A visual summary of my route of travels

this is a visual route of my travels for those wondering where i went =)

last day and parting thoughts on india

oh my gosh , the hotel has been knocking on my door every morning at 5.30am and waking me up for my taxi to the airport but tomorrow will surely be my end of my journey and the beginning of my facination with travelling.
woke up today early and really took my time around and planned to go to the national zoo and also the khan market to do some shopping. but alas , went there and found out that the zoo was closed and i misread it. luckily my auto driver was a really honest man and we went to the khan market for some shopping and shopping i was , having a great time shopping under the hot sun. how i did that , heaven knows.
spend literally the whole day shopping non stop and bargaining under the super hot sun which is at least 41 degrees. gosh this is a really test of my shop haggle non stop experience.
brought lots and dun worry people you all will not be forgotten.
went have dinner and saw this really bewildered belgium man at the age of 40+ and he looked stunned. i shouted over and asked him if he has been travelling for long or just arrived. he told me he just arrived and now wanted to go home. i gasp a smile and told him that is the starting effect that i had. india was chaotic, aggressive, caustrophobic and full of cheats. he told me why would anyone want to come here to travel. but surely i told him scrub deep and you will really enjoy what india has to offer like what i did. he told me its a little old to be travelling , but i replied " you are never too old to travel as long as you are healthy and strong". think thats going to be a philopsophy of my life from now.
to finish up, india has been nothing less then incredible and the culture , people and history has been mind blowing. sometimes you ask , how can so many idiologies , people , languages and religion exist all together in 1 little area in a small land. dun ask me , but they do co-exist and like the time in agra i met this really chirpy swiss guy who have been travelling for 2 years. we agreed that india will found or is "working" but "working in a wrong way" we had a good laugh from all the travel talks and such. even going to explain that indian "high tech" is attaching a piece of high tech to an old junk to create "super high tech". we just shook our head and laughted it out.
on a serious note , we agreed india will never have this charm if not for this ordered chaos, this i would say not mix or not melting pot , but crashing pot of different races , religions castes and ideals. an india where everyone all resigned to their fate and does nothing to improve that. an india where anything can happen and does not take a surprise to surprise you.
this india where everyone is fighting for a breathing space to learn , live and exist.

an amazing adventure.

as a parting note

The gateway of india in dehli, in honour of the soldiers who died in the wars of the 1900s(afgan,pak and many other conflicts)

The huge red fort in dehli . 2.5 km long the walls stretch around the area of old dehli

The victory tower in dehli built by the mahgul emperor to proclaim the arrival of islam in india.a huge breathtaking structure

thats the lotus temple built by bahur in 1938. they nicknamed it the dehli taj but to me it looks more like 2 wings from the sydney opera house :)

gandhi sarmati. that is the actual location where gandhi was murded

new dehli, old dehli,central dehli, deli dehli. shopping paradise !!!! keke

arrived in dehli on the johbopal new dehli express in the afternoon and the train came a good 1.5 hours late because of a deadlock omg , it was the first time that i caught a late train but i met pretty cool people inside so im cool.
working like an expert on the trains which normally are quite accuate with the distances. i went out and immediately navigated around. as worst that i have imagined,dehli was a much better city then the other cities that i have been in.
"it was pure heaven "! lol
was slacking about on the first day and was just lazying about and taking it easy on it and read and read more about my meticulous plans(like real).and so i will be well set up for the next day. the room was a hole but then its got cooler cooling and its quite cool actually so im ok.
dehli is a huge place and yes it really is huge and also the capital city of india with lots of embassies in central delhi which is in the south.
i lounged just outside paharganj which is near to the new dehli train station as it was one of the most convenient.
went to many sites in dehli like the quatar mitaq(victory tower),hamuyans tomb ,gandhi sarmati, gandhi raj, laximi temple and a few others. it was quite a mad rush but lots was seen on the first day.
on the second day, was more for the superb national museum of dehli which houses famous artifacts from the harrapan era and the indus civilisation era. some of the artifacts were so famous i couldn't believe my eyes that i was looking straight at it. an example would be the dancing girl model. simple an awe inspiring and amazing musuem. oh as you all know that i am a musuem lover. i spent 5 hours over there. thereafter i walked to the gateway of india and the central secretarial. i travelled using their metro and i must say its fantastic and efficient. although the south extension is not ready,the north,east and west extension was really good.and cheap too.
going to send all my time shopping now and dehli is a really great shopping destination! tons of sovenoirs, curios and many other stuff.
dun worry i will get the soveniors for you guys too. also i am now well versed in the art of haggling and bargainng. watch out shop keepers and touts.
ok thats all for now i miss you all back home but if i can , i will surely continue on and do the eastern loop and nothern loop. but maybe i will do it next time with a buddy :)
till then 2 more days ! then can come out kopi or lim cheu session with you guys ! :)

