tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68327371436086281752024-02-01T22:02:01.227-08:00...Sar somewhere...Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-64270798956515307882010-03-28T13:00:00.000-07:002010-03-28T13:48:02.002-07:00Now for our next adventure...Morocco!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBFS1GBc7k-vTFJ3z0hB-4pYUjEQtFxf8WFhkbxBle9p0mtB2K1JK9VB_CUxSsYTlVXQoZRYA9LyW72z2jYBppkO66-BhKx3pmm81ie3fdsB-lzRRjCWGr2TwoUKDs6JdAdHImr5gj68/s1600/IMG_2407.jpg"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CHICHAM%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" 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5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--></a><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBFS1GBc7k-vTFJ3z0hB-4pYUjEQtFxf8WFhkbxBle9p0mtB2K1JK9VB_CUxSsYTlVXQoZRYA9LyW72z2jYBppkO66-BhKx3pmm81ie3fdsB-lzRRjCWGr2TwoUKDs6JdAdHImr5gj68/s320/IMG_2407.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453783251779019058" border="0" /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Stef tries to fit in Fez...</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH17yTeEOjcVyH7AxF1tTs7mjjyJWTP4jMeiqcPlK0hDErw9CktpXzlij1cmx8kox7mSeiVbCctncYlz5nTXjCcC9PuOl8D8_ZW5nqx7punZbC34TXCREYNuX0zb5X-iNHC5u04rG5Iw/s1600/IMG_2445.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH17yTeEOjcVyH7AxF1tTs7mjjyJWTP4jMeiqcPlK0hDErw9CktpXzlij1cmx8kox7mSeiVbCctncYlz5nTXjCcC9PuOl8D8_ZW5nqx7punZbC34TXCREYNuX0zb5X-iNHC5u04rG5Iw/s320/IMG_2445.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453783281052566066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The tanners terraces. Even from a viewpoint a few floors up, the smell is overwhelming! These poor guys spend their days stomping on and wringing out animal skins in lime and assorted dyes and who knows what else. Pretty foul, but great to see the process that goes on before all the bags and shoes end up in the markets.</span>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwZpxq8hEj5tuuWt-yreMb-RyQuqe4ycLK-RLZ7fPYD0be-JNEgTJbnjdzeznWobQbsCIcHFF7uU86-dN4iDS8OqGJlqpNUBaXI76Li_3Um0C9LaOPHntwU5LEDD1Gc46d7FRtWz118c/s1600/IMG_2443.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwZpxq8hEj5tuuWt-yreMb-RyQuqe4ycLK-RLZ7fPYD0be-JNEgTJbnjdzeznWobQbsCIcHFF7uU86-dN4iDS8OqGJlqpNUBaXI76Li_3Um0C9LaOPHntwU5LEDD1Gc46d7FRtWz118c/s320/IMG_2443.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453783265841166882" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rDPm2VIInmY4in0gkTLGD5xajg11Il0JNlRwChUUX5rXoTL-c7BEMnwuScU6snWPcynok3aDLU34BQ0pWVeB6p5IdpHsDuHOlFOdHtSJf2grn-nsatq6wjOfn1aPL60KAl9BO7bBvNA/s1600/IMG_2420.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rDPm2VIInmY4in0gkTLGD5xajg11Il0JNlRwChUUX5rXoTL-c7BEMnwuScU6snWPcynok3aDLU34BQ0pWVeB6p5IdpHsDuHOlFOdHtSJf2grn-nsatq6wjOfn1aPL60KAl9BO7bBvNA/s320/IMG_2420.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453783257500148130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Fez Fez Fez Fez. Ancient medina roofs that haven't changed much...apart from the satellites dishes facing their own Meccas in the sky.</span>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTyyXQoGh6Sq7wD5pgbLahFItPbuBaCpcXwReSqApAEmmutRVY4O9G0HHDu-N9Z1MQqbWi5nKy0Ye5vcYjyEDcCJ2-m_Wf2Er3dtp9XwtYTSBrzGPdwg7IGccG-d2Kc2eTOLjwepETVY/s1600/IMG_2399.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTyyXQoGh6Sq7wD5pgbLahFItPbuBaCpcXwReSqApAEmmutRVY4O9G0HHDu-N9Z1MQqbWi5nKy0Ye5vcYjyEDcCJ2-m_Wf2Er3dtp9XwtYTSBrzGPdwg7IGccG-d2Kc2eTOLjwepETVY/s320/IMG_2399.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453783246479663490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Poor muley.</span>
<br /><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRiZlLKFSDiUTxChxOsZxoOY5qaqgF4OZDms_-M1j3RB-rNZLNgiDaGxo1dEIqv0OSTathj939vqL3sC103OQJ7hLb1Jw3nPysF3DSwsG3Kx8norVGuBSP7UraTobcVMH2nQ6-loDWFo/s1600/IMG_2354.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRiZlLKFSDiUTxChxOsZxoOY5qaqgF4OZDms_-M1j3RB-rNZLNgiDaGxo1dEIqv0OSTathj939vqL3sC103OQJ7hLb1Jw3nPysF3DSwsG3Kx8norVGuBSP7UraTobcVMH2nQ6-loDWFo/s320/IMG_2354.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453781354214941266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Chefchaoun dye!</span>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULHfqWpK5KnJuyV0zrqKSZUVK_Qp5Kj067gwD1SBe1Gkoh7rgRndNhr3w3P9eIo11c67UUDJvKPAvGgNtjsLtBecPQC0Yd42MTikYXGrqPCFO6evz7cnT6Pgewe1H5YUzo2HVTzUjDh8/s1600/IMG_2346.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULHfqWpK5KnJuyV0zrqKSZUVK_Qp5Kj067gwD1SBe1Gkoh7rgRndNhr3w3P9eIo11c67UUDJvKPAvGgNtjsLtBecPQC0Yd42MTikYXGrqPCFO6evz7cnT6Pgewe1H5YUzo2HVTzUjDh8/s320/IMG_2346.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453781348851560034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Chefchaoun blue street! </span>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObm1UXJpgw016Tz5aX1ANH6s34dw1sjIH12cUpY5fBtx0XEd8g7X6J4-4ZFCqXsHZE9FbjiRkjnDGZVl88WUpC2a5d_bwPjKvm8Ox7c_Z-xOhvqmE2l5yku0bEPM6zUQ3ic2CjA_a0YU/s1600/IMG_2338.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObm1UXJpgw016Tz5aX1ANH6s34dw1sjIH12cUpY5fBtx0XEd8g7X6J4-4ZFCqXsHZE9FbjiRkjnDGZVl88WUpC2a5d_bwPjKvm8Ox7c_Z-xOhvqmE2l5yku0bEPM6zUQ3ic2CjA_a0YU/s320/IMG_2338.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453781344892666962" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Not sure what the graffiti says...</span>
<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxp0QH9nldSsCNiTAlk30FeypAwb7eDYUIZJ_AQgVCbRe0VQ008Y9zQCCp6tvg-FgHeV0I4cPmaqybfYROYWqP4iC-tY85nwfSvwqoGjIb4aaJlHroMFm8U1EGFww3iDBRwNed2Mrte4/s1600/IMG_2309.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxp0QH9nldSsCNiTAlk30FeypAwb7eDYUIZJ_AQgVCbRe0VQ008Y9zQCCp6tvg-FgHeV0I4cPmaqybfYROYWqP4iC-tY85nwfSvwqoGjIb4aaJlHroMFm8U1EGFww3iDBRwNed2Mrte4/s320/IMG_2309.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453781333829264786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our room in Tanger...through the little star window in the bathroom door!</span>
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<br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="line-height: 115%;" lang="EN-US">So we finished our one month walk across Spain...and promptly boarded a bus for a 16hr trip to the port city of Algeciras and the ferry to Morocco.
<br />
<br />It was a rather spontaneous decision. We figured we were pretty close, and since we had a few weeks to fill before we start work (on a luxury barge in the south of France fyi) we thought we'd just head here and see what it's like.
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<br />So what's it like?
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<br />Crazy, but not as crazy as India.
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<br />Colourful, loud, smelling delicious, and very foreign.
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<br />We spent a night in Tanger, the melting pot east/west spanish/french/arab port city and loved it.
<br />
<br />Then we spent two nights in 'everyone's favourite town' Chefchaoun and were undewhelmed. The blue photo above is from there. The old town is very beautiful, all painted blue, but it felt a bit sleazy and we felt a bit guilty being there. This is pretty much the opposite of everyone else's reviews of chefchaoun, so perhaps we just needed to chill out a bit more after the walk to enjoy it properly.
<br />
<br />Now we are in Fez, which is incredible. The medina is just...one huge yellow walled maze full of markets and mansions and donkeys and leather.
<br />
<br /></span><span style="line-height: 115%;" lang="EN-US">It's peak season so sadly, our intended budget accommodations have not been available. Instead we've had to stay in upmarket </span><span style="line-height: 115%;" lang="EN-US">Dars and Riads - converted old Moroccan homes. From the outside they look like nothing special, but inside they are incredible. At least, the ones we have been staying in are!
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<br />They have a central courtyard, tiled and stuccoed, and staircases lead to rooms that are just...well better than any hotel I have ever stayed in.
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<br />Yes we are living the high life.
