Beach Bums

Okay, I did it. I went snorkeling again. Sort of. Lindsay, Kathryn, and Sandra signed up to go snorkeling and I planned on just going along for the boat ride. We piled in with a half dozen other people and headed out to the first location, K.K. Bay. I sat in the boat while the others checked out the underwater life. I almost fell asleep from the rocking motion of the boat. I could see bright yellow and blue fish swimming around the edges of the boat as I dangled my feet off the edge.

After a good 15-20 minutes, we headed over to Shark Point. I was lying in the boat, about to fall asleep, I heard the voice of our guide, "You want to see shark?" I pretended I was sleeping until he climbed into the boat and pulled out a mask and snorkel. I eventually stood up and waited for him to clean out the mask. I put it on with little enthusiasm and followed him into the water. After seeing that I was uncomfortable with the snorkel, he led me back over to the boat for a lesson in breathing underwater. I got used to it after a while, but felt nervous heading away from the boat. I ducked my head under the surface and saw a blacktip shark about 25 feet away. I kept swimming and came across a school of colourful fish, followed by a single, bright parrot fish, then another shark near the ocean floor. The coral below was a greenish-grey colour and made up all sorts of shapes. We headed to the right and I almost crashed into the boat. I freaked out a little and took the snorkel out of my mouth. I told the guide thanks, but I want to go back in the boat.

After Shark Point came Turtle Point. It wasn't much of a point if you ask me; it was a spot between the two islands that, at the time, had two massive turtles swimming around in it. I watched from the boat as a dozen or so snorkelers followed one of them as it swam around in big circles, eventually making its way up to the surface for a breath before ducking back under again. It's shell had to have been at least a foot and a half in length.

The rest of the week wasn't nearly as eventful. It included several days of reading, eating, and sleeping on the beach. We ate a one restaurant every day for dinner. They had a beach BBQ everynight. I had barracuda, kingfish, prawns, and more. The food was so good that as we ate, we discussed what we would have the next day.

Sandra and I are now back in Kuala Lumpur. We flew in with Lindsay and Kathryn last night, but split up when we arrived. They headed to a hotel near the airport to sleep before an early morning flight to Bangkok this morning, while Sandra and I headed downtown for a dinner out and a visit to the Petronas Towers, the highest twin towers in the world... until Dubai builds taller ones, unless they already have.

We're just a few hours away from boarding a plane to Bangkok. We'll be heading over to Sandra's old apartment, where Kathryn and Lindsay already are, take a quick rest then head back to the airport to pick up Simone and Sandra's friend, Andrea.

Highlands and Islands

I'm sneaking a few quick minutes away from the hot, mid-afternoon sun to post this. We arrived on Pulau Perhentian Kecil (the Small Island) in the southern tip of the Gulf of Thailand. It is paradise. The water is unlike anything I have every seen. On the edge of the sand, the water is crystal clear. I can see the blue painted on my toenails peeking out from the sand on the sea's floor. Looking out in the distance, I can see the colour change from a translucent teal green to a vibrant blue, like a glowing pitcher of blue kool-aid.

The boat ride out was a bumpy one as we sped along in a large motorboat over the waves. As we approached the beach, two smaller motorboats came to fetch us and take us up on to shore. We got soaked from the splashes of the waves, but managed somehow to keep our backpacks relatively dry. The four of us managed to get one of the last rooms at a hostel at one end of Long Beach (the name made me expect a stretch much longer than the one we arrived at). Our room is on the second floor of a chalet-type hut and one of the rooms has a balcony that looks out on the rest of the beach.

Long Beach is a backpacker style locale that has about 300 yards (I could be really off on that measurement...) of white sand. Scattered along the beach are a variety of hostels, restaurants, diving centres, and beach umbrellas. The view from our side of the island is Pulau Perhentian Besar (the Big Island). The vibe is laid back, but the hosts are welcoming and jump at the chance to help. There too many restaurant tables for visitors to fill, so while the beach is smaller than other I've been too, it feels unpopulated especially during the day when many tourists are out diving or snorkeling.

It's hot here, but without the unbearable humidity. There is a constant, gentle breeze and the water is warm enough to walk right into but cool enough to still be refreshing.

Before heading over to the islands, we spent a couple days in the Cameron Highlands. We took a surprisingly luxurious bus (for only 35 Malaysian Ringgits ~ $12 CDN) from Kuala Lumpur to Tanah Rata. It is a busy tourist town amongst in the forested mountains, surrounded by strawberry farms and tea fields. It felt similar to a ski town like Banff, though surrounded by jungle instead of snow. We took one day to do absolutely nothing except read and drink coffee at the Starbucks down the way. The next day, we took a Rainforest tour and walked their mossy forest, drove to the highest point of the highlands, and toured the Boh Tea Plantation, a 200-hectare region that makes the most tea in Malaysia.

