Amazingly I am typing this short extract from underneath a mosquito net. Yes, in India I made the painful discovery that I am definitely allergic to mosquitoes. As I have never been allergic to anything before in my life, I was very surprised however it could not be denied when my whole forearm decided to swell up from one bite. Luckily for me India is an amazing country and has been able to take my mind off the agonising pain!
Our first stop was Amritsar where we discovered alcohol in India was free flowing and there were actually bars. Whilst others went to the Golden Temple and were being all cultured I went back to my Welsh roots and propped the bar up with my favourite Irish squaddie (he was much better at it than me, as after a couple of beers I had to have an afternoon nap)! And, that was pretty much Amritsar, sorry!
The following day we encountered a long drive to Delhi where I discovered Indian food is actually amazing. I have now turned vegetarian in a desperate attempt to avoid ‘Delhi Belly’, an illness which has struck many of our group down, India supplies vegetarian food in vast amounts and the curry is amazing (much better than anything you will get in your local Indian and at half the price). We ate and we drank, safe in the knowledge we would be returning to Delhi in a couple of days and could see the place then. Oh and England lost the rugby, what a pity!
We ended up seeing Delhi a lot sooner than we thought as the following morning we were dropped near the Red Fort, India’s largest mosque and the bazaar. We went and saw all of these things (see, I can be cultured when I need to be) and made up our own history for them instead of paying for a guide (to be honest we have heard so much history, all the stories are pretty much the same so I don’t think we did a bad job although deciding the ‘stream of paradise’ was a bowling alley may have been taking things a bit far). At the mosque I was given an attractive blanket to wear over my skirt and watched as local people and some stupid non-local people drank holy water from a big pond which the pigeons had just been pooing in, and they wonder why they get sick! The mosque was amazingly beautiful and very inviting.
We left Delhi to head to the Corbett Tiger Reserve where I had high hopes of seeing a real life tiger. We found the reserve, were warned monkeys were likely to come in our tents and maul us, shrugged this warning off with Ozbus spirit and congregated around the campfire before another great India meal was served. The next morning we were up bright and early ready for our safaris where we saw…spotted deer and black faced monkeys. NO TIGERS! That afternoon we sunbathed and lounged for the first time in six weeks and as the sun began to set we set out on an elephant safari where again we saw, spotted deer and black faced monkeys! Our elephant, Helena was gorgeous and safely delivered us back in time for another amazing Indian meal.
The following day we returned to Delhi where we found a bar (for a change). I think if you make alcohol inaccessible to Western people for a certain amount of time (i.e. Iran and Pakistan) then it is inevitable they will find bars the most attractive option when they get to a city which has them! On our way to the bar we decided to squeeze four people into a tuk-tuk (small automobile powered by a lawnmower engine) and our South African traveller decided to try and strike up a conversation with the driver. On realising he said ‘yes’ to everything she promptly told him that and then asked him if his mother was a man. Strange question but more strange was his answer, ‘yes’.
Luckily a cultured day was planned for the next day in India with a visit to the Taj Mahal. Unfortunately this day was marred not by the hangovers, but by the announcement from my favourite Irish squaddie that he was to leave the group for a few days to ‘have some space’. Goodbyes were said, not from me, I do not believe in saying goodbye unless you do not plan on seeing someone again, tears were shed and then the announcement that we will not be going across the friendship highway to China and Laos was made. I think after this we could all have ‘done a Diana’ at the Taj Mahal but again the Ozbus spirit came out and we enjoyed the day as best we can.
As for the Taj Mahal itself, it is amazing. There is little else to say.
We moved on from the Taj Mahal to Varanasi, the home of the Hindu faith. Hear we were awoken at 4am to see the sunrise and funerals along the Ganges. We took a boat ride and our guide took us to the area where cremations are performed which is right on the riverbed. As we watched the burning a body was brought down, covered in bright cloth and was laid by the edge of the river. This body was not to be cremated. Monks, children under the age of five and cobra bite victims are classed as more holy and are their bodies therefore have stones tied to them and are taken to the middle of the river and thrown in. The Ganges is an extremely religious place for Hindus. They wash their sins away each morning in the river, they each have a vile of river water which they keep with them, for they are to drink this with their dying breath to ensure entry into heaven. Their ashes are scattered in the river. To watch so many people wash away their sins in water that is so dirty is crazy, but this is their belief.
