Last day in Amritsar

So its my last day in Amritsar, tomorrow morning I catch a 16 hour train to Lucknow. I was originally planning on catching an overnight to delhi and then a day to lucknow, but didn't want to stay an extra day here (not much else to do) and it also turns out that the overnight train wouldn't have arrived in time for me to catch the next one! Glad I caught that

Anyway, looks like i'm fighting cold number 3 of the season, i'm going to blame this one on Dave and Whin for reasons I do not wish to disclose (they know what i'm talking about) so its sniffles and a sore throat at the moment. Fortunately there are juice bars every 100 meters here, so some overdosing on Vitamin C should do the trick.

Checked out Jallianwala bagh this morning... a brief history lesson:

In 1919, India was still under the rule of the British Raj... soon after WWI some laws Rowlatt Act was passed to allow them to imprison without trial Indians under suspicion of sedition. In protest the people of Amritsar staged a hartal (one day strike). Lt. Governor O'Dwyer had two prominent leaders in the community arrested. This caused an uproar in the community who marched to have them released. The crowd had been fired upon and riots broke out, building had been damaged and 3 British men were killed. Around the same time Mahatma Gandhi had started his non-violence campaign. A meeting was to be held at Jallianwala bagh to discuss how the people of Amritsar could participate in Gandhiji's campaign. O'Dwyer had called in General Dyer to help keep the peace. Dyer hearing of the meeting ordered his soldiers to Jalianwalla Bagh. Troops surrounded the Bagh from above and entered the Bagh surrounding it. Note that the entrance to the Bagh were wide enough for barely two men to walk shoulder by shoulder and with Dyer entering with his soldiers, the only exit out of Jallianwala Bagh was conveniently blocked. The people attending the meeting watched in confusion as the soldiers surrounded them and without any explanation heard Dyer command them to disperse (remember that the only exit was blocked by him) and then give the orders to FIRE! About 20,000 or so were in attendance, men started screaming and running, clawing at the walls (the bagh was actually about 5 feet below street level and surrounded by walls from 5 to 7 feet high). Those who were shot and injured were crushed by the bodies that fell upon them, many jumped into the well, a hundred or so bodies found inside after it was over.

Both Dyer and O'Dwyer were treated as heroes in England, Dyer believed that he had prevented a massive riot from taking place, but in reality caused an event that is seen as a pivotal point of India's fight for Independence. A young man who had been present at the meeting, serving the guests water, had managed to survive. He later made it to England and assasinated O'Dwyer.

Not sure if any of you have seen the movie Gandhi with Ben Kingsley, really a great film to give you just a glimpse into India's history during this time. The Massacre of Jallianwala Bagh is a devestatingly moving moment in the film. It was this scene that was in my head as I walked around the garden and the flame memorial. Pieces of the wall with bullet holes were still up for display. You could also see and look into through the iron fence the well where hundeds of bodies were found, known as Marytr's Well. A small gallery was also created to house portraits of the prominent figures during that time.

As I left Jallianwala Bagh I stepped outside in time to witness what looked like an AIDS Awareness Parade... Or so I assumed as the only signs I could read were the ones that read 'STOP AIDS' in English. All throughout India I know that there has been campaigns to educate the people on birth contol and contraceptives, especially targeting the truck drivers. Away from their familys days at a time, there has been an increase in AIDS within this community including the truck drivers, prostitutes along their routes, and their innocent wives. In a society where talking about sex is often considered tabboo, its good to see parades, billboards, signs on AIDS, family planning, and safe sex....its a reflection of how the country is making an effort to educate its people.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the internet cafe uploading all of my pics (FINALLY!)... if I can go 2 minutes without sneezing or blowing my nose I'm going to attempt to eat at the Temple today and catch the evening ceremony of the Adi Granhtha being taken to its resting place for the night.

alright folks, hope you had a great weekend... more from Lucknow pr Varanasi in a few days

BG

P.S A BIG Birthday shout out to Krissy, Mike and my Samirbhai

Wagha Border between India and Pakistan

Watch the video

All in good fun Pakistani-India Patriotism at the Wagha Borders between the Soldiers and the Audience in the Bleachers. Throughout the "show" the audience and announcer would go back shouting

Announcer: Hindustan.... Audience: Zindabad!

Announcer: Bharat Mata ki.... Audience: Jai!

Announcer: Vanday.... Audience: Mataram!

