Heading home

I am in the Taipei airport, heading home.  I am on hour 9 of 28 and my first of two 4-hour layovers.  I have resorted to senseless blogs in an attempt to kill time.  Appropriate for the final journey.  

Taipei is where I first discovered the automated floor urinal.   On this visit, I discovered each toilet is equipped with an emergency button.  If you push one, say for 2-3 seconds, nothing happens.  Strange.

I have a 4-hour layover in Taiwan and have explored all areas of the airport.  I offered to pay the golf cart guy $5 to take me sight-seeing, but he said no, so I went by foot.  Points of interest include free massage chairs, a museum of Natural History that sells the items on display, and an entire boarding area devoted to Hello Kitty and filled with travelers taking photos.  The departing flight goes to Hong Kong.

Diving in Bali

Today I did a wreck dive off the Eastern coast of Bali in Tulamben.  The ship was the USS Liberty, a US cargo ship sunk by a Japanese submarine in 1942 during WWII.  The boat was originally grounded, but a volcanic eruption in 1963 sent the ship into the sea.  It is a shallow, easy wreck dive.

We saw sting rays, nemo and lots of other great fish.  It was a beautiful 2 hours drive to the east side of the island, full of lush landscape and padi fields.  This was the trip I was going to do by motorbike before my white-knuckled test run. 

My motorbike experience

On Thanksgiving, an ex-pat suggested that I rent a motorbike and explore the east side of Bali, rich with scenery and culture.  My only previous motorbike experience was in Nha Trang, and I made it through unscathed.  Looking back, it didn't seem so hard, and the traffic in Vietnam seems worse than Bali. I decided it was a great way to spend a couple of days.  I thought about renting a car, but dismissed the idea for fear of having to simultaneously conquer driving on the left side of the road while seated on the left side of the car.  I started by renting a motorbike for a day to get used to the feel and the traffic before I took off on a 4 hour journey.

This time, I knew how to get it started, which gave the appearance of knowing what I was doing.  However, when I exited the shop, instead of turning left, I lost my ability to maneuver and went straight towards the jewelry shop across the street.  I almost went in.  I turned and looked at the guy who just gave me the bike who was now sprinting towards me, looking frantic.  I shouted, 'don't worry, I've done this before' and was off.  Being on the left side wasn't so bad, just follow the crowd.  I shortly realized that the traffic is about the same as Nha Trang and turning is the scariest thing in the world.  For that reason, I found myself only making left hand turns.  So here I am, going in circles when an oncoming car decides to pass the person in front of them and pushes me into the 10" high curb.  I caught it with my shoe, but it was messy.  From that point forward, I was scared shitless.  I stopped to collect myself and get Petrol from a road side stand that poured the gas from an Absolute Vodka bottle.  Once I was composed, I headed off again, continuing only to turn left.  One of my turns landed me going the wrong way on a one way street.   I saw this as the final sign that I should return the motorbike and call it a day.

I was back at the rental shop within 45 minutes of my departure.  The guy at the shop looked as relieved as I felt when I drove back in.

Gili Island

Here are a few more facts about the Gili Islands:

 - they got their first ATM machine recently.

 - there are no police on the islands.  The island tribal Chief handles all disputes.

 - cats are a huge problem.  They are everywhere; you can see at least 3-4 at any given place on the island.  They are not right, all of them have half tails with nubs at the end.  Yesterday, one sat on my table for lunch.  I couldn't get it to move without throwing it off, and no one else seemed to mind.  At dinner, I looked down to see a cat with a huge goiter growing out of its cheek and a mangled paw. Not exactly what you want to see when eating a fish kebob.  When I was told the cat was gone, I put my feet back down on the floor, only to rub against the diseased creature.  After that I kept my feet up, and to the amusement of my friend, girly-shrieked each time the tablecloth blew into my leg.  It was embarrassing.

I went diving today and it was great.  We went to shark point, and we saw a small black tip reef shark.  We also saw nemo and a giant turtle gnawing on what was left of the almost dead coral. 

Gili Islands

I arrived at Gili Trawangan today.  The Gili islands are a set of 3 located off of the northwest coast Lombok.  The water is turquoise and the island is full of fantastic beaches, snorkeling, diving and magic mushrooms.  Every bar seems to have a magic mushroom special (shakes, pizzas, etc).  It will be interesting to see the results of dinner.  

The island has no cars, takes 2 hours to walk around and transportation is by horse drawn carts.  

I am temporarily out of my room due to the swarm of bees the room boy is currently chasing out of my bathroom. It's a small swarm of bees, but not exactly what I want to shower with. 

Thanksgiving in Bali was great.  Seaside restaurant in Seminyak had a full turkey dinner and a live band that played old American tunes appropriately including Sting's 'Fields of Bali.'  Each table of 8-10 people got a turkey and all the fixings.  It is commendable they managed to prepare a full thanksgiving dinner for a dozen tables, deliver to everyone in the restaurant at the same time, and prepare it perfectly.  Although I successfully stuffed myself, it was a mild stuffing relative to past years.  I had dinner with a group of Californians who moved to Bali years ago after a couple of great vacations.  There were surf instructors, construction professionals and gym owners.  Not a bad life?

Lembongan

First, let me say I am glad I am out of Mumbai. Crazy to think I had breakfast at the Taj Mahal hotel when I was there.  The security was in full force when I went in, almost like they were anticipating something?  Obviously they were right, but it still didn't matter.

Diving in Lembongan was great.  We went drift diving, which requires little effort as the currents pull you along the edge of the reef.  It's lazy diving, but great fun!  I have been drift diving in Pulau Weh, but these currents were much stronger.  We must have travelled 6-8 miles in 40 minutes, so we were cruising.  I seemed to go much faster than my dive master and my diving 'buddy.'  A couple of times I got so far ahead I could barely see them.  I tried to swim backwards, but was unable.  I found a rock and grabbed on, and the currents blew past me.  It was kind of like hanging on to the top of a moving car.  Not that I've ever done that, but it felt like it looks in the movies.

I'm back in Kuta.  It's rainy season here, and when it rains, it downpours.  The clouds and the wind help keep it cool, and it usually clears up pretty fast.  It's not so bad.  As for surfing, I am getting the hang of it.  My paddlers are my biggest obstacle, but with a push from my cute twenty-something Balinese instructor, I can catch most waves.  It's so fun!  I also love mainland Bali for a few other reasons:  people who have no reason to kiss my ass think I am in my twenties, massages are everywhere and dirt cheap ($5 for an hour), there is salad and sushi and pretty good Mexican food, when hawkers ask if you want something and you reply 'no thank you', their response is 'you're welcome.'  End of story, no following you around to the point of extreme agitation.  It's so relaxing.

Happy Thanksgiving.  Eat some extra turkey for me today!

Surfing Continued

My instructor failed to show up for my third surf lesson, but I am pleased to say I am able to consistently surf the white water. I still need a little shove to catch a big wave as my paddlers are a bit weak after 3 months of doing nothing with them, but there has been a lot of progress made.
As I was leaving Bali for Lembongan island, I ran into a great sight: 3 Japanese couples all wearing matching outfits. Each couple had a unique outfit so everyone could tell who was together. Not your run of the mill semi-matching t-shirts or matching colors, I am talking about his and hers matching flower-print board shorts and matching Bali tourist t-shirts. I wanted desperately to say "you guys are so cute, can I take a photo," but I was certain I could not do it with a straight face. Honestly, who does that? But it is great entertainment.
To get back to my Bali departure, I am going to continue my quest to perfect my surfing skills as I move on. I feel barrels coming on.
Lembongan is a laid-back, quiet and beautiful island off the southeastern coast of Bali. I am going diving tomorrow, and can't wait.

