So I'm Not Invincible

As it turns out (who knew?). I've never had an allergic reaction before (except for being a lacktard, and that incident with Buckley's where I passed out) so I didn't worry about the 6 hour hike through the Indian jungle around the mountain this afternoon. After 14km, I get home and am so excited to take a shower--that's a long hike! Then I look down at my legs and I see angry splotches everywhere...All of a sudden they start to itch, which quickly escalated to pain and more bumps. Then I started getting short of breath. That's when I ran to the doctor thinking something is seriously wrong here.

Turns out there was a plant in the jungle that releases pollen when it's really humid out (like today), and I'm pretty allergic. I was kind of confused because it's not like it touched my bare skin, but apparently the spores will go right through your clothing and there's not much you can do about it.

Currently on India's version of anti-histamines. Hopefully the swelling goes down soon and I will be able to get some sleep.

This country is really putting me through the ringer!

Ps- No pictures included in this post. You definitely do not need to see me looking like Hitch when he eats shellfish (hopefully you get that reference). Just imagine the hilarity. You're welcome.

They Call It Puppy Love

Although I've been pretty busy with various tasks assigned to me within the ashram that I stay in, I found time today to start the project I've personally wanted to pursue while I'm here in India.

Treatment of animals is strikingly different here than in the Western world. There is a dichotomy where certain animals are revered (in Hinduism, it's worse to kill a cow than a human), yet others are left to starve on the streets--can they even be called homeless if they've never had homes?

There is an animal hospital nearby that my mother told me about when she last came here. This general attitude for animals that are suffering in India is why I was so deeply impacted when I first visited the hospital. This place is a little silver lining in the cloud of neglect, and I want to make as much of an impact as possible in the short time I am here.

They take in strays, provide emergency medical care, and find good homes for the animals. They are in financial trouble, because they get very little funding from the government, and one of their biggest private donors just went bankrupt in the US. I donated what I could, but they still need much more. I just hope that the time I spend helping out eases their difficulties in some way.

I got a tour of the facilities today, which includes an exam room, several kennels, an operating room, and various other places for animals to stay. While the majority of patients are dogs that have either been abused or hit by a vehicle, the hospital is also currently caring for a horse, a cow, two monkeys, and some peacocks. They will take anything that is brought to them.

Puppies!!!! There is a brand new litter of puppies brought in last week--the mother had been hit by a vehicle in the street and has a broken hip, so she can't care for her litter. They were falling over themselves trying to get me to pick them up. They're so tiny! I can't wait to see them every day. I also spent some time with a couple of the monkeys currently in recovery--one had a bad skin problem, and the other had a broken back; they're both pretty much healed and will be released to a wildlife sanctuary soon. The third monkey has a ways to go yet, so I'm sure we'll get to know each other better.
My new monkey friends

Seeing some of the injuries sustained by these animals is really tough. Missing an eye, no hind legs, lesions on their skin--this is unfortunately normal in India. It breaks my heart to think of the pain they must have known, but at the same time I'm so happy they are in a place like this where they can get a little TLC--I'd say they've more than earned it.
This dog hasn't got any working hind legs--it's had to learn to walk on its two front ones The manager is going to Bangalore to find homes for some of the puppies, but when he returns on Wednesday he will assign me a specific task to help out with for the next few weeks. I've been told I might assist some of the sterilization surgeries (heavy on the assist--I'm definitely not a veterinarian!) which would be amazing. I got to watch my uncle do a canine splinectomy when i visited his vet clinic in Vancouver this year, and it was awesome. Why can't I be good at science? I would love to do this for the rest of my life!

If it's just feeding and playing with the animals, that's fine with me too--I've got a lot of love to give and these guys deserve it! I'm finally feeling like I'm fulfilling what I came here to do.

I'm also starting a project with the charity that I have been assigned to this week--the animal hospital is strictly volunteer. Well, I suppose they both are, but this project has been chosen for me, whereas the animals are what I do with my spare time. Hopefully I will keep learning even more this week--so far I'm on pretty good pace for a fascinating seven days.

Broadening my Nutritional Palate

Indian adventure of the day: discovered maggots in my 2nd packet of oatmeal...after I already ate the first. I guess involuntary ingestion of protein is alive and well. So am I, for the time being...

Hiking

Me at the beginning of the hike around the mountain (not pictured: the copious amount of sweat soaking through my back). Imagine stepping inside a Bikram (hot) yoga studio. Now picture doing cardio for 6 continuous hours. That was my day today. Went on a 6 hour hike. Exhausted. Will write more soon.

Feeding 5000

(Highlight of my day) Today was Samadhi Day. It is a yearly event where all the local villagers wait for hours in the hot sun to come to the compound in which we live and visit the shrine of the german doctor that founded our charity. Normally it is not accessible to the public, but once a year, we open it up so the villagers can pay their respects, receive a gift and blessing, and leave with a hot meal.

I woke up at 4 am to start my first task of cutting hundreds of flowers that would be used to decorate the Samadhi. After that, I was put on food duty, serving some kind of curried rice out of giant cauldrons. This was definitely the highlight of my day. The simplicity of the action of giving really affected me, and it's something I won't forget.

After I was relieved of duty, I took some pictures of various other activities happening simultaneously-there was a water station, a gift station, the food of course, the blessing at the Samadhi, and the entrance. That was where it got scary.

There were so many people waiting outside the gate to get in (over 5000 people showed up--that's over a thousand more than we expected), and I got to witness the mob mentality first-hand. The crowd all wanted to be first, and those that couldn't were scared they would't have their chance to get inside. Panic set in, and they started getting destructive--they ripped down the tent we had set up to shade them, including all the decorations we had worked hard on.