Afterwards we made our way back to the hotel, had a bit of a sleep, a play on the internet and a lovely afternoon by the pool with a beer. In the evening we went back to the river to see more ceremonies being performed where people swing fire around, and drop bits of the flame into the water. We were hassled by boat owners asking us to come and watch more cremations (apparently they would be much better burning bodies than the ones we saw that morning), were blessed by god with a red spot being put on our foreheads and were harassed by the cutest little girl who wanted us to buy some face paint from her (I gave her 10 rupees but she still wanted me to buy the bloody facepaint!).
India has been an am amazing country. The food, which I will say, I was a little afraid of before coming here, has been the best so far. I have loved every meal. I would recommend India to anyone I knew. It is so far removed from the life I know and so interesting to see the way people live. The people here are Hindu and have respect for everyone and everything and that is obvious when you are here. I understand now, why people come here and feel the need to help this country. I have left out of my ramblings all mention of the beggar children I have seen, the way they cling to your leg desperate for money because I do not want to taint the view of India. This is a poor country but an amazing one too. The only thing I would change about this visit was that my favourite Irish squaddie had not left and I pray that he is returned safely to us by the time I write my next instalment.
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Saturday, 27 October 2007
To all commentors
FYI - A number of people who are on the Ozbus are writing blogs, like this one, and we are receving comments with a number of questions. Unfortunately we cannot reply directly to you unless you open your profile. I would be more than happy to answer any questions directly.
Pakistan
Upon leaving Iran we were warned of an eighteen hour drive across rebel desert territory where our bus would not stop. We arrived at the Iran/Pakistan border ready to take up this challenge and prepared for the worst. We exchanged our Iranian bus for 2 Toyota buses and split the group. I was in the cool bus where old Irish songs, rugby songs and silly games were the order of the day. The journey was going great right up until we were half an hour from our destination. A police car pulled alongside our bus, distracted our driver and our bus started to veer towards the left of the road. The next thing we knew, the bus was falling down a ditch and ended up hanging at an angle. My favourite Irish squaddie took control of the situation and turned the engine off, climbed out of the window and began attaching ropes to the bus to secure us. Then the other bus (who hadn’t noticed our accident) arrived at the scene and my favourite Australian squaddie jumped out and helped the Irish squaddie out. Before we knew it the bus was secured and we were climbing out of the windows (not before I attempted to save the rugby ball – I don’t know what I was thinking). The squaddies (with the help of some locals and others) got the bus back on the road, in my head they pulled it back up onto the road with their bare hands and that is the way I will leave it in your imaginations too. I would also like to think these guys saved my and my fellow travellers lives, I know I am exaggerating the crash but it sounds better like that! Anyway, thanks to the squaddies we were back on the road and arrived in Pakistan safely with no serious injuries!
I have no idea what I thought Pakistan was going to be like. It was not a country I listed in my memorised itinerary when people asked me where I was going so I can only guess I wasn’t at all fazed by it.
My image of Pakistan is of girls from home, from Pakistani families being brought back here to be married off in an arranged marriage. In one way this image is correct. Arranged marriages are the norm however, to only see this side of Pakistan would be wrong. Our guide Khalid, the best guide we have had so far on this journey, would answer any of our questions and told us of his own family. He married his wife when he was thirty and she was twenty three. Neither saw each other until the wedding day out of choice and their union was in no way forced. Eight years on they have four children and he is now considering a vasectomy (something I did not think would ever enter the mind of an Pakistani man). Khalid has two unmarried sisters and there is no pressure on them to get married. The image I had of girls being forced into marriage at a young age is clearly wrong, the average age for girls to marry is twenty three.
