One entry, one entry...
‘spose I should update this thing.
Our South Asia survey trip was supercalafrickinawesome. Really. I don’t know how else to talk about it, other than to say that it was time well spent in a part of the world that we love and might live in one day. Lots of clarity was had…along with lots of odd experiences. Ask me about it in person and I might just talk your ear off. Anyway, I can’t really compress six weeks of amazingness into words right now, so to save you from complete boredom, here are some stats to give you a snapshot.
- Countries visited: 3
- Total distance by air: 20,490km; by rail: 3,204km
- Actual duration of flight from Singapore to Karachi: ~9 hours; perceived duration: 19 hours
- Estimated weight of pack at beginning of trip: 16.5kg; at end of trip: 19.5kg
- Unexpected McDonalds sightings in Pakistan: 5
- New forms of transport tried in Karachi: 1
- Visits to bazaars: 4; time of each visit: ~3.5 hours
- Average cost of a taxi to the bazaar: Rs. 60
- Sunsets over the Arabian Sea witnessed: 1
- Number of bag-snatchings: 1; number of successful bag-snatchings: 0
- Estimated loudness of fellow passenger’s snores on the Karakoram Express train: 102 dB
- Wedding anniversaries celebrated whilst abroad: 1
- Kilograms of gajar halwa cooked: ~12; consumed: 1
- Church gatherings attended: 4
- Borders crossed on foot: 1; number of times passport was checked at border crossing: 5
- Guessed number of pilgrims at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, when we visited: 5,000
- Offers of drugs in Paharganj, Delhi: 12; average distance travelled between offers: 10m
- Hotels stayed in: 3
- Estimated waiting time to enter Taj Mahal complex at 3:00pm: 3.5 hours; at 9:00am: 3.5 minutes
- Number of allocated seats per berth in Indian trains: 6
- Number of passengers per berth, on average, in Indian trains: 16
- Cups of chai consumed: ~35
- Visits to barbers: 3; number of times head shaved: 2
- Number of Hindu babas witnessed in Varanasi: 12
- Hours spent waiting in an airport at Kolkata for fog to clear: 6
- Books read in Bangladesh: 1
- Bangla names for objects learnt: 18
- Trips to Chinese restaurants: 1; number of vegetarian dishes in the ‘Vegetarian’ section of their menu: 0
- Late-night life-changing discussions: 2
- Decisions made regarding future: 2
There will be some form of open-house thingy coming if you want more than that.