mind the step (Mauritius)

Bonjour!

Mauritius, aaah, beautiful Mu... interesting place with it's strong influences of French, Indian and African. Fields and fields of sugarcane, little winding roads, friendly people. This has been an amazing layover/little work holiday. We stayed at a resort for 2 days!!! I had my own little villa overlooking a lake. It was peaceful and serene, birds singing somewhere... Although we didn't receive an allowance on this trip, it included all our food and activities. I went kayaking as well as on a boat trip out to go snorkeling. It was awesome! Then I met up with Anju, aaah beautiful Ju, accompanied by her cousin and brother and we took a little drive around the island. Even though it was winter, the weather was gorgeous.

I watched telly for a while and was pleasantly surprised to see Afrikaans speaking people, some celebrities and other South Africans on there.

Crew were great and we had a lot of fun. I would go back anytime

Au revoir
A

Holy Cow (India, Himalayan Mountains)

Jullay!

Bobbing heads, cows, hooting traffic, heavy pollution, delicious curries, and stares were all a part of my every day journey for the past 3 weeks in India. We were 11 (at one stage 12) people that all had our own bus (tea and pee break whenever wanted) and as we left smelly Delhi behind, going up the beautiful, majestic, mystical, magical, great mountains of the Himalayas! Our first destination after a 24 hour journey, was Manali - a gorgeous and chill, serene little town with thick forests, hippy people, marijuana growing freely everywhere and just surrounded by the green beauty of mountains, rivers and trees. There were a lot of Israelis in this part of the country and further... I saw starry fireflies for the first time:) Our journey from here onwards was scary at most times. (This trip is not for the faint at heart:) It is a one-lane road, gravel mostly, and landslides cause worries of life or death situations whether the vehicle will make it or not. We clapped hands a lot out of pheew, sighs and relief. Sometimes we would get out of the bus, so that the drivers can cross waterfalls etc, on their own. But man, was it beautiful out there. It was emotional. Just forever surrounded by Earth. No photo can represent this in real.

We canceled a major part of our itenary because of exhaustion. It's a lot of driving. Instead we camped wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and ate and did whatever we wanted - and therefor called our bus the Holy Cow. The cows in India really do know their status and roam and graze wherever. There were these cute sayings on boards on the mountain roads i.e: "Safety on the road, is safe tea at home", Darling, I like you, but not so fast", "Are you going to a party, then why are you driving so dirty", "Work in progress, inconvenience regretted. Sinking road, inconvenience deeply regretted!" Haha. Cute!! And SOOO many more.

We had good food (which became one of the highlights on this trip), good rest and were keeping well and strong. I experienced altitude sickness when we reached the second highest road in the world at 17582 ft (the boys went cycling on the highest road at 18520ft !) !! Dizziness, nausea, disorientation, migraine, moodiness, and in general shortness of breath and low energy. One night we even found a place to sleep next to a stunning lake, with our own little waterfall, river, surrounded by rocks - my gosh - it was amazing. The whole trip felt like living in a fairtytale:) The clouds were a big bubblebath. Gill and I helped build parts of a road with some locals in Jispa.

Finally when we reached Leh in Ladakh Valley (our final destination), we were back in crazy traffic, street lights and internet. We hired motorcycles (a few of us) and I made my first bike accident. Fortunately, I only hurt my knee (which is still not well even though I'm going back to work tomorrow). We went to interesting monasteries (by the way, the people live and look like Tibetans as soon as you reach the foothills of the Himalyas already). The weather in Leh was so perfect. We stayed for 4 days. We gave our clothes in for laundry service, which means a guy is smacking your garments against some rock on the riverbank and drenching it through lovely gray river water.

The trip was very well planned by Pookie, whose birthday we were actually celebrating and scored us good deals (especially when getting free rooms as ‘tour operator’, haha). It was a fantastic experience.

Back in Delhi, the group started to split and eventually Param and I went to Chandigarh for 2 days where I met his awesome sister.

I got the news that my grandma passed away:(

Now, back in Dubai and Param is visiting me for another week. I’m soon off for more adventures though. Have a very promising roster for AugustJ

I wish I could tell you all more details about the trip. It will be a book if I did. Thank you for those I got to share it with in India. And thank you for those I get to share it with here.