It rained on and off the entire time we were in the highlands, but it was a refreshing change of climate from the hot and sticky Indian weather. It is now Monday and we are going to be on the island until Saturday morning. I don't plan on accomplishing anything except for reading and eating. Maybe another snorkeling attempt... maybe.

Quiet on the set

I met a movie star today. A Bollywood movie star. Aamir Khan, comparable to the likes of Hollywood's George Clooney, was filming an action movie in a construction yard today. Thanks to the arrangement of a friend of a friend, we were heading to the set around 3pm this afternoon. By 3:45, we were in his trailer shaking his hand and introducing ourselves. He was wearing a khaki Mumbai police uniform for his role. He had just been called to set, so we followed him to where the shot was being set up.

We sat in chairs behind the director, Reema Kagti, with her earphones on and eyes focused on the monitor. We watched them film about 8 takes of one scene, then Aamir (or A-Khan as we've dubbed him) came over to chat. We sat for a while and talked about Canada, cricket, travels, and teaching. About 4 years ago, he produced and starred in a movie, "Taare Zameen Par" (Every Child is Special), about the pressures and expectations Indian children face in school at such a young age, and particularly the treatment of children with learning and mental disabilities. We watched it a couple weeks ago while in Agra. Being that the 4 girls I am travelling with are all teachers, one of which is continuing her studies specifically in disability management, the movie was a hit in our group.

After chatting for a bit, Aamir was called back to set to film a couple more takes of a different shot. His assistant escorted us to another spot nearby and the director yelled at us to walk faster and get out of her shot. The day's shooting was called to a wrap and we headed back to his trailer. We sat in one part of the trailer while he changed to head home. He came and sat down with us again and signed the stack of DVDs we hauled in with us. 8 copies of Taare Zameen Par and 5 copies of "3 Idiots," a follow-up of sorts to the former, about high school students competing to make it into university. The autograph sessions was followed up with a quick photo outside his trailer. There was a small crowd of people waiting for an autograph and to snap a picture. I think we all ended up in their photos.

It was an exciting last day to have in Mumbai. The past 3 1/2 weeks have been pretty amazing and it was a great way to top it all off. I've covered 5 states in India and feel like I've barely scratched the surface. My time in Kenya prepared me for a lot of what I saw (and smelled), and to always look both ways when crossing a one-way street. But I definitely had some very new experiences in India. I was able to experience the home team win the Cricket World Cup. I witnessed an already vibrant country come alive and celebrate a national victory with cheers, chants, and fireworks (lots and lots of fireworks). I saw one of the seven wonders of the world, and my tastebuds adapted (somewhat) to the spicy curries and kormas of India.

It wasn't all smiles however. As always, trips have their rough patches and no country is perfect. It was stressful at times and I found it particularly challenging to travel with a group for such a long time. I'm used to taking trip with 1 or 2 other people, so it was difficult to adjust to travelling with 5 other people at all times. I've found myself often seeking out solitude. The initial comfort from travelling with new and old friends faded after spending several days in the same van for hours at a time. Time alone with my own thoughts became more sought after and appreciated. But its made me adjust to a new way of travelling, and really it was the first time in a while where I wasn't the one calling the shots.

India brought out another feeling I had never quite experienced before. Travelling around the northern parts of the country where women are treated differently than in the more modern Mumbai was a shock. I had never been more aware of my gender or made to feel as uncomfortable as I was for just being female. Stares from men stemmed from pure curiosity all the way to perverse, but it felt like mostly of the latter. We've had numerous pictures taken or attempted to be taken of us, and have been followed from various distances on several occasions. It brought up an anger in me that I didn't know I could feel. I was upset for myself and also for all societies that allow this type of behavior. We come from a country where looking at someone for longer than a couple seconds is considered rude. Yet us 5 girls stood in the Jaipur Observatory only to be the objects others were observing. Kathryn reversed the roles and snapped a picture of a dozen men sitting and standing in a line staring directly at us with no attempt to be discreet. We wore scarves and capri pants to maintain as much modesty as we could in the heat, but it didn't matter. It felt as if they could see right through the clothes on our backs.

