Author: melisajohnson

Travel day to Khajuraho

This morning we got up and headed to the airport for our 2 hour flight to Khajuraho and after a 30 minute drive we were welcomed to an amazing little hotel.  We had lunch in the garden and then headed to our room.

After a bit of a rest we went on trip down the river to see the wildlife.  It was about an hour and so peaceful after the hustle and bustle of Delhi. 
After our boat trip we headed back to our room the clean up before drinks around the fire followed by the best meal we have had on our trip.  If the rest of the trip is like this we may never leave!  

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New Delhi

This morning we took a tour of New Delhi- we stopped at the parliament building and drove by the Indian gate. After that we stopped at humayun’s tomb.  The tomb was inspired by the Taj Mahal and very beautiful.

Next we went to the Qutab Minar. This marked the sight of the first Muslim kingdom in northeast India and was built in 1193. It was quite a bit larger then we had expected. 
After our sight seeing we headed for lunch and I think did pretty well for our first Indian meal.  We headed back to our hotel and I took a nap while Richard actually spent 45 minutes writing a nice blog about our day. Unfortunately it crashed while I was sleeping and so this is what you get!  

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First day.

We had a very nice and relaxing day in Delhi.  After breakfast and getting settled into our beautiful room we headed,down to the spa for some much needed relaxation. We both had massages and let me say they were interesting to say the least!  We left the spa feeling even more relaxed and went to high tea.

After the gym and a bit more unpacking we went to the gym for a bit of exercise.  I did 18-15-12-9-6-3 rounds of thrusters (with 55lb) and box jumps while Richard did some Thai chi and rode the bike…  We were both tired.   

Finally ending the night off with some nice beer at the hotel bar.  In bed by 9 and exhausted so a pretty good start to the trip.  


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The Imperial Hotel

We arrived this morning at 6:50 and were in our hotel room by 9… Not bad at all.  The drive to the hotel was a lot calmer than we were both expecting   We had a wonderful breakfast at 1911 (weren’t the napkins pretty?). 
Not it is time to explore the hotel a bit more and rest up before our spa appointments and high tea this afternnoon!   This evenings activities include a trip to the gym and dinner at the hotel bar, we are working to stay awake until 9 pm tonight!  

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First delay

 So, we knew that with all our connections we would have an issue at some point getting to India.  Well we still haven’t left cayman and we have been on the 1 hour flight for over an hour while the cayman airways crew finishes paperwork…  They were at least nice enough to bring us some water a few minutes ago and thankfully the air conditioning is working!  We hope to be off soon as the pilot said only another 8-10 minutes, but then again he said that about 45 minutes ago as well!

Eventually we made it to Miami, but only to walk through security onto the flight to Madrid. We boarded and then once again the Pilot said there was an issue, but it was sorted quickly and we were on our way. When we woke up in the morning we were told it was 29 degrees outside…. Not quite what we expected in Madrid. Again we had a tight connection, but we made it to the gate on time and were bussed out to our plane (it was a bit chilly for us to say the least).  Currently we are flying over Paris with another 2 hours to go before we can take a break (and a shower) before our next overnight flight.  
Finally nice and relaxed in Helsinki, but once again not prepared for the cold weather and snow!  
One more 8 hpur flight to go!  
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21 Days and counting

I can hardly believe it is almost time to head to India- it seems like we signed up so long ago.  Here is just a sneak peak at what we will be doing:

After two overnight flights we arrive in Delhi at 6:30 am and head over to the Imperial Hotel for breakfast.  After breakfast we will settle into our room and head to the spa for what I imagine will be a much needed massage.  The rest of the day will be spent relaxing around the hotel.

Day 2- We will explore New Delhi.  Stopping at the Indian Gate and Parliament buildings then off to the QuatbMinar after lunch we will visit and Humayun’sTomb.

Day 3-  In the morning we will board a flight to Khajuaraho (a tiger reserve).  We will be staying at the Sarai At Toria a unique small hotel overlooking the Ken river.  The afternoon will consist of a boat ride and a walk through the crop fields and wetlands.

Day 4- This morning we will explore Kharuraho “The City of Exotic Temples”.  The temples were built between the 9th and 10th centuries.

Day 5- Now we have the first long drive of our trip, a 4.5 hour drive to Orchha.  The town is positioned on a rocky island enclosed by a loop of the Betwa river.  It was founded in 1531 and was abandoned in 1738.  After lunch we will visit the Raj Mahal and Jahangifi Mahal before boarding a train to Agra.  We arrive and stay to Oberoi Amarvilas, which is 600 ft. from the Taj and we will have a view from our balcony.

