Udaipur, 12 - 15th September

Undoubtedly the highlight of Rajastan, we kicked back in Udaipur and soaked up the lakeside views. Adam felt this part of our journey had a particular girly emphasis as I persuaded him to attend a yoga class (was most impressed that Adam held it together during meditation, unlike me collapsing into hysterics) and take a horse ride through the Indian countryside.

Above: The Lake Palace, as seen in James Bond's Octopussy

Above: Enjoying the lakeside view from a variety of roof top bars. Ekkkk, giant bat alert at sunset.

Above: Stunning views from the Monsoon Palace


Above: Horse riding through rural villages on the outskirts of Udaipur. Was very relaxing barr encounters with the local water buffalo, which have on occasion angrily chased the horses for up to a kilometer.


Above: On route to Jodphur, Ranakpur Jain Temple. An Indian marble marvel! Check out the Black-Faced Monkey chilling out in the back ground.

Jaipur, 7 - 10th September

Rajastan's capital, know as the 'pink city.' Why the 'pink city?' Nothing to do with all the Indian men that mince around town holding hands. The city was painted pink, the colour of hospitality, in preparation for a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1876. I wonder if the Broom Park Residents Committee are planning something similar for our homecoming. More likely we will find a leaflet on 'keeping quiet' posted through our letterbox.

Above: Jaipur's most impressive attraction is Ahmer fort. You can reach the fort by elephant or jeep. We opted to leave the poor elephants at the bottom of hill.

Above: Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II was a great astronomer. This incredible observatory contained a giant sun dial and numerous constructions to assist in the creation of astrological charts.

Pushkar, 10th - 12th September

At the centre of Pushkar is a sacred lake with over 52 'bathing' ghats, where Hindus make pilgrimage to cleanse themselves with holy water. There was a magical atmosphere around the lake, particularly at sunset with priests calling prayers over loud speaker.

Above: Views from Pushkar

We had read about the scamsters of Pushkar (each city has a different scam) and felt well prepared. We booked a tour guide to show us around the sites. First stop, a Braham temple. We removed our shoes and I felt very relieved that all my jabs were up to date as my feet stuck to the road and we skirted around the dog poo.

We were then taken for a closer look at a bathing ghat and introduced to a 'priest.' We started chanting as instructed, were blessed with the holy water whilst holding a coconut and had a vermilion bindi and rice stuck to our forehead. After a few minutes, the 'priest's' chant changed course. "How much money will you give? Donate for good karma. How much money will you give me? 3,000 rupees?' Adam chanted, 'absolutely nothing' and wiped off his bindi. We had fallen directly into the scam, dooh, but no harm done. Sadly, our tour guide was unimpressed with our lack of donation (no cut for him) and stormed off, tour over!

India

First stop - Delhi, 3rd - 5th September

Above: Streets of Old Delhi

I was nervously expecting a chaotic mob at Delhi airport, however, our pick up was there as arranged and we weaved our way through the city to the Delhi Bed and Breakfast, no problem. Adam was pretty shocked by the cows and the elephant that strolled nonchalantly along the highway. We stayed in a family home b&b with Pervez and Lubna, very comfy.

We took a couple of short sight seeing visits to get a feel for Delhi, described by many as a 'sensory overload.' It was hot, hot, hot but not quite as smelly as I had expected.

Above: Breath in. Bazaars of Old Delhi. Believe it or not, we were aboard a cycle rickshaw. A little claustrophobic, but pretty exciting weaving down alleys full of the jewelry, flowers, saris and all things Indian, at all times trying to avoid overhead electricity cables.


Above: Entrance to the Red Fort, built as a palace in 1648 by Shan Jahan (same bloke that built the Taj Mahal). We encountered our first unofficial 'tour guide.' 'Hello sir, where are you from?' We learnt quickly that this meant, "Hello, give me some money or I will follow you around and ruin your day."

Above: The memorial marks the place where Gandhi, aged 78, was assassinated by a Hindu radical, whilst on route to evening prayers. A very moving exhibition which tells the story of this amazing man! His belongings at the time of his death were displayed in a cabinet, including his glasses, a hand scythe and a pocket watch.

