Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday! I hope that no matter where you are, who you are with, or what you are doing, that you have an amazing time! Much love! :)

Koh Chang to Cambodia: Same same but different

"Same same but different" is a saying that both Thai and Khmer (Cambodian) people say.  Not sure why but it is interesting and expresses exactly what it means, this is similar but different. Thailand and Cambodia are not same same though. 

We spent our last few days in Koh Chang and had a beautiful time! I love that little island and could see myself going there many, many more times. Lonely Beach is where we stayed and it was just so relaxing with a nice mix of culture.  Although I didnt end up diving or taking a cooking class, I still really enjoyed my time there.  We met a LOT of people that we have planned to meet up with along the way.

When the day came to say goodbye to Koh Chang and Thailand, we woke up and took a taxi bus to the ferry, the ferry across to the mainland, another taxi to the bus station, and then a mini bus to the border.

*Here it is important to mention that I forgot my Lonely Planet on Ko Samui.  Southeast Asia on a Shoestring has been like my Bible on this trip.  I have taken notes, highlighted passages, drawn maps, wrote cross references, post-it noted the heck out of it, basically anything you can do to make your trip easier, I had in that book.  And I forgot it. But the Germans were there to save the day and they saw it and saved it to return to me at a later date.*

So we are at the border and without the book, we have been relying on other travelers and the internet for advice.  We saw online that crossing the border is kind of a hassle and on the Cambodian side, people will try and scam you.  So we were semi-prepared for it.  But we assumed it just meant for the visa, we didnt realize it was the entire process and everything after that.  Through being rushed through, being told that the last bus leaves in 15 minutes, exchanging money at a really bad rate, and a taxi driver driving off with some of our money, we were scammed and scammed a LOT! Very not cool and not a good way to say goodbye to Thailand and hello to Cambodia.

*The reason the book is important to this part of the story is because in the Lonely Planet, there is an ENTIRE section on border crossing scams and just about every one they list in the book happened to us... if I had my book, maybe we would still have all of our money. Grr.... *

We finally arrive at our destination of Phnom Penh at the Mad Monkey hostel after hearing a lot of recommendations for it.  It was a really nice hostel, quieter than expected but their neighbors arent too understanding of the 'party' hostel atmosphere. Understandable too because of the neighborhood the hostel is in... very close to embassy houses and extravagantly rich complexes.  I cant imagine they want to hear backpackers on a rooftop bar.  Anyhow, we arrived at the hostel tired and ready to sleep and forget about our day of scams.  We went to a restaurant very close to the hostel and ate some good noodle soup.  That was about all we could do and headed up to bed.

The next day we were meeting Parksie's friend, Mr. Lee, at the hostel and so we took a day to kind of get our bearings and look up where we would head to next. During the day we met a few people who were also hanging around the hostel.  When Mr. Lee arrived, he met three other guys that were staying at the hostel as well, so we all decided to go to dinner.  We met some other randoms in the hostel as we were rounding up all of our new friends and had 11 people in total: 6 Americans, 2 Swedes, 1 Swiss, and 2 Kiwis. Oh and myself and another American were the only girls in this group.  Weird ratios. :)  This was the most Americans I have seen in a while.  While traveling through, we have met more Germans and Aussies than anyone else. 

We all went to this street stall where we overwhelmed this woman who was stir frying noodles.  But she loved us and told us to sit.  Her grand-daughter was translating for her and making sure that everyone was happy and had enough food.  It was a simple noodle dish but really, really good!  I LOVE the noodle dishes from this area!  From there we went to a few bars and had a generally wonderful night! This is what I mean about meeting people in hostels.  One of the people that we met that night, we ended up following to the beach.  Two others, we keep in contact and might meet up in Laos with.  I love this kind of traveling.

The next day, we had a sobering day at the Killing Fields. Cambodia's past is one of turmoil and war and their history is pretty intense.  The current state of the country though is interesting in a weird way.  They have borrowed money and help from their neighbors and to pay the debts back they have sold a lot of their temples, land, and important historical sites. This website has an interesting debate about what this implies for the sites.  It is an adaption from an article but I think it is a good short summary of a memorial vs. profit.  The money from visiting Choeung Ek goes to Vietnam and not to the victims of the genocide.  That to me, is unacceptable and I didnt realize this before I went there.  However, the money from the National Museum goes to Cambodia.

Nevertheless, the memorial was done in a way of respect and memory.  The site had an audio guide that was really good and informative.  I must admit I did not know a lot about the history of Cambodia but after going there, I have gotten a few books that I have started reading along the way.  I dont like being ignorant about the place I am in.

From the fields we headed to the prison that has been turned into a museum of sorts. This was hard to see because it had so many pictures of the prisoners on display and gave some more of the history of the site.  This was a really hard day emotionally because it was so recent.  I have been to some concentration camps in Germany but this seemed harder because it isnt well known.  I would say most Americans do not know a lot about the genocide that happened between 1975 and 1979 where 20 percent of the population was killed.  It was so recent and anyone we meet that is over 30 was affected. Walking around the cities and meeting people, you always wonder how they were effected, how they are coping, and how they survived.  It is hard.

To kind of move away from that topic and in to what else I have been doing in Cambodia, I will continue with after Phnom Penh.  As I mentioned, we met an American girl that was heading south to the beach.  We had some more time to burn through before we met up with ze Germans to get my book back.  We planned on meeting them in Siem Reap and had a few days.  So of course, being us, we headed to the beach! We went to Otres Beach which is this incredibly relaxing, relatively quiet, and undisturbed beach.  It was really nice to get some reading done.  We spent a few nights there and then decided to head up to Siem Reap to meet up with our Germans. Not only were we meeting ze Germans, but we also met my new best friend who is also a German.  Suzie Q! We met her in Koh Chang on the infamous Thanksgiving night and convinced her to come to Cambodia.

