Saturday, April 24, 2010
Cu Chi Tunnels
To finish off our Vietnam war history lesson, we took a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels, about an hour north of Saigon. This massive tunnel system, over 200 km in total and stretching to the Cambodian border, was used by the Viet Cong guerrillas for 20 years. The area was self sufficient with hospitals, kitchens, and munitions factories. The land was filled with bomb craters, still visible more than 30 years later. We were only able to go in a small stretch of the tunnels, only 60 meters, but it was enough to sympathize with the people who lived in them. The tunnels were only three feet high by two feet wide, barely enough room for us to crawl through (but they were much smaller people). They also had displays of traps, once used for hunting game, which were turned on the enemy. Most of the traps were comprised of sharpened bamboo sticks and later artillery fragments turned into spears, all camouflaged by the natural surroundings. And visitors could not only view the machine guns and rifles, but they could fire them for $15 (out of our price range). The gun shots also added to the experience.
Saigon
We were pleasantly surprised by Ho Chi Minh City. Although chaotic and filled with motorbikes, it was easy to navigate, clean, and not over priced. It was one of our favorite cosmopolitan cities we've come across. Like most Vietnamese cities, the architecture was a mix of modern and 18th century European. We found a giant room for ten dollars with a balcony in the heart of the Pham Ngu Lao neighborhood, and although the streets were buzzing well into the morning, the people watching couldn't be beat.
We visited the Reunification Palace, built in 1966 for South Vietnam's president, it served as living quarters as well as state control. It was left just as it was when the North Vietnamese tanks crashed through its gates in 1975, forcing the south to surrender, therefore ending the war and uniting the country. If you crossed the White House with a 1960s office building, you can imagine how this place looks. One of the more interesting parts was the bunker basement, comprised of radio rooms, war rooms, living quarters, and secret passage ways. We finished off the day in the War Remnants Museum, which had a courtyard filled with US tanks, airplanes, and artillery - and we could walk right up and touch all of it. Although filled with anti-US propaganda it was nice to be in a real museum (it put Indian museums to shame). Tiger cages and prisoner of war cells were on display, along with a wide array of guns and grenades. There were also several rooms of photographs of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians after the US dropped agent orange and napalm. It was very sobering to see the other side of the story.
We visited the Reunification Palace, built in 1966 for South Vietnam's president, it served as living quarters as well as state control. It was left just as it was when the North Vietnamese tanks crashed through its gates in 1975, forcing the south to surrender, therefore ending the war and uniting the country. If you crossed the White House with a 1960s office building, you can imagine how this place looks. One of the more interesting parts was the bunker basement, comprised of radio rooms, war rooms, living quarters, and secret passage ways. We finished off the day in the War Remnants Museum, which had a courtyard filled with US tanks, airplanes, and artillery - and we could walk right up and touch all of it. Although filled with anti-US propaganda it was nice to be in a real museum (it put Indian museums to shame). Tiger cages and prisoner of war cells were on display, along with a wide array of guns and grenades. There were also several rooms of photographs of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians after the US dropped agent orange and napalm. It was very sobering to see the other side of the story.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Are We In France?
If nothing else, the French occupation had a delicious influence on Vietnamese bakeries. Roaming the streets at 9pm, we found that no restaurants were open, even on a Friday night and dreading having to eat chips or cookies we relentlessly searched for an alternative. We wandered into Saigon Bakery, and although the display cases were empty, our timing was impeccable. The enormous walk-in oven door opened and the smiling Vietnamese man rolled out a baker's cart full of breads and pastries, filling the air with a comforting and delicious sweet smell. We left with a bag full of steaming hot croissants, braided sugar coated sweet breads, and a sweet and salty loaf stuffed with raisins. On our walk home, a family dining on the floor in front of their open door invited us in for a beer and dried fish (not suitable for our taste buds), but we had to give it a shot.
