"Sleeper" Car

Day 7

We started our day a little later since the sites of Udaipur don’t open until after 9am. We started at City Palace, where all the beauty of the trip had obviously numbed us a bit. We steered through the City Palace museum snapping random pictures at will. Slightly exhausted by the weekend rush of the attractions we made our way to the boat dock for an afternoon boat trip on the lake. It was an enjoyable excursion that stopped at a super fancy island restaurant/hotel that was being decorated for what I’m sure was a very elaborate (and expensive) wedding *which one of y’all*. After about a half hour of wandering around, we caught a boat back to the main land to find Naag and get some lunch.

Naag took us to a lake view restaurant. Wedding season was again obvious as a bunch of women gathered in a private room for what seemed like a bridal shower. We had a tasty lunch looking over the lake and returned to Naag.

At this point we were fresh out of idea as to what we wanted to do (being a bit palace/fort/templed out). Naag said there was a garden so we went to this garden. Despite initial appearances, we actually really enjoyed the garden. There was an “interesting” science center in the middle of it and a huge fountain. After the garden we resigned to end our sight seeing and returned to the hotel to chill and watch tv for a bit. We got sucked into a soap opera about two sisters, one of whom got married and went to live with her new family where she messed up breakfast but no one knew b/c her new husband ate all the portage and made himself sick. When we finally pulled ourselves away, we went to Ambrai Restaurant (a famous restaurant that Naag suggested) and had a delicious dinner, complete with a fireworks show.

When we got back, I wanted to use some wifi for the first time in days so I went out to the hukka lounge with Maria where we struggled to check our email and facebook eventually surrendering to playing slow buffering India songs on youtube while we hukka’d and dropped eaves on a very interesting conversation that was held mostly in Hindi with the Canadian wife of the owner interjecting in English every now and again. A couple of the guys who worked at the hotel came and sat with us once the owner’s conversation was over and he shut the place down. After sitting in the cold common area for a while and punishing the hukka, Maria and I called it a night.

Day 8

We woke up pretty early to make our 9:35 train to Ahmedebad. It was sad to say by to Naag (we already miss him) but he gave us our final instructions and we navigated to our platform. As the train pulled up I cannot say I was excited. This guy…has character. It is how the locals travel for sure, especially since it makes all the local stops. It is not terrible at all and it is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The only downfall I see right now is my rumbling tummy… I guess I will have to wait until dinner when we get off this bad boy…in about 6 hours. *sigh*

N'er to return again...

Day 4

Shower, breakfast, quick email check and off to Jodhpur. A 6 hour ride. I suppose we are a couple hours in at this point. I wonder what is for lunch. Hopefully it is better than the last roadside restaurant Nog picked out. *flashback* On the way to Jaipur we were hungry for lunch and asked Nog to stop somewhere for a "snack," hoping this would translate to "cheap street food." Not so much. We ended up at the most Anglo-sized restaurant yet. It was incredibly touristy with a huge gift shop and trinkets everywhere. And the food was bland and expensive. It was definitely our most expensive meal and our least satisfying. And at that meal, we made a pact: Never again. *flashback*

And it worked! For “snacks” today we stopped at a roadside market and got bananas and samosas and yellow pomegranates. Still, lunch ended up being at another roadside stop. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the last couple but it could be so much better.

12/18

Thought the trip to Jodhpur was long….Try a 4^th class train to Ahmedebad. We are about 5 hours in. Once we get some wifi, I will upload the pictures that I finally added to Picasa. But for now, let me recap Jodhpur and Udaipur.

Day 5

When we finally got to Jodhpur we checked in and went to the Meharajah’s Palace. It has been my favorite stop thus far (granted the Taj Mahal is the Taj Mahal but overlooking that…). There were gorgeous views of the Blue City and we got an audio tour so we actually learned quite a bit about the royal family and the history of Jodhpur (including the meaning of various colors, specifically saffron). The ramparts were awesome at sunset.

