And Today I Smell Like Chum

So, how do the shark diving boats lure the sharks close to the cage for prime viewing? First things first, you need to know where the sharks hang out. In our case just a 15 minute boat ride off shore from Kleinbaai in "Shark Alley".  This infamously name channel runs between Dyer Island (a huge bird colony) and Geyser (ghee-ser) Rock, where 50-60 thousand Cape Fur Seals reside.  That is the makings of shark heaven.

Next you need a chum line that the sharks can't resist.

Ours started with a big trash can to which we added slightly frozen tuna tails, bigger portions of a local fish called snook, and the magic ingredient, a rust colored thick anchovy oil. Yum! Then using a small flat shovel, we chopped and mixed it all up, adding sea water to complete the smelly concoction.  When the mix is ready, the key is to make a trail so that the sharks can trace and investigate the source - being our cage.  The current takes it away and curiosity brings the sharks!

Then once the sharks are near the boat, a tuna head is tied on a rope and tossed out in front of the cage which acts as a visual target for the sharks. Keep in mind that there are a lot of rules and regulations around the cage diving trips. These help make sure the boats are having as little impact on the shark behavior as possible. Regulations such as what ingredients can and can't be in the chum line, ie no blood, and other regulations that outline how many tuna heads can be lost on a given trip. The latter is controlled because shark viewing can get a bit more interesting if the sharks get the bait (eg. thrashing, splashing, etc).  But this also impacts on long term shark behavior. The boats are not in the business of feeding sharks, just viewing.

Once out to the dive spot, the captain will yell to start the chum line. From the back of the boat, using a old motor oil container as a scoop, you reach into the foul mixture and start poring the mixture into the water. As the current takes it away from the boat, you add more and more to make a trail in the water. This cycle repeats as you maintain the chum bucket by adding more water, chopping with the shovel to get pieces of fish stirred up and occasionally adding the anchovy oil. You have to be careful to not spill the oil because you just can NOT get the smell out of your clothes.

Back at the garage, they buy and keep this in a huge plastic bin the size of a hot tub.  Whoa, that's a serious amount of oil!  It comes from the local anchovy plant just in case you were curious.

I know it sounds crazy but I didn't mind this job, well until the sharks started getting interested! Usually feeder fish and birds would gather, both taking the bigger chunks of fish out of the chum line which was entertaining. However, the best part was that the sharks literally swam inches away from your feet, fins breaking the top of the water as they cruised by. Being at the back of the boat there really wasn't much of a barrier between you and the water, unlike the sides on the rest of the boat. There was an engine on each side and a track between, open to the water where the diving cage was moved on and off. Without a wall you were always looking right at sea level and it was so much more evident how close you are to the water and the sharks!

Usually I would get the chum line started but once the sharks started interacting with the cage, I'd hand back the chumming duties to the normal boat hand who would continue the magic chum line. With me on chum duty, we were never without sharks!  I'm taking credit for that...

One day sticks out in my mind at sea.  It was an extremely rough day at sea and the boat was rocking big time because the swell was huge. Up, down, back and forth.  The wind was gusty and a light rain was coming down. The entire boat, outside of the crew, was eventually sick. Anyway, as usual, I happily volunteered to start the chum line.  Normally I could do so comfortably by just leaning up against one of the rails at the back of the boat allowing me to use both hands to get the process started. However, today I had to actually hang on for dear life.  So with one arm wrapped around a ladder rung, I started making the chum mixture. With the other arm I started chopping the tails, then adding sea water and oil. This went on for a few minutes and I eventually got the chum line going, but it was hard work and a slow process. Plus, I was of course quickly covered in the stinky mixture as it sloshed out of the trash can all over me every time the swell surged.  I was a stinky mess!

Before I knew it, the sharks appeared and as usual they circled near the chum line at the back.  They would investigate the cage then circle around the back. Ordinarily I would have just been amazed by their presence but with the boat thrashing around, I quickly forgot about the chum line and focused on not being bait in the chum line. At times I'd look down as the boat surged to a 45 degree angle, the back even slightly submerging under water, just as a shark cruised past! It only took a couple of those for me to be ready to give up chumming for the day. So I handed my duties over finding a more suitable role...taking photos!

The trip ended prematurely with the few that could stomach it having a turn in the cage. Back on shore, washing down the boat was an adventure thanks to all of the clients who had "contributed" to our chum line. Stinking of chum, it was finally my turn to get clean but the chum smell just wouldn't go away.  I ended up leaving my clothes outside. There's just no going back after that anchovy oil hits your clothes.

Here's another shark photo for good measure.

The First White Sharks (cue cold chills!)

