Thursday, December 31, 2009
Turu Ba Ri
My latest tour was a trip to a "Adventure Park" which is the Costa Rican equivalent of an amusement park. It's a mere hour outside of San Jose and they have several activities you can engage in, Nature Walk, Canopy Tour, Horseback Riding, and Superman Cable. The Superman cable is an insane version of the Canopy tour. Imagine being strapped to the cable on your back and shot down the cable at 50 miles an hour. I didn't do that one. We are given the choice of 2 activities and I opted for the nature walk and horseback riding.
In order to get down to the nature walk you have to take the "Rainforest Aerial Tram"which is a gondola ride that gives you stunning views of the forest below. As we were going down on the tram on eagles were flying around the tram and one of them buzzed the tram. It was a beautiful view (photos are above my post).
The nature walk was fairly interesting but not nearly as fascinating as Manual Antonio. I did see two Coatis and they have a couple of Monkeys you can meet. I do need to make a quick correction to my earlier posts... The monkeys that I called "Spider Monkeys" are in fact White Faced Capuchins. Apparently when someone pointed the monkeys out to me I missed them saying "I call them Spider Monkeys because I can never remember their real names". Oh Well I think from the Cow/Ox incident in India we have already established that Taxonomy is not my strong suit.
We did see a lovely Butterfly Garden while on the walk but the Orchid gardens and bromeliads were a bit disappointing as neither were in bloom. The crocodiles and iguanas brightened up the walk though because they are going in the mating season so we saw some lizard courtship in action. After the walk they fed us a very nice buffet lunch that really is a couple of steps above the usual "tour" fare.
After the nature tour and lunch it was time to head back up for my horsebackriding. I have never ridden a horse before so I was excited to try this out. There was quite a large group for the horseback riding. Most of the group was a large Costa Rican family with several kids. I, of course am the only green horn in the group. I managed to mount my horse (Lucero) with only minimal difficulty. I got up, facing the right direction the first time. When the horses started down the trail I was a little nervous at first, until I got used to the rhythm and became comfortable with controlling the horse. After the first few minutes I noticed that my horse as a bit on the SLOOOOW side. It's kind of embarassing when you are being passed on the trail by 10 year old kids. After all the other horses passed me I realized my horse was more like a Pinto (the car) than a Pinto (the horse). Despite the embarassment of being the last horse in the posse it was a fun ride. We climbed up to the top of a ridge where we had the most glorious views of the mountains around us. I will say that being the last horse has it's advantage I had more time to look at the views.
All my life I have been reading books where the charecters ride horses all day. I have a much greater appreciation for all those Cowboys and Knights in all my books. I felt especially close the next day... I had all sorts of sympathy whenever I sat down. After the horseback riding we were loaded back into the bus for the trip home. It was a fun trip and would be a great place for a family with kids.
In order to get down to the nature walk you have to take the "Rainforest Aerial Tram"which is a gondola ride that gives you stunning views of the forest below. As we were going down on the tram on eagles were flying around the tram and one of them buzzed the tram. It was a beautiful view (photos are above my post).
The nature walk was fairly interesting but not nearly as fascinating as Manual Antonio. I did see two Coatis and they have a couple of Monkeys you can meet. I do need to make a quick correction to my earlier posts... The monkeys that I called "Spider Monkeys" are in fact White Faced Capuchins. Apparently when someone pointed the monkeys out to me I missed them saying "I call them Spider Monkeys because I can never remember their real names". Oh Well I think from the Cow/Ox incident in India we have already established that Taxonomy is not my strong suit.
We did see a lovely Butterfly Garden while on the walk but the Orchid gardens and bromeliads were a bit disappointing as neither were in bloom. The crocodiles and iguanas brightened up the walk though because they are going in the mating season so we saw some lizard courtship in action. After the walk they fed us a very nice buffet lunch that really is a couple of steps above the usual "tour" fare.
After the nature tour and lunch it was time to head back up for my horsebackriding. I have never ridden a horse before so I was excited to try this out. There was quite a large group for the horseback riding. Most of the group was a large Costa Rican family with several kids. I, of course am the only green horn in the group. I managed to mount my horse (Lucero) with only minimal difficulty. I got up, facing the right direction the first time. When the horses started down the trail I was a little nervous at first, until I got used to the rhythm and became comfortable with controlling the horse. After the first few minutes I noticed that my horse as a bit on the SLOOOOW side. It's kind of embarassing when you are being passed on the trail by 10 year old kids. After all the other horses passed me I realized my horse was more like a Pinto (the car) than a Pinto (the horse). Despite the embarassment of being the last horse in the posse it was a fun ride. We climbed up to the top of a ridge where we had the most glorious views of the mountains around us. I will say that being the last horse has it's advantage I had more time to look at the views.
All my life I have been reading books where the charecters ride horses all day. I have a much greater appreciation for all those Cowboys and Knights in all my books. I felt especially close the next day... I had all sorts of sympathy whenever I sat down. After the horseback riding we were loaded back into the bus for the trip home. It was a fun trip and would be a great place for a family with kids.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Crossing the E-Border without a Passport
I interrupt my usual travel blog for a message of self pity and annoyance. One interesting thing about traveling internationally is that you suddenly find yourself locked out of internet services based on the location you are logging in from. The internet originally was a borderless open access utopia where anyone in the world could access any information. More and more the internet is drawing lines in the electronic sand and closing out services to people based on location.
For instance, on my second trip to India I was unable to access my BofA account at all simply because my IP address showed India. There are several services I fork out my hard earned cash for that I cannot access outside the US, i.e. Netflix Online. The one service that irratates me the most when I am overseas is the inability to access Hulu.com or any video streaming service. Generally I am able to overcome these little techincal difficulties with a bit luck and knowledge. One thing that I have yet to overcome is the streaming video blocks on users outside the US!! All the solutions are either completely unworkable or too frustrating for words.
What I don't understand is why I, as a US citizen, am unable to get access to services that I pay for in the US. I can cheerfully download plans to build a bomb but god forbid we allow people outside the US to stream Fantasy Island episodes. Surely there is someway they could find that would allow US citizens traveling internationally to access the same services they receive at home? An electronic passport?
End self pitying post... will return you to the usual travel stuff later.
For instance, on my second trip to India I was unable to access my BofA account at all simply because my IP address showed India. There are several services I fork out my hard earned cash for that I cannot access outside the US, i.e. Netflix Online. The one service that irratates me the most when I am overseas is the inability to access Hulu.com or any video streaming service. Generally I am able to overcome these little techincal difficulties with a bit luck and knowledge. One thing that I have yet to overcome is the streaming video blocks on users outside the US!! All the solutions are either completely unworkable or too frustrating for words.
What I don't understand is why I, as a US citizen, am unable to get access to services that I pay for in the US. I can cheerfully download plans to build a bomb but god forbid we allow people outside the US to stream Fantasy Island episodes. Surely there is someway they could find that would allow US citizens traveling internationally to access the same services they receive at home? An electronic passport?
End self pitying post... will return you to the usual travel stuff later.
Monday, December 21, 2009
The Flying Leap
So this weekend I finally took that long walk off the short pier everyone has been requesting I take. Actually it was a sorry example of a flying leap. I went bungee jumping, that thrilling activity where you attached to a bungee cord and jump off a high point and bounce around.
I went bungee jumping at the Colorado River bridge in Costa Rica about an hour outside of San Jose. The company I went with was Tropical Bungee and they are the oldest bungee company in Costa Rica. They picked me up at 8:30 am and we arrived at the office of the company around 9:30am. You have to sign the liability waiver and they take you up to the bridge to the jump site. The jump is made from platform that is attached to the middle of this steel bridge that is no longer being used for car traffic.
I think there is some thing strange that goes on in your mind when you decide to do something so... insane. We all have a primitive part of our mind that is solely concerned about our survival. It's that "part" that sends that chill up your back when walking down a sketchy street at night or the part that makes you freeze when you catch that glimpse of the "snake" near you until you realize it's a stick.
Anyway this primitive little worry-wort part of my brain (some might call that the SANE part) took exception to my intention of jumping off a 265 high bridge over a very rocky river. I was pretty calm all the way up to the bridge but once they started putting the harness on my my inner fear demon started protesting my decision. After I was outfitted (double harness one around my waist and the main harness on my legs) and it was my turn to go they have you get up on a VERY narrow platform that extends out from the bridge. They have you walk out to the very edge of the platform with your toes dangling off the edge.
At this point they announce you can jump any time but they also count you down from 5 in Spanish. At this point my logical mind, which knows that I am strapped a cable, have 2 harnesses on and that the company has successfully had 35,000 jumps, goes to war with my primitive worry-wort that can only look down and think... well let's not go there, hmm? They start counting down and the primitive part of me seems to have control. Cinco... "I don't have to do this." Cuatro... "I can still get down." Tres... "I can turn around and get off." Dos... "That does it. I am getting down." Uno... "OHHHHHH (insert favorite expletive here).
I still don't know how it happened but when they hit ONE somehow the logical part of my mind took control and I jumped off the platform (at the time I believed I made a graceful leap but on seeing the video it was more humpback whale dive than swan dive). Let me tell you 265 feet of freefall gives you sufficient time to really ponder the intelligence of your decision. Meanwhile the primative safety expert part of me was completely convinced I was going to DIE right up until the first bounce. Once you fall all the way and rebound up you realize you really are attached you have the most amazing epiphany... you AREN'T going to die and DARN IT THIS IS FUN!
After the that there are a couple of minutes where you bounce around at the end of the cable until you stop hanging upside down looking at the river below. At this point they lower down a cable that you have to grab and hook to your harness (all while dangling upside down) once you are hooked they reel you back up to the top. Touching down on the ground again feels GREAT. After the jump you get a DVD of your jump (don't watch you aren't as graceful as you think) and a T-shirt. I was done with the jump by 1030am.
Would I do it again? Probably. There is only one way to find out... Cinco, Cuatro, Tres, Dos...
I went bungee jumping at the Colorado River bridge in Costa Rica about an hour outside of San Jose. The company I went with was Tropical Bungee and they are the oldest bungee company in Costa Rica. They picked me up at 8:30 am and we arrived at the office of the company around 9:30am. You have to sign the liability waiver and they take you up to the bridge to the jump site. The jump is made from platform that is attached to the middle of this steel bridge that is no longer being used for car traffic.
I think there is some thing strange that goes on in your mind when you decide to do something so... insane. We all have a primitive part of our mind that is solely concerned about our survival. It's that "part" that sends that chill up your back when walking down a sketchy street at night or the part that makes you freeze when you catch that glimpse of the "snake" near you until you realize it's a stick.
Anyway this primitive little worry-wort part of my brain (some might call that the SANE part) took exception to my intention of jumping off a 265 high bridge over a very rocky river. I was pretty calm all the way up to the bridge but once they started putting the harness on my my inner fear demon started protesting my decision. After I was outfitted (double harness one around my waist and the main harness on my legs) and it was my turn to go they have you get up on a VERY narrow platform that extends out from the bridge. They have you walk out to the very edge of the platform with your toes dangling off the edge.
