Upon departure from Pittsburgh International Airport I was checked in by a ticket agent originally from Ghana...sign #1!! The next sign was the best...I walk upstairs to the food court area and realize I can purchase a small Ethopian...coffee...for $1.50!! At that point I knew Africa was calling my name!!
The flight was long, but I got to watch Mama Mia!! It was funny and fantastic. I reached the airport in DAR without a problem and said goodbye to the suckers standing in the long queques for their visa...got mine ahead of time and bypassed all that nonsense. Ali my cabby took me to the Scandanavian Express bus station...and I found out the morning bus to Moshi was full!!! YIKES!!! But, T.I.A. (this is africa) and there is always another way. So my helpful taxi driver took me to another station and I purchased a ticket, so tomorrow at 545a I will be on my way to Moshi!! The African adventure has only begun...
And the Journey Begins...
I depart for Africa on December 26th 2008 for an amazing adventure of a culture that is beyond anything I have ever experienced. My adventure begins in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania for only one day and then I depart for Moshi, where I hope to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in 8 days!! (Words I never thought I would utter!) Mid-Jan I begin a 56-day overland tour of east and southern Africa. I will be bush-camping most of the time and laying eyes on animals only seen on Nat Geo!! I've been looking forward to this adventure since three of my friends went on a similar trip earlier this year! I hope you will follow me on my African Adventure by visiting this blog. Please feel free to comment on my blogs as I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks to my family and friends for supporting me in the planning process of this incredible opportunity!
See you in '09!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See you in '09!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE END...
So I've been home a little over a week and I'm still trying to wrap my head around my 3-month 7-country adventure! I walked on The Great Wall of China, witnessed the beauty of Victoria Harbour from Victoria Peak at sunset, volunteered in Thailand, stood on the skywalk of the Petronas Towers, ate in Little India, Chinatown and the Golden mile all in one day and in one country, stayed at The Ritz, snorkeled and witnessed the most stunning sunsets! Recalling all of that and reviewing all my pictures I realized I've seen/experienced what most people only dream of! Who knew my life would take me to the far east, who knew my life would be enriched by cultures, customs and cuisines, who knew I would hitch a ride with a gracious Thai-family and feel as if I was riding in the car with my own family?? I am grateful for what life has given me. Life gave me a new found sense of INDEPENDENCE, COURAGE and IDENTITY!
This trip has had such a profound effect on me that I am both happy and sad I am home. Happy to feel hugs from my family and friends and sad to leave my Thai family, Malaysian and Singporean friends and of course...THE RITZ! hee hee! I have embarked upon a new chapter in my life...MY LOVE FOR TRAVEL!
Recently I've been watching the Olympics and as I see NBC flash glimpses of The Forbidden City I can say..."I saw that!" And as I watch Matt, Al, Meredith and Ann walk The Great Wall, I can say..."I walked on that!" And I blow my self away when the reality of those words enter my ears and are processed by my brain! Unbelievable...if this is life I want to keep on living!
In the last two years of my 30 years, I feel I've grown tenfold! I have become who I have always destined to be...it just took a little of the far east to bring this "light-bulb" to it's full 100-watt output! I look forward to more adventures overseas!
And I begin that next journey with...AFRICA!!!
This trip has had such a profound effect on me that I am both happy and sad I am home. Happy to feel hugs from my family and friends and sad to leave my Thai family, Malaysian and Singporean friends and of course...THE RITZ! hee hee! I have embarked upon a new chapter in my life...MY LOVE FOR TRAVEL!
Recently I've been watching the Olympics and as I see NBC flash glimpses of The Forbidden City I can say..."I saw that!" And as I watch Matt, Al, Meredith and Ann walk The Great Wall, I can say..."I walked on that!" And I blow my self away when the reality of those words enter my ears and are processed by my brain! Unbelievable...if this is life I want to keep on living!
In the last two years of my 30 years, I feel I've grown tenfold! I have become who I have always destined to be...it just took a little of the far east to bring this "light-bulb" to it's full 100-watt output! I look forward to more adventures overseas!
And I begin that next journey with...AFRICA!!!
I Slept on Air...
Ahhh.....sigh! Those two expressions sum up my stay on Gili Air! I spent my days getting dark...okay dark-er, eating barracuda, sipping pineapple margaritas and SNORKELING (from the girl who's been afraid of the water since she almost drowned as a child)!!! I swam with the fishes!! Thanks Jason for teaching me how to snorkel! Absolutely unfrigginbelievable...anyone who's not gone is missing out! I can't believe my first snorkel happened at the age of 30?!! I really don't have many more words to explain my time spent on Gili Air...just take a look at the pics and you'll see for yourself! Indonesian sunsets...the best I've seen so far!!
The Ritz...it ain't just a cracker to me anymore...
Singapore to Bali...not just Bali, but The Ritz-Carlton Bali!! Yeah it was amazing as the brand claims! In Singapore, my small bladder was calling, so I stopped off at the bathroom and Jason spotted a Marriott Asian Vacations stand. So we looked at the prices and couldn't believe the unbelievable deal we would be soon experiencing for a 5-star hotel!! Holy Crap!!! We orignally booked for two nights (instead of 3, why??) and then realized we needed that extra night...and we got it!! So 3 luxourious nights spent at the all inclusive Ritz-Carlton!! We splurged on the food offered to Club members only (that's us!!!) and ate out on the balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds and the Indian Ocean!! We ate delicious fresh out the water sushi, fresh-hand-squeezed papaya, guava and pineapple juices and scrumptious desserts!! Jason claims the lemon-merengue pie was comparable to his mom's!!! A++++ for both!!! Before and after purging my self on the food I laid by the pool, in the pool, on pool lounge chairs, on the beach...well you get the point. I soaked up the serenity that the Ritz promised. (Oh yeah I jumped up and down on the bed too!! When it's that comfy you tend to jump for joy!!) Leaving The Ritz was sad...but my next island of Indonesia turned me into a snorkeller and a beach lover!! Yeah the brown girl loves the beach!
Singapore
I write this blog 10 days after arriving in Singapore and just finishing Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The book captures my heart, my present time traveling and my future ventures. "Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works. It not only offered an escape from society but also was an ideal stage for the Romantic individual to exercise the cult he frequently made of his own soul. The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exultation."-Roderick Nash, Wilderness and the American Mind. So for me to replace "wilderness" with "travel" this quote fits my present state of mind. But "wilderness" also is the appropriate term, for after reading this book my heart/mind desires to be closer to nature everyday and enjoying solitude to reflect on my 30 years of life.
My days spent in Singapore involved the hustle and bustle of traveling via the metro and managing hoards of people through shopping malls and city streets (which I know appears ironic after the opening paragraph of this entry). I spent time shopping and sight-seeing and taking in a multitude of cultures. For anyone interested in Western accommodations with Asian culture, Singapore is where it's at! I've stayed in Little India for the duration of my stay and ate in Chinatown and Golden Mile (Thai). Little India has the sights and smells I am most familiar with and Chinatown has the best hawker stands I've ever eaten at! (Bachman, you've got to get here and get some dumplings!!) I've sat in coffee shops along Orchard Road sipping lattes and enjoying a book and journaling as well. I've also spent days sight-seeing, taking photos and visiting museums. This entry is not like my others where I boast about the sights I've seen, but this entry is filled with more emotion that cannot be expressed via words. This culture has taken a hold me and I a hold of it...
My days spent in Singapore involved the hustle and bustle of traveling via the metro and managing hoards of people through shopping malls and city streets (which I know appears ironic after the opening paragraph of this entry). I spent time shopping and sight-seeing and taking in a multitude of cultures. For anyone interested in Western accommodations with Asian culture, Singapore is where it's at! I've stayed in Little India for the duration of my stay and ate in Chinatown and Golden Mile (Thai). Little India has the sights and smells I am most familiar with and Chinatown has the best hawker stands I've ever eaten at! (Bachman, you've got to get here and get some dumplings!!) I've sat in coffee shops along Orchard Road sipping lattes and enjoying a book and journaling as well. I've also spent days sight-seeing, taking photos and visiting museums. This entry is not like my others where I boast about the sights I've seen, but this entry is filled with more emotion that cannot be expressed via words. This culture has taken a hold me and I a hold of it...
KL: Petronas, KL Tower and New Friends!!!
KL is great!! I had a fantastic time there! As you see my favorite building were the Petronas Towers!! Amazingly beautiful day and night!! Traveling to the skybridge was ridiculous!! I couldn't believe I was actually there!! The Petronas are a must see!!! I also went to the observatory deck of the KL tower and that was just as beautiful as well! The Islamic influence of the architecture of the tower is just beautiful!
