We were excited to leave Hoi An and get back to our normal traveling routine. Da Lat seemed like a good place to go, but we quickly discovered we could only get a room there for one night. We arrived just before two big Vietnamese holidays, Reunification Day (April 30th) and International Worker's Day (May 1st). That meant we could only stay about a day and a half, which was a little disappointing, but we still enjoyed our time there.
Our favorite new fruit we discovered on the trip is jackfruit, we we bought a great big slice and ate it for our lunch and dinner (it's a big fruit). We did end up getting a little sick of it by the end, but we knew that in less than a week we wouldn't be able to buy any more so it's good we got our fill.
The next day we did some real sightseeing. We went to the crazy house which is a series of Alice in Wonderland type structures and gardens. The woman who built it lives in the house which doubles as a hotel. It was fun to explore, stairs that went up, down, and all around. Leading you to the giraffe room, from roof to roof, or sometimes back where you started. It was a fun place to spend the morning.
Next we hiked over to the king's summer palace. Also an interesting place to visit, but not quite as grand as it sounds. Not at all like Buckingham Palace, or the palaces we visited in Thailand. This "palace" was very, very communist. It was communist in the sense that it was very simple. It served its function without an excess of adornments. Not built to impress, built to serve its purpose. To me the palace represented what communism should be, but wasn't. I would never expect to see a "palace" like this in Moscow and didn't expect to see one in Vietnam. But Vietnamese culture is very different, maybe its leaders were more serious about their own commitment to communism.
Sadly, that was it for Da Lat. We left that evening on a night bus for Saigon. Ugghh...another night bus. At least we could take comfort in the fact that we knew it would be the last night bus of the trip.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Hoi An
Hoi An's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but that isn't really why people come to visit. They come for one reason and one reason only. That's the shopping. Everywhere you look, it's all clothing shops, tailors, shoe stores, and more. We went out to buy a loaf of bread and came back empty handed because literally every store is geared toward selling clothes to tourists. There's nothing else around. But there are good deals to be had in a place like this. Everything is custom made just for you. You can pick out any fabric or style you wish or you can even create your own design. They will replicate clothes you bring to them, make something from a picture, or even a sketch. It is truly every shopping lover's dream.
Usually, this is the sort of place we would avoid at all costs, but at this stage of the trip we're starting to think about returning home. We don't have many material things waiting for us, so it's a good chance to pick up some custom clothes at cheap prices before we make the trip.
We spent two overwhelming and exhausting days shopping. I picked up two suits, two ties, one pair of casual shoes, one pair of dress shoes, two pairs of pants, two pairs of shorts, and four pairs of boxers, most custom made, all for $170 (haggling was required). A custom fit really does make a difference too. The moment I tried on one of my new suits I realized that for my entire life I've been wearing clothes that don't really fit me. It was a big realization and an odd feeling, but that doesn't mean I'll be buying everything custom made from here on out. It did give me a new perspective on clothes though.
The people of Hoi An have had tourists coming here and buying clothes for a long time. The sad part of that is that everyone knows the drill. The locals put up with their town being overrun by foreigners and they make us what we want. We bring the money, buy lots of clothes, and pay the hotel bills. But the smiles are few. We aren't guests, we're customers. In a place like this, you have friends only as long as you keep shelling out the American dollars.
The fundamental truth we've found in all our travels is that people who stand to make money off you usually are not interested in being your friend. Sometimes they're not even interested in being friendly. They look at you and they don't see you, they see dollars. When they talk to you, they don't care about getting to know you, they only want to find out how they can squeeze another dollar out of you. Sometimes it really gets us down.
The good news is that there are exceptions and there are also many people who don't make their money off tourists. These people will treat you like a person. Many tourists spend their whole trip without talking to locals like this, but they're out there. We're lucky to have made some friends on our trip. We exchange e-mails regularly with a monk in Nepal, we have a letter waiting for us at home from a friend we made in India, and we will never forget the family we stayed with in Sri Lanka. The people we've met like this are really the ones who have made this trip worthwhile, much more so than what we've seen or done. For them, we are grateful.
Usually, this is the sort of place we would avoid at all costs, but at this stage of the trip we're starting to think about returning home. We don't have many material things waiting for us, so it's a good chance to pick up some custom clothes at cheap prices before we make the trip.
We spent two overwhelming and exhausting days shopping. I picked up two suits, two ties, one pair of casual shoes, one pair of dress shoes, two pairs of pants, two pairs of shorts, and four pairs of boxers, most custom made, all for $170 (haggling was required). A custom fit really does make a difference too. The moment I tried on one of my new suits I realized that for my entire life I've been wearing clothes that don't really fit me. It was a big realization and an odd feeling, but that doesn't mean I'll be buying everything custom made from here on out. It did give me a new perspective on clothes though.
The people of Hoi An have had tourists coming here and buying clothes for a long time. The sad part of that is that everyone knows the drill. The locals put up with their town being overrun by foreigners and they make us what we want. We bring the money, buy lots of clothes, and pay the hotel bills. But the smiles are few. We aren't guests, we're customers. In a place like this, you have friends only as long as you keep shelling out the American dollars.
The fundamental truth we've found in all our travels is that people who stand to make money off you usually are not interested in being your friend. Sometimes they're not even interested in being friendly. They look at you and they don't see you, they see dollars. When they talk to you, they don't care about getting to know you, they only want to find out how they can squeeze another dollar out of you. Sometimes it really gets us down.
The good news is that there are exceptions and there are also many people who don't make their money off tourists. These people will treat you like a person. Many tourists spend their whole trip without talking to locals like this, but they're out there. We're lucky to have made some friends on our trip. We exchange e-mails regularly with a monk in Nepal, we have a letter waiting for us at home from a friend we made in India, and we will never forget the family we stayed with in Sri Lanka. The people we've met like this are really the ones who have made this trip worthwhile, much more so than what we've seen or done. For them, we are grateful.
Hue
We knew coming in that Vietnam would be more like Thailand and Malaysia than Cambodia and Laos. More touristed, more amenities, and more expensive. We crossed the border in our preferred manner. We took the local bus to the border, walked a few kilometers across the border, then negotiated with the same tourist bus that left from Savannahket for a lower price to take us the rest of the way. We were asked "How did you get here?" by a SE Asian traveler. Most tourists travel on the tourist buses even if they don't come from so far away, people often don't even know how to get around any other way.
Often the truth is neither do we, but between our past experience mixed with a significant amount of guesswork we're able to predict pretty well that we'll be able to get from here to there. Or more accurately, from here to somewhere else to I don't know where to how did we end up here, to there. But we get there. We each saved 20,000 kip by traveling our way. That's about $2.50 to you and a dinner in a nice restaurant to us.
It took the whole day to make the trip and we arrived in Hue in the evening. It was about what we expected. Higher standards than Laos and Cambodia for restaurants, hotels, and everything. Not just for us, but also for the Vietnamese. Everything is much greener now that we're on the coast and there are conical hats everywhere. We saw a few in other places, but it really is a Vietnamese thing.
So we got acquainted with the new types of food (fried rice and noodles are still the staple), did some walking around and sightseeing, some little shopping, and settled into the last major country of the trip.
Often the truth is neither do we, but between our past experience mixed with a significant amount of guesswork we're able to predict pretty well that we'll be able to get from here to there. Or more accurately, from here to somewhere else to I don't know where to how did we end up here, to there. But we get there. We each saved 20,000 kip by traveling our way. That's about $2.50 to you and a dinner in a nice restaurant to us.
It took the whole day to make the trip and we arrived in Hue in the evening. It was about what we expected. Higher standards than Laos and Cambodia for restaurants, hotels, and everything. Not just for us, but also for the Vietnamese. Everything is much greener now that we're on the coast and there are conical hats everywhere. We saw a few in other places, but it really is a Vietnamese thing.
So we got acquainted with the new types of food (fried rice and noodles are still the staple), did some walking around and sightseeing, some little shopping, and settled into the last major country of the trip.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Savannakhet
The day we traveled to Savannakhet was the last day of the Laotian New Year. So, in the continued spirit of the last few days, in every town or village we passed through we endured buckets of water being thrown on the bus. It got in through the windows and got us pretty wet, but we didn't have it nearly as bad as the bus driver. In parts of the world like this, bus drivers often drive with the door open for increased ventilation. This works pretty well most of the time, but on this day it meant the people with the buckets had a clear shot at him and they took advantage of it. Sometimes he'd be going along slowly and whoooosh! a big splash comes in and drenches him. Oh well, we all kept cool.
Savannakhet is a small town, smaller than Pakse, but bigger than Champassak. But you wouldn't be able to tell the size of the town if you saw the size of the party happening on the main street. Traffic was bumper to bumper and completely stopped. The street was full of trucks loaded with people, tailgates down. They were so stuffed that more than once we watched people falling out the back of the trucks. And of course, everyone had water. The people in the streets, the people in the trucks. At our last stops there were distinct groups of people celebrating and throwing water, here one group just blended into the next. There was music blaring and it was madness! We enjoyed the fun a little, but we were mostly partied out by this point. We went to our guest house and got some much needed rest.
Our main intent stopping in Savannakhet was to get our Vietnamese visas (last visas of the trip!), so the next morning we did that with surprisingly little difficulty. Our Laos visa took several days, our Vietnamese visa 10 minutes. I guess it all averages out. We spet the next few days seeing some of the minor sights like a dinosaur museum (many fossils have been found in the province) and various temples.
We also spent a great deal of time at the local bazaar. We're nearing the end of the trip and don't have so many material things waiting for us back home. So we're taking advantage of the good prices and buying clothes and things we'll need when we return to our old lifestyles. The only thing is that it's much more difficult for us to buy clothes than we expected. In the United States, I fit well into a medium sized shirt. In Laos I am an extra large and no one has extra large sized shirts. I feel like a giant whenever I try to shop. Female travelers be warned, unless you have iron clad self-esteem, don't go clothes shopping in Asia.
Savannakhet is a small town, smaller than Pakse, but bigger than Champassak. But you wouldn't be able to tell the size of the town if you saw the size of the party happening on the main street. Traffic was bumper to bumper and completely stopped. The street was full of trucks loaded with people, tailgates down. They were so stuffed that more than once we watched people falling out the back of the trucks. And of course, everyone had water. The people in the streets, the people in the trucks. At our last stops there were distinct groups of people celebrating and throwing water, here one group just blended into the next. There was music blaring and it was madness! We enjoyed the fun a little, but we were mostly partied out by this point. We went to our guest house and got some much needed rest.
Our main intent stopping in Savannakhet was to get our Vietnamese visas (last visas of the trip!), so the next morning we did that with surprisingly little difficulty. Our Laos visa took several days, our Vietnamese visa 10 minutes. I guess it all averages out. We spet the next few days seeing some of the minor sights like a dinosaur museum (many fossils have been found in the province) and various temples.
We also spent a great deal of time at the local bazaar. We're nearing the end of the trip and don't have so many material things waiting for us back home. So we're taking advantage of the good prices and buying clothes and things we'll need when we return to our old lifestyles. The only thing is that it's much more difficult for us to buy clothes than we expected. In the United States, I fit well into a medium sized shirt. In Laos I am an extra large and no one has extra large sized shirts. I feel like a giant whenever I try to shop. Female travelers be warned, unless you have iron clad self-esteem, don't go clothes shopping in Asia.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Pakse & Pakxong
We stopped in Pakse for a day with the intention of making a day trip up to the Bolaven Plateau to see the coffee plantations. The only thing is that the Lao New Year celebrations were still going on, except now we were in a much larger city. In Champassak we ran across four or five groups of people trying to throw buckets of water on us, in Pakse there were dozens.