The Mighty Mekong
What we thought would be a simple five hour ride in a minibus (what we were promised) turned into a full day affair - minibus to moto-taxi to mini van (which is an awful system of crowding 20 people into a small mini van). It was so cramped that if we were any taller we wouldn't have fit or at least we would have lost all circulation in our feet. Regardless we arrived in Cantho with high spirits, easily found a budget hotel on the Mekong river, ate a pizza (while HUGE cockroaches swarmed around our feet - a common sight in SE Asia and something we'll have to get used to) and went to relax in our A/C room.
The Mekong River is the life line of this region. Endless canals and streams flowing in and out of the river provide a buoyant surface for floating houses and markets, and are the source that nourishes the carpet of emerald green rice paddies. This region, the southern most portion of Vietnam has one of the most bountiful rice harvests on earth - and rice is at the center of their diet, steamed rice, rice noodles, rice wine, rice pudding, etc.
We woke up at 5:30AM to get on a small wooden boat with our friendly English speaking driver, Hung, to explore these idyllic scenes. As the sun was rising behind us, the floating market of Cai Rang was buzzing, and luckily our boat was small enough to get right into the action. Every size boat was selling all types of produce, some piled high with pineapples, others with melons or cabbage. Boats would tie up to each other and the wholesalers would start throwing their goods one by one into the smaller boats to be taken to the markets in town. Our driver bought us a pineapple, which he proceeded to spiral cut (removing the skin), slice down the middle, and with the stem still on we could eat it just like a popsicle. This is the largest floating market in the delta and sits right on the banks of the Mekong.
Next, he took us to a rice noodle producer, where we got to see how rice goes from a grain, to a liquid, to a steamed pancake, then onto bamboo shelves to dry in the sun.
The second market on our tour, Phong Dien, was much smaller and less motorized - little boats with pyramids of all types of produce, lined up along a canal of the Mekong. There were women in bamboo cone hats steering standing row boats. While we tied to another boat our driver bought us a small watermelon, a few mangoes, and more pineapple. The fruit is out of this world.
Hung used to work on the rice fields so he was familiar with all the little canals snaking through the countryside. An ideal place to live in the shade of the banana trees amidst fruit orchards and rice paddies. He helped himself to a few custard apples (shaped like an apple but with a white jello-like inside with stringy flesh) and shared with us...not bad. We were back by 2pm and had a great day exploring river life, its always fascinating to see how people adapt to their environments.
The Mekong River is the life line of this region. Endless canals and streams flowing in and out of the river provide a buoyant surface for floating houses and markets, and are the source that nourishes the carpet of emerald green rice paddies. This region, the southern most portion of Vietnam has one of the most bountiful rice harvests on earth - and rice is at the center of their diet, steamed rice, rice noodles, rice wine, rice pudding, etc.
We woke up at 5:30AM to get on a small wooden boat with our friendly English speaking driver, Hung, to explore these idyllic scenes. As the sun was rising behind us, the floating market of Cai Rang was buzzing, and luckily our boat was small enough to get right into the action. Every size boat was selling all types of produce, some piled high with pineapples, others with melons or cabbage. Boats would tie up to each other and the wholesalers would start throwing their goods one by one into the smaller boats to be taken to the markets in town. Our driver bought us a pineapple, which he proceeded to spiral cut (removing the skin), slice down the middle, and with the stem still on we could eat it just like a popsicle. This is the largest floating market in the delta and sits right on the banks of the Mekong.
Next, he took us to a rice noodle producer, where we got to see how rice goes from a grain, to a liquid, to a steamed pancake, then onto bamboo shelves to dry in the sun.
The second market on our tour, Phong Dien, was much smaller and less motorized - little boats with pyramids of all types of produce, lined up along a canal of the Mekong. There were women in bamboo cone hats steering standing row boats. While we tied to another boat our driver bought us a small watermelon, a few mangoes, and more pineapple. The fruit is out of this world.
Hung used to work on the rice fields so he was familiar with all the little canals snaking through the countryside. An ideal place to live in the shade of the banana trees amidst fruit orchards and rice paddies. He helped himself to a few custard apples (shaped like an apple but with a white jello-like inside with stringy flesh) and shared with us...not bad. We were back by 2pm and had a great day exploring river life, its always fascinating to see how people adapt to their environments.
