POSTSCRIPT. February 17th 2009

REFLECTIONS

I suppose that if I was given the opportunity to go back and do it again, I'd spend less time vegging in one place, giving me more time to visit some of the other places that I'd have liked to have got to. On the other hand, when you're on holiday, it's nice to veg. In Europe, it would be possible to do train journeys a lot cheaper if you bought tickets on the internet a long way ahead, as in before you go overseas. Buses are another budget option, but unlike just jumping on a train,
you need to do more prior research. Also, as far as buses in an east-west direction go, it's as if the Iron Curtain is still in place - they still seem to have the same bus routes set in concrete that they've had for half a century. Same thing between France and Belgium, the people on the other side of the border could be on another planet for all that the guys on this side know. I did get around to pretty well everywhere that I had planned to go in Europe, which was a small miracle,
but of course there were many places where I'd have liked to stay longer. India would really need to be the subject of another trip, to get around to everything that I wanted to see.

Regrets? I wanted to stay on longer in Europe, but the only change I could make to my ticket was for another three weeks there, and I felt that wouldn't leave me enough time for India.
In retrospect, I wish I had done that, because, (without vegging), I could still have done most of what I did do in India, and it would have left me time for Spain, and to stay for a while with the rellies in the U.K. But if you do A, you can't do B. However, it does give me more of an urge to start planning something for later on.

Highlights? Paris was fantastic, everything I thought it would be, and more. I felt that (in the northern summer), I could happily live there for months at a time. That is until I experienced Amsterdam, where I'd willingly be exiled to, (if I had to be exiled somewhere). Belgium I liked very much. I'd like to do a lengthy cycling tour in Belgium. In India I liked the hill stations the best. Admittedly my main interest in India was for the family connections, ergo The Raj, of which, (understandably), there isn't a great deal to see any more, but nevertheless it was satisfying to get around to as much as I did.

Again? Will I go travelling again soon? (I've been asked). With other plans I've got, I don't see anything looming up immediately. BUT, I have invested in a beaut immerser (at a quarter of the price they were asking in Amsterdam), AND I've now got a an aluminium-framed, super-lightweight travelling umbrella, AND a new nylon shower jacket, AND one of those nylon day packs you can roll into a ball......but of course I only buy these things to keep myself amused......

FINANCES

I pre-financed the trip from my 2007 tax refund ($4,000 odd) which went to buy a ticket Melbourne-Paris-Delhi-Melbourne ($2,500), travel insurance ($800), an emergency US $ 500 in traveller's cheques (which I still have), and a new fleecy ($80).

My holiday money was my 2008 tax refund ($4000 odd), plus $9,600 LSL and annual leave from Chisholm, total $13,600. I was denied access to internet banking almost from the beginning of my trip, which coupled with the fact that I was continually withdrawing 300 euro ($500) from ATM's meant I didn't keep much of an eye on how much I was spending in Europe. But after I got home, I found out (to my astonishment), that I was $3000 in front, so my expenditure in Europe would have been $10,600 minus the $2143 expenditure in India = $8457
Therefore :
Europe. Average expenditure per day : AUD 162-60 (including accommodation)
($8457 for 52 days )

I reasoned that the money should stretch alright if I didn't spend more than $50 a night on accommodation, and that worked out all right.

Europe. Average price of accommodation : AUD $46-80 a night
(1349 euros for 48 nights at AUD 1-66 to the euro) = $2248

India. Average expediture per day : AUD $39-00 a day
(RP. 75,000 for 55 days at RP. 35 to AUD) = $2143 (including accommodation)

India. Average price of accommodation : AUD $9-20 a night
(RP.19,680 for 55 nights at RP.35 to AUD) = $506

NB $162 odd a day in Europe sounds a bit excessive, considering that accommodation was only $46 odd. Admittedly, you can spend over $100 odd just for travelling on a train all day, but I only did that a few times. There were a good many days, especially in the big cities, when I would have only bought a bit of tucker, and walked everywhere, or got the Metro.

One possible hidden drain on finances was my ANZ Travelcard account, which I got talked into opening just before I went overseas. I was told that it incurred less charges that using an everyday savings card account, or a debit card, both of which I took with me, with money in them, but didn't use. The Travelcard account had the advantage of two ATM cards, both with different keycard numbers and different pin numbers, which was a lifesaver when I broke one of the cards in two. But because I lost access rights to the internet, I couldn't keep a check on the balance while I was away, and no account statement was available when I closed the account after I arrived back, so heaven knows how much was taken out in transaction charges by ANZ and in the various countries I travelled through.