Just trying to find a place to stay was challenging because we didn't want to get our stuff wet. So Heather stayed put with the things and I went searching. We couldn't find any really cheap places to stay so I ended up walking into a fairly nice hotel dripping wet from the buckets asking if the receptionist could show me a room. I took her slight smile as an indication she wasn't upset with me for dripping in her hotel.
So, we got settled, rented another motorbike, and put all the important things we had with us in plastic bags. At least this time we were prepared. So we headed out of town and on to Pakxong. We passed lots of bucket gangs on the way out, some we dodged, others soaked us, but that's how it goes.
The problem we had when we reached the plateau is that the higher elevation meant it was much cooler. So cool, that we really didn't want to get splashed with any more buckets. Even though Pakxong is a pretty small place, there were lots of people "celebrating." We got splashed and we were very cold. It's always best to try to embrace the culture, but this is the point that it really stopped being fun for us. We did make it to the plantation and we had a very nice cup of coffee before heading home.
We were so happy to descend into the warmer climate again. After we returned our bike, there wasn't much to do except join the party. So we made friends with some locals who were more than happy to share their splash buckets with us in exchange for us allowing them to dump water on us periodically. It was warm, so we didn't mind.
So we had fun splashing people who came by, but the protocol confused us a little bit. Apparently, you aren't supposed to splash just anyone. We discovered this after Heather emptied her bucket on two middle aged women coming by on their motorbike. She got them really good and they looked rather upset. We felt bad because sometimes people had gotten us when we really didn't want to be splashed, but we were just trying to do what the Lao people do. Oh well, we still had good fun.
Just trying to find a place to stay was challenging because we didn't want to get our stuff wet. So Heather stayed put with the things and I went searching. We couldn't find any really cheap places to stay so I ended up walking into a fairly nice hotel dripping wet from the buckets asking if the receptionist could show me a room. I took her slight smile as an indication she wasn't upset with me for dripping in her hotel.
So, we got settled, rented another motorbike, and put all the important things we had with us in plastic bags. At least this time we were prepared. So we headed out of town and on to Pakxong. We passed lots of bucket gangs on the way out, some we dodged, others soaked us, but that's how it goes.
The problem we had when we reached the plateau is that the higher elevation meant it was much cooler. So cool, that we really didn't want to get splashed with any more buckets. Even though Pakxong is a pretty small place, there were lots of people "celebrating." We got splashed and we were very cold. It's always best to try to embrace the culture, but this is the point that it really stopped being fun for us. We did make it to the plantation and we had a very nice cup of coffee before heading home.
We were so happy to descend into the warmer climate again. After we returned our bike, there wasn't much to do except join the party. So we made friends with some locals who were more than happy to share their splash buckets with us in exchange for us allowing them to dump water on us periodically. It was warm, so we didn't mind.
So we had fun splashing people who came by, but the protocol confused us a little bit. Apparently, you aren't supposed to splash just anyone. We discovered this after Heather emptied her bucket on two middle aged women coming by on their motorbike. She got them really good and they looked rather upset. We felt bad because sometimes people had gotten us when we really didn't want to be splashed, but we were just trying to do what the Lao people do. Oh well, we still had good fun.
Champassak
It doesn't matter where you're going to when you depart from Don Det, all boats leave at 10:30 (or perhaps 11:15). This meant we got to hang out and chat with some fellow travelers that were all heading to different places. We mentioned to one American guy that our next stop was Champassak. He told us that there really wasn't much to do there except visit the temple. It was only after a few more minutes of conversation and him giving us advice about the town that it came out he hadn't actually been there.
He met a girl who stopped there for a day and wasn't impressed. And, of course, the Lonely Planet didn't have much to say about it. This new information only strengthened our resolve to go there. Sure enough, the town didn't have a wealth of major attractions, but it had a natural, authentic, Laos feel that you don't get in places which have rave reviews in the Lonely Planet. It's true, there's not that much there except Lao people living the Lao lifestyle. But isn't that why we came to Laos in the first place?
So we walked the one road town back and forth and enjoyed the river views. The next day we rented a motorbike again so that we could go and see the temple which was a little way outside of town. We weren't expecting what happened next.
We knew that it was the start of the Lao New Year, but we didn't know the specifics of how this holiday is celebrated. Sure, there are parties, and eating, and drinking, and music, and dancing, and all the things you would expect. In addition to these things is the 'cleansing' aspect of the holiday.
So we're riding out to the temple (the second day in my life I've ever ridden a motorbike) and I see a group of kids standing by the side of the road. As I get closer they start walking out into the road and I naturally respond by slowing down. As I approach I notice that they have water guns and one girl has a large bucket of water. In the few seconds that pass between the time I notice them and meet them on the road, I begin to piece together in my mind what is about to follow. I figure it out just as the girl throws the water from the bucket into my path and it hits me in the chest like a sack of bricks. I was totally soaked.
All I can say is that at least after the first time it wasn't a surprise anymore. It seems a little dangerous to me, but people celebrate the holiday by throwing water on each other, on cars, and especially on passing motorbikes which is how most people get around. Some people speed up to try and escape, others accept their fate and continue as normal, and others still slow down or come to a stop and allow buckets of water to be dumped onto their heads.
We tried each of these strategies at different times. It did cool us down, which was refreshing after we had removed sensitive objects from our pockets. The ancient temple was pretty cool, but nothing compares to Angkor. We returned home to get splashed again by all the people that got us the first time. It was really lots of fun once we accepted our role in the festivities.
He met a girl who stopped there for a day and wasn't impressed. And, of course, the Lonely Planet didn't have much to say about it. This new information only strengthened our resolve to go there. Sure enough, the town didn't have a wealth of major attractions, but it had a natural, authentic, Laos feel that you don't get in places which have rave reviews in the Lonely Planet. It's true, there's not that much there except Lao people living the Lao lifestyle. But isn't that why we came to Laos in the first place?
So we walked the one road town back and forth and enjoyed the river views. The next day we rented a motorbike again so that we could go and see the temple which was a little way outside of town. We weren't expecting what happened next.
We knew that it was the start of the Lao New Year, but we didn't know the specifics of how this holiday is celebrated. Sure, there are parties, and eating, and drinking, and music, and dancing, and all the things you would expect. In addition to these things is the 'cleansing' aspect of the holiday.
So we're riding out to the temple (the second day in my life I've ever ridden a motorbike) and I see a group of kids standing by the side of the road. As I get closer they start walking out into the road and I naturally respond by slowing down. As I approach I notice that they have water guns and one girl has a large bucket of water. In the few seconds that pass between the time I notice them and meet them on the road, I begin to piece together in my mind what is about to follow. I figure it out just as the girl throws the water from the bucket into my path and it hits me in the chest like a sack of bricks. I was totally soaked.
All I can say is that at least after the first time it wasn't a surprise anymore. It seems a little dangerous to me, but people celebrate the holiday by throwing water on each other, on cars, and especially on passing motorbikes which is how most people get around. Some people speed up to try and escape, others accept their fate and continue as normal, and others still slow down or come to a stop and allow buckets of water to be dumped onto their heads.
We tried each of these strategies at different times. It did cool us down, which was refreshing after we had removed sensitive objects from our pockets. The ancient temple was pretty cool, but nothing compares to Angkor. We returned home to get splashed again by all the people that got us the first time. It was really lots of fun once we accepted our role in the festivities.
Don Det
By the time we made it to our first stop in Laos we were really, really tired. We were badly in need of some rest and relaxation. Lucky for us Don Det is the perfect place for that sort of thing, in fact, you'll have a hard time doing anything else there. It is one of the 4,000 islands in the Mekong river near Cambodia. We walked around the island, spent some time swimming in the river, and relaxed in our hammocks and read books. We must have spent almost a week on the island.
Other than that the only notable thing we did was to take a day trip to neighboring island Don Khon to try to catch a glimpse of the river dolphin. We didn't see any dolphins from the beach or the hammocks where we spent the afternoon, but neither did the people that spent the cash to hire boats to take them where the dolphins can sometimes be found. We were happy enough that we got to spend the day on our own private beach and lounging in hammocks by the beauty of the river that it didn't matter whether there were dolphins or not. This was definitely one of the most relaxing stops on the trip so far.
Other than that the only notable thing we did was to take a day trip to neighboring island Don Khon to try to catch a glimpse of the river dolphin. We didn't see any dolphins from the beach or the hammocks where we spent the afternoon, but neither did the people that spent the cash to hire boats to take them where the dolphins can sometimes be found. We were happy enough that we got to spend the day on our own private beach and lounging in hammocks by the beauty of the river that it didn't matter whether there were dolphins or not. This was definitely one of the most relaxing stops on the trip so far.
Ban Lung
For our last stop in Cambodia we decided to go someplace smaller and less touristy. Ban Lung was a good choice. Although we did see a few western tourists here, most of the tourists were Cambodian. Like us, they came to swim in Yeak Laom volcanic lake. The volcano is no longer active, but is now a popular swimming spot for locals. People were happy and smiling and the kids wanted to talk to us and swim with us.
We love being in places like this where people are happy, genuine, and excited. At many of the tourist destinations locals can get pretty jaded and don't smile at us much, don't care that where around, or worse, they look at us and only see American dollars. Not so in Ban Lung. I dove into the water from the docks and swam with the kids. They lauged about how pale my skin is and asked us questions about ourselves and where we're from. We had a great time, but were tired from all the walking and biking we'd done in the past week so we called it an early night.
The next day we rented a motorbike from our guesthouse for $5. A good deal, but still a bit of a splurge for us. I think the proprietor was a little nervous after I got on because it was quickly apparent that I had never ridden a motorbike before in my life. It was a manual, so tricky at first, but I quickly got the hang of it and we sped off into the distance before she could change her mind. We headed for some waterfalls where we spent the better part of the afternoon. It was pretty quiet, there were only a handful of children there swimming in the pools beneath the waterfalls.
I got some good practice riding on dirt roads and small paths when we rode out to a surprising large garden. It must have been several acres and we only ran into one or two other groups of people. The admission fees can only pay for a portion of the upkeep. This is a garden that is maintained out of love for nature and not to rake in the big bucks.
We returned to our guest house tired again after a great day to the great relief of the owner who rented us the bike.
We love being in places like this where people are happy, genuine, and excited. At many of the tourist destinations locals can get pretty jaded and don't smile at us much, don't care that where around, or worse, they look at us and only see American dollars. Not so in Ban Lung. I dove into the water from the docks and swam with the kids. They lauged about how pale my skin is and asked us questions about ourselves and where we're from. We had a great time, but were tired from all the walking and biking we'd done in the past week so we called it an early night.
The next day we rented a motorbike from our guesthouse for $5. A good deal, but still a bit of a splurge for us. I think the proprietor was a little nervous after I got on because it was quickly apparent that I had never ridden a motorbike before in my life. It was a manual, so tricky at first, but I quickly got the hang of it and we sped off into the distance before she could change her mind. We headed for some waterfalls where we spent the better part of the afternoon. It was pretty quiet, there were only a handful of children there swimming in the pools beneath the waterfalls.
I got some good practice riding on dirt roads and small paths when we rode out to a surprising large garden. It must have been several acres and we only ran into one or two other groups of people. The admission fees can only pay for a portion of the upkeep. This is a garden that is maintained out of love for nature and not to rake in the big bucks.
We returned to our guest house tired again after a great day to the great relief of the owner who rented us the bike.
Siem Reap
After Phnom Penh we headed north to Siem Reap. The main attraction here are the temples of Angkor. We gave ourselves three days to see the temples which are many. We could have easily spent more time there, but there is only so much you can absorb at one time. Many of the temples are huge and all together they include over 400 years of history. Honestly, they are worthy of at least a weeklong trip all by themselves.