This is a very poor country and it is obvious everywhere you go. When walking along the streets you are asked for money constantly, in the first place we visited, Quetta, we saw children picking through large areas of rubbish to try and forage for food. People here are so poor their mode of transport is normally a camel or donkey. Five people fit on one motorbike and mothers carry small babies (as young as six months) with them on the bikes.
Western people are a massive novelty here, especially women. In both Quetta and our second stop, Sukkur, we immediately drew a crowd of people. The crowd grows to around 100 people and men begin to grope the women if they feel the crowd has grown big enough they will not be seen. The strange thing about the groping is that it is not aggressive, not like being in a crowded pub at home where drunken men attempt to surreptitiously grab a feel, these men are curious and think Western women will not mind. That’s not to say that they got away with it, a few of the men got some pretty hard slaps!
Our third stop was Multan, which is the oldest surviving town in the world along with Damascus. While here we visited a shrine and were amazed by the positive reception we again were greeted with. In the areas around the shrine people would stop wanting to talk to us, to shake our hands and take our pictures. An older women came over to one of the beautiful Australians in our group and gave her a ring as a gift, as she has a beautiful smile. The hospitality of these people is amazing and puts many Westerners to shame.
Inside the shrine, we saw people praying openly and those who were deep in thought. The shrine itself was very crowded and amazingly, the men seemed to think it was again ok to grope the western women! I think it is something we will just have to get used to.
Our final stop was Lahore. This city was the biggest surprise of all. Just as we had got used to crowds of people gathering to see us and being groped left right and centre, it all stopped. These people are used to seeing Westerners, as business people come here often and we were largely treated just as one of the crowd. We saw the changing of the guards which is a big ceremony with Pakistan and India competing to put on the best show, wandered around the bazaar, ate wonderful food and went to a drumming ceremony. The drumming ceremony was a surprise to say the least, this is clearly how Pakistani men spend their Friday night. In Pakistan alcohol is illegal unless you have a permit, so Friday night here is spent smoking marijuana, which is freely handed around and listening to drums. Not my thing, but interesting all the same (many of our group did partake in the marijuana smoking but I steered clear of the stuff).
Although alcohol is illegal here, being Westerners we are allowed to drink and out guide managed to obtain some for us so, finally we have alcohol again (with Iran being a dry country we were all dying for a drink). The Irish contingency have been given life back with my favourite Irish squaddie staying up for about 3 days straight drinking whisky and talking shite. Ahh well, he deserves it after saving us from our earlier crash!
Would I recommend Pakistan? Yes! If you want to experience a different culture and somewhere not touristy, this is the place to come. This is not a strict Muslim country as it is often potrayed and the people here are friendly, welcoming and curious about Westerners mainly because they never see any!
I have no idea what I thought Pakistan was going to be like. It was not a country I listed in my memorised itinerary when people asked me where I was going so I can only guess I wasn’t at all fazed by it.
My image of Pakistan is of girls from home, from Pakistani families being brought back here to be married off in an arranged marriage. In one way this image is correct. Arranged marriages are the norm however, to only see this side of Pakistan would be wrong. Our guide Khalid, the best guide we have had so far on this journey, would answer any of our questions and told us of his own family. He married his wife when he was thirty and she was twenty three. Neither saw each other until the wedding day out of choice and their union was in no way forced. Eight years on they have four children and he is now considering a vasectomy (something I did not think would ever enter the mind of an Pakistani man). Khalid has two unmarried sisters and there is no pressure on them to get married. The image I had of girls being forced into marriage at a young age is clearly wrong, the average age for girls to marry is twenty three.
This is a very poor country and it is obvious everywhere you go. When walking along the streets you are asked for money constantly, in the first place we visited, Quetta, we saw children picking through large areas of rubbish to try and forage for food. People here are so poor their mode of transport is normally a camel or donkey. Five people fit on one motorbike and mothers carry small babies (as young as six months) with them on the bikes.
