Train Archives - Page 3 of 4

Asia India Nepal Trip 2016

Agra

After a restless two hours of sleep I awoke on my second day in India ready for a long day trip to Agra. This would by my one escorted tour of the trip. I knew I could manage a day trip to see the Taj Mahal on my own, but Agra has so many great, far flung sights, that booking a guide seemed prudent.

I left for the train station at 5:15 am, at which time the station was teeming with people. Some waiting for trains, but many more sleeping or camped out with bags and carpets.

The train to Agra was great. The day before a man i chatted with told me that i should not take the train and that i should cancel and take the bus because the train is not safe for a woman traveling alone. That certainly was not my experience. It was rough-looking but comfortable and the price included water, tea, breakfast, dinner, and ice cream. I am fairly sure however that it was the breakfast that left me sick and vomiting for the rest of the day. I still have no appetite. Anyway, the ride was great. I got to see some of the countryside and also number of residential areas which i can only describe as slums, with modest, broken habitats, and piles of garbage. We also passed parts where there were dozens of men squatting and shitting by the railroad tracks. So many of them. I never seen anyone defecate before and now I have seen more than I can count. I guess you have to go somewhere. On a similar vein, I also saw women making and leaving to dry dinner plate sized cow patties which were then stacked up into tall mounds, like large beehives. The dung is used for fuel.

So I arrived in Agra at about 8am and was met by my guide, who took me right away to the Taj Mahal. I am so glad we did this first, as this was just before the vomiting and painful muscle aches set in. The Taj Mahal did not disappoint. The walk into the complex was impressive and along the way were working camels and curious monkeys. Finally, we stepped in, passed through a gate that in its own right was amazing, and then were facing “The Taj”, as my guide called it (but I won’t call it that; i haven’t earned that level of familiarity).

It was beautiful in all of its gleaming white symmetry. He told me the history and noted the architectural details – sometimes it is great to have that available. We circled it, with me taking a zillion pictures, and then we left.

Out next stop was after a long ride into the country. We visited Fatehpur Sikri which was a former, walled city from the 15th C. It was quite magnificent and i enjoyed looking at it and hearing about the king and his many wives, but at this point i started to feel lousy.

After that was lunch, which i spent throwing up as soon as i had my first and only bite of lentils. Following lunch we visited the Agra fort, which was also great and beautiful. By this point though i was aching so badly walking was unpleasant and i threw up in a garbage can.

I rallied a bit after that and my guide and i went to sit in the gardens across the river from the Taj Mahal to watch the sunset. I had a cigar and he told me all sorts of things about life in India, women’s roles, poverty, education, religion…you name it. It was very edifying and he answered all of my questions.

After the sun went down and we finished watching tourists taking idiotic pictures of the Taj Mahal (holding it in the palms of their hands, picking it up by their fingertips, making archways with their arms over it…seriously moronic, but each to their own i suppose), i still had over two hours to kill until my train and i couldn’t eat or drink anything, so i suggested we find a hookah bar, which we did. It was a divey place, nearly empty, except for a few guys working there and playing the loudest, most annoying rave/club music imaginable. I was just happy to sit down and the shisha was good, even if it was smoked from a hookah that had as the neck a replica AK47.

The train ride back was a lost to me in sleep and i crashed as soon as i returned to the hostel. The day was a good one, but a long one, and i felt like garbage. I knew i would get sick at some point on this trip, but i thought i would make it longer than 36 hours.

Peru South America

Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes is a small town at the base of Machu Picchu sitting astride the Rio Urubamba. The town exists, it seems, for the purpose of housing the throngs of visitors to Machu Picchu.

You can only reach the town by rail or by foot. We arrived by Inca Rail and are leaving by Peru Rail (the latter is better choice, in hindsight).

The town, despite its diminutive size is crammed with restaurants, hotels, and souvenir/craft shops and stalls. The restaurants and hotels are all overpriced and mediocre, banking on the facts that if you want to visit Machu Picchu, you have to pass through. It’s a nice place to spend a night though and it is fun to walk the steep streets and over the bridges crossing the river.

