Into The Wild

Day 222/223- Delhi, India.WOW.

Long before we boarded the flight I was beginning to question my decision to bring Mike to a country that he had very little interest in. In brief, the feedback we'd received on India was; The stench overpowers your nostrils as soon as you exit the plane, personal space does not exist, people will shove past and through you constantly, the food is just as likely to poison you as it is to nourish you, the noise is unbearable and as a woman, I should expect to feel unsafe. I should also note that these expectations were always paired with positives but the negatives are what stood out, especially when I had Mike on the mind. Lastly, almost every person we quizzed on India said that we would be itching  to leave the country and yet dying to return. This was a very interesting idea and needless to say, India had our full attention when the wheels of our 757 jet touched down in New Delhi.  

We arrived late in the evening on day 222 with hesitation and excitement in our minds. The doors on the plane opened and no smell overwhelmed my nostrils. We arranged a prepaid taxi and set off to our hotel. The drive was no joke and we counted 5 legitimate near accidents in the 1 hour it took us to arrive. Below is what we looked like as we faked smiles through fearful gritted teeth. 

As we got to our room we were still becoming acquainted with our surroundings and we were relieved to have what seemed like a safe and clean environment to call home. However, just as we were snuggling into bed, the sound of a gun shot cracked right outside our window! Mike and I looked at eachother with pure fear in our guts. While I hid behind the curtain, Mike poked one of his eyes out to see if he could get some information. BOOM, a shattering blast and bright light shot right in Mike's face sending him falling backwards in surprise. The boom was quickly proceeded by the sound of music and singing. We realized soon after, that a wedding procession was passing directly in front of our window with a horse, firecrackers, lanterns, firecrackers, speakers and all. Did I mention firecrackers? They had firecrackers. Not only was the faith in our home restored but we laughed pretty hard at the situation. Welcome to India. We learned two things that first night in India. There are no noise curfews and Indians don't truly enjoy music unless it is loud enough to cause permanent damage to your eardrums.

                           

We woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to go into the wild. We took two deep breaths, then stepped out into the busy streets of Main Bazaar road. 

We walked around for some time before stopping in at a shop for some chai. We looked at eachother and I waited for Mike to speak. Turns out he was thinking the same thing I was...'this isn't so bad'. I was instantly relieved. Not only was it not so bad but it was quite familiar. It was very much like a lot of the other big cities we've experienced like Jakarta, Bangkok, Hanoi and Manila. Was it crazy busy? Yes but not overwhelming. We could move and we weren't being shoved out of the way any more than any other overpopulated city. I mean it takes one second on google to find out that Delhi has a population of 18.7 million but it sure didn't feel as bad as people made it out to be. Below is two genuine smiles from some slightly jet legged travellers. 

We stopped in at a spot called Drunkyard Cafe for a taste of our first Indian food. Below, what you see is Channa Masala (chickpea spice dish), Paneer Butter Masala (indian cheese, butter and spice dish) and Butter Naan. Oh boy... are we in trouble if this is our diet to be. It was perfection and exactly how I hoped Indian food would taste. 

I had a cold and wasn't feeling well so we headed back to the hotel, watched some tv and went to bed. 

Day 224- I was still sick so my nights were difficult but we were looking forward to some more Delhi action.  We went wakling around the main bazaar and Connaught place. The sights we saw along the way never got old... like the cows, the holy, delicious, friendly cows. Did I say delicious? Well that would have to wait as Mike and I committed to eat vegetarian on this leg of the trip, in an attempt to avoid the dreaded Indian food poisoning. 

According to Hinduism, which is one of the most practiced religions in India, cows are considered a symbol of life, as they consistently provide milk, therefore it is illegal to kill cows in the country. Sometimes cows are owned by people but they often roam free in the streets and are fed and cared for by the whole community. Also, sometimes they are not cared for... and if they cannot find food then they do not eat and that is never easy to see. 

We went to the park at the center of Connaught place and sat amongst the many Indian couples. As most of my friends and family know, I am obsessed with the book Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. In the book he speaks about love in India like it is the most magical emotion in the world. At this park we saw the love that he describes so beautifully. Couples sat in the rare piece of grass all around us hand in hand, smilling and laughing together. I've never been anywhere, where I've seen so much love around me. Gregory said it perfectly in his book, "although love wasn't created here, it was perfected in India". 

