Around the world in 30 days - Leg 1 - Asia

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I have always been fascinated by around the world travel , backpacking particularly. There have been several excuses for not pursuing my dream, lack of funds , lack of vacation time, small children etc. But all this did not stop me from travelling from my country Canada to India where I have a lot of family ties once every 3 or so years. Turning an Asian vacation into around the world travel was so much easier than I had thought. All I had to do is to get 2 extra weeks of vacation , find $350 extra per person to convert the round-trip India ticket to an RTW ticket. My strategy was to use three one way trips with free (or $100 fee) stop-overs to create a cheap RTW ticket. All done with 4 weeks of vacation.Before we go on, let me define around the world travel. There are only 3 rules.Rule 1: Travel to start and end in the same country.Rule 2 : Travel in one continuous direction East or West.Rule 3: Cross the International date line once.Rule 4: Cross Atlantic and Pacific at-least once. Although it is hard these days as most flights from North America flies over the poles non-stop to many Asian and European destinations.

It took  4 one-way trips to build a reasonable RTW ticket.1. Toronto to Hong-Kong on Air Canada.2. Hong-Kong to Bangkok on Air Asia.3. Bangkok to Chennai on Air Asia.4. Bangalore to Toronto with a stop-over in Frankfurt and London on Air Canada (Lufthansa).

Day 1 - Departure

Departure from Toronto was very exhilarating. We have gone to India from Chicago and Tornto a dozen times, but through Europe and Dubai. For the first time we will be in Asia. Altough it would have made sense to fly East first with the Jet Stream, we chose to fly West for 2 reasons. We wanted Europe to be the last stop before returning home. Also it is cheaper to from to North America from India with a Europe stop-over.

I have to say Air Canada was very comfortable. It was a very long flight.

Day 2 - Hong Kong

AC 015 touched down Hong Kong sharp at 14:30. Clearing immigration and claiming baggage was a breeze. As a budget traveler I followed Wikitravel and took bus S1 to Tung Chung. After quickly buying a tourist pass I was on my way to the harbor , Tsim Sha Tsui ,TST station. The direction to the star ferry was well marked from TST station.

Top things to do in Hong Kong.

1. View the city from the Harbor.

2. Ride the star ferry.

3. Get to the peak. Ideally in the evening and get sweeping views of the city after sunset.

4. Ride the cable car to Ngong Ping.

5. Visit Tin Tan Budha.

Day 3 - Hello Bangkok

Arrived in Bangkok and swiftly proceeded to my hostel. Yes, I stayed in a hostel. Its called Nappark Hostel and is located in the old city very close to Kao San road and the major attractions. It is arguably one of the best hostels in the region and certainly the best I have ever stayed in.
Despite the Jet lag, I started to explore the city and did the major attractions.
The Grand palace. Absolutely stunning. Do your home work and learn about the scams in the area. It is very notorious for petty crime and tuk tuk tour scams.

Day 4 - More Bangkok

Day 4 was a bit harder to wake up. But a promise of more sights (in the sweltering hot day) did shake me up from my lethargy. After a quick bite form 711 and a coffee I proceed for a ride on the Chao Phraya river to visit to Wat Pho. The temple was huge and very peaceful. Don't miss traditional Thai massage given on the temple grounds.

I quickly returned to the hostel for a Nap, the jet lag was killing me at this time. Perhaps it was the beer, who cares, I am on vacation.

Bangkok roof-top Bar: My choice the quiet and river side Hilton Millennium hotel. Accessible via the Chao Phraya ferry, the ride in the early evening was cool , cheap and comfortable. The happy hour was till 8pm with buy one get one drink. The sun usually sets between 6 and 6:30.

Around the world in 30 days - Leg 1 - Asia

Day 5 - To Krabi

I decided to go to Krabi instead of Phuket. Phuket is very crowded and I always wanted to see picture perfect beaches I see on post-cards. The flight to Krabi was on AirAsia.I stayed in a cute little beach village called Ao Nang. J Hotel  was very affordable and comfortable.

Day 6 - Maya Bay tour

I had booked my tour online with JC Tours. I would nor recommend them as they were very pricey.I think I didn't loose much as I was offered a private car ride to my hotel to book this tour. It is much cheaper to book the tours once you are on Thailand and at your hotel front desk.

Maya Bay

Maya Bay was absolutely wonderful and stunning. The water was crystal clear. All the beaches and stops on this trip was wonderful. This was living the dream. I feel great every time I look at this picture.Truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Day 7 - Four Island tour

Second day of tours in Ao Nang. Breakfast was cheap and my favorite filled parathas. I like the savory kind, paratha filled with egg with salt and pepper. Ridiculously cheap and filling.

After a  nice and filling breakfast , I was ready for the tour. I was particularly excited to see Thale-Whake or separated sea. At low tides, there is a sand bar that emerges between two islands. A pretty sight to see.

