Costa Rica Charity

The charity I decided to give to is called SOS Children's Villages. I have given to them before, and I like their organization. They are a great way to give to needy children.

Costa Rica Day 7.

Today is my last day in Costa Rica. Since my flight left in the evening today, I stayed in San José. I decided to go to the Gold Museum in the downtown area. I have heard really good things about this museum, and I was not disappointed. When I walked in the door, I was confronted with a gigantic hall covered in display cases. I had to go get my ticket first, and I waited impatiently in line to get it. When I finally got in, there were so many things to see. There are three floors too the museum, but it is underground, under the Plaza de la Cultura. The first is the main gold floor, it has thousands of gold pieces in it, jewelery, statuettes, and decorations. Did you know that gold is very hard to find in Costa Rica, so some of it is what is called Tumbaga. I saw a whole bunch of different statuettes, most of them depicting animals like jaguars or frogs for some reason, but there were some of people too. There was also a lot of jewelry, and apparently the natives wore a lot of it in everyday life. I found this cool. The weirdest piece of jewelry I found was a pair of earrings, about two inches long and cylindrical, with a diameter of about three quarters of an inch. They did not look comfortable at all! I would hate to wear them. I loved this on necklace, though. It was made of small gold beads interspersed with jade beads in the shape of teardrop. It was really lovely, and I would have loved to have it, but I was in a museum, and you're generally not aloud to steal from museums. On the next floor down, I saw a collection simmilar to the one a floor above me, but this time, not with gold, but with precious stones. It was really pretty. I absolutely loved the color in these pieces, red, green, blue, and purple. It was such a cool museum. On the last floor, they had a collection of tools and utensils the natives used in daily life, and a section on how they made the gold figures. I especially liked this part. They showed what they used to melt the gold, and how they refined it. They also showed how they shaped it into the intricate shapes I saw upstairs. They had a life-sized model of a man doing this, but the man creeped me out, so I didn't look at it much. After I finished looking at the museum, and had bought a book on old myths of the native people, I left. I had lunch at a little café across the street form the entrance, and I headed to the airport to go home. I had to rush to make my plane, but I got here, and I'm writing this while we wait to take off. Oh, the stewardess just told me to shut off my computer. Next stop, Santa Barbara! a model of the native people. a necklace at the museum

Costa Rica Day 5.

Today was amazing!!!!! I went on a horse back riding lessons and met Costa Rican horses. I had to get up pretty early to be able to get to the south in time for the ride, which started at eight thirty, before the weather gets too hot. I really wanted to get their early so I would be able to go around meeting the horses and giving them the bag of apples that I had bought at a local store. I got to the ranch at around eight. There was a couple who arrived at the same time I did, and for the same reason. We were all horse enthusiasts, but hadn't ridden much. We got our guide, Diego, to show us around the horses. He told us the ranch raised Iberoameracana, Costarriccence de Paso and Criollo horses, the native breeds of Costa Rica. I lent apples to the two other people in my group, Sasha and Eli. They were both very nice people, and I had a feeling we would get along well with them. The first breed we met was the Costarriccence de Paso. They are beautiful horses, but the one we saw was quite high strung, and not for us to ride. The next ones were Criollo horses. They were very nice and gentle, and were the prettiest ones there. It was actually a Criollo named Zorba that I chose to ride for the day. Zorba, isn't he pretty? The next ones we saw were Iberoameracana. They were very pretty as well, but most of them needed an experienced rider, which I am not. I liked them, but I had already connected with Zorba. Once the other two had picked out horses, it was time for some riding lessons! I headed to the tack room, which is what you call the place where you keep the equipment for riding, and got Zorba's saddle and bridle. I carried them out to the stall that he was in, and was able to lift the saddle onto his back. I wasn't however able to make the strap tight, because he has a weird habit of breathing in every time I got the cinch tight. I had Diego help me with that, and I was able to put the bridle on myself. I was the second out to the ring, Eli's horse didn't puff out apparently, and we were soon on to our lesson. I learned how to mount Zorba, and I was very glad he was a patient horse, because I couldn't get my leg over his back in one smooth swing like Diego could. My heel hit his flank and he twitched, but that was all. Good horse! After we were all seated, we learned how to ride at a walk. I have ridden horses before, but only on trail rides where the horse doesn't care about you, he only cares about following the tail in front of him. This was different. I was in control! Zorba had his ears back listening for commands given by me, and he went whichever way I wanted him to go. That was nice. After a while we almost mastered walking, so we started on a very slow trot, which is a completely different animal. It was more bouncy, even though it was still very smooth, and you had to give a couple of different commands. After about four hours of learning, We had to stop, and have lunch, but first we had to cool down and groom our horses. We did one slow lap of the training ring, and then got the combs and bushes necessary for the job. Since we weren't going that fast, the horses didn't break much of a sweat, so we mostly curried their coats and worked on their manes and tails. No need for a wash. Lunch was nice, and after lunch we got to check out the rest of the farm. There were a lot of baby goats, and I had the funnest time playing with the adorable little things around the yard. I also got to pet a newborn calf and a lot of baby ducklings. After my dose of cute, it was time to head home, so I said goodbye to Zorba and hit the road. I had a great day, and I loved every minute of it, even the brushing. I really had fun, and if I ever come back to Costa Rica, I will definitely visit Establo San Rafael. One of the instructors with Lluvia.

