Sunday, December 19, 2004
Back from UK, @ Dam for Flight Home
Just finished my whole frigging mini europe trip. Well, can't really call it a europe trip when I've just visited 2 cities for 6 days in total. But still ...
I'm at Amsterdam once again, waiting for my flight home. The internet terminals in the Amsterdam airport is sweet. Actually, the Amsterdam airport is probably the best airport that I've ever been, compared to the ones in Hong Kong, San Fran, Toronto, London (UK), etc. Their transfer system is very fast and easy. And the stores here are kool. How cool ? Well, they got a mini casino here, so how cool can you get ?
I'm tired as hell now. Partied hard back in Chester UK with SouTing. Wanna thank her and her boyfriend, Micheal, here for showing me around and bringing me to a kickass club in UK. Man, ppl in UK can really dance. They are uncontrollable once they are on the dance pool. And some of them don't need to drink and can still dance pretty good. And for those who are curious, yeah, gals in UK are frigging hot.
5 mins more to go. Gonna post the pics up when I get back to Toronto. Can't wait to get back home.
See you toronto folks in 10 hrs !
I'm at Amsterdam once again, waiting for my flight home. The internet terminals in the Amsterdam airport is sweet. Actually, the Amsterdam airport is probably the best airport that I've ever been, compared to the ones in Hong Kong, San Fran, Toronto, London (UK), etc. Their transfer system is very fast and easy. And the stores here are kool. How cool ? Well, they got a mini casino here, so how cool can you get ?
I'm tired as hell now. Partied hard back in Chester UK with SouTing. Wanna thank her and her boyfriend, Micheal, here for showing me around and bringing me to a kickass club in UK. Man, ppl in UK can really dance. They are uncontrollable once they are on the dance pool. And some of them don't need to drink and can still dance pretty good. And for those who are curious, yeah, gals in UK are frigging hot.
5 mins more to go. Gonna post the pics up when I get back to Toronto. Can't wait to get back home.
See you toronto folks in 10 hrs !
Thursday, December 16, 2004
@ Amsterdam Now
This is my 2nd day @ Dam. Arrived here yesterday early morning. Walked around the city. And chilled at the hostel last night.
Hmm .... what should I say about the Dam .... hmmm ..... well, it is cold. Something like 0 to 5 degrees. Given that I was in the Desert 5 days around and sun-bathing on my last day in India which was only 3 days ago, I feel like I'm in a totally different part of the world .... wait a minute, I AM in a different part of the world .... must be the cold .....
So, for those who dunno anything about Amsterdam, they are famous in the world for 2 things. One, Red Light District. Two, weed everywhere.
Can't comment on the second on or else my parents will be on my ass. But I'll say I chilled with the guys (2 americans, 3 japs, and 2 CANADIAN !!) in the hostel last night and had fun.
So, about the Red Light District (RLD). I didn't really walk around the RLD after 8pm cuz I was too drunk in the hostel. But I did walked around it from 4 to 6. And I can tell you, yes, you can do hookers window shopping. But was I impressed ? HELL NO !! Those "girls" there are fucking aunties !!! Man, maybe the hots ones aren't out until late at night. But for the ones that I did saw, all I can say is ... "holy shit .... I wanna puke". But I'll give the place another try later tonight. Gonna join some "safe tour" provided by the tourist agency. I've heard (from the waitress where I had dinner last night) that it is not as safe as it used to be at night. Especially that incident that happened. Remember about a month ago, a Deutch director got killed in Amsterdam becuz he filmed a contraversy movie ? Yeah, that's the incident.
Anyways .... enough about the RLD. The thing I'm impressed the most while I'm here are really :
a) fashion
b) interior design
c) the city itself
Ppl here are cool. Meaning, they all dress like models. The clothings that I've saw here are way better than the ones in HK or Canada or the States. I dunno, maybe it is just my personal preference. But IF i do have the money, I would've probably burn them all here for clothings ....
And the interior design of stores and restaurants here are slick. Even thou we have similar ones back in downtown toronto, but still, every store here are cool.
The city itself is filled with canals. I even toke a boat curise tour around the city. This place is kinda like Venice. You guys can see by the map below.