Watch the video

Before the event started to work up the crowds a few audience members were selected to run up and down the stands with the Indian Flag!

Watch the video

The soldiers start their roll call and march. This continues with a lot of huffing and puffing at the Pakistani soldiers who are doing the same on their side. Finally it all ends with the two flags being lowered simultaneously to show that no one side is better than the other

So much to say so little internet service

This past week has been one big paneer filled adventure. I've had a blast with Whin and Dave. By traveling with them they've given me the chance to show them India through my eyes as well as experience it through theirs. I became their translator of sorts, and actually had an hour long discussion with their driver, Puranbhai, on the practice of commission based tourism in India. I have to say i was pretty proud of being able to get our point across in my broken Hindi.

We've eaten a sh*tload of paneer (unfermented cheese), i've never had it so good in my life... i think i'm actually turning into a paneer cube.

In Delhi we took in no sites, spent a lot of time running around and somehow managed to have the best time, walking head on into the Sikh parade celebrating the 9th Guru, sharing Whin and Dave's first experience with South Indian Food, and of course shopping.

The internet seems to not want to make itself available to me, and unfortunately there's so much i want to talk about like India's most famous tennis player and her comments on pre-marital sex, on India and how i've come to realize that this country is Politics - politics runs through its veins and every aspect of its life from Bollywood to the hill tribes of Orissa are immersed in it, I've become hooked to the daily newspapers, can't get enough of all the information that is available on everything Indian.

If and when I get access to a fast connection, i'll post the pics that are long over due and maybe try and find some links to some of the more interesting articles i've stumbled upon.For now here's a quick update on the past 2 days

My last day in Delhi I did 2 very important things. 1. Found myself my first Mexican Meal since I'd cooked fajitas in New Zealand back in June. 2. Visited the newly built Swaminarayan Temple - Akshardham. Like a modern day Angkor Wat this complex is by far the most amazing Swaminarayan Temple to date. The intricacy of the carvings, the meaning put behind each structure, and luckily for me eloquently written explanations in Hindi and English. An exhibition was built using film and animated figures to tell the story of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. I thought I'd only need an hour but instead found I had to cut my tour short (missed out on the 12 minute boat-ride through India's history and one of the exhibits) in order not to miss my train! I would recommend anyone visiting Delhi take the half day or so to visit.

I took an overnight train to Amritsar, Punjab and arrived around 6:30am... hopped onto a cyclo and headed over to a guesthouse i had heard was good... unfortunately they were fully booked and so after trying a few places I found one with a room. Of course I noticed how my cyclo driver, although i had paid him hadn't left... after leaving my bags upstairs i came down to register and found that he was still out there. I asked the man at the counter if he had given the rickshaw driver a commission... yes he said 50rp... of course that meant that my 250rp room should have only been 50. I was pretty pissed off, as 1. i had asked the driver to take me to a specific guesthouse not if he knew of one and 2. after ringing the doorbells of a few places he just told the owner that he had brought me there. I absolutely loathe the commission based system. I'm going to have to practice the method of getting the driver to drop you at a monument or site in the vicinity of the guesthouse and then walk.

I spent the morning taking a tour of the Holy Shri Darbar Sahib (the Golden Temple). Upon walking into the complex you took off your shoes and washed your feet. Everyone covered their head as a sign of respect. I don't know much about the sikh religion, but I can tell you the people who I saw worship, seemed to be so proud of their culture, have complete faith, and a respect towards each other like i have never seen anywhere else. The religion was founded by Guru Nanak, a man who a forward thinker. He renounced many of the beliefs and customs of the Muslims and Hindus, believing in the equality of men and women, regardless of race,creed, caste, or religion. I watched as people dipped in the Amrit Sarovar (Pool of Nectar) which surrounded the Temple, unlike the images I have of bathing in the Ganges, it was very clean, pure, and orderly. People lined up to pay their respects to the Adi Grantha (Sikh Holy Scriptures) which is housed in the Temple and then collect prasad and eat at the community kitchen. The temple has over 600 rooms available for pilgrims to stay in, from free dorm rooms with shared baths, to private doubles with a rent of 50rps a day. The community kitchen feeds upto 50,000 people a day for free.

