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!

An Update Deferred is Not an Update Denied

I'M IN: Delhi, India
HAVING VISITED: Gurgaon & Udaipur
NEXT UP: Goa and Southern India

Apologies!  Yes, it has been a long time, too long.  The good news: I was indeed able to pick up some work the past month.  The best news: this means a few more months of travel!  The bad news: this left little time for doing as I please.  Indians work really hard.  The regular work schedule here runs roughly 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., and apparently overnighters are not a rarity.  Dad and I settled into a great routine of work, exercise and regular movie viewing.  It felt fantastic to stay put for a spell, too - sometimes I just want to set fire to my backpack so I never have to pack or unpack it ever again in a million years.  But then sometimes I want to marry it: fickle moi.

Dad and I did manage a long weekend coinciding with a holiday celebrating Durga (a riot grrl goddess with a mad weapons collection) to the lovely city on a lake, Udaipur.  We had a few problems getting there as the train we were hoping to take was full due to aforementioned holiday.  Dad showed true traveler mettle by agreeing to a fifteen hour overnight bus, which turned out to be surprisingly painless.  It didn't take us long to be charmed by Udaipur.  There are many large and impressive palaces, including two on islands in the middle of the lake.  Our in and out of town touring included a boat ride on the lake, a dance recital and a day trip to visit a Jain temple and the massive Kumbalgarh fort.  Our best adventure was surely The Case of the Tuk Tuk That Wouldn't wherein our auto-rickshaw broke down half way up a mountain (time to get serious about that diet).  Dad and I then proceeded to climb the remainder of the mountain only to realize that the tuk tuk driver had taken this opportunity to go back to town, leaving us stranded.  We managed to thumb a ride back into town, and it's all's well that ends well, but for an hour I was rather perturbed/worried.  These emotions were exacerbated by the reaction of the staff at the Monsoon Palace (perched atop the mountain, this is what we went to visit) who insisted in equal measure that it was not possible for us to walk back to town ("No, no, too far.") and not possible for them to call us a cab/arrange other transport ("No cab.").  OK?  We started walking back to town at which point they offered to call a cab (?!), but we ended up thumbing down a truck who deposited us at the bottom of the hill, free of charge.  Money savings all around as the original tuk tuk driver departed before we could pay him, so: score.

Then it was back to work in Gurgaon for a few weeks.  Gurgaon is sort of like Cary, NC except more so and not at all.  Similarities: both are cities in their own right but really suburbs-on-steroids of the major towns next door, both have nonexistent/poor public transport, both are experiencing rapid and seemingly unstoppable growth and seem to contain but three types of structures: offices, apartments and malls.  Well, I guess Cary has a lot of McMansions, too.  And a Raleigh suburb is one thing and a Delhi suburb is a stray cow of a different color.  Everywhere you look in Gurgaon you see 20+ story buildings under construction with cranes amok.  The congestion of auto- and cycle-rickshaws plus motorbikes plus cars, constant HONKing, beggars, shantytowns and amazing level of dust are also indicators that this is India.  But then it's not like the rest of India at all, with Marks & Spencer and Lush in residence.  Really unusual. 

So, the next time you're here I highly recommend stepping in to the Bella Madonna salon for their organic facial.  I am not a facial junkie, but I've had my share and this was hands down the best there ever was.  The only odd aspect was that it was conducted in a La-Z-Boy, which became increasingly uncomfortable during the back massage portion (there is a reason those massage tables have head holes for when you're tummysidedown).  Regardless, well worth it.  I was on such a high after this successful beauty treatment that I went on to get a haircut, and this turned out much the same as my Namibian haircut, which is to say badly.  Hardcore Coreyography fans might remember that I was boasting of getting a haircut in Turkey.  As it turned out I only got a dye job there because I became fearful of the outcome (apparently this is a right and just fear).  So this is the first time my hairs have been cutted upon since March.  As with the last time I am not sure how things progressed to the point they did, but I take full responsibility.  It seemed like this time (and the last time! totally) the stylist and I were really and truly on the same page about what I wanted (one inch off the ends) and yet I am shorn.  The bright side is I can probably go another six months without a haircut.

Since completing my work project (a style guide) and Dad's departure late last week I have been staying with couch surfers in the greater Delhi area, having fun while trying to get some errands accomplished.  I have ratcheted down expectations to the point where if I can just get one thing done a day I'm ecstatic.  Today I managed to buy a train ticket from that same International Tourist Bureau that gave Clare and I such a headache a month back.  Similarly there were 12 people outside the station saying the office was closed (it was not) and the office was full of grumpy old men plus the one nice guy (love him!).  My destination is Goa one of the places I have most wanted to visit for years and years (not coincidentally it is located beach-side).  From there my plan is to visit several places in the South (Kerala, Trichy & Puducherry are currently on the list) before heading back to Thailand.  What?  Right!  Since India borders Myanmar and it's my favorite place I've visited I decided to return.  Only it's crazy expensive to fly there from here (four figures expensive, yikes) and Myanmar visas are more difficult to obtain here than there.  So it's back to Thailand for me.  This is, for sure, a don't throw me in the brier patch situation should you have any doubt.