Costa Rica Day 4.

Today I went to a butterfly farm in the heart of the country. When I got to the road that led off the highway, the car couldn't pass. It had rained pretty hard earlier today and a tree had fallen over right across the path. Darn. Well, when the men who were driving the bus I was in moved the tree, I got to check out the flowers in the area. When I got to one particularly fragrant one, I was surprised to see a very large, shocking blue butterfly land on me. I was mesmerized. My guide said it was a Blue Morpho, one of the most common species of butterfly. Did you know that 90% of all Central American butterflies, 66% of all neo-tropical butterflies,and 18% of all butterflies live in Costa Rica. Wow! Thats a lot of butterflies! When they finally got the tree moved, the journey to The Butterfly Farm, in Guácima, near San José. It was a cool place, with a strong butterfly theme of course. When we got there, a guide was waiting for us, her name was Lupe. She told us that she would show us around the farm. Wegot started and shetold us lot about the different types of butterflies they have and what they look like. When we actually got to see the butterflies, it was very fun. There was a man walking next to me who spilled the cup of nectar they gave us on his shirt. Befire he could try to clean it up, about sixty butterflies came swooping down and started to suck up all the nectar. By the time they were finished, his shirt was nearly dry. If you could have seen the man's face when he saw this cloud of color coming right at him, you would have fallen on the ground laughing. It was the funniest thing I have seen on this trip so far. The rest of the day was uneventfull, they served us lunch, chicken soup and Gallo Pinto. We left at about three thirty, and made it to town by four. I had a little time to kill, so I bought a couple of souveneers for later. I got a really cool gem butterfly pin and a wooden model of the church here in San José. I had dinner at my hotel and I am sitting in bed, I am going to have a horseback ride tomorrow. my favorite butterfly my butterfly

Costa Rica Day 3.

Today I visited the Tabacon Hot Springs. Tabacon is a resort built around a naturally occurring heated spring that flows through the resort. It normally runs at 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Wow. That's like jacuzzi warm! When I walked into the resort, it was beautiful. The whole place was planted in tropical, bright colors and lush green leaves. The air around the spring was steamy and warm. When I changed into my bikini, I felt a little self conscious, all the people around me were Japanese tourists who were wearing very conservative one pieces. When I was coming out of the changing rooms, I felt a sharp pain in my foot. The plant growing on the side of the path had sharp thorns that had fallen off of it. I had stepped on one and my foot was bleeding slightly. After removing it from my foot and I had put antiseptic on it, I headed on to the pool. I felt a little bit better when I got to the pool, though. At least sixty percent were wearing bikinis that are less conservative than mine. The pool its self was amazing. It was brightly colored on the bottom with a variety of mosaic patterns, and the water was crystal clear and steaming hot! When I got into the water, it felt like my feet were on fire! After I got used to it, though, it felt really nice. Apparently, the water has minerals in it from the magma it flows over that makes it beneficial for your skin and help circulation. It also helps soothe aching muscles and any pains you may have. I actually felt my foot getting better. When I got out for lunch, this creepy guy started following me saying something in Spanish. He scared me because I knew he'd been drinking. I went into the restaurant thinking he'd stop following me. But he came in and started to sit down at my table. I called my waiter over and asked him to see the man out. Apparently, he'd was kicked out by the end of the day. After my unpleasant encounter, I had a nice lunch of fried prawns and guess what, Gallo Pinto, and headed back out to another of the pools. This one was not as hot as the other one, it was merely 100 degrees! By the end of the day I had soaked in all of their five pools and had all my aches and pains removed by a masseuse. I also had my nails done, green with a bird of paradise on my thumb and big toe nails. It was really nice to be pampered for one day. I've never had my nails done, and it was much better than I could have ever done. When I got back to my hotel, I had a wonderful dinner of fried fish and steamed palm heart which I found exceedingly odd. I don't think it is for all tastes. Well, I had a good day today, I hope I have a great day tomorrow. palm heart One of the pools.