Bali

I am pleased to be back in the southeast on a proper beach.  Surprisingly, it is even hotter here than in India, but the atmosphere and variety of food and drink are a welcome change of pace.  I even had a pretty good burrito, something I've been craving for months.  

I have made my home in Legian, a beach town about 4-miles north of Kuta on the island of Bali.  I am not leaving until I can surf.  During my first lesson I caught 2 waves.  I would have caught more, but there were a few times when I lost an important part of my bathing suit and rolled off the board.  I also received my first (minor) surfing injury when the board flipped over and the fins nicked my side.  I wear my long, but shallow scratch proudly.  My second lesson was cancelled as the waves were washed out.

I hope to have great success tomorrow.

The end of India

My final stop in India was Varkala beach in Kerala.  Varkala is a nice cliff side beach with western influences including bars (not usually found in India), good seafood and the ability to wear proper swimming attire on the beach.  It was a great place to spend my last few days in India.

I met some locals on my last night; a nice dentist from Delhi and her local friends who owned and worked in The Funky Art Cafe, a restaurant/bar.  The evening started with a show where children performed Bollywood dancing.  It turned into a 'boys dance party.'  Not unlike spring break in Mexico, the stage was filled with the waiters, on and off duty, with their hands in the air, sweating and dancing to Bollywood tunes.  The best way to describe Bollywood dancing is  80's hip hop.  It's somewhat trendy but confused with dance moves reminiscent of New Kids on the Block and George Michael, break dancing and doing the worm.  It is brilliant to watch.

When I went back for breakfast I was not surprised to find the party had gone on until 5am and the staff was enjoying rum and coke for breakfast.  I was surprised when the police arrived.  I was informed that late in the evening one of the waiters had beaten his European wife, badly.  When I asked if the police were going to arrest him, I was told "probably not, the police in India aren't as uptight as the ones in America."  After the policeman spent some time admiring a waiter's knock off Ray Ban Aviators, the waiter ran down the walkway, purchased a pair for the cop and he went away.  And that is how domestic disputes are handled in India. Price: $4USD.

Dramita, the dentist from Delhi, and I exchanged stories and info on the cultural differences between our countries.  She was surprise to learn we only have love marriages (opposed to arranged) and I was surprised to learn and an Indian girl can't even have a boyfriend until she meets the man she is going to marry, for fear of being tainted.

Although India was a great experience, it's a tough place to travel.  I will desperately miss the food. For nearly 3-weeks, I ate Indian food for every meal and didn't once get tired of it.  

Kumily

After purchasing a train ticket to Varkala, a beach in Southern India, I changed my mind and decided to head east to Kumily. The beauty of traveling alone!
Kumily is a hill station in the midst of spice gardens, tea plantations and coffee plantations. It's located in the hills and has a temperate climate, a welcome relief from the scorching weather of the rest of India. Kumily is located right outside the Periyar Wildlife Preserve, one of many preserves in India. Surrounded by a lake, the landscape particularly beautiful. The jungle walk was pretty standard; we saw some elephant dung, tiger claw marks, various animal tracks and stopped periodically at noises while the guide dramatically looked around for a wild beast and pondered aloud which one it might be, an elephant, a bison? There is usually one saving moment on each trip, this one was the sight of an eagle. What an amazing bird. I know I previously stated I hated all birds, but I'd like to clear that up, it's only common birds I have a problem with.
Since I have learned not to expect a wild animal sighting, I was not disappointed and generally enjoyed the scenic morning walk. The only downfall were the leeches. I have never encountered them before, so when I put on the provided leech socks, I expected large slug like creatures that were easily to spot and defend myself against. These leeches are the size of a small piece of yarn, pre-blood sucking, and when I watched the first one crawl into a minuscule hole in my shoe I nearly fainted. I spent the next 3 hours certain that when I took of my leech socks I would find a bloody mess of a leg. Again, overdramatizing in my head, I was fine. However, I am not quite sure what to do with my shoes, how long can leeches hide in there?
I spent the rest of my time here enjoying the temperature, poolside, and getting a Aruyvedic massage. This form of South Indian treatment includes a massage that is so oily I had to use all my effort not to slip off the table by the end. The massage was followed by a steam bath where I sat on a stool in a box with my head sticking out of a horizontal guillotine contraption. It was odd, but much more relaxing than it sounds.

Kerala

I travelled 2,200 miles by train and, surprisingly, it wasn't so bad. With the help of vicodin, I slept for a few hours during the night on the top bunk on a 4" thick pleather mattress. I left at 11pm and arrived in Alleppey at 3:30 the next day. The day trip was very scenic as India gets more and more tropical, in a massively hot and humid tropical kind of way, further south. On the train, you can hang out the side through doors between cars. It's exhilarating, until someone comes up behind you and the fear of being shoved off the moving train creates an urgent need to step away from the door. Alleppey has a decent beach and is a traveller's hub for entering the backwaters of southern Kerala.

Today I spent the day on the backwaters. I was picked up by a motorcycle, which is always stressful. About halfway through the ride, as the driver was passing everyone on the road, weaving in and out of traffic and hitting every pothole on the pothole-filled road, I realized I wasn't wearing a helmet. I don't think they have helmets here. I spent the last half of the short ride certain I was going to die and thinking what an ass I was to have gotten on in the first place. Of course, I made it, safely. The backwaters are a series of lakes and canals linking small cities and lined with villages unreachable by land. It is incredibly relaxing, tropical, and beautiful. The water is lined with lush vegetation including perfect coconut palms used to make toddy, which I had for lunch. Although fairly dirty, it is also used to bathe and to wash clothes and dishes. I travelled on a canoe paddled by two locals. There is also an option to get a house boat for a day and night. Some of them are amazing including such luxuries as a flat screen TV and air conditioning. It was a fantastic day and something I would recommend to anyone travelling in south India.

Goa, India

As I was having breakfast this morning a crow tossed a fish head from an adjacent roof top, through a window, between the table top and chair next to me, smashing into my legs. I took it as a sign of a couple things; first, I need to sanitized immediately, second, my lifelong hatred for birds is finally coming back to haunt me.

The rest of my Goa experience has been great. A relative of the Silva's has provided me with accommodations at the Royal Palms in Benaulim, South Goa. It's a great 1-bedroom apartment with hotel amenities plus a bonus amenity of organized daily activities, much like in Dirty Dancing; scavenger hunts, talent shows, karaoke, you name it. The other night I got a sober glimpse of what bad karaoke sounds like and I would like to apologize to all my friends for each and every karaoke experience I have forced you to endure. Thanks to my new best friends, earplugs, I was able to quiet an Indian rendition of Stevie Wonder's 'I just called to say I love you' that was so laughably off key, it was barely recognizable. Magnificently horrible.

Chris, one of the Silva's distant relatives, has been showing me around Goa and introducing me to the typical spicy Goan foods (sor patel, rechido spiced seafood, chicken suka, and biryani), the Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals of Old Goa (the Rome of India), and the old Portuguese homes of the Silva's heritage. Since Goa was under separate rule from the rest of India for most of the last 500 years (Portuguese versus British), the culture evolved separately and Goa is vastly different from the rest of India, more progressive and western. Most Goans still think of the two areas separately and refer to Goa as Goa and the rest of the country as India.

