During our India trip, we took some time out (travelling around India does feel like a job sometimes!) to see some of Nepal. Poor, rugged, stunningly beautiful, Nepal has been one of my favourite spots ever. We spent time in the ancient capital of Kathmandu just soaking it all up. What a city! I can't think of any place like it. Tiny cobbled streets lead you to an ancient temple so crusted in incense that it's hard to make out at first. Pretty girls sway past in brightly coloured saris. Cows sit calmly ignoring the honking traffic as people surge past them without ruffling them in any way. All of this is watched over by huge mountains towering away in the distance, surrounding the city in a natural fortress.
We only spent about a month there. We didn't go on any hikes into the mountains (I stupidly only had sandals) but there's still so many things to see. It's a place where you can get a beer, sit by a lake and just take it easy. I loved it. Despite being poor, the people aren't as desperate as they are in India. I have no reasons as to why this can be. Naively, I thought it might be because of the natural beauty of the place. There was a lot more greenary than India, plus you are never really far away from the ever-present mountains. Who knows?
If I have time, I will go back for sure. Maybe this time climb a mountain or two? I'm counting the days!
Friday 6 March 2009
India
Inbetween VSO placements (Maldives and Guyana) I took some time out to go travelling around India and Nepal. I managed to squeeze some time in Sri Lanka as well. All three are excellent countries for travelling. Very cheap, you don't need a lot of kit due to the weather and so much to see. They are also quite hard places to travel. India has to be one of the craziest places I've ever been. There were times when I wanted to just pack up and leave but I'm glad I didn't. I had an awesome time getting around, it made me so much more confident in myself and I saw so many odd things!
My mate and I took off in February. We didn't have much of an idea of where to go other than the obvious Delhi, Agra settings so we thought we would just see what happened. In about 6 months we'd managed to get around a fair bit of the country and managed to have some well deserved breaks in Nepal and Sri Lanka to boot!
The country is hot most of the time, unless you head into the hills. Near the end of our trip we headed north to escape the heat of Delhi and were surprised when it snowed! Anyway, the heat is something that you have to be comfortable with. If you don't like it, then think of a different place to go. There's no getting away from it. But it can work in your favour. You can wash your duds in a sink and they will be dry by morning. This means you don't have to lug around great loads of dirty clothes with you. My rucksack was about 15 litres and was just enough. I saw people with these huge bags towering over them and I wondered just what was inside them. as long as you are comfortable, I guess. India is quite dirty and so I found myself washing my clothes very regularly. It became a habit. Find a nice place for a few days, wash the clothes and chill out for a while. It all depends on how you want to travel. I personally prefer to take my time, go to a city/town/whatever and check it out for as long as possible. It's all down to preference.
When I went, and I assume it hasn't changed, India wasn't expensive. You can get a decent enough room for not a lot of money. Food is a bit trickier. I've got a weak stomach at the best of times so I spent a bit more time and care on food. That said, I got sick as a dog on many occasion. Some people reckon the street food is the best as it's fresh. I'm not convinced but hey, it's up to you. As sad as it may seem, McDonalds is everywhere and it's the one place you can almost be sure of getting a clean meal. They also have clean toilets with paper! Always a bonus. If you eat in a local restaurant, don't expect to get knifes, forks etc. They might dig one out for you being a stranger but the expected method is to use your hand. Always use your right hand (see below)! The idea is to get some rice mixed with the sauce and make it into a ball. Shove that into your gob with your thumb or whatever is easiest for you. It takes a bit of a leap of faith to start with but it's all good. Plus it's part of the experience, eh?
Toilets are common but usually quite disgusting. The standard option is to wash your bum. As most toilets are squats, this is quite easy. You lean forward, fill up the little bucket and pour it down the crack of your bum. At the same time, you use the other hand to clean your hole. It's not as gross as it sounds and in some ways it's better than using paper (as long as you have good strong soap to wash with after!). Most people pour with the right hand and wash with the left hand. This is also a reason why people don't use their left hand for anything involving food or shaking hands etc.