At this point they announce you can jump any time but they also count you down from 5 in Spanish. At this point my logical mind, which knows that I am strapped a cable, have 2 harnesses on and that the company has successfully had 35,000 jumps, goes to war with my primitive worry-wort that can only look down and think... well let's not go there, hmm? They start counting down and the primitive part of me seems to have control. Cinco... "I don't have to do this." Cuatro... "I can still get down." Tres... "I can turn around and get off." Dos... "That does it. I am getting down." Uno... "OHHHHHH (insert favorite expletive here)
I still don't know how it happened but when they hit ONE somehow the logical part of my mind took control and I jumped off the platform (at the time I believed I made a graceful leap but on seeing the video it was more humpback whale dive than swan dive). Let me tell you 265 feet of freefall gives you sufficient time to really ponder the intelligence of your decision. Meanwhile the primative safety expert part of me was completely convinced I was going to DIE right up until the first bounce. Once you fall all the way and rebound up you realize you really are attached you have the most amazing epiphany... you AREN'T going to die and DARN IT THIS IS FUN!
After the that there are a couple of minutes where you bounce around at the end of the cable until you stop hanging upside down looking at the river below. At this point they lower down a cable that you have to grab and hook to your harness (all while dangling upside down) once you are hooked they reel you back up to the top. Touching down on the ground again feels GREAT. After the jump you get a DVD of your jump (don't watch you aren't as graceful as you think) and a T-shirt. I was done with the jump by 1030am.
Would I do it again? Probably. There is only one way to find out... Cinco, Cuatro, Tres, Dos...
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sloths and Monkeys and Deer... OH MY!! Part2
So Sunday morning I woke up bright and early at 6am. I looked out my patio window at 6:15 am and what do I see but Spider Monkeys playing in the trees. They played in the trees for 15 minutes or so before scampering off to visit the other areas of the hotel. I tried to get a picture of them but they are really quite fast.
After a quick hotel breakfast we headed off to Manual Anotinio Natural Park. It's hard to explain what the park is like. Everyone has been to a park before but the number and frequency of wildlife encounters here is just off the charts. About 5 minutes after entering the park we saw a group that was staring up at a tree (hint... follow the guided tour groups and when they look up look where they are looking). What they were looking at was a Two-Toed Tree Sloth that was sleeping in the trees. Many of the creatures in the park are Arboreal animals that live in the very tops of the trees hundreds of feet above your head. Some of the creatures I just couldn't get photos of. The sloth was really cool and after we left him another 2-3 minutes down the path we saw a Howler Monkey sleeping. Another couple minutes down the path we saw a second species of Two-Toed Tree Sloth that was sleeping.
Another couple of minutes down the path we saw one of the coolest encounters we had... A Three-Toed Tree Sloth... and it was awake and moving. We watched for quite a few minutes while he slowly pulled himself through the trees. They really are a deliberate, slow moving creature. They won't be giving any cheetahs or rabbits any competition in the speed department but they do move with a torpid efficiency. Well except for the time the sloth got himself in a jam where there was no branch he could reach and he had to back track. FYI... the photos of the sloth are down below in the photo album.
After the sloth we had some active encounters with Howler Monkeys that were... howling... of course. You can hear them all over the forrest. The trail does a turn after a bit so that we start going parrellel to the ocean. Gorgeous beaches, blue water, white sands, you know, the usual. Bill wanted to climb up to Cathedral Point which is a bit of a hike up and down these staircase like blocks. Entering the Cathedral Point path is like entering a sauna. I did mention this is a jungle right? Hot, humid, sticky jungle. The Cathedral Point path is a bit more... jungley... and alot more humid. It was in this path I had my coolest critter encounter yet. Really Jenn what did you see? I saw a deer.
Please no groans... I know you are thinking you could see a deer 5 minutes outside any town in America but I doubt you would have an encounter like I did. Partway thru the path we came upon a group who were looking at this deer just off the path. Of course we slowed down and were amazed by how close this deer was to humans. Pretty soon it climbed onto the path and started using the path as it's own personal buffet line, stolling down the path occasionaly stopping to munch on leaves. We started descending the path right behind it. It stepped off the path for a bit and pretty soon we were ahead of it. Next thing we knew the deer was on the path behind me and approaching me. I froze and it came right up next to me. Slowly, very slowly I reached out and petted it. It apparently liked having it's chin rubbed because it leaned into my hand. The next thing that happened was the strangest wildlife encounter I have ever had... The deer started to lick me. Not a quick swipe of it's tongue but a full on tongue lashing up and down my arm. Deer tongues are slightly rough and thick. The deer stood there for several minutes licking me until I decided I was done being a deer lollipop and started down the trail. Apparently I taste pretty good (White Girl: It's the other, other white meat) because it started following me down the trail. It followed me for a good half mile until we reached the junction with the main trail. What I suspect happened is that since I was sweating like a crazy in the heat the deer thought I was it's own personal mobile salt lick.
After the enounter with my new dear, deer friend we headed back to the entrance and ran into a troup of Spider Monkeys. We saw about 12 monkeys including some mothers with babies. Some of the monkeys came within 2 feet of us and never acknowledged we were there. They just went about their monkey lives. Later we passed by "iguana row" were we saw progressively larger iguanas, including one missing it's tail. Overall we were in the park 3 hours and saw more creatures than you see in a zoo in the same amount of time.
After we left we headed back to the hotel where I took a shower and washed the deer saliva off me. A couple of hours of lazing by the pool and we headed back to the airport in time to fly off into the sunset. (pics below). It was an amazing weekend.
After a quick hotel breakfast we headed off to Manual Anotinio Natural Park. It's hard to explain what the park is like. Everyone has been to a park before but the number and frequency of wildlife encounters here is just off the charts. About 5 minutes after entering the park we saw a group that was staring up at a tree (hint... follow the guided tour groups and when they look up look where they are looking). What they were looking at was a Two-Toed Tree Sloth that was sleeping in the trees. Many of the creatures in the park are Arboreal animals that live in the very tops of the trees hundreds of feet above your head. Some of the creatures I just couldn't get photos of. The sloth was really cool and after we left him another 2-3 minutes down the path we saw a Howler Monkey sleeping. Another couple minutes down the path we saw a second species of Two-Toed Tree Sloth that was sleeping.
Another couple of minutes down the path we saw one of the coolest encounters we had... A Three-Toed Tree Sloth... and it was awake and moving. We watched for quite a few minutes while he slowly pulled himself through the trees. They really are a deliberate, slow moving creature. They won't be giving any cheetahs or rabbits any competition in the speed department but they do move with a torpid efficiency. Well except for the time the sloth got himself in a jam where there was no branch he could reach and he had to back track. FYI... the photos of the sloth are down below in the photo album.
After the sloth we had some active encounters with Howler Monkeys that were... howling... of course. You can hear them all over the forrest. The trail does a turn after a bit so that we start going parrellel to the ocean. Gorgeous beaches, blue water, white sands, you know, the usual. Bill wanted to climb up to Cathedral Point which is a bit of a hike up and down these staircase like blocks. Entering the Cathedral Point path is like entering a sauna. I did mention this is a jungle right? Hot, humid, sticky jungle. The Cathedral Point path is a bit more... jungley... and alot more humid. It was in this path I had my coolest critter encounter yet. Really Jenn what did you see? I saw a deer.
Please no groans... I know you are thinking you could see a deer 5 minutes outside any town in America but I doubt you would have an encounter like I did. Partway thru the path we came upon a group who were looking at this deer just off the path. Of course we slowed down and were amazed by how close this deer was to humans. Pretty soon it climbed onto the path and started using the path as it's own personal buffet line, stolling down the path occasionaly stopping to munch on leaves. We started descending the path right behind it. It stepped off the path for a bit and pretty soon we were ahead of it. Next thing we knew the deer was on the path behind me and approaching me. I froze and it came right up next to me. Slowly, very slowly I reached out and petted it. It apparently liked having it's chin rubbed because it leaned into my hand. The next thing that happened was the strangest wildlife encounter I have ever had... The deer started to lick me. Not a quick swipe of it's tongue but a full on tongue lashing up and down my arm. Deer tongues are slightly rough and thick. The deer stood there for several minutes licking me until I decided I was done being a deer lollipop and started down the trail. Apparently I taste pretty good (White Girl: It's the other, other white meat) because it started following me down the trail. It followed me for a good half mile until we reached the junction with the main trail. What I suspect happened is that since I was sweating like a crazy in the heat the deer thought I was it's own personal mobile salt lick.
After the enounter with my new dear, deer friend we headed back to the entrance and ran into a troup of Spider Monkeys. We saw about 12 monkeys including some mothers with babies. Some of the monkeys came within 2 feet of us and never acknowledged we were there. They just went about their monkey lives. Later we passed by "iguana row" were we saw progressively larger iguanas, including one missing it's tail. Overall we were in the park 3 hours and saw more creatures than you see in a zoo in the same amount of time.
After we left we headed back to the hotel where I took a shower and washed the deer saliva off me. A couple of hours of lazing by the pool and we headed back to the airport in time to fly off into the sunset. (pics below). It was an amazing weekend.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sloths, and Monkeys, and Deer... OH MY!!! Part 1
So this weekend I headed off to Manual Antonio Natural Park, it's near the the town of Quepos on the coast. We were lucky to get a great rate on a flight down there so we got to experience the thrill of a Costa Rica regional flight. The flight departed from the small airport in San Jose. The trip would take 4 hours by bus but literally takes 25 minutes by plane and half of that is spent revving the propellers for take off. The plane is a extremely small and the safety talk consisted of telling us to buckle our seat belts. There is no lavatory, but really if you can't hold it for 15 minutes maybe air travel is not for you, huh?
After we were in the air for about 12 minutes we started to descend. The trees were getting bigger and greener and leafier in the window but I still couldn't see an airport or runway anywhere. Just as we were about to start trimming the trees with our landing gear we did a slight turn and there was the runway. The runway was a tiny black scar in large green jungle. After we landed and exited the plane I saw the "airport" which consists of a single small three-sided building. I must say I always thought the "small" airport they show in movies were purely Hollywood fiction but having been to Quepos airport I know differently.
After landing we had a ride take us to the Parador Hotel, the hotel is up a hill then down a gravelly winding road. It clings to the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and has some absolutely stunning views. We arrived at the hotel at 10 am and it was too early to get our room keys so we headed to the pool for some fun in the sun. The pool has a absolutely stunning view of the ocean. It is an infinity pool so while in it you can almost believe you could swim right off into the ocean. We spent a few hours relaxing by the pool before heading out to our tours. I had a canopy tour scheduled at 1pm .