The beaches in Goa stretch for miles. The water is like a bath and the colors of the sun just before it disappears are brilliant yellows and reds. Strangely, the sun doesn't actually set, it disappears into a haze about one finger width above the horizon where the Arabian Sea meets the sky. Westerner's generally congregate in one area and swimming attire is worn. The only locals who venture into this area are either selling something or there to gawk at the human flesh so rarely seen in public, mostly the former. In the local sections of the beach, the oppression of women is very apparent and although I have been witnessing it for weeks, I am having trouble getting past it. Men comfortably swim in their shorts or tighty-whities (the later comfortable for them, but revealingly uncomfortable for the rest of us) and women continue to swim in pants, saris and burkas.Gentlemen, a tip for you; just because you are in India does not mean you have to wear a bohemian man purse/shoulder bag. Your stuff still fits in your pockets and it looks as ridiculous here as it does back home.

I intended my next country to be Sri Lanka. Disappointingly, I have cancelled that trip. The state of the country's civil war has caused a few websites to categorize travel in Sri Lanka with that of Pakistan and Kashmir in North India. I leave India in about 2 weeks and head back to Indonesia.

Mumbai

From Kathmandu, I flew to Mumbai, the most cosmopolitan city in India to most of the locals. Since Delhi was such a horrible experience, I wanted to go back to India to see what I hoped to be, a better side. I knew if I didn't go now, the sour taste of Delhi may prevent me from ever going back.

Mumbai is a delight. The architecture is stunning. From the CST train station to the University of Mumbai, and countless other buildings, I feel like I am walking through an old European city. I have only been hassled by one kid, he was from Delhi. I paid him to go away. As progressive as the city is, I often notice someone videotaping me walking down the street. A lot of Indians are not accustomed to seeing westerners they take videos and photos back to show their family and friends. When you think about it, it's the same think as me taking photos of them and posting them on my blog site. I was approached by many groups asking to take a photo with me. I usually oblige the kids and families, but say no to the group of young men. Look for me on India's myspace.

Although cleaner and safer than Delhi, the poverty in Mumbai is more apparent, with many families living on the street. It is heartbreaking to see a small child curled up on the sidewalk sleeping under a blanket.

Chowpatty beach, from afar, felt like home. Up close, there were some dramatic differences from the beaches in SD:

- majority of the beach appears to be a few inches of sand over concrete;

- everyone is fully dressed despite the 95-degree sweltering heat, including full burkas for some women;

- there are carnival rides wheeled in daily and operated by hand. I think this might be a replica of the original ferris wheel; and

- there are individuals and families living there. Albeit a better option than the sidewalk, still extremely sad.

I finally let my guard down at the beach. So far, I have been approached by locals who seem genuine and want to talk and or help navigate to a location, as opposed to a helpful nature that turns into a sale or a demand for money. I have had many pleasant experiences here, but have kept my guard up. When I have said goodbye, my short-lived companions have left with no questions. On the beach, I was approached by a man who appeared to be a kind, working professional who offered to show me where the Hanging Garden view restaurant was. Beginning to think that my fears were over analysis and personal trust issues, we started walking and talking. However, we never made to the restaurant as the guy turned out to be a total pervert. It remains true in my mind that unsolicited help has an ulterior motive.

My biggest regret of Mumbai: not participating as an extra in a Bollywood movie. I had two chances at stardom and turned them down. Mumbai is the Bollywood capital of India and they often recruit westerners as extras right off the street.

After Mumbai, I took Indian Railways to Goa, stopping at a beautiful beach, Ganatapipule, for two days. Over 14 million people take the trains each day and the stations are a sight to be seen with hoards of people entering and exiting trains. The train took 7 hours to get to Ratnigiri, the stop for Ganatapipule Beach, and 5 hours from there to Goa. It was a comfortable ride, however, I would suggest getting seats in the 2AC section as opposed to 3AC section. The difference being the number of pull down beds along each wall. In the 3AC section, if your 'bunk mates' decide top ull down the bed above you, there is no longer head room available to sit up right.

Brittney Spears in Nepal

The Nepalese are clearly unaware, or don't care about, of the demise of Brittney.   Or maybe she is back and I'm just behind?   These are two examples, of countless, Brittney propaganda encountered not only in the cities, but in the northern Himalayas as well.  

It's also possible everyone is too busy Palin bashing and supporting Obama to update to Milley Cirus.  In the mountains, I saw dozens of 'Obama Hope' stickers.  The ones from his early campaign, slightly photoshoped to look Indian.  Throughout my travels, I have learned that most of the world, western and developing, supports Obama.  In Indonesia it is mainly because his skin color is the same as theirs.  This is not an assumption, but a statement I heard more than once; "Obama! Same color."

During my last few days in Nepal, Tihar, the second most important Hindu festival in Nepal, was finishing up.  During Tihar (also known as Diwali in India and even more important there), buildings are covered in colorful lights, most hanging vertically from the roof down to street level.  The streets are filled with families dancing and playing music.  There are also animal sacrifices throughout town.  Given I had seen most of the sacrificial sheep being herded through the mountains, marching to their death, I chose not to seek out that experience.  And, I am still traumatized by my yak experience.

I spent the last day in Kathmandu walking from village to village sight seeing.  Durbar Square in Patan has beautiful architectural Newari temples and ancient Newari houses.  I met another Sadhu, it only cost me $1USD to take his picture.  He is as short as he looks.

Pashupatinath is one of the most important Hindu and Shiva Temples in Kathmandu located along the holy Bagmati River. Bodies of deceased are cremated on concrete squares, known as cremation ghats, using wood logs and straw to fuel the flames.   After cremation, the ashes are swept into the river, the same river local children play in and use to bathe.  The Royal family of Nepal was cremated here after their massacre in 2001.  A must see in Kathmandu, it is a mixture of emotions.  There is obvious sadness and curiosity combined with the desire to punch the tourists who are shoving their camera out there to get a good photo of the burning foot protruding from the flames.  

The Kali Ghandaki Trail

The trek was amazing. 70 miles in 8 days, walking through the deepest gorge in the world,

 around the amazing Annapurna, Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges and reaching an elevation of 4,800 meters.   Although we saw so much, there is much more to see as the scenery changes dramatically from village to village. The trek started in Nayapul and ended in Muktinath. We played on bamboo swings with Nepali children, drank Tibetan tea in a woman's kitchen, visited 550 year old Buddhist monasteries and slept in a local house in Tatopani when the lodges filled up. There were plenty of trekkers on the path, most going opposite of us completing the final days of the Annapurna Circuit Trek, a 14-21 day circular trek around the entire range.

Day 1: Nayapul to Ulleri. 5 hours, ascending 800 meters, and a minimum of  300 flights of stairs. The trek was adjacent to the Bhurungdi Khola river through a rich jungle filled with hillside villages and pony's carrying supplies up and down the mountain. This day provided the most difficult mental challenge. After ascending 3 hours of stairs in the later part of the day, I made a joke about the never ending staircase, and Javed (the guide) responded by stating the stairs continued to Poon Hill. Poon Hill was a day and a half away. I knew I was in trouble because I found myself excited when I took 4 or 5 steps on flat ground opposed to 12" high steps. In Ulleri we hung out with school kids and I felt like a wimp when I discovered my painful afternoon walk was their daily walk home from school. After dinner, my intoxicated porter led Nepalese dancing in the kitchen, which was a stand-alone building with a wood burning fire used to cook.

Day 2: Ulleri to Ghorepani. 4 hours, ascending 1,000 meters. I woke up to a view of Annapurna 1, which was followed by a manageable walk with slow ascents and reasonable stair climbs. Javed had set me up to fear this day, but, thankfully, it wasn't that bad. Although it seemed more crowded than the day before, it was a great walk with scenery much like day 1. We arrived at Ghorepani early and were able to enjoy the day and the views of the Dhaulagiri mountain range from the lodge. Shortly after I went to bed, I woke to Micheal Jackson's Beat It playing loudly in the lodge restaurant. I went down to check it out. The lodge was filled with Australians and Nepalese doing shots of whiskey and dancing, poorly, to cheesy American music. At one point there was a Conga line. I am sad to say that after I made 6-8 rejection attempts, I was forced to join the Conga line. This was, by far, my darkest moment on the Trek.

