that's my most recent news. it started with a cold a few days ago, and has moved to my lungs and turned into a full-blown flu. i just feel terrible. that's especially disappointing given the cool things we've been doing. today i had a miserable time at the taj mahal. it was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but twice we had to rest so that i could take short naps. (but how cool is it that i napped at the taj mahal?!)
our time in dharamsala was great, but also intense. we got to volunteer for a short time with some ex-political prisoners from tibet for a conversation class. i guess i never really recognized how bad the situation there is. the free tibet stickers/shirts/flags make sense to me now. but i'm a little demoralized because i don't see what can be done. everyone we asked there, including a great speaker who recently escaped to india, said that the best thing to do is to raise awareness of the plight of tibetans. but to what end? even if everyone i know had an understanding of the human rights violations taking place there, what can possibly be done to remove china's completely unethical rule? if the olympics didn't do it, what can?
that leads me to the rest of my blog... i've started to try to process some of the questions that travel has raised for me. i'm not sure that i'm comfortable sharing all of them here, but i'd love thoughts/feedback on some of them. i've got my own ideas started, but here is a list of just some of the questions i've been asking myself:
-what issues do i identify closely/personally enough to take on as a cause?
-which of these can i immerse myself in and still stay mentally/emotionally healthy?
-does travel offer me insight into this, or is it more selfish?
-what are the factors that hold me back from becoming more invested in a specific area?
-am i putting energy towards something i feel good about?
-how can i see so many people suffering and not feel guilty?
-is it possible to process things at the same time as living in the moment?
so that's where i am right now, mentally. the other thing that's really been affecting me is people's attitudes in india. especially relative to the other countries i've been in, i've been really disappointed with my inability to make connections with the people here. there are a couple of notable exceptions to this, but i've found that for the most part everyone wants something from me. usually monetary compensation for what i think is just an interesting cross-cultural conversation. it's been a sad thing for me to realize. i guess that a large part of that is the poverty that exists here, but even so it's been difficult. india is definitely not my favorite country. (i've got to go with nepal still.) on the other hand, i just met some amazing people in a place called kajuraho (where there are some temples complete with kama sutra carvings on them). that was a welcome respite.
now we're in agra, and saw the taj mahal today, as i mentioned. tonight we'll take an overnight bus to pushkar, where many people start camel treks through the desert. we've decided not to go on one, based on the expenses and mixed reviews we've heard from people, but i'm hoping it will be an interesting city nonetheless. after that we'll head to jodhpur, where we might be doing some volunteering. we'll see if that works out.
now it's time for me to get some rest. love to all.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
land of the thunder dragon, and more recent activities
here's a catch-up blog:
bhutan was beautiful, as expected. but somewhat disappointing... we spent a shit-ton of money to go there, and so it was really difficult to hold it to the same standards as everywhere else. morgan and i have talked this through a lot, and there's probably much more to say, but i'll try to summarize.
the country is amazing and unique in so many ways. it's several years behind the western world in terms of development, which is both good and bad. the king there has been very forward-thinking in several different areas. the environmental protection there is phenomenal, with 70% of the country preserved in national forest. another component of conservation (of the environment, and the culture in general), is a limit on the number of tourists who can enter. the taxes alone are prohibitive, but go toward public education and health care. yet, the infrastructure is trying to keep up with the growth of the tourism industry. the result is a system where one must plan their entire trip through a travel agency. there are some great things to see, and we saw a lot of them, but the whole time we were on a tourist circuit with so many other foreigners. we really had to go out of our way to get our guides to take us to local restaurants, and to meet anyone actually from bhutan. (we did manage to have some great conversations, but that was largely due to a contact we had there before visiting.)
another key component of the culture is something called "gross national happiness," which is how the state of the country is measured rather than gdp. it looks at economic, environmental, physical, mental, workplace, social, and political wellness as its pillars. now, don't get me wrong, i think that this is a great concept. but it's just that--a philosophy. impossible to actually use as a measure of the average person's experience (according to several people i spoke to). which is too bad, because it was one of the things that really drew me to the country in the first place. on the other hand, it's refreshing that the leader of a country would even consider looking at this sort of measurement. this is the same king who instituted a democracy during his rule. (most people, however, still look to the monarchy as their source of leadership.)