Arriving in Vietnam
We left Cambodia in the dust and crossed the border into Vietnam, this time with no hassles or scams - although we did have to pay a guy for a piece of paper and for one dollar it wasn't worth the argument - that border official just made twenty bucks from the bus load of people. We stayed the night in the quiet border town of Ha Tien, located on a river just off the ocean. Although there wasn't much activity it was a great introduction to Vietnam, plus our hotel room had a huge balcony overlooking the river, which brought in the salty breeze and was perfect for doing some much needed laundry.
We strolled through a brutal fish market - ladies with cleavers beheading exotic fish relentlessly, beautiful clams, oysters, and conk shells with membranes still squirming inside, and a few sharks cut open to reveal the pink meat inside. Live fish, live eels, live snakes, live squids, you name it, this market had it.
After using the ATM for the first time we realized that Vietnam might be the only place where we could call ourselves multi-millionaires...20,000 Vietnamese Dong equals 1 dollar. Its nice to see your balance with several extra zeros added.
Since we were so close to the border with Cambodia, there were a few Khmer New Year celebrations parading through the streets (similar to Holi in India...a water festival complete with talcum powder, but without colors). We watched from the safety of our third floor balcony. The next morning Paul had his first Vietnamese coffee, a strong espresso like blend with sweetened condensed milk (which Madeleine actually enjoyed!) and we boarded our bus to Cantho - the beating heart of the Mekong River Delta.
We strolled through a brutal fish market - ladies with cleavers beheading exotic fish relentlessly, beautiful clams, oysters, and conk shells with membranes still squirming inside, and a few sharks cut open to reveal the pink meat inside. Live fish, live eels, live snakes, live squids, you name it, this market had it.
After using the ATM for the first time we realized that Vietnam might be the only place where we could call ourselves multi-millionaires...20,000 Vietnamese Dong equals 1 dollar. Its nice to see your balance with several extra zeros added.
Since we were so close to the border with Cambodia, there were a few Khmer New Year celebrations parading through the streets (similar to Holi in India...a water festival complete with talcum powder, but without colors). We watched from the safety of our third floor balcony. The next morning Paul had his first Vietnamese coffee, a strong espresso like blend with sweetened condensed milk (which Madeleine actually enjoyed!) and we boarded our bus to Cantho - the beating heart of the Mekong River Delta.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Bad Ass Bikers
After two hour minibus ride from the beach, we found ourselves in the sleepy river town of Kampot, another charming Khmer spot known for its quaint French architecture and the best pepper in the world! With only one full day to explore the town and the surrounding beaches, temples, and pepper plantations, we rented a scooter and 2 helmets and set out on the country roads.
First stop, the "crab market" in Kep (Kampot's beach side competitor) and filled up on fresh fruit shakes and amazing stir fried shrimp and noodles. From our table we could practically reach out and touch the women collecting crabs from their woven baskets bobbing in the sea. One of the best things about Cambodia (and presumably the rest of SE Asia) is the fruit shakes - made from blended mangoes, papayas, pineapples, bananas, and whatever else the fruit stand next door has and good ice - pure heaven for only $1. Needless to say, we aren't sure how we will manage without once we leave.
Next stop, pepper plantations. We drove down a dirt road, stopped at a random house and followed the owner to his pepper farm. One plant produces green, red, and white pepper and since we both have a thing for this spice it was fascinating to see how it grows and is cultivated. At one point, all of the finest French restaurants in Paris were never without Kampot pepper on the table. We bought enough to share and hopefully it lives up to its reputation.
Third stop, a Buddhist temple set inside of caves in the bottom of a karst.
Fourth stop, got some welding done to the suspension of the motorbike for a whopping $1.25.
Last stop, back to the crab market for another plate of delicious shrimps and one more fresh fruit shake.
$3 for a scooter, $5 for gas, 100 kilometers, and one successful day! Off to Nam after a wonderful time in Cambodia.