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<br />For a few days.</span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >
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<br />Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-91632191270806151812010-03-28T12:33:00.000-07:002010-03-28T13:00:30.650-07:00We FINISHED!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdskIOzzpPWOGc5Jsfza2OLaeuIXJNB4kultHXUyv_ow4U5PbbdVJ5-15D2qngPVT0exO9Cf3X8bcvzEVGPQ7pwTqf6syH6GJuxVj-0ePM3ieM6s5cvZnuvjzZXi7C7AbkgzmEONqIqlM/s1600/IMG_2247.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdskIOzzpPWOGc5Jsfza2OLaeuIXJNB4kultHXUyv_ow4U5PbbdVJ5-15D2qngPVT0exO9Cf3X8bcvzEVGPQ7pwTqf6syH6GJuxVj-0ePM3ieM6s5cvZnuvjzZXi7C7AbkgzmEONqIqlM/s320/IMG_2247.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453774684822294386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">So I threw out my stinky shoes...</span><br /><br />And went to the university square in Santiago de Compostela for celebratory wine, olives, chips, wine, tortilla, wine and salad. Thanks Spain!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmih1xBSlGzgYvx-YJsxFtSDo5nxWJ7T44SDVI4ZFZC8vC5tu3TRYyMV4Bp4E7v5a8Yyi35AT0nHVyG3dUrHuyJykqfvJ8pFSOSRHLMZIdbfxXMsmgSAIHmLAAgNCLHlZDt6I1f2t5zU/s1600/IMG_2215.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmih1xBSlGzgYvx-YJsxFtSDo5nxWJ7T44SDVI4ZFZC8vC5tu3TRYyMV4Bp4E7v5a8Yyi35AT0nHVyG3dUrHuyJykqfvJ8pFSOSRHLMZIdbfxXMsmgSAIHmLAAgNCLHlZDt6I1f2t5zU/s320/IMG_2215.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453774675542094050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXumy_wDLO5CxKxjegJc3HPR27vB77qzOrGoFW-CvzldIafcZ5D2cyNBuICgg7KhrRz6WU34TDTROkBh-PtbxqpIJajoIVcmaN_y8icmbmuMQW6pUmC5dGWFR-RPamYh95hSYoMkqo2BQ/s1600/IMG_2195.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXumy_wDLO5CxKxjegJc3HPR27vB77qzOrGoFW-CvzldIafcZ5D2cyNBuICgg7KhrRz6WU34TDTROkBh-PtbxqpIJajoIVcmaN_y8icmbmuMQW6pUmC5dGWFR-RPamYh95hSYoMkqo2BQ/s320/IMG_2195.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453774661286225682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDaruGz17XzkI8nN9Ot2Os-gRSKcbx8vmi47lejnHbUyzsXfy6O3lfU42R8uW3_tmc1b6jA1Qk4UyhsH9u7PGH4Z-Ip1X0lKTcOAY5fdGqKOOcqm1HAAfCKf5V8BtKBdQXZXvdjmDPGs/s1600/IMG_2209.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDaruGz17XzkI8nN9Ot2Os-gRSKcbx8vmi47lejnHbUyzsXfy6O3lfU42R8uW3_tmc1b6jA1Qk4UyhsH9u7PGH4Z-Ip1X0lKTcOAY5fdGqKOOcqm1HAAfCKf5V8BtKBdQXZXvdjmDPGs/s320/IMG_2209.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453774670225504578" border="0" /></a>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-59608673104865138992010-03-09T09:52:00.000-08:002010-03-09T09:59:09.122-08:00A favourite photo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3GugXUTR2ADCv1slbRHWMeqSWwCLO2I-BxwAlvnc94f2gXScadEvQbSp-2uN0Uxk_jFoXfbZGecegUXp9BlWnte_Ost9V1OL4IC1POhTR2OfTCorqUqTSu9bronugyrjGXTTP4uLJT8/s1600-h/IMG_1685%5B1%5D"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3GugXUTR2ADCv1slbRHWMeqSWwCLO2I-BxwAlvnc94f2gXScadEvQbSp-2uN0Uxk_jFoXfbZGecegUXp9BlWnte_Ost9V1OL4IC1POhTR2OfTCorqUqTSu9bronugyrjGXTTP4uLJT8/s320/IMG_1685%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446694237363399570" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><br /></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-85827052012742904152010-03-09T09:40:00.000-08:002010-03-09T09:52:12.064-08:00Australiana<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Walking gives you lots of time for thinking.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Walking overseas gives you lots of time for thinking about home, and getting homesick.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We´ve both been missing home a lot on this trip.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We were thinking of home and wondering where exactly ´home´ is these days (Alice? Tassie? NSW? Elsewhere?) about the time we were walking through Cantabrian hills and spotted some Eucalypts!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Turns out the place is covered in them! There are loads of plantations and some locals really don´t like them (they´re very different to the local vegetation and are just planted then bulldozed ten years later).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was very exciting to see and smell them. And we´ve also found lots of wattle and even a couple of bottlebrushes.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8z-wZFb_Mw1sIeQMa2HkURbP96BPzV2Rhw7eAF8wmdOIMY6QYUuR4hPRIZb-cdDSBN5FCGuvaLZOjftvPgwytqVBlubdTRTDn5aShBCnbaLmZBWqurcEeKbjr-kHTvlPWYZPYEeG30c/s1600-h/IMG_1660%5B1%5D"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8z-wZFb_Mw1sIeQMa2HkURbP96BPzV2Rhw7eAF8wmdOIMY6QYUuR4hPRIZb-cdDSBN5FCGuvaLZOjftvPgwytqVBlubdTRTDn5aShBCnbaLmZBWqurcEeKbjr-kHTvlPWYZPYEeG30c/s320/IMG_1660%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446691814048609042" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Everyone we meet assumes we are English or German, or French if they hear Stef´s spanish. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When we tell them we´re Australian the standard response is raised eyebrows, big smile, and something along the lines of ´oh wow that is really far away!´ in spanish.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then they say ´Antipodes!´ and laugh as they mime digging or drilling through the world to the other side.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Is Australia directly opposite Spain on the globe? Is this something all Spanish children are taught in school?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Whatever it is, it´s very funny.<br /></span></span><br /></div></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-64440286441103914392010-03-09T09:25:00.000-08:002010-03-09T09:37:46.524-08:00Eating our way across Spain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURP0eaxatPJpBDcfAkXIhqLSYYQnskR6QTZilJqAALcyi_aSF-4M4CZ6KTeSDHNWEhyNZOL-wdMN9JiNxbpDqb1dbhqZW9WNv_p2Khb3T9muxw8JPbGe-rFOS5ZvMJ3DXEYCbZubcrB4/s1600-h/IMG_1652%5B1%5D"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURP0eaxatPJpBDcfAkXIhqLSYYQnskR6QTZilJqAALcyi_aSF-4M4CZ6KTeSDHNWEhyNZOL-wdMN9JiNxbpDqb1dbhqZW9WNv_p2Khb3T9muxw8JPbGe-rFOS5ZvMJ3DXEYCbZubcrB4/s320/IMG_1652%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446687058328008898" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Spain = yum. Especially if you are born again carnivore like Stef. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This photo was taken at the end of a lovely and a bit fancy meal out in Castro Urdiales. Stef had local fish probably caught that afternoon. He loved it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I had ´Seasons mixed vegetables´ which, being in Spain, was full of bacon. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; ">The waiter thoughtfully gave me a plate so I could pick out the bacon bits. I´m not sure how I could have been more clear ... ordering a meal which sounded distinctly vegetarian, and checking with him that it was ´without meat, without fish, only vegetables´. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Oh well at least we have food!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Partly due to this pesky vegetarianism and partly due to finances we have mostly been cooking for ourselves. Here´s a rundown of our daily eating:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Breaky: fruit, yoghurt and cereal</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Lunch: fresh bread, tomato, assorted salady things, sometimes boiled eggs pre-prepared, sometimes rice cakes for me when I am sick of bread. Stef does not get sick of bread. Ever.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Snacks: fruit, nuts, biscuits, chocolate, lollies,...all good.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Dinner: those cheesy packet pastas (surprisingly good here) or soups with added veggies and bread on the side, or just a mix of cooked veggies with beans and/or boiled egg. Or tapas and red wine at a bar :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I do miss tea and soy milk but we´re both really enjoying the fresh food here, and the tapas!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And tonight we´re having felafel kebabs at Bar Madrid in Llanes. Yep kebabs IN a bar, not just after the pub. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-24103756522384562262010-03-09T08:32:00.000-08:002010-03-09T10:20:28.906-08:00The Way<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My Dad recently asked me how it is we are walking through fields one day and a major city like Bilbao the next, and did that mean we were walking through endless suburbs half of the time?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Well yes.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And no.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The track takes us across just about every type of track and field there is in northern Spain. Sometimes we´ve got a quiet muddy forest track all to ourselves, other times we share a major highway with semi-trailers. Sometimes the track takes us through tiny old villages and sometimes we walk right into the middle of a big city.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We´ve been up mountains, through green valleys, across beaches over rocky outcrops and headlands. It can be beautiful.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">But sometimes it doubles up and backtracks and goes through the most awful stretch of road for no reason, or through what once was a lovely and very significant village that is now dwarfed by a huge motorway viaduct or massive housing estate of ´chalets´.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So sometimes we just get the bus :)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here are some examples of the way we´ve been walking.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbU49cWA27VIlKI2jUm-oQgEjzsZ-D9DyCSp1iSjXofBXsw_FAdAWkLQBNuOud5-bGgRKM31ZUSd71mlNHVOdktWBW183R5OJsTPW2kN2Gsaq2t2Wv97gmQsrY0xrbdOWsAoJ9jaYDP_U/s1600-h/IMG_1674%5B1%5D"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbU49cWA27VIlKI2jUm-oQgEjzsZ-D9DyCSp1iSjXofBXsw_FAdAWkLQBNuOud5-bGgRKM31ZUSd71mlNHVOdktWBW183R5OJsTPW2kN2Gsaq2t2Wv97gmQsrY0xrbdOWsAoJ9jaYDP_U/s320/IMG_1674%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446676735291590946" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This was a beautiful valley with just a smattering of old old farmhouses and animals left alone - we didn´t see any people at all.