Ho Chi Minh City

I parted from Pam at the Hanoi airport. She was headed back home to Texas and I was headed off to Ho Chi Minh City. I made it there without difficulty. I actually had the entire row to myself until a father and his baby decided to switch seats. No biggie except the baby had no pants on. All I could picture is the boy having to pee and it getting all over me. Put some pants on. I mean the kid was cute but come on. I also babysat it for 5 minutes when the dad used the restroom. I had to make sure the baby didn't roll off the seat. And I was successful. 

I didn't have long in Ho Chi Minh City, and I really didn't do too much. I had a few priorities, such as get laundry done, play catchup on my scrapbook, and run some miles. It would be great to have all clean laundry at once. But it typically takes time to get it done, and I don't have enough clothes with me to wear something clean while it's being done. However, it was at least pretty cheap to get it done and it came back all dry and folded. Of course, it didn't last very long as I now have more sweaty clothes. Mostly from running, but also from walking around in the humidity.

The afternoon I arrived, I planted myself at a nearby cafe and spent some time catching up on my scrapbook. There was a guy that had noticed and said he was also behind on his scrapbook. So I felt a bit better. I'm about 10 days behind now. Well maybe more now at this point. So not too terrible, but I definitely want to catch up soon. Trying to keep close behind with my blog updates would be ideal.

The first day I arrived, I couldn't go for a run because I ran out of clean clothes and they were with someone else getting washed. But once my clothes were clean on Thanksgiving, I went for an evening run. It wasn't a Turkey Trot, but it was good to get a few miles in, even in the humidity. I ran along the canal and Saigon River, which was quite pleasant. On my run the following morning, I narrowly missed getting hit by a bus. It was a little too close for comfort and I will be paying even more attention when crossing streets. It really is no joke that lights aren't not followed here. Motorbikes usually can get out of the way, but buses are a whole other story.

Very pretty underpass by the canal.

My birthday was the first of many upcoming holidays that I'm spending abroad. Spending that somewhere fun and exotic is a good way to spend my birthday. However, with Thanksgiving usually so close behind, I knew that would be slightly different. This is the 3rd Thanksgiving away. The first was when I studied abroad in London. My flatmates and I all came together to make our Thanksgiving dinner after we finished classes. And since it wasn't a holiday in the UK, we went out to the bars that night. A few years ago, my sisters and I were in Portugal and the family that hosted us made Thanksgiving dinner and it was a very suitable replacement. Warmer than most years, and my sisters were with me that time.

This year, no family, and pretty far from home where no one really knows what Thanksgiving is. It definitely wasn't a typical holiday for sure. Fortunately for me, every day is like a holiday for me. On this particular day, it was the only opportunity that I had to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. Going to see where Vietnamese soldiers tried to kill American soldiers on Thanksgiving was a little weird. But it was interesting to see the other side of the war. I obviously wasn't alive during the Vietnam War and I can't say what side I would have supported. I am glad that my dad and uncles were all too young to be drafted though. Otherwise, my experience may have been slightly different. So I spent a couple of hours with my tour group seeing the various traps and tunnels the Viet Cong had used. The tunnels have been made bigger in order to fit tourists, but even so, they can be very claustrophobic. I went into 2 different tunnels, but only for a short distance and it was fine. But I can't imagine living down there and using the tunnels to get around. At the end of the tour, there was a video that we watched. We had sat down part of the way through it, but I didn't need to see the beginning. They called Americans 'devils' and all we did was kill their children. Not biased at all. I didn't need to see the first part. But we did. I honestly probably zoned out. Of all the time I was in Vietnam, that was the only instance of clear dislike of Americans. But it was from a video that was made decades ago from the looks of it. So I'll let it go. I had also heard the War Remnants Museum was very biased, but I didn't get a chance to visit it. 

The tunnels.

After getting our fill, we headed back to Ho Chi Minh City. Since it was Thanksgiving, I got my run and then hung out with a German girl I met in the hostel. We went to grab dinner (not turkey and stuffing) and some cocktails. Which were quite yummy. She also humored me while I went to get pumpkin pie. The one Thanksgiving item I had. I was a little skeptical, but it ended up being pretty delicious. 

Pumpkin pie in Vietnam.

