Bikes and Bridges

It has been awhile so I thought I should catch you all up on our happenings...

Over the Chinese New Year Holiday we met up with some good friends for a bike tour of the Thai wine country (Thailand... Wine Country????).  Yes and we actually had some very good wine.  We did  a guided ride through Spice Roads Cycle Tours (highly recommend them).  The bikes were good, the country side lovely and the van followed along with snacks, water and our bags.  My way to bike tour!

Ian and I making sure the wine was going to be ok before the winery tour.

Simon picking the grapes 

Some of the lovely scenery along the way

We came back to work for a brief bit and then Spring Break was upon us.  We had planned to discover some new islands in Thailand but got the news that Simon's mum is not well.  So plans changed and Simon went to cold, snowy England and I went to warm, sunny Australia.  

Had a wonderful time with friends who live in this lovely house in Bathurst

Saw kangaroos right out on the side of the road

Enjoyed some tourist time in Sydney

Doesn't really look like spring does it?

So all in all we have been keeping busy and enjoying life - thought I would leave you with one of the signs I see around here all the time - who thinks these things up?  Then who puts them up?

This is found at the restrooms of our local hawker center - women also have to pay 20 cents to use the facilities if the toilet minder is there - men, of course, don't have to pay.

That's it for now - take care, keep in touch and come visit!!!!

M and S

Snoring Singapore - NOT

Ok - so we have said that Singapore is a bit tame and sameish...well today we found something we have never seen before and I doubt too many of you have either.

We attended the Thaipusam Festival in Little India.

Yes, those are limes hanging by hooks - notice the  tongue piercings

Jugs of milk

The full outfit - Simon watched them do some piercing - I couldn't 

Here is a short video in the temple courtyard where they prepared the people to start the walk

So when we complain about being bored... just remind us that interesting things are going on all around us!
Take care, M and S

More info just in case you are curious

From Wikipedia

ThaiPusam in Singapore

In Singapore, Hindu devotees start their procession at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in the early morning, carrying milk pots as offerings or attaching "kavadis" and spikes pierced on their body.^[11] The procession travels for 4 kilometres before finishing at Tank Road, Sri Thendayuthapani Temple.^[12]

On the previous day, the deity Lord Sri Thendayuthapani is taken on a procession in the Silver Chariot to Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar temple and returns in the evening followed by Chettiar Kavadies and other devotees. This event is popularly called as Chetty Pusam in Singapore.

On Thaipusam day, hundreds of devotees offer prayers either by piercing their body with spikes and lemon, pulling a chariot or carrying Kavadis from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. The devotees then offer their prayers and fulfill their vows. The Vel (holy spear) in the sanctum is showered with milk continuously for hours. Several Chinese devotees and people of other religion and races also come to fulfill their vows on this day.

Interesting India

Here we go with the first post of 2013 (at least it is still January!)

As many of you know we went to India over our winter holiday.  It was quite an adventure and we have many pictures and stories to share when we catch up with you in person but for now here is a small taste of our adventure.

We took some advice from our friends Belinda and Graham and decided to hire a car and driver to get around the "golden triangle".  This was a good move as the trains and other public transport were crowded, on strike or shut down for a lot of the time while we were there. We had an excellent driver, Ram, who showed us many insider areas as well as having us to dinner at his house.  I would definitely recommend your own car and driver (and Ram) if you want to tour that part of India.

 Here is the street in Delhi outside our hotel - can you even see me?

  We were in Delhi on the Sunday when that horrible rape took place.  We came back through a week later when all the protests were happening.  Again a reason not to take a bus... so sad but maybe some change will come out of it.  It did taint my feelings for large cities and groups of men walking the streets while we were there.  I realize how much I take for granted as a woman at times.

Our hotel with a climbing wall

As I said, we booked with a car and driver - we also had them book hotels for that leg of the journey.  We stayed in a Maharaja's palace (his grandson was strolling around meeting people and looking important), a hotel opened by an Everest mountaineer  and a hunting (now photography) lodge.  All interesting in their own ways - still glad we brought the sleep sheets.

This was just one wife's palace within a fort

How long did it take to do all that carving?

We toured and  travelled as most tourists do seeing forts, palaces and temples.  The roads were crowded and the drivers loved to honk - in fact the trucks all have "Honk please" painted on the back of them.  The drivers can't be bothered to look behind or to the side of them so you must honk to tell them you are approaching. Gives you a headache after a while!

I know it looks fake - but it really was like this!

Of course we had to see the Taj (I have heard the phrase "See the Taj, with Raj in his Dodge" since I was 3).  The mist was incredible and the monument is breath taking.  We probably enjoyed Agra the most of the cities we visited.  Although based on tourism it had a more relaxed feel and was a bit cleaner.  We had some amazing food there as well.

 Between Jaipur and Agra there is a national park where there are a few protected tigers ( I was told there are only 48-54 left).  We went out on a very cold game drive in the morning and saw nothing but birds.  I went in the afternoon and after hours of circling a dead deer and looking for footprint (pug-marks) we got our prize!  It is amazing how she blends into the grass.

After our hard days of touring (it actually is quite tiring) we flew down to chill out at a beach in Goa.  We chose Agonda beach, which is about as south as you can go in Goa.  This beach protects turtle nests and doesn't have any large hotels or resorts.  Lovely white sand, palm trees, waves to play in... what a way to spend 9 days over Christmas and New Years.

Our resort - Richard Gere stayed in the hut on the right

Doesn't look so bad...actually the beach, the fresh fish, the waves and kayaking were all great.  

You even get used to the cows everywhere! This one tried to eat my table cloth as I had my morning coffee.

But then there was our hut....

Rustic, basic (love those sleep sheets!)

Made of plywood, no windows, an attached "bathroom" with a pipe out of the wall for a shower....hmm...underneath a family of pigs made their home and liked to rut and squeal for most of the night.  The tree behind us was home to a colony of fruit bats (100's of them) who would arrive back to the tree about 4AM and proceed to fight over which branch to hang off - high pitched bat squealing.  For this luxury we were paying $65 a night!   As it was Christmas/New Year's we were lucky to have that, every day people came to the compound wanting to stay.  

That being said, the "boys" who ran the place and did all the cooking were great, the food was delicious, we met some interesting people and loved the beach.  Would we go back to Agonda beach and Goa - in a heartbeat.  We would just stay down the beach at a different place.  

That wraps up this edition of our blog - until next time... M and S