New Years 2010. The end of a decade.. but I haven't enough wit to tackle a subject as written about as that. Instead I'll simply inform you that I've survived over a week in Shanghai's mayhem of construction and traffic. Construction is primarily for Expo2010 beginning in May. Before arriving in Shanghai I'd never heard of Expo besides that thing in Montreal a million years ago, but now it's all I've seen. The traffic, well that's mostly to do with me being a pedestrian and dearly missing my 'right-of-way' which is not in place for here.
Time with the family has been great - especially the Christmas day dinner completed with chocolate pudding, ice cream, cakes, fruit and a chocolate fountain to dip all of the above in. We've seen Old Chinese areas, the polished French Concession, snuck our way 67 floors off the ground for a view of the Pudong skyscraped vista, and learned plenty of the history about this East-meets-West port. Tomorrow we will ring in the New Year, new decade in fact, at an outdoor street party with a live band, and I hope the motherland of fireworks won't disappoint!
Also tomorrow my father returns from his quick trip to Thailand (35 degrees C compared to the near freezing temps here) and we'll enjoy each other's company - taking in more of Shanghai's spectacles before we all part on the 4th. Pops returns to the chill of Canada, while Larissa and I set off to ride the rails to Nan-jing (South Capital), Bei-jing (North Capital) and the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, before completing the triangle to return here.
I definitely feel as if I'm on the homestretch - possibly because being with family feels like home. One month and I'll be back on Canadian soil - cheering my Canadian lungs out at the Olympics. And the triumphant return to Ontario will fall another month after that. Can't wait to catch up with everyone in the New Year. Have a happy twentyten 'til then!
PS: If anyone has a prime job for a motivated young mind (backed by a Physics/tech degree) coming open early March, please comment below *wink*
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Shanghai'd
I wish I had more exciting tales to share, but the only one would be a story of misery and woe on my 'deluxe' boat tour that was anything but. Think boiled cabbage and rice for 3 days stuck in the chilly galley of a run down ship. To make up for it the travel agent did put me up in a swanky hotel for my final night in Vietnam. Frankly leaving Vietnam wasn't that difficult for me, besides the whole leaving part which took me nearly 12 hours of travel time to reach Shanghai. Joyfully I reunited with my family at Katherine and Raoul's apartment in the heart of Shanghai a few evenings ago. It has been great to spend time together catching up as it had been 2 weeks since I'd seen Larissa, 3 months since last speaking face to face with my father and over 4 since Katherine and Raoul were around. We've been busy exploring, and shopping for cold-weather clothing which I came without. Bumping between 10 degrees and freezing we've gone to the Old Town to eat a street-food buffet for a couple yuan, and wandered the historic river-front financial district of The Bund. Signs of Christmas are much more plentiful here than most places, as Shanghai attempts to be as Western as it can be. The Ferrari dealership's window is lit up with decorations and on the main street stands a massive Christmas tree built entirely of Heineken bottles. However our Christmas is going to be a quiet, family-oriented one with a nice buffet dinner at a fancy hotel. Celebrating in China is a completely different experience of course and will be memorable in its own right. Hopefully yours is as Merry as can be, wherever you're celebrating. Merry Christmas!
PS: A tiny Christmas present to you all is this tiny photo album. Stuck beind the Great Firewall of China it is a pain to blog, upload or do most anything on the internet but I perservere, for your sake.
PS: A tiny Christmas present to you all is this tiny photo album. Stuck beind the Great Firewall of China it is a pain to blog, upload or do most anything on the internet but I perservere, for your sake.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Vietnamese Interaction
An attractive young Vietnamese female approached me as I weaved between motorbikes on the sidewalk. After an introduction she showed me the small Canadian flag pin on her lapel and then told me she was giving toothpicks in exchange for donations to the blind. Seems like a good cause, but being in money-hungry Vietnam I had my suspicions and told her that I wasn't going to be handing out money on the street like the people who had written in her notebook. At my refusal she immediately stalked off without so much as a goodbye, climbed onto the back of a motorbike driven by a man waiting nearby, and in doing so basically confirmed my suspicions of a scam. (I'd see her later that day and said 'Scam' loudly to the guy she was working, and again today she was successfully parting people from their money in a new part of town). What an introduction to the country.
Later in the day I found myself lost in the myriad of tiny, weaving alleys with a growing hunger in my belly. I sat at a curbside stall on a petite plastic chair and attempted to eat as a local. There was no language in common so I pointed and tried to ward off consuming meat. The meal consisted of cold noodle bunches and deep fried tofu, dipped in spicy oil with some sort of minty leaf as a side. She did put some other deep fried patty on my plate which I nibbled with apprehension hoping it was made of corn but upon seeing my facial reaction to what tasted like sausage she removed it and tossed a couple more tofu chunks my way. Including my lime-yellow tea the meal cost me just over a dollar.
Still trying to extract myself from the maze of alleys a young man beckoned me in from the street. Curiousity had me duck inside to find myself in a very small room with four or five other guys. The stuff they were smoking out of the long, bamboo water bong didn't smell funny, nor did the clear drink they offered me but they were awfully giggly and without any means of verbal communication I soon excused myself.
Further down the street while seated at the edge of a lake an older Vietnamese gentleman approached. "Salut! Comment ca va?" he began and I did my best and was quite pleased with myself to have carried out a full conversation en francais. He explained that he'd studied French in school, which was understandable considering Vietnam was a colony of France until relatively recently. I declined his offer to join him for a beer in part because I was struggling to keep up with his speech, but I told him I couldn't 'parce que je doit alle au musee'. (Please excuse my likely horrible grammar and spelling, at least he understood)
Seated by another lake in the center of town prior to sunset a young Vietnamese girl of 15 asked if she could share my bench. She sat and began to read (Twilight in Vietnamese) and then asked me for the time. Picking up on her desire to speak with me as she kept putting her book down and gazing at me I struck up conversation. It was slow going with fairly basic English but Gabby (her chosen English name) was quite lovely and we chatted for a solid hour (as I said, covering little slowly, but still). Even after I excused myself and said goodbye I heard her running up behind me and she followed me all the way to the other side of the lake talking some more. I'd had no suspicion until a Vietnamese man glanced at her and then cryptically told me to be careful. I still don't know what he meant but it made me uneasy and when I did say goodbye again I glanced back a few times to be sure she wasn't following me further. I don't believe there was any reason to be nervous.
These were some of the more noteworthy interactions with locals on my first day in Vietnam. Hanoi is quite the metropolis and I'm enjoying it as it moves right along without going out of its way for tourists which is welcomed after Laos' tourist-intense trek. In many ways it reminds me of some Indian cities, where simply going out for a walk is an adventure in itself. Tomorrow I leave for a few day organized trip to the karsts of Halong Bay; sleeping on a junk, exploring a national park, kayaking the bay (since my other kayaking trip fell through). Hoping for an enjoyable end to my short trip to Vietnam before rejoining my family in Shanghai for Christmas on the 21st.
Later in the day I found myself lost in the myriad of tiny, weaving alleys with a growing hunger in my belly. I sat at a curbside stall on a petite plastic chair and attempted to eat as a local. There was no language in common so I pointed and tried to ward off consuming meat. The meal consisted of cold noodle bunches and deep fried tofu, dipped in spicy oil with some sort of minty leaf as a side. She did put some other deep fried patty on my plate which I nibbled with apprehension hoping it was made of corn but upon seeing my facial reaction to what tasted like sausage she removed it and tossed a couple more tofu chunks my way. Including my lime-yellow tea the meal cost me just over a dollar.
Still trying to extract myself from the maze of alleys a young man beckoned me in from the street. Curiousity had me duck inside to find myself in a very small room with four or five other guys. The stuff they were smoking out of the long, bamboo water bong didn't smell funny, nor did the clear drink they offered me but they were awfully giggly and without any means of verbal communication I soon excused myself.
Further down the street while seated at the edge of a lake an older Vietnamese gentleman approached. "Salut! Comment ca va?" he began and I did my best and was quite pleased with myself to have carried out a full conversation en francais. He explained that he'd studied French in school, which was understandable considering Vietnam was a colony of France until relatively recently. I declined his offer to join him for a beer in part because I was struggling to keep up with his speech, but I told him I couldn't 'parce que je doit alle au musee'. (Please excuse my likely horrible grammar and spelling, at least he understood)
Seated by another lake in the center of town prior to sunset a young Vietnamese girl of 15 asked if she could share my bench. She sat and began to read (Twilight in Vietnamese) and then asked me for the time. Picking up on her desire to speak with me as she kept putting her book down and gazing at me I struck up conversation. It was slow going with fairly basic English but Gabby (her chosen English name) was quite lovely and we chatted for a solid hour (as I said, covering little slowly, but still). Even after I excused myself and said goodbye I heard her running up behind me and she followed me all the way to the other side of the lake talking some more. I'd had no suspicion until a Vietnamese man glanced at her and then cryptically told me to be careful. I still don't know what he meant but it made me uneasy and when I did say goodbye again I glanced back a few times to be sure she wasn't following me further. I don't believe there was any reason to be nervous.
These were some of the more noteworthy interactions with locals on my first day in Vietnam. Hanoi is quite the metropolis and I'm enjoying it as it moves right along without going out of its way for tourists which is welcomed after Laos' tourist-intense trek. In many ways it reminds me of some Indian cities, where simply going out for a walk is an adventure in itself. Tomorrow I leave for a few day organized trip to the karsts of Halong Bay; sleeping on a junk, exploring a national park, kayaking the bay (since my other kayaking trip fell through). Hoping for an enjoyable end to my short trip to Vietnam before rejoining my family in Shanghai for Christmas on the 21st.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
SEA Games
Grinning stupidly from ear to ear, I literally skipped off towards the gate, filled with a new-found energy. Glancing at my ticket to find my seat I saw only a 'C' and realized that I had one quadrant of the stadium to choose from since the sections only went up to 'D'. Emerging from the entrance tunnel I turned and was met with an overflow of white T-shirts and waving moon flags, and accepted that I wouldn't be sitting at all. This was actually fine by me since it was too exciting to sit still so I elbowed my way into the hordes of people leaned up against the front rail, just happy to be here. 'Here' being the Laos vs. Malaysia semi-final football (soccer) match of the South East Asia (SEA) Games, in Vientiane, Laos. The match that had been the talk of the town, country rather, for the past few days. Everyone wanted to be there, so much so that when I arrived at the ticket office that morning, over an hour before it was set to open, there was already a crowd. All of whom would be disappointed when it was announced that the game was already completely sold out.
After spending the entire day bouncing from volleyball, to badminton, to track and field, to synchronized diving, I was resigned to catching the bus back to a pub to watch the match on television. That was when I passed a ticket booth that was being mobbed and was offered the most coveted ticket in town - at face value even (100,000kip, or $13Cdn). Hence my Charlie-and-the-Chocolate-Factory glee grasping my golden ticket and running inside.
Exhaustion was washed away by the energy of the crowd - the air was electrical! Before the match even began there was chanting, yelling, drumming, clapping and this only grew when the game began. Whether Laos was on the attack, or Malaysia was nearing the goal the crowd screamed their emotions. Even after Malaysia opened the score it took less than a minute for the energy of the open-air stadium to return.
Bursting out of the gate in the second half Laos poured it on, chance after chance, and I can't even describe the jubilation when they finally put one in the back of the net! I leapt as high as anyone, hugs and clapping and screaming even louder than seemed possible. Though I couldn't pick them out of the crowd, there must have been the equivalent of an entire marching band behind me - pounding drums, flaring horns and crashing cymbals (okay I couldn't help but see, AND hear, the cymbals which were right beside me).
In the end Malaysia came back with a couple of soft goals to win the match and end Laos' magical hosting-country run. But was it ever fun while it lasted! Parading out into the night with the most cheerful ~24,000 losers I've ever encountered I reflected on how unbelievably memorable this was, my first ever football match.
After spending the entire day bouncing from volleyball, to badminton, to track and field, to synchronized diving, I was resigned to catching the bus back to a pub to watch the match on television. That was when I passed a ticket booth that was being mobbed and was offered the most coveted ticket in town - at face value even (100,000kip, or $13Cdn). Hence my Charlie-and-the-Chocolate-Factory glee grasping my golden ticket and running inside.
Exhaustion was washed away by the energy of the crowd - the air was electrical! Before the match even began there was chanting, yelling, drumming, clapping and this only grew when the game began. Whether Laos was on the attack, or Malaysia was nearing the goal the crowd screamed their emotions. Even after Malaysia opened the score it took less than a minute for the energy of the open-air stadium to return.
Bursting out of the gate in the second half Laos poured it on, chance after chance, and I can't even describe the jubilation when they finally put one in the back of the net! I leapt as high as anyone, hugs and clapping and screaming even louder than seemed possible. Though I couldn't pick them out of the crowd, there must have been the equivalent of an entire marching band behind me - pounding drums, flaring horns and crashing cymbals (okay I couldn't help but see, AND hear, the cymbals which were right beside me).
In the end Malaysia came back with a couple of soft goals to win the match and end Laos' magical hosting-country run. But was it ever fun while it lasted! Parading out into the night with the most cheerful ~24,000 losers I've ever encountered I reflected on how unbelievably memorable this was, my first ever football match.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Odds n Sods
After exploring many awesome caves yesterday (one I had to swim the whole way through.. like 200m deep, as in deep from the entrance, not the water) today I am going tubing down the river. I hear there are rope swings galore. And tomorrow will be kayaking to the capital of Laos before my flight to Vietnam on the 15th evening.
Additionally the SEA Games (south east asia) are going on this week in Vientiane so I'm hoping to take in some sport, as a warm up for the Olympics in February.
A heads up that the Government of China has blocked blogspot and so when I arrive on the 21st I may or may not be able to contact you via the blog. (Unless my brother in law has figured a way around it by then). Gmail should still be working, and I'm not sure about facebook but I'll try to make contact in whichever way I can.
Additionally the SEA Games (south east asia) are going on this week in Vientiane so I'm hoping to take in some sport, as a warm up for the Olympics in February.
A heads up that the Government of China has blocked blogspot and so when I arrive on the 21st I may or may not be able to contact you via the blog. (Unless my brother in law has figured a way around it by then). Gmail should still be working, and I'm not sure about facebook but I'll try to make contact in whichever way I can.
Can I be A Witness?
Almost imperceptibly the motorcycle ahead of me was drifting into the center of the lane as a mini-bus loaded with a dozen tourists and all their gear whizzed past me. Hugging the shoulder I watched as the motorbike continued further still into the middle of the road and it dawned on me, before it dawned on the driver of the minibus, that the bike wasn't drifting but was making a lazy arching left-hand turn. Minibus moved further into the passing lane with every intention of passing, while maintaining speed. I can't recall hearing a horn, though there very well may have been, regardless it would have come too late. The minibus attempted to brake, a tough task with all that weight causing great momentum. In fact I'd witnessed this the day earlier, as the driver of my minibus had slammed on the brakes to avoid crushing a family of chickens and the bus had responded by dipping forward but hardly stopping on a dime (and passing over the chicks anyway).