We never had any problems with crime. The entire time we were there we never felt threatened, never had anythings stolen and didn't have any problems. Maybe we were lucky, and I'm sure there are plenty of horror stories abound. Use common sense. I had all my valuables (passport, travellers cheques, spare money) in my money belt. It was stinky as hell at the end of our time. I also kept a crappy wallet with a few spare notes in it just in case, but I never had to use that cunning ruse! Some people told us about getting their bags slashed, but it never happened to us so I'm not a great person to ask. I had a friend who travelled somewhere dangerous (or so he said - probably Middlesbrough!) and he used plastic chicken wire inside his rucksack. I've seen bit wire contraptions that protect your bag but I would have thought this attracts more attention to it. Who knows? Anyway, we had no problems.
With a country the size of India you either need a lot of time, a lot money or just not worry about seeing it all. We took in the tourist spots, and managed to visit some friends down in the south of India. There's so much to see and do there should be something for everyone, I would have thought. You've got beaches - Goa being the obvious choice but I would recommend Kerela - much more laid back. You've got mountains - north west (Shimla, Manali) and north east (Darjeeling, Sikkim). You've got holy spots - Varanasi springs to mind. You've got ancient temples and monuments - you can't go wrong with the Taj Mahal in Agra. You've got cities, both old and new - Delhi, Bombay (Mumbai). The list goes on.
The downside of India is the crushing poverty. Everywhere you look there are beggers, homeless people, piles of rubbish miles high, dead dogs, cows eating cardboard boxes, scabby men crapping on the street and on and on. But if you look beyond this, you'll see some great people. I saw a little girl fall off her bike. A group of men, all trying to look cool and casual in their shiny shirts and bushy moustaches, ran to her aid. They picked her up, gave her sweets to stop her crying, picked up her school books, fixed her bike and set her on her way. It was a touching moment and made me start looking past the piles of crap.
It's certainly not a place for everyone. However, if you get the chance to go, take it. Otherwise you'll never know!
My mate and I took off in February. We didn't have much of an idea of where to go other than the obvious Delhi, Agra settings so we thought we would just see what happened. In about 6 months we'd managed to get around a fair bit of the country and managed to have some well deserved breaks in Nepal and Sri Lanka to boot!
The country is hot most of the time, unless you head into the hills. Near the end of our trip we headed north to escape the heat of Delhi and were surprised when it snowed! Anyway, the heat is something that you have to be comfortable with. If you don't like it, then think of a different place to go. There's no getting away from it. But it can work in your favour. You can wash your duds in a sink and they will be dry by morning. This means you don't have to lug around great loads of dirty clothes with you. My rucksack was about 15 litres and was just enough. I saw people with these huge bags towering over them and I wondered just what was inside them. as long as you are comfortable, I guess. India is quite dirty and so I found myself washing my clothes very regularly. It became a habit. Find a nice place for a few days, wash the clothes and chill out for a while. It all depends on how you want to travel. I personally prefer to take my time, go to a city/town/whatever and check it out for as long as possible. It's all down to preference.
When I went, and I assume it hasn't changed, India wasn't expensive. You can get a decent enough room for not a lot of money. Food is a bit trickier. I've got a weak stomach at the best of times so I spent a bit more time and care on food. That said, I got sick as a dog on many occasion. Some people reckon the street food is the best as it's fresh. I'm not convinced but hey, it's up to you. As sad as it may seem, McDonalds is everywhere and it's the one place you can almost be sure of getting a clean meal. They also have clean toilets with paper! Always a bonus. If you eat in a local restaurant, don't expect to get knifes, forks etc. They might dig one out for you being a stranger but the expected method is to use your hand. Always use your right hand (see below)! The idea is to get some rice mixed with the sauce and make it into a ball. Shove that into your gob with your thumb or whatever is easiest for you. It takes a bit of a leap of faith to start with but it's all good. Plus it's part of the experience, eh?