The tour company picked me up at the hotel and we drove about 45 minutes into the mountains to the canopy area. The ride itself was a trip because we had to cross several bridges that consisted of nothing more than a couple of planks over the river. We arrived at the canopy area and had a quick snack of fruit and juice before it was time to suit up in our harnesses. They load you up with a harness, helmet, gloves and a leather glove called a brake. With all the equipment on it's virtually impossible to hold or use a camera so I don't have pictures. Although the company did send me pictures on CD disk so I will post those later. After a quick safety lecture it was time to head out on the cables!
First off, canopy tours are not for the purpose of seeing nature. They are pure adrenaline and thrills. They strap you to a cable that is VERY high and VERY long you sit back in the harness and hold your hand with the "brake" (a piece of leather that you use to brake your speed) above your head. Once you are set they shove you off and you go whizzing down the cable. You watch the guide at the next platform and when he tells you to you pull down on the brake. All in all it's like a roller coaster, you go flying through the trees hanging on for dear life. The tour consisted of 14 plaforms and 14 cables of differing lengths. One was extremely long, I am not a good measure of distance but I would guess it was about 1/2 a mile long. All I really know was that I could barely see the platform at the end when I took off. I just had to trust the cable ended some where I could land.
The tour was a BLAST and I recommend it to anyone who likes a little excitement. I did feel pretty sore the next day from holding my arm above my head. After the tour we headed back to the rest area for more fruit and snacks. Before heading back to the city we stopped at a lovely waterfall and walked around. I got back to the hotel at 6pm and spent about 10 minutes arguing with the front desk staff that were convinced that "Jennifer Steiner" already had her key. It took a bit of arguing and a call to Bill to get them to give me my key and realize the I was Jennifer Steiner. My room was a jungle facing room, meaning that the back of my hotel was a patio that faced the trees and critters in the jungle.
Well that is all I have time for tonight. Tomorrow... the natural park and all the critters I saw and the new friend I made.
After we were in the air for about 12 minutes we started to descend. The trees were getting bigger and greener and leafier in the window but I still couldn't see an airport or runway anywhere. Just as we were about to start trimming the trees with our landing gear we did a slight turn and there was the runway. The runway was a tiny black scar in large green jungle. After we landed and exited the plane I saw the "airport" which consists of a single small three-sided building. I must say I always thought the "small" airport they show in movies were purely Hollywood fiction but having been to Quepos airport I know differently.
After landing we had a ride take us to the Parador Hotel, the hotel is up a hill then down a gravelly winding road. It clings to the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean and has some absolutely stunning views. We arrived at the hotel at 10 am and it was too early to get our room keys so we headed to the pool for some fun in the sun. The pool has a absolutely stunning view of the ocean. It is an infinity pool so while in it you can almost believe you could swim right off into the ocean. We spent a few hours relaxing by the pool before heading out to our tours. I had a canopy tour scheduled at 1pm .
The tour company picked me up at the hotel and we drove about 45 minutes into the mountains to the canopy area. The ride itself was a trip because we had to cross several bridges that consisted of nothing more than a couple of planks over the river. We arrived at the canopy area and had a quick snack of fruit and juice before it was time to suit up in our harnesses. They load you up with a harness, helmet, gloves and a leather glove called a brake. With all the equipment on it's virtually impossible to hold or use a camera so I don't have pictures. Although the company did send me pictures on CD disk so I will post those later. After a quick safety lecture it was time to head out on the cables!
First off, canopy tours are not for the purpose of seeing nature. They are pure adrenaline and thrills. They strap you to a cable that is VERY high and VERY long you sit back in the harness and hold your hand with the "brake" (a piece of leather that you use to brake your speed) above your head. Once you are set they shove you off and you go whizzing down the cable. You watch the guide at the next platform and when he tells you to you pull down on the brake. All in all it's like a roller coaster, you go flying through the trees hanging on for dear life. The tour consisted of 14 plaforms and 14 cables of differing lengths. One was extremely long, I am not a good measure of distance but I would guess it was about 1/2 a mile long. All I really know was that I could barely see the platform at the end when I took off. I just had to trust the cable ended some where I could land.
The tour was a BLAST and I recommend it to anyone who likes a little excitement. I did feel pretty sore the next day from holding my arm above my head. After the tour we headed back to the rest area for more fruit and snacks. Before heading back to the city we stopped at a lovely waterfall and walked around. I got back to the hotel at 6pm and spent about 10 minutes arguing with the front desk staff that were convinced that "Jennifer Steiner" already had her key. It took a bit of arguing and a call to Bill to get them to give me my key and realize the I was Jennifer Steiner. My room was a jungle facing room, meaning that the back of my hotel was a patio that faced the trees and critters in the jungle.
Well that is all I have time for tonight. Tomorrow... the natural park and all the critters I saw and the new friend I made.
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Friday, December 11, 2009
Arenal Part 2
I feel guilty I haven't been keeping up with my blog... tomorrow I am off on yet another adventure and I haven't even finished writing about my last one! Darn it... I am just having too much fun. Sorry.
So after my trip to Tabacon and nearly losing my glasses I headed back to the hotel and went to sleep in my giant room. For some bizarre reason I woke up at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep. That was OK once I got over my denial of being awake I was able fill my whirlpool tub with water, which by the way took 1/2 hour, and lay in the tub while watching the sun rise over Arenal. Now that is fun!!
After I spent enough time soaking in the tub to get a bit pruny I got dressed and went for an early am walk. The morning was humid enough that the whole area was quite misty. I walked around and then headed to the buffet breakfast that was included with the room. The spread was quite nice and they had a great mix of Costa Rican and American breakfast choices. The restuarant features a absolutely stunning view of Arenal and the surrounding area.
After breakfast I went back to my room and set my chair in the doorway and watched the clouds go by on Arenal. Arenal never really showed itself... It really was a tease. It would give me a peak of the peak but never fully uncovered itself. Watching the clouds go by is a fun activity on it's own. The clouds move very quickly (many of the Arenal pictures I took below were taken within a couple of minutes of each other). They seem to race by the volcano so you are viewing an ever moving show. I noticed people tended to look at the clouds that were coming up in line to pass the volcano and say "After that cloud we should be able to see the peak." What I learned after a couple of hours of watching it was that there is ALWAYS another cloud coming.
Later I headed over to my Spa appointment. I set up a package appointment for a Volcanic Mud Wrap and Swedish Message. First I had the mud wrap and for this adventure they give you paper underwear to wear and paper slippers. I still can't say that there was any great lasting value to the mud wrap. They cover you in mud and then wrap you up like a giant burrito until the mud gets all crusty and dry. After the mud wrap the attendant has a warm shower already running for you. After I scrubbed the crusty mud they started in on the message. I don't think that getting a message while having a cold was the wisest choice. During the whole message while I was laying on my stomach I keep worrying start dripping from my nose on the floor. My head was so stuffy and tense that as the message moved up my back I started to feel uncomfortable. Overall the spa was very nice but messages with colds don't work for me.
After the message I had a great lunch in the restaurant and resumed my cloud watching until it was time to catch the bus back to San Jose.
So after my trip to Tabacon and nearly losing my glasses I headed back to the hotel and went to sleep in my giant room. For some bizarre reason I woke up at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep. That was OK once I got over my denial of being awake I was able fill my whirlpool tub with water, which by the way took 1/2 hour, and lay in the tub while watching the sun rise over Arenal. Now that is fun!!
After I spent enough time soaking in the tub to get a bit pruny I got dressed and went for an early am walk. The morning was humid enough that the whole area was quite misty. I walked around and then headed to the buffet breakfast that was included with the room. The spread was quite nice and they had a great mix of Costa Rican and American breakfast choices. The restuarant features a absolutely stunning view of Arenal and the surrounding area.
After breakfast I went back to my room and set my chair in the doorway and watched the clouds go by on Arenal. Arenal never really showed itself... It really was a tease. It would give me a peak of the peak but never fully uncovered itself. Watching the clouds go by is a fun activity on it's own. The clouds move very quickly (many of the Arenal pictures I took below were taken within a couple of minutes of each other). They seem to race by the volcano so you are viewing an ever moving show. I noticed people tended to look at the clouds that were coming up in line to pass the volcano and say "After that cloud we should be able to see the peak." What I learned after a couple of hours of watching it was that there is ALWAYS another cloud coming.
Later I headed over to my Spa appointment. I set up a package appointment for a Volcanic Mud Wrap and Swedish Message. First I had the mud wrap and for this adventure they give you paper underwear to wear and paper slippers. I still can't say that there was any great lasting value to the mud wrap. They cover you in mud and then wrap you up like a giant burrito until the mud gets all crusty and dry. After the mud wrap the attendant has a warm shower already running for you. After I scrubbed the crusty mud they started in on the message. I don't think that getting a message while having a cold was the wisest choice. During the whole message while I was laying on my stomach I keep worrying start dripping from my nose on the floor. My head was so stuffy and tense that as the message moved up my back I started to feel uncomfortable. Overall the spa was very nice but messages with colds don't work for me.
After the message I had a great lunch in the restaurant and resumed my cloud watching until it was time to catch the bus back to San Jose.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Arenal and the Hot Springs Part 1
So last weekend I went to the volcano Arenal. The trip up to the mountain is about 3 hours on a 2 lane highway thru some country that could only be called "rugged". Some of the drive is precipitous where the road will drop away on either side with beautiful jungle hills. The hotel (Montana De Fuego)we had was quite lovely. Each room was in a separate "cabana". My room overlooked the volcano with a Jacuzzi tub that you could lay in and watch the clouds go by on the volcano. I had a very large room with it's own breakfast nook and a couple of rocking chairs.
The hotel ground are beautifully landscaped with tropical plants and flowers. The hotel has a nice pool with swim up bar and jacuzzi. It also has it's own spa so I immediately went and made an appointment for some treatments for the morning. After a couple of hours of relaxation at the hotel we headed to the Tabacon Hot Springs. It's a short drive down to the hot springs. The hot springs are awesome. Unfortunately, we got there just as the sun was setting so I don't have many pictures (besides hot water and digital cameras don't mix). All of my pictures from Tabacon and Arenal are down in the album right below the Sniffle Sniffle... Cough post.
After arriving and changing into a swimsuit it was time to take the plunge in to the springs. Hmm how to describe the springs. They are a natural series of pools and waterfall that are surrounded by overgrown tropical foliage. Starting at the top of the springs the pools are the hottest and as you work your way down they tend to get cooler. The pools all have waterfall that you can sit under and have the hot water pound on your shoulders. There are also several cold water swimming pools, including one with a swim up bar.
Nothing feels better when you are sick (I still had that cold) than sitting in hot water while the waterfall cascades over your shoulders. If you want to hang out in a sauna you can go behind the water fall where the air is filled with steam. The best way to go is start at the top where the heat is the greatest and then work your way down the pools as you get overheated. There are probably 50 different small pools, enough that even with all the people at the hot spring you can still find a secluded spot for yourself. The night we were there they has a gentle tropical rain falling so that while laying in the hot pools you could feel the gentle cool drops hitting your skin. It made for a interesting sensation... hot and cold together.