When we returned to the hotel, we had our first India music video experience…and pretty much fell in love. All the music videos come from Bollywood movies. It’s great. And we “met” SRK. After about an hour of music TV via MTunes, dinner was ready in the courtyard. And it was prepared by an adorably cute Indian guy (with whom I pretty much fell in love). Dinner was the most delicious thing we had so far (I even did the “happy I’m fed” dance). After we ate we sat around and let the travel delirium (travel-lirium) set in over some laughs. And by the time we went back in to call it a night, I was refreshed. Beautiful Jodhpur, delicious dinner, good laughs and cute boy. I’m a simple girl. Lol.

There will be monkeys...

12/15

Still Day 2

Ok maybe we won't see monkeys. We stopped at a monkey sanctuary or maybe it was the monkey temple, either way, we were told there were monkeys. I'm not the biggest fan of monkeys. I think they are too clever and to be quite honest, they creep me out just a little. But nevertheless, I didn't mind seeing a couple. We saw one monkey...and a WHOLE BUNCH OF PIGEONS. If you know me, you know there is one thing that freaks me out most of all...BIRDS. It was a freakin nightmare. But we made it up to the Monkey Temple, where Kim, Maria and I went in and got schooled on the history of the temple by the monk priest. We got some good luck blessings and Maria got a marriage proposal.

We left the "monkeys" and went to our hotel to check in. The hotel was very nice. It had a courtyard and marble hallways. Check in was a super long process though and by the time it was completed, the sun was setting. We chilled in one of our rooms discussing one thing or another and then set about school work. Maria and I needed dinner so we asked Nog to bring us to a restaurant that we had scouted out in LP (lonely planet). The place was LMB and apparently, it's the place to dine because everyone we asked for recommendations afterwards first pointed us there. The food was great. The best so far, and after we finished dinner, we caught an auto-rickshaw back to the hotel. *note* The rickshaw driver's boss "lives right by" the hotel and preceded to follow/guide the rickshaw to our hotel. Then, once we disembarked from the minitaxi, he volunteered to give us a ride on his motorbike the whole 200 feet to the door. -_- No thank you sir. Good night. *end note*

Day 3

First stop, ATM. Day 3 was a shopping day. Before the ATM we stopped at the money exchange and outside of the building, a man was frying up some samosas, the one food I had been wanting since I got to India. So a mere 7 rupees later, I was having my first Indian street food adventure and it was delicious. The dumpling was filled with spices and some small bits of grains. After we reupped on cash, we went to the Amber Fort where we rode elephants to the top of the hill to Maria's delight. Atop the hill, we visited another Hindi temple and Maria and I explored the fort-palace. The courtyard and garden were gorgeous. The highlight was the Hall of Victory, tiled with mirrors making one whole side of the courtyard sparkle. We wandered around, peering off balconies and eventually making it to the rooftop. Amazing views.

We headed back to the main grounds to meet up with Emily and Kim and go back to the city for lunch. We found them chatting up some very cute, very Moroccan looking Italian guy. After listening to his US TSA sagas, we walked back down the hill and met Nog. He dropped us at the New Gate and we ate at Ganesh Restaurant, another LP suggestion. Again, LP held us down. Yummy (and cheap) lunch. Then it was time for dessert, lassiwala. And lassiwala meant it was time for adventure (ie. to get lost in the city of Jaipur). Eventually Kim navigated us to the lassiwala shop outside the Pink City where we enjoyed a dairy treat that can best be described as a yogurt shake.

After our adventure-worthy treat, we returned to the Pink City to explore the many bazaars and shops, which we did all day. *note* The Pink City is the name given to the part of Jaipur within the city wall. It is actually painted entirely pink. Apparently pink is the color of hospitality and it was painted for the Prince of Wales (King Edward VII). 8end note* Starting off on the backroads of the city at Fashion Hut, stopping off into dress/saury shops, going to the NYC-esk backroom jewelry shops, and haggling for scarves and shoes along the main bazaar. Before we knew it, it was 7pm and we were to meet Nog. He brought us to a little street food vendor not far from the hotel and we got four dishes to go that were carefully scooped in little baggies tied with rope and packed into bags. Cheapest meal yet! Something like $1 each. It was also delicious.

Maria happened upon a cute Dutch guy in the dining area while securing bowls for our bagged meals. And once he was done with his dinner he joined us in the courtyard and we chatted until late in the evening.