Leaving Otres Beach, we were supposed to make it all the way to Siem Reap but that didnt end up happening.  Between the night bus being sold out, the bus breaking down, waiting for a new bus for two hours, and a bunch of other stuff, we ended up having to stay in Phnom Penh for a night before taking the earliest bus up to Siem Reap.  Even that bus was late and drove really slow while honking at people the entire time.  The transportation in this country leaves a LOT to be desired and we have been constantly having to add two hours to our journeys.  Frustrating.

FINALLY, we made it to Siem Reap and to the Garden Village Guesthouse where we have 1 dollar dorm beds.  They are actually pretty good, albeit noisy at night.  The Sunset bar is a great place to come up and relax (actually where I am writing this now).  Walking up the stairs to the bar area where we had planned to meet everyone, Suzie comes running down the stairs! It was so good to see her and sad that it was only for a few nights! 

That night we were also meeting up with the other Germans.  So we were catching up with Suzie while we waited for them to show up.  They stupidly bought tickets for 12 that night but I was able to persuade them to stay the night and leave the next morning.  It wasnt hard to convince them, I basically just changed their ticket for them. They very nicely brought my book and handed it over. It was beautiful and just as I remembered it. It was like I felt complete again! We went out and had a great night dancing and checking out the night scene in Siem Reap.  Ze German's bus was leaving at 7 and they had to be at the station around 6, so we all decided just to stay up to see them off and also go see the sunrise at the main temple of Angkor Wat. 

It was beautiful and a wonderful way to welcome ourselves to Siem Reap.  After sunrise we went back to the dorms and slept.  Then later that night we went to watch the sunset on a different temple and that was beautiful as well.  Cambodia has a beautiful country and a beautiful country side.  We took a lot of great pictures.  Then we had a pretty relaxing night, went to a good dinner and walked around the night market.

The next day we toured some of the farther temples and also met up with two other Americans (one from the beach and her friend that came out to visit).  We took a van and spent the day touring the temples.  On the way back we went to Angkor Thom and checked out the temple with all of the faces on it.  That was a really cool temple and I wish that we had a guide to explain all of the carvings on it.

Angkor Wat and all of the temples are relatively young, if you compare them to other temples.  They are about the same age as Notre Dame.  Most of the temples were built between the 9th and 11th century.  I had it in my head that they were a lot older, like Mayan aged temples, but they are a lot newer.  Dont let that diminish how awesome they are though.  They were structurally fantastic and their history is pretty great. Changing from Hindu to Buddhist temples and then the unification of the two from the 7th Angkorian king where he wanted an acceptance of both religions.  It was really interesting.  The day when we went to a majority of the temples, we had a guide with us so we were able to learn a lot more about the temples and its history.

Our guide, Brother Sava, was great and I highly recommend him if you come to Angkor Wat and need a guide for the day.  He was great and really friendly.  His email address is: sunsava2007@yahoo.com.

Also, in Siem Reap, I took a cooking class that I highly recommend!  It is through the Le Tigre de Papier and is amazing!  We had Savoeun and she was amazing!  If you are in Siem Reap and interested in cooking at all, take this course.  You get to go to the market, pick the dishes you want to prepare, have someone explain the recipes while you cook them... all for 12 dollars.  That is it, just 12 dollars.  By far the cheapest cooking class I have seen.  And quite possibly, the best.

Before the day of the cooking class, we had another German send off.  Suzie was leaving us to go back to Bangkok.  We had to send her off in a fancy way so we kind of did the same stuff, went out and danced the night away until almost the morning.  Her bus left a little later so she was able to get a bit of sleep before her 10 hour bus to Bangkok. It was still sad to say goodbye but we have plans to meet up again in Berlin, her hometown.  And we all know, I love Germany so I am excited for that.  Berlin is a place I havent been yet and have heard a lot of great things about it.

That is about it for Siem Reap.  The temples were amazing! The people that we have met along the way have been fantastic and now it is time to say goodbye to Siem Reap and head out.  Not too sure where or for how long, but its back on the road again!

Thanksgiving Abroad

I miss Thanksgiving and family.  Preparing with my mom for a week in advance, looking through recipes for hours before deciding on some of the same things.  Shopping and then cooking for hours and hours.  And then spending the whole day with family, playing cards, catching up, watching the parade, all of it. I miss it.  I dont know the next time I will be spending Thanksgiving with family.  I wish I could be there next year, but with plans to work abroad again, who knows.  I want it though.

With that being said, we did have a good Thanksgiving.  Parks and I met two Americans that we first encountered in Ko Phi Phi in a very random way.  We met them and they had a great idea to eat a whole chicken on the beach and spend the whole day talking about Thanksgiving with anyone who would listen.  So we bought some food and drinks and went to the beach and invited anyone who would walk by to come and join in our celebration.  By the end of the night, we had an Israeli, a few Germans (new ones), a few English ladies, and a few Thais.  It was awesome! Exactly what Thanksgiving is supposed to be, meeting new people and coming together under the idea of being thankful for what you have.

So I will write a few things that I am thankful for...
All of the beautiful people in my life, I am so thankful to have family and friends that are so incredibly loving and supportive.  From the friends I dont talk to anymore to the future friends and family members I have yet to meet, you all mean a lot to me and I hope you know how much you all mean to me. 

The ability to travel and experience this world, whatever small portion I am able to see along the way. 

The ability to make connections, meet people, interact with them, and make new friends.

And while this list isnt by any means complete, I think the most important thing is the people and connections I have in my life.