Day 6- We visit the Taj first thing in the morning and then head back to our hotel for breakfast.  The rest of the day we will explore Agra Fort and other sites around Agra.

Day 7- Today is a travel day back to Delhi to meet up with the rest of our group after another morning of exploring more of Agra.

Day 8- After breakfast we visit Old Delhi including Jama Masjid and several markets with the highlight being the Khari Baoli, which is Asia’s largest spice market.  Next we take a walk through the Paranthe Wali Gali where the food is old fashioned and vegetarian.  We follow that with a rickshaw ride the the narrow lanes of the the old city and this is all before lunch!

Day 9- Today learn about traditional home cooking as Indian’s do in everyday life.

Day 10- We are off to Jaipur today on a express train.  Once we arrive we head to the Taj Jaimahal Palace with and afternoon of shopping in the bazaars.

Day 11- Amber Fort is our first stop of the morning followed by and introduction to Rajasthan cuisine and spices.

Day 12-  A drive to Chhatrasagar with a lunch stop in Pushkar starts the day.  We check into Chhatra Sagar, a luxurious campsite located on the dam of a 100 year reservoir.

Day 13- We will take a village tour in the morning followed by a cooking class in the afternoon.

Day 14-  Today we drive to Shahpura and check into Shahpura Bagh. This is a 45 acre thickly wooded boutique surrounded by lakes.  Here we will experience Rajasthan that has been untouched by the modern world.

Day 15-  This morning we will drive to a 100 acre family farm and enjoy a private cooking class with the family.

Day 16-19-  Today we go to the Taj Lake Palace (Udaipur) for a few days!

We do eventually have to make our way back up to Delhi and then back to Cayman, but we will stop over in London for a night to catch up with friend there.

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New Years Eve

I can’t believe that it is almost 2014… the year sure has flown by.  This morning as I was having a cup of tea I started thinking about how much has changed over the last 12 months and just how blessed we are.

We rang in the new year last year in Las Vegas and it was Richard’s first time in Las Vegas.  I remember how cold it was… I ended up sick with pneumonia.  Then it was another first for Richard as we headed down to Phoenix for my university’s bowl game.  We ended up losing, but had a great time meeting up with family and friends.  We also lost my grandmother in January.  She was the best grandma anyone could have ever hoped for, but she is with my grandpa in a much better place!

 

February was another busy month as we headed to Scotland to visit Richard’s family and friends.  It was my first time in Scotland and I have to say February is probably not the best time to visit, but we bundled up and kept warm.  I first stop was Orney, then we went down to Edinburg and finally Glasgow.
March was yet another busy month…  This time we were off to Palm Springs, California to celebrate my birthday.  We did some great hiking and relaxed at the hot springs.    It was beautiful and very peaceful there!
April was the first quiet month of the year, we bought a condo and were preparing to move.  As well as planning a wedding.
May was by far the best month of the year as we not only got married, but moved into our first home together.  We headed off to Las Vegas and got married with just family.  The wedding was simple and quiet- just what we wanted.
After the first few months of the year we enjoyed the summer in Cayman and got settled into our new home and married life.  In August I left Crusader after 5+ years of working there and it was such a huge stress relief!  I could spend my days cooking and volunteering for the Crisis Centre.
In September we headed to Kansas for another game and to visit family.  Richard got to eat some Kansas City BBQ, made some smores by the fire pit, visited my university and attend a tailgate party.  We stayed with Andrew and Laura and it was great to spend some time with them- it has been way too long.

October was a special month as well as we headed to Italy with my mom and Jenny to attend another cooking school and to celebrate my mom’s birthday, this time in Tuscany.  We had Peggy as our wonderful guide and she made the trip so special.  We spend the days exploring the country side, learning about everyday life in the Tuscan countryside, but mostly enjoying each others company while enjoying good wine and learning a bit about cooking.