Day 3: Morning trip to Poon Hill then Ghorepani to Tatopani. 8 hours ascending 400 meters then descending 1,000 meters. In the morning we got up at 4:30 am (ouch) and went to Poon Hill to see the sunrise. The colors of the sun were amazing, changing from red to yellow to white. The 180-degree view of the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountain ranges was outstanding.  Descending down the hillside through the villages was the first time I realized how far away from civilization we were. Although there are small medical stations along the way, it is a good 2 day walk to a major town. Initially, I was very excited for the decent, thinking it would be a piece of cake compared to the uphill climbs we'd been making. How wrong I was. Going down is as hard, if not harder, then going up. But, the hillside scenery more than made up for the pain.When we got to Tatopani, I was wrecked and looking forward to a hot shower and some r&r. I was in for a rude awakening when Javed told me the lodges were fully booked and the only 'room' he could find was a tent on the roof of a restaurant located next to a lodge. There were no other tents around my 'room' and the bathroom was down a spiral staircase, through a patio, through a hallway.....I fought back tears of pain and exhaustion. Shortly after, he found a room in a local house.  Even though the bed was no more than a piece of wood with a blanket, I was ecstatic I was not staying on the roof of a building. The evening went in a strange direction when David, the porter, decided to mix alcohol and Hindu prayer. At first I thought I was not understanding the Hindu culture, as he sounded possessed and angry. When our host started voicing her concern, I knew we had a problem. 

Day 4: Tatopani to Ghasa. 5 hours ascending 800 meters. We woke to views of Nilgiri.  On this day, I found I could no longer pass the ponies who were hauling supplies to the villages. I was losing steam and felt like they were on my heals the whole day, taunting me for going slow. The walk to Ghasa started in the deepest gorge in the world with the adjacent hills standing approximately 2,500 meters above the trail. The views of the mountain ranges continued most of the day along with beautiful waterfalls, the best being a multi-tiered fall at Chhaharo. The unfortunate mixture of alcohol and prayer continued this evening and Javed sent home porter number 1.

Day 5: Ghasa to Tukuche. 5 hours ascending 600 meters. Javed hired a local villager, Kuber, as the porter and we headed out for more fantastic views of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri. As we were walking around the mountains, every turn on the path offered a new amazing view. Kuber followed me closely and would reach out to grab me each time I stumbled. Because my inherent clumsiness is exacerbated by looking around while walking on a rocky path, this happened quite frequently. Either he was a uniquely nice guy or he was hoping to appear to save my life and get a great tip. I was torn between the two possibilities as most of the time he tried to catch me, I had barely moved and was in no danger yet he seemed genuine.   The mountain scenery was followed by a wide river bed surrounded by pine trees and more mountains. In Tukuche, we stayed at the Dutch Bakery and the lodging was fantastic. Many other trekkers had commented it was the best on the Annapurna Circuit, and it did not disappoint. Great room, shower and food. Even the mouse running around the second floor common area didn't ruin the atmosphere. Tukuche is an old hub for Himalayan transport to and from Tibet. The homes were all made of stone and many were abandoned. The village population is only about 500, but some of the friendliest people on the trek.

Day 6: Tukuche to Kagbeni. 5 hours ascending 200 meters.  This trip was typically, 'Nepali flat,' which means lots of small ups and downs on a rocky path.  The day started following the river with hillside views, but quickly dried up. As we approached Jomson, the dirt road, used for jeep transport starting in Tatopani and continuing to Muktinath, started to get old. It was dusty, windy and the most bland scenery of the trek. In Jomsom, we picked up one of Javed's friends, Niken, who joined us for the remainder of the trip. He was a great addition to the group. Kagbeni was a nice village located on the edge of Upper Mustang, the northern most area of Nepal, bordering Tibet and forbidden to tourists unless you have a guide and pay $500 to $700 USD. We snuck in and climbed a nice size hill for a great view of the forbidden area.

Day 7: Kagbeni to Muktinath. 5 hours ascending 1,000 meters. The walk was slow and steep mostly surrounded by gorgeous desert hills. As we approached Jharkot (about 30 minutes below Muktinath and pictured on the right) there were beautiful fall trees with the desert and the Himalayas as a backdrop. It was an amazing combination of colors. When we made it to Muktinath, the end point of the journey, it couldn't have felt better - we made it! Walking around, we happened to come across the slaying of a Yak. Thinking it would be a cultural experience, I anxiously watched. It was awful. The lower caste of Hindus have a ritualistic killing of the yak that involves tieing up it's legs, sitting on it's head and wrenching a knife into it's heart until it dies. The process took about 30 minutes. We only stayed for 5 then went to hang out with the live Yaks, who retreated down the hillside to hide from their ultimate fate. When we returned, the Yak was dead and they were sawing off his hoofs. The next day we saw the end product, a bare rib cage laying on the ground. The Nepali's use every part of the Yak, there is no waste. I kindly rejected the Yak momos on the lunch menu. The village of Muktinath was not as nice as Jharkot, so we decided to head back down and stay in Jharkot. A few days earlier, Javed had noticed that our trek had an extra day in it. It was supposed to be 8 days, flying home on the 9th, but we had booked 9 days, flying home on the 10th. So we had an extra day to explore the Muktinath area.  This day we lost porter number 2 to foot problems.  It was a sign that I needed to carry my own bag.

Day 8: Day Hike from Jharkot. 6 hours ascending then descending 1,000 meters. We reached our highest point of about 4,800 meters. It was amazing! It only took about 2 1/2 hours to get up an extremely steep hillside, with no real trail. Being with two Nepalese, I was by far the slowest and most cautious. Theses guys went up and down like they'd been doing it for years. 

On the way down, we side tracked and went back to Muktinath to see the Muktinath Temple. This is one of the holiest Hindu temples in the world and many Indians take pilgrimages here. Although the temple is mainly Hindu, it also has a Buddhist and Bon temple. Bon is a Tibetan derivative of Buddhism. By far the best part was hanging out with the Sadhu Baba, known as Baba to the Nepalese and seen to the right smoking tobacco from the horn of an animal. A Baba is in the fourth phase of Hindu life and gives up material attachments to live in caves and temples searching for liberation through meditation and contemplation of God.  Basically, a Hindu hippie.

We took a jeep to Jomsom and flew back to Pokhara on a very small, seemingly unreliable, propeller plane that navigated it's way through the narrow gorge.  Thankfully, it was only a 15-minute ride.  

Trekking Nepal

For the past few days, I have been preparing for my upcoming Trek through the Himalayas. Preparing entails shopping for supplies (I am officially a faux North Face ad), resting and hiking around.