Other sights I viewed were, Merdeka Square which held the world's second tallest flagpole in the world and the Royal Selangor Club. On August 31 1957 Malaysia gained their independence from the British...so Malaysia is just a baby! From the square I went on to see the Orchid Garden which was soooo pretty!!! Many, many arrangements and colors!! Hmmm...one day I'll have my very own Orchid garden! ;)
The highlight of my trip to KL was the people I met! I met Wilson Wong on my flight from Bangkok to KL. He and his wife (June) and their two girls live in KL. Wilson befriended me and gave me his number so we could hang out while I was in town. And so we did exactly that!! Another traveller and I met up with Wilson, June and two other friends (Nami and Hiro)! They took me to a local place for chai and then another place for chicken curry and dosai! Oh my goodness the food was so delicious and the company even better!!! From there we moved onto a bar called 7atenine! The six of us took advantage of my camera and shot a ridiculous amount of pictures!! Wilson decided to entertain us with magic card tricks and then we played some games!! We had a blast!! Wilson is a good magician...not great, but good;) The girls and I laughed and joked around and were just plain silly all night!! These people are my new found friends from Malaysia and I WILL return to see them!! Thank you!!!
Other sights I viewed were, Merdeka Square which held the world's second tallest flagpole in the world and the Royal Selangor Club. On August 31 1957 Malaysia gained their independence from the British...so Malaysia is just a baby! From the square I went on to see the Orchid Garden which was soooo pretty!!! Many, many arrangements and colors!! Hmmm...one day I'll have my very own Orchid garden! ;)
The highlight of my trip to KL was the people I met! I met Wilson Wong on my flight from Bangkok to KL. He and his wife (June) and their two girls live in KL. Wilson befriended me and gave me his number so we could hang out while I was in town. And so we did exactly that!! Another traveller and I met up with Wilson, June and two other friends (Nami and Hiro)! They took me to a local place for chai and then another place for chicken curry and dosai! Oh my goodness the food was so delicious and the company even better!!! From there we moved onto a bar called 7atenine! The six of us took advantage of my camera and shot a ridiculous amount of pictures!! Wilson decided to entertain us with magic card tricks and then we played some games!! We had a blast!! Wilson is a good magician...not great, but good;) The girls and I laughed and joked around and were just plain silly all night!! These people are my new found friends from Malaysia and I WILL return to see them!! Thank you!!!
The Day I Cried...
So I didn't think much more would happen since my last blog, which was about 3 days before I left, I was wrong...
My last day I went to Bah's house, as usual but this time there was a sadness about the air. After our therapy session, Bah said she wished I didn't have to leave and that someday I return to her and her family. I held back the tears and smiled and said "I will return to my second home." I thought it was over when I said my goodbyes, but no...Bah's brother presents me with a hand-sketched picture of an Ayutthaya wat that he created himself! I couldn't believe it!! I tried not to accept it, but he wasn't tryin' to have that. Again, I held back the tears. So I left with smiles and a promise to return. Next, Noina and I were off to lunch with the nurses at the health center. There was an air of happiness and playfulness...as you'll notice in the pictures. At the end, Noi said she hopes that I return to them again in the near future. I promised to return and keep in touch! Again no tears, but all smiles!!! At the clinic, Jim, met up with me and drove me to my apartment to retrieve my bags and give me a lift to the bus stop. Before we left, the hardest part was to say farewell to Noina! She rode me around on the back of her motorbike for 3 weeks. We developed a friendship. She gave me lifts to the bus station on my weekend trips and showed me around some of the local wats. At night when I would go for a walk and run into her we would start up conversation (a little Thai and a little English) and smile and laugh! So saying my farewell to Noina was quite difficult. I looked at her and saw tears well-up in her eyes and then I began to cry as well...and could not stop. I didn't realize the depth of my emotion until I was crying. We hugged a bunch of times and didn't want to let each other go. I promised to keep in touch with her and finally we let each other go and I cried all the way to the bus station.
Jim and I rode in the mini-bus to Bangkok together and talked about her daughter and my travels. She carried one of my bags all the way to the hotel once we arrived at Victory Monument. I pleaded with her to just let me carry it, but it was the Thai way or the highway for me!!! She stayed with me in the hotel and oriented me to the sights and then I walked her downstairs and said my goodbyes. Jim's daughter and I now keep in touch (thanks to facebook!) and hopefully we will meet each other one day!
My last day I went to Bah's house, as usual but this time there was a sadness about the air. After our therapy session, Bah said she wished I didn't have to leave and that someday I return to her and her family. I held back the tears and smiled and said "I will return to my second home." I thought it was over when I said my goodbyes, but no...Bah's brother presents me with a hand-sketched picture of an Ayutthaya wat that he created himself! I couldn't believe it!! I tried not to accept it, but he wasn't tryin' to have that. Again, I held back the tears. So I left with smiles and a promise to return. Next, Noina and I were off to lunch with the nurses at the health center. There was an air of happiness and playfulness...as you'll notice in the pictures. At the end, Noi said she hopes that I return to them again in the near future. I promised to return and keep in touch! Again no tears, but all smiles!!! At the clinic, Jim, met up with me and drove me to my apartment to retrieve my bags and give me a lift to the bus stop. Before we left, the hardest part was to say farewell to Noina! She rode me around on the back of her motorbike for 3 weeks. We developed a friendship. She gave me lifts to the bus station on my weekend trips and showed me around some of the local wats. At night when I would go for a walk and run into her we would start up conversation (a little Thai and a little English) and smile and laugh! So saying my farewell to Noina was quite difficult. I looked at her and saw tears well-up in her eyes and then I began to cry as well...and could not stop. I didn't realize the depth of my emotion until I was crying. We hugged a bunch of times and didn't want to let each other go. I promised to keep in touch with her and finally we let each other go and I cried all the way to the bus station.
Jim and I rode in the mini-bus to Bangkok together and talked about her daughter and my travels. She carried one of my bags all the way to the hotel once we arrived at Victory Monument. I pleaded with her to just let me carry it, but it was the Thai way or the highway for me!!! She stayed with me in the hotel and oriented me to the sights and then I walked her downstairs and said my goodbyes. Jim's daughter and I now keep in touch (thanks to facebook!) and hopefully we will meet each other one day!
Volunteering
Volunteering in Thailand has been a positive and negative experience. I think there might be shady dealings going on on Thailand's end as far as where the money is allocated, but not for certain...still trying to figure that one out. So initially I was setup to teach English a half day at a temple school and the other half of the day I would work in the area of public health. I decided to change that schedule unless the kids wanted to learn, "I be, He be, She be, You be, We be" kind of English. All day in the area of public health for the first 1.5 weeks consisted of observing nurses at the health center caring for patients in the morning and going on community visits with them in the afternoon. In the afternoon we went to local temples and schools to screen adults for hypertension and diabetes. I participated by taking blood pressures and conversing with any English speaking person! It was a great time. Also the head nurse, Noi, and I spoke about educating the community in regards to food preparations for the monks. Since the monks receive alms from the community they have no choice in the preparation (i.e. fried or steamed) of food and cannot be health conscious when eating. Noi and I brainstormed about what should belong in the leaflet. The leaflet was not created by the time I left and I will check back in with Noi to learn of it's progress. Noina (a community volunteer) drove me around on the back of her motorcycle from health center to communities daily. Mid-week of my second week Noina introduced me to a 64y/o woman who is one year post stroke that left her paralyzed on her left side. She lives with her brother's family and has a full-time aide to care for her. She has an extensive medical history which complicated my plan of rehab for her, but regardless we were able to make some magic happen! (Noina was our translator...again it's amazing what can be appropriately communicated with a little from both languages.) I performed all the basics from passive range of motion(ROM), active-assistedROM, swallowing, seating and positioning. We advanced quickly to standing, transfers and walking (about 3 meters). She was ecstatic about being able to walk, even with the help of two people. She and her family also displayed great enthusiasm regarding movement in her left arm. Everyone took the rehab seriously and without complaints. I rehabbed this woman every morning for the duration of my program and loved every minute of it!! If my tear ducts weren't so slow (post my eye-surgery) the tears would be flowing. I was able to make a small difference in the life of one Thai family and for all that I financially invested into this program it was worth it!
Chiang Mai: meeting up with new friends!
