Yes, that's right, I went shopping for clothes on my last day in Greece! I'd lost a tank-top and a t-shirt to an unfortunate laundry accident, and I was getting pretty tired of always wearing the same (smellier and smellier) t-shirts. So I got two cute tank-tops, since now I can actually wear them without offending anyone. Plus, I bought a cute (and practical) skirt, so now I'm all set and Man, I Feel Like a Woman!
Il faut ajouter qu'a Delphes, hier (wow, ce n'etait qu'hier?! Ca semble si loin... Merci Melody d'avoir insiste pour qu'on y aille, tres agreable), une vendeuse dans un magasin de souvenirs nous a regardes de haut en bas pour annoncer qu'on avait l'air d'etre en voyage depuis longtemps. We had that "look", apparently. Ce qui me dit que mes vetements sont un peu vieux et pas tres presentables! C'est bien beau d'avoir le look de la grande voyageuse, mais quand meme...
So, we're off to Sofia, Bulgaria, tomorrow. Yes, by train. And then a train to Bucharest, Romania. For more details about why we couldn't take the plane, see Nick's rant. Wish us luck, I'm a bit apprehensive towards Bulgaria, I keep reading terrible things about the safety there. But hey, we survived India, right?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Frustration et complications
Ahh... la Grece... on m'avait avertie que les modes de transport etaient parfois mal organises, mais jusqu'a recemment, je n'avais pas a me plaindre, tout avait tres bien fonctionne. Il y a un peu de faute de notre cote aussi, mais les choses pourraient etre mieux organisees. Je m'explique. D'abord, pour nous rendre a la station de bus d'Athenes, nous avons fait l'erreur de croire qu'on pouvait s'y rendre a pied a partir du metro. En fait, c'est Nico qui avait suggere qu'on fasse ca plutot que de prendre le bus local qui s'y rend directement. Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais j'ai acquiece, ce qui veut dire qu'on a marche dans des rues vraiment pas interessantes, notre gros sac sur le dos, pour une bonne demie-heure, sans savoir exactement ou on allait! Par miracle, on a trouve le terminus dix minutes avant le depart du prochain bus pour Corinthes. Ouf! Mais ce n'est pas si simple. L'homme qui nous vend nos billets nous dit que le bus partira d'une des "portes" entre #24 et #27, et aucun des bus n'est clairement identifie. Il faut donc attendre et bien ecoute quand ils appellent le nom de la destination des bus. Enfin, on embarque dans le bon bus.
Except it's not over yet. We were planning to get to Corinth, find a hotel (we had a name in our guidebook, but no map: it's the guide to Europe, so they only give maps for big cities) and then leave for Old Corinth and its ruins. Nope. When we got into town, everything was closed and so we couldn't find anyone to tell us where to find the hotel (in Greece, opening hours are extremely weird: Open from 9:30-12:30, then from 5:30-9:30. Long lunch break!) So we walked around, went down to the waterfront, where there were more hotels (not in our budget) and where we could find someone to point us in the right direction. He did point us in the right direction, but failed to mention we had to turn at some point, so we walked all the way down the street, in the rain, with our backpacks, only to turn back and walk again! Arg! By the time we found the hotel, I was ready to jump back on a bus and go directly to Nafplio, our next stop.
Mais justement, meme ca, ce n'est pas si simple. Plutot que de visiter la vieille ville, on a passe le reste de notre journee a arpenter la rue principale pour trouver le terminus de bus (pour savoir a quelle heure partait le bus le lendemain). Tout le monde nous disait que ce n'etait pas loin et qu'on ne pouvait pas le manquer. En effet, comment manquer une station de bus qui est dans un cafe dont l'affiche ne dit "bus" (en Grec ou en Anglais) nulle part? C'est tellement evident voyons! Je voulais crier. A la place, on a mange une crepe!
And the transportation frustration doesn't end there. We visited Epidavros yesterday (the best example of a Greek theatre, with perfect accoustics. Really amazing) and the bus driver who dropped us off told us the buses going back to Nafplion were at 1pm, 3:45 and 6pm. Ok, no problem. We were waiting for the bus at 3pm, keeping a sharp eye out, looking at all the tour buses, making sure we didn't miss it... but 3:45 came and went, and by 4:30, we were worried. We asked around, and apparently, we missed it! It probably just came by, didn't see anyone running towards it (probably because there was no sign indicating its destination!) and left! We were soooooooooo angry. Nick especially. I decided I was NOT waiting another two hours here, and started looking around, trying to find some nice people who would take pity and take us back. I was just trying to figure out if an old English couple was heading towards Napflio, when two young French guys I'd spotted in Corinth the night before walked by. I knew they had a car, so I approached them and asked them if they'd give us a ride. And they did! Really nice guys, I was really proud of myself. We were back in town before 6!
Alors aujourd'hui, pour rentrer de Mycenes, vous pouvez imaginer qu'on regardait les bus avec encore plus d'attention qu'hier. Heureusement, on n'a pas manque le bus de 15h (le dernier, allez comprendre pourquoi!) et on a meme pu aider un groupe de jeunes Allemands qui etaient partis de Nafplion en meme temps que nous ce matin. Tout juste comme le bus partait, j'ai vu le groupe assis, qui attendait evidemment un bus et qui allaient le manquer. J'ai demande au chauffeur d'arreter et je suis descendue pour chercher le groupe. Je ne sais pas ce qu'ils auraient fait autrement, ca aurait coute tres cher en taxis!
Well, that felt good. Let's hope there are no more frustrations and that everything goes well from now on, at least in Greece! Oh, and by the way, we had our test results, and Nick is completely clear (I guess after all this time being sick, his body finally got rid of whatever was wrong) but I have a "toxin" (whatever that means) which I should be able to get rid of with the pills the pharmacist gave me and with a good diet. So good news I guess, though it's really hard not to buy those delicious-looking fruit I see everywhere, and not to eat the good food I see on the menus. I'm starting to get sick of spaghetti!
Je n'ai pas pu voir de theatre en Grece, ce qui est dommage, mais ce n'est pas la saison. On quitte le 30 mai, et le 31 mai, il y a Carmen de Bizet qui commence dans l'Odeon a Athenes. Eh ben, va falloir revenir.