City map
Anyways, running outta time in the internet cafe. Gotta go. Later.
Hmm .... what should I say about the Dam .... hmmm ..... well, it is cold. Something like 0 to 5 degrees. Given that I was in the Desert 5 days around and sun-bathing on my last day in India which was only 3 days ago, I feel like I'm in a totally different part of the world .... wait a minute, I AM in a different part of the world .... must be the cold .....
So, for those who dunno anything about Amsterdam, they are famous in the world for 2 things. One, Red Light District. Two, weed everywhere.
Can't comment on the second on or else my parents will be on my ass. But I'll say I chilled with the guys (2 americans, 3 japs, and 2 CANADIAN !!) in the hostel last night and had fun.
So, about the Red Light District (RLD). I didn't really walk around the RLD after 8pm cuz I was too drunk in the hostel. But I did walked around it from 4 to 6. And I can tell you, yes, you can do hookers window shopping. But was I impressed ? HELL NO !! Those "girls" there are fucking aunties !!! Man, maybe the hots ones aren't out until late at night. But for the ones that I did saw, all I can say is ... "holy shit .... I wanna puke". But I'll give the place another try later tonight. Gonna join some "safe tour" provided by the tourist agency. I've heard (from the waitress where I had dinner last night) that it is not as safe as it used to be at night. Especially that incident that happened. Remember about a month ago, a Deutch director got killed in Amsterdam becuz he filmed a contraversy movie ? Yeah, that's the incident.
Anyways .... enough about the RLD. The thing I'm impressed the most while I'm here are really :
a) fashion
b) interior design
c) the city itself
Ppl here are cool. Meaning, they all dress like models. The clothings that I've saw here are way better than the ones in HK or Canada or the States. I dunno, maybe it is just my personal preference. But IF i do have the money, I would've probably burn them all here for clothings ....
And the interior design of stores and restaurants here are slick. Even thou we have similar ones back in downtown toronto, but still, every store here are cool.
The city itself is filled with canals. I even toke a boat curise tour around the city. This place is kinda like Venice. You guys can see by the map below.
City map
Anyways, running outta time in the internet cafe. Gotta go. Later.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Camel Safari & Desert Camping
We only got 2 half days and 1 night to do the desert camping stuff. Because of the time constraint, the travel agency for the camel safari had to transport us using a jeep so that we can get to the heart of the desert more quickly. Other than us 2 Canadians, there were a pair of Spanish couples that travelled with us. They were cool.
Hola !
We passed thru some small villages and stopped there for a brief while so that we can see how the local lives are like. But none of us really cared. All that's in our mind are the camels and the sand dunes.
This village is ...... nice. So, where are the camels ?
After the brief stop at the village-that-we-didn't-care, we ride for another half an hour to a totally deserted place in the middle of nowhere. No roads lead to this place. The jeep driver somehow could tell where to go even thou the whole place looked the same to us in all directions. But oh well, we stopped, got out of the jeep, and waited.
In the middle of nowhere, where we've stopped, there is a small pond for the cattles to drink.
After 20 mins of sun-bathing, the animals that we've long awaited for finally have arrived.
Give me food ...
Happy to see you !! Now, hand me that rope.
Ahmed, Indiana Jones' style.
We immediately hopped onto our rides, and started the journey towards the sand dunes.
Riding right behind ya, spanish dude !
Man, it was hot like shit.
The adventurous couple.
Are we there yet ?
After about an hour of camel ride, we finally arrived ..... yet another we-don't-give-a-shit village. But the rest was great. Riding on that camel for an hour really started to hurt our legs.
Kids at the village.
Cattles in the village ..... does this remind you of the sheeps in Warcraft 3 ?
Even the camels and the tour guide need a rest.
After a half hour rest, we pushed on.
Are we there yet ?
About an hour more of camel riding, we finally see some sand.
Taadaa !!
We were just in time for the sunset. Man .... sunset in the desert sand dunes is, yet another, most beautiful thing that I've ever seen in life. The desert is really quiet too. You can almost hear the wind blowing pass your ears while carrying a pinch of sand along with it. And the sand dunes are uncontaminated by garbage or even footprints. The sand pattern was pure and natural. And the sunset was beautiful.