And beyond this?  It's time to get back to work for real.  I am looking for a public administration job either overseas or abroad (target cities: Bangkok, Johannesburg, Raleigh, D.C. & Richmond) - let me know if I can send you my resume.  And please feel free to pass along any openings you see that look appetizing - no lead is too small to follow up.  Who says a major economic downturn is no time to look for work?  Well, I think everyone says this but luckily I am still riding my bliss wave and think that this will all work out just fine.  Plus my mom has a HUGE attic.  And she lives at the beach.  So...

Culture Shock and Awe

I'M IN: Manali, India
HAVING VISITED: Delhi and Shimla
NEXT UP: Back to Delhi, back to work

Well, the plane trip to end all plane trips actually went quite well.  I was surprised at how quickly the time passed and was even able to grab some sleep in the Kuwait airport and on several of the flights.  I was a bit on edge when I arrived in Delhi because my pre-arranged ride was nowhere to be found.  Normally I would just get a taxi, but several guide books say this is not a good idea for a single woman.  I realized that I needed to get some cash no matter what, and by the time I secured some, I spotted a guy with my name on a piece of paper coming in the door.  We made our way out into the humid sunrise to a tiny white van (of course I felt like Mma Ramotswe at this point) and I then braved my first encounter with Indian roads.  It was 6:00 a.m., not too many cars on the road.  Regardless we had three super near collisions and ten or more times (I stopped counting) when I braced for impact.  There are people everywhere in the road on foot, bicycles and motorbikes and in cars, trucks and buses of all sizes.  Then there are the dogs (lots) who must yield to people and the cows to whom people must yield.  And all of this happens at top speed.  I wanted to tell the driver that I wouldn't mind slowing down, but the language barrier was large as was my fear of distracting the driver.  After we made it to the hostel I said, "You are a very good driver!"  He agreed.

Delhi is hot, boy howdy, and amazingly crowded and dusty.  After poking around town for a few days I decided to head north into the Himalayas to cool out mentally and physically.  I chose the town Shimla pretty much at random and my hostel roomie, an Aussie named Clare, decided to come with.  This was fantastic as she is great company and for the first time in awhile I was feeling a bit vulnerable on my own.  Even before leaving Delhi, securing our train tickets was an adventure in and of itself.  We got to the train station in Delhi with specific instructions from our hostel owner about where to go (left side, over and up, then you see the sign).  So we went to the left side, went over and up where we met a man who told us we must have a ticket to proceed further.  He was disgusted with Clare and I that we did not have a Lonely Planet and berated us for a few minutes and sent us away.  After 20 minutes of more conflicting information and a puppy being stepped on by a beggar, we finally got to the correct office (which was exactly where the hostel owner said it would be) and attempted to start the ticket buying process.  The International Tourist Ticket Office has floor-to-ceiling hand-painted signs on each wall listing the pertinent rules and regulations.  There were stacks of forms (we selected one at random and filled it out) and about ten men sitting behind mid-'80's era DOS operated computers.  We presented one of these men with our form and he was revolted.  "No, not like this, not like this."  He pushed the form back across the desk and folded his arms.  After a number of seconds he pointed across the room.  "Many trains are changing," the disgusted man sputtered, shooing us away from his desk.  The man across the room was much more friendly, although he was quite alarmed that Clare did not have her passport with her.  After a lenghtly, friendly discussion he agreed to grant us "very special permission" to get the tickets without her passport.  In the end, neither of our passports were ever checked, but whatever, we had our tickets.

After this confusion, what a joy the train trip was the next morning.  The first train offered a continual stream of presents - water and tea and breakfast and cookies and more tea.  All in comfy chairs with plenty of leg room.  Wow!  We changed trains in Kalka for the narrow gauge toy train, about which I was extremely excited.  It was a beautiful ride, but pretty uncomfortable and Clare and I were both happy to de-train after five hours.  Shimla is like the Positano of India (minus Med, plus Himalayas) all stairs and climbing.  We took the town lift (20 cents) to more stairs and clambered our way up to the town YMCA.  I have not stayed in too many YMCAs, but I feel certain that the Shimla branch is unique.  It's like if the hotel from The Shining needed some help from This Old House - all grand staircases missing stairs, creaking doors, red carpets and tall, crumbling ceilings.  No twins were spotted, thank goodness.

And after a few days in Shimla I bid farewell to Clare and came further north to Manali, a hippie/backpacker haven of sorts.  I am pleased as punch to be in one piece after the bus journey here from Shimla (175 miles, took 8 hours) up, down and around some large hills.  The Himalayas ain't no joke, ya'll!  The road was generally one lane and heavily traveled with trucks, who squeezed by inches from the bus.  Also inches from the bus were sheer drops of hundreds of feet into rocky ravines.  I kept reminding myself to dwell on positive mental images not fiery crashes.  Luckily when leaving here I will be on the night bus and unable to contemplate grisly deaths on my return to Delhi.

And I am so looking forward to going back to Delhi, as my Dad will be there!  He is doing some consulting with an Indian/US company and will be in the Delhi suburb of Guragon until mid-October.  Hopefully I will be able to pick up a bit of freelance work for this outfit as well.  I am most looking forward to spending an extended amount of time with my Dad, this will be great.  Everything else about the coming month is exciting, too - the potential for earning cash (much needed at this point), a nice place to stay and a little break from the backpack, all most welcome additions.  In the meantime, I continue my cultural acclimation and full exploration of scrumptious Indian cuisine.  Paneer for President!