Ashram

Jen and I have only three weeks left in our trip. For any other travel this would seem like forever but since we have been traveling since we were married in August it feels like our trip is almost over.

Click here for the link for the Ashram we are staying at.

Currently we are staying at an Ashram outside of Rishikesh. It is a very interesting place, if you looked at the website you will understand. I was not one hundred percent sure that I liked the Ashram until we had a day off and went to the market and explored the city. What was striking to me was how much I missed the routine and the serenity of the Ashram.

The Ashram has the Ganges river walking distance from the back gate. Two wonderful dogs that let you rough house or rub their bellies. We have a set schedule which is quite different from normal life and yet after doing it for a few days it feels natural and peaceful. One of the most amazing things is the food, because it is on the perfect balance of being healthy and tasty. Often Jen cooks amazing meals but I get into trouble because they are so delicious and rich that I eat to much and regret it later. Here they have food which is full of things freshly picked but it is not so rich that I eat to much, this is a amazing because it is technically all you can eat.

We have 4 more days left at the Ashram and I am amazed that I do not think that I will get bored and want to leave early. It is amazing how much time you can spend reading good books and having conversations about religion and spirituality. I think also we are lucking because we are traveling with an old friend and two of his friends who are all amazing.

We are getting excited to see all of our family and friends in the States. Also, we are excited to see our dog Artie.

India Gives and It takes.

Our last few days in Calcutta were not as nice as our first days. I was so sick from “Delhi belly” that after about 14 hours of being sick, I could barely stand up. Jen had to go and find food and other things while I lie in bed and pray for my antibiotics to kick in. It was also sad to be sick on this day because Jen and I had signed up to volunteer at a Mother Teresa house that helped disabled children.

At 7pm, we left for our first train ride–I was feeling terribly sick to my stomach. It was only 24 hours after I first became sick, but I was much better than I had been that afternoon. We took a rickshaw from our hotel to the train station–this was a horrible and bumpy road. I thought our rickshaw driver was suicidal because he crossed this major road with us in the back even though we could have gotten out and taken the sky-bridge. We got there found where our train would arrive and I slept on the pavement with my head on Jen’s lap while having strange sickness-induced dreams as hundreds of Indian people walked talked all around us.

Once we got on our train and got on the top berth of our sleeper non-A/C train, I took a sleeping pill and happily fell asleep for the next 14 hours. It turns out getting a jeep from the train station to Darjeeling was a much more daunting task. When the jeep drivers see foreigners with their backpacks, they charge 300 rupees per person. Which is dramatic because the 50 km jeep ride would cost 600 rupees and a 650 km train ride cost us 680. So after several hours of haggling with taxi drivers, we were off to Darjeeling paying 220 a person; it seems petty but the natives on the same jeeps probably paid a fraction of what we were forced to pay.

Darjeeling was amazing–it is a city in the clouds. I quickly recovered from my stomach ailments and Jen quickly got a head cold from the damp air and cold nights. We met great people on our jeep ride over and met up with them several times in Darjeeling whether we planned to or not. There is a quote I read about Darjeeling, “It is the only place where you can walk around the town once and see the same people four times.” We enjoyed them very much and were given a wealth of knowledge about where people had gone and stayed and what it was ‘really’ like.

We had a horrible time getting a jeep to Gangtok and stayed in Darjeeling one more night–this time in a nicer hotel because the dampness of the first hotel was bothering Jen. Finally we got on a jeep to Gangtok but without the permit we needed to get into the state of Sikkim. We stressed and people told us it was a hassle to stop at the border and get the permit. We were lucky because we had an extremely kind jeep driver who showed us where to get the permit and waited while we were approved, all about 20 minutes time. I think he is the only driver that we have tipped on our travels, most people driving either charge too much or drive unsafely.

We stayed in Gangtok for two nights–the first at a very hip lodge; the restaurant played music as hip as any Seattle club and joked and laughed and took between 30 min to 2 hours to bring you any type of food. We met some of the people from Darjeeling and some new people and had a great time talking. Jen was still ill and the next morning we decided we wanted a room that did not smell like mildew. After walking around most of Gangtok, I found one that worked but was almost as much as our budget for the day. Luckily, we have been spending on average 15 dollars under budget a day in India, so it was not a problem.

