Location: Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), India. Date: 27/04/2010

Jared says: We are currently stuck in Trivandrum. After originally only planning on being here one night it is gonna be a three night stay in a city the LP suggests is only a gateway for most tourists to enter he rest of the state and that if you do stay you should be able to find enough sights to entertain you for a day. We originally came here with the goal of doing a bit of shopping, as it is the capital of Kerala with a population of about 1million people. Our first mistake was arriving on a Sunday and, although the city was still a buzz of activity, a number of the shops were closed. No problems we thought, one extra day won’t hurt, we aren’t staying in the worst hotel. So yesterday (Monday) we headed to the Big Bazaar shopping centre and managed to get the majority of clothes and toiletry options we were after (although it was a struggle to find a shirt to fit over my comparatively large frame, with the biggest XXL size only just doing the trick). Mission successful though and after a good night sleep we were all ready to head off this morning to a bit more tropical R&R at the resort town of Varkala. I headed off to go buy a couple more things we had thought of and walked down onto the road to discover that everything was closed. After asking the security guard at the hotel I managed to ascertain there was some sort of strike on. So I headed back to tell Tess and after perusing the news channels we worked out there was a national Bandh in place. This is a call from the opposition political party for everyone to go on strike, on this occasion in protest of rapidly increasing costs. Numerous planes, trains and other forms of transport have been cancelled nationwide and in some states where they have been running protesters have blocked them or beaten people using the services. We quickly decided we will not be leaving today and after talking to the hotel staff we have been told it should all be back to normal tomorrow. I have been for a quick walk around and it is a little eerie, as there are a few people about, but compared to the madness that we have seen the previous two days here you could almost call it a ghost town.
As a city Trivandrum is a mix of new and old. When you walk the streets in the space of a hundred metres you can go from stately government buildings, to dilapidated markets selling everything from raw meat to fine silk, and then a shopping centre like the bazaar where you would find most things common to a western department store. As an introduction to an Indian city I think it is a good one, although on a lot smaller scale to what we are likely to encounter in the likes of Mumbai. There is the odd westerner around, although they are few and far between, and English is not the common communication tool it was in Kovalam, although we have managed to get our point across on most occasions. Hopefully tomorrow we will be out of the city and back to the beach, where the only things we will need to communicate is Dosa Masala (for breakfast of course) or “another beer please”.

Tessa Says: We left the sanctuary of Kovallam in a different sort of style than we arrived – the local bus. At only 9 rupee each (about 30 nz cents) it was a steal, especially when the alternative was dangerously fast driving taxi at 450 rupee.
Once we arrived we wandered the streets to find a hotel and managed to settle on a “semi-deluxe” (ordinary) double room, which is about the size of an average London unit minus the kitchen. Taking to the streets in search of some bargains we were surprised to find most of the shops closed, it seems Trivandrumiams observe Sunday as a holy day. So we strolled up to the zoological gardens, even in the 30 + degree heat people were out for their evening jog. Some children would stare wide-eyed in awe of what I can only guess as mine and Jareds bizarre western appearance.
The following day we went shopping and I bought myself a Salwar Kameez which is a Indian style tunic top that is worn over pants, feeling happy with my purchases and that I would now stick out less we strolled out of the Big Bazaar only for me to be groped on the boob by a sleazy Indian man. I was fore-warned that this may happen though it did come as a shock, especially seeing I was wearing a baggy old t-shirt!
Waking up this morning we were all set to leave this hot little town and move back to the coast, but alas the lack of transport because of the nation-wide strike has slowed down our travel plans. We have spent the day ordering room-service and watching HBO and StarMovies.

Accomo: Highland Hotel, 1250 Rp double room. ***

Eats: City Queen Pure Vegetarian Restaurant (Thali, Dosa Masala) ***1/2


Highland Hotel Room Service (Dosa Masala, Fish Thali, Pakora) ***

Location: Kovallam, India. Date: 25/04/2010

Tessa Says: We hopped off the plane to be greeted by a wave of heat, but it definitely wasn’t 40 degrees which was a relief. Passport control and customs was a breeze to go through and was our first taste of being the only westerners in a crowd of thousands. Our taxi driver was waiting with our name on a sign and we rolled away in style with dark tinted windows and air con.

Peering out the window my first sights were of dirt roads, Indian men with sarong bottoms, women wearing beautiful colourful saris and livestock on the side of the road. Not too sure what to expect we arrived at the resort, and were taken up to our room which was clean and modern (we have a flat screen TV!). The best bit by far being a stunning view of the hill side covered in palm trees and a view of a light house and the sea.

We have spent the last two days catching up on sleep, eating well and checking out the beachside shops and stalls. Where I have located myself a new pair of bottoms, that were a little more “fisherman” style than what I wanted but are breezy to wear.