while we were there, and over the past week, the people of bhutan have been celebrating the coronation of their new king. pretty amazing and historical moment. we actually got to see him twice during our time there, just by being in the right place at the right time.
another really nice thing was the flight from bhutan back to nepal. we saw mt. everest! (and several other gorgeous high peaks.) our time there was definitely good, but could have been better, i guess.
since then, we've been on a houseboat in kashmir in northern india, along the border with pakistan. it is a pretty intense place. they're currently getting ready for an election of some sort so there was a curfew on the city that kept us from doing some of the sight-seeing we had planned. on one occasion we we're on a tour around the canals, and our path was blocked by military patrols on the lake. we had to pretend we had a flight to catch in order to be allowed through to get back to the houseboat. i've never experienced anything resembling the tension that we felt there.
speaking of elections, we watched the u.s. presidential election live on cnn in kashmir. that was exciting! happy about obama, waiting to see about the minnesota al franken recount, and disappointed in california for banning same-sex marriages.
now we're in dharamsala, which is a beautiful place with a large tibetan community. it should be very interesting, and we'll get a chance to start exploring tomorrow. in a couple of days we'll be back in delhi to meet up with my cousin christopher. looking forward to that!
then we'll hit the road again, continuing our circuit of india. keep you posted!
bhutan was beautiful, as expected. but somewhat disappointing... we spent a shit-ton of money to go there, and so it was really difficult to hold it to the same standards as everywhere else. morgan and i have talked this through a lot, and there's probably much more to say, but i'll try to summarize.
the country is amazing and unique in so many ways. it's several years behind the western world in terms of development, which is both good and bad. the king there has been very forward-thinking in several different areas. the environmental protection there is phenomenal, with 70% of the country preserved in national forest. another component of conservation (of the environment, and the culture in general), is a limit on the number of tourists who can enter. the taxes alone are prohibitive, but go toward public education and health care. yet, the infrastructure is trying to keep up with the growth of the tourism industry. the result is a system where one must plan their entire trip through a travel agency. there are some great things to see, and we saw a lot of them, but the whole time we were on a tourist circuit with so many other foreigners. we really had to go out of our way to get our guides to take us to local restaurants, and to meet anyone actually from bhutan. (we did manage to have some great conversations, but that was largely due to a contact we had there before visiting.)
another key component of the culture is something called "gross national happiness," which is how the state of the country is measured rather than gdp. it looks at economic, environmental, physical, mental, workplace, social, and political wellness as its pillars. now, don't get me wrong, i think that this is a great concept. but it's just that--a philosophy. impossible to actually use as a measure of the average person's experience (according to several people i spoke to). which is too bad, because it was one of the things that really drew me to the country in the first place. on the other hand, it's refreshing that the leader of a country would even consider looking at this sort of measurement. this is the same king who instituted a democracy during his rule. (most people, however, still look to the monarchy as their source of leadership.)
while we were there, and over the past week, the people of bhutan have been celebrating the coronation of their new king. pretty amazing and historical moment. we actually got to see him twice during our time there, just by being in the right place at the right time.
another really nice thing was the flight from bhutan back to nepal. we saw mt. everest! (and several other gorgeous high peaks.) our time there was definitely good, but could have been better, i guess.
since then, we've been on a houseboat in kashmir in northern india, along the border with pakistan. it is a pretty intense place. they're currently getting ready for an election of some sort so there was a curfew on the city that kept us from doing some of the sight-seeing we had planned. on one occasion we we're on a tour around the canals, and our path was blocked by military patrols on the lake. we had to pretend we had a flight to catch in order to be allowed through to get back to the houseboat. i've never experienced anything resembling the tension that we felt there.
speaking of elections, we watched the u.s. presidential election live on cnn in kashmir. that was exciting! happy about obama, waiting to see about the minnesota al franken recount, and disappointed in california for banning same-sex marriages.
now we're in dharamsala, which is a beautiful place with a large tibetan community. it should be very interesting, and we'll get a chance to start exploring tomorrow. in a couple of days we'll be back in delhi to meet up with my cousin christopher. looking forward to that!
