Cindy Can Travel

India Travel Notes no. 3: AMBER FORT & SAREE SHOPPING

02:16:00

INDIA TRAVEL NOTES NO. 2: The Pink City

20:49:00

It is already our 5th day in India, and I have heard, tasted, seen and felt a lot of things while I’m here. I’ve heard a portion of its history as explained by the excellent guides we had, tasted the spices of masala burning in my mouth, throat and anus. I have seen palaces, forts, beautifully designed walls and felt the interesting ambiance surrounding the Taj Mahal.

When I first heard about the Taj Mahal, I was too young and naive. It was about a king who built a mausoleum for his true love. However I have learned in this trip that the king remarries and I felt a twang of jealousy since I have put myself in the shoes of Mum Taj Mahal. As the light shone on its marbled walls, the mausoleum changes its colors and it’s beautiful, however it was quite hot and crowded that concentrating on its beauty can be a struggle. People are everywhere, that in every picture, there are always people around you wish to crop out.

We stayed in the Oberoi Amarvilas, a luxury hotel with views of the Taj Mahal, and in the evening, you can only see the shadows of it. People are always smiling and helpful, that you felt like an Indian princess. This is why you go on vacations, because you also expect that you will be treated as a guest, everything is taken care of, they make you feel important. Breakfast got a lot of variety, and I got myself a masala omelette. Anywhere you look, you can’t find this hotel any fault at all.

The next day, we visited the Agra Fort, with the same guide we had the day before - Shafiq, a muslim. He explained history well, however I still have this feeling that he’s only touching the surface, that I found myself desiring for a more in-depth experience. I think that will require more passion and talent, to tell a story, as if you were there. But then again, he must have told this story over and over again with all the other tourists visiting India. We only covered 1/6 of the Fort, because the rest is being used by the Indian army. There are two parts of it, one built by the father of the one who built the Taj Mahal, and the other built by the grand son. Indian government has a monarchial government, and descendants of that family still live and rule until today. The design and materials being used by the two parts are different.

Afterwards, we drove 2 hours to Fatehpuri Sikri, another fort and palace in orange color. Then we drove for another 2 hours Abhaneri where we saw a deep stair well. The guide took five minutes to explain the things we need to learn about it, I don’t think it’s enough haha! It was interesting, because with its size, depth and endless passageways, you can imagine how they used the well. It was said that the people from the village take a bath in the well and get water for drinking in it as well. The water is dirty and covered in fungus. It’s also now a government protected area so it is surrounded by white fences. It was even raining when we stopped there.

Then, we drive another 1.5 hrs. to reach Jaipur, the pink city!

More photos to come soon!

Hoi An Ancient Old Town

23:42:00

Peru Series: Experience with Star Peru Airlines (Never Again)

08:10:00

The reason why I still couldn't post an article about the recent travel to Peru is because I still have a jet lag. I feel sleepy every now and then, and there are so many things I needed to catch up on. Anyway, here's the long overdue first post about the recent Peru trip. This is the first chapter on the Peru Series. :)

We took Star Peru from Lima to Cusco last 9th of November. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 0935, and although it left on time, our flight got diverted to Arequipa because the aircraft was not big enough to land in Cusco where it has been raining. The supposed to be 1 hour flight lasted for 4.5 hrs. and so we arrived Cusco at 2 pm.

I must admit that it was an unpleasant experience, firstly because the flight attendant have not even announced at all that the flight got diverted. My colleague and I thought we already landed in Cusco, however we found it's strange that there's not much people in the airport itself. We needed to go and ask the flight attendant what was the matter, before they finally reveal what had happened.

We had a light breakfast that morning so when we arrived Cusco in the afternoon, we were dead hungry. The airline served light refreshments, however it was not enough especially within that time duration. The price difference between LAN Airlines and Star Peru was not that much, however we would like to give Star Peru a shot so we can compare both domestic airlines. LAN Airlines has a good reputation as it is a part of the One World Alliance.

Here are some photos taken during the flight:

I was still cheerful in the morning, even posting a photo with my Inca Cola :D

Star Peru aircraft

The seats looks old

With broken / damaged trays

While taking off, this overhead compartment was left open by the flight attendant. This can result to injuries, luckily nothing happened.

The empty Arequipa Airport

A panoramic shot

We were left inside the aircraft for more than an hour before they let us come inside Arequipa Airport. Inside Arequipa Airport, I went to the washroom and my colleague strolled around the alpaca shop (not really far from where we entered). HOWEVER, again there was no announcement that we are now boarding. We realized there were no more passengers, so we rushed to the gate and tried to catch up. When we saw the flight attendant, she looked annoyed that we were late.

Comparatively, the service in Star Peru was disappointing. I really hope they will improve their services. I recommend that they train their staff properly as I noticed that simple regulations were not being followed during the flight, which compromised the safety of the passengers.

There was no apology either. I totally accept the diversion of the flight because safety ALWAYS has to come first, however the staff made us feel that our time was not important by not explaining to us the real situation, (If they did announced this in Spanish, we wouldn't know. It's also their responsibility to announce in English, right?). They also could have offered water during the wait at the airport, but we received nothing. Sigh...