We were letting people in in waves. Problem was, once we opened the gates it became nearly impossible to close them again. People rushed through in such a fast current that it was really difficult to control. Kids were getting trampled, women were falling, the ropes set up to guide people on the path were rendered useless, allowing people to trample all over the gardens--it was a nightmare. This sense of entitlement was really what angered me most, though. Many of the people, once inside, skipped paying respect and simply went to collect their free gift and food. I know they all really need those things, but the least you could do is say thanks when you're already there.

Luckily, I had already done my food service in the morning, before I saw all of this, so I had a really beautiful moment. I think it would have been hard to have the same experience after having witnessed the behaviour I did later in the day. Overall, it was a beautiful day, and I got the chance to really see how many people our work affects in the surrounding area, which was really incredible.

Dodged a Bullet (and a Rat)

(view from the hike)Last night, I was supposed to go on Pradakshina (walk around the mountain, its a Hindu ritual here), but I opted out after hiking up the mountain with a bunch of kids earlier in the evening. The group that did go, including two of my close friends, were attacked. They were robbed and they were beaten. I am so rattled right now, because I was supposed to be there, too. they've told us not to go at night anymore, or in small groups--larger groups only. Combine that with the recent bombings in Mumbai, and India is becoming a rather scary place to be for the next couple of months.

***

Today we were treated to a traditional bhangra drumming session at Bhajan, which is an afternoon of music and dancing they have here weekly. The musician who was playing was totally blind, but he came up with the most incredible rhythms!

When we got back to the house, we were discussing dinner when (my roommate) screamed and jumped on the table. "RAT! There's a rat in the house!" Sure enough, I see the thing make a beeline for the bathroom. That rat was massive. No other way to put it. At least a foot long.

We locked it in the bathroom (we hope) and are now with our neighbors upstairs, figuring out what to do next. They offered for us to stay here tonight, which we gladly accepted--no chance I would be able to sleep knowing that thing was across the hall from me.

Gotta love India!

(Wild)Life in India

It feels like I'm living in an exhibit at the zoo here, I am surrounded by wildlife. A family of peacocks live in my garden, and i can hear them calling to each other. There are dogs wandering between houses, and lizards both inside and outside. (I can hear the geckos clicking at night, which means they're somewhere in my room but I don't know where. It takes some time before you trust that you're not going to wake up to one crawling on you.) We also have our share of less pleasant creatures, including spiders, scorpions, rats and ants (both of which I've had the pleasure of having inside my house already) and of course, monkeys. It really is a treat to walk through and have peacocks fanning their tails out every day. It almost feels normal at this point because it happens so much, but we all know this is not the case. In fact, I wanted to go look at the full moon on my roof last night (roofs here are flat so you can walk on them), and I went up the steps only to find a brood of peacocks sleeping there already! I wasn't about to disturb them--not yet sure how vicious they are compared to the monkeys.

Don't believe whatever Disney or Aladdin told you; monkeys in India are not cute. They're vicious, full of diseases, and will attack you. I walk everywhere with a slingshot so I can shoot them if need be. Seriously! You get a group of them blocking your way (like i did on my way down the mountain this week-I thought I was going to either die of rabies or be stranded up there) and you have to back away and hope they move along, unless you shoot them. Not to kill, but just to scare them off so they'll get out of your way.

It takes some getting used to, opening your curtains in the morning and seeing a face staring back at you through the screen, but monkeys are not shy.

Something that takes some real getting used to is the ants. They are everywhere. And they can smell food from a mile away, literally. So you have to keep all your food either in the fridge, in sealed glass containers (they'll chew through plastic) or in a dish with water underneath, since they can't swim--yet.

We left one grain of rice on the counter after dinner the first night, and there were THOUSANDS of ants the next morning. They made a steady stream through the kitchen counter and out the front door.

We had to return some groceries that our delivery man brought that we hadn't ordered, so we left them in a burlap bag on the porch. The next morning, the ants had bitten a hole through the bag, through the packaging on the cookies, and there were only crumbs left. They just swarmed the entire area. It is so disgusting, I really have to try to not lose it when this happens. I hate the way they move!

It happened again today when I left a bag of cashews in my backpack. I went to retrieve them for a snack and pulled out an ant-infested bag instead. My backpack is currently in the freezer until I can be sure they're all dead. At least they haven't come in the bedroom yet. Then I really wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I already have nightmares every time I come here of waking up to my entire body covered in ants...ahhhh I get the creeps just thinking about it!

Luckily my obsessive compulsive cleaning habits are paying off, and we've managed to minimize the infestations. It is a content battle, though, and it makes you paranoid--every time I have an itch somewhere my mind instantly assumes it's an ant and it's so much worse.

That's another thing about India-everything is bigger here. The bumblebees, the butterflies, and the insect bites (exhibit A): I have no idea what bit me but I'm still alive so it can't be that bad, right?

3 Countries, 2 Continents, 1 Travel Day

Think about it. Istanbul is straddling Europe and Asia. I'm flying to Dubai, in the Middle East. Then India. Busy day for me! Waiting to board my flight to Dubai. Hungover, tired, and stressed. Trying to leave it behind.

The plane is massive, and full of people that clearly do not know how to travel. Relax, they're not going to leave without you, and it's not a big deal whether you're the first on board.

No free wifi at the airport sucks-I'm finding it's really hit and miss and totally depends on the country. Also unaccounted for is the difficulty in finding a free socket I can charge my electronics with. At the hostel, you're barely in your room except to sleep, so I don't want to leave stuff like that out while I'm not there-it's too tempting. While I'm sleeping its the same problem-I'm afraid ill wake up to an empty charger.

So basically if i want things charged, I have to sit in my room and wait. Naturally, I'm about to board a 10 HR flight with a dead iPod and an iPad at 14%.

The flight is delayed about a half hour, which isn't too bad; I have a 2 HR layover in Dubai, so it should be fine.