While at the hot springs I just HAD to take a ride down their water slide. I have come to the conclusion that glasses and water DO NOT mix. When I was at the Isla Tortuga my glasses were interfering with my snorkeling then they made me take them off to ride on the Banana Boat. When i took off on the water slide (which was pretty cool) as soon as I hit the water WHAM my glasses popped off and landed in the pool. You remember the Scooby Doo cartoons where, inevitably Velma would lose her glasses when the monsters were chasing them? Yeah I now know what Velma felt like. There I was in a huge pool of water, in the dark, with no glasses and I can't see my hand in front of my face let along my glasses 3 feet under wather.
I was really freaking out since they were the only glasses I have with me in Costa Rica. Visions of spending 6 weeks blind as a bat passed thru my mind fortunately I was blind enough I couldn't see the visions clearly. I went running looking for someone that worked at the Hot Springs but being blind could find anyone until I got all the way up to the restaurant. I begged for them to send some one down with a flashlight. Fortunately, just as I got back to the pool someone found my glasses and picked them up!! They were, mostly, undamaged just a bit of scratching on the frame. PHEW!!!
After 3 hours of soaking in the springs we headed up to the buffet dinner in the restaurant. The food was fabulous and the tables overlooked the hot springs below. The floor show left something to be desired. We got a breif rendition of Crazy People Gone Wild as a very, very drunk french girl had a complete meltdown in the restuarant. She apparently had lost her husband, Amex card, shirt as well as her self respect and sanity. She was standing up in the middle of the restaurant yelling for someone to call 911 because she couldn't find her husband (who probably didn't want to claim her). She expounded on the typical drunk topics of paranoia, anger and insanity. Each of her tirades ended with a "Happy Thanksgiving"... unfortunately she never got the message that we would be very thankful and happy if she would shut up and sit down. After the dinner and floor show we headed back to the hotel tired and relaxed. Well that is enough for today.... Stay tuned for Part 2.
The hotel ground are beautifully landscaped with tropical plants and flowers. The hotel has a nice pool with swim up bar and jacuzzi. It also has it's own spa so I immediately went and made an appointment for some treatments for the morning. After a couple of hours of relaxation at the hotel we headed to the Tabacon Hot Springs. It's a short drive down to the hot springs. The hot springs are awesome. Unfortunately, we got there just as the sun was setting so I don't have many pictures (besides hot water and digital cameras don't mix). All of my pictures from Tabacon and Arenal are down in the album right below the Sniffle Sniffle... Cough post.
After arriving and changing into a swimsuit it was time to take the plunge in to the springs. Hmm how to describe the springs. They are a natural series of pools and waterfall that are surrounded by overgrown tropical foliage. Starting at the top of the springs the pools are the hottest and as you work your way down they tend to get cooler. The pools all have waterfall that you can sit under and have the hot water pound on your shoulders. There are also several cold water swimming pools, including one with a swim up bar.
Nothing feels better when you are sick (I still had that cold) than sitting in hot water while the waterfall cascades over your shoulders. If you want to hang out in a sauna you can go behind the water fall where the air is filled with steam. The best way to go is start at the top where the heat is the greatest and then work your way down the pools as you get overheated. There are probably 50 different small pools, enough that even with all the people at the hot spring you can still find a secluded spot for yourself. The night we were there they has a gentle tropical rain falling so that while laying in the hot pools you could feel the gentle cool drops hitting your skin. It made for a interesting sensation... hot and cold together.
While at the hot springs I just HAD to take a ride down their water slide. I have come to the conclusion that glasses and water DO NOT mix. When I was at the Isla Tortuga my glasses were interfering with my snorkeling then they made me take them off to ride on the Banana Boat. When i took off on the water slide (which was pretty cool) as soon as I hit the water WHAM my glasses popped off and landed in the pool. You remember the Scooby Doo cartoons where, inevitably Velma would lose her glasses when the monsters were chasing them? Yeah I now know what Velma felt like. There I was in a huge pool of water, in the dark, with no glasses and I can't see my hand in front of my face let along my glasses 3 feet under wather.
I was really freaking out since they were the only glasses I have with me in Costa Rica. Visions of spending 6 weeks blind as a bat passed thru my mind fortunately I was blind enough I couldn't see the visions clearly. I went running looking for someone that worked at the Hot Springs but being blind could find anyone until I got all the way up to the restaurant. I begged for them to send some one down with a flashlight. Fortunately, just as I got back to the pool someone found my glasses and picked them up!! They were, mostly, undamaged just a bit of scratching on the frame. PHEW!!!
After 3 hours of soaking in the springs we headed up to the buffet dinner in the restaurant. The food was fabulous and the tables overlooked the hot springs below. The floor show left something to be desired. We got a breif rendition of Crazy People Gone Wild as a very, very drunk french girl had a complete meltdown in the restuarant. She apparently had lost her husband, Amex card, shirt as well as her self respect and sanity. She was standing up in the middle of the restaurant yelling for someone to call 911 because she couldn't find her husband (who probably didn't want to claim her). She expounded on the typical drunk topics of paranoia, anger and insanity. Each of her tirades ended with a "Happy Thanksgiving"... unfortunately she never got the message that we would be very thankful and happy if she would shut up and sit down. After the dinner and floor show we headed back to the hotel tired and relaxed. Well that is enough for today.... Stay tuned for Part 2.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sniffle, Sniffle... Cough
This weekend I went to Arenal Volcano, one of Costa Rica's active volcanos. On thursday before we left I was stupid enough to catch a cold. Everyone in my class is, or has been, sick. The training room is just a giant petri dish with a wide choice of diseases available. My body choose the basic "sniffle, cough, mucus overload" cold. One interesting thing about Costa Rica is that it has univeral health care. It's interesting to see how that changes the dynamics of the culture. In the US the first response to any illness is to "watch" and make sure you are really, REALLY sick before going to a doctor. We even have little rules for when we should see the doctor... (I was raised on the mucus color monitoring system... let's not go there though... kay?)
In Costa Rica things are COMPLETELY different. Since health care is universal they don't have any inhibitions about going to the doctor. My first sniffle in class and my students were prepared to drive me to the hosipital. They will consult with pharmacists who will prepare medications for them. The slightest cold sends them packing to the doctor and they always seem to be getting a shot for something. It's just a very intersting cultural difference when you see men going to the doctor over a cold or allergy. It makes me long for a day in the US when parents won't have to weigh the cost of a weeks groceries over the cost of their childs heath. Generally I try to stay away from the politics of things but seriously... I would love to stop trying to determine if something is yellow or green... if you know what I mean! ;)
In Costa Rica things are COMPLETELY different. Since health care is universal they don't have any inhibitions about going to the doctor. My first sniffle in class and my students were prepared to drive me to the hosipital. They will consult with pharmacists who will prepare medications for them. The slightest cold sends them packing to the doctor and they always seem to be getting a shot for something. It's just a very intersting cultural difference when you see men going to the doctor over a cold or allergy. It makes me long for a day in the US when parents won't have to weigh the cost of a weeks groceries over the cost of their childs heath. Generally I try to stay away from the politics of things but seriously... I would love to stop trying to determine if something is yellow or green... if you know what I mean! ;)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Isla Tortuga...
So on Saturday I went on a tour to Isla Tortuga. First we were picked up at the Crown Plaze and boarded a bus (those that remember my tour in India... It was air conditioned and very comfy). After a brief tour of the various hotels in San Jose as we picked up passengers we headed out on the road. It's about 2hrs to the Pacific coast and the town of Puntarenas. We stopped for breakfast about 1/2 way there and had a typical Costa Rican breakfast. Beans and Rice, Eggs, some fresh fruit and 2 measly peices of fried plantain (DARN IT I want more). After breakfast we had a few minutes to wander around the gardens, say hello to the pet toucan and, of course, shop in the gift shop.
After another 1hr on the bus we arrived at Puntarenas. It's hard to imagine the difference from San Jose. The weather was warm, the sky blue, and the water clear!! There were a few clouds in the sky but they mostly huddled around your peripheral vision as if unwilling to intrude on the great big blue sky. It's about a 1 1/2 cruise to the island and on the way you pass beautiful green islands. On the boat we got drinks (non alcoholic included) and fresh fruit.
Once we got to the island we disembarked and had a hour until lunch was served. Those of us that wanted to could spend the time snorkeling (which was included in the cost). It was my very first time snorkeling!!! Overall I did fairly well, considering I wear glasses and they kept the mask from making a good seal. I did get 4-5 minutes of snorkeling at a time towards the end. I saw parrot fish, clown fish, and other brightly colored fish. It was great just being out in the water.
After that we returned to the beach lunch was in full swing, with musicians and all. We had a nice Ceviche to start follow by a selection of salads. For the entree we had tropical chicken. The menu was a step up from most of the meals you receive on tours. Considering they have to unload all the items for the meal from the boat, set it up and cook it in one hour it is quite amazing.
After lunch we had a little time to wander around and lay in the sun before the next activity, the Banana Boat ride. That is just what it sounds like. A giant inflatable Banana shaped boat that you sit on while it's pulled behind a bigger boat at a break neck pace. It was quite fun except they made me take my glasses off (in case we got dumped in the water) so all I saw was large blurs going by.
After another hour of lazing on the beach in a hammock we had to get back on the boat for the trip back. They time it perfectly because as you cruise back they sun is setting dramatically making for a perfect finish to the day.
It was a fun Cruise. If you want to see the Tour group we were on their webiste is: http://www.calypsocruises.com/.
After another 1hr on the bus we arrived at Puntarenas. It's hard to imagine the difference from San Jose. The weather was warm, the sky blue, and the water clear!! There were a few clouds in the sky but they mostly huddled around your peripheral vision as if unwilling to intrude on the great big blue sky. It's about a 1 1/2 cruise to the island and on the way you pass beautiful green islands. On the boat we got drinks (non alcoholic included) and fresh fruit.
Once we got to the island we disembarked and had a hour until lunch was served. Those of us that wanted to could spend the time snorkeling (which was included in the cost). It was my very first time snorkeling!!! Overall I did fairly well, considering I wear glasses and they kept the mask from making a good seal. I did get 4-5 minutes of snorkeling at a time towards the end. I saw parrot fish, clown fish, and other brightly colored fish. It was great just being out in the water.
After that we returned to the beach lunch was in full swing, with musicians and all. We had a nice Ceviche to start follow by a selection of salads. For the entree we had tropical chicken. The menu was a step up from most of the meals you receive on tours. Considering they have to unload all the items for the meal from the boat, set it up and cook it in one hour it is quite amazing.
After lunch we had a little time to wander around and lay in the sun before the next activity, the Banana Boat ride. That is just what it sounds like. A giant inflatable Banana shaped boat that you sit on while it's pulled behind a bigger boat at a break neck pace. It was quite fun except they made me take my glasses off (in case we got dumped in the water) so all I saw was large blurs going by.
After another hour of lazing on the beach in a hammock we had to get back on the boat for the trip back. They time it perfectly because as you cruise back they sun is setting dramatically making for a perfect finish to the day.