Gangtok had fancy stores, nice sidewalks, and many wealthy and vacationing locals. It was not a bad place, but Jen and I were happy to catch a Jeep to the more remote and scenic town of Pelling, located in the west side of Sikkim. It is calm and quite with the occasional jeep chugging along and the cicadas buzzing away. Tomorrow we will travel to a majestic sounding lake. Then on the 26th, Jen and I will attempt a 5 day trek that will end in Dzongri, and the hope is we will have an amazing view of the third highest peak in the world, Kangchenjunga, but we are not counting on it because it has been foggy and raining most of the time. We are excited because we will be trekking with a guide and a porter, and we will get to put our hiking boots to good use.

In India!

Well, we have started a new leg of our journey. Jen and I left the comfortable tourist-driven county of Thailand behind. India–starting in Kolkata– is so many smells coming at you at once. Driving in the pre-paid taxi from the airport to the metro train station: it went from horrible smells that made you wish you could not smell at all to passing by food that makes you yearn for something delicious.

The metro train ride was like no other Jen or I have been on before, especially with our backpacks on. We got on at the first stop and the train was already crowded, but halfway through our trip, we were bursting at the seams. If these were people in the states, people trying to get on after a certain point would have said, “No way! I will catch the next one.” But not in India; they just kept piling in. It reminded me of being at packed concerts. The people were nice enough and no one really lets their temper flair, considering it is impossible to move and it is about 85 degrees.

Kolkata has a lot of poverty but our time in other large cities has prepared us somewhat. The beggars pull on your heart strings–holding a baby and asking for milk for their babies. A lengthy orientation at Mother Theresa’s volunteer program told us that always these beggars are choosing it as a profession and have other options. It is still hard when they seem so destitute and they need your help. Jen and I are going to volunteer in a few days, and I am glad for that. We may find volunteer opportunities in other parts of India as well.

Jen and I have walked around a lot in Kolkata in the last two days and my legs and my whole body get sore in a new way. Usually you walk and your feet hurt from the ground and your legs hurt from flexing and contracting. But in Kolkata, the joints hurt at my hips because I am trying not to run directly into an oncoming person or dodging motorbikes. Jen, surprisingly, isn’t sore. Walking around is not like the States because if there are sidewalks, they are really more like obstacle courses. Food carts everywhere, trash, and many things that it would be best not to step on. But as exhausted as I am getting back to our old and dingy room, I am excited to wake up tomorrow and do it again.

Back in Bangkok

we’re back and we love it. today we spent the entire day, well most of it, at chatuchak weekend market. the market, one of the third largest in the world, spanned so many blocks, robbie and i could not count them all. we both bought a t-shirt and i found a dress for india. (it’s best to wear sleeves and clothing below the knees there.)

we tasted so much fantastic food–worlds above the food in cambodia. we had fresh fried spring rolls, a papaya salad with crab, fried sausage, coconut ice cream served in a coconut, and a couple other things i can’t remember.

we took the subway back from the market today and then we had to walk about 2 1/2 miles to get back to our hotel. a small park was along our way and thais were running, dancing, and lifting weights in this tiny park. the fountains were back lit and it was beyond romantic. we enjoyed getting lost in there.

tomorrow, i’m going to be taking a cooking class–it includes a trip to the market and preparing five dishes. for anyone that’s up for it, i’ll try making you some thai food when i get back.

Inspired at Angkor

Before reading about Angkor, here are a few pictures of me and Robbie through some of our travels:

Today was the last of our three day tour at the temples of Angkor, and Robbie and I were blown away by our time here.

We started our tour a few days ago on a cloudy morning; after picking up our bicycles from the night before we met up with a fellow traveler and tried to see the sunrise. We made it to Angkor Wat by 5:45am, perfect timing to see the sun peak over the towers at 5:55am, but the sun was covered by clouds. Despite the anticlimactic sunrise, Angkor Wat was anything but. The crowds of tourists quickly dispersed after sunrise and we wandered onwards. The huge temple was nearly deserted and gave us plenty of time to explore. The magnitude of the temple blew us away–the outer was is 2.2 miles long and the highest tower is taller than the cathedral at Notre Dame in Paris.

