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

Incredible India flight plans, phrases and money

Wow, I finally get to go to India. This is going to be great, I've always wanted to return! I went when I was about two for my aunt's wedding, and I want to go again. Well, anyway, here are the travel details. Here's my flight path: Useful phrases in Indian: Hello = NA-MA-SKAR Goodbye = ACH-HA Please = KRIP-YA Thank you = DHAN-YA-VAD It is nice to meet you = AAP SE MIL KE KHU-SHI HUI How much does this cost = YEH KIT-NE KA HAI I don't speak Hindi = Mei Hindi nahi bolta Yes = Haa No = Nahi Do you speak English = Aap Ungraizi boltay hain US dollar - the Rupee 1 44.4 5 222.2 10 444.5 15 666.7 20 889 50 2222.5 100 4445 Indian Rupee