Chiang mai was a great place!! I set out to do two things: visit Doi Inthanon and Doi Suthep, both were accomplished but not easily. Friday night I ran into a couple I met in Ayutthaya, Maria and Andrew! We met up that evening and went out to THC with 5-6 others! We had a great time putting back the Singha! After that...yes another night of dancing! I met another great couple Sonja and Marc and danced the night away with them!! Marc was great holding onto my bag and taking photos!! He and Sonja just got married 3 months ago!! What a night...I didn't get back to my guesthouse until 4am...yikes! No worries...I was up early 8am next day and headed off to Doi Inthanon. Following my trusty LP I picked up the public bus from the south moat gate and headed out to Chom Thong. There I stopped and checked out Wat Phra That Si Chom Thong. A beautiful temple with an amazing tier of golden Buddhas! As per the LP I looked for the next bus to Doi Inthanon (the highest mountain in Thailand). I found the bus driver, but he was not going until he had 6 people or I paid the cost for 6 people. So I walked a few feet away and asked this Thai family if they were going to Doi Inthanon and sure enough they were on their way. They agreed to take me there and I jumped in the bed of the truck! We drove to a market for a ~30 min pit stop. The driver, Thom, told me to get out of the sun and get into the shade. When we got back into the truck, Thom told me to sit in the cab where it was air-conditioned! How nice!! So with the little bit of English he knew and the little Thai that I know we somehow managed to communicate all the right things!! We arrived at their place of stay on the mountain to unload other people and items. Then Thom and his wife/dtr (she looked young so I couldn't tell her relationship with him)took me to the top of the mountain. Thom got out at the top and showed me around the temple and the gardens!! Again what a nice gesture! He was absolutely wonderful trying to explain to me in Thai about the sunrising over the mountain and me trying to tell him how beautiful this sight was and how grateful I was to him! After the "tour," back down the mountain we went near the place of their residence and they dropped me off. I hitched another ride down the mountain with a father and his two kids. No child-car safety laws in Thailand. His daughter sat in the front seat holding her little brother on her lap. He played with the volume of the radio and cooed to the music...or maybe just cooed! They were adorable! I safely arrived at my bus stop and caught the bus back to Chiang Mai. A trip that would have cost me 470 baht only cost me 70 baht and two packages of peanut butter crackers! I would do that trip all over again, if I could be privileged to the company of such wonderful Thai families!!
Doi Suthep wasn't as an amazing journey as Doi Inthanon, but regardless I made it there with two other travellers...we split the cost of the 15km journey. Doi Suthep is one of the north's most sacred temples. The king during that time mounted relics of Buddha to a white elephant. The elephant wandered until it dropped and a temple was established in the elephant's honor. 306 steps to the top of the temple lead to an amazing view of Chiang Mai, emerald Buddha and a white marble Buddha!! There I received a bracelet just made of white string around my right wrist by a monk! That was a good feeling...sigh. Now this would probably be a great end to my trip to Chiang mai, but no I had time for more!!
After returning from Doi Suthep, I was flagged down by another traveller and his girl that I met in Kanchanaburi! They offered to take me on their motorbike to two of the oldest wats in Chiang Mai! And that my friends is how I ended a wonderful weekend trip to Chiang Mai!! I am very blessed!
Doi Suthep wasn't as an amazing journey as Doi Inthanon, but regardless I made it there with two other travellers...we split the cost of the 15km journey. Doi Suthep is one of the north's most sacred temples. The king during that time mounted relics of Buddha to a white elephant. The elephant wandered until it dropped and a temple was established in the elephant's honor. 306 steps to the top of the temple lead to an amazing view of Chiang Mai, emerald Buddha and a white marble Buddha!! There I received a bracelet just made of white string around my right wrist by a monk! That was a good feeling...sigh. Now this would probably be a great end to my trip to Chiang mai, but no I had time for more!!
After returning from Doi Suthep, I was flagged down by another traveller and his girl that I met in Kanchanaburi! They offered to take me on their motorbike to two of the oldest wats in Chiang Mai! And that my friends is how I ended a wonderful weekend trip to Chiang Mai!! I am very blessed!
Kanchanaburi: waterfalls and elephants!!
My second weekend in Thailand I spent in Kanchanaburi. I joined a tour group and rode elephants (for the second time), floated on bamboo rafts down the river, trekked about 1-2 miles to reach the seventh tier of Erawan Waterfalls, rode on a train on the Death Railway and checked out the view on the Bridge over River Kwai!! The elephants were great...again...this time no kisses from them!! The highlight: Erawan Waterfalls!! Just an amazing feat of nature!! Incredible views at each tier. Our group trekked up rocks and over muddy paths of rain water to reach the most spectacular tier!! The water was crystal clear and you could see the fishes swimming right by you, although some liked to stop for a little nibble! I dunked my new eyes under the waterfall and it felt awesome!! Yes I was really looking at life from a new perspective...I just can't get over what I see everyday here in Thailand!!
That evening I rejoined my fellow tourists and met up for dinner and drinks! We bar hopped for a while and then ended up hitching a ride in the back of a pickup truck (10 of us) to a dance club! We danced the night away to Thai music and some 50 cent! We had a blast!! After da club we hitched another ride back to our guesthouse, this time about 20 of us!! I don't know how we accrued 10 more, but it was great!! We hit up the 7-11 for another drink and chilled out at a Thai guy's restaurant for the rest of the night!! What a weekend!!!
That evening I rejoined my fellow tourists and met up for dinner and drinks! We bar hopped for a while and then ended up hitching a ride in the back of a pickup truck (10 of us) to a dance club! We danced the night away to Thai music and some 50 cent! We had a blast!! After da club we hitched another ride back to our guesthouse, this time about 20 of us!! I don't know how we accrued 10 more, but it was great!! We hit up the 7-11 for another drink and chilled out at a Thai guy's restaurant for the rest of the night!! What a weekend!!!
Two nights in Bangkok...
On Friday June 20th I went to Nonthaburi to stay with Nisha, Dave, Priya and Cole for the weekend. They are family friends from Pittsburgh...yeah small world, huh? Well they had just moved to Thailand in April and were just as new to this country as my self. We had a great time all weekend long. Friday Nisha and I ran some errands and explored her ex-pat community. In the evening we sat around catching up and awaited Dave's return from HK. We had Indian food that night!!!! I was super ecstatic!!! The food tasted sooooo goood!!! Okay, I know I always go on and on about food.
Saturday, just the girls spent some time at the salon getting manis/pedis and a head/neck and shoulder massage...oh how lovely!!! Next the whole family jumped in the car and we headed into Bangkok for crepes at Crepes & Co. A greek crepe for lunch and a nutella/shantilly crepe for dessert...again...D-licious!!!! So finally we headed for the Jim Thompson Center...unfortunately the house part was closed and we just ended up exploring the grounds...which was very cool!! The highlight of that day/evening was dinner!! The Westerman's were so gracious to take me to the Banyan Tree Hotel to have dinner at Vertigo!! This open air restaurant sits on the 64th floor of the hotel overlooking the beautiful city of Bangkok!!! I couldn't keep my mouth shut...my jaw just kept dropping because my new surgically improved eyes couldn't believe the sights!! We got there at the perfect time...the sun was setting and the nightlife of the city was slowly waking up! Pictures will be the only way you can understand what my eyes witnessed!!! I had a broiled snow bass with capers and italian style sauce/dressing...mouthwatering!!! That evening ended with a tasty rhubarb-apple pie with vanilla ice cream...
Sunday!!! Chatachak market!!! Over 15,000 stalls of silk, jewelry, furniture, t-shirts and tons of pets...yes animals!!! We spent four hours there and even stopped at a cute little eatery for some cocktails! It was lovely! Unfortunately that day had to end :( We got back to their house and I said my goodbyes!
Saturday, just the girls spent some time at the salon getting manis/pedis and a head/neck and shoulder massage...oh how lovely!!! Next the whole family jumped in the car and we headed into Bangkok for crepes at Crepes & Co. A greek crepe for lunch and a nutella/shantilly crepe for dessert...again...D-licious!!!! So finally we headed for the Jim Thompson Center...unfortunately the house part was closed and we just ended up exploring the grounds...which was very cool!! The highlight of that day/evening was dinner!! The Westerman's were so gracious to take me to the Banyan Tree Hotel to have dinner at Vertigo!! This open air restaurant sits on the 64th floor of the hotel overlooking the beautiful city of Bangkok!!! I couldn't keep my mouth shut...my jaw just kept dropping because my new surgically improved eyes couldn't believe the sights!! We got there at the perfect time...the sun was setting and the nightlife of the city was slowly waking up! Pictures will be the only way you can understand what my eyes witnessed!!! I had a broiled snow bass with capers and italian style sauce/dressing...mouthwatering!!! That evening ended with a tasty rhubarb-apple pie with vanilla ice cream...
Sunday!!! Chatachak market!!! Over 15,000 stalls of silk, jewelry, furniture, t-shirts and tons of pets...yes animals!!! We spent four hours there and even stopped at a cute little eatery for some cocktails! It was lovely! Unfortunately that day had to end :( We got back to their house and I said my goodbyes!
