Being Thankful for New Experiences

Oh my...it's been soooo long since I've blogged and there have been soooo many experiences in that time that it's hard to know where to begin. First of all, suffice it to say that I still love India. It is colorful, exotic, alive and exciting all while being infuriatingly un-Western on so many levels. Either you embrace India, bring your sense of humor and have a life-altering experience, or you measure it on familiar standards and go postively insane. I choose the former, and after now spending a total of four months in this country of 1.2 billion people, I can't wait to come back again and again.


This trip has been both familiar and entirely new for me. My amazing friend Gerdien (who I traveled with for nearly five months on my previous journey) came to meet me and we traveled together for nearly three weeks through Rajasthan, with a brief detour up to Amritsar in Punjab. We had a predictably hilarious and adventurous experience, and I can vow that I know what it must be like to travel with Brittany Spears! Gerdiens blonde hair and big blue eyes stop Indians in their tracks, leading to many hilarious encounters.

But India's new experiences will be the focus of this post.


Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle -- On my previous journey, I only spent time in three cities - Varanasi, Bodhgaya and Calcutta. My focus of this trip was to further explore the north part of the country. This was for two reasons - to have fun and experience new places and to create new itineraries for Grand Asian Journeys.

And I did both (New itineraries to be posted soon). Rajasthan means the "land of rajas (or kings) and therefore a big part of touring the northwestern part of the country is visiting the forts and palaces of the historic rajas. Also in Rajasthan, the culture and food are distinct from other parts of India. They still make it easy to be a vegetarian, but parathas replace chapati and naan as the roti (bread) of choice. My favorite places were Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Mandawa. The Amber Fort in Jaipur is also a pretty exceptional destination. Which leads me to my least favorite place in Rajasthan...



Tourist attack at the Taj Mahal - On my previous journey to India, I intentionally skipped the Taj Mahal. This time I knew I needed to visit it as it is one of the top tourist destinations in the world and certainly will be on the wishlist of many people visiting India. My vote: over-rated. Beautiful, yes. But the most beautiful or worthy place in India? No way. Too crowded, too much security, too many lines. The Golden Temple gets my vote for best place to visit.

Finding peace amid chaos: The Golden Temple -- The "vatican for Sikhs", the Golden Temple in Amritsar is one of the most magical, holy places I have ever visited. In order to arrive at this beautiful temple however you have to make your way through one of the busiest, most polluted small cities in India. Amritsar is total chaos! And, the Golden Temple is Absolute Peace. Unlike the Taj Mahal, which is essentially a very exquisite mausoleum built for a rich guy's dead wife, the Golden Temple is an active place of worship. Hundreds of thousands of Sikhs from all over the world come every single day to bathe in the "amrit" (sacred water) around the temple. And the Sikhs are so unlike the stereotype that haunts them. They are kind, generous, non-judgmental, service-oriented ("sehwah" or service to others is the central tenet of their faith) and peace-loving. Unlike all other temples in India that charge up to $20US to visit, the Golden Temple is free to enter (donations are of course accepted) and they will serve a free meal to anyone who walks in. Every day it's estimated that they serve 50,000 free meals to people of all faiths, castes (they do not believe in the caste system), color or need. This is near the top of my list of worthwhile places to visit in India!

Having a business card - For nearly three of my five weeks in India, I traveled with our India travel agent as a part of a FAM (travel industry lingo for familiarization) tour. This was a very new experience for me as it operates very much like a custom tour with all hotels, experiences, transportation, transfers and meals arranged in advance. I felt like a princess! At each hotel, the manager would come out to personally greet me, give me a tour, offer dinner or other special things. My Grand Asian Journeys business card was the key to really royal treatment! Definitely much different than haggling over prices at backpackers hotels with Gerdien!

Sexy temples - Another of my "must visit" destinations in India are the temples of Khajuraho. Created over 1,000 years ago of sandstone, somehow they survived neglect for hundreds of years and have remained absolutely stunning. Set in a peaceful town (there are not many of these in India) and a bit off the beaten path, the temples are worth making a special trip for - especially if you think that the Indians are sexually repressed people! The temples origin is unknown, but some say that it was the "sex education" temple. Certainly that could be true with probably millions of detailed risque sculptures around the complex.