Above: Humayun Tomb. The first mature example of Mughal architecture in India, Humayun's Tomb was built by the emperor's grieving widow, Haji Begum, in 1565. This marked the beginning of a new tradition of ornate style which culminated in the Taj Mahal of Agra.

Above: Dinner at the Delhi Bed and Breakfast with Lubna and Pervez. Absolutely delicious. Now I know Filby can put it away, but he excelled himself polishing off all dishes, following up with two bowls of ice cream. This was meant to be the 'weight loss' phase of our trip.

One thing I quickly learnt in India is that a woman's opinion is not worth having. 'How was your meal SIR? Did you enjoy your stay SIR?' Whilst I stood there like mute lemon. One advantage, incoming hustlers made a beeline for the one obviously holding the wallet!!

Agra, 5th September

Was most excited about our trip to Agra. We have seen some amazing sites but the Taj Mahal's iconic image was something that had lured me for a long while. And there it was!

We arrived at the Taj Mahal at midday, at which time the marble gleams brilliant white. The first site was quite breath taking. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Above: We posed to get the 'Charles and Diana' shot. I don't recall them squinting and sweating in quite the same way.

Above: We dropped in at Fatehpur Sikri on the way to Bharatpur. Fatehpur Sikri was the political capital of India's Mughal Empire during Akbar's reign, from 1571 until 1585, when it was then abandoned, due to lack of water (dooh). It was very impressive, if a little spooky to walk through the abandoned city as the sun was going down.

Although the city is a monument, the mosque is still used today. After Adam had been wrapped in sarong to cover his offensive legs, we sadly met up with our first true scamster. He insisted we follow him into dark passages at the mosque (head of security was clearly not falling for that) and then became quite aggressive insisting we make a donation by purchasing tat of some description. What a creep, and with no scruples, as he posed as a mosque official.

Bharatpur, 5th - 7th September

Secretly twitching again at Keoladeo bird sanctuary, Kingfishers, Herons, Bee-Eaters galore. Hooray! This was once used by Maharajahs and Viceroys for shooting. On one sad day (not for the Viceroy) in 1938, over 4,000 birds, mainly migrating water foul, were shot.


Our first stay at a Heritage haveli (old private residence) hotel in India, which of course, included parading peacocks. I felt like the Lady Viceroy, taking tea in the courtyard.

Driver vs bus?

What a dilemma. Should we travel several thousand miles across Rajastan by Indian public transport, or should we hire a car and a driver for the tour? Well, it's a money versus convenience debate and Filby was in no doubt. Driver it was. I felt a nagging disappointment that perhaps we should have done it the hard way, to experience the 'real' India. However, as we passed buses and stopped off at our first 'tourist' restaurant for a nice cup of tea, I felt that perhaps I could do without the child on my lap and armpit in my face.

Things that made me nervous about India;

1. food poisoning or upset in tummy department

2. rabid dogs (2/3rds of world's rabies cases are found in India)

3. scams

5. public toilets

6. general hygiene

7. beggars (and how I would deal with them emotionally / physically)

Now I know better, things I should have been nervous about;

1. How much weight you can actually gain if you eat curry for three weeks

And back to Beijing - 1st - 3rd September


Took the overnight train from Shanghai to Beijing which was most comfortable. After a wander around the Hutong area (old alley ways of Beijing) that afternoon, we met up with Ray and Maria (Adam's Mum and Dad). Ray and Maria had just flown into Beijing, the start of their two week holiday. It was wonderful to see them and catch up with news from home.

As planned, we headed back to the Great Wall. We started 3 hours outside of Beijing at Jinshanling and enjoyed this incredible wonder, this time without the crowd and smell of wee. The wall follows the rise and fall of the mountain ridge and the views were stunning. We finished the walk by taking a thrilling zip line from the wall to our pick up point at Simatai. I screamed like a baboon, most uncool. Our day finished perfectly with another night with Ray and Maria at TGI Fridays. Burgers all round for the Filbys.

Putuoshan, 29th - 31st August

An island, 3 hours by ferry, to the east of Shanghai. Putuoshan is a sacred Buddhist island. Peace and quiet at last, spooky. Buddhists come here on pilgrimage to visit the many ancient temples. We were the only guests in our hotel (the best on the island), which was fine once house keeping had spent 30 minutes sweeping balls of hair from our bedroom carpet. Due to lack of tourist facilities, for three days we enjoyed the Chinese staple of instant noodles. Luckily thanks to the high levels of MSG (which I was actually beginning to believe Adam was addicted to), they were very enjoyable.

