Zoe's Diary
[33] Concerning Mr Magu | [59] The Latest Instalment | [72] From Beijing | [125] From Phnom Penh | [153] From Cambodia | [200] From Thailand | [209] From Bankok | [225] From India | [234] From Varanasi |
Day Thirty Three - concerning Mr Magu
29/09/03 - from Zoe
Hello everyone,
It's so good to hear from you all.
Recent tales from India..... Well we made our way to Jodhpur the blue city, after a manic bus ride. well all bus rides are mad, firstly because their is no driving test. The license you obtain is all to do with how much cash you have, so no tests are needed. There is only one rule to driving in India and that is to blow your horn excessively at all times, particularly when overtaking. A common theme is to drive as fast as you can, on the wrong side of the road. On this particular bus journey we came to a rather abrupt stop and five police officers jumped on to the bus with sticks and started to beat up the driver. Due to him driving dangerous and them not being able to overtake, all very strange. Never get on the wrong side of the police.
Then on to Jaisalmer. For the 2 day camel safari across the Tar desert My camel was called Mr magu, unlike mary's Ratto, Mr Magu was fairly compliant, however he did sufferer with terrible flatulence, which was of great discomfort to any one riding behind. I can also report that it rains in the desert. At night we were attached by a plague of Locus's. By the end of the 2 days I developed a distinctive John Wayne walk, and a sore throat from mimicking the moans and groans, of our guide. In my vague attempt to get Mr Magu to follow simple instructions such as, to go faster and particularly to stop.
Any way I had better sign off.
Take care
Love Zoe xxx
Day Thirty Seven - from Udipur
3/10/03 - from Zoe
Hello everyone,
I hope you are all well. Mary and I have been in Udipur the last few days, which is still within Rajasthan. Chris you would love it here. It was here that they did a lot of the filming for James Bound film, Octopuses. Mary and I have taken a boat trip to one of island's, shown on the film.
I was walking to one of the temples the other day, and I met four sisters. They could'nt speak much English, but they invited me back to their house for tea and curry, which was great.
Tonight Mary and I, and our new travelling companion, Steve are making are way to see some man made caves. It took 150 years and 7000 labourers to make one of them. So it should be really impressive. I hope so anyway, as it is taking 2 and half days to get there. 2 night on a bus, ouch! Then on to Bombay.
Take care
Lots of love
Zoe x
Day Fifty Nine - the latest installment
25/10/03 - from Zoe
Hello Everyone,
I hope you are all well.
What have I been up to umm... well after Bombay Mary and I went to Goa, thank god we went out of season, nice place but I would'nt what to share it with 6,000 red faced Brits. Mary and I hired motor bikes, which was crazy no helmets bombing around the city narrowly missing sacred cows along with every thing else. We have'nt hired bikes lately, maybe cause Mary might be feed-up with me singing the song ''get your motors running , heading for the highway.... born to be wild. Well it goes something like that.
Then off to Kerela. It's very nice but I kind of miss the old dusty street of the north. I never thought I would be saying that. Kerela has been good fun. Mary and I have seen Katherkail, two nights. For all the non Darts. Its an old Indian theatre. They wear really elaborate costumes and make-up, keep chill seeds in their eyes for the entire performance to make their eyes go blood shot, to highlight their facial expressions. The things people do for their art. They use a sign language, which incorporates the whole of their body, rather then using words. All accompanied by very load, live music, great.
We have also been to Munner, which is a tea transplantation. Beautiful. The bus ride was great. Very green, lots of big leaved plants and waterfalls, and of course tea plants. Stunning. Next a backwater boat trip in Kerela, for seven and half hours, naturally it pissed it down for most of it. It's the end of the monsoon, the locals say, but they seem to say that everywhere. It was a beautiful ride. we met a couple of English girls travelling and had been travelling the last few days with them, which is nice. Its lovely how we meet travellers, everyone's so friendly.