</span></span></i></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaZjSlgh07fIwL2_wCey5_wkf1hayMpr8TkubTNIQNEFfyoWnDrIMu2ErYVD0Znl6tx-cKkh1tgyb1mQmVAPkZczvuZByhUrWuf47LdFGaLj-jYAJdRBgl-3Iyy7tkNVNib8XQXq92Gw/s1600-h/IMG_1574.jpg"><br /></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNvz33Br6iMQc3R02q37VGQVd77jIt1_hp-AVzsC8G40KKt2Z24J3Egd7R-T-VEwss9IPyNT57d2dkkP3fKLqpHf4qoHvQKjKIQasP7lR5dnoBqjeiUOhZrhlXNsIfT1aSM34tkFyBgw/s1600-h/IMG_1753%5B1%5D"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNvz33Br6iMQc3R02q37VGQVd77jIt1_hp-AVzsC8G40KKt2Z24J3Egd7R-T-VEwss9IPyNT57d2dkkP3fKLqpHf4qoHvQKjKIQasP7lR5dnoBqjeiUOhZrhlXNsIfT1aSM34tkFyBgw/s320/IMG_1753%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446678203310574498" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A very old cobbled street in Santillana Del Mar</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsBLYHYpW6ltLA0xUFsDITYYW1d4tfekaVEv07JlPRD3JNss-iRwG_-nSBW2k0hASVcVpTGUdnlZuk40bAquzh9_9sGVyXOSKy2i-NPFz2C52g5pY_n9z9G51z1eXHMY2ISg8Hcv3cDM/s1600-h/IMG_1704%5B1%5D"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsBLYHYpW6ltLA0xUFsDITYYW1d4tfekaVEv07JlPRD3JNss-iRwG_-nSBW2k0hASVcVpTGUdnlZuk40bAquzh9_9sGVyXOSKy2i-NPFz2C52g5pY_n9z9G51z1eXHMY2ISg8Hcv3cDM/s320/IMG_1704%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446678196583988290" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A beach near Somo just before we hopped on a ferry to Santander</span></span></i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibouSMdgLVnX5UGCLJoGwNGNxpSTQlcGiyxUYNeOfFpqohYT-RwrFES9bIXgByKhDWWYIoOzdbs60wdBxdvSzLCapLNNfexmEt4fwe0OfHk12jL3MDZBll4lX0w4uugxdDZyfWmEbC7WQ/s1600-h/IMG_1511%5B1%5D"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibouSMdgLVnX5UGCLJoGwNGNxpSTQlcGiyxUYNeOfFpqohYT-RwrFES9bIXgByKhDWWYIoOzdbs60wdBxdvSzLCapLNNfexmEt4fwe0OfHk12jL3MDZBll4lX0w4uugxdDZyfWmEbC7WQ/s320/IMG_1511%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446676714747929474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The track tries to take the original pilgrims route as much as possible (whatever the original route was...i imagine it changed just a bit over the centuries!) so we come across ruins quite a lot. Here´s Stef walking over an old aquaduct. Just because it´s there.</span></span></i></span></i></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><br /></i></span><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaZjSlgh07fIwL2_wCey5_wkf1hayMpr8TkubTNIQNEFfyoWnDrIMu2ErYVD0Znl6tx-cKkh1tgyb1mQmVAPkZczvuZByhUrWuf47LdFGaLj-jYAJdRBgl-3Iyy7tkNVNib8XQXq92Gw/s1600-h/IMG_1574.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaZjSlgh07fIwL2_wCey5_wkf1hayMpr8TkubTNIQNEFfyoWnDrIMu2ErYVD0Znl6tx-cKkh1tgyb1mQmVAPkZczvuZByhUrWuf47LdFGaLj-jYAJdRBgl-3Iyy7tkNVNib8XQXq92Gw/s320/IMG_1574.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446699123376904482" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>The Guggenheim!</i></span></span></span></span></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; "><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlH-1uRjVQmbNu3T8-2hVM-FEYOf5y7kFi8IX4_meraXVuwcP74GwIKITErDIR2hf4myezj0o1tFEeA439cAV9hpoMOZ7KmIVUEsZVsqRW7T5iV3HAs9kieDSjSaeIv5elSuTEf5ZC1Ec/s1600-h/IMG_1506%5B1%5D"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlH-1uRjVQmbNu3T8-2hVM-FEYOf5y7kFi8IX4_meraXVuwcP74GwIKITErDIR2hf4myezj0o1tFEeA439cAV9hpoMOZ7KmIVUEsZVsqRW7T5iV3HAs9kieDSjSaeIv5elSuTEf5ZC1Ec/s320/IMG_1506%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446676726486830658" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; "><div style="display: inline !important; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We´ve taken the Northern Route of the camino rather than the apparently much easier and cheaper main route (the Camino Frances) because we really miss the sea. The track veers towards and away from the ocean each day and it´s always best when we´re right beside it.</span></span></i></div></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0A7EAx3zyfSwsRKb-s9UHyTJUqLdxEybICTitGwKg_T0shGaPOOksG8rPtcJJWHtL78XNw4e-7UmJ7xrNPHHh1IbQk-yASOZTl-WcfkR32BHdMYUWuTBLYcQRqAuuHC8-0KbVihyjTY/s1600-h/IMG_1623%5B1%5D"></a></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0A7EAx3zyfSwsRKb-s9UHyTJUqLdxEybICTitGwKg_T0shGaPOOksG8rPtcJJWHtL78XNw4e-7UmJ7xrNPHHh1IbQk-yASOZTl-WcfkR32BHdMYUWuTBLYcQRqAuuHC8-0KbVihyjTY/s1600-h/IMG_1623%5B1%5D"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0A7EAx3zyfSwsRKb-s9UHyTJUqLdxEybICTitGwKg_T0shGaPOOksG8rPtcJJWHtL78XNw4e-7UmJ7xrNPHHh1IbQk-yASOZTl-WcfkR32BHdMYUWuTBLYcQRqAuuHC8-0KbVihyjTY/s320/IMG_1623%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446676721260505618" style="text-align: left; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Fantastic old lighthouse and fort and church on the headland at Castro Urdiales.</span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1EyG7yeiKFbtsvk5INvMy3s9TIcfH5JPiwOj9CPm385EzDRO13ayDE4SZwkW6VzJ5FYhS6Gj4jadKop59C0g9r5SFJ2YLOyKG6jKMBXPpLpEc7EbEviyCnkGoso6C6WAdA-5ZpJiCb8/s1600-h/IMG_1488%5B1%5D"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1EyG7yeiKFbtsvk5INvMy3s9TIcfH5JPiwOj9CPm385EzDRO13ayDE4SZwkW6VzJ5FYhS6Gj4jadKop59C0g9r5SFJ2YLOyKG6jKMBXPpLpEc7EbEviyCnkGoso6C6WAdA-5ZpJiCb8/s320/IMG_1488%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446676734591972562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We´ve seen so many horses on this trip. Especially tiny ones. This photo is actually from our very first day walking, along the spectacular headlands out of Hondarribia. We also go through or past fields with goats, cows, sheep, sheep dogs and lots of chickens.</span></span></i></span></span></span></i></div></div></span></i></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANpKWzW6fbj6Qg66gR3hr8qLEHABK8TZcM7j5up3QyRKPm9QTw3tGbZn6-UFH85v7fD8bdWWyvRfkY-ETnFoQ7PHIBHFCjRnG5RMs5PYtkenaJmL6ky3PIT1O6usjj6yVclf7t-IRnR8/s1600-h/IMG_1654%5B1%5D"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANpKWzW6fbj6Qg66gR3hr8qLEHABK8TZcM7j5up3QyRKPm9QTw3tGbZn6-UFH85v7fD8bdWWyvRfkY-ETnFoQ7PHIBHFCjRnG5RMs5PYtkenaJmL6ky3PIT1O6usjj6yVclf7t-IRnR8/s320/IMG_1654%5B1%5D" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446678188639755554" /></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This way! We spend our days searching for these sometimes elusive yellow arrows, pointing the way to Santiago. I can just imagine the thoughts going through the yellow arrow artist´s mind when deciding where they should go. ¨hmm. shall I put one at eye height at this confusing interstiong? No I´d best save the paint for that long straight stretch where there is no other route to be mistaken for the Camino. Yes I´ll use it all on that historic wall over there...´ </span></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbU49cWA27VIlKI2jUm-oQgEjzsZ-D9DyCSp1iSjXofBXsw_FAdAWkLQBNuOud5-bGgRKM31ZUSd71mlNHVOdktWBW183R5OJsTPW2kN2Gsaq2t2Wv97gmQsrY0xrbdOWsAoJ9jaYDP_U/s1600-h/IMG_1674%5B1%5D"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;"><br /></span></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1EyG7yeiKFbtsvk5INvMy3s9TIcfH5JPiwOj9CPm385EzDRO13ayDE4SZwkW6VzJ5FYhS6Gj4jadKop59C0g9r5SFJ2YLOyKG6jKMBXPpLpEc7EbEviyCnkGoso6C6WAdA-5ZpJiCb8/s1600-h/IMG_1488%5B1%5D"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlH-1uRjVQmbNu3T8-2hVM-FEYOf5y7kFi8IX4_meraXVuwcP74GwIKITErDIR2hf4myezj0o1tFEeA439cAV9hpoMOZ7KmIVUEsZVsqRW7T5iV3HAs9kieDSjSaeIv5elSuTEf5ZC1Ec/s1600-h/IMG_1506%5B1%5D"></a></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div></span></span></div></div></div></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-64963839702068434582010-03-09T04:48:00.000-08:002010-03-09T04:54:38.923-08:00What´s in a pack?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We started the trip with two big backpacks, a tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, spare clothes and spare food and other things that we didn´t really need.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We soon realised this was unsustainable and have since posted more than half of our gear to a friend in the south of Spain, to be picked up after the walk. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So now we are carrying:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 sleeping bag (relying on albergues/hostels having at least one spare blankie)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">sleeping bag liners</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">small gas stove</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2 pots</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 fork 1 spoon</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">minimal toiletries</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 book each (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In the Shadow of Crows</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> from Angus and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The Art of Travel</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> by Alain de Botton)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 Diary</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2 maps</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2 small guidebooklets</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 ixus camera</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">mobiles & mp3 players</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">and clothing - one main outfit, one spare top, thermals, rain jackets, hats n beanies</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Food for the day!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Our packs are wonderfully light and we only have what we really need (and even then..do we need mobiles and Mp3 players?). It´s nice to grab food fresh as we go along too. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I actually bought a new bag when we sent our gear in my old big backpack to our mate. So I now have a great 40L bag and I swear I am only ever using this bag when backpacking from now on. I can actually walk around with it on. What a revelation!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-54371793931654089302010-03-09T04:43:00.000-08:002010-03-09T04:48:11.418-08:00Sorry!Ok so grand plans to blog every day or two have been scuttled by lack of internet cafes and let´s face it, utter exhaustion. <div><br /></div><div>It´s also been lovely to be walking walking walking every day and staying away from computers and TVs. </div><div><br /></div><div>But today we are giving ourselves a rest day in Llanes after walking more than 40km yesterday, including through snow and icy rain along a main road with trucks spraying us, so I am back in the land of the blog. </div><div><br /></div><div>x</div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-87964416253435725882010-02-22T00:04:00.000-08:002010-02-22T00:16:18.247-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIbwmPUto1Jk5Q3uGKfdOPZUWv0yZL5wQz7kD7FpOqmpiCp9l7HODKeUwrZr9dFTIUrsk0mOsU7Nz6KTbXbLmfWgpxEcC6oKtWdccKp6Ef_-K562LnoKqjxaRcqAxIdHcxf-iMPPgpgE/s1600-h/MapD600.