I get on the plane and find my seat, which is at the very front of a section so there's no one in front of me and I have a ton of leg room. Score! As I'm unpacking and getting settled, a steward comes and asks if I would mind changing seats so a family can use the space for a basinette. Well, I would mind, but I'm not that much of a jerk so I agreed. I got a window seat and an empty one next to me, and they gave me the food being served in business class. I sipped free champagne all flight, so it worked out alright. oh, and they had a charging station in the stewards' bay, so they charged my iPad for me while i was on the flight.

We land about an hour and a half behind schedule and now I'm getting antsy. I don't know what the pilot was doing, but I did not purchase a ticket with a scenic night tour of Dubai.

We land and taxi into the plane's parking space, which is obviously the furthest point from the terminal I need to be in. There are shuttles waiting, and these took us on another half hour drive to get to the terminal. Now it's getting close.

I walk in expecting to be filtered into a separate direction for connecting flights, but everyone is being told to go the same way. I take the escalator up to see the longest line of security I have witnessed on this trip so far. Easily a two hour wait. I was faced with a moral dilemma: do i wait my turn, like a good Canadian, or do I throw the 'bows up and make something happen? I mean, everyone was in the same boat as I...

Elbows were up and I crosschecked my way through many disgruntled passengers to let security know i was going to miss my flight if I wasn't bumped to the front of the line...usually they do this for you in Europe or north America if you're catching a connecting flight, but either way I thought once I brought this to their attention I'd be sent straight through.

That would be a false assumption. He just pointed to the line and said "what do you expect me to do? They're also all waiting." that was the last straw for me-I pushed past him, threw my bag on the security belt, scooted through the scanner, and was on my way. No one stopped me, which proves the whole thing was just a disorganized disaster. Not cool, Emirates. Not cool. You WILL be hearing from me, and i do expect something to be done about this. Not the service I paid for.

I put my head down and literally sprinted to the gate for my connecting flight, which was on final call and at the very end of the terminal.

Much smaller plane, middle seat, surrounded by 3 huge Indian guys. Doesn't look like I'm getting much sleep tonight. Note to self: stop booking night flights! They make travel so much harder and tiring! Unless I were flying business class, in which case, note to future rich self: fly all night!

I really wish I had been on a direct flight from Istanbul to Chennai. This whole transfer business makes it so much tougher. Also difficult and not pictured: taking money out before I get to India. Let's hope they have ATMs by now...I remember there was a point in which they didn't have computers in their banks, and everything was kept by hand ledger.

I slept for most of the taxi ride, although we had to stop for a bathroom break at some point. The cab pulls over to this roadside stand with refreshments and says it's in there. In where? This is a shack! Yeah...We walked behind, through a metal workshop, into the sketchiest room I have ever been in in my life. Straight out of Hostel or the Saw franchise. Corrugated metal on all sides, no light, flies buzzing above the hole in the ground that was to be the toilet. GREAT. What choice did I have? Thank god I bought that roll of Charmin To Go in Shoppers before I left on my trip.

TMI? That's India for ya.

Raki and Turkish Karaoke

July 10/11I had a full day of Turkish cuisine, starting with breakfast pastries (pictured here)

followed by a Döner (pictured here).

Last night was a lot of fun. After my cruise up the Bosphorous, where I crossed over to Asia, i took the bus back to the city. The cruise was really great- just like I did in Berlin, I think it's a really great way to see a lot of the city quickly. Real estate in Istanbul is ridiculous on the water-every home was in the 20 to 30 million dollar range. Bananas.

The hostel had a BBQ on the rooftop with traditional Turkish food, which was really good--then a belly dancer came in to entertain us. It was cool--made the evening feel like we were in the middle east, even though we're still in Europe. After that, they set up water pipes, or hookah as some people call it. I don't smoke at all, but I figured if I'm ever going to try it, I should try it while I was here. Underwhelming and my throat hurt for like 3 days after. Not impressed.

Some people at the table mentioned a hostel they stayed at the night before was doing a pub crawl, so a bunch of us went over to that. It was a ton of fun--Taksim (the night district) is just buzzing at that time. We met a couple from Scotland whose room had a bedbug invasion - SO glad I wasn't staying at that hostel! A bunch of Aussies also were there, which was cool. We went to a bar with live music and the first song we hear is a cover of Ricky Martin. Glad to see they're keeping up with current charts. Then we headed to Turkish karaoke, where I tried Raki (Turkish alcohol) for the first time. So gross. Its clear but turns cloudy white when water is added.

We ended the night at an outdoor patio where we watched the sunrise, before catching a cab back to the hostel. Checking out 4 hrs later was really fun, let me tell you. (Friends from Texas who went on the pub crawl with me)

Musings on Turkey

(overlooking the Bosphorous and Asia at breakfast on the roof)

Istanbul Day 2 - July 8

When I got off the plane last night, I was walking to passport control when I saw a sign that gave me a mini-heart attack: Visas required for these countries, followed by a list that included Canada. Was my research wrong? Could I not buy one at the airport like I thought? I'm going to be stranded in a Turkish airport, what a disaster! I went up to a help desk and this wonderful young man assured me that I could indeed buy one in the airport for $60 USD, and then proceeded to walk me through directions to my hostel so I wouldn't have to pay for a taxi from the airport. He wrote his number down on the map and said to call him if I had any trouble. I didn't even get his name...

By the time I had got this all sorted out, I went to retrieve my bag, and saw an empty luggage belt that had stopped moving. Cue the heart palpitations. I've lost my luggage for the first time this trip.

I head to lost luggage to ask for some help, and this lovely young Turkish woman looked into it for me--turns out I was looking at the wrong flight from Athens. oops. We went to the proper belt and saw my bag, the lone ranger, just waiting for me to find it. Turkish people are SO nice!