It might be a day or two late, but Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope you had a wonderful day and that you realize what a special gift life is and celebrate all of the people in your life!

Islands

And then there were two. We parted ways in KL with our Danya as she ventured off to see family in Australia. Parks and I continued our trek north to the islands. We took an overnight train to Penang. Well actually it stopped in Butterworth and then we had to take a ferry to Georgetown, Penang. Arriving at 7:30 in the morning, nothing really was open. We picked a hostel, dropped our bags off and set out for breakfast. Found a place after walking around for a bit and saw some pretty interesting things along the way: a temple, a few food stalls, older English buildings, a ladyboy, prostitutes and men leaving them… Just to name a few things! I heard that Penang has prostitution but I didn't expect it to be so in the open. We eventually had our breakfast and then headed back to the hostel to check in and lay down for a bit. We took a short nap and then went out exploring some more. We saw all of the buildings and places of interests within walking distance of Georgetown, which turned out to be about 90 percent of the map. We also checked out a museum where we found out that Armenians had an influence over Penang! So of course we checked out Armenian Street and took our picture in front of it! It was pretty interesting, two brothers opened the Oriental Hotel that was quite famous for a while but eventually it went under. Georgetown was pretty good.

We went to a night food court area and of course had so many options and tried a bunch of things. We really did Penang correctly; we saw all of the sights and then tasted a lot of the local foods. We went back to the hostel, took another nap before heading out to dinner and to check out the night scene of Penang. The next morning we awoke to two Germans and a small Filipino barging into our room. Although later we found out ze Germans and the Filipino were not traveling together as originally thought. The two Germans turned out to be Martin and Joe and were heading in the same direction as we were. After being woken up, we dressed and took a bus to Batu Feringi and spent a day at the beach. We went to a night market there and ate more street/stall food. We got back later than expected to Georgetown and met up with ze Germans.

After that night, we solidified our new friendships with "pops" and began traveling together: the Germaricans. We headed to Langkawi, Malaysia for two nights. Our taxi driver from the ferry to the hostel was awesome and incredibly helpful about pricing, where to go and what to do, although we just ended being beach bums and not doing much of anything. Langkawi is a BEAUTIFUL place with gorgeous, fine, white sand. Some of the best sunsets and most relaxing days we have had. We wanted to go around the island on scooters but decided to just stay at the beach and enjoy the sun. We met some really cool people at the Bungalow Restaurant and Bar… great place to spend a night dancing, smoking sheesha, and having a fun night.

On a Saturday, we took a boat and crossed into Thailand. This is my life right now: taking boats and crossing borders. I feel guilty at the time we are having, everything is so laid back and fun. I know that I am completely fortunate to have this time to travel and explore. Thailand and Malaysia have been so easy to travel around and get to places. It is nothing like India where everything is about bargaining and fighting for a fair price. For the most part, things are listed as prices that everyone pays, although I know there is a tourist price and a local price. But I am okay for paying that difference because a lot of the places we are going, their economy is dependent on tourists and everything is still relatively inexpensive.
Ko Phi Phi is where we started our Thailand adventure and an adventure it was. Ko Phi Phi is not Thailand; it is a beautiful tourist inhabited island with nothing but foreigners. While it has beautiful beaches and even prettier islands surrounding it, it was good for only a few nights. We took a longboat and went to a few other islands; the main attraction was Maya Beach. It was where The Beach with Leonardo DiCrapio was filmed and based out of it. We just sopped there and stayed for an hour or so. We were supposed to go snorkeling but it was really overcast so it wasn't the best weather for it.

After Phi Phi for a few nights, we headed up to Phuket to decide where we would go next. We were still traveling with the crazy Germans at this point and I don't think we were ready to separate from our new best friends. So we spent two nights in Phuket before heading to Koh Samui on the other side of Thailand. Phi Phi and Phuket were on the west coast of southern Thailand and Koh Samui was on the east side. It did not have that pretty of beaches but it was a nice place to hang out. We met a few other travelers in our hostel that gave us all kinds of ideas and advice about where to go and what to do. Possible people to meet up with later… who knows.

That is the greatest thing about traveling and staying at hostels, you get to meet so many people traveling and sharing stories and everything. All of the places we have been recently have been mostly tourists that we are meeting. It is good because I like making connections and new friends. It isnt always the best because sometimes it means we aren't getting the culture of Thailand or its peoples. After island life, it will be better.

Right now I am in Koh Chang and loving it! After Samui, we took a train through Bangkok and then caught a bus to Trat and then a ferry to Koh Chang. It was a long day of traveling but it got us to where we want to be, which is close to Cambodia. We weren't completely done with Thailand and beaches so we are spending a few more days here. But it meant that we had to separate from our beloved Germans. It was a really sad farewell that kind of broke all of our hearts. Eh, such is life.

Malaysia… Family, Friends, and Food

What more could a person ask for? My family has welcomed me with open and loving arms. The friends I have met here, while new in the friendship stage seem to be the kind that will last a while. And the food, oh… my… God. THE FOOD! People have written books, upon books of Malaysian cuisine and I totally see why. It is delicious. I don't think I have had one thing that hasn't tasted Amazing! While all of the other countries I have visited have been great, there has been no comparison to the food in Malaysia.

But I am getting ahead of myself here, first the family business. Arriving late at night, we took a taxi up to my grandmother's house. I was nervous, excited, anxious, all the emotions you feel when you are about to meet family for basically the first time. The last time I saw her, I was seven and scarcely remember the trip. Although I have been able to pick up more memories as we have continued this trip. I am remembering smells and areas.