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIbwmPUto1Jk5Q3uGKfdOPZUWv0yZL5wQz7kD7FpOqmpiCp9l7HODKeUwrZr9dFTIUrsk0mOsU7Nz6KTbXbLmfWgpxEcC6oKtWdccKp6Ef_-K562LnoKqjxaRcqAxIdHcxf-iMPPgpgE/s320/MapD600.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440975800216486994" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It's a dull wet London Monday.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Hey, let's go to Spain instead!</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And let's do some walking there. For a month. Yeah!</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In a few hours we jump on the Eurostar to Paris, then to Biarritz, cross the border into north-eastern Spain tomorrow and begin the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The Camino is an ancient religious pilgrimage to the town of Santiago de </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Compostela, where they say the remains of the less famous brother, St James, were found.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Each year thousands of people put right foot in front of left foot and walk one of the many routes across Spain and France to reach the town. Some people even walk straight out their front door and across Europe to get there. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We just want a good long walk.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The most popular route to Santiago de Compostela goes through inland Spain, but the allure of the sea was just too strong so we're taking the Camino del Norte - the northern route from Irun through San Sebastian, Bilbao, Guernica etc.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Stay tuned for a month of great views, revelations, sore feet, soggy packs, Spanish food n wine, troubles with translation, and the struggles of a hungry vegetarian in the land of chorizo.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-29351112343768291692010-02-21T23:33:00.000-08:002010-02-21T23:51:02.194-08:00What have we been doing?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Wow we have just been so busy working working working for the past three months that I haven't had a second to blog.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That's a big fat lie.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We've been in Europe for more than three months now and the time has just flown. I took a break from the blog because a) I wanted a break from it, and b) I kind of lost the flow. But I'm back now, look out!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here's a rough rundown of what we've done in our time here since November (!):</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* spent a lot of time just hanging in London with Angus, Chris, Mon, Karla, Chris, Magda and new friends.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* spent a lot of time feeling uncomfortably cold.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* saw lots of snow in lots of places. Slipped over in it lots of times.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* went to Brighton (3 times!), Oxford, Aylesbury, Gloucester, Bristol, Godalming, Rye, Cornwall, Devon, Glastonbury...and a few other towns to visit friends, rellies, or just to have a look-see.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* France! The francofile returned to his place of birth, and I met him there two weeks later. The highlight so far.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* I did some temp work zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and half-heartedly looked for 'proper work'.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* gigs, markets, gigs, markets, museums, gardens, sights.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* indulged at Christmas with a little family of friends away from home.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* fun New Years (with Mon fresh off the boat woohoo). Partied.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* got homesick.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* got a bit pasty and soft.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* tried not to spend all our money. This place is expensive!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* baked! We just spend two weeks house-sitting Chris and Magda's basement flat in Islington and went into mega domestic mode. Stef the baker of bread re-emerged after a travel-induced hiatus. He was very welcome. His bread is awesome.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">* wondered what we should do next!</span></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So that gives you an idea of how we've spent one of the coldest winters in years in London. Next I would like some sun please.</span></div><div><br /></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-84627712669979148732009-11-01T01:51:00.001-07:002009-11-01T01:03:29.767-08:00GOODBYE INDIAToday is our last day in India. It has been more than three months since we landed in Delhi in the midnight rain on July 27.<br /><br />Will I be sad to leave tomorrow?<br /><br />NO!<br /><br />I am ready to go. I am exhausted.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Things I am looking forward to:</span><br />Drinking water from a<span style="font-style: italic;"> tap</span><br />Wearing pants that are made from less than 10 square metres of fabric<br />Less time spent on the loo<br />Full-sized towels<br />Breathing in through my nose more often<br />No thongs in the shower (depending of course on how clean Angus and Chris' shower is)<br />Soy milk!<br />Non-Indian food. Any kind.<br />Less ghee<br />Anonymity (i.e. being stared at by every man on the street)<br /><br />We have had an amazing time here. We have met great, interesting people, we've made Indian and French and Norwegian friends, we've tasted more flavours than imaginable, and we've seen so many sights. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Things I will miss:</span><br />The friendliness of the people here<br />The head wiggle<br />Nice hotels<br />Shopping<br />The food. Maybe. In a while.<br />The colours - saris, dyes, flowers, paints, religious posters, in the food...<br />Heat<br />The rupee. <br /><br />Over and out for now. See you in London!Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-63431983432153648762009-10-29T01:24:00.000-07:002009-10-29T01:44:44.930-07:00The HouseboatWe spent one lovely and very expensive night on a houseboat called Angel Queen in the backwaters of Kerala. It was a smallish boat (some can hold conferences, a jacuzzi, ten bedrooms...) but felt like a palace floating through the flotsam. <div><br /></div><div>It was beautiful, even if I did regret swimming in the water when I saw people pooing in it the next day. Ah well what can you do, this is India.</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRUMr8KhS6uABXWxiifjy5xeOe_N8Upzp2Iqj_WQsdgPgw0PbkM8Yw6rL6U7XO1ClaVvGJoi6NivkQBi0qOf6TXzzch3EUuoqhn6-XbrYSCLNVbm5rAGaZSHf_fpKEnbdpFhmtxEAar5A/s320/IMG_4515.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397939423972824898" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHnBhUUq7DCQDl-jmVLGV-6LWOs1ry1ZuDiqjV_TkbxZIoFDuIBxSRMfPUotEaGohyphenhyphen8mIwXVYz-8tWNKw0zU1ZB7a-U_U6ntd5CoQBodLhHDjdTxiNhPjL5r8r8knBt6g8CrsvPkCFoIE/s320/IMG_4578.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397937289699689810" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpFBVdellMCfA-VlY_sZzSah0287dMmTAUhCUIKs119ldaICrtHYC2hY7ipofYePi2GXvRNoSZMEG8tyykr9l17kDnoh9ECpTpduBTZhO2UQXCuD4JNg4gEpQFcHDBA-vINQOrJ1phmM/s320/IMG_4534.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397937298516903826" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1G2Yo2d_x26aTqJkv-BP5ajdUOtyn8a0vSeI0bSe70ksK_d4IqK3tzeVq95nNot3spArAZqK973xOQP6MblKQF2B3TC2nfTEwuBXt1kGOWf-Z5uG7ySnLnFr9XCRNtV4htUgMnfZplw/s1600-h/IMG_4564.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1G2Yo2d_x26aTqJkv-BP5ajdUOtyn8a0vSeI0bSe70ksK_d4IqK3tzeVq95nNot3spArAZqK973xOQP6MblKQF2B3TC2nfTEwuBXt1kGOWf-Z5uG7ySnLnFr9XCRNtV4htUgMnfZplw/s320/IMG_4564.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397939426658005154" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVomJdKUJnxoFcYkqCe-WMR18GXI_S0noEm96YhJFlxfRf_SFetGMnqfWe3wnYeQnZ04mIeczI45EqERYvzSsAy6_792-PHI1OMCjCS0fcU9lOxlgyBQyJMdfvky0nsBXVSLhRKGyRADU/s320/IMG_4581.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397937283919735298" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbo7eShyl6cNAH-EvUWcBVC6u1hbCR9SDPmAadrB9n1OeCV94JmCrDbHTQ1wpAaklPoTyk55GUC1qmM_uY-uSV0alwLfXsZr9ROggsi_qMT0tTZ2RpBfk1PM8mMy5I_HnHhvYeGLfVtZ8/s320/IMG_4571.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397937302180419442" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-51207044038811426422009-10-29T00:58:00.000-07:002009-10-29T01:22:24.357-07:00Spice tour<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvU3659zEeYYkvq5IA-ULwcHjm99G8ISX5pfdQUfs6WSGiR7_v1YaGnYf1885xx9UFKu9A8lRzE8oqGl7qk23W-VWIIYcgowb6gUyWrmftVYlTZikao64cO1UruqDyjq-pZum5FR9Huzw/s320/IMG_4617.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397930274210617058" />We spent a few days in Thekkady - a beautiful Keralan hill town famous for its Tiger Sanctuary (where I saw no tigers but two ELEPHANTS!) and also for spices. We stayed at a guesthouse that backed onto the reserve so woke and fell asleep to the sounds of birds, monkeys and wild boars. It was so nice to be in the jungle, to see so much green and so much mist. To be so far from a desert! <div><br /></div><div>The town was very quiet because earlier in the season there was a terrible boating accident on the lake in the sanctuary. Over 40 people were killed when many people apparently rushed onto the upper deck to get a better look at the view and the boat capsized. </div><div><br /></div><div>Again I think how lucky we are to be Australian - this time because we are (almost all) taught to swim at a very young age.