then we'll hit the road again, continuing our circuit of india. keep you posted!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
in love...
with nepal. i definitely need to make it back here for some chunk of time at some point in my life. hopefully sooner rather than later. the country is beautiful, and so are the people. for the past 2 weeks, morgan and i have been teaching english in a village near the border to tibet. what an amazing experience. we stayed at a (how to explain this...?). there is a non-profit in the village called the tuki association which supports education and agriculture in the surrounding area. it focuses on locally run cooperatives. many of the staff members of the organization live at the headquarters. we stayed there with them, and taught at a nearby school that is partially funded by tuki. by nearby, i mean a 30-minute walk through a beautiful forest overlooking fields and mountains. not too difficult of a hike, and a great way to get in daily exercise. the staff of tuki is an amazing group of people, who taught us so much about nepali culture and language. we danced, sang songs, played cards, tossed a disc around, ate together and just had a great time. (but did not have access to internet, which was nice in a lot of ways, but makes catching up with all of you great friends a little overwhelming. sorry if it takes me a while to respond to you in a more personal way.)
the people at the school itself welcomed us so warmly, showering us with garlands of flowers upon our arrival and departure. the principal became a great friend of ours and took us to some hotsprings yesterday. the kids were amazing. we taught grades 1-8, and it was a challenge, but a really fun one. i may have mentioned this in my blogs about teaching in korea, but it's equally true now: i have so much respect for all of my grade-school teachers. it is hard work to make classes both fun and worthwhile.
it was hard to leave new friends behind today and return to kathmandu. traffic, noise, lots of people... a contrast to the life we've been enjoying for the past bit of time. but we're not here long--tomorrow we leave for bhutan. i think it will be much more serene. (and also cut off from internet, though i could be wrong about that. another week of little contact.)
so many of you have asked me about my future plans. i still don't know. some things are becoming more clear: it's likely that i'll be returning to the states at the end of march. i'll be spending time in minneapolis, bodega bay, and boulder. (probably in that order.) where i go after that will depend largely on employment opportunities. there are so many compelling reasons to return to boulder and make it home again (primarily the great people who form my community there)... and yet there is a part of me that isn't sure that's where i want to stay long-term, so maybe now is the time to explore a different part of the u.s. i'm seriously considering taking a stab at the pacific northwest.
i do think i'll land back in the states for the forseeable future. unless something happens between now and april to cause me to reconsider that plan. and to some extent nepal has caused me to pause on that point. it's likely that i could get a job at tuki as an english teacher trainer. in the states i wouldn't be qualified for that job, but things are different here. as a native speaker, i'm a great candidate. i'm definitely going to look into the logistics of getting a work visa for this country. on the other hand, there are some big problems with that potential plan. largest among them is the thought of spending any more time away from friends and family... anyway, just something i'm pondering. nobody freak out. yet.
the people at the school itself welcomed us so warmly, showering us with garlands of flowers upon our arrival and departure. the principal became a great friend of ours and took us to some hotsprings yesterday. the kids were amazing. we taught grades 1-8, and it was a challenge, but a really fun one. i may have mentioned this in my blogs about teaching in korea, but it's equally true now: i have so much respect for all of my grade-school teachers. it is hard work to make classes both fun and worthwhile.
it was hard to leave new friends behind today and return to kathmandu. traffic, noise, lots of people... a contrast to the life we've been enjoying for the past bit of time. but we're not here long--tomorrow we leave for bhutan. i think it will be much more serene. (and also cut off from internet, though i could be wrong about that. another week of little contact.)
so many of you have asked me about my future plans. i still don't know. some things are becoming more clear: it's likely that i'll be returning to the states at the end of march. i'll be spending time in minneapolis, bodega bay, and boulder. (probably in that order.) where i go after that will depend largely on employment opportunities. there are so many compelling reasons to return to boulder and make it home again (primarily the great people who form my community there)... and yet there is a part of me that isn't sure that's where i want to stay long-term, so maybe now is the time to explore a different part of the u.s. i'm seriously considering taking a stab at the pacific northwest.
i do think i'll land back in the states for the forseeable future. unless something happens between now and april to cause me to reconsider that plan. and to some extent nepal has caused me to pause on that point. it's likely that i could get a job at tuki as an english teacher trainer. in the states i wouldn't be qualified for that job, but things are different here. as a native speaker, i'm a great candidate. i'm definitely going to look into the logistics of getting a work visa for this country. on the other hand, there are some big problems with that potential plan. largest among them is the thought of spending any more time away from friends and family... anyway, just something i'm pondering. nobody freak out. yet.