Week One in Thailand
I arrived in Bangkok at 115am...ugh! Pi Kai picked me up and away I went to my hostel in Ayuthaya. That Sunday was a lovely lazy Sunday. I met Dor an Israeli traveler in the hostel and late in the afternoon we headed over to Chao Phraya market for some stall food eating and temple seeing...unfortunately we spent more time eating and internetting and the temples closed. We did stumble upon a night market and of course ate...again! The next day we got up early and visited Wat (temple) Maha That and Wat Ratchaburana. These temples were absolutely incredible secondary to the fact they've been there for over 600 years!! After the temples my volunteer director came to pick up the 3 other volunteers and my self. We were taken to our first cultural immersion class where we learned about herbal Thai medicine. They only use herbal ingredients such as the oil from a bergamot, eucalyptus oil, cloves, galangal (thai ginger), camphor, menthol crystals...etc. I had a great time learning about their properties. Hopefully I will use my new found knowledge at home...anyone want to be my first experiment??? So the first week included a lot of learning about thai medicine and viewing temples...oh and an elephant ride!! I asked if the elephants were treated well and from what I could understand they are. So I hope my bahts went toward a good cause. Anyway, the elephant ride was great, at least that's what Allen and I thought. Our "driver" thought otherwise, because he kept shifting Allen one way and me the other. An elephant high view of Ayuthaya was beautiful! After the ride I got a little up close and personal with one of the elephants! He slobbered all over my cheek and ear!!! It was great!!! I was laughing hysterically!! Needless to say after that I washed my face and ear!!! The coolest part of the cultural immersion week was the time spent in Bang-Sai fishing village. About 20 mins north of Ayuthaya I was taken to the home of Urai. She is a wonderful host!! The house is set on stilts because it sits on the bank of the Chao Phraya river. The living conditions are definitely primitive, but nothing I haven't seen before in India. No flushing toilets and no hot water. A wood burning stove sitting on the ledge of the kitchen door with no way down if you lose a utensil while cooking. Absolutely fantastic!!! On the back side of the house is a dock and Urai has one paddle boat. She has tons of pedal bikes for volunteers who come to stay with her. So off we went on bikes to a nearby temple that also sits near the river. We went to the dock for some eats! Now it wasn't a restaurant you sat at. We sat on the dock and put our bowls on a small stool and ate Thai chicken noodle soup. So maybe some of you don't want to know this part...our bowls and utensils were washed right in the river. Take a look at the pics to see why I mention that! Also our cook creates his delicious soup right out of his boat while anchoring himself beside the dock!!! Again, where in the world would I ever have this experience!!??? That first day in Bang-Sai was a lot of bike riding which I think I not only lost 200 baht, but also 10lbs of sweat!!! That evening after I showered...again...Urai taught me a few useful Thai phrases!! I learned basic greetings, goodbyes, and introductions. The next day we went to a local village school to teach English! It was really cool. I wasn't so keen on the idea at first, but I really enjoyed the experience. The children were very eager to learn the language, studiously copying down the letters off the board and trying their best to enunciate the words correctly. At the end of teaching they really liked getting their pictures taken. Some of the boys were such hams. Oh...mostly of note to my therapy people...I could immediately pick out those children with handwriting difficulties, spatial relation issues as well as one boy who was developmentally delayed. When I asked Urai if there were separate schools for children with learning difficulties, she said no and said everyone is taught at the same pace. Sad to hear...
So our last morning there was such a great way to start the day and leave Bang-Sai! Urai woke up early to make food for the monks. We sat on her dock and awaited the monks arrival by boat at 630am. We took turns filling the monks containers with delicious curries, coconut milk, custard and water. Wow what a serene experience. Happy to be blessed by a monk!!
So our last morning there was such a great way to start the day and leave Bang-Sai! Urai woke up early to make food for the monks. We sat on her dock and awaited the monks arrival by boat at 630am. We took turns filling the monks containers with delicious curries, coconut milk, custard and water. Wow what a serene experience. Happy to be blessed by a monk!!
Shenzhen: Dancing, massages and more...
First, thank you Dave and April for a wonderful time in SZ! This wonderful time began with a tour of the city. Dave and I walked through the parks watching people perform tai chi, fan dancing, badminton, playing hackysack, karaoke and more! The most interesting place Dave and I accidentally stumbled upon was the English Corner...which we weren't aware of until we were encircled by 30+ Chinese asking us questions such as "Where are you from, What is your name, How are you, Do you work here?" And then rattle off the cities and states they are familiar with in the US. Dave was very good about making our escape! Phew!!!
That evening I experienced my first deep-fried shrimp (with legs attached) on a stick covered in cayenne pepper...it was delicious!! I just had to trick my self regarding the legs...yeah I don't want to think about that anymore. That dinner was a typical spicy Sichaun style dinner. Post-dinner we stopped by a lounge for a drink and some great reggae music! Next stop, 3D bar! We sat outside for a few hours sipping on some drinks and checking out the locals...Dave and I had a good time giving out scores!
The next day the three of us (Dave, April and I) checked out Fairy Lake Botanical Gardens. It was beautiful and nice and quiet...a good break from the noise of the city! We hiked and hiked and hiked and finally we arrived at the top of the temple to a pretty cool view of the area! Afterwards we hit up the foot massage center. First your feet are soaked in a tea bath while you sit on an ottoman your neck, shoulders and back are massaged and my girl was droppin some elbows in my knots...oooh it felt soooo good!!! Next, off the ottoman and into an oversized lounge chair for the foot massage. Again my girl was very strong...and of course I was a wuss and had to tell her to back off a bit. In the end my feet felt rejuvenated!! Just another fabulous evening in SZ!!
On one of my last days in SZ it rained colts and phillies all day long!! So I sat in Dave's apartment getting laundry done and watching movies. Eventually we made it out for a friend's (Jamon's) party! The party was great because it was a reminder of home...first of all Jamon is a Pitt Alum...woohoo PITT!!! And secondly there were a bunch of Americans!! So the night only began there and ended at U-bar with a ton of dancing and drinking!! We had such a great time!! We were out until the sun came up!!! I can't even recall the last time that happened! So needless to say a late start for the next day! We enjoyed dim sum, which is like having a tapas style brunch, then moved onto the sauna...oh which was my favorite place. I spent some time in the steam room and then in the dry heat room and just a few mins in the ice box room and then finally off for an hour and a half massage at which point I fell asleep...sigh! How lovely! It was a lovely way to leave SZ and begin my volunteer experience in Thailand...
That evening I experienced my first deep-fried shrimp (with legs attached) on a stick covered in cayenne pepper...it was delicious!! I just had to trick my self regarding the legs...yeah I don't want to think about that anymore. That dinner was a typical spicy Sichaun style dinner. Post-dinner we stopped by a lounge for a drink and some great reggae music! Next stop, 3D bar! We sat outside for a few hours sipping on some drinks and checking out the locals...Dave and I had a good time giving out scores!
The next day the three of us (Dave, April and I) checked out Fairy Lake Botanical Gardens. It was beautiful and nice and quiet...a good break from the noise of the city! We hiked and hiked and hiked and finally we arrived at the top of the temple to a pretty cool view of the area! Afterwards we hit up the foot massage center. First your feet are soaked in a tea bath while you sit on an ottoman your neck, shoulders and back are massaged and my girl was droppin some elbows in my knots...oooh it felt soooo good!!! Next, off the ottoman and into an oversized lounge chair for the foot massage. Again my girl was very strong...and of course I was a wuss and had to tell her to back off a bit. In the end my feet felt rejuvenated!! Just another fabulous evening in SZ!!
On one of my last days in SZ it rained colts and phillies all day long!! So I sat in Dave's apartment getting laundry done and watching movies. Eventually we made it out for a friend's (Jamon's) party! The party was great because it was a reminder of home...first of all Jamon is a Pitt Alum...woohoo PITT!!! And secondly there were a bunch of Americans!! So the night only began there and ended at U-bar with a ton of dancing and drinking!! We had such a great time!! We were out until the sun came up!!! I can't even recall the last time that happened! So needless to say a late start for the next day! We enjoyed dim sum, which is like having a tapas style brunch, then moved onto the sauna...oh which was my favorite place. I spent some time in the steam room and then in the dry heat room and just a few mins in the ice box room and then finally off for an hour and a half massage at which point I fell asleep...sigh! How lovely! It was a lovely way to leave SZ and begin my volunteer experience in Thailand...
I Fell in Love...