We let the romance rub off on us a bit before going back to the main bazaar to get some food. We returned to the Drunkyard Cafe for some Masala Chai and a sweet view of the craziness in front of us. 

                             

After 'too many chai', we headed back to the hotel for me to rest some more. The combination of my cold and the heat was draining my energy and I wanted to be healthy for the start of our guided 20 day tour we had booked with an Alberta based company, Breathe in Life. 

Day 225- This day was pretty much the same as the days prior. We explored the city and bought some new items to add to our dwindling clothing repertoire. Below you see the kind men in red and light purple getting mobbed by a crowd as they attempt to give out FREE soda. Bad idea guys. It got crazy and grabby and pushy and a little scary. 

After the above spectacle we sat down and enjoyed our free cokes... Juuuuust joking. We didn't get in on the free soda bonanza but we did go and indulge in four or more chai's and some delicious Thali (a complete meal served on a single plate that includes a mixture of rice, dal (lentil dish), curries, curd and chapatis) at a hole in a wall joint called Madan Cafe. 

Our group and trustee guides arrived that evening. We met the beautiful couple Chris and Melissa on that first night at the roof top restaurant and they set the tone for what I expected to be an epic 20 day  adventure. Although I had briefly met Melissa before, it was only a quick intro and by no means did we know each other well. So this meeting felt like the first time and if first impressions mean anything, this one meant we were under the guidance of two truly genuine, caring and knowledgable people. 

Day 225- We met up with the group in the morning and formally got introduced to our new friends and family for the next 20 days. We wasted no time jumping into the madness of the city and boarded the metro to take us to the Lotus Temple. Mmmmmm the sweet hot smell of a thousand other sweaty humans. I'm glad I wasn't the only one. 

                      

The Lotus Temple is a Bahai house of worship. The Bahai faith supports the beliefs and religions of all people, which allows a person from any faith to worship their God in the temple... any God. 

When entering the temple, visitors are asked to stay completely silent. It was a nice moment to leave the chaos of the city and enter a peaceful environment, for a little mental reset.

We returned back to the hotel, ate one last meal at Madan and set off to the train station to catch the sleeper train to Pushkar. As our taxi's pulled up to the train station, there was a high level of intensity in the air. A large group of people stood in a crowd, shouting and the mood around us was one of frustration and anger. We quickly learnt that our train had been cancelled but we were all still unaware of the reason (hard to get answers in India some times). We returned back to the hotel while an alternative mode of transport was arranged. We were told that the roads were blocked and our transition to Pushkar would have to wait until further notice. Mike and I got on the internet and started searching the current news for Delhi. We discovered that the city was undergoing huge protests against the current government for unkept promises of employment for the lower class. The people were fed up and started protesting to induce change from their current situations. It was quite a big deal and the protesters meant business. They set 8 train stations on fire, they began dissembling the train tracks in certain areas, they sabotaged the water supply to Delhi, which meant closing down many schools and businesses, they blocked major roads and ten poor souls died. Based on current events it didn't seem like we were going anywhere. 

In the mean time we enjoyed our welcome dinner with the group. Our trustee guides ended up arranging a bus to take us to Pushkar throughout the night with hopes that protesters would not continue through the night and if at any point things got out of hand, we were going to change gears, along with directions, and head straight to Rishikesh. We were a bit skeptical at the time but we were also anxious to get out of Delhi. 

Next Stop, Pushkar....we hope.

Arabian Days

Day 221/222- We said goodbye to New Zealand and boarded a flight to take us away from the mystical land of nature and off to our next destination. This flight proved to be no easy transition. First we flew to Brisbane where we spend 13 hours in the airport before getting on our connecting flight. Our time was spent blogging, playing cards and staring aimlessly into each others eyes. 