We arrived in the evening and checked into our accommodations: the Supertramp Backpacker Hostel. For the money, it was the best choice as far as i could tell. We had a private room, but with (uncomfortably public) bathrooms. It was comfortable with a good restaurant and a pleasant terrace bar. The place was packed with young backpackers from all over, trading tales of Machu Picchu hikes had and anticipated.

I went out for dinner and a cigar and watched tourists dodge the restaurant and massage touts and dogs playing in the street. (An alarming number of dogs here wear clothes. I cannot explain this phenomenon.) The weather was warm in the evening and perfect for a stroll.

We awoke this morning at 4:30 am and readied ourselves for Machu Picchu. Breakfast on the square during a short lived but torrential rainstorm. Queuing up for the buses to the top. Zigging and zagging our way on the bus to the top, at each turn coming what seemed to be perilously close to plummeting down into the valley below. The mountains – sharp, green shards exploding out of the earth were covered in puffy foliage and surrounded by shrouds of mist that were simply magical.

At the top we were in the sun and we commenced exploring. We hired a guide for the first couple of hours, which was a good choice as we got to learn about the history and engineering of the site, as well as the many practical aspects of the architecture. The other bonus of hiring a guide is that it took away any stress i may have had of trying to navigate the nooks and crannies to see it all. We took lots of stops for photos.

Once we were on our own we continued exploring, climbing up and down very steep and jagged stone stairs, which were generally unsecured on one side by walls, meaning that a misstep could lead to a serious fall. We were careful – Betty-Lou being averse to heights and i being prone to falls. It was exhilarating though and each level climbed led to new discoveries. There were llamas lazing on the top of the grass terraces and we saw a chinchilla sleeping in a window of an Incan temple.

The place was amazing. The ruins and the spectacular setting.

We descended from the mountain and spent the late afternoon hanging around and relaxing and fending off sleep.

Currently we are on board the Peru Rail train to Poroy (the closest station to Cusco). The train is quite fancy (they just fed us dinner and drinks) and although it is too dark now to take in the view through the huge windows, the ride is relaxing. Tonight we return to our hostal in Cusco and tomorrow is a mystery.

I am pleased that Machu Picchu did not disappoint.
dale

Peru South America

Into the Sacred Valley

Yesterday we awoke in Cusco and took a taxi down into the valley to Ollantaytambo. We could have taken public transport for a pittance, but having our own car enabled us to stop at sights along the way for photos of llamas, burros, and marvelous views.

We descended steeply into the valley below Cusco (aka “the sacred valley”). We passed fields of patchwork farmland where men and women tilling the soil and planting by hand or with the aid of oxen and burros. The women still wore their traditional dress, including their tall, proud hats.

We stopped at Chinchero (at more than 12,000 feet apparently) where we visited a little area where women were weaving the incredible Peruvian tapestries and blankets and knitting the woolly shawls and hats sold everywhere. It was obviously geared towards tourists, but it was still interesting to see how they spin the alpaca yarn and dye it vivid hues using leaves, flowers, bark, and bug blood.

Heading on our way, past mud brick houses and women selling yet more handicrafts by the roadside we stopped to take more pictures as we neared the bottom of the valley.

Finally (after about two hours) we reached Ollantaytambo. It is a really charming town of about 700 people nestled in the mountains. It has a cute and tiny plaza with narrow, stone streets (many pedestrian) radiating out from it, and lined with old stone houses. Centuries old.

On the mountains around the town are the impressive remains of an Incan fortress. There is a small market, various restaurants catering to tourists, and a decent crafts market. Most delightful. Shortly after we arrived a seemingly random religious procession was led through the town by a white robed priest (?) and followed by a tuneless marching band, and maybe two dozen residents, covered in pink and white confetti.

We walked the town and i had a cigar while we watched the local woman in their colorful skirts and saucer-like red hats carry bushels of grass, baskets of bread and small children around by strapping them to their backs with colorful, woven blankets.

We left Ollantaytambo by train, on the Inca Rail to Aguas Callientes – the town at the base of Machu Picchu. The train trip was a little under two hours and was very enjoyable, passing by the Urubamba River and mountains that grew increasingly steep.

