So, like I said before, I didn't update much because the internet was pretty expensive in the Himalayas. Now that i'm back to civilization, it will be a little easier to keep this blog up to date. I'm now in Koh Lanta, Thailand (a beautiful island in the Andaman Sea). I'll pick up where I left off, possibly skimming a few details, and fast forward to today.
Nepal Cont.
On our way to Sinuwa, my Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) was better, but my upper stomach was starting to act up. Every 10-ish minutes I would double over in pain on the trail. I suffered a little bit through the night and by morning I decided to take Ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic usually taken for traveller's diarrhea. We made our way to Chhomrong, which took around 4 hours. Steps, steps, and more steps is all I have to say. It was A LOT of descending and ascending. By the time we got to Chhomrong, many of the lodges were already filled up. But we got lucky at one place, and got a nice room with a small patio overlooking the beautiful Himalayan valleys. We had seen "Snickers Roll" on menus all through the trek and Grant decided it was the night to finally try it. Basically, it's a snickers bar wrapped in dough and deep fried. I wasn't the biggest fan, but Grant scarfed it down. The next morning we woke up and headed to our last stop before the end of the trek: Ghandruk.
We descended about 2300 ft and then went up 1300 ft. On the way, we stopped at a little rest hut and got a Coke and Fanta. The lady there was so nice and taught me how to speak a little Nepali. The experience was very cool. After I was done with my Nepali lesson, we were off again. It was crazy to think that Ghandruk, a medieval Gurung village full of narrow winding streets, was two whole ridges away from Chhomrong. I really can't believe just how far you actually walk when you are trekking. Ghandruk reminds me of the hill top towns of Southern France. When you approach the village, it looks like a big cluster of stone buildings perched on a hill. We made our way through the entrance of the village and went through a cool stone gateway with Tibetan prayer wheels lined up on either side. We found a place pretty quickly and sat down to have a bite to eat with some Brits and a girl originally from Vancouver, BC. That night, we had dinner with our newly-made friends, and Grant tried "Mustang Coffee," a concoction made with coffee, rice, and Rakshi (a local wine that's more hard alcohol than it is wine). My stomach was starting to feel better, but a cough was starting to get pretty bad. It took forever for me to get to sleep that night because I was coughing up my lungs (probably caused by the Sinusitis I had a while back).
The final descent into Nayapul was kind of hard on my knees, but not too bad. First we took a ton of stone steps down, then we traversed the hillside as we steadily descended. I couldn't believe just how far we had come and how fast time had flown.
We took a bus back to Pokhara, and we immediately booked a bus for the next day to Kathmandu. The next morning, we took a taxi to the bus station where little kids sold a selection of breakfast pastries on trays that were lined with newspaper. Grant and I bought some cinnamon rolls and chocolate croissants for the ride.
The bus ride from Pokhara to Kathmandu should have been 7 hours, but turned out to be 11 hours due to the EXTREMELY bad traffic getting into Kathmandu. The traffic jam was ridiculous. Without traffic, the stretch we had to drive would have taken 20 mins, but the bumper-to-bumper craziness made it 4 hours. Imagine tons of switchbacks going up a mountainside and cars/trucks/buses lined up all along it.
We stayed at the Yeti Guest Home, a clean place with WIFI, close to the center of the Thamel district, and it was the right price (about $13/night). After a bit of shopping and eating some awesome momos (Tibetan style dumplings, similar to pot stickers) we journeyed to Swayambhunath Stupa. There are a bunch of stairs leading all the way up to the white Stupa that's about 1500 years old. Monks still use it as a monastery. There are Buddah eyes painted onto the stupa and apparently, the sign (a spiral with a squiggle) between the eyes stands for unity. Monkeys there are also considered sacred, and there were a lot of them scrambling around and climbing on all the structures. The scene was made complete by the hundreds of prayer flags that were strung up everywhere and flapping in the wind. After a while of taking pictures and walking around the Stupa, spinning the prayer wheels that surrounded it, I went into a monastery where a monk was hitting a gong and chanting prayers that he read off of rectangular sheets of paper. I inconspicuously recorded some of it with my little camera; it was very cool.
The next day we went to Durbar Square, a complex of Hindu and Buddhist temples. Kings are crowned there and up till the 20th century, Kings used to live there. But now, it's bacually a museum and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When we arrived (via bicycle rickshaw), a "Holy Man" quickly came toward us holding a metal container filled with red powder. He outstretched his hand with his finger trying to touch our foreheads. We dodged him a couple times, saying no thank you, but he kept saying "Goodluck, goodluck, it's okay, goodluck." He was so persistent that we let him mark both of our foreheads with the red powder. After he was done marking us, he immediately put out his hand for money and asked for 200 Nepali Rupees. Yeah right. I was NOT about to give this fake holy man 200 rupees. Instead, I gave him 25 for both me and Grant and walked away. He wasn't too happy that I only gave him 25. There are many fake holy men in Durbar Square who ask for money in turn for marking foreheads and posing for pictures in their brightly colored robes, head dresses, and face paint. After Durbar Square, we shopped a little bit more and headed back to the Thamel district to eat. The next day we just chilled out, shopped, and ate.
10/31/2010
We took a Spice Jet flight from Nepal to Delhi, India. The morning we were supposed to leave Nepal, Grant wasn't feeling well and woke up with a 100 degree fever. I felt terrible for him, feeling really sick and having to travel isn't very fun. When we landed in Delhi, we didn't have a hotel. So I had to go to the hotel desk and ask them to book us a room somewhere close to the airport. I was nervous because India's hotels aren't the cleanest, and I couldn't see the room before booking it. I also had to book a prepaid taxi to our hotel. Lastly, I withdrew money from an ATM/exchanged some money. All the while, Grant was sitting with our bags with his head in his hands, obviously feeling horrible. Luckily our hotel was clean and spacious. I got Grant in bed and took his temperature. All day he stayed around 102-103.7 degrees. I was scared we would have to go the hospital. I told myself that if he hit 104, I would take him to the hospital. The night was a long one, as I sat next to him, putting cold towels on his forehead. Luckily he never hit 104, and after making the decision to take his stock of Ciprofloxacin, he began to feel better the next morning. His temperature was even back to normal.
That day we flew out of Delhi, to Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Then after a little while of waiting in Malaysia, we flew to Krabi International Airport in Thailand. We arrived on Tuesday, and the day previous there had been a HUGE tropical storm that rolled through Southern Thailand. There was massive flooding which shut down many travel routes to the north (i.e. Bangkok). A storm like this hadn't happened in over 50 years and it killed over 100 people. It's definitely a terrible thing to happen, but thankfully, it didn't much affect the area we were to stay. From the airport, we took a bus to the water, then we took a longtail boat to Tonsai. We stayed there for three nights. Our room wasn't all that great, but the activities we did and food we ate were AWESOME!
Sawadee from Southern Thailand
The first day we got there, all we did was find a place, eat food, and hang out. The next day, we decided to go kayaking. The guy at the Tonsai Tourist Center was very nice and gave us a lower price than was originally quoted. Grant and I each got our own rasta-tye-dye kayaks for the same price as a tandem kayak. It was my first time kayaking, and I loved it! It was a little cloudy, but it turned out to be a plus because it kept the sun from burning us alive. The water was a beautiful turquoise blue and the scenery was outstanding. Huge limestone structures stand, jutting out above the water. Rock climbers flock to Tonsai for its beautiful landscape of huge limestone walls with innumerable routes. We paddled out to Thamphranang Beach where we sun bathed for a while. Then we went to Railay West, where we sunbathed on the perfect white sand beach and swam. The water reminded me of bath water that had been sitting out for a little while. We had to return the kayaks around sunset, so we left Railay just as the sun was setting. It was so incredibly gorgeous. The orange rays of the setting sun made the water look like liquid gold. The color of the sky wasn't any one color, rather many colors all beautifully painted onto the sky. It really did look like the sky was painted with water colors. Watching the sun set and floating on a golden sea in my little kayak was indescribable and so peaceful.
