Sometimes traveling is not all fun and games. Sometimes traveling is all about dodging sickness, catching trains, and negotiating prices with overly eager rickshaw drivers waiting to rip off single white girls. It's all about discussing the latest routes and best hotels with fellow travelers, trying to find clean and edible food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, while staying within a budget so strict it doesn't always seem possible. It's a tiring game of meeting people, getting close, and leaving all too suddenly. It's hopping from one dirty and often lonely hotel to the next, lugging a backpack through crowded city streets, sweat pouring out of every pore imaginable. It's packing, and repacking, and shopping, and spending hours in internet cafes pouring over facebook and email, the only connection to the world back home.
Today was one of those days for me. A day full of train travel, honking rickshaws bumping their way through ridiculously crowded streets, and saying goodbye to new friends who I may never see again. After a 5:30am start, a public bus, and another train ride, I am back in Delhi, spending my last night in the same hotel as before, getting ready to leave the wonderfully crazy country of India. I have found myself seeking Western comforts today, and the only food I have eaten has consisted of pizza and french fries. Luckily I am in the right place for travelers in need of Western food, but the comforts pretty much stop there. My hotel is actually quite nice, considering I'm in India, but it's hot and lonely. The plus is that is has a tv, with English HBO, and for most of the evening I have been sweating in my room, taking small naps, and watching American movies. Sometimes it's nice to avoid the world outside and just pretend to be in America, however short and fleeting the feeling may be.
But, despite all the small annoyances and hassles, the last week here has been amazing. I stayed in Rishikesh for one week, and loved every second of it. I'm glad I chose it as my last spot before heading to my next adventure, and couldn't have asked for better traveling partners than the people I met while staying at the best hotel on my trip so far. (I miss you guys like crazy already -- thanks for making my stay in Rishikesh so memorable!)
Tomorrow evening I will head to the airport in Delhi, and board an overnight flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nine months ago I had no idea I would be going to Malaysia, but that's the joy of travel, the freedom to change plans at the spur of the moment, to hop on a plane one night and wake up in another country the next morning.
I have a rough idea of where I will travel to for the nine of so days that I have in Malaysia, and eventually plan on making my way across the border to Thailand. In just under two weeks I will be meeting my sister at the airport in Bangkok, and then I only have a little over a month left of my trip. It's very hard to believe that I have been gone now for nine months, and have already traveled through China, Nepal, and India. It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind that travel causes, and I sometimes have to remind myself just how lucky I am to be out here in the world, experiencing it for all it's worth, taking the good with the bad.
Overall, this trip has been the best time of my life. It has changed me in so many ways, many unexplainable. I miss home like crazy, but I'll get there eventually.
Pictures from my travels in China, Nepal and India will be posted soon, as I'm hoping to get a better internet connection once I get to the modern city of Kuala Lumpur. I'll keep you all updated.
For now, stay safe, and I miss you all like crazy. Much love, see you soon.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Excuse me, I have schizophrenia...
Rishikesh is an amazing place. It is more peaceful than Delhi, cleaner than Varanasi, and one of the best cities for people watching that I have encountered in quite a while. You can stroll along the Ganges River, cross a pedestrian bridge at two different places, wander around the many temples, and choose from a dazzling array of restaurants and road stalls for dinner. You can get fresh pomegranate juice in the morning, watch the obnoxious monkeys and cows meander their way through the city, and stay up late at Mama's Cottage Guesthouse having late night talks with other world travelers.
I have been here now for about four days, and have no desire to leave anytime soon. Leaving the overly crowded, rainy, and dirty city of Delhi was hard enough after spending my time in the company of some great people who made my experience in the chaotic city one of the most memorable so far.
I arrived in the city of Haridwar a couple days ago, in the late evening, in the pouring rain. My five hour train was pleasant enough, but I was tired and a bit lonely, and immediately took a rickshaw to a hotel that was recommended in Lonely Planet. It was a typical Indian hotel room, 300 rupees a night, dirty sheets on a sagging bed, and a bathroom that hasn't seen any sort of cleaning in far too long. I went to sleep in hopes that the morning would bring a better experience. After checking out of the hotel and aimlessly walking in the direction of the train station, I eventually found myself on a noisy and cheap public bus surrounded by Indian tourists on our way to Rishikesh.
The rest has been great. I found an awesome little guesthouse ran by the sweetest little lady known to everyone as Mama, which has better rooms for half the price than in the other cities I've been in. I spent a quiet, independent day walking around the various different parts of the city, taking photos with the many curious Indian tourists who are brave enough to approach the solo white girl, and just enjoying watching the people and sights of this amazing city.
Over Mama's delicious Indian dinner of thali (which is basically vegetable curry of some sort, dhal, rice, and chapati), I met some very interesting characters that I have now been spending a lot of time with. A couple of us went hiking to a waterfall outside of town yesterday, which turned out to be a long, incredibly hot walk through winding dusty roads with trucks honking and careening at us every five seconds. But it was so worth it. After a long uphill walk through the woods we came to a swimming area, full of people, with refreshing water and a beautiful waterfall. I went in fully clothed and came out refreshed and dripping wet.