It was a fun Cruise. If you want to see the Tour group we were on their webiste is: http://www.calypsocruises.com/.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Give me back my Plantains!!!
Trying new things is one of the greatest benefits of travel. One of the saddest things about travel is trying something that you know you will never get at home and becoming addicted to it. When I went to India I developed an addiction to Masala Dosa. Masala Dosa is a South Indian breakfast food that is just heavenly. This trip I am addicted to a great Costa Rican breakfast food (why I develop these foriegn breakfast food addictions I don't know) of Fried Plaintains. Plantains are like bananas and they fry them up (in what I don't know and don't care) and they are FABULOUS. The hotel breakfast spread has had them every day since I have been here EXCEPT for the last two days!!! I have been eating whole platefuls of them... perhaps there is now a Plantain shortage in Costa Rica because of me. I want them back. Please Marriot... bring back my Fried Plantains... or if you can't do that I will take Masala Dosa...
Tomorrow I am off on a cruise to Isla Tortuga (or Turtle Island in english)... for fun in the sun and some snorkeling. Later.
Tomorrow I am off on a cruise to Isla Tortuga (or Turtle Island in english)... for fun in the sun and some snorkeling. Later.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Hola from Costa Rica!
Well i have been in Costa Rica for one week now. I wish I could say I have been trekking thru to the jungles but I haven't seen much YET but I have PLANS. This week seemed to be a series of days where I seemed to be running to catch up with things. Now that I have things in motion I have plans to go on a tour this weekend. Nothing much just a tour of the Isla Tortuga on a yacht.
One of the great things about Costa Rica is that San Jose is very central and the county is small enought that everything can be reached easily. Costa Rica chock full of adventure activities. Ziplining, Bungie Jumping, White Water Rafting, Snorkeling, and other activities engaged in by thrill seeking junkies. I really look forward to checking out some of these activities. Hopefully I won't end up on some reality show like "When Americans do stupid stuff" or something.
The weather is interesting. We are at the end of their "Wet" season so it frequently looks like it's about to rain but what confuses my little "Portlander" brain is that even when it looks like it's about to pour rain it's still a balmy, humid 80 degrees out. My PDX brain sees the clouds and says 50 degrees. The weather is very changable... it never rains for more than 5 minutes.
One of the great things about Costa Rica is that San Jose is very central and the county is small enought that everything can be reached easily. Costa Rica chock full of adventure activities. Ziplining, Bungie Jumping, White Water Rafting, Snorkeling, and other activities engaged in by thrill seeking junkies. I really look forward to checking out some of these activities. Hopefully I won't end up on some reality show like "When Americans do stupid stuff" or something.
The weather is interesting. We are at the end of their "Wet" season so it frequently looks like it's about to rain but what confuses my little "Portlander" brain is that even when it looks like it's about to pour rain it's still a balmy, humid 80 degrees out. My PDX brain sees the clouds and says 50 degrees. The weather is very changable... it never rains for more than 5 minutes.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Goa Part 1.
I haven't had much opportunity to write about the trip I had to Goa before I left India the first time but I thought I would cover it now.
My last night in India, I intended to leave at 10pm to go home and pack for my 6am flight to Goa. However I was thwarted in from my goals by the going away “extravaganza” they had planned for me at the office. First we had a Kabob fest of loads of yummy Kabobs for dinner. Then there were the pictures. I had to have my picture taken with each pod. Then with each supervisor group, then a large group shot with everyone. This doesn’t include the many pictures they took of me pretending to work at my desk, etc. That wasn’t the end of it though came the gifts. I got handed many gifts I had to open up. Well by the time they were done with me it was midnight. I got back to the apartment and packed my bags for Goa and it was too late to get any sleep before I had to leave at 4 am.
So long before the crack of dawn I headed out to the airport. Have I mentioned yet how nice it is to have a driver pick you up and drive you around? Chitty, our driver, picked me up at 4AM on a Saturday. Thank you Chitty!!! Not having to call on a random cab company was a great relief to me. Anyway I arrived at the airport for my early AM departure. On interesting thing about Bangalore’s Airport if you are traveling within India they will charge you 260 Rupees just to get in the airport.
I was wearing a nice sleeveless Salwar Kameez outfit (India outfit consisting of pants and top and a scarf like thing). Before I came to India I had read a lot of advice on what to wear and one the suggestions was that western women would be more comfortable and receive less negative attention if they wore Salwar Kameez. I will say they are very comfortable in the heat. They are generally made of very light cotton or silk that just breathe much better than a pair of jeans and t-shirt. I will say the attention avoidance concept didn’t entirely work.
My first interesting encounter occurred when I went through security. One nice thing about being a girl in India is we get to go thru the special “Ladies Line”, which is 1/3 third the length as the Men’s line so we breeze thru security while they guys are still winding thru the queue. So when you go thru security first you walk thru the standard metal detector, then everyone needs to enter a little curtained off box. You enter stand on a little platform and a security guard uses the little wand to check for metal.
When I entered the little box I had the most androgynous person I have every seen. I am certain since the person was working the girl line it must have been a female but honestly even with the eye makeup I still would have thought her a guy. Let’s call her Pat. Pat had quite a gleam in her eye when she looked at my papers and the whole time she was running her wand over me she kept saying “Oh Madam looks VERY nice.”
Much of India seems to use the tarmac boarding process where your flight is called you go thru the gate to a bus that trundles you out to the tarmac to you plane. Jetways seem to be reserved for International flights only. After I was bussed out the flight I board my Turbo Prop plane for Goa. The plane was so small that my seat in the first row was close enough to lean over and touch the Cockpit door. The Flight Attendant jump seat folded into the wall right next to my seat so during take of I sat facing and quite close to the male flight attendant. I assuming he liked my outfit too because he keep looking over at me and licking his lips. I one point I thought maybe his toungue was stuck and almost offered him a chapstick. Well I will cover the rest of the trip in the next post.
My last night in India, I intended to leave at 10pm to go home and pack for my 6am flight to Goa. However I was thwarted in from my goals by the going away “extravaganza” they had planned for me at the office. First we had a Kabob fest of loads of yummy Kabobs for dinner. Then there were the pictures. I had to have my picture taken with each pod. Then with each supervisor group, then a large group shot with everyone. This doesn’t include the many pictures they took of me pretending to work at my desk, etc. That wasn’t the end of it though came the gifts. I got handed many gifts I had to open up. Well by the time they were done with me it was midnight. I got back to the apartment and packed my bags for Goa and it was too late to get any sleep before I had to leave at 4 am.
So long before the crack of dawn I headed out to the airport. Have I mentioned yet how nice it is to have a driver pick you up and drive you around? Chitty, our driver, picked me up at 4AM on a Saturday. Thank you Chitty!!! Not having to call on a random cab company was a great relief to me. Anyway I arrived at the airport for my early AM departure. On interesting thing about Bangalore’s Airport if you are traveling within India they will charge you 260 Rupees just to get in the airport.
I was wearing a nice sleeveless Salwar Kameez outfit (India outfit consisting of pants and top and a scarf like thing). Before I came to India I had read a lot of advice on what to wear and one the suggestions was that western women would be more comfortable and receive less negative attention if they wore Salwar Kameez. I will say they are very comfortable in the heat. They are generally made of very light cotton or silk that just breathe much better than a pair of jeans and t-shirt. I will say the attention avoidance concept didn’t entirely work.
My first interesting encounter occurred when I went through security. One nice thing about being a girl in India is we get to go thru the special “Ladies Line”, which is 1/3 third the length as the Men’s line so we breeze thru security while they guys are still winding thru the queue. So when you go thru security first you walk thru the standard metal detector, then everyone needs to enter a little curtained off box. You enter stand on a little platform and a security guard uses the little wand to check for metal.
When I entered the little box I had the most androgynous person I have every seen. I am certain since the person was working the girl line it must have been a female but honestly even with the eye makeup I still would have thought her a guy. Let’s call her Pat. Pat had quite a gleam in her eye when she looked at my papers and the whole time she was running her wand over me she kept saying “Oh Madam looks VERY nice.”
Much of India seems to use the tarmac boarding process where your flight is called you go thru the gate to a bus that trundles you out to the tarmac to you plane. Jetways seem to be reserved for International flights only. After I was bussed out the flight I board my Turbo Prop plane for Goa. The plane was so small that my seat in the first row was close enough to lean over and touch the Cockpit door. The Flight Attendant jump seat folded into the wall right next to my seat so during take of I sat facing and quite close to the male flight attendant. I assuming he liked my outfit too because he keep looking over at me and licking his lips. I one point I thought maybe his toungue was stuck and almost offered him a chapstick. Well I will cover the rest of the trip in the next post.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Improved Rat Race... Now with Real Rats
I was walking back from the grocery store today when, not 2 feet in front of me, a rat came shooting up out of the sewer. It's no great surprise to me that there are rats in India. I have seen the deads ones in the street. I even saw a live one poke it's head out of an alley way early one morning before it was light. I think I handled all of these rodent encounters with great aplomb, however, I draw the line at live rats scurrying around broad daylight, during rush hour no less!! There are rules about such things: cute fluffly things get the daylight and disease carrying creepy ones the night.
I really was not mentally prepared for a live, beady eyed, slimy tailed encounter of this magnitude at five o'clock at night. When you are confronted with a situation this horrific there is only one way handle the situation. You must express your feeling thru Interpretive Dance. Yes... I mean an immediate and spontaneous Heebie Jeebie Dance. I think we all know the steps to that one right? First you twitch to the right. Then you jerk to left. Then you fling yourself around like Martin Short's Ed Grimley from SNL. You can if you wish accompany this with Tourette's like exclaimations of "Get away, Ick, and EWE".
So here I am on a Indian street flinging myself around in broad daylight with my two grocery bags in my hands. Did i mention that there was a short wall that blocked the view of the rat from everyone else? Oh yeah I had what must of looked like an upright epileptic seizure over rat that I only I could see. I just wonder what the Indians on the street were thinking...
I really was not mentally prepared for a live, beady eyed, slimy tailed encounter of this magnitude at five o'clock at night. When you are confronted with a situation this horrific there is only one way handle the situation. You must express your feeling thru Interpretive Dance. Yes... I mean an immediate and spontaneous Heebie Jeebie Dance. I think we all know the steps to that one right? First you twitch to the right. Then you jerk to left. Then you fling yourself around like Martin Short's Ed Grimley from SNL. You can if you wish accompany this with Tourette's like exclaimations of "Get away, Ick, and EWE".
So here I am on a Indian street flinging myself around in broad daylight with my two grocery bags in my hands. Did i mention that there was a short wall that blocked the view of the rat from everyone else? Oh yeah I had what must of looked like an upright epileptic seizure over rat that I only I could see. I just wonder what the Indians on the street were thinking...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Seat wipers... to tip or not to tip?