Here’s a video of us: http://www.facebook.com/v/1000807915858

We were the first to ascend the stairs to reach the third level–over 140 feet up the stairs. You could see the entirty of the temple from the third level and we relished in the granduer and lack of other tourists.

We also saw our favorite monument of Buddha at the third level–the Naga king (a large, 7-headed snake), Mucalinda, coils around the base of Buddha while he in deep meditation to protect him from an unseasonable thunderstorm. Mucalinda also unfurls its seven heads to provide covering for Buddha from the rain.

Around 9:45 or so, my stomach and head weren’t treating me too well. We rode our bikes back to Siam Reap and I napped for about 4 hours–my body and mind, I believe, were both exhausted for over two months of traveling.

The next morning, October 6th (did I tell you I cannot believe it’s already October??), we woke up a little later and rode our bikes again to Angkor. The bike ride was about 4 miles to the temples and more for the area that we rode around. We started off at Bayon, where a king liked his face so much that he had carvers sculpt them into stone. It was breathtaking seeing the smiling yet mysterious faces that were carved into the temple. We rode around the rest of Angkor Thom , stopping to see different temples along the way. The bike ride alone was amazing–seeing cows grazing in the fields, children playing in the water, huge trees alongside the road–we loved it.

The next day we took a break–neither of us were feeling well and the temperaure was over 90 degrees without cloud cover. We stayed in bed most of the day watching terrible (yet wonderful) movies–The Odessey (directed by Francis Ford Coppola), Rising Sun (with Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery) and Hook! We ventured out for dinner and to find out tuk-tuk for the next day–our final day at Angkor.

Today, my friends, was phenomenal. Our tuk-tuk drove us about an hour and a half outside of the main temples. The first was almost all in miniature compared to the others we had visited–Banteay Srei was a beautiful red sandstone temple, but it was too full of tourists and too hot to fully enjoy it. Banteay Samre, however, was as beautiful and big and mysterious and empty. We were able to explore the ins and outs of this temple.

Our favorite and the most breathtaking was that of Ta Phrom. Situated in a jungle-like setting, this temple was the least restored. Trees and vines grow in and out of the stones, supporting, tearing down, and almost capturing the stones. Here, tears welled up in my eyes at the majesty and mystery–what was this like almost 1000 years ago? Who worshipped here? What happened that an entire people left? And, on top of the mystery of the temple itself, the mystery and power of Mother Nature resounded in the sights.

Robbie and I left the temples of Angkor today content and amazed. This trip here in Cambodia provides the perfect segue between Southeast Asia and India. We’re going there on the 12th!

Koh Phi Phi and feeling better

Robbie and I are currently at a beautiful deserted resort in Koh Phi Phi called Ao Toh Koh. It’s on the eastern side of the island and feels as if we’re in a different part of the world. The main part of the island is full of people, touristy, and loud. The drinks are expensive and the beaches are mediocre. Here, however, the sand is white, the food is delicious, the rooms are cheap, and there’s only a handful of people staying at our resort.

We arrived here yesterday morning to find monkeys trying to steal coconuts and bananas off of the trees. Our room, a small bungalow with a queen size bed, balcony with hammock, and our own shower was nearly overlooking the ocean. In the small little desk, we placed our books (it’ll be no surprise—the heaviest part of our bags, after our hiking boots, are the 4-5 books we can be found carrying at anytime.) When I went to grab my current read—On the Road by Jack Kerouac—I screamed as a little mouse ran out of the drawer and up the wall!

Going down to the water, we saw two lizards: one was about 6 inches long and an inch wide, a dark brownish green colour; the other was smaller with a something that moved out of his throat, somewhat reminiscent of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park! (I thought so—Robbie thought I was crazy.)

