From Red Fort We met up once again with our driver BP, who was by far one of the most trustworthy people we had ever met. It's like he had an internal bat radar to detect when we needed him and would instantly pull up. He also told us about the important rules of driving in Delhi: good breaks, good horn, good luck. Once we were safely ensconced in the van, we took a short trip to visit the grave of Gandi, which is one of the most well maintained places I have ever seen. In a city that is so often surrounded by or buried under filth and refuse, every at Gandhis grave is immaculate, and it is clear he is still as revered as a great leader in death as he was in life.

From the Tomb of one famous Indian to that of another, our next stop was the tomb of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor

The first example of a "paradise" or persian burial garden on the indian subcontinent, it not only set the stage for succeeding Mughal emperors to create royal Mausoleums, but also served as a model for the Taj Mahal, built by the fourth mughal emperor Shah Jahan

Imagine that this was made of marble instead of sandstone, and voila! instant wonder of the world.

We approached the entrance with some trepidation, seeing as how Indians have mixed/confused views on holy objects and religious imagery. Sound rascist?

Think again. Apparently this is a blessing or affirmation of life and positivity, at least until it is rotated 45 degrees, which gives the now infamous german logo.

Also, this is probably not a rabbi. But I digress. There we were entering the steps to the final resting place of Humayun

Hmm. Seems like he was down with the Jews after all.

The cenotaph of the second Mughal emperor

And our silhouetted adventurers pause for a moment to bask in the wonder of the things they have seen thus far, before setting off to one of their most dangerous sites yet: The Qutb Complex!

Yes, amidst the still stand columns, and a host of booby traps, the Qutb Minar, or victory tower can be espied. It is this structure, the tallest brick minaret in the world, that gives the complex its name

Filled with miles of columns, graves, arches, and archeaological accomplishments, we stood there unsure of what to do first...

Short Round was having a grand time admiring the architecture, until he set off a hidden trap from which we had to flee

luckily, years out of use, the trap had rusted and all we ended up running from was a few confused locals

A brief dash through another archway

dodging a few more snares along the way using only our wits

and bypassing the resting sites of those who had come before, we finally arrived at Qutb al Minar

This erection (as our guide referred to it) Thrusts into the sky at an impressive 239 ft (72.5 meters metric world!) and was built by three different rulers, not too mention struck by lighting twice. One can only admire the workmanship of such a towering erection

Or, you know, make a phallic joke. Whatever.

This stubby little fella was eventually supposed to compete with and even outstrip the qutb minar, but it remains an unfinished erection, incomplete because the sultan who ordered it built blew his wad of cash and materials too early, leaving it standing forever impotent and powerless in view of its more successful counterpart. Miss Crystal therefore took pity on this tower and rewarded its desperate efforts by posing in front so you could all ooh and ahh at this cyclopean endeavor.

Having finished our sightseeing, we journeyed around to the flea markets, a tea store where we purchased darjeeling (the champagne of teas) and dinner with some friends of friends before finally bedding down, awaiting the morning to continue our journey out of Delhi and onward to Rajastan, land of princes, pachyderms and our next destination.

The group finally all together, we met our local guide Tarun and set off for our first destination, Jama Masjid

Jama Masjid is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal,in the year 1644 CE and completed in the year 1658 AD, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India. Being A Mosque, you are not allowed to wear shorts, or be a Short Round

at least not without covering up in holy mumuus. Once past the entry gate the mosque comes into view.

Jama Masjid is a reference to the weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done at a mosque, the "congregational mosque" or "jāmi' masjid". The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. or three times that many pigeons

Muslim Architecture does not allow representations of any living creatures, that being the sole province of God. Instead elaborate geometrical designs fill the walls, offering worshipers a focus while they contemplate and pray

We took the opportunity to indulge in a bit of contemplation of our own before heading on a brief rickshaw ride through the streets of old delhi to nearby Red Fort aka Lal Qil'ah

Lal Qilah is a 17th century fort complex constructed by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan  in the walled city of Old Delhi that served as the residence of the royal family. It also served as the capital of the Mughals until 1857, when Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British Indian government. We entered this elegant complex through the hilariously named Whore Gate

Probably does not mean what you think it does.

Red Fort is so named because of the red sandstone which makes it up. It is filled with intricate inlaid and carved designs of flowers, which demonstrate the influence of Hindu architecture, which shows gods in everything on the muslim architecture, which strictly forbids representations of living things

Above is Diwan-I-Am, the hall of public audience, where the shah would hear resolve the peoples problems, in what I can only assume was a hilarious Dr Seuss-like fashion based on the name of the hall. You Shall not have your neighbors land, from this country you are banned, you shall not take your goat or cow, you must leave here, must leave right now!