The next day we did the "4 Island Tour." First we went to Poda Island where we spent an hour swimming around in the ocean. Then we went to Chicken Island (named for a tall rock structure resembling a chicken head). I've never snorkeled before and it turned out to be an awesomely fun experience. I put on a life jacket, grabbed a snorkel set, and excitedly jumped into the water, not yet knowing what I was about to see. Once I dipped my face into the water, I saw fish I had never seen before. Some reminded me of rainbow sherbert (their scales a vibrant green, purple, yellow, red, etc.); I saw bannerfish, an d a lot of yellow-ish fish with black stripes. A kid who was snorkeling near by had bread in the water which attracted a TON of fish. I went near him and the fish were all around me. I even reached out and got to poke one! There were so many of them that when I swam, they would basically hit my goggles! So cool. Even under the water, I could hear Grant go "Oh my God!" as he pointed to some weird looking fish. It was pretty funny. Our next stop was Tup Island where we did a little more snorkeling and ate lunch on the beach. At Tup Island, the main attraction wasn't so much a large number of fish, but it was the coral. Sea urchins were everywhere and there were huge creatures that had wavy lips that would purse slightly when you waved your hand in the water. They were stuck to the coral and reminded me of the "wavy mouths" seen on mussels. Again, I saw bannerfish, little yellow fish with black stipes, and other generic looking fish. I also saw some sea slug types things that were purple and yellow. After snorkeling, we got containers filled with rice and a fried egg on top, and a bag of Thai chicken curry; it really hit the spot and it was some awesome food! The tide was slowly moving out, and at Tup Island, this meant you could walk ont he now exposed sand bars that connected 3 small islands. After lunch, we jumped back in the lontail boat and headed to Pranang Cave.
Pranang (Penis) Cave
As we left Tup Island, our boat guide gave us a tray of freshly sliced pineapple and watermelon...mmm. Legend has it, an Indian princess and her boat crashed into Pranang Cave during a storm. Now boatmen and fishermen place incense and phallic shaped objects in the cave to ensure a safe journey. The cave has become associated with fertility and that's why there are so many wooden penises propped up in the cave. There are also many large stalactites hanging from the cavern ceiling. After exploring the cave, Grant and I had soem fun on a little bouldering route before going back to the boat. Overall, the 4 Island Tour was a HUGE success and I can't wait to go snorkeling again!
A Not-So-Welcome Surprise
That night when we came back to our room, we noticed there was a hole chewed into my backpack. We assumed it was a mouse or rat, as it had gotten in to some of my chocolate. I threw away all the food we had and put it in the trash can outside, thinking that would do the trick. I was wrong. After about 5 minutes of the light being off, I heard something and turned on my headlamp. What I saw was really gross and disturbing. A huge rat (probably about 5-6 inches long, without the tail) was running on the spare bed across from me towards my backpack. Grant was already asleep and was really groggy when I woke him panicked. He didn't really understand the gravity of the situation and immediately fell back asleep. I sat there for about 45 minutes, on the bed, behind my mosquito net, shining my head lamp in the direction of my backpack. After waking him again, Grant finally got up and moved my backpack to a high shelf; there was no sign of the rat. I shut off the light and heard something again 10 minutes later. I quickly turned on the headlamp and saw another rat on a little shelf where we kept our toothbrushes and some mentos...great. When it saw my light, it scurried down the shelf structure and into the bathroom. I worked up some courage (as i'd never seen rats that big before), put Grant's shoes on, and closed the bathroom door. After that I was able to sleep, although it was a light sleep. In the morning I looked at my backpack and a rat had still been able to get to it. The hole was a lot bigger, and though there was no food in my bag, it still chewed through a random plastic bag inside my backpack. Ugh. I understood that we were basically in the jungle, and that it was possibly my fault for leaving a little chocolate in my bag, but I was still utterly grossed out. I was so glad we were leaving that morning.
This is Paradise
We took a longtail boat filled with other people to the middle of little bay and waited for the speedboat to come pick us up. We waited only 5-10 minutes before the Ao Nang Princess came into view. It was an interesting experience. Our longtail boat pulled up to one side, and as we climbed aboard, other people were getting off on the other side into other longtail boats. Grant and I snagged a spot outside at the very front of the boat with no one in front of us. It kind of reminded me of that scene in the "Titanic" where Kate Winslet was on the bow with Leonardo Di Caprio...except not standing up, and a little further away from the actual tip of the boat. After a couple hours in the Andaman Sea, we arrived at the northern tip of Koh Lanta. The Lonely Planet book said Bee Bee's Bungalows were "their pick," so we called and they had a bungalow available. We took a taxi there to discover the coolest beach bungalows ever. The bungalows are situated a couple minute's walk from Klong Khong Beach. These bungalows are cheap, but absolutely perfect. We're only paying about $10/night! Every abode is constructed with bamboo/tree strips that are interwoven to make the walls. The roof is asically made with dry long leaves of some sort (think palm tree leaves) and is a thatched roof. The floors are hard wood planks and the bathroom is a separate attachment with a bit of open air over the shower. The double (or is it a queen bed) sits on a slightly elevated platform with a high quality mosquito net surrounding it. Our porch is awesome too. It's made of wooden planks and has an area with a big mat and some pillows where you can chill out. There's also a hammock you can lay in. The light fixtures are also really nice. They remind me of paper lanterns (in all different shapes,though mostly cylindrical, sizes and colors), but are made with cloth instead. It's crazy that although we don't have air conditioning here, I still feel cool at night. Other bungalows have unique touches of their own. Some are on stilts and sit about 10 ft above the ground. The shower doesn't have hot water, but when you're in this kind of heat/humidity, a cooler shower is quite okay. The vernacular and the unique decorative touches here and there make Bee Bee's Little Village Bungalows a total winner in my book. Right above us, loom coconut trees, right outside our porch there's a durian tree, and a little ways away there's a pineapple tree. When you walk towards the beach, there is an area filled with little cabanas where you can chill out, read, or eat...right on the sand. Like the bungalows, this area is filled with small touches that make it really special. Some of the tables are in cabanas on stilts. There are normal tables where you can sit, but there are also othe tables that are lower to the ground with Thai style pillows/recliners next to them. The cabanas have no walls and a thatch roof. Hammocks and beach chairs are interspersed here and there. At night, the place has a beautiful ambiance, with cloth lanterns and candles emanating a soft glow. This is paradise.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Namaste from Nepal!
Last time I said it was going to be a long blog entry...well...this might be longer! I'll start where I left off (which seems like ages ago)!
My second day in Pokhara was definitely better than my first. Although I still had some Sinusitis, I felt well enough to walk around the town. We stayed in Lakeside which is basically where all the tourists and trekkers tend to stay. Endless shops lined the streets either selling Nepalese trinkets to foreigners or trekking supplies. If you came to Nepal without anything at all, you could fully outfit yourself at Lakeside in Pokhara.
Truth be told, the scene in Pokhara isn't THAT much different than what you'd see in Seattle. There are hippies everywhere, and people wearing North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, etc. It was actually pretty funny; right across the street from where we stayed, a cover band would play popular American music every night. I heard "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams and multiple Red Hot Chilli Peppers songs multiple times. We ended up staying in the trekking town for something like 3-4 nights.
On our last night, we met a thanka artist by the name of Lama Summer. He used to be a monk and learned the art of painting thankas in a monestary near Kathmandu. Grant and I had enquired about the price of thankas a couple times and his was the third shop we visited. He was super nice and seemed to be willing to really negotiate on the price. He said he could sell the thankas for a better price because he was the actual artist and not just a dealer. After some really easy/fun negotiations, Grand and I decided to buy three thankas. The entire exchange was really enjoyable and on top of that we were about to own three beautiful pieces of artwork! What's interesting is i've that noticed that dealing with native Nepali people is much easier that dealing with some of the Indian people who've come to Nepal to do business. The Nepali seem to be more willing to joke around, talk and come to a compromise on the price. By the time we were done at the thanka shop, it was late and we had to wake up early the next morning to start our trek in the Annapurna Sanctuary.
DAY 1
We woke up around 7am and took a taxi to Phedi, the start of our 9-day journey! The trail zigzags up the hillside and is full of stairs. We climbed all the way to the first village, Bhame (a part of Dhampus), where we contributed to the local economy by buying some jewelry. It's really hard to resist when the locals seem so willing to lower the price so you will buy something. After succumbing to the pressure to buy jewelry, we were back on the trail towards our destination for the day: Tolka. On the way, we passed many small villages with guest houses and restaurants, trees covered with lush green moss due to the monsoon season, cows and goats grazing lazily, open meadows with little purple flowers, local residents, as well as guides and porters. The trail climbs and the irritatingly loud sounds of bugs (similar to cicadas) fill your ears and threaten to burst your eardrums. Dragonflies and butterflies of seemingly every color are everywhere.
