Things I love about Thailand

Street food (spring rolls and pad Thai)

Fresh fruit/juice stands everywhere

Thai people (incredibly kind and friendly)

Travelers (so easy to meet people)

Shopping (cute and cheap everything – bags, clothing, accessories, etc.)

Activities (beaches, hikes, temples, etc.)

Culture (interesting and unique)

Transportation (including trains and motor bikes as taxis)

Safety (I feel good and confident traveling by myself)

Happiness (locals, travelers, and myself all seem so happy and relaxed) 

नमस्ते भारत (Goodbye India)

“I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for love. I felt in myself a superabundance of energy which found not outlet in our quiet life.” (Leo Tolstoy)

Passover in Vata Kanal didn’t go exactly as I had planned. After another night on a sleeper bus my cold got worse and I felt pretty bad. I spent the next 3 days in bed. I couldn’t even go to the saders (but I was told they weren’t very good), which made me really sad. Fortunately Vata is very cool and it is better to feel like crap there than be sweating as well. It was also really amazing to see O, Sh, M, Ab, GG, and Z! We spent time hanging out and catching up and another unexpected turn has been thrown into my travel plans. Everyone is staying in India, meaning I am traveling solo. Not exactly what I had planned. I decided to go to Thailand as I had planned and plan on meeting people when I got there. I got my ticket for the 9^th of April and planned o spending my next week and a half with Sh, O, and Ab. On Thursday there were more goodbyes to say to Sm, M, and Al (GG and Z I will see this summer) which was really hard because I don’t know the next time I will see any of them (they won’t be in Israel this summer when I am there). I am happy I have made such wonderful friends though, even if it is hard to say goodbye.

The 4 of us then took a bus back to Bangalore (it was absolutely terrible! Apparently it’s ok to put on obnoxious Bollywood films around 10:00 on a SLEEPER bus!) and then Ab went directly to Hampi while O, Sh, and I spent the day in Bangalore with Sm’s friends from before. We had a nice day, sat by the pool, ate good food, and just laughed a lot. We got on our last sleeper bus (which was more comfortable but had a lot of nonsense and confusion getting to) and were in Hampi by 5:30 in the morning. I had bee to Hampi last week but the girls wanted to go and I wanted to be with them so I figured it would be fine. It turned out to be wonderful!

We arrived really early Friday morning and got a rickshaw to the lake where we had to wait about an hour for the boat to take us across. At first we were a little annoyed and sleepy, until we got to watch the beautiful sunrise! Since I never get up early when I can help it I don’t see many sunrises so I was very grateful to see this one. We sat on the edge of the lake and took lots of pictures and by the time the sun was up, the boat had come.  We checked into the same hotel I stayed at last time (White Elephant) and then took naps! Our big event of the day was going to the lake for a couple hours and then dinner. It was a long day and we were all exhausted by the end.

The next morning I woke up early with Sh and went to yoga from 8-9:30! It was awesome! Since it was early it wasn’t blistering hot outside and the class was small. It was a great way to start the day and I felt refreshed and happy afterwards. We spent the day reading and relaxing and playing cards. We went to watch the sunset on top of a big rock, which was nice before we had dinner. I was on my computer after and was getting ready to go back to my room when a man came up to me. He told me I was beautiful and interesting and wanted to know if he could look at my hands.  We were in public and he didn’t seem like a serial killer (just a bit strange) so I let him. He told me I would live to be 130 and was the most powerful person in the guesthouse. I can live with that!

On Monday we got up early again and went across the lake to watch an elephant take a bath! This made me really excited for Thailand because I plan on spending a day with elephants. After the bath we walked to the temples and spent the morning exploring. They were absolutely beautiful but I wish more was known about them (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampi#Temples). We took lots of pictures and sat in the shade and finally when it got hot we went and got lunch. After we went to the lake and spent time relaxing in the cool water. At dinner we met some people who said they were going to a waterfall the next day and offered to show us where it was. They seemed nice enough and we decided to join them!