Watching the whole ritual of daily worshippers I could see why the Punjabis are often seen as very proud and honorable people. From learning of the history of the temple and the many who have died fighting to protect it over the past 400 years I can see why the Sikhs are looked upon as warriors, strong in heart and body.

it just keeps getting better

Bikaner, Rajasthan India

Don't have time to write much but had to give you a quick update because this past few days has been incredible... first after i wrote my last blog i got asked by the owner to eat lunch upstairs at his house, there were all these people running around and ladies dressed up... turned out one of his sons was getting married that night!!! And they wanted me to join the baarat (groom's procession) and go to the wedding!

After i was in Jaiselmer and got to stay at one of the small guesthouses within the fort, and then off to the desert for a camel overnight safari... i chose to go out to the more secluded desert and for 36 hours the 9 of us were the only foreigners in sight... sleeping under the desert was so peaceful and i still can't get over the sky full of stars and then the moon just lighting up the sky!


The absolute incredible, unbelievable part was when yesterday i was walking around the fort visiting the temples and did a double take when i saw an asian girl who looked quite familiar and then the man next to her looked up and shouted 'LOPA!' It was Dave and Wynona from Australia who I hadn't seen in 2 years! We're traveling in the same direction for the next few days so I'm hitching a ride with them... its just changed the dynamics of my experience completely!!!!>

alright off to dinner, tomorrow its the Jain Temple with the floor made of 40,000 kilos of ghee (purified butter) and then the holy rat temple (yes a place where rats are worshipped)... good thing i've got a pair of socks to wear inside the temple

On my Own

Own my own again. I got on the Suryanagari express last night to Jodhpur, Rajasthan and arrived this morning at around 7am. After a bit of searching and asking around in my broken Hindi I was able to get my bag in the cloak room and use the ladies room in the AC Class waiting room to freshen up and change. I had over 12 hours to kill until my train to Jaiselmer.

Unfortunately, my hindi skills were not good enough to hide my obvious NRI status and got taken for a ride, literally by a riksha driver who charged me 60 rupees for a 30-40 rp ride. Oh well, 50 cents isn't going to kill me. I found a roof top restaurant that had a great view of the fort so I chilled and had a masala chai and masala ommelete since the fort wasn't opening till 09AM.

One advantage I do have with being Indian and being able to speak Hindi is I can get away with paying Indian prices for entrance fees. Which in some cases can be a difference of 200-300 rupees.

The Meherangarh (Magestic Fort) is a must see in Jodhpur. With parts of it built as far back as the 17th century the fort is still run by the Maharaja. From all around you could see the surrouding Old Jodhpur city glowing in its shade of blue within the old city walls. Most of the houses are painted blue, once a sign of the Brahmins but then picked up by other locals. While visiting the entertainment room decked out in intricate paintins with gold plating - where the maharajas would be entertained by dancing and singing ladies - i met Bahatsingh, an employee of the fort's. He was kind enough to tell me about the fort and show me around.

Afterwards I walked over to the Jaswant Thada, a white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. Set a bit of way from the city, the place was beautiful and quiet... in the shade the white marble was cool to the touch and a great place to relax and recover from the heat. I've never been in India around this time, its strange to feel a chill in the morning and to have the heat during the day be so dry.

On my way here, to the Internet cafe, i got caught in a marriage procession. Sitting on his horse was the groom as the Jaan (guy's side) made there way dancing and singing to the wedding cerimony. Wedding season will start soon, so hopefully it won't be the last one I see

Okay going to get a bite to eat and head over to the Usmaid Palace, where the current maharaja lives now. And then of course I'll go to the Sadar Markets to check out the local goods :)

Who's Your Favorite NRI?

well, browngirl of course. NRI: Non-resident Indian. It is because of my NRI status and the fact that i have family here that i was able to, with the help of my uncle, sort out my extension on my indian visa.

see when i left i spent the day at the indian embassy and got myself a 6 month visa. Of course what they didn't tell me when they looked at my application was that my visa would expire prior to my exit date since the visa is based on date of issue not date of entry. So here I was in India looking to spend 3 months but with a visa that was going to expire in 20 days.

Anyway its all sorted out now, and while the paper work was being done I got to spend the last week in Baroda, Gujurat in the city where i was born visiting with family and of course shopping :)

It's been 11 years since i've been here last. Somethings haven't changed a bit, cows still roam the streets, my cousins although look different haven't changed a bit in personality, i can still get a fresh lemon soda at 1am in the morning around the corner, and there's always paanwalla somewhere outside of every restaurant.