Re-meeting my grandmother was great and I will be coming back to Malaysia in January to spend even more time with her. I really have an interest to learn more about my family and just learn the stories and history. It is very interesting. I am taking notes along the way and although I am not sure what I will do with them, I have a feeling I need to write down our history. I am not a history buff and never have really been that interested in it, I am developing this need to know where my family came from. Both sides too, not just my fathers. It is just I am here in Malaysia with my father's family and not a lot of people talk about the history.

We spent a few days in Seremban with grandma and then on Deepavali, we went over to an Auntie's house. Even though she isn't blood related, she might as well be. Our families have grown up together and the older generation is quite connected.

One of the stories I have heard and this is where the connection comes in, is my great-grandfather mysteriously disappeared during the war. My grandmother was about 13 at the time when one day her father went to work and just didn't come back. There were 8 kids in the family. Basically Auntie's family helped out a lot during that time and the two families have been connected ever since.

So for Deepavali, we went over to her house for the afternoon and had our first course of food. Really good too! All kinds of curries and different dishes, so many sweets too! It was good. From there was the real test of family… we went to my Auntie Sheila's house for another party/celebration. Side note on my Auntie Sheila: She is amazing! She is basically a walking angel. My parents have always talked so highly of her and I totally understand why. She has made this visit for me and is so incredibly helpful. You know on television shows or in movies where there is that flawless character that helps in some way? That is her. She is beautiful, inside and out!

She arranged to have a Deepavali celebration so that I could meet even MORE family! I have so many cousins, second cousins, third cousins, and cousins eight times removed, but in Malaysia it doesn't matter. Family means family. If there is a drop in your blood that has a 100^th of the similarity as the drop in my blood, even if it came from some ancient grandparent, it counts. It was great! I met a few cousins that are around my age and we all have a weird memory of the night we met in Malaysia way back in the day. The last time I was here, we had a get together, much like the one on Deepavali, where the parents met up and had the kids meet up and play with each other. We all have some odd memory of that time. Mine is that someone cried, I am not sure who. We spent the night and the girls watched Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13^th, whichever Freddie Krueger is and it scared the crap out of me. Although I tried not to show it, I stayed up and was freaked out by the whole thing. Although looking back, I think that is where my love of horror movies began because you get so caught up in it and you are scared but if you think about it, it is just a movie and a story line.

I met so many people that night; I can barely keep any of the names straight though. I mean, even quizzed today, I wouldn't do so well. My family is big. There are lots and lots of them. But all wonderful and all so incredibly welcoming! It has really convinced me that I need to come back to Malaysia and spend more time with everyone. I am planning on getting a job in July of 2012 and coming back here to work, live, and connect with family.

With meeting family, of course you meet family friends. They have all been wonderful as well! There is such an expat community here in KL that is so interesting. I don't know anywhere else in the world that has this big of an expat community. But it is also so integrated into Malaysia that you never know if you are talking to a Malaysian or an expat. KL has really interesting dynamics and where I have only seen one side of KL, it seems pretty great.

To continue back to food:

My mom will talk about Malaysian food and every once in a while, her, my father, my aunt and my uncle will get in these long discussions about Malaysian food and I have always found them funny. Who can talk about food for that long? Well, I have learned in Peace Corps that you can. Example 1: Two friends and myself staying up until 4 in the morning having hour long conversations about burgers. Example 2: Drooling over wedding pictures of food that someone's friend posted on facebook. Not the wedding or the people, but the food. Example 3: Watching and re-watching Top Chef seasons. I could continue on with so many more examples, but I will leave it at that. And then to come here, the capital of food, I don't know how my parents don't talk about Malaysian food more!

Much like the Malaysian community, the food here has integrated quite well while still maintaining its distinctions. For example, in America, it is a fusion culture. When you are eating Italian food, you are eating American-Italian; same for Mexican, German, Chinese, and lots of others. You can go to the authentic restaurants and eat authentic food but those are few and far between. And even they have a lot more fusion flavors. And it is hard not to, the ingredients are different, the palate of your customer is different. However here, while everyone eats all different foods, the Indian food is authentic Indian food, the Malay food is authentic, and the Chinese food is authentic. Each culture has brought its own flavors and its own cooking style and kept it traditional. Then the best part about it, they have food courts where you can get all of it sent to your table in one spot!

My Uncle Hardev is great! He also likes to go out and has a few places where he is a regular and I know why. We went to a food court and just walked around and everyone ordered a few dishes. Then we all came back and shared, it was delicious! That is also the night I got my satay! I, sadly, haven't had a lot of satay while being here but it is mainly because we have been eating so much other amazing food!

One of my favorite experiences so far has been sitting at the table at my great-aunt's house with my grandma, my Aunt Sheila, my Uncle Hardev and my great-aunt. They got into a discussion about curry. While that may seem trite, let me explain. I love to cook as most of you already know. I have a section dedicated to recipes, so obviously I like to cook. I asked them about possibly teaching me how to cook. I have made curry and I think mine taste pretty good but the curry they make outshines my curry like no one's business. It is mainly the fact that they have been cooking and eating curry since they were born but there is a small part that also has to do with the ingredients they have. They are way fresher!

Anyhow, back to the discussion. They began by having a 20 minute discussion on when to put in the curry powder. Some say mix with water and put in before the chicken, some say put in after the chicken; some say sprinkle on the onions and then add the chicken straight away. The one thing they all agreed upon is to never, under any circumstance, put the curry powder in the oil. This makes sense because you don't usually put any powdered spice in the oil, but it was funny that they agreed upon that point so quickly. Then they began talking about the spices they add and how you can never really know how much of anything because all spices are different. Some cloves are stronger than other cloves and it is all about the smell and fragrance of the cooking.