Just before we hit the village of Pothana, we stopped at a very small family run restaurant. We met two people from North America: Sandy, a middle-aged woman from Massachusetts and David, a middle-aged man from Ottawa. We talked to them for a little while and ended up seeing them on the trail all the way to Tolka. We ordered fried potatoes with cheese and two cups of Masala tea...it was freshly made on the clay oven (which was packed with wood) and it tasted outstanding!
By the time we reached Tolka we had ascended about 7200 ft and descended around 5000-6000 ft. The next day we would have to climb back up...aargh.
DAY 2
We started our day around 7:45am and as usual, it was clear. You could see Annapurna South and the air was crisp, but not too chilly. I had a breakfast of tibetan bread, boiled eggs and tea, then we were off.
There was a lot of going up and down. After leaving Tolka, we began a long descent all the way down to the raging river at the bottom of the valley. We saw terraces stacked upon more terraces of rice and millet. Sometimes an entire hill face is made up of only a handful of houses and terraces. The view is beautiful and i'm not just talking about snow capped mountains. The overlapping valleys, the clouds, and the waterfalls made for amazing scenery as we walked the day away.
The descent lead us into a pretty much tropical climate. Trees were covered in thick moss, plants were a lush green, the leaves on some trees were huge and reminded me of banana tree leaves. When we got to the botytom of the valley (where we had to cross the river), there was a LONG suspension bridge that we had to cross. It was probably something like 200 ft long and wobbly. It's definitely the coolest bridge i've ever crossed! The part you walk on is made of wooden planks and the bridge itself bounces with every step you take. Looking left or right, all you see are raging rapids that i'm not sure even a decent river rafter would want to tackle. It's pretty amazing to think that most of these bridges hold up ratyher well considering the number of people who use them and the porters who carry really heavy loads across.
After the suspension bridge, known as "New Bridge," there is nowhere to go but back up. Stairs, stairs, and more stairs awaited our already tired legs. Even on the map, the section is labeled as "Steep Trail." The goal of the day was to end up at Jhinudanda, a slow, unrelenting climb of about 1000 ft above the river. My calves, quads and knees were feeling the strain of the climb; I wasn't used to climbing so many stairs!
Once at Jhinudanda we decided to set our stuff down and take a side trip to the natural hot springs. There were a lot of people enjoying themselves and relaxing in the hot, semi-cloudy water. The water comes out of tubes that fill large rectangular stone basins. The huge bathtub-like structures are right next to the frigid river, so some people would take a quick dip in the freezing water and run back to the warmth of the hot springs. It was very cool!
On the way up from the hot springs, Grant got "leeched" twice! He felt a prick and discovered a leech had attached itself to the webbing between his fingers. Another leech tried to attach, but he pulled it off before it could really sink its alien-like jaws into him. As we climbed back up to Jhinudanda the leech grew fatter with Grant's blood. It was so gross. Leeches look very similar to slugs and like slugs, you can put salt on them and they won't like it. So once we reached the village, we salted it and it fell right off. After a hearty dinner of chicken chilli and potatoes and cheese, we fell asleep early trying to prepare ourselves for the endless stairs we'd have to climb again the next day.
DAY 3
We climbed about 1500 ft to Chhomrong, stopped to peep the awesome view and have a bite to eat, and we were back on the trail. It turned out to be a pretty rough day. It was full of ups and downs, climbing lots of stairs and descending back down. It was lots and lots of sweaty work.
We arrived in Bamboo just befor 1pm and discovered that all the lodges were full due to the numerous (and large) trekking groups. We ended up taking a couple spots in the dining hall of one guest house. However, situations like these aren't uncommon, it actually happens all the time. We slept on cots that were already in the dining hall. All we had to do was roll out our sleeping bags. The next day we were going to head to Deurali, about 2700 ft above where we were staying. Little did I know it was going to be the start of a series of illnesses.
DAYS 4-8
We left Bamboo early hoping to sleep in a room rather than the dining hall again. The trail lead us through sections of muddy jungle, some areas with beautiful views and waterfalls. Machhapuchhare loomed majestically ahead of us, calling us forward towards it. As we got closer to Deurali, breathing became a little more difficult due to the smaller amount of oxygen in the air, but it wasn't too bad. When we reached the village, surprise suprise, all the lodges were completely full, so we took another spot in a dining hall once again.
It was almost instantaneous. Once we set our stuff down on our "beds" I became very cold and tired. I put on all the layers I had with me, put my gloves and beanie on and bundled myself in my sleeping bag and I was still cold. All I could do was sleep. By the time dinnertime rolled around I wasn't hungry at all, and the last time I had eaten was 6 hours previous. I forced myself to eat and drink, but soon after I had to go outside because I was scared i'd throw up all over the table where everyone was sitting. As I stood in the cold night air, I vomited. There was no question, I had Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). A number of locals came up and asked me if I was okay. Once I told them my symptoms they recommended that I chew on a clove of garlic to alleviate some of the symptoms. I tried it, and it didn't help. Grant and I made the decision that if I didn't feel better in the morning, we would have to head down. The sleepless night passed and I still had a headache, my balance was off, and I had no appetite. It was terrible because we were only a few hours away from Annapurna Base Camp, but we had to turn back because of my AMS. If we had continued, it might have gotten a lot worse and I may have lost consciousness. So, we headed back down to Sinuwa, a 3300 ft descent.
*I'm really using a lot of minutes at this internet cafe, so i'll continue this post later tonight at my guesthouse where there is free WIFI...it won't be fun because i'll have to do it on my iTouch...but i'll do it.*
My second day in Pokhara was definitely better than my first. Although I still had some Sinusitis, I felt well enough to walk around the town. We stayed in Lakeside which is basically where all the tourists and trekkers tend to stay. Endless shops lined the streets either selling Nepalese trinkets to foreigners or trekking supplies. If you came to Nepal without anything at all, you could fully outfit yourself at Lakeside in Pokhara.
Truth be told, the scene in Pokhara isn't THAT much different than what you'd see in Seattle. There are hippies everywhere, and people wearing North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, etc. It was actually pretty funny; right across the street from where we stayed, a cover band would play popular American music every night. I heard "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams and multiple Red Hot Chilli Peppers songs multiple times. We ended up staying in the trekking town for something like 3-4 nights.
On our last night, we met a thanka artist by the name of Lama Summer. He used to be a monk and learned the art of painting thankas in a monestary near Kathmandu. Grant and I had enquired about the price of thankas a couple times and his was the third shop we visited. He was super nice and seemed to be willing to really negotiate on the price. He said he could sell the thankas for a better price because he was the actual artist and not just a dealer. After some really easy/fun negotiations, Grand and I decided to buy three thankas. The entire exchange was really enjoyable and on top of that we were about to own three beautiful pieces of artwork! What's interesting is i've that noticed that dealing with native Nepali people is much easier that dealing with some of the Indian people who've come to Nepal to do business. The Nepali seem to be more willing to joke around, talk and come to a compromise on the price. By the time we were done at the thanka shop, it was late and we had to wake up early the next morning to start our trek in the Annapurna Sanctuary.
DAY 1
We woke up around 7am and took a taxi to Phedi, the start of our 9-day journey! The trail zigzags up the hillside and is full of stairs. We climbed all the way to the first village, Bhame (a part of Dhampus), where we contributed to the local economy by buying some jewelry. It's really hard to resist when the locals seem so willing to lower the price so you will buy something. After succumbing to the pressure to buy jewelry, we were back on the trail towards our destination for the day: Tolka. On the way, we passed many small villages with guest houses and restaurants, trees covered with lush green moss due to the monsoon season, cows and goats grazing lazily, open meadows with little purple flowers, local residents, as well as guides and porters. The trail climbs and the irritatingly loud sounds of bugs (similar to cicadas) fill your ears and threaten to burst your eardrums. Dragonflies and butterflies of seemingly every color are everywhere.
Just before we hit the village of Pothana, we stopped at a very small family run restaurant. We met two people from North America: Sandy, a middle-aged woman from Massachusetts and David, a middle-aged man from Ottawa. We talked to them for a little while and ended up seeing them on the trail all the way to Tolka. We ordered fried potatoes with cheese and two cups of Masala tea...it was freshly made on the clay oven (which was packed with wood) and it tasted outstanding!
By the time we reached Tolka we had ascended about 7200 ft and descended around 5000-6000 ft. The next day we would have to climb back up...aargh.
DAY 2
We started our day around 7:45am and as usual, it was clear. You could see Annapurna South and the air was crisp, but not too chilly. I had a breakfast of tibetan bread, boiled eggs and tea, then we were off.