I have no idea what this structure was originally used for, but damn did it look epic. Off in the background to the right you can see the barracks used by the emperors military, and then when the British took over, used as their military barracks, meaning this fort was in use long past its expected prime, though now it is overun by tourists and wildlife

Ch-ch-ch-chip and Dale!

Of course, surrounded by all this cool stuff, some of the locals begin to take it for granted and just stare at passerby. LIKE A BOSS.

Next Post: Humayuns Tomb and Qutb complex!

-Indiana J

Greetings All!

Indiana Josh and his trusty sidekick Short Round, accompanied by longtime fellow adventurers Dr Han and Miss Crystal recently returned from their yearly trip exploring yet another continent. This year, our intrepid band of thrill-seekers decided to explore the exotic experiences of Northern India, and search the mysterious heights, and brave the worst lows of bordering Nepal. Stuffed with the usual Danger, Despair and Deeds of Derring-Do, the following journal entries and their accompanying photos will hopefully make you laugh, cry, and keep you at the edge of your seat while you read the latest epic

INDIANA JOSH AND THE TEMPLES OF DOOM

Day 1: 16 Mar 2012

Have Just arrived in India, another third world bastion of developing culture, industry, and yes, aromas.

The Crowds are palpable, a post apocalyptic throng of poverty stricken zombies searching for change instead of brains. Brains they have aplenty, as they must to survive from day to day, but not a street goes by but is populated by working stiffs in one form or another

First order of business then, is to find some means of conveyance to get to our hotel. We learn quickly that there are three rules to good driving in India

1. Good Breaks
2. Good Horn
3. Good Luck

Suddenly, New York Cabbies make a lot more sense as we are whisked away in what can only be described by Dr Han as "like playing a video game for two hours with MY LIFE". Traffic moves at a steady 30km per hour, but it does so by whisking in and out of lanes that clearly exist only in the minds of the drivers as any extraneous material such as painted road lines, traffic signals, and pedestrians are simply ignored.

One moment our cab is driving down the left side of the road (thanks a lot Britain!) only for the cabby to decide he doesnt like his current position so he abruptly honks his horn to let other drivers around him know he is about to attempt manslaughter of his fares, then cuts across 4 lanes of traffic (in a 2 lane road no less), driving briefly against the flow of traffic toward several oncoming cars, only to duck back in to a lane somewhere in an intersection, all while sipping his chai and answering a text. Everyone hear drives like this, and after the initial terror, the car rides become a blur

By the end of the trip, we all agree that No racing game or driving simulator in the world will ever match up, and the previously loved Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland is now less thrilling than a trip to the Mall.

After settling in at our hotel, The Shangri La, an undiscovered paradise indeed, we briefly search the surroundings for some type of sustenance

Knowing the dangers of getting the dreaded Delhi Belly from street vendors, Indiana Josh gets in touch with local contacts, their information obtained from an associate stateside

The modern, ultra hip decor of the punjabi restaurant belies its humble surroundings, and a delicious meal is had with new friends

From Left: Miss Crystal, Dr Han, Indiana Josh, Mansi, Pavan, and Siddharth

Bellies full, we return to our hotel to await the fourth member of the party set to arrive tomorrow, when the adventure will truly begin

Welcome, my friends, to India.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Returning to the AUstralia trip, my trusty travel quartet and I decided to continue exploring the environs of Sydney, namely Darling Harbour. We decided to take the ferry from Circular Quay to the harbour

"I'm on a boat, muthaf**ka" became a regular catchprase and inside joke during this trip. You will see it come into play later as we include such variations as "I'm on a plane!", "I'm on a rock!" and "I'm on a kangaroo!"

After a short 10 minute trip we arrived in what I can only describe to my fellow Californians as a nicer, cleaner version of Long Beach. Our Quadrumvirate set out looking for the next adventure!

Actually, Koh and Ward decided to take some R&R time, leaving Crystal and I, the Dynamic Duo to amuse ourselves like the mature responsible adults we are

Or Not...

That stuffed kangaroo and I have come to the decision that this instrument should be called a digiri-dont.

Crystal geared up like some sort of wolverine/crocodile hunter fusion

Crocodile Hunter, you say? All the Ho's will love action adventure Josh

Of course, what would Crocodile Hunters be without Crocodiles?