Thale-Whake	Iconic Long-tail boat
Chiken Island

Day 8 - Hot Springs and Emerald Pool tour

One of the reasons I picked Krabi Vs Phuket is other nature attractions around Krabi area. My personal favorite are the Hot Springs and Emerald pool.
Again I booked the tour from my hotel front desk for a ridiculously cheap THB350 ($12). This was a half a day tour on an Air Conditioned Van. After about an hour ride picking up guests from various hotels, we rode into real Thailand and onto Thung Tieo- Emerald pool Nature reserve. There are well marked trails and trail map at the entrance. Cost of entrance was paid for by the tour. I recommend you take a picture of the trail map for reference if you plan on exploring the trails. I did my homework and wore my running shoes. It is very uncomfortable walking with flip-flops or beach wear.
  At the entrance there were many vendors selling barbecued duck eggs and other local eats with bottled water. If you did not bring water and plan to hike to the blue lagoon I would highly recommend getting some water. It is always hot in Thailand and the trails are deserted.
   It is a quick 10-15 min walk to the Green pool where one could swim. The water is very refreshing. The hike to the blue lagoon is another 10-15 min and not many people do this. The blue lagoon is considered sacred and no swimming is allowed. So the walk is only to click a picture. In hindsight I was glad I did that and saw the sight. But at that time, it was a hot uncomfortable walk.
After another 30 minute ride we arrived at the Thermal waterfall. It is a short walk from the parking lot to the thermal pools. It has several tiers and the water was hottest at the top and cooled down towards the bottom. It was a good spa experience.
I was very satisfied with this trip as my expectations were kinda low. My main reason to come to this region was picture perfect beaches and yes I had very high expectations. Maya Bay, Bamboo island, Tup island beat my expectations easily.

Day 9 - Beaches and Night Market

My time in Thailand was slowly coming to an end. On day 8 I was very tired and I think something I ate got to my stomach. I usually do not treat diarrhea, its my way of cleaning the system and loosing some weight. So I took it easy during the day and bought a THB120 trip to the night market in Krabi.

Ao Nang Beach
Night Market Krabi	Thai Dance

The night market was not all that great. It was a good experience, but nothing special in the market to buy. Lots of food which I could not eat because of my stomach condition. I was glad I got a tour which is basically air conditioned transport to and back. It is possible to take a songthawe, the open truck for a fraction of what I paid.

Day 10 - So long Thailand.

I was flying out of Phuket (dont ask why) so I decided to take a bus from Ao Nang to Krabi to Phuket Airport. Ao Nang has a comfortable reliable but very slow airport shuttle. Very reasonable price but took over 90 min to drop me at the bus stop. Bus station was easy to find and there were several buses to Phuket. It was a comfortable ride and got just off the side road to Phuket airport. I budgeted several hours to be safe , but reached the Airport in about 5 hours, including the ride from Ao Nang to Krabi. If you have any questions please ask in the comments and I will answer.

See you all in India, my next stop.

Ao Nang Airport Shuttle	Krabi Bus Terminal
Phulet International	Krabi Phuket THB160

Around the world in 30 days - Leg 2 - India

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The India leg of the trip is more for family, tending to personal business, paying taxes on investment properties etc. I do want to retire early and travel in this region and so I have bought some farm lands with coconut tress to build my oasis when I turn 50. It might even become a hostel, who knows?

Day 11 - Chennai to Kallidaikurichi

My village Kallidaikurichi is where myself, my father and my grand-parents were born. It is such a serene village in the foot-hills of Western-Ghats which is a UNESCO world heritage site and a bio-diversity hot-spot. You wouldn't  find hotels here anything that caters to tourists, even local tourists. It is a village where farming is the main activity and people live with nature.

Western Ghats near Kallidaikurichi

Western Ghats

The trip to village involves a 10 hour train ride followed by an hour cab ride. Day 11 was spent getting to Kallidaikurichi.

Day 12 - Waterfalls

One of the wonderful things the southern mountains are known for are their therapeutic waterfalls. The head waters of these waterfalls flow through medicinal and aromatic herbs, the water is believed to have healing properties. For me its nostalgia and a good water massage. 

Papanasam and Manimuthar falls are in the area and can be easily reached by cab in an hour. 

Day 13- Enjoy the village with a river swim.

This is a quiet day with a trip to the local river to swim and refresh. I always wonders if this place has the potential to attract tourists for tubing and other activities. Such a wonderful place even most people in India do not know about.

Day 14- Local Eats

Enjoyed some of my favorite childhood treats, kothu parotta and  masala dosa. Spent some time shopping as well. Enjoyed some palm fruits, road-side tender coconuts.

Day 15- To Bangalore.

It is not a real touristy choice to go to Bangalore, but neither is Kallidaikurichi. While personal reasons took me to Bangalore area, there were several places of interest that I always wanted to visit over the years and I did them during this trip.  The best part about getting to Bangalore is the overnight train trip. I love travel on Indian trains I have a blog on it. Around India in 18 Trains. Perhaps you could join me on this trip in 2015.

Day 16 - Around Bangalore

There are a few places worthy of visit in the Bangalore area.

1. Dodda Alada Mara : A Giant 400 year old Banyan tree covering almost 3 acres. It is a sight to see and is very peaceful and pleasant.

2. Sangam near SriRangapatnam - On the way to Mysore is this oasis on the river cauvery. It is a wonderful place to swim in the river.