There was a lot of going up and down. After leaving Tolka, we began a long descent all the way down to the raging river at the bottom of the valley. We saw terraces stacked upon more terraces of rice and millet. Sometimes an entire hill face is made up of only a handful of houses and terraces. The view is beautiful and i'm not just talking about snow capped mountains. The overlapping valleys, the clouds, and the waterfalls made for amazing scenery as we walked the day away.
The descent lead us into a pretty much tropical climate. Trees were covered in thick moss, plants were a lush green, the leaves on some trees were huge and reminded me of banana tree leaves. When we got to the botytom of the valley (where we had to cross the river), there was a LONG suspension bridge that we had to cross. It was probably something like 200 ft long and wobbly. It's definitely the coolest bridge i've ever crossed! The part you walk on is made of wooden planks and the bridge itself bounces with every step you take. Looking left or right, all you see are raging rapids that i'm not sure even a decent river rafter would want to tackle. It's pretty amazing to think that most of these bridges hold up ratyher well considering the number of people who use them and the porters who carry really heavy loads across.
After the suspension bridge, known as "New Bridge," there is nowhere to go but back up. Stairs, stairs, and more stairs awaited our already tired legs. Even on the map, the section is labeled as "Steep Trail." The goal of the day was to end up at Jhinudanda, a slow, unrelenting climb of about 1000 ft above the river. My calves, quads and knees were feeling the strain of the climb; I wasn't used to climbing so many stairs!
Once at Jhinudanda we decided to set our stuff down and take a side trip to the natural hot springs. There were a lot of people enjoying themselves and relaxing in the hot, semi-cloudy water. The water comes out of tubes that fill large rectangular stone basins. The huge bathtub-like structures are right next to the frigid river, so some people would take a quick dip in the freezing water and run back to the warmth of the hot springs. It was very cool!
On the way up from the hot springs, Grant got "leeched" twice! He felt a prick and discovered a leech had attached itself to the webbing between his fingers. Another leech tried to attach, but he pulled it off before it could really sink its alien-like jaws into him. As we climbed back up to Jhinudanda the leech grew fatter with Grant's blood. It was so gross. Leeches look very similar to slugs and like slugs, you can put salt on them and they won't like it. So once we reached the village, we salted it and it fell right off. After a hearty dinner of chicken chilli and potatoes and cheese, we fell asleep early trying to prepare ourselves for the endless stairs we'd have to climb again the next day.
DAY 3
We climbed about 1500 ft to Chhomrong, stopped to peep the awesome view and have a bite to eat, and we were back on the trail. It turned out to be a pretty rough day. It was full of ups and downs, climbing lots of stairs and descending back down. It was lots and lots of sweaty work.
We arrived in Bamboo just befor 1pm and discovered that all the lodges were full due to the numerous (and large) trekking groups. We ended up taking a couple spots in the dining hall of one guest house. However, situations like these aren't uncommon, it actually happens all the time. We slept on cots that were already in the dining hall. All we had to do was roll out our sleeping bags. The next day we were going to head to Deurali, about 2700 ft above where we were staying. Little did I know it was going to be the start of a series of illnesses.
DAYS 4-8
We left Bamboo early hoping to sleep in a room rather than the dining hall again. The trail lead us through sections of muddy jungle, some areas with beautiful views and waterfalls. Machhapuchhare loomed majestically ahead of us, calling us forward towards it. As we got closer to Deurali, breathing became a little more difficult due to the smaller amount of oxygen in the air, but it wasn't too bad. When we reached the village, surprise suprise, all the lodges were completely full, so we took another spot in a dining hall once again.
It was almost instantaneous. Once we set our stuff down on our "beds" I became very cold and tired. I put on all the layers I had with me, put my gloves and beanie on and bundled myself in my sleeping bag and I was still cold. All I could do was sleep. By the time dinnertime rolled around I wasn't hungry at all, and the last time I had eaten was 6 hours previous. I forced myself to eat and drink, but soon after I had to go outside because I was scared i'd throw up all over the table where everyone was sitting. As I stood in the cold night air, I vomited. There was no question, I had Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). A number of locals came up and asked me if I was okay. Once I told them my symptoms they recommended that I chew on a clove of garlic to alleviate some of the symptoms. I tried it, and it didn't help. Grant and I made the decision that if I didn't feel better in the morning, we would have to head down. The sleepless night passed and I still had a headache, my balance was off, and I had no appetite. It was terrible because we were only a few hours away from Annapurna Base Camp, but we had to turn back because of my AMS. If we had continued, it might have gotten a lot worse and I may have lost consciousness. So, we headed back down to Sinuwa, a 3300 ft descent.
*I'm really using a lot of minutes at this internet cafe, so i'll continue this post later tonight at my guesthouse where there is free WIFI...it won't be fun because i'll have to do it on my iTouch...but i'll do it.*
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Get Ready for a LONG Blog Entry
***I'm writing all of this on my iTouch, so please excuse the multiple spelling errors and weird extra words here and there!***
Wow, so it's been a while since I wrote last! I am currently in Pokhara, Nepal. I haven't had a chance to visit an Internet cafe and haven't stayed in a place with Free WiFi until now. Just so you know, this entry is going to be pretty long. Okay so let's start with India...
There is no mistaking it when you're in India. Nothing really prepares you for what you're about to experience...and what you're about to experience is chaos. Before we left the airport in Kolkata, we purchased a pre-paid taxi to our hotel. Just as the guidebooks said, when we walked outside, people came up to us asking where we were staying and telling us it was a bad place to stay and they knew of a better place. Ofcourse they were all on commission, so you really can't trust them. Our taxi finally arrived and we were off!
Driving in India is indescribable. Words simply can't do it justice. If I thought Bangkok was bad, India is 10 times worse. It took us over an hour and a half to get from the airport to the Inter-Continental Hotel. There seem to be no rules: cars narrowly miss eachother by millimeters, brakes are slammed every 10 seconds, and constantly honking horns become their own form of abrasive, head-hurting music. Local buses are CRAMMED with people. Sometimes people ride on the roofs of buses; it looks absolutely miserable, especially in the humid heat.
Driving through Kolkata is a very different experience. It's the old interspersed with the new. Beautifully vibrant colors (mostly worn by the women) move amongst the brown city filled with decrepid buildings. Numerous cows roam near the streets. This reflects the Hindu belief that cows are sacred animals...no succulent steaks or leather here!
Lucky for us, we've decided to visit India during one of Kolkata's biggest festivals. The Durga Puja is an event lasting for 5 days where idols of the 10-armed goddess are gaudily painted and placed in "pandals" or other colorfully painted tample-like structures. Then after the five days, the idols are all thrown into the Hooghlie River. Bright Christmas-esque lights drape dirty brown bulidings all over the city and I have to wonder if it was all done for the festival. The next day we would head to Varanasi via overnight train.
The next morning on our way to the train station, a view of Kolkata in the daytime was a lot different than what we saw the previous night. What was hidden by darkness and colorful Christmas lights was now exposed. In the light of day, you see piles of garbage that extend into the streets and both people and dogs rummaging through it trying to find something of worth. Different smells wafted into our taxi: diesel, cooking food, raw fish, feces, and rotting garbage. The sky is a constant hazy pinkish color (probably from all the pollution). He sheer number of people here is inbelievable. Never have I seen so many people in one place. I guess it makes sense when there are around 14 million people in the city of Kolkata alone and just over a billion people in all of India. At the train station we ordered some food and here are a couple things I observed: 1.) the cooks don't use glows when preparing your food, so you have to judge wisely where you eat and only go where the locals go, 2.) Indians use only their right hand when they eat. The left hand is considered unclean.
On the overnight train to Varanasi we shared a sleeper bunk with a nice Indian family and another family they were friends with. Imagine a rectangular room with only three walls and three fold-out hard beds stacked over eachother on both of the longer walls. Grant and I both didn't get much sleep as the beds weren't very comfortable. We arrived in Varanasi around 9 in the morning.
Varanasi, like much of the other Indian cities I've seen is crowded with lots of people, cars, rickshaws, and of course pollution. But add to all that many cows, goats and chickens roaming the streets, holy men draped in vibrant orange cloth with red marks on their forehead and you've got Varanasi. The city is one of the oldest continually inhabited places and is one of the holiest cities in the Hindu religion. There are many ghats that line the Ganges River. The ghats are used to cremate the dead. Hindus come to Varanasi to cleanse themselves in the Ganges, as it is one of their holiest rivers. However it's also considered one of the dirtiest rivers in the world because it is used as a toilet, a garbage, a place to wash clothes, and sometimes dead animals are spotted floating in the river.
