Journal

It has been six months since I left San Francisco for Bangkok. I've traveled in Thailand, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and The Philippines. I've eaten curries and breads, exotic fruit, all manner of fish, pulses and vegetables. I've been on motorbikes long enough for my backside to hurt, visited tiny villages and fabulous cities. But more than anything else, I've written- every day.

180 days
113 pages
Somewhere between 160,000 and 170,000 words.

Here is sample of my journal:



Find the whole thing HERE.

News of the World

One summer I did osteological research in Honduras. When it rained, massive frogs (toads?) escaped their burrows, trenches and streams and headed for asphalt. After peaceful nights of pitter-patter drops and hops, inordinate numbers of their crushed carcases littered the roads.

Last night, in Malaysia, it rained. I thought I stepped on a frog. But it was just a wet, crumpled-up, dirty piece of paper. I didn't pick it up.

By the Numbers

days away - 177
books read - 23
places slept - 68
spent on internet - $88
new passport stamps - 15
purchases recorded - 1700
approx. words written - 160,000
private homes spent the night in - 10
New countries visited: 1 (The Philippines)
postcards sent - 55 (confirmations rc'vd - 20)
dollars spent (not inc. initial plane ticket) - $2800
nights spent en route (bus/train/plane/airport) - 16
least expensive paid accomodation - 60cents (ashram dorm, India)

Favorite street food:
India: 2 samosas - .12 cents
Indonesia: peanut pancake - .37 cents
Thailand: green papaya salad - .60 cents
Malaysia: rambutan (fruit)- .63 cents/pound
Philippines: Halo Halo (ice/milk/fruit) - .50 cents

Compunction

At a roadside shack of a restaurant I waited for a bus. All buses going in my direction inevitably head to Lubik Basang, where I would change buses to head to my next destination in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It didn't take long, and I squeezed into the open middle spot in the 5-seat back row of a medium-sized bus. I guess you get used to being stared at after a while, and it isn't that bad. It helps that the staring usually varies from day to day. In big cities and areas frequented by tourists, it is easy to feel accepted.

A heartbeat away from me was an old man with soft, weather-worn skin, a grey shawl spread from his neck to knees like a blanket. He looked at me, disgusted. I looked away, but when I turned back he looked me in the eye, then shifted to a woman in front of us, to another woman between us, back at me. He rubbed his thumb against his middle and index fingers, indicating "money".

The old man looked at me, pointed at me and his hands momentarily went together, then seperated as if in an awkward, slow-motion clap, indicating a stack of money.

"You. You have big money, " he was saying with his hands; "I have nothing," with his eyes.

As soon as I could, I changed seats.

A Day in the Life

Or, How to get from the colonial Philippines to historic Malaysia in about 24 hours.



After a pretty nice three week stay in The Philippines, it was time to go. I'll be back soon with a rundown of that time with photos and an overload of meat dishes soon enough... US citizens (and many others) are granted a "free" 21-day stay/visa. It was easiest to make my stay exactly that long. Beyond, things can get a little complicated.

1. Most hotels have a checkout time at noon, but if you ask politely they'll usually let you hang out until at least 2 pm. Actually, in Asia, there are fewer rules than most places- you can often haggle about the price of toothpaste and bottled water at tiny shops- but I guess I can get back to that another time, too. With a 9pm bus from currently very warm colonial Pinoy city Vigan, it was nice to have some extra time out of the heat.


2. Before the trip to the bus station, the best escape from the heat was chain fast food restaurants (remarkable in this smallish city, and due to the large amount of local and foreign tourists) and the odd internet cafe. But the latter can be crowded with both terminals and children playing online dance games and WoW-type role-playing games.

3. Getting to the bus station early was a strategy not easily understood within 5000 kilometers of the Philippines. Bus tickets didn't even go on sale until 15 minutes before my particular departure. While I waited, 4 buses left for Manila, where I was headed and would fly from in the morning. There was a good reason for waiting for a 9pm bus, as the 9-hour advertised journey was usually around just 7 hours, and I chose to have my waiting time clumped before leaving as much as possible.
Bus stand wait: 2 hours

4. The bus is comfortable enough, but nothing could make the ride itself enjoyable or relaxing in any way. Most of the journey between Vigan and Manila is two lanes and fairly curvy. Bus drivers both ways seemed in deathly hurries; slammed breaks, near-miss passes and constant stops kept any possibility of sleep at bay. Note: I would not recommend a hot dog on the way. It might look delicious, since it may have been hours since you've eaten, but inside the bright red tube of animal is likely to be terribly large and soft hunks of translucent white fat. It was only 50 cents; I threw it away.
Bus ride to Manila: 7.5 hours
Bus sleep: about 1 hour