I was greatly surprised when I decided to use the Bangalore Airport restroom before my flight to Goa. My entrance caused the bathroom attendance and rush to a stall with rag in hand. She proceeded to wipe my seat down thoroughly before I could use the toilet. For those who might have found the preceding sentence unclear she was wiping the seat on the toilet not my personal seat.
After completing my business and exiting the bathroom I found the young lady standing at attendance at the door. Thinking she wanted a tip I dug around in my bag for a five rupee coin and handed it to her. Her look showed she was somewhat offended by the gesture so I thought "gee I must not have given her the going rate for a seat wipe" and I gave her another fiver. Well she managed to look both offended and confused.
I told Mark the tale and said I thought she looked offended. He said she probably was and that she only wiped my seat for me because I am a westerner. So I was under the impression that tipping the seat wiper is BAD. Fast forward to the night I arrived at Delhi airport. I go to use the restroom where the attendant dutifully wipes my seat for me. This time I thought well at least I don't have to tip but as I am leaving the bathroom the attendant asks me for a tip. Well this is in the baggage area before where I can exchange my money so I didn't have any Rupees with me so I had to leave a disappointed and offended seat wiper no tip.
Now I am thoroughly confused. Should one tip a seat wiper? If so... does anyone know the going rate for a seat wipe these days? Thanks.
After completing my business and exiting the bathroom I found the young lady standing at attendance at the door. Thinking she wanted a tip I dug around in my bag for a five rupee coin and handed it to her. Her look showed she was somewhat offended by the gesture so I thought "gee I must not have given her the going rate for a seat wipe" and I gave her another fiver. Well she managed to look both offended and confused.
I told Mark the tale and said I thought she looked offended. He said she probably was and that she only wiped my seat for me because I am a westerner. So I was under the impression that tipping the seat wiper is BAD. Fast forward to the night I arrived at Delhi airport. I go to use the restroom where the attendant dutifully wipes my seat for me. This time I thought well at least I don't have to tip but as I am leaving the bathroom the attendant asks me for a tip. Well this is in the baggage area before where I can exchange my money so I didn't have any Rupees with me so I had to leave a disappointed and offended seat wiper no tip.
Now I am thoroughly confused. Should one tip a seat wiper? If so... does anyone know the going rate for a seat wipe these days? Thanks.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Back in India again!!!
Well, I made it back to Bangalore. What a journey!! I have never been so tired. I had a 4 hour layover in Vienna and then got on the flight to Delhi. That flight was almost as long as the Dulles/Vienna leg. I finally got into Delhi at 1230AM and had a 940am flight out of Delhi to Bangalore. I did have a hotel reserved for me at the Intercontinental for the layover. I was a bit worried that the Immigration and Customs and getting my bags would take too long and that I wouldn't really need the Hotel. I did get thru all of that in less than an hour and I headed out of the airport to find a cab.
Now I had read quite a bit about Delhi and getting cabs at the airport. The important thing seems is to get a pre-paid taxi. I did check out the hotel website that listed the cost of a cab from the airport so I knew how much it SHOULD cost. When I got out of the airport a Tout did try to get me to take his taxi for a the bargain price of 2495 rupees (about $50) but since I knew the fare should be 300 rupees I declined his KIND offer and opted for the pre-paid taxi, although he assured me the service wouldn't be as good. I do think he was right there.
So after i paid my fare and found the taxi that takes the pre-paid fares, I got in the taxi and we set out for the hotel. No not really... that would be easy. First the driver had to figure out where i was going. Now I had printed out the hotel address and the directions from the airport from the hotels website in my mistaken effort to be helpful. One thing I am coming to realize is that most Indian taxi drivers are not overly literate. They don't tend to read my carefully printed out directions. After giving the driver the directions he consulted with two other cab drivers and they acheived the Indian taxi driver consensus of where I needed to go. I was not overly emboldened with confidence as we set out for the hotel.
Well actually... we didn't set out for the hotel because the driver apparently had some issue at the taxi stand where they log where I am going. I think he didn't have all his papers on record or something because he spent a good 15 minutes at the taxi stand pulling out papers and talking to the guy at the desk. Finally he came back and we set off for the hotel. Well, no we didn't because then he had to stop at another spot and get out an argue some more with someone else for 15 minutes. Finally though we set out and I really, really knew I was going to be taken for a ride.
Now never having been to Delhi and arriving in the dark with no idea of landmarks, etc, I still had the sinking feeling that I was not going in the right direction. After about 30 minutes we did pull up to a hotel called the Lalit. I was reasonably certain that we were NOT at the Intercontinental so I wouldn't get out of the cab until someone verified where I was. The security guard at the gate assured me that the hotel was the Intercontinental but had changed the name. Thus assured I got out of the cab and went into the lobby.
It's actually a very nice hotel. The lobby was beautiful. The front desk staff very gracious and helpful. I really would have loved to stay there longer but unfortunately it was the wrong hotel. Oh it was AN Intercontinental Hotel... just the WRONG one. At this point it's 2 in the morning and I am at the wrong hotel in Delhi. The hotel could have given me a room but since the company had booked me a room using points at the other Intercontinental they could not transfer my reservation to the new hotel. So here I am at 2 in the morning wondering do I take a cab to the other hotel or just one back to the airport? I really wanted to take a shower (I have been traveling for more than 24hrs straight at this point) so I got a cab to the OTHER Intercontinental hotel.
The staff at the wrong hotel did call ahead and let the right hotel know I was coming so they breezed me thru check in and were quite gracious. It's 230am at this point and I have to leave for the airport at 730am so I know that sleep really is out of the question. I took a nice bath and watched some TV. I found myself nodding off but I was afraid if I fell asleep I would never wake up and would miss my flight.
After a very nice breakfast, I hopped a cab to the airport. I really didn't have any trouble with the airport except for some brief confusion about whether I was traveling on Indian Airlines or Air India (apparently they are the same carrier now but some things say one name and some say another... not confusing at all really... ). The seats were a bit crowded on the flight. My face was about a foot away from the seat in front of me but for a 2 1/2 hour flight they did feed me!! I am not talking a "food for purchase" snack box either (which is all the had on the 4 1/2 hour United flight) but real hot food with real silverware. Although I would have rather had less food and more room. Oh well what are ya gonna do? It's India. Anyway, I have never been so happy to get somewhere as when I arrived at the apartment!!
Now I had read quite a bit about Delhi and getting cabs at the airport. The important thing seems is to get a pre-paid taxi. I did check out the hotel website that listed the cost of a cab from the airport so I knew how much it SHOULD cost. When I got out of the airport a Tout did try to get me to take his taxi for a the bargain price of 2495 rupees (about $50) but since I knew the fare should be 300 rupees I declined his KIND offer and opted for the pre-paid taxi, although he assured me the service wouldn't be as good. I do think he was right there.
So after i paid my fare and found the taxi that takes the pre-paid fares, I got in the taxi and we set out for the hotel. No not really... that would be easy. First the driver had to figure out where i was going. Now I had printed out the hotel address and the directions from the airport from the hotels website in my mistaken effort to be helpful. One thing I am coming to realize is that most Indian taxi drivers are not overly literate. They don't tend to read my carefully printed out directions. After giving the driver the directions he consulted with two other cab drivers and they acheived the Indian taxi driver consensus of where I needed to go. I was not overly emboldened with confidence as we set out for the hotel.
Well actually... we didn't set out for the hotel because the driver apparently had some issue at the taxi stand where they log where I am going. I think he didn't have all his papers on record or something because he spent a good 15 minutes at the taxi stand pulling out papers and talking to the guy at the desk. Finally he came back and we set off for the hotel. Well, no we didn't because then he had to stop at another spot and get out an argue some more with someone else for 15 minutes. Finally though we set out and I really, really knew I was going to be taken for a ride.
Now never having been to Delhi and arriving in the dark with no idea of landmarks, etc, I still had the sinking feeling that I was not going in the right direction. After about 30 minutes we did pull up to a hotel called the Lalit. I was reasonably certain that we were NOT at the Intercontinental so I wouldn't get out of the cab until someone verified where I was. The security guard at the gate assured me that the hotel was the Intercontinental but had changed the name. Thus assured I got out of the cab and went into the lobby.
It's actually a very nice hotel. The lobby was beautiful. The front desk staff very gracious and helpful. I really would have loved to stay there longer but unfortunately it was the wrong hotel. Oh it was AN Intercontinental Hotel... just the WRONG one. At this point it's 2 in the morning and I am at the wrong hotel in Delhi. The hotel could have given me a room but since the company had booked me a room using points at the other Intercontinental they could not transfer my reservation to the new hotel. So here I am at 2 in the morning wondering do I take a cab to the other hotel or just one back to the airport? I really wanted to take a shower (I have been traveling for more than 24hrs straight at this point) so I got a cab to the OTHER Intercontinental hotel.
The staff at the wrong hotel did call ahead and let the right hotel know I was coming so they breezed me thru check in and were quite gracious. It's 230am at this point and I have to leave for the airport at 730am so I know that sleep really is out of the question. I took a nice bath and watched some TV. I found myself nodding off but I was afraid if I fell asleep I would never wake up and would miss my flight.
After a very nice breakfast, I hopped a cab to the airport. I really didn't have any trouble with the airport except for some brief confusion about whether I was traveling on Indian Airlines or Air India (apparently they are the same carrier now but some things say one name and some say another... not confusing at all really... ). The seats were a bit crowded on the flight. My face was about a foot away from the seat in front of me but for a 2 1/2 hour flight they did feed me!! I am not talking a "food for purchase" snack box either (which is all the had on the 4 1/2 hour United flight) but real hot food with real silverware. Although I would have rather had less food and more room. Oh well what are ya gonna do? It's India. Anyway, I have never been so happy to get somewhere as when I arrived at the apartment!!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
On my way back...
So... here I am on my way back to India and on Mr Toad's Wild Ride of an Itinerary. I am set to travel from PDX to Washington Dulles on UA connecting to Austrian Airlines from Dulles to Vienna and Vienna to Delhi, where I overnight in Delhi. After arriving at 1230AM I depart out again at 940am. I get to check into my hotel for basic a quick shower and nap then back to the airport for my Delhi to Bangalore flight.
It's not the simplest of trips but I do get to see quite a bit of the world!! I was a bit worried as this whole trip is like a house of cards... and wouldn't you know it my Portland flight was delayed by almost an hour. Everything worked out I made it to the gate in Dulles in time and now am in Vienna with a 4 hour layover. I am 1/2 way there!! Two flights left!
Austrian Airlines was a new experience. Their uniforms are really quite RED. Which is not bad in itself but... I have to say that I have never really liked the concept of cherry red panty hose. It tends to make them look like lobsters in heels. Anyway, gotta go, wish me luck on Part 2 of my journey.
It's not the simplest of trips but I do get to see quite a bit of the world!! I was a bit worried as this whole trip is like a house of cards... and wouldn't you know it my Portland flight was delayed by almost an hour. Everything worked out I made it to the gate in Dulles in time and now am in Vienna with a 4 hour layover. I am 1/2 way there!! Two flights left!