I had to take a subway, transfer to a tram, then get off at Sultanahmet (near all the tourist stuff) and walk a bit. I didn't trust myself finding this place on foot at night, and didn't want to end up in a dark alley weighed down by 80 lbs of baggage, so I haggled with a taxi to take me. They said I could walk, but I'm glad I just took the car. So much easier. Plus i got to refine my bargaining skills!

The city is really unlike anything I've ever seen. You feel like you're in the middle east, but without the poverty, so it still feels like Europe, but there's so much history--the city is older than both Athens and Rome. Napoleon said that "If the Earth was a single state, Istanbul would be its capital." I can see why...

I woke up this morning still clutching my valuables, which is a good sign for safety in this new hostel. I seem to have misplaced my lock, so until I can buy another one (maybe at the Grand Bazaar), they are being carried with me at all times.

There is free breakfast included, so I headed up to the roof to enjoy some turkish coffee and whatever they eat for breakfast (cucumber, tomato, unidentified pungent cheese, unidentified meat, and bread with fake nutella). I ate in the open air, overlooking the Bosphorous and the gateway to Asia. I'm about as far east as you can possibly go in Europe.

As I was unpacking last night, I realized my aerosol sunscreen had exploded and was totally empty (thanks for the ziploc bags, Mom! My clothes are safe!) so I headed to the nearest market to buy some more. Only one problem: buying sunscreen that is good enough for my alabaster complexion is actually like the quest for the Holy Grail. The highest I've seen so far is SPF 4...

I may or may not come back with skin cancer.

Today I'm having lunch at this place near the Blue Mosque called Cafe Medusa, which had all sorts of signs outside with good reviews from the NY Times, tripadvisor, etc. So I figured I should check it out. I grabbed a table under a lemon tree, and ordered fried squash with cheese and eggplant stuffed with minced meat--hopefully it's good Turkish food! I've seen some signs for Turkish cooking classes near my hostel, so I may indulge tonight or tomorrow.

Fried squash appetizer:

Stuffed eggplant entree:

Things I still want to do here: - Hamam (turkish bath) - Sightsee the Sultans Palace, Hagia Sofia, and the Blue Mosque - Grand Bazaar - Walk over to Asia

I think Turkey is a democracy, but religion is definitely at the forefront of their society--you have to state your religion on your identification. Turkey is 98% muslim, so there are mosques everywhere. 5 times a day, people just drop everything, turn towards the sun, and perform their prayer rituals. It's quite strange seeing this happen in the middle of the sidewalk, but I guess that's part of life here. I heard it's rude to take pictures of people praying, so I refrained, otherwise I'd show you what I mean. I don't need to be thrown in Turkish prison or something, though, so I'm not about to test my luck. You can also hear the prayers being called or sung over a PA system, which gives the feeling that you aren't in Europe anymore.

I'm a few days behind in posting because the wifi at the hostel was really shady. I'll catch up in the next few days.

Traveling on Greek Time

Doing my best to look "statuesque"

Corfu Day 4/Istanbul Day 1 - July 7

When we got back from our quad adventure, some new workers had arrived at the hostel. Ben and Mitchell are friends from Baltimore who are traveling together after graduating, similar to what I'm doing. I can now confirm the legend of the Orioles fan...they do exist. And they feel our pain as Jays fans. Joe is from Brighton, England, and just about to start film school. They are all great and I'm pretty bummed we only got to spend one night together!

We all decided to head down to the beach and make a bonfire under the stars--we ended up inviting everyone who was staying at the hostel, and I think most people came. I also decided that it was a toga party, because if you're in Greece, you have to wear a toga at some point. Mada, the owner of the hostel, showed me how to tie it properly.

It was a great night, lying on the beach, looking at the stars, which were just as amazing as they were when I went midnight swimming. Our conversations turned quite philosophical, which I think is quite fitting for the setting we were in. When in Rome...

I definitely did not get up in time to rent a quad and drive 2 hours to go horseback riding at 9 am, so enjoy the 5 Euro donation for your horses, Costas! Today I flew to Istanbul. I needed to get to the airport from the hostel, but Mada said she could drive at 9 am (flight at 4 pm) or I could take the bus...(see earlier post on this subject for my views) Obviously this led me to hire a taxi. Which came 40 minutes late. It was Berlin all over again! I just need to realize greek time is a lot more fluid than in north america, especially around siesta time.

I really wanted to stop and McDonald's so I could continue my trend of having it in every city I go to, but we were so late! The cab driver understood the importance of this expedition, however, and chauffeured me to the only one in Corfu so I could try the Chicken Bacon Onioner. DELISH. He dropped me off with 20 mins to spare AND didn't charge me extra for the detour. What a guy.

I flew to Athens, then caught a connecting flight to Istanbul. I have to navigate my way to the hostel, which appears to be a bit complicated, so wish me luck...

Mitch and I

Dana and I in our togas on the beach

Exploring Corfu by Quad

The infamous quad we used to explore the island

Corfu Day 3 - July 6

Last night it was pretty quiet at the hostel, so I chatted with the staff and got to know them a bit. Sunrock is a bit of a unique place, because it's not quite a hostel, yet not quite a resort either. All the staff are backpackers from various parts of the world--some came here thinking they were WWOOF'ing (working on an organic farm) but ended up being put to work in the hostel; some came here with no money and now they can't leave bc they don't get paid, so they're stuck here indefinitely; some are just on vacation and decided it's a great way to stay somewhere for a length of time cheaply.

I met Meredith and Dana, two friends who go to Wellesley in Boston. They're the ones who thought they'd be farming. It's really interesting talking to them about college, since Wellesley is girls only.

Antony, the bartender, came here with 40 Euros in his pocket. I could never do that! He says he likes the thrill.