5. The bus arrived at 4:30 am. To avoid another night in hot and sticky Manila, I chose to go straight to the airport. Unfortunately, my cheap AirAsia flight left from Clark airport, another two hours away. While waiting for my bus I watched the sun come up and bus after bus empty, refill, and roll away.
Bus stand wait: 2.5 hours
Bus to airport: 2 hours

6. My flight was scheduled at 11:45, and took off on time, but the airport is new and dull- one of many so-called "low-cost" airline terminals cropping up in Asia to make room for the influx of flights on airlines such as AirAsia. Annoyingly, the airline often has "free-seating" and all refreshments on-board are an additional fee! And, they inflate flight times so even a late flight arrives on-time or even early...
Airport wait: 2.5 hours
Flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 3.5 hours
Plane Sleep: 30 minutes

7. Once at Kuala Lumpur's own LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal), I found a bus to the city center.
Wait: 30 minutes
Bus to center: 1.5 hours

8. Kuala Lumpur has a wide range of public transport, much of it rail-based, allowing for the avoidance of perpetual traffic. I had to make it to the bus stand near Chinatown.
Two Light Rail rides: 30 minutes

9. Once at the bus terminal, dozens of bus companies vie for the attention of locals and tourists, touting their tickets. I chose the first one I saw (prices are usually posted), and bought a ticket to Malacca.
Wait time: 30minutes
Bus to Malacca: 2.5 hours

10. Malacca is a quite touristy, and filled with package tourists from China and Taiwan, as well as Malaysians on holiday and lots of Westerners, but it is still quaint and walkable, which is a beautiful thing compared to congested Kuala Lumpur. Local bus to town center and hit-or-miss walk to find guesthouse: 1 hour



Total Time: 26.5 hours (waiting: 8 hours; travel: 18.5 hours)
Total Sleep: 1.5 hours

Digest II

My goodness, India really is brimming with things to see. Tomorrow I'm leaving to escape the increasing heat and coming monsoon! In a matter of 5 days I'll travel through/into 4 countries: India, Thailand, Malaysia, and The Philippines. I'm excited to add a new destination to my list. But I'm ahead of myself... After I left my dear Indian family in Gujarat I headed for Rajasthan.

Udaipur
My first stop was Udaipur, the "Venice of the East". Set near Lake Pichola, the romantic history and striking lake palace did intrigue me, but overall, I was left disappointed.


The City Palace was gorgeous, a maze of rooms and stairwells, paintings, glass filled rooms, and many, many tourists. I'm one of them, I know, but the ones there were the amusement park types who yell at beggars (okay, I did that once) and, no matter where they are from, live up to the "ugly american" caricature (one more note- they are in equal parts American and European, I believe).

Within the palace is grand museum, the main thing to see, really, but there is also a small government museum, that most overlook. Within it, well, see for yourself:


Chittorgarh

After Udaipur I took a shaky 6 hour bus ride to Chittorgarh, home of a fantastic world-class fort (and not much else). There are a few hotels and even fewer restaurants, but most tourists make it a day trip. The ruins are a magical place- acres and acres of say, an 8th century sun temple to the left and a 900 year old tower to the right.







Bundi

Another 5 hours of bumpy road the next day and I found myself in charming little Bundi. Narrow lanes, inspiration and sometime home of Kipling, the narrow lanes and hilltop fort are breathtaking... This little city is mostly blue, as the paint used to signify the upper echelon of society. But, this is another Hampi. Among the fort, palace, the museums and smiling faces, you have a place where tourism has grown so much to make the feeling a little stale, forced, greedy. I did manage to meet some nice people who invited me into their home, but I had to walk a bit out of the main city.









Jaipur

And, onto Jaipur... A huge metropolis that, well, it is pretty nice. I wanted to be in a big place for the upcoming festival Holi, the "festival of colors" with the purpose of welcoming spring. The day before Holi there was a wonderful elephant festival.

















On Holi, anyone outdoors is considered to be "playing" or available to play, with gulal, powder. People either throw powder or mix it with water put in buckets, water guns, etc.







Holi was pretty intense for me. Even though I thought I knew what I was in for, people were much more aggressive than I bargained for. I actually used my pepper spray on someone that would have gone to jail for his actions had the same thing happened in the United States. The experience had me frustrated with India for a few days, but it also illustrated for me one of the ways in which this place is so completely different from where I am from. I always say this, feel this, but while our needs and desires are the same everywhere, the culture, the intent, the way, the very soil of us is different. India is 1/3 the size of the United States with 3x as many people. Obligation, duty and loyalty drive Indians, and on this special day they can show their excitement, affection and love to the world. I'm glad I got to see a little of it, but once was enough...