things i learned in india (little punt intended)

things i learned in india (little punt intended)

cows are kings of the road (sorry HD)
traffic is where-ever you feel like going (even against the traffic)
stepping on cow poop and avoiding it is a daily accurance
everybody in india wants to build road humps in their neighborhood, contributing to my sore ass :P
autorickshaws are everywhere
when someone says to you "happy pay , no happy no pay" they just want your mola
public buses (ordinary unreserved) are the worst ass spanking experience you can get in india
taking a public bus at night is best avoided (everyone wants to get home , you get what i mean)
if you want to experience the real india , just need to stand outside on a hot day with lots of cow poop and people around.
foreigners are always overcharged in india
haggling is a way of life in india
if you dun haggle your pants off in shops, you may well go off without it
mama shops are everywhere in india (every crook nanny and panel).
mama shops are the best and most reliable way to get your daily necessities(they dun normally overcharge).
better get used to the noise in india, every horn is on the standby to tell you to get out of the way
even the locals haggle to get into a taxi or auto rickshaws.
is it always not a good ideal to knock your head into every national monument in india, so keep your head low.
never ever, and i mean it jokingly try to sell an indian your girlfriend for 4 camels, they really mean it.
and a deals a deal in india
always try to tour with a government authorised group in india
when an india shakes their head, it does not mean yes or no, it means get on with life and dun brother me.
never ever if for a need of an experience , travel in the indian railway in ordinary unreserved class, you will surely sweat it out and suffocate in the process.(think little india bus without aircon and a nice smelling toilet at the back which you are pushed into it)
travelling in reserved in 3ac or higher is the best way to travel in india,meeting the locals there was a wonderful experience.
always try to speak with travellers and you will get really good information.
any mode of transportable is possible in india, horse cow camel elephant bus tractor train ox , with a price.
always respect the local cultures and custom in india
the thrash bin in india is unmarked and everwhere and everyone just throw thrash where-ever they like(not me :)
try to spend more time at sights which are really nice and you will truely experience the granduer of it.
the street children are really pitiful in india, but you need to take it with a heart of stone or you make go home without it (yes i am still coping with it).
the power supply is extremely unrealiable in india so be prepared for occassional blackouts.
never ever drink the water from the tap in india unless you want to suffer from a bad case of dehli belly.
south india loves making its monuments from caves,rocks and mountains , the north love stand alone super megalicthic structures
its always wise to travel light in india.
when its the highest point in a certain state , its always wise to cover up :P
its an ass trying to get a prepaid card in india after the 26/11 incident
lastly , love enjoy and meet india in its every colours with a smile =)

thats all i will add when i get new inspirations :)

miss ya all

taj mahal:these are huge jasper embedded inscripts from the quran and they are very high wide and enormous.

the west end of the sandstone mosque surrounding the taj mahal , the eastern end was for accommodation.a remarkably magnificent structure as well

yanuma river at the north end of the taj mahal. yup almost dry but truely spectacular

astrology on mt abu (highest point in rajasthan) there is also a vishnu temple on site at the top

sati marks in mehe fort , where it a celebration of the queens and concubines throwing themselves at the maharaja's pyre(its banned in india now)

the grand meherangarh fort in jodhpur. (its huge!:)

the marvelous motifs outside the south gate at the taj

taj on my first day, thats at a roof top restaurant.