Costa Rica Day 2.

I woke up bleary eyed this morning to the sound of traffic outside my window. I sat up and looked at my alarm clock. Great, 7:30. I didn't even get to sleep in. Then I noticed the other reason I woke up. There was the wonderful smell of frying something and coffee. Coffee! I stood up to go get in the shower, and had to sit down very quickly. My butt hurt sooo bad! I went into the bathroom as quickly as I could, hoping a hot shower would make it feel better. I had plans to go to a horseback tour today, but that was obviously not going to happen today. By the time I finally got downstairs, I still felt sore, but coffee soon fixed that. The owner of the bed and breakfast I was staying at had cooked a traditional Gallo Pinto and scrambled egg tacos, Yummy! They smelled like the home-made breakfast burritos that my mom used to make when we didn't have anything for dinner, which smells good. After being filled up with breakfast tacos, I asked my chef what I could do that wasn't too strenuous. She suggested going to the beach, since we were right on it. Literally. I am in the not-so-little town of Limón. It is right on the beach, and Juana, my personal tour guide for the day told me she knew just the place to go, so we both got our swim suits and towels and so forth, and got in her car. We took a long, rambling road to a spot surrounded by forest. It was one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen. There were only four or five families there, and they were all clumped into a small section, so we had the beach practically to ourselves. Once I got the ocean breeze in my hair, and the smell of salt in my lungs, I went running out to the almost jacuzzi like water and dived in. There was a reef about fifty yards out, and Juana and I went to go check it out. We stayed in the water for a long time. It wasn't like in Santa Barbara where you have to get out after thirty minutes or so to thaw (okay, that's an overstatement). The water was crystal clear and we could see all the little tropical fish swimming around like gems through a forest of red, orange, green, and surprisingly blue. It was amazing. It was like paradise, and I was swimming right over it. Man, this was cool. Well, finally we had to leave, but I felt rested and very relaxed. I also had a lot of salt in my hair, and it needed washing bad. Overall, this was a great day and I had a lot of fun hanging out with Juana. one of the beaches frequented in Limón the city of Limón

Costa Rica Day 6.

Today I toured a coffee plantation. I really liked the coffee in this country, and I thought it would be cool to see where it all came from. I decided to go to the Doka Estate , which apparently has the best coffee in Costa Rica. When I got there, the place was beautiful, I had the wind in my hair, blowing a sweet smell of herbs and wet soil to me. It was an oddly refreshing scent that really made me cheer up. I walked up the path that led to the place my group would be meeting. I could see the rows of coffee plants surrounding the estate for almost a mile on every side, with little specks that were the workers picking the coffee berries and tending to the plants. I thought it was so picturesque and lovely that I couldn't wait to start my tour. The first thing we did on out tour was to go to the seed beds, where they start the coffee plants. Then we went into the fields and see the plants and how they are harvested. He showed us what the coffee berries looked like and how they loaded the berries into the bags on trucks. Then we went to the processing plant, which is the oldest humid coffee processing plant and is an architectural heritage site. We got to see how the berries are stripped of their outer coating and how the seeds are ground. Afterward we saw the tanks where the grains are fermented to take out the natural honey and bring out the flavor. Last we visited the roasting plant where the seeds are roasted before getting ground at the processing plant. We later got to sample their different kinds of coffee, and I liked the house blend coffee the best. By this time it was getting a bit late in the afternoon, and I had dinner reservations at six, so I headed back to San José. I made it on time to my dinner reservation, and I had a great dinner at a fancy Costa Rican place. I'm getting a bit tiered of Gallo Pinto, but tomorrow's my last day, so I won't be eating it for very much longer. Coffee plant turns into..... ..... delicious foamy coffee! The processing plant

Costa Rica Day 1.