Friday, October 10, 2008
blisters and goats
morgan and i did exactly what you're not supposed to do: we went trekking without first breaking in our hiking boots. and we have the blisters to prove it.
we started our time in nepal in a city called pokhara. it has a beautiful lake and a great view of the annapurna mountains, which are in the himalayas. we wanted to go paragliding from there, but we ran in to obstacles the two days we tried-- first a strike (political, apparently), which stopped all forms of transportation; then weather. boo!
after our plans were thwarted, we came here to kathmandu. it's a funny city. there is definitely ridiculous traffic and roads in terrible condition and all sorts of brick buildings, but there's also a sense of nature throughout. you can see mountains when the air is clear, and there is greenery everywhere. some planted, intentional gardens, but they meet up with the organic shrubs and bushes to create a story-book effect of buildings melting into the landscape.
the morning after arriving, we began our 6-day trek. we didn't go somewhere crazy, we just stayed in the mountains in the kathmandu valley. but don't let that mislead you; we were not hiking through the city. our great guide, nima (i'll put a link to his website when i get it), created an itinerary that took beautiful portions of 3 different trails and put them together in one cohesive trip. we were in the middle of nowhere for long stretches of time, and then we would spend the night in a remote little village. sometimes we were staying in a guesthouse with 1 room for guests. most of the time we didn't see any other westerners, even very few backpackers. we were not on a well-traveled route. and it was beautiful. we had a couple of great sunrises, and one night of incredibly clear stargazing.
the end of our trip marked the beginning of the vijaya dashami festival celebrations. on our last day, we hiked about an hour from where we were staying to another little village nearby. we were invited by a guy we met the day before to come to his home and view the traditional celebration. on that particular day, everyone sacrifices animals. i can't believe i did it, but i saw a goat killed. it was something i don't ever need to see again.
the last few days have been quiet around here because all of the celebrations take place at home, and not in public. yesterday we walked to the monkey temple. and it was covered in them. i had a monkey land on my back & shoulder to steal the coconut i was eating. (btw, i just discovered i like coconut! that's fun.) it happened so quickly, i couldn't believe it. but i guess i know why those monkeys are all so fat! the rest of the temple experience was really nice. there were peace flags, hundreds of them, tied from one tower to the next. it was beautiful and very serene.
now we're just relaxing, checking email, getting laundry done, trading in books, and doing the usual traveler stuff. next week we head to a village about 90 km outside of kathmandu. we'll teach english there for about 2 weeks. i think we'll be with 4th-7th graders... should be a challenge!
we started our time in nepal in a city called pokhara. it has a beautiful lake and a great view of the annapurna mountains, which are in the himalayas. we wanted to go paragliding from there, but we ran in to obstacles the two days we tried-- first a strike (political, apparently), which stopped all forms of transportation; then weather. boo!
after our plans were thwarted, we came here to kathmandu. it's a funny city. there is definitely ridiculous traffic and roads in terrible condition and all sorts of brick buildings, but there's also a sense of nature throughout. you can see mountains when the air is clear, and there is greenery everywhere. some planted, intentional gardens, but they meet up with the organic shrubs and bushes to create a story-book effect of buildings melting into the landscape.
the morning after arriving, we began our 6-day trek. we didn't go somewhere crazy, we just stayed in the mountains in the kathmandu valley. but don't let that mislead you; we were not hiking through the city. our great guide, nima (i'll put a link to his website when i get it), created an itinerary that took beautiful portions of 3 different trails and put them together in one cohesive trip. we were in the middle of nowhere for long stretches of time, and then we would spend the night in a remote little village. sometimes we were staying in a guesthouse with 1 room for guests. most of the time we didn't see any other westerners, even very few backpackers. we were not on a well-traveled route. and it was beautiful. we had a couple of great sunrises, and one night of incredibly clear stargazing.