Other than the spanish couples, there were 2 other couples that have arrived before us. All of the couples are laying down on the sand, watching the sunset, and doing their thing. Meanwhile, i'm stuck with Ahmed. *sigh* .... but it was beautiful nevertheless.
. . . .
My camera couldn't really capture the beauty of the scene.
Camels, desert, and sunset.
When the sun has set and the camel put to rest, the tour guides started some cooking going. The camp itself has a total of 14 people. 4 tour guides, 2 girls 1 guy from Frances, 1 guy from Swiss, the spanish couple, a we-didn't-talked-to couple, and us 2 Canadians.
The food was Indian food. The taste didn't matter at that point anymore. It is about the camp fire in the middle of the desert.
French girl watching the tour guides doing their cooking.
After the meal, we sat around the camp fire, and the tour guide sang some local Indian folk songs.
Warmth.
About an hour later, all of us went to sleep.
Sleeping in the desert was unforgetable. I didn't really fall asleep for the first hour, or at least I tried to force myself not to sleep. I wanted to experience the night in desert and didn't want the night to end.
Desert at night is really quiet. You can even hear the sound of the other travellers turning around in their sleeping bags. Occassionally, you will hear the twinkling sound from the bells that are hung from the camels. The air around you was cold and chilly. The light breeze blowing to you reminds you of the open and endless space surrounding you. Above you, you can see millions of stars, all shining brightly without the hindering of the city lights. If you turn to your side, you can see the silhouette of the camel and the hilly sand dune rise against the bright moon-light sky. If you focus enough, you can see the orange light from the cigarette that the tour guide who are watching guards at night is smoking. And slowly, after staring at the stars and the silhouette of the landscape around you, your eyes would close while still breathing in the chilly and sandy air.
But it was too damn cold in the desert. I woke up 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night to put on more clothes. :P
Near sunrise, the fire that the tour guide started woke me up while all of the other travellers were sleeping. I wrapped myself in the blankets that they provided me and joined the 4 guides around the fire. The whole sky was still dark. It seems like there is no other life around us except for us 5. None of us really talked, afraid that we would wake the other travellers up. The only sound that we could hear are the buring woods from the fire, the rubbing sounds of our hands in front of the fire, and the occassional bell rings from the camels.
About, what it seemed, a long moment later, Ahmed finally got up while all the other travellers are still sleeping. He must've felt cold too. At that point, the sky was turing from a total black to a dark blue. We knew the sun is coming. We walked around and climbed to the top of the hilly dunes. On top, we've found the thing that we were looking for in this trip.
Ahmed with his sleepy face.
Me, all wrapped up.
The light as we slowly climb higher.
Another day about to come.
Capturing the moment.
Sunrise, the desert, and me.
Sunrise, the desert, and the camel.
After experiencing the sunrise, we headed back to the camp for some breakfast. Apparently, all the other travellers have already awake.
Back to the camp.
French dude with his morning hot tea.
Camp ground from far.
After breakfast and the morning piss in the bushes, we headed off for yet another camel ride. But this time, the ride is different. Totally different.
Ahmed, good to go.
This time, the camels are all rested up and ready to go. They dashed, they ran, and they scared the shit outta me. The other guys seems to enjoy the excitement alot. Especially the Spanish women. She was like re-living her childhood dream of being a princess on a pony. So, what should I do ? Of course I tried to act all calm and cool while shitting in my pants trying to hold onto the frigging wild camel. Hey, at least I didn't fall.
Hoolllyy sshhheessh .... is that another bumpy path ? Fuuccckkk ....
After an hour of struggle, which really should be enjoyment, we finally got back to the place where the jeep was. I was never happier to see a frigging jeep in my life.
Goodbye Mr. Camel.
Hallloo, Mr. jeep.
After getting back to the sand fort, we hopped onto a 6 hours bus ride to head back to Jodhpur. At that point (around noon), me and Ahmed were exhausted. Ahmed slept in the bus. I spent the time listening to Jay Chow and Suen Yin Gi, staring aimlessly into the infinite desert that lies before me while slowly falling asleep.
Jay Chow and the desert.
Slowly closing my eyes ...