It was a lovely train ride – except for one thing. If there is one type of music that i universally loathe it is Peruvian (or South American – i know other countries are equally responsible for this abomination) pan pipe music. I find it especially distasteful when the songs being played are American or British pop songs. Well, that is exclusively what was played on the train throughout the journey. Peruvian pan pipe versions of ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’, etc. I mean, come on. They must be able to do better than this. ‘Careless Whisper’ should never be reproduced on a pan flute. However, they did provide complimentary snacks and beverages, so that almost made it bearable. (almost)

Arrived in Aguas Callientes after dark, with just the silhouettes of the mountains visible against the near black sky.

Europe Georgia Trip 2014 Poland

Warsaw Whirlwind

I arrived in Warsaw at around noon and zipped through security and immigration and onto a train which got me into the city centre speedily and without incident. I did a bit of reading up before leaving and knew where i planned to roam around. Of course, upon leaving the train station I promptly set off, quite confidently, in the wrong direction. Walked for about a half an hour before I realized something had gone wrong. No matter though, I got to see some of the more ordinary parts of the city, filled with traffic, cafes, milk bars, and kebab shops.

Once i had my bearings i walked up the lovely Nowy Swiat (street), lined with cafes, churches, palaces, the university, and oodles of inviting cafes and eateries. There were certainly people about but the streets weren’t particularly lively as it was pouring rain and windy. A winning combination. First purchase: an umbrella. Nevertheless, the walk was lovely. The churches were filled with worshipers and three of them had weddings underway, so I watched for a bit. In each case, the bride & groom sat on chairs, which led me to believe that these are long ceremonies. I didn’t stay long enough to find out how they ended.

One church stood out for the fact that it (allegedly) has Chopin’s heart in an urn inside one of the columns in the nave. I was disappointed that it was not on display in a box, like something out of Snow White, but it was cool anyway.

At the end of that street it opens up into a beautiful square in the “Old Town”. I am using quotation marks because this part of the city was decimated in WW2 and then later re-built and restored, painstakingly, into an exact replica of what it was before. So it isn’t technically old, i guess, or at least not entirely, but it really is beautiful. Wonderfully open squares with outdoor cafes are surrounded by colourful buildings, often ornately decorated with design or paintings of people and animals. Of course there are countless places luring you in with their pastries, vodkas, meats, and dumplings.

After walking for quite a while (and getting quite soaked in the process) i cozied up inside a warm eatery with wooden…everything, and lots of books lining the walls. (An observation: there are still tons of bookshops here. Awesome.) i had a plate of golden pierogies and a cabbage salad, washed down with a pot of tea. Perfect rainy day fare.

After that, more walking, including poking around in an antique store filled with soviet and WW2 odd and ends, where i picked up an (allegedly) antique, wood-lined, silver cigarette box with a skull on top of it – with a cigarette in its teeth. There was no way that wasn’t coming home with me.

This really was just a Warsaw sampler. There are so many wonderful looking museums and areas to explore, but i only had 10 hours, and there is still the airport to factor in. I spent the last hour or two in the most perfect cigar lounge, settled into a leather chair with a Bolivar Belicoso Fino and a Punch Limited Edition torpedo, watching the rain and reading. There were some other guys in there, but they were in pairs, talking in hushed, conspiratorial sounding Polish, so i didn’t make any new friends.

I then confidently got on a train back to the airport, with just enough time to spare and rode three stops before i realized i was on the wrong train and did not know any words in Polish to assist. After drawing a picture of an airplane and something that was intended to be Chopin (after whom the airport is named) for a foursome on my wrongly chosen train, much to their amusement, they pointed me in the right direction, and, well, here I am back at the airport, waiting to board my flight to Georgia.

I’ll be back here for a sequel to this Warsaw whirlwind next Sunday, at which point I should have a better idea of where I am going.
On to Tbilisi!