The Wondrous World of India

Day 1

Up early, checked out and on the road to Agra to see one of the 7 wonders…the Taj Mahal. “Riding in Style” as Kim put it. PRIVATE DRIVER. Maria and Emily’s FIB (Fake Indian Boyfriend) set us up for a seven day adventure sans trains or buses and led by Nog, our driver. And as I write (in my convenient little notebook) we are approaching Agra.

12/13

When I last scribbled down my thoughts in my little notebook, I was on the way to the Taj Mahal. We are now out of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and entering Jaipur. The driver also just mentioned something about monkeys! The animals here are kind of awesome. Dogs are everywhere and so are cows. There are goats and camels and moneys and pigs just chillin on the streets. I am sure I have never experienced a place with this many "wild" animals in urban environment. But before we get to city 3 (Jaipur), let me go back to Day 1.

So we made it to our hostel/hotel and checked in. The driver took us to a restaurant, "coincidentally" the restaurant name was the same as the hotel. Lunch was good. It was my first meal in India after all. According to Emily and Maria it was double the price of their meal yesterday and half as good. There were a lot of westerners also. We decided that we needed to find more authentic food in the future. After lunch, we finally made our way to the main event… The Taj Mahal!

The Taj Mahal was as grand and as beautiful as it has even been described. The manicured grounds framed the monument to showcase its splendor. The sun highlighted the brilliant white marble and made the decorative garnet and jade flower inlays of the pietra dura sparkle. But what took my breath away was inside the edifice. The marble lattice that surrounds the cenotaphs of the once monarchs was amazing. It was so intricate and extensive. There was even more inlays, some of gold. It was truly beautiful.

After about two hours and hundreds of pictures, we left the monument of love. And all the traveling had apparently caught up with us. We returned to our rooms to work but we all ended up napping until dinner. Kim continued her sleep through meal time and the rest of us went to a dimly lit restaurant that Nog drove us to. Again, the food was pretty good and but there were a good deal of westerners. We complimented our meals with chai and split three dishes (saag, aloo, and some other traditional meal). The restaurant began to empty out so we got our check and headed back to the hotel where were again, attempted work until sleep overcame us.

DAY 2

We started out early to Jaipur. But before we left UP, we visited the Fatehpur Sikri, an ancient city still surrounded by the walls of its protective fortress. The palace was huge and surrounded by beautiful views of countryside and ruins. We explored the numerous chambers and courtyards before venturing to the mosque on the far side of the grounds. I was very excited to visit the mosque. There was a small one at the Taj Mahal but this was the only other time I had been to one. My excitement was a bit squelched by the hordes of hawkers and beggers and faux tour guides. By the time we left the mosque the other girls were completely frazzled by the whole experience. Despite the annoyances, I did find the mosque beautiful and the views of the villages to the south below the grounds were amazing also. Most stirring was being in the shrine (Tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti). The white marble and shards of mother-of-pearl decorating the ceiling were secondary to the ritual and ceremony of those inside the shrine. The heavy scent of incenses and the melodious prayers in the background engulfed me as I watched men and women lay out shrouds of brightly colored cloth and sprinkle flower pedals on top before mouthing a silent prayer. I have been to Catholic masses and other Christian church services but I think this was the first time that I ever experienced a religion so different from my own in action.

After the mosque we returned to Nog and got back on the road to Jaipur. And now, we shall see monkeys.

That Sh* Cray...

12/11

Day -2

So I can listen to “Watch the Throne” on my flight courtesy of Delta Airlines…N*&&@s in Paris???

Once I finally got off the plane and out of the airport on the RER, I immediately looked for Skyrock Radio (Heephop en RnBee). Completely forgot about the lack of censorship on the French airwaves. Still a little taken aback hearing the f-bomb dropped on the radio.

12/12

Still Day -2

I took the RER to Les Halles and I realized very quickly that I left my hat in Alyse’s car (or lost it in ATL). I sought to rectify this. I figured I would pick one up on the street but as I was leaving Les Halles, I saw that a sport shop (I think the same one Rob bought his jacket from that time so long ago) was closing so I stopped in. I ended up getting a nice little hat for 1 euro.