Next stop, a place that starts with a T and is a mile long. [found a place on the cape called Thiruvananthpuram - this fits with Mary's above assertion that they are on the Cape - Ed]
Take care all
latter's Zoe xxx
Day Seventy Two - from Beijing
6/11/03 - from Zoe
Hello my lovelies,
Well the last few days have been testing and challenging, but hey when are they not, and lets face it all good fun. It all began in the southernmost tip of India. (I forget the name already, how awful.) Great place. It is where the three seas meet, and you can see sunrise and sunset from the same place, amazing. Lots of Indian tourist, which was great. Mary and I went to this mad temple. The men had to take off their shirts. There were barriers and about 30 of us where ushered around. People where putting there hands in fire, drums where played and lots of chanting. We must of got blessed four times, leaving the temple with a very colourful fore-head.
The Journey to Chenni, fuck me! Mary and I realised that on our last night we were both out of money, and there was nowhere were we could exchange our travellers cheques or an ATM. Luckily we had enough money for our bus ticket out. However this did mean that we had to go over twenty four hours with out food. No bad thing really, it makes you realise just how luckly you are. First a bus journey, which naturally takes longer. A Rickshaw driver who trys it on. A quick stop for dinner. Then over night train in the lady's carriage, which is basically one very basic carriage, were virtually all the lady's and children on the train are. Babies swing from hammocks made out of sares. lady's sleep in parcel shelfs. Mary and I settled down for the night on the floor, among the many other bodies. I was however rudely awoken in the morning by a lady standing on by head. We were unable to get off at our stop, because it was physically impossible to get to the door, so we had to get off at the next stop. This then involves a three hour train journey to get back to our original stop. Then we catch a bus, which breaks down, and then find out that the bus driver did'nt understand us at all. And that we have been travelling the last hour in completely the wrong direction. After two more buses we arrive at a small town. After three minutes of arriving I get slapped by an Indian lady, because I won't get in her sons taxi. Then a quick puke through exhaustion. However this creates great interest, and I soon accumulate a substantial audience, much to my annoyance. However a very sweet deaf and dumb guy explained to us what bus to get, and saw us off among our merry way again.
Well we are now in Beijing!!! It feels so strange after being in India. Its only day three, but what I can tell you so far is it is, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold. It's so cold that we have both bought long John's's today. The city is big, the food is well.... different. The people are wonderful, hardly anyone can speak English there are virtually no signs or menus in English, But everyone does there best to try and understand us.
Take care my sweets,
from a very cold Zoe xxx
Day One Hundred and Twenty Five - from Phnom Penh
29/12/03 - from Zoe
Hi all
I hope you all had a great Christmas and have a good new year. Thank you for all your e-mails it great to hear all your news.
I spent Christmas in Saigon. I wasn't sure that I was going to like Saigon as I heard that it was very polluted, loads of bikes and dirty. Well it was all of that, but I loved it. The roads are mental. Hundreds of thousands of motorbikes, the roads are crazy. A traveller once said to me the roads are bad enough with out confusing them with rules. Christmas night was a sight, whole family's on one bike not unusual, but everyone speeding around the city blowing horns wearing Christmas hats. I then went to the Melkon delta, to visit a couple of small villages. and to see the floating market. Which is all on boats and you have to be on boat to get stuff, it was a great sight I hope the photos come out well. Each boat would have a long wooden pole with all the stuff they sold on it. It was like a big kebab.
It was here that I got a slow boat to Cambodia. This was fantastic. It was great to see. Basic housing, which look stunning behind the coco nut and Palm trees. Kids splashing in the water, or bathing, women washing clothes etc and a man BAQing a dog, not so nice, but hay it was great to see another way of life. I know it's a hard life, but some how I think they have got the right idea. Well this is my first full day in Cambodia I am in Pheno Pehn, chilled out to day, which has been nice after the manic Saigon and the early morning markets. I do feel guilty when I'm not doing the tourist thing. Tomorrow I am going to see the killing fields. I'm trying to prepare myself, but I don't think you really can. I went to the US war crimes in Saigon, and it blow me away. I just had no idea that such awful things happened to the vieatmise. It seems a bit awkward to finish on such a note, but I really don't know what to say.