When we arrive at Jodhpur, we got onto another 36 hours train to come back to Hyderabad. So now I'm here.
I'll be heading off to Amsterdam for 3 days tomorrow, then UK for another 3 days, then back to Toronto. See you guys then.
Later.
Hola !
We passed thru some small villages and stopped there for a brief while so that we can see how the local lives are like. But none of us really cared. All that's in our mind are the camels and the sand dunes.
This village is ...... nice. So, where are the camels ?
After the brief stop at the village-that-we-didn't-care, we ride for another half an hour to a totally deserted place in the middle of nowhere. No roads lead to this place. The jeep driver somehow could tell where to go even thou the whole place looked the same to us in all directions. But oh well, we stopped, got out of the jeep, and waited.
In the middle of nowhere, where we've stopped, there is a small pond for the cattles to drink.
After 20 mins of sun-bathing, the animals that we've long awaited for finally have arrived.
Give me food ...
Happy to see you !! Now, hand me that rope.
Ahmed, Indiana Jones' style.
We immediately hopped onto our rides, and started the journey towards the sand dunes.
Riding right behind ya, spanish dude !
Man, it was hot like shit.
The adventurous couple.
Are we there yet ?
After about an hour of camel ride, we finally arrived ..... yet another we-don't-give-a-shit village. But the rest was great. Riding on that camel for an hour really started to hurt our legs.
Kids at the village.
Cattles in the village ..... does this remind you of the sheeps in Warcraft 3 ?
Even the camels and the tour guide need a rest.
After a half hour rest, we pushed on.
Are we there yet ?
About an hour more of camel riding, we finally see some sand.
Taadaa !!
We were just in time for the sunset. Man .... sunset in the desert sand dunes is, yet another, most beautiful thing that I've ever seen in life. The desert is really quiet too. You can almost hear the wind blowing pass your ears while carrying a pinch of sand along with it. And the sand dunes are uncontaminated by garbage or even footprints. The sand pattern was pure and natural. And the sunset was beautiful.
Other than the spanish couples, there were 2 other couples that have arrived before us. All of the couples are laying down on the sand, watching the sunset, and doing their thing. Meanwhile, i'm stuck with Ahmed. *sigh* .... but it was beautiful nevertheless.
. . . .
My camera couldn't really capture the beauty of the scene.
Camels, desert, and sunset.
When the sun has set and the camel put to rest, the tour guides started some cooking going. The camp itself has a total of 14 people. 4 tour guides, 2 girls 1 guy from Frances, 1 guy from Swiss, the spanish couple, a we-didn't-talked-to couple, and us 2 Canadians.
The food was Indian food. The taste didn't matter at that point anymore. It is about the camp fire in the middle of the desert.
French girl watching the tour guides doing their cooking.
After the meal, we sat around the camp fire, and the tour guide sang some local Indian folk songs.
Warmth.
About an hour later, all of us went to sleep.
Sleeping in the desert was unforgetable. I didn't really fall asleep for the first hour, or at least I tried to force myself not to sleep. I wanted to experience the night in desert and didn't want the night to end.
Desert at night is really quiet. You can even hear the sound of the other travellers turning around in their sleeping bags. Occassionally, you will hear the twinkling sound from the bells that are hung from the camels. The air around you was cold and chilly. The light breeze blowing to you reminds you of the open and endless space surrounding you. Above you, you can see millions of stars, all shining brightly without the hindering of the city lights. If you turn to your side, you can see the silhouette of the camel and the hilly sand dune rise against the bright moon-light sky. If you focus enough, you can see the orange light from the cigarette that the tour guide who are watching guards at night is smoking. And slowly, after staring at the stars and the silhouette of the landscape around you, your eyes would close while still breathing in the chilly and sandy air.
But it was too damn cold in the desert. I woke up 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night to put on more clothes. :P
Near sunrise, the fire that the tour guide started woke me up while all of the other travellers were sleeping. I wrapped myself in the blankets that they provided me and joined the 4 guides around the fire. The whole sky was still dark. It seems like there is no other life around us except for us 5. None of us really talked, afraid that we would wake the other travellers up. The only sound that we could hear are the buring woods from the fire, the rubbing sounds of our hands in front of the fire, and the occassional bell rings from the camels.