On Monday, October 20th, I am starting the Jomsom Trek. I chose this trek, opposed to the Everest Base Camp Trek, for a couple of reasons. Jomsom is not as technically challenging as Everest Base Camp, important as I am recently recovered from a month of various ailments and am not physically ready to ascend 9,000 meters over 14 days. Additionally, Jomsom is more scenic and culturally interactive. As a bonus, which I discovered after I booked the trip, the Jomsom trek has some of the best hillside accommodations in Nepal. Still doesn't save me from using the outhouse in the middle of the night, but I like the thought of whatever 'some of the best accommodations' means. Since day trip 'pee' breaks are usually road side stops in a semi-discrete location, the outhouse shouldn't be much of a problem.
The trek is 9 days and starts in Nayapul at an elevation of about 1070 meters above sea level. Each day we will decide how far we will go and where we will stop for meals and lodging. Below is an anticipated route, but will change based on my stamina.
Day 1: Hike to Tirkhedungu: approximately 4 hours ascending to 1480 meters
Day 2: Hike to Ghorepani: approximately 4 hours ascending to 2750 meters
Day 3: Hike to Poon Hill then to Tatopani: approximately 7 1/2 hours ascending up to 3,200 meters then descending to 1190 meters. This is one of the deepest mountain gorges in the world, and the trail is surrounded by mountains. In Tatopani there are hot springs to help with the pain of the first few days
Day 4: Hike to Ghasa: approximately 6 1/2 hours ascending to 2010 meters
Day 5: Hike to Larjung: approximately 6 1/2 hours ascending to 2550 meters
Day 6: Hike to Jomsom: approximately 5 1/2 hours ascending to an elevation of 2720 meters
Day 7: Hike to Mukinath: approximately 6 1/2 hours ascending to our max elevation of 3760 meters
Day 8: Hike back to Jomsom
Day 9: Fly back to Pokhara

I am trekking with a guide, who I selected from our Bhote Kosi rafting trip, and a porter, who will carry the bags. Click here to see a map of the trek (page 2). Although this is not the company I am going with and their stops are different, it shows the path and the surrounding mountain ranges. I am so excited!!
I do not anticipate being able to get online while trekking. I will blog again upon my return on the 29th.

Hillside Villages

I have hiked through many hillside villages over the past few days. Some on purpose, some on accident. It happened accidentally because unnoticed merges in a descending path become confusing forks when ascending the same path. Hard to imagine it gets better, but the villagers are friendliest group I have met in Nepal. Everyone says hello, 'namaste'. Mostly, it's due to their kind nature, but a personal theory is that they also want to see if you can breathe well enough to respond. Everyone works so hard just to sustain life. For starters, what I would consider a medium difficulty hike is their walk home, on stone paths and steep stone staircases built into the hillside. They live off the land harvesting their food and often carrying it up in baskets on their back or attached to their forehead by a band. Children entertain themselves on swings made of bamboo, by playing imaginary sword fighting with chickens and once, by stealing my cell phone to play a game on it.

I hiked through the Sarangkot hillside village to watch the sunset, a venture recommended by 'the bible'. The short 30-minute hike was rewarded with some of the most amazing view I have seen since the Everest flight. It was a relatively clear evening and the top of the Sarangkot village had 360-degree views of the hills and the Himalayas. There were many guest houses at the top and if one can handle trekking their pack up 30 minutes of stairs, I would highly recommend staying there. The village is full of families, there are few tourists and the guest houses are strategically placed to take advantage of the sunrise and/or sunset views.

Of course, I stayed too long at the top thinking how lucky I was to spend the next 8 days in the Himalayan villages, surrounded by the people and the mountains. I climbed back down in the dark. Because I had seen a snake on a previous hike, I thought that every noise I heard was another snake coming to get me. About half way down, a local passed me, stopped to ask where I was going, then led the way back down, saving me from fearing any more snakes.

Pokhara

Nepal continues to impress. After our quality time with the Rhino, Athanasia and I headed to Pokhara, the second largest town on the Nepali map located about 6 hours west of Kathmandu. Pokhara is smaller and quieter than Kathmandu. We stayed in Lakeside, adjacent to lake Phewa Tal, the second largest lake in Nepal surrounded by small mountains with the snow capped Himalayas towering behind. Outside of going into the Himalayas, it is one of the best places in Nepal to get a view of the mountains.

We took a wooden doonga (rowboat) out on the lake to admire the scenery. Except for the Nepali insect making a continuous a noise like a fire alarm, it is a fantastic way to enjoy the native monkeys and beautiful white egrets against the hillside backdrop. We visited Devi's Falls, a small series of waterfalls marking where the Pardi Khola stream goes underground. The falls were named after a Swiss visitor's girlfriend who was pulled to her death by her boyfriend when he tumbled into the waterfall. Chivalry is obviously dead in Switzerland.

Hiking up to the World Peace Pagoda, given to the Nepalese by Japanese Buddhists to symbolize world peace (if the beauty pagent contestants of the world could see this kind gesture they might think their dreams have been realized), was good preparation for my upcoming 9-day trek through the Himalayas. We chose to take the easy route up. Per 'the bible', you can take a bus to Kalamati and from there walk about 20 minutes to the Pagoda. After one short bus ride and about 30 minutes we figured out there might be a bus to the town, but it only runs every 4 hours. Instead of spending the day on the side of the road, asking every passing bus if they were going to Kalamati, we got a cab. After an hour and a half walk in the blazing sun, we realized the cab driver stopped short of our anticipated destination.

Saving the best for last, we went paragliding! In tandem with an instructor, you run and hurl yourself off the edge of a cliff with a parasail attached.

Save the minor turbulence encountered on the edge of a thermal, it is amazing to fly around above the lake.

The view of the hillside villages and padi fields continues to be an amazing scenic backdrop. However, if I would have known before I went that these guys were packing the sails, I might have been a little more nervous.

I extended my visa today for a couple of weeks to accommodate my upcoming trek. It is easier to get a visa extension then a phone card. Athanasia went back to Kathmandu and I intend on spending the next few days getting ready for my trek.

SIM Card

In each country I have been to, I have been able to walk into a 7-11, or similar upscale corner establishment, and purchase a SIM card for my mobile phone. This gives me a local phone number and a bunch of phone minutes I can use to call the states or locally. It's a great system.

In Nepal it's like registering with the CIA. In order to get a SIM card in Nepal, one must fill out a 2 page application and include: a copy of your passport, an extra passport photo (which must be stapled to the application), the purchaser's signature written across the application and photo, and thumb prints from both hands. Seems a bit extreme, but when you're a short plane ride away from Kabul, you can't be too careful who you give a local phone number to, right?

The Jungle

After the Everest experience, we headed to the jungle for a few days. We went to Chitwan National Park, a few hours southwest of Kathmandu. We stayed on an Island in the park, it was reminiscent of going to camp as a kid. There were organized jungle activities, set times for meals and rooms lit after 9pm only by kerosene lamps. Each day, they had 'elephant bathing'. This means, they take the elephants to the river and the tourists attempt to climb on the elephants, but usually get violently shaken off. Surprisingly, elephants do not seem to like having their ears grabbed. One guy lost his pants in the process of trying to mount the elephant and instead of pulling them up, chose to persist and let it all hang out. In an attempt to save his friend from further embarrassment by showing his ass to everyone, his buddy jumped on the elephant behind him. As his pants were still down, that was even more awkward for the group. Athanasia joined in the fun. The elephant showed his admiration for Greeks by not violently throwing Sia into the water.

On our first jungle tour we learned what to do if we encounter the following animals:

• Rhino: hide behind a tree; climb the tree (the trees have no branches in Chitwan, so I 'm not sure how that is possible); run in a zig zag pattern (apparently, a rhino can only run straight); or hit the Rhino on his bottom lip with a stick.
• Tiger: everyone should stare the tiger down. Per our guide, who was dressed in a zoo uniform, this lets the Tiger know we have the upper hand and that he is no longer king of his jungle. Also, one should not point at a tiger, as the tiger will think it is a rifle and counterattack. I have a hard time believing a tiger has started down the barrel of a rifle and lived to understand the potential consequences of not attacking.
• Sloth bear: Clap you hands and sing.