On espere pouvoir prendre un avion d'Athenes pour Bucharest. On pensait prendre le train et passer par la Roumanie, mais on a calcule que ce serait legerement moins cher par avion, et surtout, plus rapide! Je vous dirai si je rencontre des vampires communistes. ;)
Except it's not over yet. We were planning to get to Corinth, find a hotel (we had a name in our guidebook, but no map: it's the guide to Europe, so they only give maps for big cities) and then leave for Old Corinth and its ruins. Nope. When we got into town, everything was closed and so we couldn't find anyone to tell us where to find the hotel (in Greece, opening hours are extremely weird: Open from 9:30-12:30, then from 5:30-9:30. Long lunch break!) So we walked around, went down to the waterfront, where there were more hotels (not in our budget) and where we could find someone to point us in the right direction. He did point us in the right direction, but failed to mention we had to turn at some point, so we walked all the way down the street, in the rain, with our backpacks, only to turn back and walk again! Arg! By the time we found the hotel, I was ready to jump back on a bus and go directly to Nafplio, our next stop.
Mais justement, meme ca, ce n'est pas si simple. Plutot que de visiter la vieille ville, on a passe le reste de notre journee a arpenter la rue principale pour trouver le terminus de bus (pour savoir a quelle heure partait le bus le lendemain). Tout le monde nous disait que ce n'etait pas loin et qu'on ne pouvait pas le manquer. En effet, comment manquer une station de bus qui est dans un cafe dont l'affiche ne dit "bus" (en Grec ou en Anglais) nulle part? C'est tellement evident voyons! Je voulais crier. A la place, on a mange une crepe!
And the transportation frustration doesn't end there. We visited Epidavros yesterday (the best example of a Greek theatre, with perfect accoustics. Really amazing) and the bus driver who dropped us off told us the buses going back to Nafplion were at 1pm, 3:45 and 6pm. Ok, no problem. We were waiting for the bus at 3pm, keeping a sharp eye out, looking at all the tour buses, making sure we didn't miss it... but 3:45 came and went, and by 4:30, we were worried. We asked around, and apparently, we missed it! It probably just came by, didn't see anyone running towards it (probably because there was no sign indicating its destination!) and left! We were soooooooooo angry. Nick especially. I decided I was NOT waiting another two hours here, and started looking around, trying to find some nice people who would take pity and take us back. I was just trying to figure out if an old English couple was heading towards Napflio, when two young French guys I'd spotted in Corinth the night before walked by. I knew they had a car, so I approached them and asked them if they'd give us a ride. And they did! Really nice guys, I was really proud of myself. We were back in town before 6!
Alors aujourd'hui, pour rentrer de Mycenes, vous pouvez imaginer qu'on regardait les bus avec encore plus d'attention qu'hier. Heureusement, on n'a pas manque le bus de 15h (le dernier, allez comprendre pourquoi!) et on a meme pu aider un groupe de jeunes Allemands qui etaient partis de Nafplion en meme temps que nous ce matin. Tout juste comme le bus partait, j'ai vu le groupe assis, qui attendait evidemment un bus et qui allaient le manquer. J'ai demande au chauffeur d'arreter et je suis descendue pour chercher le groupe. Je ne sais pas ce qu'ils auraient fait autrement, ca aurait coute tres cher en taxis!
Well, that felt good. Let's hope there are no more frustrations and that everything goes well from now on, at least in Greece! Oh, and by the way, we had our test results, and Nick is completely clear (I guess after all this time being sick, his body finally got rid of whatever was wrong) but I have a "toxin" (whatever that means) which I should be able to get rid of with the pills the pharmacist gave me and with a good diet. So good news I guess, though it's really hard not to buy those delicious-looking fruit I see everywhere, and not to eat the good food I see on the menus. I'm starting to get sick of spaghetti!
Je n'ai pas pu voir de theatre en Grece, ce qui est dommage, mais ce n'est pas la saison. On quitte le 30 mai, et le 31 mai, il y a Carmen de Bizet qui commence dans l'Odeon a Athenes. Eh ben, va falloir revenir.
On espere pouvoir prendre un avion d'Athenes pour Bucharest. On pensait prendre le train et passer par la Roumanie, mais on a calcule que ce serait legerement moins cher par avion, et surtout, plus rapide! Je vous dirai si je rencontre des vampires communistes. ;)
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Santorini
On a du passer plus longtemps que prevu sur la belle ile de Santorini, ce qui nous a permis d'en visiter plus, mais ce qui veut aussi dire qu'on devra couper dans le Peloponnese. Ce n'est pas grave, on reviendra! Les ruines ne vont pas disparaitre!
The reason why we had to stay a day longer here is that we took the opportunity to go to the clinic next door to our hotel to get tested, since it's so much less hassle than in Athens, and that way, we'll know exactly what's wrong and what to do about it. We should get our results this afternoon. Meanwhile, we've been on a diet of bread, rice cakes and pasta, with a bit of soup and bananas. Not much fun when you're on a Greek Island! But we want to get better, so we do what we have to. And I have to admit we cheated a bit, had some stuffed vine leaves and tzatziki (yummy!)
Nos premiers jours dans l'ile ont ete un peu decevants cote temperature: non seulement il faisait trop froid pour se baigner, mais en plus les nuages cachaient le ciel bleu promis dans les cartes postales, qui contraste si bien avec les maisons blanches au toit arrondi. Heureusement, la temperature a ete plus clemente ces deux derniers jours et on a pu profiter du soleil. Hier, on a pris un bateau vers le cratere du volcan et vers les "hot springs" pas du tout chaudes! Il fallait sauter du bateau et nager dans une eau glacee pour arriver dans un petit bassin d'eau sulphureuse et rouge un tantinet plus chaude... par endroits. Pas tout a fait ce qu'on nous avait promis, mais on s'est au moins baignes dans la Mediterannee.
We also went for a stroll in Oia, THE postcard town. If you Google Santorini, most of the pictures you'll see are from this cute little town, especially the sunset. I couldn't believe all the tourists gathered to see the sun set! They were there a good hour before the sun was even low on the horizon, as though they were waiting for fireworks or something. We didn't plan to stay for the show, but the bus schedule in Fira mislead us and we had to wait a full hour more for the bus! Still, the sunset wasn't that spectacular.
Et vous ne devinerez jamais qui j'ai rencontre! Je me promenais dans une ruelle d'Oia, quand j'ai vu une fille qui jonglait. Je me suis dit qu'elle me rappelait Andree et Eve et les autres chez nous, quand j'ai vu son visage: Elise Lessard-Mercier! L'Autre Elise du departement de theatre! Elle est en voyage avec sa soeur et campe non loin de notre hotel. Quel hasard, vraiment!
