The Eve of Oz

So after several of years of planning and saving we are on the eve of our mega Oz trip. 

Dinner conversation tonight was not about where we were going on what will we be doing it was "OK who is going to get shouted at first?". The voting was tight but "The queen of the last word" Carla is the odds on favourite! Followed closely by who is going to be the most annoying and the less said about the winner of that the better!!!!

Having been amazingly pre-organised by Tina -  We have had the luxury of spending the last hour or so reading over our previous blog entries and apart from being impressed by my own literary prowess (NOT!) we have had such a laugh from the kids entries. I am so pleased that Tina and I forced them to write something - a few memories caught in words by their younger selves, their personalities shining through in a way that could never have been captured by any camera or video - priceless. 

I am not really looking forward to fighting with them again to put some thoughts down about this trip but I know the fight will be totally worth it!!!

Please note that in my brain the new blog title picture is how I picture the trip - 4WD and fighting the desert elements. I will be carrying this picture in my mind the whole way to offset the reality of Winnebago's, Campsites and of course the odd 5* hotel.

As always we will be really pleased if anyone can take the time to leave a wee comment or two - they really enrich what will become a precious memory!

First stop Bangkok!

India never fails to amuse you.

Almost 100% of the things you see here are most probably illegal in Britain.  I mean, would the government ever allow 3 men to hang off the back of a little tin car? Or allow you to blare your customised car horn every second? The driving is absolute chaos! Our driver, Ravi, almost crashed countless times because some idiots were driving on the wrong side of the road. I can’t even add up the incidents that resulted in me clenching my fists and shutting my eyes tight. Indians drive like those 3 years olds who do nothing but play video games carelessly.

However, the wildlife and plants here are fantastic. The plants were so intriguing: we saw banana trees, mango trees, coconut trees, a pineapple plant, pea plants, chili plants, cocoa beans, coffee pods and millions of tea bushes. Walking through the spice shops was insane; the aroma of cinnamon, cardamom and different teas always flooded your senses. Every spice imaginable are in the shops, and to think that they were local produce was even more amazing. India is one of few places where you’ll turn round to find a monkey preening itself at your hotel doorway, or where you’ll look out your hotel window and witness an elephant tearing up palm leaves for a snack. We’ve met cows, massive spiders, water snakes, butterflies and turtles.  Despite these amazing, exotic animals, the one thing we all despised were the annoying mosquitos.  Having to swat them away every moment was definitely off-putting, and the result of getting bitten was awful with the ever-lasting irritation, especially with the hot sun beating down on you.

On the other hand, you feel like royalty here. In the small villages, you will get toddlers waving to you, wanting to shake your hand. The adults smile and say hi, and they sometimes want to take pictures of you. It’s crazy; people in Milngavie will most likely greet tourists with a dirty glare. You also commonly get served the best food you will ever taste. Throughout our journey, we ate genius creations with random things, like cabbage, infused with fresh coconut and varied spices. We also tried a sweet, red banana, which is only found in Kerala. Our breakfasts consisted of masses of local fruits and homemade yogurts, accompanied by fresh orange, pineapple and watermelon juices and even coconut water.

Today is our last day here, and I will definitely miss the chaos. I don’t think any place can beat the natural, sometime slightly dysfunctional, sights and atmosphere in India.

Kim

Not so bloody magic!!!

03:00 awake - bloody frozen!!

07:00 no hot water - cold shower!!

07:05 on the spot jogging to try and warm up!!

07:05:02 wife points out at that me putting at least a pair of pants on would be of value (to both of us!!)

08:00 breakfast choice - vegetable vomit soup or rubber toast!!

09:00 intestines start to brew!!

10:00 - 15:00 Indian site seeing at its best! I know there are about a trillion people in this place but how dare they be at the same place at the same time in their own country as me!!

the q for the bus

10:00 - 15:00 intestinal indignation builds!!

16:00 body attempts to re-enact shuttle lift-off on the lavvy!!

16:45 long socks, thermals, jumper and bed!!!

20:00 waft of dinner! Bluegh!!

20:05 asleep!!

it reads "as close to heaven as it gets"! not today

"no highs without the lows!!"

Kerala Bound

After a long flight wedged next to a circumferentially challenged gentleman with armpits wafting a violent essence jolting my senses to the joys of the land of sun, spice and sweat we arrive in Kerala. The first laugh is that our driver had to be called “Ravi” the irony of which will not be lost on some of our buddies who are all too aware of my Indian alter ego!!

Having mostly experienced travel in the north of India rumours that the south would be a great deal less frenetic appear to be true.  There is still the same noise and stares (Kim put some clothes on!) and plastic waste at every turn but I am pleasantly surprised by the civility of the welcome to another part of this country with which I have such an affinity. Somehow the people and the place seem more tranquil and less in your face than their northern cousins other than a freaky Santa trying to force us to dance to a live choral rendition of “Hark the Herald” in the hotel garden. A fine opportunity to embarrass my family but just a wee bit too sober to comply!