On that jungle walk we saw sloth bear poop, a rhino hoof print, a tiger paw print, and a grasshopper. Things were not looking good for us. On the second day, we took an elephant ride through the jungle and spotted a Rhino. We tracked it for a while, getting glimpses here and there. It was pretty cool. The jungle safari trip was saved.

Everest

I met God on Nepal's mountain flight. Flying above the clouds, at 25,000 feet, we saw 6 of the world's 14 tallest mountains, identified by towering over 8,000 meters in height. Of course, this included the grandaddy, Mount Everest. The plane was a 30-seat prop plane, advertised as a jet. Everyone got a window seat. The flight was about an hour long. We travelled along side the snow capped Himalaya Mountains with a peak-a-boo view of the Tibetan Plateau to Mount Everest, where we turned around and flew the same path back. When turning around, the plane headed directly towards Everest. At that time, each passenger got to visit the cockpit and view Everest head on. It was like being on top of the world in some magically spiritual place. What a sight. This is Everest below, in the middle, and only slightly taller than it's neighbor.

Nepal

Exchange Rate: $1USD = 73 Nepalese Rupees

Time Difference:  12 hours 45 minutes ahead of PST

Cost of a room: $30USD

Preferred method of transportation:  taxi or bicycle driven rickshaw with small carriage in back.

I fell in love with Nepal on the flight into Katmandu.  The mountains terraced with rice fields, covering every available square foot in the Katmandu Valley, provides some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.  The people are great!    We went white water rafting down the Himalayan river, Bhote Kosi, yesterday.  The rapids are class II-III with one class IV that knocked a few people off the raft.  Sia was one of the fallen.  Like a pro, she held on to her paddle as she slipped under the raft and held it high when she surfaced for air.  Thank goodness for the British Army, who were there to pull her out of the freezing cold water!  

The river cut through the mountains yielding hours of amazing scenery.  We rafted past villages and under suspended wooden foot bridges.  We were often followed by Nepalese children who either ran down the side of the river along side us or jumped in and swam with us.  Lunch was made on the side of the river: pasta, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and coleslaw made from fresh ingredients.  What a great introduction to Nepal. 

I cancelled my return flight today, as it was for October 18th and I decided that the national economy was not ready for me to return yet.

Monkey attack

This is the monkey who attacked Athanasia's window on the way to the Taj Mahal.  The guy in the background owns the monkey and is pondering how much we are going to pay him for this adventure.  Sia also had a stand off with a monkey today at the Monkey Temple in Katmandu over who got her bottle of water.  Even though it was his turf, Sia prevailed.  Nice work, Sia!!

Continuation of Delhi

Some corrections to my previous blog:

 - there is trash everywhere in Delhi

 - only Delhi, not the entire country of India, is 30 minutes off GMT

 - Nepal is 45 minutes off GMT

There are some very nice architectural sites in Nepal, including India Gate, Humayan's tomb (mini Taj Mahal), and the park where Gandhi was cremated.  The food is out of this world and the city is full of culture.  But the gnats are enough to chase anyone away.  As soon as the sun goes down they are, no exaggeration, everywhere, inside and outside.  In summary, the top 5 things that stand out about Delhi are:

 - beautiful temples and elegantly dressed women in the middle of chaos;

 - blatant staring (of the natives at all westerners);

 - consistent, great food;

 - camel drawn carts and carriages; and

 - filth.

We took a 15 hour excursion to the Taj Mahal.  After 7 hours of driving to the Taj Mahal, via an unimpressive Hare Krishna temple, a snake charmer (using a cobra) and a monkey attack on Sia's window, we walked in wondering if it would live up to our expectations.  As we walked through the gate, there was mistaking the grandeur and it was clear why the Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world.  It is magnificent and truly, beyond words.

My first impression of India

Conversion Rate: $1USD = 46.1IR (Indian Rupee)
Time Difference: 12 hours and 30 minutes ahead of PST. Before landing in Delhi, I had thought that Afghanistan was the only country with a 30-minute time difference from the rest of the world. I have since learned that it is the same in Nepal and Iran.
Hello/goodbye: namaste (with 4 official languages throughout India, Hindi is a good staple, given 80% of the population is Hindi)
Thank you: shukriya
Cost of a room: 1,050 IR
Preferred method of transportation: Tuk Tuk. Different from the rest, the driver is inside the cab, steering from a big-wheel type steering contraption.

I have suffered many plane rides with crying children. It doesn't bother me too much. However, the flight to Delhi had 3 or 4 children who did not just cry, they spent most of the time screaming bloody murder. It was like nothing I have ever heard before, uncontrolled hysteria. I heard it again in the immigration line. It was only a couple minutes before the immigration officials moved the woman and her child to the front of the line.

We are staying in Paharganj, New Delhi. I arrived this afternoon and Athanasia is arriving tonight. I have not yet ventured out, so I can only comment on my experiences so far in this small area. It is dirty, dusty and polluted, but doesn't seem as polluted as Hong Kong. The trash isn't too bad, the clutter is due mostly to dust and the remains of partially constructed sidewalks and buildings. Not surprising as I saw underground street work being done by a skinny Indian man who was using an pickaxe to dig through the asphalt. In this heat, I'd quit too. I've spent the last 6 weeks in extreme heat. When I got off the plane here, the severe dry heat was suffocating. On the street, I was approached by a 6-year old kid who asked for a cigarette. I was harassed by a12-year old boy who was so wasted he could barely stand up, at noon. When I went to look at a room in a hotel, I had to walk over two separate guys passed out in the hallway. The rest of the people I have met had been helpful kind. I had the best Chicken Masala I've ever eaten. It cost $3USD. So far, the experience has been full of contradictions and complete sensory overload: sight, smell, sound. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. I've only been here for 3 hours.

More on Hong Kong

Since I am cooped up in my hotel with self-diagnosed, Chinese medicine man confirmed, bronchitis, I thought I would expand on Hong Kong a little bit. Since I am terrible at finding a hotel and the Hong Kong is a terrible place to try and find a hotel, I have moved around quite a bit and explored a variety of areas.

Central, on Hong Kong Island, is the main business district, home to Hong Kong MTR station, Central Ferry terminal and IFC2, the tallest building in Hong Kong. It is where the largest concentration of new high-rise buildings are, although they appear to be dispersed throughout other areas. Central is also where the Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo areas are. These are Hong Kong's self touted bar hopping areas. Besides the previously mentioned Gecko Lounge, there are a variety of high end bars rumored to include a bar with a shark tank and an ice bar where they give you a parka upon entry, M1nt and Ivan's, respectively. One was closed and I couldn't venture out to see the second due to the giant stepping on my chest.

West of Central is Sheung Wan, an older area filled with dried seafood markets and locals who shooed me away because I was a tourist. I thought it was quite rude. Admittedly, I am not always the friendliest person in the world, but I have never used my hand to shoo away someone who was trying to ask a question, while scowling.

Wan Chai is east of Central, also on Hong Kong Island. Wan Chai is the home of Happy Valley Racecourse and wall to wall hotels and bars. Most of the hotels are nice and the bars range from laid back beer gardens to swanky wine bars to gentleman clubs where the ladies, dressed in mini-skirts and boots to their thighs, solicit customers out front.

Lantau is the biggest island in Hong Kong covering 170 square miles (for perspective, Rhode Island is 1,045 square miles). As previously mentioned it is home to the airport, Disneyland and 3 prisons. Shek Pix prison is the largest of 3 prisons on the island and is about 12 miles from Hong Kong Disneyland and about 8 miles from the Hong Kong Airport. The 5-star location shown below kind of makes me want to commit a crime:

As far as I can tell, the only thing preventing escape is the location and the waterfront rooms overlooking the beach and pier. The bus stop immediately adjacent to the prison offered a close up view of the facility. There appeared to be only one fence separating the prison from the rest of the world, and it didn't appear to be much of a deterrent. Additionally, the prison is surrounded by a thick forest, a perfect cover for convicts to make their way to the airport or Disneyland. But again, who would leave this place?

