Cash and curry

Well, we are now 24 hours from check in and excitement levels are at an all time high - the excitement has clearly got the better of Sarah because, as I write this, she is sleeping off the excitement.

I can assure you all it had nothing to do with all the booze we have had today. We are celebrating being on holiday early by racking up at her mum's pub at about 11:30am and promptly setting about on an impromptu pub crawl of the village. Thankfully for my liver, it is a small enough village and only has six pubs in it (we did double up our drinks in a couple of them though), otherwise I would be slurring my blog!

Having a Sarah with me on this adventure means that I am unlikely to have forgotten things like my favourite teddy, but I admit that i am slightly embarrassed by the fact that my case is fuller and heavier than hers, which I am sure is the wrong way around!!

Quite a lot has happened since the last post. Namely I was in a minor car accident and have a touch of whiplash (not in a 50 Shades of Grey sort of way) which has put a bit of a dampener on things as I am still suffering a bit with my back, but I am not going to let that stop me from enjoying things on our honeymoon. It also means that our car is in for repairs and we are driving in a hire car  which is more like a bus! I can't knock it too much though as it has turned out to be useful in carrying all my luggage - I hope there are plenty of luggage-wallas in India to help us!!!

Also, we have upgraded our seats on the plane so that we have more legroom and more luggage allowance, which will become invaluable as I load up with fridge magnets (at this juncture, it is more accurate to say freezer magnets, as our fridge is covered already!). The real bonus of the upgrade though is that we will get our in-flight meal served with crockery and cutlery, rather than in a plastic tub with a spork and knife! How middle-class are we?!

I haven't been able to get any rupees as, like in The Gambia, it is a closed currency (i think) and you can only buy them in country, so I am currently wandering around with a fair amount of sterling in my pocket ready to change into the local currency the moment we arrive. Experience has taught me that we will need *lots* of small denomination notes when we change over as baksheesh (or its Indian equivalent) is commonplace here. Thankfully our travel company (Audley Travel) have given me a guide on expected tipping conventions, so I will revise that fastidiously on the plane.

Well that is about all there is to write today, we are doing some last minute shopping (in Slough) before heading off to the airport this afternoon to start our Indian adventure!! The next time I write we will be in Delhi, and sitting back digesting the first of many curries we will be eating over the next 3 weeks!!

Indian(a) Beamish-Jones and the Temples of Rajasthan

2014 has been an eventful year for me, having celebrated my 40th birthday (see the previous blog!) with a surprise visit to Malta and, at the end of the year, I gave up living the life of a singleton, and married my (then) girlfriend, Sarah.  

The Mrs and I - Sarah checking to make sure I signed the register!

During the last blog, I alluded to a secret destination for our honeymoon; Sarah was left with the small details of arranging a wedding and reception (which went very well!), and it was left to me to sort out where we were going on our honeymoon. For a bit of fun, I decided to keep it secret from Sarah, and then reveal it as a surprise Christmas present!

Unfortunately, due to a lack of annual leave on my part, it meant we couldn't really jet off straight after the wedding, but with it being a winter wedding, it meant that in order for us to get some sun, we would have had to have traveled a lot further than we are going.

Anyway, I think it is safe to say that the title gives away the destination, but for the Huntingdon Regional College readers of this blog, we are going to India. The lengths I will go to in order to get a decent curry knows no bounds!! Although I have since found out that most curries in the UK are actually cooked by Bangladeshi people rather than Indians, but this revelation has not lessened my enthusiasm for trying authentic cuisine.

The itinerary for our honeymoon is fairly hectic. We are going away for almost 3 weeks, and we spend the first two weeks in Rajasthan, visiting the various fort cities up there; Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur, as well as seeing Delhi and Agra (aka the Taj Mahal!), before going south to Goa for a week of chilling out in tropical climes. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this holiday will not be as windy and chilly as The Gambia, and the initial signs are promising, we should be going there at the height of the dry season, where it should be hotter than the sauce in a McDonalds apple pie. 

So, to immerse ourselves in the the culture, I have bought Sarah a couple of Lonely Planet guides for Christmas which will no doubt prove invaluable when we get "in country", whilst I am getting acquainted with the nuances of Indian life by watching Octopussy, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Jungle Book!!