Wow! Today was amazing! Okay, where to begin. I left early this morning to go to a meeting place right at the edge of the rain forest. There I met my guide, and the three other people I would be spending my day with and we set off in our guide's van. We went pretty far into the forest and then climbed up a ladder leading into a tree. Once we got up into the canopy, we strapped on harnesses and helmets and one by one we hooked on to the metal cord stretching from the tree we were in to a tree in the distance and pushed off. That's right, I was going zip lining baby! It was one of the most exhilarating things I have ever done. It was amazing. At first when I kicked off, everything was a whirl of color, but once I steadied myself, I enjoyed one of the most beautiful scenes ever. I was surrounded by greens of every shade dotted by a sudden burst of red or yellow as I passed a flower or bird. There were also the most vibrant browns I have ever seen. Before this trip, I didn't even know brown could be vibrant. Well, you learn something new every day. When I looked up, the sky that I could see through the green was mostly cloudy, we had had some rain earlier. But when I got to a break in the vegetation while crossing a river, the sun broke through the clouds and shone a beam of light directly over me! I was in awe. No where could be more beautiful. After what seemed like an eternity, and having my butt get a bit sore from a pretty abrupt stop, my first zip line was over. On to the next one! You see, we were going to travel in a five mile circle around the forest on zip lines. Every now and then, the lines were studded with platforms in the trees where you unhooked from one line and onto another. The one I had landed on just now was a eight by ten foot ledge built on a massive branch of a tree with railing all around except for two places where you entered and exited. The trunk was almost covered in bromeliads in red, yellow, pink, and purple. Looking over the rail, there was a 100 foot drop to the ground, blocked in parts by massive branches about ten feet in circumference. I saw many other trees like this in my journey through the sky today, some with orchids, some with bromeliads, some with both and others combined. There were massive liana vines stretching from the ground to the bottom of the canopy, and large leafy philodendron. We also saw animals in the form of macaws, birds of paradise, monkeys, and even a jaguar, spotted at a distance. All of these made a soothing background noise, along with the splashing of the river, that calmed me down and invigorated me at the same time. It almost made you forget the heat. Once we were almost done, it started to rain. No, not rain, pour. No, not even pour. It was like the sky opened up and great torrents of rain were falling on us, soaking us in seconds. It was over withing the next five minutes, but it left the world squeaky clean and smelling of wet earth and sweet flowers. Man, I love that smell. So fresh and clean. It cooled us down drastically and I was in euphoria. Once it stopped raining, the world was hot again, and you could see the vegetation steam as the water evaporated, it was so cool. Well, all good things come to an end eventually, and we finally got to the end of our trip. I was sad to leave, but I was also hungry, so we unstrapped our harnesses and left the rain forest for the urban jungle of San José. a man in our group coming into our ledge. another woman in our group landing.

Costa Rica Day 1/2.

I got off the plane in San José Juan Santamaria, or San José, Costa Rica. It was 6:00 and I was starving. After getting to my hotel and freshening up from the six hour plane flight from Phoenix, I hit the streets to see what I could find. The first thing that hit me was the heat, and I loved it. It was almost seven and about eighty degrees outside! I was definitely Not going to need the sweater I had brought. The second thing that hit me was the bustle, everyone seemed to be out enjoying the nightlife. Well, I finally found a small traditional restaurant and sat down. Since I didn't know anything on the menu, I asked the waiter to surprise me, but not to make it too spicy. I was so glad I did, there was a couple next to me who looked like their faces were burning up, habeñero most probably, but I wasn't sure. I ended up with Olla de carne, a yummy stew made with beef, potatoes, carrots, chayote(whatever that is), plantains and yucca. It was delicious, and I consumed every bite. Afterward I had elote esado, or corn on the cob, seved with salty butter and a sauce that is very lemony. For dessert, I had tres leches or a three layered Custard commonly known as flan with milanes or chocolate candies around it. This is the national dessert, and I wanted to try it. It was actually really good, and not at all jello-y like the flan I had tried before in Spain. The little candies were sooo good, they practically melted in my mouth. By this time it was fairly late, so I left, full bellied, to my hotel. Tomorrow's a big day, I get to take a canopy tour in the rainforest! tres leches