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Outside of the sanctuary, the town is surrounded by delicious plantations - forests of cardamom, cinnamon, coffee, tea. </div><div><br /></div><div>We went on a short tour of an excellent spice garden with a very proud Abraham (you may have seen him on BBC's<i> Around the World in 80 Gardens</i>):</div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6kBSGlUwbByikEnspHm0Uo0142F4-o7f60XIL1Q3ZhIBHDTqtcrxbgnrLkHWsS-GnE9Jod3HZnc6HTFWlDDOcQ_EXQzYsT1Vlc9uL_c2ABxU0bq6B-bDosk-u8bzqqjEmNnrCDb_dZ4/s320/IMG_4626.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397930264358049490" /></div><div>He showed us how cinnamon actually grows on a plant:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-qENiWYLbKCS3HtU6Bv2Ew-E2y1PoeiveNhVrtAANnH3mR7dXB16JOwJiWVZrNh89Qy2izHCICuSsKIKJZoMN35JmJzdSTj5khEdxcPwxLEuf6Gmf7iimv8JhL2ctKOnEMwBjLN4d6c/s1600-h/IMG_4593.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-qENiWYLbKCS3HtU6Bv2Ew-E2y1PoeiveNhVrtAANnH3mR7dXB16JOwJiWVZrNh89Qy2izHCICuSsKIKJZoMN35JmJzdSTj5khEdxcPwxLEuf6Gmf7iimv8JhL2ctKOnEMwBjLN4d6c/s320/IMG_4593.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397930286584213058" /></a>The tiniest chillies can be the deadliest:<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7m0UoYiAIxHRxGqk5ywXpu3vGVzap3bVDRHj4Mhu5FVDP90pAjFO4mAg2sd5P1djKYZJnNWoGf-9xu3l5x2Tm9ar8otxxP_CczjRqmgp6HdUUBK4X6Q8eLJv3ZvhGOxL8XZY9m1gawU/s320/IMG_4610.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397930267127443570" />My favourite (cocoa!):</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugVEB95efMcz1bUGxSijUYXVmHVwSNknt8reh33SOXQvO9xNHi_OktKj5jOMcnS9-Keji73UthXJ5uaLZkbIEbca9_CwadoeewxWLzxbscIiIZSupSbUDqEYzi-Wnu7BQ0jr56iUq8TQ/s1600-h/IMG_4606.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugVEB95efMcz1bUGxSijUYXVmHVwSNknt8reh33SOXQvO9xNHi_OktKj5jOMcnS9-Keji73UthXJ5uaLZkbIEbca9_CwadoeewxWLzxbscIiIZSupSbUDqEYzi-Wnu7BQ0jr56iUq8TQ/s320/IMG_4606.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397930279354083810" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">and who knew 'Allspice' was a single plant? I always thought it was a mixture of <i>all spices</i>. I swear I could identify distinct spices in that mix! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I now want a spice garden. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-65197388377317715452009-10-29T00:35:00.000-07:002009-10-29T00:50:43.625-07:00Haircut<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">One day, a little boy called Stefan wanted to get his hair cut.</span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6NaUv8kwKGtdkJxlbQa_wmqhOQj2PkBdKWWTak8-Bz2JEZLD5GpQ6QI6i1SKuN-kMQzyuCZ7AR6tjscfkTwUzBQfdMO63hW3kzqHbXv6g7gXPeL_8wC8Q_v-0z9cryp1XLpQicIp2xk/s1600-h/IMG_4638.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6NaUv8kwKGtdkJxlbQa_wmqhOQj2PkBdKWWTak8-Bz2JEZLD5GpQ6QI6i1SKuN-kMQzyuCZ7AR6tjscfkTwUzBQfdMO63hW3kzqHbXv6g7gXPeL_8wC8Q_v-0z9cryp1XLpQicIp2xk/s320/IMG_4638.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397925409222493186" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">He found an Indian barber who didn't speak English.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The style was touch and go for a while there...<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yvJcUH89Q0K-PNznAkDj9jdwd9wGh-yHrHau2w7QKeI2OaC5zgKEcM3AL2d65t0T5ivbIWAhixMqX1sygJ4O0r5fL3PvAl4SLxEc2AouY26-koOt152RqU9CCl29y5rHtR9yJ-92bYQ/s1600-h/IMG_4659.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yvJcUH89Q0K-PNznAkDj9jdwd9wGh-yHrHau2w7QKeI2OaC5zgKEcM3AL2d65t0T5ivbIWAhixMqX1sygJ4O0r5fL3PvAl4SLxEc2AouY26-koOt152RqU9CCl29y5rHtR9yJ-92bYQ/s320/IMG_4659.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397925403154947042" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And at times it was pretty scary...<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ifIyQ-ptxVAYD3xpVd3zLgmlMUdhQoH3pflbl6mtPZ0MaeOEl6iGoGgSwDcU9BpxZWBN4n0rIjyviiczN019ZvUcC9n-54R8g_AC2cgNsxAnFsnu2n9Zvg-De267UdALY2PKyOPnAzE/s1600-h/IMG_4669.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ifIyQ-ptxVAYD3xpVd3zLgmlMUdhQoH3pflbl6mtPZ0MaeOEl6iGoGgSwDcU9BpxZWBN4n0rIjyviiczN019ZvUcC9n-54R8g_AC2cgNsxAnFsnu2n9Zvg-De267UdALY2PKyOPnAzE/s320/IMG_4669.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397925402369015570" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />But he survived, and his haircut even looked good. And although it cost more than when his girlfriend cuts it for free, the grand total was less than $3, so he was pleased. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The End.</span></div></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-47615676160365589652009-10-14T03:55:00.001-07:002009-10-14T04:09:36.667-07:00Kochin<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQ5QV-CiXUH4ZojeJ09lskf6ZoearBnj-DULlcahfXbVRPUA6jPYXoATY37HaI1p0mf636nLjCKKHk4mc9StrEX_zipD_FIeDtg5PGlwTfS318h7O5Hn_RlIeJt3Xe6mk_mn4t9P1oSs/s1600-h/img_0456.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQ5QV-CiXUH4ZojeJ09lskf6ZoearBnj-DULlcahfXbVRPUA6jPYXoATY37HaI1p0mf636nLjCKKHk4mc9StrEX_zipD_FIeDtg5PGlwTfS318h7O5Hn_RlIeJt3Xe6mk_mn4t9P1oSs/s320/img_0456.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392410236223084306" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhsDgXSsbZg5oo_IOJ2znwrO5sQ0wf-0q-xE4Gd3RrOtuYyG6F2mJQMgFuMo1rbsAe-QgalzsAhPI8QpfT6PNGydNnPxPfsR6XtQku2OD4h23lTKsqatDljCIaAshgymCWMItFVpILsY/s1600-h/IMG_4491.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhsDgXSsbZg5oo_IOJ2znwrO5sQ0wf-0q-xE4Gd3RrOtuYyG6F2mJQMgFuMo1rbsAe-QgalzsAhPI8QpfT6PNGydNnPxPfsR6XtQku2OD4h23lTKsqatDljCIaAshgymCWMItFVpILsY/s320/IMG_4491.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392410235363151074" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SuKGqH3ussWNroR2yfsCGU1DsnnThJsmIwcr8cVm2pHnoo2s7YY_BMVb2atZTPYcEj_DQ3-TWxOgO840kfhjaq8kKpSTgAFJAlhkq4rhbI2dEHCHhG7IlZFUMFIXwBxiNI50yo06WFg/s1600-h/img_4496.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SuKGqH3ussWNroR2yfsCGU1DsnnThJsmIwcr8cVm2pHnoo2s7YY_BMVb2atZTPYcEj_DQ3-TWxOgO840kfhjaq8kKpSTgAFJAlhkq4rhbI2dEHCHhG7IlZFUMFIXwBxiNI50yo06WFg/s320/img_4496.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392410225903937058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We are in The South!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />We got the overnight train from Bikaner back to Delhi and went straight to the airport at 6am - just in time for our midday flight which was delayed by another two hours. Two flights and a lightning quick stop in Hyderabad later we were in Cochi/Kochin on the west coast of Kerala, on the ocean, with greenness and lushness and coconuts and pineapples and mangoes and men wearing dotis.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Aside from the heat, I think the doti is perhaps most responsible for the laid back atmosphere of this area. The doti is basically a bed sheet worn by local men as a sarong, or at times tucked up into itself to resemble a nappy. Can't help but feel relaxed when all the men look like this. And I am happy to report near to ZERO hassle from these nappy clad men too. Ahhhhhhhh this is nice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's lovely here. We feel like we are in another country. After all the travel and the belly sickness we have just been chilling out, doing some yoga again, eating dosai (savoury pancake) and getting ready to board a houseboat to cruise the backwaters.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's fascinating too - it's a very Christian area, with Christian iconography worshipped with the enthusiasim of the hindus and some Jewish history thrown in for good measure. It was colonised by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British and is now Communist. And it seems to work!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We did spend one day doing some proper sightseeing in Cochi. We got the ferry across to Fort Cochin (no sign of any fort-age but we believe them) and took the above pics.<br /><br />Now we are in Allepey, and tomorrow we board our houseboat! More pics surely from that.<br /></span>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-79097509079885382052009-10-14T03:44:00.000-07:002009-10-14T03:54:12.977-07:00High Tea!<span style="font-family: arial;">We've been on a quest to take High Tea ever since my cousin Sam infamously misheard me and thought I said Stef's work in Alice Springs involved 'providing HIGH TEA for an aboriginal health organisation", rather t6han the usual IT.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I still crack up at the image of Stef and Stew driving their troupie in tails to provide the remote nurses in Aboriginal communities across central Australia and WA with fresh scones and delightful cakes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In steamy Fort Cochin we found it in a cute oasis of a cafe called 'teapot'. We had Assam tea with honey and banana and walnut cake. I wanted to stay there forever.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhekROVZedCIMHRWJNjUXCfED5DodjZvX_IB6eJI3LMqkwTSpY4coCwrKyX9TECvu2X0I00ncYlnoT3JsrlVJ0zhkrbGrscS2lchCr8r6b61G1k-M8m45cjSDKq36C8jrd2ocYT6CIVw/s1600-h/img_0424.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhekROVZedCIMHRWJNjUXCfED5DodjZvX_IB6eJI3LMqkwTSpY4coCwrKyX9TECvu2X0I00ncYlnoT3JsrlVJ0zhkrbGrscS2lchCr8r6b61G1k-M8m45cjSDKq36C8jrd2ocYT6CIVw/s320/img_0424.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392405465234862530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzws3TPeCo3Q0VBRnPVCUoWM5MFHBbX0dafFADaxDXwlGE8M51asLou2U-W8XaPMaG3tC6cIyr7g2GYb5O_iY-IrmHl1HsvaLBhmBRZo5SDOAzp4OtmVVyER3e3Umqq0k_KJxnsLx0yg/s1600-h/img_0429.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzws3TPeCo3Q0VBRnPVCUoWM5MFHBbX0dafFADaxDXwlGE8M51asLou2U-W8XaPMaG3tC6cIyr7g2GYb5O_iY-IrmHl1HsvaLBhmBRZo5SDOAzp4OtmVVyER3e3Umqq0k_KJxnsLx0yg/s320/img_0429.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392405456100033010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6BnPwFYzNTgZeJLSNzuYmp9eOIaWqyN2lzMqBpVqhpj8sfzI00SK4VjHFCKu7_270SAkJ0yIoV0NigP3jKy3uLA_unrtnVF7dmGXYg4lipBjcB2ghX6B70l2io5A4sCS0eNeCr2KBqE/s1600-h/img_0435.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6BnPwFYzNTgZeJLSNzuYmp9eOIaWqyN2lzMqBpVqhpj8sfzI00SK4VjHFCKu7_270SAkJ0yIoV0NigP3jKy3uLA_unrtnVF7dmGXYg4lipBjcB2ghX6B70l2io5A4sCS0eNeCr2KBqE/s320/img_0435.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392405449011921250" border="0" /></a>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-27410746040589736652009-10-14T03:22:00.000-07:002009-10-14T03:43:47.261-07:00<span style="font-family: arial;">In Bikaner, we stayed here:</span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvPJnsNuQrI5VvlZF30zQG4307WBvjOPXoGEgvXnBBoKg05Qe1dLwE9aF4h7jJQBZidoJ74HxzgYL1crfh79LVbuY3UMCMpEYYnxGQ4JcXH3FUBuHHTeZR_haXWvgjsUMYpntcNwZtXY/s1600-h/img_4442.