Many guide books say that if you're ready for Varanasi, it might be your most favorite place; this was not the case for me. My allergies kicked into high gear the moment I stepped off the train. It must've been all the dust and animal dander that did me in. We roamed around aimlessly in Varanasi, taking winding side streets that got us lost a couple times. Honestly, walking around not knowing where to go in relentless heat with sneeze attacks happening every 10 minutes was not my idea of fun. So we decided not to stay a night in Varanasi; instead we planned to take another overnight bus to Sonauli then take another bus to the India/Nepal border. Little did I know it would be the worst bus ride of my life.
Before getting on the bus to Sonauli, we met a fellow backpacker named Esther. She's 27 years old and is from Holland. We three got on the non-air conditioned bus, cramped bus expecting to have a pretty uneventful trip. The ride started out bumpy with lots of screeching halts due to the traffic in and around Varanasi. But the bumps never smoothed out. For about 6 hours we endured one of the bumpiest rides of our lives. Then, around 1:30am the unthinkable happened. After dropping off a cpuple passengers in a small town, we heard a loud bang... It was a tire exploding. We rolled really slowly to a food shack nearby and everyone got off. We didn't speak Hindi so we basically had no idea what was going on. We decided to wait until someone told us what to do, so we sat down and had a couple glasses of Chai Tea. After about 20 minutes or so, another bus pulled up on it's way to Gorakhpur. The driver said we wouldn't have to pay, so we got on that bus along with a handful of people who decided to come with. It was another bumpy ride to Gorakhpur with multiple mosquito bites, but at least a little more room to move. We arrived at Gorakhpur around 5am and crammed into a jeep-like taxi to go to the bus station where we needed to catch yet another bus to Sonauli. 12 of us packed into the car with all our belongings. It was a TIGHT fit. We were like 2 cans worth of sardines stuffed into one. I sat on Esther's lap as we made the bumpy but thankfully short ride to the station. We immediately hopped on the bus to Sonauli, which took a few hours. We were dropped off and walked a little ways to the border. Once we got out exit and entry visas, we sat down to have some lunch before trying to find a bus to Pokhara, Nepal.
I'm pretty sure we got ripped off when we purchased our bus ticket. We went into a little office that sold bus tickets. Once we paid 410 Nepali Rupees each to get onto the bus, the guy led us past the real ticket counter where our salesman exchanged a few words with the people behind the counter. If we had went up to that counter individually or just waited until we were on the bus to pay, we most definitely would have paid a lot less. Oh well, I guess you learn from your mistakes. Remember when I said the bus ride from Varanasi to Sonauli was the worst bus ride of my life? I was wrong. The bus ride from Bhairawa (Nepal's side of the border) to Pokhara was definitely THE WORST of my life. It was even bumpier than all the other rides and the fact that we had been on uncomfortable trains and super bumpy buses for basically 16 hours straight really didn't help. The trip took about 8 hours; but it felt like so much longer. The seats were hard and riding in that bus reminded me of riding in the back of a pick-up truck that was travelling over some really REALLY rocky terrain. By the time we got to Pokhara, it felt like we had been thrown around like rag dolls; my neck felt like I had experienced whip lash several time over and my butt/tail bone were as sore as ever.
Our taxi driver couldn't find the guest house Esther was looking for, so we just got out and walked around trying to find vacancy. The last handful of hours on the bus, I was continually blowing my nose and had developed some kind of post-nasal drip. So by the time we were trying to find a place for the night, I really wasn't feeling well. Esther decided to go with a place that had a cheap single room, but Grant and I opted out because the double room there was too expensive. We stumbled across the Pushpa Guest House and just decided to take the room because we didn't want to keep looking.
All night I kept waking up to blow my nose. This morning I woke up feeling sick. I've had to constantly blow my nose, take ibuprofen for my small fever and drink as much water as possible. Basically my first day in Pokhara, Nepal was spent in bed; I didn't take a step outside. Grant definitely took care of me. He bought me a bunch of water and went out a couple times in search of food for me. He looked up my condition and said found out that I have textbook Sinusitis (probably caused by all the pollutants and allergens in India). It's currently about 10pm and I feel better, though I have developed a small cough. I hope I am better by tomorrow! I want to explore Pokhara!!!
Wow, so it's been a while since I wrote last! I am currently in Pokhara, Nepal. I haven't had a chance to visit an Internet cafe and haven't stayed in a place with Free WiFi until now. Just so you know, this entry is going to be pretty long. Okay so let's start with India...
There is no mistaking it when you're in India. Nothing really prepares you for what you're about to experience...and what you're about to experience is chaos. Before we left the airport in Kolkata, we purchased a pre-paid taxi to our hotel. Just as the guidebooks said, when we walked outside, people came up to us asking where we were staying and telling us it was a bad place to stay and they knew of a better place. Ofcourse they were all on commission, so you really can't trust them. Our taxi finally arrived and we were off!
Driving in India is indescribable. Words simply can't do it justice. If I thought Bangkok was bad, India is 10 times worse. It took us over an hour and a half to get from the airport to the Inter-Continental Hotel. There seem to be no rules: cars narrowly miss eachother by millimeters, brakes are slammed every 10 seconds, and constantly honking horns become their own form of abrasive, head-hurting music. Local buses are CRAMMED with people. Sometimes people ride on the roofs of buses; it looks absolutely miserable, especially in the humid heat.
Driving through Kolkata is a very different experience. It's the old interspersed with the new. Beautifully vibrant colors (mostly worn by the women) move amongst the brown city filled with decrepid buildings. Numerous cows roam near the streets. This reflects the Hindu belief that cows are sacred animals...no succulent steaks or leather here!
Lucky for us, we've decided to visit India during one of Kolkata's biggest festivals. The Durga Puja is an event lasting for 5 days where idols of the 10-armed goddess are gaudily painted and placed in "pandals" or other colorfully painted tample-like structures. Then after the five days, the idols are all thrown into the Hooghlie River. Bright Christmas-esque lights drape dirty brown bulidings all over the city and I have to wonder if it was all done for the festival. The next day we would head to Varanasi via overnight train.
The next morning on our way to the train station, a view of Kolkata in the daytime was a lot different than what we saw the previous night. What was hidden by darkness and colorful Christmas lights was now exposed. In the light of day, you see piles of garbage that extend into the streets and both people and dogs rummaging through it trying to find something of worth. Different smells wafted into our taxi: diesel, cooking food, raw fish, feces, and rotting garbage. The sky is a constant hazy pinkish color (probably from all the pollution). He sheer number of people here is inbelievable. Never have I seen so many people in one place. I guess it makes sense when there are around 14 million people in the city of Kolkata alone and just over a billion people in all of India. At the train station we ordered some food and here are a couple things I observed: 1.) the cooks don't use glows when preparing your food, so you have to judge wisely where you eat and only go where the locals go, 2.) Indians use only their right hand when they eat. The left hand is considered unclean.
On the overnight train to Varanasi we shared a sleeper bunk with a nice Indian family and another family they were friends with. Imagine a rectangular room with only three walls and three fold-out hard beds stacked over eachother on both of the longer walls. Grant and I both didn't get much sleep as the beds weren't very comfortable. We arrived in Varanasi around 9 in the morning.
Varanasi, like much of the other Indian cities I've seen is crowded with lots of people, cars, rickshaws, and of course pollution. But add to all that many cows, goats and chickens roaming the streets, holy men draped in vibrant orange cloth with red marks on their forehead and you've got Varanasi. The city is one of the oldest continually inhabited places and is one of the holiest cities in the Hindu religion. There are many ghats that line the Ganges River. The ghats are used to cremate the dead. Hindus come to Varanasi to cleanse themselves in the Ganges, as it is one of their holiest rivers. However it's also considered one of the dirtiest rivers in the world because it is used as a toilet, a garbage, a place to wash clothes, and sometimes dead animals are spotted floating in the river.
Many guide books say that if you're ready for Varanasi, it might be your most favorite place; this was not the case for me. My allergies kicked into high gear the moment I stepped off the train. It must've been all the dust and animal dander that did me in. We roamed around aimlessly in Varanasi, taking winding side streets that got us lost a couple times. Honestly, walking around not knowing where to go in relentless heat with sneeze attacks happening every 10 minutes was not my idea of fun. So we decided not to stay a night in Varanasi; instead we planned to take another overnight bus to Sonauli then take another bus to the India/Nepal border. Little did I know it would be the worst bus ride of my life.