We headed to a nearby bar, where all the Westerners hang out, and got a few beers. And people watched. That's one of the things that's great about Vietnam, all the people watching. So many times where Pam and I, or just I, sat on the sidewalk on tiny stools and took in all the motorbikes and people. Very entertaining. 

Bars galore.

I really enjoyed Vietnam. Hanoi was a great city. People were really nice. Loved all the motorbikes, even though there were a few near misses. I would go back and see more of the country, but glad I made the time to see what little I did. 

Next stop: Cambodia. 

Halong Bay

After spending a few days in Hanoi, it was time for Pam and I to head to Halong Bay. We both got our runs in, mine obviously for marathon training, and hers for her exercise streak, which was day 100! Way to go. We enjoyed our runs with fellow runners, walkers, and all the older women dancing. All at 6:30am. Love it. 

After packing, eating breakfast, and checking out, we boarded our bus to Halong Bay. I booked a tour through the hotel and was given several price points to choose from. Essentially the more money you paid, the nicer it would be. I decided on a mid-range point and hoped I made a good decision. If it was only me, I would put up with whatever it ended up being and learn from it. But since my friend was with me, I was a little nervous and hoped it was good. And I have to say, it ended up being great.

After about 4 hours on the bus, which included a rest stop at a massive tourist shop, we got on a small boat which took us to the big boat. We were happy to see that it looked clean and the food was yummy. We ate a very delicious lunch all while enjoying a Halong Bay beer as we made our way into Halong Bay. And it was beautiful. Although the haze and clouds definitely downplayed it a bit. We had 3 days in total, so we hoped it would get nicer. 

Hazy Halong Bay.

Once we had our fill on lunch, we made our first stop on the boat at Hang Sung Sot, a cave on one of the many islands. There were about 15 of us on the boat, which was a very manageable number as we did our various activities. Our guide, Peter, was pretty great and we had him for all 3 days and led us everywhere. Very enthusiastic and even though it took some time to understand him, pretty funny as well. We took the small boat to the caves and made our way through the various chambers, each getting bigger than the last. And each one more impressive than the last. 

One of the cave chambers.

After we had our fill of the cave and got some spectacular views of the area, we officially checked in on the boat. We were happy to find we had clean living arrangements, and I was excited to sleep on a boat. We made our way to where we were docking for the evening and went kayaking for a bit. Pam and I went into one of the coves, hoping to spot a monkey, with no luck. But we enjoyed being out on the water, even though I did want to go swimming. Apparently there were large jellyfish, so we weren't allowed. At least not there. 

Kayaking Luon Cave.

The food continued to be amazing and we chatted with our fellow passengers from Europe and Australia. A lot of boats advertise themselves as party boats, and in my old age, I wasn't interested in staying up all night and getting wasted. So I'm very happy that we found a good mix of people to hang out with and drink with, but also go to bed at a reasonable hour. So there wasn't any karaoke, but maybe another time. 

All about display.

The following morning, we got up early to eat breakfast, and make our way to Ti Top Island. This is where we did a small hike and went for a swim. It was a fairly quick stop, but instead of choosing between the 2, a lot of us chose to do both. Work up a sweat and then go for a swim (where there weren't any jellyfish apparently). 

View from Ti Top Island.

We got back on the boat and got ready to check out. There were 4 of us, including Pam and myself, that were headed to Cat Ba Island. We took the small boat to the island, got on a bus, and joined another group of people. We were glad to see that Peter was joining us. We made our way to Cat Ba National Park where we had a bit more strenuous hike ahead of us. Nothing that Pam and I couldn't handle, but for those who partied too much the night before, it would be a challenge. We climbed all the stairs and were rewarded with some amazing views. We couldn't even see the sea, which was amazing. The island was much bigger than I expected. I also rewarded myself with a post-hike beer. 

Made it to the top. 

The fun wasn't over yet. After lunch and checking into our hotel, Pam and I decided to check out the monkeys on Monkey Island. We read TripAdvisor reviews and had an idea of what to expect. Our expectations were met. The first thing we see when we arrive is a monkey stealing a banana from a small child (who, to the monkey's credit, was bigger than the monkey). And right after that, another monkey took off with a man's pringles. These monkeys weren't nice monkeys. I mean, I guess when humans are antagonizing them all day, they will get aggressive. I swam for a little bit, but I didn't want to leave our stuff unattended. The monkeys would probably run off with my purse. 