From my vantage point less than 50m trailing the scene the motorbike became obscured by the van and I realized that I wasn't going to see it come out the other side in one piece. Slam! Oh $*!~
Rolling up to the front of the van on my bike I saw the motorbike on its side tucked under the front bumper, directly centered with the bus. The two riders had been tossed only a meter or two forward and were both laying in the dust of the far shoulder. From this it was apparent that the bus had slowed a fair amount, and had tried to avoid the crash by moving further to the left, but this only resulted in meeting the bike square on anyway.
I arrived moments after the driver of the minibus had jumped out, followed closely by the foreign occupants, as a few bystanders came up the rear. There was confusion and not much done to help the injured so I knelt to see if they were okay. No Laos person could speak any English but I indicated 'phone' with my hand and repeated 'hospital'. Eventually someone was on the phone as I poured water on a rag to at least cleanse the wounds. This allowed me to assess the injuries. The driver, an older man had some blood and scrapes on his right forehead, near his temple. This appeared to be the worst of it but it was hard to tell - and he didn't try to move. The rear passenger of the bike was younger and leaner, and at first had tried to get up and walk but I'd indicated that he should sit and he did in front of me. With his help we wiped him down, him and I finding more and more cuts on his legs and feet but luckily nothing that looked too severe.
To me it seemed that a great deal of time had passed with little action with regards to actually getting these two checked out when finally a flatbed pickup truck arrived. The driver must have asked what happened because there was a flurry of words and the injured bike driver tried to defend himself from his seated position on the ground. I yelled to forget about what happened and help these people first and the argument subsided. Under one arm we led the driver with the obvious head injury to the front seat; he was conscious and aware, but slightly out of it. The other man was placed in the bed of the truck on top of bags of cement and he looked to be in better condition but still messy.
Lifting the minorly busted bike up into the back of the truck as well I locked eyes with the second man for just a moment before the truck drove off to the hospital. I believe it was a grateful look but it was hard to tell through the slight glaze.
From my vantage point less than 50m trailing the scene the motorbike became obscured by the van and I realized that I wasn't going to see it come out the other side in one piece. Slam! Oh $*!~
Rolling up to the front of the van on my bike I saw the motorbike on its side tucked under the front bumper, directly centered with the bus. The two riders had been tossed only a meter or two forward and were both laying in the dust of the far shoulder. From this it was apparent that the bus had slowed a fair amount, and had tried to avoid the crash by moving further to the left, but this only resulted in meeting the bike square on anyway.
I arrived moments after the driver of the minibus had jumped out, followed closely by the foreign occupants, as a few bystanders came up the rear. There was confusion and not much done to help the injured so I knelt to see if they were okay. No Laos person could speak any English but I indicated 'phone' with my hand and repeated 'hospital'. Eventually someone was on the phone as I poured water on a rag to at least cleanse the wounds. This allowed me to assess the injuries. The driver, an older man had some blood and scrapes on his right forehead, near his temple. This appeared to be the worst of it but it was hard to tell - and he didn't try to move. The rear passenger of the bike was younger and leaner, and at first had tried to get up and walk but I'd indicated that he should sit and he did in front of me. With his help we wiped him down, him and I finding more and more cuts on his legs and feet but luckily nothing that looked too severe.
To me it seemed that a great deal of time had passed with little action with regards to actually getting these two checked out when finally a flatbed pickup truck arrived. The driver must have asked what happened because there was a flurry of words and the injured bike driver tried to defend himself from his seated position on the ground. I yelled to forget about what happened and help these people first and the argument subsided. Under one arm we led the driver with the obvious head injury to the front seat; he was conscious and aware, but slightly out of it. The other man was placed in the bed of the truck on top of bags of cement and he looked to be in better condition but still messy.
Lifting the minorly busted bike up into the back of the truck as well I locked eyes with the second man for just a moment before the truck drove off to the hospital. I believe it was a grateful look but it was hard to tell through the slight glaze.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Elephant Encounters - Final Addition
On the very first day, I was introduced to 'Lek' (meaning small) the female founder of the elephant nature park happened just before lunch. We entered the baby shelter and found that there was a hushed silence. Peering over the fence I saw a tiny Thai lady and a relatively tiny (to the other elephants, not to Lek) baby elephant. She was at its side as it stood still and listening closely you could hear a Thai lullaby. Yes, Lek was puttig the baby down for a nap by singing to it. Had to be the cutest thing as he looked more and more drowsy while she stroked its side, and eventually coaxed him to a lying position. Here she sang softly into his ear (I thought she was gonna kiss him) and then he was asleep. Adorable.
Wandering Laos
On a hint from a traveler heading into the massive cave I'd left moments earlier I started down the trail away from town and into the trees. Trees soon became thick forest but the trail continued to be well-defined so I figured it must lead somewhere. Non-verbal instructions from a Lao lady who'd calmed the barking dog by her hut pointed me deeper into the woods. Considering how long I would dare wander deeper and away from my desired direction I came upon a temple, and eventually the small 'hill-tribe' village to go along with it. Waving "saabaidee" (hello) to a baby girl I was quickly approached by two 12 year old village boys. Declining their offer of a smoke they indicated they'd like to take me some place so I followed. "Some place" turned out to be no place in particular, but proudly they paraded the 'falang' (foreigner) through the village, and as we continued our posse grew in numbers. In fact, what began as two soon bloomed to six and once passing by the elementary school that had just let out I think the number must have been closer to 50 (or the entire population of the school).
They attempted to show me the temple again but I declined and off we went (just 6 of them now) down a dirt road, through the raised pathway of a planted field, past some huts, up and then down a hill with palms, crawled through a crouched-12-year-old-boy-sized slot in a bush and arrived at what I took to be their hideaway. It was simply a stack of boulders but one of them they pointed out had what appeared to be a fossilized branch or vine on the side. Time was passed snapping photos, sharing my banana chips and hanging out before daylight forced me to say 'saabaidee' (conveniently also 'goodbye') and trek back (this time along the dusty road and not through the woods) to return via long-boat across the river to Luang Prabang, Laos.
All of this based on a few words from that traveler - an American I would meet again. After climbing to a 20m platform, a few Beer Laos Dark, and some beach volleyball in the bar we decided to search out a waterfall today. Misinformation led to an extra 22km (to total almost 60km) but the falls and swim were great and company was nice!
For those of you wondering - yes Christmas is being celebrated. Actually my first Christmas carol was overheard walking in Chiang Mai, Thailand on November 30th. Some of the establishments here have trees lit up and I even spotted a waiter with a Santa hat on. I'm looking forward to Christmas with the family in Shanghai though!
They attempted to show me the temple again but I declined and off we went (just 6 of them now) down a dirt road, through the raised pathway of a planted field, past some huts, up and then down a hill with palms, crawled through a crouched-12-year-old-boy-sized slot in a bush and arrived at what I took to be their hideaway. It was simply a stack of boulders but one of them they pointed out had what appeared to be a fossilized branch or vine on the side. Time was passed snapping photos, sharing my banana chips and hanging out before daylight forced me to say 'saabaidee' (conveniently also 'goodbye') and trek back (this time along the dusty road and not through the woods) to return via long-boat across the river to Luang Prabang, Laos.
All of this based on a few words from that traveler - an American I would meet again. After climbing to a 20m platform, a few Beer Laos Dark, and some beach volleyball in the bar we decided to search out a waterfall today. Misinformation led to an extra 22km (to total almost 60km) but the falls and swim were great and company was nice!
For those of you wondering - yes Christmas is being celebrated. Actually my first Christmas carol was overheard walking in Chiang Mai, Thailand on November 30th. Some of the establishments here have trees lit up and I even spotted a waiter with a Santa hat on. I'm looking forward to Christmas with the family in Shanghai though!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
A Letter to My Sister - Post Travel
Dear Larissa,
I write to tell you how much I enjoyed our six or so weeks travelling together. It was great to have someone alongside to experience things with.
Someone to laugh at the ridiculous vehicles (and their cargo and occupants) on Indian roads.
Someone to split the cost so I could afford to stay in decent hotel rooms (well ones with hot water at least).
Someone to experience the magnificience of the Taj with.
Someone to show me just how bad the treatment of women in India really is (although this is a negative, it is still worthwhile).
Someone to sweat through the first few weeks of Thailand with.
Someone with whom to exchange mystified glances with at Thai meal times.
Someone to allow me to make some irrational decisions (but act as my conscience for other more dangerous ones).
Someone to remind me the exchange rate when I would get too competitive in my bargaining.
Someone to point out the obvious things that are under my nose but that I couldn't see.
Someone to make me not feel so bad about getting sick of Buddhist temples since you did too!
Someone to back me up when I tell people that the Elephant Nature Park was an experience of a lifetime.
Someone to fill me in on the gossip from the girls' side of things while volunteering.
Someone to remind me of home and lessen any homesickness or longing for family.
I say 'someone' but of course I don't mean that at all. I mean my wonderful, caring little sister who lived up to her word in being up for adventure and exploration. My sister who made this leg of travel completely excellent.
We should do it again sometime! Say December 21st, Shanghai?
Travel safe until then,
Stefan
I write to tell you how much I enjoyed our six or so weeks travelling together. It was great to have someone alongside to experience things with.
Someone to laugh at the ridiculous vehicles (and their cargo and occupants) on Indian roads.
Someone to split the cost so I could afford to stay in decent hotel rooms (well ones with hot water at least).
Someone to experience the magnificience of the Taj with.
Someone to show me just how bad the treatment of women in India really is (although this is a negative, it is still worthwhile).
Someone to sweat through the first few weeks of Thailand with.
Someone with whom to exchange mystified glances with at Thai meal times.
Someone to allow me to make some irrational decisions (but act as my conscience for other more dangerous ones).
Someone to remind me the exchange rate when I would get too competitive in my bargaining.
Someone to point out the obvious things that are under my nose but that I couldn't see.
Someone to make me not feel so bad about getting sick of Buddhist temples since you did too!
Someone to back me up when I tell people that the Elephant Nature Park was an experience of a lifetime.
Someone to fill me in on the gossip from the girls' side of things while volunteering.
Someone to remind me of home and lessen any homesickness or longing for family.
I say 'someone' but of course I don't mean that at all. I mean my wonderful, caring little sister who lived up to her word in being up for adventure and exploration. My sister who made this leg of travel completely excellent.
We should do it again sometime! Say December 21st, Shanghai?
Travel safe until then,
Stefan
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Elephant Encounter Addendum
The evening after our trek up to Elephant Haven I was rather wiped, causing me to crash rather early. This was fortunate in a way because when I was awoken at 4am by the full onslaught of the 80 dogs howling (a couple of them literally on my doorstep) I was refreshed enough to go for a midnight walk. Under an amazing starry sky I walked past the elephant pens (accompanied by a few mutts acting as my guard dogs) and was amazed to see them lying down to sleep, and actually heard a few of them snoring! A surreal experience as I looked up and saw a shooting star streak by.
Another experience worth mentioning, even if it isn't ele-related, was going to volunteer at the village school for a morning. Groaning that I hadn't gotten assigned to the foot massage class, or the cooking class, I was five steps towards English class when the cutest boy of 6 grabbed me by both hands. Unsure as to his intentions he soon made them clear as he began running in a circle around me and as I caught on he got caught up in the air and I swung him around. I think I was laughing more than he was! When I put him down he led me by the hand off to his classroom where I had to extract myself so I could return to my assigned spot. Here I took part in countless Thai-style arm wrestles (locking wrists instead of fists) and trying to play hangman with their 60-odd letters!
Out in the playground I was literally covered in kids - on my back, each arm and running around at my feet. We played basketball (okay I played basketball and the kids ran around trying to steal the ball) and even tried to play that soccer-volleyball mix. Those kids are amazing, as was the school trip!
Another experience worth mentioning, even if it isn't ele-related, was going to volunteer at the village school for a morning. Groaning that I hadn't gotten assigned to the foot massage class, or the cooking class, I was five steps towards English class when the cutest boy of 6 grabbed me by both hands. Unsure as to his intentions he soon made them clear as he began running in a circle around me and as I caught on he got caught up in the air and I swung him around. I think I was laughing more than he was! When I put him down he led me by the hand off to his classroom where I had to extract myself so I could return to my assigned spot. Here I took part in countless Thai-style arm wrestles (locking wrists instead of fists) and trying to play hangman with their 60-odd letters!
Out in the playground I was literally covered in kids - on my back, each arm and running around at my feet. We played basketball (okay I played basketball and the kids ran around trying to steal the ball) and even tried to play that soccer-volleyball mix. Those kids are amazing, as was the school trip!
Elephant Encounters
Volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand for the past week was a wholly wonderful experience that created magical memories that surely will last me a long time. Not only did it shed light on the torturous treatment that 'working' elephants are subjected to, but on the flip side we were able to not only see, but be a part of the sanctuary that these lucky 35 elephants live in now. Over the week there countless encounters with these beautiful and intelligent creatures - here are just a few.
On the first day while wandering to my hut before dinner I snuck in to visit the elephant pen along the way. This housed two baby elephants (5 and 7 months) and their families. The elephant's mahouts (trainers) had just left for the night and the pachyderms' dinner had been laid out for them which meant all was calm and quiet. Despite this I still was quite cautious about approaching even the fence of the pen since we'd been heavily warned not to, but I couldn't resist watching these adorable and playful creatures. Over the next hour I edged my way up, making sure that the mothers were comfortable with my presence, until I was finally within trunk-length reach and made my first unaccompanied contact. The babies were the only ones interested in me and that was only briefly - well at least on the first day.
Over the course of the week I continued this pattern. At elephant lunch-time I would chat with the one 'farang' (westerner) mahout (elephant trainer) who was in charge of the 4-month old, and before my dinner I would sneak off to observe the babies and their families. By the end of the week I was doing slightly more than observe, as especially Chang Yim, the youngest one, would come over to me for some interaction. First he'd sniff me with that cute little trunk of his to know it was me, then I'd offer him some grass which he would take out of politeness since it was the same as what he'd already been eating for dinner. Then we might play inky-dinky with his trunk and my fist, or I'd just scratch his back while he tried to climb the fence. In fact he must have really wanted to come out to play with me as his favourite activity was trying to dismantle the fence by tugging, and kicking at the ropes holding the planks together. Once while doing this I suggested audibly that he try using his teeth and I kid you not the very next thing that he did was place the rope in his mouth and tug. Smart lil guy huh!?
Faa Mai was a little more aloof, being older and more mature I suppose. However this didn't stop him from playing footsies with me over and over again one evening. My hiking boot was no match for his hardened foot with toe nails, and of course his massive weight.