Toilets are common but usually quite disgusting. The standard option is to wash your bum. As most toilets are squats, this is quite easy. You lean forward, fill up the little bucket and pour it down the crack of your bum. At the same time, you use the other hand to clean your hole. It's not as gross as it sounds and in some ways it's better than using paper (as long as you have good strong soap to wash with after!). Most people pour with the right hand and wash with the left hand. This is also a reason why people don't use their left hand for anything involving food or shaking hands etc.
We never had any problems with crime. The entire time we were there we never felt threatened, never had anythings stolen and didn't have any problems. Maybe we were lucky, and I'm sure there are plenty of horror stories abound. Use common sense. I had all my valuables (passport, travellers cheques, spare money) in my money belt. It was stinky as hell at the end of our time. I also kept a crappy wallet with a few spare notes in it just in case, but I never had to use that cunning ruse! Some people told us about getting their bags slashed, but it never happened to us so I'm not a great person to ask. I had a friend who travelled somewhere dangerous (or so he said - probably Middlesbrough!) and he used plastic chicken wire inside his rucksack. I've seen bit wire contraptions that protect your bag but I would have thought this attracts more attention to it. Who knows? Anyway, we had no problems.
With a country the size of India you either need a lot of time, a lot money or just not worry about seeing it all. We took in the tourist spots, and managed to visit some friends down in the south of India. There's so much to see and do there should be something for everyone, I would have thought. You've got beaches - Goa being the obvious choice but I would recommend Kerela - much more laid back. You've got mountains - north west (Shimla, Manali) and north east (Darjeeling, Sikkim). You've got holy spots - Varanasi springs to mind. You've got ancient temples and monuments - you can't go wrong with the Taj Mahal in Agra. You've got cities, both old and new - Delhi, Bombay (Mumbai). The list goes on.
The downside of India is the crushing poverty. Everywhere you look there are beggers, homeless people, piles of rubbish miles high, dead dogs, cows eating cardboard boxes, scabby men crapping on the street and on and on. But if you look beyond this, you'll see some great people. I saw a little girl fall off her bike. A group of men, all trying to look cool and casual in their shiny shirts and bushy moustaches, ran to her aid. They picked her up, gave her sweets to stop her crying, picked up her school books, fixed her bike and set her on her way. It was a touching moment and made me start looking past the piles of crap.
It's certainly not a place for everyone. However, if you get the chance to go, take it. Otherwise you'll never know!
Guyana
After a very successful placement in Maldives, I wasn't ready to come back to England. I took off to travel around India and Nepal with a mate of mine and then went to Guyana for another two years. Again, this was with VSO. This time I was a bit higher up - teaching teachers how to teach. VSO were great, they provided a lot of training to be a teacher trainer as well as guidance on curriculum stuff. By this time, I was a pretty confident teacher and so was looking forward to what seemed to be a logical progression.
Guyana is based in South America, up in the north somewhere between Venezuala and Brazil. It's an English speaking country, with a big mix of cultures. When I was there, it was in a considerable state of development, certainly poorer than Maldives. The majority of the country is made up of rain forest and it's incredibly beautiful. I think the country is about the size of England with a population of less than 1 million. Imagine that. Most of the country is covered in untouched rain forest and whilst I hope the country develops, I hope the rain forest remains intact for as long as possible.
The work was very interesting, and I got to travel pretty much most of the country with it. A lot fo the time I had to take boats and even canoes to go to a particular school. Very exciting! I felt like a real Indianna Jones on some adventure. The poverty was quite hard to deal with, and crime was very high. Whilst I was lucky enough to never be mugged or attacked, our house was broken into about 2 or 3 times.