Keeping an eye on the monkey (that's not my stuff). 

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We watched the sun go down and had another delicious meal. Oh and drank our Vietnamese wine that we bought at the tourist shop. It was ok. I figured I had to try it. 

The following day was probably the best day. Mostly since it was my birthday. I'm now a year older. And it was pretty cool to spend it in Vietnam doing a lot of my favorite things. And to have Pam there. We started off with a run around Cat Ba. Then made our way back to the boat where we had a spring roll lesson and had lunch. And of course had some birthday beverages. 

Concentrating. 

Unfortunately, I did have to spend a few hours on a bus for my birthday. But I decided to nap a bit. We made it back to Hanoi in no time and continued to enjoy our last day in Hanoi. The hostel we stayed at surprised me with a birthday cake, which was so sweet of them. There's absolutely no reason they had to do that, but it just goes to show the hospitality of the country. I first thought Pam put them up to it, but then we figured they had my passport and knew. Regardless, it was so nice, and I got cake on my birthday! 

Birthday cake. 

After devouring the cake (we shared with others), we made our way out to do a little bit of shopping, drinking cocktails, eating bahn mi, and getting ice cream (yes, more dessert). All in all, a pretty great birthday. It would have been nice to celebrate with family and friends, but so thrilled that Pam was able to celebrate with me. And it feels like my birthday every day. 

Hanoi

I made it to Vietnam. And I'm a fan. People compared Hanoi to Delhi, but I don't see the comparison. Yes, it's also a very busy city and yes, you need to always be on the lookout when walking and crossing streets as there are motorbikes everywhere. But it's way cleaner, men aren't pissing on the side of the streets and hocking loogies, and people that are trying to sell you things are not in your face constantly. So it's sort of a relief to be here.

I only have about a week here unfortunately. I met some people in India that had driven a motor bike from one end of the country to the other. Which sounded kind of amazing. I'd like to think I'm adventurous, but it sounded a bit daunting. But seeing so many people on their motorbikes in Hanoi would give me a little bit of confidence. Although trying to avoid an accident would get a bit stressful. Well I'm not driving from one end of the country to the other, but I will be enjoying my short stay here as much as possible.

Parking lot for the motorbikes.

I thought about doing a day trip from Hanoi and there were some good options, but I was just too tired from 2 days of overnight travel. And unlike Delhi, I can find a lot of places to camp myself at, people watch, and take it all in, all while enjoying a cold beverage. I'm staying at a nice place in the Old City. It's called a hostel, but definitely more along the lines of a hotel. Maybe the name was lost in translation. I did have to switch rooms after the first night since they technically upgraded me the first night, but it worked out since my friend Pam was joining me!

Flower petals to welcome me.

The first thing I did when I arrived, was go get food. And I was successful in getting a yummy bahn mi, a baguette style sandwich. I also had to try some local beer, which actually turned out to not be local. It was Tiger and from Singapore. Oh well, since I'm not planning on going there, I'll at least drink the beer. I did end up trying some actual Vietnamese beer later on.

Bahn Mi 25.

I also found a super cute cafe, called Post-It Note. There were post-it notes all over the place. It was pretty great. I enjoyed a refreshing lemon juice (lemonade?) and tried to cool off a bit. I also was taking advantage of having a place to sit down and chill for a while. There haven't been too many of those recently and I took advantage. 

Post-it notes everywhere.

Running in Hanoi is also enjoyable. There's Ho Hoan Kiem less than half mile from the hotel, and another, much larger lake in the opposite direction about the same distance. There weren't as many people out running, but since there are so many walkers, and other people doing some sort of exercise, it's nice to be out there. There are so many groups of older women stretching, doing exercises, and dancing. It's amazing. The smaller lake is about 1 mile around, but that wasn't going to be enough for my long run. So I made my way to the much larger West Lake, which was around 8 or 9 miles around. Which is kind of crazy when you think that it's in the middle of a city. And there's a path and road all around it. At one point it did break off into another smaller lake and I got turned around, but a transplant from Mississippi got me in the right direction. 

Ho Hoan Kiem.