Take care lots of love Zoe xxx
Day One Hundred and Fifty Three - from Cambodia
26/01/04 - from Zoe
Hi Folks
Hope you had a good new year. Well I'm in Cambodia, and loving it. The people are sooo nice, the countryside is fantastic and I only have two more days left here, unless I find some work teaching English, other wise I will be back in manic Siagon to do some teaching work there for a while.
Well my news this end.... sorry I have been a bit bad with the old e-mailing of late, only I have been traveling of the breaten track where there is'nt any e-mail or phones, very nice I must say to get away from the whole tourist thing for a while. I have spent days without speaking to any other wetserns, which has been really interenting to be in that type of envioment. But of late have been traving with some fab traverles, which has been cool.
I will skip the whole name thing of where I have been becasue I will only waffal. I will get down to the old nitty gritty. Well things have been a bit manic of late I have had three moto bike accident (all minor I would like to add) one of which, I was driving so I guess that can kind of be expected, for some strange reason I excelerated instead of breaking. So a good massage is in order I think. Things seem to be going in threes of late. I have had three propsoals since being here. The first a moto driver who lived in the countryside, the secound a Budiest Monk, very sexy I might add the whole shaved head and orange rope thing ummm... The third an x Budest monk.
Been doing a crazy amount of travelling mostly on the back of pick-up a real expereince. No one is turned down so any amount of people can travel on the back and roof . I have even seen people ridding on the bonet. A long with many bags of rice, flour, bikes and anmals. They drive with no mercy, so you just have to hang on for dear life. With my kemar scarf wrapped tight around my face as the roads are very dusty at the mo, it being the dry seson.
On my way up north I stopped in Kratie to see some endanged dolphines, this was fab I hired a boat and went out with this local guy. It was an unreal expereince such a beutifal and peacfull spot. one other tourit out there and a couple of locals fishing, just the way I like it. I did an elephant treck a few days ago in mondulkiri, great fun through the jungel. Our elephant was 90 can you belive it! As i have been saying things seem to be going in threes of late. The third anmial expereince was with a rat... As most of you guys know I petridfied of mice let at know rats. Well the other night I stupidly had some pop corn and bananas in my bag. When I woke in the morning I found a lot of the pop corn and bananas eatern, and rat poo on my bed, right by my head!!
see u laters take care zoe xx
Day Two Hundred - from Thailand
13/03/04 - from Zoe
What's been going on in the land of the warlord!
Hello
Hope you are all doing good.
I am now in Thailand, culture shock! back in the land of KFC, MC Donlands Boots and the list goes on......
I am now in Chang Mia. Today I have done a Thai cookery class, which was fun, so I will be able to make culinary delights for you all when I get back.
I have only been in Thailand for the last couple of days, so not so much to report on the Thai front. Before Thailand I was in Laos. Where I experience another horrific rat instead[incident? - ed]! Is there no respite!
I had another interesting to say the least, boat trip from Cambodia. Me along with 6 others stepped into this flimsy speed boat. Then they handed out life jackets to everyone, which surprised me as they are not that safety concease. Next came the crash helmets. As most of you know I can't swim, so this offer made me some what worried. After about an hour of flying across the Mekong in this thing, I notice a huge whirl pool in front of us. I nudged the Japanese guy beside me and motion with my finger whirl pool while mouthing the terrifying sight, which lay straight ahead of us. We steamed across this thing the front of the boat high in the air. Only in Cambodia.
I had another crazy boat trip involving a cave, which takes an hour to go through, all flash light failed, the motor of the cannon lost in the water. Great cave 7km high and in length in places. I stayed with a local family, which was fun. I was the only tourist there in the village, which was great but changeling as no one in the village could speak English and I can't speak Laos. After five minutes of me arriving I counted 50 people all staring at me. 4 hill tribes people, one lady pulling at my hair. At breakfast on my last day the village chief came over. He placed a warm boiled egg in my hands and some sticky rice. Then him and the mother and father of the house I was staying at, said prays and tied clumps of string to my right wrist. A great experience, and one I will never forget,
P.S
Thanks Phil for the photos of you and the pigs at New Year, How I miss those crazy times.