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvPJnsNuQrI5VvlZF30zQG4307WBvjOPXoGEgvXnBBoKg05Qe1dLwE9aF4h7jJQBZidoJ74HxzgYL1crfh79LVbuY3UMCMpEYYnxGQ4JcXH3FUBuHHTeZR_haXWvgjsUMYpntcNwZtXY/s320/img_4442.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392401313905302018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">It's called Lallgarh Palace and it is the most amazing hotel I have ever been in. Why did we take such a sudden turn away from the usual shabby but ok budget guesthouses that we deserve? How did we get let in? Family connections don't you know. Stef's great-grandfather lived in India, he was an architect who was partly responsible for some pretty impressive landmarks (such as the Victoria Railway Station in Mumbai, for example). He was also good mates with the Maharaja of Bikaner at the time, whose granddaughter, pictured below, now runs the palace as a hotel. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Stef's dad Simon has a copy of a beautiful, signed book the Maharaja gifted his grandfather way back when. Simon very generously wrote to the Princess and offered to donate the book to her museum, if she was interested.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So we brought the beautiful book - which is even bigger than Shantaram - all the way to India. We were invited to the Princess' Delhi home, which is a lovely apartment in the diplomatic area, where we were fed tea and biscuits and tried very very hard to behave in an appropriate manner. We were really nervous, but the Princess, who has lived for many years in London as well as in the Palace in Bikaner, was an expert in small talk. It turns out she already has a copy of the book, so she told us we should hold onto it and that we should visit the palace.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So we did. We got an amazing discount so we spent two nights in one of the best 'historical' rooms, with a bathroom bigger than any I've had in a house, a couch set, a writing desk and a beautiful bed. We slept well. </span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEUaih518U6CjulXFKpimi9MgdENwH6dB236kYZqHRIaJ_Q9MQK1VJJMXA-bThRFsD90HQDfOYnVki9HQutRnTAARG4QBWIYvQU3Apr_1yKoOWMkRNHdw4jnqpczgFXRvB5EwuY1EjHY/s1600-h/img_4431.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEUaih518U6CjulXFKpimi9MgdENwH6dB236kYZqHRIaJ_Q9MQK1VJJMXA-bThRFsD90HQDfOYnVki9HQutRnTAARG4QBWIYvQU3Apr_1yKoOWMkRNHdw4jnqpczgFXRvB5EwuY1EjHY/s320/img_4431.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392401304028005458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">The Princess with her pugs. </span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2b54AHXQjJCUFYWPsED9gqEm9t6VV-ZYKYdPsbEeP4yXBvKWTgibNJi1UqQURg7QoZMFT_Mgyg8vT1zhBLNxosbHCBN7yKZNGf5-aaDJFmr3NQY0NbAXDQMg_zfz3lrfRQELvmxiU6sU/s1600-h/img_4427.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2b54AHXQjJCUFYWPsED9gqEm9t6VV-ZYKYdPsbEeP4yXBvKWTgibNJi1UqQURg7QoZMFT_Mgyg8vT1zhBLNxosbHCBN7yKZNGf5-aaDJFmr3NQY0NbAXDQMg_zfz3lrfRQELvmxiU6sU/s320/img_4427.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392401294974596562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">A less adored pet.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2Yk71udpmL00w_JhvdqC6Hx-pR41cQ63txMCfM-WuC6Em5m4PNQv97d_EctbFbdgRHbwBuKAUQU2TyiCjLoYyxv7VJxddEjtJrqYEjI-V5ieDngX1_1Nrl_emHhVlI31Tn3-P1sqttE/s1600-h/img_4417.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2Yk71udpmL00w_JhvdqC6Hx-pR41cQ63txMCfM-WuC6Em5m4PNQv97d_EctbFbdgRHbwBuKAUQU2TyiCjLoYyxv7VJxddEjtJrqYEjI-V5ieDngX1_1Nrl_emHhVlI31Tn3-P1sqttE/s320/img_4417.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392401288725211506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">The pool.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7TaPSmlfYNVWb2tEds8L903uOv1UD4xpqydMSuOyHLcM1I6hJJOJWuGc7GOf9XG-sT13oR5Th_bR3hsPhp2J9E_nK8YQfkkwnKpNG-uPfpdv10Tt5Swc6RkMjpiWnbe2-sGIgiSduJk/s1600-h/img_4413.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7TaPSmlfYNVWb2tEds8L903uOv1UD4xpqydMSuOyHLcM1I6hJJOJWuGc7GOf9XG-sT13oR5Th_bR3hsPhp2J9E_nK8YQfkkwnKpNG-uPfpdv10Tt5Swc6RkMjpiWnbe2-sGIgiSduJk/s320/img_4413.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392401277213819218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">One of many, many corridors in the epic palace.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">My only disappointment was that I was a little ill in the belly department and couldn't take full advantage of the massive buffet breakfast.<br /><br />We left for the overnight train back to Delhi wondering what had just happened, where we'd just spent three days, which of us had dreamed it?<br /></span>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-54282902779362580062009-10-14T02:54:00.000-07:002009-10-14T03:24:27.028-07:00Back in the desert<span style="font-family:arial;">It seems we can't stay away from desert country. And so we found ourselves swaying to sleep on an overnight train from Delhi to Bikaner in Rajastan, the state of the desert kings.<br /><br />It looks a lot like Alice Springs around here, with infinite stretches of yellow sand dotted with spinifex-like green shrubs and not a lot else.<br /><br />There are some differences, of course. There are less road trains and more camels, there's more pollution, and happily there is more harmony between the two major groups in the area (muslims and hindus).<br /><br />Also, rats are worshipped.<br /></span> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKThyphenhyphenJ-dFIPrXGCyPfnz4-lqgu2vdpoUB24hatUBA2VTli3kTwIKzdooJXKY3m-YJa4fSgFXDgP2Y2Rp0TGChYyvW6QH5ErDlO-RxeMzShR0xHneETW3fAf2d6dKZtXC4AhCWNGSI0nAc/s1600-h/img_4358.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKThyphenhyphenJ-dFIPrXGCyPfnz4-lqgu2vdpoUB24hatUBA2VTli3kTwIKzdooJXKY3m-YJa4fSgFXDgP2Y2Rp0TGChYyvW6QH5ErDlO-RxeMzShR0xHneETW3fAf2d6dKZtXC4AhCWNGSI0nAc/s320/img_4358.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392395065010423762" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1-MqC0_CJvjX9Nr45IlMc1k6yt260sl5EukP7xa9KV9vu9WfYdy8GsPURK-Enk-vPvXZO5F0zL1aHLq6qwr2pwxhKQtGxwBsxVQ9h2WbkOujw6T3yYiFDU8rKhOuK7PMJQi3yjhVPl0/s1600-h/img_4366.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1-MqC0_CJvjX9Nr45IlMc1k6yt260sl5EukP7xa9KV9vu9WfYdy8GsPURK-Enk-vPvXZO5F0zL1aHLq6qwr2pwxhKQtGxwBsxVQ9h2WbkOujw6T3yYiFDU8rKhOuK7PMJQi3yjhVPl0/s320/img_4366.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392395070098739858" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGZs-jHYM_feNbA8hzJvPwEwZtPKifEHHauJuMaV_qmoJWBHbUUz7njRkdsoh49QSgCGIniUd7iJY8r2CzczP0ZdVSNbkKN7YZy09iWZCaril9mPRrdvfmQWZD7hzDk9bC64n7dzgwR4/s1600-h/img_4369.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGZs-jHYM_feNbA8hzJvPwEwZtPKifEHHauJuMaV_qmoJWBHbUUz7njRkdsoh49QSgCGIniUd7iJY8r2CzczP0ZdVSNbkKN7YZy09iWZCaril9mPRrdvfmQWZD7hzDk9bC64n7dzgwR4/s320/img_4369.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392395081766907842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">We took a local bus to Deshnok, a village close to Bikaner and famous for the Karni Mata </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Temple...also known as the Rat Temple. There are rats EVERYWHERE, asleep, awake, eating, pooing, or just running around erratically. As with all Hindu temples you have to remove your shoes before entering. We spent about ten minutes walking around the small temple, stepping in rat poo and trying not to have them run over (or under!) our feet. In a word, it was FOUL. But kind of interesting. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LMeQZVjdHHm0Oil6aly0DMAro8A4dI_ivAx_G29y_e45hCast_EaWDJ8m9guEQ9Ux4iZcqPdhPQ8KNw4Q-yGyjeYIos0m9nRGLPTleU1Rn7hIq24cPHCmCk9WYUBCrGxFpJDnApDqpE/s1600-h/img_4386.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LMeQZVjdHHm0Oil6aly0DMAro8A4dI_ivAx_G29y_e45hCast_EaWDJ8m9guEQ9Ux4iZcqPdhPQ8KNw4Q-yGyjeYIos0m9nRGLPTleU1Rn7hIq24cPHCmCk9WYUBCrGxFpJDnApDqpE/s320/img_4386.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392395087015679586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSY12O2wBMQZ19o7vAyel181-aspyyIggS_hrwDjgQ2-DoHvBh7-zD131CW5Oegfb1MbZh_7RTQ88nt9RPegrKBw3vbTE9U3JvWwKxL83rnI7CDFAvPAzT6TNRBvh8ZIeZJCZXgo3mY0I/s1600-h/img_4411.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSY12O2wBMQZ19o7vAyel181-aspyyIggS_hrwDjgQ2-DoHvBh7-zD131CW5Oegfb1MbZh_7RTQ88nt9RPegrKBw3vbTE9U3JvWwKxL83rnI7CDFAvPAzT6TNRBvh8ZIeZJCZXgo3mY0I/s320/img_4411.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392395095684270754" border="0" /></a>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-87608378049062855692009-10-14T02:42:00.000-07:002009-10-14T02:53:55.654-07:00Smelly Delhi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YIggJ7_Tgznnms4551qyUzcSZgKn_UhKKzKWmDQJHl0pjivBQPzDJyjL76pmmB1590OJs1zsZ90RkaoC81hWBBbaXyuj5dPYMaI-11DoUk-enaBP1-javQ_4Py8Pj45guKzW2Kq_2XI/s1600-h/img_4286.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YIggJ7_Tgznnms4551qyUzcSZgKn_UhKKzKWmDQJHl0pjivBQPzDJyjL76pmmB1590OJs1zsZ90RkaoC81hWBBbaXyuj5dPYMaI-11DoUk-enaBP1-javQ_4Py8Pj45guKzW2Kq_2XI/s320/img_4286.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392391433359687618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhece9lo2TIqwD1ZVBNjLUTQLBfSvU0WDs3YluKaH8FUmTdtmnN7Conu9t6EQAHtiNy6cBsDNflMUr1sAtEnT0GJopTSRd3C6qjKeqcqJ1uoly9mYc5udGp6RiookxxPcpiCAHqhBZgdM/s1600-h/img_4317.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhece9lo2TIqwD1ZVBNjLUTQLBfSvU0WDs3YluKaH8FUmTdtmnN7Conu9t6EQAHtiNy6cBsDNflMUr1sAtEnT0GJopTSRd3C6qjKeqcqJ1uoly9mYc5udGp6RiookxxPcpiCAHqhBZgdM/s320/img_4317.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392391462031139266" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR65nEp78YY-7MjWHLesI9oWXdBvvb3GWZcL0x8y2MMTsGW2RBnBKZjPawYDiHglQXpnG0ajwpapB0xqmjQEvEkQhnqodCVUGHA3XseVKcyJGA824jjTJFCqXAMbtq-DMkzjVdq518DZs/s1600-h/img_4299.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR65nEp78YY-7MjWHLesI9oWXdBvvb3GWZcL0x8y2MMTsGW2RBnBKZjPawYDiHglQXpnG0ajwpapB0xqmjQEvEkQhnqodCVUGHA3XseVKcyJGA824jjTJFCqXAMbtq-DMkzjVdq518DZs/s320/img_4299.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392391441787158066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OCjNAabZ1kWUnqlIIkksBFOCcI7aANco-4JwbSpu1Is7OIHnRkz9jw0Eg6UXJs_D-Ret7jYNykgMQpY7y1LoK4pVKWs2UvSz0VlJaB8-oUc98Kljtf-wzxI66IPWaTAdl8vVxRe57Ho/s1600-h/img_4233.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OCjNAabZ1kWUnqlIIkksBFOCcI7aANco-4JwbSpu1Is7OIHnRkz9jw0Eg6UXJs_D-Ret7jYNykgMQpY7y1LoK4pVKWs2UvSz0VlJaB8-oUc98Kljtf-wzxI66IPWaTAdl8vVxRe57Ho/s320/img_4233.