...whoops!

With moving out and exams and then sleeping through my alarm the morning I had to pack and leave for the airport, a LOT of things didn't get done. I am currently in Agra with a very sick travel buddy...

On wednesday, i flew into Delhi to meet my two travel partners--one of which had gotten horrendous food poisoning and had to be taken to the hospital. He then decided to change his flights and fly home two weeks early. So now we're down to two, and the other one has also taken a dive. He spent the night in the (bathroom?) of our top floor room of a non AC guesthouse in Old City Paha Gange, Delhi (think dark cramped alleyways full of shoeless locals and cracked out old punjabis). So he's sleeping today, which actually worked out, as the Taj is closed on fridays (missed that minor detail). so i'm off to sweat out a little exploration of my own.

Yesterday got up to 47 degrees. It is HOT and SUNNY here.

Tomorrow night we take a night train to Varanasi and spend 1 1/2 days there. Then we're taking a series of trains to Darjeeling to spend our last days in the foothills of the himalayas. we already have the return journey booked so i'm sure to make the plane in delhi.

People in the north are much different--the rickshaw drivers have completely different tricks so we'eve been swindled several times now! but everytime you start to lose faith in something indian, (the drivers, the restaurants, the railway system) it redeems itself. Today our driver was an angel--helping me to drag Banks around while we searched for a guesthouse.

Yesterday in Delhi was incredible, despite the sickies. We saw a Baha'i Temple in the morning and then the Jama Masjid--a famous mosque, some old bazaars and Delhi's best known mughli restaurant in the evening. At the mosque, I had to wear a giant hot pink sheet that covered all of my skin, so I somewhat stuck out amongst the black-clad muslims and felt absolutely ridiculous! Don't worry--there will be pictures.

All in all, I'm sad to leave the Uni, a little miffed as to how these next two weeks will work out, and so excited to come home.

Some of my Naga friends had a BBQ my last night at Uni, where we roasted a whole chicken (stuffed with masala spices!) on a homemade spit built from bamboo and bamboo rope over a bonfire we made by a lake on campus. (yeah, you can build fires on campus...) It was incredible, but it took a good three hours to cook(!) because we had to keep running into the forest for more brush to burn.

And with that incredibly jumbled and jumpy post, I'll leave you (sitting comfortably in your comfy chairs and AC computer rooms, no doubt) to go find some food, as I haven't had a chance to eat today.

I apologise for the lack of pics from Sam's visit--I had a blog written and pics chosen, all ready to be posted, but then I had to sleep through my alarm...everything'll be up after my 30+ hour-long journey back home!

See you stateside and SOON,
Al

Goa, first time round--last batch

Taking a break after accepting the fact that we weren't in the market for sarongs

Why yes I did take this, thank you very much. :)

An Indian sunset of a different hue

Colors on the coast captivated me.

Getting ready to scoot back to Baga before the sun set--the headdress was a present from Jens--a classy peice of work depicting an eagle, wrapped in the american flag...yes...

Goa 6

The way we came up!

One of Hakon's glamour-shots

Andi, Banks and I

A Parasailor over tibetan flags

Goa 5

The cliffs of Arambol beach--and Hakon in the corner

A view of the beach itself--and the water was like a bath. A really, really salty bath.

The tops of the cliffs were littered with little tibetan, hindu and Christian shrines

Fishing boats on the beach--just having returned from catching our dinner!

Goa 4

A Portugeuse Church in a little town on the way to Arambol

Standard local houses around rural Goa

Fire dancers at the Saturday Night Baazar

Above the baazar--looking down on the sea of vendors

One of the spice vendors who let us sample every single spice before picking out a couple to mercilessly haggle down...

Goa 3

Wandered by my morning coffee (with the Dutchman) one morning!

Just outside our guesthouse door in Baga so we could say our prayers before hitting the beach!

An old tanker and some (nude?) admirers

I got about 30 pictures of THIS...and had a hard time picking the best one

behind banks (behind Jens, behind Hakon and Andi) on our way to Arambol. (See how empty those roads are, mom?) :)

Goa 2

Fort Aguada-built by the Portuguese

Another view of the fort (see notes)

Dinner on the beach--fresh seafood and fireworks and enough of a breeze to keep the mosquitoes away!

I thought this sign was funny

Our guesthouse in Vagator--our first morning before heading to the beach