Nous partons ce soir pour Athenes, ou on va arriver demain matin a 5h. On va en profiter pour visiter le musee d'archeologie qu'on a manque la derniere fois, puis on va prendre un bus vers Corinthe. Un long trajet en perspective.
The reason why we had to stay a day longer here is that we took the opportunity to go to the clinic next door to our hotel to get tested, since it's so much less hassle than in Athens, and that way, we'll know exactly what's wrong and what to do about it. We should get our results this afternoon. Meanwhile, we've been on a diet of bread, rice cakes and pasta, with a bit of soup and bananas. Not much fun when you're on a Greek Island! But we want to get better, so we do what we have to. And I have to admit we cheated a bit, had some stuffed vine leaves and tzatziki (yummy!)
Nos premiers jours dans l'ile ont ete un peu decevants cote temperature: non seulement il faisait trop froid pour se baigner, mais en plus les nuages cachaient le ciel bleu promis dans les cartes postales, qui contraste si bien avec les maisons blanches au toit arrondi. Heureusement, la temperature a ete plus clemente ces deux derniers jours et on a pu profiter du soleil. Hier, on a pris un bateau vers le cratere du volcan et vers les "hot springs" pas du tout chaudes! Il fallait sauter du bateau et nager dans une eau glacee pour arriver dans un petit bassin d'eau sulphureuse et rouge un tantinet plus chaude... par endroits. Pas tout a fait ce qu'on nous avait promis, mais on s'est au moins baignes dans la Mediterannee.
We also went for a stroll in Oia, THE postcard town. If you Google Santorini, most of the pictures you'll see are from this cute little town, especially the sunset. I couldn't believe all the tourists gathered to see the sun set! They were there a good hour before the sun was even low on the horizon, as though they were waiting for fireworks or something. We didn't plan to stay for the show, but the bus schedule in Fira mislead us and we had to wait a full hour more for the bus! Still, the sunset wasn't that spectacular.
Et vous ne devinerez jamais qui j'ai rencontre! Je me promenais dans une ruelle d'Oia, quand j'ai vu une fille qui jonglait. Je me suis dit qu'elle me rappelait Andree et Eve et les autres chez nous, quand j'ai vu son visage: Elise Lessard-Mercier! L'Autre Elise du departement de theatre! Elle est en voyage avec sa soeur et campe non loin de notre hotel. Quel hasard, vraiment!
Nous partons ce soir pour Athenes, ou on va arriver demain matin a 5h. On va en profiter pour visiter le musee d'archeologie qu'on a manque la derniere fois, puis on va prendre un bus vers Corinthe. Un long trajet en perspective.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
D'Athenes a Knossos
Etonnament, l'Internet n'est pas aussi accessible en Grece qu'il l'etait en Asie, et il est plus cher, alors on y a moins souvent acces. Mais voici les nouvelles depuis la derniere fois.
I visited Athens with a rather sick stomach, but I was still able to appreciate the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the museum, as well as the theatre of Dionysius, where so many of the plays of Euripides, Eschyllus and Aristophanes were premiered. ACK! For lack of any words (I was feeling rather speechless!) it was soooooooooo cool! (Sorry, I honestly can't find words to express what I felt seeing this theatre)
J'ai aussi vu l'aerophage, ou les Erinyes ont amene Oreste pour qu'il se fasse juger! Je n'en revenais pas! Malheureusement, par le temps qu'on y arrive, je me sentais tellement faible que je regardais surtout par terre, pour ne pas glisser sur le marbre inegal.
Nous avons ensuite visite l'Agora, ou je me suis assise devant le temps d'Hephaistos pendant que Nico en faisait le tour. Au moins il ne faisait pas trop chaud, et puis j'ai pu admirer sans avoir a marcher.
During our five (!) days in Athens, we also got to see the temple of Olympean Zeus, but not the archeological museum, because we spent too much time either being sick or trying to find the hospital (see Nick's blog about this). Luckily, we found a pharmacist who gave us some pills which we're still taking and which are helping greatly. We can now eat Greek!! (Finally, we were down to eating at Subway's! - which, incidentally, had a Sens' hockey stick on display!) It also means we weren't feeling too bad on the night ferry to Crete.
Le traversier etait incroyablement luxueux, surtout apres ceux qu'on a vus en Thailande. Des escaliers roulants, un bar, un resto, une discotheque (fermee pour la nuit), une piscine (fermee aussi). Nous n'avons pas achete les billets plus chers pour des cabines, nous avons donc du dormir dans une grande salle avec des sieges separes par des accoudoirs qui ne se levaient pas, ce qui veut dire que tout le monde dormait par terre, entre les bancs! Pas tres confortable, mais j'ai quand meme assez bien dormi.
Our hotel (which we booked online, hooray for the Internet!) is very nice, appartment-style, which means we can eat at our own table and (kinda) make our own food! It feels so nice not to be stuck in a tiny hotel room. There's also a pool (though the beach is really close by, and it's a little cold: 25 degrees:P) and a nice restaurant. The owner is a friendly old Greek grandfather. And it's all within our budget, too! A lot more expensive than Asia, although the "fancy" hotel we paid 100$ for in Agra wasn't that much nicer than the 30 Euros/night one we're in now. It's 4km from the city (we walked most of them on our first day here, but now we wait for the bus!) in a little touristy spot, which means there's Internet, little supermarkets, and a cinema where we saw Spiderman 3 last night! I couldn't believe it: There was an intermission after 1 hour into the film! And the kids who were there were sooo loud, no adults to keep them on a leash. Anyways, maybe they're just as bad back home and I've forgotten.
Comme il pleuvait hier, nous n'avons pas fait beaucoup. Nous avons marche longtemps, nous sommes alles a l'office de tourisme, ou la fille au comptoir a pu nous dire que le musee etait en renovations, mais n'en savait pas beaucoup plus, et puis nous avons essaye de nous rendre a l'aquarium. Je dis essaye, parce que les bus ici sont tres mal organises. Sous la pluie, une foule de gens essayent desesperement d'entrer dans un bus qui, ils esperent, se rend ou ils veulent aller. C'est la folie furieuse! On a finit par abandonner et, apres avoir jase un peu avec un couple de Gatinois (!), on est retournes a l'hotel.
Aujourd'hui, par contre, il fait tres beau et on a pu visiter Knossos, le meme que dans l'histoire du Minotaure! Pas de labyrinthe ou de Minotaure, mais le palais lui-meme ressemble assez a un labyrinthe. Nicolas etait tres heureux de retrouver le decor d'un de ses jeux d'Indiana Jones! Puis, cet apres-midi, nous avons visite le vieux fort venicien a Heraklion. Plein de vieilles choses!