Warmest love,

A

Namaste

ring my bell (Scotland)

Hi ya

"My name is Alta and I'll be your waitress on today's flight". Yeah right. Man, the Scottish can drink!! They emptied the aircraft and left us with no break. My hotelbedroom in Glasgow was the first one I jumped on! Haha. It just look so cozy. I forgot to pack my jeans and looked quite ridiculous with a checkered coat, my funky check boots, scarf and...... and... gymtights. Haha!! But I improvised by purchasing grey legwarmers on my way to the trainstation and just blended right in with the UK's funky fashion style. The train is really awesome, even had a train attendant. Scotland is BEEEEAUUTIFUL!! No photos I took could capture the uniqueness and beauty of this destination. Even though it rained a little, the temperature was great. Green, lush, farms, strrrrong accents, whisky, bagpipes playing in the background, beeeg woman with even bigger calves balancing on high shoes, umbrellas, cleanliness and serious alcohol consumption all made up for Scotland. I went to Edinburgh (which is dropdead beautiful) to go see the Castle, went to a Scottish pub and had Haggis, neeps and tatties (a Scottish dish - mash, turnips and sausages - and surprisingly and pleasantly could have a vegetarian option) accompanied with Auchentoshn scotch whisky from that very same area. I just missed the last tour of the distillery:(

I had a great time.
Next I'm off to Joburg again, was there the other day. Will go visit my sis. Then a few turnarounds. Will probably not have news again for a month, as I'll be leaving the 12th for the trip to India to the Himalayas for two weeks!!

A'raait

Alta

italian iron stallion (Milan, Italy)

Buon giorno

Allora,
so I went to go visit George Clooney in Italy, but he wasn't home. Haha. Apparently he owns a house somewhere around the Lago (Lake) Como, which is a beautiful area about 40mins away from Milan. It was Sunday, the sun was strong, the weather hot and sticky. Many bikes, big scooters, Vespas, Ducatis, and other roaring beauties came passed us every minute as we were strolling the streets looking for a nice ristorante to chow some pizza. We found one, I had some Italian beer, and we finished it off with gourmet Italian icecream. It's so funny to see every different country with their unique style and with their things that make them famous. In Bangkok for example every second corner is a massage parlour and tailor shop. In Milan, it is icecream and a little shop that sells tramezzinis and paninis.

Old bicycles, laundry hanging on balconies, flower pots, shouting in streets, and men eyeing you all made up for Italy:) I loved it. I knew I was there. To finish off my experience, I went into a local supermarket and had a lot of fun. (and as my flatmate Paula would say: I wish I was a local for a day) Ooo, did I mention the men? They are hot! Hot, hot, hot! Even our busdriver and the train attendant were sexy. In the cabins already we had competition who had the sexiest man in their respective area, heehee. At boarding and disembarkation I greeted every person in italian. I always say Ciao anyways, so it was cool doing it professionally:) Going to Milan, we had 33 Afrikaans people on board though, that was funny;-)

We (Kate and Amanda, awesome girls) also went to see the cathedral in Duomo. There was a soccer game on, I think Spain against Italy and there were thousands of people gathered in that area. And it was so wonderful to see the sun still high and hot at 9pm!!

Back at my hotel, I enjoyed the sunset by sitting on my own balcony, trying to feel like a local:)
Looking forward to more trips to Italy

Arrivederci
Ciao
A

Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes - anonymous

thai me up, thai me down (Bangkok and Sydney)

Good day

6 flights, 3 nights in Sydney, 2 in Bangkok in 8 days can drive you slowly into madness. Up and down, 7 hours into the future, 4 behind, 2 ahead, let's go, where are we, what is the time? Aaaargh!!! So I spoiled myself with massages, facials, reflexology, more massages, shopping (clothes, shoes, decorations for the apartment - yes, I have become a consumer) and even a movie, Sex and the City (haha, so not me). This movie will never show in the Middle East because of it's content (well, as if the name already won't give them flushes), so we went to go see it in Sydney. Sydney is gorgeous!! Man, I just LOVE Oz! Our hotel was, as usual, very central and the Opera House was a 10 minute walk. What a beauty!! I walked all over the city, eventually off the map - haha.

In Bangkok, we stayed in Silom. Quite central. Even though my body was still recovering from a previous thai massage, I was ready for another. For those who are not sure what a thai massage entails...it those ones they use their elbows, knees, feet to knead your body (while you feel the need to plead), they stretch you in yoga positions, climb on top of you at times, and roll you on (well, some of my favourite sleeping) positions and massage you some more. I had something called a Modern Thai Massage, and this even included the use of powder and a hot compress. The best I've had in my life!! It's an experience of surrender, mercy, where pain meets pleasure till all you reach is a state of 'aaaaaah'. Thai massages are not recommended for everybody..