Having Narrowly escaped certain death due only to our quick wits and definetly not by being kicked out of the store, Crystal and I decided to go find some easier prey...like whale

And then we decided to package it up for you and put it over an elevator.

Alright folks, more travel blurbs and tales as time permits...that said, it's good to be back and writing again.

-J

The last time Koh and I traveled together, it was on a 21 day tour through Egypt and Jordan. During that time, we were fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of the Wilsons, who in addition to teaching us how to throw a frisby forehand and play a number of card games, also happened to mention they live in SYdney and to drop by if we were ever in the neighborhood. We managed to keep in touch through the years vis a vis our blogs, so it was a simple matter to look them up when we arrived. As a welcome to Sydney they offered to take us out on their boat

I'm  on a boat muthaf**ker dont you ever forget!

yes, this is a real nautical signal AND concern. cant stop drop and roll on the ocean

Sailing Sydney Harbor we were exposed to sun, sea, and sand (although I personally only took part in two of the above. I leave it to you to determine which) and even learned a couple basics of sailing like tacking (and how to dodge the boom!)

Above is fort dennison, a former garrison and penal colony when australia was first being colonised by British convicts, and now a restaurant and museum. That tower you see on the end is a Martello tower, an early siege defense fort that became outdated in the 1850's with the introduction of rifled artillery. It was also the last Martello tower built in the British empire

Our mate, in both the nautical and australian senses of the word was Andrew. The captain, TD, is not pictured.

Andrews lovely wife Jess (aka FushMush) who came along for the ride and packed a heaps of sandwiches. Good times were had by all

Yes, by the end of this trip we had all become mighty seafarers, some of us using the assistance of dramamine to quell our seasickness, and some of us using beer. Having no more fears we decided to go on a ghost tour of SYdney

Were my blogging muscles not so sorely atrophied, I would happily relate a number of tales we learned that night, from the apartment where multiple 21 year olds met their death on their 21st birthday, to the ghost of the sydney harbour bridge or perhaps most disturbing, the grisley tale of the madames boarding house and the dismembered member (that was a penis joke). However, the tour itself was quite amusing and well worth a story in person should we ever meet. So on from sailing to our next adventure...

-J

Once again, dear readers, it is time to embark on another whirlwind tour around the globe. Having traveled through europe, asia, africa, and the middle east, It was high time to get low...below the equator that is. So I gathered up the usual traveling companions and off we embarked for the counterweight continent, the land down under, the empire of Oz, the country and continent all in one that is Australia. By this point I am sure you know my international adventure posse, but let me take a moment to once again introduce the key players, named after the band for whom this post is titled, the Men At Work:

just kidding, of course. Here is the real Australia crew

On the top right of course, is yours truly, Dr J, international man of mischief and trip planner extroirdinare; bottom right brings us to the conscience of the group, the honest, the financially astute and the unfortunately gullible Koh, aka "short round" for those of you who remember the Road to Jordan trip; moving along to the bottom left is emergency physician, outdoors lover, and all around survivalist ward from the Bangkok Dangerous Trip ; and a new addition to the group although not to this blog itself, my enabler and partner in crime, purchaser of plush animals and maker of pithy observations, crystal.

Our first destination in Oz was Sydney, one of the most well known and beautiful harbors in the world

.

Completed in 1973, The Opera House is easily one of the most iconic sights of Sydney and Australia in general. The design, depending on which australian you ask is mean to represent anything from a ship sailing into the harbor, to eggshells, to a bowl of fruit (yeah i didnt get that one either) The Grand Organ is located in the Concert Hall and is the largest pipe organ in the world, boasting over 10,000 pipes. It is 16 metres high and 13 metres wide and can also be played remotely by way of an electronic console.

By contrast, the largest organ in the world belongs to yours truly

Anyone expecting a higher level of maturity than that should probably leave now.

Lunch was at Chef Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar and Grill, a remodeled Bank from the 1930's done in the gothic/art deco style.

We stayed in the Sydney Harbour YHA Hostel, recommended to us by FushMush, a friend from the Road To Jordan Adventure who Koh and I had kept in touch with. More on them later. Our Hostel was actually built over an archaelogical dig site. At first we were all impressed until we found out that the ruins we were sitting over were from the 1800's. The conversation was something like this:

Koh: Wow a hotel on a dig site? that's pretty cool
Ward: yeah how long has this stuff been down here? how old are these ruins?
Random AUstralian: bout three weeks mate
Dr J: god dammit.