Western people are a massive novelty here, especially women. In both Quetta and our second stop, Sukkur, we immediately drew a crowd of people. The crowd grows to around 100 people and men begin to grope the women if they feel the crowd has grown big enough they will not be seen. The strange thing about the groping is that it is not aggressive, not like being in a crowded pub at home where drunken men attempt to surreptitiously grab a feel, these men are curious and think Western women will not mind. That’s not to say that they got away with it, a few of the men got some pretty hard slaps!
Our third stop was Multan, which is the oldest surviving town in the world along with Damascus. While here we visited a shrine and were amazed by the positive reception we again were greeted with. In the areas around the shrine people would stop wanting to talk to us, to shake our hands and take our pictures. An older women came over to one of the beautiful Australians in our group and gave her a ring as a gift, as she has a beautiful smile. The hospitality of these people is amazing and puts many Westerners to shame.
Inside the shrine, we saw people praying openly and those who were deep in thought. The shrine itself was very crowded and amazingly, the men seemed to think it was again ok to grope the western women! I think it is something we will just have to get used to.
Our final stop was Lahore. This city was the biggest surprise of all. Just as we had got used to crowds of people gathering to see us and being groped left right and centre, it all stopped. These people are used to seeing Westerners, as business people come here often and we were largely treated just as one of the crowd. We saw the changing of the guards which is a big ceremony with Pakistan and India competing to put on the best show, wandered around the bazaar, ate wonderful food and went to a drumming ceremony. The drumming ceremony was a surprise to say the least, this is clearly how Pakistani men spend their Friday night. In Pakistan alcohol is illegal unless you have a permit, so Friday night here is spent smoking marijuana, which is freely handed around and listening to drums. Not my thing, but interesting all the same (many of our group did partake in the marijuana smoking but I steered clear of the stuff).
Although alcohol is illegal here, being Westerners we are allowed to drink and out guide managed to obtain some for us so, finally we have alcohol again (with Iran being a dry country we were all dying for a drink). The Irish contingency have been given life back with my favourite Irish squaddie staying up for about 3 days straight drinking whisky and talking shite. Ahh well, he deserves it after saving us from our earlier crash!
Would I recommend Pakistan? Yes! If you want to experience a different culture and somewhere not touristy, this is the place to come. This is not a strict Muslim country as it is often potrayed and the people here are friendly, welcoming and curious about Westerners mainly because they never see any!
Thursday, 18 October 2007
Mutiny on the Ozbus in Iran
Internet access has been had to get hold of and I am aware (from the texts I have been receiving) that a number of people read the not so great article about ‘mutiny on the Ozbus’ on Monday. To reassure everyone, there is no real drama. Yes, we were all a bit peed off. The bus (see email below which was written before the article, just not sent) was breaking down every five minutes, we got stuck in Tehran waiting for a replacement bus. Lucky for us, Tehran was a really nice place and we were up and running again in half a day. The breakdown and need of a replacement bus actually raised spirits for this is where the tour ends and the adventure really beings.
Iran itself has been surprising. The first night was awful. The impression we had truly terrible, being turned away from places for being Western, people trying to pull us into cars, it all made us just want to be out of here. Three days in and things had vastly improved. We spent the break down day in Tehran where we spent ages in a bank trying to change money – the Iranian banking system is not connected to the rest of the world, so everything is done in cash. It was like being transported back fifty years as we watched the way everyone queued inside the bank, waiting for their number to be called and giving or receiving large amounts of cash. The biggest relief was seeing a woman smile. The majority of workers in the bank were women and they all found us Westerners hilarious as we stood not sure what to do to exchange our cash. The people were normal, they had a sense of humour, they were happy and that was important.
From Tehran we moved on the Estafan where we visited the Grand Bazaar and fell in love with the small city. The people there were friendly, although the respect for women is not what it should be, they would definitely make an effort. We were welcomed into shops, offered tea, taught about other cities in Iran and about the history of the country. We were invited to the homes of some of the Iranians (something we later found out was illegal) and genuinely felt their warmth and friendliness. These are the educated people, people who want the country to change its strict Islamic laws. It was at this point we all thought we were wrong about Iran and the people, that was until today.