Once I was properly prepared for the cold, I set out to find lunch and wifi. Being that I was in Les Halles, I thought I would continue my quest to find the vegetarian lunch spot that had eluded me during EuroTrip, Foody’s. I couldn’t remember where it was supposed to be so I stopped by a Best Western and asked. They pointed me in the direction and before I knew it, it was July 2010 all over again and Foody’s was nowhere to be found. I gave up one final time deciding that it simply does not exist in real life. But my hunger did. So I ducked down a side street (remembering my failure to find deliciousness last time Foody’s slipped through my grasp) and hoped that I could find a tasty menu off the beaten trail. And I did. I found a cute little place with beouf burgoneon and a cute little garçon. The food was pretty yummy and the café was stronger than I remembered it (probably due to too much American coffee over the last few weeks). I asked the cutie about wifi and he pointed me to…Starbucks!

Paris is the one city that does not need a Starbucks. Café’s abound! But I can’t complain. I sat outside and cyphened enough wifi to check my email and see Selma’s number. *shoutout* To my Twin for hooking me up with her high school friend who happens to live in Paris (jealous!) *shoutout* I skyped Selma and we set up a rendez-vous. She had tickets to a salon (expo) of some sort so we went to Port de Versailles for the evening, met up with her Swiss friend and sampled cheese, sausages and dehydrate meats, and wine all evening. Selma and her friend signed up for a cooking class at 5:30 and I decided to skip the class in lieu of going to the Marais for the one thing I really wanted to do…shop.

We planned to meet back up in 2 hours so I hopped on the metro back to the 5^th and went straight to my favorite 2 vintage thrift stores. Two hours later, with a new bag and boots in tow, I met Selma again and we metro’d to my favorite spot in Paris for some nighttime photos. The Champs was full of oddly colored (for Christmas) lights but it was pretty nonetheless. The trees were decorated with these lighted hoola hoops that changed colors from green to blue. They helped to illuminate the Christmas market that lined the street. In the background, a Ferris wheel shined from Les Tuileries. We walked along the Pont Alexandre III and took pictures of and with Le Tour Eiffel and then grabbed some vin chaud (hot wine) from the market before we metro’d to Selma’s apartment in the 17^th to drop off my bag and get dinner.

We had a late meal at Les Dames Café (delicious lamb stew finished with café) then walked up to Sacre Coeur to see the lit city from the highest vantage point. *sidebar* We passed O’Sullivan’s on the way there. It was poppin off as usual *end sidebar* Selma said that it wasn’t as bright as it usually is (probably because it was rather late) but I of course still thought it was great. We ventured back down the hill and went to a bar called 3 Cuisines or something along those lines. It’s by her apartment and apparently the “business school kids” hang out here. It was pretty cool. We ended the night with kir de cassis and Selma got invited on a dinner date lol. Once we got home, I was exhausted so I took a shower and passed out.

Day -1

But I had to wake up early to make my 10:30am flight. So I departed *thanks again Selma* and metro/RER’d to CDG (pain au chocolat et juis des oranges en main). I still love Paris. It will likely always be my favorite.

Boarding the plane was interesting. The abundance of oversized carry-ons being checked at the gate delayed departure an hour but the flight was shorter than I thought (which is a good thing because there were no individual tvs!). When we landed, I headed to customs and ran into Kim, who was obviously on my flight, unbeknownst to me. We cleared customs and picked up my ever-so-large backpack, found an ATM and met our driver. He took us to the hostel where Maria and Emily were waiting for us with an intriguing story of the last 24 hours and the travel arrangements that had made…that started at 7am. We said goodnight and Kim and I set to work on projects from the not-yet-over semester. Around 3:30/4 we called it a night.

The power of wifi

Finally got wifi!! Who knew how much I was addicted to constant internet access.

It's something like Day 14, I lost count. But I have the first part of our adventure (prior to CEPT) documented...

*tisk tisk*

I am ashamed that I never got past Day 3. If I hadn't been up for twenty some odd hours I would at least go through an outline of the rest of the 14 days (ending in Amsterdam). But I've pulled an allnighter and am about to go back to campus and keep pushing so that I can finish the rest of this semester by Friday so that I can go to INDIA!