Since we're on a tight budget we decided to rent bicycles to get to and around the temples instead of hiring a tuk tuk. This was a challenge because the temples are about 12k from Siem Reap. When you factor in round trip, the oppresive heat, and the distance between the temples (they are pretty spread out) we were pretty tired by the end of the day. We're in pretty good shape at this point in the trip, but by the end of the second day we realized we were physically incapable of biking another day and we committed to shelling out the cash for the tuk tuk the next day.
We didn't regret it. Angkor is one of the highlights of a trip that's been pretty incredible every step of the way. For the first time we arrived at the temples fresh and ready to explore (except for our badly aching butts). The sheer size and beauty of them was magnificent. Some were overgrown with trees, their roots sprawled out over walls and rocks which only added to the ancient mystery of the ruins.
At it's peak Angkor included dozens of active temples and was close in size to modern day Los Angeles. As many as one million people lived in this area. To support this population they created an extensive system of irrigation that was unmatched in its time.
Cambodians are very proud of Angkor which is apparent in their modern day culture. There is a picture of Angkor Wat on the countries flag, Cambodians drink Angkor beer, there are Angkor restaurants and guest houses, etc. It is everywhere and if you ever make it to Angkor you will understand why.
Since we're on a tight budget we decided to rent bicycles to get to and around the temples instead of hiring a tuk tuk. This was a challenge because the temples are about 12k from Siem Reap. When you factor in round trip, the oppresive heat, and the distance between the temples (they are pretty spread out) we were pretty tired by the end of the day. We're in pretty good shape at this point in the trip, but by the end of the second day we realized we were physically incapable of biking another day and we committed to shelling out the cash for the tuk tuk the next day.
We didn't regret it. Angkor is one of the highlights of a trip that's been pretty incredible every step of the way. For the first time we arrived at the temples fresh and ready to explore (except for our badly aching butts). The sheer size and beauty of them was magnificent. Some were overgrown with trees, their roots sprawled out over walls and rocks which only added to the ancient mystery of the ruins.
At it's peak Angkor included dozens of active temples and was close in size to modern day Los Angeles. As many as one million people lived in this area. To support this population they created an extensive system of irrigation that was unmatched in its time.
Cambodians are very proud of Angkor which is apparent in their modern day culture. There is a picture of Angkor Wat on the countries flag, Cambodians drink Angkor beer, there are Angkor restaurants and guest houses, etc. It is everywhere and if you ever make it to Angkor you will understand why.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Phnom Penh
We've discovered that you can't help comparing each new country visited to the ones visited before. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes it's a bad thing, but that's just the way it is.
Malaysia and Thailand were very nice, very easy places to travel. We loved them both, but we missed the roughness and toughness of India, Nepal, and, to a lesser extent, Sri Lanka. It's difficult to explain, really. In those places, everything isn't always pretty, people aren't always nice and respectful, the poverty is in your face, and it seems like the hassling never stops. But there is a flip side to that also. Many of the most beautiful things we've ever seen are in these places, we met many warm, friendly, and amazing people, even though the poverty is tough everywhere you look people are trying to make a better life for themselves by being incredibly inventive and hardworking entrepreneurs. The bottom line is that life can be hard, life can be good, life can be cruel, and life can be beautiful. Not only can it be, but it is.
On the first part of our trip this is exactly what we saw, all around us, all the time. We didn't love every single experience. What we loved was the realness of it all. What you see is what you get and that's life, nothing is glossed over. You like seeing the Taj Mahal? That's great, it's part of life in India. You don't want to see a disfigured child crawling across a train floor sweeping up garbage and begging for rupees? Too bad, that's part of life in India. You like seeing the cultural diversity in food, language, and dress? Great, that's life in India. You don't like seeing kids pooping on the side of the road and smelling human sewage as you walk the streets? Too bad, sometimes that's just the way it is in India.
Things aren't easy, everyone is just trying to do the best they can to make it in this world. To make life just a little bit better for themselves and their family. That by itself is beautiful. We were lucky enough to see it in it's rawest, purest form and we'll never forget it.
We were very happy to arrive in Cambodia even though we had to leave some of the comforts behind. The reason is we left some of that gloss behind too. We were excited to shed it and get back again to having life come at us full on, no apologies.
Malaysia and Thailand were very nice, very easy places to travel. We loved them both, but we missed the roughness and toughness of India, Nepal, and, to a lesser extent, Sri Lanka. It's difficult to explain, really. In those places, everything isn't always pretty, people aren't always nice and respectful, the poverty is in your face, and it seems like the hassling never stops. But there is a flip side to that also. Many of the most beautiful things we've ever seen are in these places, we met many warm, friendly, and amazing people, even though the poverty is tough everywhere you look people are trying to make a better life for themselves by being incredibly inventive and hardworking entrepreneurs. The bottom line is that life can be hard, life can be good, life can be cruel, and life can be beautiful. Not only can it be, but it is.
On the first part of our trip this is exactly what we saw, all around us, all the time. We didn't love every single experience. What we loved was the realness of it all. What you see is what you get and that's life, nothing is glossed over. You like seeing the Taj Mahal? That's great, it's part of life in India. You don't want to see a disfigured child crawling across a train floor sweeping up garbage and begging for rupees? Too bad, that's part of life in India. You like seeing the cultural diversity in food, language, and dress? Great, that's life in India. You don't like seeing kids pooping on the side of the road and smelling human sewage as you walk the streets? Too bad, sometimes that's just the way it is in India.
Things aren't easy, everyone is just trying to do the best they can to make it in this world. To make life just a little bit better for themselves and their family. That by itself is beautiful. We were lucky enough to see it in it's rawest, purest form and we'll never forget it.
We were very happy to arrive in Cambodia even though we had to leave some of the comforts behind. The reason is we left some of that gloss behind too. We were excited to shed it and get back again to having life come at us full on, no apologies.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thailand
Yikes, it's my first post for Thailand and we're already getting ready to cross into Cambodia! It's been a busy few weeks. Our first week here we met up with my mom in Bangkok and spent our time seeing the sights in Bangkok and around. We saw so many things and were a bit worn out, so we decided to spend our second week in Thailand relaxing on an island beach paradise. Without a doubt, it was the right thing to do! It's a shame we didn't have time to see more of Thailand, but we enjoyed every minute of our time here and sometimes it's okay to take some time to relax.
There's way too many experiences from the last two weeks to write about in detail, but there was one I wanted to be sure and get down here. It's about Libya. I'm certain that if you're reading this from the United States you've had more than your fill of news from Libya, but hear me out.
Islands are nice, but they're really expensive. On Ko Chang, transportation was particularly expensive. Since it's impossible to get lost (there's only one road around the island) and people here were quite friendly we decided to try and hitchhike. After a while some friendly guys picked us up and we got the standard question "Where you from?" People are always excited when we tell them we're from the United States and these Thais were no exception. Their English was very poor, but this was typical. What wasn't typical is what came next. "Oh....America. Libya.....Qaddafi, booooooooom!"
We only read about it on the internet a day earlier. All we could do was smile nervously and say, "yeah, that's us!" It really wasn't what we wanted to hear from someone that just picked us up by the said of the road. After a prolonged silence due to an almost impenetrable language barrier we were comforted when he said "America....good," to which we replied "Thailand good" and everyone was happy. Just in case, we topped it off with a "Long live the king!" I don't think he understood that bit, but if he did he would have appreciated it. Thais really love their king!
Sadly, since then whenever someone finds out we're American, Lybia is the first thing they bring up. We don't really know how people around here feel about the issue and we don't even know very much about it ourselves. It's hard to keep up to date on the news when you're in a foreign country (or several) and in a different city an average of every three days. I makes things kind of uncomfortable, especially when you throw in language barriers. Usually people can communicate enough to say they know what is happening between the US and Libya, but that's about the extent of it. Maybe we will have to start claiming to be from Ukraine, a fabrication we usually reserve for people we don't want to talk to or those who are persistently trying to sell us things. No English....only Ukrainian!
There's way too many experiences from the last two weeks to write about in detail, but there was one I wanted to be sure and get down here. It's about Libya. I'm certain that if you're reading this from the United States you've had more than your fill of news from Libya, but hear me out.
Islands are nice, but they're really expensive. On Ko Chang, transportation was particularly expensive. Since it's impossible to get lost (there's only one road around the island) and people here were quite friendly we decided to try and hitchhike. After a while some friendly guys picked us up and we got the standard question "Where you from?" People are always excited when we tell them we're from the United States and these Thais were no exception. Their English was very poor, but this was typical. What wasn't typical is what came next. "Oh....America. Libya.....Qaddafi, booooooooom!"
We only read about it on the internet a day earlier. All we could do was smile nervously and say, "yeah, that's us!" It really wasn't what we wanted to hear from someone that just picked us up by the said of the road. After a prolonged silence due to an almost impenetrable language barrier we were comforted when he said "America....good," to which we replied "Thailand good" and everyone was happy. Just in case, we topped it off with a "Long live the king!" I don't think he understood that bit, but if he did he would have appreciated it. Thais really love their king!
Sadly, since then whenever someone finds out we're American, Lybia is the first thing they bring up. We don't really know how people around here feel about the issue and we don't even know very much about it ourselves. It's hard to keep up to date on the news when you're in a foreign country (or several) and in a different city an average of every three days. I makes things kind of uncomfortable, especially when you throw in language barriers. Usually people can communicate enough to say they know what is happening between the US and Libya, but that's about the extent of it. Maybe we will have to start claiming to be from Ukraine, a fabrication we usually reserve for people we don't want to talk to or those who are persistently trying to sell us things. No English....only Ukrainian!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Teluk Bahang
We rushed a bit through Georgetown so that we could have some extra time at our last stop in Malaysia, Teluk Bahang. We are so glad we did! Teluk Bahang is a small fishing town with easy access to a national park. There are hardly any tourists and that means hardly any taxi drivers, touts, or tour operators hassling us. Instead of all that we're simply in a quiet, friendly place.
The national park is well worth the visit too! It was surprisingly well maintained and entrance was completely free. The had a very large and informative visitors center that taught us about many of the animals in the park. The only thing that cost money was the canopy walk. We didn't have to pay for this either because the street vendor we bought our lunch from gave us extra tickets left behind by some departing German tourists. Free is great! The canopy walk was one the highlights for us even though it was slightly terrifying. The bridge didn't seem entirely.....stable. But we put our faith into it, had a great time, and took some amazing photos.
The next day we hiked for over two hours through the jungle stopping to rest at some of the beaches along the way. We saw plenty of wildlife including squirrels, monkeys, and lots giant water monitor lizards. Many of them were bigger than small alligators! We ended our hike at Monkey Beach.
Most of the few tourists that come to the park hire boats which take them straight to Monkey Beach and drop them there. Many of these were Malaysian, so we weren't that surprised to see fully clothed women walking the beach complete with hijabs (Malaysia is primarily Muslim). What did surprise us was a European girl that was walking around topless. I think it's great if women are comfortable with their bodies, but going topless in a Muslim country is not just unwise, it's incredibly disrespectful. Please don't be like her and try to respect local customs when you travel!
The national park is well worth the visit too! It was surprisingly well maintained and entrance was completely free. The had a very large and informative visitors center that taught us about many of the animals in the park. The only thing that cost money was the canopy walk. We didn't have to pay for this either because the street vendor we bought our lunch from gave us extra tickets left behind by some departing German tourists. Free is great! The canopy walk was one the highlights for us even though it was slightly terrifying. The bridge didn't seem entirely.....stable. But we put our faith into it, had a great time, and took some amazing photos.
The next day we hiked for over two hours through the jungle stopping to rest at some of the beaches along the way. We saw plenty of wildlife including squirrels, monkeys, and lots giant water monitor lizards. Many of them were bigger than small alligators! We ended our hike at Monkey Beach.