...with Hong Kong! I must say my most favorite city in all of China! I fell in love with the people, the skyscrapers, the mountains and the sky terrace view of HK Island, Victoria Harbour and Kowloon! I know many people say HK isn't really China...well that's true and maybe that's why I fell in love with it?? It doesn't matter, but what does, is the following. My favorite skyscraper...The Bank of China, amazingly beautiful day and night. It's design was based on the principles of feng-shui. The people of HK can pass underneath the building and walk directly to the government buildings...which is good feng shui! Another one of my favorite spots in HK was the Mid-Levels escalators that take you to Conduit Road, which then I followed to the HK Zoological and Botanical Gardens. The escalators are a series of about 20 which only run down (into the city) from 7a to 10a and thereafter run up! The escalators run through an area called Soho and there are cute little coffee and pastry shops as well as small eateries and bars that would fit about 20 people max! Yeah I never would have thought just taking a bunch of escalators would be a cool thing. Maybe Pittsburgh ought to think about that for Mt. Washington or even getting up to the Peterson Events Center??? Oh yeah, so the Zoo was great!! I saw a Burmese python, sleepy orangutans, ring-tailed lemurs, tamarins, pygmy marmosets, lion-tailed macaques and black and white ruffed lemurs!! It was incredible. I would have taken more pics and spent a bit more time there, but the mosquitoes were sucking the life out of my ankles!!! My evening ended with a delightful vegetarian thai curry with deep fried noodles and a beer at Bahama Mama's (yes a place for westerners)! The next day is was overcast...PERFECT weather for me to visit the beach!! So off to Shek O Island I went. I sat on the beach for about an hour reading and taking in the view (sigh)! and unfortunately for me the sun finally broke through...so I turned a "few" shades darker and finally couldn't tolerate the heat any longer... I headed back to HK Island and ascended Victoria Peak...not via steps...but via the tram. The incline was ridiculous!!! I would guess the incline to be about a 30 degree angle!! After 8 mins I reached the top and took 3-4 more escalators to the sky terrace to see the view of beautiful Hong Kong, Kowloon and Victoria Harbour!! Breathtaking...one of the I-can't-believe-my-eyes-are-taking-witness-to-such-an-amazing-sight...moments. So after being a tourist up there I hiked up Mt. Austin Road to where only one other person was viewing all the beauty that is Victoria Peak. He was nice enough to take my picture at the top!! Just like a McDonald's commercial..."I'm lovin' it"!! So instead of heading back down right away I decided to read and dine on Victoria Peak. It was very difficult for me to tear my self away from there, but eventually I took the tram back down and called a wonderful night!!
Shanghai!!
Day 1:
Tower and the World Financial Center! Absolutely incredible structures!! Discovery has an episode of the construction of the World Financial Center (the most recently built building). It's unfathomable what architects and engineers can create! Instead of taking the tourist ferry to Instead of staying at a usual hostel we decided to rent an apartment for a week in Shanghai. The apartment is on the 22nd floor with an amazing view of Shanghai...day and night!! Our first night we spent strolling along The Bund and Pudong, viewing the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin MaoPudong, we took the cheapa cheapa ferry across with the locals...I think we were the only tourists on there! Yeah we roll like locals! No matter what form of transportation one is embarking upon in China it's always a mad rush! Patience China, patience. On the return to Shanghai we decided to take the "sight-seeing" tunnel under the river??? I was puzzled as well, but agreed and we entered a tram (like the ones at the Pittsburgh airport only much smaller, it could fit 10 Chinese or 5 Americans ;)) and saw a terrible, very cheesy light show! I could have produced a better light-show with Lite-Brite! So no sights, just lights...awful! At least it made us laugh!!
Tower and the World Financial Center! Absolutely incredible structures!! Discovery has an episode of the construction of the World Financial Center (the most recently built building). It's unfathomable what architects and engineers can create! Instead of taking the tourist ferry to Instead of staying at a usual hostel we decided to rent an apartment for a week in Shanghai. The apartment is on the 22nd floor with an amazing view of Shanghai...day and night!! Our first night we spent strolling along The Bund and Pudong, viewing the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jin MaoPudong, we took the cheapa cheapa ferry across with the locals...I think we were the only tourists on there! Yeah we roll like locals! No matter what form of transportation one is embarking upon in China it's always a mad rush! Patience China, patience. On the return to Shanghai we decided to take the "sight-seeing" tunnel under the river??? I was puzzled as well, but agreed and we entered a tram (like the ones at the Pittsburgh airport only much smaller, it could fit 10 Chinese or 5 Americans ;)) and saw a terrible, very cheesy light show! I could have produced a better light-show with Lite-Brite! So no sights, just lights...awful! At least it made us laugh!!
Day 2
We hit up The Old City of Shanghai stopping to visit the Yu Yuan Garden (Jade Garden) and Huxin (Heart of the Pavilion) Teahouse. We reached the teahouse from the garden by walking across a zigzag bridge flocked with tourists at every angle, taking pictures with the Yu Yuan in the background. From the Old City we headed over to the French Concession viewing skylines from the Garden Hotel and the Jin Jiang Hotel and then shopping for knock-offs...well Kristin did the shopping, I just did the watching. I can't tell a fake from genuine, so I have no interest. Anyway, you could purchase Foaches, Fradas, Fiesels, Fuccis and many more fakes! Everyone wanted to give us "best price for you" and "best quality for you"! Kristin haggles well!!! The best part of the French Concession besides the skyline views, was the little dumpling place we ate at. Our first experience with cold dumplings...YUMMY!!!
Day 3
Nearby our apartment we visited Yufo Si (Jade Buddha Temple), where each Buddha is carved out of one single piece of white jade. No pictures were allowed to be taken :(
In the evening we decided to check out an opera...well at least we thought. We ended up purchasing tickets for a reality tv singing show. The locals loved it...we unfortunately did not share the same feeling...we made an escape after a half an hour!!! :)
Day 4
Off to Suzhou at 7am and on the way to the train station I ALMOST got pickpocketed or should I say packpocketed. A group of 3 boys were behind me and I had my pack on my back. Kristin walking beside me fortunately caught a little greasy Chinese hand pulling at the zipper. Phew!!! I can't believe that, because I'm usually very careful about my pack. Luckily nothing more happened, they were confronted and yelled at and then they retreated.
So with all my belongings we finally arrived in Suzhou via the high-speed CRH train which I noticed to be clocked at 195km/h!! Upon arrival Kristin and I detoured to Tongli to see some active canals that locals used for transporting themselves as well as goods. It was interesting to know that this town, back in the day, "floated". The waterways were their only means of transportation. So back to Suzhou to visit the Bei Si Ta (North Pagoda Temple) which enshrined the fattest and tallest Buddha I've seen! This temples claim is that it is the tallest Chinese pagoda South of the Yangtze. That's like saying the Hancock building is the tallest building on Michigan Avenue west of Lake Michigan between the Water Tower and an El stop...anyway! We climbed 9 stories of steps to see the entire temple grounds and Suzhou city. The climb worked up a ferocious appetite so we headed into town for some Muslim treats...eggplant with green peppers, red chili pepper, cumin and slices of garlic...Yumm-O!!! Nan covered in sesame seeds and cilantro...the meal couldn't get any better!
Day 4
Off to Hangzhou...anticipating a smooth transfer just like Suzhou, but not the case. Apparently the train leaves from the South station (not the North like Suzhou). So off to the south train station to purchase new tickets...no refunds on the old tickets and just an hour behind...so over all not bad. Immediately arriving in Hangzhou we spy a DQ...DQ does it right...and next minute we were having blizzards!!!! After inhaling our blizzards we rented bikes and headed for the causeways! This was the most relaxing time I've had in China...no one yelling hello at me...no one crowding around me as I open my English to Mandarin phrasebook...none of it!! We rode our bikes for about 5-6 hours and then took a paddle boat ride to Lord Ruan's Mound and Mid-Lake Pavilion, the latter of which is the smallest and earliest. Another one of the most relaxing moments...even if it only lasted an hour. :) (sigh) Our last stop in Hangzhou...Papa John's for some cheesesticks!!! P-A-P-A baby!!!
Day 5
Bags...watches...shoes...This is the phrase that all of the street hawkers knew clearly! I can't even imagine to tell you how many secret knockoff back rooms we'd been to! Although one is a memory that will last forever. So Kristin is approached yet by another bags...watches...shoes...seller and we are off at the Chinese pace...which is a fast walk, almost to a competitive level. In this room we find the usual fakes: Coach, Prada, Diesel, Rolex and many more. So Kristin immediately checks out a Coach and it is a horrible copy! So she asks for better quality and the next we know the guy is pushing on a shelf of bags and low and behold there is another room! We just start cracking up!!! It was hysterical. So nothing there tickles her fancy, so we ask for more and with another push of a shelf, there's yet another room!!! CRAZY!!! In this room there weren't many good options either, so I anticipate another room and I begin pushing on a shelf or 3 and to our dismay...nothing!! Everyone just started laughing at me...hey I had to give it a try!!! Wish I would've taken a pic of that!!