But first, a few more photos:

Asia Cambodia South East Asia 2013

Battambang

Battambang day two.
We had arranged a tuk tuk driver to take us around to the various sights I wanted to see, which were outside of the city. Our driver called himself “Dollar” and proved to be a terrific guide for the day. He was handsome, spoke excellent English and was quite willing to talk to us about his life now and previously when he was a monk, as well as his mother surviving the Khmer Rouge and his dream of moving to New York. He also gave us a lot of information about the sights.

Our first stop was the bamboo train. Cambodia has no trains; they were all decommissioned some time ago, but there is in Battambang, in one of the rural villages on the outskirts, one remaining train…of sorts. The bamboo train consists of a low platform of bamboo slats through which the ground is clearly visible. The platform sits atop two axles each with two metal wheels/cylinders. The contraption is powered by a small motor which seems to be operated with a wooden stick. There are no brakes.

Dale, Betty-Lou, & Mr Dollar on the bamboo train

Apparently the thing can reach speeds of up to 40k per hour but we did not seem to travel that fast. We sat in the platform and were zipped though the countryside, leaves slapping our arms much of the way, past rice fields and over rickety bridges which cross muddy streams. The tracks are mostly even and mostly straight, but the ride is bumpy at times. It was great, like a really primitive amusement park ride. At the end of the line (after about 20 mins) we arrived at a “station” consisting of a few shacks selling water and bananas and some t shirts and scarves. There were a few children around who were keen to show us the brick making factory nearby, which was really two giant kilns that looked like beehives, in which they made bricks by burning the left over husks from the rice harvest.

On the way back we passed numerous other trains coming in the opposite direction. There is only one track, so when another train comes in the opposite direction, the drivers decide somehow who should get off. One of the trains is quickly dismantled to allow the other to pass and then first train is put back on the tracks and everyone carries on their way. They whole thing was really fun and cost $5 for the ride.

We reboarded our tuk tuk and set off to our next stop. The dirt roads were incredibly uneven. It had rained the night before and heavily that morning and there were deep holes and furrows in the narrow road, which made the travel interesting and slightly frightening when we had to pass by another vehicle and drive perilously close to the edge of the drop off into the rice paddy. The bumpiness was just fun.

We next went to a small mountain and drove half way up in a jeep (your options are walking, motorbike, or jeep) to a temple, some golden shrines with buddhas, various monks, and some caves. The caves had been used by the Khmer Rouge to throw people to their deaths, but now a steep staircase has been installed and there is a shrine at the bottom with a large, golden buddha and glass boxes in which the bones of the dead are collected. The cave was somber and beautiful, but what made the visit less fun were the stinging red ants that covered the stairs and the handrail on the way down. I was mostly exempted from their wrath, but Betty Lou had them on her ankles, up her pant legs to the thigh and on the back of the neck. To her credit, she handled it well – far better that i would have.

After that the jeep took us to the top of the mountain to the temple Phnom Sampeau which was beautiful, but even more stunning were the views over the verdant landscape. While we were up there we saw one large, loner monkey walk out of the trees and right into someone’s house.

Back at the base of the mountain at Dollar’s suggestion we ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant in what was basically the yard of someone’s modest home. Betty Lou had fried ginger with chicken, i had morning glory with rice, our driver had soup and rice and with water the whole bill was $7. And the food was delicious.

The next leg of our journey involved another stretch of insanely bumpy dirt road in the tuk tuk. The holes and furrows were even worse, but it was exciting and it afforded us some a wonderful look at rural life.

We stopped at a grouping of trees which were filled with hundreds and hundreds of giant fruit bats. They were mostly hanging upside down in the trees, but were very much awake, screeching and flapping their wings. Every few seconds a few would fly around, stretching their enormous wings (these are some of the biggest bats in the world). It was incredible.

Next up was a stop at a tiny winery – a new thing in Cambodia (they do grow grapes here). We sampled the wine (not great, but drinkable), a brandy (not bad and very strong), grape juice (nice), and a honey ginger juice (delicious).

Finally we stopped at a local fishing village to see locals fishing from boats, using large nets.

The day was wonderful. We saw so much pristine countryside and authentic rural life. The weather was excellent and our host delightful. He charged $20 for the day and i for once did not haggle. (I’m pretty sure Betty Lou slipped him a 50% tip.)