With a couple of nights in Cochin we take the inevitable well worn trails around the local sights surprisingly highlighted by a visit to the local dhobikhana – a traditional Indian laundry complete with a team of workers washing the local hotel laundry by hand, sun dried and pressed with ridiculously heavy charcoal fuelled irons. The day was rounded off with a sunset boat trip around the bay which, if you managed to ignore the massive container terminal and ships, focussing instead on the traditional Chinese fishing nets silhouetted against the setting sun, was actually a really lovely end to our day.

We head out to rise into the Western Ghats in typical Formula 1 style but unfortunately for some a little too bendy and nauseating! (Woops Baa! where’s the sick bag!) Why is it that here, overtaking 3 cars and a crowded bus on a blind bend not to mention the sheer drop, raises no more than a smile rather than blind panic it would normally invoke? We rise through the lush banana, pineapple, rubber and spice plantations to reach the higher slopes painted with acre upon acre of pristine hand manicured tea bushes. It is an absolutely stunning sight and the thought of teams of workers perpetually picking over these bushes on steep slopes raises a new level of respect for the humble cup of tea!   

Past Munnar, 6500ft up and a final jeep trip along what used to be a road and is now more a 4-wheel drive gift experience we arrive at an eerily tranquil Camp Noel - thanks Nisha and Tom for advising us to bring some warm clothes! It’s going to be a cold one!! - BUT we’ve got a very spicy curry round a log fire - Magic! 

ups and downs!

Travelling America has had its ups and downs.

Ups being;

·         with the O’Donnells - I don’t know how I would of survived without them,
·         the scenery,
·         eating out,
·         air conditioning,
·         shopping,
·         meeting new people with Kirstie O’Donnell,
·         finding out about my new baby cousin,
·         having two showers at the same time at Auntie Kilma’s house,
·         the weather.

Downs being;

·         the campervan - it’s the size of Auntie Kilma’s bathroom,
·         walking,
·         eating in,
·         hours of driving,
·         lack of sleep,
·         limited internet access,
·         the toilet,
·         mosquitoes,
·         being called  ‘Retard’,  ‘Idiot’, ‘Spaz’ and ‘Stupid Girl’ by Kiran,
·         getting into trouble for almost everything I do,
·         scummy RV parks.

We went to about half a dozen national parks.  The best national park for me was the Grand Canyon; it was gigantic and amazing to look at from all the different viewpoints we went to.  I didn’t particularly dislike any of them, but if I had to state the one I least enjoyed, it would be Zyon; it was too hot and there were far too many insects and lizards.

One of the highlights of this holiday was staying at Auntie Kilma’s house.  It was nice to sleep in an actual bed, wash in a proper bathroom – not like the 1-meter-squared bathroom in our camerpvan, eat proper food, watch television and access facebook.

A lowlight of America was the day the O’Donnells left us to go back to Las Vegas.  Our drive to Lake Tahoe was long and boring without them, and the campsite was hideous, with no hook-ups or public showers.

Overall, America has been great but I’m really looking forward to going to London and seeing the new baby, and then finally going home to my beloved friend Katie.

Kim

Nothingness

So far this holiday has been... great?

I enjoyed it mostly because of the O’Donnell’s company, without them it’s not so great, yes i have Kim, but, well...

The best part of this holiday so far was probably the white water rafting, i wasn’t happy doing it at first, but then when the waves got wild it was the best.

The worst part has to be leaving the O’Donnell’s, or the unbelievable long drives- nothing to do, or see, just rocks in the distance and dead fields of nothingness.

Seeing rocks all the time gets extremely boring. Rock after rock, hmmm that one is bigger than the last one, ooh this one it orange!!! Great huh? I guess the can be quite amazing though, but i think i would appreciate them more if i were older.

I sometimes wish I had more GB on my iPod, so I could buy a few movies for the drives. It gets boring, playing on my dsi for an hour then listening to some music while playing random games on my iPod for a while. Well, at least this time I get to write a blog thingy, YAY!

I can’t wait to get home, but i don’t want to go back to school.

My favourite place has got to be Las Vegas, but i can’t wait to go to San Francisco. The most interesting place was Navajo.

My favourite activity here: white water rafting, shopping (for me of course, although shopping for mum, dad and Kiran is fine), eating, and sleeping.

One thing i don’t understand is why they call it Yellowstone; the big rocks there are hardly yellow. If i could i would rename the Grand Canyon so it would be large rock. J

One thing for sure is that i am really excited to see my new baby cousin!!

We had Wendy’s the other day, it wasn’t as nice as i remember it was in New York, here it was DISGUSTING, except from the chips and coke. We also had pizza hut the other day aswell, it was sooooooo good!! The stuffed crusts were the best, and that stringy cheese inside and the pizza base was perfectly cooked, Kim and I ordered: a make your own pizza with chicken, pineapple, and diced tomatoes with stuffed crust, it was to die for!

Can’t wait for more shopping, eating, sleeping and stuff.

Carla.

Fat or Fit?

We have been doing a little too much of this

 and so last night after a couple of glasses of courage we booked this!

Was that such a good idea?!

we survived just!!