About, what it seemed, a long moment later, Ahmed finally got up while all the other travellers are still sleeping. He must've felt cold too. At that point, the sky was turing from a total black to a dark blue. We knew the sun is coming. We walked around and climbed to the top of the hilly dunes. On top, we've found the thing that we were looking for in this trip.
Ahmed with his sleepy face.
Me, all wrapped up.
The light as we slowly climb higher.
Another day about to come.
Capturing the moment.
Sunrise, the desert, and me.
Sunrise, the desert, and the camel.
After experiencing the sunrise, we headed back to the camp for some breakfast. Apparently, all the other travellers have already awake.
Back to the camp.
French dude with his morning hot tea.
Camp ground from far.
After breakfast and the morning piss in the bushes, we headed off for yet another camel ride. But this time, the ride is different. Totally different.
Ahmed, good to go.
This time, the camels are all rested up and ready to go. They dashed, they ran, and they scared the shit outta me. The other guys seems to enjoy the excitement alot. Especially the Spanish women. She was like re-living her childhood dream of being a princess on a pony. So, what should I do ? Of course I tried to act all calm and cool while shitting in my pants trying to hold onto the frigging wild camel. Hey, at least I didn't fall.
Hoolllyy sshhheessh .... is that another bumpy path ? Fuuccckkk ....
After an hour of struggle, which really should be enjoyment, we finally got back to the place where the jeep was. I was never happier to see a frigging jeep in my life.
Goodbye Mr. Camel.
Hallloo, Mr. jeep.
After getting back to the sand fort, we hopped onto a 6 hours bus ride to head back to Jodhpur. At that point (around noon), me and Ahmed were exhausted. Ahmed slept in the bus. I spent the time listening to Jay Chow and Suen Yin Gi, staring aimlessly into the infinite desert that lies before me while slowly falling asleep.
Jay Chow and the desert.
Slowly closing my eyes ...
When we arrive at Jodhpur, we got onto another 36 hours train to come back to Hyderabad. So now I'm here.
I'll be heading off to Amsterdam for 3 days tomorrow, then UK for another 3 days, then back to Toronto. See you guys then.
Later.
Great Thar Desert !
So ..... now the desert post that you've all been waiting for.
Some background info about the area where the desert is. The desert is located in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is near the border of Pakistan. For those who dunno about world affairs, India, a Hinduism country, and Pakistan, a Muslim country, don't like each other. So that adds to the excitement of the whole trip. Especially when our bus ride from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer passed thru the army camps, 3 army guys jumped on the bus to hitch a hike. Man, those dudes look scary. But maybe I'm just a wuss.
This map should be clear enough.
Rajasthan itself has a very distinct culture apart from the rest of India. This can be seen by the people's clothing. Even the auto-rickshaws are different from the rest of India.
Auto with style.
Women here tend to cover their faces.
Anyways .... enough of the boring textbook crap. Lemme jump directly to what we did.
After Taj Mahal in Agra, we toke a 12 hrs night train to Jodhpur. Then we toke a 5 hrs bus (where we encountered the army) to Jaisalmer, the city that is closest to the desert. Since we were pretty exhausted from the Delhi and Agra trip and also from the continuous travelling, we decided to stay at a 5 star hotel for the first night in Jaisalmer and take it easy. (Personal note to mom and dad: Thanks for the financial support ... hehe)
Wanna take a swim in the middle of the desert ?
Musicians and dancers hired by the hotel.
Wow .... holy ..... she picked up the 2 rings on the ground using her eye lids ..... we tipped them 100 rs ($3 Cdn) for that show
The next day, we checked out of the hotel, jumped on a shared auto, and headed to the sand fort - the core of the city.
In the shared auto with the locals ...
Upon entering the sand fort, once again, the only thought that crosses my mind is .... wowww ......
Approaching the fort from far.
Entrance of the sand fort.
The fort inside is amazing !! Have you guys seen movies like Black Hawk Down, Bourne Identity, or Indiana Jones, where the main characters have to find their ways in those ancient middle east cities while looking out for dangers ? That was what this place is about. But instead of looking out for dangers, we had to look out for all those cow shit that are sprinkled everywhere in the small alleyways of this magnificent city.
