It's fall in Estes Park... probably my favorite time of year. The tourists calm down, the leaves start to change, the big bull elk walk through town with their huge antlers. It's also one of my least favorite times of the year, as it reminds me that winter is almost here. It's not that I don't appreciate the change of seasons and the things that make winter enjoyable, it's purely that I love summer so much. I love the hiking, the hectic scheduling, the money (greedy of me, I know), the wonderful wonderful people, and the feeling that every day I wake up and I am in the exact right place doing the exact right thing.
Since I've graduated college, I've had to make a choice every fall. What will I do this winter? Do I have enough money? Where do I want to live? It's stressful, and I think I would enjoy it a lot more if I had more ideas. The problem is I just simply don't know what to do. Do I stay in one spot? Do I travel? DO I get a real job? Do I live off of my savings? The problem with this overwhelming freedom and flexibility in life, is that every choice can completely change everything. I'm never sure if the things I am doing are bringing me closer to where I want to be... but I don't even know where I want to be!
I've gotten some wonderful advice from people who are older than me. They tell me, be happy with this freedom. You are so lucky to be 24 and have drive and vision and supportive friends and family. The world is huge and you have all the time in the world. And I agree, completely. So... I am trying to take their advice.
I have made plenty of money working my BUTT off this summer, sometimes giving up being outdoors, hiking, and seeing more of my friends. I received a pay check from 6 different employers... The Rock Inn, Kent Mountain Adventure Center, The Mountain Shop, Kirk's flyfishing, Ed's Cantina, and the School District for coaching the volleyball teams. I worked double, sometimes triple shifts. I'm not entirely sure why... I no longer needed the money. But I do really enjoy all of my jobs, and I also have a problem saying no when people ask something from me. It's paid off, but I'm about to go blow it all again.
On October 26th, I am flying out to Sacramento, where Becca Caldwell is going to pick me up and take me to Yosemite. There, I will meet a handful of other people who are spending their vacation out there. After that, the plan is pretty up in the air. I will be in the valley until the 31st, and then I'm jumping in a van with Quinn, Wes, and Dustin, where we will drive the long way back to Denver. I'm not sure specifically where the stops will include, but there's been talk of Zion, and then Vegas for Quinn's 30th birthday. Who knows.
My other big plan is a trip to Argentina with Tommy and Becca Caldwell, Kelly Cordes, Jay Parry, and Kaci Yoh. We are flying down to El Chalten on December 1st, where I will spend 2.5 weeks in Patagonia, hopefully hiking and exploring Argentina as much as possible. Tommy has rented a house for the month, and the town is apparently a pretty interesting tourist town. I'm excited to see another country by staying in one spot for a few weeks, instead of trying to see a little of everything.
SO there's all of that... and I guess my biggest dilema is what comes next? Life throws you some big uncertainties, and definitely makes you question a lot of things you thought you were sure of. I think I'm not sure of anything anymore, and maybe that's the way it should be. It's all one big adventure.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
at the end of things
Well, I dropped the ball on my last 2 weeks of blogging about India. Even now, only 3 months later, a lot of the details such as names and places and order of events are hazy, but I'll do my best.
We took a long overnight train from Mumbai - Delhi. I was happy to be leaving the crazy overcrowded city, and excited to see more of the countryside, but it turns out the Val and I felt relatively unprepared for the chaos of Delhi. We shoved our way off the train and followed the mob helplessly to the taxi stand. Competing our way for a fair tuktuk price, we took a short ride to a hotel that was more expensive than the average room in Delhi. It was 50$/night, which still doesnt seem to steep, but it was a small price to pay for the comfort it included. Delhi was just as crowded as Mumbai, but dirtier, and way more intimidating. Furthermore, we arrived during the height of the hot season, just before the monsoon was to come. THis meant 120 degree temperatures. We knew that come midday, we'd find the sanctuary of our airconditioned hotel room extremely comforting.
The first day, we took a private car ride to Agra, which was three hours away. It was also my birthday, and was the most surreal, incredible way to spend it. We arrived at the Taj Mahal at 6 am, just as the doors opened, to see the sunrise. I've seen pictures of it before, but nothing prepared me for the extreme whiteness, the size, and the feeling of awe that comes with seeing it in person. It was built as a tomb for the wife of one of the kings, several hundred years ago. The stone work was beautiful, and it is no wonder it is such a famous landmark in the world. We hired a tour guide to take us around the city. He showed us other things in Agra such as the stone masons who work on the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, and a delicious breakfast place. Just half a day in Agra seemed to be enough, and we headed home after that. On the night of my birthday, we went out to a bollywood movie. Unfortunately the movie was entirely in hindi, but we got the jist of it. We ditched out at intermission, however, because it was approaching 9 pm, and Val and I were a little skittish about Delhi after dark.
We caught a flight the next day to Bagdogra, where we hoped to catch a ride to Darjeeling, which is 2 hours away. When we arrived in Bagdogra, however, we discovered that Darjeeling was holding a strike for the following three days, and if we were to travel there, we would have trouble finding hotel rooms, food, and even water. We decided to head to Sikkim instead, a province that would be our launching point for ou Himalayan trek. It was still a race against the protesters, however, as the city we landed in was to have a strike the following day. WE were literally running around the city (catching rides on cyclos) to find permits to enter sikkim, photo copy machines for our visas, and a taxi ride that would take us into Sikkim. We caught the last taxi out, which happened to involve us squeezing into the backseat of a tiny jeep, holding our bags on our lap. We were off on the 6 hour journey on bumpy, unimproved mountain roads, towards the capital of Sikkim, Gangtok. We arrived late at night, and luckily found a room just before the quiet town literally locks all of its doors at 8 pm. We realized after this hectic day, that India is not like SE Asia... you cant just go with the flow. There are too many people, and too many different regulations and limitations to do everything last minute.