We have to go and get some visas, and do some of the less interesting administrative bits and pieces. Rather annoyingly a visa to India is £92 each these days. It used to be a pittance, but then the UK border agency decided to be a bit more bureaucratic in their checking of Indian passport holders and so this is a retaliatory measure (as far as I can tell!). On the plus side though, I think we have all the necessary jabs to go there, so don't need any expensive medications prior to leaving. Rajasthan is dry, so there is no malaria risk up there, but I think we will need to take some tablets for when we get to Goa, where our hotel is beautifully located on a lagoon (i.e large pool of stagnant water (i.e. place where mosquitoes can breed)).  To be fair though I think that is doing the hotel a massive injustice as it is widely regarded as the finest hotel in South Goa, so can't imagine it wouldn't treat its lagoons with insect repellent.

Anyway, this is just a post to say another series of posts are coming up in the not too distant future, so stay tuned!!

Last day in Malta

Other than the Hypogeum, our visit to Malta has been a rather sedate affair, with plenty of relaxing, drinking and eating followed by afternoon naps, so it is not quite as action packed as usual. But it does allow me to contrast the difference in Malta between the last time I visited and now.

A seven pint pitcher of Cisk (the local beer) served in a bubblegum dispenser.

Whilst there are still a large number of tat shops (also known as souvenir shops), it does appear that the nature of the objet d'art is shifting. The rows and rows of plastic Maltese knights you could buy has lessened and been replaced by plastic ashtrays of Rastafarian men displaying their very impressive manhoods!! I can't for the life of me work out a) what connection this has to Malta, and b) who on earth would buy such a souvenir. 

Random merchandise in the shops....

Still, it gave us all a good chuckle at the strangeness of it all. The food has changed slightly in my opinion. It seems to be less expensive than when we came her before, but also some of local restaurants we used to like coming to, had either closed down or had become very average indeed. Maybe it is just that my taste buds have changed.

The answer to my Rastafarian souvenir question was soon answered, as I saw Dan queuing up with a particularly impressive example, whose modesty was only spared by an amazing banana sheath that was strategically placed!!! He explained to me that it was a present for a friend, but I fully expect that item to be pride of place in his house next time I am there!! 

Another thing was that the fun bus seems a little bit less fun than what I can recall. Maybe it is out of season and so doesn't do the late night runs where it goes through all the back streets, ringing its bell and press ganging all the people on board in to waving embarrassedly at all the diners staring at them wondering what the commotion is.

The above is all just filler, as today, being our last full day in Malta, we have done a few of the necessary tourist bits, like shopping for presents and the like. The aim was to get stuff done and have an early night as we needed to be up early in the morning.

So we just went to the aquarium today, to idle away a couple of hours. I have to say it was not a bad experience at all. While it was limited in size, it was lovely to visit all the tanks and not have school parties of screaming children running around and blocking your view. It was slightly spoiled for Dan and Symmie, who seemed to get collared by an enthusiastic helper inside who stalked them throughout the whole aquarium pointing out the various fish.

Some aquarium snaps - a Lionfish

Not sure why they have a submerged statue of Jesus in the aquarium...

A silver fish thing, which I have forgotten the name of, so lets pretend it is a Sea Bass.

 Still I had my own issues to deal with as right at the end of the tour, there is a mahoosive tank with the largest crabs you are ever likely to see in (aquaria always seem to save those until the end). Sarah has a very strong dislike of crustaceans, and so i had negotiate her way around the end of the tour like someone leading a blind person!!

****Sarah, if you are reading this, look away now******

Biiiiiggggg crab. The Japanese spider crab (Sarah ran when she saw this!)

After the aquarium we did the necessary packing up before going for a final meal. The weather here has changed fore past couple of evenings as it has been a bit cloudier during the day, which has actually made the island more humid and sweltering than at the start of the week. It has also meant that in the evenings there have been some very impressive thunderstorms. 

Still that is about all the is to say from our return to Malta, it has been a lovely surprise holiday for me, and now my thoughts turn to returning to reality again. The next adventure will be our honeymoon to......well that would be telling, wouldn't it.  ;)

World Heritage Sites and tributes to Lady Di

Today is the main reason for Sarah taking me on a surprise trip to Malta. On our previous visit, we did a thorough enough job of going around the island seeing all the megalithic temples on offer, but one glaring hole in my Malta C.V. was the fact that I didn't get to see the Hypogeum.

This was because the site is situated in such a delicate climate, excessive human sweat and carbon dioxide can build up, bleaching and damage the stones and wall art. So, to minimise this, Maltese Heritage limit the number of people who can enter at any given time and there are only so many "slots" per day. Needless to say, these book out well in advance (over a month) and I was completely unaware of this on our first visit.