Seven Things To Do In Costa Rica

1. Take a canopy tour in the rain forest 2. Be lazy on the most gorgeous beaches in the universe 3. Tabacon hot springs 4. See the butterfly farm 5. see the countryside on horseback 6. tour a coffee plantation 7. Go to the Gold Museum in Downtown San José

Costa Rica!

I'm going to Costa Rica!!! I'm psyched! Here are my online tickets. Pretty good, I only have one connecting flight! Anyway, here they are: Money: $1 510.09 colones $5 2550.45 colones $10 5100.89 colones $20 10201.79 colones $50 25504.47 colones $100 51008.94 colones Note: Tejas is 100-colones Cinco tejas for 500 colónes Un Rojo is 1,000 colones Un Tucan is 5,000 colones Words and Phrases: Hello = Hola Goodbye = Buenos Días I don't speak Spanish = Yo no hablo Español Thank you = Gracías You're welcome = De Nada (Literally "it is nothing") What is your name = Como se llama My name is Hannah = Mi llamo Hannah I want... = Yo quiero ( such as "Yo quiero Taco Bell!") This is the wrong order = Este es el orden incorrecto Where is the Bathroom = Dónde está el baño Costa Rica Baby!

Stuck In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Okay, so I was on my way to visit some friends in Germany when all of the sudden, the flight information thingy they had playing on the screen on the back of the seat in front of me changed. Instead of heading for Munich, we started going towards Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia! What the Heck! The pilot got on the intercom thing, and told us that because there was so much ash above most of Europe, we were headed to Mongolia, whose shys were clear enough for us to land. Well, we added about four hours to our flight, and once we touched down, I had to make a few long distance phone calls explaining why Lufthansa flight 5909 from Los Angeles didn't touch down at 6:00 Germany time. One that was out of the way and I got bored from sitting, I headed out to the main part of the city. When I got off the bus, I ran into a few kids who were asking for money. They looked freezing, and I felt bad for them. They told me that their names were Bagii, Itgel, Nandin, and Byambasuren. They were looking for cans and bottles in an alleyway right off the bus station, and I ran into them when they came out. I invited them to dinner, because I could see they were hungry, and they didn't have many bottles and cans in their bag. They willingly accepted, and we went into a local resteraunt, and I let them buy whatever they wanted. We talked about why they were living on the streets, and how they were survived the winter. Bagii said it was hard, but he and his group went their separate ways, and they were all able to find enough food as far as he knew. The same goes for Nandin but not so for Byambasuren. He was not part of a group, he wandered the streets with his brother, Ankhbayar. Over the winter , he left his brither at home, but he is planning to get him when the weather turns warmer. We had a good dinner, and they gorged themselves like they hadn't eater in a week, which may not have been far from the truth. It was great to meet these kids, and learn their stories. I really hope their situation gets better, I couldn't stand living in a steam pipe. I have finally found a plane that will land in Munich no matter what, so I will be joining Maria and her family tomorrow. For now, I will be on a flight. some of the kids' friends who live on the street. Ulaanbatar

Grounded in Mumbai.