We woke up the next day to find ourselves in the beauty of the Himalayas, with incredible views in the midst of this quiet mountain town. I love the province of Sikkim. THe people are unasuming and incredible helpful, and the strict regulations make it seem very much unlike India. It is far less crowded, and things had much more order and cleaniness. We found an agency that would let us join the 8-day trek we had in mind, up to the mountain of Kanchanjunga. We were to join a group of 12 other tourists, leaving from an even SMALLER mountain town.
My entire trip had been filled with ridiculous car ride experiences. Four people on a motorcycle, weaving through the streets of Phnom Penh.... Long bus rides filled with Cambodian tourists with no airconditioning... A sleeper bus in Thailand where an elderly American man slept on my shoulder and I was trapped by the window... Seven hours on a broken down bus... private taxis that were rented with a driver for 20 bucks a day.... tuktuks... cyclos... the list goes on. But nothing compares with that 6 hour journey to Yuksum. Our driver was either drunk or crazy, or maybe both, and he took every hairpin mountain tourn at 100 km/hour. One time a bus was headed straight for us and I literally saw my life flash before my eyes as we narrowly avoided falling off the cliff. We stopped at least 9 times for bathroom breaks, to buy snacks off the side of the road, to yell at school girls walking home, to send messages to their friends, to stretch our legs, to switch drivers. It was a sitcom. But we made it to Yuksum, met with our group, and left the next day on our 8 day trek.
The trek did not begin well for me. I felt fine until lunch time, where I came down quite suddenly with a fever, and some major stomach issues. I had the chance to turn around, but I really did not want to miss out, and kept hiking the tourturous 12 miles to our first hut. There were several times where I thought I would collapse, and I think I was so out of it that I can barely remember most of the journey. I spent the entire 8 days of the trek in that disastrous state, and only upon returning back to America and visiting the doctor, did I discover that I had Giardia. It was the most pain I had ever been in, second only to my broken ankle.
The Himalayas are unlike any mountain range I had ever seen. Steeper, bigger, and more difficult terrain. They are constantly in a cloud, and you are lucky if you get the chance to see the highest peaks. We hiked to a viewpoint where we saw Kanchanjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. Even suffering from Giardia, I could definitely appreciate the miracle of the moment.
After our trek, we went to Darjeeling, where we luckily found a place to stay. Turns out that just a few days before we arrived there, a local politician had been murdered in front of everyone. In fact, one employee at a restuarant we visited, showed me the grousome photo of his neck that had been hacked into by a machete. THe town was protesting it while we were there. Although people kept telling us to be careful, I felt far less danger there than in Delhi, or Mumbai, and it was actually an interesting experience to see the police and protestors occasionally marching through the street.
We spent our three days in Darjeeling reading books, drinking tea, and walking around in the cooler mountain air. It was nice to kind of do nothing while we were there, and just enjoy our last few days in India before we started the trip home.
It took me more than 48 hours of travel to make it back to Denver. We left Darjeeling at 7 am on Friday. We took a 2 hour bus ride to the airport in bagdogra. We had a 2 hour plane ride back to Delhi, followed by a 7 hour layover in the Delhi airport. Val and I split ways for the first time in 4 months, and I flew 10 hours to Frankfurt. I had a 7 hour layover in the Frankfurt airport, where i was shocked by modern bathrooms, internet, newspapers and more. I felt like I had emerged from the twilight zone and was reentering the world again. From Frankfurt I had a 7 hour flight back to Denver, which turned into 10 hours when we made an emergency landing in Montreal. I made it back to Denver finally at 8 pm on Saturday night, and slept more soundly in my family's westernized bedroom than I had in the last 5 months.
Looking back on it all now, it seemed like a world apart. To relive the every day through my journals and pictures, I am amazed at everything I saw, experienced, and felt. That part of the world is so different from my own. I never stopped being nervous, scared, excited, or confused... And the adjustment back to my life in Estes was a lot harder than I couldve imagined.
Of course I experienced culture shock, but it was more than that. I felt suddenly alone without Val around me all the time... sharing my food, my room, and my life with me. I also felt very startled at the sudden change in lifestyle. Having a car again, seeing my friends and family again, having real life responsibilities again. THe first week I returned, I had to deal with issues like Giardia, a stolen credit card, the purchase of new tires, a $2,000 debt to my parents, finding an apartment,and finding a job. I was overwhelmed by life here as much as life abroad.
There is so much I learned from my experience over there, that I can just now understand. It is more than a compare and contrast between the East and the West, and the contrast between lifestyles, outlooks, personalities, etc. I am no expert, and I feel like I just dipped my toes into the massive lake that is the world, but I have a little understanding of the themes. I now have an idea what poverty is like. I know what overpopulation looks like, and I know what problems can arise (like lack of water and diseases like Giardia). I have seen the negative consequences of mass genocide, and the beautiful personalities of a whole country such as Cambodia. I have seen the positive and negative effects of tourism, the intense contrast between the rich and the poor, and what the difference between a corrupted government and an absent government. THere is so much to learn from other cultures, and while the experience might be incredibly hard, it is priceless. I'm happy now in Estes Park, in my comfortable apartment, my profitable jobs, and my wonderful friends... and I truly get how lucky I am to have this. But the world is still out there, and there is so much more to see and do and learn.