the taj

the magical taj mahal

reached early in the morning at agra fort and the first thing that greeted me . yes was the rain and also lots of people and the giant huge agra fort which was beside the train station. went along and got myself checked in and on my way , i saw the backside or the north side of the taj and the views were more then magical. its this feeling when you are on the move and you suddenly have the first grism of something that makes it all the more memorable. ( the backside is also the north face of the taj).
as usual before i touched into the agra fort train station, there was an array of people and kids lining up along the railway station giving us a huge welcome indian style. which inccidentally they were also answering natures call and having a great time at it. leaving an array of genitials hanging or peeping to be seen. oh goodness.
the taj to sum it all up , was a magical sight. i proposely stayed the taj ganj area which was also very close from the taj mahal and boy was it very close less then 200 metres to be clear. but the hassling was really intense and also the people were really everyway. not something you should see around a world wonder.
but all else is forgiven when you get there and saw that. no words can describe the feeling but we can desscribe the sight as a moth to a flame , stunningly huge, hott (physically) and a sight to behold.
seeing it was the highlight of my whole trip. it was also the most expensive monument to get in at 750rs (almost 30 sing). was given a water of water and some tickets, not bad for the exquisite pricetag to get in. but still worth every penny.
inside there was the south east and west gate. the impressive structure was the south gate which in everyway was amazing. there are 2 other structures on the east and west side. one is a mosque on the west and the other east side are for accommodation(which is not used).
walking around the area was amazing. never to not see a foriegn tourist , there were many local toursits too. very friendly and all made of love.
you can't have no love to go see a monument of love right? :P . walked into the monoseleum and saw the proxy tombs of shan jahan and his queen muntaz. the ivoy marble was magnificent and all are inlaid with precious stones from all over the world. in the middle centropath was an arabian looking candalier. which was beautiful to say the least. the actual tombs are actually in the basement which was not accessible to the public.
beng a ks singaporean , i walked around the centropath at least 10 times to admire the 8 sides of the inner santuary and orge at the splendor of the area. if i were emporer i would built one like that or even bigger for my queen provided i outlived her :)
the weather was really hot and sat down at different parts of the taj and people from different countries faith and races were all very friendly and many wanted to take pictures with me. oh gosh but some other tourists thought that they want $$$ after a picture was taken with them. most prob thats not the case and the local tourists just wanted to take pics with foriegn tourist which they seldom see everyday.
sitting at the cornerstone of the taj , one may really feel the significense of the whole area. the taj was huge ! and a work of wonder. from the many other monumets that i have seen. the taj really was a stand on its own.
a truely wonder of a place in india. ( also i learned that agra has an old name which was arkbarabad , named after arkba the great of the old mughals).
till then i miss you all , 8 more days to go !

the hall of mirrors(moti mahal) for the maharaja's queens and concubines. a loving king indeed.

jaipur,pink city and jai singh's code de arms(amber fort)

the beauty of jaisalmer

camel happy toes :)

getting camel happy in radiating hot jaisalmer and pinking in jaipur now

went camel riding in jaisalmer and boy was it an experience. the hottest and dryest and also a butt thumping and humping ride i can ever endure.hey at least i am having a time of my life. my camel driver was excellent and also my stubborn camel was went not so stubborn at all =). gives a smile on my face. love it !
jaisalmer a small city with its world famous camel safaris will always have a place in my heart as a place that i would love to bring my loved ones and enjoy the moment.
the heat in jaisalmer was not a less of a word , radiating hot. everything i touched , even laying on my bed at night was hot. but the fair thing was , at least i will surely be not attacked by bed bugs.
met other really cold travellers too and you really do not know how travelling out in the open alone can really change you and also others. you feel yourself , experience things in your own prospective. and you are never always alone in this big world of other people who are also travelling throught their lifes. whether finding themselves, having fun , seeing things. there is always someone you will meet that will tickle your spirit or soul to enable you the strength to carry on in this whole world waiting to be experienced.
the camel driver also invited me to his humble house and treated me to chai and also meeting his family. a very happy family and a very contented one. this wive was really a live wire and his children really neat and tidy. a deservely life for such a good man. i politely declined when they asked me to stay for lunch as i had other plans to scorch the other restaurants to as usual overeat myself to happy belly. ;)
jaipur
arrived via the jaisalmer-new dehli express early in the morning at 5am. went about walking around the jaipur junction train station and well figured out the whole area plan. waited awhile for the sun to rise as the autodrivers really overcharge if you were to head out early in the morning and brought some newspapers and read and hung out at the station. was quite a pleasant experience see darkness to light and so many transitting indias just lying on the floor or whatever clean patch they can find to wait out for the correct train to come. went to check into my hotel which is really a hole in the middle of MI road and really hard to find if you were to come out. but still it was a great place with lots of travelling travels from all around the world. like a dom , my place was scripted with lots of graffiti saying where everyone was from and what everyone thought. a great quote on the wall read " love the life you live , live the life you love". what great poetry from a wall in a run down hotel room. things can never get worst , only better.
met some really friendly travellers at the restaurant in the morning from england (yes they were everywhere lol) and chatted for a whole 2 hours before i made the first move to get ready to move on , but lots of information , laughts and commandarie was exchanged. only possible when people are in a crosswinds and wrenched together in an unfamiliar environment. the joys of travel.
i miss you all at home and all those who i have been thinking of , i love you all
writing out
ps: i will be heading for agra tomorrow to forfill my dream which i had for a long time , to see the taj mahal. will keep you all posted. taj mahal " a teardrop in time , in the face of eternity" or in satire " a men's greatest erection for a woman"
take care everyone !