Last Day in Shanghai :(
Off to a real Peking Opera! A high-class meal at Subway...Eat Fresh!...was had prior to the show. Again, we were slightly disappointed with the show...I guess our expectations were too high??? There was initially some fighting, but then it was all singing and not much acting, but we made it through the entire performance. The rest of the crowd loved it and cheers and applause were given frequently. We didn't know why, either?? Out of the theater we see a torrential downpour...hail and wind gusts turning umbrellas inside out!!! So for 20 yuan, we bought two umbrellas and head for the Royal Meridian Hotel...a hotel we frequented to use it's lovely bathroom...as we approached the doorman said "Welcome Back"! I guess we tinkled there a little more often than we noticed! After cleaning ourselves up we decided it was time for wine. The was our 30th birthday party celebration!!! We sat for hours chatting and laughing while sipping our South African Cabernet and eating spiced cashews! As not to look like big alcoholics, we headed to the Jin Mao Tower to Cloud 9 on the 87th floor for yet another Cabernet, roasted duck, spicy fried tofu and lovely spring rolls! Even through my wine goggles the view was spectacular. Shanghai all lit up in it's beauty!! Flickering lights here, color-changing lights there...(sigh)!! To top our wonderful birthday celebration off we were entertained by a magician at our table. Card tricks, ring and necklace tricks (Yangtze cruise friends are all well aware of this one thanks to Michael!) and a disappearing/reappearing scarf trick! After 3 bottles of wine anything was entertaining to me!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!!!
Day 3
Nearby our apartment we visited Yufo Si (Jade Buddha Temple), where each Buddha is carved out of one single piece of white jade. No pictures were allowed to be taken :(
In the evening we decided to check out an opera...well at least we thought. We ended up purchasing tickets for a reality tv singing show. The locals loved it...we unfortunately did not share the same feeling...we made an escape after a half an hour!!! :)
Day 4
Off to Suzhou at 7am and on the way to the train station I ALMOST got pickpocketed or should I say packpocketed. A group of 3 boys were behind me and I had my pack on my back. Kristin walking beside me fortunately caught a little greasy Chinese hand pulling at the zipper. Phew!!! I can't believe that, because I'm usually very careful about my pack. Luckily nothing more happened, they were confronted and yelled at and then they retreated.
So with all my belongings we finally arrived in Suzhou via the high-speed CRH train which I noticed to be clocked at 195km/h!! Upon arrival Kristin and I detoured to Tongli to see some active canals that locals used for transporting themselves as well as goods. It was interesting to know that this town, back in the day, "floated". The waterways were their only means of transportation. So back to Suzhou to visit the Bei Si Ta (North Pagoda Temple) which enshrined the fattest and tallest Buddha I've seen! This temples claim is that it is the tallest Chinese pagoda South of the Yangtze. That's like saying the Hancock building is the tallest building on Michigan Avenue west of Lake Michigan between the Water Tower and an El stop...anyway! We climbed 9 stories of steps to see the entire temple grounds and Suzhou city. The climb worked up a ferocious appetite so we headed into town for some Muslim treats...eggplant with green peppers, red chili pepper, cumin and slices of garlic...Yumm-O!!! Nan covered in sesame seeds and cilantro...the meal couldn't get any better!
Day 4
Off to Hangzhou...anticipating a smooth transfer just like Suzhou, but not the case. Apparently the train leaves from the South station (not the North like Suzhou). So off to the south train station to purchase new tickets...no refunds on the old tickets and just an hour behind...so over all not bad. Immediately arriving in Hangzhou we spy a DQ...DQ does it right...and next minute we were having blizzards!!!! After inhaling our blizzards we rented bikes and headed for the causeways! This was the most relaxing time I've had in China...no one yelling hello at me...no one crowding around me as I open my English to Mandarin phrasebook...none of it!! We rode our bikes for about 5-6 hours and then took a paddle boat ride to Lord Ruan's Mound and Mid-Lake Pavilion, the latter of which is the smallest and earliest. Another one of the most relaxing moments...even if it only lasted an hour. :) (sigh) Our last stop in Hangzhou...Papa John's for some cheesesticks!!! P-A-P-A baby!!!
Day 5
Bags...watches...shoes...This is the phrase that all of the street hawkers knew clearly! I can't even imagine to tell you how many secret knockoff back rooms we'd been to! Although one is a memory that will last forever. So Kristin is approached yet by another bags...watches...shoes...seller and we are off at the Chinese pace...which is a fast walk, almost to a competitive level. In this room we find the usual fakes: Coach, Prada, Diesel, Rolex and many more. So Kristin immediately checks out a Coach and it is a horrible copy! So she asks for better quality and the next we know the guy is pushing on a shelf of bags and low and behold there is another room! We just start cracking up!!! It was hysterical. So nothing there tickles her fancy, so we ask for more and with another push of a shelf, there's yet another room!!! CRAZY!!! In this room there weren't many good options either, so I anticipate another room and I begin pushing on a shelf or 3 and to our dismay...nothing!! Everyone just started laughing at me...hey I had to give it a try!!! Wish I would've taken a pic of that!!
Last Day in Shanghai :(
Off to a real Peking Opera! A high-class meal at Subway...Eat Fresh!...was had prior to the show. Again, we were slightly disappointed with the show...I guess our expectations were too high??? There was initially some fighting, but then it was all singing and not much acting, but we made it through the entire performance. The rest of the crowd loved it and cheers and applause were given frequently. We didn't know why, either?? Out of the theater we see a torrential downpour...hail and wind gusts turning umbrellas inside out!!! So for 20 yuan, we bought two umbrellas and head for the Royal Meridian Hotel...a hotel we frequented to use it's lovely bathroom...as we approached the doorman said "Welcome Back"! I guess we tinkled there a little more often than we noticed! After cleaning ourselves up we decided it was time for wine. The was our 30th birthday party celebration!!! We sat for hours chatting and laughing while sipping our South African Cabernet and eating spiced cashews! As not to look like big alcoholics, we headed to the Jin Mao Tower to Cloud 9 on the 87th floor for yet another Cabernet, roasted duck, spicy fried tofu and lovely spring rolls! Even through my wine goggles the view was spectacular. Shanghai all lit up in it's beauty!! Flickering lights here, color-changing lights there...(sigh)!! To top our wonderful birthday celebration off we were entertained by a magician at our table. Card tricks, ring and necklace tricks (Yangtze cruise friends are all well aware of this one thanks to Michael!) and a disappearing/reappearing scarf trick! After 3 bottles of wine anything was entertaining to me!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!!!
The Yangzi River Booze!
On Thursday May 29th I set sail on the Yangzi River for a 3-day cruise. Starting from Wanzhou(Wanxian) and finishing in Yichang! The first night I met Jenny, Simon, Dave (aka: VonDutch) and Michael the German (different German from Mt. Emei). At our first stop we purchased 32 to bottles of Snow beer...let's just say we had a fantastic time!! Day 2 was a trip to see the Three Little Gorges...which aren't so little. The scenery was stunning!! I couldn't believe I was viewing this amazing natural beauty...in China. When I thought of China initially, I thought about the 1 billion people scurrying around the cities to and from their jobs, markets, etc... I also thought about the beauty of the architecture in more rural areas, but never did I think China would hold such beautiful mountains. When we were sailing on the river it was actually lower than the normal water level, because the river was anticipated to flood soon and lowering the level would alleviate flood damage. So it was even better to know how low from the mountain peaks we were and how high we could have been. In Sandouping the construction of the Three Gorges Dam is underway. The hope of the dam is to obviously generate hydroelectric power and help control flooding of the Yangzi, but the downfall is that the river itself will be turned into a lake by elevating the water 175 meters, so many of the villages and temples alongside the river's bank will be submerged. A lot of money from the government and nearby provinces are aiding in the relocation of temples/artifacts and construction of high-rises for the villagers to move in to. So your call on whether it's a good or bad solution?? The Three Gorges Dam is 6x the length of the Hoover Dam and utilizes 26 generators to generate 10% of China's power!!! Incredible!!! Okay back to the cruise...Day 3: we set off into dragon boats for a race. It was hysterical...all of the foreigners were put in one boat and twice as many Chinese tourists were put in another boat and we kicked their butts in the race!!! It was great, they were taking pictures of us!! Apparently we are a tourist attraction for many locals and Chinese tourists!!! So we finished out Day 3 with a drive by of the Three Gorges Dam and off to Wuhan we went...just for the night.