 

November was another low key month and now December has flown by so quickly!
Reflecting on the year really reminds me of just how lucky I am.  Now only do I get to travel and experience new adventures, but I get to do it with my best friend and the love of my life.  I can’t wait to see what adventures we will experience in 2014!
Happy New Year!
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Christmas Day

We were up early and down for breakfast at 7- Richard and I were first and so we put the crackers and chocolate oranges on the table.  Mom and dad brought the stockings down and we were all set!  Just our immediate family was down there… we opened gifts after reading our jokes and checking out what toys everyone got in their crackers.  
After breakfast we all headed down for the beach as dad and Jason booked a jet ski at 10 am.  I didn’t realize it, but it was my dad’s first time on a jet ski.  He was really excited… however 10 am came and went.  They rented 4 and only had 2- a bit of a problem, but by 10:45 they had 2 more ready to go.  My uncle rented one at 11- funny they rented 5 at that time and still only had 4, so he got his money back and no jet ski ride.

We all had a quick lunch by the pool and headed for the days boat trip.  It was s typical day sail trip… pretty standard (especially for someone from Cayman).  The boat was nice and it was really good to get away from the hotel for the afternoon!  It made one stop at a snorkel spot and then headed back to the resort around 6.  Conner and I had a good time playing in the water as we made sure everyone got wet!

Dinner was early as we had a 7 am flight which meant a 4:30 pick up… we were sound asleep by 9!

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Nicaragua Day Trip

The day started at 4:30 with the alarm going off and we were up and ready to head to Nicaragua by 4:50 in the lobby.  Well before the 5 am time we were told to be there. The hotel lobby was dark- they had turned off all the lights so we sat by the bellman stand and waited patiently. 5 am came and went… Then 5:15 came and went. We started to think they forgot us so Richard went off to find a phone-no luck, but he did find a guy that said they usually turn up around 5:30 so we waited patiently for a bit longer.  The only vehicle that turned up was a pick up and I said “watch we are going to have to ride in the back of a pick up to get to Nicaragua.”  Well they were there to pick us up and take us to their bus station…  We paid our fee and joined everyone on the bus. I would say about 1/2 were just going to Nicaragua and not on our tour, so even though the bus we full we thought it should be pretty empty on the way back (we were wrong). 

First stop was immigration to leave Costa Rica. Our bus pulled up and we handed our passports off to a man named Eric and he left. We waited in the bus watching some monkeys playing in the trees after awhile he came out and suggested we go and get some breakfast while he waited so we were left him there and had an ok breakfast at a local restaurant. After breakfast we returned to pick him up with our passports in hand and we were off for the 1 hour drive to the boarder.  

At the boarder we passed through all the trucks waiting to clear immigration. It can take awhile so they were mostly laying in hammocks under their trucks. The bus was sprayed with some chemicals to kill any potential bugs we might be transporting and were allowed into Nicaragua. At the boarder crossing we handed our passports off to Eric again and this time we got off the bus as we were told it could take some time. It was a very lively place with a DJ, 2 duty free shops lots of little vendors selling everything from water, local made treats to children’s toys.  We spend about 1 minute in the duty free shops and headed back to wait outside the bus.  There was a really bad dance routine but mostly just local music and lots of people to watch.  Eventually we were called up to the immigration desk to collect our passports and loaded back into the bus.  I am not sure what the next stop was for, but a gentleman got on the bus and we gave him some bottled water (which appeared to be the gift of choice for the boarder patrolman). We left two guys on the other side of the boarder and I no longer had to sit over the wheel well, so my legs and back were extremely relieved!  Now just another 2 hours in the bus to a town called Grenada…

We arrived in Grenada and visited an old church and then went down to the historic town centre.  We were given 15 minutes- basically enough time to use the toilet and walk around once.  Which was ok as it was full of vendors trying to sell you stuff.  I really would have enjoyed it more without all the harassment.  We got back in our bus and went for lunch- at the Best Western of all places!  It was actually a really pretty old hotel and the best food we had pretty much the entire Christmas holiday.  

After lunch we went up to the top of an active volcano (the photos can be found at http://www.melisajohnson.com/christmas-2013.html)   Then it was down to a craft market- it was one of those where you can’t even stop to look at something without being harassed, which was a shame because they had quite a bit of stuff.  So, we thought we would get a beer and just relax.  We had $20 USD- It was impossible to find someone who could provide us with any change!  So we gave up and walked back to our bus and found Eric.  He got a restaurant to open up and they sold us 2 beers ($2 total) and provided us with change.  We loaded back up in the bus and headed to a dormant volcano that is now w a beautiful lake!  



But boy was it cold up there!  We headed back to the bus and stopped to pick up a few more people then back to go through the entire boarder process again!  Eventually we arrived back at our hotel only 3 hours later than we were scheduled to!   All in all a very good day!  

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