We spent the night watching funny youtube videos and having a dance party in the empty bar. They taught me how to Smang It; I showed them the Bernie, then gave them a tutorial in 80s jazz dancing and Double Dream Hands (youtube these immediately if you aren't familiar...you're welcome.) That led to us wandering next door to Petra, the circular club that is always empty although I have no idea why--if that was in North America, it'd be packed every night. We continued our dance party there, until the bartender asked us if we wanted drinks and we felt bad staying without buying anything, so we jazz walked out of there.

Mer and I rented a quad today--30 Euros split between us (Mer, you still owe me 6 bucks! haha) and headed into town for a quick bite to eat. I found this place that had real greek gyros for 2 Euros! So good--did you know they are supposed to come with fries inside them?...I did not. Amazing surprise.

After that, we debated buying a map of the island but decided to wing it and just drive up the coast--we can't get lost if we follow the water, right?!

We drove into Ipsos, on the east coast, which is quite different than Pelekas on the west, where the hostel is. East coast is all pebble beaches that hurt your feet--so not a fan. It made me appreciate our location that much more, even if it's kind of remote. We continued north after a little photoshoot in the water, and went all the way around the north coast of the island. We drove through tons of small towns.

What I really like about Corfu is that there are no villas or mansions anywhere--everyone's houses are similar in size. Makes you feel like there's a real sense of community here, since everyone's in the same boat. I think it has something to do with the fact that foreigners can't buy beachfront property in greece--it's required to stay public by law (or so I'm told). That means the best locations for these villas are unattainable, and probably why there aren't any estates.

We drove for about 4 hours in the sunshine, the sea on one side, and picturesque hills on the other. The scenery here really is spectacular. We stumbled upon on of the horse trekking places I had researched online and were going to stop for a ride, but they were 2 hours, we were at least that far from home, and Mer had to work that night, so no dice. I booked a ride for tomorrow though, and left him a 5 euro deposit.

We wound our way through the mountains, and began to look for signs pointing us toward home...after an 8 km detour, we were just starting to come down from the hills when I hear the engine sputter. Next thing I know, we've lost power entirely.

Luckily, we were at the top of a lengthy cutback, so we coasted for almost 4 km without the motor, waving motorists around us. As soon as we hit flat ground, though, we had to get a running start before trying to get it going again. It felt like that scene in Little Miss Sunshine where their VW van won't start unless they get it going on foot and then hop in--that was us on this mountain.

We finally found a gas station and realized we were out of oil (the engine was a gas/oil combo). Okay, no problem, we'll just buy some more and we should be fine. That's true...if we knew where the oil tank was. Imagine 2 girls at a greek gas station, trying to communicate this to the attendant who speaks zero english. I finally got under the bike like a mechanic and figured it out. Yes, me. Under a bike. Getting my hands dirty.

I felt pretty handy until the bike died again, a couple of kms down the road. Shit. We kept coasting for a while, just hoping the engine had maybe overheated, and laughed at our misfortune--we were half lost with a faulty quad, no idea where we were going or what was wrong.

We finally found some signs pointing us toward town, and were on our way, until the quad decided to die again. In the middle of the highway. For real. We had to get off and push it into a nearby parking lot!

All this was exhausting so we headed across the road to the supermarket to grab some snacks--did you know Greece is the only country other than Canada that I've seen carry ketchup flavoured chips?!

The worker at the cash was really nice-he drove his car over to our quad and tried to boost the battery with jumper cables, to no avail. Then he called the company we rented it from and spoke to them in greek, finally convincing them to send someone to rescue us. We were 3 km outside town and about 25 from the hostel.

The guy arrives after a lengthy wait, and replaces a part (spark plug maybe? I got my mechanic's diploma earlier in the day, I'm pretty much an expert now), then drives off and leaves us there!

Luckily, the bike was working, so we get on and follow the signs back to the city centre, so we can go home the way we came. That is, if we remembered which way that was. We literally tried every single branch that came off this roundabout and none of them were right. This includes several roads that stopped being 2 ways for everyone except me...leaving us stranded in the middle of an intersection with greek people yelling at us that we're going the wrong way...thanks, Captain Obvious, but I think the stream of cars coming directly towards me gave that one away. Doesnt mean i can do anything about it! Then a squad of cops drove by on motorbikes. GREAT. I was sure I was going to get a ticket, but they more or less just laughed at these two girls who were clearly hopeless and foreign.

The very last street that we tried was finally the right one...after the 8th time around the roundabout we were on our way. It literally took us an extra hour to get home, but we made it just as the sun was setting, in time for dinner!

I had a fantastic time getting stranded in Greece with a new friend. Lesson learned though: cough up the extra Euro and buy the damn map.

Meredith and me exploring Corfu

Steep learning curve in Planning.

I originally booked 3 days in Istanbul before my flight to India via Dubai, but realized after I hadn't factored in travel time. I changed my reservation in Istanbul to 2 nights, booked a night in Thessaloniki and thought I would be fine. Take the ferry to the mainland from Corfu, bus to Thessaloniki, and train the next day to Istanbul. Apparently due to Greece's financial troubles, that train has been suspended indefinitely from service. Now I have an extra night that I have to fill, another deposit I'll lose because I don't want to go to Thessaloniki anymore if I'm not taking the train, and I have to find a flight. I didn't fly in the first place because there are no direct flights from Corfu to Istanbul, so I have to connect in either Athens, Vienna or Stuttgart, making the trip minimum 4 hrs of flying.

In short, planning fail. But how could I know? I'm off to find a flight from Corfu instead, and see if Istanbul will give me back 3 nights. Ugh what a disaster...this is one time where I'm glad I'm traveling alone, because I'm pretty sure whoever I would travel with would want to shoot me right about now.