Okay. I know I was supposed to leave yesterday, but EVERY SINGLE PLANE IN MUMBAI is grounded due to the ash that is coming of the volcano in Iceland. So my flight from Delhi was cut short because we had to make an emergency landing in Mumbai. It took a long time to land, with pretty much zero visibility, and it took a lot of expertise from the pilot. Once we touched ground, everybody clapped for him. Well, after we got off, the airport kept making loud announcements over the loudspeakers that there were no planes leaving Mumbai today. Geez, that gets annoying after the ten billionth time you've heard it. I had to get out of there. By this time, it was around nine O' clock and they hadn't fed us on the plane due to turbulence. Nothing in the airport looked good, so I headed out to the streets, not expecting anything to be open any more. I was very surprised that the streets were alive with people and vendors, selling all sorts of foods, from grilled meat to bread dipped in sauce. I tried at least ten foods. First I had grilled meat, beef I think, on a stick, served with a little plastic bowl of masala sauce to dip in. Next I had a really good bread thing dipped in a sweet mint chutney. Man, that was delicious. The rest of the night went by in a blur of color and amazing tasted that I can't put a name to. It was so late, I decided to go back to the airport and find a hotel. I zonked until, like, ten thirty, when I finally got up to try to find a flight out of here. Luckily, there was a pretty strong wind during the night, and it blew some of the ash away so there were some planes leaving. I had a horrible day of plane tag, I had at least six connecting flights, when I finally got home. That was officially the longest weekend I have ever had. Twenty three and a half hours in planes was NOT the way I wanted to spend my Sunday. At least it's over. typical food stall in Mumbai.

India Charity

I'm giving to Girls Global Education Fund, who give schooling opportunities to girls who can't otherwise get an education all around the world. They also help in India, which is why I'm donating to them.

Day 6. Trekking in Sikkim

I had a lovely treck in Sikkim today. I had a short plane trip to Sikkim airport, and took a taxi to the trail head, where there was a tourist area and they were organizing groups to go trekking. I took a beginner trail that led a little ways through the mountains, and was not too steep. There was a group of hard core trekkers who looked like they were trying to climb to the moon, and they hadn't even started yet. My group set off at a fairly slow place, which I was happy about because I was able to take a couple of snapshots of the scenery. It was a beautiful day, with a lot of clear sky and bright sunshine. We saw a couple of animals as well! The first one was about an hour into our trek when an antelope like thing (which I later learned was a musk deer) ran across the path, stopped halfway across, and stared at us, total deer-in-the-headlights maneuver. It was really cool. We had lunch next to a little creek that ran down one of the mountains and trough a picturesque meadow. Some people wanted to drink the water, but I didn't, you never know what germs could be in it. I stuck with my bottled water. From in the middle of the meadow, you could smell all the wildflowers in the area, accompanied by the sweet, earthy smell of the water. There was a lot of peace here. I tfelt nice. After a while of sitting, We moved on and took a fork in the trail that led us back down the mountain and to the trail head. I had a great time, and I'm sad tomorrow's the last day. I really love it here... Our creepy looking antelope thingy.

Day 7. Humayun's Tomb.

Today I visited Humayun's Tomb, which is in the northern part of India, in Delhi. It was ordered to be built by Emperor Humayun's wife, Hamida Banu Begum. It is a grand structure built of red sand stone, and was the first garden tomb. It was also the first building to use red sandstone at such a level. It was very beautiful, and I found myself comparing it to the Taj Mahal. If anything, I liked this one better, not as many tourists and more color in the structure. It was smaller than the Taj Mahal, but I thought it had more character. I went into the tomb its self and was surprised to see not only the graves of Humayun and his wife, but also at least five other emperors. This I did not expect, I thought it would be held sacred to Humayun. Afterward I went around the gardens and checked out the different plants and flwers growing. Again, it was not a immense as the Taj Mahal, but it was still pretty, and I found a nice spot to sit and eat the lunch I bought. It was the last meal I had in India. I left at about three in the afternoon that same day, and I am now in the plane headed home. It has been a great trip with a lot of fun adventures, and I would definitely go again.