As you can tell the rooms were quite cozy, but we had our own shower and an amazing view from the roof of the Opera House. But enough of my droning on and about, there will be plenty of time for that, lets get some pics from that first day of Sydney and the new culture we were to immerse ourself in

The QVB mall (queen victoria building) and Luna Park

The Sydney Harbour Bridge and more art deco architecture

We were so Manly, that one of the local aboriginal tribes invited Koh to join them for a sacred male ceremony. More on that later as well.

And now, SYdney at night

As I am making a gentle return to blogging after yet another extended vacation (in both the literal and physical senses of the word) I will try and ease back into the stories while letting the pics speak for themselves. 

If you are new, welcome.

If you have been following for a while and stuck around, thanks! I've missed you.

Until next post

Dr J

As Much fun as Nikko and the Sakura blossoms were, the real reason for the detour from Tokyo this trip was to visit neighboring utsunomiya, famous for its gyoza, and moderately less famous, but infinitely more fascinating for The Kayabuki restaurant and its unique waitstaff

Creepy Mask, right? But after receiving our hot towels, the waiters decided to take a break to come and join us during the meal

Without the mask fukuchan is slightly less creepy, but her assistant, yaachan is beyond adorable. What you may notice in the 3rd picture is fukuchan deciding to bite my head while yaachan tries to eat my jacket. For her behavior, fukuchan had to be disciplined and I was politely invited to spank the monkey. Please commence snickering

As you can see the restaurant is fairly small, and typical izakaya fare: gyoza, kara-age (think fried chicken), some other stuff that we didnt really pay attention to because we were too busy playing with the monkeys who would pick at the vegetable parts of our food. In the background are photos of all the various people who have come to investigate this eatery, including CNN, BBC, and multiple japanese news networks. Who doesnt love a monkey?

Now everybody brace yourselves for a big "awwwwwww"

Assuming xanga's new editor worked, above is a photo of the baby monkey eating.

After dinner came grooming,

Dessert...

Then more delicious monkeys!!

I kid, I kid. Instead we actually watched the monkeys ride on a rocking horse, do backflips, and spin in circles while balancing on a giant ball. However, given that we had to make sure to catch the last train and not be stuck walking 30 miles back to tokyo, we had to cut our time short. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to smuggle or barter a monkey out, but there's always next time.

With just one day remaining in tokyo on my vacation, I had no idea what I would do next...and until the next post, neither do you!

Early the next morning, Andy and I set off for Nikko, a 2 hour train ride north of Tokyo, and home to the Toshogu shrine, burial site of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's famous shoguns/historical figures

Along the way, andy marked another victory in his ongoing battle against Japan's insect population off on his wall.

A brief stop at Asakusa's Senkai Gate to pick up some snacks for the trip, and a mere 2 hours or brief nap later, we had arrived. Now Nikko is a little bit further north, with slightly colder weather...meaning it is still cherry blossom season there




Despite the Rain, an everpresent companion on my trip until it's last day, Andy and I decided to wander around and see where fate led us.

When first I came here, I used to know the significance of this bridge, full of knowledge of Japanese language and culture, fresh out of college. This time, Andy and I agreed...some famous dude did something here or built this and because of that it's very pretty and 10 dollars to cross. We took pics and kept walking

Toshogu shrine had been retouched since last I visited and with all the gold plating and new growth on the temple, looked amazing even in the miserable weather

The famous "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" monkeys on the stable of Toshogu shrine. And me adding the 4th mantra...do no evil. The one I always seem to have trouble with

After wandering in and out of gardens and temples for a couple hours, I was starving!

Now Andy had told me that Nikko is famous for Yuba, sweet tofu skin. Of course by the time we reached the restaurant it had closed. Along with most of the other restaurants. I guess Japanese people dont want lunch at 3pm. After extensive wandering we finally found the one restaurant open and figuring it was a sign, in we went.

Fortune of fortunes, not only did they have what I was craving (oyakodon-a chicken and egg dish over rice) but they also had the Yuba. We got everything we wanted in one place! And striking up a conversation with the owners of the restaurant, we mentioned that given the weather we were thinking about going to an onsen (hot spring) to relax before heading to dinner. When we told them the one we wanted, they insisted they knew a better one that was only slightly more expensive. In the spirit of yes, I agreed...however when they told us it would be a $26 dollar taxi ride to get there, not to mention back, we hesitated and asked how far it would be to walk. Sensing our financial burden, and determined to not have the nice foreigners waste their trip at a low quality hot spring, the owners literally closed up the restaurant and one of them offered to drive us over to the place. At which point you really cant refuse, not that we particularly wanted to.