We spent the day lounging on the beach and exploring a nearby deserted resort. Dinner was delicious—a panang curry for me and pad thai (Robbie’s go-to dish). We shared our favorite beer—a Chang—and then played some hearts with a couple of backpackers from England. It was a delightful evening…except going to bed. I was reading up on Angkor Wat (ancient temples in Cambodia) that we plan to visit in about a week and a half. All of the learning—about Buddha, Vishnu, Rama, and how the temples were made, how the empire nearly disappeared, how the temples were raided—I couldn’t stop thinking. My brain wouldn’t turn off for nearly the next hour—it drove Robbie crazy with all of the questions I had. I admit it did get ridiculous at one point. After all of the creatures that we saw crawling through our small little bungalow, I began to wonder what was crawling through it in the nighttime. Robbie, appeasing me, described our bungalow as a lion’s den with us as the lions—who would dare mess with us??!

Today was another lazy day—we stayed by the beach, walked through the water to another resort for a drink, had lunch and dinner, and read our books. We’ll be doing this for the next few days. Dinner tonight wasn’t quite as good—a Thai spicy soup for me and chicken and garlic with rice for Robbie—but it still hit the spot. Our stomachs have also enjoyed the Thai food—much better than the frequent bathroom breaks we needed to take in Vietnam.

Renting a kayak and snorkeling around the island are also on our limited to-do list. We’ve been recovering from our bad luck here and preparing for the next big part of our travels—Cambodia and India. Our flight to India, leaving October 12th, will take us to Kolkata; we’ll quickly head up north to Darjeerling and Sikkim, where we’ll stay for at least 3 weeks. Instead of staying on the tourist road, we’ll be taking the higher one of meditation and yoga.

some bad luck

So much to update yet so little time. Robbie and I are currently on the beautiful island of Koh Phi Phi on the west coast of Thailand. We’ve been here for a couple days and plan on staying a few more. The internet access is sparse and often expensive (well, expensive for our budget.) It’s been a rough couple of weeks. We got majorly screwed over when we were in Bangkok–fell for a classic scam for our trip to Koh Tao and Koh Phangan and paid way way too much for crappy hotels and horrible buses. To add to that, the islands on the east coast of Thailand weren’t anything what we expected–they seemed overcrowded and too touristy.

And, to add to the list of troubles, I hurt my knee in Halong Bay (fell down steps) and hurt my toe and elbow in Koh Phangan (fell off a motorbike while trying it out in a grocery store parking lot). Robbie and I are trying to stay positive about our travels, but it’s hard to with all of the negativity we have been getting back from the universe.

We’re hopefully going to turn our luck around on the east coast of Koh Phi Phi–it’s supposed to be very quiet and beautiful. After that, we’re back to Bangkok for a couple of days; Angkor Wat in Cambodia for a week or so; and then our flight leaves to Kolkata, India on October 11th or 12th.

Send us all of your warmest thoughts. I’m sure you do–but more is always needed. We love and miss you all.

Mui Ne, Nha Trang, and Hoi An

Currently, Robbie and I are in Hoi An, Vietnam, and tomorrow afternoon we’re going to be leaving for Hue. We’ll probably not stay there too long, and then we’ll be headed up to Hanoi and Halong Bay. We plan to stay about 4-5 days in Hanoi and Halong Bay, and then on the 16th we have a flight to Thailand.

 

Our trip has been going really well. We got into Hoi An this morning around 7am. We took a night bus from Nha Trang, and I slept from 9pm-7am!! I woke up a little bit during some of the rougher parts of the ride, but for the majority of the time, I slept the entire way. I was really surprised that I was able to sleep so well, but I think part of it was determination that I would enjoy our time here in Hoi An. It was a sleeper bus, so we had chairs that laid down into beds and we were able to strech out our feet. I was even able to sleep on my side.

 

Prior to Hoi An, we had a wonderful time in Nha Trang. It was a beach town, and on the first full day we were there we took an island/boat tour. We went snorkeling, swam in the ocean, had a wonderful lunch on the boat, and then had happy hour. For happy hour, they had a floating bar and unlimited drinks! We had a few too many cocktails, and slept off the drinks for 4 hours in the hotel room. Our room in Nha Trang was only $6/night. The next day, the 8th, Robbie and I rented a motorbike for the day and had a guide show us around to some of the temples and special places in Nha Trang. We had a delicious lunch of shrimp and mushroom crepe/pancakes at an old village turned restaurant. The motorbike was even better in the afternoon–we road up and down the coast and saw fishing boats and islands in the distance. As picturesque as Vietnam gets! (Well, at least so far!)