But then there's the other side of india, the cutting edge india, who is looked upon as the front runner (with china of course) of developing countries in terms of growth. The India that's modernizing its cities, with shopping malls that would make any NRI's mouth water, restaurants serving amazingly cheap and tasty fast food indian, mobile phones that have better service than anywhere i know in the US. Billboards with bollywood stars sporting their favorite underwear brand

It's amazing how far its come along. I mean 11 years ago we would pack our suitcases with electronics, beauty products, clothes, in order to give to our families. Now you can buy everything from mexican canned chili (veg of course) to halter tops to flat screen tvs...all at prices cheaper than back home.

Of course with that there's all of the extremes, moving too forward in somethings and not enough in others. Like for example we went to see the new film Shaadi #1 (Marriage number 1)... this story was basically about 3 newlywed guys who didn't get any action on their wedding night and for whatever reasons haven't gotten any since ... so they go off and end up dating the bosses 3 daughters, with the romantic notion that they'll have 2 marriages.. yes i know sounds absolutely stupid, and it was. So basically they were old fashioned enough to wait until they got married to have sex, but not proper enough to decide not to cheat on their wives. ( mind you they didn't sleep with the girlfriends either, they wanted to get married first)

I don't know the rating system in bollywood films but with the lack of clothing that was on the 'girlfriends' i can't believe they let 10 year olds in. I mean even if the story line was actually good, many of today's Bollywood films are always filled with model cum actresses wearing barely there clothing which has nothing to do at all with the story. To think that parents back in the US have trouble watching kissing scenes in Hollywood films but can watch this sort of stuff with their kids in movie theatres! Bollywood has always been about the Big Tease, no kissing no explicit sex scenes, just lots of innuendo. Women in white saris during a rain dance (no kim not that sort of rain dance) sequence, two body shapes under sheets moving around and the lights going out, or my favorite, just as the couple is about to kiss they turn their heads and all you see the back of the guy's head and the girl's hand running through his hair. I mean don't get me wrong, I am all for the modernization of Bollywood films, but add a kissing scene during a wedding shot, or something like that. Don't just throw scenes with actresses in outfits a prostitute wouldn't be caught dead wearing in every dance sequence. Having said all that, luckily they're not all like that... there are better, more realistic story lines, movies about once taboo topics such as aids, spousal abuse and the caste system

I wonder sometimes what it would have been like if I had been raised here instead of America. Grown with the country, modernized, westernized. Read the magazines the girls read here, like Femina or New Woman with its articles on how to maintain your bodypiercings or tattoos or on how to break up with your boyfriend. Grown up watching nothing but Bollywood films, tv serials, and MTV Asia. But, I may have not turned out the same way, may not have been inclined to travel the world, work abroad, or make any of the decisions i've made thus far. So i stop wondering.

Anyway i've sort of ranted on without much of a point. but that was what this blog was for i guess, so no apologies or deletions.

I'm heading out tonight for Jodpur to start my trip in India. I'm a bit sad to go as I've become a bit spoiled and will miss hanging out with ami mami and lalu mama. But having this experience was where this whole trip stemmed from so i'm excited to explore india on my own.

Home Sweet Home

Baroda, India

Just a quick note to let you guys know i've arrived safely in India. got into bombay yesterday and was lucky enough to get to spend the day visiting with my family on my dad's side... haven't seen my uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews in 11 years....2 of which were born after my last visit! The best bit I think was just sitting and talking with Muta Papa (old father), my dad's oldest brother... my dad looks just like him and even their mannerisms, right down to how they tell stories are exactly the same.

Had to leave them to go to Gujurat to Baroda, the city i was born in to visit my family on my mom's side. I'll be back in Bombay after new years to spend more time with the other side of the family.

Took my first Indian train, and of course just like you would imagine it was crazy trying to board the train. Trains are the one things Indians do on time. I mean down to the second. There were about 7 people in front of me trying to board the train along with their coolies (baggage carriers) trying to get all their suitcases on the train. The signal goes up and the train starts to slowly move.. My cousin Devas bhai looks at me and says 'dawd, agard ni gaadi ma ja' - basically RUN! Get in on in the next car!