A Humbling Trek on Mt. Emei
ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!! Those are the words to describe my latest adventure!!! I set out at 10am on Saturday May 24th with Kristin and Michael to hike Mt. Emei. I knew it was a "good" hike, but did not really know it until we began the trek. Michael is a German fellow we met at our hostel. He presently lives in Chengdu, is fluent in Mandarin and on his 6th climb of Mt. Emei, which made him the best tour guide for this hike!! We started at Baogou Si, hiked to Huyu Bridge then to Leiyin Si and over to Shen Shui Si (nunnery)...~12kilometers. At Shen Shui Si we were fortunate to observe a spiritual ritual in process. Ahh-mee-tah-foe (phonetically speaking) was the phrase/word being chanted by the nuns along with the beat of drums and bells...I was mesmerized!!! I wish I could have recorded it, but out of respect I did not, but was permitted to take one picture. The picture I was able to capture was of a nun, performing a ceremony on a cylindrical stone pillar that stood (if facing Buddha) on the left side of the entrance to the shrine. The sight was humbling. To see such devotion in any religion is humbling to me. You could hear the devotion in the chanting and in the movements of the nuns...unbelievable!!! I left with a warm heart and knew the rest of the trek would be inspiring. From Shen Shui Si we traversed ~5k more to Qingyin monastery to spend the night!! Two rivers came together at this point and therefore the English translation is Pure Sound monastery. The three of us had our dinner, then sat on our balcony overlooking the river sipping jasmine tea (my favorite)!!! The clear rushing sound of the river and sweet smell and warmth of the tea made for a good night's rest!! The next morning Michael and I headed for the Hard Wok Cafe...yes that's what I wrote!! It took us about 1.5 hrs to get there for the best banana-honey pancakes on Mt. Emei. Peggy's (English name) cafe has been on Mt Emei for the past 25yrs. (Mt Emei's stone path was created 30yrs ago). We complimented her food and hospitality and then moved on to Hongchun Ping (elevation=1120m). Shen Shui Si and Hongchun Ping are 2 of the oldest and active monasteries on Mt. Emei. At Hongchun Ping Michael and I were invited by Buddhist monks to sit and enjoy some tea with them!!! Again...unbelievable!! Again...humbled. We drank tea Taiwanese style...out of smaller than one ounce handle-less clay cups. Michael translated when was I spoken to and when I posed questions to the monks. These guys were extremely friendly and welcoming. They also invited us to have lunch, but unfortunately we just ate and had many more kilometers to hike. We ended up hiking ~60kilometers of staircases and trails in two days!! Viewing some of the most beautiful monasteries with Chinese and Tibetan influences. ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!!
No Tibetan Culture for You!
So next adventure was one hell of an excursion!! We left Xi'an on an overnight train to Lanzhou at 10pm to arrive at 7am. From there we take the 9am bus to Linxia which was a 3hr noisy ride. We arrive in Linxia and get on the bus to Xiahe after circling around town for 1.5hrs picking up people and cargo??? Don't ask, because I don't know??? Anyway Finally around 130pm we head out to Xiahe, only to get stopped at a checkpoint about an hour outside Xiahe and kicked off the bus and immediately forced onto a return bus to Linxia. So what went down was that the Chinese police are cutting off all Tibetan areas of known rioting to foreigners. Xiahe has a beautiful Tibetan monastery (The Labrang Monastery). It's the place to go if one is unable to get to Lhasa, Tibet. Xiahe is NOT in the Tibetan province, but as I said before because of previous riots the Chinese police/government has closed it off to foreigners. The last information we had before setting out to Xiahe was that it was open to foreign travellers. An unfortunate mishap during our travel, but we did enjoy a remote Chinese countryside for about $7 round trip ;) Okay so now we had to travel the 2hrs back to Lixia, the 3hrs back to Lanzhou and the overnight 8hr train ride back to Xi'an. Backtracking was the only way to go at that point. The train then put us into Xi'an at about 9am, then we took the 130pm flight out of Xi'an to Chengdu and hopped another bus for a 3hr ride to Emei Shan and that's where I am now! Finally at rest for a couple of days. It will finally be good to get into a new pair of clothes since I have been in my current attire for the past three days...and you guessed it no shower in the last few days either! The Garnier wipes sure do come in handy on mishaps like this! T.I. C. = This Is China!
Going to climb to the top of Mt Emei tomorrow!
Going to climb to the top of Mt Emei tomorrow!
Xi'an
The first day in Xi'an we booked a tour for the Terra Cotta Warriors, Hot Springs and the Banpo Museum. The only one worth talking about was the Terra Cotta Warriors. Buried underground to protect the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, thousands and thousands of warriors were created out of clay. The bodies were made separate from the heads. Each face is distinguishable by expression from hand carved details. The paint on the soldiers were faded, but there is some evidence of reds, blues, greens and golds. An interesting detail was the sole of the shoes...with tread meant married and without tread meant single (I am still without tread) :) The wife was the one who detailed the shoes. Other distinguishing features were hairstyles (buns and square knots) and attire (details on the suit). The excavation still continues as money is donated for the feat! I don't think my words can describe the scale of the scene...so hopefully my pictures will. The rest of the tour, unfortunate to say sucked! But in the end we met a great group of people from Australia, D.C. and Vancouver. We ended up at their hostel drinking and playing card games! We were asked to move out of the bar into the back patio area, secondary to earthquake warnings. We were safe and nothing happened, but a good time with new friends!
The following day we went to see The Dacien Si (temple) and The Big Goose Pagoda. The pagoda has seven tiers with a window at each level. Visitors throw money out of the windows for luck. Unfortunately the pagoda was closed so instead we walked around the temple. Xuan Zang spent 15yrs in India collecting Sanskrit sutras. He brought them back to China to translate the 1335 volumes into Chinese and had the pagoda built to protect the sutras! Some of the halls depicted carvings on three walls of Xuan Zang's journey. The side walls were of black laquer, carvings made in the laquer with glistening gold paint in the grooves. The middle wall was a mahogony colored wood with raised carvings. All of this was so interesting to "see" his perserverance and dedication to preserving the sutras. Inside the main prayer hall sat a 50ft tall gold-foiled Buddha that really made an impression on me. Just outside the hall was a large candle holder made of wrought iron. It held hundreds of lit and melting China-red candles. Unsure if this was a daily tradition or secondary to the victims of the earthquake. At the end of our visit, we came upon a prayer wall, which held 4x6 wooden cards with different colored borders. Red=love and health, blue=success and green=education. We purchased a red prayer card, wrote a message for those injured and/or displaced by the earthquake and hung it on the wall along with many others. A solemn moment for me, but a happy one as well as I paused to remember how fortunate I am to be here and experiencing all that is China.
We moved on to the Muslim Quarter to see the Great Mosque...by far my most favorite piece of religious architecture in China! An old, yet active mosque that was stunning...upturned eaves with detailed carvings of dragons, archways with phoenixes and blue-glazed roof tiles. It's a beautiful and harmonious combination of Middle Eastern and Chinese architecture. After the mosque we headed for the Muslim Quarter, where we ate noodle soup (sorry don't know the real name, secondary to can't read Chinese characters) which contained leeks, garlic and a slew of vegetables...YUMMY!!!!! We also had Chinese pizza, two pieces of crepe like bread filled with meat and vegetables and deep fried...mmmm....good!!! The food has been settling well in my belly! We walked around the market stalls and noted anything was for sale from fake Rolexes to Prada bags to chopstick sets and watches with Mao's picture and his hand as the second hand!! So finally time for us to head out; we decided to leave via auto-rickshaw. Our driver drove us into oncoming traffic and then crossed a raised median and whipped around corners...we made it back safely...can't say my blood pressure was in a safe range, though. :)
The following day we went to see The Dacien Si (temple) and The Big Goose Pagoda. The pagoda has seven tiers with a window at each level. Visitors throw money out of the windows for luck. Unfortunately the pagoda was closed so instead we walked around the temple. Xuan Zang spent 15yrs in India collecting Sanskrit sutras. He brought them back to China to translate the 1335 volumes into Chinese and had the pagoda built to protect the sutras! Some of the halls depicted carvings on three walls of Xuan Zang's journey. The side walls were of black laquer, carvings made in the laquer with glistening gold paint in the grooves. The middle wall was a mahogony colored wood with raised carvings. All of this was so interesting to "see" his perserverance and dedication to preserving the sutras. Inside the main prayer hall sat a 50ft tall gold-foiled Buddha that really made an impression on me. Just outside the hall was a large candle holder made of wrought iron. It held hundreds of lit and melting China-red candles. Unsure if this was a daily tradition or secondary to the victims of the earthquake. At the end of our visit, we came upon a prayer wall, which held 4x6 wooden cards with different colored borders. Red=love and health, blue=success and green=education. We purchased a red prayer card, wrote a message for those injured and/or displaced by the earthquake and hung it on the wall along with many others. A solemn moment for me, but a happy one as well as I paused to remember how fortunate I am to be here and experiencing all that is China.
We moved on to the Muslim Quarter to see the Great Mosque...by far my most favorite piece of religious architecture in China! An old, yet active mosque that was stunning...upturned eaves with detailed carvings of dragons, archways with phoenixes and blue-glazed roof tiles. It's a beautiful and harmonious combination of Middle Eastern and Chinese architecture. After the mosque we headed for the Muslim Quarter, where we ate noodle soup (sorry don't know the real name, secondary to can't read Chinese characters) which contained leeks, garlic and a slew of vegetables...YUMMY!!!!! We also had Chinese pizza, two pieces of crepe like bread filled with meat and vegetables and deep fried...mmmm....good!!! The food has been settling well in my belly! We walked around the market stalls and noted anything was for sale from fake Rolexes to Prada bags to chopstick sets and watches with Mao's picture and his hand as the second hand!! So finally time for us to head out; we decided to leave via auto-rickshaw. Our driver drove us into oncoming traffic and then crossed a raised median and whipped around corners...we made it back safely...can't say my blood pressure was in a safe range, though. :)
I'm off to China!