The smell of the food here has been wonderful too, except for the durian. Durian is a type of fruit that smells really bad. I am not a big fan of it mainly because of the aftertaste that just never leaves but the smell gets to me as well. We had durian ice cream on Deepavali and I swear I was tasting and smelling it a day later!

That is it for now on Malaysia. I have done and seen more than this blog shares but this is what was important to me. I am having a wonderful time with family and can't wait to spend more time with them! Now the three of us are heading up to Penang and then on to Thailand, maybe. We don't really have a concrete plan but it is working itself out as we go along.

India Part 5... Jaipur and Agra!

JAIPUR! Sung as though I am singing Jai Ho! :)

I really liked Jaipur! It was a larger city but not so big that I felt like I would get too lost in it.  It was not smoggy and did not have that in your face difference between wealthy and poor like Mumbai. I may have liked it so much because of how I felt about Mumbai, but I had a great time in Jaipur.  It also helped that our guest house that we stayed at was AWESOME! We stayed at the Krishna Palace Guest House and if you are every going to Jaipur, you MUST stay there!  The room is perfect, A/C, internets, hot and cold water, and a wonderful and delicious restaurant. The hotel staff has been some of the most helpful and kind staff we have interacted with. 

We saw quite a few things while in Jaipur- Jantar Mantar (my favorite), City Palace, and Amber Fort.  We just missed the Jaigher Fort but it was okay because we were spending a lot of money on entrance fees anyhow.  They were very cool and different from what we had been seeing.

Jantar Mantar is one of my favorite places so far because of its astronomical significance.  I saw a minute.  There were two sundials, one that is the world's largest but you could not get too close to and a smaller one where you could get really close to it and see the minute pass based on the sun shadow pass.  Pretty amazing if I say so myself.  Our guide was pretty interesting and kept making us stand awkwardly close to him before he would tell us about the instrument.  He would also say general facts, such as this is a sundial or this is the king of all the instruments without telling us exactly why it was so important... not quite worth the money for a guide but we did learn some things.

City Palace and Amber Fort were interesting but there wasnt a lot of sinage to inform us of what we were looking at. We kept taking the cheap tours, i.e. following other English speaking tours and awkwardly standing close to them while we pick up small facts. This isnt the most effective way and a lot of times we end up making up comments based on a few words that we picked up but it does make some of the sites more interesting. At least more fantastical stories come out that way.

So this portion of the blog is being written on Air Asia X. Not quite sure what the X is for but it’s on there. All I know is they nickel and dime you for everything in the hopes that it will make the ticket cheaper but it seems that once everything is all said and done, it is just an average price just like other airlines and other tickets.  Let’s just say it is not Jet Airways. 

However, I am sure it will do the job and really all we need to do is get to Malaysia! On that note, so plans have changed.  Originally I wasn’t planning on being in Malaysia until after January 4^th but as a group we decided to push up our tickets and head to Malaysia first.  This change is not a reflection of India or my feelings towards it.  Although I did not speak too highly of Mumbai or Anjuna, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time.  There is way too much to see in the short amount of time we have been here.  It also is a little overwhelming of a country to travel in.  It seems that although it is fairly easy to travel within and between places, with planes, trains, buses, and all kinds of automobiles, everything is a constant rush.  You have to buy your train tickets a few days in advance and then wait in a line where people are skipping you because people don’t wait in lines.  If you want to pay twice as much as the ticket is worth you can have someone else reserve it for you but then they are trying to get you for the most money that they can. Once your ticket is bought, you have to negotiate to get to the train station and then be hassled while you are there.  This doesn’t just happen to tourists but it is definitely elevated.  It can be exhausting and overwhelming if you are not in the mindset to deal with it.

Again, it is all part of the experience and for the most part I LOVED it and it can be exhilarating and exhausting! I love buying the tickets and figuring out the train schedule.  I love bargaining for a tuk tuk and getting what is a good tourist price.  I love finding a driver whose meter isn’t mysteriously broken.  I like the thrill of the crowds even though at times I can get a little claustrophobic. 

Speaking of train debacles, on our way to Agra what should have been a pleasant and easy 4 hour train journey turned in to a two hour journey going the wrong way from Jaipur, getting a unreserved ticket and keeping up a family as they so nicely shared their bunks on a two hour train journey back to Jaipur, then trying to figure out a train schedule that would work to get to Agra, not finding one and then figuring out a bus schedule.  Once we bought our bus tickets, we had a 10 minute wait before we took a nice A/C bus that was either freezing or hot and where we were knocked out of our seats at least three times while being groped by a drunk guy.  Arriving at 6:00 in the morning would have been a good thing because we could have gone straight to the Taj Mahal but we decided it probably would cloud the experience seeing as how we were tired and annoyed.  What should have been a 4 hour train ride turned in a 4 hour corrective train ride and a 6 hour annoying bus ride. 

But on the train with the nice family was an older gentleman that asked for my autograph.  I am not sure why but I wrote out my name for him and upon seeing the Singh part was really excited.  He kept telling me that I have Indian and Sikh in my family. I explained that my father is and he laughed and asked why I didn’t mention something sooner.  I wasn’t aware that I was supposed to introduce myself as Indian descent, but now I know.  A lot of my fun stories from India have stemmed from sharing that I have Indian background.  I have gotten a free tuk tuk ride, the actual “Indian” price of items (although I still have doubts on that one), to a marriage proposal. 