I spent an entire day with an Israeli guy (Israeli tourists flock to India, and it's not uncommon to be surrounded by them at any given moment in any city in India), walking around the entire city and having a great time. We splurged on a great meal of Mexican and Italian food (always a risk in India), that actually turned out to be quite good. We sat for hours and watched the people and the monkeys, we took silly pictures, and went shopping for Indian inspired clothing. We got approached by an odd man whose only words were "Excuse me, I have schizophrenia," and we almost suffered from an Indian Helicopter Related Injury (little flying helicopters that are shot into the air and fall randomly onto unknowing tourists heads). We walked back to our guesthouse after a full day of Indian greatness, and spent hours talking to the other travelers, eventually being told my Mama to go to bed by midnight and to be quiet.
Overall, my time here has been relaxing and exciting. I think I am going to stay where I am until Sept 18, when I will either take a train or bus back to Delhi, to catch my flight to Malaysia on Sept 20. It's hard to believe that my time in India is almost up, and it will be weird to get to the more Westernized city of Kuala Lumpur. But, I am excited to be starting a new leg of my journey, and soon I will be making my way from Malaysia up to Bangkok, where I will meet my sister on Oct 1! Words can not express how excited I am to get to see her and travel with her for two weeks!
For now though, I am going to thoroughly enjoy my last couple days in the mind-blowing country of India, and the relaxing, peaceful city of Rishikesh.
I hope everyone back home is doing well, and I will see you all very soon. Miss you and love you.
I have been here now for about four days, and have no desire to leave anytime soon. Leaving the overly crowded, rainy, and dirty city of Delhi was hard enough after spending my time in the company of some great people who made my experience in the chaotic city one of the most memorable so far.
I arrived in the city of Haridwar a couple days ago, in the late evening, in the pouring rain. My five hour train was pleasant enough, but I was tired and a bit lonely, and immediately took a rickshaw to a hotel that was recommended in Lonely Planet. It was a typical Indian hotel room, 300 rupees a night, dirty sheets on a sagging bed, and a bathroom that hasn't seen any sort of cleaning in far too long. I went to sleep in hopes that the morning would bring a better experience. After checking out of the hotel and aimlessly walking in the direction of the train station, I eventually found myself on a noisy and cheap public bus surrounded by Indian tourists on our way to Rishikesh.
The rest has been great. I found an awesome little guesthouse ran by the sweetest little lady known to everyone as Mama, which has better rooms for half the price than in the other cities I've been in. I spent a quiet, independent day walking around the various different parts of the city, taking photos with the many curious Indian tourists who are brave enough to approach the solo white girl, and just enjoying watching the people and sights of this amazing city.
Over Mama's delicious Indian dinner of thali (which is basically vegetable curry of some sort, dhal, rice, and chapati), I met some very interesting characters that I have now been spending a lot of time with. A couple of us went hiking to a waterfall outside of town yesterday, which turned out to be a long, incredibly hot walk through winding dusty roads with trucks honking and careening at us every five seconds. But it was so worth it. After a long uphill walk through the woods we came to a swimming area, full of people, with refreshing water and a beautiful waterfall. I went in fully clothed and came out refreshed and dripping wet.
I spent an entire day with an Israeli guy (Israeli tourists flock to India, and it's not uncommon to be surrounded by them at any given moment in any city in India), walking around the entire city and having a great time. We splurged on a great meal of Mexican and Italian food (always a risk in India), that actually turned out to be quite good. We sat for hours and watched the people and the monkeys, we took silly pictures, and went shopping for Indian inspired clothing. We got approached by an odd man whose only words were "Excuse me, I have schizophrenia," and we almost suffered from an Indian Helicopter Related Injury (little flying helicopters that are shot into the air and fall randomly onto unknowing tourists heads). We walked back to our guesthouse after a full day of Indian greatness, and spent hours talking to the other travelers, eventually being told my Mama to go to bed by midnight and to be quiet.
Overall, my time here has been relaxing and exciting. I think I am going to stay where I am until Sept 18, when I will either take a train or bus back to Delhi, to catch my flight to Malaysia on Sept 20. It's hard to believe that my time in India is almost up, and it will be weird to get to the more Westernized city of Kuala Lumpur. But, I am excited to be starting a new leg of my journey, and soon I will be making my way from Malaysia up to Bangkok, where I will meet my sister on Oct 1! Words can not express how excited I am to get to see her and travel with her for two weeks!
For now though, I am going to thoroughly enjoy my last couple days in the mind-blowing country of India, and the relaxing, peaceful city of Rishikesh.
I hope everyone back home is doing well, and I will see you all very soon. Miss you and love you.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The amazing Taj Mahal...
Past the cows, the scam artists, the hassling rickshaw drivers, the congestion, the dirt, and the beautiful Indian people lies a building so amazing it looks like a mirage painted into the sky.