Most of the few tourists that come to the park hire boats which take them straight to Monkey Beach and drop them there. Many of these were Malaysian, so we weren't that surprised to see fully clothed women walking the beach complete with hijabs (Malaysia is primarily Muslim). What did surprise us was a European girl that was walking around topless. I think it's great if women are comfortable with their bodies, but going topless in a Muslim country is not just unwise, it's incredibly disrespectful. Please don't be like her and try to respect local customs when you travel!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Cameron Highlands & Georgetown
Our time in Malaysia is just breezing by. I'm happy to report that we were able to do plenty of relaxing in the Cameron Highlands. We stayed in the small town of Tanah Rata in the hills. It was absolutely beautiful there, as lush and green as you can imagine. There are many things to see in this area - tea plantations, strawberry farms, rose gardens, butterfly sanctuaries, waterfalls, and more. We mostly spent our time hiking through the jungle, relaxing at our hostel, and eating Indian food.
Unfortunately for us, most Malaysian food is not vegetarian. However, historically, many Indians came to Malaysia from Tamil Nadu (southern India) to work on the tea plantations. This meant jobs for them, and today, it means Indian food for us (yum!) They are always so impressed when Heather greets them with "vanna kam" (hello in Tamil). They probably don't hear it much from foreigners and they really appreciate it that we know just a little bit more about their culture than the average tourists.
After our super-relaxing stay in the Cameron Highlands, we headed to Georgetown loaded with energy. In the past 24 hours seen all the major sites we hoped to including churches, mosques, Hindu, Chinese, Thai, and Burmese temples, a sleeping Buddha, the national museum, the clock tower, and Fort Cornwallis (from the outside). We also managed to go to the hospital to get our second vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis. All that and I've still got the energy to write about it all on my blog.
As usual, the highlight of the day wasn't the sights. The longer we travel the more we value the truly unique experiences, whatever they may be, over another temple or museum. Today, that truly unique experience took its form as a refreshing street snack we heard about from some locals, called ice kachang. The dish is made only on this small island and thanks to some excellent directions we were lucky enough to sample it at the stand of its inventor. Ice kachang is shaved ice with sweet syrup (sounds good so far), beans, corn, slimy gummy worm type things, milk, some kind of green jelly balls, and maybe a little rambutan (tropical fruit)? As you can imagine, it was....interesting. I don't have my photos uploaded yet, but here is a picture I found on google images that looks about as close to ours as I could get. Mmm....tasty.
Unfortunately for us, most Malaysian food is not vegetarian. However, historically, many Indians came to Malaysia from Tamil Nadu (southern India) to work on the tea plantations. This meant jobs for them, and today, it means Indian food for us (yum!) They are always so impressed when Heather greets them with "vanna kam" (hello in Tamil). They probably don't hear it much from foreigners and they really appreciate it that we know just a little bit more about their culture than the average tourists.
After our super-relaxing stay in the Cameron Highlands, we headed to Georgetown loaded with energy. In the past 24 hours seen all the major sites we hoped to including churches, mosques, Hindu, Chinese, Thai, and Burmese temples, a sleeping Buddha, the national museum, the clock tower, and Fort Cornwallis (from the outside). We also managed to go to the hospital to get our second vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis. All that and I've still got the energy to write about it all on my blog.
As usual, the highlight of the day wasn't the sights. The longer we travel the more we value the truly unique experiences, whatever they may be, over another temple or museum. Today, that truly unique experience took its form as a refreshing street snack we heard about from some locals, called ice kachang. The dish is made only on this small island and thanks to some excellent directions we were lucky enough to sample it at the stand of its inventor. Ice kachang is shaved ice with sweet syrup (sounds good so far), beans, corn, slimy gummy worm type things, milk, some kind of green jelly balls, and maybe a little rambutan (tropical fruit)? As you can imagine, it was....interesting. I don't have my photos uploaded yet, but here is a picture I found on google images that looks about as close to ours as I could get. Mmm....tasty.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur was a really nice place to be after Singapore. We went from an ultra-modern city, with every convenience imaginable, and super strict laws (think caning for minor offenses and the death penalty for drug possession), to the most normal city we've been to in the last two and a half years.
It wasn't like Nepal, India or Sri Lanka. There were no touts hassling us as we got off the bus, walked along the street, or went shopping. Sometimes a person would approach us wanting to sell something and we'd say "no thanks." Then they said "ok" and walked away instead of following us for a few hundred meters down the street. No one stared at us as we walked by anymore. In fact, no one even gave us a second look. We were just ordinary people again. It's so nice not to have crowds of people staring at you, some of them trying to take pictures.
We did our share of sightseeing in KL, but the highlight of our time there was being normal again and doing normal things. We went to the 7/11 and got a slurpee - it was really exciting and fun for us. We just haven't been able to do things like this! There have been no 7/11s and no slurpees in our lives for a really long time and it was nice to have these things back. We also saw our first English language movie in a theatre since the states.
I think doing these sorts of things here will make our readjustment easier when we get back home. The United States is still going to be a strange place for us when we get back, but at least we'll have started doing normal things like these again, even if it's in bits and pieces. I imagine it would have been really weird going into a 7/11 with friends or family and being so excited to get a slurpee and being like, "Oh my God, it's so delicious! And it's cold! So cold!" And them looking at me and being like "Yeah, it is" and thinking they're glad I'm back, but I'm a little strange now.
The thing is, it won't just be a few things like this that are normal to everyone else, but strange, exciting, and wonderful to us. It will be everything and that's part of what makes readjusting difficult. Thank you all in advance for your patience with us when we get back!
It wasn't like Nepal, India or Sri Lanka. There were no touts hassling us as we got off the bus, walked along the street, or went shopping. Sometimes a person would approach us wanting to sell something and we'd say "no thanks." Then they said "ok" and walked away instead of following us for a few hundred meters down the street. No one stared at us as we walked by anymore. In fact, no one even gave us a second look. We were just ordinary people again. It's so nice not to have crowds of people staring at you, some of them trying to take pictures.
We did our share of sightseeing in KL, but the highlight of our time there was being normal again and doing normal things. We went to the 7/11 and got a slurpee - it was really exciting and fun for us. We just haven't been able to do things like this! There have been no 7/11s and no slurpees in our lives for a really long time and it was nice to have these things back. We also saw our first English language movie in a theatre since the states.
I think doing these sorts of things here will make our readjustment easier when we get back home. The United States is still going to be a strange place for us when we get back, but at least we'll have started doing normal things like these again, even if it's in bits and pieces. I imagine it would have been really weird going into a 7/11 with friends or family and being so excited to get a slurpee and being like, "Oh my God, it's so delicious! And it's cold! So cold!" And them looking at me and being like "Yeah, it is" and thinking they're glad I'm back, but I'm a little strange now.
The thing is, it won't just be a few things like this that are normal to everyone else, but strange, exciting, and wonderful to us. It will be everything and that's part of what makes readjusting difficult. Thank you all in advance for your patience with us when we get back!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Singapore
We woke up from our overnight flight at 6 AM Singapore time (3:30 AM Sri Lanka time) and found ourselves in a completely different place. Often an airport doesn't tell you much about a city, but it certainly did in Singapore. The airport had free internet access, all kinds of western restaurants, free massage chairs, and even a swimming pool. There were lots more things too, but these are the ones I noticed as I was being pushed through the airport in a wheelchair by an airport worker.
You might reasonably wonder why I was being pushed through the airport in a wheelchair. Regular readers of my blog know that I carry a large bamboo stick with me for many reasons. It's very useful and we discovered a new use for it in Sri Lanka when someone droped their sandal on the rail track and needed some help. As useful as it is, it sometimes gives us problems at the wide variety of security checkpoints we come across in our travels. I tend to develop a limp as we approach security checks police officers and the like. After we pass through I'm usually able to walk normally again. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at airports.
You don't just need to pass through a checkpoint, you need to pass through two or three on your way in and even after that you have to get your passport stamped by immigration exiting one country and then entering another. This means I'd need to keep up the act for quite some time. Luckily for me I don't have to because they usually check the stick for me when I check in. That means the only way for me to get through the airport is by a wheelchair. Then the only thing I need to deal with is the guilt of wasting everyone's time, but I'm not willing to give up my bamboo so this is how it must go.
When we got out of the airport and into the city the first thing that struck us was how easy it was to do everything. There were no touts hassling us for taxi rides or tours as we left the airport. The public bus we took to the city was clean and comfortable with pleasant buttons you push to signal to the driver where you want to get off. The bus wasn't overcrowded, there were no offensive odors, and it was even air conditioned. We just sat there feeling so comfortable it was almost eerie.
On the bus and everywhere else things just seemed so sanitized and sterile. It's not that we don't appreciate being comfortable, but it was a bit too much for us. Eventually I realized that the discomfort caused by all this comfort was boredom. It's true, taking the bus in Singapore is not exciting. You might think taking the bus shouldn't be an exciting experience, but for us every bus we've taken from Nepal to Sri Lanka has been. Riding the bus entails so much in these countries.
You need to hurry up and get on so that it doesn't start leaving while you're halfway in. Then, if you're lucky, you stumble to your seat while the bus swerves left and right. If you're not lucky there are no seats and you're faced with the constant challenge of holding on and not falling over. Usually you don't know exactly where you're getting off and stops aren't announced (in a language you understand) so you have to figure this out as you go. And on and on. There is so much to do while you're riding the bus in these countries. In Singapore, whether we were on the bus, the metro, or even just walking around, there were no challenges you had to overcome. Everything was taken care of for you in a clean, comfortable, and efficient way. We appreciated a break from all the stress, but it really was a bit dull!
After settling in, we headed downtown. Everything was very modern, of course. No horns honking, no tuk tuks, plenty of blinking crosswalks. Enough about all that, you get the idea. We were in a very different place. Our first stop was Chinatown which is clearly just for the tourists these days. It was so artificial it was almost like being in Disneyworld. We walked around and found a temple that claimed to have a tooth of the Buddha, just like in Sri Lanka. Except this one you can just walk right up to and look at. I don't know how many of these Buddha teeth there are laying about the world, but the excitement has passed.
On the edge of Chinatown we saw an Indian temple that was unlike any we had seen in India. The colors were bright and bold, not faded. There were so many different carvings. It was really beautiful, but to me it didn't seem very authentic. I quickly realized the problem wasn't that it was not authentic, but there is just so much more money in Singapore. They can afford to spend so much more on making things look nice than was the standard in India. I wonder if all the temples in India would look like this one if it were a wealthier place.
The next day we went to the bayfront and noticed three large buildings with a (fake) boat on top of them. I've never seen a boat-like thing on top of three skyscrapers before so we went to check it out. It was a really fancy hotel - too fancy for us really. We couldn't get to the roof without a keycard that we weren't willing to pay for. That was fine, we're used to not satisfying our every whim. It's really not that sort of trip. But all of these things we saw had an impact on us. What kind of place has a boat on top of some really high buildings just for the luxury of it all? Singapore.
You can imagine that it was a very expensive place for us. Believe it or not, we found that the best place to eat in Singapore is at the shopping mall food courts. Yes, really. First of all, there are shopping malls everywhere. You really can't avoid them. Second, they're some of the cheapest places to eat in the city. And finally, you can get so many different things there! It's really an amazing concept that I never appreciated before. You can get Chinese, Italian, Indian, and fast food all in the same place, so cheaply. I can't ever imagine a group people in the states wondering where to eat until someone suggests the food court at a shopping mall and everyone applauds the idea as a brilliant one. But to us, it's a revalation - and just so convenient! Maybe I've been away from home too long and am going a little crazy or maybe I see the world from a broader perspective now and appreciate things more in the way we all should or maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle - I'll let you decide.
Anyway, the convenience never stopped. When it was time to go we found ourselves missing India, sad to leave the comfort of Singapore, and excited about the thought that moving on might mean returning to whatever small amount of normalcy we knew before coming to this place.