The waterfall wasn’t really a waterfall but many pools. It took us about 40 minutes to walk there. We were really hot and tired but it was worth it. The area was beautiful and we had privacy, which was rare. We had brought lots of fruit and snacks and spent most of the afternoon there swimming and reading and laying in the sun. We never would have found it on our own and I am so happy we got to go! When we finally left we ate at a Nepalese place we had found the day before. I never thought I would miss Nepal so much already but just being able to speak a little Nepali to the guys who worked there made us all smile. That night we all sat together and as I looked around I realized this was what I had always wanted. There were people from Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and Austria. I want to be around all sorts of different people and learn from them. I was only sad I was so tired from the sun and had to go pass out!

Wednesday morning and afternoon turned out to be a big to do (as many things usually turn out to be in this part of the world). O and I took a bus to the local city Hospet to try to mail some more things so our bags would be lighter. I was going to mail my stuff with her and pick it up in Israel in June. We went to the post office and they told us they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) weigh our things until after it was packed. They told us that it cost 750 rupees per kilo to mail to Israel and we had to go get a box and have it packed. We got someone at a nearby store to weigh our bags (about 5 kilos each) and then went to go get a box. Little did we know that this was only the first step. We packed all of our things into the box and then had to get it covered in cloth, which meant we had to go to a tailor. Then we had to have it sealed. I mean like Harry Potter sealed with candle wax and a stamp. Finally we wrote the address and everything on the box and went to the post office. According to my math (which I know is terrible but my multiplication with a calculator is perfectly acceptable) it should have cost about 7,500 rupees (750 rupees per kilo and we had 10 kilos), however it turned out to be only a little over 2,000. We were happy but confused, especially because we were in the post office for 10 minutes when the whole preparation had taken almost 2 hours. We got on the next bus out of Hospet and out of the extreme heat. We met some nice guys on the boat on the way back and I ended up going to the lake with them so I wouldn’t immediately take a nap. But after dinner I was pretty powerless to stay awake for long.

Thursday was lazy. We were all really hot and sleepy so we did laundry (which dried immediately) and read and ate. The big task came at the end of the afternoon. We got a rickshaw then climbed to the top of the monkey temple to watch the sun set. The climb up wasn’t nearly as bad as we had been prepared for and we actually made it up in about a half an hour. We explored and then walked all the way out onto the rocks and were very lucky to have such an amazing sun set. This was our last day in Hampi and with each other and it was the perfect way to end the day. We climbed down right after to avoid doing it in the dark and then enjoyed our last dinner.

On Friday morning we checked out of the White Elephant and went to Mowgli’s (another guesthouse close by) because Ab was staying in Hampi for Shabbat. We put our stuff in her room and had a last afternoon at the lake. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay too long because we had to all take showers and make sure all of our stuff dried in time. Then around 6:30 the three of us said goodbye to Ab and got on the bus for Goa.

I had to go back to Goa because there was a package for me waiting. There were some things I needed from home and my Dad sent them to a Marriott in Goa, which was, where were we were going to spend the next day! We were shown into the nicest room any of us had seen in months and then went to the complimentary continental breakfast. It was…. in a word: heaven! There was so much delicious food and everything looked so pretty that we were really upset when we all got full really fast! Afterwards O and I took a nice long nap and then I got up and went to the market place with Sh. I also booked my bus ticket for the next day to Mumbai. We came back to the hotel and went to the pool, which was heavenly! After we took awesome showers and made an effort to look nice for dinner, which was fantastic! The night ended with us all piled into one bed watching episodes of Glee!

Sunday was a long day.  After another breakfast we checked out of the Marriott. Our first stop was the market (I had to pick up a new battery for my phone) and then we had to take 2 buses to get to Arambol (I had suggested to Sh and O they would like it and I wanted to pick up a few things). We were told it would take a little under an hour to get there from Panaji (where we were) but it took much longer. By the time we got there and they had found a room I only had an hour and a half. I got a couple things but then it was time for me to go because my bus was leaving out of Panaji. Saying goodbye to Sh and O was weird. On the one hand, I will see them both again (I will see O in 2 months in Israel) but they have been my closest friends here and we have been through a lot together these past 6 months and saying goodbye was really sad. I took a cab back to Panaji and got on my final sleeper bus to Mumbai around 6:30. It was a long ride but I didn’t have to share a bed this time and it was nice and cool with the window open. I slept pretty decently.