Last week I got to spend a couple hours in the presence of the great Taj Mahal, wandering around the immaculate grounds and gazing at the sparkling building against the setting sun of Agra. Amongst the Indian tourists (who paid a mere 20 rupees in comparison to the foreigner price of 750 rupees), I got lost in what an Indian poet once called "a teardrop on the face of eternity."
Me and the British guy I was traveling with, Chris, had decided to visit the Taj during sunset, after a blazing hot visit to Agra Fort (which is another popular tourist site in Agra). We had traveled to Agra on an overnight train from Varanasi, which was my first experience on a train in India. Because the train took about 13 hours, we had booked non-air conditioned sleeper class tickets, and it ended up being an uneventful, even pleasant, journey.
The city of Agra was well prepared for the massive amount of tourists it receives each year, and our hotel was within walking distance of the Taj Mahal, with a view of it from the rooftop restaurant (and it only cost 5 bucks a night!) I was told before arriving in Agra to be prepared for an obnoxious amount of hassling, and the warnings were definitely true. You could not walk down the street as a white person without rickshaw drivers and store owners following you and practically begging you for their business. After getting ripped off by a taxi driver in Varanasi, I was ready for this, and made sure not to get scammed by anybody. Although the city was disgustingly hot and the hassling was unusually annoying, I quite enjoyed the day and a half that I spent in Agra, and was even a little sad to be leaving so early.
Chris and I had booked a train ticket leaving at 3:30pm in the afternoon, which we were told would be a quick, 3 hour journey to the capital city of Delhi. Unfortunately, it ended up being a marathon seven hours before I would finally arrive in Delhi, alone.
After arriving at the train station a little after 3pm, we were told that our train would be late, maybe by an hour or so. It ended up not coming until 6:30, and instead of taking 3 hours it took 4. Chris had booked a plane ticket that night to another city, and, worried about missing the flight, had left the train station early to find another mode of transportation to Delhi. So, after a couple of days with an awesome traveling partner I found myself alone again, surrounded by Indians, on a train to Delhi. Luckily there were a couple of really nice locals on the train who seemed to be worried about the solo white girl, and made sure that I was comfortable the whole ride.
So I've been in Delhi now for a couple days, and am staying in a very bustling, crazy touristy area surrounded by restaurants, shops, internet cafes, and more foreigners than I'm comfortable with. I have a train ticket booked for Sept 11 to a city 4 hours North called Haridwar, where I'll spend one night, before retreating to the popular yoga and meditation city of Rishikesh. I'll probably stay there for about a week, depending on how much I like it and how cheap it is! After that its back to Delhi for a couple days before taking a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (which I just booked last night!) Then, on Oct 1 I'll be meeting my sister in Bangkok, Thailand! I can't wait!
Anyway, as usual, I don't have the time or the patience to upload pictures right now, but I have a ton of great ones from the last couple months, and hope to be able to upload them soon.
For now, I hope everyone's doing well back home, and I miss you all. See you soon -- much love.
Last week I got to spend a couple hours in the presence of the great Taj Mahal, wandering around the immaculate grounds and gazing at the sparkling building against the setting sun of Agra. Amongst the Indian tourists (who paid a mere 20 rupees in comparison to the foreigner price of 750 rupees), I got lost in what an Indian poet once called "a teardrop on the face of eternity."
Me and the British guy I was traveling with, Chris, had decided to visit the Taj during sunset, after a blazing hot visit to Agra Fort (which is another popular tourist site in Agra). We had traveled to Agra on an overnight train from Varanasi, which was my first experience on a train in India. Because the train took about 13 hours, we had booked non-air conditioned sleeper class tickets, and it ended up being an uneventful, even pleasant, journey.
The city of Agra was well prepared for the massive amount of tourists it receives each year, and our hotel was within walking distance of the Taj Mahal, with a view of it from the rooftop restaurant (and it only cost 5 bucks a night!) I was told before arriving in Agra to be prepared for an obnoxious amount of hassling, and the warnings were definitely true. You could not walk down the street as a white person without rickshaw drivers and store owners following you and practically begging you for their business. After getting ripped off by a taxi driver in Varanasi, I was ready for this, and made sure not to get scammed by anybody. Although the city was disgustingly hot and the hassling was unusually annoying, I quite enjoyed the day and a half that I spent in Agra, and was even a little sad to be leaving so early.
Chris and I had booked a train ticket leaving at 3:30pm in the afternoon, which we were told would be a quick, 3 hour journey to the capital city of Delhi. Unfortunately, it ended up being a marathon seven hours before I would finally arrive in Delhi, alone.
After arriving at the train station a little after 3pm, we were told that our train would be late, maybe by an hour or so. It ended up not coming until 6:30, and instead of taking 3 hours it took 4. Chris had booked a plane ticket that night to another city, and, worried about missing the flight, had left the train station early to find another mode of transportation to Delhi. So, after a couple of days with an awesome traveling partner I found myself alone again, surrounded by Indians, on a train to Delhi. Luckily there were a couple of really nice locals on the train who seemed to be worried about the solo white girl, and made sure that I was comfortable the whole ride.