The trip felt foreverlong, between crew we played around a lot to entertain each other (laughing openly at passengers sleeping in hilarious positions - be warned. Ya, I know it's sounds cruel, but crew have to survive also and stay awake, heehee) I am still jetlagged, it has been a busy month (only halfway now, geez)

Well, alright then. This is it for now
Till laters
A
.
Ps.
Shopping references:
everything and anything
MBK mall in Bangkok (7storeys of shopping heaven)
Paddy's Market in Sydney (cheapest you'll get in Oz, and up to standard)


--
Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes - anonymous

the fast and the furious (Hong Kong, my sister and the new bike)

......and so I went to Hong Kong (which is like a Chinese New York) and found it fascinating that you have to take a train as you land, from the aircraft to the airport and vice versa. The place is huge!! Your gatenumber will determine at which station you'll have to get off. Well, as I landed I got the devastating news of my beloved elder sister. She passed away:( So, naturally I have no travelnews - as I wasn't in the mood to go anywhere.. I did walk around the city for a few hours.

Allow me to talk about my sister though, Marina.

This woman, an angel in physical form, is the most courageous woman that I have known. And to be able to call her my sister, is a blessing. She is a spirit of pure positivity, she showed us that the impossible was possible. Being told by doctors that she would live till she is 12 (born with a weak heart), she finally laid her heart to rest at 40. She showed us that you get what you put your mind to. It breaks my heart to remove her from this emailing list, she will be greatly missed - and so I dedicate the rest of my travels to her, a true jewel.

My company looked after me really well, and organized my whole trip home from Hong Kong, then Cape Town (in business class, hehe) and gave me a week off. Pookie and I were brought together, and i got to see my mom also. We got a new baby, Woeksie - the Yamaha R6, and the two of us took over the roads on the bikes (me on the Ducati). Param is by far my best biker's buddy:-)

Just arrived back this morning. Am off on a 8 day trip tomorrow. Hope to have some good news then:)

Cheerios
A

guts and god (Sri Lanka)

Ayubowan!

I have just returned from a country I never really thought of before, and was quite surprised to see that Sri Lankans live, talk, drive and look like Indians. I like them, they are friendly and majorly Buddhists.
The flight was GREAT (no one asked for water water constantly), hehe and also the plane was full of honeymooners and holidaymakers (as we made a stop at Maldives first to pick up more people. Can you imagine the feeling, being on the airport of such a beautiful place and not being able to get off. Moohooo!!

Once in Colombo, I packed my little backpack with water and some toiletries and off I went on yet another adventure. We had two days in Sri Lanka, and I left the stability of my hotel to go to a beach town 3hours away called, Hikkaduwa. I was so nervous at first, not knowing what to expect. But the unknown is my favourite territory:) Some of the crew always ask me how I can do these things, and my latest reply is: "I have guts and I have God" ;-) My divine travel partner. When I go on these trips, I enter exciting spiritual journeys and experiences of synchronicity, meeting angels on my path. I learn more and more about the true me.

Sri Lanka is so cheap, it should be illegal, haha. My crazy 3 hour busride cost about R12 and R6 back, accommodation R58 and considering that I had R500 spending money, I was quite rich:) This is ofcourse if you live like a backpacker and are willing to negotiate. They also have the minibus 'taxi' system and shout the destination audibly unclear. I was the ONLY tourist aka whitie in these parts and got used to being stared at, people grabbing each others attention to show this person approaching. I found the most gorgeous guesthouse, with a little garden inside my room, natural sunlight coming in from the roof and that night hearing the monsoon loud and near. The people of the guesthouse treated me like their daughter, it was so amazing and heartwarming. I spent some time at the beach and exploring around. It is as if I have developed a backpacker's instinct, my own travel character. How and what I think and do as a traveler. And I get a lot of time to think. Why do people want to travel? Perhaps in your reply, answer this... Why would you want to see the world?

If I carry on describing details, this news would be too long. It was a wonderful experience, I had people from nowhere looking after me, making sure I get back safe, making sure I take the right directions. And it humbles me..

Ps. the coconuts are not THAT nice in Sri Lanka:)

Stuti (thank you) for being a part of all this that is..
And go ahead and ask anything..

Hugs,
Alta