Our next layover was a sweet 8 hour one that had us singing the Aladin theme song while we explored the grand city of Abu Dhabi. We got in at 5 am so we had big plans for our day of discovery. It was a nice change to be in a middle eastern country and it only made us wish we had more time and way more money. Abu Dhadi oozes dollar signs. In our taxi we passed fast sports cars, shiny skyscrapers and gold buildings...yes real gold. Security wise it was also very strict and we felt completely out of place in this flashy environment from the moment we stepped out of the airport. We were checked and scanned so many times and it also doesn't help that Mike's giant bag of electronics looks like a nuclear bomb under a scanner and definitely had a few eyebrows raised. In the end we made it to our first stop in the United Arab of Emirates, Emirates Palace. Given our early arrival we knew not much would be open. However, thanks to my careful planning, (virtual pat on my back), we made our first stop a conscious one. The Emirates Palace is one of the grandest hotels in the world with gold plated walls, floors and decor. We used breakfast as a reason to tour this grandiose establishment. Security at the gate was hesitant to let us in as we were not guests, nor did we have a reservation and let's face it, we look like we're homeless. I guess we are homeless... Anyhow, after they checked us over and made Mike put on pants to cover up his sexy legs, (our new Canterbury's in Mike's carry-on saved the day) they allowed us into the hotel. 

What do I need the jewellery store for? I can just buy gold bricks at this conveniently placed vending machine. "Hey Mike, pass me a couple of grand would ya, I need to buy this sweet souvenir. Although I don't have anymore room in my bag sooo you'll have to carry it. :)"

                     

As we walked through the hotel, every member of the staff stopped to look us over, we were not doing a very good job of fitting in. When we got to the restaurant they informed us that we needed to buy in for the buffet to eat there. We figured, a girls gotta eat right? 

The buffet was like the Chateau Fairmont Lake Louise and the Ritz Carleton had a baby, a delicious food baby. 

The humus was incredible and I was so excited to try some familiar middle eastern food that I grew up eating in Calgary. 

We sat on the balcony and enjoyed the beautiful view as the steadily rising sun began to illuminate the perfectly manicured landscape. 

We made friends with the waiter and he brought us a little treat to complete an already amazing meal. 

He has ruined me for life because now I will only drink coffee if there's gold in it. Good for the digestive system. 

                

So after we ate as much as we possible could, we paid our bill....... ouch. Maybe we shouldn't have been so eager to agree to the buffet. Two buffet breakfasts costed us an unforgettable $160.00 Canadian. Yup, we will never forget it. 

Outside of the Palace we got a view of some of the skyscrapers that make Abu Dhabi so famous. 

After we explored the hotel a little more, we took a taxi to the Marina Mall. The mall is listed as one of the must see sights in Abu Dhabi, which is quite funny because it isn't as glamorous as one would expect. And yet, it did have a Canadian delicacy that I have missed greatly since leaving home. I guess I could make an exception, my tims doesn't need to have gold in it, because it's already rich enough. (I know all real coffee lovers are cringing at that comment but who asked you anyway)

                     

Next stop, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Once again we were put through a strick security search, then I was required to cover up my skin before entering the mosque.

Grand it was and glowing white against a cool blue sky.

Good news, the sorting hat put me in Gryffindor.

The detail on the inside of the mosque was awe inspiring. Below is just one tiny little corner of a tiny little wall and yet it was filled with intricate patterns and shapes. 

Now rinse and repeat that tiny little piece over and over a millions times and you have what we see below. Amazing. 

We used our time so wisely in Abu Dhabi and felt like we saw enough to give ourselves a little tick on the country. Hopefully one day we can return to see much more.

Back at the airport we got our first taste of India. Long before the boarding announcement was even called, crowds of people swarmed the gate in bunches. Get Ready, set, GO!

                          

We flew Etihad airways and it was the best airline we've experienced so far. We didn't mind all the extra amenities either. So much so that we attempted to use them all at once and then snap a quick photo to remember it by.  

Unicorn

216- We didn't start the day with the best sleep due to a swarm of mosquitoes from the night before and an untimely wakeup call from a park ranger checking on our payment but we were in the perfect spot to make the most of our full day in the Milford Sound. The drive through the national park and into the Milford Sound itself was by far the most stunning landscape I've ever seen. We debated this statement as we drove and we both concluded that this was in fact the case. It was a misty cool day with a layer of dew blanketing everything. For the first time on the trip we used the car heater and bundled up for our day in the mountains. 