As any country does, India has its pros and cons. What it does well and what it fails at. My most favourite place in India is still Mumbai, where I began and will end this leg of the trip. As we were driving to the movie set this afternoon, I realized why this city was like no other I have been too. We were on our way to see a Bollywood film being shot while passing dilapidated buildings, slums, shiny business centres, samosa stands on the corners, bustling train stations, and busy retail stores. Because unlike the definite grittiness of New York versus the perceived shine of Hollywood and L.A., or the southern hospitality of the lower United States, it all exists together in Mumbai. The city of 18 million people doesn't try to define its areas or its identity as a whole. It is a mix of everything and just is what it is. While the east may have a rivalry with the west, and the Bollywood stars tend to live on Pali Hill where the real estate is steep and faces the water, everything and everyone in Mumbai seems to weave its way into one solid fabric. It is a fabric that I like very much.

Heat, Humidity, and the Himalayas

I'm back in Mumbai and feel quite at home. We were only supposed to arrive tomorrow morning, but Carleigh and I booked a last minute evening flight to arrive back at the same time as Dean. Carleigh wasn't feeling well and I didn't feel too passionate over spending another night's sleep on a bus. Sandra, Kathryn, and Lindsey are on the bus as I type along with one of Dean's friends.

We spent the last two nights in Goa, a small beach state about an eight hour drive south of Mumbai. I was told there are over 16 beaches in the area, all with various colours of sand. We were at Baga Beach, a brown sand beach. It was party central; a booming tourist town for Indians and foreigners alike. But at this time of the year, the heat is at its peak and I felt it. Just standing still took immense effort.

The one full day we had in Goa was spent sleeping in, then heading to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served the best Goan seafood in town, according to Dean and his friends. They weren't lying. We feasted on butter garlic prawns, rock crab, masala king fish, pomfret fish, freash calamari, and other mouthwatering deliciousness. Then we scootered our way to the beach in the late afternoon to play in the warm and rampant waves of the Indian ocean. In the evening, we headed out to The Saturday Night Market (not kidding, it doesn't have a special name of any sort, just "The Saturday Night Market"). It was a large area of local vendors selling everything from jewelry to carvings to clothing. The majority of people there were Russian and European tourists. There were also several food vendors selling specialties from all over India while bands played the main stage.

The heat and humidity of Goa was a shock coming from the Himalayas. We spent 3 relaxing days of mostly shopping, sleeping, and eating in the town of Bhagsu, next to Mcleod Ganj, home to the Dalai Lama's temple of exile. We visited the Buddhist temple and it was quite unlike what I was expected. Its a relatively modern building (they have only been there for 50 years) with many open areas to meditate and pray. It is set right out the outskirts of the town. Monks walk the streets of the towns in their crimson cloaks and scarves, stopping to chat with locals, and sitting in cafes on the corner. Every once in a while, I would see one pull out a cell phone. We often sat near a group of them at a restaurant. They added a sense of calm and serenity to the area. Their quiet and peaceful manner permeated the room.

There is a path that goes around the temple complex. It is lined with Tibetan flags of white, red, yellow, blue, and green. Monks and Buddhists make the walk with prayer beads in hand and spin Om wheels as they pass them. Om wheels are cylinders with prayers written on them that are spun by people walking by and it is as if they are saying the prayer by spinning it. As we walked the path ourselves, we could see the beautiful mountains and snowy peaks of the Himalayas. We passed cows along the way, and there was one particularly uneasy encounter that pinned me versus a half dozen calves. There were rocks on my right, a cliff on my left, and a wall of cattle straight ahead. I didn't like any of my options. I managed to make my way through unscathed and finished the walk huffing and puffing the thin air up the last steep hill.

I have two more days in Mumbai that involve more shopping, some henna tattoos, and possibly a meeting with a big Bollywood star... but I don't want to jinx that. So I'll fill you in if/when it happens.

From Marble to Mountains

I must admit, I had no idea why the Taj Mahal was built until I arrived at the gates. And in case you're like me, it was built back in 1632 by emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife. It took 22 years and several thousand tonnes of white marble to build. It looks exactly as one would imagine. No bigger or smaller than pictures make it out to be. We arrived around 9am to the grounds. It is almost impossible to see the palace from outside the gates unless you are high up in a building. The palace is walled on 3 sides, with the back looking out on a river. From the entrance of the gates, the Taj looks quite majestic, as intended. The early morning sun and fog made it glow and look like it was floating in some way. The Taj is perfectly symmetrical, with a mosque and a guesthouse on either side, completely identical in construction.

