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!
Friday, April 16, 2010
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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