Above: One Thousand Step Beach - breath that fresh sea air.


Above: Due to my unnatural blond hair, I was very popular with young Chinese girls. Throughout our travels in China I was regularly asked for my photo. About as close to being famous as I will ever be!

Hangzhou, 27th - 29th August

One of China's most famous tourist sites, the main reason being the legendary West Lake. Praised by emperors and revered by poets, the lake has figured in Chinese literature and art for centuries. With its willow-lined banks, ancient pagodas and mist-covered hills, being in Hangzhou is like stepping into a classical Chinese watercolour.

Above: We decided to explore West Lake by bicycle and true to form, mine was a bright pink number.

Shanghai, 24th - 27th August

We arrived at our carefully selected hotel in the French Concession district to discover it was going through a major refurbishment. A bit like the rest of China. Chinese customer service at its finest, 'we have your credit card, so we will charge you whether you like it here or not.' After having a few words, which included 'dust covered hovel, building site, disgusting way to talk to your customer' we were given a suite.

The French Concession area was a real treat, tree-lined avenues, cafes and a relaxed atmosphere.

Shanghai was built on the trade of opium, silk and tea, where first the British settled, followed by the French and Japanese. Shanghai was built by exploitation and was known for its countless opium dens, gambling joints and brothels. The city was 'liberated' in 1949, communists eradicated the slums, rehabilitated the city's hundreds of thousands of opium addicts and eliminated child and slave labour. In 1990 Shanghai announced the development of the Pudong (business district) and it's ambition to be a major financial centre. Can Shanghai outshine Hong Kong? Nothing would please the government more. Time will tell.

From our point of view, although lacking in the ancient history of Beijing, we enjoyed the atmosphere of Shanghai and the contrast of the colonial past with the 'ultra modern' of today's China.

Above: Hot in the city. Adam with Pearl Tower in the background

Above: Neon adding to the atmosphere of Pudong

More China

Three Gorges Cruise, Yangzi River, 21st - 24th August

We boarded the President Number 1 from Chongqing. After a lengthy discussion regarding how 'disappointed' we were with our cabin, soon realised, no cash, no upgrade. Amy, the our river guide/hard-arse negotiator did not budge and accused me of bartering as if I were 'in the market'. I told I that I 'learnt everything I know from the Chinese' and stormed off. Doh, bad start. Bring on the buffet. Adam and I looked like true travellers as we returned from the buffet with a 6 foot high plate full - yummmm, bread. We set sail in the middle of the night.

At first the scenery was more urban and industrial (like everywhere else in we had seen in China.) It was not until the second day we entered the first of many beautiful gorges. We took an excursion to Shennong Stream. Here the locals not only paddle their baggy y-fronts off, but as the stream shallows, they get out and drag the boats upstream. Ohh, I felt dreadful sitting there like lady-muck. They sang local folk songs and it was all very jolly. One of the toothless boatmen gave me a pebble from the river bed.

One thing of note from the cruise was the absolutely terrible cabaret. So bad, it was not even funny. The poor staff adorned grass skirts and attempted the hula, and that was just the opening. Thank goodness for our new best friends. Gary livened things up by challenging the Ozzie Saga holiday posse to a karaoke sing-off. Most amusing, big hangover followed. Missed thai-chi on the top deck at 6.30am which was probably a good thing as the previous day I had made a complete plonker of myself. The stick thin thai-chi instructor started his routine and I tried desperately to follow. I was tripping over my feet, facing the wrong way etc. My performance was enjoyed by the Chinese passengers no end. When I eventually asked the guy to slow down, he said 'this is demonstration, lesson starts soon.' I could have died. Do not under estimate the complexity of this exercise.

If you are interested in the Three Gorges Dam, see Filby's blog. He has alllllll the details, yawn. It is actually quite interesting really.

More Xi'an and onto Chongqing, 21st August

Above: Wedding dress shopping in Chongqing. Ummm!