That's right. I am writing because I am off on another adventure. A 28 day adventure. And guess where I get to spend day 1! Only my favorite city on the planet...Paris...

à bientôt.

baby steps

I understand that it is Day 12 and I am sitting in the airport about to leave Ghana but I will blog this trip. So… Day 3…

Easter Sunday! After a lovely breakfast, Dr. Meyer, Emma, and I joined Dr. Amekudzi for church services at Lighthouse Chapel. She drove us through Accra to the church passing Nima. It was as we passed Nima that an overwhelming feeling washed over me. It was very clear to me for the first time that EVERYONE was black. The conditions in Nima are another story.

Dr. Amekudzi’s church is a huge church with multiple sanctuaries and an impressive cathedral. No air conditioning but the building was well designed and the large glassless windows provided a refreshing cross-breeze. The service was dynamic and afterwards, the bishop invited us to his office to welcome us, probably because Dr. Meyer and Emma were the only white people in a crowd of a couple thousand.

After church we headed back to the Holiday Inn to pick up the rest of the crew for lunch at Tante Maria. The food was delicious. For the most part, we all tried traditional Ghanaian dishes. Elise and I, true to form, shared our dishes; palava sauce with beef and garden egg stew with chicken, served with boiled yam and plantain. Palava sauce is a spinach based dish and garden egg stew is tomato and eggplant. The yams are not at all like the ones in the States. They are white and not sweet at all…think potato. In all, it was delicious.

After lunch/dinner, we visited with Dr. Amekudzi’s parents. We got to hear stories about Papa and the Pope and his opinions about Ghanaian politics and various other affairs. When it started to get dark, we packed some “take-aways” since we were all still pretty full from Tante Maria even though it was dinner time (6ish). We said our farewells and headed back to the Holiday Inn.

Elise and I broke out the laptops and cranked out some work until we got a little snackish around 8ish. We watched the end of “The Other Boleyn Girl” with dinner. We also watched the beginning of “Awake” but got to freaked out to finish it. So we read the IMBD cliffnotes. Crazy movie! But glad I didn’t waste 2 hours of my life watching it. Plus it gave us more time for work before we called it a night.

So you may realize that I have been back for about 5 days now. I think it may be safe to say that a full day-by-day account may not be a realistic goal at this point. But I will at least publish a run down of our activities and reflections and a link to pictures. Sorry, there just wasn't enough time. Such is grad school ay?

Everybody loves Saturday Night. At least that is what the band said.

:D Fun times in Ghana. After two failed attempts, we got into a lounge. @Elise's flip flops

After a couple tropical drinks, the music transformed from random American throwbacks to more a pro pos tunes. Definitely enjoyed hearing (and dancing to) some local hits. Thanks Margaret for giving us the hook up with Nii Ako. :D

Day 2...

Yeah, it's long past Day 2 and I still won't have time to catch you up through today, but little by little I'll document this trip.

So we are staying in the Holiday Inn Accra Airport while in Accra with the profs. Sweet accommodations. Much nicer that my usual international dwellings. Breakfast is included and it may be the best part of staying here. The buffet is extensive. There is the usual, bacon and potatoes (they have a different style each day!) and omelette station. But then they also have the English breakfast option (beans and mushrooms) and Ghanaian style (kelewele, that's spicy plantains, jollof rice, and a stew of sorts that also changes daily). Then there is an assortment of breads and pastries and fruit. So you know with my love of breakfast, I'm in heaven every morning here.

OK. Started writing this 2 days ago. lol. Well, let me try to at least finish Day 2 quickly...