the end of our trip marked the beginning of the vijaya dashami festival celebrations. on our last day, we hiked about an hour from where we were staying to another little village nearby. we were invited by a guy we met the day before to come to his home and view the traditional celebration. on that particular day, everyone sacrifices animals. i can't believe i did it, but i saw a goat killed. it was something i don't ever need to see again.
the last few days have been quiet around here because all of the celebrations take place at home, and not in public. yesterday we walked to the monkey temple. and it was covered in them. i had a monkey land on my back & shoulder to steal the coconut i was eating. (btw, i just discovered i like coconut! that's fun.) it happened so quickly, i couldn't believe it. but i guess i know why those monkeys are all so fat! the rest of the temple experience was really nice. there were peace flags, hundreds of them, tied from one tower to the next. it was beautiful and very serene.
now we're just relaxing, checking email, getting laundry done, trading in books, and doing the usual traveler stuff. next week we head to a village about 90 km outside of kathmandu. we'll teach english there for about 2 weeks. i think we'll be with 4th-7th graders... should be a challenge!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
ommmmmmmm
i can't believe it's been 2 weeks already. we leave the ashram tomorrow. my time there has been wonderful. i don't know what exactly i expected, but it was really a great experience. after the first week of attending meditation sessions both day and night, i decided it wasn't the best use of my time. i just wasn't able to get into it. and it hurts me too much to sit like that for an hour. and i couldn't stay awake. (that got me in trouble...) so, instead i spend the morning getting an extra hour of sleep, and i spend the evening sitting by the ganges river just contemplating. my version of meditation, i guess. but i made it to every single session of yoga, so that feels like a nice accomplishment. i've become a lot more flexible and have much more endurance than i did just 15 days ago. it's fun to be able to see the improvement.
tomorrow we leave for nepal. it will take us about 40 hours over 3 days to get there by train and bus. i'm not looking forward to sitting for so long, but i think it will be great to take in the view from the road. (and on our return from nepal to india, we'll fly from kathmandu to delhi.) we've got some fun things in store for us there. i'll fill you in as plans are firmed up.
on a completely separate note, happy anniversary to my mom and dad! may they have many more years of happiness together.
tomorrow we leave for nepal. it will take us about 40 hours over 3 days to get there by train and bus. i'm not looking forward to sitting for so long, but i think it will be great to take in the view from the road. (and on our return from nepal to india, we'll fly from kathmandu to delhi.) we've got some fun things in store for us there. i'll fill you in as plans are firmed up.
on a completely separate note, happy anniversary to my mom and dad! may they have many more years of happiness together.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
nose floss
the yoga here is not like anything i've ever done. i've taken a few different styles and levels of classes in the states, and even in korea... but this is crazy. in a really hard and intense but in a fun way. the schedule here is not completely in tune with my natural body rhythm, as those of you who are familiar with my preferred sleep schedule will recognize. it goes something like this:
4:30 wake up
5:00 meditation
6:30 yoga
8:00 breakfast
9:00 library time (though we sometimes sneak away to do things like check email and this very blog)
12 noon lunch
2:30 library time
3:15 lecture
4:00 afternoon tea
5:00 yoga
7:00 meditation
8:15 dinner
and then i'm ready for bed, though there's no enforcement on this. but i'm really enjoying it. the people are nice (though most of the students are westerners, which is not quite what i had expected/hoped for), and the instructors are very demanding but encouraging.
today we did a rather bizarre cleansing practice. basically we poured body-temperature salt water into one nostril and let it flow out the other. then, as if that wasn't enough, i had to take a thin rubber tube and insert it into my nose, thread it into my throat, pull it out through my mouth, and slide it back and forth. this was not exactly comfortable, but not painful like i thought it would be. the hardest part was pulling it through without hitting the gag reflex. i don't recommend trying it without supervision, but it does remind me of lunchroom days of people laughing so hard that milk came out their nose. and i'll leave you with that image.