Leaving

After Jaipur I hopped over to Agra, another day on the bus. My main purpose was to visit some people I met the last time I visited. It was wonderful and quiet, and cheap. Then I took a 23 hour train ride to Calcutta. I stayed a couple nights and then went to a wonderful small town (possibly the highlight of my time in India thus far) for a few days before returning to Calcutta for a flight to Bangkok April 5. I'll take off from there within a day, heading overland for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (about 800 miles) for a flight to The Philippines mid-week. I'm meeting someone special there for a little while, and then I've got to find something to do, somewhere to go until returning to India in August!

Digest

The weeks have flown past, and India continues to delight and disgust (in equal measure only in retrospect). Daily, I find myself reeling from one or the other. A few days ago I was reveling in a sea of elephants, the day after I managed to use my pepper spray on one of India's most famous National holidays- Holi. More on that later.

Hampi

Hampi is gifted by the nearby 600 year-old ruins of Vijayanagar, a World Heritage site. Set among lush green fields and boulders, it is a natural wonder, and natural that tourists would flock there. I enjoyed the sites, and the Tungabhadra river, but something happens with places like this- they attract people taking vacations. Many people vacationing (I contrast this with "traveling"), have 1 or 2 weeks during which they rush through monuments and temples wearing shorts and tank tops and snapping photos indiscriminately. Indians dress very conservatively- long pants and button-front shirts for men and saris or other traditional clothing for women. Tourists are most respected when they wear the same, but in the least they ought to stay well-covered. Hampi is one of the places that has lost some of it's character and charm and things will be worse in the coming years. A new federal tax plan has set-up 5 year tax-free periods for 3 and 4 star hotels at sites like this throughout India. Take a look at the best parts...







Bijapur

After leaving Hampi I was headed for Mumbai, and stopped for a couple days in the medium-sized Bijapur. In most cases, the smallest things can make a place feel good, and I have not found in myself a preference for small or quaint towns. There must be something about first impressions here in India. In any case, I liked this place. It is dirty and dusty, but walkable and friendly. There were no tourists to be seen and I found a decent room quickly for 150 rupees (USD $3.75). At dusk I took a nice walk through a narrow market wedged and winding between buildings in the busy city center.





The next morning I headed out for the monument Ibrahim Rouza and met another tourist at a small restaurant. Ryan and I spent hours at the site chatting about world politics, India, Thailand, love, and other unforgettable/forgettable things. We had a late lunch in a dark bar where half a dozen scattered men stared at mostly me. I would have never gone into a place like that alone. It was strange but nice. We also had a goat curry- I had not had meat in several weeks.



When I walked to the bus stand the day I left I saw a medicine man who divined with a scorpion and that cozy little monkey family I posted recently.



Mumbai

My only reason for stopping here was to make the journey to the Gujarat less of a headache. Mumbai is busy, bustling, full of the poor that support the network, or the upper crust who thrive off its riches. It is big and exciting and depressing and missable. The best part was staying at a hospital- but only as a guest of a resident doctor! I was not a patient.

Ahmedabad and Beyond

From Mumbai I traveled to Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat. I spent a couple days in the congested city. It is noisy, crowded, spread out and bipolar, with dirt roads creeping onto their chrome-new modern counterparts. Nothing stays clean for long in India. The best parts of any city always, always involve wandering...



I then headed to Kapadvanj where my "family" live. Please see this post in my former Asia blog about them. The journey by bus from Ahmedabad was only a couple hours but I was nervous and jittery. Part of me worried that that they would no longer live there, and part of me knew this was not remotely possible. When I arrived at the bus station I jumped in an auto rickshaw. Minutes later, turning down one of the dirt lanes in their "society" (like a subdivision or village within a town), I saw Milu- Hitendra and Rama's daughter. When the rickshaw approached her I saw her eyes widen and she called out "Maya!?" I pulled her into the open car with me and we were seconds away from her house. No one was home, but other people from the society started coming out of their houses. Milu ran to get her mother, and a neighbor called Hitendra, who was at work. Someone put a mobile to my ear and I heard Hitendra speaking Gujarati. "Maya!??" "Hello" I said. "Maya WALDMAN?"



I stayed with them one week, and during this time we went to nearby Anand where Hitendra's neice was getting married. I got both my hands and forearms done up with mendhi.




We went to Anand, the "Milk Capital of India" (home of Asia's largest dairy), for the festivities, and I had a nice afternoon with residents of a small shantytown...




This guy takes care of the little temple on the grounds. After I was introduced to him I made a small donation of ten rupees (USD $0.25) very quietly. I didn't want anyone to see, but he was confused by the paper I folded into his palm, unwrapped it with a confused look and promptly showed everyone!





It was hard leaving Kapadvanj, and all my friends... On my last day a few of the boys gave me a surprise: