Where's Arian... update on the whereabouts of our missing chick.

[lostmymarbles]

Thought...since she'll be afk for so long.. we need to feel her presence.

Sent her an email asking if she arrived in India in one piece.

I have arrived in one piece (though rather tired!) if i work off Australian time (and not change time zones) I have travelled for about 42hrs straight.... Its hot here, but I can handle that. I'll let you know when something exciting has happened!

Keep Smiling! )

~Ari

So, she managed hopefully with all luggage intact. God forbid she lose one of her two sets of clothing... she might get the remaining outfit wet trying to drown herself in a river

[Basil Dreadflint]

Kelly,

Thanks for posting this. I may aven make it a sticky, Arian is a well respected player, and a valuable member of the guild. We all miss her, and are waiting for her to return.

Please, when you hear from her, let us know. I will do the same. I know it's an extended vacation for her, holiday, to use her term, but it doesn't mean that her absence won't be felt by us all.

[MeesaArianrhod]

Boo!! lol i'll check in with you guys when i can, if not hopefully Kelly will keep you updated as i try to send her emails (along with ones to my parents, and some of my best friends) it might get too hard to describe everything thats been happening by posting here.
it wont be forever people! i will be back (threat or promise.....not sure yet hehe)
luv you guys!

[lostmymarbles]

Been having trouble accessing the internet (on my pc.. not my phone). So I haven't been able to regularly email Arian.

But yay!!.. today she emailed me... so here's an update on her whereabouts.

Note: email edited (lol.. names changed or deleted) to protect the innocent and unwilling...

ok here goes!

** thats ok but i'm not sure how often i can send you stuff (especially photos.) you might have to wait until i am home to get some decent pics.

*to her family* hope you are all well, i had an early bday pressie last night and got the dreaded "delhi belly" and threw up once. i'm feeling a bit better today though i'm still not game to eat much and i'm drinking lots of water. found a place that sold coca-cola so hopefully it'll kill whatever bug i've got! (coke aparently is famous for being so strong it kills bacteria, we'll see how true it is).

*(to her friends)* *big hugs* we'll do all our usual stuff when i get home i promise! The traffic here is very chaotic. People, motorbikes, bicycles and cars/buses going every which way. it seems the road rules are only to be taken "under advisment"!! yet it all works somehow.

*Kelly* i miss our adventures already! i am having some adventures of my own here though, like avoiding store/market sellers. you have to be very polite but firm and say "no thank you not today", and every time you walk past they remember who you are and call out again.

The hotels we have been staying in are very nice, most with aircon or at least overhead ceiling fans. The bathrooms are an experience. the basin, shower and toilet all on one flat tiled floor (so if someone has had a shower you get wet feet when you want to use the toilet). All hotels so far have had western style toilets, so i havent encountered a "squat" toilet yet.

Bottled water is the way to go, even to brush your teeth. And i'm glad i bought so much hand sanitiser with me, hardly anything feels clean even if it is.

Right now i'm in Madurai (not sure on the spelling), where there is a museum dedicated to Gandhi (again spelling?). it tells the history of Gandhi and displays items owned or worn by him, such as his blood stained clothes from when he was assassinated. We are also going to check out a temple this evening.

I've taken a local bus ride, and let me tell you those buses get crowded! luckily we got on early enough so we all got seats and i ended up with a local man sitting next to me and falling asleep on my shoulder.... the buses here look more like a bus on a truck wheelbase and they get very close to other traffic but somehow they are able to just miss other vehicles and people. (and people complain MY driving is bad!)

the homestay in the Kerala backwaters was a pleasant suprise, the family that set it up has nearly every modern convenience that you or i would have, although they do have to filter their water as it comes directly from the canals (which are not clean). they took us on a canoe ride around some of the backwaters and the guys paddling sang traditional songs for us in the dark.

they have power cuts in India, usually they only last for about half an hour, as there is not enough hydro-electricity to power the whole country all the time. sometimes there are random power cuts too, but the last hotel we stayed at had their own generator so we weren't without power for too long.