Away from these little ones we had the opportunity to bathe some of the older and more docile elephants - under supervision. Great fun was had frolicking in the river. On the bank of the river, I participated in one of the few 'tricks' that the elephants performed at the park (by an elephant who had been trained totally using positive reinforcement and not 'the hook'). Hope, the cheeky teenage boy, would smooch ya in exchange for a piece of bread. I stepped in front and got a wet vacuum to the side of my face which made me smile. This was all well and good until Hope was instructed to kiss the next girl but instead took his piece of bread and swung back to kiss me instead of her! This happened once more, making everyone chuckle (and me blush)! I figure he's a fan of my beard.
Finally the most incredible experience was the overnight trek that we went on. Following the elephants first over a river (they walked through, we rode a bamboo raft) we walked for nearly 2 hours up into the hillside of a forested valley. Arriving at our destination we found a 3 sided hut floor that would be our sleeping accommodations. We let the elephants roam and had a surprisingly delicious meal high up in the hills away from civilization, and afterwards I slipped off to explore on my own. Not far from 'camp' I looked out to the opposite side of the valley and could see an elephant grazing while the other scratched itself mightily on a tall tree. After a fireside sleep I returned to this spot the next morning to peer up into the sky as it brightened with the rising sun. We collected up the elephants who had grazed all night, tied blessed ribbons around to protect the trees of the forest and journeyed back to the park feeling refreshed despite sleeping on hard bamboo.
These are mere glimpses into an unforgettable week at the Elephant Nature Park. Surrounding these was hard work cutting tall grass for the elephants (yes they gave me a machete), unloading and washing fruit for the elephants feed, digging pig pits and of course shovelling poop. It was completely worth it, and the delicious vegetarian food that I gorged myself on was made that much better by the unbelievably friendly, interesting and diverse group of fellow volunteers that truly made the week even that much more fantastic.
On the first day while wandering to my hut before dinner I snuck in to visit the elephant pen along the way. This housed two baby elephants (5 and 7 months) and their families. The elephant's mahouts (trainers) had just left for the night and the pachyderms' dinner had been laid out for them which meant all was calm and quiet. Despite this I still was quite cautious about approaching even the fence of the pen since we'd been heavily warned not to, but I couldn't resist watching these adorable and playful creatures. Over the next hour I edged my way up, making sure that the mothers were comfortable with my presence, until I was finally within trunk-length reach and made my first unaccompanied contact. The babies were the only ones interested in me and that was only briefly - well at least on the first day.
Over the course of the week I continued this pattern. At elephant lunch-time I would chat with the one 'farang' (westerner) mahout (elephant trainer) who was in charge of the 4-month old, and before my dinner I would sneak off to observe the babies and their families. By the end of the week I was doing slightly more than observe, as especially Chang Yim, the youngest one, would come over to me for some interaction. First he'd sniff me with that cute little trunk of his to know it was me, then I'd offer him some grass which he would take out of politeness since it was the same as what he'd already been eating for dinner. Then we might play inky-dinky with his trunk and my fist, or I'd just scratch his back while he tried to climb the fence. In fact he must have really wanted to come out to play with me as his favourite activity was trying to dismantle the fence by tugging, and kicking at the ropes holding the planks together. Once while doing this I suggested audibly that he try using his teeth and I kid you not the very next thing that he did was place the rope in his mouth and tug. Smart lil guy huh!?
Faa Mai was a little more aloof, being older and more mature I suppose. However this didn't stop him from playing footsies with me over and over again one evening. My hiking boot was no match for his hardened foot with toe nails, and of course his massive weight.
Away from these little ones we had the opportunity to bathe some of the older and more docile elephants - under supervision. Great fun was had frolicking in the river. On the bank of the river, I participated in one of the few 'tricks' that the elephants performed at the park (by an elephant who had been trained totally using positive reinforcement and not 'the hook'). Hope, the cheeky teenage boy, would smooch ya in exchange for a piece of bread. I stepped in front and got a wet vacuum to the side of my face which made me smile. This was all well and good until Hope was instructed to kiss the next girl but instead took his piece of bread and swung back to kiss me instead of her! This happened once more, making everyone chuckle (and me blush)! I figure he's a fan of my beard.
Finally the most incredible experience was the overnight trek that we went on. Following the elephants first over a river (they walked through, we rode a bamboo raft) we walked for nearly 2 hours up into the hillside of a forested valley. Arriving at our destination we found a 3 sided hut floor that would be our sleeping accommodations. We let the elephants roam and had a surprisingly delicious meal high up in the hills away from civilization, and afterwards I slipped off to explore on my own. Not far from 'camp' I looked out to the opposite side of the valley and could see an elephant grazing while the other scratched itself mightily on a tall tree. After a fireside sleep I returned to this spot the next morning to peer up into the sky as it brightened with the rising sun. We collected up the elephants who had grazed all night, tied blessed ribbons around to protect the trees of the forest and journeyed back to the park feeling refreshed despite sleeping on hard bamboo.
These are mere glimpses into an unforgettable week at the Elephant Nature Park. Surrounding these was hard work cutting tall grass for the elephants (yes they gave me a machete), unloading and washing fruit for the elephants feed, digging pig pits and of course shovelling poop. It was completely worth it, and the delicious vegetarian food that I gorged myself on was made that much better by the unbelievably friendly, interesting and diverse group of fellow volunteers that truly made the week even that much more fantastic.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Alive and Well
Been secluded in the most picturesque valley with 35 elephants for a week. As incredible as it sounds, and obviously completely removed from modern conveniences such as the internet.
Rafting today. Ziplining tomorrow. Chiang Mai has a lot to offer and I'm trying to do it all before I move on as my Thai visa expires in 4 days!
Rafting today. Ziplining tomorrow. Chiang Mai has a lot to offer and I'm trying to do it all before I move on as my Thai visa expires in 4 days!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Flat.
I've probably complained about my luck, or lack thereof, when it comes to flat tires - especially bicycles. Last summer I purchased a brand new mountain bike for a pretty penny, and in welcoming I flattened three (3) tires in the very first week. I wasn't even convinced that I was simply cursed but perhaps that it was my fault in some way.. the fact that by the time the biking season came to an end, I was closing in on double-digits for flats. My roommates couldn't help but laugh when I came home grumbling (sweaty and tired) all to often.
Fast forward to Ayuthaya, the former capital of Siam (Thailand) a few days ago. Larissa and I are a few hours into a sunny self-propelled tour of the city when I decide to take a shortcut through the park. This turns out to be a bad idea as I crash over a tree root and the pedaling becomes much more sluggish. *Uggh* Sending Larissa ahead I recall a repair shop nearby and leaning all my wait to the back (keeping it off the flat front wheel) I bike the few hundred meters (what? It's a rental!).
A grease-handed Thai man walking through the shop puts down what he is doing and sets to work immediately to remedy my problem. I watch the familiar process that he completes in just over 10 minutes (usually takes me 30+,mind you he has the right tools). With only a handful of English words spoken he sends me on my way with a smile as he says "free". I thank him with words and expression without anything else to give him (as he won't accept money). The rest of the day goes off without a hitch... well the sound & light show is terrible but that's about the worst of it.
Remember yesterday when I mentioned a new mode of transportation we might try today? Pretending like I'd ridden a motorbike before I have the hotel attendant just "show me how to start it". I should expand on motorbike, in fact it is a fairly new, but small (engine-wise) Honda motor scooter. Convincing enough she lets me drive off with the rental for the day with Larissa seated behind. We tour Sukhothai's ruins (the capital BEFORE Ayuthaya) and are happy enough to simply cruise by without entering as after two days worth we're starting to think stupas are pretty stupid (*groan*).
Back to the moral of this story. Ripping back down the highway (I mean going slowly and cautiously on the shoulder to all that will worry) I notice a repetitive rumbling and slow down to check it out. Having little mechanical inclination my cursory look doesn't come up with anything.. or perhaps I'd prefer to ignore it as I wouldn't know how to deal with it anyway. We stop at another massive Buddha (45th of the tour?) and take a break but on take off Larissa says she thinks something is wrong. Closer examination reveals that the rear tire is flat (and looks to be cracked already!). Wondering what to do, being ~15km from the guest house we consider calling them but wonder if the language gap will be too wide.
Using all my concentration I maintain a straight line and keep the speed constant. Seriously, if I let my mind wander to what is going to happen when we arrive at the guest house and the steering wheel moves even slightly the whole bike starts to wobble. The half hour ride home is therefore stressful, and to cover this discretion (again it is a rental!) I push it the last 200m to the door. Of course the waiver I signed in the morning says I'm responsible for damage.. but I coerce them into lowering the fee for fixing it and we get the heck out of there before the mechanic comes to actually take a look!
Fast forward to Ayuthaya, the former capital of Siam (Thailand) a few days ago. Larissa and I are a few hours into a sunny self-propelled tour of the city when I decide to take a shortcut through the park. This turns out to be a bad idea as I crash over a tree root and the pedaling becomes much more sluggish. *Uggh* Sending Larissa ahead I recall a repair shop nearby and leaning all my wait to the back (keeping it off the flat front wheel) I bike the few hundred meters (what? It's a rental!).
A grease-handed Thai man walking through the shop puts down what he is doing and sets to work immediately to remedy my problem. I watch the familiar process that he completes in just over 10 minutes (usually takes me 30+,mind you he has the right tools). With only a handful of English words spoken he sends me on my way with a smile as he says "free". I thank him with words and expression without anything else to give him (as he won't accept money). The rest of the day goes off without a hitch... well the sound & light show is terrible but that's about the worst of it.
Remember yesterday when I mentioned a new mode of transportation we might try today? Pretending like I'd ridden a motorbike before I have the hotel attendant just "show me how to start it". I should expand on motorbike, in fact it is a fairly new, but small (engine-wise) Honda motor scooter. Convincing enough she lets me drive off with the rental for the day with Larissa seated behind. We tour Sukhothai's ruins (the capital BEFORE Ayuthaya) and are happy enough to simply cruise by without entering as after two days worth we're starting to think stupas are pretty stupid (*groan*).
Back to the moral of this story. Ripping back down the highway (I mean going slowly and cautiously on the shoulder to all that will worry) I notice a repetitive rumbling and slow down to check it out. Having little mechanical inclination my cursory look doesn't come up with anything.. or perhaps I'd prefer to ignore it as I wouldn't know how to deal with it anyway. We stop at another massive Buddha (45th of the tour?) and take a break but on take off Larissa says she thinks something is wrong. Closer examination reveals that the rear tire is flat (and looks to be cracked already!). Wondering what to do, being ~15km from the guest house we consider calling them but wonder if the language gap will be too wide.
Using all my concentration I maintain a straight line and keep the speed constant. Seriously, if I let my mind wander to what is going to happen when we arrive at the guest house and the steering wheel moves even slightly the whole bike starts to wobble. The half hour ride home is therefore stressful, and to cover this discretion (again it is a rental!) I push it the last 200m to the door. Of course the waiver I signed in the morning says I'm responsible for damage.. but I coerce them into lowering the fee for fixing it and we get the heck out of there before the mechanic comes to actually take a look!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Warm Welcome
Not only was it a 6 hour bus ride today, but we were delayed from departing on our desired bus due to overbooking (after waking early for the bus and everything!) Thankfully the bus was comfortable (A/C), with beautiful scenery and even a lunch stop (in addition to frequent bathroom breaks). At the end of this easy, though still long journey (and a couple hundred pages later in my book about training elephants) we had an unexpected warm welcome.
At the bus station located outside of town we tried to score a free ride to a hotel but it wasn't working out until we stumbled upon an Englishman who had a reservation for one and was in the process of calling for transport. I was beginning to wonder if it would be worth the wait after about fifteen minutes passed but as the vehicle with his hotel's name written on the side pulled up I realized it had been well worth it. I can now add to the list of modes of transportation a tractor-trailer. No, not that kind - this was a legitimate tractor, like those you would find on a farm (a smallish one) towing a trailer with two benches in it. The driver was even wearing a straw hat and had to wipe the mud from the seats before we sat!
Arriving at the hotel, located well away from any distraction in the midst of a field, we were greeted by at least three welcoming Thai people who took our picture with the tractor and driver, gave us cold water and Larissa's favourite part, a wet nap to freshen our faces!
How could we NOT stay here after this? In fact only paying 200 Baht ($6.66) for the room seems like WE are ripping THEM off.
Tomorrow we will explore Sukhothai's ancient ruins, and perhaps do something else we haven't done before (though I won't say what until after). The next day our elephant excursion in Chiang Mai begins and will last for the week. I hope it goes better than things have been in my novel, 'Water for Elephants'.
At the bus station located outside of town we tried to score a free ride to a hotel but it wasn't working out until we stumbled upon an Englishman who had a reservation for one and was in the process of calling for transport. I was beginning to wonder if it would be worth the wait after about fifteen minutes passed but as the vehicle with his hotel's name written on the side pulled up I realized it had been well worth it. I can now add to the list of modes of transportation a tractor-trailer. No, not that kind - this was a legitimate tractor, like those you would find on a farm (a smallish one) towing a trailer with two benches in it. The driver was even wearing a straw hat and had to wipe the mud from the seats before we sat!
Arriving at the hotel, located well away from any distraction in the midst of a field, we were greeted by at least three welcoming Thai people who took our picture with the tractor and driver, gave us cold water and Larissa's favourite part, a wet nap to freshen our faces!
How could we NOT stay here after this? In fact only paying 200 Baht ($6.66) for the room seems like WE are ripping THEM off.
Tomorrow we will explore Sukhothai's ancient ruins, and perhaps do something else we haven't done before (though I won't say what until after). The next day our elephant excursion in Chiang Mai begins and will last for the week. I hope it goes better than things have been in my novel, 'Water for Elephants'.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Working on my Night Markets
Such fantastic things to be found at the markets in Thailand. My favourite are the ones that ring sidewalks of a park, though markets seem to spring up in any back alley or parking lot that will have them. There's everything from toys (not many fun ones though), electronic gadgets, clothes (and more clothes), jewelry and other souvenirs - plus all kinds of other doodads.
It is the food at these night markets that I'd like to share with you now though.
Firstly there is the any-sort-of-meat-or-seafood on a stick. The thought of foods on a stick is for some reason appealing to me (shishkebabs, fudgesicles) but these small hunks of meat sitting under the sun (well under the flies that are under the sun) all day and then barbequed for a few seconds before being served just turns my already vegetarian stomach further.
Seafood reigns supreme in this land and you can get all sorts of it cooked in any way you can think of (okay not really.. it's either bbqed or fried). Again I'm not interested but at the same time I AM intrigued and it seems that Larissa and I wander through the food section at each market just to make faces at the nasty-looking creatures that people are voluntarily ingesting.
Last night I had some luck in finding things that appeal to me (and aren't made of animals.. though dead meat doesn't appeal to me anyway). My food-fetish for things on a stick was answered with a little wooden rod full of small, multicoloured squishy balls of sticky, sweet jelly. Yum!