Moooooo ...
Despite of the cow shit, everything in the city is amazing. There were no big roads, only small alleyways. Each house there is carved with beautiful carvings. I don't really know how well to descibe it, so I'll just show you guys the photos.
The whole city itself is a piece of beautiful art work.
The outside of the temple located inside the fort.
Textile is big in this city.
Little shopkeeper.
We ran around the whole fort like children playing in a huge playground. We eventually got to the side wall of the fort and got a view of the city below.
Places immediately below.
The whole city from above.
I think these rocks are used as a defensive mechansim ..... hey, this place is ancient as I've told you.
Pigeons all along the side of the fort.
Hmmm .... will they shit on my head ?
Well, don't let the ancient touch and its remote location tricked you. This place is filled with modern stuff. There were long distance phone booths (which was where I call you guys, dad and mun), internet cafes, and ..... authentic italian gourmet pizza !!
Mmmmm ...... italian in the desert .....
Modern washing machine.
After having the home-made pizzas ..... we headed out to the sand dune for a night of camping in the desert !!
Some background info about the area where the desert is. The desert is located in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is near the border of Pakistan. For those who dunno about world affairs, India, a Hinduism country, and Pakistan, a Muslim country, don't like each other. So that adds to the excitement of the whole trip. Especially when our bus ride from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer passed thru the army camps, 3 army guys jumped on the bus to hitch a hike. Man, those dudes look scary. But maybe I'm just a wuss.
This map should be clear enough.
Rajasthan itself has a very distinct culture apart from the rest of India. This can be seen by the people's clothing. Even the auto-rickshaws are different from the rest of India.
Auto with style.
Women here tend to cover their faces.
Anyways .... enough of the boring textbook crap. Lemme jump directly to what we did.
After Taj Mahal in Agra, we toke a 12 hrs night train to Jodhpur. Then we toke a 5 hrs bus (where we encountered the army) to Jaisalmer, the city that is closest to the desert. Since we were pretty exhausted from the Delhi and Agra trip and also from the continuous travelling, we decided to stay at a 5 star hotel for the first night in Jaisalmer and take it easy. (Personal note to mom and dad: Thanks for the financial support ... hehe)
Wanna take a swim in the middle of the desert ?
Musicians and dancers hired by the hotel.
Wow .... holy ..... she picked up the 2 rings on the ground using her eye lids ..... we tipped them 100 rs ($3 Cdn) for that show
The next day, we checked out of the hotel, jumped on a shared auto, and headed to the sand fort - the core of the city.
In the shared auto with the locals ...
Upon entering the sand fort, once again, the only thought that crosses my mind is .... wowww ......
Approaching the fort from far.
Entrance of the sand fort.
The fort inside is amazing !! Have you guys seen movies like Black Hawk Down, Bourne Identity, or Indiana Jones, where the main characters have to find their ways in those ancient middle east cities while looking out for dangers ? That was what this place is about. But instead of looking out for dangers, we had to look out for all those cow shit that are sprinkled everywhere in the small alleyways of this magnificent city.
Moooooo ...
Despite of the cow shit, everything in the city is amazing. There were no big roads, only small alleyways. Each house there is carved with beautiful carvings. I don't really know how well to descibe it, so I'll just show you guys the photos.
The whole city itself is a piece of beautiful art work.
The outside of the temple located inside the fort.
Textile is big in this city.
Little shopkeeper.
We ran around the whole fort like children playing in a huge playground. We eventually got to the side wall of the fort and got a view of the city below.
Places immediately below.
The whole city from above.
I think these rocks are used as a defensive mechansim ..... hey, this place is ancient as I've told you.
Pigeons all along the side of the fort.
Hmmm .... will they shit on my head ?
Well, don't let the ancient touch and its remote location tricked you. This place is filled with modern stuff. There were long distance phone booths (which was where I call you guys, dad and mun), internet cafes, and ..... authentic italian gourmet pizza !!
Mmmmm ...... italian in the desert .....
Modern washing machine.
After having the home-made pizzas ..... we headed out to the sand dune for a night of camping in the desert !!