One of the more fascinating experiences for Mike was when we literally drove under and through an entire mountain. In the photo below, you can see the entrance to Homer Tunnel. The tunnel itself was not fixed with beams or supports but instead relied purely on the structural integrity of the unlined granite that made up the mountain. 

You may have to look close to see the tiny entrance into the ginormous mountain.  

The photo below perfectly captures how it felt to drive though the 1.2 km tunnel. These were my thoughts as we passed under the mountain; dark, scary, time travel, claustrophobic, unsafe. 

As soon as we arrived on the otherside and into the main area of the Milford Sound we booked a boat to take us through the Fiorland for $73 each. The area has recently been named the 8th Wonder of the World (not sure by who...) but it's easy to see why.

                          

The U shaped space between the two mountains below was carved out by icebergs many many years ago. Now a deep valley sits among the mountains surrounded by water. 

There is no garbage anywhere! It's always nice to see when a country takes care of their land. 

Seals lay on the rock waiting for the sun to peak through. I wish I had gotten a video, they looked so cute hopping around. One even popped up out of the water like a torpedo and landed up on the rocks. 

Waterfalls crashed down onto the waiting ocean in a powerful display of nature.

After the relaxing boat ride through the sound, we had many hikes to choose from for our next activity. The lady at the information desk recommended the Lake Marian Track, promising us that it would wow us from start to finish. She had a big smile and I'm a sucker for enthusiasm so we strapped on Mike's 'double knee braces' and hit the trail head. 

Five minutes into the hike we were blessed with raging rapids flowing alongside the trail. Don't fall MK, I know how weak your knees can be...

                        

Roots from the trees made natural steps and escorted us up the steep incline.

                        

The reward at the end of the hike was the pristine Marian Lake. Some snow still remained on the sides of the mountains and I could only imagine how beautiful this lake would look during wintertime.

As we enjoyed the view, little beads of rain started to fall so we packed up and began running down the trail. I didn't have any protection for my camera so I stuck it in an old almond snack bag. Just as we arrived at our car, 1.5h after the first drop, it began pouring rain and my camera was thankful to make it out alive! She lives to snap another day. 

The drive to our campsite was no less incredible and we had front row seats to some rain showers.

I just needed to get high enough to capture it. Mike said, "it's a picture... of a picture! Genius!!", when he took this photo. 

                      

We also took a quick pit stop at the Mirror Lakes....no explanation needed.

We spent the night parked at a cute little countryside freedom camping area and this huge fella parked himself right beside my door while he patiently waited for some love. 

We were absolutely pooped so after a hot shower we slept, hard.

Day 217- While on our way to our next campground, we stopped in Queenstown for a few hours to enjoy some wifi and eat a delicious burger.

Fergburger is a local burger joint in Queenstown that is famous for their perfectly crafted burgers. To Mikes chagrin, we waited the standard 1 1\2 hours for our chance to critique the said burger. 

Oh, my, goodness, was it ever something. I am currently writing this blog in India where beef is illegal because cows are sacred and just seeing the photo is making my mouth water. 

We drove for the rest of the day and parked our smiling faces at a campsite overlooking a river. We finished dinner just in time to see a vibrant violet sunset. I love the moon in the distance. 

Day 218- We slept for a short 2-3 hours before our alarm woke us up at 3:30 am. It was time for our last big hike in New Zealand. Roys Peak is a 16km hike that was promising to take us 5-6 hours round trip. Someone had recommended that we try to make it to the top for sunrise and we accepted the challenge.

The walk took us through private farm land, across fields of green and passed many curious sheep. When we finally made it to the top, the sun began to rise and the view was remarkable.  

At 1578 meters we had a 360 degree view of Lake Wanaka as well as the surrounding peaks of Mount Aspiring and Mount Tititea.

We were lucky to get some great photos of the world below, before a huge wall of clouds rolled in. That's me in the distance. 

Mike perched at the tip of the top, engulfed in heaven. 

After we completed the hike we hit the road for Lake Tekapo where we planned to camp for the night. It was a difficult hike and we were both absolutely exhausted so we stocked up on coffees before hitting the highway. Along the way we noticed the lake below glowing bright turquoise. The colour of the water was so blue that it looked fake so we had to google it to see if it was treated with something industrial. Turns out the color is legit and the ice run off from the surrounding mountains is what makes it so blue. The lake below is called Lake Pukaki.