Not having spoiled my appetite with the candy we passed by the pad thai stands (all pad thai-ed out!) and saw a lady frying up small multicoloured patties which she assured us were vegetables (well at least kept repeating 'vegetable' over again). Grabbing a mixed pack I tried the green leafy one (spinach? seaweed most likely) then the corn one (not bad) and then the white one which turned out to be the best (though neither of us could ascertain what vegetable it was despite its decidedly vegetable texture).
Larissa slurped a fresh watermelon smoothie - so good and abundantly available for about 50 cents Canadian - and I spotted a crepe place. With memories of my banana pancake in Bangkok I was informed I could make 3 topping choices and peered into the canisters of multicoloured globs or spreads. I settled on red gelatinous balls like the ones on my stick of earlier, sprinkles and caramel sauce. She told me the caramel sauce was in fact chili sauce so I swapped it for chocolate. The crepe was thin and crunchy, folded over into a pizza slice shape with the toppings in the center and was tasty (but didn't match the banana chocolate sandwich from Khao San).
With my hunger nearly satisfied (okay we went out for a full dinner after too) we returned to the AC room we'd splured on (a whole $20/night) and watched Wall-E (in English.. though I think "Wally" and "Eva", the extent of the dialog, would translate).
Volunteering with the elephants in Chiang Mai for a week starts on the 23rd! Can't wait.
It is the food at these night markets that I'd like to share with you now though.
Firstly there is the any-sort-of-meat-or-seafood on a stick. The thought of foods on a stick is for some reason appealing to me (shishkebabs, fudgesicles) but these small hunks of meat sitting under the sun (well under the flies that are under the sun) all day and then barbequed for a few seconds before being served just turns my already vegetarian stomach further.
Seafood reigns supreme in this land and you can get all sorts of it cooked in any way you can think of (okay not really.. it's either bbqed or fried). Again I'm not interested but at the same time I AM intrigued and it seems that Larissa and I wander through the food section at each market just to make faces at the nasty-looking creatures that people are voluntarily ingesting.
Last night I had some luck in finding things that appeal to me (and aren't made of animals.. though dead meat doesn't appeal to me anyway). My food-fetish for things on a stick was answered with a little wooden rod full of small, multicoloured squishy balls of sticky, sweet jelly. Yum!
Not having spoiled my appetite with the candy we passed by the pad thai stands (all pad thai-ed out!) and saw a lady frying up small multicoloured patties which she assured us were vegetables (well at least kept repeating 'vegetable' over again). Grabbing a mixed pack I tried the green leafy one (spinach? seaweed most likely) then the corn one (not bad) and then the white one which turned out to be the best (though neither of us could ascertain what vegetable it was despite its decidedly vegetable texture).
Larissa slurped a fresh watermelon smoothie - so good and abundantly available for about 50 cents Canadian - and I spotted a crepe place. With memories of my banana pancake in Bangkok I was informed I could make 3 topping choices and peered into the canisters of multicoloured globs or spreads. I settled on red gelatinous balls like the ones on my stick of earlier, sprinkles and caramel sauce. She told me the caramel sauce was in fact chili sauce so I swapped it for chocolate. The crepe was thin and crunchy, folded over into a pizza slice shape with the toppings in the center and was tasty (but didn't match the banana chocolate sandwich from Khao San).
With my hunger nearly satisfied (okay we went out for a full dinner after too) we returned to the AC room we'd splured on (a whole $20/night) and watched Wall-E (in English.. though I think "Wally" and "Eva", the extent of the dialog, would translate).
Volunteering with the elephants in Chiang Mai for a week starts on the 23rd! Can't wait.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Bicycle Tour
The freedom that a bicycle affords in touring a city, practically irregardless of the country, is not matched by any other mode of transportation. One can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, but also has the ability to linger easily in interesting places and access back alleys and other spots that are much more difficult for motorized vehicles.
Today I enjoyed this freedom in the vicinity of Kanchanaburi, the Thai town known historically for its vital role in WWII as the base for the Japanese-led construction of the "Death Railway" linking Thailand to Burma (for the purpose of eventually invading India). Look it up if you haven't heard of it- the history is fascinating. Back to my day... I left Larissa in the dust (to enjoy a massage and day vegging on the riverbank) and took my one-speed (at least it was new, and a third of the weight of my Indian 'Hero' bike) out for a rip. Flying around town I took in the sights that just weren't intriguing enough to walk to (ie: city gate, pillar etc) before cutting across the River Kwai (yes, that River Kwai from the 1957 movie I now need to watch). Cycling past Chinese cemeteries (interesting in themselves) at the base of mountains on one side, and the river itself on the other I made my way to the first Wat (temple), listed as 22km away. Up 158 stairs I came face to face with a giant golden Buddha; well not really since his face was another 5m above me! It was at least that many steps again up a tower's spiral staircase that took me to dizzying heights overlooking the gorgeously green landscapes that were crossed intermittently with rivers or canals, and ended in mountainous humps.
Returning the way I came I decided to take a break at another Wat - mostly because its stairway was enveloped by a serpent. Well this break was nothing of the sort as exiting the snake's rear-end only led to more stairs, this time with my shoes removed for religious reasons. From the first cave a metal staircase wound upwards, and in the spirit of exploration I took it (silently sidestepping the sleeping lady at the base). The top of this was 487 steps from the beginning (yes, I counted on the way down) and granted fantastic views of the river and far beyond. I was already a sweaty mess but the monk here convinced me to continue up to a cave which I think he said wasn't too far up again. Well it wasn't all that far (50m) but in bare feet climbing up jagged rocks it sure felt like it.. and the payoff of a humid cave with a tiny opening was somewhat disappointing. The real mistake came next.
Two Thai guys a couple years younger than I probably, had followed me up to this point (along with the monk and sleeping lady we were the only 5 on this hill!), and without any English motioned for me to carry on yet another side path. This one didn't look even as appealing as the previous rock route but hoping for an even greater vantage point I was talked (er, motioned) into it. By the top the bottoms of my feet, and even my palms, were cut up from the barely-path, and by top I mean a bush-obscured rock mount. The only view it gave was of a densely forested valley up to a higher peak. The two boys pointed and said "hike?" I shook my head decisively 'NO' and picked my way delicately back to ground level.
A rest riverside with honey & lemon green tea rejuvenated me for the afternoon activities. Quickly taking in a WWII cemetery I stopped in to the Monkey School (and before you ask, no I was NOT the pupil). Here I learned how the monkeys were taught to harvest coconuts from the tree tops for use on farms. However the other side of things was the teaching of them to perform stunts which the human-rights/vegetarian in me didn't agree with so I shook the entrance gibbon's hand and refused to pay admission.
Next stop was underground. A nine room cave that seemed to get deeper with each chamber (and hotter too). The crevice thankfully opened into much larger spaces full of stalactites and stalagmites (I always forget which is which too!). A neat aspect was the giant tree roots that hung right down to within reach from the top of one cave. Nearing the end the sweat on my forehead nearly froze as one room to the next dropped the temperature at least 7 degrees. Emerging I biked riverside for my favourite tranquil lookout point in this picturesque town. (I know, I know.. pictures would be the cherry on this literary sundae but I forgot my camera!)
Biking back up the quiet side of the river I took the long way and stumbled upon an all-Thai market so stopped in to rest my aching butt. The free donut the girl gave me wasn't quite as appealing as I ate it alongside the now-air-breathing fish for sale. Leaving the seafood and butcher section I grabbed a watermelon shake for $0.66 Cdn and more donuts to bring back for Larissa.
On the home stretch I stopped at the WWII museum. Beginning with the life-size recreations of the likes of Stalin, Churchill, Hitler and even Einstein I was intrigued by the WWII info and memorabilia (hundreds of guns!). However the postcard, stamp and jade collections hardly fit the motif. The complete (and I mean complete) history of the Thai royal family filled the walls, ceilings and display cases of a 5 storey building which I climbed to the top of mostly to catch pictures of the train crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai at sunset. But the least linked exhibit of all was the Miss Thailand room that didn't even have photographs of them! (Only paintings).
Apologies for the rambling but I covered a lot in my (conservatively) estimated 60km of cycling.. you'd hate to see my journal!
On a side note, I fulfilled a lifelong dream the other day as Larissa and I rode home in, get this, a sidecar! Oh yes. I can't remember where this desire stemmed from but when I saw the motorcycles pulling sidecars as taxis in this town I knew I'd be riding in style. Besides being a little noisy it was pretty much everything I'd ever wanted.. the wind in my hair and the pavement whizzing beneath me. Exhiliration without being behind the wheel!
Today I enjoyed this freedom in the vicinity of Kanchanaburi, the Thai town known historically for its vital role in WWII as the base for the Japanese-led construction of the "Death Railway" linking Thailand to Burma (for the purpose of eventually invading India). Look it up if you haven't heard of it- the history is fascinating. Back to my day... I left Larissa in the dust (to enjoy a massage and day vegging on the riverbank) and took my one-speed (at least it was new, and a third of the weight of my Indian 'Hero' bike) out for a rip. Flying around town I took in the sights that just weren't intriguing enough to walk to (ie: city gate, pillar etc) before cutting across the River Kwai (yes, that River Kwai from the 1957 movie I now need to watch). Cycling past Chinese cemeteries (interesting in themselves) at the base of mountains on one side, and the river itself on the other I made my way to the first Wat (temple), listed as 22km away. Up 158 stairs I came face to face with a giant golden Buddha; well not really since his face was another 5m above me! It was at least that many steps again up a tower's spiral staircase that took me to dizzying heights overlooking the gorgeously green landscapes that were crossed intermittently with rivers or canals, and ended in mountainous humps.
Returning the way I came I decided to take a break at another Wat - mostly because its stairway was enveloped by a serpent. Well this break was nothing of the sort as exiting the snake's rear-end only led to more stairs, this time with my shoes removed for religious reasons. From the first cave a metal staircase wound upwards, and in the spirit of exploration I took it (silently sidestepping the sleeping lady at the base). The top of this was 487 steps from the beginning (yes, I counted on the way down) and granted fantastic views of the river and far beyond. I was already a sweaty mess but the monk here convinced me to continue up to a cave which I think he said wasn't too far up again. Well it wasn't all that far (50m) but in bare feet climbing up jagged rocks it sure felt like it.. and the payoff of a humid cave with a tiny opening was somewhat disappointing. The real mistake came next.
Two Thai guys a couple years younger than I probably, had followed me up to this point (along with the monk and sleeping lady we were the only 5 on this hill!), and without any English motioned for me to carry on yet another side path. This one didn't look even as appealing as the previous rock route but hoping for an even greater vantage point I was talked (er, motioned) into it. By the top the bottoms of my feet, and even my palms, were cut up from the barely-path, and by top I mean a bush-obscured rock mount. The only view it gave was of a densely forested valley up to a higher peak. The two boys pointed and said "hike?" I shook my head decisively 'NO' and picked my way delicately back to ground level.
A rest riverside with honey & lemon green tea rejuvenated me for the afternoon activities. Quickly taking in a WWII cemetery I stopped in to the Monkey School (and before you ask, no I was NOT the pupil). Here I learned how the monkeys were taught to harvest coconuts from the tree tops for use on farms. However the other side of things was the teaching of them to perform stunts which the human-rights/vegetarian in me didn't agree with so I shook the entrance gibbon's hand and refused to pay admission.
Next stop was underground. A nine room cave that seemed to get deeper with each chamber (and hotter too). The crevice thankfully opened into much larger spaces full of stalactites and stalagmites (I always forget which is which too!). A neat aspect was the giant tree roots that hung right down to within reach from the top of one cave. Nearing the end the sweat on my forehead nearly froze as one room to the next dropped the temperature at least 7 degrees. Emerging I biked riverside for my favourite tranquil lookout point in this picturesque town. (I know, I know.. pictures would be the cherry on this literary sundae but I forgot my camera!)
Biking back up the quiet side of the river I took the long way and stumbled upon an all-Thai market so stopped in to rest my aching butt. The free donut the girl gave me wasn't quite as appealing as I ate it alongside the now-air-breathing fish for sale. Leaving the seafood and butcher section I grabbed a watermelon shake for $0.66 Cdn and more donuts to bring back for Larissa.
On the home stretch I stopped at the WWII museum. Beginning with the life-size recreations of the likes of Stalin, Churchill, Hitler and even Einstein I was intrigued by the WWII info and memorabilia (hundreds of guns!). However the postcard, stamp and jade collections hardly fit the motif. The complete (and I mean complete) history of the Thai royal family filled the walls, ceilings and display cases of a 5 storey building which I climbed to the top of mostly to catch pictures of the train crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai at sunset. But the least linked exhibit of all was the Miss Thailand room that didn't even have photographs of them! (Only paintings).
Apologies for the rambling but I covered a lot in my (conservatively) estimated 60km of cycling.. you'd hate to see my journal!
On a side note, I fulfilled a lifelong dream the other day as Larissa and I rode home in, get this, a sidecar! Oh yes. I can't remember where this desire stemmed from but when I saw the motorcycles pulling sidecars as taxis in this town I knew I'd be riding in style. Besides being a little noisy it was pretty much everything I'd ever wanted.. the wind in my hair and the pavement whizzing beneath me. Exhiliration without being behind the wheel!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thai Massage
What's better the morning after drinking than a massage? A mixture of massage, chiropractic treatment, forced yoga and contortionist training awaited me as I took my shoes off and entered the house of massage. First there was a foot scrub, then I stepped into a darkened room and changed into loose-fitting clothing. With the air conditioner humming, and Thai light-rock playing overtop I lay on my back on a mattress and the Thai lady entered and began working on me from the bottom up. Using everything from fists, to feet, elbows and knees, and full body twists too she kneaded and poked, pulled and pushed, while stretching and sometimes tickling me all over. At one point she cracked my back in a torso stretch, which I enjoyed, but my favourite part was probably the forearm tendon massage. In contrast, my least favourite was when she began chatting with Larissa's attendant and forgot that she had her thumbs pressed deeply into tender pressure-points in my lower back for thirty seconds at a time. Once she dismounted from standing on the backs of my legs, she attempted to pull my neck from my shoulder. After all in a Thai massage there are equal parts pleasure and pain.
A Taste of Bangkok's Nightlife
After a day of riding the rails, the Skytrain rails of Bangkok that is, we were exhausted from all the shopping and site-seeing. All I wanted to do was relax and perhaps have a drink. Oh yes, and get some famous Bangkokian street food too as I was starved. Working on that first I grabbed a pad thai and made sure it didn't include any mini-octopus, squid or other seafood before scarfing it down. At the next corner were some crispy spring rolls amidst the hubbub of street-vendors with t-shirts and jewelry. Making our way up Khao San we took in the bright lights of the backpackers district and I couldn't resist the thin crepe-like fry that wrapped up a banana so perfectly before being drizzled in concentric circles with chocolate sauce, and a splash of Carnation milk. Best part of my 'meal'.