currently in jaisalmer , the golden city

on the right ganesh a friend whom i met and a really nice guy (mumbai)














top : marina drive , connecting to form the queens necklace at night in mumbai.

(mumbai ) ok whats got i to do with this huge ballon ? : P

jaisalmer

raving from the heat and the smoke dust that have blown off the thar dessert. i arrived in dusty, dry and hot jaisalmer. the city of trade , tourism , military bases and also the magnificent living city , the jaisalmer maharaja palace.

jaisalmer is a border town in between the india and pakistan border in between it is the great thar dessert dunes. the once great fort that was never surrendered to the invading armys of the muhgal army and named after the founder of the fort , jaisal and mer which means castle.

when i first arrived, i knew it was going to be a touristy place in the off season and the moment i arrived, i was swarmed by what seemed like tons of touts and hasslers wanting me to go to their hotel. unraved i insisted on the only hotel i wanted to go to. the fort view hotel. as good as it sounds, it really was a great view to behold from my very own balcony (minus the absence of a tv).

moving into the fort , i noticed how small jaisalmer was till i walked around it vitually. a surreal tasting of local town life as well as to marvel at the significence of the motifs and the strikingly well carved sandstone havelis , or old houses. which really looked like wood but made from sand stone. everyday passed and i slowly but surely fell in love with the place.

now into my second day here and i am raring to try the camel safari. but as i have not been feeling too good , will think i will go forward and see if i can go do the half day ones.

jaisalmer has also its great history and repeatedly in the history of the rajas are the sati marks or jarvur of the wives of the rajas which throw themselves at the funneral pyre of the maharajas. which such a practise is now banned in india.

watching the sandstone glow in the glistering sunlight was a treat only the beholder can enjoy!

ahmedabad

ahmedabad a city of centralised learning , the center piece of mahmat gandhi ashram , the subramati ashram. A city split between old and new with a river in between and a city with a high muslim population of 40 percent.

ahmedabad is like overwhelming at first , with the fog and smell and pollutition. but see past that , there is actually a whole school of arts and crafts from the very golden age of northern indian. highlights of the city include the majestic jama masjid of admedabed , with its 88 pillars and one of the world's first mosque to invite and have a special partition for women to come and pray. also one of india's oldest mosque with some residual jain influence at 600 years old.

syed ali mosque was also the main highlight as its frames were also centeries with with jain influences perched with the tree of life.

the irony of ahmedabed is that there are so many ancient mosques at every corner that at prayer time , you can virtually heard the various mosques trying to outdo each other with their ohmm up decibels challenging even the loudest and biggest street traffic horns. creating a symphony of prayer calls coming together to sum it up that islam is alive and thriving in this city.

ahmedabed also prides itself as a center of religious learning and torelence, which makes this city a very interesting place, also a feeling like singapore. but plus the bustle and the ordered chaos of any india city.

a gem indeed !

mt abu

a prilgrem center as well as the highest point in rajathan. feels more like a tourist center then anything. but with cooling temperatures and a wealth of jain and hindu temples. superseeded by lake nikki and a barrage of shops and curios around town. cannot stop loving the weather.