You might reasonably wonder why I was being pushed through the airport in a wheelchair. Regular readers of my blog know that I carry a large bamboo stick with me for many reasons. It's very useful and we discovered a new use for it in Sri Lanka when someone droped their sandal on the rail track and needed some help. As useful as it is, it sometimes gives us problems at the wide variety of security checkpoints we come across in our travels. I tend to develop a limp as we approach security checks police officers and the like. After we pass through I'm usually able to walk normally again. Unfortunately, this isn't the case at airports.
You don't just need to pass through a checkpoint, you need to pass through two or three on your way in and even after that you have to get your passport stamped by immigration exiting one country and then entering another. This means I'd need to keep up the act for quite some time. Luckily for me I don't have to because they usually check the stick for me when I check in. That means the only way for me to get through the airport is by a wheelchair. Then the only thing I need to deal with is the guilt of wasting everyone's time, but I'm not willing to give up my bamboo so this is how it must go.
When we got out of the airport and into the city the first thing that struck us was how easy it was to do everything. There were no touts hassling us for taxi rides or tours as we left the airport. The public bus we took to the city was clean and comfortable with pleasant buttons you push to signal to the driver where you want to get off. The bus wasn't overcrowded, there were no offensive odors, and it was even air conditioned. We just sat there feeling so comfortable it was almost eerie.
On the bus and everywhere else things just seemed so sanitized and sterile. It's not that we don't appreciate being comfortable, but it was a bit too much for us. Eventually I realized that the discomfort caused by all this comfort was boredom. It's true, taking the bus in Singapore is not exciting. You might think taking the bus shouldn't be an exciting experience, but for us every bus we've taken from Nepal to Sri Lanka has been. Riding the bus entails so much in these countries.
You need to hurry up and get on so that it doesn't start leaving while you're halfway in. Then, if you're lucky, you stumble to your seat while the bus swerves left and right. If you're not lucky there are no seats and you're faced with the constant challenge of holding on and not falling over. Usually you don't know exactly where you're getting off and stops aren't announced (in a language you understand) so you have to figure this out as you go. And on and on. There is so much to do while you're riding the bus in these countries. In Singapore, whether we were on the bus, the metro, or even just walking around, there were no challenges you had to overcome. Everything was taken care of for you in a clean, comfortable, and efficient way. We appreciated a break from all the stress, but it really was a bit dull!
After settling in, we headed downtown. Everything was very modern, of course. No horns honking, no tuk tuks, plenty of blinking crosswalks. Enough about all that, you get the idea. We were in a very different place. Our first stop was Chinatown which is clearly just for the tourists these days. It was so artificial it was almost like being in Disneyworld. We walked around and found a temple that claimed to have a tooth of the Buddha, just like in Sri Lanka. Except this one you can just walk right up to and look at. I don't know how many of these Buddha teeth there are laying about the world, but the excitement has passed.
On the edge of Chinatown we saw an Indian temple that was unlike any we had seen in India. The colors were bright and bold, not faded. There were so many different carvings. It was really beautiful, but to me it didn't seem very authentic. I quickly realized the problem wasn't that it was not authentic, but there is just so much more money in Singapore. They can afford to spend so much more on making things look nice than was the standard in India. I wonder if all the temples in India would look like this one if it were a wealthier place.
The next day we went to the bayfront and noticed three large buildings with a (fake) boat on top of them. I've never seen a boat-like thing on top of three skyscrapers before so we went to check it out. It was a really fancy hotel - too fancy for us really. We couldn't get to the roof without a keycard that we weren't willing to pay for. That was fine, we're used to not satisfying our every whim. It's really not that sort of trip. But all of these things we saw had an impact on us. What kind of place has a boat on top of some really high buildings just for the luxury of it all? Singapore.
You can imagine that it was a very expensive place for us. Believe it or not, we found that the best place to eat in Singapore is at the shopping mall food courts. Yes, really. First of all, there are shopping malls everywhere. You really can't avoid them. Second, they're some of the cheapest places to eat in the city. And finally, you can get so many different things there! It's really an amazing concept that I never appreciated before. You can get Chinese, Italian, Indian, and fast food all in the same place, so cheaply. I can't ever imagine a group people in the states wondering where to eat until someone suggests the food court at a shopping mall and everyone applauds the idea as a brilliant one. But to us, it's a revalation - and just so convenient! Maybe I've been away from home too long and am going a little crazy or maybe I see the world from a broader perspective now and appreciate things more in the way we all should or maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle - I'll let you decide.
Anyway, the convenience never stopped. When it was time to go we found ourselves missing India, sad to leave the comfort of Singapore, and excited about the thought that moving on might mean returning to whatever small amount of normalcy we knew before coming to this place.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Kandy, Anuradhapura, and Colombo
From Tissamaharama we made our way to Kandy over the course of two days. The reason it took so long is not because of the distance, but because there was no direct way to get from one place to the other. We kept thinking that after getting to the next destination there would be a direct route from there, but this never seemed to be the case. We ended up taking three buses and two trains and finally arrived in Kandy after about 36 hours.
While we were en route, we arranged to stay with some new friends who live near Kandy. In fact, they were a host family for Peace Corps trainees back in 1989, so it was cool to have an immediate connection with them. In addition to the usual sight-seeing we would have done if we hadn't stayed with them, we had the pleasure of cooking meals together, going for a walk with them around their garden, and trading traveler/host stories. The grandmother was thrilled to be able play dress-up with Heather and we had a photo shoot with her sporting Indian and Sri Lankan style saris. It was loads of fun! They were a wonderful family and staying with them was one of the highlights of the trip.
The single biggest sight to see in Kandy is the Temple of the Tooth. It is said to contain the tooth of the Buddha which was found after he was cremated. Of course, we were excited to go to the temple and see this Buddhist relic. We were a little disappointed to find out that you don't actually get to see the tooth. Really, you don't even get to see the casket where the tooth is kept. What you do get to see is the door behind which is the casket in which the tooth is kept. I wasn't impressed, but all the people prostrating themselves outside the door seemed to be.
We took a day trip from Kandy to Pinnawala to see an elephant orphanage. It was by far the most elephants we've seen at one time, maybe two dozen or so. Some of these were injured or orphaned in the wild, but they have also started breeding the elephants and keeping them in captivity. This gave me some mixed feelings because that makes the place less of an orphanage and more of a zoo. Still, it was our first time seeing baby and juvenile elephants and we got to be there for feeding time and watch them take a bath in the river. Good fun, but this place had by far the most tourists we've seen so far in Sri Lanka.
After three days we said goodbye to our new Sri Lankan family and continued by AC bus to Anuradhapura. By this point in our trip we've traveled many ways, but this was our first AC bus. Now you'd think that since we're in Sri Lanka and it's 90+ degrees outside an AC bus would be a good idea, at least that's what we thought. It was the first time since we landed in Kathmandu that all the windows on our means of transportation were closed. That meant there was no air circulation from the outside and I was quite ill. The fact that we were in the hill country and traveling winding roads didn't help. It's the only time I've ever taken dramamine and still been motion sick (that stuff really works!) From here on out, no AC buses! Windows are great!
We came to Anuradhapura to see the old city and different collections of ruins and ancient stupas. We were not disappointed, there was lots to see and some were over 2000 years old! In the afternoon, we decided to travel off the map and went to see a place that isn't in any of the guide books. The reason for that is it's still under construction. 15 km outside the city, but the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere are 500 Buddha statues all standing in a line which meanders around a beautiful park. We would never have known about the place, but we'd seen pictures hanging in restaurants and hotels and asked the locals. The statues were person-sized, so having 500 of them was quite a feat even though the last several were still being painted and sculpted. In addition to the Buddhas we saw lots of wildlife including a really long snake, some kind of large squirrel, and a land monitor. We also ran across a guy who was washing each of the Buddhas individually. He wasn't just hosing them off either, but carefully rubbing his hand all over each statue to get the dirt off. It seems like a full time job, but he was a happy guy and let us take his picture.
The whole time we walked around we only ran into one Sri Lankan family that came to see the Buddhas, there were no other tourists at all. Not even an entry fee, only a small donation box. We made a small donation and asked the guy about the park and why there were 500 Buddhas (496 really, I counted). Sadly, he didn't speak much English and couldn't explain much. I'll have to look it up later to learn more.
After spending only about one full day in Anuradhapura we continued on to Colombo. We extended our time in Sri Lanka by a few days to see the Perahera which is a Buddhist festival that happens once a year. The big one happens in Kandy, but at a different time of year. By extending our time, we had just enough time to see the Colombo Perahera. I'm really glad we stayed for it. Basically, it was a really, really long parade. I don't have pictures uploaded for this yet, but look for them in the future. There were people dressed up in all different costumes, monks, elephants, guys dancing on stilts, fire twirlers, dancers, and more. The parade went on for well over two hours. I can't imagine what the Kandy Perahera must be like!
Today is our last day in Colombo and we're parting ways with my dad after traveling with him for about a month. We catch the red-eye to Singapore tonight. I'll post soon on our adventures there and in Malaysia.
While we were en route, we arranged to stay with some new friends who live near Kandy. In fact, they were a host family for Peace Corps trainees back in 1989, so it was cool to have an immediate connection with them. In addition to the usual sight-seeing we would have done if we hadn't stayed with them, we had the pleasure of cooking meals together, going for a walk with them around their garden, and trading traveler/host stories. The grandmother was thrilled to be able play dress-up with Heather and we had a photo shoot with her sporting Indian and Sri Lankan style saris. It was loads of fun! They were a wonderful family and staying with them was one of the highlights of the trip.
The single biggest sight to see in Kandy is the Temple of the Tooth. It is said to contain the tooth of the Buddha which was found after he was cremated. Of course, we were excited to go to the temple and see this Buddhist relic. We were a little disappointed to find out that you don't actually get to see the tooth. Really, you don't even get to see the casket where the tooth is kept. What you do get to see is the door behind which is the casket in which the tooth is kept. I wasn't impressed, but all the people prostrating themselves outside the door seemed to be.
We took a day trip from Kandy to Pinnawala to see an elephant orphanage. It was by far the most elephants we've seen at one time, maybe two dozen or so. Some of these were injured or orphaned in the wild, but they have also started breeding the elephants and keeping them in captivity. This gave me some mixed feelings because that makes the place less of an orphanage and more of a zoo. Still, it was our first time seeing baby and juvenile elephants and we got to be there for feeding time and watch them take a bath in the river. Good fun, but this place had by far the most tourists we've seen so far in Sri Lanka.
After three days we said goodbye to our new Sri Lankan family and continued by AC bus to Anuradhapura. By this point in our trip we've traveled many ways, but this was our first AC bus. Now you'd think that since we're in Sri Lanka and it's 90+ degrees outside an AC bus would be a good idea, at least that's what we thought. It was the first time since we landed in Kathmandu that all the windows on our means of transportation were closed. That meant there was no air circulation from the outside and I was quite ill. The fact that we were in the hill country and traveling winding roads didn't help. It's the only time I've ever taken dramamine and still been motion sick (that stuff really works!) From here on out, no AC buses! Windows are great!
We came to Anuradhapura to see the old city and different collections of ruins and ancient stupas. We were not disappointed, there was lots to see and some were over 2000 years old! In the afternoon, we decided to travel off the map and went to see a place that isn't in any of the guide books. The reason for that is it's still under construction. 15 km outside the city, but the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere are 500 Buddha statues all standing in a line which meanders around a beautiful park. We would never have known about the place, but we'd seen pictures hanging in restaurants and hotels and asked the locals. The statues were person-sized, so having 500 of them was quite a feat even though the last several were still being painted and sculpted. In addition to the Buddhas we saw lots of wildlife including a really long snake, some kind of large squirrel, and a land monitor. We also ran across a guy who was washing each of the Buddhas individually. He wasn't just hosing them off either, but carefully rubbing his hand all over each statue to get the dirt off. It seems like a full time job, but he was a happy guy and let us take his picture.
