Hong Kong, Thailand, India

Hi there!

Long time, no see!

Internet is sloooow, so I'll make it quick. A recap of my past few days:

22/12
The last night in Hong Kong was spent first at Jack's home, having dinner with his family and friends (definitely one of the most memorable moments of my time there), and later in LKF, partying with some of the exchange students who weren't away already. Afterwards, some of us went to Karaoke, so Kajsa got the chance to see the 'real' Hong Kong.

23/12
The sad, sad goodbye...

24/12
Christmas Eve on Koh Samed, North-Eastern Thailand. Cool evening, with BBQ, fireworks, and a drunk Santa Claus who put himself on fire. Strange, it was, and even though I was with good friends I felt a bit lost.

25/12
Tanning.

26/12
Went back to Bangkok, Kajsa left for New Dehli late at night.

27/12
Spent half the day in BK, tried to do some Internet, but it didn't work. Heard later that an earthquake in Taiwan had put it out in all of Asia. Flew to Dehli to meet up with Kajsa in the evening.

28/12
Arrived in Dehli at 5am, got hazzled as soon as I left the airport. By an 'official'! I gave him 300 rupies in one-hundred bills, and all of a sudden one of them had turned into a 50-bill. I knew for sure that I only owned 100-bills, but amazed as I was I gave him that one. Slept till 8, then we went on a whole-day trip to Agra and Taj Mahal. I was stunned by Taj, it is really well-preserved, and so beautiful! Apparently built by a Mugal emperor in a cry of love for his late third wife. That's one heavy love letter... When it was completed, some 20 years later, he was so bewildered by the beauty that he chopped off all the hands of the workmen so that they wouldn't be able to build something similar again. Interesting logic... Anyways, go there if you can sometime, I thought it was really worth it.

29/12
Kajsa's two friends had arrived, so we hired a car together and explored Dehli.

30/12
Hopped on the train to Goa in the early morning.

31/12
Arrived in Goa at around 1pm, Kajsa's friends had taken the plane, so they were already there. We got it a lot cheaper though, but after only 20 minutes on the train station, the balance was evened out when I got my wallet stolen. Nice...

I immediately called home to ask my family to shut my VISA-card off, and then went straight to the police office. Police in India are not to be trusted. They could only handle my case if I gave them 'Five hundr... no, one thousand rupies!' said the officer on duty. Since I had just lost all of my money and clearly couldn't produce the bribe (not that I would have anyway!), they simply punished me by saying that the time to produce the report would be just about one day longer than the time I had said I would stay here. 'Bad words', I thought and left with Kajsa. Sort it out later.

Party in the evening together with loads of Indian guys on Palolem Beach, Goa. Indian girls were not allowed to go out by their fathers, something very understandable considering the obvious intentions of the guys. Hands sought their way literally everywhere on the girls who had to fend them off.

Heard that bombs went off in Bangkok, scary. Two friends were there, but fortunately they made it. Sad that people must be so ignorant and STUPID(!) and do such things.

1/2
Chilled on the beach.

2/2
Went to Margoa police station to sort the wallet thing out. Brought with me the phone numbers to people more mighty than the police chief if things would have to get nasty. They didn't, which was nice, but due to the necessary bureaucracy I had to spend most of the day there. Took a look at downtown Margao. It's got a mediterranean touch to it, maybe a trace from the Portugese?

Back in Palolem now, time to take it easy. Money is transferred to my other VISA-card (yes, Jonas-India: 1-1!), and life is back to 'normal'.

That's all for now.
Miss you!