As we dropped anchor, Julia, our volunteer leader starting telling everyone about the day and the area.  To our left was Dyer island, a small island home to a bird sanctuary with numerous species of rare birds.  To our right was Geyser rock, home to 50-60 thousand Cape Fur Seals and one of the few seal islands in the area.  Between the islands was a narrow passage of water about 5 boat lengths across called Shark Alley. As the name implies, its where the sharks cruise for a meal.  One thing to note is that this area isn't home to any resident white sharks who are by nature nomadic.  All of the sharks we'd be seeing are technically just passing through.



Ironically, just as Julia was finishing her introduction with,  "We can't guarantee we will see white sharks today but…", our first white shark swam by to investigate at the back of the boat.  Awesome!  That might have been the single coolest animal sighting we've ever experienced (so far!). 

Luckily the sun was shining because although the water was calm, it was a chilly 40 degrees.  Having just finished her speech, and sighting the first shark, Julia asked who would like to be the first 5 to get in the cage.  Four clients quickly raised their hands and then there was a wave of hesitation.  Steph jumped on it and quickly raised her hand to be the 5th!  With the cage secured to the side of the boat, wet suit on, mask spit in and secured, she climbed in the cage to get up close and personal with the Great White Sharks!

Of course, I eagerly jumped at being in the next group of five - Steph was just too quick on the draw for me!  

Our cage was a 5 person cage, about 2 arm lengths wide, and 8 feet tall.  It sits about foot out of the water with a lid that opens and closes to allow divers in and out.  While in the cage you are free diving - no snorkel or scuba equipment - and it goes something like this:  Sitting on the edge of the boat you swing your legs out over the cage where the lid is raised and put your feet in the water (inside the cage!).  Then you put your feet on the front bars of the cage and walk down the bars, like a ladder, until you are in shoulders deep.  Your feet remain on the outer bars, holding you above water with your back against the back of the cage.  Once a shark is spotted, the crew yells "down, down, down!" which is the cue to take a deep breath and pull yourself under.  There is a red bar which you grab to hold yourself under allowing you watch the shark until it disappears into the deep blue abyss.  You must grab the red bar, which is not surprisingly inset about 6 inches from the outer bars, or else you may lose your fingers!  If you don't remember to only grab the red bar the crew will quickly remind you with loud yelling until you comply!

The sharks make numerous passes, sometimes circling the boat for hours, which is why this method is so successful.  You don't need to be down for hours, just 15 seconds or so at a time.  Up and down you go, taking breaths when you can.  Its somewhat frantic due to the raw energy and excitement, but the viewing is excellent!

Oh and remember that 40 degree water, well its the last thing on your mind after climbing in and seeing the sharks.  The only really nerve racking few seconds is getting in or out with a shark swimming past. We both could have stayed in for hours!

Some of the sharks are just curious, swimming casually past the cage barely taking notice.  Others are more interested, swimming right past the bars just inches from you.  Whilst others are more aggressive and go after the bait fish, sometimes taking it and crashing into the cage.   Then there are the rare ones that attack the bait fish with intent, breaching the surface.  Intense!

Back on the boat the experience hits you.  These animals are amazing and seeing them up close is absolutely unbelievable.  They have such raw power but yet such grace.  And the teeth, right in your face, is crazy!

After drying off, we grabbed a sandwich and headed up top to the viewing deck to let our adrenaline ease and watch the show.  From up there you really get a feel for the size of the sharks.

And the best part of it all, we get to do this for a week!  What a morning!

Off To See The Sharks

Awake around 4:30, we were dazed but excited for the upcoming week.  Climbing in the van for the 2 hour ride from Cape Town to Gansbaai (Haunz-by), we made friends with Rudy our driver, who drives for White Shark Projects, the company we'd be working with.  This is actually his normal routine, carting clients back and forth any day the boat goes to sea.  Before we set off though, we had to make a quick stop for him to get some breakfast at a gas station which suited us fine because we didn't have much either.

As you probably know security is a big concern in South Africa.  (the ADT armed response signs per square mile must be an amazing statistic!) This particular gas station had separate entry and exit doors, both guarded by security, aiming to try and control who goes in and out.  This was a good thing because even at this time of the morning there was a lot of riff raff hanging around outside.

Looking around the store in a sleepy fog, I was struggling to figure out what to grab for breakfast.  All of the sudden I hear loud noises followed by a huge commotion at the exit door.  Looking up, I see some guy reaching his arm in as the door is trying to shut.  With a jerk he ripped it off its track, breaking it open.  Squeezing through the door he started yelling and screaming, holding his arms and hands to the cameras like some kind of rain dance.  Soon enough there was a crowd of people around him, including the security guards, trying to calm him down.  He continued running around the store yelling which I gathered was an attempt to plead his innocence to something.  Then as the group gathered around him once again, he tried to evade them but instead crashed into a big metal rack of candy bars, knocking it over, spilling candy bars everywhere. 