On Saturday, Pam arrived! So exciting. I love traveling by myself and have met so many great people. But so thrilled to have a friend join me for a part of my trip. She came in from China from her work trip, so luckily it was a short flight and she wasn't jet-lagged (or at least didn't seem like it). We spent the afternoon catching up on a cute balcony overlooking a busy street with some beverages. So not only did a friend come visit, but she brought me items that I ordered from home. Most importantly my phone. Boy am I glad I have a small handheld device again. Of course I had to download all my apps, but I'm happy to have a working phone again.  

Catching up.

We spent some time wandering around Hanoi and eating. And people watching. Hanoi is a great spot to people watch. You pull up a tiny stool or chair wherever you may be getting food, whether it's pho or ice cream, and sit back and relax. 

People watching.

Next stop is Halong Bay. 

Udaipur

I'm definitely ending India on a better note. I had decided to go to the city of Udaipur and I'm so glad I did. It's a cute town on the shores of Lake Pichola. A James Bond film and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel were filmed here. There are rooftops all over the place with wonderful views. The people are nice and not as bothersome as in Delhi and Jaipur. The food has been pretty good and I got some solid runs in. Overall, wonderful, and I could have stayed there for weeks.  

Rooftop view.

I arrived super early after my awesome night bus experience. A few of us decided to walk from the bus drop off. A perfect example of rickshaw trying to rip us off, was them offering an exorbitant amount of money to take us the 6 kilometers to our hotels, when in fact it was little over a mile. Totally walkable. And we made it with no troubles. I had to wait a bit for my room to be ready, but since I was very early, I was patient, even though I really wanted a shower. I needed to work with my friend on getting my replacement phone set up and activated, so that was my actual priority. Which I will get on Saturday when I meet her here in Vietnam. I'm excited to see her, and to get a working phone. It'll be nice to have a handheld device again, instead of pulling out my tablet when I need to refer to my location via GPS. I try not to pull out too often as I don't need any extra attention outside of my white skin. 

I met so many people at the hostel I was staying at from all over, including the US. I haven't come across too many other American travelers. A lot of Australians and Europeans, so it's nice to chat with fellow Americans every once in a while. Most everyone was in a similar sort of mood of hanging out and relaxing. There were a ton of cafes and rooftop restaurants that served this purpose very well. I walked around a bit to explore, but primarily tried to catch up on things and took it all in. The owners of the hostel were very friendly and I definitely recommend their place to anyone visiting Udaipur (Bunkyard Hostel). It's fairly new and they have some improvements to go, but definitely worth it. A welcoming place to meet like-minded travelers. 

Drinking with new friends.

I got a few runs in, which was great since India isn't seeing too many miles. I did an easier run one day and actually got a tempo in the following day. I haven't done a tempo or speed workout recently. We'll see how this bodes for the marathon that's in less than 5 weeks. Since I haven't been doing any tempos, let alone any longer tempos, I decided to do mile repeats. I feel like I should try to do more, but why push it at this point. I managed to get progressively faster for each mile. Which I was pleased about. I was also pleased since I saw another female runner and a few others walking for exercise. That makes me happy. 

Post-run stretch on the rooftop.

One night a group of us went to check out the nearby puppet show. It wasn't only puppets though. Actually, only about 10 minutes. There was some traditional dancing, a story acted out and some balancing acts. Possibly a bit more targeted to kids, but it was entertaining nonetheless. The following day, I actually got my own private show while I was getting some printouts for my Vietnam visa. The daughter of the woman who owned the shop (and gave me a henna tattoo), wanted to show me what she has been practicing in dance class. She was pretty good. I would have loved to have seen her practice some more and maybe learn a few moves, but I had to make my way to the train station for my overnight train back to Delhi. Once you get past all the people trying to sell you things, you can meet some genuinely nice people and have some good experiences with the locals. It's just hard to get to that sometimes. 

Dancing with fire.

The sleeper train was an interesting ride. So I didn't realize there were different classes for the sleeper train, so I just paid for the regular class. Which isn't super nice but doable. I was prepared though as I got the lowdown from some fellow travelers. I made sure I had locks ready to attach my bag to my seat, shoelaces to tie them to myself, a blanket to sleep with, and my scarf in combination with my backpack to use as a pillow. I did wake up several times, especially when my neighbors got off (who I was got to know before bedtime) and some young kids got on. I wanted to be sure no one was stealing my stuff, so was keeping somewhat of an eye on them. No one did. I tell myself that it's not the end of the world if someone takes my bag, but it would definitely be a huge hassle to deal with replacing it. It's always better to be safe than sorry. And seeing the Indian family lock their stuff up is reassuring. It's not just paranoid foreigners who are worried. 