Turning my attention from food to night life we ignored those menu-holding people accosting us to come sit on their sweaty, street-side stools and drink "strong, cheap drinks". Agreeing that the whole 'fa-rang' (westerner) scene wasn't really what we were looking for we looked for an alternative which was a little difficult granted we were in the backpacker district. From an alleyway we heard the kick of a live drum and shrugging decided to check it out. Through the front window of Tempo Bar we could see a band kicking it so we entered, took up seats near the front and ordered some drinks. The 5-piece of twenty-something Thai guys were rocking out pretty well during this and with drink in hand they played a cover of Oasis' 'Don't Look Back in Anger' - one of the handful of Oasis songs I can stand. It was interesting to hear as we noted that the singer was obviously singing by tones and not by English words. Still they did a decent job of it.
There was a pause for something - banter? - I'm not sure since it was strictly Thai (as was the entire audience) and minutes later they busted into a full-fledged set. Playing at the base of an indoor rock-climbing wall they wailed for a solid half hour, now playing what seemed to be Thai cover-songs, but they were GOOD Thai cover songs. Language or not, they were catchy and upbeat, akin to Reel Big Fish (or even Goldfinger).
The singer paused to introduce a tune which elicited a scream from the group of girls sat directly behind us, and as they played the power ballad (which was also surprisingly good) the girls sang along. This was followed by a rousing, and rocking, rendition of Happy Birthday. A few songs later I tore myself away as there was so much more to explore and it looked as if they would play all night!
Wandering back up the road there was street entertainment in the form of a sensational soccer dribbler, cradling the ball with all parts of his body and never letting it drop. Around the corner we heard some recognizable acoustic chords. Cozying up curbside one young Thai guy played an amazing collection of English songs, from Queen to Eagle-Eye Cherry and much, much more. The Chang Beers kept coming until I had to get Larissa home to bed, otherwise I would have been there all night.
The only downer part of the night was that all the mango & sticky rice vendors had packed up by the time we headed home.
Turning my attention from food to night life we ignored those menu-holding people accosting us to come sit on their sweaty, street-side stools and drink "strong, cheap drinks". Agreeing that the whole 'fa-rang' (westerner) scene wasn't really what we were looking for we looked for an alternative which was a little difficult granted we were in the backpacker district. From an alleyway we heard the kick of a live drum and shrugging decided to check it out. Through the front window of Tempo Bar we could see a band kicking it so we entered, took up seats near the front and ordered some drinks. The 5-piece of twenty-something Thai guys were rocking out pretty well during this and with drink in hand they played a cover of Oasis' 'Don't Look Back in Anger' - one of the handful of Oasis songs I can stand. It was interesting to hear as we noted that the singer was obviously singing by tones and not by English words. Still they did a decent job of it.
There was a pause for something - banter? - I'm not sure since it was strictly Thai (as was the entire audience) and minutes later they busted into a full-fledged set. Playing at the base of an indoor rock-climbing wall they wailed for a solid half hour, now playing what seemed to be Thai cover-songs, but they were GOOD Thai cover songs. Language or not, they were catchy and upbeat, akin to Reel Big Fish (or even Goldfinger).
The singer paused to introduce a tune which elicited a scream from the group of girls sat directly behind us, and as they played the power ballad (which was also surprisingly good) the girls sang along. This was followed by a rousing, and rocking, rendition of Happy Birthday. A few songs later I tore myself away as there was so much more to explore and it looked as if they would play all night!
Wandering back up the road there was street entertainment in the form of a sensational soccer dribbler, cradling the ball with all parts of his body and never letting it drop. Around the corner we heard some recognizable acoustic chords. Cozying up curbside one young Thai guy played an amazing collection of English songs, from Queen to Eagle-Eye Cherry and much, much more. The Chang Beers kept coming until I had to get Larissa home to bed, otherwise I would have been there all night.
The only downer part of the night was that all the mango & sticky rice vendors had packed up by the time we headed home.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sup, Beaches?
It was surprisingly quite easy for the normally can't-sit-still me to spend the entirety of today on the beach. Pulling up a yellow wooden lounge lounge chair under an equally yellow umbrella I settled in for countless hours with the salty water lapping at my toes. Also to do with my toes was the foot, or should I say lower-leg massage that stretched me from ticklish thigh down to the tip of my big toe. (I opted out of the pedi, while Larissa went for the whole shebang).
From there the afternoon was an intermingling of floating in the waves, drinking chilled beer, catching up on over a week's worth of journalling, and purchasing new sunglasses, while turning down most of the other beach hawkers with their various wares from breaded shrimp, to henna, banana boat rides, fresh fruit and jewelry. However with the late afternoon sun peaking under the edge of the umbrella I couldn't resist the cookies'n' ice cream frozen stick.
With the apparently hectic city of Bangkok becoming our temporary residence tomorrow I think it was for the best that we recharged today on the beach and are now ready to battle the traffic and smog.
From there the afternoon was an intermingling of floating in the waves, drinking chilled beer, catching up on over a week's worth of journalling, and purchasing new sunglasses, while turning down most of the other beach hawkers with their various wares from breaded shrimp, to henna, banana boat rides, fresh fruit and jewelry. However with the late afternoon sun peaking under the edge of the umbrella I couldn't resist the cookies'n' ice cream frozen stick.
With the apparently hectic city of Bangkok becoming our temporary residence tomorrow I think it was for the best that we recharged today on the beach and are now ready to battle the traffic and smog.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Thai Style
While you mull over this picture let me tell you about dinner.
***
The table on the back patio was already set as I woke Larissa from a nap and we joined everyone for supper. Everyone consisted of four young Thais (aged 15 to early twenties) since our hosts were out for the evening. We sat and took in the spread; centered was a crock-pot with oily water seemingly boiling in it, next to it was a suspicious looking bowl of a thick pinkish viscous substance full of white globs, while each end of the table had a large platter of raw vegetables, and various bottles of sauces were dotted in between. (I selectively ignored the chicken carcass on a plate by the far end). A few moments of awkward silence preceded an attempt at an explanation in English that hardly enlightened us, so I invited our hosts to go ahead and we would follow suit. The preparation went as follows:
Small, foil-wrapped cubes were unwrapped and tossed in. ("Akin to bouillon cubes?" I wondered silently)
The lettuce, and other greenery were cut with scissors and slipped into the water.
Baby corn and carrots were next.
Finally an egg was cracked on top of the floating salad and stirred around.
Frankly things weren't looking all that appetizing at this point, and in part due to my un-eagerness to begin I prompted them to continue. A scoop of the white globs was lowered in a ladle and my query was answered affirmatively when I guessed that it was chicken. While waiting for this concoction to cook, er boil, I asked about another package on the table - within plastic wrap were two strips of crab meat and a variety of greyish blobs of varying shapes. Unfortunately for my vegetarian self my curious mouth prompted the contents of this fish package to be haphazardly dumped into the massive pot. Uh oh... furthering my conundrum was the scoop of raw chicken added and this time freed from its ladle.
Silent minutes passed with a few furtive looks being passed between my sister and I until one of our hosts deciding things were ready began serving from the communal bowl into their own. Following suit I began delicately spooning through the 'soup' with every effort to avoid anything white (sticking to green and orange - but not the crab). Larissa continued to sit unmoving. Adding a dab of sauce I presumed to be chili, though very well may have been seafood sauce, I took a stab at picking which of the fork/spoon/chopsticks to employ and tried my wet meal.
'Hmmm' turned mildly to 'mmm' as I was pleasantly surprised to find a fair amount of flavour. Daringly I added some finely chopped chili peppers to the mix and survived. Seeing how I was at least swallowing the food Larissa helped herself to a small first serving. Each bite for me was carefully inspected as the egg turned out to be a blessing and a curse. Yes, I enjoy egg and could use the protein, but boiled egg and boiled chicken look remarkably alike making it difficult for me to differentiate between the two. Some bites were based on the blind faith that the egg did indeed come before the chicken.
To my delight and surprise Larissa's second helping was even larger than her first, and I continued with my meal as well. Unbeknownst to me mushy, clear strings had been added which I ate and was relieved when Larissa informed me later that they were indeed glass noodles as I'd suspected, and not some sort of sea creature. Somehow the six of us managed to down most of the two giant platters of vegetables in their broken-down soup-like form and though I'd been apprehensive since it was an entirely novel dinner for me, it was rather enjoyable.
***
Now I reveal the photo snapped moments after the first picture was taken, as I plummeted 56 stories in a minute or so on a cable from tower top to the ground. I was anxious as Larissa was pushed over the edge in front of me, but once it was my turn to slide down into nothingness I quickly moved beyond the fear.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Viewable Content
"Wow" "Super" "Groovy" "Tasty" "Quite splendid indeed"
These are all anticipated reactions to the news that I've added a few photos of my own to the wealth of pictoral media on the internets. Needing to get to sleep as it is coming on 130am in Thailand I've only gone through three memory cards worth and chosen some highlights (I believe there've been 8 cards total taken and I'm running out of room on my thumb drive!)
Comments here, there and everywhere would be appreciated, and probably amusing.
These are all anticipated reactions to the news that I've added a few photos of my own to the wealth of pictoral media on the internets. Needing to get to sleep as it is coming on 130am in Thailand I've only gone through three memory cards worth and chosen some highlights (I believe there've been 8 cards total taken and I'm running out of room on my thumb drive!)
Comments here, there and everywhere would be appreciated, and probably amusing.
Check List
Today I crossed many things off the ongoing, life-long, to-do list (which basically encompasses anything interesting/exciting/productive within the limits of the law [of some countries] and without harming any living creature [but bothering my sister is okay]).
Tomorrow.... zip line??
- Ate dragonfruit
- Participated in a video-call across the ocean (and 15 time zones). This IS the future! [Okay that was last night but it counts]
- Prayed to a giant, completely golden Buddha
- Spotted a Thai lady-man
- Was whipped on the bum in broad daylight by a stranger (no, not the ladyman)
- Ran on the spot while floating in one of these giant balls in 33 degree weather until the oxygen in the bubble was nearly depleted and I almost passed out. (So much fun!)
- Knee-boarded, water-skiied and wake-boarded. Yes I've done all of those before but never on a tow rope around a man-made lake! (Nor have I entered from a dock which is kinda tricky!)
Tomorrow.... zip line??
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Transit ion (Delhi, Agra, Delhi, Amritsar, Delhi, Bangkok, Pattaya)
With the arrival of Larissa came the onslaught of activities for there was so much of India left to see and so little time to show it to her (hence the lack of updates, which I will now make amends for). As mentioned previously, Delhi - India's capital - proved to be a trying place with far-flung sites distanced by unceasing traffic. Running away from this we took in the grand Taj Mahal in Agra, also as documented. From there we had to pass through Delhi once more on our way to Amritsar, home of the Sikh Golden Palace.
Well this Delhi fly-through did not go quite as planned. First from Agra we needed to catch a train at 757am so after the previous day's late-night scramble to find a working ATM (who knew it could be so difficult? and in every city!) we had cash to pay the hotel bill and exit in search of a tuk tuk (3-wheeled auto rickshaw). After negotiating with the driver we agreed on a price ($1 Canadian for a few kms) but were appalled after squeezing in with our bags to witness the eventual push start of the vehicle and hear the horrible noises coming from it. Figuring it was too much hassle to disengage we went with it, as did the driver's friend who came along, which seemed odd but was explained shortly thereafter. You see as we puttered down the road, with other rickshaws and even cycle-rickshaws overtaking us we came to a tricky spot where a man pulling a large wagon was on our left and a giant tour bus was sliding by us on our right. Our driver yelled and the friend hopped out and tried to slow our yellow and green death trap with his feet since the brakes apparently weren't working. Unsuccessful in his attempt we crashed into the side of the wagon just as the tail end of the bus, I kid you not, brushed against my leg and clipped the front end of our rickshaw. The most amazing (in a bad way) thing about this experience was that none of the three vehicles even paused and we continued to the train station, with me and Larissa huddled in the back shaking our heads and wondering what the heck we'd gotten into.
Anyway the trip on the train back to Delhi was without incident and we hired a taxi to tour us around. The first stop was a temple shaped like a lotus designed by an Indian-Canadian architect. However this turned out to be closed so we asked for another site in its place and were taking to a 9 stage sound and light diorama that basically decreed in unminced words the Hindu gospel. Brainwashing in the form of strobe lights, thunderous sound systems, three screen video rooms, action figures and black lights. The railway museum and doll museum (6500 dolls in one hour!) were much more tame.
Paying the driver off we were dropped near the train station with four hours (or so we thought) to kill. We wandered through the market with the goals of internet (to verify that we had a spot on the train, since we'd been waitlisted) and dinner. The first goal became exceedingly difficult as nobody around in the hubbub of market and traffic was friendly, helpful, spoke-english or any of the above. We were coerced into small dark alleys with the promise of a computer only to find pushy sari-sellers, and pointed in every direction, none of which produced what we wanted. Every second person was trying to drive us somewhere and not a single one of them understood "internet". Unwanted and uncalled for attention was being bestowed upon Larissa as a darkness fell around us and despite the busy atmosphere (or perhaps because of it) men became more aggressive and we felt more uncomfortable. Eventually we just tried to escape the throngs of people by giving up on the internet and going to the train station, which wasn't much better. Here we were able to confirm we had sleepers on the train, however without internet printing facilities we were bound to pay a fine for each ticket that we hadn't printed. Annoyed by this but without any means of procuring a printed ticket (the train attendants refused, or perhaps were unable) we turned to our next task. Food was back in the crush of people and serenity was no where to be found. I bought the restaurant out as we hadn't eaten much all day, but the din in the place was still keeping us from peace.
Fed we went to the station an hour early. Took a seat at what we believed to be our platform and waited. And waited further without any indication that the train was coming. Nervous that we were in the wrong spot I wished to check but didn't want to leave Larissa unattended or miss the train. The display boards were out of order and although the lady over the sound system talked ceaselessly (mostly in Hindi) she did not mention our train once. Finally it was an hour after the train's expected departure and a saintly young man approached and translated the last audio announcement saying that our platform had been changed but that the train was coming soon. He even took us to our compartment as the train was mislabelled and we weren't going to get on without his help. Once finally boarded, the train left over an hour late (2 hours of our waiting at the station, 5 hours in the Hell of Old Delhi) and our only task was to get some rest on the journey by ignoring the bed bugs crawling on the walls.
****
Amritsar was a heavenly sanctuary in comparison. A free shuttle bus took us promptly to the magnificent golden temple where we checked into a relatively nice room with accomodating clerks. Lunch was great and the sights were all nearby. Somehow we had lucked out and arrived on a giant Sikh festival celebrating the original guru's birthday, so after an interesting display of patriotism at the India/Pakistan border closing ceremony (a story for another post!) we witnessed a fantastic (and free) firework display above the golden temple (rumoured to be covered in 750kg of pure gold!)