First stop, the "crab market" in Kep (Kampot's beach side competitor) and filled up on fresh fruit shakes and amazing stir fried shrimp and noodles. From our table we could practically reach out and touch the women collecting crabs from their woven baskets bobbing in the sea. One of the best things about Cambodia (and presumably the rest of SE Asia) is the fruit shakes - made from blended mangoes, papayas, pineapples, bananas, and whatever else the fruit stand next door has and good ice - pure heaven for only $1. Needless to say, we aren't sure how we will manage without once we leave.
Next stop, pepper plantations. We drove down a dirt road, stopped at a random house and followed the owner to his pepper farm. One plant produces green, red, and white pepper and since we both have a thing for this spice it was fascinating to see how it grows and is cultivated. At one point, all of the finest French restaurants in Paris were never without Kampot pepper on the table. We bought enough to share and hopefully it lives up to its reputation.
Third stop, a Buddhist temple set inside of caves in the bottom of a karst.
Fourth stop, got some welding done to the suspension of the motorbike for a whopping $1.25.
Last stop, back to the crab market for another plate of delicious shrimps and one more fresh fruit shake.
$3 for a scooter, $5 for gas, 100 kilometers, and one successful day! Off to Nam after a wonderful time in Cambodia.
Spring Break 2010
Cambodia's coastal hot spot, Sihanoukville, was a sandy beach full of character and warm waters dotted with undeveloped islands. Although we can't speak to the resort lined coast to the north of the city, the backpacker hangout was a great three day escape for us. Our beach was lined with "shacks" - lounge chairs and fruit shakes by day and cheap food and beer by night. Every shack had a $3 bbq starting at 4pm, which included all sorts of grilled seafood, potatoes/rice, salad and bread, it was quite the bargain (plus they had 50 cent beers). Our favorite, believe it or not, was barracuda! Beyond seafood, we also got our fair share of veg coconut curry (2 portions for $2!) We weren't too productive here, but enjoyed every minute of the daytime beach scene, complete with women carrying lobster platters on their heads and lounge side pedicures (also only $2). At night we watched fire twirlers perform, went for a few moonlight swims, and hung out in our bungalow. We did manage to get our Vietnamese visas, and we even made a few British friends.
Siem Reap part two
Siem Reap was a friendly, charming little town. It had a few main streets filled with restaurants offering delicious coconut based Khmer curries and all sorts of exotic meat barbecues - no, we didn't try any snake, kangaroo, or ostrich. Prior to visiting Cambodia, a few Frenchies told us that the food was awful and that everything had animal organs in it, so we had low expectations. Come to find, most of the vegetarian food was similar to Thai food with a rich coconut base, perfect for us!
Before heading to the South Coast we visited a school/work center, a facility for teaching locals (including children and the disabled) traditional Khmer crafts. We saw people doing stone and wood carving, silk painting/spinning/weaving, and detailed silversmithing. It was amazing to see these people producing these beautiful works of art, all disappearing trades in the US. Although we could have left their store with a $5000 hand carved stone or gold Buddha sculpture, we opted for a few beautiful pairs of handmade chopsticks!
Before heading to the South Coast we visited a school/work center, a facility for teaching locals (including children and the disabled) traditional Khmer crafts. We saw people doing stone and wood carving, silk painting/spinning/weaving, and detailed silversmithing. It was amazing to see these people producing these beautiful works of art, all disappearing trades in the US. Although we could have left their store with a $5000 hand carved stone or gold Buddha sculpture, we opted for a few beautiful pairs of handmade chopsticks!
Jumanji
We had a fairly painless trek from Bangkok to Siem Reap in Cambodia - as painless as, a bus, to a tuk-tuk, to an immigration office, to a visa office, to a bus, and then to a shared taxi (all in 7 hours) can be. We had read so many horror stories about foreigners being scammed out of money at the border, that we were fully prepared when the employees demanded we pay more for our visa than the posted price, and keeping our cool we firmly denied their request and won. We successfully crossed our first border over land.