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392389790957734354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuqkWd3IlBFVOAmiNt5C3SuSh1qbGCBUzz-KJU6wDYhSoEivo9nhlOtSkhk6UW0X83ubD9Qu4WCiGIMi4PAMrSzrz1EwM1aQaNlG9QGMjHy31fy6nuU5GSXw1QwNpMb9PcANh3sT4948/s1600-h/img_4241.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuqkWd3IlBFVOAmiNt5C3SuSh1qbGCBUzz-KJU6wDYhSoEivo9nhlOtSkhk6UW0X83ubD9Qu4WCiGIMi4PAMrSzrz1EwM1aQaNlG9QGMjHy31fy6nuU5GSXw1QwNpMb9PcANh3sT4948/s320/img_4241.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392389779963344770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMC1EosjOFTf5Qf1FA0zEUi2pyzTNTGfMDkLy_MKALBTbn8wpZFFSI4xyIuSixtGC5JR4C0PRE85KjTBuz2G_kBZnI425nEz8X2PIc_mN-VVeh-vaiJC8uCq5gdcnL2KPfB17Zpt_S764/s1600-h/img_4255.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMC1EosjOFTf5Qf1FA0zEUi2pyzTNTGfMDkLy_MKALBTbn8wpZFFSI4xyIuSixtGC5JR4C0PRE85KjTBuz2G_kBZnI425nEz8X2PIc_mN-VVeh-vaiJC8uCq5gdcnL2KPfB17Zpt_S764/s320/img_4255.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392389778246927698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4elf7qCBlHjCvOKxZEeX5icV208dXdMsNB-3DbYXXZeoSRZqasPCL7bP1_kJN8j9s15U0sQtnaUWkrrPJ0YQUN1vT2bCtMtBrSWgDMH3MN-kA9RFolutLi3tchWfieKLtPbWMDDCBKHM/s1600-h/img_4324.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4elf7qCBlHjCvOKxZEeX5icV208dXdMsNB-3DbYXXZeoSRZqasPCL7bP1_kJN8j9s15U0sQtnaUWkrrPJ0YQUN1vT2bCtMtBrSWgDMH3MN-kA9RFolutLi3tchWfieKLtPbWMDDCBKHM/s320/img_4324.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392391452528575106" border="0" /></a>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-18262449721124965772009-10-14T01:08:00.000-07:002009-10-14T02:41:56.794-07:00Snapshot of Dharamkot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R8tE_3_bF9XJS_Mv-dPfAmysizvGZmSU2dNZ17p27uU_4GYfVMeYs0eiY2WWnRub8Re9327QTww2zOicygoo0qoBlUv_vBpAee0Dw3vWjTy7YsXCu2X_8bICF_QcSGBGwMreXPhRiVA/s1600-h/img_0282.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R8tE_3_bF9XJS_Mv-dPfAmysizvGZmSU2dNZ17p27uU_4GYfVMeYs0eiY2WWnRub8Re9327QTww2zOicygoo0qoBlUv_vBpAee0Dw3vWjTy7YsXCu2X_8bICF_QcSGBGwMreXPhRiVA/s320/img_0282.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392381621323114066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BO4LhW2rLuPjtIk5fBMzftn_UDtb2rpaqqIE9PLi5NEPOtDGB8W28k_-IDex-M6zkcgFVp_7u8j_f_TseRokDsvdSKRnDu4QcQynKFnC66Rzq597SNknT3cDRrVZc21YYQuWAXFCaFE/s1600-h/img_4037.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BO4LhW2rLuPjtIk5fBMzftn_UDtb2rpaqqIE9PLi5NEPOtDGB8W28k_-IDex-M6zkcgFVp_7u8j_f_TseRokDsvdSKRnDu4QcQynKFnC66Rzq597SNknT3cDRrVZc21YYQuWAXFCaFE/s320/img_4037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392387897884250594" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7OgILSqBrxo_60SzGeR5I29FVs1vI0y7b6ipgrW9BLpFaQwDWxzhgX509NerQaJXCu7VDNzR0l037RahHHhd8uHnkXhKlRpBigDVCL4sb9eko3i_YIXG3_K4Szhn8Gv8unWrjz6ixDA/s1600-h/img_4223.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7OgILSqBrxo_60SzGeR5I29FVs1vI0y7b6ipgrW9BLpFaQwDWxzhgX509NerQaJXCu7VDNzR0l037RahHHhd8uHnkXhKlRpBigDVCL4sb9eko3i_YIXG3_K4Szhn8Gv8unWrjz6ixDA/s320/img_4223.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392387909552354002" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdcVRnhWII98f_gD9NE-Y8M97L0Fgda_FfP4-rXLPwcsVSzNpR6vpZPGS2DJzmjNQuuIun_WXh12XymtgcYwNw9jd-oVESHuauI1dzIHTL8VyB03u5W4ee5APSUb_T_OVY5KTs_AVnOc/s1600-h/img_0320.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdcVRnhWII98f_gD9NE-Y8M97L0Fgda_FfP4-rXLPwcsVSzNpR6vpZPGS2DJzmjNQuuIun_WXh12XymtgcYwNw9jd-oVESHuauI1dzIHTL8VyB03u5W4ee5APSUb_T_OVY5KTs_AVnOc/s320/img_0320.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392381628590485394" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8baxrtgjwCvzl-lR1CG1kTc4O1b_by6htEeZx8f1U2miIYHHJEebOWs_VETxCCjqT4ZAIDqqCsr0-Sxe7VhDQuzF_6PUkJGowORBUxm0VjXP3FvqsGEkbygIr5FbWjwp2CrQc_zMRms/s1600-h/img_4014.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8baxrtgjwCvzl-lR1CG1kTc4O1b_by6htEeZx8f1U2miIYHHJEebOWs_VETxCCjqT4ZAIDqqCsr0-Sxe7VhDQuzF_6PUkJGowORBUxm0VjXP3FvqsGEkbygIr5FbWjwp2CrQc_zMRms/s320/img_4014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392382805569786898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgUkW7f-geC6gh8mUuOMU6fRE1E4cVqtQ5SKj_oGypGgVd73ltxt8TGkpN6R0MmEfc-xmhgWRNYVPvL63Q1Y_fVV0B_BFVTaHGQU4csoG3a95GUwSFyBb9a82X-jqgSQ4hW5sQn6JMpw/s1600-h/IMG_3989.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgUkW7f-geC6gh8mUuOMU6fRE1E4cVqtQ5SKj_oGypGgVd73ltxt8TGkpN6R0MmEfc-xmhgWRNYVPvL63Q1Y_fVV0B_BFVTaHGQU4csoG3a95GUwSFyBb9a82X-jqgSQ4hW5sQn6JMpw/s320/IMG_3989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392382797579921346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tv9-LATdaIfbpIATCuIp09dR43QBOcxqLge3ioYoODuPPPquWLggQzbvByntnMY_DkzY6CKlEMPeIDuTvPFVl09Qlyy7vo9Whr1inawP1_5e3bUMd8ti-_rLWWFV7t_tH-Wda_lEfgU/s1600-h/img_4166.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tv9-LATdaIfbpIATCuIp09dR43QBOcxqLge3ioYoODuPPPquWLggQzbvByntnMY_DkzY6CKlEMPeIDuTvPFVl09Qlyy7vo9Whr1inawP1_5e3bUMd8ti-_rLWWFV7t_tH-Wda_lEfgU/s320/img_4166.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392382815695762802" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cSFAwtuU4WIwXMN7aEygFAld-YFe23u5-U4fFI1vluDB6BMnC_AQrfa25QkKM4U6oimzAL0f1pKz59dLfft0KjUad3Xg0zB-g9OV9WC-LaQGbRYfSF_mjNnzkEpOuUqdR2uTk3ikSmY/s1600-h/img_4209.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cSFAwtuU4WIwXMN7aEygFAld-YFe23u5-U4fFI1vluDB6BMnC_AQrfa25QkKM4U6oimzAL0f1pKz59dLfft0KjUad3Xg0zB-g9OV9WC-LaQGbRYfSF_mjNnzkEpOuUqdR2uTk3ikSmY/s320/img_4209.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392387916090770498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaf5vEctSoVlDc5xfBf2LkG5iSayG0PQRfv7AUKV67PRj-57wEFH0YMcHQE_ZegZUQ0YQoVnYT2CF9ZfwdrO7X9h-N1g8Ko5RzP9Lu8QYBeYgJcc8JJPIDBtZ-vT8MMle_AuuznawI1I/s1600-h/img_4218.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaf5vEctSoVlDc5xfBf2LkG5iSayG0PQRfv7AUKV67PRj-57wEFH0YMcHQE_ZegZUQ0YQoVnYT2CF9ZfwdrO7X9h-N1g8Ko5RzP9Lu8QYBeYgJcc8JJPIDBtZ-vT8MMle_AuuznawI1I/s320/img_4218.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392381637285400418" border="0" /></a>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-18557897768275027202009-09-30T01:53:00.000-07:002009-09-30T02:06:34.859-07:00A Month of Lotus (Lotii?)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So, one month of intense yoga practice and what do we have to show for it? </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Yesterday Ida and I took some pics during our self-practice...here is a sneak peak.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUC6NK6JkV9tF_NpExRfEQ5J07X9JWpdWmH9WnE057v7F0SCmhBu_AgXTQhcGqKFG7U7g4Zjgi6HbBAdj_7sRhvET7sRJdfrUug_QlPoWMJCAhrYcqx4z2woH7biMBcEkQGtWlly3SrFs/s1600-h/IMG_4069.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUC6NK6JkV9tF_NpExRfEQ5J07X9JWpdWmH9WnE057v7F0SCmhBu_AgXTQhcGqKFG7U7g4Zjgi6HbBAdj_7sRhvET7sRJdfrUug_QlPoWMJCAhrYcqx4z2woH7biMBcEkQGtWlly3SrFs/s320/IMG_4069.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387182802947711538" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This is me doing a version of 'Scorpion' pose. Note the feet are NOT touching the wall (in this split second).<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0PIDYAh961QSeyTYQ2IhiVJrP_CzcSjMaS0ZFzj9H67LqLL82PjdGIWlq5Opvrks_gF57Qgzai_M6W5dX1ycM8R2FcqYCdalWd-GwdJBaFQYwuPsVk5mcm-Fjzw-uNNuOBpzq4Dc9Pw/s1600-h/IMG_4075.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0PIDYAh961QSeyTYQ2IhiVJrP_CzcSjMaS0ZFzj9H67LqLL82PjdGIWlq5Opvrks_gF57Qgzai_M6W5dX1ycM8R2FcqYCdalWd-GwdJBaFQYwuPsVk5mcm-Fjzw-uNNuOBpzq4Dc9Pw/s320/IMG_4075.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387182799704118706" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mid way between back arch and handstand or something.<br /><br /></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALy9ZaWQDys5B15Hvzwrqirx5kY1pzfzw0VOng7xnomgA6bnobRDtvhFnYo6J2AqKQISFLhVA7XPDaL4bBbjKLH5RTuPn5ARUVQlCvkapSlfLd9z5f7TrIOOc52Zq0Q3FCx0hQAj5wvE/s320/IMG_4138.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387182776911911938" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Hari letting me know my left leg is not straight.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RcuAUHbJ4dwksuJVqQlGU8vfCFYzT_W1aaOwFiY5Vh-RGISKN0wzJ636Sq_9e0vALcJ2l7svplbl1nYNZjA_x2__WzjBij58w9qKpC4Jn0bUwjntGdIA_yfGWfNyBiwYwuAyridh84A/s1600-h/IMG_4104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RcuAUHbJ4dwksuJVqQlGU8vfCFYzT_W1aaOwFiY5Vh-RGISKN0wzJ636Sq_9e0vALcJ2l7svplbl1nYNZjA_x2__WzjBij58w9qKpC4Jn0bUwjntGdIA_yfGWfNyBiwYwuAyridh84A/s320/IMG_4104.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387182790777298626" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Ida, the Girl with the Amazing Flexible Hips.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZfhlvY1p6RrAHQOk1LIDmBuihhyzbdoEuri_fZbCBXMH9P7KeHUo5D2ojS5QCuIOQyDeDP_lAl3hjIrhB-jtgs7egtsewkmUDu1UK_HP7uSLfky6urYa6AqEA_q9vORPTmP0cUQvtZo/s1600-h/IMG_4152.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZfhlvY1p6RrAHQOk1LIDmBuihhyzbdoEuri_fZbCBXMH9P7KeHUo5D2ojS5QCuIOQyDeDP_lAl3hjIrhB-jtgs7egtsewkmUDu1UK_HP7uSLfky6urYa6AqEA_q9vORPTmP0cUQvtZo/s320/IMG_4152.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387182785549527266" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Ida and I in a relaxation pose - the amazing Halasana. You can all try this at home next time you are stressed out - simply pass out over a table and VOILA, perfect</span>.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-26583125839879439542009-09-30T01:44:00.000-07:002009-09-30T01:51:20.932-07:00Shock! Horror!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9sVRzh4gagHjvHbz8zLUgUIaiqxhERdTscbig7c4gMw1tajHG-xn5nYNU1hJ7hJMMFum1X0SiDrdGwBxTrOAcKQCPJRxsou_qveUCrXcl4bGduI0F4qWjMUcQAJqEwdM9B8uUDU5ECQ/s1600-h/IMG_4002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9sVRzh4gagHjvHbz8zLUgUIaiqxhERdTscbig7c4gMw1tajHG-xn5nYNU1hJ7hJMMFum1X0SiDrdGwBxTrOAcKQCPJRxsou_qveUCrXcl4bGduI0F4qWjMUcQAJqEwdM9B8uUDU5ECQ/s320/IMG_4002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387178983844103074" /></a><br /><div>Those of you familiar with my previous travel blog may remember that on my last trip to India I found myself in Dharamkot and LOVED it - that is why we came here this time around. </div><div><br /></div><div>You might also remember that last time I was here I gave myself a rather nasty electric shock when testing the waters (literally - we heated our water for bucket showers by sticking an electric bar in the bucket. Water + Electricity = Safety). </div><div><br /></div><div>Oops, I did it again.