We made it to Lake Tekapo fairly early in the evening but we were both too tired to take advantage of the free time. Lake Tekapo is home to the largest light pollution free area in the world and it also houses two research observatories. Our intention was to visit one of the observatories for a tour but the cost was too steep. Instead, we hung out on the beach late night and played with the functions on my camera to capture some magic of our own. 

It also happened to be the night before Valentines Day so I added a little love to our star gazing. Pretty cool hey? If you make the shutter speed super long you can not only capture all of the stars but you can use a flashlight to write a note to your loved one. Mike didn't know what the heck I was doing until the photo finished processing.

Day 219- Happy Valentines Day!!! We spent most of this romantic and lovey day driving on the highway towards Christchurch. We stopped for gas around 100 kms from Christchurch and the gas attendant was excited to ask me if we'd felt the earthquake just an hour before. We hadn't but apparently this 5.9 monster was felt along the fault line as far as Aukland and rocked the city of Christchurch. The city was shaken pretty badly from the quake and once we finally made it into town we began to see some  of the damage. The malls and most businesses were closed until further notice and aftershocks were felt on several occasions. Almost exactly 5 years earlier, to the day, a 6.3 earthquake shook the town and destroyed a lot of the downtown area. Remnants of the destruction still remains today and can be seen while driving around the city.

The shipping containers below were used at the sites of fallen buildings to stabilize the damage.

Our only plans for the day were to prepare Jazz for her return to her rightful owners as well as stock up on any items needed for our next destination. After we completed our tasks we went to see the new Zoolander movie and I'm pretty sure I felt an aftershock in the theater. Scary, although I forgot about it quickly because the movie was hilarious.

We spent what was left of the evening with our girl Jazz and listened to some cool tunes on the cool grass.

Day 220- I was fascinated by the earthquakes and continued to monitor the aftershocks on a reliable website. 

101 earthquakes within a 24hour period?! WHATTTTTT???? 

Our first order of business was to get a real authentic eggs benedict, which was one of my last requests before leaving the country. We went to a restaurant called Black Betty and ordered up two Benny's. 

It was just as we'd hoped. DELICIOUS.

Another item on our list was to get Mike's hair cut. It was a much more difficult task than you would expect and it was only after three failed attempts that we finally found a barber that was open. Well, maybe not a barber...maybe just a man with a sign that said he was a barber. It was funny because when we saw this...let's call it a vintage style salon, I looked at Mike with apprehension. Mike responded with, 'usually these hole in the wall places are the best'. Well, Mike was very very wrong and the "barber" blindly hacked at Mike's hair for a full 6.5 minutes. It was like watching the Grinch shave his face when he was a child because Mayor Augustus Maywho made fun of him because he was oddly hairy as well as involved in a love triangle with the beautiful big toothed Martha May. <annnnnd exhale> Orrrr it was like the barber was the love child of Sweeny Tood and a young Edward Scissor Hands. Both characters played by my favourite actor Johnny Depp. The worse part was that he made fun of Mike for being too into himself when Mike asked him to even up his lopsided sideburns.

                      

I digress, next stop was to return the van. We had no problems giving her back and we were happy to see we'd crushed 5200 kms with the ol' gal. She treated us well and she will be missed. Though it may not be with Jazz by our side, we will definitely return to New Zealand one day. In total we had 5 weeks to explore this beautiful country and I don't feel like we even scratched the surface. The landscape is unique, untouched, vast and continual. It's hard to believe places like this still exist in our world. I didn't expect to be so awed by New Zealand and I left feeling like I had just spent the last 5 weeks in a fairytale. New Zealand to me is like a unicorn, you think such a creature can only exist in your imagination until one day you open your eyes and it stands in front of you. Mike said, "this was unicorny and didn't make sense because he has never opened his eyes to see a unicorn standing in front of him". To this I replied that his eyes are wide shut. Let him chew on THAT for a while!

                 

We took a bus back to our hood and checked into a room. Not much in the way of nice theatres where we were heading so we made it a double header movie weekend and went to watch Dead Pool. Hilarious movie! Now that we had our movie needs satisfied we were ready to catch a few hours of sleep before our 4 am wake up call.