The marriage proposal came from a tuk tuk driver in Agra as we were leaving the fort and heading back to the hotel.  I was a little flustered with the thoughts of negotiating for a fair price and just walked up to this driver, demanded a 40 rupee price for the ride in a very take-it or leave-it fashion.  Startled by my boldness and with competition honking at us all around him he immediately accepted and ushered us in the tuk tuk.  He was extremely friendly in a very respectful way and kept saying how that price is better than even Indians or meters would have given. Who knows the truth but it was fun to hear.  He tells us all sorts of things and tells us how Indians don’t really care about the Taj Mahal and it is only foreigners.  His English wasn’t the clearest but it worked and was pretty funny.  He had us laughing on the 20 minute ride home.  He asked if I was Indian and almost had to pull over in astonishment.  Because he was so good, we booked him to take us to the train station the next day for our final train trip- Agra to Delhi. 

The next day, he showed up a little late but immediately threw all our bags in the back and ushered us in.  We paid 60 rupees which was better than any of the hawking tuk tuks that were disbelieving that we already booked a guy.  On the way to the train station, he proposed to me.  The day before he asked how old I was and guessed that I was 37! I asked him how old he was and I guessed around 87 (joking of course) but he turned out to be 28.  He was shocked I wasn’t married already so insisted that I marry him.  He promised to take care of me.  Oh, he also has a wife and two sons, 11 and 8, and has been married since he was 16, his wife 14.  But in India: no problem… ;)

So we left Agra, seeing the Taj Mahal was amazing.  It was everything it was supposed to be and I definitely want to return and see it again.  It was beautiful and awe inspiring.  That is really all I can say about it.

We kind of hibernated in Delhi and stayed in our hotel room.  None of us wanted to spend more money shopping or going out so we stayed in and soaked up the internet.  I have begun my applications for that three letter word that scares me (j-o-b) and thinking about the future.  While I love contemplating where I might be in 7 to 8 months, it is a little scary.  The world is so big and so small with so much to offer.  My teaching career can take me literally all over the world so it all depends on where I want to end up and which school accepts me.  Huh.

India has been great. I will travel here again, taking my time through the states and spending more time in areas.  Thank you for all of those who have been reading my blog and I hope you have enjoyed my stories.  Now we head to Malaysia to visit with family I haven’t seen in 15 plus years…

Happy Diwali! Happy Deepavali!

India Part 4... Anjuna and Mumbai/Bombay

Anjuna is in Northern Goa and has A LOT of tourists, both locals and, from what we could tell, hippies that just never left.  Back in the day it was where the party was at and was really the beginning of all that is Goa... but now... let's just say it wasn't my cup of tea.  Between the people coming up to us on the beach and street with all kinds of offers, from jewelery to sarongs to hash, it was quite overwhelming!

Apparently the thing to do in Anjuna is go to a rave.  So we found out about one and showed up.  1. We showed up around 9pm (it started at 5), so either we were early or we missed the whole thing. 2. There were two groups of people there: Indians on vacation drinking Bacardi Breezers and sitting around the 'dance' floor or the Hippies I told you about dancing like they were worshiping extraterrestrials.  3. No. Never is that ok. 4. Outside of this 'rave' was a stairway to the beach where there were about 15 food stalls set up, ALL of them only serving omelets.

In all honesty, that is the impression that will stick with me about Anjuna.  It might not be fair, it definitely isnt an accurate representation of that area but it is my experience.

From there we headed up to Mumbai/Bombay.  We couldnt book a train ticket so we booked a sleeper bus.  Seriously, a bus with beds in it took us from Anjuna to Mumbai.  It was 8 or so hours and it originally looked REALLY comfortable. They had curtains drawn to cover between your bed and the aisle.  It was like sitting/laying in a pillow and blanket fort that we all made when we were kids.  It was so cool! But then you lie down to sleep and as the bus is winding around the hills and over the mountains, you kind of feel like you are going to fall off at any moment. You cant really sleep because you have to keep bracing yourself.  Not the easiest way to travel but if I was sitting up the whole time and not sleeping, it would have been good.

Mumbai. Known for its Bollywood films, its industry, the glitz and glamor, the large Taj Mahal Hotel, the terrorist attack a few years back, Slumdog Millionaire, there are a lot of things that people associate with Mumbai.  This isnt the most accurate representation of it though.  Things I have come to know Mumbai for... its incredible amount of smog, the huge disparity between the wealthy and the poor, the weird tourist traps, the delicious Laxmi Vilas restaurant, the helpful hotel people, and the worst recommended trip- Elephanta Island.

The smog. I have realized I have never been in a city that has a smog problem.  I have driven through, I have seen it, I have experienced a little bit of it but I have never stayed in a city that feels as though it is hard to breathe solely because of the amount of pollution in the air.  When you are riding in to the city or taking the train out, you can see and feel the difference in the air.  Wow. And some people still dont think our actions have any consequence on the environment...

The huge disparity.  You have the Taj Mahal Hotel and Tower, this giant beautiful hotel that apparently is even better on the inside and then not even a block behind it you have people (lots of children included) sleeping in the streets. You have wealthy tourists and businessmen (not just Westerners but people from all over the world) coming to stay in Mumbai and experience the glitz and glamor of the city and there are people that are starving and dying in the streets.

One thing I have realized while traveling through India is that India is a lot more honest about its poverty.  They dont try and hide them from the general public, they dont have laws saying you cant sleep on the streets or beg in front of restaurants like they do in America. I am still not sure how I feel about this.  On one hand I think it is honesty and isnt that the best policy. It makes it real and in your face and doesnt try to hide the fact that there are millions of people living way below the poverty line.  But on the other hand, it also means that there arent enough social programs to help this and that people and kids are sleeping on the streets and are subject to all sorts of degradation, humiliation and unsafe ways of living. To be a child, on the streets, begging/stealing/selling for small change just to survive, that isnt the way kids should grow up.  These kids have experiences no one should ever have.  It breaks my heart to see them on the street but at the same time I cant really do anything about it, such a helpless feeling.