We have decided after much advice from other travelers to India the best way to ease our way into Indian eating will be to stay vegetarian for the first two or so weeks (I might just stay vegetarian the whole time!), though Jared is confident his iron belly will be ready for some meat soon. To eat vegetarian here does not seem in anyway to limit the choices, with a larger proportion of the southern population being vegetarian, the options are just as extensive, if not more so than for meat eaters. And it is delicious!

Jared says: The heat is far from oppressive and maybe not even as intense as KL, which was always the most worrying aspect. Although, I am sure the sea breeze definitely helps, and the fact we have had air con to come back to after walking up the 100 or so steps to our hotel from the beach has been a definite relief. Beach-wise Kovalam is pretty but not quite the tropical paradise that some of the Thai beaches I have been to are. Also due to the time of year the water is rather rough and quite uninviting to venture into for a dip. The travel guides all warn of Kovalam being over-developed and a bit of a tourist trap, but we haven’t found it so. There are definitely numerous resorts, especially on the beach front, but where we are located everything is hidden below the swathes of coconut palms so it still maintains a rural seaside feel. People-wise, because we are here out of ‘season’ the place is rather empty, with us being one of only two couples in our resort that probably has about 30-40 rooms. On the beach there are always a handful of westerners and a few local Indian tourists, but most of the beachside restaurants and bars only have a couple of tables full at peak dinner time. After speaking to one of local restaurant workers, an older guy who has been here 30 years, we were advised it had been one of the worst ‘seasons’ in years, as they have cancelled the flight from Europe that usually brings a good majority of the wealthier level of tourist to the area. Now that it is out of ‘season’ it is quieter than ever. Worrying times for the locals I imagine, probably brought about by the touted over-development that is meaning people are searching out new, more natural and isolated destinations.

The food so far has been delicious, with all Indian meals we have had beating pretty much anything you get in the West. The Kingfisher beers have been going down a treat, though they aren’t the cheapest, at about $3 for a longneck on the beach front. They aren’t the premium version of Kingfisher that is imported, but a more hoppsy tasting version that properly chilled is plenty refreshing enough for me.

Kovalam is the relaxing resort type town that you could easily spend weeks laxing by the beach and sampling the local delights, but we got plenty more places to see in this country so we’re gonna head to Trivandrum now. Again it is a little daunting as it is the capital of Kerala and sounds like a bit of an urban jungle, but the LP (Lonely Planet guidebook), recommends a few sights to see and we have a few things we want to buy that we hope will be a bit cheaper than the over inflated beach prices we imagine we are paying here. First impressions of India: a big O for awesome.

Accommo: Hill and Sea View Resort $50nz Double Room (left) ****

Eats: Hill and Sea View Resort (Toast, Omelet, Dosa Masala, Vegetable Briyani) ***

Lonely Planet Pure Vegetarian Restaurant (Pakora, Samosa, Garlic Naan, Aloo Gobi – Potato Cauliflower Curry, Mushroom and Cottage Cheese Butter Curry) ***1/2

Location: 38,000 feet above Sri Lanka. Destination: Thiruvananthapuram, India. Date: 23 April 2010

Jared Says: Back in the air again and another great opportunity to do some writing. Hopefully it won’t only be when we’re flying that we get time to update this thing, cause once we hit India it could be a few months to our next flight. KL was even more enjoyable than last time we were there, I think cause my asian country virginity had gone and I was far more relaxed about the whole place. Our hotel was right smack in the middle of Chinatown, so when you walked out the door you were immediately greeted but a mild attack on the senses, with an array of smells, noises, sights and people you just don’t encounter in the western world, and I thoroughly loved it. Our first nights dinner was at one of the local Chinese eateries, where we had an average Hokkien Mee and some tasty chilli fried squid, definitely the sort of place where there are so many options on the menu it always gonna be a bit hit and miss whether you get something the chef knows how cook well or not. That’s why in China town if you find something you like it’s worth sticking to the same restaurant, as the one next door might have the same menu but do it in a completely different way. Dinner was about all we could muster on the first night after a long day of flying, so the rest of the evening was spent chilling in our hotel room. We even managed to go without aircon for a good part of the night, even though the outside temp was probably sitting around the 30 mark.
Our next day was one of fun catch ups and more eating and even a little drinking. We managed to find a great little roti store for brekkie and managed to put away a dosai each, along with one roti canai and a banana roti. All absolutely delish and with drinks included we spend the grand sum of 7 ringits (about 3NZD). For those who don’t know, roti and dosai are both Indian style fried breads that come with curry dipping sauces, so it was another spicy brekkie second day in a row. After that we caught up with Tess’s mate Liz and her boyfiend Liam and did a bit of Chinatown cruising with them, which included some good satay at the Chinese food pavilion and a number of carlsbergs at the overly priced but super popular Reggae bar. (above)
For our evening we headed to Bangsar to catch up with my friend Jolene who took us to her favourite Indian restaurant, not thinking about the fact we were heading to India the next day and will be eating Indian food for a couple of months. No complaints though, the food was great and sets the benchmark for all Indian food to come. Of particular note was the green chicken that Jo and her friend Louise had, almost fluorescent in colour, it had milder level of spice to the ring-burning chicken tikka that I sweated my way enjoyably through. After this we sped back to Chinatown, cause that is the only way Malaysian taxidrivers do it, as fast as they can if the traffic allows. It had to be an early night for us, as we were up at 2.30am to head to airport.
Some of the things that stuck out for me about KL were:
The airports (LCCT in particular) is a good 100km from the city so well worth allowing for this if doing any quick stopovers or flights at crazy hours
Malyasia is known for the quality of food, and there are plenty of options, but getting actual Malay meals, opposed to Chinese or Indian, is not that easy, especially in Chinatown.
KL is a great entry city for first time visitors to Asia as it is a good combination of west v Asia, you can easily get by on English and if you look hard enough you can find any creature comfort from home.
Malyasians are very techno savvy and wifi access here is far more available than anywhere in NZ or Aus.
Beer is bloody expensive in KL, though I knew that from last time.


