alilou's Adventures in Wonderland - Rarotonga, Oz, Vietnam

[pingu]

You'll never get really good Indian food anywhere else but in India I think. Surprisingly I'm enjoying it more than Italian food.

WHAAAAT?? Don't you dare coming to Italy again. Ever.

[alilou]

WHAAAAT?? Don't you dare coming to Italy again. Ever.

Oops, sorry

Ice-cream is the best though

[pingu]

Oops, sorry

Ice-cream is the best though

I won't forgive you

[alilou]

Please pretty please

OK I got it wrong about dargah meaning mosque. Masjid means mosque. A dargah is a shrine/mausoleum for a holy person - just to set the record straight

[skatesindreams]

I love that you "spontaneously" were able to see/attend the wedding procession!

[alilou]

I love that you "spontaneously" were able to see/attend the wedding procession!

The wedding procession was loud(!) and amazing - people dancing as it went along the road and we were invited in to dance with them, and fed when we got to the reception area. All the time the groom is at the back of the procession sitting on a big throne on an elaborate silver carriage pulled by 2 horses. The procession had a band and loud speakers blaring music and took about 3 hours to go the distance it took us to walk home in about 10 minutes! Poor groom had to sit there in all his finery and couldn't join in all the fun. More about it, and pics in a blog post eventually.

[alilou]

A new blog post is ready. This time for a real change of pace, it's about a national wildlife park where we went on both a morning and evening safari. It was great to be out of the city and away from the smog.

Sambar Deer crocodiles all kinds of birds Spotted Deer mongoose, and more.

We will be on the road during the GPF - going from Varanasi to Delhi to Bangkok to Koh Samui to spend 2 weeks on the beach

It's a hard life but someone's got to do it

[Japanfan]

Granted, it wasn't India, but we did see tigers, among other big cats such as panthers, at the San Diego Zoo.

The zoo was our reason for making the trip, and it did not disappoint.

We will be on the road during the GPF - going from Varanasi to Delhi to Bangkok to Koh Samui to spend 2 weeks on the on the beach

Enjoy while we in Vancouver stay wet and cold. Koh Samui is supposed to be wonderful.

You probably can get ISU coverage, too, while we Canadians get to wonder how few GFP free skates CBC can manage to show for each discipline on Sports Saturday coverage. I figure 3, in between the curling and the skiing.

[Buzz]

Those photos are gorgeous!!!

[spikydurian]

We will be on the road during the GPF - going from Varanasi to Delhi to Bangkok to Koh Samui to spend 2 weeks on the beach

It's a hard life but someone's got to do it

Beach and Thai food! What more can we ask for! Looking forward to the pictures and experience.

[alilou]

Granted, it wasn't India, but we did see tigers, among other big cats such as panthers, at the San Diego Zoo.

The zoo was our reason for making the trip, and it did not disappoint.



Enjoy while we in Vancouver stay wet and cold. Koh Samui is supposed to be wonderful.

You probably can get ISU coverage, too, while we Canadians get to wonder how few GFP free skates CBC can manage to show for each discipline on Sports Saturday coverage. I figure 3, in between the curling and the skiing.

I've never been to San Diego zoo but I've heard it's amazing - one of the best in the world.
Also been hearing how awful the weather is in Van - stay warm
I think I could buy ISU coverage, but it's not worth it. Internet speed in India is generally too slow for videos or streaming - too much buffering. So I'll just be reading php threads and may get to see some of it later.

Those photos are gorgeous!!!

Thanks Buzz. A lot of fun taking them

Beach and Thai food! What more can we ask for! Looking forward to the pictures and experience.

Me too!!!

[skatesindreams]

Oh my...the green parrots.
Amazing!

I've never been to San Diego zoo but I've heard it's amazing - one of the best in the world.

At last, somewhere I've been that you haven't!
You heard correctly. I hope you make it there sometime during your travels.
I'd be interested in your impressions of the Zoo; and Animal Park.

[alilou]

Oh my...the green parrots.
Amazing!



At last, somewhere I've been that you haven't!
You heard correctly. I hope you make it there sometime during your travels.
I'd be interested in your impressions of the Zoo; and Animal Park.

