the country seeing both coasts. We did not use a JR Rail pass as it would not be cost effective in our circumstance. Your mileage may vary.

FOOD!

We travel to eat. New taste and experiences are what make going to new places so fun. The food in Japan is amazing. Both of us starting feeling better after about a week and noted our diet took a turn for the worse in Taiwan.

We ate out a total of 54 times. Breakfasts were always in our room, usually fruit, bread and yoghurt. Lunch and dinner were eaten in restaurants about half the time, with the other half being in our Air BnB, on a park bench in the sun, on the go, wherever. We never ate on local trains, but did eat on Shinkansen’s, as that is allowed, they even have food carts!

Sushi – two to three times a week

Sushi was our number one meal, we ate that 18 times in seven weeks. Indian restaurants were a close second with eleven visits. Food is generally cheaper in Japan, at least in the restaurants. You don’t tip in Japan, and while there is 10% consumption tax, it is normally included in the price of the meal. Our total for food and beverages, including alcohol, was $2,656 or $27.67/day each. This includes all restaurants, groceries, water from vending machines when hiking, the odd random ice cream cone. OK, maybe the ice cream cones were not that random.

The amount above provided for high quality meals. We were not on a university students budget. One of my yoga teachers previously said about buying food – “you can pay with your wallet or you can pay with your health.” There was a lot of fruit and veggies, mostly from the grocery store. Our most memorable meal was at a Spanish restaurant in Takayama.

Activities

Coming to Japan, or going anywhere really, is to do “things”. While there are a lot of free activities including hikes, walking around markets and neighbourhoods, some things do cost money. Many of the popular temples have entrance fees. Tourist attractions such as castles are user funded so you need to pay.

Admission fees did not prevent us from doing or seeing things that interested us. We dropped a bunch of money on Disney Tokyo, not once, but twice. It was totally worth it. Overall we spent $1,382 in total on activities or $14.40 per person per day on average. That includes every fee, admission, tour and row boat rental that we did.

Although we have a great home in Victoria, you still need a place to stay when travelling. Being away for as long as we are, a place that was a bit bigger where we could have some meals in while not sitting on the bed was important. A combination of Air BnB’s as well as hotels was our plan. We never booked anything that was dodgy but we didn’t book the Ritz either. In all, our digs were fine, except one Air BnB that was not up to standards and Air BnB is looking at deleting that listing.

For our time in Japan, we staying at eleven different accommodations, for a total of 48 nights. The total cost was $4,757 or $49.55/night per person. This did include approximately $500 of points for three free nights in Nikko. If that is factored in, the cost would rise slightly, however points are there for a reason. To use and enjoy. We do not like leaving anything on the table, so we use our points as soon as we can. I think most people had a surplus of points post COVID and are trying to burn through them.

Miscellaneous Items

Where do you put things that don’t go anywhere? We are placing them the miscellaneous category. Photocopies, document fees, gifts for friends. The hospital visit is also under misc, we’re still trying to recover from the insurance company so this amount may come down. Our purchase of two pairs of running shoes to also goes to misc.

We walked close to 600km in Japan and in doing so, both of us wore out our shoes. At the end of our second visit to Disney, our feet were achy and tired. We were at the park from 8:30 AM – 8:30 PM, 12 full hours. The longest break we took was to eat a light and overpriced lunch. The day after Disney we went out and bought new shoes are our feet were much happier :). We kept the old shoes and are taking them with us to hopefully gift them to someone in India.

The total of miscellaneous costs was $762 or $7.94/day per person.

Total trip costs

All together, we spent $11,455 for 49 days in Japan or $119/day/pp. That includes every snack, each bottle of water, tours, trains, gas for rental car, etc. This does not include the travel to get to Japan. Some people arrive by plane, others by ship. Some come from Korea, some from other places. Some may arrive by parachute. That is a separate expense. 

There was no way we could have afforded seven weeks in Japan had we booked a tour for the entire time. I checked on-line recently on tours of Japan. “Premier” tours can cost $1,800 US/per person/day. For that price, we could have taken a two-day tour. The hotel would have been nicer; however, our digs were fine. More mainstream tours run about $7,000 CDN PP for around 10 days. 

Obviously doing things yourself and arranging everything on your own has both advantages and challenges. It certainly saves money, but when things go wrong, there’s no-where to turn. It all comes down to attitude. On a trip, the difference between adventure and ordeal is attitude. We try and have a positive attitude and pull each other up when one of us is a bit down. 

That’s why I enjoy travelling with my best friend.

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave any comments.

For loyal readers of our website, you may recall a post from early October, where I commented on the size of Tokyo. In particular, it would take a city of Tokyo’s size to be able to support an Accordion club. Fast forward about seven weeks and we are in Taipei with a population of about 2.7 millioin. I was amazed to see this site while strolling back from a flower market.

Maybe it is a regional thing? Now to be clear, I was NOT looking for this shop, or this type of instrument. I’m not sure what the music craze here is, however, I don’t think it is this. For curiosity, I Googled the name. Sure enough, they offer lessons, including on line lessons. Wow.

Night Market

We’ve seen some other interesting things here in Taipei, including the famed night markets. The crowds were almost oppressive last night, a Saturday. Meg and I certainly brought the average age up. It was difficult to order food as there are very few signs in English and Goggle translate is often lacking. Case in point, at lunch earlier in the day, we ordered what translated to crispy sausage. We are not sure what we received, it was likely heart and it certainly wasn’t crispy. We both tried it and left the rest. 

At the night market, we were hungry as our walking tour had just ended. We did manage to order chicken, well I did. All I did was point and hand over some money and the clerk passed us a bag of fried chicken nugget like things. The signs all around this stall had pictures of chickens. Normally night markets are delicious, however we did not get half way through these nuggets before we threw them out. After that we were a bit gun-shy and, even though we walked around for another 45 minutes, we did not order anything.

Restaurant dinner

We returned to our hotel prior to going to a different night market close by. All the stalls were busy, however there was almost no English at any of them. There was a lot of food which looked as if it came from the parts of animals we, as North American’s, don’t normally eat. In the end, we chickened out and headed to a rather busy sit-down restaurant and had a delightful meal.