At this point, I'm standing there starting to get a little nervous (ok, a lot nervous) not knowing what to do, still holding a bottle of water and some muffins.  The entrance door was closed and a big chaotic crowd was gathered around the exit.  Funny enough, I do remember seeing a horde of arms reaching through the ajar door, grabbing as many candy bars as they could off the floor.  Anyway, the tension was increasing as more and more people continued to try and subdue this man with more of the crowd getting into the store.   I dropped my water and muffins and headed towards the exit to fight the crowd.  Luckily I saw Rudy, wedged in the door, waving me over where he gave the door a big push which helped me squeeze out.  Through the crowd, we made our way back to the the van.  My adrenaline was on high alert for sure.

The entire time Steph was watching from the van seeing the man running across the parking lot being chased by a pack of people.  She saw him crash into the door, break its track and squeeze in.  As a large crowd of angry and yelling people developed she didn't know what to do and was glad the windows were fairly tinted. 

Driving out of the of the parking lot, Rudy explained that there was an night club just across the parking lot which was most likely where the crowd had come from.  What a wake up call, gees, the sun wasn't even up yet!  Later on we were able to laugh about it, but that was sure unexpected!  Fortunately, the remainder of the drive was completely uneventful!

The sun was just about up as we pulled into the parking lot.  When we signed up for the project it wasn't 100% clear what we'd be doing, but we did know that we'd be on a sharking diving boat aimed at tourists see sharks from a cage.  What we didn't know was that for day-one of our volunteering activities, we'd be treated like clients to learn how the trip felt from the other side.  And with that short notice, we frantically dug our swimsuits out of our bags and Steph quickly popped her sea-sick tablet (which had a suggested 2 hour lead time!). 

We were ushered into the breakfast room with the other clients and I topped up with bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee.  Steph, on the other hand, having had a bad experience the last time she was on a small boat on the sea opted not to have breakfast (other than the muffin she previously ate).

We signed the customary waiver form and the captain came in to give his safety briefing.  We then were fitted with life jackets, before making our way down to the dock where the boat was loaded and waiting to take us to sea.

Throughout the entire week the members of White Shark Projects made it extremely clear - the Jaws phenomenon isn't reality and actually is a partial reason why sharks worldwide are in decline.  However, walking down the hill to the dock, in the picture above, was an eerie feeling.   Luckily, it was just Hollywood playing with my fears because it was nothing like the movies.

Off To Sea!

The View From Steph's Office

Check out the view from the top of Steph's new office building in London.  I'd say its a good one!

Her company just recently moved and today had a family day open house, so she could take me and show it off.  The building itself seems like a great place to work with lots of open collaboration spaces, full of soft comfy chairs, and plenty of outside views looking out over the city.  Its also a very eco friendly building complete with a green roof.

Looking closer at the photo, the building in the foreground is the London Mayor's office.  As well, you can no doubt see Tower Bridge along with Canary Wharf in the background.  Oh and they call the little hole in the ground, "The Scoop".

Continuing with our eco theme, the barges in view are cleaning up the river. The closest one is full of bottles and cans all pulled out of the river by a contraption just out of view.  Its basically a big net, for lack of better description, which pulls out what it can.  There are a few of them in various places along the river which can't hurt.

Anyway, the weather was good so we just took it easy by the river and waited for a scheduled opening of Tower Bridge.  This allowed us to do some prime people watching and snap the below photo of The Tower of London.  That's about it for today, just a low key Sunday afternoon.

Cape Town Views

So before we get to all the shark diving goodness, we had a day in Cape Town to help us settle into South Africa. For some reason most flights from London to Cape Town are over night which gives you a few extra hours on the ground, that is, if you can sleep on a plane. Landing early in the morning, we didn't really have a plan but since it was a clear day full of glorious sunshine, we decided to go see the city from atop the infamous Table Mountain.

Getting to the top is surprisingly easy thanks to a cable car! The recently refurbished Swiss style cable car takes you up nearly 2400 feet to the top in a scorching 4 minutes. It also rotates so everybody gets a 360 degree view which adds an interesting dynamic of climbing up and rotating which is strange at first.

The top of Table Mountain has been declared a nature reserve and is a fun place to explore. Besides the impressive views of Cape Town and the surrounding areas below, there are all sorts of plant life and wildlife to find via the many paths winding around the rocky surface. We had a good time climbing on all the boulders looking for new views, finding a few fun ones.