Traveling with a man! -- Some of you know that my boyfriend Keith met me to travel for five weeks through India and Vietnam. That is certainly a new experience worth mentioning! The only awkward part was that people in India assumed that we were married as it is not a normal custom to even see each other before you are married there! The experience has been (and continues to be) a lot of fun for both of us, and yes it is a great way to get to know each other very well!

Indian wedding -- No, it wasn't mine though apparently I did unknowingly undertake a wedding ritual in Varanasi. A simple photo opportunity of some women painting their feet red, turned into my feet being painted, a tikka on my forehead part near my hairline, and voila! I was congratulated for the rest of the day on my marriage, and the hotel staff even asked me to bring sweets (a wedding custom). No, it was not official!

But enough about my supposed wedding. One of my intentions for this trip (but that I was unable to plan for) was to attend an Indian wedding. A major event in Indian life, weddings are planned for auspicious dates based on matching astrological charts by families. Often the couples do not ever see each other before they are tying the knot. A strange custom on Western standards, but as the divorce rates are about 80% less than in Western cultures, perhaps they are onto something?

So, back to my story... we show up at a hotel to outrageous fanfare - drumming, dancing, flowers, food and drinks just for us. After getting over the somewhat awkward welcoming (it was only for the two of us) we were told that there was to be a wedding that night in the village of a girl who worked at their resort. She (16) and her sister (13) were having a double wedding. As they were lower caste people of modest economic status, it was not the huge to-do that I had heard about. Instead, it was maybe even more authentic!

Chaos abounded when we arrived. Drunk men played loud music and danced. And after about 12 seconds, our presence was noticed and the entire focus of the wedding turned to Keith and me. The brides were dragged out of their safe house and "introduced" to us. There were lots of namastes and smiles from us, and utter fear from the brides while dozens of people surrounded us and watched the introduction. The grooms sat on a county fair style electric float with loud Hindi music blaring out of the ill-equipped speaker. Drunk men mobbed us and pulled us on the muddy dance floor. We took turns being in the middle of a circle and acting out some Bollywood dance that we'd seen on TV, and then pointing to someone not inside the circle to come in and outdo us (not a difficult task!). The scenario went back and forth for about 45 minutes until we were dragged by our guest house hosts to the point of the wedding. A strange tradition that involved the groom using a long stick to knock down a tall sign on a stick being held by someone else (don't ask me) apparently indicated that the marriage was official. It became clear to us that our presence was taking attention away from the brides and grooms, so we left shortly after the "ceremony".

Oh, certainly the turbans that had been tied on our heads at the guest house right before the wedding helped us blend in a little too. Yes?

Festival of lights in Varanasi - You might remember that my favorite city in India is Varanasi. It's so deeply spiritual, magnificently poor and undeniably electric. It can move me to tears and goosebumps on a normal day, but we arrived on a ab-normal day: Dev Dipawali. "The festival of lights for God" we were told upon arrival at the airport was the "best night of the year" here, and the local agent had arranged for a nighttime boat ride for Keith and me. As dusk approached and we headed towards the ghats (the steps along the river) we saw thousands (perhaps millions) of small butter lamps being laid out artfully along the sacred Ganges River as an offering to God. As we got on our small private row boat with our guide, the banks of the river came alive with light. Rowing past the burning ghats, the cremation sites for 1,000 people a day, the pyres alive with death, the butter lamps burned on the banks of the river, illuminating the night sky. Music played from the evening "aarti" as thousands of boats crowded around the stage. It was an indescribably religious experience!

The "accidental Brazilian" -Lets just say that getting a bikini wax with your underwear on is one of the riskiest adventures I faced in India. 'Nuf said.

So, I sign off from Vietnam after three full days here. That update will be in the next blog post, hopefully before I get home on Dec. 17!

Happy holidays to you and your families...

With love,
Pam

Warm and wonderful India

Packing for a trip that takes you trekking to 16,000 feet and then to five-star resorts in 100 degree India is a difficult proposition. That's why I just had to spend $150 to ship 25 pounds of gear home. But the good news is that it opened up a lot of space in my now way-too-empty backpack for the amazing shopping and beauty in Rajasthan. Wow, I'm going to need an intervention soon!!

Warm and wonderful refers to so many things in India...the weather, the people, and the culture to name a few. I was met in Delhi by our local agent for Grand Asian Journeys and I have been treated like a princess ever since. That's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because I get to see a side of India that I really didn't get to see on my previous travels. The hotels that I've been visiting are a part of the scouting adventure that I am on to select properties for the tours that I will guide next year in India. And, it's been nice to have a dedicated car and driver to take me from place to place so I don't have to wait for trains and buses etc. The accommodations have been lovely and I've enjoyed every second of it.