Corfooooood

Corfu Day 2 - July 5 That damn bus almost killed me. Well, the walk to the bus almost killed me. "Yeah it's just up the road a bit, leave about 20 minutes before and you'll be fine," said the bartender. I thought that's not too bad, a nice stroll will be great, I can take some pictures, just gravy.

NOT THE CASE.

I literally scaled a MOUNTAIN for 30 minutes, in 35 degree heat, in flip flops. Never again. I'm dreading going down when the bus drops me off...

I run about 8k most days, and I was struggling after about 30 seconds of this crap. Screw the view, tomorrow I am renting a scooter. Now I know why everyone in Corfu has amazing beach bodies.

I walked to the Old Port when I got here, and found a cafe so I could try some traditional greek food--this is one of the cuisines I've been most excited to try! Tons of tavernas along the shore, but I found one with a particularly spectacular view, and was family-run so I'm hoping it's not TOO touristy. I like trying to find traditional restaurants in which to try traditional food...versus the Pizza Hut I passed on the boardwalk. I had greek salad, which was light and fresh, with huge pieces of feta, and souvlaki--I'm very satisfied. It's so nice to just sit by yourself sometimes and admire what's in front of you (in my case, this ridiculous view). Still on the greek food list to try while I'm here: Gyro, Moussaka, and Calamari.

I have to try and navigate my way back to the bus stop (remember how that went for me in Berlin?), and then I'll probably hit the beach for a few hours before dinner.

There's a nude beach that has special mud that's supposed to be amazingly good for your skin, but I'm not sure I'm going to be that adventurous...YET. I still have 2 days here so you never know.

My Real Greek Salad

Souvlaki

Unidentified sweet treat I was brought after my meal...baclava? Part of Corfu's Old Town

Cor-fun In The Sun

corfu from the plane Corfu Day 1 - July 4

Happy Independence Day! In other pointless exclamations, Corfu. is. beautiful. I had a window seat on the plane, and I just stared out the window the entire time because I couldn't believe I was actually going there (side note: the coast of Albania is amazing, highly recommend checking that out on a future trip).

I touched down to sun and beautiful scenery, and am so glad I picked this over Romania! I was thinking of continuing east because that's the easiest way for me to get to Istanbul, but I just realized, this is my trip, I can do whatever I want, and I want to go to places that I'm excited about, not just going for the sake of going.

The hostel I booked offers free pick ups from the airport, which I gladly accepted -- even though I had to wait an hour for her to show up. I'm glad I waited though, as taxis to the hostel are about 50 Euros. Welcome back to "Western Europe", Katy.

The hostel is family owned and run, like the last one, but it's pretty remote, so it operates almost more like a resort--breakfast and dinner are included, and there's a bar in there too. It's kind of weird though, because this is also where the family lives, so you'll be at the bar and then turn around and one of her kids is watching tv in the living room.

The room is very small, although coming from our last hostel (18 foot ceilings) I guess I'm kind of spoiled. Reality check. It's also kind of sketchy security-wise...there's an old key to my room, that I share with one other person, and that's it. No locker or anything. So I've been carrying all my valuables around with me because I don't trust it in the room.

The location is definitely why people go here. The views are just breathtaking, and there's a patio that you can sit in with unobstructed views of the Ionian Sea in every direction. It's so beautiful it's surreal.

I quickly changed and headed down to the beach where all these lounge chairs were scattered. I found an empty one and laid out, basking in the Greek sun and feeling like a million bucks until I hear a voice. "You pay?" I'm thinking what is this? "You pay," he repeated. Ummmm no? "Then you leave." Apparently the chairs cost money, something my hostel neglected to mention! Screw that, I packed up and took it as a sign that I shouldn't be baking myself any longer.

Tonight, I just hung out at the bar and chatted with the staff a bit--there's not too many people staying here, so tables were eventually pulled together and I met a couple from England and 2 people traveling together from Perth, Australia. They were really great, but they left the next morning :(

At about 3 am, we decided to run down to the beach and go for a late night dip in the Sea. It was one of the best moments of my trip. All you can see is the water, and this massive canopy of stars everywhere you look, because there was no moon. I just remember opening my arms, looking up, and thinking, 'Life is amazing.' I really hope everyone experiences a moment like that at some point..it's hard to describe but you'll know when it happens.

After about 10 seconds we realized how cold we were and ran up to the hotel on the beach and crashed their pool so we could warm up...sorry if you were staying there. But you're not using the pool at 3 am anyway.

Tomorrow I'm going to take the bus into town (about 30 min) and explore a bit--I want to go horseback riding, parasailing, and rent a quad to see the rest of the island at some point, so today is my time for relaxation.

Depressing (Buda)Pest

Walking with Mr. Reagan in Pest Budapest Day 3 - July 3

This morning, we woke up in time for a 10:30 am walking tour of Pest, the other city that makes up Budapest (on the other side of the Danube). It is 3 times bigger than Buda. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the town, as her family has lived here her whole life. She explained a lot about the city's history, and it basically sounded like Budapest has had the short end of the stick for most of its history. Occupied by the Ottoman Empire, by the Austrian Hapsburgs, then the Nazis, then communism...they've only been a republic since 1989, so this is a fairly new stage, which probably explains some of the massive hyperinflation I mentioned earlier. Hungary is part of the EU, but I don't think they'll be allowed to switch to the Euro until they can pay off some of the 22billion they owe the IMF...Greece part 2, no thanks.

It was definitely not as exciting, visually, as the tour of Buda--but there's just not as much to see on the other side. Lots of communist monuments and buildings you can see bullet holes.

I think that's why I'm not a huge fan of the city--it's pretty, but instead of walking the streets and thinking about how beautiful life in the city must've been at the time these buildings were built (like I did in Vienna), I just think about all the terrible things this city has seen. Kind of depressing!

