Coreyography

I love it when a plan comes together!

I'M IN: Bangkok, baby!
HAVING VISITED: Kollum, Allephuza, Trichy and Chennai back in India
NEXT UP: Myanmar!

The end of my time in India was both amazing and difficult, sort of like all of my time in the sub-continent come to think of it.  I was not able to find people to take a houseboat trip with in Kerala (where you live on a boat tooling around for 1-3 days) but I did log some time on the backwaters, first on a ferry (eight hours from Allephuza to Kollum) and later a canoe (three hours around a relatively isolated island community).  And yes, everyone is correct - the backwaters are just lovely.  Serene and lots of nature to gawk at.  But mosquito-y?  Aye-firmative.  Many, many bites had I.  Every day at dusk I would cheer my anti-skeeter allies, the bats, as they emerged for their nighttime mosquito feeding fests (I have another "My Enemy's Enemy is My Friend" alliance with spiders and lizards).  These were definitely the largest bats I have ever seen - I'm guesstimating 12-15 lbs.  Really huge!  Unfortunately I was not able to get a picture of any of these friends...  My other favorite thing about Kerala was staying at the Government Guest House in Kollum - this former Raj era mansion is now a crumbling mess, but a majestic (20 foot ceilings) and cheap ($5/night) one, which is just the way I like 'em.

And the past few days in Bangkok have been just fantastic - like seeing an old friend again after a long separation.  All my favorite things about this crazy city remain - the preponderance of movie theaters (serving the delightful popcorn buckets wherein you can have half caramel corn, half salted which is as fantastic in theory as it is in execution), the fantastically friendly Thai people, the Sky Train, and the great food.  There are a few new restaurants and some new friends I've made and the only disturbing change I've noted since my last visit here is a marked increase in 'Get R Done' t-shirts.  Worn by Thai and tourist alike...  I have no idea.

But the best news is I was able to get a visa for Myanmar no problemo, so it is to there I will head tomorrow.  And my monk friend Mr. Moon will be around, so I am looking forward to hanging with him and his friends again in Meiktila.  And doing a bit of touring, too.  Yippie skippy.

Actually, the best BEST news is that I booked my plane ticket back to the USA and just like the song says, "I'll be home in for Christmas..."  My encounter last year with the skinny Egyptian Santa convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that there's truly no place like home for the holidays.  So hopefully I will get around to see friends and family on the East Coast in January in the midst of looking for jobs.  Plus this means I can attend the inauguration, about which I am quite excited. 

Not sure what the Internet situation is like in Myanmar these days - when I was there last year it was virtually non-existent in most of the country.  But Mr. Moon tells me that there is now a computer room in Meiktila, so perhaps I will be able to post an update while there.  In the meantime, hope you have a gobblin' good Thanksgiving!

The South Will Rise Again!

I'M IN: Allenpy, Kerala, India
HAVING VISITED: Goa (Arambol & Calangute) and Cochi
NEXT UP: Working my way back to you, babe (via Chennai, Bangkok and Burma)

I'm full-to-bursting with American and North Carolinian pride the past few days.  Locals and fellow travelers alike are similarly enthusiastic about our Prez elect, which I take as an excellent sign of things to come.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Pre-election, it was all Goa all the time.  In Goa I found Israelis, hippies and Israeli hippies amongst beautiful beaches.  The beach I stayed at, Arambol, is west-facing which provided gorgeous sunsets every night.  I was similarly awed by the selection of movies playing at the restaurant next to my hotel - four each night!  There were some stinkers for sure (I didn't realize anyone anywhere still had a copy of Final Analysis- someone should address this international crisis ASAP) but on the whole very watchable fare, including Lord of the Rings, Mamma Mia! and Austin Powers. 

Monday night I took the overnight train to Kerala and arrived election day morning.  Being an unreformed political junkie, I immediately I set upon finding a room with a TV withCNN in Fort Cochim.  This took ten minutes.  I spent the rest of the day flittering around, fretful and anxious, gathering supplies for my all-night vigil.  It turned out there was a lot of dozing that happened despite the crazy CNN hologram graphics because Wolf Blitzer is human valium.  I was/am jubilant about the results, and still get teary eyed thinking of the image of the new first family taking the stage for the acceptance speech.  Plus the new puppy?  C'mon!

And with election fever in the rear-view mirror, the next few days I will hopefully be cruising the backwaters of Kerala on a houseboat.  When I first heard of the backwaters I thought, "This sounds like a place that I, perennial mosquito victim, should avoid."  But literally everyone I spoke with, local and non, said it is the best place in India.  So armed with my genetic code altering, super high grade DEET here I am.  I will start shopping around for prices and (non mosquito) travel companions tomorrow.  And pictures will be forthcoming as well at some point - I have taken exactly one in two weeks and realize this is unacceptable.  Onward and upward!