You pigs have fun in London, can't wait to catch up with you all.
love you all long time
Zoe x
Day Two Hundred and Nine - from Bankok
22/03/04 - from Zoe
Hi Everyone
Hope you are all groovy.
I am in Bangkok and have been for the last week, which has been full of interesting and surreal meetings. The other morning I sleepily made my way down to breakfast and guess who I bumped into.... only little Fi from Dartington! It's a small world. Fi has been travelling and working for the last year and a half in OZ, Thailand and Indonesia. She sends all you Dartington folk her love. We went to an art exhibition here the other day and met some great art students. They certainly give us Dartingtingtons a run for our money on the dance floor. Mind you Chris and Pathra they can't dance like monkeys.
I decided against the teaching English thing, as I could only do it for a couple of months as I am eager to met up Mary and Lucy in New Zealand. Can you show me how to shear a sheep Lucy? and I am excited about going to Mexico. Also I found out that I could get a cheep flight to India from Bangkok. I will be flying out to Calcutta on the 31 March. I am absolutely bricking it, but I can't wait at the same time. Hopefully Mary I won't think I am going to die all the time, second time around. Luckily I walked right into this guy the other day and we started the usual travels introduction of where are you from? Where have you been? and where are you going? He was going to flog me his India lonely planet but after a couple of days of be blabbing on about India he decided to come out too, which is cool. I must say I am glad I am flying out there with someone. I am going to find it hard going after Asia, it's so easy going out here and I loved getting off the beaten track and spending time with the locals. Something I don't feel I can do on my own in India. After reading the infamous dangers and annoyies in the good old loney planet it did make feel like cancelling the ticket, well only for a moment. Must change the topic as I trying all my powers of persuasions to get my Mum out there travelling with me for a couple of weeks. Go on mum you know you want to.
sweet dreams Zoe xx
Day Two Hundred and Twenty Five - I love India
7/04/04 - from Zoe
Hi guys
Back in India and it feels good! The flight was interesting, the pilot was giving commentary on the cricket the whole time. The Indians are the kings of the games, so the flight was full of lots of cheers.
Calcutta, was interesting great art scene, frantic like any other city in India, lots of energy. I am now in Darjeeling and travailing with Gittiy a Strong Israeli girl. We had heavy rain last night so this morning the view was fantastic seeing the tea plantations with the snowie Himalayas in the background. Tomorrow we are off to Sikkim, to more cold weather brr, I'm sure it's colder here then back home, your all be glad to hear.
P.S Nisha do you think it would be possible for me to meet up with your Mum, I would love to met her?
Take care
love Zoe xx
Day Two Hundred and Thirty Four - from Varanasi
16/04/04 - from Zoe
Hi folks
Hope your all doing mighty fine. Sikkim was beautiful, unfortunately the weather was very foggy so I didn't get to witness the snow caped mountains, but great walks were to be had. I also met a really sweet Israeli guy called Yonie who I am now travelling with. We are now in Varanasi. Varanasi is unbelievable and truly magical. Holly shrines floating on the water, sermonise take place in the evening involving music, singing, ring bells, swing fire, buckets of incense all performed in a highly articulate manor. Women having there hair shaved as an offering to the gods. Men and boys playing a crazy amount of cricket, and while all of this is all going on huge boats with vast amounts of wood and huge weighing scales weighing wood for the family's of the decest. 24 hrs a day cremating the dead takes places. Varnaise is the holiest places in India, were everyone would like to come to die. It must sound like a really depressing and morbid place, but instead everyone is glad to be here and there is so much hope and faith in the air that embasses you . Tomorrow we are taking a boat at sun rise along the Ganges, which I am looking forward to.
A brief e-mail today, will write again soon
love Zoe