Before getting on the bus to Sonauli, we met a fellow backpacker named Esther. She's 27 years old and is from Holland. We three got on the non-air conditioned bus, cramped bus expecting to have a pretty uneventful trip. The ride started out bumpy with lots of screeching halts due to the traffic in and around Varanasi. But the bumps never smoothed out. For about 6 hours we endured one of the bumpiest rides of our lives. Then, around 1:30am the unthinkable happened. After dropping off a cpuple passengers in a small town, we heard a loud bang... It was a tire exploding. We rolled really slowly to a food shack nearby and everyone got off. We didn't speak Hindi so we basically had no idea what was going on. We decided to wait until someone told us what to do, so we sat down and had a couple glasses of Chai Tea. After about 20 minutes or so, another bus pulled up on it's way to Gorakhpur. The driver said we wouldn't have to pay, so we got on that bus along with a handful of people who decided to come with. It was another bumpy ride to Gorakhpur with multiple mosquito bites, but at least a little more room to move. We arrived at Gorakhpur around 5am and crammed into a jeep-like taxi to go to the bus station where we needed to catch yet another bus to Sonauli. 12 of us packed into the car with all our belongings. It was a TIGHT fit. We were like 2 cans worth of sardines stuffed into one. I sat on Esther's lap as we made the bumpy but thankfully short ride to the station. We immediately hopped on the bus to Sonauli, which took a few hours. We were dropped off and walked a little ways to the border. Once we got out exit and entry visas, we sat down to have some lunch before trying to find a bus to Pokhara, Nepal.
I'm pretty sure we got ripped off when we purchased our bus ticket. We went into a little office that sold bus tickets. Once we paid 410 Nepali Rupees each to get onto the bus, the guy led us past the real ticket counter where our salesman exchanged a few words with the people behind the counter. If we had went up to that counter individually or just waited until we were on the bus to pay, we most definitely would have paid a lot less. Oh well, I guess you learn from your mistakes. Remember when I said the bus ride from Varanasi to Sonauli was the worst bus ride of my life? I was wrong. The bus ride from Bhairawa (Nepal's side of the border) to Pokhara was definitely THE WORST of my life. It was even bumpier than all the other rides and the fact that we had been on uncomfortable trains and super bumpy buses for basically 16 hours straight really didn't help. The trip took about 8 hours; but it felt like so much longer. The seats were hard and riding in that bus reminded me of riding in the back of a pick-up truck that was travelling over some really REALLY rocky terrain. By the time we got to Pokhara, it felt like we had been thrown around like rag dolls; my neck felt like I had experienced whip lash several time over and my butt/tail bone were as sore as ever.
Our taxi driver couldn't find the guest house Esther was looking for, so we just got out and walked around trying to find vacancy. The last handful of hours on the bus, I was continually blowing my nose and had developed some kind of post-nasal drip. So by the time we were trying to find a place for the night, I really wasn't feeling well. Esther decided to go with a place that had a cheap single room, but Grant and I opted out because the double room there was too expensive. We stumbled across the Pushpa Guest House and just decided to take the room because we didn't want to keep looking.
All night I kept waking up to blow my nose. This morning I woke up feeling sick. I've had to constantly blow my nose, take ibuprofen for my small fever and drink as much water as possible. Basically my first day in Pokhara, Nepal was spent in bed; I didn't take a step outside. Grant definitely took care of me. He bought me a bunch of water and went out a couple times in search of food for me. He looked up my condition and said found out that I have textbook Sinusitis (probably caused by all the pollutants and allergens in India). It's currently about 10pm and I feel better, though I have developed a small cough. I hope I am better by tomorrow! I want to explore Pokhara!!!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Goodbye Thailand, See You Again Soon!
So it's already our last night in Bangkok and we've spent 7days here. Every day has been filled with stuff to do and every night we come back to our place completely exhausted. It's made time go by fast here.
Today we made our return trip back from Amphawa. It was quite a feat getting there and we impressed even my family, who are of course Thai people. On Friday morning, we took the BTS Sky Train to the end of the line. Then got into a Taxi to go to Wong Wan Yai train station (a smaller more locally used station). We took the train to Mahachai. Because they considered me a Thai person, I rode the train for free, but grant had to pay 15 baht because he was a "Farang," which is loosely translated as "white guy." At Mahachai we took a short boat to Ban Laem, then from there, took another train to Mae Klong. It was SUPER cool pulling into Mae Klong. The train basically pulls into a busy market. Vendors set up their shops right next to the tracks and have retractable awnings that they pull back when the train comes through. It blows its horn to let vendors know it's arriving, the vendors quickly pull the awnings/umbrellas back and herd tourists and local shoppers off of the tracks. If you want to see how this works, watch Anthony Bourdain's episode on Amphawa, Thailand. I think he took the same train! After exploring the market at Mae Klong, we took a Song Tao (sp?) ...a bigger Tuk Tuk that is basically a small local bus... All the way to Amphawa. When we arrived we had no where to stay, so finding a place to lay our heads was the first order of business. After asking around for a bit, we finally found a nice guesthouse. It had air conditioning, included breakfast, transportation to and from the market, and to top it all off, our hosts were the nicest, most accomodating people!
Amphawa is best known for the shops that line the canal as well as the small floating market. Walking along the canal is not for those who are clausterphobic. You are constantly rubbing shoulders with people you dont know. To cap it off, it's REALLY hot, so you're sticking to veryone else toHerOn Amphawa, you really can't go hungry; there's so much food to try! Both nigts we were there, we ordered food from people in boats, bought handmade trinkets, and on the first night we rode a boat out onto the river to see some beautiful fireflies! Amphawa is the place where Thais go to get away for the weekend. There are hardly any "farangs" at Amphawa, but Damnoen Saduak is another story. On our second day we decided to visit the very popular, touristy Damnoen Saduak. There, you can find all sorts of quintessential Thai items to bring home to your friends; its basically a tourist's dream. And hey, lets face it, Grant and I are tourists too... So naturally, we went to town buying cool "Thai" stuff. On Monday morning we left Amphawa after first saying goodbye to our amazingly hospitable hosts. They sent us to the local bus stop via motorcycle and we rode a "Song Tao" back to Mae Klong. There were school kids riding the Song Tao and when they saw Grant, said "hello" in English and laughed. We're pretty sure they have probably never seen a "Farang" riding the local bus on a Monday morning haha. Then we caught a "Rot Baep," a small air conditioned van all the way back to Bangkok.
Tomorrow morning we leave to India and I find myself not wanting to leave the familiarity of Thailand. Though I can't speak a ton of Thai, I can still speak enough to get around. In India, I won't be able to speak any Hindi which makes life more difficult in terms of getting around as well as bargaining for lower prices. Here I have the advantage of making vendors think I know exactly how the pitch works. After all, if I'm adequate at bargaining, I must be "kohn Thai" (a Thai person) right? A Thai vendor in Dam Noen Saduak told me that if Grant was trying to buy something from him alone, he would have jacked up the price and ran away with it. In India i'm going to be just like Grant; I'm not going to have the Thai advantage :(
In preparation for India, I re-packed my whole backpack with some of the stuff I've recently acquired. The rest of the stuff we've bought is packed neatly and efficiently into the hard luggage we brought with us; it's going to stay with family while we travel. The luggage is already incredibly full. I'm pretty sure we'll have to buy another piece of luggage to carry everything back home! In such short time span we filled one luggage...and we still have 5 weeks to go! Eeeek! I can't help but shop here though... Everything is just SUCH a good deal! It's ridiculous and it's a shopper's dream!
Don't know when I'll write next...India is going to be NUTS!
Today we made our return trip back from Amphawa. It was quite a feat getting there and we impressed even my family, who are of course Thai people. On Friday morning, we took the BTS Sky Train to the end of the line. Then got into a Taxi to go to Wong Wan Yai train station (a smaller more locally used station). We took the train to Mahachai. Because they considered me a Thai person, I rode the train for free, but grant had to pay 15 baht because he was a "Farang," which is loosely translated as "white guy." At Mahachai we took a short boat to Ban Laem, then from there, took another train to Mae Klong. It was SUPER cool pulling into Mae Klong. The train basically pulls into a busy market. Vendors set up their shops right next to the tracks and have retractable awnings that they pull back when the train comes through. It blows its horn to let vendors know it's arriving, the vendors quickly pull the awnings/umbrellas back and herd tourists and local shoppers off of the tracks. If you want to see how this works, watch Anthony Bourdain's episode on Amphawa, Thailand. I think he took the same train! After exploring the market at Mae Klong, we took a Song Tao (sp?) ...a bigger Tuk Tuk that is basically a small local bus... All the way to Amphawa. When we arrived we had no where to stay, so finding a place to lay our heads was the first order of business. After asking around for a bit, we finally found a nice guesthouse. It had air conditioning, included breakfast, transportation to and from the market, and to top it all off, our hosts were the nicest, most accomodating people!