Having travelled through a number of cities and small villages we parked up in Kerman. Having been warned we will be entering unsafe, rebel territory tomorrow we all decided that today we would look around this town in small groups, without our tour guide. What we saw was shocking. The poverty strikes you immediately, a boy of about fifteen who was severely disabled with no feet (how he lost them we do not know) crawled through the markets, pushing an empty bowl and moaning, clearly begging for food. There was nothing we could do to help. It was too risky to reach for your purse to give him anything and we were forced to walk on by with the worst guilty feeling I think I will ever experience.
After this a decision was made to go straight back to the hotel for the rest of the day and night as none of us wanted to experience these terrible sights anymore. Luckily we were in a mixed group, had no problem getting a taxi and arrived back safely. Unforunately for others in the group things were not so easy. Four girls agreed a price with a driver, got in his cab and thankfully got back to the hotel. On leaving the cab the driver demanded four times the amount he had agreed, was aggressive and would not take no for an answer. Luckily a man employed by the hotel argued their case. As women they would not be taken seriously.
With only 2 nights left in Iran, I relaxed slightly thinking I had seen the worst of the country; again I was wrong. From Kerman to Bam we were informed a tourist had gone missing in Bam and we were to have a military escort into Bam and were on lock down in the hotel. Guards with big guns stood by the doors, watching our every move and ensuring not only did anyone get in, but we did not get out.
The countries sexist rule was magnified as the men were allowed to go swimming and generally do what ever they liked. Menus in restaurants were handed to men only, change was given to man regardless of who paid and any conversation or explanation was directed towards the men. Although annoyed the women in the group remained calm and sat in reception to play a quiet game of cards. The police arrived to tell the women to stop playing cards and to ensure any female smokers extinguished their cigarettes. Women clearly are not allowed to do anything but sit and look pretty (or as pretty as you can with a head scarf, no make-up and clothes covering from your neck to your ankles)!
The following day we were not expecting a lot, a long drive to Zahedan, stay in a hotel and then an early morning to get to the Iran/Pakistan border. Our military escort accompanied us the whole way but we still had to make stops at a number of police checks. It was at one of these police checks that the most surprising and, had things gone another way, most disastrous thing happened. Our driver, who is Kurdish, and up to now had been reasonably friendly started to argue with our tour leaders. He then went to the police and told them the women on the bus were not wearing head scarves the whole time (this is true but the police agreed that the vehicle is classed as private space and we therefore do not have to), that the men all had big tattoos which is blasphemous and that we were all having sex on the bus (I wish)! Luckily the police recognised the bus driver was a fruit loop and let us carry on our journey. No tip for him then!!
The overall impression of Iran is mixed. Big towns are great, small cities are awful. Women here are clearly degraded and inferior. Without the company of some of the strong men (strong in character as well as build) I would not feel safe here. I am glad to have experienced it but will also be glad to leave. Bring on Pakistan!
Iran itself has been surprising. The first night was awful. The impression we had truly terrible, being turned away from places for being Western, people trying to pull us into cars, it all made us just want to be out of here. Three days in and things had vastly improved. We spent the break down day in Tehran where we spent ages in a bank trying to change money – the Iranian banking system is not connected to the rest of the world, so everything is done in cash. It was like being transported back fifty years as we watched the way everyone queued inside the bank, waiting for their number to be called and giving or receiving large amounts of cash. The biggest relief was seeing a woman smile. The majority of workers in the bank were women and they all found us Westerners hilarious as we stood not sure what to do to exchange our cash. The people were normal, they had a sense of humour, they were happy and that was important.
From Tehran we moved on the Estafan where we visited the Grand Bazaar and fell in love with the small city. The people there were friendly, although the respect for women is not what it should be, they would definitely make an effort. We were welcomed into shops, offered tea, taught about other cities in Iran and about the history of the country. We were invited to the homes of some of the Iranians (something we later found out was illegal) and genuinely felt their warmth and friendliness. These are the educated people, people who want the country to change its strict Islamic laws. It was at this point we all thought we were wrong about Iran and the people, that was until today.