I'll email again soon, when i find another internet place and tell you more!

Lots of hugs and kisses to those who want them!

~*Arian*

I don't know about you... but I'm going..ewww.

Shared wet floors. Too much like dorm rooms. Hope she buys an anti-fungal foot powder.

And yeah.. filter the water...they do all sorts of stuff in their water that would definitely make the EPA declare the place a clean up site.

Lol.. I really don't think she'll be dipping her face in any of those rivers.

[MeesaArianrhod]

spent a night in a dorm with the whole of my tour group...13 of us in total, guys and girls all bunked down together. it was freezing cold as we were up in the mountains, but there was no bed hopping (that i know of anyway!). a few of us were nearly murdered in our beds tho coz apparently there was some snoring happening (yes i was accused of snoring, but i blame the beer! hehe).
Hope you guys have a great christmas and new year, i'm in Ooty (short for something but i can't remember the whole name right now) for christmas eve and i'm not sure where i'll be for new years, somewhere in the north i think.
its not too bad here so long as you take precautions hygiene wise, although service in restaraunts can be a bit slow. i think we had to wait nearly an hour to get breakfast the other morning in Mysore, we ordered and then it took forever to come out. that was not fun especially when we'd just gotten off the overnight train and were starving.
well i'm getting closer to the halfway mark on my trip, soon it'll be all over and i'll wonder where the time went!
stay safe everyone

[lostmymarbles]

Good to hear from you Arian!!! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas..and a Safe New Year!

Keep us posted...

P.S. It's hard getting into trouble all by myself.

[Basil Dreadflint]

Originally Posted by lostmymarbles

P.S. It's hard getting into trouble all by myself.

UM, UH, Kelly, It's not nice to tell fibs. You have been getting in plenty of trouble!

[lostmymarbles]

Well, it's lonely getting in trouble all by myself... no one to burst out in wild Aussie songs on vent... no one to blame for the mishaps... (cursing myself for not linking accounts... lol.. think of the places I could have put Arian while she was ... away).

[MeesaArianrhod]

Namaste everyone! I haven't been stampeded by random cows in the street yet

I'm in Pushkar right now, checking out the markets and bazaars. I went for a camel ride out into the desert which was a blast!!
wow, i've only got 2 more weeks then i'll be home again, where has the time gone? i promise when i'm home you will all get a LOOOOOOOOONG email or post about my adventures as paying for internet time when it goes so slowly is a pain.
Kelly, i'm sure you can get into trouble all by yourself, its just more fun when there is 2 of us not long now and i'll be finding more glitches to play in

happy pirating all!

[lostmymarbles]

Namaste from Sangam!
we have had very busy days so far, and i've had no time to send emails (plus we have to walk a fair distance to the internet cafe). we spent the last 2 days preparing and painting a room in an orphanage, the room was a horrible orange colour so we sanded the walls and used putty to fill holes then painted a primer onto the walls. the next day we started to paint a mural on 2 of the walls and a block colour on the other 2 where their bags and bedding gets stored. we stayed on a bit longer to finish the murals and got back to Sangam just on dinner time.

Hmmm really beginning to wonder.. is she is India..or was she secretly painting walls in the Port Royal Total Makeover.

She sounds good....

Take care of yourself Ari... hope you are having fun. Miss You Arian!!!


As for me getting in trouble...naw

Been a right upstanding guildmember... bringing new members into the guild business whenever possible. Helping them productively push Jessa all over Tortuga. Of course Jessa leaves herself out for training purposes... right Jessa....Jessa?

JESSA WAKE UP!! No not now! .. after we shove you in the ditch!

[Jessica]

Tehe... I can't help I leave to do this and then come back with a delicious dinner and watch you guys push me and then accidentally un-AFK myself when I meant to pan around to take screenies. Gah.