So there i was with my daypack and a shopping bag running and stepping up into the train - just like in the movies :)

I decided to leave most of my clothes and stuff in bombay since i was only going to be travelling around for 8 weeks, there is no need for a 65 litre pack. So now here in Gujarat i've got 1 week to extend my indian visa, do a little indian shopping, visit some family, go to the Sri Lanka vs India Cricket Match on Sunday (so excited, my first cricket match) and then early next week i'm off to Rajasthan

Mother India

Bangkok International Airport

Flew in this afternoon from Hanoi to Bangkok.... had a few hours to loaf around Khao San Road with Joe and Pete (two guys from Brooklyn I met in Vietnam who are heading back to NYC tomorrow) before catching my flight to India

I can't believe it... 6 months have passed and in less than 12 hours I'll be arriving at Mumbai International Airport after 11 years! I don't know why i'm making such a big deal about it, people do this everyday, but I can't help it. There's something about this particular trip, this time in my life, sounds silly but its the first time i'm traveling to india without my parents...haha i've been traveling by myself since the age of 13 and here i am 27 nervous about going to India without mom and dad.

There's all these questions in my head, about my family, what they'll say, how they've changed, what their lives are like and then there's so much about India I want to know about... the history, the religions, the cultures, all of it. Not sure if I'll get them all answered or if I'll even have the opportunity to ask them all... 10 weeks isn't that much time - its a pretty big ass country

I bought the new 2005 Lonely Planet India edition when i was in Cambodia and I haven't even cracked it open... its massive! I don't even know where to begin... to i try and see places in each specific region so i can get a taste of it all, or do i focus on one area, immerse myself in a particular culture... of course i have to make it to kerala for christmas and of course goa for new years... well anyway i've got 2 weeks with my family in vadodara (baroda) to start thinking about it.

Speaking of New Year's are any of you out there still interested in meeting up with me? As of now its me and Penne (she plans on doing a bit of traveling around India as well at some point)... i haven't sorted anything out yet, because i was waiting to see how many people were coming, but at this point i plan on making my arrangements within the next few days... places are going fast - its their busiest time of the year

Alright, better get going... i've got a plane to catch

xoxo
browngirl

General McCallum

Hanoi, Vietnam

Today was my last day in Vietnam. Thought i would spend it relaxing, walking around the lake, just taking it all in. Part of the plan was also to visit the pagoda on the lake.

Its while visiting the pagoda an elderly gentleman stopped me and asked if i was a Malay Singapore. So i said no, from India originally but am an American, from New York. Well that was all i needed to say. He started talking to me about America and what he thought of it, about Vietnam slowly moving towards the bench so he could sit down. I thought to myself I guess i'm being invited to converse for a bit.

And what a conversation it was. I have never in my life met someone with such a colorful past and interesting life. An Irish Catholic raised in Canada, who fought in the Korean War - his regiment on the front lines left during the retreat by the americans - wounded with shrapnel in his back, captured by the chinese and saved from death by the north koreans he was held as a prisoner of war for 3 years in china where they took care of him (General MacArthur would not allow exchanges of POWs at the time), back to school in Canada and then back to China , a member of the People's Army, fighting on the side of the Viet Cong during the American War, living in Nepal during the China India war when India gathered hundreds of Indians of Chinese Ancestry and led them to the Rajastani desert, in India as Bangladesh fought against Pakistan, fighting against the british in Singapore, adopting the daughter of a fellow soldier, promising to raise her as a muslim, working now with the UN and the Canadian government to help the children of Vietnam who are crippled by no fault of their own.... and that's just scratching at the surface

As our conversation moved from the pagoda, to the coffee shop, to an eatery, we discussed politics, the 'isms' of the world, the cultures of asia, the culture of america, my experiences with both, the treatment of women, and of women he spoke of the ones who helped him through his journey, the Native American woman from Canada who has now become a Madame Justice, the Jain woman he met in India who would fearlessly approach the Indian/Nepalese/Chinese border to meet him, his daughter, who married young and lost her husband in the war and went on to study, degrees in biology, chemistry, now thinking of medical school at the age of 45 she has only just begun.

I was so caught up in our conversation i did not want it to end, he had experiences like no one i'd met before. He thanked me for bringing him to his past, reminding him of days long forgotten. He looked at me and told me that i was a smart, beautiful, and intelligent woman and that my story was just beginning. That i would discover the path to my own happiness and take it. I'd like to believe that.

Thanks for a day i will never forget, Larry.

Highway to Highway

Hanoi, Vietnam

Not much going on here really, finally found interent speed fast enough to download pics, so all my vietnam pics should be up by the time you read this. Did have a bit of a crazy day yesterday running around.

Started off with meeting up with Claire, Shane, Joe, Pete and the rest of the folks they were travelling with to watch the Australian Melbourne Cup - the Race that Stops the Nation. After it was a bit of roaming around, window shopping etc.