Speaking of wildlife, meet this creature called a Dassie (pronounced "Dussy"). They are found all over Southern Africa. Besides looking surprisingly like a rat with no tail they are the elephant's closest living relative. Seriously!?

As the sunset approached, we decided to get a new vantage point opting to head down to a place called Signal Hill because numerous people recommended it for sunset. We arrived just in time to catch some good views overlooking the World Cup stadium.

With darkness setting we headed back to the backpackers lodge to officially check in and get ready for dinner on the V&A water front. Our choice of restaurant was a highly recommended steak house (Balthazar) with supposedly one of the biggest wine-by-the-glass menus in the world. Well it didn't lie. Sitting down at the table we were handed what felt like a Sunday paper for a wine list. It came on huge wooden scroll!  It was overwhelming so we opted to use the services of the in-house sommelier who helped us find a couple of amazing glasses of wine to go with our huge steaks. Yum!


It was a fantastic evening on the waterfront but we had to cut it short. Tomorrow we are off to see sharks and our ride to Gansbaai ( pronounced: haunz - by ) was scheduled to pick us up at 5:00am. Sweet dreams... well sort of, full of sharks that is...

Cape Town Photos

Look who we met yesterday

We are in South Africa, volunteering for an eco-tourism company, diving for white sharks.  You'll be glad to know that both Steph and I survived our first cage dive with the sharks.  Talk about a heart pounding few minutes coupled with sensory overload.  It was AMAZING!  The sharks are so big and just right there - an arms length away at times.  They even hit the cage while chasing the bait!

The photo is from the first dive.  I think Steph might even be in the cage at the bottom left.  The weather was great, sea calm, water cold but with poor visibility.  We have been on a few trips now getting up to speed on things and will have lots more to post in the coming days.   Keep your fingers crossed that the water clears up so we can get some good underwater shots.

I'm off to bed.  Its been a long few days and 5:45 is coming early....

By the way - we know we are crazy!!

Venice Carnivale

We very often schedule our trips during important festivals or events and as we were entering our fifth year living in the UK I had one event still in mind - Venice Carnivale!  I love Halloween and costumes, so its no surprise that one of the most famous masked ball events in the world caught my eye.

The plan: Book tickets to an authentic masked ball at the At Home a Palazzo, a beautiful 14th century palace during Carnivale.  Once that was done we'd have no choice but to get some costumes!

With the tickets booked there were two options for costumes.  Rent them in Venice at a price of around 299 euros or rent them in London at a much cheaper price but pack them to Venice.  We opted for the latter to make sure we got good costumes at an affordable price.  Plus, I thought I could temp Josh into a photo shoot before we left to get even more use out of our costumes - he loved it.  We picked them up a few days before we left so I suggested we head out for a nighttime photo shoot, in costume, at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich - a stunning setting!  One of our friends, Miguel, who is also an avid photographer, agreed to be our photographer for the night.

So we hit the town on a bitterly cold London February night but the outcome was well worth it! Thanks Miguel!

With our practice round behind us, we headed off Friday night for a quick weekend away in Venice.  Our B&B, Al Doge Beato, was tucked away in a quite alley in the middle of Venice.  It was from this location that we took our first gondola ride (I know, I know - we've been three times and never taken a gondola).  There was also a wonderful quiet courtyard around the corner, right on a canal with a great restaurant.  Our weekend had really started as a picturesque visit to one of the most romantic cities in the world - and we still had the masked ball to look forward to!

So, as the sun began to fall in the sky, more and more people were emerging in full carnivale gear so we headed back to the hotel to don our costumes and enjoy to revelry.

We had no particular plans other than to head towards to the Rialto bridge and slowly make our way towards our ball.  And, if you've ever been to Venice, you know that getting around through the narrow, zig zag alleys, bridges and walkways can be time consuming and very often end in being lost!  But on this particular night, it didn't matter - the streets were alive with people in costume and you just had to follow the crowd!  We were taking pictures of others and people in turn, stopped us for our picture.  We even stopped in for some Italian espresso to ensure we were well awake for the night ahead.

After a couple hours of roaming the street parties, we needed to head towards our ball...and that proved difficult.  While I was sure to print a map with directions and street names, no matter how much you prepare things go wrong in getting around in Venice.  Streets aren't labeled, scale is off, additional alleys and streets not on the map are in front of you and you ultimately have to wing it.

The further we walked, the quieter the alleys got - we were clearly away from the main crowds now and had no clue where we were.  Thanks to a couple helpful Venetian men, who couldn't speak English but knew the address on our paper, they walked us straight to our palace door.  We were extremely grateful because we might not have noticed the discrete door ourselves.