Having travelled through a number of cities and small villages we parked up in Kerman. Having been warned we will be entering unsafe, rebel territory tomorrow we all decided that today we would look around this town in small groups, without our tour guide. What we saw was shocking. The poverty strikes you immediately, a boy of about fifteen who was severely disabled with no feet (how he lost them we do not know) crawled through the markets, pushing an empty bowl and moaning, clearly begging for food. There was nothing we could do to help. It was too risky to reach for your purse to give him anything and we were forced to walk on by with the worst guilty feeling I think I will ever experience.
After this a decision was made to go straight back to the hotel for the rest of the day and night as none of us wanted to experience these terrible sights anymore. Luckily we were in a mixed group, had no problem getting a taxi and arrived back safely. Unforunately for others in the group things were not so easy. Four girls agreed a price with a driver, got in his cab and thankfully got back to the hotel. On leaving the cab the driver demanded four times the amount he had agreed, was aggressive and would not take no for an answer. Luckily a man employed by the hotel argued their case. As women they would not be taken seriously.
With only 2 nights left in Iran, I relaxed slightly thinking I had seen the worst of the country; again I was wrong. From Kerman to Bam we were informed a tourist had gone missing in Bam and we were to have a military escort into Bam and were on lock down in the hotel. Guards with big guns stood by the doors, watching our every move and ensuring not only did anyone get in, but we did not get out.
The countries sexist rule was magnified as the men were allowed to go swimming and generally do what ever they liked. Menus in restaurants were handed to men only, change was given to man regardless of who paid and any conversation or explanation was directed towards the men. Although annoyed the women in the group remained calm and sat in reception to play a quiet game of cards. The police arrived to tell the women to stop playing cards and to ensure any female smokers extinguished their cigarettes. Women clearly are not allowed to do anything but sit and look pretty (or as pretty as you can with a head scarf, no make-up and clothes covering from your neck to your ankles)!
The following day we were not expecting a lot, a long drive to Zahedan, stay in a hotel and then an early morning to get to the Iran/Pakistan border. Our military escort accompanied us the whole way but we still had to make stops at a number of police checks. It was at one of these police checks that the most surprising and, had things gone another way, most disastrous thing happened. Our driver, who is Kurdish, and up to now had been reasonably friendly started to argue with our tour leaders. He then went to the police and told them the women on the bus were not wearing head scarves the whole time (this is true but the police agreed that the vehicle is classed as private space and we therefore do not have to), that the men all had big tattoos which is blasphemous and that we were all having sex on the bus (I wish)! Luckily the police recognised the bus driver was a fruit loop and let us carry on our journey. No tip for him then!!
The overall impression of Iran is mixed. Big towns are great, small cities are awful. Women here are clearly degraded and inferior. Without the company of some of the strong men (strong in character as well as build) I would not feel safe here. I am glad to have experienced it but will also be glad to leave. Bring on Pakistan!
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY
The subject of this email sums it all up at the moment. The Ozbus has had its good moments, it has certainly had its bad moments and now all the girls have been forced to wear head scarves and totally cover up with no body shape showing, we certainly feel pretty ugly!
THE GOOD
We are in Iran, which is a country very few people from the UK and even the Western world will ever experience. In our journey here we have seen many wonderful things including the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Ephesus and the underground city of Derinkuyu as well as visiting Gallipoli, which for Australians is their equivalent of Dunkirk. We have woken at the crack of dawn and gone hot air ballooning over somewhere in Turkey I can’t remember the name of, climbed Mount Nemrut to see the sun rise and generally had some amazing experiences.
The people on the bus are amazing and if it wasn’t for them, this trip wouldn’t be half as good as it is.
THE BAD
Unfortunately there are bad points.