The rest of the stay in Amritsar was equally relaxing as we visited some parks and took in a Bollywood film (London Dreams) which was quite entertaining despite it being (mostly) in Hindi. Finally we began to depart India but it would be a long journey. Opting for a cycle rickshaw instead of the full free bus we were dropped at the station. The train was there early and we boarded and were given complimentary water, snacks and a full Indian thali (dinner). Smiling at eac other we wondered why we hadn't gotten this treatment before our final train journey in India (my lucky number 13th I calculated). The six hour trip was painfree besides the hyperactive child a couple of seats over. In Delhi the plan was to buy a prepaid taxi from the train station to the airport to avoid the city we'd come to hate altogether. However we found that taxis were no longer available prepaid leaving us stuck with a horribly long and loud prepaid rickshaw ride to the airport, or the task of bargaining for a taxi. We opted for the second option but should have taken the first as the taxi we were led to made more noise than any rickshaw we'd been in (even the brake-less one) and the driver appeared to have a deathwish. Nonetheless we made it to the airport in one piece, 4 hours early for our flight.
Check-in was fine then we tried to gulp back 2 litres of water before security (only to realize we'd have to pee it out the entire flight). On the inside we had 400 rupees ($10) to get rid of as it is illegal, and unworthwhile, to take rupees out of the country. Disappointed were we when we found out the duty free wouldn't accept rupees from non-Indians so we blew it on books. About 2am at this point we both got a bit grumpy and tried to read through bleary eyes while waiting for the plane. Naturally our gate was changed at the last moment too ("this is India" being the go-to explanation we'd come to expect) and at 330am they rushed us on for our 4am departure. The trip was 3h33m and was the only sleep we got, between take off, meal and landing.
*************
Thailand saw a driver holding a sign "Mr. Stefan" which was a welcome sight just before he took us out into the humid heat. Same approximate temperature as India the humidity was noticeable and made things dramatically worse for us. The nearly 2 hour drive thankfully was air conditioned and we were overjoyed to do up our buckles and see that people actually drive in lanes and obey traffic signals!
My brother-in-law's father and his wife welcomed us with great smiles to their lavish private community home a couple of klicks from the Pattaya beach. We did our best to be social for an hour over the best mango and pineapple I've ever tasted before crashing hard for two hours of sleep due to exhaustion in our most comfortable room, complete with en suite washroom! The change from yesterday to today has been drastic, and the peacefulness here is most welcome. A bit of tennis and a nice beachside pizza rounded out our day today and we look forward to this holiday from our holiday while recuperating here for the next four days.
Well this Delhi fly-through did not go quite as planned. First from Agra we needed to catch a train at 757am so after the previous day's late-night scramble to find a working ATM (who knew it could be so difficult? and in every city!) we had cash to pay the hotel bill and exit in search of a tuk tuk (3-wheeled auto rickshaw). After negotiating with the driver we agreed on a price ($1 Canadian for a few kms) but were appalled after squeezing in with our bags to witness the eventual push start of the vehicle and hear the horrible noises coming from it. Figuring it was too much hassle to disengage we went with it, as did the driver's friend who came along, which seemed odd but was explained shortly thereafter. You see as we puttered down the road, with other rickshaws and even cycle-rickshaws overtaking us we came to a tricky spot where a man pulling a large wagon was on our left and a giant tour bus was sliding by us on our right. Our driver yelled and the friend hopped out and tried to slow our yellow and green death trap with his feet since the brakes apparently weren't working. Unsuccessful in his attempt we crashed into the side of the wagon just as the tail end of the bus, I kid you not, brushed against my leg and clipped the front end of our rickshaw. The most amazing (in a bad way) thing about this experience was that none of the three vehicles even paused and we continued to the train station, with me and Larissa huddled in the back shaking our heads and wondering what the heck we'd gotten into.
Anyway the trip on the train back to Delhi was without incident and we hired a taxi to tour us around. The first stop was a temple shaped like a lotus designed by an Indian-Canadian architect. However this turned out to be closed so we asked for another site in its place and were taking to a 9 stage sound and light diorama that basically decreed in unminced words the Hindu gospel. Brainwashing in the form of strobe lights, thunderous sound systems, three screen video rooms, action figures and black lights. The railway museum and doll museum (6500 dolls in one hour!) were much more tame.
Paying the driver off we were dropped near the train station with four hours (or so we thought) to kill. We wandered through the market with the goals of internet (to verify that we had a spot on the train, since we'd been waitlisted) and dinner. The first goal became exceedingly difficult as nobody around in the hubbub of market and traffic was friendly, helpful, spoke-english or any of the above. We were coerced into small dark alleys with the promise of a computer only to find pushy sari-sellers, and pointed in every direction, none of which produced what we wanted. Every second person was trying to drive us somewhere and not a single one of them understood "internet". Unwanted and uncalled for attention was being bestowed upon Larissa as a darkness fell around us and despite the busy atmosphere (or perhaps because of it) men became more aggressive and we felt more uncomfortable. Eventually we just tried to escape the throngs of people by giving up on the internet and going to the train station, which wasn't much better. Here we were able to confirm we had sleepers on the train, however without internet printing facilities we were bound to pay a fine for each ticket that we hadn't printed. Annoyed by this but without any means of procuring a printed ticket (the train attendants refused, or perhaps were unable) we turned to our next task. Food was back in the crush of people and serenity was no where to be found. I bought the restaurant out as we hadn't eaten much all day, but the din in the place was still keeping us from peace.
Fed we went to the station an hour early. Took a seat at what we believed to be our platform and waited. And waited further without any indication that the train was coming. Nervous that we were in the wrong spot I wished to check but didn't want to leave Larissa unattended or miss the train. The display boards were out of order and although the lady over the sound system talked ceaselessly (mostly in Hindi) she did not mention our train once. Finally it was an hour after the train's expected departure and a saintly young man approached and translated the last audio announcement saying that our platform had been changed but that the train was coming soon. He even took us to our compartment as the train was mislabelled and we weren't going to get on without his help. Once finally boarded, the train left over an hour late (2 hours of our waiting at the station, 5 hours in the Hell of Old Delhi) and our only task was to get some rest on the journey by ignoring the bed bugs crawling on the walls.
****
Amritsar was a heavenly sanctuary in comparison. A free shuttle bus took us promptly to the magnificent golden temple where we checked into a relatively nice room with accomodating clerks. Lunch was great and the sights were all nearby. Somehow we had lucked out and arrived on a giant Sikh festival celebrating the original guru's birthday, so after an interesting display of patriotism at the India/Pakistan border closing ceremony (a story for another post!) we witnessed a fantastic (and free) firework display above the golden temple (rumoured to be covered in 750kg of pure gold!)
The rest of the stay in Amritsar was equally relaxing as we visited some parks and took in a Bollywood film (London Dreams) which was quite entertaining despite it being (mostly) in Hindi. Finally we began to depart India but it would be a long journey. Opting for a cycle rickshaw instead of the full free bus we were dropped at the station. The train was there early and we boarded and were given complimentary water, snacks and a full Indian thali (dinner). Smiling at eac other we wondered why we hadn't gotten this treatment before our final train journey in India (my lucky number 13th I calculated). The six hour trip was painfree besides the hyperactive child a couple of seats over. In Delhi the plan was to buy a prepaid taxi from the train station to the airport to avoid the city we'd come to hate altogether. However we found that taxis were no longer available prepaid leaving us stuck with a horribly long and loud prepaid rickshaw ride to the airport, or the task of bargaining for a taxi. We opted for the second option but should have taken the first as the taxi we were led to made more noise than any rickshaw we'd been in (even the brake-less one) and the driver appeared to have a deathwish. Nonetheless we made it to the airport in one piece, 4 hours early for our flight.
Check-in was fine then we tried to gulp back 2 litres of water before security (only to realize we'd have to pee it out the entire flight). On the inside we had 400 rupees ($10) to get rid of as it is illegal, and unworthwhile, to take rupees out of the country. Disappointed were we when we found out the duty free wouldn't accept rupees from non-Indians so we blew it on books. About 2am at this point we both got a bit grumpy and tried to read through bleary eyes while waiting for the plane. Naturally our gate was changed at the last moment too ("this is India" being the go-to explanation we'd come to expect) and at 330am they rushed us on for our 4am departure. The trip was 3h33m and was the only sleep we got, between take off, meal and landing.
*************
Thailand saw a driver holding a sign "Mr. Stefan" which was a welcome sight just before he took us out into the humid heat. Same approximate temperature as India the humidity was noticeable and made things dramatically worse for us. The nearly 2 hour drive thankfully was air conditioned and we were overjoyed to do up our buckles and see that people actually drive in lanes and obey traffic signals!
My brother-in-law's father and his wife welcomed us with great smiles to their lavish private community home a couple of klicks from the Pattaya beach. We did our best to be social for an hour over the best mango and pineapple I've ever tasted before crashing hard for two hours of sleep due to exhaustion in our most comfortable room, complete with en suite washroom! The change from yesterday to today has been drastic, and the peacefulness here is most welcome. A bit of tennis and a nice beachside pizza rounded out our day today and we look forward to this holiday from our holiday while recuperating here for the next four days.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
International
Today marks my 35th and final day in India (for this trip). On the one hand it has been a long five weeks, marked with heat and annoyances, but only slight occasional discomfort and rarely any fear. In return for these temporary inconveniences I've seen a truly wonderful country despite its problems. The pollution, both noise and environmental, that have been a nearly non-stop reminder of the issues associated with huge populations and developing nations. However the friendly, inviting people (for the most part), the amazing history, the beautiful country, sprinkled with awesome buildings, caves, architecture and more have made the entire experience wholly worthwhile. At this juncture I am ready to bid a farewell to India and look forward to a few days of serenity on the beaches of Thailand. That being said, the call of India may very well draw me back here in the future armed with a better understanding of the country, and a desire to explore it much further as there is plenty left to see. For now India, so long!
Agra's Amazing Architecture
And there it was. Positively glowing in the just-crested, red, morning sun. After all the hype - the talk and the photographs - the stories and the fables - the early wake up call and the long line. These things are not worth listing, for none of it really mattered once the magnificent structure stood boldly against the sky at the far end of the perfectly straight garden. Knowing that I was embarking on the final steps of a long path to perhaps the most beautiful man-made structure in history brought through me a sense of awe, coupled with an odd serenity despite the hordes of fellow onlookers. Approaching the jewel, I found the tower tops and the infamous dome to be radiating a warmth towards me that eased the chill of the morning. Finally reaching my destination it was only a matter of soaking in the grand sight of Agra's Taj Mahal.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Accompanied
Since Larissa has been here we've been stuck in large, polluted, smelly cities. It is unfortunate because this masks the wonderful parts of India and they are more difficult for her to see through the smog. I hope that during the week she will at least catch a glimpse of what I've been able to experience over the past four weeks.
Delhi gave us a look at the history of the country by a morning at the national museum, as well as a trip to the house where Gandhi spent his final 144 days until he was assassinated on those very grounds. It now serves as a memorial for him, including his final golden footprints and a shrine where he died.
Old Delhi was a hubbub that almost got to Larissa on the second day but luckily we made it to the 25,000 person capacity mosque and were able to take it in, including a somewhat hazy but otherwise enjoyable view from atop the 40m tall tower.
Train from Delhi to Agra was her first legitimate train experience - in any country - and unfortunately was a trying one as it was delayed for an hour and the food I hopped off to grab at a station was deep fried, cold and thoroughly disappointing. In Agra we took a bell-ringer tour trying to see the 'Baby Taj' and then the real Taj before sunset. Both were accomplished.. as we watched the sun set from across the Yamuna River (second holiest in India) while viewing the Taj. It was splendid but still somewhat abstract or removed, picture-like, since we have yet to touch it. Tomorrow!
With the Taj closed on Friday's we boarded a city bus (jump-started via pushing!) along with a hundred other people to rumble and rock and smoke all the way to Fatehpur Sikri - the short lived capital of India in the 16th Century for only 14 years. It was nice to see the old palaces (3, one for each of the emperor's wives) and the gardens and the grounds.
It has been great to have family here, quells the homesick feelings that would rise from time to time and gives me someone to share India with. Looking forward to the rest of this country and then onto Thailand and beyond.
Delhi gave us a look at the history of the country by a morning at the national museum, as well as a trip to the house where Gandhi spent his final 144 days until he was assassinated on those very grounds. It now serves as a memorial for him, including his final golden footprints and a shrine where he died.
Old Delhi was a hubbub that almost got to Larissa on the second day but luckily we made it to the 25,000 person capacity mosque and were able to take it in, including a somewhat hazy but otherwise enjoyable view from atop the 40m tall tower.
Train from Delhi to Agra was her first legitimate train experience - in any country - and unfortunately was a trying one as it was delayed for an hour and the food I hopped off to grab at a station was deep fried, cold and thoroughly disappointing. In Agra we took a bell-ringer tour trying to see the 'Baby Taj' and then the real Taj before sunset. Both were accomplished.. as we watched the sun set from across the Yamuna River (second holiest in India) while viewing the Taj. It was splendid but still somewhat abstract or removed, picture-like, since we have yet to touch it. Tomorrow!
With the Taj closed on Friday's we boarded a city bus (jump-started via pushing!) along with a hundred other people to rumble and rock and smoke all the way to Fatehpur Sikri - the short lived capital of India in the 16th Century for only 14 years. It was nice to see the old palaces (3, one for each of the emperor's wives) and the gardens and the grounds.
It has been great to have family here, quells the homesick feelings that would rise from time to time and gives me someone to share India with. Looking forward to the rest of this country and then onto Thailand and beyond.
Magic Masala
It was a large auditorium (seating for 500) with a small crowd (50 seated). The opening act was pretty thinly veiled prop magic with the a pulsing jungle beat song acting as the background, and the interlude and every free spot of music filler there was (including the oh-so-awful crank up and down of the volume between words of the wannabe-dj ). As an interlude the "eye-candy" (being the Indian girl in capri jeans and a shirt) came out and danced to a nearly as bad song. This was followed by an awkward pause that was eventually filled in as this girl returned to the stage, now joined by the skinny Indian guy with the gap tooth, silver shirt and gold flashy vest! Together they began a duet, but it looked as if they hadn't ever really rehearsed it. As the song went on (and on and on) the coordination just got worse and they were definitely ad-libbing, and poorly.
The next act saw them attempt to call people up on stage. Nobody wanted to go and finally they persuaded a boy of 5 and a boy of perhaps 8 to be their puppets. This resulted in the most awful act during which they "milked" the silver & gold man's nipples to fill a glass and then poured it down the 8 year old's mouth. This was repeated using the younger boys fly of his pants (which they also unzipped) and after again forcing it down the 8 year old's throat he spit it back up onto the stage floor. For the rest of the night there was nary a hand when they asked for volunteers - at least I think that's what they were asking for (it was entirely in Hindi and I had my earplugs in to combat the overly loud music).
Intermission was far too long for my grumbling hungry tummy, and when it seemed like they NEEDED to put something back on nearly a half hour later guess what we got... The music came up, this time a new song, but the dynamic duo of 'eye candy' and 'silver & gold' performed the exact same routine!