Amphawa is best known for the shops that line the canal as well as the small floating market. Walking along the canal is not for those who are clausterphobic. You are constantly rubbing shoulders with people you dont know. To cap it off, it's REALLY hot, so you're sticking to veryone else toHerOn Amphawa, you really can't go hungry; there's so much food to try! Both nigts we were there, we ordered food from people in boats, bought handmade trinkets, and on the first night we rode a boat out onto the river to see some beautiful fireflies! Amphawa is the place where Thais go to get away for the weekend. There are hardly any "farangs" at Amphawa, but Damnoen Saduak is another story. On our second day we decided to visit the very popular, touristy Damnoen Saduak. There, you can find all sorts of quintessential Thai items to bring home to your friends; its basically a tourist's dream. And hey, lets face it, Grant and I are tourists too... So naturally, we went to town buying cool "Thai" stuff. On Monday morning we left Amphawa after first saying goodbye to our amazingly hospitable hosts. They sent us to the local bus stop via motorcycle and we rode a "Song Tao" back to Mae Klong. There were school kids riding the Song Tao and when they saw Grant, said "hello" in English and laughed. We're pretty sure they have probably never seen a "Farang" riding the local bus on a Monday morning haha. Then we caught a "Rot Baep," a small air conditioned van all the way back to Bangkok.
Tomorrow morning we leave to India and I find myself not wanting to leave the familiarity of Thailand. Though I can't speak a ton of Thai, I can still speak enough to get around. In India, I won't be able to speak any Hindi which makes life more difficult in terms of getting around as well as bargaining for lower prices. Here I have the advantage of making vendors think I know exactly how the pitch works. After all, if I'm adequate at bargaining, I must be "kohn Thai" (a Thai person) right? A Thai vendor in Dam Noen Saduak told me that if Grant was trying to buy something from him alone, he would have jacked up the price and ran away with it. In India i'm going to be just like Grant; I'm not going to have the Thai advantage :(
In preparation for India, I re-packed my whole backpack with some of the stuff I've recently acquired. The rest of the stuff we've bought is packed neatly and efficiently into the hard luggage we brought with us; it's going to stay with family while we travel. The luggage is already incredibly full. I'm pretty sure we'll have to buy another piece of luggage to carry everything back home! In such short time span we filled one luggage...and we still have 5 weeks to go! Eeeek! I can't help but shop here though... Everything is just SUCH a good deal! It's ridiculous and it's a shopper's dream!
Don't know when I'll write next...India is going to be NUTS!
Friday, October 8, 2010
A Sweat-Filled Day in Thailand's Old Capitol
It's currently 1:50am and I have to get up at 6:00 to get ready to go to Amphawa (sp?). So I won't be writing too much this time around! Today we went to Ayutthaya, Thailand's old Capitol. We took the BTS Skytrain to Silom, then the MRT Metro to the Hualamphong train station. Once we walked in, a "tourist information" lady stopped me and asked where I needed to go. I told her and she proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't go by train, but rather by individual taxi. She lead us up to the second floor where travel agent-esque people sat in rooms behind big glass windows. At that point I had figured out that she wasn't really the info lady for the station, but was rather getting a commission for everyone she brought up who bought a tour package to Ayutthaya. Grant and I were intent on taking the train (as it is ultra cheap and also the way locals travel); so after 5-10 minutes of us declining every offer, the lady FINALLY let us go. I left the office and passed tourists following an "info person" inside; I don't they had realized yet that they were walking into a sales trap.
We went downstairs to the ticket counter and discovered that 1.) the last air conditioned car had left about 10 minutes prior (if only our time wasn't wasted by listening to a sales pitch!) and thus the only type of transport left was the 3rd class train with no A/C, and. 2.) Because I passed as Thai, I got to ride the 1.5-2 hour train for free! Grant had to pay 15 Baht, but I mean .50 for a train ride is a steal anyways so it wasn't a big deal. Surprisingly the ride wasn't all that bad. Innumerable sales people went down the alleyway selling food, drinks and sweets.
We arrived at Ayutthaya and took a boat across the river for 4 Baht each. After a little exploring that also helped us get our bearings, I negotiated a price with a Tuk Tuk driver and we were off on a rickety ride to the old area of the city.
It is filled with TONS of "wat," thai temples, as well as ruins of old temples. It really was an amazing sight; it was so different from the European cathedrals, Greek Orthodox churches or Turkish mosques that I've seen before. Tall structures shoot towards they sky in a shape similar to that of a spire, just with a wider base and a little more triangular. Many of these structures were made with bricks, covered with plaster, and carved. Some have steps up to a carved out area where a statue of Buddha might have sat long ago. There are also innumerable Buddha statues that have either already completely crumbled or are in the process of being worn away. I guess once the Burmese took the city of Ayutthaya, the Thais moved the Capitol to Bangkok.
For lunch we went down a small sidestreet that was filled with local Thais and not the usual "Farang" or white tourist crowd. We decided to sit down at a roadside noodle restaurant with lots of people each enjoying 2 or 3 bowls of noodle soup. Grant and I really weren't sure how we were supposed to order (as all the signs were in Thai and there was no menu). However, after a minute, a guy came by to take our order. Thank god I know some Thai because I was able to mostly figure out what was in the soup and how much it all cost. We each got a bowl of pork/beef noodle soup (12 Baht per bowl) and a Pepsi with ice which Grant and I shared (11 Baht). Remember, it's about 30 Baht to the US Dollar... So we spent under a dollar for our entire lunch!
We took a bus back to Bangkok and of course met up with the whole family for dinner. In total there were about 12-13 of us sitting at the table. Grant is getting along well with the fam, and with each passing day is getting more and more comfortable speaking what he knows of the language. Grant and I took a pic of the place we ate lunch. We showed it to my relatives and they told us that not only did we eat noodles, beef, and pork...but they also mixed cow's blood into the broth. What's funny is I remember wondering why the broth was such a dark brown color. I was kind of grossed out when I heard I had eaten cow's blood and thought it was tasty, but I felt better when my cousin told me she and other Thai people liked to eat it. I guess it's all about experiencing a different culture!
I should go to bed; I've definately written more than I expected to write! Oh and please excuse any misspellings or grammar probs as I every post after my first, has been done on my iTouch...yeah I know, it's kind of a pain. In a few hours I have to wake up to head to Amphawa. We are planning to stay there for a couple nights, return to Bangkok for one night, then fly out to Kolkota,India the next morning. I hope to post again soon, but I don't know when I'll get the chance. Who knows if I'll be so lucky as to have WIFI at the next place I stay!
We went downstairs to the ticket counter and discovered that 1.) the last air conditioned car had left about 10 minutes prior (if only our time wasn't wasted by listening to a sales pitch!) and thus the only type of transport left was the 3rd class train with no A/C, and. 2.) Because I passed as Thai, I got to ride the 1.5-2 hour train for free! Grant had to pay 15 Baht, but I mean .50 for a train ride is a steal anyways so it wasn't a big deal. Surprisingly the ride wasn't all that bad. Innumerable sales people went down the alleyway selling food, drinks and sweets.
We arrived at Ayutthaya and took a boat across the river for 4 Baht each. After a little exploring that also helped us get our bearings, I negotiated a price with a Tuk Tuk driver and we were off on a rickety ride to the old area of the city.
It is filled with TONS of "wat," thai temples, as well as ruins of old temples. It really was an amazing sight; it was so different from the European cathedrals, Greek Orthodox churches or Turkish mosques that I've seen before. Tall structures shoot towards they sky in a shape similar to that of a spire, just with a wider base and a little more triangular. Many of these structures were made with bricks, covered with plaster, and carved. Some have steps up to a carved out area where a statue of Buddha might have sat long ago. There are also innumerable Buddha statues that have either already completely crumbled or are in the process of being worn away. I guess once the Burmese took the city of Ayutthaya, the Thais moved the Capitol to Bangkok.