Tomorrow, we're leaving for Santorini, a very beautiful island, apparently. I can't wait to see it. It's pretty incredible how much we've seen in the past months, and to think how much we'll see in the months to come!
I visited Athens with a rather sick stomach, but I was still able to appreciate the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the museum, as well as the theatre of Dionysius, where so many of the plays of Euripides, Eschyllus and Aristophanes were premiered. ACK! For lack of any words (I was feeling rather speechless!) it was soooooooooo cool! (Sorry, I honestly can't find words to express what I felt seeing this theatre)
J'ai aussi vu l'aerophage, ou les Erinyes ont amene Oreste pour qu'il se fasse juger! Je n'en revenais pas! Malheureusement, par le temps qu'on y arrive, je me sentais tellement faible que je regardais surtout par terre, pour ne pas glisser sur le marbre inegal.
Nous avons ensuite visite l'Agora, ou je me suis assise devant le temps d'Hephaistos pendant que Nico en faisait le tour. Au moins il ne faisait pas trop chaud, et puis j'ai pu admirer sans avoir a marcher.
During our five (!) days in Athens, we also got to see the temple of Olympean Zeus, but not the archeological museum, because we spent too much time either being sick or trying to find the hospital (see Nick's blog about this). Luckily, we found a pharmacist who gave us some pills which we're still taking and which are helping greatly. We can now eat Greek!! (Finally, we were down to eating at Subway's! - which, incidentally, had a Sens' hockey stick on display!) It also means we weren't feeling too bad on the night ferry to Crete.
Le traversier etait incroyablement luxueux, surtout apres ceux qu'on a vus en Thailande. Des escaliers roulants, un bar, un resto, une discotheque (fermee pour la nuit), une piscine (fermee aussi). Nous n'avons pas achete les billets plus chers pour des cabines, nous avons donc du dormir dans une grande salle avec des sieges separes par des accoudoirs qui ne se levaient pas, ce qui veut dire que tout le monde dormait par terre, entre les bancs! Pas tres confortable, mais j'ai quand meme assez bien dormi.
Our hotel (which we booked online, hooray for the Internet!) is very nice, appartment-style, which means we can eat at our own table and (kinda) make our own food! It feels so nice not to be stuck in a tiny hotel room. There's also a pool (though the beach is really close by, and it's a little cold: 25 degrees:P) and a nice restaurant. The owner is a friendly old Greek grandfather. And it's all within our budget, too! A lot more expensive than Asia, although the "fancy" hotel we paid 100$ for in Agra wasn't that much nicer than the 30 Euros/night one we're in now. It's 4km from the city (we walked most of them on our first day here, but now we wait for the bus!) in a little touristy spot, which means there's Internet, little supermarkets, and a cinema where we saw Spiderman 3 last night! I couldn't believe it: There was an intermission after 1 hour into the film! And the kids who were there were sooo loud, no adults to keep them on a leash. Anyways, maybe they're just as bad back home and I've forgotten.
Comme il pleuvait hier, nous n'avons pas fait beaucoup. Nous avons marche longtemps, nous sommes alles a l'office de tourisme, ou la fille au comptoir a pu nous dire que le musee etait en renovations, mais n'en savait pas beaucoup plus, et puis nous avons essaye de nous rendre a l'aquarium. Je dis essaye, parce que les bus ici sont tres mal organises. Sous la pluie, une foule de gens essayent desesperement d'entrer dans un bus qui, ils esperent, se rend ou ils veulent aller. C'est la folie furieuse! On a finit par abandonner et, apres avoir jase un peu avec un couple de Gatinois (!), on est retournes a l'hotel.
Aujourd'hui, par contre, il fait tres beau et on a pu visiter Knossos, le meme que dans l'histoire du Minotaure! Pas de labyrinthe ou de Minotaure, mais le palais lui-meme ressemble assez a un labyrinthe. Nicolas etait tres heureux de retrouver le decor d'un de ses jeux d'Indiana Jones! Puis, cet apres-midi, nous avons visite le vieux fort venicien a Heraklion. Plein de vieilles choses!
Tomorrow, we're leaving for Santorini, a very beautiful island, apparently. I can't wait to see it. It's pretty incredible how much we've seen in the past months, and to think how much we'll see in the months to come!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Athenes!!!
Eh oui, ca y est, nous sommes sur un nouveau continent, dans un nouveau pays! Et ca va prendre un peu d'ajustement. Je me suis apercue hier, dans l'aeroport de Vienne, que je marchais du cote gauche en croisant des gens, que je me couvrais avec mon chale pour ne pas etre indecente et que j'etais surprise a la vue de filles en tank-top. J'evitais aussi le regard des hommes. Trois mois en Asie, ca change une mentalite.
En plus, je ne sais plus qui sont les touristes! Dans le taxi en entrant a Athenes, j'ai vu une fille blonde sortir d'un edifice et j'ai tout de suite suppose qu'il s'agissait d'un hotel et qu'elle etait une touriste. Mais j'ai vite compris qu'elle y travaillait! C'est vraiment etrange de ressembler aux gens du pays. Meme que dans une boutique aujourd'hui, le vendeur a commence par me parler en Grec, et c'est seulement en voyant que je ne comprenais pas qu'il a parle anglais. J'ai tellement l'habitude que tout le monde sache que je suis touristes, ca m'a surprise.
But the culture shock doesn't stop here. The prices are just as shocking! In Vienna, we had a small breakfast for the same price we would have paid for a very big and expensive dinner in India! Granted, it was in the airport, but still! And the hotels here are incredibly expensive. Luckily, I saw today that you can still find cheap food and clothes, and the entrance fees to tourist sites are very reasonnable. We'll just have to get used to the Euro.
The weather is wonderful here, really cool, compared to the 40+ degrees we've had lately. At 28 degrees, I'm very comfortable in jeans (yay! Normal clothes!) and a light scarf. And whoever told me Athens was dirty obviously has never been to India! It's sparking clean, and so quiet, and familiar.... ahhh... Europe!
Malheureusement, on n'a pas encore pu visiter. On a rapporte un petit souvenir de l'Inde, qui nous a gardes au lit toute la journee aujourd'hui. Esperons qu'on aille mieux demain pour pouvoir visiter l'Acropole!