Sleeper train neighbors.

So I had one full day in Delhi to finalize my trip. And I didn't do too much. But the city did redeem itself just a bit in my eyes. I saw a few other parts of the city, including the metro, and can see how people live there. I still couldn't do it. But if I had grown up in India, that is probably where I would have ended up. Riding the metro was actually nice and if there's one sort of transport that I know, it's a subway system. There were a few local neighborhoods that I walked through with people doing there daily routine. And when I checked out Central Park, people just were sitting around, relaxing in the sun. No one was bothering me and left me to relax as well. 

Before I heading to the airport, I walked around the Main Bazaar again, got a few Kingfishers in Connaught Place, and ate some Indian food and dessert. I wasn't bothered too much by rickshaw drivers, but there was one that stood out. I was walking over the bridge to the metro, and this guy kept yelling Madame at me. I turned and laughed at him since he expected me to hurdle a fence to get onto the road and ride his rickshaw. What a joke. He continued to bother me as I walked along. He finally left me alone, but jeez. 

Delhi's Central Park.

I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.Good thing as I didn't want to repeat what happened in Sri Lanka. Oh but wait. I make my way to the departure area and get stopped at the door to show them my ticket. Which I don't have yet. I did check-in online, but never received my ticket in my email. And there's no wifi at the airport, so couldn't even check to see if it had come in later on. The security guy then has to go to Thai Airlines to get me sorted out. I was finally allowed into the departure terminal and formally got my ticket and checked my bag. I think they need to do a better job of communicating this process. Especially as I wasn't the only one dealing with this. 

I spent the last of my rupees and settled into sleep on the plane. Vietnam is next. 

Jaipur

I spent a few days in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, about 4 1/2 hours from Delhi. When deciding where to go in India, I really based it on recommendations from people I've met and geography. I knew I wasn't going to be giving the amount of time to India that it deserves and it will be somewhat of a whirlwind. Right now, I'm ok with it, but that may not leave me with the most positive lasting impression. But I have one more town to hit up before I head out.

I ended up sitting next to a nice couple from England and France on the train ride to from Delhi to Jaipur. My plan to nap or catch up on things didn't end up happening. But I did get to have a good conversation the entire ride out. And I got to play the 50-state game with the English guy. As an American, I had to beat him, but I have to say he did a pretty good job. I helped him out a bit. I got up to 49 and for the life of me couldn't remember Wisconsin. I better get there at some point so I don't forget it. Anyway, the train ride went by relatively quickly and we arrived in Jaipur. I settled in, showered (didn't go for a run like I thought about), and went in search for food. I eventually got to the Old Green Tandoori Dhaba about a mile away. For some reason, I though Jaipur was a lot smaller than it really is. At this point, I was pretty hungry and settled in. Another woman actually came in at this point and I ended up joining her. She's retired and has been traveling around India for a while. This is her 3rd trip here actually. She was helping me out to figure out what I should do next. She seemed to have a really interesting life and hasn't been back to the UK in a long time now, and it'll still be a while before she does. I think going on a couple of years. I think about doing that every once in a while and wonder if I can last that long. We'll see. A lot of people asked if I would be lonely before I headed out on this trip and I knew I wasn't going to be. I've met so many people and have had good conversations with people from all over the world. 

After getting my fill, I made my way to the Old City, also called the Pink City. Pretty much pink walls surround the area, which is made up of many bazaars. So many bazaars. One thing that is getting exhausting is the attention from all the rickshaw drivers and the people selling you things. It doesn't make it enjoyable to me. I wouldn't mind lingering a while to window shop, but it's hard since I would have to have the same conversation over and over. I do wish they could let tourists peruse in peace, we may even buy things. I actually ended up buying a few things later on, but I do have to say part of it was because I wasn't being constantly hassled. I'm not sure if I was tricked or not, but this guy showed me around a few places in the Old City, including a temple and a rooftop view of the City Palace down the street and Amber Fort up on a hill on the outside of town. He then took me to a few shops that were away from the Old City. I'm pretty sure he made some sort of commission off of what I ended up purchasing, but oh well. I was able to negotiate down a bit, so I hope I didn't overspend. If anything, I have some nice souvenirs of India. And I'm not saying what they are as they also may be Christmas presents. 