We took a long overnight train from Mumbai - Delhi. I was happy to be leaving the crazy overcrowded city, and excited to see more of the countryside, but it turns out the Val and I felt relatively unprepared for the chaos of Delhi. We shoved our way off the train and followed the mob helplessly to the taxi stand. Competing our way for a fair tuktuk price, we took a short ride to a hotel that was more expensive than the average room in Delhi. It was 50$/night, which still doesnt seem to steep, but it was a small price to pay for the comfort it included. Delhi was just as crowded as Mumbai, but dirtier, and way more intimidating. Furthermore, we arrived during the height of the hot season, just before the monsoon was to come. THis meant 120 degree temperatures. We knew that come midday, we'd find the sanctuary of our airconditioned hotel room extremely comforting.
The first day, we took a private car ride to Agra, which was three hours away. It was also my birthday, and was the most surreal, incredible way to spend it. We arrived at the Taj Mahal at 6 am, just as the doors opened, to see the sunrise. I've seen pictures of it before, but nothing prepared me for the extreme whiteness, the size, and the feeling of awe that comes with seeing it in person. It was built as a tomb for the wife of one of the kings, several hundred years ago. The stone work was beautiful, and it is no wonder it is such a famous landmark in the world. We hired a tour guide to take us around the city. He showed us other things in Agra such as the stone masons who work on the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, and a delicious breakfast place. Just half a day in Agra seemed to be enough, and we headed home after that. On the night of my birthday, we went out to a bollywood movie. Unfortunately the movie was entirely in hindi, but we got the jist of it. We ditched out at intermission, however, because it was approaching 9 pm, and Val and I were a little skittish about Delhi after dark.
We caught a flight the next day to Bagdogra, where we hoped to catch a ride to Darjeeling, which is 2 hours away. When we arrived in Bagdogra, however, we discovered that Darjeeling was holding a strike for the following three days, and if we were to travel there, we would have trouble finding hotel rooms, food, and even water. We decided to head to Sikkim instead, a province that would be our launching point for ou Himalayan trek. It was still a race against the protesters, however, as the city we landed in was to have a strike the following day. WE were literally running around the city (catching rides on cyclos) to find permits to enter sikkim, photo copy machines for our visas, and a taxi ride that would take us into Sikkim. We caught the last taxi out, which happened to involve us squeezing into the backseat of a tiny jeep, holding our bags on our lap. We were off on the 6 hour journey on bumpy, unimproved mountain roads, towards the capital of Sikkim, Gangtok. We arrived late at night, and luckily found a room just before the quiet town literally locks all of its doors at 8 pm. We realized after this hectic day, that India is not like SE Asia... you cant just go with the flow. There are too many people, and too many different regulations and limitations to do everything last minute.
We woke up the next day to find ourselves in the beauty of the Himalayas, with incredible views in the midst of this quiet mountain town. I love the province of Sikkim. THe people are unasuming and incredible helpful, and the strict regulations make it seem very much unlike India. It is far less crowded, and things had much more order and cleaniness. We found an agency that would let us join the 8-day trek we had in mind, up to the mountain of Kanchanjunga. We were to join a group of 12 other tourists, leaving from an even SMALLER mountain town.
My entire trip had been filled with ridiculous car ride experiences. Four people on a motorcycle, weaving through the streets of Phnom Penh.... Long bus rides filled with Cambodian tourists with no airconditioning... A sleeper bus in Thailand where an elderly American man slept on my shoulder and I was trapped by the window... Seven hours on a broken down bus... private taxis that were rented with a driver for 20 bucks a day.... tuktuks... cyclos... the list goes on. But nothing compares with that 6 hour journey to Yuksum. Our driver was either drunk or crazy, or maybe both, and he took every hairpin mountain tourn at 100 km/hour. One time a bus was headed straight for us and I literally saw my life flash before my eyes as we narrowly avoided falling off the cliff. We stopped at least 9 times for bathroom breaks, to buy snacks off the side of the road, to yell at school girls walking home, to send messages to their friends, to stretch our legs, to switch drivers. It was a sitcom. But we made it to Yuksum, met with our group, and left the next day on our 8 day trek.
The trek did not begin well for me. I felt fine until lunch time, where I came down quite suddenly with a fever, and some major stomach issues. I had the chance to turn around, but I really did not want to miss out, and kept hiking the tourturous 12 miles to our first hut. There were several times where I thought I would collapse, and I think I was so out of it that I can barely remember most of the journey. I spent the entire 8 days of the trek in that disastrous state, and only upon returning back to America and visiting the doctor, did I discover that I had Giardia. It was the most pain I had ever been in, second only to my broken ankle.
The Himalayas are unlike any mountain range I had ever seen. Steeper, bigger, and more difficult terrain. They are constantly in a cloud, and you are lucky if you get the chance to see the highest peaks. We hiked to a viewpoint where we saw Kanchanjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. Even suffering from Giardia, I could definitely appreciate the miracle of the moment.
After our trek, we went to Darjeeling, where we luckily found a place to stay. Turns out that just a few days before we arrived there, a local politician had been murdered in front of everyone. In fact, one employee at a restuarant we visited, showed me the grousome photo of his neck that had been hacked into by a machete. THe town was protesting it while we were there. Although people kept telling us to be careful, I felt far less danger there than in Delhi, or Mumbai, and it was actually an interesting experience to see the police and protestors occasionally marching through the street.
We spent our three days in Darjeeling reading books, drinking tea, and walking around in the cooler mountain air. It was nice to kind of do nothing while we were there, and just enjoy our last few days in India before we started the trip home.