For lunch we went down a small sidestreet that was filled with local Thais and not the usual "Farang" or white tourist crowd. We decided to sit down at a roadside noodle restaurant with lots of people each enjoying 2 or 3 bowls of noodle soup. Grant and I really weren't sure how we were supposed to order (as all the signs were in Thai and there was no menu). However, after a minute, a guy came by to take our order. Thank god I know some Thai because I was able to mostly figure out what was in the soup and how much it all cost. We each got a bowl of pork/beef noodle soup (12 Baht per bowl) and a Pepsi with ice which Grant and I shared (11 Baht). Remember, it's about 30 Baht to the US Dollar... So we spent under a dollar for our entire lunch!
We took a bus back to Bangkok and of course met up with the whole family for dinner. In total there were about 12-13 of us sitting at the table. Grant is getting along well with the fam, and with each passing day is getting more and more comfortable speaking what he knows of the language. Grant and I took a pic of the place we ate lunch. We showed it to my relatives and they told us that not only did we eat noodles, beef, and pork...but they also mixed cow's blood into the broth. What's funny is I remember wondering why the broth was such a dark brown color. I was kind of grossed out when I heard I had eaten cow's blood and thought it was tasty, but I felt better when my cousin told me she and other Thai people liked to eat it. I guess it's all about experiencing a different culture!
I should go to bed; I've definately written more than I expected to write! Oh and please excuse any misspellings or grammar probs as I every post after my first, has been done on my iTouch...yeah I know, it's kind of a pain. In a few hours I have to wake up to head to Amphawa. We are planning to stay there for a couple nights, return to Bangkok for one night, then fly out to Kolkota,India the next morning. I hope to post again soon, but I don't know when I'll get the chance. Who knows if I'll be so lucky as to have WIFI at the next place I stay!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Finally...A Day To Ourselves!
Goodmorning! Today Grant and I finally get a day to ourselves! Since we've gotten here we have spent every waking moment with my family. It's much MUCH more time than families in the states might spend together; Here, family matters. But I'm not saying it's been bad. In fact, we haven't paid for a meal since we arrived. Every meal has been fantastic and VERY filling. In Thailand it's customary to refill other people's plates for them and that's exactly what's happening to me and Grant. I honestly thought I was going to lose weight while in Thailand due to the hot climate and all the walking I expected to do...but I was so wrong. I'm pretty sure I'm gaining weight!
Here, there, everywhere...COCONUTS!
Everything here seems to be made with coconut. From the appetizers, to the main dishes, to the dessert, it all seems to have coconut milk. People even get coconut juice to go with their already coconutty meal! Yesterday my Uncle Ben brought us to a nice traditional Thai restaurant. It was spicy and awesome. Thai food here is, for obvious reasons so much better than in the states.
Shopping Shopping SHOPPING!!!
Yesterday we also went to Ma Boon Krong (sp?) also known as MBK. There are about 6 floors of intense,cheap and crowded shopping. I'm pretty sure this is what heaven is like! I got to bargain (in Thai ofcourse) for every single thing I bought! The electronics aren't that cheap, but it seems everything else is. I bought an IPod charger for $10, three purses for $6 each, and a pair of heels for about $13. I'll need to head back to MBK to do some more shopping before I leave...can't pass up good deals like these!
Too Much Teak To Take
We also went to the Vimanmek Golden Teak Mansion, built in 1900 and home to King Rama the 5th. It is the biggest all teak buliding in the world. No nails were used, only teak pegs. We got the ultra special tour and were allowed to take pictures and explore restricted areas. Actually, because tourists aren't allowed to take pictures a photographer followed us around and took pics for us. Lots of tour groups passed, gaping at us, as we posed in rooms that were roped off; it was kind of cool :) I'm lucky my Uncle knows people!
Well, time to go! Grant and I are planning to take the BTS Skytrain to the river and then a boat up to the old city where we can see the Emerald Buddah and biggest Reclining Buddah (about 140ft long)! Can't wait to see and take pictures of all the beautiful temples!
Here, there, everywhere...COCONUTS!
Everything here seems to be made with coconut. From the appetizers, to the main dishes, to the dessert, it all seems to have coconut milk. People even get coconut juice to go with their already coconutty meal! Yesterday my Uncle Ben brought us to a nice traditional Thai restaurant. It was spicy and awesome. Thai food here is, for obvious reasons so much better than in the states.
Shopping Shopping SHOPPING!!!
Yesterday we also went to Ma Boon Krong (sp?) also known as MBK. There are about 6 floors of intense,cheap and crowded shopping. I'm pretty sure this is what heaven is like! I got to bargain (in Thai ofcourse) for every single thing I bought! The electronics aren't that cheap, but it seems everything else is. I bought an IPod charger for $10, three purses for $6 each, and a pair of heels for about $13. I'll need to head back to MBK to do some more shopping before I leave...can't pass up good deals like these!
Too Much Teak To Take
We also went to the Vimanmek Golden Teak Mansion, built in 1900 and home to King Rama the 5th. It is the biggest all teak buliding in the world. No nails were used, only teak pegs. We got the ultra special tour and were allowed to take pictures and explore restricted areas. Actually, because tourists aren't allowed to take pictures a photographer followed us around and took pics for us. Lots of tour groups passed, gaping at us, as we posed in rooms that were roped off; it was kind of cool :) I'm lucky my Uncle knows people!
Well, time to go! Grant and I are planning to take the BTS Skytrain to the river and then a boat up to the old city where we can see the Emerald Buddah and biggest Reclining Buddah (about 140ft long)! Can't wait to see and take pictures of all the beautiful temples!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Sawadee from the Land of Smiles!
Sawadee Kha! We are finally here! Last night we arrived at 11:30pm and instead of getting "hit" by the humidity, the damp air instead settled into our clothing and skin. The smell of the air here can't be described as anything else but "Thailand." I guess the city smells like a bustling, humid, metropolis.
We were met at the gate by my Uncle Sumo and Uncle Ben. Apparently one of them knows someone who works at the airport, so instead of walking with the crowd to get our entry visas, we got into a small doorless car (used for security) and drove past everone! We quickly got our visas, in a line that consisted of just me and Grant (again because one of my Uncles knew someone) and we were out the airport doors on our way to the hotel.
Driving in Bangkok
There are a quite a few things one should know while driving in Bangkok: 1.) the driver's side is on the right side, 2.) seatbelts aren't required in the back seat, 3.) on some big freeways there are no lanes and as for the roads with lanes, people don't really try too hard to stay them, 4.) there is a speed limit, but no one pays attention to it. In short, thank God we weren't driving.
Swanky at its Swankiest
My aunt arranged the hotel room for us and it's absolutely beautiful! Think Whistler time share, just ultra modern and decorated with a dash of the orient! A glass box encases the toilet, and another glass box surrounds a shower. The floors are made of hardwood or another material resembling the look and feel of marble. The dining table is flanked by electric blue velvet chairs and on top of the table, my family has left a bunch of Thai sweets (known here as "kanom") for us to try.
Today, my aunt will pick us up and we will go see my grandparents. Hopefully Grant remembers to bow respectfully and say "Sawadee Krup!" Then after that, it's off to explore the city!!!
We were met at the gate by my Uncle Sumo and Uncle Ben. Apparently one of them knows someone who works at the airport, so instead of walking with the crowd to get our entry visas, we got into a small doorless car (used for security) and drove past everone! We quickly got our visas, in a line that consisted of just me and Grant (again because one of my Uncles knew someone) and we were out the airport doors on our way to the hotel.
Driving in Bangkok
There are a quite a few things one should know while driving in Bangkok: 1.) the driver's side is on the right side, 2.) seatbelts aren't required in the back seat, 3.) on some big freeways there are no lanes and as for the roads with lanes, people don't really try too hard to stay them, 4.) there is a speed limit, but no one pays attention to it. In short, thank God we weren't driving.
Swanky at its Swankiest
My aunt arranged the hotel room for us and it's absolutely beautiful! Think Whistler time share, just ultra modern and decorated with a dash of the orient! A glass box encases the toilet, and another glass box surrounds a shower. The floors are made of hardwood or another material resembling the look and feel of marble. The dining table is flanked by electric blue velvet chairs and on top of the table, my family has left a bunch of Thai sweets (known here as "kanom") for us to try.
Today, my aunt will pick us up and we will go see my grandparents. Hopefully Grant remembers to bow respectfully and say "Sawadee Krup!" Then after that, it's off to explore the city!!!
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