En plus, je ne sais plus qui sont les touristes! Dans le taxi en entrant a Athenes, j'ai vu une fille blonde sortir d'un edifice et j'ai tout de suite suppose qu'il s'agissait d'un hotel et qu'elle etait une touriste. Mais j'ai vite compris qu'elle y travaillait! C'est vraiment etrange de ressembler aux gens du pays. Meme que dans une boutique aujourd'hui, le vendeur a commence par me parler en Grec, et c'est seulement en voyant que je ne comprenais pas qu'il a parle anglais. J'ai tellement l'habitude que tout le monde sache que je suis touristes, ca m'a surprise.
But the culture shock doesn't stop here. The prices are just as shocking! In Vienna, we had a small breakfast for the same price we would have paid for a very big and expensive dinner in India! Granted, it was in the airport, but still! And the hotels here are incredibly expensive. Luckily, I saw today that you can still find cheap food and clothes, and the entrance fees to tourist sites are very reasonnable. We'll just have to get used to the Euro.
The weather is wonderful here, really cool, compared to the 40+ degrees we've had lately. At 28 degrees, I'm very comfortable in jeans (yay! Normal clothes!) and a light scarf. And whoever told me Athens was dirty obviously has never been to India! It's sparking clean, and so quiet, and familiar.... ahhh... Europe!
Malheureusement, on n'a pas encore pu visiter. On a rapporte un petit souvenir de l'Inde, qui nous a gardes au lit toute la journee aujourd'hui. Esperons qu'on aille mieux demain pour pouvoir visiter l'Acropole!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Mi-temps
Deja trois mois que nous sommes sur la route, il nous en reste encore trois avant notre retour a la realite. Nous partons ce soir pour un nouveau continent: l'Europe. Ca risque de faire un choc, apres trois mois dans la folie de l'Asie. Je dois avouer que j'ai hate de retrouver un peu de familier, je l'espere en tout cas. Ce qui est certain, c'est qu'a partir de maintenant, les gens qu'on rencontre vont commencer a nous ressembler de plus en plus. L'autre jour, deux Indiens nous ont dit qu'on avait plus l'air europeens que Canadiens. Je ne suis pas certaine ce que ca veut dire, mais bon....
India went by so quickly, we hardly knew what hit us! We had planned to see and do so much more. We wanted to take a camel ride in the desert of Rajasthan and go to Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama took refuge. We wanted to meditate, take yoga, music and dance lessons, I wanted to see some theatre, there is just so much to do here! Which is why I can't regret not having done all this. Our month in India was like an initiation, a taste, and now we know that if we survived this, we can survive pretty much anything. So we'll come back to India to see all the other cool and interesting places there are to see.
On a quand meme fait beaucoup ici. J'ai pu assister a un mariage indien, on a vu le Taj Mahal, on a visite des montagnes, des vieux forts, des musees, on a rencontre des gens interessants, on s'est fait lire notre present, notre passe et notre avenir, on a appris a mieux se connaitre. C'est beaucoup pour un petit mois! Ah oui, et pour le theatre, nous avons assiste a un spectacle de danse pour touristes, avec des danses d'un peu partout en Inde. Tres interessant, mais pas tout a fait ce que je voulais. Je m'y suis malheureusement prise trop tard pour voir autre chose. Mais encore, pas de regrets, ce sera pour une autre fois.
And now, off to new adventures!!!
India went by so quickly, we hardly knew what hit us! We had planned to see and do so much more. We wanted to take a camel ride in the desert of Rajasthan and go to Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama took refuge. We wanted to meditate, take yoga, music and dance lessons, I wanted to see some theatre, there is just so much to do here! Which is why I can't regret not having done all this. Our month in India was like an initiation, a taste, and now we know that if we survived this, we can survive pretty much anything. So we'll come back to India to see all the other cool and interesting places there are to see.
On a quand meme fait beaucoup ici. J'ai pu assister a un mariage indien, on a vu le Taj Mahal, on a visite des montagnes, des vieux forts, des musees, on a rencontre des gens interessants, on s'est fait lire notre present, notre passe et notre avenir, on a appris a mieux se connaitre. C'est beaucoup pour un petit mois! Ah oui, et pour le theatre, nous avons assiste a un spectacle de danse pour touristes, avec des danses d'un peu partout en Inde. Tres interessant, mais pas tout a fait ce que je voulais. Je m'y suis malheureusement prise trop tard pour voir autre chose. Mais encore, pas de regrets, ce sera pour une autre fois.
And now, off to new adventures!!!
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Au revoir Rishikesh, rebonjour Delhi
C'est une Elise un peu amochee qui vous ecrit. Nous avons quitte Rishikesh hier et, comme notre premiere experience en bus avait ete positive, on a fait l'erreur de supposer que la deuxieme fois serait aussi bonne. On a donc achete des billets pour le bus "deluxe" des notre arrivee en ville. Hier, donc, on s'est rendu au terminus de bus pour decouvrir ce que veut dire Deluxe: pas grand chose! Les sieges etaient dechires, parfois manquants, et plutot sales.
The roads in India are a long series of pot-holes, and when there are no pot-holes, it's because they're reparing the road, which means it's a dirt road. Which all makes for a very bumpy ride. Since I had really bad pre-menstrual cramps, I couldn't stay seated without wanting to throw up, so I had to lie down on the seats. I decided I'd be more comfortable if I went to the back of the bus, where there's a long row of seats. The problem is that the back is even bumpier than the middle, so when the people in the front jump up a bit, the people in the back jump right into the air.
On a frappe une grosse bosse qui m'a fait revoler quelques centimetres dans les airs, puis, BOUM! Sur l'epaule! CRACK! AYOYE! (Rien de casse, ne vous en faites pas) Nico est vite venu voir comment j'allais, et heureusement parce que j'ai presque perdu connaissance a cause de la douleur, tout est devenu noir. Pas le fun. Apres ca, je suis retournee m'asseoir et j'ai essaye d'ignorer la douleur a l'epaule et la douleur au ventre.
I made it to Delhi and to the hotel, but all this was not good for my stomach, and I was sick with a temperature last night and this morning. Luckily, I've recovered quickly from the fever and was able to eat and wander the Main Bazar a bit this afternoon. My shoulder still hurts, but as long as I can move it I think I'll be okay.
As for Rishikesh, we did nothing that we'd planned on doing there, but we got exactly what we needed at the time. We wanted to take so many classes on this and that, we wanted this to be a contemplative week, and it was, in its own way. We rested a lot, since the hotel was so beautifully set and our room was really sunny and comfortable, we met some cool people, we got to get back to nature, which, being a Canadian girl, I miss after a while. And we got to eat some nice home-style food. A little break in the craziness that is India. Actually, I'd say Rishikesh is like India-mild, like salsa! Just exotic enough without being overwhelming.
