More Old Delhi

The top pic is me in front of Humayun's Tomb built in 1565 by a wife to honor her husband who was the great grandfather of the man who used this tomb as the model for the Taj Mahal. It really contains 100 tombs.
The lower is a pic of me in front of the largest mosque in India - the Jama Mosque built in 1650. Jama means Friday = Muslim Holy Day. Note my "dress"! I had to "rent" & wear one because I had shorts. Also note the "official designated area" for feeding pigeons!

Oldest Mosque in Delhi

The top pic is of me amongst some of the columns taken from many of the Hindu temples destroyed to construct the Islam Mosque built in 1195.
The below pic above is of the Qutb Minaret or Tower built in 1199 near the Islam Mosque.

India

Following an arduous, grueling, long 16+-hour trip from Saigon, Vietnam to Bangkok, Thailand (6 hour layover) to Delhi, India, I finally arrived in Delhi late last night.
Today I begin my 14-day, private-chaffeur-driven "Golden Triangle" tour of Rajasthan - points of triangle being Delhi, Agra & Jaipur - all in northwest India (see www.goldentriangleindia.net/).
This journey will cover a wide range of topography including jungles, mountains & deserts & hopefully many critters such as elephants (my favorite), camels, tigers, & many monkeys. In addition to triangle destinations I have added Sariska National Park - a tiger refuge.
Most of the places where I will be staying are "Palace Heritage" hotels - meaning that they are current or previous palaces of maharaja's & maharani's.
I spent the entire day today touring both New & Old Delhi. The top pic is of the India Gate built in 1921 by the British to honor Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British Kingdom. I much preferred Old Delhi. Bottom pic above is the ruins of the Islam Mosque built in 1195 - the oldest mosque in India.

Bikeshaws & Next Leg of My Journey

Until this morning, I had forgotten that of the dozens of pics of Saigon on this blog during the past 1.5 yrs I had never included a pic of the cheapest mode of public transportation in HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City) - the "modern-version" rickshaw or "bikeshaw". Hence the above pic. Fares = about 25 cents/kilometer (.6 miles). Given the heat/humidity, up to 4-passenger capacity + any "cargo" & low-gear ratio on these bikes - their "drivers" are in remarkable condition!
Many of you have asked about my future travel plans. My current Vietnam visa expires July 10 - so it is time for me to start planning my next stop.
I have definitely decided to eventually return to US by heading west from Vietnam - thereby circumnavigating the globe by the time I return to the US.
India will definitely be one of my stops - so I spent a major part of today at the India Consulate applying for an India visa - which will take a week to process. The India Consulate website said it was possible to get & I wanted a 6-month, multi-entry visa. But, they "just changed" their visa regs & I was only able to get a 3-month, SINGLE-entry tourist visa. This severely restricts a liberal travel itinerary bc I can only enter India once! I also discovered that the fee for such visas is US$60 for citizens of ALL countries EXCEPT US citizens who must pay US$80!?!? And, of course, all visa fees, regardless of your nationality, MUST be paid in US$'s!
I am still exploring other stops & visa requirements for possible "visit" locations both pre- (e.g., Malaysia, Tahiti, Borneo) & post-India (e.g., Sri Lanka, Maldives, Jordan). So - stay tuned.

Goodbye & Salamat White Beach, Boracay Island, Philippines

The Philippines were named by Magellan in honor of Prince Phillip of Spain. It is comprised of 7,000+ islands of which only half have been named & only 1,000 are inhabited. Of these, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan no doubt has the best beach - appropriately named White Beach. I have tremendously enjoyed my 2-week visit here - primarily because of my adopted, very shy (no pics allowed) hostess - Mary Grace who showed me all that the island had to offer - culture, cuisine, & wonderful people. The above pics are of 2 of the many beautiful Boracay Island sunsets that we shared. Salamat ("thank you" in Tagalog) Mary Grace & the many people I've met on this leg of my journey.
I will spend most of today (Monday, June 21) traveling from Caticlan to Manila and then from Manila to Saigon.

Prawa & Other Questions

Many of you have asked questions about Boracay Island. Below are answers to some of the most asked questions:
1. " What are those boats that appear in many of your pics"? These double-outrigger sail boats are called Prawa's. Their hulls are very narrow with mahogany frames covered with marine plywood siding. The outriggers are made with bamboo - with a nylon mesh stretched between each where passengers ride. They have a very shallow draft - < 12 inches. They are almost identical to boats found throughout the South Pacific.. The above pics were taken in front of the only Starbucks on Boracay Island <-- best view I've ever seen from any Starbucks & I've been to many around the world! Motorized versions without sails are called Bangka's.
2. "What about "ladies" on Boracay Island?" Being a predominantly Catholic country, prostitution is outlawed. But these laws are not vigorously enforced. You can easily "hire" a lady for about Php500/24 hours - a little more than US$10. These woman are not very attractive. I was very lucky to find a lady that worked at my hotel who became my friend & island guide. Because she could get fired for fratinizing with guests - she would not allow me to take any pics of her.
3. "Is the island as clean as it appears in pics?" Yes - beaches, streets & even interior parts of the island are very clean. This is a recent "event" pushed by a newly-elected mayor about a year ago who began vigorously enforcing littering laws. About the same time, National Geographic sponsored an "island clean-up campaign". There are very unsightly & smelly dump sites in the island's interior - which I stumbled upon during my motorbike road trip.
4. "What language do they speak?" Tagalog is their official language - a kind of weird mixture of Polynesian & Spanish.
5. "Chop sticks?" None except those found in Japanese & Chinese restaurants. But unlike us - the spoon rather than fork is their primary eating utensil.
6. "What's the strangest thing you've seen on the island?" Nothing really "strange" but one thing has kinda stood out - there are many Filipino "little people" working & playing on Boracay Island. Tonight I am going to eat at what is supposed to be the best steak house on the island. It's called "The Hobbit Steakhouse" & is owned/managed/operated by "little people"!

Another Island & ?

The top pic is of the very small Mother Mary Island located just off the shoreline on the north end of White Beach. There is a small shrine dedicated to Mother Mary on the right side (in the top pic) of the island. White Beach is known for this shrine & you see people wading to the island everyday paying homage. Btw - > 85% of Filipinos are Catholic.
The 2nd pic above is additional proof that I am here!

Another Food Favorite & Me

I forgot to mention my other favorite Filipino food - Pork Adobo shown in top pic. It is pork chopped into bite-size pieces cooked in a somewhat spicy sauce always served with rice & those small limes in small bowel @ top of pic. It is delicious w the very stronge-flavored lime juice & several other sauces they serve on the side. No mango shakes at my favorite beach side restaurant where I always buy this dish - so had to settle for iced tea.
Several have said they doubted I was actually on Boracay Island because they had not seen me in any pics - hence the 2nd pic above of me on White Beach.

Boracay Island Roadtrip 4

There are many unnamed beaches on Boracay Island. The top pic is of one such beach. The bottom pic is of Puka Shell Beach - many shells but difficult to get to - so not many people around.
A few of you have asked about how clean the island is. It is very clean - streets & beaches.

Boracay Island Roadtrip 3

Boracay is known for 2 caves - both requiring a trek through what is pretty much a jungle. The top pic is of the entrance to Bat Cave & the bottom pic is of the entrance to Crystal Cave. Not very interesting pics but thought that I should include them. Many bats & swallows flying around in both caves.