3. Srirangapatna : Famous for its temples.

Day 17 - Belur , Halebedu and Sravanabelgola

All three are gems and not to be missed. Worthy to be on the UNESCO world heritage sites. The sculptures of Belur and Halebedu are beyond comparison. The details are real intricate and are made from soft sandstone. It is sad to see some of them vandalized and others smuggled to museums in London.

Sravanabelgola is a Jain pilgrim center not far away from Belur and Halebedu. It is known for the world's largest monolithic statue of Bahubali. The site is perched on top of a hillock with sweeping views of surrounding villages.

Day 18 - More shopping ISCKON temple and departure

Today was more shopping in Bangalore a trip to ISCKON temple and getting ready for the 2 AM departure to Frankfurt. Europe here I come.

Around the world in 30 days - Leg 3 - Germany

Day 19 - Frankfurt - Munich

Lufthansa promptly touched down Frankfurt main at 9 AM. It was a long night, boarding at 2 AM and flying west. Clearing immigration at Frankfurt was not very pleasant but wasn't terrible either. We were heading to Munich and has a reservation on ICE. I had given comfortable amount of time for connection. With out luggage and 2 cranky kids, I did not want to rush and miss the train. It was a bit of a task to navigate from the terminal to the train station. With rolling luggage it was a relatively easy walk, but I must admit, with the wash room stops and stops at coffee shops we did get lost sometimes. 

Inside German ICE	View from ICE

I love trains and wanted to be on the third generation ICE. I have rode on the Thalys and TGV, couldn't wait to experience ICE. The ride from Frankfurt to Munich was amazing. It was on a hily terrain so I didnt quite feel the speed like I felt on Thalys. The scenery was beautiful.

We arrived in Munich at around 5pm. Tired and jet lagged. We stayed at Four Points Sheraton, Munich central. The room had a stove, microwave and sink. A quick trip to Aldy's and we got eggs, bread and Milk.More details about Europe stopover vacation to India.

Day 20 - Munich

Waking up was so hard with the jet lag and all. So took it easy on the day at Munich. My plan was to go to Andechs monastery for some hearty beer. But we ended up walking a lot to the Octoberfest gardens, lunch and beet at Munich central, the city Rathaus with the musical clock. It was wonderful sunny day. I also bought a Bayern Bavarian ticket to travel to Salzburg the nest morning.One of the reasons I picked Munich (Bavarian region) was the Bayern Bavarian ticket. I have to tell you this was the best value and I got what I wanted from Europe, Bavarian alps, lush country side, trains, medieval castles, cute churches, gushing rivers powered from glacier melts. Was just like from the scenes of DDLJ.

Day 21 - Salzburg

Today we will add another country to our countries visited list, Austria. It was amazing that with a 6.75 euro train ticket took us to Austria. The ride to Salzburg was very picturesque. The onion dome churches with the mighty Bavarian alps in the background is a photographers dreams. We wasted no time in Salzburg. We watched Sound of Music and wanted to cover most of the places. First stop to Mirabel Gardens. Then we walked to the old city and then to Nonberg Abbey. After a quick beet at a local beer garden we walked to Hohensalzburg fortress. The views from the fortress was wonderful.

Day 22 - Neuschwanstein castle

Today was the trip to the fairy tale castle , the most famous attraction of Bavaria. Again after a quick and comfortable train ride to Fusen we took the bus to the castle. It was very crowded and the first English tour of the castle we got was for 4pm. With the ticket we proceeded to Marienburcke bridge. The view  from the bridge is wonderful to get a full picture of the castle. The tour was interesting. It was a wonderful day.

Schwangau castle	View from Neuschwanstein
Neuschwanstein castle	View from Neuschwanstein

Day 23 - To Neuhaus an Der Pegnitz

Today was travel to Neuhaus for our much anticipated medieval fortress stay at Burg Veldenstein. We also wanted to enjoy the German train system DB. So for one last time with our Bayern Bavarian ticket we took a train to Nuremberg and then a transfer to Neuhaus. We picked this castle because we could easily reach it via public transit, particularly the train system and it was very affordable. It was also on the train line to Cheb in Czech Republic which we wanted to visit , but did not. Neuhaus was so beautiful we stayed.

 Sadly Hotel Burg Veldenstein is now closed. 

Day 24 - Hotel Burg Veldenstein

We spent the day walking around town and exploring the fortifications. A picture says a thousand words , here are a few thousands.

Day 24 - Hotel Burg Veldenstein

We spent the day walking around town and exploring the fortifications.

Day 25 - Trains , Trains and More Trains.

Today was our trip from Neuhaus to Frankfurt. We stayed overnight at Frankfurt to catch an early morning flight. In hindsight , I should have taken an ICE from Nuremberg to Frankfurt Airport. Instead to save about 100 euros we bought a pass , Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket. This ticket offered unlimited travel through Germany on regional trains for EUR 44. I love trains and I could have easily spent the whole week on trains. But with 2 kids and quite a bit of luggage, it was not a good idea. Besides with the time saved I could have  squeezed in some sights in Nuremberg.