When I returned from my recent Christmas trip to Australia, no one really cared how my holiday was. They just wanted to know two things:
- Are the fires really as bad as everyone says
- Are the koalas ok?
Travelling
Dorothy… we’re not in India anymore
At the end of our two week, action packed, exhausting tour of the Rajasthan region of India, hubby and I booked ourselves three nights in a 5 star hotel in Delhi. We were well aware we would want some time to kick back, chill, and process all we’d seen and done before rushing onto a plane back to real life.
The hotel we were staying at on the last night of the tour in Delhi was fine… but it wasn’t more than that. And when we were woken up early because apparently breakfast was served right outside our room, we decided, time to go.
Overnight in India… on the train
My time on the overnight train from Delhi to Jodhpur is not my favourite memory of northern India. It’s possibly my worst memory. My time on the overnight train from Delhi to Jodhpur felt like a hideous place I would never escape from. I was sandwiched in the middle bunk between two plastic mats – parallel to me was a heavy Indian man who only stopped snoring to cough; rasping toxic coughs that sounded like one of his lungs was being dragged from his insides out through his mouth.
Monkey Memes – reloaded
Due to my fascination with monkey memes, which began in Sri Lanka, and continued in southern India… I had monkeys on my mind when we headed to northern India this year. Hope you enjoy them!
Delhi belly – the suffering, the indignity
Having travelled Sri Lanka and southern India, and pretty much eating whatever I liked, I was pretty confident about the constitution of my stomach while I was in northern India.
Here’s what I learned:
- I’m not as tough as I thought
- Delhi Belly can strike anyone
- You can’t really do anything but ride it out
Northern India – go or don’t go – it’s your choice
It seems like on the subject of India, the world is divided into two halves. The ones that can’t wait to get there, and the ones that absolutely, positively never want to go near the place.
“Keep your expectations low”, our tour leader kept saying on our latest adventure to India. I’m not sure if it was a ruse to ensure we were never disappointed, but it worked for me. I remained pleasantly surprised for most of the trip. From the transport and roads, to the hotels we stayed in, to the experiences we had, everything was either as I expected, or better. At least, when compared to what the trip had promised.
Longer trips – India – the north
Following our (in retrospect, cruisy) trip to the south of India two years ago, hubby was keen to introduce me to the craziness of the north – the real India.
And I was prepared. I really was. But it still hits you hard.
Short Trips – a week with the Larry
In an already busy year of visits and holidays, we had one last visitor to our town at the beginning of September, wedged between a trip to Crete and a holiday in India. At this time of year, the weather should be lovely… you would think. In the past we’ve often spent the first weekend in September in Italy, where it’s still warm enough to swim, but most of the crowds are gone.
Well… not this year. The weekend my friend Larry was with us saw it rain almost the entire time. Luckily she was fresh off the plane, hopped up with jetlag, and had been here before, so all she wanted to do was… well… whatever happens.
Short Trips – Crete – one last burst of summer
When a colleague of mine took an extended break living and working with her family in Crete, I realised it was the perfect chance to holiday somewhere new. I’d done the Greek Islands as a backpacker (though not very well), but I’d never made it so far south.
Visiting parents – it’s becoming a habit
When I first moved to Austria my parents considered visiting, weighing up cost with long flight time and seeing their daughter. My dad thought it would be nice to make a trip each year and do some travelling along the way, my mum preferred to make the journey only every second year.
So what was the outcome?
an aussie in austria 