Did you mean the green parrots, or the green pigeons? Either way both are amazing, but I was really astounded by the pigeons.
One day we may get to the San Diego Zoo. We have a vague plan to travel down through the US on our way to Mexico next March, so maybe we'll stop off in San Diego.

In the mean time can I just say that staying on a beach on an island off the coast of Thailand is a little slice of heaven. May I never never never forget how blessed I am.

[alilou]

There's a new blog post ready. This time I'm in the city of Jaipur, in the desert state of Rajasthan - home of wealthy and fearsome maharajas, elephants, and many many camels. This post - our spectacular hotel surprise, elephants, and the ancient Fort/Palace of one of those ancient Maharajas. Camels come later.

[spikydurian]

In the mean time can I just say that staying on a beach on an island off the coast of Thailand is a little slice of heaven. May I never never never forget how blessed I am.

You are blessed indeed by the very fact you know you are blessed, alilou.

http://alisonanddon.wordpress.com/20...tralia-part-2/
Was reading this part of your blog and I can understand how you felt when you thought 'you may die'. I had a similar experience many many years ago - in was in a car not plane. It is amazing how the mind works and how within a few seconds, so much thoughts can cross one's mind when one think one is about to die, and the sense of calmness when the inevitable is accepted. It is an experience of a lifetime which can teach us the value of life and loved ones, and what we wish to leave behind.

[Buzz]

Thanks again for sharing Alilou! Gorgeous writing and gorgeous pictures!

[alilou]

You are blessed indeed by the very fact you know you are blessed, alilou.

http://alisonanddon.wordpress.com/20...tralia-part-2/
Was reading this part of your blog and I can understand how you felt when you thought 'you may die'. I had a similar experience many many years ago - in was in a car not plane. It is amazing how the mind works and how within a few seconds, so much thoughts can cross one's mind when one think one is about to die, and the sense of calmness when the inevitable is accepted. It is an experience of a lifetime which can teach us the value of life and loved ones, and what we wish to leave behind.

The biggest thing I'm grateful for in my life is that somehow or other a grace came that led to me being grateful, to being aware of, and appreciative of the bounty of life. It was certainly not always so.

And yes, when facing death, even a little bit, and you even more than me by the sound of it, it certainly makes you appreciate and value life more. I just faced it again watching bodies being cremated on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi. Nothing about life and death is hidden in India. It was absolutely fascinating. There'll be a blog post about it eventually.

Thanks again for sharing Alilou! Gorgeous writing and gorgeous pictures!

Hey you're welcome Buzz as always. And thank you!

[skatesindreams]

As long as you keep writing/sharing your experiences and impressions; it will be my privilege to read them, alliou.

[Japanfan]

Great to read about happy, well-cared-for elephants living in a proper environments.

In some place in Asia they use elephants for logging. I saw a documentary on it, think it was in Burma. It showed how they beat the elephants into submission but hitting them non-stop with poles for hours and hours. Heartbreaking

[alilou]

As long as you keep writing/sharing your experiences and impressions; it will be my privilege to read them, alliou.

Thank you. It encourages me. I love to do it, it's become such a passion, the whole thing - the writing, the photography, and the creation of each blog post - but it's so much sweeter to know people are reading and enjoying. So thank you!

Great to read about happy, well-cared-for elephants living in a proper environments.

In some place in Asia they use elephants for logging. I saw a documentary on it, think it was in Burma. It showed how they beat the elephants into submission but hitting them non-stop with poles for hours and hours. Heartbreaking

Wow. That's sounds horrific.
There's no doubt that at the place we went to the elephant's welfare came first. That is the passion of the person who started the place. He used to take people on rides on elephants up to the Amber Fort. He found many people asked about how the elephants were treated, so he opened the farm to tourists to show that not all elephants are treated badly. It was a lovely place to be.

A new post

More brilliant writing and stunning photographs from Jaipur !!!

The Pink City, Diwali, and the Monkey Temple.

There's also a new post on my response to the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

I have a request - if you really really like a post please click on the "like" button. Thanks

Also, a reminder, if you have the time and inclination the photos look much better if you click on them to enlarge them.

A grateful thank you for reading