Siem Reap has been flooded by tourists since the late 1990s (after the final traces of the Khmer Rouge were out of power) and now over 2 million people visit Angkor's temples every year. And although the hot season is truly hot and humid, we were so happy that we didn't arrive during high season when the ruins are swimming with foreigners - it was worth sweating more than we ever have before. We didn't help ourselves by renting bikes from our friendly hotel staff at Mommy's Guest House. We started peddling early, but 8 am wasn't hardly early enough to beat the heat.
Angkor Wat, built in the 12th century as a funeral temple, honors Vishnu and is the largest religious building in the world. It is designed to replicate the spatial universe...meaning the central tower = Mt Meru, smaller towers = surrounding mountain peaks, courtyards = continents, and the moat = the ocean. It is the main temple of Angkor and is very well preserved, with many bas reliefs, sculptures, and inscriptions still intact. After exploring the huge temple, up and down stairs, in and out of hallways, we set off on our bikes through Angkor Thom (the fortified city of the ancient Khmer empire). Once we were past the most popular sites here, we rode through the lesser known ruins without hardly any company - the best way to explore this mysterious ancient world. The temples that we took some time to explore, Preah Khan, Ta Som, and Ta Prohm have been left alone since they were abandoned by the ancient civilization, and these 12th century Buddhist temples are being devoured by the surrounding jungle. Massive tree roots strangle the stone buildings, snaking their way around windows and through cracks. Think Jumanji or Indiana Jones, part of Tomb Raider was actually filmed in one of these temples. It was a scene from out of this world and worth spending time to soak it all up and get some great photographs.
Unfortunately, Maddie's bike tire exploded and needed to be fixed, but luckily there was a guy for that in the grounds, and it wasn't too bad playing with the village kids while we waited. A few hours later, soaked with exhaustion, Paul's tire went flat, so we called it a day, put two bodies and two bikes onto a rickshaw (would never fly in the US) and headed back to town.
Siem Reap has been flooded by tourists since the late 1990s (after the final traces of the Khmer Rouge were out of power) and now over 2 million people visit Angkor's temples every year. And although the hot season is truly hot and humid, we were so happy that we didn't arrive during high season when the ruins are swimming with foreigners - it was worth sweating more than we ever have before. We didn't help ourselves by renting bikes from our friendly hotel staff at Mommy's Guest House. We started peddling early, but 8 am wasn't hardly early enough to beat the heat.
Angkor Wat, built in the 12th century as a funeral temple, honors Vishnu and is the largest religious building in the world. It is designed to replicate the spatial universe...meaning the central tower = Mt Meru, smaller towers = surrounding mountain peaks, courtyards = continents, and the moat = the ocean. It is the main temple of Angkor and is very well preserved, with many bas reliefs, sculptures, and inscriptions still intact. After exploring the huge temple, up and down stairs, in and out of hallways, we set off on our bikes through Angkor Thom (the fortified city of the ancient Khmer empire). Once we were past the most popular sites here, we rode through the lesser known ruins without hardly any company - the best way to explore this mysterious ancient world. The temples that we took some time to explore, Preah Khan, Ta Som, and Ta Prohm have been left alone since they were abandoned by the ancient civilization, and these 12th century Buddhist temples are being devoured by the surrounding jungle. Massive tree roots strangle the stone buildings, snaking their way around windows and through cracks. Think Jumanji or Indiana Jones, part of Tomb Raider was actually filmed in one of these temples. It was a scene from out of this world and worth spending time to soak it all up and get some great photographs.
Unfortunately, Maddie's bike tire exploded and needed to be fixed, but luckily there was a guy for that in the grounds, and it wasn't too bad playing with the village kids while we waited. A few hours later, soaked with exhaustion, Paul's tire went flat, so we called it a day, put two bodies and two bikes onto a rickshaw (would never fly in the US) and headed back to town.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Curry Capital
Bangkok was an easy, modern and clean introduction to Thailand - and a world away from India. Although touristy and not what we imagined ourselves enjoying, the city is filled with delicious restaurants and street side fruit vendors. So, we've been on a Thai food holiday the past few days, often eating five small meals a day to sample everything, which works out to be less than ten dollars. We are happy to report that the Thai food we've eaten in Chicago is fairly authentic compared to experiences thus far.