Today, Monday, I arrived in Mumbai and got dropped off near the airport and got a room (very expensive). I haven’t done much today which is a little bit of a waste but I was tired from the bus and have a big day of travel tomorrow so I wanted a little time to just hibernate. I’ll be trying to meet people pretty quickly and will be pretty social for the next little while so I needed some me time. It’s weird, this is the first time I haven’t shared a room in 6 months. It doesn’t feel lonely though; it feels nice, for now. I know that traveling solo is a really good experience to have, but I didn’t want to see the world on my own. I am pretty nervous about leaving my friends but my desire to see more is stronger than all of my fears. I just hope that I am not alone for too long. I think it’s a bigger deal for me because I’m American. Not only do less Americans travel than a lot of other cultures but they don’t do it alone. Why do I always insist on being the one who is different? Because that is the only way I know how to live.

Signed,

Stubbornly Unique 

India (Goa, Gorkana, and Hampi)

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” (Helen Keller)

The past two and a half weeks have been quite an adventure! On March 6^th Sm and I had a flight out of Nepal to India. We had been in Nepal for about 5 months and couldn’t wait to get out and have a change in scenery! It was not as easy as we had hoped. We found out the night before that there was going to be a bonda the next day (this is when all the cabs and local buses go on strike and apparently they happen fairly often. There was only one in my whole time in Nepal and it was on a day when I didn’t need to be anywhere. It was fantastic! The streets are quiet and no one honks at you and it is extremely relaxing.). However when you need a ride to the airport it is not a good thing, but, we were told that there is a tourist bus that leaves every hour to the airport and that they (the people who worked at our guest house) would show us where it was in the morning. We went to sleep with no worries.

Sm and I were supposed to leave the guesthouse at 7 to get to the airport by the latest 8:30 and take off at 10. At around 5:30 in the morning there was a knock on our (me, O, and Sh) door. It was the guesthouse owner coming to tell us that Sh was sick. Sh had been feeling lousy all day and she had been using the bathroom in the hall because she didn’t want to wake O and me up. Apparently she had kind of passed out in the bathroom and tried to grab onto the sink, which fell, and the owner heard. She was pale and shaking and obviously pretty freaked out. We go dressed and took her to the hospital (the owner got someone to take us) to get her checked out. She was ok, a bit dehydrated so they gave her fluids and she thankfully got some sleep. Around 6:30 I headed back to the guesthouse so Sm and I could check out and go. We got a rickshaw to take us to the tourist bus and were very happy that we found it and would be on our way…or not. The bus didn’t leave until 8 and then we made two stops at hotels (which was pointless because a. no one got on ad b. if you were staying at a hotel you would take a driver from the hotel to the airport) and finally got the airport around 9. We were frantic! We cut lines and made sad eyes at people to let us through as quickly as possibly and final got our bags checked and found our gate! The plane was late. Not only was that extremely annoying but this posed another problem: our flight from Nepal to Delhi had to get in on time or each we would miss our connection for our next flight (a 12:30 flight from Delhi to Chenni). Our plane was about 45 minutes late getting to the airport and then took another 45 minutes before we took off. We got to Chenni around 12:30 but were still hopeful (maybe that flight would be delayed). That’s when the big mess happened.