The Pink City.

Later that evening, I met a nice couple from Australia and we hit up a restaurant in the neighborhood for dinner. Well it was definitely a super nice place. We sat outside in the back area under some nice lights. The menu was pretty pricey, but we decided to get a few things to share as we all had a late lunch. And we got a beer tower to share. I didn't think I would be having one of those on this trip. But we did. We of course got the local Kingfisher Lager. I have to say I wasn't really feeling it when we left though. So I wonder how much alcohol content there was. The couple were really nice and we had a nice time eating some good food, drinking the beers, and listening to the continued Diwali celebrations happening all around us. 

Dinner with a beer tower.

The next morning I finally went for my first run in India. I really haven't had made the effort to run, nor have I had the time. It's been a bit overwhelming to attempt to. With all the people and traffic, it makes me a bit nervous to get out there. I don't want to have to deal with the constant attention and continued dodging of moving vehicles, people, and animals. But I got up pretty early and went for it. And I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't get as much attention as I was expecting. Which was a relief. I also found that some of the rotaries they have around the city have dirt tracks in the middle of them. Others were walking and exercising, so I took advantage and would do a few laps every once in a while. This week had a lack of miles, but I was able to get a solid 6-miler in, which I was pleased about. It was a good warm-up for my 13-miler on Saturday. I again got up early to kick it off and made my way to the Old City. I figured most of the shops would be closed for a while, so it would be safe to get some miles in there, along with public gardens nearby. It was a good run. Not a lot of attention, although there was some guy that laid on the horn until I realized it was to get my attention. Seriously. How obnoxious. Definitely got a few 'hello's, a 'run faster', and some guy attempting to run next to me. Like he would be able to keep up. The weather was a big improvement from last week's long run in Sri Lanka. It was a bit cooler, but dry. Much better running weather.

Running the dirt track.

And good thing I'm getting some miles in with all the food and sweets I'm consuming. I've made a few trips to the bakery, including Laxmi Misthan Bhandar. In all seriousness, I don't need to worry about it. But man the sweets have been good. And the lassis. Which I'm still not entirely sure what they are made of, but are along the lines of a milkshake. They also have milkshakes, so there must be some sort of difference. All the rice has been good carbo-loading for sure.

More Indian treats.

I visited the City Palace in the Old City, where I saw old weapons, royal garments, apparently the largest silver objects in the world (silver vessels), and one courtyard that had 4 gates to represent the 4 seasons. My favorite was the peacock gate, which happens to be autumn, my favorite season. I did have to look up the significance of the peacock as I have noticed them elsewhere. It's the national bird of India. Which I think is a nice choice and happy to see them depicted in various places. 

Autumn gate of the City Palace.

Before I headed out of town on the night bus, I had a few Kingfishers with my new friends at the hotel, and then dinner at a local place. I was hoping the beer would put me right to sleep on the night bus. But no such luck. After fearing that I was getting tricked on another bus, I found where I needed to be, and settled in my bed for the night. Of course it was another sleepless night involving bumpy roads and a roadside squat at 4am. Add to the list of things that happen in India. 

Overnight bus ride.

Delhi

I made it to India. And so far, it has met my expectations. Loud, dirty, crazy traffic, and people everywhere. I spent my first hour getting from the airport to my hotel listening to the nonstop horns. I thought elsewhere was bad, but this takes the cake. Goodness. You must learn to block it out. I think I did to some degree later in the day.

I checked into my hotel and got fed a delicious and filling 2nd breakfast (first was on the plane). I ate so much, that I wasn't hungry for hours. After getting rid of my sweaty travel smell, it was time to explore. I was staying near one of the train stations out of convenience, but not too far from the Main Bazaar. The first thing I attempted was to go to the International Tourist Bureau to book some train tickets, but the wait was taking too long, so I gave my spot away and planned to come back later in the day. So towards the bazaars I went. I pretty much wandered around, making my way in the general direction of the Red Fort. I'm really surprised there aren't more accidents with the number of rickshaws, tuk tuks, scooters, animals, and pedestrians all over the tiny streets (if that's what you want to call them). People everywhere. I mean everywhere. It's no joke that almost 17 million people live here. And it's no joke that you can almost buy anything on the streets. Besides the normal food and clothing, there were large appliances, car parts, towels, flowers, shoes, and anything else you can think of.