Guyana is based in South America, up in the north somewhere between Venezuala and Brazil. It's an English speaking country, with a big mix of cultures. When I was there, it was in a considerable state of development, certainly poorer than Maldives. The majority of the country is made up of rain forest and it's incredibly beautiful. I think the country is about the size of England with a population of less than 1 million. Imagine that. Most of the country is covered in untouched rain forest and whilst I hope the country develops, I hope the rain forest remains intact for as long as possible.
The work was very interesting, and I got to travel pretty much most of the country with it. A lot fo the time I had to take boats and even canoes to go to a particular school. Very exciting! I felt like a real Indianna Jones on some adventure. The poverty was quite hard to deal with, and crime was very high. Whilst I was lucky enough to never be mugged or attacked, our house was broken into about 2 or 3 times.
Thursday 5 March 2009
Maldives
The first time I left England was to go work and live in Maldives. This was some time ago and Maldives (not the Maldives, by the way in case you were wondering!) was generally considered to be a developing country. I've not been make to the country in a long time so I can't really comment on it's state now. When I was there it was a poor country. Incredibly beautiful, but poor. I went there as a Computer Teacher and had 2 excellent years.
I was able to go by applying to an organistation called VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas). The term is a bit misleading. Even though you are a volunteer, you get paid a local salary. It's not a lot of money, but you don't need a lot. You're not going there to make money - you are going to experience a life you wouldn't experience otherwise. On top of that, you are hopefully participating in a sharing experience which benefits everyone. I'll put a post about VSO later, so on to Maldives.
In the two years there I lost a lot of weight, got a great suntan, dived reefs every weekend and found out I wasn't a bad teacher. Not bad going really. It wasn't all play. I had to work very hard, putting in quite a lot of hours. It was my first job as a full time teacher and I'd never appreciated before just how much work goes into teaching. Needless to say, I loved it. The kids were generally great and keen to learn. There were some utter buggers in the classes that I had to learn how to deal with, but it taught me a lot of skills.
I was able to go by applying to an organistation called VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas). The term is a bit misleading. Even though you are a volunteer, you get paid a local salary. It's not a lot of money, but you don't need a lot. You're not going there to make money - you are going to experience a life you wouldn't experience otherwise. On top of that, you are hopefully participating in a sharing experience which benefits everyone. I'll put a post about VSO later, so on to Maldives.
In the two years there I lost a lot of weight, got a great suntan, dived reefs every weekend and found out I wasn't a bad teacher. Not bad going really. It wasn't all play. I had to work very hard, putting in quite a lot of hours. It was my first job as a full time teacher and I'd never appreciated before just how much work goes into teaching. Needless to say, I loved it. The kids were generally great and keen to learn. There were some utter buggers in the classes that I had to learn how to deal with, but it taught me a lot of skills.
Welcome!
Hello!
In this blog (yes, I know, how many blogs are there?) I'm going to try and write about my experiences both teaching and travelling around the world. I've worked in Maldives, Guyana and China and have travelled in many other countries during these times. I'm going to write about how to go overseas, what you need to think about, what you need to do and pretty much anything else I can think about.
I'm originally from England, but have been travelling around the world for the better part of 10 years. Not being rich, I had to think of ways in which I could do this and the easiest way was to teach. It's not for everyone - you have to get up in front of a class of up to 200 people (only once, but still...) and give a class. However, it's not that hard. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
Hopefully you'll find something in this blog to make you want to take off and see the world!
Happy travelling...........
In this blog (yes, I know, how many blogs are there?) I'm going to try and write about my experiences both teaching and travelling around the world. I've worked in Maldives, Guyana and China and have travelled in many other countries during these times. I'm going to write about how to go overseas, what you need to think about, what you need to do and pretty much anything else I can think about.
I'm originally from England, but have been travelling around the world for the better part of 10 years. Not being rich, I had to think of ways in which I could do this and the easiest way was to teach. It's not for everyone - you have to get up in front of a class of up to 200 people (only once, but still...) and give a class. However, it's not that hard. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
Hopefully you'll find something in this blog to make you want to take off and see the world!
Happy travelling...........
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