Wow! What a year it has been for me and now I am taking the opportunity to start traveling the world...well at least part of the Eastern World! I'm looking forward to a great journey in spirituality, independence and cultural exploration. I will be spending 4 weeks in China with one of my closest friends, Kristin! We are tentatively planning to explore Beijing, Xi'an, Xining, Lanzhou, Tongren, Chengdu, Leshan, Kunming, Shanghai and Tibet (if we are lucky)! Sights we are planning to see are the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square, giant pandas in the Wolong Nature Reserve, Mt. Emei, bamboo forests, teahouses, The Great Buddha, Jokhang Palace, Barkhor Square, Potala Palace, Tiger Leaping Gorge and a journey on the Yangzi River to see the Three Gorges Dam. After Kristin departs I will go on to explore Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau. From there my journey takes me to Thailand, where I will volunteer with the Institute for Field Research Expeditions for 4 weeks. My volunteer work will be in the area of public health. I will then go on to explore Kuala Lumpur to see the Petronas Towers and the last month of travel will be exploring Singapore and Indonesia.
I know with all that's been going on in China and SE Asia many of you are already worried about me. I appreciate all the concerns you have for me. I promise to be as safe as possible. Please not only keep me in your thoughts, but all those that are in dire straits as well.
I will post as often as I can and look forward to hearing from all of you!
Beijing
Finally...I'm here!!! I landed safely and met Kristin in the airport! We stayed at the Leo Hostel!
While in Beijing I walked around Tian'anmen Square and all over The Forbidden City, viewed Mao's corpse at Mao's Memorial Hall and Mao's Monument. Other sites included The National Museum of China, The Great Hall of the People and Qianmen Gate. The architecture is absolutely amazing...tiled roofs, intricate colorful hand painted archways and hand carved dragons (emperor) and phoenixes (empress) into slabs of stone and marble. Artifacts, such as weaponry and military clothing were on display in some of the buildings. The detail that goes into such work is unbelievable. We went to the Forbidden City on a rainy day, so it was a little less enjoyable. But we did see red clay tiled roofs, detailed paintings with bright blues, greens and golds! It was a maze of corridors, palaces, halls and gates. My favorites were the large stone carving and the nine dragon screen. After the Forbidden City we scurried off to see a Chinese variety show consisting of shadow puppets, acrobatics, a magic show, singing and comedy show (the latter two we didn't understand), but the rest was great! We watched the performances while sipping on Jasmine tea and snacking on gourd seeds. Yummy!
I also went to one of the night markets, where deep-fried anything was available...from scorpions to strawberries (although the fruit wasn't deep-fried)...deer and ostrich (not sure which was which??) My first night there, Kristin and I went to eat at a restaurant near our hostel, where one "chef" was deep-frying some meat at the entrance. We ordered, but weren't sure what we were eating. So those of you who are vegetarians or for PETA may not want to read the next line. I think we ended up having dog-meat dumplings...which I must admit were very tasty! :) Needless to say the next time we ordered I had my Mandarin to English translation book on hand!
So the funniest thing I've seen thus far are slits in infant to toddler age pants. Yes I said a slit...kinda like eating so much you split your pants or dancing and splitting your pants right up the back! Apparently in China, children of that age group don't or parents choose not to don diapers for easy business access. The child will somehow let the parent know he/she has to do some business and so mom gets into a squatting positioning, positions child between her legs and raises childs legs so aim can be achieved. Now, I bet some of you are wondering how I know this in detail...well when it happens right in the middle of the sidewalk or The Forbidden City it's kinda hard not to miss.
Okay here's the highlight of Beijing... THE GREAT WALL!!! And what a great wall it is!! We started at Jinshanling and hiked 10k to Simitai...climbing over loose stones, gravel and dirt. Scaling steep steps up and down until we were stinking of sweat!! The view from any angle was absolutely breathtaking. Unbelievable how such a structure could be created at that time and in that area!! We did get to a point where I slipped down two steps and scraped up my knee and arm...no worries, nothing broken just a little bruised! At one point I realized I was standing at 1200m and decided to write in my travel journal! That will be a memory to last forever!! At the end of the hike we crossed over a suspension bridge and ziplined to a ferry that took us to our bus!! Again the view was breathtaking and we had the perfect day for a Great Wall hike!! Sunny skies and a cool breeze! (Sigh...) :)
The last day in Beijing was a hectic one. We went jewelry shopping and ended up spending so much time that we missed our 520p train to Xi'an...oops!! I haggled another ticket and a refund for our other ticket! Everything in the end worked out fine, we made it to Xi'an and a single tear rolled down Kristin's right cheek when we saw a handwritten sign containing her name...our hostel driver was there to pick us up...just kidding no tear, but relief was surely the feeling!
So while in Beijing I learned how to say Hello (Ni hao), My name is...(Wo jiao), thank you (xiexie), water (shui) and yes (dui)...pronunciation is something I'm still working on! I learned some swear words too, but I'm not writing those down...hahaha!
While in Beijing I walked around Tian'anmen Square and all over The Forbidden City, viewed Mao's corpse at Mao's Memorial Hall and Mao's Monument. Other sites included The National Museum of China, The Great Hall of the People and Qianmen Gate. The architecture is absolutely amazing...tiled roofs, intricate colorful hand painted archways and hand carved dragons (emperor) and phoenixes (empress) into slabs of stone and marble. Artifacts, such as weaponry and military clothing were on display in some of the buildings. The detail that goes into such work is unbelievable. We went to the Forbidden City on a rainy day, so it was a little less enjoyable. But we did see red clay tiled roofs, detailed paintings with bright blues, greens and golds! It was a maze of corridors, palaces, halls and gates. My favorites were the large stone carving and the nine dragon screen. After the Forbidden City we scurried off to see a Chinese variety show consisting of shadow puppets, acrobatics, a magic show, singing and comedy show (the latter two we didn't understand), but the rest was great! We watched the performances while sipping on Jasmine tea and snacking on gourd seeds. Yummy!
I also went to one of the night markets, where deep-fried anything was available...from scorpions to strawberries (although the fruit wasn't deep-fried)...deer and ostrich (not sure which was which??) My first night there, Kristin and I went to eat at a restaurant near our hostel, where one "chef" was deep-frying some meat at the entrance. We ordered, but weren't sure what we were eating. So those of you who are vegetarians or for PETA may not want to read the next line. I think we ended up having dog-meat dumplings...which I must admit were very tasty! :) Needless to say the next time we ordered I had my Mandarin to English translation book on hand!
So the funniest thing I've seen thus far are slits in infant to toddler age pants. Yes I said a slit...kinda like eating so much you split your pants or dancing and splitting your pants right up the back! Apparently in China, children of that age group don't or parents choose not to don diapers for easy business access. The child will somehow let the parent know he/she has to do some business and so mom gets into a squatting positioning, positions child between her legs and raises childs legs so aim can be achieved. Now, I bet some of you are wondering how I know this in detail...well when it happens right in the middle of the sidewalk or The Forbidden City it's kinda hard not to miss.
Okay here's the highlight of Beijing... THE GREAT WALL!!! And what a great wall it is!! We started at Jinshanling and hiked 10k to Simitai...climbing over loose stones, gravel and dirt. Scaling steep steps up and down until we were stinking of sweat!! The view from any angle was absolutely breathtaking. Unbelievable how such a structure could be created at that time and in that area!! We did get to a point where I slipped down two steps and scraped up my knee and arm...no worries, nothing broken just a little bruised! At one point I realized I was standing at 1200m and decided to write in my travel journal! That will be a memory to last forever!! At the end of the hike we crossed over a suspension bridge and ziplined to a ferry that took us to our bus!! Again the view was breathtaking and we had the perfect day for a Great Wall hike!! Sunny skies and a cool breeze! (Sigh...) :)
The last day in Beijing was a hectic one. We went jewelry shopping and ended up spending so much time that we missed our 520p train to Xi'an...oops!! I haggled another ticket and a refund for our other ticket! Everything in the end worked out fine, we made it to Xi'an and a single tear rolled down Kristin's right cheek when we saw a handwritten sign containing her name...our hostel driver was there to pick us up...just kidding no tear, but relief was surely the feeling!
So while in Beijing I learned how to say Hello (Ni hao), My name is...(Wo jiao), thank you (xiexie), water (shui) and yes (dui)...pronunciation is something I'm still working on! I learned some swear words too, but I'm not writing those down...hahaha!
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