The coach – Ozbus didn’t manage to convert a coach for us (this was done in time for the second group, more than likely with our money) so we have a hired coach which is more suitable for a day trip to Blackpool than a 12 week overland journey from London to Sydney. So far, the water pipe broke because it was rotten, then the bus overheated because our ‘mechanic’ (I use the term very lightly) bus driver overfilled the radiator causing it to overheat, the exhaust fell off when trying to manoeuvre onto a ferry, our bus driver pulled off taking a sign with him and leaving our rear bumper and lights behind, then the front corner of the bus was smashed up on the curb, then we ran out of fuel discovered later that day after refuelling, this was due to the fact we were leaking fuel and then our mirror fell off. To put it bluntly the bus is being held together by gaffa tape (no joke) and if it weren’t for our ex squaddie travellers who have fixed the bus every time (with little to no help from our driver or the tool kit which consisted of rusty nails) we would be going no where.
The promotional itinerary – Having read the itinerary online (all 39 of us) we were excited about many of the places mentioned, especially Mount Everest base camp. We have now been told this was never going to happen and the itinerary we read was ‘promotional’ only and has no bearing on our trip!
China and Laos – We were told 8 weeks before we left not to get a Chinese visa as this would be arranged for us. Surprise, surprise, we are more than likely not going through China, which means we cannot go through Laos. The excuse is that the highway between the 2 countries is closed – if anyone can find out if this is true, I know 38 travellers who would be very interested. Instead we will fly (who covers the cost of this flight we are yet to find out) – so much for flightless travel
The list goes on. Promises were made which were not kept (e.g. we would have a big party before hitting Iran – not true; Iran is a safe hospitable country – not true, the men are perverts who have tried grabbing the arses and boobs of appropriately dressed Western women and seem to think it is ok to stare and letch after us. They also won’t serve us in many restaurants), the website falsely advertised the trip and stated things which were not true, we are spending far too much time on the coach and then, to top it all off, 2 weeks in they tried to get us to sign a disclaimer saying Ozbus were not liable for anything that happens to us (luckily 2 of our travellers are solicitors (1 Irish and 1 a retired partner from Lovells) who advised us against this.
LEARNING POINT – NEVER GO ON THE FIRST EVER TRIP; DON’T BE THE GUINEA PIGS
THE UGLY
Now we have entered the full on Muslim countries we must cover up. Women are seen as inferior, change is always handed to the man and conversation directed at the man. Women walking around on their own (especially Western women) are assumed to be prostitutes.
It has been 3 weeks since I’ve worn make-up, I have had over 48 hours where I have been unable to shower and am forced to use squatter toilets which are smeared in poo. I could easily say I have never felt so unattractive. Luckily all the men are gagging for it so tell us ladies we are beautiful no matter what!
THE CONCULSION
Analysing the experience so far (at time of writing it is the end of day 21), would I do this again? Yes. The people I have met are wonderful, the good experiences have been out of this world. I will go back to Vienna and the hot air ballooning place and am more aware of the Muslim culture than I could ever be had I never been to Iran (my opinion remains the same – women here are degraded and it needs change). The experience is anything but smooth but after this, I think we all can cope with pretty much anything, as long as we have a few good friends around us. Bring it on, we will cope!
THE GOOD
We are in Iran, which is a country very few people from the UK and even the Western world will ever experience. In our journey here we have seen many wonderful things including the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Ephesus and the underground city of Derinkuyu as well as visiting Gallipoli, which for Australians is their equivalent of Dunkirk. We have woken at the crack of dawn and gone hot air ballooning over somewhere in Turkey I can’t remember the name of, climbed Mount Nemrut to see the sun rise and generally had some amazing experiences.
The people on the bus are amazing and if it wasn’t for them, this trip wouldn’t be half as good as it is.
THE BAD
Unfortunately there are bad points.