After breakfast on the second day, that was Saturday, we ventured out to do a bit of site seeing. First stop, Independence Square. We actually were able to go into the square and even to the beach behind it. Next we visited the arts market....for the first time. There were all sorts of dresses and carvings and paintings and jewelry, lots of jewelry. I managed to come out with just a couple of pairs of earrings and a painting. Next stop was the mausoleum of Kwame Nkrumah. Great opportunity to learn some Ghanaian history. Also learned (thanks Jacob) that Nkrumah was frat. Blue Phi. For lunch we headed back to Oxford Street to eat at what was supposed to be the best seafood restaurant around, Monsoon. As we walked in I had the feeling that either someone had lied to us or the place wasn't open yet. Turns out it was the latter. No food until 6. So we ended up going to the food court nearby. The sign assured us that we would "Luv dat chicken." It was actually pretty good (chicken kebabs and rice). And it gave us a chance to chat with the TAs from KNUST (oh yeah, I guess I didn't mention that we had tour guides from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology). After lunch, we, or at least the ladies, spent quite a while deciding between fabrics in Woodin (fabric and clothing store) so that we could have dresses made. And when we had finally secured some pretty prints we went to Makola Market. IDK that I can describe it to you. It's a HUGE local open air market area where you can buy anything you need from deodorant to smoked fish, and it is teeming with people and vendors. More than any other market I have been too. And what was awesome was that after the arts market where we were hounded to purchase wares, we were able to just walk around sans assault. We didn't stay too long though because a storm was rolling in. And just as we got back to the hotel, it started pouring and the accompanying wind was no joke either. But it eventually ended and the resulting cool made an outdoor dinner desirable. So we (the students & Dr. Meyer, or as the market vendors called him "Papa") ate poolside. Shrimp fried rice. And it wouldn't be the last time. Dessert was on Papa, chocolate tart. And...then I think we all just went to bed.

Sorry if that was a bit rushed but I am very far behind but I still don't have time to catch up. It took me three days to get this written. And now I am off to experience a bit of Accra night life. Oh and pictures are to come too.

To hold you over

So we are back in Accra. I know it has been a minute but between full days, writing my planning law papers at night and not having reliable internet in Kumasi, I have gotten behind in my posts. But rather than quickly blow through the last few days, I will give you some musings to tide you over until I can actually write the posts I owe you.

I haven't heard "Look at me now" in a week. :D

I was putting on sunblock this morning and felt a new awareness and pride in my brown skin.

Our bus/van driver is such a G (stories to come)

Malaria pills lead to some crazy dreams. Definitely makes waking up a little easier.

"Sankofa" is everywhere. I welcome the reminder.

The Holiday Accra Airport is beasty.

I love Ghana. :D

*fault*

That is what our thermostat is blinking... I think our A/C is busted because our hotel room should not be humid.

Once I get through some of my law paper I will tell you tales of the last two days...

Day 1...

*unrelated* Apparently Charlie Sheen was at GT today! #tigerblood or #winning or #somethinglikethatifwearestillusingthosehashtags *unrelated* and now...

Welcome (vicariously) to the Motherland!

I can't believe it. I'm in Africa! :D I had spent the last two weeks stressing about finishing assignments and the 24 hours prior to take off studying and packing and running around like a headless chicken. But when I was walking down the aisle of the plane, it hit me. Listening to everyone's accents and watching them stuff over-sized carry-ons into the overhead compartments (you called it Margaret), I realized I was finally making a trip I had dreamed of since I was a kid.

After an 11 hour flight, we touched down in Accra, Ghana. I actually like long flights. 1) They tend to mean I am going somewhere far away, which is pretty synonymous with "awesome trip ahead" 2) They give me a chance to watch movies I missed in theaters. And last night, showing on the very small screen...Tangled and How Do You Know? *guilty pleasure* Is it just me or was Flynn aka Eugene hot?? *guilty pleasure* The flight was also brightened by a French-speaking flight attendant and "happy hour" in the back of the plane with Elise and a dear friend washing back his Ambient with Corona.

And now, that we're checked in and I no longer smell like travel, it is time to get in a late lunch before we head out to Oxford Street!

*also unrelated* Putting it out there, if anyone wants to sign me up for the scoutmobs of the next week, that would be awesome :) *also unrelated*

What you Ghana do? (credit: Phillip Cherry)

Long time no post. Atlanta has been great to me. So great that I am heading off on another international adventure...AFRICA, Ghana to be specific.

True to form I am severely behind schedule. So much to do and not nearly enough time. But I wanted to take the time to warn you that I will be back on my blog for the next couple of weeks.

Stay tuned....