After slipping on out cloth booties over our shoes to protect the marble floors, we got to see the Taj Mahal right up close. There are thousands of tedious stone gem designs inlaid in the walls and floor of the Taj. The emperor cut off the thumbs or whole hands of the artists who worked on the building so they would not be able to recreate the same beautiful work for someone else. Shah Jahan buried his wife inside the Taj and later decided he would build another Mahal for himself across the river, this time in black marble. His son thought he was spending too much money and exiled him to the Agra Fort where he stayed until his death. From his room in the fort, he could see the Taj Mahal and even put diamonds in the ceiling so he could see its reflection when he lied down.

This is what we toured next, the Agra Fort. It is a huge fort 2.5kms away from the Taj. We spent 2 hours touring only a quarter fort. It was mostly built by the grandfather of Shah Jahan, Akbar the Great, but many of the buildings inside the fortress were built by Shah Jahan during his imprisonment. It seemed as though many of the buildings were used to house the many concubines of the rulers. 5,000 of them to be exact.

Our next stop was the town of Amritsar. Located less than 30 kms away from the Pakistan border, we were in the far northwest reaches of India, in the state of Punjab. We headed to the Wagha Border for 5pm, when the border closing ceremony was supposed to start. There must have been close to two thousand people on the India side alone. Probably close to the same amount on the Pakistan side. Each side had grandstands surrounding the road especially for these daily ceremonies. For an hour, there was music playing and women and children running up and down the road with the Indian flag followed by dancing. Then at 6, the official ceremony began. Indian and Pakistani officers wearing Spartan-like helmets marched, yelled, and blew the trumpet on either side of the gates. Their style of march was different than the sharp and concise movements of the western military. Their march included the occasional high kick and ended in an aggressive and somewhat spastic side step. Shouts of "Hindustan!" and "Pakistan!" could be heard from either side respectively. On the India side, there was a man oddly dressed in a white jumpsuit leading the soldiers and the crowd in cheers. Finally, after a lot of pomp and circumstance, the gates were opened, hands were shaken, and the flags were lowered. And this happens every single day.

The next morning, we checked out the Golden Temple. I found wikipedia explains it better than I could, "The Golden Temple is considered holy by Sikhs because the eternal guru of Sikhism, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is always present inside it and its construction was mainly intended to build a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religion to come and worship God equally." We had to remove our shoes and cover our heads with something other than a hat. As we entered the area surrounding the temple, we has to rinse our feet in a small pool.

The temple itself is situated in the middle of a holy water pond. The whole area is encased by a building that forms a large square around the pond. The floor was white marble inlaid with various designs. The marble formed steps into the pond where men were taking baths. We crossed the bridge to the temple to see inside. It was a long wait for a very brief walk through the small and crowded temple. Worshipers bought food for offering at a stand, brought it to the temple to be blessed and left it there, then picked up the blessed food on the way back and ate it. After walking through the temple, we walked around the back and worshipers were scooping up holy water from the pond with their hands, drinking it, then putting the remainder on their head. This was the same holy water that people were bathing in, and that we saw giant goldfish swimming around in. I think the more I learn about different religions, the less I understand them.

We are now in Dharamsala, on the western edge of the Himalayas. It is where the Tibetan exile was moved to in 1960 after the 14th Dalai Lama originally established it in another town in 1959. We had a 6 hour drive from Amritsar that was far from pleasant. Our driver didn't seem pleased about having the task of driving us. He drove like he was in Grand Theft Auto, weaving in and out of traffic. I think I almost vomited 14 times and brushed death about 16 times. And that was all before we reached the actual mountains. He took the sharp twists and turns at 80 km/h, passing cars, buses, and rickshaws... and the cow having a nap along the curb. Once we arrived in lower Dharamsala, he stopped and refused to drive us the extra 6kms to Bhagsu in upper Dharamsala here our hotel was located. After a phone call to the hotel back in Amritsar that hired him and a few grumblings in Punjab, he sped off again. We reached our hotel and I could finally unclench my jaw and feel my shoulders slowly unwind.

All was forgotten once we got to our room and checked out the view. We're a couple thousand feet in the air and can see the snowy tops of the Himalayas. We're surrounded by dark green forests and the air is chilled. It's the first time I can say I've been cold in the last 3 months, but it's incredibly refreshing.