Above: Tea ceremony at heritage site in Xi'an. Naturally I was very happy and loved all the teas.

Above: You may have heard of feet binding, a tradition only outlawed in the 20th century. You can appreciate how severe the deformity of this practice when you see the size of an adult female porcelain shoe. Owwch. This was not an act of beauty but a sure way to guarantee that wives and concubines could not do a runner!

Above: From Xi'an we took a day trip to Hua Shan, one of Taoism's five sacred mountains. Sadly we were in cloud so did not enjoy the best of views. We opted for the three hour, sweaty route up. The first 4km were easy going, but after that it was all steep stairs to the North Peak. Filby kept mentioning that it would be good exercise for my 'wedding butt.' It was great to be in the open air, in relative peace. However, when we reached the top we found the 5,000 Chinese people that had sensibly taken the cable car.

China

The good

• Amazing ancient history and culture, when preserved!
• Dim sum, mountain noodles and moon cakes
• Chinese tea and beer
• The Beijing Olympics - the national pride this has created is evident across China. Their Olympic logo is also a little stronger than ours!
• The outdoor dance and Thai Chi classes
• The majong, domino, card and chess games that entertain folks on street corners around the clock
• Natural beauty of the Yangzi River gorges.
• The awesome Yangzi Dam project. Parking the moral and green issues associated with the project, the dam will create hydro-electric power equivalent to that of 14 nuclear power stations.

The bad

• The big Chinese tom cat that appears to have sprayed urine over the entire country
• No peace and quiet, why talk when you can shout?
• Lack of vacuum cleaners and carpet stain removal products
• Babies outfits with a hole cut out of the bottom for easy defecation, anywhere, anytime!
• Chinese mops - any visitor to China will know what I mean
• With a population of 1.3 Billion, not surprising that it is difficult to avoid crowds
• Trying to sleep on a long-distance train

The ugly

• Hoicking and spitting
• Pollution hanging like a yellow blanket over major cities
• Public toilets where ladies go about their business freely with doors wide open!
• Industrial wreckage blotting the landscape
• Queuing, or lack of it. Elbows out and watch out for the 4ft tall grannies
• Angry, Chinese women. Avoid at all costs! More scary than the average Sunbury bird.

Xi'an, 16th - 20th August

A surprisingly clean bus collected us from the roadside in Pingyao, for the six hour journey to Xian. Our budget hotel was well located, in the shadow of city's Drum Tower. Alas, the flooring was more stain than carpet! Yuk. First things first, a visit to Pizza Hut. Never knew pizza could taste sooo good. The main attraction to the east of Xi'an, the Army of Terracotta Warriors.

Quick facts about the Terracotta Warriors:

- The Terracotta Warriors were discovered in 1974 by farmers drilling a well.
- What are the Terracotta Warriors? Guardians of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's tomb (the first person to unify China and the man behind the Great Wall). The underground vault contains over seven thousand soldiers, horses and chariots in battle formation. The site is still being excavated today.
- Why? Archaeologists believe the emperor expected his rule to continue in death as it had in life. He clearly didn't fancy taking on the spirits awaiting him in the afterlife alone.
- Age? The site dates back to 221BC
- Each terracotta warrior has been individually crafted with different form and facial features.

Pingyao, 14th - 16th August

Possibly the best preserved ancient walled city in China and AT LAST we found some charm in China. Pingyao was a thriving merchant town during the Ming dynasty and centre of a large network of trade. Local business had become so successful that they created the country's first banks and cheques in order to facilitate the transfer of enormous amounts of silver from one place to another. The city fell into poverty in the 20th century and without the cash to modernise, Pingyao's streets have remained unchanged. Thank goodness for that. They now have a thriving tourist trade, particularly since UNESCO firmly placed them on Chinese heritage map.

We had a great couple of days wandering around the atmospheric city and enjoyed some delicious food in romantic lantern-lit courtyards. Phew!

Above: Dusty street filled with bikes and swinging red lanterns. View towards central gate of the city.

Above: Walk along the ancient city walls.

Above: What a cute, scruffy little dog! Has probably been stir-fried by now.

Above: Local residents practice Thai Chi with city wall as back drop. Not as easy as it looks, as I have recently discovered.