It took me more than 48 hours of travel to make it back to Denver. We left Darjeeling at 7 am on Friday. We took a 2 hour bus ride to the airport in bagdogra. We had a 2 hour plane ride back to Delhi, followed by a 7 hour layover in the Delhi airport. Val and I split ways for the first time in 4 months, and I flew 10 hours to Frankfurt. I had a 7 hour layover in the Frankfurt airport, where i was shocked by modern bathrooms, internet, newspapers and more. I felt like I had emerged from the twilight zone and was reentering the world again. From Frankfurt I had a 7 hour flight back to Denver, which turned into 10 hours when we made an emergency landing in Montreal. I made it back to Denver finally at 8 pm on Saturday night, and slept more soundly in my family's westernized bedroom than I had in the last 5 months.
Looking back on it all now, it seemed like a world apart. To relive the every day through my journals and pictures, I am amazed at everything I saw, experienced, and felt. That part of the world is so different from my own. I never stopped being nervous, scared, excited, or confused... And the adjustment back to my life in Estes was a lot harder than I couldve imagined.
Of course I experienced culture shock, but it was more than that. I felt suddenly alone without Val around me all the time... sharing my food, my room, and my life with me. I also felt very startled at the sudden change in lifestyle. Having a car again, seeing my friends and family again, having real life responsibilities again. THe first week I returned, I had to deal with issues like Giardia, a stolen credit card, the purchase of new tires, a $2,000 debt to my parents, finding an apartment,and finding a job. I was overwhelmed by life here as much as life abroad.
There is so much I learned from my experience over there, that I can just now understand. It is more than a compare and contrast between the East and the West, and the contrast between lifestyles, outlooks, personalities, etc. I am no expert, and I feel like I just dipped my toes into the massive lake that is the world, but I have a little understanding of the themes. I now have an idea what poverty is like. I know what overpopulation looks like, and I know what problems can arise (like lack of water and diseases like Giardia). I have seen the negative consequences of mass genocide, and the beautiful personalities of a whole country such as Cambodia. I have seen the positive and negative effects of tourism, the intense contrast between the rich and the poor, and what the difference between a corrupted government and an absent government. THere is so much to learn from other cultures, and while the experience might be incredibly hard, it is priceless. I'm happy now in Estes Park, in my comfortable apartment, my profitable jobs, and my wonderful friends... and I truly get how lucky I am to have this. But the world is still out there, and there is so much more to see and do and learn.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
On the move
He'res a quick update for anyone who's interested. We've finally left Cambodia and are now on this ridiculously long and lifechanging journey through India.
Our last few days in Cambodia were a little sad, busy, and a lot fun. We had a ton of last minute things to accomplish like visas, job stuff, last minute souvenirs and tailored clothes, as well as some goodbye parties. WE tried to soak up everything we love about Cambodia. Some of my students showed up the night before we left and we had a really fun dinner filled with dancing. Cambodians are definitely the best thing about that country... they are so warm, friendly, open and genuine... I will miss that atmosphere a lot. We said goodbye to all of our Western friends we made. In particular, it was hard to say good bye to Shiloh, our roommate for the previous three months. It was a hectic end, and Val characterized it correctly when she said, "We have to hurry up and have fun"
We took a flight to Malaysia where we had a quick taste of Kuala Lampur. We took a bus into the city, had a nice dinner with a random traveler from Poland we met, had a quick sleep, and were back at the airport. Val and I were already talking about all the things in the "real world" we had missed while we were in South East Asia. Such as... Trashcans, water fountains, sidewalks, western chain foods (OK we ate breakfast at Dunkin Doughnuts), air conditioning, and more. Kuala Lampur is a very modern city.
We had a nice 5 hour flight from KL to Mumbai. We got a killer deal for this flight (like less than 100$) because it was the inagural flight of this route for the airline. THe owner of the airline was on the flight, and he went and shook every ones hand. A lot of people posed in a picture with him, which Val and I found odd. When it was our turn to shake his hand, he actually took a picture of me because I was sitting backwards on the airplane instead of forward. Look for me on the next Air Asia advertisement.
Mumbai... holy cow. I have spent the last months living in poverty stricken cambodia, and surviving, so I thought I could take anything. Mumbai is the biggest city in the world with somewhere between 15 and 20 millino people living on this tiny island. That is the theme of the city... overcrowdedness. People bustling everywhere. Its a wonderful sight though and anytime we drive anywhere I cant pull my eyes away from the people. They are so colorful, with even the poorest wearing sequenced saris and hindi dots on the forehead. Theres also quite a sizeable muslim population. THe typically wear all white and you see a lot of women covered from head to foot, with only their eyes showing. I've been taking many pictures, but it seems that Indians are just as curious about us, as we are about them. People stare at us wherever we go (especially men) and a lot take ouir picture. Some even come up and ask to pose for a picture with us. We're lucky because we are staying with a friend of our from college, so we have the ability to see many parts of the city that typical tourists don't get to visit. WE've had the culinary tour of our life.. Each night a new 5 star restaurant serving a different variety of indian food. Taha, our friend we are staying with, does all the ordering so most of the time I have no idea what it is I'm eating... I know theres Chutney, a lot of Naan and other "bread" things, lots of things with lentils... and some other stuff. I will post some pictures as soon as I can and maybe some of you guys can help me identify.
Everything is wonderful. Our next step will take us to Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal. After that, we are headed to the Himalayas. We're no longer going to Nepal because of the Maoist protests occuring there. Instead we're going to Darjeeling for hopefully a similar experience.
INCREDIBLE INDIA!