First, we had to get our bags because for some reason you cannot check bags through Delhi (I had to do this on my way to Kathmandu as well). Thankfully we found them in about 2 minutes. Then we tried to check in but they wouldn’t let us through because we didn’t have a ticket. Usually when I travel and have more than one stop I get the first ticket and then I go to my airline and they look up my name and print out my next one or two boarding passes. No problem. Apparently not in Delhi. There was a major fuss about it and by that tie our flight had left. We went to the Air India counter to get help and have them put us on another flight. A very nice man came and told us that there was another flight out of Delhi at 5 that would go to Mumbai and then from there to Goa. There was a 40-minute layover and we wouldn’t even have to get off the plane! We were so happy! He gave us a receipt and told us to go to the F 14 or 15 counters and check in. Awesome! Except when we went over to check in they told us that we were on stand by and we wouldn’t know if we could get on the flight or not until 4. That meant we couldn’t go and wait in the terminal and eat and that we couldn’t really look for more flights out of Delhi. Whenever we tried to get someone to help us they ended up ignoring us. We were very cranky and frustrated. Eventually we did end up getting on the flight and only ended up getting to Goa about 2-3 hours later than we originally planned. It was fine, just a major pain in the ass.

When we stepped off the plane we couldn’t help by smile. Not only were we finally out of Nepal, but it was hot! It felt like Tel Aviv in the summer! We picked up our bags and got a cab to Bogmalo Beach where Al was staying. The room was nice and cool and we ate and got some very needed sleep. The next day we headed to Arambol beach (about an hour drive), checked into a guesthouse, ate, and went to the beach! P (from Pokhara) met up with us there with his sister D. We stayed from Thursday to Sunday and relaxed. It was really hot but we swam and sat on the beach and drank lassi. We had dinner on the beach, which was covered in white lights and went to a drum circle. We read and napped and went skinny-dipping. Nothing crazy or profound happened but it was nice and very recharging. Then on Sunday we said goodbye to P and D and headed to Gokarana.

Arambol to Gokarna takes about 6 hours. We took a bus the first hour, which was hell (extremely crowded and had to stand in the aisle) and then took a cab the rest of the way. When we got to Gokarna we had to take a rickshaw to Om Beach. I was very cranky and sullen. The heat had gotten to me and the last thing I felt like doing was walking along the beach with all of my things to find a guesthouse. I felt better the next day when I had cooled off and slept and could see how beautiful Om beach was. We were staying in little beach huts, which looked like a small community of wandering hippies. We stayed a whole week (Sunday to Sunday) and had a whole lot of beach time. We drank too many kit-kat nutella shakes and had banana chocolate crepes for breakfast. I saw beautiful sunsets, went night swimming and saw glow in the dark plankton, and learned the hard way that I need to drink anywhere from 2-4 liters of water every day. One day we went into Gokarna for a festival they were having and explored for a bit before we had to leave because of the heat and on our last day we took a short boat ride to a beach called Paradise. P came and stayed with us from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon when we all left. All in all it was a good time but I was ready to move on.

Sunday afternoon the 4 of us left Om Beach. P went to the train station to go to Mumbai (from there he would go to the airport back to Europe) and Sm, Al, and I went to the bus station where we caught the last local bus to Ankala. From there we waited about 3 hours at a restaurant and then around midnight we got on the bus. Sleeper buses are officially my favorite. I usually am asleep on a plane, train, or bus and the fact that there are beds just makes it better. Plus, we rolled down the windows so there was this amazing breeze. I was out like a light! At 7 in the morning we arrived in Hampi. Wow! It’s so beautiful!  Fields of green, the sweet water lakes, and rocks and boulders were everywhere! It was really nice to be somewhere that didn’t have any sand! We took a 2-minute boat ride across the lake and then made our way to a guesthouse. The room was hot but much bigger than the one we had in Om Beach so we didn’t feel as crowded. We only stayed from Monday morning to Friday afternoon but I really enjoyed my stay. We went to the lake every day and I learned how to ride a motorcycle. I finished two books and got a really cool hair wrap with beads in it. I was really excited to leave thought because our next stop is where we meet up with everyone for Passover!