Tessa says: Roti, roti, roti, I love roti.

Kuala Lumpur has yet again delivered a gastronomic delight!

As far as my objectives went, I met a BIG fat ZERO. However that’s not to say I didn’t have a rocking time. Caught up with Liz and Liam where we perused the chinatown market. Surprisingly Liz and I were much refrained from splurging our hard earned mulah on Chinatown trinkets. Liz has become a dab hand at bargaining though and gave some great tips – start at 10 – 20% of offered price and go from there.

Now I am really struggling to get some “bottoms", of course Malaysia had mostly Asian sized clothes meaning there was nothing that would be able to stretch across my ample western booty unless I wanted to strut the latest style fisherman pant which kinda looks like a hippified version of a MC Hammer pant. I will rock that as a last resort.

The heat was most noticeable when we first got off the plane from the Gold Coast, Jared decided to yell out “how refreshing!” which only got a few odd stares. Only another hour before we land on Indian soil, I think I heard the pilot say it was 40 degrees and we arrive at 740am! Jared didn’t hear the pilot say that though, so we will just have to wait and see.



Accomo: D'Oriental Inn, China Town, Kuala Lumpur *** $35 a night double room.



Eats: China Town Pavillion (satay chicken, and deep fried dumpling) **

Indian diner, round the corner from China Town (roti canai, roti banana, dosa) ****

McDonalds China Town (Big Mac) - the same as anywhere

Location: 38,000 Feet above Australia, destination Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Date: 21st April 2010

Tessa Says: I’m such a pansy when it comes to flying. Upon arrival to the airport I was convinced that I was getting kidney stones, I had this bright spark of an idea due to just recently emerging from hospital with debris in my gall bladder. I some how figured that the debris had moved down into my kidneys and I was due for another nasty shock. Jared’s helped me to come to the conclusion now 1 hour into the flight that it was just my usual psychosomatic conundrum I find myself in. There are no kidney stones. The anxiety has somewhat subsided and we are now enjoying our one and only Air Asia meal for our 8 and a half hour flight. Chicken Rendang and a small bottle of water. (see photo) I’m feeling pretty good, my objectives for KL are to find a pair of pants as I currently only have one pair of “bottoms” in our ridiculous light luggage, and hopefully if my energy permits, go to a THEME PARK!

Jared Says: After a restless night’s sleep in our Gold Coast motel it is bloody good to be finely on our way. Coolangatta itself was a quick and painless experience as we were only there for 12 hours and stayed about 1km from the airport. The highlight had to be the “Surf and Turf” meal I had for dinner at the local surf club, although catching up with my aunt was also good and will be real nice to hang out with her more on our return to Brissy. So, although, we were only 10 mins walk to the airport we had to get a taxi there, cause it was raining, in Queensland. Talking to the taxi driver I was informed that there had only been 11 dry days in the last three months in the Gold Coast, so I was super stoked to inform him that in Whangarei we had probably had less than 11 days of rain in the last three months, although I shouldn’t be so smug, when it is Qld that we will be returning to. Although the weather wasn’t too flash it was a smooth take-off and apart from the usual potential broken fingers (from Tess squeezing my hand so tight), we are in the air on a relatively quiet, not too busy flight. Our first curry for breakfast (chicken rendang) had a bit of a 3 minute microwave meal feel to it, but was spicy enough to keep me happy before the real delights begin once we hit KL. Looking out the plane window I cant help but think, “Damn, Aussie has a lot of open land. Why can’t they do more with it all? Is it that much hotter or arid than India?” We will see.

Accommodation: Golden Shores Motel, Coolangatta. $100 per night for a nice double room. (April 20). ****

Eats: Chicken rendang on Air Asia **