The evening finished up with dinner at small corner restaurant where we watched a cat stalking a rat. More wildlife, up close.

It is now the next morning and we are waiting for the bus to Bangkok. They say it will take 6 hours. I have my doubts.

Europe Italy

Arreverderci

Last night in Venice was delightful. I went out for a night time walk by myself, down the quiet streets and past the nearly silent canals before settling in a reasonably calm piazza for a glass of wine and a cigar. It was wonderfully warm and dark and peaceful – such a contrast to the day, which was marvelous, but loud and hot and colorful. I took great delight in the fact that i had mastered my way around our area of Venice. Able to make my way from point a to b without a map made me feel like a genius.

This morning, after a coffee and croissant we took a boat back to the train station and took the train back to Rome (it was a fancy high-speed train and got us to our destination in about 4 hours). We are now staying in the Piazza Farnese at the Casa D Santa Brigida convent, which is indeed a proper convent filled with a gaggle of nuns, but they also offer some simple rooms for rent. It isn’t cheap, but it is a great location and it is cool to be in a convent. This afternoon we poked ourheads in the chapel during one of their many masses or prayers (or whatever they call them). There is a beautiful rooftop garden from which we have lovely views into the piazza where we can see people sipping wine and espresso, children playing ball, and dogs sniffing about.

Tonight really is the final night, so there will be dinner and a wine or negroni and probably one final celebratory cigar before heading back to Canada tomorrow.

Europe Italy

Parma & Modena

After a few rather full days, including yesterday’s unexpected excursion to San Marino, we were pretty tired today and i woke up feeling a bit under the weather. That said, we couldn’t just lay about, so today we took the train west to Parma, which is about an hour away. Parma is known for its ham and cheese and there was certainly a lot of both. We walked the streets and through markets selling fruits and vegetables, meats and fish, and clothing and housewares. There were many more piazzas and churches to visit and they were lovely, although today I think we both felt a bit saturated with Italian splendor. It is not that we didn’t appreciate what we saw, but it didn’t feel like the first time we had seen it.

After Parma, we took the train to Modena (half way between Bologna and Parma), which is another gastronomic town, famous for its balsamic vinegar. It was quite attractive and was very quiet when we arrived – during lunch when the shops are closed. We settled in for a nice lunch on the piazza and waited out an afternoon thundershower before visiting Modena’s most famous site, its impressive 11th century cathedral, which we spent some time in before heading back to Bologna for a bit of a rest.

People in this part of Italy certainly speak less English than they did in the other areas we have visited.
In the other cities, we would attempt to communicate in Italian, but at the first error or pause, the other party would jump in with excellent English. Up here however we have had several encounters where we relied on our awkward Italian and sign language.

We are headed out now for a bit to eat or something. Tomorrow morning we catch a train to Venice – our final destination. We are pretty excited about this last leg of the journey, as it should be spectacular.

We will blog again when we are able.
d&b

Europe Italy San Marino

In and Out of Italy

Yesterday, having seen much of Bologna the previous day, Betty-Lou suggested that we take a trip to the sea so we caught a train to Rimini on the Adriatic. Rimini is a prosperous feeling town with the expected sunny piazzas and beaches…or at least we assume there were beaches. We never did actually make it to the shore.

San Marino (the city) is the capital of San Marino (the country) and it located atop a small but high mountain and seems to be entirely made up of medieval towers and walls running dangerously along the jagged peaks of the mountain. It was a delight to explore their craggy nooks and crannies. The streets were tremendously steep and lined with shops – mostly selling jewelry, alcohol, and weapons. It seems that San Marino is one of those countries with very low tax on everything and oddly it attracts a disproportionate number of Russian tourists/shoppers. They were everywhere by the busload buying up bag-loads of merchandise. Many of the signs and menus were even posted in Russian.

So we spent the afternoon climbing the hills and walls and snacking on cheese and bread and watching the changing of the guard atop the castle before heading back to Bologna, via Rimini, quite exhausted.