The hot and humid weather makes for a sweaty day, but we've managed to see the sights. The Grand Palace, a religious site comparable to the Vatican, is Thailand's most holy Buddhist sight, which is home to the emerald Buddha (carved out of a single piece of jade). It is a complex of holy buildings with green and red riled roofs and gilded gold spires. We also saw the largest teak building in the world, built as a palace for Rama V over a hundred years ago. We've seen all sorts of markets - orchid markets, food markets, clothing markets, all overwhelming but full of character.
Although the Red Shirt protesters were in the city demanding democracy, it didn't affect us in our area, but we could hear the loud speakers blaring over the city throughout the night. By the time we left, there was no violence, they had just blockaded several major intersections, but the threats seem to be escalating.
Our second hotel had a delicious restaurant and three baby kittens, which had their own table, and served as great entertainment. Our balcony overlooked the city, the skyline of tall skyscrapers was mixed with wispy temple roofs and golden spires. Our first hotel was on the party street, Khao San, something between spring break in Mexico and Bourbon Street (not our scene), but our rooftop pool made it worthwhile and came complete with topless Swedish girls.
We are ready to move on but sad to leave Thai food and the ease of Bangkok. We are off to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious site. Our bank accounts will be happy to leave Bangkok as well!
Indian Conclusions
After spending five weeks in the subcontinent, much of it with people well versed in the culture and cuisine (Alana and Moin) we one learned to stop asking questions - Indian people do things because they do things, whether it be to throw trash on the ground to sweep it up and burn several times a day or why there is an utter lack of street names, house numbers, or addresses (making navigation hard for even a native). Traveling comes with culture shock, and after meeting non-native people who've lived there for over ten years, we realize its always a shock.
While asking questions, always take it with a grain of salt because they will tell you what you want to hear, almost never did we hear an 'I don't know' out of someone, and we asked a lot of questions. You can ask directions, and five people will point in five different directions.
The food is delicious and always eaten with rotis/chapatis (an Indian tortilla) as a utensil. Fortunately for us, due to religious lifestyles, vegetarian food is abundant, although far greasier than necessary. And most restaurants will serve the white man a duller version/less spicy version of their cuisine. Although we ate the same mix veg dish everywhere we went, it was always different. Our favorites included 'navratan curry,' when it was what we thought it should be, it was a delicious mix of pineapple, banana and seasonal vegetables in a creamy red curry sauce. Veg biryani and veg pullao were our standard filler, vegetables and rice, slightly seasoned. If we were "lucky" dinner would be served with a dense ball of dough soaked and boiled in sugar water - always a challenge to choke down. And no matter what, you had to eat everything, because not finishing your food was extremely disrespectful. They are still using the reusable glass Coke bottle, which Paul is now addicted to, fortunately they aren't the supersized American version. And although tap water is disgusting (making your body and hair feel gross) you can always buy a 1 liter bottle of water for 30 cents.
One of the more difficult things for Madeleine was the place of women in the society. We were forced to never touch or hold hands in public, otherwise other men wouldn't have respect for her. Women don't make eye contact with men, and rarely show any skin. But it is perfectly normal for men to show physical affection with each other, often walking down the streets arm in arm.
They love festivals and holidays and will take the chance to close down shop, even if it is not their religion or culture - everyone celebrates all holidays.
Driving is a sport, drivers often maneuver tour buses like Indy cars, passing through blind turns and steep hills - might makes right. People rarely wear helmets on motorcylces, and often a family of five would fit onto one, baby in front holding onto the handle bars. But hey, they are going to be reincarnated so who cares.
As fair skinned foreigners, we ourselves were tour attractions. At the Taj Mahal, more people had photos with us than with the Taj. It is also a source of pride to have you hold their children, so Madeleine was constantly holding babies.