The coach – Ozbus didn’t manage to convert a coach for us (this was done in time for the second group, more than likely with our money) so we have a hired coach which is more suitable for a day trip to Blackpool than a 12 week overland journey from London to Sydney. So far, the water pipe broke because it was rotten, then the bus overheated because our ‘mechanic’ (I use the term very lightly) bus driver overfilled the radiator causing it to overheat, the exhaust fell off when trying to manoeuvre onto a ferry, our bus driver pulled off taking a sign with him and leaving our rear bumper and lights behind, then the front corner of the bus was smashed up on the curb, then we ran out of fuel discovered later that day after refuelling, this was due to the fact we were leaking fuel and then our mirror fell off. To put it bluntly the bus is being held together by gaffa tape (no joke) and if it weren’t for our ex squaddie travellers who have fixed the bus every time (with little to no help from our driver or the tool kit which consisted of rusty nails) we would be going no where.
The promotional itinerary – Having read the itinerary online (all 39 of us) we were excited about many of the places mentioned, especially Mount Everest base camp. We have now been told this was never going to happen and the itinerary we read was ‘promotional’ only and has no bearing on our trip!
China and Laos – We were told 8 weeks before we left not to get a Chinese visa as this would be arranged for us. Surprise, surprise, we are more than likely not going through China, which means we cannot go through Laos. The excuse is that the highway between the 2 countries is closed – if anyone can find out if this is true, I know 38 travellers who would be very interested. Instead we will fly (who covers the cost of this flight we are yet to find out) – so much for flightless travel
The list goes on. Promises were made which were not kept (e.g. we would have a big party before hitting Iran – not true; Iran is a safe hospitable country – not true, the men are perverts who have tried grabbing the arses and boobs of appropriately dressed Western women and seem to think it is ok to stare and letch after us. They also won’t serve us in many restaurants), the website falsely advertised the trip and stated things which were not true, we are spending far too much time on the coach and then, to top it all off, 2 weeks in they tried to get us to sign a disclaimer saying Ozbus were not liable for anything that happens to us (luckily 2 of our travellers are solicitors (1 Irish and 1 a retired partner from Lovells) who advised us against this.
LEARNING POINT – NEVER GO ON THE FIRST EVER TRIP; DON’T BE THE GUINEA PIGS
THE UGLY
Now we have entered the full on Muslim countries we must cover up. Women are seen as inferior, change is always handed to the man and conversation directed at the man. Women walking around on their own (especially Western women) are assumed to be prostitutes.
It has been 3 weeks since I’ve worn make-up, I have had over 48 hours where I have been unable to shower and am forced to use squatter toilets which are smeared in poo. I could easily say I have never felt so unattractive. Luckily all the men are gagging for it so tell us ladies we are beautiful no matter what!
THE CONCULSION
Analysing the experience so far (at time of writing it is the end of day 21), would I do this again? Yes. The people I have met are wonderful, the good experiences have been out of this world. I will go back to Vienna and the hot air ballooning place and am more aware of the Muslim culture than I could ever be had I never been to Iran (my opinion remains the same – women here are degraded and it needs change). The experience is anything but smooth but after this, I think we all can cope with pretty much anything, as long as we have a few good friends around us. Bring it on, we will cope!
The beginning of the adventure
The Ozbus journey began on an early Saturday morning with hangovers all around (strangely enough we all went drinking the night before to get to know each other). There we were 39 strangers, ready to spend three months together seeing the world.
The first 3 weeks of the journey involved lots of drinking and more getting to know you sessions. The countries we visited were amazing and included Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. We saw the sites, we ate, we drank and we were merry. But the adventure did not start until we hit the countries we would never have ventured to alone. The adventure started with Iran.
The first 3 weeks of the journey involved lots of drinking and more getting to know you sessions. The countries we visited were amazing and included Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. We saw the sites, we ate, we drank and we were merry. But the adventure did not start until we hit the countries we would never have ventured to alone. The adventure started with Iran.
Enough with London...
The updates with my London life should really go on. I spent two years living and working in the city, made lots of great friends but realised that there was more to the world to than this (and I couldn't really handle the English for much longer) so I decided to take a bus from London to Sydney. Not that I am at all crazy!
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