It's also caught me off guard how poor people are here. I expect it in some place like India or southeast Asia, but this is Europe! Our guide said the average salary is 150,000 Forints. A YEAR. That's less than 800 dollars. Shocking.

On the bright side, this means that Hungary is dirt cheap. We bought tall cans of beer for 89 Forints...which is about 75 cents Canadian.

Tonight, we went to a place recommended by our guide to try traditional Hungarian food, called Castro Bistro. We tried to order the layered potato dish she said we should try, but they were out! So instead, I had Hungarian pasta (which basically was pierogies with bacon, sour cream, and onions, except with pasta) and goulash. Hungarian food is HEAVY. We definitely had some serious food comas to deal with after that meal.

Tomorrow, I'm hopping a flight to the northernmost island in Greece, Corfu. Our hostel owner said he'd drive me to the airport which is awesome, because apparently I would otherwise be navigating 2 subways, a tram, a bus, and a km walk. Can't wait for some sun! Hungary has been way too cold for me in July.

My Hungarian feast!

Bed at Sunrise

Budapest Day 2 - July 2

After our epic night on the town, we dragged ourself out of bed at the crack of noon just in time to grab a quick bite at the BK Lounge (note to self: stop eating fast food. Note to the world: stop making it so much cheaper than anything else...this is why you're fat, America) before heading to the walking tour of Buda.

Jamie and John introduced me to this concept...basically all the hostels advertise free walking tours. You show up at the meeting point at the designated time, and don't pay a cent to be shown the city sights. All they ask is that if you like the tour, you tip the guide at the end. I think this is a great bargain for travelers on a budget, and allows you to get a real feel for the city from someone who cares if you get something out of the tour. You might even learn a few things guidebooks won't tell you.

Our guide, Tomi, spoke the most fluent English I've heard in Hungary so far. We chatted a bit and found out he's a student at the university in Budapest and also studied political science, like me.

He took us down by the river, across the Chain Bridge, up to the castle, parliament, and the Fisherman's Bastion. We learned that Katy Perry shot her music video for "Firework" at this castle, and that Buda is mainly residential. We also discovered that the city has a lively history, being destroyed and rebuilt numerous times, whether it was flood, plague, or war that wiped the city out. One of the Hapsburg descendants even occupied the castle for a while--was neat to understand that after having just visited Schonnbrunn a few days earlier.

The fisherman's bastion is GORGEOUS- I have seen it quite a few times on travel photography sites, and it does not disappoint. It was really full of people, but I saw a wedding party doing their pictures there, and I can imagine that it is just magical when devoid of crowds.

After the tour, Tomi took a few of us from the tour to this little hole in the wall place (literally--it was a shop built into the walls of one of the gates in the city) that had fresh baked strudel, a Hungarian treat. I watched my cherry strudel being taken out of the oven...it doesn't get better than that. So yummy!

We walked down the street to a local grocery store and picked up some supplies. I made dinner (penne with homemade bolognaise sauce--I added zucchini, onion, peppers, tomatoes, and lots of garlic to a store-bought sauce; salad to complement) and we had a hearty meal at the hostel.

We're pretty pooched from last night so we didn't do much tonight--sometimes it's nice to just relax for a bit.

I booked my next destination (it's a surprise...I know you're dying to hear where in the world I'm going next!), but other than that it's early to bed, and up for a walking tour of Pest. That's all for now! Gonna go try to catch some Zzz's, but between it being Saturday night, 2 pubs outside our window, and Jamie's tendency to sleep on his back, it's looking like an earplug night is in order.

Hungarian Hyperinflation

Budapest Day 1 - July 1 Happy Canada Day! I wore my t-shirt with the flag on it during our travel day in honor of the occasion (thanks, Beacon Hall!).

We checked out of the hostel in Vienna and caught an 11:54 train to Budapest, which took about 3 hours. This was my first train ride of the trip, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was reasonably priced, compared to flying, even without a Eurail Pass- I paid 36 Euros. We arrived at Keleti station at 3 pm and were immediately greeted by several men and old ladies consecutively asking us if we needed a nice hostel...ummm so you can lock me in your dungeon or watch me while I sleep? No thanks.

Nothing is in English, and no one speaks English here. It's quite overwhelming, this is the first Country I've been in where nobody speaks my language and I don't know any of theirs. We managed to figure out which way the exit was, amid other travelers clutching their belongings tight--Keleti confirmed earlier comments that theft is common in Eastern Europe. I was not getting a good vibe from this place, even though I was trying really hard to like it.

We found a bank and withdrew about 200 dollars each...which translated to 40,000 Forints. Gotta love that inflation. Really confirming eastern european stereotypes. Necessary ballin' photo included:

We navigate the subway, which is indicated by a rough sketch on a piece of plywood with an arrow...yeah, Im feeling great about this place so far. A one-way fare costs 320, but all we have are 10,000 notes. which the ticket lady and the machine both will not take. I guess the bank likes to get rid of them so they spit them out of the ATM at tourists like us to deal with. It took a trip to an exchange booth and a stop at McDonalds before we had proper denominations of Forints that were usable.

Speaking of. I have had McD's in every city so far, and this may become a tradition--not gonna lie, it's kind of fun to try the local specialty, it's dirt cheap, and you probably won't die from eating it. Although the security guard standing at the door didn't do my sense of security any favors. Is this a target for tourists here? Can I trust you with my life here, Ronald?

We finally found the hostel, which is essentially a 3-bedroom apartment. Really nice. And so different than our last hostel. This is family-owned; they did our laundry for us! And they only staff reception from about 9-5. The rest of the time, we're on our own. There are no locks on the doors, but we have codes to the gates and outer doors. Interestingly enough, I actually feel like my stuff is safer here than in Vienna, I guess I trust this family? May be a terrible life decision, so I'm still being careful and using the locker provided.