One of the many bazaars.

I didn't purchase any items, but did treat myself to a jaleblis, deep-fried dough with syrup. And it was pretty tasty. I've been warned about not eating any street food and certain items throughout India. This place was recommended, so I decided to trust it, like with most places I end up eating at. Since I arrived in Sri Lanka, every time my stomach is a little off, I get nervous that I ate or drank something bad. But then I dismiss it as I can't spend my time worrying about that. And I'd like to think my stomach is strong enough to deal with any minor issues. So far, so good. 

Jaleblis.

I spent some time walking around the Red Fort and exploring the various buildings it consists of. I took in the red sandstone columns of Diwan-i-Am, the white marble of Diwan-i-Khas, and the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque), where the British removed and sold the copper off the domes.

The Red Fort.

There were a few people out and about enjoying the site and relaxing. I keep forgetting that I stand out here, not that it's hard with all the looks, smiles, and hellos. I've been asked a few times in my travels for photos and do oblige for the most part. In the Red Fort, I was asked 3 times. The first time I was a bit weary as it was a group of guys at first. I did agree, but then a few others joined, including women and children. So I figured it was ok. And of course I asked for a photo in return. A few minutes later, one of the group wanted a photo alone. I hope he doesn't run off and tell people I'm his girlfriend. But I'll never know. The last photo was with a young girl dressed up in a very pretty blue saree. So many photo albums I'm going to appear in.

Group shot.

After securing my train tickets, I went to look for dinner on the Main Bazaar. I ended up at Madan Cafe, another Lonely Planet recommendation, where I had some veggie biryana and people watched. The food was yummy and the people were nice. They actually had me worried the the Taj Mahal was closed the following day due to Diwali, but they checked into it for me and reassured me that I was ok. After chatting with a guy from Saudi Arabia, I headed back to eat the cookies my hotel left for me and get some sleep.

Dinner on the Main Bazaar.

I feel like I should be getting so much sleep on this trip, but there are periods where I definitely do not. The good thing is that I don't typically feel tired. Probably excitement of seeing such cool places. One of which was the Taj Mahal. I made my way to the train station before dawn to make my way to Agra. I chatted with a nice Indian women around my age on the ride. She was headed home to celebrate Diwali. We found some commonality as she works for a company that designs booths for exhibits, something that I am familiar with. After an autorickshaw ride to the south gate of the Taj, and some tea, a lassi, and food at a nearby rooftop hotel, I queued up for the spectacular Taj Mahal.

Lunch with a view.

I pretty much spent the afternoon wandering around the grounds of the Taj Mahal. And it was pretty cool. Very impressive and large. It was built in memorial for Shah Jahan's 3rd wife, Mumtaz Hahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. And I thought I had a big family. I took in all the different views leading up to the Taj Mahal and all around it. 

Up close.

Just like at the Red Fort, I met lots of people who wanted photos with me. A range of people for sure, but this family was very charming. They lived in California for a while, and the girl has a pretty decent American accent. They are back in India, but the boy is apparently counting down the days he can go back to the US, and I think NYC specifically. I say apparently as he was very shy and actually didn't speak to me. But his family filled me in of course since they were all very chatty.

Fellow visitors to the Taj.

After taking it all in, I waited for the sun to come down. Due to the smog, it wasn't as spectacular as I was hoping. But the lighting was different and the Taj Mahal looked pretty cool against the white backdrop. 

As the sun went down. 

After I was done looking at the building, I then made my way to Sadar Bazaar area of Agra to take in the Diwali scene before my train ride. A lot of people were out and about participating in the festivities. Lights and candles were all around and there was even a carnival set up for the kids. The area definitely had a fair-like vibe to it. 

Agra Diwali celebration.

I made sure to get some dinner and Diwali sweets while I waited for my train. Eventually I made my way to the train station once I was done exploring. I do wish the train was a bit earlier. And of course it ended up being late. I just have to take advantage of the down time and read or get myself organized as much as I can without wifi. I finally made it back to my hotel in Delhi to pack up my stuff as I had another early train to Jaipur. After finishing off my sweets off course. 

