Great blog – far better than most I’ve read! Excellent photographs, too – I particularly enjoyed the one immediately above – cats on one side, pelicans on the other . . . I’ve had days that felt like that.

We’re looking at Chile, Argentina – or both – for our next big adventure, and I thank you for the extra bit of inspiration.

Happy trails!

David

PS: I’m impressed that I’ve managed to be the 1st to post on this page – I got here even before Mr vdG!

Thanks for all the comments – the North Sentinel clip was a great find, and I shall certainly look for the “Central Potato Research Institute” next time I go to Shimla
If you want to hunt down some more of the places in GE here’s a little Google Maps app I hacked together that shows the route: http://david.tryse.net/map2.php

All the best,
David

So you can see my dilemma now… A country where ANY type of bus, state operated or privately operated has the ‘Athens taxi feel’, but then multiplied by 500… brrrr… shivers down my spine.

Maybe when you guys get back you want to help me write a book about the best tourist traps in the world? From the big ones, like your “Taj Mahal experience”, or well… “Italy” to the smaller ones (Prague’s ‘You have to buy a photography permit in order to take pictures inside a dark building, but tripods and flash are not allowed even with permit’). I really think there’s a market for a book like that.

And finally… (puts on his ironical hat) thanks for putting the concept and accompanying pictures of ‘dying of an overdose of aphrodisiacs’ in my brain. It’s been haunting me for days… Life will never be the same again.

“In the spring of 1974, North Sentinel was visited by a film crew that was shooting a documentary titled Man in Search of Man, along with a few anthropologists, some armed policemen, and a photographer for National Geographic. In the words of one of the scientists, their plan was to “win the natives’ friendship by friendly gestures and plenty of gifts.” As the team’s motorized dinghy made its way through the reefs toward shore, some natives emerged from the woods. The anthropologists made friendly gestures. The Sentinelese responded with a hail of arrows. The dinghy proceeded to a landing-spot out of arrow range, where the policemen, dressed in padded armor, disembarked and laid gifts on the sand: a miniature plastic automobile, some coconuts, a tethered live pig, a child’s doll, and some aluminum cookware. Then they returned to the dinghy and waited to observe the natives’ reaction to the gifts. The natives’ reaction was to fire more arrows, one of which hit the film director in the left thigh. The man who had shot the film director was observed laughing proudly and walking toward the shade of a tree, where he sat down. Other natives were observed spearing the pig and the doll and burying them in the sand. They did, however, take the cookware and the coconuts with evident delight.”

Just spent a nice evening getting updated on all your adventures. What an amazing experience. The video of the ‘road trip’ is too scary to watch! Love the pictures. Those carvings on the temples are certainly special! The both of you look soooo relaxed in every single picture. And yes of course.. am a tiny bit jealous. Then again, I can’t picture myself on that bus.. ever!

Enjoy enjoy enjoy.

Hugs,
Yvonne

PS. you have crabs….

Thanks for the comment and glad you are enjoying the blog ..I am going to post something in there soon as well and not be so lazy.. for the moment David is doing all the work

Hope you are keeping well and happy and not too busy Hi to Graham and will drop you another email soon

edel xx

I’m sooo happy you started the blogging! Looks like you’re having a great time – curious to hear about the 10 days silence retreat!!!!

Miss ya loads:)

Anyway, it sounds you two had an ‘interesting’ start to the 2009 version of your travels. To be honest, a whole new world opened up to me. The intriguing world of scammers, touts, bunkoes, cons, flim flams, gaffles, grifts (although this one did have a familiar ring to it), hustles, schemes, and swindles. The closest I have ever come to any of these was when Edel turned out to be a professional tipster at the Horse races in Leopardstown, years back… But that’s a different story. As you know, India has never had a magnetic effect on me (although after seeing the pictures of, what’s it called, McGyver Darj or so, I have to say that maybe my prejudice comes from the ‘big cities in India being a tad crowded’ images in my head. Anyway, brilliant to be able to dream the dream through your blog, so keep informing us!

Big hugs!!
Yvon