The whole time we walked around we only ran into one Sri Lankan family that came to see the Buddhas, there were no other tourists at all. Not even an entry fee, only a small donation box. We made a small donation and asked the guy about the park and why there were 500 Buddhas (496 really, I counted). Sadly, he didn't speak much English and couldn't explain much. I'll have to look it up later to learn more.
After spending only about one full day in Anuradhapura we continued on to Colombo. We extended our time in Sri Lanka by a few days to see the Perahera which is a Buddhist festival that happens once a year. The big one happens in Kandy, but at a different time of year. By extending our time, we had just enough time to see the Colombo Perahera. I'm really glad we stayed for it. Basically, it was a really, really long parade. I don't have pictures uploaded for this yet, but look for them in the future. There were people dressed up in all different costumes, monks, elephants, guys dancing on stilts, fire twirlers, dancers, and more. The parade went on for well over two hours. I can't imagine what the Kandy Perahera must be like!
Today is our last day in Colombo and we're parting ways with my dad after traveling with him for about a month. We catch the red-eye to Singapore tonight. I'll post soon on our adventures there and in Malaysia.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Pictures, pictures, pictures!
I've finally managed to upload the photos from my camera and there are lots! You can get to them by clicking the links to the right, below my picture.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Induruwa to Tissamaharama
We spent a lot of time at the beach Induruwa. It was just so relaxing after running around India that we decided to take some time to relax while we were at such a beautiful place. Mostly all we did was play in the ocean, lie down with a good book, and eat wonderful Sri Lankan food (it's surprisingly different from Indian food). We did do a few things of note, however.
We visited a nearby turtle hatchery which was lots of fun! The turtles have a hard time making it by themselves, so the hatcheries (there are several) pay fisherman a little bit of money to bring them any eggs they find. They hatch the eggs and then keep the turtles until they're old enough to have a better chance surviving in the wild. We got to have a look at the eggs that were waiting to hatch and they had a big tank of baby turtles swimming around that we were able to pick up and hold. They also had albino and blind turtles that they keep permanently because they would not be able to survive in the wild. Their efforts are funded by private contributions and entry fees. Unfortunately, the whole place was completely destroyed by the tsunami. Our guide had a picture of himself on the site of the flattened hatchery which was pretty depressing. The good news is that they have rebuilt and are still passionate about their mission.
While we were in Induruwa I had my first Sri Lankan epiphany. One of the great things that Sri Lanka has to offer are coconuts, lots of them! These are frequently sold by the side of the road for 20 rupees (about 15-20 cents) I did some quick math in my head and realized that drinking coconut milk is cheaper than drinking water (the coconut meat is a bonus(! Since then I've been drinking coconuts exclusively when I can get them, which is most of the time. I love the tropical life!
After Induruwa we made our way to Tissamaharama which is conveniently located next to two animal reserves. We hired a jeep for a whole day to take us around the parks and spot wildlife. We were really lucky! We saw so many different types of animals - birds, monkeys, water buffalo, crocodiles, elephants, deer, rabbits, mongooses, peacocks, etc. We really loved watching the elephants, but the highlight was seeing a Sri Lankan spotted leopard. They're usually pretty elusive, but the one we saw was just walking down the road that our jeep was on. We followed him for about 10 minutes before he made a turn and simply disappeared in the jungle. We couldn't believe he let us stay with him for so long. Every once in a while he'd just turn around and look at us as if to say "Why are you following me? Stop following me!" The funny thing is, we've felt the same way about people trying to sell us rickshaw rides and hotel rooms, but we couldn't not follow him! Oh, the ironies of life...
We visited a nearby turtle hatchery which was lots of fun! The turtles have a hard time making it by themselves, so the hatcheries (there are several) pay fisherman a little bit of money to bring them any eggs they find. They hatch the eggs and then keep the turtles until they're old enough to have a better chance surviving in the wild. We got to have a look at the eggs that were waiting to hatch and they had a big tank of baby turtles swimming around that we were able to pick up and hold. They also had albino and blind turtles that they keep permanently because they would not be able to survive in the wild. Their efforts are funded by private contributions and entry fees. Unfortunately, the whole place was completely destroyed by the tsunami. Our guide had a picture of himself on the site of the flattened hatchery which was pretty depressing. The good news is that they have rebuilt and are still passionate about their mission.
While we were in Induruwa I had my first Sri Lankan epiphany. One of the great things that Sri Lanka has to offer are coconuts, lots of them! These are frequently sold by the side of the road for 20 rupees (about 15-20 cents) I did some quick math in my head and realized that drinking coconut milk is cheaper than drinking water (the coconut meat is a bonus(! Since then I've been drinking coconuts exclusively when I can get them, which is most of the time. I love the tropical life!
After Induruwa we made our way to Tissamaharama which is conveniently located next to two animal reserves. We hired a jeep for a whole day to take us around the parks and spot wildlife. We were really lucky! We saw so many different types of animals - birds, monkeys, water buffalo, crocodiles, elephants, deer, rabbits, mongooses, peacocks, etc. We really loved watching the elephants, but the highlight was seeing a Sri Lankan spotted leopard. They're usually pretty elusive, but the one we saw was just walking down the road that our jeep was on. We followed him for about 10 minutes before he made a turn and simply disappeared in the jungle. We couldn't believe he let us stay with him for so long. Every once in a while he'd just turn around and look at us as if to say "Why are you following me? Stop following me!" The funny thing is, we've felt the same way about people trying to sell us rickshaw rides and hotel rooms, but we couldn't not follow him! Oh, the ironies of life...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Surat, Dandi, Mumbai, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Tirusulam, Colombo, and Induruwa (yikes)
At this point I'm hopelessly behind in my blogging, so I'll just put down a (very) brief summary to get you up-to-date.
Delhi
We met up with my Dad in Delhi since he decided to join us on our trip. He was in this part of the world almost 40 years ago and has never been back so it was a very exciting reunion! We visited some of the places he went to last time he was in Delhi, like the Red Fort.
Agra
There is really one reason that people come to Agra and that's to see the Taj Mahal. Last time my Dad was in India he decided it was too much trouble to make the trip from Delhi to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and he's regretted it ever since! We were thrilled that we were all able to go and see it together for the first time. It's as beautiful as they say!
Mumbai, Surat, Dandi, and Mumbai
There is lots to see in Mumbai including plenty of British architecture. However, this wasn't what drew us to India's largest city. Bollywood filmmakers have a habit of picking up Westerners on the street to come and be extras in their films. Since before we even left Ukraine it's been Heather's dream to make it as an extra in a Bollywood film. It only took a day or two in Mumbai before someone approached us, it wasn't a Bollywood filmmaker, though. Instead it was a wedding planner who was hiring western women to greet guests at a very, very large and expensive wedding. Heather decided to do it, she made thirty bucks and we were all invited to by far the most lavish wedding I've ever been to. It was really incredible and now I understand why Indian weddings have a reputation of being really over the top.
The wedding was five hours away in Surat so on the way back we stopped in Dandi to see the beach where Gandhi marched to make salt in defiance of the British government. It was one of the major events on the road to Indian independence and there is a lovely monument and we saw the palm hut where he lived at this time and where he was arrested.
Kanchipuram
We stopped here on our way to the coast to take a tour of five major Hindu temples. At one of them we all got blessed by an elephant after paying his fee (we literally had to give the elephant a rupee after he reached down with his trunk!) All the temples were very beautiful, it's a shame we couldn't spend more time in southern India.
Mahabalipuram
Our last stop in India and the first beach we spent any time at. It was a pretty touristy place, but it was a good change. We got to sample the south Indian cuisine (off a banana leaf), see ancient stone carvings, go to a beach temple, and soak up the tropical air.
Tirusulam (Chennai airport) and Colombo
We left early in the morning to catch our flight to Sri Lanka. I must admit that I have a whole new perspective on flying. In the states it just seems like a pain and you spend so much time just waiting around. After taking several 24 hour trains, countless buses, rickshaws, etc. it seemed like a really pleasant experience. Sure you have to wait a bit, but everything is so clean and nice...yeah, a different perspective. We didn't stay in Colombo, but went straight to Induruwa.
Induruwa
My dad booked us rooms at a beautiful guest house on the beach. We just arrived yesterday, but I can already tell that Sri Lanka is a completely different place than India. Much, less hectic, much more relaxing. I'll write more soon, promise!
Delhi
We met up with my Dad in Delhi since he decided to join us on our trip. He was in this part of the world almost 40 years ago and has never been back so it was a very exciting reunion! We visited some of the places he went to last time he was in Delhi, like the Red Fort.
Agra
There is really one reason that people come to Agra and that's to see the Taj Mahal. Last time my Dad was in India he decided it was too much trouble to make the trip from Delhi to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and he's regretted it ever since! We were thrilled that we were all able to go and see it together for the first time. It's as beautiful as they say!
Mumbai, Surat, Dandi, and Mumbai
There is lots to see in Mumbai including plenty of British architecture. However, this wasn't what drew us to India's largest city. Bollywood filmmakers have a habit of picking up Westerners on the street to come and be extras in their films. Since before we even left Ukraine it's been Heather's dream to make it as an extra in a Bollywood film. It only took a day or two in Mumbai before someone approached us, it wasn't a Bollywood filmmaker, though. Instead it was a wedding planner who was hiring western women to greet guests at a very, very large and expensive wedding. Heather decided to do it, she made thirty bucks and we were all invited to by far the most lavish wedding I've ever been to. It was really incredible and now I understand why Indian weddings have a reputation of being really over the top.
The wedding was five hours away in Surat so on the way back we stopped in Dandi to see the beach where Gandhi marched to make salt in defiance of the British government. It was one of the major events on the road to Indian independence and there is a lovely monument and we saw the palm hut where he lived at this time and where he was arrested.
Kanchipuram
We stopped here on our way to the coast to take a tour of five major Hindu temples. At one of them we all got blessed by an elephant after paying his fee (we literally had to give the elephant a rupee after he reached down with his trunk!) All the temples were very beautiful, it's a shame we couldn't spend more time in southern India.
Mahabalipuram
Our last stop in India and the first beach we spent any time at. It was a pretty touristy place, but it was a good change. We got to sample the south Indian cuisine (off a banana leaf), see ancient stone carvings, go to a beach temple, and soak up the tropical air.
Tirusulam (Chennai airport) and Colombo
We left early in the morning to catch our flight to Sri Lanka. I must admit that I have a whole new perspective on flying. In the states it just seems like a pain and you spend so much time just waiting around. After taking several 24 hour trains, countless buses, rickshaws, etc. it seemed like a really pleasant experience. Sure you have to wait a bit, but everything is so clean and nice...yeah, a different perspective. We didn't stay in Colombo, but went straight to Induruwa.
Induruwa
My dad booked us rooms at a beautiful guest house on the beach. We just arrived yesterday, but I can already tell that Sri Lanka is a completely different place than India. Much, less hectic, much more relaxing. I'll write more soon, promise!
Jaipur and Jaisalmer and Udaipur, oh my!
It's been too long since my last update and a lot has happened since then. This time I'll just post some of the highlights and consider myself caught up.
Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, one of the most well-traveled regions of India. It's another big, crazy Indian city, but the walled, old city was the big draw for us. Most of the business done in the old city comes from local crafts. In fact, the city is divided into specific craft sections. In one area you can watch stone statues being carved, in another textiles being weaved, bangles being made, etc. It was great fun just to walk around for a while, getting lost in the small alleys. We also visited the palace, an observatory, and other major sites.