So I've been in Delhi now for a couple days, and am staying in a very bustling, crazy touristy area surrounded by restaurants, shops, internet cafes, and more foreigners than I'm comfortable with. I have a train ticket booked for Sept 11 to a city 4 hours North called Haridwar, where I'll spend one night, before retreating to the popular yoga and meditation city of Rishikesh. I'll probably stay there for about a week, depending on how much I like it and how cheap it is! After that its back to Delhi for a couple days before taking a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (which I just booked last night!) Then, on Oct 1 I'll be meeting my sister in Bangkok, Thailand! I can't wait!
Anyway, as usual, I don't have the time or the patience to upload pictures right now, but I have a ton of great ones from the last couple months, and hope to be able to upload them soon.
For now, I hope everyone's doing well back home, and I miss you all. See you soon -- much love.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Adventures in Varanasi
I don't know where to begin. I have been in Varanasi, India for 5 days now, and so much has happened in this short amount of time. The flight over from Kathmandu was only an hour long and the views below of Nepal and India were beautiful. After the usual hassle and annoyances of getting through customs in a new country, I eventually landed at a little guesthouse hidden in a mind boggling array of alleyways, situated right on the Ganges River. The alleyways are littered with trash, cow shit, cows, stray dogs, and random people milling around, and are easy to get lost in. The city feels ancient and holy, and I can't help but feel like I have been transported back in time. The streets are full of barefooted Indian men, bicycle rickshaws that serve as taxis (with the most annoying drivers that hassle you nonstop), old women wandering around in tattered saris on the way to the Ganges River for a daily bath, and tons of kids.
My first full day here I awoke early at 5:30am and took a river boat tour of the Ganges River and the ghats that line the rivers edge. My boat driver was a cute fifteen year old Indian boy who loved to talk and paddled me around the river for about two a half hours. I saw people bathing, praying, brushing their teeth, doing laundry, and just lounging by the holy Ganges River. I saw the cremation ghats where dead bodies are cremated while families and tourists watch, and I saw holy men flailing around and screaming prayers at the top of their lungs. I saw this great city at it's finest, with the beautiful sun rising in the background and the local people going about their day unfazed by anything at all. It was serene, it was surreal, it was amazing.
After the boat ride I visited some temples and eventually made my way back to the guesthouse for breakfast. After eating eggs and toast, I was feeling tired and decided to lay down for a little bit, only to be awoken an hour later with the unmistakable heavy feeling in my stomach, one that I came to know all too well in Nepal. I spent the rest of the day switching between sitting on the toilet and hovering over it, feeling miserable and lonely in my room. The next day I walked around a little but didn't go too far in fear of the sickness coming back to me.
Luckily, I have been feeling better for the last day and a half. Not 100% yet, but well enough to wander the crazy streets of Varanasi. Yesterday was a particularly memorable day, as I met a cool English guy and we decided to brave the city together. After a short walk down by the ghats and a quick lunch in a little cafe, we got the crazy idea to head over to an expensive hotel a bit outside of the city to indulge in it's swimming pool. On the ride over, our rickshaw driver, a cute Indian man named Poopa with the worst stained teeth I have ever seen, sung us Indian songs and tried to talk to us in his broken English (which mostly consisted of "no problem! and yes! yes!") The hotel was about 4 or 5km outside of the city, which is quite a long way on a bicycle rickshaw, and on the way, it started to rain. And then it started to pour. And the whole time, little old Poopa just kept singing along and smiling at us with his dirty teeth, seeming to be the happiest man in the world. Soon the streets were flooded, some parts a couple inches deep, and the city was a mess. But life went on, people splashed through the puddles and kids ran next to our rickshaw screaming in delight. It was super fun and a bit unreal. We saw a lot of the city on the ride, and eventually switched to a motorized rickshaw to get there faster. Eventually we arrived at the beautiful and overly priced hotel, paid a little bit of money, and swam in their pool for a couple hours, some of the time spent in the rain. After we had our share of swimming we splurged on a good meal at the restaurant (one that hasn't made me sick yet!), and eventually wandered outside in search of a rickshaw to take us back to our humble guesthouses, far away from the expensive hotels and rich white tourists.
Either today or tomorrow me and the English guy will be heading by train for the city of Agra, to see the famed Taj Mahal. About a year ago it would have bothered me immensely that at 10:30am I still don't know whether I'm taking the evening train today or tomorrow, but after eight months in Asia it doesn't faze me anymore. I hope to take it today, but if not, tomorrow will be fine. I'll get there eventually. I have no set plans between now and October 1, when I will meet my wonderful sister in Thailand. I can't wait!! Soon after that I will be making the long journey back to America, to the waiting arms of my family and friends!
Although the last couple days have been filled with puking, diarrhea and intense lonliness, they have also been filled with new friends, a new city, and another amazing experience that can hardly be described in words.
