My First Train Journey! April 19th

A woman finds space amongst the chaos at the Delhi train station.

No room? No worries! A couple of straps and she'll be right mate!

A fellow train traveller enjoying the open doorway & the boy i shared some sweets with.

A counrtyside cricket match.

The train from Delhi to get us to Rishikesh left at 15:25. Chelle and I arrived on the platform at 15:23 and the train moved off as soon as we boarded. It turns out our clock was out by half an hour. If it wasn’t for the overpriced rickshaw we took to the station we would’ve been staying another night in “dust bowl Delhi”. The train was chockers, seating was three by three and there was no room for our packs in the overhead racks. No problem, we strapped the packs to the underside of the luggage racks in minutes, as the whole train stared at the crazy foreigners. We made sure they were stowed securely because a mother was nursing her baby directly below one of our packs and I don’t think we would have been too popular if a 20kg pack fell onto mother and baby.

The train ride takes about four and a half hours, with no aircon. Who can complain when it only cost 100 rupees (about 3 bucks)? I spent about two hours sitting in the doorway of the car with the wind in my hair and my feet hanging out the side. We passed by village after town after village. I don’t seem to remember seeing any land that was not inhabited or used for agriculture. We passed hundreds of villages where, due to lack of resources or money, people resort to gathering up the cow shit and baking the patties in the sun. This is then stacked into tall, well constructed towers of dung and used as a heat source in all domestic applications (heating, cooking etc.).

Poverty is around you all the time in India. As I was sitting in the doorway, a young boy dragged himself through the cabin begging for food or money. The boy had lost the use of his tiny deformed legs. I shared some sweets with him and we sat there watching India flicker by like an early animation.

Getting Bendy In Rishikesh!

A Hindu temple situated along the Ganga (Ganges).

A lady, a monkey & a cow all doing their thing on one of the "pedestrian" only bridges!

A brother & sister just trying to get something to eat.

For us Delhi was just a jumping off point to get to Rishikesh in Northern India. If you’re a Beattles fan, you may remember that they came here in the 60’s to meditate, study eastern philosophy and write music along with many other famous musicians of that time! It’s also touted as the yoga capital of the world. Situated along the Ganges it’s a beautiful setting for getting in touch with one’s inner self. The water along this part of the Ganges is clean and clear due to its close proximity to the Himalayas which is the source of the Ganges. The further South you go the dirtier the water gets. Meaning it gets down right nasty and you couldn’t pay me enough to take a dip!

As I write this I’m sitting on our balcony which is situated high atop a hill overlooking the Ganges. It’s a beautiful spot and I can only imagine how lush and green it would be after the rains. As of now it’s a bit of a dust bowl too but nothing like Delhi! And, this is the best part we only pay $6.50 CND per night for this beaut little spot. India is cheap, the accommodation, the food, the yoga, the tea, everything. We’ve pretty much cut our daily expenses in half since leaving Thailand. It’s no wonder some people come here and never leave. Seriously, there are some total hippies here who I swear have been here since the 60’s.

This is what we’ve been up to so far. We’ve shaved Kim’s head on the top and left some party in the back. He looks like a Hare Krishna. Fits right in here he does! I’m still toying with the idea of shaving my hair off. It’s so ridiculously hot here I have no doubt it would make life a lot cooler and therefore more bearable! I’m getting absolutely hammered by mosquitos while Kim hasn’t been bothered at all. The other night we counted them. 56 in total! Can you say itchy?! Oh well, at least malaria isn’t a concern here. We’ve been going to yoga twice a day and we’re realizing just how out of shape we got while lounging on the beach drinking beer in Thailand! (As for Thailand we had such an amazing time, met so many incredible people and shared so many memorable experiences that it makes it hard to put into words. That’s why we haven’t posted anything about our time there yet. It’s coming though so stay tuned!) We’ve been drinking lots of herbal teas and indulging in tasty curries. The food here is spectacular and so inexpensive. Just to give you an idea – we went for a meal last night and had an appetizer, 2 curries, rice, 2 kinds of bread and various non-alcoholic drinks and the grand total for all of that was just under $10 CND. And, get this, that was at a fairly expensive restaurant!

All in all India is shaping up to be a great part of our travels. Yes, India is a land filled with immense poverty and piles of garbage everywhere you look but it’s also a land filled with beautiful people, stunning scenery, culture rich in religious beliefs and strong family ties and a history older than any of us can imagine coming for Canada or Australia. It’s a land where you witness first hand both the best and worst of human nature. There’s no where else like it. It’s planet India!

Planet India!

Dust bowl Delhi!

Kim, a typical Indian guy & a sadhu (holy man).

Just another way of getting things done.

One of our many friends who joined us for a cup of chai!

Bye-bye Bangkok. Hello dust bowl Delhi! New Delhi is, by far, the dirtiest place either of us has ever been to. It’s a hectic city of 12.8 million people, a large population of whom are destitute and live on the street. It breaks your heart to see small, dirty, crusty eyed children begging on the streets or babies being carried by an older sister of 4 or 5 as she rummages through garbage. The poverty in India is of such epic proportions that you can’t help but feel helpless every time you walk out of your hotel. On top of that there’s a constant sea of people, cars, taxis, rickshaws, bicycles, cows and dogs. Everywhere you look there’s garbage. The stench is enough to make you gag sometimes. You have to be careful when walking not to fall into an uncovered manhole or step in a big pile of cow dung. It’s about 40 degrees and super dry which is why we’ve taken to calling it dust bowl Delhi!

Bamboo Tattoos for all in Thailand!

No gun needed kids, just get a piece of bamboo and bind on some of your Mum's sewing needles!