J'ai pu assister a un mariage indien! Tout etait ferme a cause de ce mariage, ce qui m'a d'abord frustree, mais ensuite, quand j'ai compris qu'on etait tous invites, j'ai profite de l'occasion, surtout que Sara, une des Canadiennes, m'a accompagnee. Elle a pris plein de photos, j'espere qu'elle m'en enverra pour que vous puissiez voir cette folie. C'est incroyable, une vraie foire! La ceremonie comme telle n'est meme pas si importante, elle dure longtemps mais les gens n'y pretent pas trop attention. Ils sont surtout la pour la bouffe. Et quelle bouffe! Un gueuleton! Il y a tout plein de tentes qui servent differents plats et tout le monde mange puis jette son assiette (faite de carton ou de feuilles de bananes) par terre. Le tout est eclaire de gros neons pour bien voir les superbes saris des femmes, qui sont toutes decorees de bijoux brillants. Et pourtant, malgre toute cette atmosphere de fete et malgre la grosse musique, les gens ne semblent pas aussi excite qu'on pourrait le croire.
Mostly people either ate or sat, looking at the other people. Or they talked. Only the men danced, which is so strange to me, since so few of my male friends dance. The bride and groom sat on thrones on a little stage and people would come take their pictures, but there didn't seem to be much attention directed towards them.
The day before we left, we booked a day trip to see the mountains and the villages around Rishikesh. We had our own car and driver, but I really think it would be better if we were self-sufficient (though there's no way I could drive here!) Our driver always seemed surprised at how quickly we came back from the sights he brought us to.
We first woke up at 4:30 to see the sunrise over the mountains. It was very beautiful, but unfortunately, we weren't able to see the Himalayas because of the clouds. We then made a little 2km trek up a mountain to see a temple, but because of the altitude, I had a lot of trouble walking up. Still, it was nice to be in cooler air and to see all these trees and mountains. It almost felt like home.
On a fini notre visite dans une ville montagnarde ou les Britanniques venaient se sauver de la chaleur. Mussourie est une jolie ville, incroyablement propre pour l'Inde, ou il etait agreable de se promener un peu.
Et maintenant, il nous reste moins d'une semaine en Inde! J'espere qu'on ne sera plus malades et qu'on pourra profiter du temps qui nous reste pour voir les attractions touristiques qu'on n'a pas pu voir la derniere fois.
The roads in India are a long series of pot-holes, and when there are no pot-holes, it's because they're reparing the road, which means it's a dirt road. Which all makes for a very bumpy ride. Since I had really bad pre-menstrual cramps, I couldn't stay seated without wanting to throw up, so I had to lie down on the seats. I decided I'd be more comfortable if I went to the back of the bus, where there's a long row of seats. The problem is that the back is even bumpier than the middle, so when the people in the front jump up a bit, the people in the back jump right into the air.
On a frappe une grosse bosse qui m'a fait revoler quelques centimetres dans les airs, puis, BOUM! Sur l'epaule! CRACK! AYOYE! (Rien de casse, ne vous en faites pas) Nico est vite venu voir comment j'allais, et heureusement parce que j'ai presque perdu connaissance a cause de la douleur, tout est devenu noir. Pas le fun. Apres ca, je suis retournee m'asseoir et j'ai essaye d'ignorer la douleur a l'epaule et la douleur au ventre.
I made it to Delhi and to the hotel, but all this was not good for my stomach, and I was sick with a temperature last night and this morning. Luckily, I've recovered quickly from the fever and was able to eat and wander the Main Bazar a bit this afternoon. My shoulder still hurts, but as long as I can move it I think I'll be okay.
As for Rishikesh, we did nothing that we'd planned on doing there, but we got exactly what we needed at the time. We wanted to take so many classes on this and that, we wanted this to be a contemplative week, and it was, in its own way. We rested a lot, since the hotel was so beautifully set and our room was really sunny and comfortable, we met some cool people, we got to get back to nature, which, being a Canadian girl, I miss after a while. And we got to eat some nice home-style food. A little break in the craziness that is India. Actually, I'd say Rishikesh is like India-mild, like salsa! Just exotic enough without being overwhelming.
J'ai pu assister a un mariage indien! Tout etait ferme a cause de ce mariage, ce qui m'a d'abord frustree, mais ensuite, quand j'ai compris qu'on etait tous invites, j'ai profite de l'occasion, surtout que Sara, une des Canadiennes, m'a accompagnee. Elle a pris plein de photos, j'espere qu'elle m'en enverra pour que vous puissiez voir cette folie. C'est incroyable, une vraie foire! La ceremonie comme telle n'est meme pas si importante, elle dure longtemps mais les gens n'y pretent pas trop attention. Ils sont surtout la pour la bouffe. Et quelle bouffe! Un gueuleton! Il y a tout plein de tentes qui servent differents plats et tout le monde mange puis jette son assiette (faite de carton ou de feuilles de bananes) par terre. Le tout est eclaire de gros neons pour bien voir les superbes saris des femmes, qui sont toutes decorees de bijoux brillants. Et pourtant, malgre toute cette atmosphere de fete et malgre la grosse musique, les gens ne semblent pas aussi excite qu'on pourrait le croire.
Mostly people either ate or sat, looking at the other people. Or they talked. Only the men danced, which is so strange to me, since so few of my male friends dance. The bride and groom sat on thrones on a little stage and people would come take their pictures, but there didn't seem to be much attention directed towards them.
The day before we left, we booked a day trip to see the mountains and the villages around Rishikesh. We had our own car and driver, but I really think it would be better if we were self-sufficient (though there's no way I could drive here!) Our driver always seemed surprised at how quickly we came back from the sights he brought us to.
We first woke up at 4:30 to see the sunrise over the mountains. It was very beautiful, but unfortunately, we weren't able to see the Himalayas because of the clouds. We then made a little 2km trek up a mountain to see a temple, but because of the altitude, I had a lot of trouble walking up. Still, it was nice to be in cooler air and to see all these trees and mountains. It almost felt like home.
On a fini notre visite dans une ville montagnarde ou les Britanniques venaient se sauver de la chaleur. Mussourie est une jolie ville, incroyablement propre pour l'Inde, ou il etait agreable de se promener un peu.