Austrian Airlines was a new experience. Their uniforms are really quite RED. Which is not bad in itself but... I have to say that I have never really liked the concept of cherry red panty hose. It tends to make them look like lobsters in heels. Anyway, gotta go, wish me luck on Part 2 of my journey.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Quirky Photos.
Hello, all long time no blog. I haven't had time to complete the tale of my trip to India. I still haven't said anything about Goa... etc. While you are waiting for that here are some random photos I shot in India... Don't ask me why. I am just weird like that!
Ok what is the purpose of taking a picture of this anemic looking tree? Well these lovely trees are line the road on the way to the office. What made me take the picture is the little sign they all have on them that says "Maintained by Microsoft". Why? Because the first thought that occured to me was "At LAST something from Microsoft that has less bugs than Vista!!"
I know what you are thinking... why another cow picture? Well this one was "grazing" at a burning trash heap. I am calling this "Voluntary Barbeque Steak".
Earlier I mentioned the "open pit"at 12th Main and 100 Ft Road. I took a picture so you all can see the fine construction of India pavement. This pit opens up right in the middle of the sidewalk and is at least 2-3 feet deep and filled with a nasty black water. I wouldn't recommend falling in...
Ok what is the purpose of taking a picture of this anemic looking tree? Well these lovely trees are line the road on the way to the office. What made me take the picture is the little sign they all have on them that says "Maintained by Microsoft". Why? Because the first thought that occured to me was "At LAST something from Microsoft that has less bugs than Vista!!"
I know what you are thinking... why another cow picture? Well this one was "grazing" at a burning trash heap. I am calling this "Voluntary Barbeque Steak".
Earlier I mentioned the "open pit"at 12th Main and 100 Ft Road. I took a picture so you all can see the fine construction of India pavement. This pit opens up right in the middle of the sidewalk and is at least 2-3 feet deep and filled with a nasty black water. I wouldn't recommend falling in...
Friday, April 24, 2009
Lions and Tigers and Bears... Oh my
So after the V~~~ Sceince Museum we did some driving around and looked that government buildings, the Capital, High Court, etc. After that we headed out for the Bannerghatta Zoopark. This is a little trek outside the city. On the way I saw some interesting things. Like the car part streets. One whole street had stall after stall just selling tires and the next just car parts. After a 30-40 minute ride outside the city you come to the Zoopark.
It looks quite hectic at first glance there are rows and rows of buses and a row of stalls selling food, much of it cooking over smoky fire pits. The smell of the smoke was very powerful and made me want to grab a fire extinguisher. Even the Indians on the tour with me seemed a bit overwhelmed and they all agreed we should stay together while in the park. They had several different types of Safaris we could go on. Of course we chose the “Grand Safari”.
First off you get your tickets for the safari then you get in a line where a guard stamps your ticket, then you get in another line where another guard stamps your ticket again and then… you get in a third line where a guy tears your ticket. Only then do you get on the bus that takes you around the park.
The park is set up along the lines of the Safari parks in the US. You get in a bus and they drive you in the various areas where you can see the animals roaming about almost like they were in the wild. The first enclosure we came to had buffalo, deer and boars and the driver dutifully stopped the bus so that we could snap some photos of the “wild animals”.
It looks quite hectic at first glance there are rows and rows of buses and a row of stalls selling food, much of it cooking over smoky fire pits. The smell of the smoke was very powerful and made me want to grab a fire extinguisher. Even the Indians on the tour with me seemed a bit overwhelmed and they all agreed we should stay together while in the park. They had several different types of Safaris we could go on. Of course we chose the “Grand Safari”.
First off you get your tickets for the safari then you get in a line where a guard stamps your ticket, then you get in another line where another guard stamps your ticket again and then… you get in a third line where a guy tears your ticket. Only then do you get on the bus that takes you around the park.
The park is set up along the lines of the Safari parks in the US. You get in a bus and they drive you in the various areas where you can see the animals roaming about almost like they were in the wild. The first enclosure we came to had buffalo, deer and boars and the driver dutifully stopped the bus so that we could snap some photos of the “wild animals”.
After that we came to the Bear enclosure where a bear was standing in the middle of the road. He took quite a while to demonstrate that there are some things that bears do on the road and not in the woods (notice the trail behind him… he was a well hydrated bear). We had plenty of time to photograph the bear. We then moved on to the rest of the bear enclosure and one bear climbed the very small trree. After the bears we saw the lions, then regular tigers and then the white tigers. All of the enclosures were fairly similar.
After that we headed back to the buses for the journey home(which I have covered previously) Well I have one more day in the office and then I leave for Goa. Three days of fun in the sun. I will be out of communication for those days but will try to give a report before I leave for the states!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sightseeing Part 3
Sorry, it's been a while. I managed to come down with a cold on Tuesday and am just now getting to feel human again. It's been quite hot in India lately. I am sure we all know what a joy getting a cold in hot weather is so I won't elaborate on the fun I have had for the last few days.
I decided to have a silk Kurti made. First I had to pick a silk, then he showed me a book of photos of different designs and then we talked about how it could be embroidered. The whole process took more than the 1/2 I was allotted on the tour so the tour moved on without me. After I completed my purchase and the man promised to have it ready by Wednesday(I got it on Saturday only4 days late!) the tour operator came back to pick me up and take me to Lalbagh Gardens.
Where was I? Oh we had just just completed the shoeless portion of the tour and we moved on to Tipu's Summer Cottage... sorry Palace. Seriously though even the guidebo
ok I have called it small and dilapidated. It's a small building on a very neatly manicured grounds. It's a columned building. I guess it is no where near the grandeur of Tipu's Palace in Mysore.
ok I have called it small and dilapidated. It's a small building on a very neatly manicured grounds. It's a columned building. I guess it is no where near the grandeur of Tipu's Palace in Mysore.After that we went to the Karnataka Silk Emporium where we were given a 1/2 an hour to shop. This is a thing to be seen. It's a small building and the men who work there all stand on this platform in front of the shelves and shelves of silks. You sit down on these chairs and they start pulling out the most beautiful fabrics. Silks with brocades and embroideries, etc.
I decided to have a silk Kurti made. First I had to pick a silk, then he showed me a book of photos of different designs and then we talked about how it could be embroidered. The whole process took more than the 1/2 I was allotted on the tour so the tour moved on without me. After I completed my purchase and the man promised to have it ready by Wednesday(I got it on Saturday only4 days late!) the tour operator came back to pick me up and take me to Lalbagh Gardens.Since I was late arriving at Lalbagh I got the "speed" tour of the gardens. Keep in mind that it is about noon on a hot India day and I have been in a non A/C tour bus for 5 hours. Now this tour guide is taking me on a tour of the gardens at a jog. I am trotting behind him and snapping photos as I walk. The gardens are quite large and by the time we completed the circuit of them I was dripping in sweat and out of breath. Just when I think we are going to stop so I can catch my breath he points to this giant rock. "Kempe Gowda Tower" he says "Go climb and you will see 20% of Bangalore". I am thinking to myself "if I climb the giant rock I will pass out from heat exhaustion" but my zealous guide will not take "imminent medical emergency" for an answer. I am obliged to climb the rock.
From the top of the rock you do get a nice view of the area. Of all the sights I saw, the Lalbagh Gardens is the one I would most like to spend more time at. They really were quite pretty and looked to be a place where people would spend an afternoon hanging out. Also there were monkeys in the park. Not caged monkeys but real wild monkeys. (there are more photos of the tour in my photobuck account to double click on the "India Photos" to the right.
After my sprint thru the Gardens we went to our next destination the Science Museum. It's the Indian equivalent of the Science Museums we have in the US. Intended primarily for kids it had lots of replicas of machines and an animatronic Dinosaur. After that we put into a restaurant for lunch. To be continued...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sightseeing Part 2: The Temples
So yesterday I talked about the overall tour itself now let’s talk about the actual sights I saw. The first place we went when we actually started the tour was ISKON Temple. ISKON Temple is the international headquarters of the Hare Krishnas. For those that don’t remember them or haven’t seen Airplane the Hare Krishna’s are the people who just to sell flowers at the airports until that was banned. The ISKON Temple is partially a product of all those flower selling endeavors. It is a giant structure that looks like you split a glass and steel building in half and inserted a Hindu temple in the middle.
I didn’t understand everything the guide said about it but it has 4 temples that have gold statues and was built at a cost of 40 million blah (I couldn’t understand if he said Rupees or Dollars). They are most determined to protect all that gold because they require that you check your camera at the entrance of the temple. Then you have to got thru an Airport like security check (remember my mistake of going thru the Tel Aviv security? About like that). Now I know that many Indian Temples don’t allow photos of the inside but really… confiscating my camera? Making me check it with some guy who hung it on a hook? My NEW camera?
I don’t want to really give a flavor of what the temple is like so I will apologize if any Hindus find this description irreligious. As soon as we entered the Temple I was reminded of Walt Disney World, specifically the It’s a Small World ride. You know how in Disney parks you are fed into a line that curves back and forth? Well that is the same setup that the ISKON temple has. Also, when you are waiting in line at Disney World for the It’s A Small World ride you hear the “It’s a Small World” playing over and over again on the loud speakers? Well at the ISKON Temple they have “Hare Krishna” playing over and over. For those that don’t know this catchy tune it goes “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare” repeat that line over and over. Just like the “It’s a Small World” song after about 2 minutes of that you can’t get the song out of your head.
As you wind thru the lines you see signs everywhere “Beware of Pickpockets” which is a bit strange for religious site. The line winds you thru the four Temples. After you wind thru the fourth temple the line sends you into a huge gift shop (that you also have to wind thru) just like Disney World ride always spits you out into the gift shop. The gift shop had books, DVDs, idols, jewelry… etc… everything but the ubiquitous T-shirt. Then if you make it thru the gift shop you are kicked back into the line to pick up your checked camera and out the temple. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the temple due the the confiscation of my camera.
After we left the ISKON Temple we went to see a more traditional Indian temple the Nandi Bull Temple. I really liked the Bull Temple. It had a warmer more earthy atomosphere. Of course it has a really big carving of a Bull. The bull is carved out of a single block of granite. It’s really white granite but has been turned black by the oil the rub on it. The bull is really rather cool looking. Based on my recent discoveries about Cows and Oxen... I beleive this is an OX... I checked and it has hump.
That concluded the Temple section of the tour and I was glad because it meant I could put my shoes on. Indian temples don’t allow footwear. I don’t mind shucking my shoes at the entrance but the ISKON temple makes you check your shoes at the beginning of the line so you have to walk thru the whole switchback line system barefoot on granite. Why do they put carved lines in granite when you know people will be barefoot? Anyway that is all for today. Tomorrow some of the other sights.