Our last few days in Cambodia were a little sad, busy, and a lot fun. We had a ton of last minute things to accomplish like visas, job stuff, last minute souvenirs and tailored clothes, as well as some goodbye parties. WE tried to soak up everything we love about Cambodia. Some of my students showed up the night before we left and we had a really fun dinner filled with dancing. Cambodians are definitely the best thing about that country... they are so warm, friendly, open and genuine... I will miss that atmosphere a lot. We said goodbye to all of our Western friends we made. In particular, it was hard to say good bye to Shiloh, our roommate for the previous three months. It was a hectic end, and Val characterized it correctly when she said, "We have to hurry up and have fun"
We took a flight to Malaysia where we had a quick taste of Kuala Lampur. We took a bus into the city, had a nice dinner with a random traveler from Poland we met, had a quick sleep, and were back at the airport. Val and I were already talking about all the things in the "real world" we had missed while we were in South East Asia. Such as... Trashcans, water fountains, sidewalks, western chain foods (OK we ate breakfast at Dunkin Doughnuts), air conditioning, and more. Kuala Lampur is a very modern city.
We had a nice 5 hour flight from KL to Mumbai. We got a killer deal for this flight (like less than 100$) because it was the inagural flight of this route for the airline. THe owner of the airline was on the flight, and he went and shook every ones hand. A lot of people posed in a picture with him, which Val and I found odd. When it was our turn to shake his hand, he actually took a picture of me because I was sitting backwards on the airplane instead of forward. Look for me on the next Air Asia advertisement.
Mumbai... holy cow. I have spent the last months living in poverty stricken cambodia, and surviving, so I thought I could take anything. Mumbai is the biggest city in the world with somewhere between 15 and 20 millino people living on this tiny island. That is the theme of the city... overcrowdedness. People bustling everywhere. Its a wonderful sight though and anytime we drive anywhere I cant pull my eyes away from the people. They are so colorful, with even the poorest wearing sequenced saris and hindi dots on the forehead. Theres also quite a sizeable muslim population. THe typically wear all white and you see a lot of women covered from head to foot, with only their eyes showing. I've been taking many pictures, but it seems that Indians are just as curious about us, as we are about them. People stare at us wherever we go (especially men) and a lot take ouir picture. Some even come up and ask to pose for a picture with us. We're lucky because we are staying with a friend of our from college, so we have the ability to see many parts of the city that typical tourists don't get to visit. WE've had the culinary tour of our life.. Each night a new 5 star restaurant serving a different variety of indian food. Taha, our friend we are staying with, does all the ordering so most of the time I have no idea what it is I'm eating... I know theres Chutney, a lot of Naan and other "bread" things, lots of things with lentils... and some other stuff. I will post some pictures as soon as I can and maybe some of you guys can help me identify.
Everything is wonderful. Our next step will take us to Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal. After that, we are headed to the Himalayas. We're no longer going to Nepal because of the Maoist protests occuring there. Instead we're going to Darjeeling for hopefully a similar experience.
INCREDIBLE INDIA!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Vietnam
In April, Cambodians have a one week holiday called Khmer New Year. It's not as exciting as you might think... there are no parties in the streets, fireworks, or water fights like in Thailand. Most Khmers head home to their provinces and the city pretty much shuts down. We took the opportunity to travel to Vietnam for a week.
Val's mom was visiting (HOORAH!), so we had a girls trip consisting of Val, her mom, our roommate Shiloh, and our friend Christine. The five of us took a boat down the Mekong River on a three day cruise into Vietnam. I have a new ranking of preferable travel methods:
#1 - Boat. How amazing!! Freedom to walk around, fresh air, an unspoilt look at fields and houses along the river. It was so incredibly relaxing, and everything seemed effortless.
Our boat took us to a couple of River towns -- Chau Doc and Can Tho. We were on a tour and it was laughably touristy, but we got to see interesting things like fish farms, weavers, a floating market, rice factories, and the inside of a REAL VIETNAMESE HOUSE (just kidding... kinda strange they took us there). I didn't mind the tour so much because I got to see a lot of the culture and didn't have to think for an entire three days about transportation, housing, or activities. Priceless, really.
We finally arrived in Saigon, where we spent a whirlwind 24 hours. My favorite experience was a visit to a water puppet show, which is a typical vietnamese experience and very entertaining. Shiloh and I spent our day touring around the city with our friend Eileen, who also did the languagecorps program. We saw her apartment, and she showed us a little of her life there -- what she eats at the market, where she finds good homemade beer, and she even took us for a spin on her moto. We spent the afternoon visiting the Vietnam War Museum (the Vietnamese call it "The American War"), which was mostly depressing. They really held nothing back, and I was pretty revolted at the pictures of napalm bombings, decapitated bodies, and dead babies. I guess they got their point across. It was also propaganda at it's best... which I expected from Communist Vietnam, but the anti-American sentiment was overwhelming. It was odd because aside from the war museum, barely anyone mentions the war and there is absolutely no hard feelings towards Americans. Pretty strange that 25 years later, your children can be tourists in a country that was your enemy. Can you imagine if in 25 years my children go as a tourist to Iraq?? I hope they do.
We escaped the heat of Saigon to the beautiful mountains of Dalat. This was a major French outpost during Vietnam's colonial period, and most of the architecture and lifestyle still represents that time. There's even a miniature Eiffel tower. The best thing about this city, however, was the WEATHER! Beautiful, marvelous, cold weather, where I actually had to buy a sweater. Dalat is also surrounded by mountains, so the first day we took a short trip to a nearby "mountain," known to anyone in Colorado as a hill. It took us about 4 hours to scramble to the steep summit, and was about 8 miles total. The view was beautiful and my favorite part was the smell of the pine trees that covered the hillside. I was in heaven--cold weather, mountains, and pine trees. To top it off, Dalat is known for it's wine. It was no French wine, but definitely the best I've had in South East Asia.
On our second day in Dalat we rented motorbikes with an American tourist who was motorbiking through the country. He served as our guide as we whizzed around the mountains on rented motobikes.