Et maintenant, il nous reste moins d'une semaine en Inde! J'espere qu'on ne sera plus malades et qu'on pourra profiter du temps qui nous reste pour voir les attractions touristiques qu'on n'a pas pu voir la derniere fois.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Rafting in Rishikesh
Merci a tous pour les voeux d'anniversaire. J'ai passe une tres belle journee hier. J'ai fait du rafting sur le Gange, j'ai pris une longue sieste et puis j'ai eu droit a un massage ayurvedique. Une tres belle journee.
So my morning was spent going down rapids with names like "Double Trouble", "The Golf Course" and "The Rollercoaster". They were just scary enough to make it fun!
I met two Canadian girls from Vancouver and since Nick isn't feeling well today they invited me to join them while they ran some errands in town.
Meme si les gens sont moins agressifs ici a Rishikesh, je prefere ne pas sortir seule si je peux l’eviter, alors j’ai accepte l’invitation avec plaisir. Surtout que Sara semble connaitre toutes les bonnes boutiques, alors je pourrai acheter plein de jolies choses, pour moi et peut-etre pour certains d’entre vous!
Alright, before the computer starts playing tricks on me again (I tried to write yesterday but it froze up just as I was about to post), I’ll finish my story here. Thanks again for the birthday wishes, it’s really nice to know you haven’t forgotten me!
So my morning was spent going down rapids with names like "Double Trouble", "The Golf Course" and "The Rollercoaster". They were just scary enough to make it fun!
I met two Canadian girls from Vancouver and since Nick isn't feeling well today they invited me to join them while they ran some errands in town.
Meme si les gens sont moins agressifs ici a Rishikesh, je prefere ne pas sortir seule si je peux l’eviter, alors j’ai accepte l’invitation avec plaisir. Surtout que Sara semble connaitre toutes les bonnes boutiques, alors je pourrai acheter plein de jolies choses, pour moi et peut-etre pour certains d’entre vous!
Alright, before the computer starts playing tricks on me again (I tried to write yesterday but it froze up just as I was about to post), I’ll finish my story here. Thanks again for the birthday wishes, it’s really nice to know you haven’t forgotten me!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Rishikesh
Rishikesh est la capitale mondiale du yoga et c'est ici que les Beatles sont venus passer du temps avec leur guru. En venant ici, on avait d'abord l'intention de prendre plein de cours de yoga, de meditation, de danse, de musique, de ci et de ca. Malheureusement, on s'est apercu que ce n'est pas si simple. D'abord, il faut etre un peu plus serieux et avoir un peu plus de temps que nous pour vraiment profiter de ce que la ville a a offrir. Deuxiemement, l'ashram qui offre de la meditation comme en cherchait Nico est presentement occupe a preparer un mariage! Ce qui veut dire qu'on aura la chance d'assister, au moins de loin, a un mariage Indien, mais ce qui veut aussi dire qu'ils n'offrent pas de cours. Je pense qu'il va falloir qu'on revienne ici une autre fois, avec plus de temps et de planification. Pour l'instant, on va suivre les cours de yoga offerts chaque matin par notre hotel et puis on va profiter de la temperature legerement moins chaude que dans les autres villes qu'on a visitees jusqu'ici. La ville est dans la montagne et la foret me rappelle un peu la Gatineau, surtout dans le coin ou se trouve notre hotel, un petit oasis de calme et de paix, loin des vendeurs, des chauffeurs de taxi, de tous ceux qui veulent notre argent. Et en plus, le restaurant sert de la nourriture tres tres semblable a ce qu'on mangerait chez nous, ce qui fait vraiment beaucoup de bien apres presque trois mois sur la route.
On n'a pas fait enormement ici jusqu'a maintenant, on se repose, surtout, principalement parce que depuis hier soir, je ne peux jamais etre trop loin de toilettes! :S Not fun. J'espere que ca ne dure pas.
Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be well enough to go rafting on the Ganges. Seems like a pretty good way to spend my birthday! :D
A quick word on the kind of people we see here (and elsewhere in India). As most of you probably know, India is a popular place to come and find enlightenment or spirituality or what you will and come back with a song like "Thank you India" or as a monk or... you get the idea. So obviously, we see a lot of those around here, especially in this "spiritual" city. Some of the people I've seen I truly believe are here because it's what they need, and that they're serious in their spiritual quest. For example, I saw a young man in Bodhgaya, sitting beside us in a restaurant with a small portable shrine on which he put a bit of his dinner as an offering to all his gods and amulets. He had long hair and wore ratty clothes with strange symbols on them, but still I just couldn't judge him or find him crazy, since India does that to people and if this is their path, then so be it. However, not everyone here is as convincing. Many just seem to be here following a fad and pretending to understant what it's all about. I mean, if it makes them happy, fine, but I've always had a bit of trouble with people who are always smiling. Can't help thinking they're hiding something. But then again, maybe I'm the one who has a problem. Maybe they could teach me something about life. Who knows.
On n'a pas fait enormement ici jusqu'a maintenant, on se repose, surtout, principalement parce que depuis hier soir, je ne peux jamais etre trop loin de toilettes! :S Not fun. J'espere que ca ne dure pas.
Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be well enough to go rafting on the Ganges. Seems like a pretty good way to spend my birthday! :D
A quick word on the kind of people we see here (and elsewhere in India). As most of you probably know, India is a popular place to come and find enlightenment or spirituality or what you will and come back with a song like "Thank you India" or as a monk or... you get the idea. So obviously, we see a lot of those around here, especially in this "spiritual" city. Some of the people I've seen I truly believe are here because it's what they need, and that they're serious in their spiritual quest. For example, I saw a young man in Bodhgaya, sitting beside us in a restaurant with a small portable shrine on which he put a bit of his dinner as an offering to all his gods and amulets. He had long hair and wore ratty clothes with strange symbols on them, but still I just couldn't judge him or find him crazy, since India does that to people and if this is their path, then so be it. However, not everyone here is as convincing. Many just seem to be here following a fad and pretending to understant what it's all about. I mean, if it makes them happy, fine, but I've always had a bit of trouble with people who are always smiling. Can't help thinking they're hiding something. But then again, maybe I'm the one who has a problem. Maybe they could teach me something about life. Who knows.
Status update
Since not everyone received my last email and not everyone is on Facebook, here are the news:
Yes, Nick proposed to me behind the Taj Mahal, and I now have a ring with a stone found in the Taj Mahal's dome which can only be found in Agra, the "black star of India". Pretty romantic. So yes, I'm excited, though maybe not as much as some of you seem to be, since we'd known it would eventually come to this. And for a wedding? Well, let's not get carried away, this is already a big step in our relationship, a way to strengthen our love and make it even more special, after almost seven years together.