I didn’t understand everything the guide said about it but it has 4 temples that have gold statues and was built at a cost of 40 million blah (I couldn’t understand if he said Rupees or Dollars). They are most determined to protect all that gold because they require that you check your camera at the entrance of the temple. Then you have to got thru an Airport like security check (remember my mistake of going thru the Tel Aviv security? About like that). Now I know that many Indian Temples don’t allow photos of the inside but really… confiscating my camera? Making me check it with some guy who hung it on a hook? My NEW camera?
I don’t want to really give a flavor of what the temple is like so I will apologize if any Hindus find this description irreligious. As soon as we entered the Temple I was reminded of Walt Disney World, specifically the It’s a Small World ride. You know how in Disney parks you are fed into a line that curves back and forth? Well that is the same setup that the ISKON temple has. Also, when you are waiting in line at Disney World for the It’s A Small World ride you hear the “It’s a Small World” playing over and over again on the loud speakers? Well at the ISKON Temple they have “Hare Krishna” playing over and over. For those that don’t know this catchy tune it goes “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare” repeat that line over and over. Just like the “It’s a Small World” song after about 2 minutes of that you can’t get the song out of your head.
As you wind thru the lines you see signs everywhere “Beware of Pickpockets” which is a bit strange for religious site. The line winds you thru the four Temples. After you wind thru the fourth temple the line sends you into a huge gift shop (that you also have to wind thru) just like Disney World ride always spits you out into the gift shop. The gift shop had books, DVDs, idols, jewelry… etc… everything but the ubiquitous T-shirt. Then if you make it thru the gift shop you are kicked back into the line to pick up your checked camera and out the temple. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the temple due the the confiscation of my camera.
After we left the ISKON Temple we went to see a more traditional Indian temple the Nandi Bull Temple. I really liked the Bull Temple. It had a warmer more earthy atomosphere. Of course it has a really big carving of a Bull. The bull is carved out of a single block of granite. It’s really white granite but has been turned black by the oil the rub on it. The bull is really rather cool looking. Based on my recent discoveries about Cows and Oxen... I beleive this is an OX... I checked and it has hump.
That concluded the Temple section of the tour and I was glad because it meant I could put my shoes on. Indian temples don’t allow footwear. I don’t mind shucking my shoes at the entrance but the ISKON temple makes you check your shoes at the beginning of the line so you have to walk thru the whole switchback line system barefoot on granite. Why do they put carved lines in granite when you know people will be barefoot? Anyway that is all for today. Tomorrow some of the other sights.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Retraction
Ok, before I go on to post anything about my tour I feel I print a retraction on an inacuracy in my earlier posts. Apparently there are complexities of bovine taxonomy of which I was unaware and when I reported that this picture was a cow I was wrong. I have been advised that this is in fact an Ox not a cow. How can you tell? See the hump on it's neck? Apparently that indicates it's an Ox. So if you are looking what you think is a hunchbacked cow it may be an Ox instead. 
See this one has no hump and is therefore a Cow. What can I say I am just a simple city girl and I always thought if it walked like a cow and smelled like a cow it's a cow. I would like to hereby apologize to any cows/oxen I may have offended with my incorrect species identification. I am happy to report, however that the chickens I saw were in fact chickens so I didn't completely fail Farm Animals 101.Sunday, April 12, 2009
Bangalore Sights... Part One
Well, I am happy to report I made it on the sightseeing trip of Bangalore. I managed to get up at a truly unfortunate hour of the morning. I walked down to the tour company and waited for my bus. I did get to use my very first Indian Payphone when I had to call the company to see why the bus late. I was expecting a nice big deluxe coach but what arrived was a smallish un-air conditioned mini bus. Undeterred I board the bus for my 12 hour tour... (think Gilligan's Island and sing in an ominous voice... ) 12 HOUR tour.
One of the convenient things I liked about this tour when I bought my ticket was that it picked me up right where the tour company
was. What I didn't stop to think was that it picked EVERYONE up at the tour company they bought their ticket at. Thus the first 2 hours of my tour were the "Pick up" stage where we drove around the city. As a matter fact we often came right back to the same spot so I saw this view at least 3-4 times. It might have been better sleeping in and getting a cab to this spot.
Anyway, we finally started the tour at 9 am or so the driver said. I don't know because I don't have a watch with me in India. I also don't have a cell phone either. A cell phone would be nice because the driver took down every one's number and would call them if they weren't getting to the bus on time. One thing that would be useful that I did not opt to do was rent a cell phone with a local number. You wouldn't believe how useful that could prove. India is definitely part of the cell phone revolution.
Well I don't have time to talk about all the sights I saw while in Bangalore and it will take some time to upload all the photos so I will have to do this in sections. Right now let's just talk about the overall tour, huh? Well to start off, I was the only non-Indian on the tour. As a matter of fact, I was one of the few non-Indians I saw all day. Usually when you to on tours you see some people from other countries but I saw fewer than 10 non-Indians all day.
Being the only American on board the tour made it a little strange because I couldn't understand the majority of the announcements. Oh the guide would try to remember to tell me in English what he just said but honestly it's wasn't much of an improvement over the Hindi(I am assuming it was Hindi. He could have been speaking Kannada) version. Listening to the Hindi I would hear... blah blah blah... then he would translate for me and I got blah blah Football Stadium blah blah. I will say the poor boy tried. He seemed most determined not to lose me... I think losing the foreign tourist might be bad for business.
Of course the worst part of the tour was that the bus not air conditioned and yes it is quite hot this time of year in India. You get dumped off the bus at a stop where you need to move a brisk pace to see everything so you are already sweating when you get back to the hot bus. Oh the windows were open and once we were on the road again enough air would be blowing into the bus to dry your sweat just in time for the next stop.
Of course India is a dusty country (dusty being a euphemism) and it seemed like every I went there was something burning. Either Incense, or some stall grilling corn over a very smoky pit or just trash burning so by the end of the tour I felt dirty: nasty, been camping in the woods for a week with bears, dirty. I had all that sweat and dirt and smoke dried on my face and in my hair. I was really rather glad to find the tour was over and get on the road back to the city.
Of course, now we get to reverse the pick procedures from the morning. Wouldn't you know I was the first picked up? Guess what... first on... last off. Their system of dropping people off made me nuts because it seems liked we were getting so close to the area where I needed to be dropped off then we would go in the opposite direction for 20 minutes to drop someone off. I was reaching that tired/dirty/wanna go home psycho point. I think we have all felt it right? Where you just want to get back home and take a shower and anything that gets in your way is toast? I had seriously just about given up on the idea they might actually take me back where I started and was about to have a psycho ninja female fit on them when.... suddenly... out of the blue there was the street I was picked up on.
Well I was so excited to finally get to go home I practiacally RAN back to the apartment. Completely forgetting the fine construction of Indian sidewalks (complete sarcasm if you can't tell). There was a pipe right across the sidewalk that I didn't see. I tripped on that and did one of those cool turning, twisting tricks skateboarders do(a back spinning 360 with Indy grab dude. It was TOTALLY WICKED)... only without the skateboard... and wiped out on the pavement. I am fine. I just scraped my knee and my hand. That didn't deter me from continuing my breakneck pace back to civilization. I should have learned something because I almost went right into the OPEN pit on the corner of 100 Ft Road and 12th Main.
Needless to say... after I got into the apartment, I took the most heavenly bath... and used 1/2 container of bath wash. Ahhhhhh... I felt human again almost immediately... Tomorrow. We will talk about the actual sights I saw.
One of the convenient things I liked about this tour when I bought my ticket was that it picked me up right where the tour company
was. What I didn't stop to think was that it picked EVERYONE up at the tour company they bought their ticket at. Thus the first 2 hours of my tour were the "Pick up" stage where we drove around the city. As a matter fact we often came right back to the same spot so I saw this view at least 3-4 times. It might have been better sleeping in and getting a cab to this spot.Anyway, we finally started the tour at 9 am or so the driver said. I don't know because I don't have a watch with me in India. I also don't have a cell phone either. A cell phone would be nice because the driver took down every one's number and would call them if they weren't getting to the bus on time. One thing that would be useful that I did not opt to do was rent a cell phone with a local number. You wouldn't believe how useful that could prove. India is definitely part of the cell phone revolution.
Well I don't have time to talk about all the sights I saw while in Bangalore and it will take some time to upload all the photos so I will have to do this in sections. Right now let's just talk about the overall tour, huh? Well to start off, I was the only non-Indian on the tour. As a matter of fact, I was one of the few non-Indians I saw all day. Usually when you to on tours you see some people from other countries but I saw fewer than 10 non-Indians all day.
Being the only American on board the tour made it a little strange because I couldn't understand the majority of the announcements. Oh the guide would try to remember to tell me in English what he just said but honestly it's wasn't much of an improvement over the Hindi(I am assuming it was Hindi. He could have been speaking Kannada) version. Listening to the Hindi I would hear... blah blah blah... then he would translate for me and I got blah blah Football Stadium blah blah. I will say the poor boy tried. He seemed most determined not to lose me... I think losing the foreign tourist might be bad for business.
Of course the worst part of the tour was that the bus not air conditioned and yes it is quite hot this time of year in India. You get dumped off the bus at a stop where you need to move a brisk pace to see everything so you are already sweating when you get back to the hot bus. Oh the windows were open and once we were on the road again enough air would be blowing into the bus to dry your sweat just in time for the next stop.
Of course India is a dusty country (dusty being a euphemism) and it seemed like every I went there was something burning. Either Incense, or some stall grilling corn over a very smoky pit or just trash burning so by the end of the tour I felt dirty: nasty, been camping in the woods for a week with bears, dirty. I had all that sweat and dirt and smoke dried on my face and in my hair. I was really rather glad to find the tour was over and get on the road back to the city.
Of course, now we get to reverse the pick procedures from the morning. Wouldn't you know I was the first picked up? Guess what... first on... last off. Their system of dropping people off made me nuts because it seems liked we were getting so close to the area where I needed to be dropped off then we would go in the opposite direction for 20 minutes to drop someone off. I was reaching that tired/dirty/wanna go home psycho point. I think we have all felt it right? Where you just want to get back home and take a shower and anything that gets in your way is toast? I had seriously just about given up on the idea they might actually take me back where I started and was about to have a psycho ninja female fit on them when.... suddenly... out of the blue there was the street I was picked up on.
Well I was so excited to finally get to go home I practiacally RAN back to the apartment. Completely forgetting the fine construction of Indian sidewalks (complete sarcasm if you can't tell). There was a pipe right across the sidewalk that I didn't see. I tripped on that and did one of those cool turning, twisting tricks skateboarders do(a back spinning 360 with Indy grab dude. It was TOTALLY WICKED)... only without the skateboard... and wiped out on the pavement. I am fine. I just scraped my knee and my hand. That didn't deter me from continuing my breakneck pace back to civilization. I should have learned something because I almost went right into the OPEN pit on the corner of 100 Ft Road and 12th Main.
Needless to say... after I got into the apartment, I took the most heavenly bath... and used 1/2 container of bath wash. Ahhhhhh... I felt human again almost immediately... Tomorrow. We will talk about the actual sights I saw.
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