Desperate for people the actual magician who finally showed his face (and giant pants and leather boots and headdress and makeup) in the second half pulled me up on stage against my will. Rolling with it I climbed into the potato sack for a bit while the muffled Hindi sounds around me gave no indication as to what was to happen next. Thankfully I was let out and then tied the sack with the magician inside. Standing off to the side I watched as they lowered a cloak in front of the sack and then it scooted under the curtain and was replaced by a new one (which the audience couldn't see). My suspicions of the switch were then proved correct when they asked me to untie the sack and I saw that it wasn't the type of knots I'd tied. For my trouble the slapped a handcuff on my arm roughly, so I was attached to the magician. When I reached for the lever I guessed was the hidden release they slapped my hand away. I was relieved to clamour back down to my seat.
Praying for the finale it came with little showmanship. In fact for the "saw the magician in half trick" they didn't even bother to saw him, they just put him in a box and then split it so that the super-fake dummy legs moved mechanically and the magician's waved, while doubled over in his half of the box.
I burst from the nearly 3 hour performance pretty disappointed despite paying less than $2 Cdn and being upgraded to "VIP" for free. Not only that but it was nearly midnight and all the street vendors had gone home so I was left to scrounge up a midnight snack for my aching belly.
The next act saw them attempt to call people up on stage. Nobody wanted to go and finally they persuaded a boy of 5 and a boy of perhaps 8 to be their puppets. This resulted in the most awful act during which they "milked" the silver & gold man's nipples to fill a glass and then poured it down the 8 year old's mouth. This was repeated using the younger boys fly of his pants (which they also unzipped) and after again forcing it down the 8 year old's throat he spit it back up onto the stage floor. For the rest of the night there was nary a hand when they asked for volunteers - at least I think that's what they were asking for (it was entirely in Hindi and I had my earplugs in to combat the overly loud music).
Intermission was far too long for my grumbling hungry tummy, and when it seemed like they NEEDED to put something back on nearly a half hour later guess what we got... The music came up, this time a new song, but the dynamic duo of 'eye candy' and 'silver & gold' performed the exact same routine!
Desperate for people the actual magician who finally showed his face (and giant pants and leather boots and headdress and makeup) in the second half pulled me up on stage against my will. Rolling with it I climbed into the potato sack for a bit while the muffled Hindi sounds around me gave no indication as to what was to happen next. Thankfully I was let out and then tied the sack with the magician inside. Standing off to the side I watched as they lowered a cloak in front of the sack and then it scooted under the curtain and was replaced by a new one (which the audience couldn't see). My suspicions of the switch were then proved correct when they asked me to untie the sack and I saw that it wasn't the type of knots I'd tied. For my trouble the slapped a handcuff on my arm roughly, so I was attached to the magician. When I reached for the lever I guessed was the hidden release they slapped my hand away. I was relieved to clamour back down to my seat.
Praying for the finale it came with little showmanship. In fact for the "saw the magician in half trick" they didn't even bother to saw him, they just put him in a box and then split it so that the super-fake dummy legs moved mechanically and the magician's waved, while doubled over in his half of the box.
I burst from the nearly 3 hour performance pretty disappointed despite paying less than $2 Cdn and being upgraded to "VIP" for free. Not only that but it was nearly midnight and all the street vendors had gone home so I was left to scrounge up a midnight snack for my aching belly.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Arrived!
Larissa, my lovely sister, arrived yesterday to Delhi Airport after a trying 36 hour journey through 5 countries! Through the glass window of the airport arrival hall we had a tired but joyous moment until she came out to meet me in person. Her adapting to India has come along quite far in only 24 hours - even with the extra annoyance of jet lag. She loves rickshaw rides (or at least prefers them to jam-packed subways) and has already developed a taste for Indian food and curries that as of yesterday she claimed not to have. "Give me Paneer Naan and I'll be happy" she remarked at our rooftop dinner just hours ago.
We are desperately attempting to book trains (oh trains in India...) I suppose it is my own fault for leaving it until 10 hours until expected departure. Despite this strain we are determined to see Agra (especially the Taj Mahal of course) and Amritsar (including the Golden Palace). Hopefully we can fit in the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri in there too. A quick 8 days in India, only long enough for her to get used to all the honking, and she'll be back on a plane heading to the (hopefully) relaxing beaches of Pattaya, Thailand.
We are desperately attempting to book trains (oh trains in India...) I suppose it is my own fault for leaving it until 10 hours until expected departure. Despite this strain we are determined to see Agra (especially the Taj Mahal of course) and Amritsar (including the Golden Palace). Hopefully we can fit in the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri in there too. A quick 8 days in India, only long enough for her to get used to all the honking, and she'll be back on a plane heading to the (hopefully) relaxing beaches of Pattaya, Thailand.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Letter from the Indian Sub-continent
Dear Larissa,
My littlest sister. I hope that this letter finds you well and in the final stages of your preparations for the long journey. In a few short days you will join me on this strange yet spectacular subcontinent and that thought brings me great pleasure. Whenever I find myself longing for home I bring that to the fore and it calms me. To have you at my side while exploring this land of hidden gems will be a blessing for me, the weary traveler, to have someone to share these with. Not only that but in times of difficulty, prolonged waiting, or discomfort to have a companion in which to turn and complain can serve to relieve the ills. Yes, there will be troubles I'm sure but all of these are merely stepping stones on a path littered with jewels unknown.
Perhaps it would be best if I forewarned you about some of these difficulties which are sure to try to hamper our visit to India, so that when they do prey on you they will not drag you down entirely. To begin with you should come to terms with lizards. Mostly small geckos, though yesterday I saw the tail-end (literally) of a much larger reptile, and today there was a neat-looking chameleon. In addition to lizards, bats are predominantly found in temples, run-down palaces and caves, and I just so happen to be predominantly found in those places as well. In fact, mere hours ago a bat flew out of a cave and directly into my chest - so much for echo-location! Ants - everywhere you sit on the street there's ants (and flies for that matter). Thankfully the hotel rooms are (mostly) bug- and lizard-free. They are definitely free of monkeys, yet most other hillside places (see the list of bat hang-outs) are littered with these clumsy, yet at times annoying primates. (Besides the locals told me about monkey repellent - aka a stick). OH and cows. Cows are everywhere (EVERYWHERE) but they are utterly harmless.
Besides annoyances from the animalia kingdom there are other things that you may need to adjust to. Let's start with the day-to-day and hope that you are ready for the heat. We're only talking 30C+ daily; a fairly dry heat not much worse than a hot Ontario day so upping your water intake, and increasing breaks should be sufficient. Breaks from walking that is, as there are SO many amazing and interesting things to see and unfortunately they are not always located side-by-side. Your brother likes to walk here to there and is bound to drag you alongside. Get your hiking boots worked in!
Haggling is a way of life; a much abhorred but necessary means of agreeing on a fair price for just about anything in this country. The trouble is when you allow a rip-off to lurk, but if you convert to Canadian currency it is easy to move past. Besides working toward a good deal can be satisfying, if somewhat tiresome, in the end. I have weeks of practice so I'll show ya the ropes, kid ;)
Constant, and seemingly unrelenting attention will be reaped upon you whether you desire it or not. The amount of people that have greeted me with a 'Hello' and a 'What country?' nears five digits by now I'm sure. Perspective is the key to this - if you accept it as a friendly gesture it is simple to smile or wave back and carry on, no matter what you're going through.
Finally habits that I've yet to come to terms with are the way in which Indians, primarily men, relieve themselves at will. Whether it be their bladders in rather conspicuous places, their gas while walking up the street directly in front of you or even their phlegm (with a finger to one nostril and a firm blow out the other) it happens far more often than I care to witness. Hopefully these ways don't make you need to relieve your stomach via your throat.
My intention with these warnings were to prepare your delicate senses for things that are sure to offend a lady such as yourself. With these warnings it may occur and you may look the other way without as much of a shock and negative reaction. Despite these minor inconveniences there are multitudes more wonderful experiences to be had. Friendly and inviting locals, sun everyday and gorgeous countryside are just the beginning of it all. Working past things we'll make memories to last many lifetimes. Until I see you in person, take care and safe journey!
Sincerely your brother,
Stefan
My littlest sister. I hope that this letter finds you well and in the final stages of your preparations for the long journey. In a few short days you will join me on this strange yet spectacular subcontinent and that thought brings me great pleasure. Whenever I find myself longing for home I bring that to the fore and it calms me. To have you at my side while exploring this land of hidden gems will be a blessing for me, the weary traveler, to have someone to share these with. Not only that but in times of difficulty, prolonged waiting, or discomfort to have a companion in which to turn and complain can serve to relieve the ills. Yes, there will be troubles I'm sure but all of these are merely stepping stones on a path littered with jewels unknown.
Perhaps it would be best if I forewarned you about some of these difficulties which are sure to try to hamper our visit to India, so that when they do prey on you they will not drag you down entirely. To begin with you should come to terms with lizards. Mostly small geckos, though yesterday I saw the tail-end (literally) of a much larger reptile, and today there was a neat-looking chameleon. In addition to lizards, bats are predominantly found in temples, run-down palaces and caves, and I just so happen to be predominantly found in those places as well. In fact, mere hours ago a bat flew out of a cave and directly into my chest - so much for echo-location! Ants - everywhere you sit on the street there's ants (and flies for that matter). Thankfully the hotel rooms are (mostly) bug- and lizard-free. They are definitely free of monkeys, yet most other hillside places (see the list of bat hang-outs) are littered with these clumsy, yet at times annoying primates. (Besides the locals told me about monkey repellent - aka a stick). OH and cows. Cows are everywhere (EVERYWHERE) but they are utterly harmless.
Besides annoyances from the animalia kingdom there are other things that you may need to adjust to. Let's start with the day-to-day and hope that you are ready for the heat. We're only talking 30C+ daily; a fairly dry heat not much worse than a hot Ontario day so upping your water intake, and increasing breaks should be sufficient. Breaks from walking that is, as there are SO many amazing and interesting things to see and unfortunately they are not always located side-by-side. Your brother likes to walk here to there and is bound to drag you alongside. Get your hiking boots worked in!
Haggling is a way of life; a much abhorred but necessary means of agreeing on a fair price for just about anything in this country. The trouble is when you allow a rip-off to lurk, but if you convert to Canadian currency it is easy to move past. Besides working toward a good deal can be satisfying, if somewhat tiresome, in the end. I have weeks of practice so I'll show ya the ropes, kid ;)
Constant, and seemingly unrelenting attention will be reaped upon you whether you desire it or not. The amount of people that have greeted me with a 'Hello' and a 'What country?' nears five digits by now I'm sure. Perspective is the key to this - if you accept it as a friendly gesture it is simple to smile or wave back and carry on, no matter what you're going through.
Finally habits that I've yet to come to terms with are the way in which Indians, primarily men, relieve themselves at will. Whether it be their bladders in rather conspicuous places, their gas while walking up the street directly in front of you or even their phlegm (with a finger to one nostril and a firm blow out the other) it happens far more often than I care to witness. Hopefully these ways don't make you need to relieve your stomach via your throat.
My intention with these warnings were to prepare your delicate senses for things that are sure to offend a lady such as yourself. With these warnings it may occur and you may look the other way without as much of a shock and negative reaction. Despite these minor inconveniences there are multitudes more wonderful experiences to be had. Friendly and inviting locals, sun everyday and gorgeous countryside are just the beginning of it all. Working past things we'll make memories to last many lifetimes. Until I see you in person, take care and safe journey!
Sincerely your brother,
Stefan
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Yoga in the Birthplace of Yoga
Having been expressly directed to try yoga (having never tried it before, besides when directed by my mother, hardly a master, years ago) in India - the birthplace of yoga - I could hardly pass up the opportunity to start my day with a free hour on the rooftop of my guest home. Bright and early I clamoured up the steps and drew the first of many deep breaths for the morning due to the great view. The yoga master did not need words and simply began the class for the three of us through example. Things began well enough, as we started stretching but toward the middle I realized that my mighty thighs are not meant for the lotus position (a key position for yoga apparently). I did my best and there were some popping of joints and slight straining of muscles but nothing I couldn't handle.
Toward the end of the lesson the yoga master began a move, and just like before I attempted to replicate it. For a split second I was balanced, before a shift in weight sent me crashing loudly into the pole in the middle of the room. Untangling myself I came up to find the two girls in the class giggling at my fall, while the yoga master continued to stand rigidly in position. Moments later he left the position and came over to assist and I realized that I was supposed to have watched his pose and waited until AFTER to try the headstand, with a spotter. Oops!
The next move was to lie limply on the ground (aka nap) which I was brilliant at, if I do say so myself.
Toward the end of the lesson the yoga master began a move, and just like before I attempted to replicate it. For a split second I was balanced, before a shift in weight sent me crashing loudly into the pole in the middle of the room. Untangling myself I came up to find the two girls in the class giggling at my fall, while the yoga master continued to stand rigidly in position. Moments later he left the position and came over to assist and I realized that I was supposed to have watched his pose and waited until AFTER to try the headstand, with a spotter. Oops!
The next move was to lie limply on the ground (aka nap) which I was brilliant at, if I do say so myself.
A Family Affair
Arriving in Udaipur I struck out to explore and was directed north to a quaint lake outside the city. As mentioned previously, Udaipur is renowned as the romantic capital of Rajasthan (the state within India) and this lake is apparently a go-to spot. I wandered around it, intrigued by the observatory located in the middle of the lake, and as I rounded the final bend to return to the main road I was passed by two Indian guys about my age on a motorbike, who waved 'hi', offered me a ride which I declined and carried on. Shortly thereafter I came upon them sat roadside sharing a suspicious looking drink from a pop bottle. From there we began a friendship of the gutteral sort, seeing as the only words we had in common were 'beer', 'thali' (Indian meal), and 'hotel'. Regardless we hit it off somehow and before I knew it I was riding middle of a threesome on their bike. Showing off I suppose the driver raised both hands from steering and showed me. I'm quite sure he didn't understand a word that I said but the distress in my voice was clear and he retook the controls while laughing mightily. After sharing some beers and finding out they were 19 and 20 years old respectively we somehow continued the friendship... and whenever communication would break down (ie:charades weren't working) we would say "No English. No Hindi!" and laugh.
After adding a few words to our shared vocabulary, including 'house', 'sister' and 'brother' we were soon whizzing, I don't even know where, and I found myself at one of their homes. Introductions went around in this one-room rooftop basic house (practically a shack) but the smiles of the many sisters, brother and parents were wide and inviting. I sat down and awkwardly was presented with a meal (after vehemently declaring myself as 'veg') and felt pressured to eat it by myself, while nobody else had food, but simply were watching me. Next I was given a glass of water which placed me in a predicament as all guides say NEVER to drink tap water.. but with the encouragement and the fear of offending I drank a small quantity (and sent a quick message to my good bacteria to ready for a fight).