Then Gerdien comes. And somehow having a driver/guide just felt like it was removing us from the "real" India or at least the India that we had come to know on our adventure last year. So, after six days getting into the outback of India with our faithful and wonderful driver Anil, we've decided to send him back to Delhi and continue our journey with trains and buses. He brought us back today from our luxury tent experience (sordid details below) and dropped us outside of the Jaisalmer fort. It was the first time in India that I'd put my backpack on my back and walked. And it felt soooo good!! I didn't realize how much I'd missed it.

So more about Rajasthan. It is the state that is due west of Delhi in North India and includes many forts, temples and palaces. It's remarkable in it's beauty and culture. The women look totally different than other Indian women, and I see much less of them here than in other parts of the country. I haven't quite figured out why yet, but all the shop keepers, restaurant workers and people walking through town seem to be of the male persuasion. Curious... I'll let you know if/when I figure out the mystery of the Rajasthani women.

We spent our first night staying in Mandawa, where no trains and only a few tourists stop. It was a blessing to have the driver or we never would've seen this remarkable painted town. We spent just one night here on our quest to get to the desert. The next day we went to Bikaner and spent the day walking through the local markets and didn't see another white face all day. I took lots of photos of beautiful, curious children. It was also a nice town, with an impressive fort - the biggest in Rajasthan, I believe.

The following morning we headed to Jaisalmer, only 30 miles from the border of Pakistan. It is a remarkable city to approach from the desert. It appears like a mirage, a yellow city rising out of the sandstone hill situated in the middle of the Thar desert. It looks like the typical desert city that is usually represented in cartoons. I keep finding myself humming bits from Aladdin, one of my favorite Disney flicks, but I digress...

It's a small town, in India terms. And I like it very much. The bulk of the tourist activity happens inside of the fort (which is about a mile across and covers the entire desert hill). The fort is like a maze with shops and temples on the inside of the walls. It's all built of sandstone and there is so much detail in the architecture. We've made many friends, and continue to be amazed by the warmth of the people.

Last night, for my birthday, we stayed at a luxury tent camp. When we arrived there was a camel waiting for us to take us for a ride out into the desert to watch the sunset. A wonderful gift from our India agent! The camel, named Michael Jackson (to make the tourists laugh, I am sure) was well-behaved and seemingly well loved. As we approached the dunes, the mobs of tourists and tour buses scared me. It felt like Desert Disneyland, which wasn't exactly the experience I'd been looking for. So, our driver walked us past the dunes where everyone stood, to a private hill where we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets of all time. It is true what they say about desert sunsets! The tent camp was really nice, with a good music and dance program before dinner. At the end of the program, the crowd sang Happy Birthday and a cake was presented to me. My second birthday cake of the trip!

So, today we came back to the town of Jaisalmer where we were offered approximately 24 cups of chai from various vendors (I only indulged in four) while wandering through the fort. The details of our three-day, two-night camel safari have now been arranged and we'll be leaving first thing in the morning for the adventure. We paid a "little more" to ensure that it will be a private experience and not a part of the tourist caravan. I'm really looking forward to the experience, and hoping that there is enough bottled water on the trip to keep us properly hydrated! (I've been assured there will be plenty). After our 90 minutes on the camel last night today I was feeling a little bit sore. Hmmm...hopefully three days will not be two too many and we'll be able to walk when we get to Udaipur on Monday!

Uploading photos continues to be a challenge, so for now my words will have to do. I will attach them when bandwidth permits!

Love,
Pam

Beautiful Bhutan & Early Birthday Cake

With a blog post title like that, you would hope that I would have pictures to share. Unfortunately, the internet speed is too slow to upload now so for now your imagination will have to do... (but they will be posted soon!)

Bhutan is a wonderful, peaceful, beautiful country! It's hard to know where to begin to describe everything that I've seen over the past 12 days. It is a peaceful hamlet sandwiched between India and China. While it is definitely a hilly, mountainous terrain it feels completely different than Nepal. Mostly because there are not 6,000+ meter Himalayan peaks staring at you around every corner! (But I did get to see several on my trek.)