One of the most enjoyable things we did while staying in Jaipur was take a day trip to nearby Amber to see Amber fort. The fort itself was magnificent - simply huge with beautifully decorated rooms and courtyards. But the views of the nearby mountains, each with their own fort on top, made it that much better. There were incredibly long walls leading from the bottom of each of these mountains to the each fort at the top. While we were there a Bollywood movie was being filmed, so we got to see some of the brightly colored costumes and dancing associated with Indian film. After a short stay in Jaipur we continued on by train to Jaisalmer.
There was a fortress and plenty of temples here, all worth seeing, but the reason we came to this city is because it is one of the best starting points in India for camel safaris. Our safari was only two days long, with one night spent sleeping under the stars in the desert. The first thing you notice when you're looking at a camel that you're going to ride off into the desert is camels are really tall! They aren't like horses at all. My camel in particular was especially tall, maybe the tallest one there. I am quite tall myself by Indian standards, but even though they kneel down for you to get on I had to jump and struggle to get on top of mine. I felt a great sense of relief when I was finally in my seat, but the fun wasn't even close to over because after you get on, the camel has to stand up.
This probably doesn't sound like such a big deal, but that's just because you've never ridden a camel. You see, for camels, standing up is a process. They stand up with their back legs first and later, when they are ready, they stand up with their front legs. This is fine for the camel, but if you're sitting on top you have the harrowing experience of trying to hold on while the camel remains for several seconds at a 45 degree angle before standing up the rest of the way. This might have been easier if it had been expected, but none of our four guides warned us.
Another way that riding a camel is not like riding a horse is that your legs ache. You got used to this after a while, but it was still a few days after the safari before I could walk completely normal again. Besides these challenges, the whole thing was an amazing experience. We walked most of our time in scrub desert, but we spent the night by the most beautiful sand dunes. Our guides cooked us some simple Indian camping food and we spent the evening singing songs around the campfire. We returned the next day happy we had taken the safari, but also happy to be finished riding camel.
There were no trains we could take to Udaipur, so instead we traveled via sleeper bus (man I wish they had these in Ukraine). It was bumpy, but far better than riding a regular bus. The biggest site in Udaipur is a beautiful palace sitting next to a tremendous lake. But at this point we were pretty tired of doing the tourist things. We went on the camel safari and had gone to countless palaces, forts, temples, etc. by this time. All of them were great, but we were just really tired and wanted to do something else. Our budget was also stretched to the limit from all the tourist stuff we'd done in the previous week. So we didn't even go into the palace.
Instead we went to a youth festival that was happening far from the tourist area. There were free concerts going on and we got to hear some traditional flute and drum playing. It was nice to relax and listen for a while and as a bonus, we were the only white people there! After listening for a while we went to see some traditional dancing and a puppet show at the cultural center. Both were spectacular, but the Indians really, really loved the puppet show! They were cheering and yelling throughout the whole thing, I had no idea a puppet show could incite such excitement! After a relaxing time in Udaipur, we hopped on a train for Delhi!
Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, one of the most well-traveled regions of India. It's another big, crazy Indian city, but the walled, old city was the big draw for us. Most of the business done in the old city comes from local crafts. In fact, the city is divided into specific craft sections. In one area you can watch stone statues being carved, in another textiles being weaved, bangles being made, etc. It was great fun just to walk around for a while, getting lost in the small alleys. We also visited the palace, an observatory, and other major sites.
One of the most enjoyable things we did while staying in Jaipur was take a day trip to nearby Amber to see Amber fort. The fort itself was magnificent - simply huge with beautifully decorated rooms and courtyards. But the views of the nearby mountains, each with their own fort on top, made it that much better. There were incredibly long walls leading from the bottom of each of these mountains to the each fort at the top. While we were there a Bollywood movie was being filmed, so we got to see some of the brightly colored costumes and dancing associated with Indian film. After a short stay in Jaipur we continued on by train to Jaisalmer.
There was a fortress and plenty of temples here, all worth seeing, but the reason we came to this city is because it is one of the best starting points in India for camel safaris. Our safari was only two days long, with one night spent sleeping under the stars in the desert. The first thing you notice when you're looking at a camel that you're going to ride off into the desert is camels are really tall! They aren't like horses at all. My camel in particular was especially tall, maybe the tallest one there. I am quite tall myself by Indian standards, but even though they kneel down for you to get on I had to jump and struggle to get on top of mine. I felt a great sense of relief when I was finally in my seat, but the fun wasn't even close to over because after you get on, the camel has to stand up.
This probably doesn't sound like such a big deal, but that's just because you've never ridden a camel. You see, for camels, standing up is a process. They stand up with their back legs first and later, when they are ready, they stand up with their front legs. This is fine for the camel, but if you're sitting on top you have the harrowing experience of trying to hold on while the camel remains for several seconds at a 45 degree angle before standing up the rest of the way. This might have been easier if it had been expected, but none of our four guides warned us.
Another way that riding a camel is not like riding a horse is that your legs ache. You got used to this after a while, but it was still a few days after the safari before I could walk completely normal again. Besides these challenges, the whole thing was an amazing experience. We walked most of our time in scrub desert, but we spent the night by the most beautiful sand dunes. Our guides cooked us some simple Indian camping food and we spent the evening singing songs around the campfire. We returned the next day happy we had taken the safari, but also happy to be finished riding camel.
There were no trains we could take to Udaipur, so instead we traveled via sleeper bus (man I wish they had these in Ukraine). It was bumpy, but far better than riding a regular bus. The biggest site in Udaipur is a beautiful palace sitting next to a tremendous lake. But at this point we were pretty tired of doing the tourist things. We went on the camel safari and had gone to countless palaces, forts, temples, etc. by this time. All of them were great, but we were just really tired and wanted to do something else. Our budget was also stretched to the limit from all the tourist stuff we'd done in the previous week. So we didn't even go into the palace.
Instead we went to a youth festival that was happening far from the tourist area. There were free concerts going on and we got to hear some traditional flute and drum playing. It was nice to relax and listen for a while and as a bonus, we were the only white people there! After listening for a while we went to see some traditional dancing and a puppet show at the cultural center. Both were spectacular, but the Indians really, really loved the puppet show! They were cheering and yelling throughout the whole thing, I had no idea a puppet show could incite such excitement! After a relaxing time in Udaipur, we hopped on a train for Delhi!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Jaipur (speak softly and carry a big stick)
I must admit that I didn't fully understand the meaning of Teddy Roosevelt's famous advice the first time I read it in a textbook in grade school, but I can say that it carries new meaning for me now. In fact, I've chosen to take his advice quite literally and, after several weeks of searching, purchased a large walking stick to accompany me through our travels (Of course, I have always striven to speak softly). There are so many reasons why it is useful: to deter pickpockets, to keep away monkeys that are interested in our things, for walking, to reach underneath the bed when something falls there, to ward off overenthusiastic touts and beggars, to scare away rats and other street animals that get too close, and many more. All of these are good reasons, but by far the most compelling to me is all the attention Heather attracts from the men in this part of the world.
She is both beautiful and blonde which is often enough to make the men in our vicinity just stop and stare at her. If we stay in one place too long the men will begin to collect until there is a large group standing and staring at her which only encourages more to do the same. Men will often ask to have their picture with her which we no longer allow because some are not respectful and will put their arm around her or things like this. This behavior is especially inappropriate here, where even I cannot put my arm around Heather without it being an excessive public display of affection. Some men are not so well mannered to ask and will just snap photos of her in the street. A few have even been bold enough to jump in front of us, pull out their camera, and take her picture. If she leaves my sight, even for a moment, men start 'bumping' into her or attempt to engage her in conversation.
All of this is bad enough during the day, but if we're walking around at night on poorly lit streets we really don't want that kind of attention. After I started carrying the stick, there was a noticeable improvement in our situation. We still have the same sort of problems, but they are much less frequent. Something we didn't expect, however, is that people now pay a great deal of attention to me!
Now people stop and stare at me and the make comments to each other about me. We've learned that there are many cultural reasons for this. We've seen other people in India with sticks like mine, but they fall into only three categories. Old men who really need help walking, sadhus (holy men), and police officers. I clearly do not fall into any of these categories, but the assumption is that since I do not need this stick to walk or for religious purposes, I use it for hitting people. In fact, the man I bought it from asked me if it was for Heather (I'm really not sure he was joking).
The reactions we've gotten are numerous. Several times a day people ask me "What is that for?" with worry visible in their eyes. Others have assured me that India is a safe place to travel. Some hold their fist in the air with a flexed arm and say "Good bamboo!" Some tell me I look like Ali Baba (I really don't understand this one, but an Indian told me he was a maharaja). I've also learned that a bamboo stick like mine is associated with someone who lives in a small village and is unsophisticated.
I really can't say I'm fond of all the attention, but the positive aspect is that everyone is looking and talking about me instead of Heather. Although I don't like others to think that I just go around hitting people, the stick clearly commands respect. We walked by a group of guys who were giggling and staring at us and I just stared back without smiling. After a short moment they began to show more respect. While I have mixed feelings about people's reactions, so far it has been a net positive for us and I'll keep the stick for the foreseeable future. One final note about the stick - we were in a cafe this morning and I saw a portrait of Gandhi carrying a bamboo stick exactly like mine. It's a shame people don't make that association instead, ah well.
My hour's up, I'll write about Jaipur next time!
She is both beautiful and blonde which is often enough to make the men in our vicinity just stop and stare at her. If we stay in one place too long the men will begin to collect until there is a large group standing and staring at her which only encourages more to do the same. Men will often ask to have their picture with her which we no longer allow because some are not respectful and will put their arm around her or things like this. This behavior is especially inappropriate here, where even I cannot put my arm around Heather without it being an excessive public display of affection. Some men are not so well mannered to ask and will just snap photos of her in the street. A few have even been bold enough to jump in front of us, pull out their camera, and take her picture. If she leaves my sight, even for a moment, men start 'bumping' into her or attempt to engage her in conversation.
All of this is bad enough during the day, but if we're walking around at night on poorly lit streets we really don't want that kind of attention. After I started carrying the stick, there was a noticeable improvement in our situation. We still have the same sort of problems, but they are much less frequent. Something we didn't expect, however, is that people now pay a great deal of attention to me!
Now people stop and stare at me and the make comments to each other about me. We've learned that there are many cultural reasons for this. We've seen other people in India with sticks like mine, but they fall into only three categories. Old men who really need help walking, sadhus (holy men), and police officers. I clearly do not fall into any of these categories, but the assumption is that since I do not need this stick to walk or for religious purposes, I use it for hitting people. In fact, the man I bought it from asked me if it was for Heather (I'm really not sure he was joking).
The reactions we've gotten are numerous. Several times a day people ask me "What is that for?" with worry visible in their eyes. Others have assured me that India is a safe place to travel. Some hold their fist in the air with a flexed arm and say "Good bamboo!" Some tell me I look like Ali Baba (I really don't understand this one, but an Indian told me he was a maharaja). I've also learned that a bamboo stick like mine is associated with someone who lives in a small village and is unsophisticated.
I really can't say I'm fond of all the attention, but the positive aspect is that everyone is looking and talking about me instead of Heather. Although I don't like others to think that I just go around hitting people, the stick clearly commands respect. We walked by a group of guys who were giggling and staring at us and I just stared back without smiling. After a short moment they began to show more respect. While I have mixed feelings about people's reactions, so far it has been a net positive for us and I'll keep the stick for the foreseeable future. One final note about the stick - we were in a cafe this morning and I saw a portrait of Gandhi carrying a bamboo stick exactly like mine. It's a shame people don't make that association instead, ah well.