We loved India, but it is a complicated and convoluted society, which was difficult for us to understand sometimes, so we were very grateful to have a few tour guides.
While asking questions, always take it with a grain of salt because they will tell you what you want to hear, almost never did we hear an 'I don't know' out of someone, and we asked a lot of questions. You can ask directions, and five people will point in five different directions.
The food is delicious and always eaten with rotis/chapatis (an Indian tortilla) as a utensil. Fortunately for us, due to religious lifestyles, vegetarian food is abundant, although far greasier than necessary. And most restaurants will serve the white man a duller version/less spicy version of their cuisine. Although we ate the same mix veg dish everywhere we went, it was always different. Our favorites included 'navratan curry,' when it was what we thought it should be, it was a delicious mix of pineapple, banana and seasonal vegetables in a creamy red curry sauce. Veg biryani and veg pullao were our standard filler, vegetables and rice, slightly seasoned. If we were "lucky" dinner would be served with a dense ball of dough soaked and boiled in sugar water - always a challenge to choke down. And no matter what, you had to eat everything, because not finishing your food was extremely disrespectful. They are still using the reusable glass Coke bottle, which Paul is now addicted to, fortunately they aren't the supersized American version. And although tap water is disgusting (making your body and hair feel gross) you can always buy a 1 liter bottle of water for 30 cents.
One of the more difficult things for Madeleine was the place of women in the society. We were forced to never touch or hold hands in public, otherwise other men wouldn't have respect for her. Women don't make eye contact with men, and rarely show any skin. But it is perfectly normal for men to show physical affection with each other, often walking down the streets arm in arm.
They love festivals and holidays and will take the chance to close down shop, even if it is not their religion or culture - everyone celebrates all holidays.
Driving is a sport, drivers often maneuver tour buses like Indy cars, passing through blind turns and steep hills - might makes right. People rarely wear helmets on motorcylces, and often a family of five would fit onto one, baby in front holding onto the handle bars. But hey, they are going to be reincarnated so who cares.
As fair skinned foreigners, we ourselves were tour attractions. At the Taj Mahal, more people had photos with us than with the Taj. It is also a source of pride to have you hold their children, so Madeleine was constantly holding babies.
We loved India, but it is a complicated and convoluted society, which was difficult for us to understand sometimes, so we were very grateful to have a few tour guides.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Goodbye India
We made the most of our 18 hour "layover" in Delhi before we boarded our midnight flight to Bangkok. We arrived early in the morning, booked a cheap (and really shitty) room for the day so we could leave our heavy backpacks behind, and set out walking. First stopping at the India Gate, the largest war memorial in India commemorating World War I and the Afghan Wars. From there we made it to the Humayun's Tomb, by way of the fanciest street in Delhi, lined with mansions and embassies. A kind of mini Taj Mahal, constructed a century before, with a similar layout and purpose. And as it turns out, it was a great place for bird watching, complete with hawks, parrots, woodpeckers, and others. Next, we took a tuk tuk (3 wheeled rickshaw) to the National Gallery of Modern Art, which was filled with artwork from the past 3 centuries. Although European influences came through most of the artwork, it was still nice to see the Indian interpretation. After our mini tour of New Delhi we stopped in a popular kebab stand and ate veggie rolls, wrapped in parathas (saucy vegetables wrapped in a potato pancake) very greasy and very delicious, all the flavors of India wrapped up in one roll. A great final meal in India.
A busy day in Delhi and we were back in the airport, spending our last rupees and on to our next destination.
A busy day in Delhi and we were back in the airport, spending our last rupees and on to our next destination.
Old Manali
Another stop on the hippie route through northern India, Manali is situated in a valley close to the border with Kashmir. After a 12 hour ride on a local bus - not the best route on the winding mountain roads - we were exhausted and sick of the bumpy bus without air suspension. We finally got to stay in one place for more than a few days, so we spent a lot of time catching up on our books, relaxing, and enjoying the cold evenings. We saw rain and clouds for the first time in India, you wouldn't realize how much you would miss those things until you are stuck in the desert.