What makes Bhutan unique? The people here are very warm and friendly, and welcoming to tourists. That said, there are only about 700,000 of them TOTAL in the country. They learn English starting early but the mastery of the language varies widely. I'm re-learning how to talk in short, simple sentences, BUT they are so kind and generous and almost everyone has beautiful, happy smile lines. They definitely reflect the essence of Gross National Happiness.

So now you're surely asking, just what IS Gross National Happines?? Gross National Happiness (GNH) reflects Bhutan's belief that economic prosperity is only a means to achieving the "end", which is happiness. It's a deeply Buddhist culture, and GNH reflects those spiritual values. The four main pillars are 1) Equitable and sustainable socioeconomic development; 2) Preservation and promotion of the culture; 3) Conservation of the environment; and 4) Promotion of good governance. Basically, it's a Triple Bottom Line country, or at least they are trying to move in that direction. It's very apparent in everything I've seen. Love this motto and culture!!

One thing you will surely notice if and when you come here: the architecture. Every office, hospital, school, museum, post office, airport, out-building (barn or shed), store and home is built with attention to preservation of their culture through design. I was surprised to see that old and new buildings alike all mirror the Swiss tudor, colorful and detailed design style.

Creative Buddhist solution! As a largely Buddhist society Bhutan promotes equality for all sentient beings. So when the stray dogs started multiplying in the big cities (Paro and Thimphu), the government started collecting the animals, spaying or neutering them and then re-releasing them out into the streets. So unlike many other third-world countries, you don't see really mangy, permanently pregnant dogs here though there are still a large number of stray dogs. But, if the program is successful in a few years the population of them should decrease significantly. Brilliant! Take note rest-of-the-world!

While I'm still a bit confused by the economy of Bhutan (and working hard to understand it), I think that it is a really wonderful destination for anyone who wants to experience a pure, mostly un-Westernized culture. The number of tourists here is significantly lower than most other Asian countries (their goal is 100,000 per year but currently they are closer to 30,000) due certainly to the high cost of being here. Currently that cost is $200 per day, but in 2012 it will increase to $250 per day. According to the Tourism Minister for Bhutan, that price includes: all internal taxes and royalties (about $95/day goes to the government), three-star hotel accommodations, meals, all travel with a licensed tour guide, internal transportation, and camping equipment and haulage (read: horses) for trekking tours. So, when you do the math, it's not as bad as it first appears. That said, if you desire nicer accommodations or more services, it will cost more.

Trekking in Bhutan. I did the Jhomolhari Trek, which there are several versions of. I took the route that went up and over three passes (!), sleeping five nights at over 13,000 feet. We hiked an average of six hours per day over terrain that varied from quite rocky and flat to wildly steep and treacherous. Those were the not-so-good times. The good days (which were most of them!) included walking through yak pastures at high elevation, being stunned at every turn by a breath-taking new vista of a 6,000+ meter mountain, hanging prayer flags at 16,400 feet and chanting Om Mani Padme Hum with our Buddhist trekking crew. I'll be blogging more about the trekking experience on the Grand Asian Journeys' website within the next few days. Be sure to check there (and register for our newsletter!) for more details. I will be leading two trips next fall to Bhutan - including one cultural tour and a separate trekking tour - and also a trip to South India that will include ayurveda, yoga, cooking and markets. (Be sure to email me at pam@grandasianjourneys.com if you want to receive more information on any of those 2011 trips!)

This was my first camping trek, and I have to say it's a much better experience than I expected, and a much nicer (assuming your sleeping bag is warm enough - mine was!) experience than lodge trekking. The food was outrageously good and included a great deal of fresh vegetables, eggs, porridge, rice and even fish. Every morning we were woken up at our tents with a cup of hot steaming tea and every night we had dessert of some kind. The best was on the last night when I was presented with a homemade (!) birthday cake which was an amazing feat consideringthe single propane stove and limited pots, ingredients and utensils! The cake was delicous, and was made quite creatively with crushed corn flakes, white bread, eggs, milk powder, hot chocolate mix and coffee. TASTY! and certainly much more so because I knew what a task it was to create. Probably the nicest birthday cake ever!!

Tomorow I depart Bhutan and spend a half-day in India before departing to South India to scout for the above-mentioned tour. I will fly back to Delhi on Friday for a certainly celebratory reunion with Gerdien! We're planning to travel for about 2.5 weeks together through Rajasthan. I'll keep you posted on all of my adventures...

With love,

Pam