Right on the number one spot!

Mother-in-law and I doing a little bonding!

Jen and I, finding our "power".

Anon and I. You can tell by the smile on my face that it is all finished.

People have asked me in the past if I wanted a tattoo. My response has always been less than enthusiastic. From the moment we arrived on Phi Phi island, I was inspired by the artwork I saw adorning the locals. I did not even know about the bamboo technique of tattoo. Instead of the "gun", artists use a piece of bamboo and bind needles to the end. It is all done by hand with no mechanised process. The technique is also very slow. The bamboo may contain between four and 30 needles depending on the desired effect. Each bamboo is made speciffically for the application. And yes Mum it is all safe and hygenic.

After a week of putting my ideas together and talking to arists I found Anon and we got started. Anon is from Thailand and his Grandmother is from Cambodia. I walked into his shop with a drawing that I had sketched on a napkin and from this he drew freehand onto my body. Within three hours I had a outline on my body. We negotiated a price and before i knew it we were beginning the outline. People say that the bamboo technique is less painful than the gun, but I dont know because I have never experienced the gun. The locals told me that I had chosen the "number one spot" for my tattoo, right on the rib cage and they all agreed that I would need to find my "power" to finish it.

The tattoo took around 15 to 20 hours to complete and this was spread out over five nights. I definately found my power. On the second and third night we were working on the shading of the tree. Deep, strong "jabs" were used by Anon to obtain the desired effect. The result was quite a bit of pain for me that left me chugging beers or "buckets", which ever was closer. On the third night I really did not know how I was going to finish what I had started. Jennifer (my mother in-law) wanted to know what it felt like. So at age 64 she decided to find her "power" and get her first tattoo. (Which she had been talking about doing for quite some time!) She remarked that after giving birth to four kids she had "power" and it would be no trouble. As we lay there together, I felt her squeeze my hand tightly as the bamboo perforated her skin. She got a beautiful little dolphin on her ankle, but this is a tale for her to tell.

Anon is a truly an amazing person. He has so much precision and attention to detail. It was only after we had finished the tattoo that he told me how he had wanted to do a piece like this for over 6 years. It was chance that both of us should come together and share the same idea. Anon not only left an image on my body but he has made an everlasting impression on Chelle and Me. Chelle was there with me every night, every minute and I love her for it. Anon is now part of our journey.

Angela in Australia!

It's always fun when you're somewhere and you see a friend from home! This is Angela. She's from Vancouver and was in Australia for a friend's wedding. At the end of her trip she came to visit us for a couple of days and see the Northern Beaches. We spent a sunny, hot day together fishing in the lagoon that Kim's house backs onto.

- The first picture shows us enjoying a beer on the beach and having a cheers with the rock pool in the background.

- The next one shows Angela and Kim pumping nippers. Nippers are little shrimp like crustations that live in little burrows on the bottom of the lagoon. You put the pump over a burrow, pull the plunger out (it's not as easy as it looks) and push the plunger back down emptying the contents into the black inner tube which is a sieve. If you're lucky enough to have gotten one you put it into the grey bucket with some water and presto, you've got live bait!

- We didn't have much luck that day but the third picture shows me and Ang trying our luck at the entrance to the Lagoon. That's Kim's little boat, or tinny as they call it here! Later that afternoon as the sun was getting ready to set i finally caught the first fish of the day. It was a little Brim and i cried while i was reeling it in. I'm new to the whole fishing thing and, as a vegetarian who just started eating fish a few years ago, i struggle with the actual act of catching anything. I'm probably the only fisherman in the whole entire world who actually hopes they don't catch a fish!

Where Kim's From!

There's a little piece of heaven on earth and it's called Narrabeen. Narrabeen is a little seaside community on the Nothern Beaches of Sydney and it's where Kim's from. The house that he grew up in, where his parents still live, is nestled between a gorgeous little lagoon and the blue green waters of the Pacific. Over the years his parents have created their own private oasis filled with beautiful eucalip trees and tropical plants. It's a place where birds sing all day long and the breeze can be heard rustling through the leaves. How lucky was i to marry into this family?!

I've included two pictures from my absolute favorite spot in Narrabeen. The rock pool! It's a natural, salt water swimming pool located in the most perfect of spots. When the surf is big, like it was yesterday, the waves crash up over the rocks and enter the pool bringing with them fish, kelp and and other amazing things from the sea. It's an amazing place to swim and every time i go there i feel incredibly blessed. Did i mention that it's only a ten minute walk from Kim's house! The first picture shows the view looking North while the second shows the view to the South. The surf break known as North Narrabeen, where Kim surfs most days, is just out of view in the second photo. We've yet to get a good photo of the surf break but stay tuned because that's definitely Kim's favorite spot and it will be showcased!

We Made It!

Kim always wanted to see what Vancouver looked like covered in snow and it seems the snow gods were eager to grant him his wish! In all my life i can't remember so much snow ever falling that close to Christmas. Any other year and i would have been jumping with joy at the thought of a white Christmas spent building snowmen and frollicking in the fluffy white stuff. But, when said white stuff keeps planes from taking off and turns Vancouver airport into complete chaos it is another story all together!

After two long days spent at the airport, standing in lines as far as the eye could see, waiting eagerly to board planes that were cancelled at the last minute and spending hours on the phone waiting on hold to re-book tickets for flights we were told were fully booked until after Christmas we were in luck. We somehow managed to get on a flight that would get us into Sydney on the afternoon of the 24th.

Thank you cosmic powers and thank you to everyone who drove us to the airport, picked us up, drove us back again, picked us up yet again and drove us one last time! You know who you are and we love you!