A final word on finances. My total expediture in India was $2143, but because of being in Mumbai at the time of the terrorist attacks, I became eligible for $1000 compensation from the Oz government. So one way of looking at it is that it only cost me $1143 dollars for 55 days in India. India on less than $21 a day - holidays don't come much better than that.

THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE!

It's interesting to reflect that I planned to spend my last two days in Mumbai doing some final shopping on Wednesday, which would hopefully leave Thursday clear for sightseeing. I was just getting into 'shop till you drop' mode on Wednesday afternoon when I withdrew a final Rp 10,000 from an ATM, and the docket showed a balance of Rp 5000 ($140), when there should have been something close to Rp 350,000 ($10,000). This caused me to get so distracted that I eventually gave up the idea of shopping, and spent the evening at an internet shop near the hotel, ear-bashing poor old Darren at ANZ, by e-mail, regarding my financial woes. And then when I had the opportunity to check again the next day, after the attacks, the balance came up as a much healthier Rp 337,000. The thing is, had the ATM given a correct balance on Wednesday afternoon, I was all set for a biggish shopping spree, and I would most likely have kept going in the shops near the Taj Hotel until they closed around 9'ish, and could very possibly have ended up going to Leopold's Cafe for a bit of supper, as I'd noticed it earlier in the day, and thought it might be worth a visit. This would have been a mistake of Himalayan proportions, as the terrorists began their shooting spree at Leopold's not long after 9pm. This was the only occasion for the whole time I was in India that an ATM gave me an incorrect balance, and but for that, your humble narrator could have ended up as a little statistic.

GEAR

The two items I was most glad that I took were a light-weight down summer sleeping bag, and a good quality polar-fleece half-zipped top (fleecey). The sleeping bag was always a welcoming touch of the familiar when I slipped into bed, and the fleecy, though not as trendy as a lightweight jacket would have been, (for swanning around in cafes), definately came into it's own as a warmer-upper in more rugged conditions. And slipped inside (one's own) pillowcase, it was a handy pillow in India, where in any cheap hotel you wouldn't want to look inside the pillowcases, let alone rest your head on one.

I regretted not taking a 1 litre clear plastic beaker to use as a combined teapot/cup, which would have saved a lot of messing around with smaller teacups. Also a 240 volt immerser, not so important in Europe, as the bathrooms nearly always have very hot water, but would have been a life-saver in India. And I would have liked one of those nylon day-packs that roll up into nearly nothing. A number of times, when faced with a bit of a hike with the backpack, it would have been good to be able to put the day pack inside the backpack. I could have put it's contents into the backpack, but not the daypack itself. (Why not do that, and just have the empty daypack to carry? Never thought of that).

Had just the runners I was wearing, one change of strides, one long-sleeve shirt, three changes of t-shirts, socks and other items that shall remain nameless. And my one indulgence, light-blue flannelette PJ trousers, which I always wear to bed, always have, even when, (especially when), overnight hiking, rather like Linus' blanket. Which meant it was a bit of a bore having to get the washing done every 3 or 4 days, but you always felt it was worth it every time you encountered other people staggering under huge great loads. The nylon tent-fly I'd take again, but not the mossie net.

Had a basic kit of the sort of medicines that I use from time to time, which lasted well, except for antiseptic cream, balsam and Aspro's. Cheap as chips in India, but cost a fortune in western Europe, especially the Aspro's. In Oz you can buy Aspro's in the supermarket for 3 dollars, but in Europe the only place you can get any sort of over-the-counter medicine is at an Apotek. In Muenster I paid 10 euros ($16+), and in Berlin over $20. If there's anything to this reincarnation business, I want to come back as a German pharmacist.

In Europe batteries for the digital camera cost $10 a go, and I got through quite a number. In India I was at first only able to get ordinary torch batteries, which may or may not work, and if the former, only for a very short time. Finally got a charger and two sets of good-quality AA re-chargable batteries in McLeod Ganj, and haven't looked back since. Another option is a different (non-Olympus) brand of camera, with an interior battery, so you just plug the camera in to recharge it ; but I like the idea of the back-up of the second set of batteries.