It was surreal entering that discrete door in the dark alley, because upon entering the large entry hall you were transferred in to a parallel world - something out of centuries past!  Red carpets, heavy curtains, chandeliers, a live quartet and people decked out in the most glamorous costumes imaginable!

In hind sight we realized we missed a trick.  We should have taken a water taxi or gondola.  When we arrived a stream of guests were being dropped off by boat.  It felt like a much more appropriate entrance to a ball in Venice plus we wouldn't have been lost.  Oh well, maybe next time.

The ball itself was a dinner and dancing event so we spent the night meeting fellow travellers, dining on delicious food and admiring the surroundings!  The wives of the two French families at our table had actually made their costumes by hand.  Others had hired the costumes in town.  And most people we met were first time attendees.

After a long night of enjoying the magical world, we made our way back to our B&B (again, after a few wrong turns...).  The next day, we enjoyed the neighborhood around our peaceful B&B, ate at the fantastic courtyard restaurant again and then strolled St. Mark's Square where you could photograph and admire some of the most detailed and/or authentic costumed people.  We then reluctantly packed away our costumes and headed back to London with the great memories of having attended Venice Carnivale!

Climb to the old Tordi Fortress

Up before sunrise, Ben and I had arranged to climb up the hill to see the old fortress where the Prince's grandfather used to live. Our guide and one of the Prince's workers, Raj, went with us to make sure we didn't get lost.  Raj was awesome - leading us up the hill in sandals pictured below.

Winding up the hill on small little trails, it only took about 25 minutes to climb.  Its hard to imagine servants back in the day packing supplies up and down.  Its a long way to go if you run out of milk!  Once at the top, the views were good although the fog was a problem.  As the sun came up we were welcomed to the day with a spot of tea, thanks to Raj for packing it up the hill.  The fortress itself isn't in very good shape so there isn't much to see but we did hear stories about its past including a hidden treasure.  We had a quick look for secret passages but didn't find anything.  So instead we took turns jumping for photos on the turret hanging off the cliff overlooking the country side below.  Watch your step...

On the way down we ran into 3 boys playing with a homemade bow and arrow. We introduced ourselves and shook hands and then they offered us a chance to shoot their bow and arrow as they looked on in enjoyment. Its amazing what can be entertaining at certain times.

At the bottom of the hill...

...I (Steph) couldn't help waking early as we had all gone to bed shortly after dinner last night.  The morning was quiet and cool and I was anxious to see what everyone in the village was up to - so I went up to the roof top terrace.  It wasn't long before the Prince came by and we started talking.  I mentioned that Josh was climbing the hill so he suggested we head up to the upper roof terrace (yes, there was another one!)  and he went to grab his binoculars to have a look.

While we were looking for the guys on the hill, we talked about all sorts of things.  He has about 8-9 farms, growing things such as mustard and veggies.  He also talked about the large reservoir that fills up during the rainy season and is usually dry by the end of the dry season...and its only used for irrigation.  The rain that came yesterday afternoon was unseasonal but well received as it meant less reservoir water would have to be used, in the short term, for the local crops.  He also talked about his love of horses and that he had just been the famous Puskar camel and horse fair.

After a while, we finally saw some movement on the hill and we spotted them on their way down just in time for breakfast.

I think Josh and I can both say it was a lovely morning in Tordi!

Welcome to Tordi

After having just been overwhelmed by the beauty that is the Taj Mahal and being avid (amater) photographers, we discussed getting up early the next day to capture the Taj at sunrise from across the river.  Ben and I were quite keen; the girls...not so much.  We ultimately didn't go because the weather was poor and we knew the view from across the river wouldn't be what we imagined in our minds - the clouds, fog and pollution haze was just too much that day.  Not too mention that after the madness of the trip so far, a break from the hustle and bustle (and super early mornings) was hard to pass up.

Our next stop was to be a small village called Tordi Garh where we were to stay with the Prince of the town in his palace.  We didn't know much about the village or what we would do other than knowing it was often called "the highlight of the trip".  So, with that in mind we set off on an early 4-hour public bus ride.  These type of rides make for prime people (and animal) watching, for instance....

...cow pat "farms" - because the cow is sacred, so is the dung, hence they slap cow pats against stone and brick walls, with clear hand prints in them, to dry.  The dried discs are then sold and kept in homes for good luck and well being.

...India is a beautiful country but the over-population and limited infrastructure in some areas takes its toll.  We saw rivers beds that actually looked like a river of garbage, with no water in sight.  These river beds though were a source of food and sustenance for the roaming cows and pigs.  "The pollution is bad" is a strange paradox here.  Say there was no drifting garbage then how would the cows, pigs and other roaming animals survive?  Could the people afford to feed them?  I don't know.  It's a strange sight for our eyes but in this "ecosystem" it does have a balance...