The prison reminds me of Shek O Beach. Located on Hong Kong Island, Shek O is one of Hong Kong's most secluded beaches. I just happened to go on a national holiday and missed out on the seclusion.

Hong Kong

Exchange Rate: $1USD = $7.3HKD (Hong Kong Dollar, suspiciously labeled with HSBC bank logo. Every 5 years, Hong Kong rotates which of the 3 major banks prints their money. Who ever it is adds their logo to the currency)
Language: Mandarin and Cantonese (too difficult to translate the pleasantries)
Cost of a room: outrageously expensive!!
Preferred method of transportation: Western.

I thought I was over my Starbucks addiction, until I got to Hong Kong airport and smelled that fantastic smell Starbucks has perfected. I am off the wagon and loving it. The caffeine jolt has helped me tremendously in navigating the city by foot, I am guessing I've logged at least 5 miles per day since I've been here.

Hong Kong is a full of contradictions. It is modern and ancient at the same time. Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are a combination of modern high-rises intermixed with old Chinese buildings and culture. Some of the most brilliant sky scrapers are clad with bamboo scaffolding covered with a standard tarp to protect pedestrians from overhead facade work.

Hong Kong is an urban planner's dream. Walking anywhere in Hong Kong would be a time consuming disaster if not for the extensive system of modern, beautiful, elevated walkways and pedestrian subway corridors saving pedestrians from street crossing in most areas. The public transportation is endless and could not be easier to use; sparkling clean MTR trains, double decker, air conditioned public buses, 16-seat single level public light buses, and double decker trolleys are readily available for those who choose not to travel by foot.

The signage in the City is perfectly done and without it, Hong Kong would be a nightmare. Each time I wonder how I am going to get to my next destination, a sign miraculously appears, guiding me through the complex maze. 

The biggest problem here is pollution. It is the worst I have ever seen many times over. The residents blame it on the south winds from China, but I think the diesel fueled buses and coal fired power stations are also be a pretty heavy contributor.

Outside of the diversity and enormity of the city, a few highlights of Hong Kong include:

- Dim Sum at Maxim's. The restaurant overlooks Victoria Harbour and the dim sum (known as yum cha) is out of this world.

- Tram to Victoria Peak. The super steep climb is unreal on the tram. It's even more astounding to know that before trams, two men would carry guests up to the peak on a chair elevated by wooden sticks.  The view from outside Burger King is nearly as good as the view from the Peak Viewing deck.  If you don't mind the smell of fast food burgers, you can save a few bucks on the ticket to the top.

- Star Ferry ride across Victoria Harbor. I read about this and tried it, not overly optimistic about the experience. In a city where everything is so expensive, being able to take a ferry across one of the busiest harbors in the world for about $0.15USD is not only fascinating, but unbelievable. The view of both sides is amazing and, given the pollution, the skyline finally becomes clear when you get that close.

- Symphony of lights. Each night, the city coordinates a light show from the sky-scrapers located along the harbor front. Although well coordinated, it was not overly impressive. I may have set my expectations too high, assuming that the entire harbour front would participate, but it was only a few buildings.

- Gecko Lounge. This living room style bar is one of the best in the City. It is run by a French guy who's been in Hong Kong for 17 years. Since I was the first one in the bar, he gave me the low down on the City and the bar. Each night, there is a 3-member live jazz band joined my random talents who stop in to jam with the group. When I was there, the group was joined by a singer who could mimic the sound of a trumpet with his mouth. It was great.

- Lantau Island. The home of the airport, Hong Kong Disneyland, 3 prisons, the best beaches Hong Kong has to offer and a giant bronze Buddha. He is the largest outdoor, sitting Buddha in the world. When I saw the Swastika on his chest, I was immediately offended. Thanks to Google and Wikipedia, I learned the Swastika dates back to the neolithic period and was used as a Buddhist religious symbol for a long time. Only after use by Nazi Germany did it become controversial.

- Happy Valley Racecourse. It is hard to believe that one of the must see events in Hong Kong is horse racing. Could it be more perfect for me? It could have been more perfect if I would have been given the right information about the start time and not missed the races. I am hoping to make it on Saturday, assuming I don't have to leave early due to the Typhoon.

Halong Bay

Halong Bay is in the Gulf of Tonkin in North Vietnam.   After Colleen left, I decided to head in that direction. Since I am protesting the cattle calls of group tours, I consulted the traveller's bible for a route I could take solo. It advised to take a bus to Hai Phong then catch a boat to Cat Ba Island in Halong Bay where boat trips are offered everywhere. Sounded easy enough.

When I got to the bus station, they picked my bag off my back and, literally, shoved me on a bus. I confirmed it was going to Hai Phong and took a seat. When we started the bus was going so slow pedestrians were passing us. Since I was the only non-Vietnamese on the bus, it was unlikely that they were screwing with me, but my suspicious nature allowed me to contemplate it for a few moments anyway.  After a while I figured out the driver's assistant was hanging out the door soliciting additional passengers. He did this until the bus was full then we were off.....

When we got to Hai Phong, the bus dropped me off in the middle of a random road by slowing down to a crawl, opening the door and handing me my backpack.  Someone pointed to the back of the bus and said Halong.  I got out and started walking. When I got to the corner, I asked someone how to get to Cat Ba Island, but no one spoke English.  A young guy offered me a motorbike ride and when I politely declined he started yelling at me and mocking me. This drew a crowd of people who started laughing at me. Not knowing what they were saying or what to do, I just stood there.  A guy with a yellow hard hat came up to me and pointed me in a direction and said Halong.  I started walking again, leaving the ridicule behind.  The direction he pointed me in was intercepted by a roundabout with roads that did not continue on my same path. I stopped to ask some women who were sitting on the side of the road, but they didn't speak English and  the only help they offered was to raise the handfull of baby chickens they were holding as if I wanted to purchase one.  Disgruntled, I turned around, and saw the guy with the construction hat had followed me and was going to save me from further pain by giving me more precise directions. 

He showed me to a bus, it was the wrong bus. After about 5-10 minutes of showing the driver my map and explaining I did not want to go to where he was going, he opened the door and let me out. I was back to walking around asking where to go again. Have I mentioned I had my 45 lb back pack and it was about 34 degrees Celsius? 

Eventually I made it to the ferry port, and was rerouted due to the weather conditions.  The new route was a bus to different boat, to another bus. I paid 240,000 Dong. The Vietnamese paid 100,000. I sat by a 3-month old baby who kept starring at my boobs making a sucking noise. His father openly chuckled as he carried the baby in his lap, holding his bouncing head for the 20-minute ride through the freight port. 

The boat looked pretty sturdy, but was filled beyond capacity with men, women, children and motorbikes.  When it started pouring down rain, everyone ran to one side of the boat. Given the amount of rain in Vietnam, this was not an anticipated reaction. I held my ground on the wet side hoping to keep the boat from tipping over. I was not going down on a Vietnamese boat in the middle of a freight port.

After an uneventful second bus ride, I arrive in Cat Ba town. It is gorgeous here. It is like Krabi with limestone rock formations jetting out of the sea.  This photo is from my $12 a night hotel room.  It is overlooking the Bay, which is a small city of boats and floating homes housing local fishermen.  Some of the boats are large, but there are many small, wooden boats (no bigger than a boston whaler) with a tiny canopy for protection from Typhoon downpours.  The bed is a heap of clothes in the middle.  Intermixed with the boats are small wood-framed homes smaller than most kitchens and often housing a family of four.