Day 5. Andaman Islands

Today was amazing. I went to the Andaman Islands. They are a group of islands off the east coast of India. I took a short flight from Jaipur, where I was this morning, to a small airport in the east coast. From there, I took a boat to the Andaman Islands. From the bay we arrived in, I took a taxi to a smaller inlet about six miles from it. There was a small shack that was run by an Australian woman, and she took groups of tourists out to the coral reefs off the coast of the island. She fitted me with gear, and I joined the rest of the group on the small boat. She gave us some safety rules, and we practiced in the small caged area she lowered off the boat. We did this for an hour until she deemed us ready to go out. We went in, and the water was crystal clear and very warm. The reef its self was what amazed me the most. It was in all different colors, and there were hundreds of fish swimming around, most of them small but a few were the size of my arm! We were playing with the fish for about half an hour when our guide told us to come up. It was lunch time and we had to give our diving a break. She had brought a lunch of traditional south Indian food that I found good, but a bit spicy. It was nice. Afterward she showed us another part of the reef that had different types of fish and coral because there was a hot spring coming up from the bottom. We were soaking in the warm shallow water when another boat came by. It was full of tourists in bathing suits who were coming to the hot spring to bathe. Our guide was astonished, she thought that nobody knew of this place. When the captain of the boat asked us to leave, she stood up and started yelling at him in Indian. He got mad and started yelling at her! After a while they got it that we weren't leaving, that they finally gave up and went to their usual swimming places. We enjoyed the rest of our day in peace, and we had no one else bother us. It was very fun. At around four, Our guide brought us back to our boat and we went back to shore. We thanked her and went on our way back to the bay we were dropped off at. I got a hotel near the harbor, and I had a nice dinner of Indian style seafood, which I did not like as much as the dinner I had in Jaipur, but it was still good.

The beach off where the reef was.

Day 4. Amber Fort

Today was an amazing day. I went to the Amber Fort, which is about eleven miles outside of Jaipur. It was built by the Meenas, a ruling tribe, in 1592. It was the capital for the Kachhawa clan until they moved their capital to the place it is now. When I arrived at the parking area, there was a line standing in one part of the lot. The signs told me they were waiting for elephants to bring them up to the top of the hill to the fort. I thought this was a fantastic idea and hurriedly joined the line. Although the line was long, it moved fairly quickly, and I was in the front of the line in no more than ten minutes. The first thing that hit me when I got on to the elephant was a mild, earthy oder, that was not at all unpleasant. It was a fun but brief ride up the hill, and then the elephant drivers helped us off the animals. I got to say hi to my groups elephant and learned her name was Vishnu. I thought it was a very pretty name. Once I got into the fort, I was amazed. It was huge, and was very ornately carved. I joined a tour group that was about to start a tour of the fort, and nobody realized they had never seen me before. I felt kind of ashamed for sneaking in, but it was faster than waiting in line with every body else. By the time the tor was over, I was so consumed with guilt that I vowed never to sneak into anything again. The guide showed us around the many rooms, but the one I liked most was one with thousands of miniature mirrors. It was amazing! I learned a lot about the Meenas, the people who built the fort, and some about the Kachhawa people too. After the tour was over, and I managed to get away unseen, I had lunch at a cafe near the entrance. I had a wonderful cup of Masala tea, more commonly known as Chai, and a chicken dish I have no name for. It was really good, and after lunch, I went to check out a different part of the fort. I wandered around, only half listening to my groups tour guide (no sneaking in for me this time), and staring out the windows. There was the most amazing view from up here! I was mesmerized. I could see all the way to Jaipur, and remember, it was eleven miles away. Eleven! I stayed for a while and had dinner at the cafe again, because I wanted to see the lights show they put on at night. I twas cool, but I had to leave half way through to be able to get back to my hotel with out falling asleep at the wheel. It was a great day, and I am really enjoying this trip so far. the hall of mirrors See the elephant in the lake? the elephants!

Day 3. Jaipur

I took a car down to Jaipur. It is a really cool city with many interesting sites and an amazing culture. It is the capital of Rajasthan, and during the British occupation, it was the capital of the state of Jaipur. It is in a semi-desert area and a major metropolitan city in it's area. When I first got there, it looked like any other Indian city. But when I got closer to the center of the city, I saw a whole bunch of interesting sites I wanted to check out. The first one I went to was the Hawa Mahal. It is called "The Palace Of The Winds" and is shaped in the form of Krishna's crown. It was interesting and I learned a lot about the Hindu gods. The next place I went to was the city palace. It is now a museum with a lot about the city and its history. It is set in the middle of a fairly large garden, and it used to be the royal quarters of the Jaipur royal family. It was really cool and I learned things about the city that I hadn't learned in the Lonely Planet India travel book. By this time it was time for lunch and I stopped off at a local Indian food place. I had a really good chicken korma and a great nan. I loved it. Later I bought a freshly made mango lassi. Later I just wanted to wander and I had a lovely afternoon wandering around and getting lost in this amazing city. The Hawa Mahal