...a wood workers' shop.  With several men outside cutting, sanding, nailing, etc - building pieces of furniture from what looked line pine or another light wood.  Their full line of fresh wood furniture was out on display - tables, chairs, cabinets and more!  No telling how many local homes were fitted out with their pieces.  Amazing to see.

The remainder of the bus ride was equally as interesting but soon came to an end when we had to transfer to 4x4 vehicles for the "rough part of the trip".  Bad roads, old vehicles, very little seat cushioning = a very rattled body after 3 hours!

On arrival in Tordi, tired from bouncing around in jeeps, we were greeted with a refreshing lemon drink, a red dot on the forehead and a marigold necklace before being ushered into the welcome room through 2 huge green doors.  The palace was a large complex of buildings, a significant portion of which had been converted in to guest quarters.  Then we found out our afternoon would commence with a camel safari to the sand dines but first we needed to find our room and drop our bags.

The Prince's palace is officially referred to Tordi Garh. Somehow we didn't get home with a good photo of the palace so you will have to check the website to get a better idea, although you can partially see it in the background above.  So far on this trip Steph and I have seen our share of simple preferential treatment. Throughout the trip we've been managing to get the best rooms (or rooms without any problems like open sewer pipes or fans falling from the ceiling) or being upgraded to a better train car.  Maybe it helps that the guide and I get along well!  Anyway, here in Tordi our room was no different - it was quite possibly the best!  All of the rooms had eccentric qualities and style but ours had a separate living room with a shrine to Shiva and had lots of family photos on the walls of the Prince from his sister's wedding.  Our bedroom was equally as large.  Outside our room, we had 2 small chicken coops complete with mother and a handful of chicks.  Awesome!

With settling in out of the way, it was time for a camel safari to climb some sand dunes.  We boarded our big old fashion carts pulled by camels and headed off through the village.  It didn't take long for the local kids to know we were around and our ride consisted of our carts being chased by loads of their smiling faces.  Outside the village, we found the sand dunes which are overlooked by the old medieval fortress on top of the rocky hill.  After climbing the sand dune we were served tea (the sweet milky variety - nice touch!) where we relaxed in preparation for sunset.  However, the weather would have no part in a relaxing evening.

Off in the distance we were noticing some dark clouds coming our way.  You guessed it, some time later the thunder clouds moved in and instead of sunset we got a lightning show before it started to lightly rain.  As the lightning moved closer and the rain picked up, we all lost our nerve and were ready to head back (a combination of we were all carrying cameras, we were at a high point in lightning and there wasn't any form of shelter within 100 yards).  With the rain now coming in large watery drops, we were all running down the dunes back to the camels.  We were soaked by the time we got situated on our carts and with no cover and at least a 5 minute ride, it was only going to get worse!

At first we weren't too excited but then we realised there wasn't much we could do about it, the main camera was safe (hiding in the waterproof bag we just purchased before this trip - whew, good buy!), so we broke out the waterproof camera and just soaked up the experience - literally!  We were in India, on a camel, in a thunder storm, getting soaked, heading for the Prince's palace.  Oh and it was the first time in 8 years that it rained in Rajasthan in November, weird!

So you know those big trucks that India is famous for?  The ones all crazily decorated?  Well, on our ride back through the village, one pulled up behind our camel train.  I guess he could tell we were having fun as he turned on his external DJ system and gave us a good shot of Indian music with disco lights and all.  The proof is in this short video.  Truly wicked!

Back at the palace, not an inch of us dry, we used our living room to dry our clothes, bag and shoes because we were drenched! Thankfully, we had 2 ceiling fans and turning them on high had our clothes dry for the next day.


After the hectic and exciting camel safari, you wouldn't expect the night to get much more interesting but it did! Dinner was on the roof top terrace and since the rain had come and gone we were able to enjoy a traditional Indian meal set to local villagers playing traditional music.  Steph and I both even joined in playing the cymbals for a song - it was actually quite tough - they had a unique little rhythm going on!  All in all, it was a hectic but absolutely amazing day!  Welcome to Tordi!

The Taj!

So where to begin? It's the Taj Mahal and it IS as spectacular as you might think!

Counting down the days to the trip, this afternoon's itinerary was circled in red ink. But why? I know its one of the most famous buildings in the world so what exactly is it? The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Jahan who died during child birth of their 14th child. However, just before she died, he promised to build her the world's most beautiful mausoleum. Well, I think he succeeded!