Yes, Nick proposed to me behind the Taj Mahal, and I now have a ring with a stone found in the Taj Mahal's dome which can only be found in Agra, the "black star of India". Pretty romantic. So yes, I'm excited, though maybe not as much as some of you seem to be, since we'd known it would eventually come to this. And for a wedding? Well, let's not get carried away, this is already a big step in our relationship, a way to strengthen our love and make it even more special, after almost seven years together.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Taj Mahal et luxe
Nous voici donc a Agra, ou nous sommes arrives hier matin. Le chauffeur de taxi qui nous a conduits a notre hotel nous a offert d'etre notre chauffeur pour la journee, alors on a decide d'accepter son offre pour le lendemain (aujourd'hui).
Hier, nous avons passe la majorite de la journee a jouer aux riches dans notre hotel a moins de 100$ (quand meme dix fois le prix qu'on paye normalement pour une chambre). N'empeche, ca faisait du bien de retrouver un peu de luxe: des draps sur le lit, une salle de bain vraiment propre, avec un bain ET un rideau de douche (le summum du luxe, vous pouvez pas savoir). En plus, il y avait une piscine exterieure ou on a passe quelques heures, mais la chaleur est telle ici que juste en restant couche sur notre chaise longue, la sueur nous coulait de partout. Yuck.
We then had an ayurvedic massage. Very nice, though I was a bit weirded out when the lady started massaging my breasts, a part people tend to avoid. Anyways, it was nice to be pampered a little bit, althoug when you start spending a little money, people expect you to keep spending more and more, asking for tips for the most ridiculous things, like laying down your towel on the chair. I prefer to be poor and not have to deal with so many people!
Aujourd'hui, donc, nous nous sommes leves a 5h du matin pour admirer le Taj Mahal au soleil levant. Non seulement il est tres beau a cette heure-la, mais en plus, il y a moins de touristes, alors c'est plus agreable. Je ne saurais pas vous decrire le sentiment que m'a donne la vue du Taj Mahal. J'avais l'impression de marcher dans une photo. Pour les Ottaviens, vous connaissez peut-etre le restaurant Mukut's? il y a une photo du Taj Mahal sur le mur. Je l'ai vue tellement souvent, et tout a coup, j'y suis entree! J'ai meme vu l'envers du decor!
We then saw the Agra fort, a huge red fort, very impressive, where the king who had the Taj Mahal built for his dead wife was later imprisonned by his son, who didn't want his father to squander all the people's money on a second Taj Mahal. Our driver also took us to a carpet factory, where we saw carpets being hand-woven (very impressive, but of course, we couldn't buy one, not right now), then to a marble factory where they make wonderful things of inlaid marble. It's the same family that worked on the Taj, so it's all very traditionnal, no machines. And then, to a jewellery shop where we had a long chat with the owner, a very nice man. It's incredible what people will talk about in India. The other day, a man on the train asked me what I tought about the soul, and today, the jewellery shop owner asked Nick if he believed in God.
Nous avons aussi parle a un vendeur dans un centre commercial (de luxe, on n'a rien achete) qui nous a dit qu'il n'etait pas d'accord avec le concept occidental d'avoir des relations sexuelles avant le mariage. Il etait tres convaincu de ce qu'il disait, et disait ne pas comprendre notre facon de voir les choses. Un vendeur! Ca n'arriverait jamais au Canada, et pourtant, ca arrive tout le temps ici.
Alright, gotta go have a bite to eat before we leave for Rishikesh. There's a band outside making a lot of noise... I mean music! It's apparently for a wedding, though I don't see anyone getting married. Weird country!
Hier, nous avons passe la majorite de la journee a jouer aux riches dans notre hotel a moins de 100$ (quand meme dix fois le prix qu'on paye normalement pour une chambre). N'empeche, ca faisait du bien de retrouver un peu de luxe: des draps sur le lit, une salle de bain vraiment propre, avec un bain ET un rideau de douche (le summum du luxe, vous pouvez pas savoir). En plus, il y avait une piscine exterieure ou on a passe quelques heures, mais la chaleur est telle ici que juste en restant couche sur notre chaise longue, la sueur nous coulait de partout. Yuck.
We then had an ayurvedic massage. Very nice, though I was a bit weirded out when the lady started massaging my breasts, a part people tend to avoid. Anyways, it was nice to be pampered a little bit, althoug when you start spending a little money, people expect you to keep spending more and more, asking for tips for the most ridiculous things, like laying down your towel on the chair. I prefer to be poor and not have to deal with so many people!
Aujourd'hui, donc, nous nous sommes leves a 5h du matin pour admirer le Taj Mahal au soleil levant. Non seulement il est tres beau a cette heure-la, mais en plus, il y a moins de touristes, alors c'est plus agreable. Je ne saurais pas vous decrire le sentiment que m'a donne la vue du Taj Mahal. J'avais l'impression de marcher dans une photo. Pour les Ottaviens, vous connaissez peut-etre le restaurant Mukut's? il y a une photo du Taj Mahal sur le mur. Je l'ai vue tellement souvent, et tout a coup, j'y suis entree! J'ai meme vu l'envers du decor!
We then saw the Agra fort, a huge red fort, very impressive, where the king who had the Taj Mahal built for his dead wife was later imprisonned by his son, who didn't want his father to squander all the people's money on a second Taj Mahal. Our driver also took us to a carpet factory, where we saw carpets being hand-woven (very impressive, but of course, we couldn't buy one, not right now), then to a marble factory where they make wonderful things of inlaid marble. It's the same family that worked on the Taj, so it's all very traditionnal, no machines. And then, to a jewellery shop where we had a long chat with the owner, a very nice man. It's incredible what people will talk about in India. The other day, a man on the train asked me what I tought about the soul, and today, the jewellery shop owner asked Nick if he believed in God.
Nous avons aussi parle a un vendeur dans un centre commercial (de luxe, on n'a rien achete) qui nous a dit qu'il n'etait pas d'accord avec le concept occidental d'avoir des relations sexuelles avant le mariage. Il etait tres convaincu de ce qu'il disait, et disait ne pas comprendre notre facon de voir les choses. Un vendeur! Ca n'arriverait jamais au Canada, et pourtant, ca arrive tout le temps ici.
Alright, gotta go have a bite to eat before we leave for Rishikesh. There's a band outside making a lot of noise... I mean music! It's apparently for a wedding, though I don't see anyone getting married. Weird country!
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