The last thing I will gripe about Mumbai: Elephanta Island.  I am going to be brutally honest right now, but it was a waste of time and money for me.  While there were interesting caves and carvings, I wouldnt really recommend it to anyone.  The hour long boat ride through thick smog was disgusting and then once there, the island was so dirty from pollution.  The caves were interesting and would have probably been more interesting if we hired a guide but we were there too late to get the free guide that came with the ticket (late by like 10 minutes).  We were hassled the whole time and just was not an enjoyable experience.

It sounds like Mumbai is the worst city and I dont wholely disagree with that. It has been the worst city I have traveled to in my limited experience.  Maybe I did it wrong, maybe I didnt see it for its history and charm, maybe I didnt spend enough time there or go to the right places at the right time, there are a lot of factors that influence the experience but for me, I can say I have seen Mumbai and now I do not have to come back. 

As I am writing this, I am sitting in Delhi on the night before I fly out. There are a lot of wonderful experiences between this post and today so I will try and write those now.  Everything is good and even though Mumbai and Anjuna werent the best places we have seen, I wouldnt change it.  I am glad I went there and experienced those places.  That is what traveling is about: experiencing all places, the good and bad.

India Part 3... Palolem, GOA

Goa! It does not disappoint, lives up to your expectations, and is every bit what you see and hear about it. It doesnt exaggerate and it does not exceed expectations, just simply lives up to the tropical-esque paradise it claims to be.

Our first stop was in Palolem.  We are in Anjuna right now and for first impressions, I think we did Goa backwards.  I say this because Palolem was completely laid back and a genuine paradise.  Beautiful, BEAUTIFUL sand beaches, palm trees, bamboo huts, rocky edges, everything you want a beach to be and then some. Although it had to grow on me for a minute.

We arrived around 530 in the morning after a long and weird train ride.  Weird because the seat assignments did not make sense to us really.  People would get on with the same seat numbers on their tickets and did not seem to have a problem with it... odd.  But I guess because it was during the day, no one really minded? Who knows.   Anyhow, we arrived in Palolem early in the morning and met some pretty odd characters.  There was only one place that was open and we hadnt booked a room yet so we had a little bit of time to kill.  While sitting there we saw what a bar/party area looks like in the wee hours of the morning where you still have some of the leftover partiers from the night before... not a good sight. 

The first impression I had about Palolem was not a pleasant one but once we settled in to our guesthouse, took a short nap, and got back to the beach, my impression changed.  There were lots of different people from all over there.  They werent all coupled up so we actually were able to meet and chat with some others. It was kind of refreshing to be able to meet new and exciting people.

The beach was amazing, perfect water and the first time we have really been able to swim without fear of a rip tide or a strong current.  I feel a little guilty on posting just how much I havent been doing, I keep feeling as though I should be volunteering or working or something while I am traveling.  Something should be nagging me... homework, research, work projects, grants... something but honestly I think this is good for me.

Our last night in Palolem was great! We met so many people and had such a good time that I was really sad to have to say goodbye.  But thats the way it is when you travel, meet people for a short time and hope those quick bonds last for a while. 

India… Part Two

It's looking like each part will be an area or place we stay but who knows how I will continue about India.
Varkala, oh, Varkala. You are beautiful, you will be missed, and I definitely recommend it to people wanting to get away to somewhere quiet. We are going up the Arabian coast towards the end of its off-season so that may explain the quietness of Varkala but whatever the explanation; it is laid-back and quiet in this area. We arrived early, jumped in a taxi, and arrived at our bamboo hut. It had the usual, two twin beds with an extra bed thrown in for the third person, a nice bathroom, mosquito netting, small porch outside, and a fan. Simple and exactly what we wanted.

Varkala is a smaller town that has a cliff-side sea side. It has small patches of beach down from the cliffs and, while we were there, perfect beach weather. It was nice in the morning, warmer in the afternoon, and warm with the whisper of coolness at night. We ate more western style food while we were there but did sample quite a bit of their seafood. Freshly caught fish and delicious prawns picked and prepared with local spices, all for the price of 4-6 dollars, including chips and a salad. The last night we had a brain fart and decided to go with pizza instead of the seafood but it was good enough. I also splurged a little and had a BLT, oh America, I miss you sometimes!

I am not sure what it is though, but it seems every place we have visited has been a couple's paradise. Every place in Sri Lanka, the foreigners were all paired up. This would be fine if they were social couples but for the most part everyone kept to themselves. A part of traveling is meeting other travelers but we have not had that much luck on that front. Oh well, hopefully Goa will be better in the foreign relations part.

While in Varkala, I did make a friend though. Aisha. She sold clothes, jewelry, blankets, sheets, basically everything a tourist would like to buy. And buy I did. She introduced herself one night as we were walking by and I started a conversation with her. She made me promise to come back the next day to 'just look' at her stuff. Of course I went back the next day and walked out with two new shirts and a desire for a LOT more. She is a wonderful saleswoman. She was incredibly nice and helpful though and was honest with us. If you visit Varkala, look her up, and tell her I say hi.

This led to somewhat of a 'shopping spree' and later bought anklets and a bad henna experience. I kept seeing people with henna on their hands and really wanted it as well. But being gullible and not the most confrontational person, I was suckered in to a henna situation that fortunately, mostly washed off that evening. Oh well, you live and learn. I do need to stand up for myself a little more when it comes to hustlers. I think that people are good and genuine, and I still think that is true in most situations, but I should probably be more careful. 

We also went on a canoe trip outside of Varkala on the backwaters of Kerala, mainly around a small village where people either worked in the cashew factory or digging up sand. Our canoe guide was incredibly nice and kept repeating my name when he would ask a question or make a statement. It was SO peaceful and quiet. I don't think I could live in that village because every once in a while I like to blast my music while dancing/cooking/cleaning/homework… and if you were to play anything louder than a whisper all of your neighbors would hear! It was amazing how quiet it was!