On Friday afternoon we checked out of our guesthouse and took the boat back across the lake and then got a rickshaw into the city outside. We waited for about 5 hours for our bus, which was only 20 minutes late, and got on our second sleeper bus, which would take us from Hampi to Bangalore. We got in at 6 in the morning, which was not fun. We went to a hotel and had some breakfast and tried to keep from falling asleep. Then around 8 we went to a friend of Sm who is living and working in Bangalore. His apartment was huge! It was so great to be able to stay there because our bus from Bangalore didn’t leave until almost 10 at night. So not only did we have a safe place to keep all of our stuff but, we had a room with a bed, shower, and fan, as well as internet and power so could charge all of our phones and cameras at the same time! It’s amazing what I have come to appreciate when I am now more aware than ever that most of the people in our world live without all of these things I consider so obvious and normal.

We spent the whole morning, afternoon, and evening in Bangalore with Sm’s friend, R and his roommate S. First we went to the mall where I got a book (I refuse to get a kindle and although I have started reading my computer books don’t loose power and they are more comfortable to sleep with) and then we had a lunch so big that we all had to lay down afterwards! We hung out and tried not to fall asleep all afternoon. We took showers and then left around 7:30 for the bus station. Our bus came at 9:00 and we got on and headed (at last) to Vata Kanal.

I am really excited to see everyone for Passover! Sh, O, M, GG, Z, and Ab will be there and I think it will be really nice to be altogether for one of my favorite holidays. The past two and a half weeks were really fun with Sm and Al but I’m tired. I haven’t slept great because of the heat and the sleeper bus last night didn’t help. My body is sore and tired and I miss having a bed to my own. I am well aware that I am extremely lucky and am on the trip of a lifetime, but right at this moment my stomach hurts, my head is stuffy, and I’m still pretty sleep deprived. Hopefully all of this (physical and emotional stress) will pass very soon, and in another two and a half to three weeks I will be in Thailand!

Signed,

Tired On The Road

Tato Pani, Begnas, and Pokhara

“To travel is to live.”  (Hans Christian Anderson)

"One in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. One billion women violated is an atrocity. One billion women dancing is a revelation.” ‘1 billion rising’ is a campaign celebrated across the world today. It aims to DEMAND an end to violence against women.” This was the amazing campaign I got to be a part of on Thursday! I went with Sm to Patan to participate in a flash-mob dancing for women’s rights. It was so amazing especially because we had learned the dance! It was a really good way to kind of end TBT, coming together for a good cause that so many people believe in. I was really inspired and happy to have been there.

On Saturday morning I got up early and took a bus to Tato Pani (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatopani,_Bagmati)to meet GB. It is such an interesting place, there is absolutely nothing to do except go to the bathhouses, and there are big mountains surrounding the whole area with China in the distance. We obviously tried to get a border pass but it was unfortunately closed until late March to foreigners. We still had a pretty cool walk and then went to the bathhouse. Tato pani literally means “hot water” and I understand why! It was so hot I could barely breathe let alone get all the way in! When we left it was pouring and the guesthouse didn’t have electricity. Good thing I was tired so I went to bed early. The nest day we walked a bit of the way to Last Resort where GB was going to go bungee jumping. The rain had stopped and has taken all the grey of yesterday with it. Everywhere I looked where mountains and lakes and sunlight. We eventually hitched a ride and flew through the cool morning air being terrified only slightly by the sharp turns. We spent the day there after he jumped and then took a very nice bus back to Kathmandu.

Monday and Tuesday where very strange, I was back in Kathmandu but no one was there (everyone was trekking) and I wasn’t travelling and just felt confused. I felt homesick and even had the notion that maybe I would come home a little earlier than I was originally planning. I didn’t like the feeling and felt bored and lonely. Fortunately GB and I left early Wednesday morning for Begnas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begnas_Lake), which is close to Pokhara and has a beautiful lake. We spent Wednesday and Thursday there reading relaxing and just enjoying the view. Like Tato Pani there wasn’t really anything to do so as much as I enjoyed the quiet I was bored and was glad to be leaving for Pokhara on Friday.