Again, this part of northern India was culturally distinct, a mix of Tibetan, Chinese, and Indian influences. The architecture was carved wood rather than stone. The menus were uninspired and included the same mix of Indian, Chinese, and Israeli food that we had seen in most touristy areas, plus the ever present selection of pizzas.
Paul was thrilled to see snow, although we never quite made it to the snow line, we were surrounded by enormous snow covered peaks. The area is known for its skiing, trekking, and rafting, but do to Madeleine's illness (sick again) we didn't make it further than a few kilometers from the town. But we did do some hiking along the river valley through several kilometers of apple orchards (which were in full bloom), and into the mountains above Old Manali (the backpacker haven of Manali, known for its special lassis and charas production), and it was beautiful.
After four days in the mountains, we had to drag ourselves onto the bus to face the bustling capital city of Delhi the next day (a 14 hour bus ride). Unfortunately we booked our tickets late and got the worst seats on the bus. Both of us dreaded the idea of heading back to the big city, but we chose to stay in the nicest part of Delhi for the day to ease our transition.
Again, this part of northern India was culturally distinct, a mix of Tibetan, Chinese, and Indian influences. The architecture was carved wood rather than stone. The menus were uninspired and included the same mix of Indian, Chinese, and Israeli food that we had seen in most touristy areas, plus the ever present selection of pizzas.
Paul was thrilled to see snow, although we never quite made it to the snow line, we were surrounded by enormous snow covered peaks. The area is known for its skiing, trekking, and rafting, but do to Madeleine's illness (sick again) we didn't make it further than a few kilometers from the town. But we did do some hiking along the river valley through several kilometers of apple orchards (which were in full bloom), and into the mountains above Old Manali (the backpacker haven of Manali, known for its special lassis and charas production), and it was beautiful.
After four days in the mountains, we had to drag ourselves onto the bus to face the bustling capital city of Delhi the next day (a 14 hour bus ride). Unfortunately we booked our tickets late and got the worst seats on the bus. Both of us dreaded the idea of heading back to the big city, but we chose to stay in the nicest part of Delhi for the day to ease our transition.
Dharamsala
Dharamsala was a nice relief from the hot weather tucked in the Himalayan mountains. This town is home to the 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, along with thousands of refugees, who have made the treacherous journey across the Himalayas and through political turmoil to reside near His Holiness. It is a distinctly different culture than the India that we had been traveling through, touristy and calm with friendly people (and a lot of dirty hippies). The Lama was there while we were stopping through, but unfortunately he wasn't giving any talks or lessons on those days. The streets are filled with red robed monks of all ages, some talking on cell phones and wearing tennis shoes, making for an interesting sight.
It was also nice to have a few more options on the normal Indian menu, some Tibetan specialties. We ate momos - a steamed dumpling filled with veggies or potatoes and thenkthan - a Tibetan soup with noodles and veggies.
The surrounding mountainsides were littered with Tibetan prayer flags, along with every home, bridge, and street (we had to buy one strand...). And the scenery was breathtaking, snow capped peaks in the distance and pine tree forests, and cool weather! The Himalayas are a whole new class of mountain than the Rockies, even the small mountains are impressive.
We would have liked to do more hikes around the area, but both of us fell sick with the flu or food poisoning or a mix of both. The Indians would have chalked it up to the change in weather, from the desert to the mountains, so thats what we went with.
It was also nice to have a few more options on the normal Indian menu, some Tibetan specialties. We ate momos - a steamed dumpling filled with veggies or potatoes and thenkthan - a Tibetan soup with noodles and veggies.
The surrounding mountainsides were littered with Tibetan prayer flags, along with every home, bridge, and street (we had to buy one strand...). And the scenery was breathtaking, snow capped peaks in the distance and pine tree forests, and cool weather! The Himalayas are a whole new class of mountain than the Rockies, even the small mountains are impressive.
We would have liked to do more hikes around the area, but both of us fell sick with the flu or food poisoning or a mix of both. The Indians would have chalked it up to the change in weather, from the desert to the mountains, so thats what we went with.
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