Rajasthan

It's been a week since my last post, and in that time we have toured the northern state of Rajasthan. On the first of the month, we flew out to the city of Udaipur. It was very quiet compared to the busy streets of Mumbai. The city surrounds a calm lake with charming architecture and a grand palace. We toured the palace that is now a museum in many parts, though the king of Udaipur still lives there. He has also converted many other royal buildings in Udaipur and around Rajasthan into hotels to make money. April 2 was the final Cricket World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka. We left Mumbai one day before the match took place there. It would have been quite the sight to see since India ended up winning the match. Even now, a week later, the newspapers have at least 2 or 3 pages dedicated to the cricket world cup. It's been pure madness. The night of the game, we could hear cheers and fireworks in the streets of Udaipur before the match was even over all the way into the next day. After a couple nights in Udaipur, we headed further north to Chandelao. On the way, we stopped at the Ranakpur Jain Temple. Jains are a branch of Hinduism, and are a little more extreme in their practice. They always walk around the temple clockwise to bring good luck, they don't eat any food that is grown underground (and are vegan as well), and they do not kill insects. It was after this visit that I got the nickname G.I. Jain for the amount of flies that I kill on our bus. The temple was beautiful, made almost entirely our of marble and every surface had intricate carvings. Our night in Chandelao was spent in a medieval fortress. Our rooms used to be stables and were made entirely of stone. In the morning, we went out for a jeep safari. There weren't very many animals to see, but we ended up stopping in a village to see pottery being made. The jeep we were in had a dead battery, so the driver had to get people to push it to start. But when we were leaving the village, it wouldn't start, even with half the men in the village pushing it. We stood there for over an hour waiting for the driver to fix it, even after the stick shift came off entirely. There were kids all around us, and being with 4 elementary school teachers, they were very much entertained. We finally got rescued by our regular van and headed on our way to Osiyan, a desert town, for a camel trek. We arrived around 5:30pm and headed out right away. We rode for an hour to some large sand dunes where we got off and spent a while climbing to the top and taking in the view at dusk. From the ground, the dunes didn't look like they went on for too long, but once we reached a point at the top, they seemed endless. We rode the camels back to our camp and made it back just before the lingering light from the setting sun disappeared. We stayed up late into the night enjoying dinner and drinks outside our tents under the clear night's sky. There wasn't a light in sight in distance and we could only hear the sound of our own voices. It was like that all night until the sun came up and the birds woke up and even came to visit us in our tent. Jodhpur, the second largest city in Rajasthan, was our next stop. Here we got spoiled with a beautiful boutique hotel that even had a pool. We spent part of the day visiting the Mehrangarh Fort, but were easily pulled away from any markets for an afternoon at the pool. From the fort, we could see the tops of many buildings that were painted blue. We got no explanation why they were painted blue, but only told that Jodhpur has the nickname "the Blue City" because of it. The next day, we were off again to now the largest city in Rajasthan, Jaipur. On the way we stopped in Pushkar, an overly tourist town that had nothing but a temple, overpriced stores, and pushy shopkeepers. It changed the mood for us heading into Jaipur. We arrived in Jaipur around 6pm and after settling into our hotel, we walked the bazaars and were immediately bombarded by competing shopkeepers. Jaipur is also a big tourist attraction, but fortunately we knew our prices and weren't caught paying the 950 rupees for a pair of flats that I ended up getting for the 150 they were actually worth. It was a hectic night and we all went to sleep a little wound up. The next morning, we were ready to give it another go and headed out a guide to see a few sights of Jaipur. While the sights turned out to be very beautiful and interesting, our guide didn't give us different perception of the people of Jaipur as he was equally as pushy as the vendors on the streets begging for our business. That aside, we got to see the Amber Fort, a spectacular fort just outside the main city of Jaipur. Most of the fort is painted in an amber yellow. This was supposed to be continued in the rest of Jaipur, but our guide informed us that they ran out of paint during the process of painting the fort that they had to switch to a peachy pink. The rest of Jaipur, at least the parts within the old city walls, has to have all buildings painted the same pink by law. So Jaipur also has a coloured nickname, "the Pink City". We spent the rest of the day visiting shops for spices and souvenirs and sarees. At the end of the day, I ended up with a bag of spices and teas, some semi-precious stone jewelry, and a bright pink saree. We were exhausted and tired of the craziness of the city. One thing that has stayed the same in all the cities we have stayed in... the road noise. Incessant honking fills the air and never seems to take a rest. So we decided to order in pizza to our hotel and hide out for the night. It was nice to finally have some western food after so much rice and curry and local food. We are now in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal which we will be visiting tomorrow. Its the most tourist town so far, which is to be expected. But its also a shock from the lower key areas we have been to. Even though they have several tourists in many of the other cities, we still got looks like we're aliens or something. My favourite thing about driving through the rural areas has been to see the family farms at harvest. They do it all by hand and the women are still dressed in bright pink, blue, yellow, and orange sarees while at work. Looking out on a large wheatfield, I can see spatters of colours hidden amongst the grain.