We kept seeing children walking around in their school uniforms in the middle of the day. We asked about it and he said there was a strike going on. Apparently it was a students' strike with something involving bus fares. We never got the full story but he said that if the teachers strike there would be a big problem but since it is just the students, there is not a problem. Interesting, I have never heard of primary or secondary (elementary, middle, or high school) striking. It would be interesting to see in a students' strike in America.

This morning was our exit from Varkala and now we are on a 20 hour train ride up to Goa. We don't really have a plan for Goa and tried calling around to find a place but to no avail. Apparently with it still being in monsoon season for this region, most places (especially the bamboo huts on the beach) won't be built up until the end of October. So, we are about a month early but it should be good.

India… Part One of who knows how many

I must put this part in there; otherwise Parks would more than likely never stop bugging me about it. So if you are going to fly anywhere around India or Sri Lanka, you should take Jet Airways. They are incredibly courteous, AWESOME in-flight entertainment and free beer. Their food was delicious and still included in the price. Wow. We were able to watch some back episodes of The Big Bang Theory, a television show I have fallen in love while in the Peace Corps. It is amazing how I watched way more television shows in the Peace Corps than ever before. Big Bang, How I Met Your Mother, House (although I did watch this occasionally before with my old roommates… seems like a lifetime ago), Grey's Anatomy, Community, Glee… But even when I do eventually get back to America, I don't know if I will watch television. We will see.

Back to India. So Jet Airways was amazing and made our entrance into India very enjoyable even though the visa people and passport control was atrocious. How is it that three people with the exact information on their customs form each have different experiences? Mine was, to say the least, a frustrating experience I wouldn't want for anyone.

Almost in tears after finally getting in to India, we meet our taxi driver who my Aunty Gindu has arranged to meet us at the airport and then take her to her house, about 4 hours away. Oh, and we arrived around 11 at night… Around 3:30 in the morning the three of us arrived at the gates of the house to lots and lots of barking dogs and a sleepy aunty. We said our hellos and then quickly said our goodnights. We slept in the next day for quite some time, more than planned on.

The next few days were wonderful! It was great to see my Aunt and begin my journey to meet family, the whole point of the traveling. She was kind, welcoming, embracing, and we had wonderful conversations about everything under the sun. She has quite a few view points on life and a few of them struck me. One of the things she said was, "I am too old to tell stories anymore." She was referring to telling made up stories about her life or made up answers to questions that might be incriminating. It was fun to hear stories about family and makes me feel a little more connected to this side.

We also met some amazing characters while staying at Aunty Gindu's in Thiruvannamalai. The day after we settled in, we decided to climb the mountain Arunachala to go see the ashram and the caves where a guru lived for first 16 years and then moved to a cave higher up and lived there for 7 years. We met Aunty's friend Veejay who walks up the mountain every morning and waters the plants on the way. He has been doing this for the last few years and does it because he wants to. He doesn't really give a reason more than that. He is a funny, quick-witted man that told us a lot of jokes and one-liners. He said that meditation was for greedy people because 6-8 hours of sleep a night should be good enough. He also said that he doesn't pray because if God doesn't already know what he needs than he doesn't want to pray to Him anymore.

After coming down, we have a delicious breakfast made up of idlis, dosai, coconut sambhar, tomato sambhar and potato curry. Idli-s are these delicious steamed, soft, spongey type cakes. I don't know how to describe it other than that. We then go for our coffee or tea at the tea shop where people gather to read the paper, meet up, or just to grab a quick cup. Every tea shop is about the same but people definitely have their favorites. We go to Veejay's chosen spot and run into a friend of Veejay's and Gindu's. His name is Dev and he later posted on his blog about us… pretty cool. He is extremely interesting and quick-witted as well. He is a photographer and a proud doer of nothing (his words, not mine). Although he does not have pictures available to show us, he snaps a few of us and Danya takes a few with his camera.

The whole day was such a cool interaction because everyone knew everyone and the ashram had this whole outside community of locals and ex-pats. I know that most ex-pats form their own community but this, from what I saw, was intertwined with locals and foreigners alike. I liked it. While staying at Gindu's, I met a lot of interesting people and I had a wonderful time. Gindu is also a wonderful cook and although she did not trust me to make the chipatis, I picked up a few tips and tricks from her. We ate very well while in her care. I might even become a vegetarian, there was such a variety in her diet. It was delicious and so healthy.

Other things we did while there: went to the temple where I was booped on the head by an elephant. We took a day trip to Pondicherry/Puducherry/Pondi. It was a good day although we went on a Sunday and therefore a lot of the shops were closed. We also went to a really, really weird place that is an international community outside of Pondi. Auroville.  It was weird. In the middle of its community is a structure that apparently houses a crystal, the third or fourth largest or something. But it looks like a golf ball/Epcot ball. Visitors can't go closer than an assigned viewing area. Very bizarre. During our lunch, we also saw a foreign woman who was crazy and being really horrible to a miniature dog that she had chained up and kept dragging around. No one really seemed to know what was going on with her either… very strange.

After spending four wonderful days at Gindu's we decided, on advice from another ex-pat we met there, we bought tickets to Varkala in Kerala. We took a 14 hour train ride from outside of Thrivandrumahal and on to Varkala. We arrived around 9:30 in the morning and jumped in a taxi to our new 'home' for the next 4/5 days. It was sad to say goodbye to Aunty but it was wonderful to see her and to spend time with her. I have a few new thoughts on life and a few new ideas to ponder over these next few months. It was a great time!

Until next time…