Day 2. Taj Mahal

I went to the world famous Taj Mahal today. I had a traditional breakfast at my hotel of Paratha bread and butter served with vegetables. Afterwards, I got my walking shoes on and got on a bus headed for the Taj Mahal. You could tell we were getting near because the traffic increased and there were a lot of peddlers selling miniature models of it as well as key chains and hats out of there rickety looking cart they pulled themselves. Somehow we got to the main drop off area, and they let us out. The first thing I noticed when I alighted from the bus were all the people, there were thousands of them everywhere, it was like a zoo! I apparently looked confused, because a nice young lady came up to me and asked me if I wanted a free tour of the Taj Mahal and the gardens. It was free, and the lady seemed nice so I accepted. Her name was Aashi and she was a grad student who showed people around the mausoleum on weekends and free days because she loved to share her knowledge with other people and she thought it was fun. Aashi told me that the Taj Mahal was built around 1648, which surprised me, I thought it was a lot older. It was built by the emperor Shah Jahan in remembrance of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. She is buried there along with her husband. It is in the middle of a garden, which is very pretty. There are many flowers and shrubs, painting a vivid picture against the grays and whites if the city. After we were finished with the gardens, Aashi, who seemed to be an archetect as well as a botanist, told me all about the marble and the building structure. She also told me about all the carvings on the outside. The inside was just as wonderful, and it was cool to see the tombs of the two rulers from nearly 400 years ago. I loved the intricacy of the carvings, and I was not at all surprised it is one of the eight wonders of the world. It was a cool day and I was so glad that Aashi came and showed me around. I wouldn't have gotten half the information if I had gone myself. It was a great day, and my feet are sore from walking! The two people who are entombed in the Taj Mahal

Day 1. Periyar wildlife sanctuary

I went to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary today. I hopped on a plane at around 6:30 this morning to get to south India by a reasonable time. Once we landed, they loaded all the people on the plane into two jeeps, and we headed out to the lake in the middle of the sanctuary. It had not rained in two weeks there, and the water sources in the forest were starting to get dry. This was the best time to see animals apparently. Immediately upon arriving at the lake, we heard our radio crackle to life and another ranger told us that a herd of elephants had just come to the water to drink. We headed over immediately. Sure enough, right in front of us were around four females and two baby Indian elephants, who were splashing around in the shallow part of the lake. The babies were having a lot of fun tussling with each other on the shore. We watched there antics for a while and decided to head on. We went into the jungle a little ways, and started to look for deer and wild pig tracks. After a while we got on the trail of a very large wild pig who was walking down the path. He was huge, with big tusks and a bristly back. We estimated he was around six years old. We saw a few other animals, but it was getting hot, and we turned around and headed back to the main area for lunch and a movie on the history of the park and its animals. It talked about the different types of animals such as elephants, deer, pigs, and primates, but it focused mainly on the tiger. It was really interesting and I really liked it. Once it was over, we headed out again. It was much the same as this morning, but around half way through the safari, we heard the radio crackle to life again. Tiger sighting, right along the bank of the lake, near where we saw the elephants this morning. We all got really excited, event the ranger. There are only about forty tigers in the entire park, and it is rare to see one. WHen we got to the site, there were already two jeeps there. The tiger was sitting at the edge of the water, holding a small deer looking thing in her paws. she was feasting so vigorously that she barely noticed us come up. When she was done with her meal, she went for a swim in the water. I was amazed at how agile she was. It was beautiful. Finally it got dark, and I had to go home, so I got on a plane heading for New Delhi, and I was off. I checked into my hotel and went straight to my computer to wright down what had happened today.

Day 1/2 Mumbai

I arrived here in Mumbai about two hours ago. I am staying here overnight and I am getting on a private plane that leaves from the Mumbai airport to go to Periyar wildlife Sanctuary. They have elephants and tigers there and it's going to be really cool. So long for now, I'm going to bed.

7 things to do in India

1. Go see the Taj Mahal 2. Snorkel in the Andaman Islands 3.Trekking in Sikkim 4.Eat traditional north Indian food in Jaipur 5. See the Amber Fort in Jaipur. 6. Explore Humayun's Tomb 7. Check out Periyar wildlife sanctuary