My hour's up, I'll write about Jaipur next time!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
McLeod Ganj
After Amritsar our next stop was McLeod Ganj. We planned to make the trip in one day, but this turned out to be a little too ambitious. After all, we were taking four different methods of transportation to get there. For starters, we took a train to Pathankot, which was late by two or three hours. From there we would switch to a smaller train which runs on a narrow gauge track (nicknamed the toy train). We met a local on our first train who informed us that instead of taking 2 1/2 hours like the guidebook said, the toy train actually took 5 hours. This new bit of information combined with our late arrival into Pathankot meant we would stay the night there instead of continuing the journey that day. We didn't know anything about Pathankot, it's not really a tourist town, so we were afraid it might be another Gorakhpur. On the contrary, it turned out to be a really nice place and we were happy to stay a night there.
The next morning (New Years Eve) we got up at 5 AM to get to the station by 6 so we could grab a seat before the train left at 7. There are no reservations on the toy train and everyone told us we had better get there early or risk standing the whole way. We actually got there at about 5:45 and the train pulled away at 7 with about half the seats empty. We learned a very long time ago to be flexible and just go with the flow and it's a good thing too, otherwise we'd probably be a lot more frustrated.
The toy train was really great. We had imagined a tiny little train, like at Disney Land, that takes the kids around in circle. The reality was something between that and a regular train. It was about 2/3 the size of a normal train with very narrow rails because it takes passengers into the mountains. The views were spectacular and we were glad we took this route even though it took a lot longer than expected. The end of the line for us was in Kangra.
We loved this little train station. Because there is only one route on these tracks and the train is petite, the stations were much smaller than we're used to. Just a little building to buy tickets and snacks and then there is nothing else around! Less than we had hoped for, in fact. There wasn't even a major road within sight and we didn't know where we had to go to catch our bus. That's okay, we're used to asking directions by now. We walked for about a mile, still uncertain about where we were going. People are always happy to give us directions, but sometimes they all give us different directions. Eventually we found a bus that took us to Kangra bus station where we had a quick lunch and caught the bus to Dharamshala.
I've been on a lot of buses these last few years, but this may just be the most terrifying ride in memory. I was standing, holding onto the rail and the bus driver just swung the bus from left to right as he navigated up the twisting mountain road. I could hardly even hold on and almost fell over several times! It's not a good feeling to have as you're looking out the window at the steep drops and almost complete lack of barriers. My stomach was in knots and I cannot tell you how happy I was when we finally pulled into Daramshala. From there we had to catch another shorter, calmer ride up the rest of the way to McLeod Ganj. It all really would have been too much for one day.
This is especially true because just as we arrived there a hailstorm began. So we trudged on with our bags and started our hotel search. We found a good one eventually and after a short rest went back out to find something special to do for the New Year. There were lots of dance parties and things like that going on. Most of them didn't interest us that much and cost anywhere from 2-7 days budget. There was some live music that looked good, but it was already completely booked. We finally found a nice little restaurant that had festivities and wasn't completely beyond our price range. So we went back to our hotel room for a little rest before going back out again and promptly fell asleep. We woke up around midnight to hear everyone yelling and cheering for the New Year. We let out disappointed groans and went back to sleep.
We were really happy to be in McLeod Ganj, but it turned out our timing was not so good. Because we were there on a holiday weekend, there was really nothing happening. All the excitement happened on New Year's Eve and after that it was time for the town to take a break. We spend most of the day going from place to place to find out that they were closed and wouldn't open again until Monday when we would be leaving town. Heather was really excited about doing yoga, but there was just no way it could happen. There was also no live music, no astrologer, and no museum during the weekend. The Dalai Lama was away too; he has been traveling around India for the last several weeks.
I'd like to say that we just moved right on and didn't let the disappointment affect us, but we were kind of depressed. That is, until we put things in perspective. We sat in a cafe and reminisced over some hot tea. We remembered all the times we were in Ukraine and would have given anything, to be anywhere, doing nothing, except being together. And here we were. But we were really much better off than we would have settled for. We were in McLeod Ganj! We were enjoying Tibetan food and culture all around us! And, most importantly, we were together.
We felt better and things quickly improved after that. We went to see the main temple and the home of the Dalai Lama. The next day the museum did actually open, even though it was Sunday. The museum was excellent, it detailed the history of the Tibetans since the Chinese invaded and before. We go there just at the right time to see a film about the uprisings in 2008. The Tibetans have had (and continue to have) a very rough time. We made a small donation and left better informed and better educated.
I'm very happy to report that our exit from McLeod Ganj was much less eventful than our entrance. We took a long bus and a long train, but that's all we had to do! Sure it was still 30 hours of traveling, but if there's one thing we've learned, it's all about perspective!
The next morning (New Years Eve) we got up at 5 AM to get to the station by 6 so we could grab a seat before the train left at 7. There are no reservations on the toy train and everyone told us we had better get there early or risk standing the whole way. We actually got there at about 5:45 and the train pulled away at 7 with about half the seats empty. We learned a very long time ago to be flexible and just go with the flow and it's a good thing too, otherwise we'd probably be a lot more frustrated.
The toy train was really great. We had imagined a tiny little train, like at Disney Land, that takes the kids around in circle. The reality was something between that and a regular train. It was about 2/3 the size of a normal train with very narrow rails because it takes passengers into the mountains. The views were spectacular and we were glad we took this route even though it took a lot longer than expected. The end of the line for us was in Kangra.
We loved this little train station. Because there is only one route on these tracks and the train is petite, the stations were much smaller than we're used to. Just a little building to buy tickets and snacks and then there is nothing else around! Less than we had hoped for, in fact. There wasn't even a major road within sight and we didn't know where we had to go to catch our bus. That's okay, we're used to asking directions by now. We walked for about a mile, still uncertain about where we were going. People are always happy to give us directions, but sometimes they all give us different directions. Eventually we found a bus that took us to Kangra bus station where we had a quick lunch and caught the bus to Dharamshala.
I've been on a lot of buses these last few years, but this may just be the most terrifying ride in memory. I was standing, holding onto the rail and the bus driver just swung the bus from left to right as he navigated up the twisting mountain road. I could hardly even hold on and almost fell over several times! It's not a good feeling to have as you're looking out the window at the steep drops and almost complete lack of barriers. My stomach was in knots and I cannot tell you how happy I was when we finally pulled into Daramshala. From there we had to catch another shorter, calmer ride up the rest of the way to McLeod Ganj. It all really would have been too much for one day.
This is especially true because just as we arrived there a hailstorm began. So we trudged on with our bags and started our hotel search. We found a good one eventually and after a short rest went back out to find something special to do for the New Year. There were lots of dance parties and things like that going on. Most of them didn't interest us that much and cost anywhere from 2-7 days budget. There was some live music that looked good, but it was already completely booked. We finally found a nice little restaurant that had festivities and wasn't completely beyond our price range. So we went back to our hotel room for a little rest before going back out again and promptly fell asleep. We woke up around midnight to hear everyone yelling and cheering for the New Year. We let out disappointed groans and went back to sleep.
We were really happy to be in McLeod Ganj, but it turned out our timing was not so good. Because we were there on a holiday weekend, there was really nothing happening. All the excitement happened on New Year's Eve and after that it was time for the town to take a break. We spend most of the day going from place to place to find out that they were closed and wouldn't open again until Monday when we would be leaving town. Heather was really excited about doing yoga, but there was just no way it could happen. There was also no live music, no astrologer, and no museum during the weekend. The Dalai Lama was away too; he has been traveling around India for the last several weeks.
I'd like to say that we just moved right on and didn't let the disappointment affect us, but we were kind of depressed. That is, until we put things in perspective. We sat in a cafe and reminisced over some hot tea. We remembered all the times we were in Ukraine and would have given anything, to be anywhere, doing nothing, except being together. And here we were. But we were really much better off than we would have settled for. We were in McLeod Ganj! We were enjoying Tibetan food and culture all around us! And, most importantly, we were together.
We felt better and things quickly improved after that. We went to see the main temple and the home of the Dalai Lama. The next day the museum did actually open, even though it was Sunday. The museum was excellent, it detailed the history of the Tibetans since the Chinese invaded and before. We go there just at the right time to see a film about the uprisings in 2008. The Tibetans have had (and continue to have) a very rough time. We made a small donation and left better informed and better educated.
I'm very happy to report that our exit from McLeod Ganj was much less eventful than our entrance. We took a long bus and a long train, but that's all we had to do! Sure it was still 30 hours of traveling, but if there's one thing we've learned, it's all about perspective!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
One last day in Amritsar
We spend the last of our time in Amritsar volunteering at the dining hall and visiting the Sikh museum. We met a Sikh man as we were circumambulating the golden temple who told us everything we ever wanted to know about the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple, etc. One thing he told us about the dining hall was that they wash all the dishes and utensils seven times. This is one of the pieces of information we were skeptical about, we love India, but the cleanliness habits are not always our favorite part. But I can tell you, after participating in this process, that they do wash everything seven times and extremely thoroughly! In fact, I caused quite a stir when I inadvertently allowed some of the washed dishes to touch my clothes as I was moving them to the next basin down the line. The guy next to us was really upset. The looks I received made me feel like they had been doing this the right way for the last 500 years, until I came and fouled up the entire process. No one was rude to us, but we were watched very carefully after that to make sure we didn't do anything else wrong. I felt really bad, it was my mistake, but the pressure was just too much for us. We changed jobs and started peeling garlic.
Maybe these jobs don't sound very exciting, but the scale is incredible. We walked over to a giant pile of garlic that was just laying on the floor. A few dozen people were around to help with this task. Really the pile of garlic was relatively small compared to the nearby pile of onions. Anyway, I just sat there for the first five minutes watching the guy next to me peel his garlic. I didn't want to mess up the job! He must have though I was really strange just sitting there watching him and I might have made it worse when I tried to explain to him why I was doing this. Sometimes I talk with my hands which is normally okay, but not when you have a knife in your hand and the other person can't understand what you're saying. Needless to say, all the people there were very tolerant of us.
After doing our part, we had lunch in the dining hall and headed to the Sikh museum. Based on what we saw at the museum, I can tell you that the Sikhs have had a pretty rough history. Some of the paintings were of religious leaders and events and some were of resistance and wars. Most, however, were of all the different ways Sikhs have been tortured throughout history. Some of the methods were quite inventive, but honestly it was a little much for us after a while. It was a learning experience though, after visiting the museum we finally understood why some of the Sikhs we saw walking around the city still carry swords on their belts!
We finally left a donation and bid farewell to Amritsar the next morning and headed to catch our train. It was an adventure, I'll try to write about the last days experiences soon. Gotta go get some dinner now!
Maybe these jobs don't sound very exciting, but the scale is incredible. We walked over to a giant pile of garlic that was just laying on the floor. A few dozen people were around to help with this task. Really the pile of garlic was relatively small compared to the nearby pile of onions. Anyway, I just sat there for the first five minutes watching the guy next to me peel his garlic. I didn't want to mess up the job! He must have though I was really strange just sitting there watching him and I might have made it worse when I tried to explain to him why I was doing this. Sometimes I talk with my hands which is normally okay, but not when you have a knife in your hand and the other person can't understand what you're saying. Needless to say, all the people there were very tolerant of us.
After doing our part, we had lunch in the dining hall and headed to the Sikh museum. Based on what we saw at the museum, I can tell you that the Sikhs have had a pretty rough history. Some of the paintings were of religious leaders and events and some were of resistance and wars. Most, however, were of all the different ways Sikhs have been tortured throughout history. Some of the methods were quite inventive, but honestly it was a little much for us after a while. It was a learning experience though, after visiting the museum we finally understood why some of the Sikhs we saw walking around the city still carry swords on their belts!
We finally left a donation and bid farewell to Amritsar the next morning and headed to catch our train. It was an adventure, I'll try to write about the last days experiences soon. Gotta go get some dinner now!
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Countries we will visit by May 2011 
Countries only David has visited 
Countries we will visit by August 2010 
Countries only Heather has visited 
Countries we have both Visited 