Diwali sweets.

Colombo

Well I didn't do too much in Colombo since I only had one night. And I'm glad that I only allotted one night. However, I will remember the city for 2 key things. And they weren't good things. One for trying to fix my phone, and the other for trying to not miss my flight to India. Since I'm sitting in Delhi right now, I was successful on the latter. Not on the former.

Remember that 20-miler I went on? Well my phone stopped working after that run. I pretty much killed it with my sweat. The humidity was so bad, and I sweat just walking, let alone running for several miles, I'm not entirely surprised. However, the phone should still be working. Aren't you supposed to be able to run with it? There are all these exercise apps already built in. Anyway, I waited until I got to Colombo to see if anything could be done. I tried an online Samsung support chat, with no luck. After multiple stops in Samsung stores, I was led to a hole-in-wall place where these IT guys were going to attemp to fix it. Or at least I had hoped, and they were feeling good about it. I waited for the initial diagnosis, and sure enough the guys kept asking me if I dropped it in water. I said I did not. I went running with it and it seems like it got sweat inside. He returned to his work station and attempted to fix it. Over an hour later, he returned and after a couple of them conversed (not in English), I was informed my phone wasn't fixable. Awesome. I have insurance, so that should cover getting a new phone not at full price. I still have to pay something, which is annoying. And I'm going to have to download all my apps again and all that. Mostly everything is backed up. I did lose some photos while I was running though. I guess it's ok since I have a ton of photos on my camera. So I'll get over it. Now the next step is to actually file the claim, get it delivered to my friend, have her activate it, and  bring it with her to Vietnam where I'm meeting her. No biggie. Having a phone makes such a difference when youa are traveling though. I want to avoid pulling out my tablet as much as possible. I also was given an India Lonely Planet book. Which is great (and heavy), but again, it brings more attention to me than I want. A phone is way more manageable to navigate all these new places (or play games). 

So onto the better news. After exploring Colombo (I'll get to that in a minute. Or two.), I started the trek to the airport. I left myself 4 hours to get there in time for my flight. You'd think that would be enough time. But no. I walked to the bus station to catch the express bus to the airport. After waiting for over 30 minutes, I was getting a little nervous, but just brushed it off as other travelers were showing up. Finally the express bus pulled up. And then pulled away. I have no idea why they weren't turning around to go back to the airport. After some discussions, we found out that the buses weren't even coming into the station, and only pulling over on the side of the road. Seriously. Why is there a stand if they don't pull up to it like every other bus. Fortunately we caught one right away. Unfortunately, we got stuck in traffic. Af this point, I had 3 hours left. Ok, no problem. The ride in from the airport was pretty quick, so hopefully the city bus wouldn't take that much longer. Well it did. It's now a little over an hour before my flight is leaving. And guess what? They need to stop for gas. 2 kilometers before the airport and all of a sudden they need gas. I'm convinced it's some sort of conspiracy that the bus drivers have with the tuk tuk drivers. They drop you off in the middle of nowhere, amongst half the tuk tuks in Sri Lanka, so that you need to take one if you are late. Well I was and I did. So I ran off the bus, grabbed a tuk tuk and we drove the 2 mintues to the airport. I ran up to counter looking for someone to help me. And all I see are cleaning ladies. Finally, I notice a woman on the phone who hung up to help me out. After getting connected to the internet and showing her my India visa and my flight out of India, I was able to go to security. Just as I was waiting, they called out last call for my flight. Of course once I got through, I ran to the gate. The person there reassured me I was good. But of course I was all sweaty and rushed by that point, so it didn't matter. I had to pull up the visa and flight info again before boarding. And I was finally in my seat. Where I could resume to a normal breathing pattern. Man, I'm going to have to leave even more time for my next flight. It's around midnight, so I may as well as get to the airport nice and early to get comfortable.

So I made it to India, but I'm carrying a phone that doesn't work.

What else did I do in Colombo you may be wondering. I pretty much walked around and drank tea. I walked along the ocean, checked out a few temples, explored a few parks, and did a tea crawl. There really isn't much else to do in Colombo. Or at least not that I was aware of or interested in doing. I needed some time to catch up on my next steps so it was fine with me. 

Indian Ocean and Colombo.

Viharamahadevi Park.

Sambodhi temple.

1st stop on tea crawl.