It was a very long day, but well worth it, as we got to add an unexpected country to the list. (yes, there is a list)

Europe Italy

Hams and Arches

Today we arrived in Bologna, a mere 40 minute train ride from Florence. We are staying at a lovely little pensione on the 5th floor of a non-descript building. We have a beautiful view of the red rooftops of the city – particularly picturesque at sunset we discovered.

Bologna is (not surprisingly) another attractive smallish city with cobbled streets lined with inviting cafes and shops and dotted with churches and piazzas. What sets Bologna apart is that most of the sidewalks are covered by arched porticos, apparently about 40 kilometers of them. This makes them particularly nice for walking in the hot sun. The other notable thing about Bologna is the hams, which are everywhere. Every second store seems to be a deli of sorts and the ceilings, stair rails and windows are all hung with enormous hams – the sort that an Italian Tiny Tim would have stared at hungrily through the window (had A Christmas Carol been Italian, that is). There are fewer vegetarian items on the menus and decidedly less pizza than in the other towns we have visited, but i think we will get by.

We arrived and did the requisite walk about to get our bearings. Betty-Lou encountered a group of jazz buskers with which she was particularly taken and we had lunch in one of the streets of the Quadriletero district.

Betty-Lou then took the afternoon to rest in the room while i pounded the pavement seeing what there was to see. I visited a few churches, including several simple, medieval ones and walked through the lively university districts which was crawling with students and lined with bookstores and noisy cafes. The walls of the buildings around the university were covered in graffiti, mostly of a political or economic nature (a lot of ‘occupy’ themed stuff). I picked up a book at an international book store and settled in the Piazza Maggiore with a glass of wine and a cigar and watched the street scene and began reading my new book.

reading ‘ham on rye’ while looking at arches, bologna

Just now we have returned from an excellent dinner of salad, risotto and pasta and are going to call it a relatively early night. The weather here is beautiful, as it has been all through our travels (except for that one night in Gubbio). With one exception all of our meals have been al fresco.

We are in Bologna for three nights, which is remarkable, because in slightly less than one day I have seen nearly everything i wanted to see. We will likely do some day trips in our remaining time here.

That’s all for now.

Europe Italy

Cinque Terre

Today we took another day trip from Florence. We had a free day with nothing scheduled (however did i let that happen?) and Betty-Lou suggested that we visit Cinque Terre. She had raised this as an option months ago, but i thought it seemed too far to visit in a day from Florence and we had heard that a couple of the town had been destroyed in mudslides…or earthquakes. Anyway we made the trek and are pleased to report that the towns are restored and it is possible to see it all in one (long) day.

Cinque Terra is, not surprisingly, five small towns clinging to the rocks above the sea on the west coast of Italy. The first town is about an hour an a half from Florence (via Pisa and La Spezia). The five towns are joined by a train but also by a ridiculously picturesque walking trail that winds along the cliffs. To walk the whole thing would take several hours (and one stretch of the path is closed due to the slides), so we mostly took the train between the towns, but along the part that we did walk it was lovely. The water was a perfect Mediterranean blue and the views were breathtaking.

The towns were similar to each other in that they were all beautiful. Tiny clusters of colorful buildings seemingly piled on top of each other, on top of cliffs, heading down to the sea. Each town had at least one tiny church and the hills above were covered by grapevines and fruit trees. As we walked up to one of the towns we ate some purple grapes from one of the vines. They were magnificent. Betty-Lou wants me to say that the grapes ‘even tasted purple’. I will simply say that they were delicious. Each town had narrow, hilly streets lined with touristy shops and inviting eateries, and atmospheric sea ports where small, colorful boats bobbed in the surf and locals and tourists alike swam in the sea.

It was all pretty great. It was very busy with tourists – being Italy, and Sunday, and such a great destination, but the crowds did not detract from the atmosphere. We spent several hours visiting the five villages and snacking our way through them.

Wandering North

Tag: Train

Agra

Machu Picchu

Into the Sacred Valley

Warsaw Whirlwind

Battambang

Arreverderci

Parma & Modena

In and Out of Italy

Hams and Arches

Cinque Terre