4:30 wake up
5:00 meditation
6:30 yoga
8:00 breakfast
9:00 library time (though we sometimes sneak away to do things like check email and this very blog)
12 noon lunch
2:30 library time
3:15 lecture
4:00 afternoon tea
5:00 yoga
7:00 meditation
8:15 dinner
and then i'm ready for bed, though there's no enforcement on this. but i'm really enjoying it. the people are nice (though most of the students are westerners, which is not quite what i had expected/hoped for), and the instructors are very demanding but encouraging.
today we did a rather bizarre cleansing practice. basically we poured body-temperature salt water into one nostril and let it flow out the other. then, as if that wasn't enough, i had to take a thin rubber tube and insert it into my nose, thread it into my throat, pull it out through my mouth, and slide it back and forth. this was not exactly comfortable, but not painful like i thought it would be. the hardest part was pulling it through without hitting the gag reflex. i don't recommend trying it without supervision, but it does remind me of lunchroom days of people laughing so hard that milk came out their nose. and i'll leave you with that image.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
namaste
as it turns out, we weren't able to get our visa to china. they're not giving out any more tourist visas until october. that's was a disappointment, so we looked into going through hong kong but there was still uncertainty about getting in. so we're just going to have to see the great wall on another trip. if i'm honest with myself (and all of you, i guess), china isn't one of the places i was most excited to go. maybe it's for the best that i'm spending my time in a place i'm really eager to visit. anyway, no china.
instead we arrived yesterday in india! i'm really excited for this next phase of our adventure to begin. it's going to be really different, as jasmine won't be with us anymore. she's already left for hawaii, where she'll live with her cousin for a bit before heading back to the states.
now it's just morgan and me. we got in to delhi last night and were not met at the airport as we had requested. so we took a taxi to our hotel and were told that there were no rooms left, in spite of our reservation. (not sure what the point of a reservation is then...) so we found a place a block away and shared our room with a little mouse and a gecko.
tonight we will go by bus up to rishikesh, a city known for its yoga. even the beatles visited. we hope to stay in an ashram for a few weeks and have an intensive yoga retreat.
in the near future we also plan to visit nepal and bhutan. we're not exactly sure how this will work. we could go by air to nepal and then from there go to bhutan, or vice versa. or, alternatively, we could go to one or the other over land. or we could do this as two seperate trips. the options are fairly overwhelming, because we're trying to do this as cheaply as possible. bhutan is really going to break our budget. basically, everything we earned during our two months in korea will go towards less than a week in bhutan. but from everything i have heard, it will be worth it. when else will i have this opportunity? and, as with all of these places, i'd like to see them sooner rather than later because they're changing so quickly. even if i did get another chance to come here, i know it won't be the same as it is now. so here we are.
instead we arrived yesterday in india! i'm really excited for this next phase of our adventure to begin. it's going to be really different, as jasmine won't be with us anymore. she's already left for hawaii, where she'll live with her cousin for a bit before heading back to the states.
now it's just morgan and me. we got in to delhi last night and were not met at the airport as we had requested. so we took a taxi to our hotel and were told that there were no rooms left, in spite of our reservation. (not sure what the point of a reservation is then...) so we found a place a block away and shared our room with a little mouse and a gecko.
tonight we will go by bus up to rishikesh, a city known for its yoga. even the beatles visited. we hope to stay in an ashram for a few weeks and have an intensive yoga retreat.
in the near future we also plan to visit nepal and bhutan. we're not exactly sure how this will work. we could go by air to nepal and then from there go to bhutan, or vice versa. or, alternatively, we could go to one or the other over land. or we could do this as two seperate trips. the options are fairly overwhelming, because we're trying to do this as cheaply as possible. bhutan is really going to break our budget. basically, everything we earned during our two months in korea will go towards less than a week in bhutan. but from everything i have heard, it will be worth it. when else will i have this opportunity? and, as with all of these places, i'd like to see them sooner rather than later because they're changing so quickly. even if i did get another chance to come here, i know it won't be the same as it is now. so here we are.
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