On Saturday O came! She had come back a bit early from trekking and I was so happy to see her! We all spent the day hanging out and then met up with S, El, D, and C who were all there as well. On Sunday we moved to a different and much better guesthouse and O and I had a lazy day. It was grey out and we read and watched movies. That night we all met up and we ended up meeting some nice people from Holland who were really cool and staying out with them for a bit. Monday was really cool because I went paragliding! First I went to breakfast with S, El, and D and then D went with a guy she knew first and the rest of us waited on the landing sight and watched people paraglide which was beautiful! Then O and I went! We drove up a big mountain and before I knew it I was all strapped in and ready to go! It was so crazy to be so high up and see the blue sky and green all around me. Everything seemed so peaceful from up above but in a different way than when you are in an airplane because you are actually outside. Unfortunately the motion of flying through the air made me incredibly nauseous. I advise for anyone who wants to paraglide and gets motion sickness to take something before! I was in bed for the rest of the afternoon but got up to say goodbye to S, El, D, Al (who had come that day), and GB who were all leaving in the morning and who I wouldn’t see. I was so sad to say goodbye (especially to GB who has become such a close friend) and it really meant that TBT is over.

The next day (Tuesday) I got a massage with Sm and M. WOW! It was amazing! It was a good place and they did such a good job! I felt so good and relaxed after and just happy! When I finished we went back to the guesthouse and had tea and relaxed all afternoon. Then we went out to dinner and to the bar where I fell into talking with some of the people I had met with the people from Holland a couple nights before. We had a really good time and planned to meet up the next day! So on Wednesday I went with P, R, and T and rented a boat. We paddled out on the lake and sat there in the sun. I even dove in along with P and R! The water was freezing and I couldn’t stay in! But it was really fun and we only came back when it started to get cool out. I spent the night watching movies and relaxing.

On Thursday we (me, Sh, O, and Ab) rented a boat and paddled across the lake so we could climb to the Peace Pagoda. It was a bit of a hike and O and I were dying a little but we made it. The view was incredible and the Peace Pagoda itself was beautiful. I was really glad I went and the walk down didn’t take very long, however I did feel like my arms were going to fall off when we paddled back. Then we had the most amazing sandwiches at a place called Dafna’s and then went back to the guesthouse to shower. Then Sh and I went for a walk because it was so gorgeous out and then met O and Ab for dinner and after went out with P and R and had a great time!

Friday was not a good day. I woke up with a terrible stomachache and had to stay in bed all day. I slept and showered and by the late afternoon I felt well enough to go and sit with P, R and their friend N. We had dinner (they ate and me not so much) and then I called it an early night. Fortunately I felt much better on Saturday and spent the day walking around enjoying the sunshine with P. Then we met up with R and N for dinner and went out for a bit. I had to call it an early night though because I had an early bus back to Kathmandu in the morning. I am really happy I made new friends! I will be seeing P in India next week and R in Indonesia in May!

 I spent the better part of my day on a bus back to Kathmandu on Sunday. Then I got all my stuff from storage from the big house and took it to the guesthouse where O, Sh, M, Sm, and Ab were staying. Afterwards I bought tickets to Goa with Smadar to Wednesday! On Monday I went with Sh and O to the visa office to drop off my passport and then we got breakfast. After O and I spent the afternoon sorting, packing, and shipping our clothing back to the home. We also took care of some last minute gifts and by the end of the day felt extremely accomplished.

Today, Tuesday, is my last day in Nepal. I finally got my visa for India and packed all of my things. **Getting your visa for India is easy but a pain in the ass. You must fill out an online application and submit it AND print it out. Then you go to the embassy with the application, passport, and photocopies of BOTH your passport picture and Nepali visa, and a 2x2 passport picture. Then they give you a receipt and give you a time to come back (usually 5-7 days). You can come back any time after it’s ready and then must leave your passport there and come back the next day and pick it up. Again, not hard, but a huge pain** I am officially ready! Ab left yesterday and will be going to Lumbini first and then crossing the border by land. Sm and I leave in the morning and will be in Goa by nightfall and O, Sh, and M will be leaving in the afternoon and getting to Chenni at night. We will all meet up in a couple weeks for Passover and then travel north together (at least that is our plan for the moment). I am so incredibly excited to finally start this journey! Ready or not here I come!

Signed,

India Bound