Later that evening I was supposed to meet up with Ezra and Bus for dinner at Highway 4, a vietnamese restaurant/bar owned by their friend Dan. Well around quarter to 3 i checked email and found an email from Ezra saying there had been a change of plans and it was going to be a late lunch instead and to meet at their hotel at 3pm.

Unfortunately all he left me was the name of the backpackers, Darling. no address, nothing... so i start searching the internet, find a place called 'Old Darling' and go off to find it.. finally get there and the guy says that there are no english people staying there.

so then i venture off ask a few people, get some different answers including to go back to the other one. So I figure i'll go straight to the restuarant. I get there and its empty... turns out there are 2 restaurants now, and they could be at the other one. So i hop on a moto and go out to the other one. I get there and no Ezra and Bugs..okay now i'm really confused. So i ask the bartender if Dan is around, but he's not. They offer to call him. I talk to Dan and he says he thought that they had tried to stop by yesterday at 3 and had told him they were coming in the evening at around 7 or 8 with a bunch of people. Okay, maybe i had read the email wrong (i checked later, i didn't). So i decide to walk the 2 km or so home and take in the city sights

Around 7 i decide to swing by the old darling hotel again just in case... this time a different guy tells me oh yes the english couple just stepped out. Great! They must be on their way to the restaurant, so i walk over. No Ezra or Bugs or Dan. So i sit and order a drink, figure if they show great, if not i was treating myself to a nice dinner

Highway 4 is a bar/restaurant started by a Swiss guy named Marcus - ended up meeting him last night - who's been here for years, studying, working, and married a vietnamese woman. He fell in love with the culture and decided to start the restaurant to celebrate the tastes and delicacies of the highlands including their vodkas, liquors and foods such as crocodile, locusts, pigs stomach, camel, snake or goat testicle infused liquor just to name a few.

Since i was there i figured i had to try atleast something out of the ordinary. So I ordered the bo sapa one of the herbal infused liquors (it was good, but WOW what a kick) smoked russian cheese plate (which looked like a plate of noodles) and the camel skewers. This was on Marcus's recommendation - the camels or atleast the camel meat comes from Australia (didn't know they breed camels in Oz). Not sure what i was expecting, maybe something like alligator or lamb or something. Not quite - The pieces looked and tasted a bit like grilled squid. It was pretty good, but not special enough for me to feel the need to ever order again!

Not quite sure what happened to Ezzie or Bugs.. if you guys read this drop me a line, you owe me a drink!!! :)

Saal Mubarakh from Ha Noi

Hanoi, Vietnam

Happy Diwali and Saal Mubarakh (Happy New Year) to everyone!

Just got into Hanoi this morning after a 12 hour overnight train ride from Hue. I think sleeping in buses/trains/minivans truly is an art form. People use the trays, arm rests, curtains anything around them to get comfortable. I some how managed to get myself in the fetal position in the space of 2 seats (i decided to go cheap and get a seater instead of a sleeper). Not the most comfortable but got in a few hours of sleep thanks to my continental airlines eye cover and headphones. I got in around 5am and headed straight for the old quarters to find a place to stay. Finally found myself a guesthouse with a room available although i had to wait around for 2 hours until it opened. Of course i occupied my time with having a great bowl of pho for breakfast

The streets are already bussling with people, some out for their morning excerises - we rode pass Lenin Park on the train and you could see hundreds of people practicing tai chi and walking around - others getting ready to setup their food stands, somethng different every 10 meters, fresh donughts, baguettes, pho, com (rice), veggies, fruit you name it. Looking forward to exploring the city

Okay my $5 room has been cleaned so i'm going to shower and take a nap...lots to see in the next couple of days, including hopefully a trip up to the beautiful Halong Bay. Penne i think has just arrived in hoi an to do her own damage with the tailor shops and will hopefully make it to Hanoi before i leave on saturday for India.

Speaking of India i'm sure many of you have heard about the 3 bomb blasts in Delhi. Like the 2nd strike in Bali it wasn't something anyone was expecting. I haven't heard anything yet about who might be responsible but it makes me so angry that at a time like this with India and Pakistan trying to work together on aid relief for the earthquake victims and with the opening of roads through the disputed kashmir-jammu area that there are people out there who want nothing to do with peace and will kill innocent civilians to destroy it. Even if those responsble have nothing to do with the pakistan/india conflict people can not help but speculate and assume that it does.