I'll try to update again soon, probably after I witness the wonder that is the Taj Mahal. I miss everyone like crazy, and I can't wait to see you all again. I hope everyone is well...much love.
My first full day here I awoke early at 5:30am and took a river boat tour of the Ganges River and the ghats that line the rivers edge. My boat driver was a cute fifteen year old Indian boy who loved to talk and paddled me around the river for about two a half hours. I saw people bathing, praying, brushing their teeth, doing laundry, and just lounging by the holy Ganges River. I saw the cremation ghats where dead bodies are cremated while families and tourists watch, and I saw holy men flailing around and screaming prayers at the top of their lungs. I saw this great city at it's finest, with the beautiful sun rising in the background and the local people going about their day unfazed by anything at all. It was serene, it was surreal, it was amazing.
After the boat ride I visited some temples and eventually made my way back to the guesthouse for breakfast. After eating eggs and toast, I was feeling tired and decided to lay down for a little bit, only to be awoken an hour later with the unmistakable heavy feeling in my stomach, one that I came to know all too well in Nepal. I spent the rest of the day switching between sitting on the toilet and hovering over it, feeling miserable and lonely in my room. The next day I walked around a little but didn't go too far in fear of the sickness coming back to me.
Luckily, I have been feeling better for the last day and a half. Not 100% yet, but well enough to wander the crazy streets of Varanasi. Yesterday was a particularly memorable day, as I met a cool English guy and we decided to brave the city together. After a short walk down by the ghats and a quick lunch in a little cafe, we got the crazy idea to head over to an expensive hotel a bit outside of the city to indulge in it's swimming pool. On the ride over, our rickshaw driver, a cute Indian man named Poopa with the worst stained teeth I have ever seen, sung us Indian songs and tried to talk to us in his broken English (which mostly consisted of "no problem! and yes! yes!") The hotel was about 4 or 5km outside of the city, which is quite a long way on a bicycle rickshaw, and on the way, it started to rain. And then it started to pour. And the whole time, little old Poopa just kept singing along and smiling at us with his dirty teeth, seeming to be the happiest man in the world. Soon the streets were flooded, some parts a couple inches deep, and the city was a mess. But life went on, people splashed through the puddles and kids ran next to our rickshaw screaming in delight. It was super fun and a bit unreal. We saw a lot of the city on the ride, and eventually switched to a motorized rickshaw to get there faster. Eventually we arrived at the beautiful and overly priced hotel, paid a little bit of money, and swam in their pool for a couple hours, some of the time spent in the rain. After we had our share of swimming we splurged on a good meal at the restaurant (one that hasn't made me sick yet!), and eventually wandered outside in search of a rickshaw to take us back to our humble guesthouses, far away from the expensive hotels and rich white tourists.
Either today or tomorrow me and the English guy will be heading by train for the city of Agra, to see the famed Taj Mahal. About a year ago it would have bothered me immensely that at 10:30am I still don't know whether I'm taking the evening train today or tomorrow, but after eight months in Asia it doesn't faze me anymore. I hope to take it today, but if not, tomorrow will be fine. I'll get there eventually. I have no set plans between now and October 1, when I will meet my wonderful sister in Thailand. I can't wait!! Soon after that I will be making the long journey back to America, to the waiting arms of my family and friends!
Although the last couple days have been filled with puking, diarrhea and intense lonliness, they have also been filled with new friends, a new city, and another amazing experience that can hardly be described in words.
I'll try to update again soon, probably after I witness the wonder that is the Taj Mahal. I miss everyone like crazy, and I can't wait to see you all again. I hope everyone is well...much love.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Fake Elton and Thamel...
Thamel, the touristy area of Kathmandu, is a crazy place. A place filled with tourists and shops and restaurants and trekking places and anything else anyone could possibly ever need in a lifetime. The streets are chaotic, a horrible mess of people and rickshaws and taxis and motorbikes all competing for space on streets no wider than small allies. It is loud all night, music coming from all corners and people out at all hours.
It is crazy, but I can't help but love it. It is annoying, but I can't help but grin at the irony of it all, a place where you only have to walk two feet to find a hotel, or a restaurant, or a bookstore. There are white tourists everywhere, but mixed in with it all are the locals, and the beggars, and the street hawkers, and although it's all pretty exhausting, the energy sinks into your skin whether you want it to or not.
I arrived yesterday, after leaving the orphanage at around 5pm. My last day there was filled with packing and saying goodbye to the children that I have come to love over the last month. The older ones wrote me cards and some drew me pictures (things like: My dear sister, how are you? You like flower? I am happy all day today but I am sad). None of the cards made much sense, but it was super sweet, and I know they were sad to see me go. They kept asking me to stay longer, and although the goodbye was hard, I know it was the right time to leave. I got a ton of pictures of the kids yesterday, and even a couple good group shots. I will miss them horribly, and I am so grateful for the experience of living with them and joining in on their daily life, even if it did get tedious and annoying at times.