We had no such problems getting in this time as Sarah booked the ticket months in advance, so we popped in a taxi and it took us across the island to the site. The Hypogeum is actually not too far away from Tarxien temple (a couple of hundred metres), which we saw on our first visit, but it is so completely different, that upon entering it, you could easily be forgiven for missing it, as it looks just like an average Maltese house with a door. 

The entrance to the Hypogeum - understated in the extreme!!

This is because the site was untouched and underground for thousands of years, and it was only when  building work to erect houses stumbled upon it in the early 1900s that it was discovered (even then, it took the builders four years to report it - I guess they didn't want anything to jeopardise the building of this house!!).

Typically for these sites, there is no photography allowed, so I can't really show you what I saw at the Hypogeum, but it was an impressive underground temple site, not dissimilar to the temples above ground, but completely enclosed and carved out of the rock using primitive tools. It was easy to see why this was a world heritage site, and also why they had to regulate the amount of visitors to it. Completely dissimilar to Egypt, who pack in as many people as possible, and wonder why all the hieroglyphs are being bleached away.

I would strongly recommend seeing this site if you are ever in Malta, but be warned, you will need to book the tickets at least 2-3 months in advance as they only allow a handful of people in each day.  

On our way back home, I noticed there was a Lady Di hairdressers next to the Hypogeum. A wonderful contrast between the old and the new (although Lady Di's hairstyle probably pre-dates the Hypogeum by several thousand years!!). 

Lady Di Hairdressers. Now doing facial waxing....

It does seem that Lady Di is held in some regard here, as just the night before we were in a Lady Di tribute bar, which had an impressive amount of Lady Di newspaper cut-outs and general pictures of her completely covering the walls of the pub. It seems to be a popular haunt of people who could easily have been extras in Eastenders (or El Dorado). I am guessing that it is a nice piece of home from home for the Ex-Pats in the in town, of which there seem to be many.

Group selfie in Di's bar! The pub where all the greats go to "Di".

I have to admit it was a fun place to go, the music was eclectic, and for the most part had some tenuous link to Lady Di (as she is referred to in these parts) and on top of that, they did an impressive Blue Lagoon cocktail which I discovered I really love, as it tastes like Refreshers (the sweets). 

Capital (Va)lletta

Today has been a day of rest and so I will take some time to catch up on all the events. 

Yesterday we headed into Valletta so we could look at the World War 2 museum and the harbour forts. As I have previously mentioned the way to travel in Malta is by bus, the network is comprehensive and regular, and while it may suffer a bit with punctuality, there is no real grievances felt as you just have longer to enjoy the sunshine.

I haven't mentioned the weather yet, so I figure I should give you an update. It is HOT. Much warmer now than the hottest day we had in the UK this year!! Occasionally a few clouds gather, but they are soon melted away by the sun. And while the is a sea breeze that sweeps around the streets, iris very unlike the chilling effect that we had in The Gambia, and instead it is just a lovely cooling sensation.

Anyway, back to the bus, we caught the number 12 from Bugibba bus station, and figured it was worthwhile getting a week long ticket - which gives us unlimited bus travel around the island and costs the princely sum of €6.50. Travelling by bus is the way to see Malta, as you go through all manner of small towns and windy narrow roads which clearly were not designed for busses!! It was an old fashioned bus, much like we had back in the UK in the 80s with that coarse carpet material on the backs of the seats, and even on the ceiling. 

With tickets the price they are, it is no surprise that the bus was packed but thankfully Sarah had us in the queue early so we managed to get seats. Malta has really brought out her British sense of queuing, and was indignant when some local Maltese lad just came and stood in front of us. Still her vexation was not a patch on the Russian ladies (I use the term loosely, and that was not the words Sarah used to describe them either, but I want to keep this blog a PG rated blog!!) who pushed in front of her at the toilets in Valletta. Sarah is still going on about that now!!

After an hour of driving around the island, we finally arrived at the capital. It has been a bit more developed since Sarah and I were last there, but there was still a fair bit of work to do before they are finished. The city walls were as impressive as ever, as were the harbour forts, but typically the one thing that we had come to see ( the World War II museum) was closed because, the guard informed us, they were relocating it to some indistinct area of the city over there (said as he was waving his arm in the general direction of the way we came). We did see them loading a jeep onto a trailer as part of this relocation, but I scarcely think that would fulfill Dan's requirement of what he wanted from a World War II museum.....