So. After we check in, we relax for a bit before getting ready to meet up with some guys from Manchester that the boys had met earlier on their trip. They're in Budapest at the same time but in a different hostel. We trekked over to their hostel (which was like a mexican cantina party--salsa lessons, a pool, and a cabana bar full of goth locals--such a weird and random combination!) and hung out there from about 10 pm til 1:30 am.

Then we hit the club. This place, INSTANT, had 6 bars and 23 rooms. No cover charge, and beer was 350 Forints. The exchange rate is 189:1. So less than 2 bucks for a pint? Don't mind if I do!

We headed down the stairs and emerged in an underground cavern that used to be an old wine cellar. In Budapest many of the bars are "ruin pubs", old ruins that have been converted into popular night spots. It's hard to describe the feeling that came with being in a place like that, knowing its age and history in those walls, seeing the scene of writhing bodies in front of me, just completely lost in the music of the DJ, knowing how lucky I am to be here, experiencing moments like this. It was just a fleeting feeling, but those are why I am on this trip. That's what I seek.

We explored the rest of the club, which included a top 40 room, a bar with seating, and plenty of random alcoves, but the underground techno extravaganza was definitely the highlight. Even the DJ was getting pumped just looking at how much the crowd was into the moment.

We danced til the sun came up...it was about 6:30 am by the time we hit the sack.

Today we are going on a walking tour of Buda (Fun fact, Budapest is actually 2 cities separated by the Danube River--Buda, and Pest).

Also, random observation: public washrooms in Hungary are not fans of toilet paper. Another strike against Eastern Europe. Thank god for Shopper's travel section--I knew that roll would come in handy.

Wienerschnitzel and the Opera: Traditional Vienna

Vienna Day 3 - Thurs 30 Today was our 2nd day in Vienna for sightseeing, so we had breakfast in the hostel and headed out to Schonnbrunn Palace, another Hapsburg Dynasty creation.

This palace was originally a summer hunting lodge for the royal family, but it was equally impressive to the first place we saw. We did the Grand Tour which was $9.50 Euros (student discount) and included 25 rooms. There was a 40 room tour for 13.50 but we decided the smaller tour was enough. The preservation of the palace was incredible--they have restored everything perfectly, so it really feels like you're seeing what life was like back then.

I didn't realize Marie Antoinette and Archduke Franz Ferdinand were descendants of the Hapsburg dynasty. I read on Wikipedia that the dynasty ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire for 6 centuries, until incest and inbreeding eventually wiped the line out completely. Fun Fact about the royals.

After the tour, we headed around the palace to the back gardens, where I'm assuming the hunting happened. The grounds were massive, yet perfectly manicured. There were extensive gardens, with a hill at the back, which we climbed. At the top you could look out and see all of Vienna--great view.

By that point it was about 2:30 so it was time to head back to the hostel and get ready to hit the Opera (after a quick pit stop at McDonald's, of course). We heard you can get standing room only tickets for under 5 Euros, but you have to go really early and wait in line. Since tonight was the last performance of the opera before they go on hiatus for the summer, we expected it to be packed, and we were right. Luckily we planned for this, and went 3 hours early to wait in line--there were about 25 people in front of us. It's a good thing we dressed up a bit too; people were getting turned away at the doors for wearing shorts (apparently t-shirts were fine..I was not impressed though. You look like a tourist, not someone who belongs at the opera. I always dress up to go to the symphony or the ballet, it's almost like a sign of respect to the performance. So I wore my birthday dress and felt like I belonged.)

We finally bought our tickets and headed into the theatre, where there were several rows of steps where you stand and tie a scarf or something on a railing in front of you to mark your place; they really cram you in there, but people are pretty respectful of the place you marked.

The performance started, and it was Katja (......), which I had never heard of. I was kind of hoping for something traditional like Die Zauberfloete, so some of the melodies I heard my mom singing as a child would be familiar, but no dice. This was a really confusing story in Russian, so I was glad they had the words (in English) on little screens where we were standing. The opera was about a married Russian woman who has an affair, feels guilty and spills the beans, then kills herself. Also included: Monster-in-law mother who practices S&M on the side, and unlikeable main character. The singing was fantastic, though. Kind of balanced out the strange story we witnessed.

We exited the theatre to weather 15 degrees colder than when we entered. After that, we figured we'd give our quest for TRUE Wienerschnitzel one more shot. John caved and had pizza, but Jamie and I held out, and boy were we glad we did. We were basically wandering the streets of Vienna looking for any place that had the traditional dish for under 15 Euros (we saw a few places in the 20 E range, no thanks. I'm not paying more for my meal than my accommodations), and we found this place that was in the basement of a building. Kind of sketchy, but we were starving so we thought let's give it a shot. We headed down 3 flights of stairs into this dungeon with a vaulted ceiling and discovered it had been a restaurant since 1591, pretty cool. Our schnitzel came and it was DELICIOUS. I devoured mine, my salad, and Jamie's too. He had a tougher time finishing but he made a valiant effort.

So. Traditional Viennese cuisine can be checked off my list. I didn't get to a dance class, but I did waltz on the subway, so I'm going to count that.

Tomorrow is Canada Day, and we're catching a train to Budapest, Hungary. Sad I'm missing the fireworks, so I'm repping my Canada t-shirt on the train today. Will be interesting to see how we fare in a country that speaks broken English at best, and we don't know a single word of Hungarian. Yikes.

I Brought Too Much Stuff.

In other obvious news of the day...

But seriously. I can't find my adapter that lets me put pictures from my camera onto my iPad. So it may be a while before you get to see photos in my blog posts. But I'll be sure to let you know if and when this changes. For now I'll just have to articulate a picture for you. Like a real writer. Shakespeare! How old school.