So off we went in the car of a total stranger, along roads that got progressively less paved. It was a lot like being kidnapped. We were dropped off in the middle of nowhere

As our benefactor drove off leaving us with no other options, or any idea of where we were, in we went to explore the hot springs

A relaxing time was had by all, and in the next post you will see our next dinner adventure

So after a long day of toy shopping, I met up with andy and off we went to dinner.

Now before I go any further, here is a bit of background. Whenever I go to Tokyo, I always take my friend out to dinner for hosting me. I usually spend a couple weeks beforehand searching for restaurants. Normally these are of the theme variety, so while breakfast and lunch are usually standard japanese fare (ramen, sushi, tonkatsu, etc) dinner is typical japanese fare in a crazy setting. This place, Kagaya, located off the shimbashi exit on the ginza or hibiya line was recommended multiple times as one of the number one weird/fun restaurants to visit. Andy and I called the night before and made reservations, not knowing anything about the place other than this. We were the first ones in the restaurant and for about 30 minutes, the only ones there. Now, in most japanese eateries, you are brought hot towels before the meal

Next, we had to order drinks. Now the entire menu was written in crayon in a childrens sketchbook, but more on that in a moment. From the menu, you had to select first your drink, and then a country (brazil, france, america, england, korea, japan, china) the style of which you would be served. So Andy chose to have some plum wine served from brazil

The reason for the abruptness of the video is because I was definetly not expecting the owner to charge out at me.

Andy enjoyed his pisswater quite thoroughly. Now before I ordered my drink, another young couple entered the restaurant. Both Japanese, the girl, chika, spoke english quite well, so our two table (the entirety of the restaurant) hit it off quite well. Chika asked for her drink french style

Of course what you dont see is him spending 3 minutes frantically sketching and painting, only to ball up the paper, scream in disgust, and throw it away, then begin again for another 3 minutes. After which he kissed it and handed Chika her portrait


Next I ordered my drink American style...which apparently begins with a puppet show

We spoke with the frog puppet, who asked if we would like to meet his friend from america, Dick. Of course we said yes at which point the owner came charging out at us again in...

In case you cant here, he is shouting "Attack! Dick Missle! Dick Missile!" At which point he frog roscoes chika and then comes over to do the same to me.
If you search Kagaya on you tube, you can find all his many performances and costumes. But in case you forgot, we have only ordered drinks! Next it was time for the food


You will note the menu has no actual food selections, but instead a short speech stating how hungry you are and what you want the owner to do about it. Initially, I picked the left and Andy picked the right. Then the owner told us that was too much work for him and we would both be getting the meal on the right. You all remember my personal motto, right? "WHAT THE HELL IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT DECISION!" So, we allowed the owner to give us whatever tickled his fancy

Above is a fraction of the food we were served...steamed pickeled daikon, kabocha, tofu, along with some bitter greens, mackerel, chicken teriyaki, and curry rice. Every time another dish was set out I inwardly winced at where I would find enough room for all this great food. And while we were eating it, the owner kept coming by with games for the four of us to play, like an operation type maze where the metal rod cant hit the sides or it buzzes, or a who is fastes game where the last one to press their buzzer gets an electric shock. Andy won a game, so the prize we got was inflatable plastic balloon straws from our childhood

After what was an amazing meal, almost all of which was spent laughing and having a fantastic time, we prepared to say our goodbyes. The owner asked me if I wanted to be like him, and of course I responded absolutely. If I could own a restaurant one day half that fun, I will count it a huge success. So he gave me some bourbon and then



We had such a good time, I managed to convince Chika and Masa to come do some karaoke with us. Of course, the owner warned us to be careful of ninja, who he said often attacked foreigners. We thanked him for the warning and left.

Half a block away from the restaurant, he jumped out of an alleyway at us with a plastic sword screaming Ninja! Ninja! He had literally left his own restaurant with two people still inside, to follow the four of us down the street and surprise us.

Best. Restaurant. Ever.

After an hour or so of singing with new friends Masa and Chika, Andy and I caught the last train back to his place is Aobadai, crammed in like sardines on the evening commute rush. Not to bad for a first day, eh? Tomorrow, Nikko and Utsunomiya