Before leaving I wanted to take advantage of the night-time view over the city from their lookout and took out my camera. This fascinated all and many photos were taken of everyone present. I bowed, thanking the family for their generosity as best as I could with body language and left with the two guys.
Nearing my guest house curfew hour I repeatedly said "hotel" until I was taken towards it. However due to Diwali celebrations that were continuing the streets were closed so I was taken to police saw horse where I hugged my friends goodbye and whipped out my trusty Lonely Planet to find a landmark to guide me safely home.
After adding a few words to our shared vocabulary, including 'house', 'sister' and 'brother' we were soon whizzing, I don't even know where, and I found myself at one of their homes. Introductions went around in this one-room rooftop basic house (practically a shack) but the smiles of the many sisters, brother and parents were wide and inviting. I sat down and awkwardly was presented with a meal (after vehemently declaring myself as 'veg') and felt pressured to eat it by myself, while nobody else had food, but simply were watching me. Next I was given a glass of water which placed me in a predicament as all guides say NEVER to drink tap water.. but with the encouragement and the fear of offending I drank a small quantity (and sent a quick message to my good bacteria to ready for a fight).
Before leaving I wanted to take advantage of the night-time view over the city from their lookout and took out my camera. This fascinated all and many photos were taken of everyone present. I bowed, thanking the family for their generosity as best as I could with body language and left with the two guys.
Nearing my guest house curfew hour I repeatedly said "hotel" until I was taken towards it. However due to Diwali celebrations that were continuing the streets were closed so I was taken to police saw horse where I hugged my friends goodbye and whipped out my trusty Lonely Planet to find a landmark to guide me safely home.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Bombs Away
Last I left you Diwali was about to begin in full force. My friend, Ranjit, from the internet cafe offered to show me around as night fell and more and more things began to burst around me. Walking down the street families had gathered at their home- or store-fronts to explode crackers into the night. From the way Ranjit was greeted I still cannot decide if he was the friendly-neighbour or the local drunk, but either way, everyone seemed to know him. Each shop we were stopped and I was introduced to the folks all milling about. "Happy Diwali" and "Same to you" was exchanged, as were handshakes and smiles for it was a joyous, festival atmosphere. Fireworks were thrust into my hand, which I was wary of but with the urging of many people around (peer-pressure) I lit one, which sparked not only the shower of fire, but also the pyro in me. Soon I was accepting all sorts of mini-explosives, as well as yummy traditional Indian sweets. That is until I took a bomb that is supposed to spray a meter of sparks into the air for a few seconds and then fizzle out... I lit it from a candle and a split second after I set it on the ground it blew. I was hit by a wave of light and heat, but fortunately no embers landed on me and besides being shaken up wasn't any worse for wear.
Over a Pepsi, Ranjit and I took in the larger fireworks in the distance until parting ways. Heading towards the train station I was sidetracked by a group of curious young Indian boys. It took all my strength to arm wrestle all eight of them... at once... but I proved victorious. Finally in the clear I was twenty steps from entering the train station when my sense of danger kicked in (ordinarily set to low) as a man began lighting an entire line of crackers mere meters away. I hurried on but the very first shot out and struck me directly in the top of the ear. It felt as if it burned but the man responsible rushed up and assured me it was okay. He offered to take care of me for the night but understandably annoyed I brushed him off as my train was leaving momentarily anyway.
Over a Pepsi, Ranjit and I took in the larger fireworks in the distance until parting ways. Heading towards the train station I was sidetracked by a group of curious young Indian boys. It took all my strength to arm wrestle all eight of them... at once... but I proved victorious. Finally in the clear I was twenty steps from entering the train station when my sense of danger kicked in (ordinarily set to low) as a man began lighting an entire line of crackers mere meters away. I hurried on but the very first shot out and struck me directly in the top of the ear. It felt as if it burned but the man responsible rushed up and assured me it was okay. He offered to take care of me for the night but understandably annoyed I brushed him off as my train was leaving momentarily anyway.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Back Photos
I realize I promised this as a photo blog and have barely come through.. well I'll attempt to change that with some pics from over the past couple weeks. Most are nature/caves etc and people-free but I'll spare you too many of those and stick to the other which fall into one of two categories. The super-awkward self-shot or even more awkward delay-run-to-the-spot pic.
Cowering below a shelter to hide from the rain that I saw for 2.5 days when I first got to Goa and haven't seen since (besides a couple drops here and there.)
These trouble-makers followed me around the "mini-Taj" the entire time. That is until the security guard whistled and kicked them out. Not sure what they did wrong due to language barriers - I was enjoying their shadowing actually.
My front porch from my hut in Hampi. It is overlooking a rice field, and a river, with palms growing in it. This is just about sunset - beautiful, quiet and serene. Can't say enough about Hampi.
One of the many, many sculptures in Hampi. I've got other attempts at being God-like (not blasphemous).. traveling alone can make you go a little funny.
Cowering below a shelter to hide from the rain that I saw for 2.5 days when I first got to Goa and haven't seen since (besides a couple drops here and there.)
These trouble-makers followed me around the "mini-Taj" the entire time. That is until the security guard whistled and kicked them out. Not sure what they did wrong due to language barriers - I was enjoying their shadowing actually.
My front porch from my hut in Hampi. It is overlooking a rice field, and a river, with palms growing in it. This is just about sunset - beautiful, quiet and serene. Can't say enough about Hampi.
One of the many, many sculptures in Hampi. I've got other attempts at being God-like (not blasphemous).. traveling alone can make you go a little funny.
The Bombs
I awoke this morning in a war zone. Outside my window were explosions and the sun hadn't even risen. I rose to peek outside and saw sporadic flashes of light. Ignoring these I went back to sleep with the assistance of ear plugs.
After breakfast I headed off on my own mission - to penetrate Dualatabad Fort. Actually, if my commander commanded me to mount a siege on this fort I'd go AWOL. First we'd have to cross four outer walls, with staggered zigzag entranceways and elephant-proof (spiked) doorways. If somehow we made it through these (and past the many cannons and sure-to-be gun-toting army) then we'd hit the moat. The dry moat that is, before the wet moat. If the drawbridge is up then we'll try to cross the V-shaped bridge, but likely they'll have raised the water level so the bottom of the V will be submerged. Granted we swim or float or somehow make it to the other side there's a 50 meter tunnel of pure darkness, misleading you to a trap door that will bring you back to the crocodile-infested moat (forget the swimming thing I said earlier). So we're smarter than trap doors, but can we dodge scalding oil that is being pour on us from above? In the pitch dark? Yes? Yes we can? Well then maybe I should stay with my troops.. except I'd be exhausted as the top is a full 700 steps up and if ANY of those impediments were in place I don't think I'd have made it.
Rewarding myself I scampered towards a nearby waterpark, walking the first 800m and riding third-man on a motorcycle for the final 200. Was it ever worth it! Immediately upon entrance I join the rain dance already in action - and working too. While a DJ spins (seriously.. a DJ.. it was 1pm) children and adults alike let loose under sprinklers (and water cannons). Luckily the pool was a little warmer and with the dozen or so kids under 12 years old I ran around and slid and splashed. That is until a lifeguard called me aside and pointed towards the BIG slides. Naturally I accepted his invitation and for the next hour I was the ONLY kid on the slides. He would suggest one and I'd clamber to the top and slide on back down. Once all options were exhausted he joined me and beat me cleanly in our first race, while doing a barrel roll! Of course by the end of the day I'd learned that technique on the vertical slide too (though I could only complete 3 rotations in one go, whereas he was mastering 5!)
Sunned and splashed out I bid the kids farewell. To return to town I was approached by a "share-jeep" and agreed to take it back for a measly 40 cents (~15km). However at the time that I agreed there were a reasonable 5 people in this Jeep. At the point when it got ridiculous and I resolved that I would have to blog about it there were a whopping 15 people in one Jeep vehicle. Five in the front, four in the next row and the remaining in the back. Before we reached the destination they'd packed two more in somewhere (one hanging out the open back door!) Not only that but the driver, while adhering to the only ONE rule of the road that I've been able to discern (which is "Honk and it's legal") was driving stick! This may not seem like that big a deal until you remember the 5 people in the front bench which meant he was literally shifting across someone's lap and under my knees. Despite all the pollution in this country at least they know how to carpool.
[Of course if you've been keeping up with the blog as you should *wink* then you'll realize that it wasn't a war zone but Diwali - the festival of light that I woke up to. And the "bombs" were in fact firecrackers. Apparently the festivities don't really get under way until 7pm... I'm counting down the next 90minutes]
After breakfast I headed off on my own mission - to penetrate Dualatabad Fort. Actually, if my commander commanded me to mount a siege on this fort I'd go AWOL. First we'd have to cross four outer walls, with staggered zigzag entranceways and elephant-proof (spiked) doorways. If somehow we made it through these (and past the many cannons and sure-to-be gun-toting army) then we'd hit the moat. The dry moat that is, before the wet moat. If the drawbridge is up then we'll try to cross the V-shaped bridge, but likely they'll have raised the water level so the bottom of the V will be submerged. Granted we swim or float or somehow make it to the other side there's a 50 meter tunnel of pure darkness, misleading you to a trap door that will bring you back to the crocodile-infested moat (forget the swimming thing I said earlier). So we're smarter than trap doors, but can we dodge scalding oil that is being pour on us from above? In the pitch dark? Yes? Yes we can? Well then maybe I should stay with my troops.. except I'd be exhausted as the top is a full 700 steps up and if ANY of those impediments were in place I don't think I'd have made it.
Rewarding myself I scampered towards a nearby waterpark, walking the first 800m and riding third-man on a motorcycle for the final 200. Was it ever worth it! Immediately upon entrance I join the rain dance already in action - and working too. While a DJ spins (seriously.. a DJ.. it was 1pm) children and adults alike let loose under sprinklers (and water cannons). Luckily the pool was a little warmer and with the dozen or so kids under 12 years old I ran around and slid and splashed. That is until a lifeguard called me aside and pointed towards the BIG slides. Naturally I accepted his invitation and for the next hour I was the ONLY kid on the slides. He would suggest one and I'd clamber to the top and slide on back down. Once all options were exhausted he joined me and beat me cleanly in our first race, while doing a barrel roll! Of course by the end of the day I'd learned that technique on the vertical slide too (though I could only complete 3 rotations in one go, whereas he was mastering 5!)
Sunned and splashed out I bid the kids farewell. To return to town I was approached by a "share-jeep" and agreed to take it back for a measly 40 cents (~15km). However at the time that I agreed there were a reasonable 5 people in this Jeep. At the point when it got ridiculous and I resolved that I would have to blog about it there were a whopping 15 people in one Jeep vehicle. Five in the front, four in the next row and the remaining in the back. Before we reached the destination they'd packed two more in somewhere (one hanging out the open back door!) Not only that but the driver, while adhering to the only ONE rule of the road that I've been able to discern (which is "Honk and it's legal") was driving stick! This may not seem like that big a deal until you remember the 5 people in the front bench which meant he was literally shifting across someone's lap and under my knees. Despite all the pollution in this country at least they know how to carpool.
[Of course if you've been keeping up with the blog as you should *wink* then you'll realize that it wasn't a war zone but Diwali - the festival of light that I woke up to. And the "bombs" were in fact firecrackers. Apparently the festivities don't really get under way until 7pm... I'm counting down the next 90minutes]
Friday, October 16, 2009
Ipod: A's
As an experiment I've been listening to my iPod throughout this trip in a sequential order. Figuring it would be too difficult to chose the perfect album to match my mood every time (without new music coming my way) I thought this would give me an opportunity to revisit albums of old, rekindle love for some, and discover some gems in my collection that slipped through the cracks. Therefore my music collection (38+ days worth if played straight) is coming at me one album at a time - alphabetical order, by album title.
Well beginning in Toronto with A-Sides a Soundgarden best-of, I've worked my way past the self-titled Alexisonfire, Radiohead's Amnesiac, Aquemini by Outkast and many more before arriving at the catchy, yet pretty Awoo, by the Hidden Cameras to close out the A's.
Both Wolf Parade albums passed me by and I still love Apologies to the Queen Mary and though not as good At Mount Zoomer is decent too. Speaking of double albums - Rock Plaza Central also made a first album (that I heard anyway) that I love in Are We Not Horses whereas the follow-up ..at the Moment of Our Most needing or if only they could turn around, they would know they weren't alone is decent too. (I think they shortened that title, thank goodness but my ipod still has it as such)
Found a gem in Lily Allen's Alright Still especially the cover of the Kaiser Chief's Oh My God.
Thought I would want to skip through the very first one, Soundgarden, but ended up finding more than a couple tracks that I enjoyed more than i anticipated.
Other greats were Ashtray Rock (Joel Plaskett), the classic August and Everything After (Counting Crows), Arular (MIA), driving into the majestic country of Hampi to ..And the Ever Expanding Universe (Most Serene Republic) was fitting.
A runner for my top 10 2009 has got to be Maybe Smith's - Another Murder in the Morning. Hectic as it is if you can get into it the album pays off.
All in all A's were a big letter - nearly 50 albums listened to in full already! What with the "A somethings.." and the "All the hits" and the "...and the somethings" it was stacked and I expect to move through letters faster now so updates will be more often.
Now onto the B's! Starting with Weezer's B-side collection. See how that goes and I'll let you know in a letter.
Well beginning in Toronto with A-Sides a Soundgarden best-of, I've worked my way past the self-titled Alexisonfire, Radiohead's Amnesiac, Aquemini by Outkast and many more before arriving at the catchy, yet pretty Awoo, by the Hidden Cameras to close out the A's.
Both Wolf Parade albums passed me by and I still love Apologies to the Queen Mary and though not as good At Mount Zoomer is decent too. Speaking of double albums - Rock Plaza Central also made a first album (that I heard anyway) that I love in Are We Not Horses whereas the follow-up ..at the Moment of Our Most needing or if only they could turn around, they would know they weren't alone is decent too. (I think they shortened that title, thank goodness but my ipod still has it as such)
Found a gem in Lily Allen's Alright Still especially the cover of the Kaiser Chief's Oh My God.
Thought I would want to skip through the very first one, Soundgarden, but ended up finding more than a couple tracks that I enjoyed more than i anticipated.
Other greats were Ashtray Rock (Joel Plaskett), the classic August and Everything After (Counting Crows), Arular (MIA), driving into the majestic country of Hampi to ..And the Ever Expanding Universe (Most Serene Republic) was fitting.
A runner for my top 10 2009 has got to be Maybe Smith's - Another Murder in the Morning. Hectic as it is if you can get into it the album pays off.
All in all A's were a big letter - nearly 50 albums listened to in full already! What with the "A somethings.." and the "All the hits" and the "...and the somethings" it was stacked and I expect to move through letters faster now so updates will be more often.
Now onto the B's! Starting with Weezer's B-side collection. See how that goes and I'll let you know in a letter.
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