My 2nd favorite form of transportation --- MOTORBIKES! They are so fun, especially on the winding roads of a mountainside. The views were incredible, and the motorbikes gave us the freedom to explore a lake we spotted, and a beautiful temple set into the hillside. We went as far as a viewpoint that stretched to the Pacific Ocean. Great day, although Shiloh and I got rather nasty and unattractive looking sunburns on our thighs and hands.
I was reluctant to leave the amazing Dalat weather, but we took a bus down to Moi Ne, a coastal vacation town in southern Vietnam. Untouched beaches, cheap resort pool, and good company made it an easy day of relaxing on the beach, writing post cards, and reading. Finally it was time to head back to Phnom Penh, and Christine and I jumped on a bus early Saturday morning, expecting to reach our homes that night. When we arrived in Saigon to catch a connecting bus, we discovered every bus was sold out for the rest of the day, and we had to wait until tomorrow where we scored the last two seats on a bus leaving for Phnom Penh. We were surprised because every moment of our trip in Vietnam had been so effortless thus far-- we had found the exact transportation with the perfect schedule, we found cheap places to stay with no trouble... everything had been ideal. Christine and I bunkered down for the night in a hotel room and made the best of our extra night in Saigon.
This brings me to by #3 and all time least favorite EVER form of transportation.... bus rides. The bus ride began OK... we crossed the border with no problems, and we even had good air conditioning and a bathroom on board. We thought we were lucky. Our problems arose when we came to the ferry that crosses the Mekong to reach the city of Phnom Penh. Because it was the end of the biggest Cambodian holiday, everyone was coming back to the city and there was a line of cars waiting to board the ferry that was SEVERAL kilometers long. We didn't think it was that big of a deal, until we noticed that in the first 2 hours, we barely moved 100 feet. SEVEN HOURS LATER.... we finally made it onto the ferry. Seven hours, in busy traffic, a now-smelly bathroom, in the heat of the hottest month in Cambodia... torturous.
In the end, it was a wonderful trip and I would recommend a vacation in Vietnam for anyone. It's a beautiful country, and perhaps my favorite in South East Asia so far.
We're on the last week of our time in Cambodia now, with only 6 days left before we begin our 5 week long journey back to America.
My itinerary: Phnom Penh--Kuala Lampur--Mumbai--Delhi--Kathmandu--Mt. Everest--Delhi--London--Washington DC/Lancaster--ESTES PARK!
We're excited for our adventures to come and also excited to see everyone at home seemingly soon. I'm craving mountains, and am looking forward to that most of all. Miss you all!!!
Val's mom was visiting (HOORAH!), so we had a girls trip consisting of Val, her mom, our roommate Shiloh, and our friend Christine. The five of us took a boat down the Mekong River on a three day cruise into Vietnam. I have a new ranking of preferable travel methods:
#1 - Boat. How amazing!! Freedom to walk around, fresh air, an unspoilt look at fields and houses along the river. It was so incredibly relaxing, and everything seemed effortless.
Our boat took us to a couple of River towns -- Chau Doc and Can Tho. We were on a tour and it was laughably touristy, but we got to see interesting things like fish farms, weavers, a floating market, rice factories, and the inside of a REAL VIETNAMESE HOUSE (just kidding... kinda strange they took us there). I didn't mind the tour so much because I got to see a lot of the culture and didn't have to think for an entire three days about transportation, housing, or activities. Priceless, really.
We finally arrived in Saigon, where we spent a whirlwind 24 hours. My favorite experience was a visit to a water puppet show, which is a typical vietnamese experience and very entertaining. Shiloh and I spent our day touring around the city with our friend Eileen, who also did the languagecorps program. We saw her apartment, and she showed us a little of her life there -- what she eats at the market, where she finds good homemade beer, and she even took us for a spin on her moto. We spent the afternoon visiting the Vietnam War Museum (the Vietnamese call it "The American War"), which was mostly depressing. They really held nothing back, and I was pretty revolted at the pictures of napalm bombings, decapitated bodies, and dead babies. I guess they got their point across. It was also propaganda at it's best... which I expected from Communist Vietnam, but the anti-American sentiment was overwhelming. It was odd because aside from the war museum, barely anyone mentions the war and there is absolutely no hard feelings towards Americans. Pretty strange that 25 years later, your children can be tourists in a country that was your enemy. Can you imagine if in 25 years my children go as a tourist to Iraq?? I hope they do.
We escaped the heat of Saigon to the beautiful mountains of Dalat. This was a major French outpost during Vietnam's colonial period, and most of the architecture and lifestyle still represents that time. There's even a miniature Eiffel tower. The best thing about this city, however, was the WEATHER! Beautiful, marvelous, cold weather, where I actually had to buy a sweater. Dalat is also surrounded by mountains, so the first day we took a short trip to a nearby "mountain," known to anyone in Colorado as a hill. It took us about 4 hours to scramble to the steep summit, and was about 8 miles total. The view was beautiful and my favorite part was the smell of the pine trees that covered the hillside. I was in heaven--cold weather, mountains, and pine trees. To top it off, Dalat is known for it's wine. It was no French wine, but definitely the best I've had in South East Asia.
On our second day in Dalat we rented motorbikes with an American tourist who was motorbiking through the country. He served as our guide as we whizzed around the mountains on rented motobikes.
My 2nd favorite form of transportation --- MOTORBIKES! They are so fun, especially on the winding roads of a mountainside. The views were incredible, and the motorbikes gave us the freedom to explore a lake we spotted, and a beautiful temple set into the hillside. We went as far as a viewpoint that stretched to the Pacific Ocean. Great day, although Shiloh and I got rather nasty and unattractive looking sunburns on our thighs and hands.