 

The city before Nha Trang, Mui Ne, we stayed at a little bungalow ($12/night) that overlooked the beach. Kite and wind surfers took over the water and we loved watching their air flips. We had a wonderful time swimming in the ocean until a giant jellyfish stung Robbie. The four of us–Brian, Jenny, Robbie, and I were swimming and playing in the ocean, and Jenny and I noticed that we were getting stung a little by jellyfish. As soon as I said, “I think there are jellyfish in this water,” a jellyfish at least 3 feet in diameter appeared among us. Jenny and I screamed and Robbie ran out of the water grabbing his back. Fortunately, the kite surfers knew of an ointment that would take the sting away. Robbie’s back has healed really well, and now there are only a few remaining marks. Much better than we thought it would be.

 

Vietnam has been wonderful. The people are friendly, the food is pretty good, the beer is cheap, and the hotels are clean and cheap. Today, I decided to get a tailored suit made. I may have went a little overboard, but I decided to get a jacket, pants, skirt, and dress. I thought for the price,  it would be worth it having all of that. Plus, it’s tailored! And, I know I’ll be needing some suits for my work.

In love with Saigon

Today has been our second full day in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon). I cannot express the change I have felt here since we left the Philippines. I love it so much here. We arrived late on Wednesday night, hoping to spend the night at the airport. That proved to be unsuccessful–there was absolutley nowhere for us to sleep; somehow they closed up every terminal where the seats and chairs normally would have been. We reluctantly found a taxi, and we found the wrong one. Although we had it metered, he claimed that the meter read 8,480,000 dong (approximately $45 USD) instead of 84,800 (only about $4.50). We argued and tried to convince him of his error, and ended up paying him $15 USD. Not the best start to the trip; however, it quickly got better.

We found a wonderful hotel ($16/night) that has AC, a TV, hot shower of our own, a queen size bed, and windows overlooking the street from the top floor of the building. We slept well and on Thursday morning we headed out to explore the town. We started at the market where almost anything you wanted could be found. I really wanted to get a suit made (they would have made it in only a day!!), but with our backpacks and the price of shipping, it just wasn’t worth it. We had wonderful flank-steak pho with loads of fresh greens. After the market and lunch, we decided to go to the War Remnants Museum. It broke both my and Robbie’s hearts, seeing the atrocity and horror of the Vietnam war. The effects of French colonization and the revolution played parts of the war that I never knew.

We returned to the hotel–I was still recovering from a cold and thought a nap would be worthwhile. Robbie went out and found out the prices for our open-bus tour–our trip from South Vietnam up to the North. We had a yummy dinner of noodles and shrimp and cheap beer and then called it an early night.

Today, we planned to see a pagoda, and we didn’t realize what a hike it was. We walked in circles, making our trip unnecessarily longer, but what we saw. The Hong Kong market was fantastic–fresh fish, alive frogs, ready to become frog legs, escargot, and veggies and fruits galore. We ate at a small cafe and again had shrimp and noodles. They were yummy. The city is beautiful with its tall trees, and the people are friendly. We had a small little girl smile and say hello to us while we were walking on the street and a man asked us where we where from after telling us he was from Cambodia. The motos are everywhere and at least two people are on each one. My favorite is seeing families of four riding on one!

That’s it for now. Tomorrow afternoon we head to Muy Ne, a small beach town about five hours from here. I’ll try to update you again soon!

Sending our love!

Some pictures of Coco Beach!

Sorry the updates have been slow. I think I’ve just been trying to have the thought sink in that Robbie and I will be travelling for another 3+ months! It’s been wonderful, challenging, frustrating, amazing, beautiful, and ugly. I’ve loved it and hated it. But, I think that’s what this trip is all about. Seeing the world, and the world is a very beautiful and sometimes ugly place.

But, our time at Coco Beach was beautiful. Coco Beach even wrote about our trip: http://www.cocobeach.com/news111.php.

I tried to add a few pictures, but I can’t get it to work from this computer. I promise, there will be some more to come!

Miss and love you all.