I checked into a hotel last night that I found from some recommendations online, but I ended up moving to another one down the street this morning. The first one was a bit overpriced for what it included (about $5/night), and the one I'm in now is much better and costs $4. Haha....traveling and living in Asia for 8 months has made my idea of cheap and expensive drastically different than what it used to be. It is going to be hard when I get back to America (especially NYC!), because everything is going to be so expensive to me. The "reverse culture shock" is going to hit me hard...I can feel it already.
Last night was spent with an awesome American guy I met in a bookstore (the bookstores here are great!), and after getting a wonderful dinner, we wandered into a reggae bar with live music. The place was really fun, and the music was pretty good, and at about 10pm a man who looked a lot like Elton John walked into the bar.He had a security man with him, and it was a very odd encounter. He was wearing weird clothes and a piano key tie and suspenders. Somebody told us that he was a "fake" Elton John, whatever that means. He stayed for about an hour, and even now, I have no idea why a fake Elton John with a fake security man would be wandering the streets of Kathmandu at night, faking out unknowing tourists. So, if anyone hears in the news that Elton John was recently spotted on vacation in Nepal, let me know!!
Today I have been wandering around by myself, checking out the surrounding areas of Thamel. I was intent on taking a bus trip to another city called Pokhara, but now that the time has come to make a decision, I don't feel like it. It costs more money than I care to spend, and the 6 hour one way bus ride on the horrible streets of Nepal doesn't sound very appealing right now. I am just going to relax and eat good food for the next 5 days in Thamel, and then on September 1st I will be heading to the airport for my flight to India!
My month in Nepal has been wonderful, and although I have not been a very good tourist (I always suck at being a tourist, I always miss the temples and museums, they just don't appeal to me as much as the local culture), I am going to miss this wonderfully crazy city and the people who live here.
I will try to upload some pictures of my last week in Nepal soon, but I am on a terribly slow wireless internet connection right now, and will do it as soon as I can. I hope everyone is doing well back home, and I miss you all! Much love.
It is crazy, but I can't help but love it. It is annoying, but I can't help but grin at the irony of it all, a place where you only have to walk two feet to find a hotel, or a restaurant, or a bookstore. There are white tourists everywhere, but mixed in with it all are the locals, and the beggars, and the street hawkers, and although it's all pretty exhausting, the energy sinks into your skin whether you want it to or not.
I arrived yesterday, after leaving the orphanage at around 5pm. My last day there was filled with packing and saying goodbye to the children that I have come to love over the last month. The older ones wrote me cards and some drew me pictures (things like: My dear sister, how are you? You like flower? I am happy all day today but I am sad). None of the cards made much sense, but it was super sweet, and I know they were sad to see me go. They kept asking me to stay longer, and although the goodbye was hard, I know it was the right time to leave. I got a ton of pictures of the kids yesterday, and even a couple good group shots. I will miss them horribly, and I am so grateful for the experience of living with them and joining in on their daily life, even if it did get tedious and annoying at times.
I checked into a hotel last night that I found from some recommendations online, but I ended up moving to another one down the street this morning. The first one was a bit overpriced for what it included (about $5/night), and the one I'm in now is much better and costs $4. Haha....traveling and living in Asia for 8 months has made my idea of cheap and expensive drastically different than what it used to be. It is going to be hard when I get back to America (especially NYC!), because everything is going to be so expensive to me. The "reverse culture shock" is going to hit me hard...I can feel it already.
Last night was spent with an awesome American guy I met in a bookstore (the bookstores here are great!), and after getting a wonderful dinner, we wandered into a reggae bar with live music. The place was really fun, and the music was pretty good, and at about 10pm a man who looked a lot like Elton John walked into the bar.He had a security man with him, and it was a very odd encounter. He was wearing weird clothes and a piano key tie and suspenders. Somebody told us that he was a "fake" Elton John, whatever that means. He stayed for about an hour, and even now, I have no idea why a fake Elton John with a fake security man would be wandering the streets of Kathmandu at night, faking out unknowing tourists. So, if anyone hears in the news that Elton John was recently spotted on vacation in Nepal, let me know!!
Today I have been wandering around by myself, checking out the surrounding areas of Thamel. I was intent on taking a bus trip to another city called Pokhara, but now that the time has come to make a decision, I don't feel like it. It costs more money than I care to spend, and the 6 hour one way bus ride on the horrible streets of Nepal doesn't sound very appealing right now. I am just going to relax and eat good food for the next 5 days in Thamel, and then on September 1st I will be heading to the airport for my flight to India!
My month in Nepal has been wonderful, and although I have not been a very good tourist (I always suck at being a tourist, I always miss the temples and museums, they just don't appeal to me as much as the local culture), I am going to miss this wonderfully crazy city and the people who live here.
I will try to upload some pictures of my last week in Nepal soon, but I am on a terribly slow wireless internet connection right now, and will do it as soon as I can. I hope everyone is doing well back home, and I miss you all! Much love.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Self Control
I have had absolutely no self control this past week. I have been eating a minimum of two kit kat bars a day, and devouring handfuls of a spicy snack similar to cheetos with the name "masala munch." I have been eating more grilled cheese sandwiches than is humanly possible, and have been sneaking away every hour or so to read another chapter from some awesome travel books that I bought in town the other day.
To make it all worse, I just recently returned from the store, my backpack filled with junk food and goodies, to supplement the meals I have been eating (or avoiding, I should say), at the orphanage. I can't seem to make my body consume the rice, curry, and dahl baht that the kids eat for breakfast, which is why I am eating an obscenely large amount of grilled cheese sandwiches, and lunch is usually crackers of some kind and black tea. Dinner is the same as breakfast, just with different vegetables (except on Saturday, when we have unidentifiable meat -- last week was the organs of some unknown animal, which I did actually try).
I guess I'm being a tad dramatic, but after over three weeks of these meals, I am ready for a change. I am tired of eating white rice and curry, and I know all this junk food is horrible for me (but I can't stop myself, literally!)
I am also ready to move on from the orphanage. I love it here, and I love the kids, but I'm ready to be on my own again. I am used to being on my own time, eating when (and what) I want, leaving when I want, and staying in bed all day if I feel like it. Here I feel like I am always supposed to be doing something, but I never know quite what it is. Everyone else has their own little roles, the lady who takes care of the kids and cleans, the cook who makes the WONDERFUL meals, and the other guys who pretty much run this place and can do whatever the hell they want. But then there's me, the American volunteer. The weird tattooed girl who doesn't like to eat rice for breakfast and can't speak a word of Nepali. Luckily I have gotten close to everyone because I don't care if they think I'm weird and I enjoy awkward, uncomfortable situations. The kids love me because I let them jump all over me and I run around with them like a crazy person. I will miss this place after I leave, but I am also excited to see what new adventures lie ahead.
I am supposed to be picking up my passport with my Indian visa in it tomorrow (fingers crossed that everything goes as planned and there are no problems with the visa process), and in less than 6 days I will be packing up all my stuff and leaving the orphanage. And on September 1st I am flying to India. Hard to believe that I've come this far, and have already been through China and Nepal.
As I've said before, I'm very excited to be coming home in November. Now that my good friend Mollie is back in China (I miss you Mollie and I hope you're settling in well!), I'm not sure if I am going to be spending any time in Portland on the way back home. I was originally going to spend three or four days, but now I'm considering catching a flight the same day I get in and going right home. I know I'm going to be pretty anxious to get there. It will be a long day, as I will be flying from Bangkok to Tokyo to San Francisco to Portland, and then the flight I will probably book is from Portland to Newark to Baltimore. Talk about a long day and a lot of flights! The end result will be worth it though!
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well back home, and I miss you all. I'll be home soon. Much love.
To make it all worse, I just recently returned from the store, my backpack filled with junk food and goodies, to supplement the meals I have been eating (or avoiding, I should say), at the orphanage. I can't seem to make my body consume the rice, curry, and dahl baht that the kids eat for breakfast, which is why I am eating an obscenely large amount of grilled cheese sandwiches, and lunch is usually crackers of some kind and black tea. Dinner is the same as breakfast, just with different vegetables (except on Saturday, when we have unidentifiable meat -- last week was the organs of some unknown animal, which I did actually try).
I guess I'm being a tad dramatic, but after over three weeks of these meals, I am ready for a change. I am tired of eating white rice and curry, and I know all this junk food is horrible for me (but I can't stop myself, literally!)
I am also ready to move on from the orphanage. I love it here, and I love the kids, but I'm ready to be on my own again. I am used to being on my own time, eating when (and what) I want, leaving when I want, and staying in bed all day if I feel like it. Here I feel like I am always supposed to be doing something, but I never know quite what it is. Everyone else has their own little roles, the lady who takes care of the kids and cleans, the cook who makes the WONDERFUL meals, and the other guys who pretty much run this place and can do whatever the hell they want. But then there's me, the American volunteer. The weird tattooed girl who doesn't like to eat rice for breakfast and can't speak a word of Nepali. Luckily I have gotten close to everyone because I don't care if they think I'm weird and I enjoy awkward, uncomfortable situations. The kids love me because I let them jump all over me and I run around with them like a crazy person. I will miss this place after I leave, but I am also excited to see what new adventures lie ahead.
I am supposed to be picking up my passport with my Indian visa in it tomorrow (fingers crossed that everything goes as planned and there are no problems with the visa process), and in less than 6 days I will be packing up all my stuff and leaving the orphanage. And on September 1st I am flying to India. Hard to believe that I've come this far, and have already been through China and Nepal.
As I've said before, I'm very excited to be coming home in November. Now that my good friend Mollie is back in China (I miss you Mollie and I hope you're settling in well!), I'm not sure if I am going to be spending any time in Portland on the way back home. I was originally going to spend three or four days, but now I'm considering catching a flight the same day I get in and going right home. I know I'm going to be pretty anxious to get there. It will be a long day, as I will be flying from Bangkok to Tokyo to San Francisco to Portland, and then the flight I will probably book is from Portland to Newark to Baltimore. Talk about a long day and a lot of flights! The end result will be worth it though!
Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well back home, and I miss you all. I'll be home soon. Much love.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Decisions...decisions...
A couple months ago I made a decision to move back to China in January to continue teaching in Shenyang for one year.
Last night I made a decision to forget that decision.
In early November I will return to America after being gone for about ten and a half months. After months of being an outsider in countries where I never truly understand the language (if at all), and never really know the culture, I will return to my own country. My own friends, my own family, and the comfort of knowing exactly what is going on around me at any given moment. This is a luxury we take for granted when in familiar surroundings, but after being on the road for a while, you begin to realize just how hard it can be to be away from everything you have ever known. It is also freeing, and amazing, and I know, after the initial shock and enjoyment of being back in Maryland wears off, it will be something I miss dearly. This "reverse culture shock," as it has come to be known, will probably hit me hard once I get back to the quietness of Pylesville and the extremely orderly life of America.
Being able to cross a road without the constant fear of getting hit by something, or driving to a fully stocked grocery store where I can actually read all the labels and recognize all the items will be a treat at first, but after a while, I know I'll miss the craziness and chaos of the Asia that I have come to know and love.
But, I have also come to realize just how important my family is to me, and just how hard being away from them for such an extended period of time can be. I know that I will not be ready to leave America after just two months of being back. I also know that after a month or so in Pylesville I will start to go crazy. I will feel stuck in a rut and bored with life. So, I have made a very important and exciting decision. I am going to move to New York City and live with my wonderful sister and her awesome roommates in Harlem. I figure it's the closest chaotic city near Maryland where I know I won't get bored. I know if I walk far enough into Chinatown, I can pretend to be in China for a moment, however fleeting it may be. I love Little Italy, and Central Park, and the shopping in New York. It is not an unfamiliar place to me, as I have spent a good bit of time there, but I know that there is much more to be explored, and the idea of living there sends a chill of excitement up my spine. I won't need a car, and I will be close to home, while still far enough away to enjoy the independence I need in my life.
In other news, I have decided that after my days at the orphanage are over (which is on August 26), I am going to go to the city of Pokhara, which is a couple hours bus ride from Kathmandu. It's supposed to be a beautiful city a little smaller and more green than Kathmandu. I've heard it's a nice getaway for a couple days, and I think it will be a relaxing trip right before I fly to Varanasi, India on September 1st.
The next couple months are going to be a very exciting time for me, and I will keep updating as often as possible. I hope everyone is doing well, and I miss you all. Much love.
Last night I made a decision to forget that decision.
In early November I will return to America after being gone for about ten and a half months. After months of being an outsider in countries where I never truly understand the language (if at all), and never really know the culture, I will return to my own country. My own friends, my own family, and the comfort of knowing exactly what is going on around me at any given moment. This is a luxury we take for granted when in familiar surroundings, but after being on the road for a while, you begin to realize just how hard it can be to be away from everything you have ever known. It is also freeing, and amazing, and I know, after the initial shock and enjoyment of being back in Maryland wears off, it will be something I miss dearly. This "reverse culture shock," as it has come to be known, will probably hit me hard once I get back to the quietness of Pylesville and the extremely orderly life of America.
Being able to cross a road without the constant fear of getting hit by something, or driving to a fully stocked grocery store where I can actually read all the labels and recognize all the items will be a treat at first, but after a while, I know I'll miss the craziness and chaos of the Asia that I have come to know and love.
But, I have also come to realize just how important my family is to me, and just how hard being away from them for such an extended period of time can be. I know that I will not be ready to leave America after just two months of being back. I also know that after a month or so in Pylesville I will start to go crazy. I will feel stuck in a rut and bored with life. So, I have made a very important and exciting decision. I am going to move to New York City and live with my wonderful sister and her awesome roommates in Harlem. I figure it's the closest chaotic city near Maryland where I know I won't get bored. I know if I walk far enough into Chinatown, I can pretend to be in China for a moment, however fleeting it may be. I love Little Italy, and Central Park, and the shopping in New York. It is not an unfamiliar place to me, as I have spent a good bit of time there, but I know that there is much more to be explored, and the idea of living there sends a chill of excitement up my spine. I won't need a car, and I will be close to home, while still far enough away to enjoy the independence I need in my life.
In other news, I have decided that after my days at the orphanage are over (which is on August 26), I am going to go to the city of Pokhara, which is a couple hours bus ride from Kathmandu. It's supposed to be a beautiful city a little smaller and more green than Kathmandu. I've heard it's a nice getaway for a couple days, and I think it will be a relaxing trip right before I fly to Varanasi, India on September 1st.
The next couple months are going to be a very exciting time for me, and I will keep updating as often as possible. I hope everyone is doing well, and I miss you all. Much love.
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