I was reluctant to leave the amazing Dalat weather, but we took a bus down to Moi Ne, a coastal vacation town in southern Vietnam. Untouched beaches, cheap resort pool, and good company made it an easy day of relaxing on the beach, writing post cards, and reading. Finally it was time to head back to Phnom Penh, and Christine and I jumped on a bus early Saturday morning, expecting to reach our homes that night. When we arrived in Saigon to catch a connecting bus, we discovered every bus was sold out for the rest of the day, and we had to wait until tomorrow where we scored the last two seats on a bus leaving for Phnom Penh. We were surprised because every moment of our trip in Vietnam had been so effortless thus far-- we had found the exact transportation with the perfect schedule, we found cheap places to stay with no trouble... everything had been ideal. Christine and I bunkered down for the night in a hotel room and made the best of our extra night in Saigon.
This brings me to by #3 and all time least favorite EVER form of transportation.... bus rides. The bus ride began OK... we crossed the border with no problems, and we even had good air conditioning and a bathroom on board. We thought we were lucky. Our problems arose when we came to the ferry that crosses the Mekong to reach the city of Phnom Penh. Because it was the end of the biggest Cambodian holiday, everyone was coming back to the city and there was a line of cars waiting to board the ferry that was SEVERAL kilometers long. We didn't think it was that big of a deal, until we noticed that in the first 2 hours, we barely moved 100 feet. SEVEN HOURS LATER.... we finally made it onto the ferry. Seven hours, in busy traffic, a now-smelly bathroom, in the heat of the hottest month in Cambodia... torturous.
In the end, it was a wonderful trip and I would recommend a vacation in Vietnam for anyone. It's a beautiful country, and perhaps my favorite in South East Asia so far.
We're on the last week of our time in Cambodia now, with only 6 days left before we begin our 5 week long journey back to America.
My itinerary: Phnom Penh--Kuala Lampur--Mumbai--Delhi--Kathmandu--Mt. Everest--Delhi--London--Washington DC/Lancaster--ESTES PARK!
We're excited for our adventures to come and also excited to see everyone at home seemingly soon. I'm craving mountains, and am looking forward to that most of all. Miss you all!!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
dtuc chran (THE FLOOD)
"Dtuc Chran" literally translates to English as "Water A lot". In Khmer, there aren't as many vocabulary words to describe things. For example ice is "Dtuc Kohr" or "water hard". Dtuc Chran was the latest phrase we learned in Khmer, when we got stuck in the most hilarious, intense, world-ending rainstorm of my life.
The rain started after an incredibly muggy morning in Phnom Penh, and came constant and heavy. Val was cursing it as she bundled up in her hiking boots and rain jacket to trudge to work. I laughed a lot at the ridiculousness of her appearance, and watched as she walked down the road, holding her head down against the pounding rain. She returned less than a minute later completely drenched. She didn't make it 100 feet before a car drove by and completely soaked her from head to foot.
I was loving the rain, and so I convinced Val to play hookie, and go for a walk in the rain. It wasn't just a spring rainfall, but a powerful thunderstorm. Lightning struck nearby and made us jump. Once lightning struck so close and the thunder was so loud, that I actually screamed. The rain was coming so fast, and the streets of Phnom Penh are not very well equiped to handle it. Within minutes, the street was completely flooded. As we walked around the block, we watched the water rise steadily, overflowing over the sidewalks an into people's houses. It only rained for an hour and it was absolute mayhem. I can only imagine what it is like when it rains for 10 hours during the rainy season.
The best part was seeing how rain brings everything to a stop in Phnom Penh. Everyone was staring out from their balconies and doorways watching it, but there was no one in the streets. As Val and I tramped around in our rain jackets and hiking boots, everyone shouted to us. They all thought we were insane, and cheered loudly or laughed to see us walking along.
Very few motos, tuktuks, or cars braved the streets, but those that did had a lot of trouble. At one intersection, the water was up to our knees, and we watched as multiple motos got stuck in it. Some boys who were riding three-deep on a moto had to jump off and push themselves out of the flowing river that was once a street. I laughed with two ladies who were trying to bike through the river, and of course they failed miserably, but it was all so ridiculous and hilarious that everyone kept laughing.
The rain wasn't letting up any time soon, so Val and I sat on the corner restaurant and ordered a delicious Ice coffee (Instant coffee mixed with Ice and condensed milk... tastes more like melted coffee ice cream). We watched as kids played soccer, Business men held their breifcases above their heads, tuktuks stalled in the rain, and a woman pulled an entire umbrella out of a sewer where the water was so deep you couldn't even see the umbrella in the first place. The country is certainly not equipped with proper draining facilities, and we were even more dismayed as we saw that all the trash that people throw on the ground or put outside their house gets swept up in the flood as well. We also witnessed a man peeing in the streets, which is not a new sight for me, but made all the more worse when we know it is added to that dirty, polluted water that everyone has to walk through when it rains. After discussing this, Val and I went home to shower.
It was a fun time to watch everything halt in Phnom Penh, and also enjoy the slightly cooler weather brought by the rainstorm.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Happy Easter
Val, Shiloh and I decided that we had to celebrate Easter in some way... so we packed a picnic and headed to Mekong Island, which is a popular beach destination a little north of Phnom Penh on the Mekong River.
Val walking out on the boardwalk towards the edge of the Mekong River, which you can see in the distance.
Val walking out on the boardwalk towards the edge of the Mekong River, which you can see in the distance.
Since we were all a little low on funds, our Easter picnic was quite basic. We had 3 hard boiled eggs, a loaf of bread, 3 bananas, and some Cambodian wine coolers. We found a tuktuk driver, who we knew fairly well, to drive us the 45 minutes on Cambodian dirt roads. We had to take a ferry across the river to get to the island. Everyone else was Khmer, and we were immediately bombarded by people trying to sell us silks, mangos, and everything else. They lingered next ot us the entire day, and it was slightly unnerving.