</div><div><br /></div><div>This time it wasn't something so (apparently) dangerous as sticking my fingers in a bucket of electrified water. </div><div><br /></div><div>This time all I did was turn off the kitchen light. </div><div><br /></div><div>Somehow i managed to touch the black wire (pictured), which was at the time hanging out of the socket. I felt the shock through my finger, hand, arm, side and to my feet.</div><div><br /></div><div>I swore, then had to have a little lie down. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I'm fine. Indian electrics are not.</div><div><br /></div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-29979490629880353782009-09-22T02:35:00.000-07:002009-09-22T02:45:34.823-07:00I AM YOGINI!<span style="font-family: arial;">I am officially a yoga teacher!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning I took my first class. Eight strangers, two hours, everyone looking at me and listening to me and actually doing what I told them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It's a very strange experience and I kept waiting for my teacher to come and take over.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But he didn't, and I continued, and when I said "exhale into Downward Facing Dog' every one of them exhaled and went into Downward Facing Dog. When I said "If you can, bring your legs up into shoulder stand", some of them brought their legs up into shoulder stands, and some of them fell over.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It was terrifying, then fun, and I look forward to doing it again when I'm a little more confident and a little less wobbly-voiced.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I got my teacher's certificate from Mahi today too - I'm all official like!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And Ida, Hari and I are on the Yoga Alliance India website - check us out.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://yogaalliance.in/index.php?option=com_joomgallery&func=detail&id=249&Itemid=28"><span style="font-family: arial;">http://yogaalliance.in/index.php?option=com_joomgallery&func=detail&id=249&Itemid=28</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And here is my favourite photo of today. This is Ida trying to teach our friend Brownie, the local fatty boombalada dog, how to do his own speciality, Downward Facing Dog. I think there was an error in communication...</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2e2xzTxthUmR2Q9ACdR31080DYHxPJFr5P8WCoSZxOk10KB7CZZtLz1smoPxieNJDsTlHbd6g9N9_P9rzZL6NQ91_Y0X8ZA2-W9iD99zeVsi5jd5Zm_UeF1NbdlC3SxnpBO6jk1emyk/s1600-h/IMG_3919.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2e2xzTxthUmR2Q9ACdR31080DYHxPJFr5P8WCoSZxOk10KB7CZZtLz1smoPxieNJDsTlHbd6g9N9_P9rzZL6NQ91_Y0X8ZA2-W9iD99zeVsi5jd5Zm_UeF1NbdlC3SxnpBO6jk1emyk/s320/IMG_3919.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384225091068516706" border="0" /></a>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-17241387066634482932009-09-22T02:09:00.000-07:002009-09-22T02:35:13.706-07:00Some images<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdY5WfVGAqszPagiXwG9OTr9gMF4i0Ev8hCBBjsjRWz05gjFpe7azqZ3mIm6SqmtirUQVTz1slOV4FlRKujENGQkRu2C2Z-YrnxygBm7oCdfJKYsVAXVM1AUisgIZfNS_dY9pMiphtl0/s1600-h/IMG_3906.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdY5WfVGAqszPagiXwG9OTr9gMF4i0Ev8hCBBjsjRWz05gjFpe7azqZ3mIm6SqmtirUQVTz1slOV4FlRKujENGQkRu2C2Z-YrnxygBm7oCdfJKYsVAXVM1AUisgIZfNS_dY9pMiphtl0/s320/IMG_3906.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384218860626152562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">I haven't been able to post photos in a little while, so here is a pictorial snapshot of the past month, starting with the early morning view from our courtyard. For those who are interested, this is similar to the view I had when vomiting yesterday, though I was seeing a bit more of the ground, a bit less of the sky, a few less birds and a bit more water.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxZE0Qg3PTuysxQKjVMlJYjIj4Gvvrd_uUbxukQJVsm9nihL8UZ5x5EB8z7C2J4Qnbu6YQDjeBbKDdEzc_szbT0q_1uZzx3bOt3CXntPuVD5KSho05m_LZLGoyNkm8HR7rYGotyVCkSE/s1600-h/IMG_3910.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxZE0Qg3PTuysxQKjVMlJYjIj4Gvvrd_uUbxukQJVsm9nihL8UZ5x5EB8z7C2J4Qnbu6YQDjeBbKDdEzc_szbT0q_1uZzx3bOt3CXntPuVD5KSho05m_LZLGoyNkm8HR7rYGotyVCkSE/s320/IMG_3910.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384218882198861890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the breakfast we were meant to eat every day. Cow's milk, sprouts (not very sprouted) and a bit of fruit. I just eat the fruit and add nuts and fairly often, chocolate.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0gyt4p_SZP7-wsznJYSJsrSuxKhsyP_p3MwmpORlgEjShaqWWHmLX-DCf_q9C374q1cvU6pKhqEpOSKKHClfSu6wI66vLWTBkW66PweInjC025ECwBnXJFH1gQRLnNvgt7JMNk1NIyQ/s1600-h/IMG_3927.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0gyt4p_SZP7-wsznJYSJsrSuxKhsyP_p3MwmpORlgEjShaqWWHmLX-DCf_q9C374q1cvU6pKhqEpOSKKHClfSu6wI66vLWTBkW66PweInjC025ECwBnXJFH1gQRLnNvgt7JMNk1NIyQ/s320/IMG_3927.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384218861401181666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Buddha Delight is the local cafe (very, very close to home) that has been my saviour many times over. Whenever I am about to have a tantrum, or whenever i just really feel like a tea, I run to </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Buddha Delight. I love its serenity and its distinct lack of yoga teachers. </span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlyCk6Y-ojmU7F7NX1_4miKjoN6vmuC7E04bLDPCTXOpEtHmAXGrSGm2gDPmc9a8PNhSlPFmyxQZt3EwxN_nvQlAre04x2Q4qoQThAT-wxMwFb4vAQ0QtaG97L6r-4aHVce1MP_Po0Zg/s1600-h/IMG_3928.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlyCk6Y-ojmU7F7NX1_4miKjoN6vmuC7E04bLDPCTXOpEtHmAXGrSGm2gDPmc9a8PNhSlPFmyxQZt3EwxN_nvQlAre04x2Q4qoQThAT-wxMwFb4vAQ0QtaG97L6r-4aHVce1MP_Po0Zg/s320/IMG_3928.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384218871295533634" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlyCk6Y-ojmU7F7NX1_4miKjoN6vmuC7E04bLDPCTXOpEtHmAXGrSGm2gDPmc9a8PNhSlPFmyxQZt3EwxN_nvQlAre04x2Q4qoQThAT-wxMwFb4vAQ0QtaG97L6r-4aHVce1MP_Po0Zg/s1600-h/IMG_3928.JPG"> </a><span style="font-family: arial;">And this is the courtyard we walk through to get to Buddha Delight. I don't think the animals every get to move.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHKJybHSAJcZSr3CjGQfxmkyR7kYDwGk6QOFKA3op6CVsb59oiU2rDuHyuOA6iD12EdMK5_toXfHMpSlT0b7ES0u6POEX3Q_Cj4RYrmy7-TB8ybaZULNziKM4xYwNiSSQqf-qLPNJGHg/s1600-h/IMG_3932.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHKJybHSAJcZSr3CjGQfxmkyR7kYDwGk6QOFKA3op6CVsb59oiU2rDuHyuOA6iD12EdMK5_toXfHMpSlT0b7ES0u6POEX3Q_Cj4RYrmy7-TB8ybaZULNziKM4xYwNiSSQqf-qLPNJGHg/s320/IMG_3932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384221163993231234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">This is Tripita, who has been cooking all our delicious lunches and dinners during the course. She is lovely and also, a magician. She manages to make a slightly different version of dhal and vegetables every single day. </span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4qRGoUgZOcSVdV8Y2STmRRNXAEkz5MlPexZzAD3wvct4uJLUQt5SVrVY2Kv__er7WcEtq4yvOJ7y9TGRTf2viEY7GPwSFhg4xX-ILiCNTkZ1XwfaL_Zdhfz49i3gAzQhJJ7B9GKIu-8/s1600-h/IMG_3939.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4qRGoUgZOcSVdV8Y2STmRRNXAEkz5MlPexZzAD3wvct4uJLUQt5SVrVY2Kv__er7WcEtq4yvOJ7y9TGRTf2viEY7GPwSFhg4xX-ILiCNTkZ1XwfaL_Zdhfz49i3gAzQhJJ7B9GKIu-8/s320/IMG_3939.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384221168165620994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the Osho centre near our house. We go here because a) it is on the way to Bhagsu (the larger, more touristy village down from Dharamkot with cheaper internet and better cafes) and b) it has...</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTSUTaJrEql6pYDEI1n4Z82PxKJbiPZtN6v8GyAf00cTGEjX-Tlo17h2s-TLVb6ksg39gWlFoQrVKcxRPzdHfIFzDPFIkd2ngpp8qaDtPAMFYSv8Ux8jKg-hjNgYu7a4GbfF3p1Z8kBg/s1600-h/IMG_3941.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTSUTaJrEql6pYDEI1n4Z82PxKJbiPZtN6v8GyAf00cTGEjX-Tlo17h2s-TLVb6ksg39gWlFoQrVKcxRPzdHfIFzDPFIkd2ngpp8qaDtPAMFYSv8Ux8jKg-hjNgYu7a4GbfF3p1Z8kBg/s320/IMG_3941.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384221178257056962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">PUPPIES! We found a litter of four (including one total runt, not pictures) hanging out with Osho* and today we visited them a second time, and took milk (the leftover milk we didn't want for breakfast). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Sadly it made them all vomit. Stef did some research and it turns out cow's milk is not good for dogs - all dogs are basically lactose intolerant. Oops. No wonder this one looks so unimpressed in the photo. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">* Osho is dead.</span>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832737143608628175.post-33240460088942053242009-09-21T00:42:00.001-07:002009-09-21T00:48:47.113-07:00VOMIT<div>You may have picked up that I don't quite believe many of the things my yoga teacher tells me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now he wants us to start the day by<i> vomiting</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>This morning we got up at 6am, drank four glasses each of warm salty water, then vomited it back up. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was gross, and hilarious. So glad my fellow student Ida is a like-minded girl. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is meant to clean you out - like a colon cleanse but for the upper part of the digestive system. Our Ayurvedic doctor agrees.</div><div><br /></div><div>All I felt was silly, and then hungry. And it gave me a burning throat.</div><div><br /></div><div>He wants us to do this every morning for 15 days. I refuse. </div><div><br /></div><div>By now he knows there are some things that I simply will not do (like drink very fatty, very creamy cow's milk with added ghee in the morning. Or stand on a beginner's back in yoga to push them further into a pose). When I said 'no' he said 'ok, for four days'. </div><div><br /></div><div>I walked away and tomorrow morning at 6am I will be walking away again, away from the vomiting. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, poor Stef woke up to the sounds of us - one loud Indian man and two small giggly western girls - vomiting. He disapproves also.</div>Sar somewhere...http://www.blogger.com/profile/17992961342231424466noreply@blogger.com3