The security on the site is fairly strict - you're only allowed to enter with a camera and your wallet - no bags, no drinks, etc.  They actually give you one bottle of water with your ticket.  A lady in front of Steph had her small purse checked and the female guards were questioning a little decorated lipstick case.  They kept turning it over and over and looking at it...finally, the lady (a tourist who probably picked that up off a local street vendor) just said the guard could keep it.  They smiled and let her through which is probably what they wanted anyway.

Entering through a huge gate you are welcomed with the view below. As you probably guess the view doesn't usually come built in with a Steph, but in this case, I think she adds something special to it. The first glance of the Taj is just breathtaking and you're so excited that you have to stop here to take a picture...not quite realising that the view will get even better once through the arch.  Shah Jahan - you did well.  How is a modern man supposed to compete...

Anyway, entering through the arch you see the reflection pool at the base and then rising above is the beautiful and perfectly symmetric white marble building.  Its just staggering!  Its much larger than we thought it was and luckily the crowds quickly fade away as you are awe struck (for the second time!) starring at it in disbelief. Am I really here?   I know it sounds crazy and very cliche but its probably one of the best highlights we've had in the last few years.  Its just epic!

Since we were visiting just after the festival it was more busy than normal.  In fact, it was packed!  People were everywhere and the line to get into the mausoleum was long, winding around the building, up the stairs, and around again.  While waiting in line a local family behind us kept trying to sneak around us; well, actually they weren't too sneaky about it - they actually just blatantly kept walking around us!  We struck up a conversation with one of the younger family members, a late teenager probably.  He spoke good English and had fun talking to us.  We thought that making friends with him would have put an end to his family's line jumping, but it kept up.  So, we resorted to sticking out our elbows and shaking our head at them (and walking back around a few of them!).  It was entertaining if in the least!  We ended up having to wait in this line so long that by the time we got in it was dark.  As a result, we didn't see much at all because there aren't any lights inside.  This is one of the few old historic sites across the world that we've run in to that wasn't retrofitted with electricity, but we're not complaining since its original beauty was preserved.  

One interesting thing is that the Taj changes colors throughout the day.  The white marble absorbs the light and shines differently depending on the time of day.  As the sun was going down it had a slight orange glow about it but as dawn hits its supposed to turn a gleaming white.  What a building!

And the Taj is only the main building...there is an entire complex of buildings and water features around it - every building being quite exquisite in and of itself!

When you enter the area to enter the mausoleum, you have to either take your shoes off at the entrance or wear these disposable little red shoe covers.  They are awesome!  Being tourists and having heard the stories of "lost" shoes at the site and knowing we stick out of the crowd anyway, we opted for the red slippers.  You can easily see them in them in the picture of me trying a new angle for my photo.   You know...trying to get the last of the remaining light and the Taj at an interesting angle...

As darkness set in, we started to exit the complex.  We quickly understood why it closed at sunset.  Not only was their no electricity inside the Taj itself, but there was no electricity in the entire complex except for one single light at the central building where we first entered.  As we were walking out, we were instructed to keep any eye on our things.  "Please keep a close eye on your bags and don't encourage the guys selling souvenirs; its just a hassle", said our guide.  It was the last chance of the day and they would be aggressive.  Ah, no worries, we are seasoned annoyance handlers!  Well, the advice soon was forgotten as it was too easy and entertaining to chat with them.  At one point, these guys were selling stone carved turtles with a baby turtle inside which we had seen numerous times since we arrived in Agra. Well, I was joking with one of the guys that we'd only buy one if it had 2 babies inside.  Even though his turtle only had one baby inside, the young man followed us for a good 5 minutes - a half a mile or so to the bus.  He even kept hassling us through the bus window until we pulled away.  They're persistent - that's for sure! And actually, I was a little amazed that he didn't run away to try to find a turtle with 2 babies inside!

To cap off the epic day, we had dinner at a local restaurant where we had some good food.  You can see the thali I enjoyed (spicy pickle, rice, vegetable curry, salad, yogurt, bean stew, and rice pudding).  This restaurant also had some live music that was less than entertaining...apparently the guy had never made it past elementary songs with his violin.  His repertoire consisted of just a few songs, one being Frarajaca - we all got a good laugh out of that!  And instead of taking the simple 10 minute walk down the road to get back to our hotel, we opted for the Indian-style way home - 6 of us crammed in to one single autorickshaw for a great little zip down the road!  The evening made for a good end to a good day!

Auto Rickshaw Race to Sarnath

Today was a free day on the itinerary and one of the suggested optional extras was a trip to Sarnath - where Buddha gave his first sermon to his five disciples.  The trip would about 10km outside Varanasi by Auto Rickshaw.  Most of the group was interested in the trip so we all agreed to share rickshaws and hit the snooze button before meeting mid morning.  With the pace of the trip so far we all relished the idea of sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast.  In doing so we gave the auto rick shaw drivers a pleasant surprise when all of us left the hotel at once needing 3 tuk tuks.  Tourist Jackpot!