Val has a stare down with one of the many children that lingered next to our bungalow for the entire day.
Mr. Lee, our tuktuk driver, buys some easter eggs. At least we liked to pretend the easter bunny brought them. In reality they are filled with baby chicken fetuses.
The beach was rustic, to say the least, but was still comfortable. We sat under bamboo huts and ate our picnic. The water was pleasantly warm, and we found seashells from the Mekong River to bring home with us. Val and I made friends with a few boys and played some volleyball for a while... although it was comically bad and the ball was so deflated it was like playing with a lump of rubber.
Shiloh and I, underneath the bamboo bungalow.
It was an interesting way to spend our Easter, but definitely the right way to celebrate it in Cambodia!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The day to day
I wanted to share with you all some of the things I do here on a day to day basis... including some of my friends, my job, and our latest Phnom Penh activities.
As I write this, I'm sitting at our usual swimming pool hangout, but I've actually been diving full force into the Khmer traditions, and learning a lot more about what it means to live in Phnom Penh. One of my favorite new activities are my Saturdays that I spend out at the Harpswell Foundation. This is an organization that supports the brightest women from the provinces who want to get an education, but cannot afford to live in the city. The foundation gives them housing, motobikes, and scholarships to study everything from accounting and business, to medicine and law. The girls are shy, but extremely nice. They serve us lunch and we have a chance to talk to them about their goals, the role of women in Cambodia, and what they do for fun (which is have dance parties... all the time).
Here is the front porch of the Harpswell Dormitory. Val is continuing the education outside the classroom, so it seems.
Lunch with the girls. They eat all of their meals on the floor, and usually consist of rice, with a vegetable soup of some kind. Also on the menu was fried fish. The girls take turns cooking, cleaning, going to the market, and other chores. It seems well-run and organized, and the girls support eachother in this community that they will live in for the 4 years they have at their universities.
Here is the classroom we teach in at Harpswell. With only 2 lessons so far, we're just now getting an understanding for their english level, and what is the most beneficial type of lesson. Last week I taught a class on health care. We read a few paragraphs about sickness and health, and learned some new vocabulary like contagious, epidemic, disease... and sayings like "It will be worth it" and "meanwhile". For homework, i assigned Barack Obama's speech on health care, and told them to come up with their own opinion about the role of government in health care. It was fun to develop the lesson plan, and use current events to teach english.
Even though it feel like my job at Pannasastra University just started, we have a 3 week break for the Khmer New Year. I'm happy to have more free time, but I already miss my students. It was wonderful getting to know them. Most of them were about 20 years old, and were very smart. There were doctors, dentist assistance, NGO workers, and more... Some needed english to continue their studies in other universities, and others needed better english for the jobs they already have. It was wonderful to see them every day, get to know them, and help them improve. They took their final exams on Tuesday, and I'm now in the process of grading 90 exams. On wednesday, one of my classes took me out to dinner to celebrate. We went out to a traditional Khmer restaurant called "BBQ Party." We cooked our food on the table in front of us. They showed me how to use my chopsticks, and we cooked shrimp, beef, and vegetables in pig fat over a grill. For dessert, we had this weird slimey jello thing that wasn't very sweet. My students were wonderful. They couldn't stop taking pictures with me, giving eachother cheers, and talking and laughing. For them, it has been 2 years together in english class, and they are now receiving their diplomas. I was really honored to be a part of their celebration, and even more touched when they gave me a few presents of a scarf and a beautiful wooden carving of an Apsara dancer.
One of my favorite students, Ti.
My morning level 3 class, who is learning writing. They are really fun and actually better english speakers than my level 4 class. Peace signs all around!
We had a party on one of our last days.... Sithika brought a guitar, and they sang some songs in English. We ate PB&J crackers, and crackers with cheese. I found most of the cheese crackers in the trash can on my way out.... Cambodians apparently aren't huge fans.
Dinner with my level 4 class for our ending party. Chan, the girl on my left, is adorable and told me a lot about the role of women in society.
Dika and Mony, showing me what's for dinner and how to manouver with the chopsticks.
Fresh shrimp, vegetable patties, and veggies. Typical.
Gift giving. Complete with a card where they all professed their love for me.
Two of my favorite students, Dika and Chan.
Pre-party photos in front of our University. Lucy is their other teacher who teaches them writing. I felt a little underdressed next to her. Also, notice the hand signals in these pictures. If you're traveling to Asia soon, you better learn some of them.
Pannasastra University of Cambodia... Chatanimuk Campus. There are 4 campuses around Phnom Penh. Luckily I taught at the one that is right around the corner from my house. I could easily walk in 5 minutes, but often my students often to take me on their moto.
Two of my students brought Val and I to Psar Toul Tom Poung market in Phnom Penh, where they could help us navigate. They bargained for us, because as a westerner it's hard to get a fair price in the market. They also told us about the traditional use for things, their history, and their culture. They are both 19 years old, and are incredibly sweet. As a thank you, Val and I took them out to lunch for some western food, and it was fun showing them about cheese. They also seemed surprised that we ate different food for breakfast. In Cambodia, Breakfast lunch and dinner is the same... Rice with meat and vegetables or Noodles with meat and vegetables.
Lida and Ti, trying out western food.
Val's mom comes next wednesday, and then a week from Saturday we will be heading to Vietnam. I'm excited to do some more traveling. I hope to have some good stories for you when we get back!
I have some more pictures that I will be uploading to facebook, once I get things more organized. It's really nice to share these with all of you, and thanks for reading!
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