The people in Cat Ba are fantastic.  It is big rock climbing destination and on my first night I ended up bouldering at one of the local schools.  Bouldering is when you climb up on a interior wall, constructed of stone, and horizontally scale the wall around the room.  I was not very

 good, but it was fun.  It was here where I found two Irish girls to go onto Halong Bay with.  Although the Typhoon was over, boat trips had not been rescheduled, so you had to find your own group and rent a boat.  When we met up in the morning, it was in the middle of a monsoonal downpour.  The girls had me convinced it would be an experience regardless of the weather and I decided to ignore the raging rain and take the boat trip.  As soon as we got to the boat, the rain slowed significantly and the day was gorgeous.  

We had the entire boat to ourselves and were one of a few boats on Halong Bay.  Around noon we took out kayaks and started heading through a cave.   Half way through, we saw a shark.  According to the boat guides, there are no sharks in Halong Bay, but there was a large fin swimming around at the end of the cave and heading towards us at one point.  I have never kayaked as fast as I did to get out of there. We were rewarded with the sun coming out.  

Vietnam

The high and low points of the last few days.....

Nha Trang

We spent the rest of the time scuba diving, snorkeling, getting foot massages on the beach and eating some of the best sea food ever; lobster, clams, muscles, oysters, prawns, all fresh and fantastic! Second to the cheese plate at Ooh la in San Francisco, the oysters cooked with a quail egg was one of the best food combinations I have ever had.

Hoi An

Hoi An is a cute little colonial town on the coast of Vietnam. There is one tailor shop per person living there. If you are looking for an affordable wardrobe and/or closet full of new shoes, Hoi An is your place.

Walking through the fishing village, we met Sung and his father who demonstrated fishing with a giant net they would raise from the water with a large wheel. It was fascinating to watch them work and talk with their family.

We had one of the best Indian meals I've had, but it let to severe food poisoning. Combined with sleeping on a rock bed, the overall experience was not the best. It has taken 4 days to be able to think about eating anything besides french fries. Why are they so good?

Hanoi

We chose Hanoi as a launch point for Halong Bay. Due to the Typhoon, we were unable to reach Halong Bay, but enjoyed the diversity of the City and the comfy beds we used for our recovery. Hanoi is a large city with affluent homes surrounding a deteriorated and congested core. There is cat on the menu for breakfast (I know it's sick to say, but, finally someone found a good use for them) and Dog for dinner. 'Dog Meat Restaurant Area' is a 1-kilometer stretch of road with over 60 restaurants that serve up man's best friend as the main course. This is sad. To avoid bad luck, the Vietnamese avoid eating dog in the first half of the lunar month. I've got to believe that eating dog in the first place is bad luck.

The traffic in Hanoi rivals Ho Chi Minh City. The unwritten rule of driving is, the bigger vehicle gets the right of way and pedestrians better run. Lonely Planet compares crossing the street in Hanoi to parting the Red Sea. I have not attempted the later, but feel I may be ready based on this experience. Since the horror stories of near death traffic conditions never get old (right?), I would like to introduce a new, exceptionally psychotic, breed of taxi driver discovered in Hanoi: the driver who's horn honks continuously with one tap. I am not referring to the wussie drivers who play a tune with their horn, I mean actual honking, non stop. One tap. Twenty plus honks. This driver has his own set of road rules and is a raving lunatic. This driver....

- will not stop the horn, even when no one else is around.

- will not stop for red lights. Instead, goes around the law abiding drivers and through the intersection like there is no one else on the road.

- has no respect for larger vehicles. He will take a bus head on, traveling on the wrong side of the road.

- will probably hit you if you are in a car and will definitely it you on a motorbike or bicycle if you don't get the hell out of the way.

Colleen couldn't watch. I had to. It was awesome.

We are alive!!!

What a day. We woke up to the sound of hundreds of horns honking, at nothing, this morning at 6am. Thank goodness for earplugs. Those suckers really work. We headed to the coconut-lined beach and rented a couple of chairs and relaxed. For lunch, a Vietnamese lady cooked us lobster and prawns on the beach and it was fantastic. Then Colleen had the brilliant idea to rent scooters and take them to the Phat Ba Mud Baths.

We rented the scooters from our hotel. I had never ridden one, so when they handed it to me with no instruction, I was quite shocked. I found out it's not that hard once you get it started. Give it some gas and hope for the best. We were off. With no gas. We were served up with empty tanks and pointed in the direction of what we supposed for quite sometime to be a phantom gas station. On fumes, we found it. Of course, this was my first stop, so I cruised in dragging my flip-flops like they were the added traction I needed to navigate myself to a complete stop. They guys at the gas station laughed at me for a good two or three minutes. The traffic in Nha Trang is extremely mild compared to Ho Chi Minh City, but it's still Vietnam and no traffic laws apply. We started our journey going straight and that was pretty good. I didn't even need my horn for the first few kilometers. Until the traffic light. The traffic lights have a countdown, so when the number gets to 3-2......we're off. Everyone is in a big group and starts motoring. This was my first cut off; a guy to my immediate right decided to turn left in front of me. I cleared him and made my first honk of a true Asian staple, the horn. We kept missing the turn to the mud baths so we were going back and forth down a pretty big road. Of course to turn around we had to do a u-turn in the middle of the road. It's pretty scary, but there is some organized chaos, unwritten rules and polite courtesies that apply: as previously mentioned, he who honks the loudest, longest and does not flinch usually gets the right of way; he who is on a track that cannot be changed usually gets the right of way; and you had better hold on for dear life. After clearing the street a few times going back and forth, we hired someone to show us the road. I was relieved for a short period of time when we headed down a small dirt road with little traffic. My bliss was short-lived when I found myself battling potholes and dogs. At this point I succumbed to the Asian philosophy of honking at everything; the pedestrians, the dogs, the potholes. It's survival. If you honk, they know you are there and you are determined to keep going. I headed on like Red McCormick from the tractor scene in Footloose, if I wouldn't have been tied to that scooter, I would have jumped. I prevailed and took the right-of-way from those damn dogs. We got there in one piece.

The mud baths were ok. I'm not convinced it isn't a scam as the mud bath seemed a little like dirty water with some silt in it. But it was a nice mental break from scootering. I did not enjoy that tubs filled with Asians in nude color speedos. Which brings me to a topic I had started writing about previously, but never finished: why the speedo should be banned, everywhere. There are many obvious reasons, it shows everything, it is embarrassing for one's significant other and it is down right ugly. However, there are some more subtle reasons I have discovered on my trip, most specifically with the help of one European Gentleman in Krabi:

- There is no reason to be reminded that leg hair does not actually end

- When in a boat, there are often areas where you have to duck down to clear obstacles. If the subject wearing the speedo is standing in those areas it is uncomfortable for everyone.

- If someone is wearing a speedo, they are clearly oblivious to the thoughts of others both in and out of the water. The self-centered speedo wearer is more likely to snorkel around with no concern for the location of others, which makes it highly likely you may run into the subject's speedo while swimming along minding your own business and checking out the fish. Again, uncomfortable for everyone.

- When the subject puts on a t-shirt, he gives the appearance of being a flasher with nothing on but the t-shirt.

- The speedo wedgie.

On the way back from the mud bath we successfully navigated 3-4 roundabouts and/or intersections with 4-way traffic, uninhibited by stop signs, yields signs or streetlights. Each time we cleared one, Colleen would check for me in her rear view mirror and give the thumbs up sign. Yes, we made it!

Living through an Asian motorbike ride: check!