We sat down had a drink and regrouped, and decided to visit the museum of archaeology instead. This houses many exhibits from the temples of Malta and was a perfect way to whet our appetites before visiting the Hypogeum on Wednesday. It was an interesting, if small, museum and had an impressive display of Neolithic sleeping figures, as well as an inordinate amount of clay pots. Also, we finally got to see the George Cross that was presented to the island in recognition of its bravery against the Nazi bombing onslaught. 

An altar in the Museum of Archaeology on a lovely chipboard floor. I spared you endless pics of pots!!

The George Cross awarded to Malta, along with the letter from King George VI.

Surprisingly after all that, we were shattered and so we decided to make our way back home. I again feel like I have not seen all that Valletta has to offer,as we seemingly went down the Main Street we did last time. Is that all there is??

Back to the Island

This blog is a bit different to my usual posts as I generally have an idea of where I am going and what I am doing. This trip has been pleasantly arranged without me knowing, as a celebration of my thirty tenth birthday, and so I am currently winging it as I go.

We have checked in with easyJet but in an act of apparent meanness, they have put Sarah at one end of the plane and I am at the other end, so we don't get to journey together. This is made all the more perplexing when you see the are plenty of seats near me not occupied, and so if they couldn't seat us together, they could have at least seated us near each other. Never mind though, it is not going to spoil the holibobs!!! 

After checking in, Sarah and I were sitting having breakfast, when I had a tap on my shoulder.  Another surprise. My best man, Dan, and his partner, Symmie were booked in for the trip too. Apparently this has all been arranged for months and Sarah had been secretly arranging this whilst I have been completely oblivious. I am still trying to get my head around it to be honest!! One thing I can definitely say, this is going to be a memorable holiday for all the right reasons. 

As I type this, we are currently flying over what I assume is Paris. The weather is lovely and clear so I can indulge in looking out of the window and seeing the foreign countryside go past. 

**Update #1** The flight itself was a smooth journey and we had clear views of the Alps and Mount Etna. I was kept informed of all the goings on by the man in the seat behind me who gave a running commentary to his wife of everything that he saw. Fair enough to point out when he could see the alps and stuff, but I draw the line at his observing a puddle on the runway and pointing it out to his Mrs. before sagely pronouncing that he thinks it may have rained here!!

One thing I was oblivious to though was the commotion at the back of the plane where Sarah was having to deal with a fainting passenger.

Anyway we are safe and sound in our hotel and, have eaten lunch which consisted of three sharing platters (for two) between the four of us I am totally stuffed. After lunch we all decided it was prudent to go for an afternoon nap, which is something I never usually do, but the early start caught up with me and I was out like a light. Before I knew it, it was 6pm and we were supposed to meet up at 7pm and go for dinner!! 

**Update #2** We have just eaten dinner, at a lovely little restaurant we went to the last time we were here, and I had forgotten that the portion sizes are generous. A starter is easily the size of a main course dish and the main meal is like a Man vs. Food challenge!! And so currently I  feel like one of those anacondas that has just eaten a capybara, and now needs to go and sleep for a week or two to digest the meal it has just eaten......

The plan is to head into Valletta tomorrow, so I should be able to add some photos in after that ( I figured most people wouldn't want to see photos of large quantities of meat!!). For now though I need to sleep and digest everything, literally and metaphorically!

Maltesers - part II

For the avid viewers of this blog, you will realise that my previous visit to Malta was fairly thorough in viewing the temples, but due to piss poor planning on my part, I was unable to see the Hypogeum (arguably the main attraction) as they only allow a limited number of people into it each day to preserve it, and it is booked out months in advance.booking in country is practically impossible.

Well as a surprise birthday present, it turns out Sarah has treated me to another holiday to Malta, and has managed to get us tickets to the Hypogeum!! I am totally gobsmacked at this, and still can't quite take it in, but as of tomorrow I am off on holiday to Malta once again, and so, at rather short notice and completely unprecedented in the same year, there is another Mouseburger (on tour) blog coming.

The surprise was complete and total and it seems like everyone was in on it, even letting me think that I had discovered a secret surprise party that was to be held locally on Sunday for me. This was all a ruse put me off the scent of the real present. 

Anyway, it is time to dust down my fedora, bullwhip and travel bag, as Indiana Beamish is off on his  adventure.

And for the record I have the best fiancée in the whole world!! xxx

Stay tuned........