However, we had a plan!  Before leaving the lobby we all agreed on how to negotiate thanks to a little pricing help from our  tour guide.  We all asked for a return journey and successfully negotiated a fair price.

I had it easy because Josh had made friends with a driver yesterday (going to the train station) and that driver was there, smiling and happy to see us as we walked out.  All that we had to do was negotiate a price which was much easier with repeat business.  Since he was the fastest, we had another plan - a race!

Ben and Nora were in another rickshaw and as we left we agreed with the drivers that the race was on.  And race they did!  Our rickshaw was in the lead most of the time but the other driver did his best to pass us, even taking side streets and not stopping for rough patches of road catching a little air.  Quick starts and tight turns kept us all entertained (and a bit scared) throughout.  In the end, we won!  Our driver, as marketed, had a newer, faster auto rickshaw.  Que evil boisterous laugh, Wahhhaahaa....

On site at Sarnath, we set our meet up time with the driver who gave us a few pointers and  directions to the attractions.  The site was very much a ruin - with only footprints of many of the old buildings.  However, the great Dhamek Stupa (DOME) was still intact and impressive.  More interesting however, was the museum at the site.  It has the original sculpture of The Lions at Sarnath - one the national symbols of India.  Neato.

After visiting those two sites, our driver being eager to please, offered to take us to 3 temples nearby as well.  Much like Lumbini, several countries built Buddhist temples in the area - our three were built by Tibet,  Sri Lanka and Japan.  All very unique and stunning.  We had a good time in the Tibetian temple - Josh, Ben and I went in one of the prayer wheel rooms and a nearby monk was saying you had to spin it 7 times.  Now, this is a big wheel maybe two stories tall.  You have to grab hold of the handle and walk it around 7 times.  So, we took off counting each lap 1, 2, ... 6.  For the last lap we kicked things into high gear speeding up and yelling 7 as we went around.  At that very moment something loudly went DING!  In our flurry, we looked at each other stunned!  What was that!?  Hang on what!?  Whoa!  How did, um, it know we went around 7 times?!  We then recruited a friend from our group to do the same.  She took the prayer wheel around and we carefully studied it to see what was happening.  Finally, we realized there was a lever at the top to ring a bell each time it went around.  But you had to be going fast enough to give the lever enough power to fully ring the bell.  We just happened to make it finally go fast enough to ring the bell on the last lap.  Whew!  Mystery solved.

Some of you might ask about the red gate photo with what looks to be a dark 20th century symbol.  Its actually highly used in Hinduism and Buddhism dating back to the bronze age but was stolen for other purposes, shown tilted on a 45 degree axis.  This is another example of interesting things you learn while travelling - you really have to keep an open mind because your reaction or understanding is based on what you're exposed to during your lifetime leading up to that moment.  These eye-opening experiences are one of the reason we love to travel.      

After we had our fun, we asked our driver to take us to a grocery store near the hotel.  We were following another auto rickshaw with other friends in it when we went past our hotel, turned right, then left, then right, the straight, then left and stopped at a random unmarked door.  As we were starting to get out we realised they had taken us to a silver shop.  Okay buddy, no, no!  We had to laugh and sternly say no thanks, take us to the grocery.  So, he turned his auto rickshaw around and took us straight down that same road to end up back at our hotel.  Hang on....that was just one road to this shop.  They obviously tried to make the shop seem like a hidden secret but when we showed no interest he just took the easy way out.  haha!!

We bought our driver a Coke for being his friendly self and loaded up on some goodies for our overnight train ride to Agra!  Time to gear up for the train ride...they don't have the best reputation.

The train station was full on!  We all had our big backpacks and had to walk rather briskly through a manic crowd and find our train car.  Due to the trains being quite full, Josh and I were the only ones in a different car than everyone else...but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing as we were actually in a higher class!  Inside the train things settled down.  We had half of a compartment, each getting a fold down bunk with fresh linens - a pillow, 2 sheets and a blanket.

We met a Norwegian couple in the bunk next to us and did a little photo talk.  They were Canon people too!  After hearing them talk about how they rushed to the station without buying any food and watching them eat some random fried thing from a vendor walking through the train - we decided to share one of our hotel take-away pizzas with them (as were actually full anyway from our last Butter Chicken and Paneer Butter Masala lunch, again!).  Shortly thereafter, we called it a night, chained our bags to the bed and pulled the curtain closed to try to enjoy err get a few hours of sleep before Agra!

Sarnath Photos